Chapter Sixteen
The meeting was progressing just about as well as its participants had expected it to. It had started off as tense and angry, then moved its way over to outright hostility all too quickly. But every one of them were veterans and none of them were willing to allow personal issues to get in the way of the mission. Nothing could be allowed to do that, but as the plan began to solidify, the tight rein Buffy had been trying to keep on her temper began to fray.
Giles was ensconced behind his desk, and Willow and Buffy were sitting in the two leather chairs that sat in front of it. Faith had placed herself off to the side in a straight back wooden chair, hoping to stay out of Buffy’s line of fire as much as possible, but that strategy had so far proven nothing but ineffective.
They all sat waiting while Giles made some final notations on one of the pages in front of him, and after a few moments, his eyes turned to his Slayer:
“Buffy, have you and Kennedy decided upon the Slayers you wish to accompany you to the focal point?”
“They’re all briefed and ready to go.”
“Excellent, although I do wish we had a bit more time to marshal our forces. Willow, are you absolutely certain…”
“Yep. All signs point to tonight, unless we want to wait two more weeks, which we could if...”
Buffy couldn’t speak up fast enough:
“No, no waiting. I want this over and done with.”
Faith knew the remark was directed at her, but she didn’t react, just like she hadn’t reacted to any of the other comments sent her way. She wasn’t going to take the bait, she wasn’t going to argue. If Buffy wanted to keep slamming her, well Faith could take it, so slam away.
The silence stretched out until Buffy decided to wrap things up:
“So I’d say we’ve covered it all, unless the one of us who’s mentally challenged needs to go over it again using smaller words.”
She looked at Faith as she spoke, but there was still no response from that direction. She could feel Giles staring at her and Buffy met his gaze defiantly, just daring him to chastise her. Instead he merely smiled understandingly and carried on.
“Yes well, our various mental acuities notwithstanding, are there any questions?”
“Yeah, I got one.”
Three heads turned toward Faith, and the blonde one was clearly ready to blow:
“And doesn’t that just figure.”
“Buffy, please. Yes, Faith?”
Faith was leaning back in her chair, only two of the four legs touching the floor as she tossed a paperweight from hand to hand.
“So what happens if one of us gets capped?”
Willow sat up straight, more than a little alarmed:
“What? No, ‘capping’ is not a part of the plan. In fact, there will be no Slayer capping of any kind allowed before, during or after the mission. Consider that a big ‘no’ to the capping entirely.”
“Appreciate the sentiment, Red, but think we oughta know since we’ll be...”
Buffy stood up, her eyes glittering with a barely suppressed rage:
“Yeah Giles, and could you also go over what happens if Santa Claus lands in the middle of the big fight?”
Giles looked frustrated, but he attempted to respond calmly:
“Buffy, perhaps you should…”
The chair legs touched down onto the floor rather delicately as Faith leaned forward:
“Got a problem, B?”
The look on Buffy’s face was pure menace:
“…What did you just say to me?”
“I asked you if you got a problem, ’cause from where I’m sitting, it’s a damn good question.”
Buffy stalked closer, the sneer on her face matching the sarcastic venom in her voice:
“And just exactly where are you sitting, Faith? It’s kind of hard to keep track, you know, with all the cowardly running away.”
“Guess maybe it is, but right now my ass is sitting right here. In a few hours it’s gonna be dead center in the thick of it, so I think I need to know what…”
“Oh I see, you want a big pat on the back for finally doing your duty.”
Faith leaned up on two legs again, her expression almost blank although her eyes revealed just about every emotion there was.
“What I want’s for you to let Giles answer my question.”
Giles cleared his throat rather loudly:
“Which I shall be most happy to do.”
He cleared his throat again, hoping to earn Buffy’s attention, but her eyes never wavered from Faith. He waited a moment, then decided it was best just to plow ahead.
“If something fatal were to happen to you, your energy would shift to the next Slayer in line, whoever that may be. The ritual would then be rendered totally ineffective.”
“Okay. And if it’s B who goes down?”
Buffy laughed, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound:
“Wow, you’re pretty interested in this whole scenario. So what’s the deal, F? Planning to torture and kill me for real this time around? I’ll bet it won’t be nearly as much fun without your precious Soulboy by your side.”
The chair legs shattered as they hit the floor, but Faith was already standing. The sound of the rock paperweight cracking as her hand tightened around it could be easily heard:
“Shut up, Buffy.”
“Make me.”
The room was silent as the Slayers stood toe to toe for what seemed like forever, and it was Faith who finally backed down first. She placed the broken paperweight on a nearby table and looked at Giles:
“I’ll be back in a while.”
Then she was gone, leaving nothing but a tense silence behind her. It took a few moments, but then Willow decided to speak up:
“Buffy…”
Buffy turned away from her:
“Are we done here, Giles?”
“Yes, I doubt we’re going to accomplish anything productive right now.”
“Great.”
She turned to storm out, but Willow’s voice stopped her:
“Buffy…”
“Not now, Will.”
“When?”
“Let’s try never and see how that goes.”
She slammed the door behind her as she left, and Giles winced when he heard the sound of the wooden doorframe splintering.
“Ah yes, just splendid, truly. Willow, do you perchance know when Xander…”
“He said around 2:30.”
“Good enough then.”
He sat there behind his desk shuffling some papers, seemingly determined to withhold any comment. He finally gave up beneath her unremitting stare, removing his glasses with a sigh as he met her eyes:
“I don’t have the first clue, Willow. It’s a bloody difficult situation.”
“I keep trying to think of some way…”
“Yes, as do I. Unfortunately, I believe this is something the two of them will have to work out for themselves.”
Willow slid the broken chair off to the side, then took her seat in front of his desk again:
“Yeah, I know, but ouch.”
“Quite. I suspect Faith can expect a great deal more of that sort of thing.”
“Yep, nothing like a pissed off Buffy to really cut somebody to ribbons.”
He smiled somewhat wryly across the desk at her:
“Perhaps we should just be thankful neither of us are her target.”
“Oh yeah, I am definitely of the thankful.”
“And I completely concur.”
They said nothing else for a few moments, each clearly lost in their thoughts.
“Hey, Giles?”
“Yes?”
“Has Faith said…Well, do you think she’s home for good?”
He began cleaning his glasses in a gesture that was intimately familiar to her.
“I cannot say for sure, of course, but I believe she wants to be. I for one, certainly wish her to stay.”
“Me too. She belongs here with Buffy, with all of us.”
“Agreed. And it’s quite certain that Buffy still loves her.”
Willow snagged a piece of toffee from his candy dish:
“No doubt about that. Now whether or not she’ll ever admit it…”
“Yes, I’m afraid she can be quite stubborn at times.”
“Oh yeah, in fact I’d say Buffy is the master when it comes to stubbornness.”
He finished cleaning his glasses and with a resigned sigh, he put them back in place as he turned his attention to the matter at hand.
“Shall we set all that aside and dedicate ourselves to finalizing the plan?”
“Ready when you are.”
************************************************
Buffy had already obliterated one punching bag and was well on her way to demolishing a second, when Kennedy strolled in.
“Hey, Buffy.”
“Hey.”
“So uh…what’s with the bag destruction?”
“…Defective, I guess.”
Kennedy hoisted herself up onto the pommel horse and sat quietly as she watched Buffy beating the hell out of bag Number Two. It wasn’t long before a powerful left hook tore the leather, followed a split second later by a tremendous right uppercut that sent the entire bag slamming hard against the opposite wall.
There was no sound except the soft clinking of the now empty chain and Buffy’s breath as it seemed to blast out of her, accompanied by Kennedy’s long and low whistle.
“Geez, I’d offer to spar, but I don’t wanna end up looking like that.”
“I’m done anyway.”
Kennedy tossed her a towel and a nearby bottle of water, both of which Buffy caught with barely a glance:
“Thanks.”
She toweled off and drank the entire amount in one long swig while Kennedy waited patiently. When Buffy was done, Kennedy gave it a try:
“So, do you want to talk?”
“No.”
“Okay. But just so you know, contrary to how it looks, I get why you feel like you do.”
Buffy didn’t respond as she walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed another water, so Kennedy kept right on going.
“Faith is a bitch for leaving you like she did, you’ve got every right to be angry.”
“Wow Kennedy, thanks for the permission.”
“My point is this: keeping it all bottled up and then letting it explode all over her, well that’s probably not the best way to handle things.”
“Well it’s my way, and I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
Kennedy hopped down from the horse and headed over to the last remaining bag.
“That’s fair enough, I guess.”
Buffy wrapped the towel around her shoulders and headed for the door.
“Buffy?”
“…Yeah?”
“I’m always here and ready to listen if you change your mind.”
Buffy stopped in the doorway and turned to smile at her:
“I know that, Ken. Thanks.”
“Hey, what are friends for?”
***********************************************
Three hours passed before Faith returned to Giles’ office, and when she got there, she found her path blocked by Xander in full carpenter mode.
“Hi, Cyclops. What happened to the door?”
Xander looked up and gestured with a hammer:
“Seems the Buffster was a little irritated when she left the big meeting.”
“Lotta that makin’ the rounds...Giles in?”
“Yep, he’s all immersed in working out every single detail of tonight’s plan for the ten millionth time. Can’t be too careful, you know?”
She smiled at him as she squeezed past:
“G-Man being a bookworm’s got its good points.”
“For sure.”
She walked over to Giles, but she knew from experience he had no idea she was even there. He was sitting at his desk having a cup of tea while he frowned down at some papers, and he was completely lost in his work. She gave him a minute, but when he still hadn’t acknowledged her, she spoke up:
“G-Man.”
“What? Oh, sorry. Didn’t hear you come in.”
“No prob. Look, wanna apologize for leaving before the meeting was over.”
“Your apology is not at all necessary. Would you like a cup of tea?”
She sat down across from him with a laugh:
“Know I been gone awhile, but not that much has changed. Still rather drink my own piss.”
“Well, there’s no harm in trying.”
“Not as long as ya keep it to just the verbal.”
He smiled warmly at her:
“Trust me, I’ve no intention of trying to physically outmaneuver you.”
“Then we’re good.”
They sat quietly, Faith tugging imaginary lint from her shirt as Giles watched and sipped his tea.
“Faith, are you all right?”
“Doin’ just great. So I wanted to ask ya if…”
He cut her off before she could change the topic:
“I know this can’t be easy for you.”
“…Guess I don’t deserve it to be either.”
“No, probably not, but I do wish it weren’t quite so difficult.”
Faith got up to stand by the window, her gaze staring out:
“B’s got some way legit beefs with me, can’t blame her for that.”
“Nor do I, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
“Yeah, like a bitch, but I can handle it.”
He got up to stand beside her:
“Of that, I’ve no doubt. Faith, I love Buffy as if she were my own daughter, but I know what she can be like when she’s been hurt. If you need a friendly ear, a place to vent with no judgment and no taking sides…well, I am at your service.”
“…Thanks, Giles. Might need to take ya up on that somewhere down the line.”
He turned to face her then, a smile creasing his face:
“That response seems to imply…”
“Yeah, I’m not goin’ anywhere. I made a mistake before, the biggest fucking one ever, and I’m not stupid enough to do it again.”
“Faith, I…Oh, bugger that.”
He pulled her into a hug that lasted a fairly long time.
“Welcome home, you’ve been greatly missed.”
She grinned as he let her go:
“Damn, guess ya did miss me. Not every day ya find yourself wrapped up tight in an English hug. Those bitches are far and few, ya know?”
“Joke all you like, you shan’t diminish my delight one jot.”
“Cool. Hey, G-man?”
“Yes?”
“What the fuck’s a ‘jot’?”
They both laughed and headed over to the couch, the matter settled between them. Their minds were already turning toward the fast approaching battle, and as they got settled, Giles got down to business.
“All right, I believe you had a few questions?”
“Yeah, I did. Was wondering what happens if something happens to B?”
“Her power would flow directly into you, at least temporarily. It’d be enough of a surge for you to continue on with the plan.”
“Yeah, okay, but that’s not the sitch if it’s me that goes down, right?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Does she know she’s gotta haul it if I get nailed?”
“Buffy is well aware of the consequences should anything go amiss.”
“Yeah, but you know how she is. She gets she can’t stick it out and ‘Buffy’ her way through it, yeah?”
Giles patted her arm reassuringly:
“I promise you, Faith, Buffy understands the situation completely.”
Faith leaned her head back and closed her eyes:
“Not that I plan on letting anything happen to either of us.”
“Understood, but I agree it’s more than prudent to plan for the worst.”
She opened one eye to look at him:
“Yeah, makes good sense too.”
He was clearly amused:
“Have I said how good it is to have you home again?”
“Yeah, but feel free to tell me as many times as ya wanna. Can use all the ‘welcome homes’ I can get.”
“So noted. Did you have any other inquiries?”
“Just about after.”
“Well, it’s somewhat…Excuse me for a moment, please.”
He got up to retrieve a book, a folder, and his cup of tea, already explaining the situation as he made his way back over to her.
“The various spells and forces we’re drawing upon are quite powerful, and once they are set into motion, they will allow you girls to locate the channeling stone as well as providing the necessary strength to destroy it. Once you’ve managed to eradicate their talisman, Willow will be able to close the portal almost immediately. The lesser Mairon demons will begin dying almost instantly, although the more evolved among them will perhaps remain vital enough to wreak a bit of havoc. It’s also possible that they may begin disintegrating as well, but that’s not something we can count on. It will take some time at any rate.”
“So we’ve got a tough ass fight to get through, no matter how you slice it.”
“Yes, I’d say that more or less sums it up. When the last Mairon is dead, you’ll both be required to remain in the enchanted area for approximately two hours in order to allow the Slayer energy to dissipate safely. The magicks in the circle will effectively cause the power to disperse back to its proper location, but if either of you were to leave too soon, the energy could adversely affect the other Slayers.”
“So me and B gotta hang out alone together for two whole hours? Guess that’s gonna be the most dangerous part of the whole deal.”
He nodded sympathetically:
“There’s nothing to be done for it, I’m afraid. Rest assured if there were, I’d suggest we attempt that first.”
“Part of the gig, I get it. Not like we can just let these bastards destroy the world ‘cause me and B got issues. Be glad when it’s over though.”
“As will I. We’re planning to leave at 10:00 as the ritual needs to be done by midnight, and we must give Willow time to trigger the power surge between Buffy and yourself using the scythe. She will then need to leave the area immediately, along with her escorts. I would recommend that you get some rest before then.”
She hesitated before she answered:
“Love to, but don’t think me and B should…”
He looked at her blankly for a moment, but then he suddenly understood the implication she was making. Faith couldn’t help but smile as she watched the understanding flood across his face. If he’d been in a cartoon, a light bulb would have gone off over his head.
He quickly reached into his pocket and presented her with the key to his room.
“Yes, of course. You’re most welcome to rest in my quarters if you’d like.”
“Gotta say that sounds good. Didn’t get much sleep last night, so I could really use it.”
“Splendid. There are clean sheets in the…”
“Fuck that, I’ll risk catchin’ ‘G-Man Cooties’. Can’t be any worse than doin’ housework.”
He laughed and shook his head:
“That’s entirely your call. I shall eat in the cafeteria so as not to disturb you.”
“Feel free to disturb if you don’t see me by 9:00.”
“Will do. Have a restorative rest and…”
“Jeez, just say ‘sleep tight’ and call it a day, will ya?”
“And don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
She smiled:
“Damn, bedbugs, cooties…all your bed needs now is some syphilis.”
The look on his face was indescribable:
“My, such vivid imagery. It causes me to doubt that I shall ever rest easy there again.”
She was laughing as she made her way out.
“Don’t blame ya. Wicked nasty, for sure.”
“Quite.”
She paused as she scooted around Xander again:
“Hey, Giles? “
“Yes?”
“Thanks.”
“You are most welcome, Faith. Sleep well.”
“That’s the plan.”
