DEALING
Buffy trudged down the stairs, her legs feeling like logs. Why did this
have to happen? Were the cosmic forces testing them? She was sick
and tired, literally, of all the crap. Faith didn't deserve to have a nervous
breakdown. They were stuck now, with problems she had no clue how to deal
with. Besides coping with what they did, there was the police. And sooner
or later, they'd find out his name.
She walked into the living room and Cordelia and Willow rose from the
couch.
"She's finally asleep." The slayer said wearily
"I've never seen her like that." Willow said. "And uh...you don't look
much better."
Her emotions were so screwy, that she started to giggle uncontrollably.
They were quiet until she ran out of laughter.
"You've got something on your hand." Cordelia noticed.
Buffy looked at her hand. The man's blood had dried on it. Her skin
started to itch. It increased, she tried scratching, but then it just felt
dirty. She ran into the kitchen, turned on the faucet, and stuck her hands
underneath the stream of water. She grabbed the bar of soap and started
scrubbing. Harder and harder. Faster and faster. She watched the blood
mix in with the water and swirl down the drain.
There was no trace of red anywhere on her hands anymore, but it still
wasn't enough. She kept scrubbing. She may not have done it, but she was
an accomplice.
She had touched him, had watched him take his last breath. Both her
hands started to shake, and she kept scrubbing.
Willow and Cordelia were standing at her sides. The redhead reached
under the water, and pulled her friend's hands out.
"Buffy, look."
Her skin was irritated. She had scrubbed some of it right off. She
couldn't be strong any longer. It took energy she had run out of. Willow
touched her hands, and that’s when she let it all out. Her legs gave out,
and they both went to catch her, and eased her to floor. She sobbed, and
then quickly covered her mouth so she wouldn't wake Faith up.
"Talk to us." The hacker said softly. "Please."
"Yeah. We can help."
"I don't know." Buffy choked with a shuddering breath. "I don't know
how you can."
***
Willow sat on the porch seat outside Buffy's house, with Giles. She
called him, and asked him to come over. She didn't know what else to do.
Once she heard the whole story, she knew he was the only one Buffy would
let her tell. The blonde slayer was inside, having fallen asleep on the
couch, after much coaxing. They had to do something, and neither slayer
was in any condition to do anything.
"Giles...they're both...it's horrible."
"I can imagine." The older man said. "You've been a good friend, Willow.
Sleep is the best thing for them at the moment. They could have, for lack
of a better term, 'burnt out'."
"What do we do?"
"There is procedure in situations like this, but I doubt it would help
either of them. Most importantly, they need all the support they can get."
"They will."
"I know." He smiled. "The best I can think to do right now, is wait
until morning to make any decisions. We've all had a long night."
"What if the cops...?"
"It'll be fine, I promise you. Why don't you let me drive you and Cordelia
home?"
"But...we can't leave them alone."
"I'll stay." Angel said, stepping out of the shadows.
Giles stood, as Willow went inside to get Cordelia. He looked at the
vampire sadly.
"I never expected them to have to deal with this. It's not like it
hasn't happened before, but you never think it'll happen to your slayers."
He sighed. "What am I saying? I don't work for the Council any longer."
"It'll be difficult. Especially because of their age. I know about
remorse and guilt when it comes to killing. I'm almost two-hundred and
fifty years old, and it's still there."
"The psychological damage they could suffer could be irreparable "
"If they weren't as close as are, I'd say it could be a harder road, and they might have trouble walking the line, but they'll survive it. Cope. It'll still be hard, but they've got each other, and a group of friends willing to be there for them."
"So what's your advice?"
"Keep their environment as positive as you can. They'll need it. And be ready for the police."
***
Faith awoke at around four-thirty in the morning, sweating, and screaming
Buffy's name. She had come out of a nightmare where she was forced to watch
herself murder that man over and over again. Except, when she dropped the
stake in the dream, it never hit the ground. It turned, the sharp end pointing
in Buffy's direction, and then it killed her. And Faith couldn't stop it.
She looked around for her girlfriend, not able to find her. Angel was
the one who was at her side. Her eyes were frightened, tear-stained, and
confused.
"Angel? Where is she?"
"She's fine. She fell asleep downstairs, and they didn't want to move
her."
Buffy ran in the bedroom.
"I'm here." She said soothingly, getting on the bed. They embraced.
"And we're both alive."
"How'd you know I was -?"
"I was dreaming that...you got staked, then I heard you scream. It
woke me. I figured you were dreaming...well, you know."
Faith sighed in relief. "I didn't mean to..." She looked at the vampire.
"I didn't mean to, Angel. I swear."
"Nobody thinks you did. Either of you." He assured her. "Why don't
you try to go back to sleep? I'll leave."
"I can't. It hurts."
"I don't want to either." Buffy said. "Sleep is bad."
"I'll make tea then." Angel said, going out the door.
"You know what?" The blonde said once he was gone. "I don't like tea.
Add to that the fact that Angel's downstairs making it...scary."
That got them laughing softly.
"We should probably drink it though. To be polite." Faith said.
"Okay. But you're drinking it first."
"Deal." The brunette swung her legs over the side of bed. "I hit rock
bottom last night, didn't I? I think I'm still there. Everyone saw..."
"No one thinks any less of you. I did the same thing. At least I think
I did. It's all a blur."
"I...I need a shower." Faith stood up, and then turned around. "In
this together?"
"Whatever happens. The gang's behind us too." The younger slayer didn't
move, so Buffy got up, walked to her, and gave her a small kiss, meant
to comfort. "K?"
Faith nodded, the beginnings of a smile appearing, but when she realized
it, she wouldn't let herself. She headed to the bathroom.
***
"Faith, are you okay in there?" Buffy asked, knocking, after the girl
had been in the bathroom for forty-five minutes.
Twenty minutes before, Buffy had heard the water turn off, so she wasn't
showering anymore. The tea had long since gotten cold. She remembered then,
that it was a school day. Going to school would be too normal, and she
couldn't handle that just yet. Plus, if someone even looked at her, she
would think they knew. Paranoia was also something she wanted to avoid.
There were those people who would say that locking yourself in a house,
where the thoughts would fester, wouldn't help jumpstart the healing process.
That getting back into the daily routine as quickly as possible, and dealing
with the event in small doses, was the best thing to do.
She had thought about that, and then she knew Faith would be here.
She could come with her, but eventually, she'd be questioned. They'd find
out she wasn't a student and Snyder would kick her out. For good. Well,
Buffy wasn't going to leave her, not for a second. And the truth of it
was, she didn't want to be separated from her.
In a couple hours, she'd call Giles, and tell him she wasn't coming
in today. No, she'd have Angel call.
"You can come in." Faith called from the other side of the door.
Buffy walked in to see her, in a bathrobe, standing in front of the
sink and looking into the mirror on the wall.
"I don't feel clean. I tried, but I don't."
Buffy remembered what she done to her hands. "You didn't hurt yourself,
did you?"
Faith shook her head. "Whatcha doin'?" She asked next, as gently as
she could.
"Tryin' to figure out if I look any different. I can't tell."
"You look the same to me."
She joined Faith, standing beside her. Looking at herself in the mirror,
she knew what the other slayer meant. She could see herself, but she couldn't.
Her face appeared distorted. The only thing she could really make out was
her eyes. But they weren't hers. They were his. Staring back at her, dead,
lifeless...
Faith grabbed her hand as she looked away.
"And thinkin'."
"About?"
"School. If I...if we get busted, that's not in the cards anymore."
"But how would they...?"
"Witnesses? Anything we touched has our prints..."
"I touched his shirt..."
"You said the men in blue weren't too bright here, right? Maybe they'll just stick it in the 'unsolved' category. But then, we...I don't pay."
"You're not one of those...people. The sick, demented...it was a mistake. That *we* made and shouldn't have to go to jail for."
"There's no such thing as 'accidental murder', B. We can't just tell them, 'We're vampire slayers and we thought he was one of 'em. Oops. Sorry.' And you can't tell me you don't think you need to be punished."
Buffy couldn't argue.
"Who was he?"
It had just occurred to her that they hadn't asked that question yet.
Faith raised her eyebrows. That *was* a good question. But did she want
the answer? Wouldn't it help if he remained a nobody? Without a life and
a history? But maybe it would help if she could put a name to the
face. It would be harder for her to forget then. It wouldn't make
it easier to move on. She wanted that. To torture herself.
"Giles is here." Angel said, standing in the doorway. They both turned
their heads sharply, hating his stealth prowess just then. "He's got news."
***
"I know it's early." Giles said as they sat down on the sofa.
"We were up." Buffy answered as she and Faith snuggled together.
"How are you feeling?"
"Been better." Faith said quietly. "What's...?" She didn't even feel
like finishing the question.
"I had trouble sleeping myself, and so I turned on my television..."
"You have a TV?" A shocked Buffy asked.
"Um...yes."
"As if my world wasn't messed up enough." She made a 'go on' gesture.
"I was watching one of those less than stellar psychic infomercials...well,
it was pre-empted, and it cut to a reporter outside of City Hall. They
found a body propped up in an alleyway."
That got Faith's attention. She sat straight up.
"Who was he?" The brunette asked. Giles hesitated. "You came here to
tell us. So tell."
"The Deputy Mayor. Allan Finch."
"Allan Finch..." She kept saying the name over and over in her mind.
Not only did she kill someone; he was high profile too. She got up and
started to pace. "That's great. Just...wonderful."
"Faith, Buffy, you need to understand something. It's not the
first time like something like this has happened."
Faith halted her pacing. "What?
"Slayers are on the front lines of a nightly war. Now, it's, it's tragic,
but accidents have happened."
"Don't tell me I can balance it out, Giles. Okay? It doesn't matter
if we've saved a million people by doing this. I'm not just gonna say that
the good outweighs the bad and forget the guy who got in the way one time."
"I'm not asking you to forget. Not at all. But you do save lives, have
saved them countless times. There are risks that come with any job. Only
slaying's risks are somewhat...higher."
"I took somebody's life, Giles."
"Faith..." Buffy tried to interject.
"Do you know how that feels?"
"Yes." He said flatly. "And it eats away at you, I know. Believe me."
"I know too." Angel added. "Remember what you said to me? I could say
the same to you now."
"I didn't know how much it hurt then." Faith said.
"We all have a purpose. Yours has been laid out for you. And you're good at it."
"Until I screw up again."
"If you think you will, then you will."
"You won't. We won't." Buffy insisted.
"You don't know that." The brunette countered.
"No, I don't. But I believe it."
Faith sighed. "What about him?"
"Mourn, grieve, pray...whatever it is you feel you need to do. But he is gone, and there's nothing more we can do." Giles advised.
"There should be."
"Let me make this clear. I hold no malice toward you or Buffy, and neither does anyone else. You're only human, even with your higher station in life. It's a heavy burden to carry the survival of the world on your shoulders, and sadly, innocents may get caught in the fight. However, people still count on you, whether they know it or not, and they need you."
The slayers digested that, being quiet.
"You said...it's happened before. What does the Council do?" Buffy asked.
"Well, the Council investigates, um, metes out punishment if punishment is due. But I...I have no plans to involve them. They are cut off from everything, and could only hinder -"
"Gettin' away with murder. That's what we're doing." Faith still couldn't get off it. It seemed so wrong. "I just -"
"Hold up a sec." Buffy said, getting a thought. "What's a question we're
not asking?"
They all waited. "What was the Deputy Mayor of Sunnydale, doing in
a dark alley, late at night? Why was he out there?"
***
Angel left just before sun-up, and most of the slayers' day was spent
sitting up against the couch together in complete silence. Occasionally,
Giles did call to check up on them, and they took turns going to answer
the phone. They just kept replaying the event over and over, trying to
come to terms with it, but to no avail. They accepted the fact that they
had to move forward, but that didn't work too well considering they had
nothing else to think about. Or do. Buffy thought maybe she *should* have
gone to school. Or somewhere they could both go, where they could be together
at all times, anyway.
They never felt like getting up, though.
At around the time school let out hours later, the gang came over,
and Willow wouldn't stop giving Faith hugs. They watched TV, movies, played
board games...anything to try and get the slayers cheery. Xander had even
brought Faith fast food, which she ate quickly. She didn't know whether
it was because she was hungry (she hadn't eaten in two days), or if it
was just a distraction. They didn't talk about what had happened, because
that was the last thing their two friends needed to hear about.
Buffy and Faith had decided to check out City Hall after dark. Once Buffy had brought up that question, Faith, Giles and Angel got suspicious. The likelihood that something was going on with the town's government was pretty good; once they had all started thinking about it. Maybe by going there, it would help them, Faith especially, heal.
At least they would be doing something...in his memory.
"Six! I got a six, I go first." Xander said happily.
"No, I go first." Cordelia said.
"Cordy, I know how Trouble works. The rules say that the first person
to get a six, goes first."
"Did I say I cared about the rules? I go first, Xander." She told him
forcefully.
"Right. Please go first. I want you to."
"You are totally whipped." Faith commented.
"Is that something I should be ashamed of?"
"Yes."
"I don't know why guys feel like submission is such a bad thing. It
may be a tad demeaning -"
"Go. It's your turn." Cordelia instructed.
He hit the dice bubble quickly. "Popping, see? Moving piece now."
Buffy walked back to the kitchen after silently watching the exchange
in the living room. Willow and Oz were standing over the counter, making
more sandwiches.
"She was semi-sarcastic." The blonde smiled.
"I knew we could help." Willow said.
"You are. Really. Thanks."
"How you holding up?" Oz asked.
"I'll..." The doorbell rang. "Get the door."
She walked back into the living room, and going to the door, her and
Faith's eyes met. Standing outside, was a man in a suit. Who flashed a
badge.
"Buffy Summers?" She nodded. "I'm Detective Stein. I'd like to ask
you a few questions."
"Sure." He came in and shut the door behind him. He looked around.
Xander and
Cordelia got off the floor, and Faith got off the sofa and sat on the
steps.
"Have...have a seat."
Stein focused on Faith, as he sat on the couch. "And your name?"
"Faith."
"I'll get right to the point. I got a couple of witnesses who put girls
matching your descriptions, near the alley where the Deputy Mayor was found
murdered last night. You hear about that?"
"Yeah. Really sad." Buffy said genuinely. "We were here watching movies with our friends."
"They were, officer." Cordelia chipped in.
"You two," He pointed to the brunette, "live here together?"
"Uh huh." Faith answered.
"And you didn't leave the house at all?"
"We were at the Bronze for a little." Buffy said.
"I see." He cleared his throat. "Somebody stabbed this guy through the heart. Strange thing is, the weapon, it was made out of wood. Any of this mean anything to you?"
"Nope." She answered. "Sorry."
Faith shook her head.
"I have enough for now." He got up.
"Do they have any idea why he might have been killed?" Faith asked.
"It's still an ongoing investigation, and I can't really comment. But these days, it seems like murderers kill...for no good reason at all."
"Sick."
He sighed. "Call me if you remember anything."
When he was gone, Buffy came and sat next to Faith on the step, and Cordelia and Willow sat on the one below. Faith wrapped her arms around her partner.
"I'm not like them. I'm not. I'm one of the good guys."
"I sure think so." Buffy agreed.
"Me too." Willow agreed.
"Me three." Cordelia added.
"Me four." Xander said, coming over with Oz.
"Me five." The guitarist said.
"We're figurin' out what's goin' on, tonight, then we're gonna find some vampires," Faith spoke, the fire coming back, "and I'm gonna do my job."
***
The slayers entered Allan's office quietly, and started to look around
the dark room. The immorality of breaking and entering crossed their minds,
especially because they had already committed a major immoral act already,
but they were both positive something not so good was going on in City
Hall. And that made what they were doing easier.
"You brought this up," Faith said, "so you're thinkin', what? Conspiracy?"
"I don't know if it's X-Files-esque in bigness, but yeah."
"So no Smoking Man." Faith sighed.
As Buffy went over to the file cabinets, Faith went over to his desk
and searched his inbox. Just interoffice envelopes. Her eyes traveled to
a picture of him and the Mayor, Richard Wilkins III. She picked up the
picture, and after a few moments, had to close her eyes. The pain hit her
again, as well as the guilt.
She felt Buffy's eyes on her, and held up the picture. The blonde frowned,
and they both just stood there for a minute, until Buffy remembered the
file cabinets she had been opening. Crooking her finger, she beckoned the
other slayer over. Faith set the picture down, and Buffy began showing
her the cabinets' contents.
"Empty." The brunette said.
"Completely."
Faith went back to the desk, and began looking through the drawers.
They were empty too. She went to shut the top one, disappointed. Then,
on a hunch, she reached in and felt the top of the drawer. Her fingers
touched something. She yanked, and whatever it was, came loose. It was
a day planner.
Before they could look through it, they heard voices coming from the
hallway. The slayers crept to the door, and Buffy opened it just
enough so they could look without being seen. They weren't expecting what
they saw. Trick and the Mayor were walking down the hallway, talking.
"Get as many men on it as you can. We don't have near enough evidence to put 'em away, so plans will have to change." The Mayor said to the vampire.
"Yeah. We'll be wanting to turn up the heat."
"Holy -" Faith whispered.
"Crap." Buffy finished.
***
"The Mayor of Sunnydale's a black hat, and Trick's workin' for him. I should've known he'd go for the top guy." Faith seethed, as they walked to Restfield. "What's it say?"
Buffy was reading Allan's planner. "Something called 'Hundred Days' happened yesterday, he was supposed to call somebody about a delivery, and in like a month, he has 'Ascension' written down. Why's that date sound familiar?"
"How much you wanna bet he was tryin' to give us a heads up? He wasn't in that alley just for the sights, and that book wasn't taped in that drawer for nothin'."
"Then this planner was his back up in case something happened to him. He must've expected -"
"He expected the Mayor to get to 'em. Not someone he was comin' to for
help." The brunette spat.
They walked past the gates and into the cemetery. After a few feet,
Buffy grabbed Faith's arm, and turned her around.
"Tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"What I can do." She sighed. "You're beating yourself up over this. I know I didn't actually do...but I was there. I'm feeling sick, and dirty, and pretty low, too. Maybe not in the same way you are, but I am. I don't know what to say, how to help..."
"You are, Buffy. Don't you know that? If I need you, I know you're there. And you're not leavin' me out to dry. No matter how much I want all the blame. Really isn't anything to say. We've done that. I'll be okay...eventually. Just keep stickin' by me."
"Can do." They grasped hands, and started looking for vampires. "I should go to school and tell Giles what we found out tomorrow. Do you wanna -?"
A branch snapped somewhere, and their sensitive hearing picked it up right away. They stealthily moved down the rows of graves, searching for the source. Faith was glancing at the names on the headstones as they went by, and one made her stop. The Deputy Mayor's. The Mayor had hurried the funeral, and they had had it just after noon that day.
Without thinking, she just knelt down in front of it. Buffy was a couple steps ahead, and when she realized she was alone, she backtracked. She thought about telling Faith that they might be in danger, but she didn't want to interrupt her. She just stood behind the brunette, and looked as well.
"You were lookin' for us, and when we figure out what's goin' down, we'll stop it. I get the feelin' that's what you wanted, and that's what will do. Promise. And I never meant to...I'm...sorry. We're sorry." Faith sighed. "Rest in peace."
She looked up at Buffy, and they smiled at each other. Then the next thing they knew, a net was falling down over them. Wesley had come out from behind a mausoleum, flanked by three other men, who had thrown the net.
"By the order of the Watcher's Council of Britain, I am exercising my authority and removing you to England, where you will accept the judgment of the disciplinary committee."
"How did you find out?" Buffy asked, struggling to get free.
"As a Watcher, it is my job to know everything that happens with my charges at all times."
"You idiot!" Faith yelled. "You're shippin' two slayers off, away from the Council's biggest trouble spot?"
He didn't say anything, and they started to be dragged off.
"Look out! Vampires!" Buffy screamed. The four men scattered immediately, fleeing like the wusses she knew they were. It allowed her and Faith to get free. When their "abductors" stood up from behind the graves they were using to hide, they were very confused. She looked at the lackeys. "Beat it."
Wesley cowered as his friends ran off, and the blonde pushed him onto the ground. She crouched, gripped his tie, and yanked. She really hated the Council. Did they even hear of the words "human being" and "delicate situation"? You didn't abduct your employees. They were so out of touch with the world it wasn't even funny.
Faith watched Buffy glare at the watcher, and could see how frightened he was. He was still a person, and seeing the anger in her partner, was scaring her. Images of the alley came to her, and she didn't even want that to be a possibility. Ever again.
She put her hand on Buffy's shoulder. "Let 'em up, B. As much as he deserves a hit, he's not worth the energy." The blonde nodded in hesitant agreement, and Wesley scrambled to his feet. "Get the hell out of here, Wes. We're not goin' anywhere."
When he was gone, they headed home.
***
"You were just acting on instinct, you know." Buffy said to Faith as
they lied in bed. "I know you think you should've seen that he wasn't a
vampire, and known not to..."
Faith sighed. They had been lying there awhile, feeling slightly better
than they had. It wasn't worth bringing up Wesley, or the Council, because
that was just stupid. It was over and done with, and they knew he wasn't
going to try again. Even he wasn't *that* stubborn. But Buffy had a reason
for bringing this up, and she hoped it would work.
"Those killer whales we saw on that boat tour acted on instinct. I'm
human. I'm supposed to be able to have higher thought processes or whatever."
"But you're a human who's also a Slayer. We have to listen to our instincts.
It's what keeps us alive. We both were in survival mode cause Balthazar's
cronies were coming out of nowhere."
"So that makes us like those whales? Animals?"
Buffy shook her head. "Animals don't care."
"Maybe that'd be easier. Not being able to care."
"Angel didn't care during his killing spree days. He could just do it,
and forget. But then it caught up with him. Be glad you care, cause if
you didn't, bad stuff would catch up with you eventually."
"Where'd this come from, B?"
"I've just been thinking. I grabbed him on instinct. Then you..."
"Instinct. Yeah, you said."
"But what if we were on different sides? Then you would've given him to me, and I would've...done it. It would've happened no matter what. Some things we can't stop. There's nothing wrong with you, and even if there was, then there'd be something wrong with me too."
Faith didn't speak, and Buffy took that to mean she had said something wrong.
"I just wanted to help. I know you said...but I needed to say something...and I should have kept my big mou -"
Her explanation was cut short, as the brunette leaned over and brought their lips together. What the blonde said made an awful lot of sense. Giles had been motivational, Angel had been reassuring, Willow had been comforting, and the gang had tried to keep her positive as a whole. That had all helped her, but not as much as Buffy just had.
She did think there was something wrong with her. That if it had been anyone else in that alley, Allan would still be alive. And that was the one thing she knew that she'd never be able to cope with. A flaw within herself. If her slaying abilities were less than perfect, if she couldn't tell the difference between a vampire and a person, she'd have to stop. And she loved slaying. It made her feel useful, a part of something good.
But Buffy's whole explanation on instinct and switching places clicked with her. Made her feel better. She was perfectly fine. Though it was depressing to think that Allan was destined to die now. Of course, they'd never be able to test it out. (She wouldn't want Buffy to go through the pain anyway.) They couldn't prevent it. The only way it might not have happened was if the Eliminati hadn't been after them, or they had a time machine to go back and stop their doubles. Neither of those was possible though. They didn't have any control over those things.
It also reminded her why Buffy was still the only one she could really
talk to.
Because the older slayer *got* her. Who knew what was going on in her
head. It may take Buffy awhile to get her thoughts together, but she knew
exactly what to say. Faith remembered then, what she had forgotten to say
lately. Sure it had only been a day, but when the minutes seemed like hours
and the hours seemed like years, it had been a long time.
Faith spoke as she was attacking the blonde's mouth.
"I. Ove. Ou. O. Uch." Her words weren't very clear. For obvious reasons. She pulled away. "What I meant to say -"
"Was, 'I love you so much'? Ditto."
Buffy understood her when she couldn't even get actual words out?
"I do, ya know. And I know you've been hurting too. I haven't really been there for ya. You've been -"
"Don't worry about it. If I need you, I know you're there, and that's enough."
The brunette smiled as the blonde was echoing her earlier words.
"When I wasn't thinkin' about...'the badness'...I was thinkin' about you, and what we did before this all happened. It kept the dark thoughts away for a little while. How did we get from That, to the Night and the Day from Hell?"
"Life likes to throw slayers curves. I have experience."
"And in an attempt to try and be positive, I say again, we should be glad it doesn't throw us high ones. Then we'd be on our asses, and be really screwed."
"Hey, Miss Sunshine's back!" Faith smirked. "We could, um, get back to That, you know. I always feel close to you, but when we did That, I felt like we were one person. I need to feel that again."
"You read my mind, B."
"And it's so..."
"Come 'ere." Faith said with a grin, as she leaned down to kiss her
again, all the while slipping the nightshirt the blonde was wearing, off.
Angel moved away from the window with a smile, and gave them their
privacy.
***
Crack. Crack. Dodge. Spin. Thrust. Crack.
The gang looked on, in the library, as Faith and Buffy trained with
staffs. It was about two in the afternoon. As soon as the slayers had come
in, in the morning, they noticed immediately that the brightness had returned.
Especially with Faith. It was a very nice thing to see. Buffy had given
Giles Allan's planner, and he started off into research mode. The slayers
also told him what Wesley did, and he was not very happy. Not one bit.
Crack. Thrust. Crack. Swipe. Parry. Thrust. Crack.
Buffy had made up her Chemistry test, and training was a way for her
to get her mind off her nervousness and possible failure. Faith was happy
to oblige her, as she needed to get back into the groove.
Get back to be being a slayer. She was ready. Nothing was going to get
in her way.
Not Wesley or anyone. She had made her peace with Allan. Now, there
were people out there, who were in danger. She would be there for them.
Thud.
"Somebody's on their game." Buffy said, flat back on the mat.
"Thanks." Faith flashed her a smile.
She helped the blonde to her feet, and they went to sit.
"You two are...good?" Cordelia asked.
"Yeah. I've dealt. It's not gone, it'll never be, totally, but I've
dealt." Faith said, as Buffy was nodding. "That goes for both of us."
"Very entertaining." Xander said throatily, his mind still on the training.
He saw Cordelia's glare. "You had...good staff control."
"Good staff control?" Willow asked, trying not to laugh.
"You need to work on your recoveries, man."
"Thanks for the tip, Oz." Xander shrank in his seat.
"Anytime."
"Despite his phrasing, Xander is correct. You're very proficient with
the quarter-staffs." Wesley said, having watched from out in the hall.
"How dare you come back here." Buffy snapped at him.
He flinched. "I called the Council back, and explained to them my mishandling
of the Balthazar situation, and my hastiness and uncalled for approach
last night. They were not...pleased. You'll not be sent to England. I spoke
with Mr. Giles earlier today, and after he was done...reprimanding me,
he explained the circumstances in which the Deputy Mayor's death occurred.
I ask for your forgiveness."
"You've got some brass ones. I'm surprised." Faith said.
"Yes, well, the Council also asked me to tell you this. Because of
my mistakes, they're offering you a choice. If you wish, a new watcher
can replace me, and I shall return to England. I would not blame you, if
you did."
The slayers looked at each other, and then at the gang. He was so pathetic
and sniveling, that they felt sorry for him. They couldn't send him off
to the Mother Country.
"You can stay." Buffy sighed. Sometimes, she was just too damn nice
for her own good.
Wesley smiled. "Thank you. I promise that from now on -"
"Yeah, yeah. Just go help Giles." Faith said.
"Yes. Right away."
He disappeared into Giles' office, and they all just kind of sat there
for a minute with smirks on their faces, before Xander spoke.
"See? He thinks you have good staff control too. So there."
***
Back in Restfield that night, there were vampires. Four of them to be
exact. And one of them was Trick. As he stood back and watched his boys
get dusted, Faith hoped that this wasn't what he meant when he talked to
the Mayor about "turning up the heat", because this was just ridiculous.
But by the shock on his face, she could tell it was.
As she and Buffy finished off the remaining two, attacking vampires,
with their patented synchronized slaying routine, Trick walked up to them.
He made it seem like it was with no fear, but his eyes betrayed him. Faith
silently told Buffy to hang back, and went to meet him.
"I underestimated you, girl. I thought you'd still be in denial. Vulnerable.
Past experience shows me that's how you work."
"Not anymore. I don't hide, I don't run. Your timin' is off, Trick."
"She get you to open up? Well, she'll just have to be taken out."
"Over my dead body."
"That's the idea." Trick smiled. "Poor Mr. Finch, huh? I figured when
I threatened him he'd find you, but -"
"You sent him out there?"
"When you threaten someone's life, they tend to panic. He was becoming
a liability. Too much of a conscience. We needed to get rid of him, and
I convinced the Honorable Mayor of that, but he didn't want to 'soil the
office.' Know what I'm sayin'?"
"You wanted him dead? The Mayor wanted him dead?"
"I thought for sure one of those Eliminati chumps would do it before
he could get to you, but imagine my surprise when I found out you did it.
The one he came to for protection."
Faith's blood was boiling. It had been planned all along. If it wasn't
for Trick...
"Aren't you forgetting who has the power here? Say hi to Kakistos for
me."
She shoved her stake into his chest.
"Oh no. No, this is no good at all." Trick said, just before he crumbled
into ashes.
"Bastard." She hissed.
Buffy came over then. "He definitely was."
"And now he's dead. For good this time around."
'That was for you, Allan.'
They started to make their way out.
"So...what do ya wanna do now?" Faith asked.
"Hmm...PlayStation?"
"Do we have any non-violent games? I'm not in the mood for violence
right now."
Buffy thought. "Don't think so...but we could rent one."
"All PlayStation games are pretty much...unless you count...driving
ones and Crash Bandicoot."
"Nah." They both said.
"Oh. You can rent systems too." Buffy remembered. "How about Nintendo
64?"
"Mario! Damn I used to love that. Remember we could never get the second
whistle in the 3rd one?"
"And Big World?"
"That was too damn hard." Faith smiled. "Forget the new one, you still got the original system?"
"You know...I think I do. And Xander's got some games. His machine is
broken, so
he can't play them, though."
"Guess where we're stoppin' at?"
"We might as well call everybody. They all grew up on Nintendo. Even Cordelia, but she won't admit it."
"Let's get a move on then."
Faith grinned, and ran ahead.
"Hey! Wait up!"
--
"I wanna set the record straight. I thought the cop was a prostitute."
(Homer J. Simpson)
"You think you know? What's to come? What you are? You haven't even
begun."
(Tara to Buffy, BTVS)
"Since when is there a cowboy in 'Death of a Salesman' anyway?" (Willow,
BTVS)