FIC: "Madness Used To Be Mine" (9/12)

Joyce called Giles and he said he'll meet her at the police station. He picked Xander on his way to the police station.

Buffy was taken inside by two cops. She kept looking around, trying to see Faith but she wasn't here. Faith was in the car behind them and they had lost them at a red light as they were going a little faster.

Buffy saw the cops around and there seem to be an emergency. She managed to understand that there was a problem with Faith's car.

Buffy tried to learn what happened but she was just put in a cell for now. She was mad and mostly worried. She feared Faith might have created an accident and escaped as they?d both done once. She feared that because then she knew clearing things with the cops might be harder, but mostly she knew what she feared the most was to never see Faith again.

A couple of hours later she was called and released after her mother paid a bail.

Buffy hugged her, "Thank you mom."

"Don't thank me, thank Maitre Bradshaw. He's still in there to avoid you to go to court."

"What about Faith?" Buffy asked, looking at Giles.

?I gave my deposition already. Stating she was at my place the night of Professor Wirth's murder. Xander is in giving his deposition at this very moment. She will still be charge with assault though."

Buffy looked upset but her mother rubbed her shoulder, "I've asked Maitre Bradshaw to take her case and he accepted. He will plead temporary insanity; she'd just woken up from a coma after being beaten up and stabbed at her place. He'll plead her case saying she was scared or whatever the legal term he used, but anyway, he said she might get suspended prison only or even community service. He's a good lawyer."

Buffy looked barely relieved as she looked at Giles "The thing is, I think Faith escaped during the travel here. They wouldn't tell me anything."

She saw the troubled veil in Giles? eyes.

"What happened? Do you know something? Did she call you? Giles? Tell me?"

"She didn't escape, Buffy."

Buffy sighed with relief but he went on, "But she's not in the police's hands anymore."

Buffy looked worried again. Her mother looked bad, she already knew what Giles was about to tell her.

"Last evening I had a visit from the council. A special intervention team, 3 of them."

"Special? How special?"

"Tricky mission, retrieving missions... or worse."

"They took her. Where are they?!"

"I have no idea, Buffy."

"You need to find out."

"Buffy. They won't tell me anything. And they certainly won't let her go."

"But what's gonna happen now?"

"For the very best, she will be sent back to England and locked up for a very long time."

Joyce frowned, she looked worried, "And for the worst?"

But the look on Buffy's face knew she didn't need to hear it. She already knew.

"I won't let that happening, neither solutions. Giles, try to call Travers, I need to talk to him."

Buffy turned around.

"Buffy, where are you going?"

"I'm gonna find Faith and bring her home, and they don't want to stop me."

Joyce looked very worried, "Mister Giles, you have to do something. I know my daughter; she will find her. What is going to happen then?"

Giles looked bothered, "Bad things, because this team isn't to be taken lightly."

Buffy got out of the police station and searched for the closest pay phone since she'd let her cell phone at home.

Luckily she had a few coins.

"Riley it's me. No, not really. I'm outside of the police station right now. No I'm fine but I need your help. The council sent a team and they've got Faith. We need to find her. Yes please, they're three. Must have arrived yesterday or the day before, I'm not sure. Maybe they didn't take an international flight. Yes, I know you will. Thank you, Riley, thank you for doing this. Yes, I'll grab my cell phone at home and I'll start looking downtown then. Later."

Buffy hung up and headed home very fast to take her cell phone as to be in contact with Riley who started looking into flights and motel rooms to locate the three English men.

Buffy went to Spike's crypt and ordered him to go out and ask around as soon as night would fall. And she left to try the west part of town which was under lots of construction and empty buildings.

She received a phone call from Riley who told her he'd located them for the day before but didn't have any trace of them right now. He was looking for the airport but no one fitting the description had booked any planes yet, international or private planes. Faith was still in Sunnydale unless they?d used the road.

Buffy thanked him and told him to keep looking. She had an idea.

She called Xander who told him Giles was still trying to reach Mr Travers. So far he?d barely succeeded not to get the council to hang up on him. Buffy asked her friend to call Willow and organize research on their own, request to which Xander replied he'd already tried and explained Willow the situation but the witch had refused. Xander sounded clearly surprised as he recalled his best friend?s answer but Buffy wasn't. She was infuriated instead. Xander felt it in her voice when Buffy said she was going to find Willow and get her to help whether she wanted it or not.

Xander thought he had better find Willow first. He didn't know what the fuss was all about between Willow and Buffy; it wasn't the first time they were acting weirdly these days, but Willow refusing to help Buffy and Buffy talking so threateningly about Willow? All this was no good.

He came across Buffy walking very fast through the dorm corridors.

"Hey Buffy!!"

"Xander? What are you doing here? Did you locate her?"

"No, I just came to help you find Willow."

"I found her. Had trouble to find her new friend's room but I've got it now. I'm on my way."

She sounded toneless.

"Buffy, is everything ok?"

Buffy didn't reply.

"Buffy, look, I don't know what the prob is between you and Will, but I think you should both talk about it quietly."

"Well, I'm gonna ask her very quietly to do a locator spell."

She sounded casual but he could still hear a certain dryness in her voice.

"What if she refuses? And why does she refuse about that?"

"We're gonna find out." Buffy raised her brows and knocked at a door. Xander swallowed a little.

There was no answer.

"They're probably out." He said with a hint of relief.

"They're in. I can hear them. They're making out."

Xander raised his eyebrows, he looked around, "Isn't it a girls? dorm here? And, Willow's got a new boyfriend and she didn't tell?! And I thought you said her friend's name was Tara? That a boy's name??"

He asked with raised eyebrows, not wanting to understand.

Buffy stared at him, "Welcome to college, Xander." She casually told him.

"Oh boy." He sighed as he understood for good this time.

"And you're not done with the surprised yet. So if you get in with me, don't comment on anything. And remember to close your mouth once in a while or you?re gonna swallow flies."

She sounded almost harsh. Xander feared the most as to what he was going to hear inside.

Buffy knocked again, "Willow! I know you're in there, open the door."

"I'm not your slave, Buffy. Don't have time for you right now. Come back later."

"You know what I can do to that door, Will. I wouldn't want your friend to think I'm rude."

Buffy waited a few seconds and the door swung opened. Willow was still adjusting her top. She looked pissed off.

Buffy walked in immediately. Tara was standing in the back, she looked embarrassed.

Buffy smiled at her, "Hi, I'm Buffy. I'm sorry to meet you like that but it's an emergency."

"I-I it's ok. I-I understand."

Tara looked very shy and very nice too as Buffy told herself.

"Don't bother, Tara. Because she says it's an emergency doesn't mean it is. It's always an emergency when it's about her." Willow sounded spiteful.

Buffy stayed calm, "You're going to do a locator spell."

"I can't do that."

"Yes you can and you will."

"Look, Buffy, it's probably the best thing that she goes to England and maybe they can rehabilitate her."

"Don't try to sound all nice and wise now, Willow. First there's no rehabilitation to make and secondly, they won't take her there. They will take her nowhere. Do you want to live with her death on your conscience? Because you're on your way to."

"Sorry but I'm not the one who started killing and maiming people for fun."

"No but you're the one who squealed on us to the cops."

"What?!"

Buffy looked at Xander and he didn?t say more.

"I didn't know they would take you too, Buffy. I just-"

"I know what you just did; telling the cops you saw someone climbing by my window. She's nowhere close to the girl she was a year ago, Will. But you never wanted to listen to me. If anything happens to her, Willow, it'll be on you."

"No, Buffy it'll be on you. You told me last year you'd have killed her if she'd hurt me. You said you hated her. And when we? You said you'd never seriously thought about it with her and you shut me out to go to Riley because you're so straight but the minute she's here; you just shut us all so that you can jump her bone."

"What?!"

Buffy didn't even need to look at Xander for him to shut his mouth again.

"Can you hear yourself speak, Willow? This is crazy, you have no idea what happened between Faith and I. What-?

?Look at me in the eye and tell me you don?t love her.?

?I don?t owe you anything, Willow. Not on that level.?

?Of course you don?t, you made that so clear. I know that now.?

?You don?t know anything, Willow. You don?t know what she and I talked about. You have no idea how she's dealing with what she's done. You have no idea how bad she feels."

"And I'm supposed to feel bad and start crying? Sorry, Buffy but I won't get had like you. She's a psychotic bitch and she deserves everything that's getting to her. She's fooling you, don't you see that?"

"Willow, I think you should-" Xander stopped when he saw Buffy's look.

Willow moved forward, "What? Now he can't say anything either? You've definitely chosen her over all of us then.?

"You?re really losing it, Willow."

Buffy didn't really know what to say anymore.

"No, you're losing it. If you'd rather be with someone who tried to kill you rather than someone who's always been there for you and always loved you, then you're even crazier than she is Buffy."

"I'm sorry, Willow. You don't know how sorry I am now that we slept together."

Buffy gave a short gaze to Xander and he closed his mouth.

"I'm sorry that I didn't fall in love with you. I didn't fall in love but I never stopped loving you. You were my closest friend and I loved you dearly. But the Willow I love so much is nowhere in this room. I never knew you could be so mean. What you did is unforgivable, Willow. I could never forget about that. We're not friends anymore." Buffy?s tone was very quiet.

Xander frowned, "Buffy come on, you don't mean it."

"Yes I do.? She turned to Willow, ?You'd rather break our friendship than get a grip. You preferred to get me in trouble and risk Faith's life just because you were jealous. You never wanted to listen because you?ve always been jealous Willow, even when there was nothing to be jealous of.

?So I?m right then? There is something now??

Buffy sighed, ?The way you react, Will. What kind of friendship is that? None. I can't forgive you for that. I don't want nothing to do with you anymore, Willow."

Buffy turned around and left.

Xander looked rather stunned about all this. Willow swallowed, she looked somehow dismantled.

"I'll get her back here, I-I'll talk to her, Will. We'll talk. I gotta go follow her."

Xander left after Buffy in a hurry.