A/N: Sorry for the delayed update, but college just started for me. Needless to say I'll be busy. But I'll definitely try to update as soon as I can. Thank you so much again for all those comments, especially the constructive criticism. I know you're all probably missing Faith by now, but I promise the next chapter will be all about her. I'm still a little stuck on some chapters, so some ideas would be helpful. Thanks again everyone.
Chapter Five
The air was hostile. He was beginning to get more than a little unnerved by the glares. Some part of him knew he deserved it and more, but a larger part of him still did not dare think that any of his actions were wrong. That he might have been at fault for exploiting the vulnerability of a young girl.
No.
He did not dare think that. He is a completely competent watcher, he passed the watcher licensure exam with flying colors, he was the first choice as watcher after the legendary Rupert Giles. How was he to know that the girl would be lured by the promises of evil?. In fact, he was the victim. How dare they accuse him of wrongdoing? If his father knew of this, he would not approve.
No. He would not approve at all.
It was not his fault. Truly it wasn't.
"What else?"
He looked up at the man that he once admired. That admiration abruptly stopped as soon as he learned that his great hero got fired from the council. Now, he's merely become a nuisance to his calling.
"That was all we discussed. What she did last night was of her own volition."
And it was. He did not expect it at all. And if he had a little less pride, he would admit that revealing their little ploy was not such a great idea, especially when he did it in front of the Big Bad himself.
"So last night, you didn't know about the vampires? She didn't warn you?"
'Ugh. Why is that girl still here? She may be a witch, but surely an amateur at best? Hasn't she done enough damage last night by getting herself discovered? Don't they understand the immeasurable repercussions of involving mere civilians? The council would not-'
"I believe she asked you a question Wesley."
"Well…I-I…we didn't have the chance to discuss the possibility of revealing our strategy at that exact moment. However, I thought that it was a completely valid tactic to provoke the opposition, it would weaken their resolve if they were discombobulated by a surprise turn of events."
"Sooo…you just wanted to gloat."
She was in her most intimidating pose, anger poured off of her in constant waves. Her muscles clenched unconsciously, the primal slayer in her raged to be freed. If he wasn't too busy being afraid of her, he would have admired the utter beauty of the power she represented.
"What? No! That wasn't-…I… it wasn't-"
She was right, but wrong at the same time. He didn't want to gloat at the Mayor, the twisted demon may have been evil, but he didn't have a personal vendetta against him. They were the ones he wanted to provoke. He wanted to see the look in their faces when they realized that they've been duped. The precious Scoobies outsmarted by the very people they thought were beneath them. All he really wanted was a little respect.
"Oh save it Wesley. Are you certain that last night wasn't another act in your ruse?"
A tired sigh escape from his lips as he thinks that he'll never get that respect now.
"Yes. I'm certain. If it was, she would have come to meet me. She didn't."
There was immense sadness in his tone. But it was only because his brilliant plan was now ruined. Not because of the girl that grated on his nerves endlessly when they worked together, the girl who called him Weasley, stained some of his books and papers with pizza stains, rang his phone at ungodly hours to scream her greeting, then proceeded to annoy him with the most sarcastic of comments about how her nightly spying went. He was definitely not sad about losing the girl who could make him feel like a dirty old man, and an innocent little boy in the span of three seconds. The girl who could have eaten him out of his own home, the girl who stole his pocket money before leaving almost every night after they had a meeting. And no, he did not intentionally put an extra ten dollars or so in his wallet. …It was simply an absentminded mistake.
No. He was not sad about that. About her.
Good riddance.
"Maybe she got tired of being in cahoots with someone as annoying as you."
Xander was on a roll. He was angrier than he expected. Sure, Faith tried to strangle him, but nobody, deserved to be so harshly used. His big heart can just not fathom the thought of sending someone so injured, so broken, into the direct line of fire.
"That's quite enough Xander. What about her encounter with Willow last night?"
"…She knew Willow was investigating inside the building, I warned her of your plan, she said she'll stall as long as she could before she apprehended her. As for her encounter with Angel at the mansion, I eavesdropped on your clandestine meeting. We knew about the warlock that anchored his soul. She intentionally divulged all the information she knew. She said she was fortunate that the Mayor believed her about being played. There were vampires trailing her and Angel, and she had to keep acting, otherwise they would have informed the Mayor. In the end we decided not to…"
He glanced up at Giles fleetingly. He couldn't take the steely glare for more than a few seconds, so he stared he back down at his lap, looking so much like a schoolboy in trouble.
"Not to what?"
"She wished to forgo revealing our plans to you. And I agreed. She said later that the security was suffocating her. That she couldn't meet with me as frequently anymore. We agreed to meet after the trade off last night. But as I said, she didn't come."
He squirmed in his seat, and fought hard to sit still. He was stiff and uncomfortable, but he refused to slump down in defeat.
"Did she tell you of the tasks she did for the Mayor?"
"No. I did not ask."
There was no shame in his voice. He was doing his job. Do they not appreciate the hard work he's done?
"Why am I not surprised?" Buffy asked.
It could have been considered a growl. The slayer was getting even angrier by every answer that was spoken. Here was a man that utterly used a person, a young girl, Faith, like a mere tool. She couldn't understand how anyone could claim being on the good side after doing something as heartless as that. She just didn't understand at all.
"We agreed that she would do what she had to."
"What the hell does that mean?"
Buffy couldn't form a thought, she didn't want to. She knew if she did, all she would see would be Faith stabbing a man, a human being. And she didn't want to see that anymore.
"Simply that she would do what she had to."
There was no emotion in his voice. He was getting good at his job.
The slayer couldn't take it, if she looked at the smug glint in his eye one more time, she didn't want to find out what she'd do. The rage in her was mounting at a terrifying pace.
Fortunately for her, she still had a watcher that knew how to placate the rage in her soul. Giles glanced at his charge, trying to send her some calm through the warmth and understanding in his gaze. As he looked back at the young watcher sitting in the chair, his stare was cold, hard and unforgiving. It was almost frightening how fast his eyes changed.
"Wesley, did you give her a permission of any sort related to slaying?"
"Simply that she would do what she had to."
This time, there was a hint of anger in his voice. He was getting annoyed at the righteousness in all their eyes. Ironically, the Scoobies were angry at the righteousness in his. Maybe there would have been more progress if there were no one being righteous at all.
"This is going in circles."
Fortunately someone in their group didn't have a righteous bone in his body. Even when it turned into a werewolf three nights a month.
Everyone looked at Oz who was sitting in his usual laidback way.
"Move on. Time is of the essence. Or so I've heard."
And he was right. They had more pressing matters to discuss rather than stay on a topic everyone was way too stubborn on. Maybe they'll get a chance to talk again when there wasn't an apocalypse breathing down their necks.
"He's right. We have to deal with the Mayor first. Then we'll deal with Faith."
His brown eyes sought the slayer. Giving her all the comfort he could give.
"When we get her back."
She looked at the emotion in his eyes, thinking how lucky she was to have someone love her so.
'Thank you, Angel.'
And how unlucky he was that she might not have that kind of love for him anymore.