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Faith and Lonliness

Faith has a habit of keeping people at arm's length and this can often leave her extremely vulnerable in the friendship arena. From our first introduction to her on BtVS it was clear that this girl worked alone and felt no need for the support group which surrounded Buffy. She did, however, wish to impress the Scoobies with stories of her adventures the majority of which were more than likely invented on the spot; it is doubtful that she really did any alligator wrestling.

There are many possibilities as to why Faith tends to alienate people, for example, she finds it hard to trust having been let down so many times before. It is presumed that her father left, perhaps even before she was born, and that her mother wasn't much of a role model though Faith remembers her nickname, 'Firecracker', with some joy. On other occassions Faith indicates that 'mom never loved me' and therefore maybe she never learnt to love properly because she had no example to follow. When she does love however, she gives herself completely and every atom of her being is placed at the recipients disposal. The most obvious case of where this was a mistake was in her dealings with Mayor Richard Wilikins III who cared for Faith despite his evil plot to take over the world, maiming and torturing as he went.

When Faith let people get close, it was generally one at a time. She would focus all her energy on one person for as long as they wanted it and then when that relationship collapsed she would move onto the next person, always looking for someone who would return the loyalty and love she gave them. Her attempt to make Buffy more like her, imparting her 'Want. Take. Have.' motto, was also an attempt to let Buffy get close to her (and you 'shipping preferences can decide how close) and to trust Buffy with a greater knowledge of her identity. But we know how that ended.

Perhaps one day, Faith will find someone who gives as unconditionally as she does but until then, she is unlikely to be anything but alone, if not physically, then spirtitually. This is what drives her on whether fighting the good fight or on the side of evil and despite the continuous disappointments and disasters, she hasn't given up yet.