Title: Knockback

Author: Alan Hitchen

Email: darkmere2000@yahoo.co.uk

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon and others

Pairing: Faith/Kate

Kate Lockley had never really considered why perps did what they did. She just caught them and sent them to jail then the courts and others could figure it out.

Faith changed all that. This angry young woman with a self-destruct instinct fascinated Kate from the beginning.

She followed the case closely, from comittal to court, where Faith offered no defence to the charges or any mitigation for her actions, to conviction for murder.

Unusually, she found herself unable to let go after the conviction. She regularly visited Faith at the Lakewood correctional facility and, rather to her surprise, discovered that she wasn't the only juvenile serving life there.

She transferred to the Correctional Department, translocated to Lakewood, and at her own request was allowed to set up a new rehabilitation program for juvenile lifers.

This brought her into even closer contact with Faith, who seemed to cling to Kate as a drowning woman would clutch at a straw. Why that was soon became clear as Faith made a fervent declaration of love for her.

Truth to tell, Kate did have feelings for Faith, but she felt constrained by her position and the rules and regulations that clearly forbade such relationships. So she felt compelled to rebuff Faith as gently as she could, bearing in mind how badly she had taken Buffy's complete rejection of her. She hoped Faith would understand.

Much to Kate's relief, Faith attended the next session, looking subdued, but otherwise okay. Her non-regulation 'confusion is sexy' tee-shirt accentuated her curves markedly. Kate chided herself for noticing that.

As soon as the others sat down, Faith spoke.

"Before we start I'd like to say something to the group, if I may, Miss Lockley?"

Kate wondered why Faith was being so formal but decided to let her have her say. "Okay, Faith, but make it short."

Faith stood up to address the others.

"It's taken me a long time to realise it but my life ended the day that I saw Alison die. For those of you that don't know, she was my Watch... er, my good friend. Since then I've been kicking and screaming and banging my head against every brick wall that society has to offer, but it hasn't changed a thing. Alison is still dead, and I'm still responsible for that, and so much more. Such as the murder of Finch, the reason why I'm here."

She paused for a moment, then went on, "In my short life I've loved just three people. My mom, my 'co-worker', and my arresting officer."

Some of the others giggled, and Kate suddenly looked uncomfortable. Faith continued, "Love's a wonderful thing you know. It gives you hope, which means everything to someone who has none. But take it away and life's not worth living. I know 'cos I've lost it three times now, and I know there's not going to be a fourth time for me."

"Faith," Kate said gently.

Faith turned to address Kate directly. "I'm sorry, Miss Lockley, I've wandered from the point haven't I? What I meant to say is... goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

"I've brought forward my release date, I'm leaving today."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've just taken a heroin overdose, by the time you get me to the sick-bay I'll be dead. Tell Angel I'm sorry I let him down, but there's just no point in going on."

Faith sat down heavily, head lolling forward, oblivious to the stares of the others.

For a moment no-one spoke, then Kate leapt up, screaming at Faith as she shook her violently. "You selfish bitch! Don't you ever think of anyone but yourself?!"

Faith's unfocused eyes stared glassily at Kate as her lips tried and failed to form a reply.

"Dammit! You're not going to die! You're not leaving me! I love you, Faith, I love you!"

In desperation Kate slapped Faith hard.

"Jeez, Kate, that hurt!" came the unexpected response. "But it was worth it." She smiled. "You all heard that. She loves me. Kate Lockley loves me!"

Ecstatic, Faith grabbed the startled Kate, kissed her deeply, then pulled back to study her thunderstruck expression.

"To hear you say the words, to know what was in your heart, that's what I had to know. Say what you like about having to maintain a 'proper' relationship with me. We love each other, and no rules and no regulations are ever going to change that, are they?"

A grim-faced Kate at last found her voice, she did not sound pleased.

"The lifer's group is dismissed. Faith, you stay behind!"

Whether Kate was going to tear her off a strip or make love to her Faith couldn't tell. Once again she had burned her bridges. There was no going back now. But whatever happened at least it wouldn't be boring she thought, and turned to face Kate with a smile.

****

The others filed out, the door shut behind them and the lock clicked. Kate turned to face Faith. Her stern expression softened as she caught sight of Faith's impish grin.

"Why, Faith?" she asked calmly.

"Because."

"Because what?"

"Because I had to know at least one person loved me back," Faith replied, her smile rapidly disappearing. She sat down, suddenly looking defeated despite her recent moment of triumph. "I know Mom loved me really. She was just too drunk to show it. Buffy, well, I thought... imagined... that she might... But, no, she'd rather have a dead man in her arms in preference to a live woman. Okay, so she's ditched Angel for Riley... Ah, who cares," she said with a shrug.

"I do," Kate replied.

"Yes, you do, and I did wonder why. You don't do what you've done for every criminal you arrest, do you?" Faith said, stating the obvious.

"No."

"I was so eaten up with guilt and remorse I didn't see it at first. I didn't understand why you did those things for me or how you felt about me."

"You think I did?" said Kate, sitting down next to Faith. "I didn't realise it either. It just happened. I liked you from the start, and I wanted to help you for good reasons, but when that like became love I'm not exactly sure. I've never fallen for a woman before so I didn't know what was happening."

"That's okay, I've never fallen for an authority figure before," Faith laughed.

"So what now?" Kate asked, wondering if Faith's drama had a point beyond its stated aim.

Faith grinned. "You could kiss me."

"Faith, we've been through this, I can't."

Faith scowled. "You mean you won't."

"I mustn't," Kate insisted, "especially now everyone knows. I'll be lucky not to get transferred as it is."

"I hadn't thought of that," said Faith, her face creasing with worry.

"That's obvious," Kate said, rising to her feet. "Look, we can't stay here, or people really will talk. We'll discuss this later."

"Kate," Faith pleaded, but Kate was already unlocking the door and summoning the warder to take Faith back to her cell.

Next day, a frantic Kate managed to get Faith alone in a corridor.

"I suppose you've heard already?" she said in low but urgent tones.

"Heard what?" Faith asked.

"That news of our little dramatic scene has already reached the ears of the governor. I'm being transferred. At the end of the week I'm going to Meadowbrook." Kate gave out a bitter laugh. "Funny isn't it? They always give these concrete hell-holes such pretty names."

Faith was shocked. "What am I going to do?"

Kate sighed. "The same as before - twenty-five to life."

"Kate!"

"What did you expect?! That they'd give us a cell with a double bed for us to share? Get real, Faith. This is a prison, not a holiday resort!"

Faith racked her brains for a solution. "I'll escape," she exclaimed at last.

"And do what?" Kate scoffed. "Do you want us to spend the rest of our lives on the run? And what happened to the idea of paying for your crimes - seeking redemption?"

Faith struggled to find an answer but soon gave up. "I don't know. What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know either," Kate admitted, "but we do have a few days left. Perhaps I can work something out."

She looked at Faith's anxious face. Suddenly she took hold of her head with both hands and kissed her with a fierce passion that took Faith completely by surprise.

"I'll think of something - I promise," she said, then swiftly departed. Leaving Faith barely aware of her surroundings as she recovered from the impact of Kate's mind-blowing kiss.

****

After Kate had gone and she had recovered from the kiss Faith went back to her cell to look for something she had been given long ago. She eventually found it hidden in the pages of a discarded book. It was a dog-eared and crumpled business card. She looked at it as if it were a bar of gold.

"Get out of jail free," she said to herself, then went off to find Lauren who had an illicit mobile phone she could use.

That Friday, Kate 'happened' to be heading for Faith's cell. She hadn't found a way around the problem. The transfer was going ahead and she was to report to Meadowbrook on Monday. The best she could offer Faith would be a snatched kiss of farewell. However, when she got there the cell was empty.

"She ain't here," said Carla, stating the blindingly obvious.

"Is she in the block?" Kate asked, thinking Faith was being punished for yet another infraction of the rules.

"Nope, she ain't even in the prison," Carla replied.

"What?!" Kate uttered in complete surprise.

"She went this morning. Bin transferred out," Carla explained.

"Where to?"

Carla shrugged. "Dunno. She just tol' me to tell you not to worry and that she'd be in touch."

Kate smiled weakly at Carla in mute reply as she could no longer trust herself to speak.

After finishing off her final duties in something of a daze, she managed to get a look at Faith's transfer order. The destination was identified as Larkhall, but when she checked Faith had not arrived there. In fact, she wasn't even expected. Faith had disappeared!

Kate spent a sleepless weekend glued to the telephone, hoping against hope that Faith was all right and that she would be in touch as she had promised. She wasn't.

The weekend became a week and the week became a month. Kate called in every favour she was owed in a futile attempt to find her. Faith had vanished, seemingly into thin air, and no one but Kate had noticed.

With every avenue of investigation exhausted, Kate had to admit defeat. She knew Faith wasn't dead. Angel confirmed no new Slayer had been called. But where she was and what was she doing remained a complete mystery.

Six weeks later Kate got a call at work. It was Faith! She rushed home as if her life depended on it. She didn't even ask how she had got into the apartment. She just threw herself into Faith's welcoming arms and kissed her until her lips were raw.

When the kissing stopped Kate remained speechless as she was unable to form a single coherent thought beyond the fact that she loved Faith, and that she would never let her out of her sight again.

"Miss me much?" Faith asked with a grin.

"What happened, Faith?" Kate finally managed to ask as she crashed down onto the couch in a state of emotional exhaustion.

"Not Faith," said Faith, following Kate onto the couch. "Faith Jones is a dangerous criminal who is rightly doing time. A lot of time. Sierra Smith, however, is a respectable government agent."

She produced her identity card and showed it to Kate.

"Sierra Smith?"

"That's me."

"NSA?"

"Yep. Actually, it's an offshoot called GS5. They're always on the lookout for people with special talents. I was offered a deal during my trial. I wasn't interested then."

"And?"

"And I'm out of jail. I'm repaying my debt to society by catching criminals instead being one. And I'm going to spend the rest of my life with the woman I love."

Faith smiled sweetly and took Kate's hand in hers. "I'd call that a happy ending, wouldn't you?"

Kate smiled back, clutching Faith's hand firmly. "Yes. I guess I would."