Title: Contrite Spirits
Author: Liz Marcs
Rating: T / PG13
Genre: Drama
Characters: Xander, Faith
Pairing: None
Fandom: Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Status: Complete, Oneshot in two parts
Summary: Faith and Xander are waiting for a newly discovered Slayer at Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre and find answers to questions they were afraid to ask.
Links
Part 1 http://liz-marcs.livejournal.com/20212.html
Part 2 http://liz-marcs.livejournal.com/20343.html

The summary doesn't really do the story justice. The author manages to pack a lot into a small story. She has a better handle on the characters of Xander and Faith than any other author in the Buffy fandom. This story is basically a conversation between the two in a church and she crafts a great story out of it. The revelation at the end was a shock and I actually didn't see it coming. The author has a way of writing that just flows and the story was worth reading just for how perfect the last line was.

5/5 One of those rare stories that just hits all the right notes for me.

 

That was very thought provoking. I enjoyed it immensely.

I most enjoyed the exploration of Faith's character. The insights into her past feel very genuine and plausible, and the way in which in connects to Xander's own is quite moving.

The trickster gods story in Africa was a really nice touch too, and resonates/ties-in really well with/to the series by alluding to Buffy's Cruciamentum.

The slayer's name seems fitting as well, as a possible reference to another saint of note, Jeanne d'Arc.