FIC: Faith: The Series Season 2 Ep 14 (25?)
Jonathan whistled cheerfully as he hurried towards the Rosenberg house. For some reason Willow had called him and the others to her place, to tell them something. He was an half an hour early, but, he glanced down at the flowers in his hand, over the last few weeks they'd had so little time together, he thought he'd make an effort.
Not bothering to knock, he shoved the door open and walked into the hallway. Seeing a light on in the lounge he started towards it, groaning as he heard the voices in the room and realised that Willow wasn't alone. Forcing aside his disappointment, he managed a smile and shoved the door open. "Hey Willow, Am-."
His voice trailed off as he stared at the semi-naked forms of his girl-friend and her fellow Wiccas making out on the floor. "Nooo," he backed through the doorway, wanting but unable to tear his eyes away from the sight in front of him.
"Jonathan!" Willow's eyes widened in alarm. "Wait! No, you weren't meant to find out this -."
Turning, he ran from the house, tears pouring from his eyes.
"That Jonathan coming out of Red's house like a bat of hell G?"
Giles nodded at his Slayer's query. "Indeed it is."
"Uh, uh," Faith's mouth dropped open at exactly the same time as his did, the exact moment Red and Amy ran onto the porch, the light revealing they were both topless. "Either Jonathan got 'Jesse with a love spell' lucky. Or.."
"He walked in on them in the middle of an indelicate position," he finished.
"So Red and Amy are gay, huh? I never caught them checking me out." Faith paused, a thoughtful expression spreading across her face. "Hey! I never caught them checking me out!"
Giles rolled his eyes as he parked the car just outside the Rosenberg residence. "Faith, please. Now is not the time for vanity. Focus?"
"I'm so gonna have words with Red," Faith muttered. He coughed loudly. "Yeah, yeah." Faith shook her head. "Pull up, I'll go after Jonathan. You talk to them." His daughter winked at him. "Try not to peek."
"I'll try and control myself," he dryly replied.
"I don't see why we're still pissing about in this town," Spike kicked a can across the street and through a shop window, glass shattering with the impact. "I mean if we're not going to kill the bloody bint."
Angelus allowed his grand-childe's rantings to wash over him. He was severely tempted to stake the moaning bastard, but if he did, he'd only have to put up with Dru's non-stop whining. Sensing something, Angelus straightened and smiled. Spike turned to him, eyes narrowing. "What's up mate?"
"I smell the blood of a Scooby, let's go."
Jonathan ran through the darkened streets, tears rolling down his face. "Ach laddie," his blood chilled as Angelus stepped out of the shadows in front of him. "Here's someone with woman troubles. That red-headed witch of yours find a real man?"
"None. Of. Your. Business!" Jonathan said through gritted teeth as he backed away from the Irish demon, his now sweat-slicked hand reaching inside his jacket.
"Leaving?" He gulped as he looked over his shoulder to see a smirking Spike stood there, blocking his escape route. "No wonder he couldn't keep a woman," the bleached-blonde demon shook his head. "No staying power." Spinning round, he thrust his stake at the weaker of the two vampires. Spike laughed as he swayed away from his clumsy attack and slammed a fist into his jaw, knocking him to his knees. "Pathetic. Really pathetic."
"Don't be rude," Angelus scolded. Jonathan gasped as the vampire stamped on his right hand, breaking two fingers. "The boy's been dumped and is going to die painfully. No need to rub it in."
"Yeah," he screamed when the English vampire yanked his head back by his hair. "Sorry mate."
"Don't apologise William," Angelus reproved. "Makes you seem soft."
"True." A downward right smashed his left cheek. "What next?"
"What do you think?" Angelus replied. "We beat him to death." The next couple of minutes were agony as he was systemically and sadistically taken apart. Finally though, Angelus stepped back. " Damn."
"What's up?"
"Slayer approaching."
The hope that briefly flared in his heart died a half second later. "Best kill him then," Spike said before grabbing his head and twisting.
"Damn, what a mess." Faith shook her head. She should have realised something was wrong when Red and Amy had double-teamed love-spell Jesse. And poor Jonathan. When word got out at school, he'd be toast. Faith snarled and shook her head. Anyone who tried to hurt one of her buds would learn what a big mistake that was. "'Cept that won't help Johnny get over this," Faith muttered. The poor guy had idolised Red. Didn't the stupid bitch realise how precious that sort of loyalty was? Shaking her head, she looked up.
Faith's eyes widened as she saw the two vampires pounding on her buddy. "No," she whispered as she picked up her speed, muscles straining. "No," she muttered as she cleared a park bench. "NOOO!" She screamed as Spike grabbed Jonathan's head and twisted, the sound of his neck cracking causing bile to rise in her throat. The two vampires turned to look at her, flashing her their grins before disappearing into the night.
"NOOO!" Tears streaking down her face, causing her heavily-applied mascara to run, she ran across the lamp-lit street and dropped to her leather-clad knees by the mangled corpse. Taking the boy's head in her hands, she gently brushed his blood-matted hair off his face. "Fuck Johnny," she whispered. "I'm sorry, I wasn't fast enough. You deserved better." Still sniffling, she lifted the limp body into her arms. Her eyes hardened as she turned towards Red's. "Bitch!" she growled.
"Hey G-Man!" Giles groaned as Xander, Jesse, and Cordelia walked in. More complications, just what he needed. He'd barely managed to stop a near hysterical Willow from running out into the streets to look for Jonathan. "What's happening? Where's Faith? And Jonathan?"
"Uh, well you see-."
"He walked in on Red and Amy getting down to it." Giles' heart stopped when he joined the others in turning to find Faith stood there, gently cradling Jonathan's corpse in her arms, her eyes boring holes in the two Wiccas. He mouthed a 'no' to go with Cordelia's choked gasp and Jesse and Xander's curses. "Ran out into the street where Angelus and Spike caught up with him."
"No," Willow sobbed and stepped towards the brunette.
"Back off Red," Faith warned, her voice grating to his ears. "You got him killed, you don't get to act concerned now."
"Faith," Giles reproved. "That's hardly fai-."
"Fair? Don't talk to me about fair, G. I had to watch while those two bastards killed him." Faith turned her laser-beam glare on him, he'd never seen her look like that before and was profoundly grateful when she turned her gaze back towards the two Wiccas. "Jonathan worshipped you Red. I scared the shit out of him, he could barely say my name without stuttering. First time he ever really spoke to me, he was practically pissing his pants, but he did it because he was worried about you and Moloch. He loved you, gave you his heart. But you just ripped it out and stomped on it. Hell," Faith's eyes dimmed as she looked down at the corpse. "Angelus barely had to kill him after what you two bitches did to him."
"Hey now hold on!"
"Back the fuck off Amy," Faith growled. "'Less you want to spend the next six months learning to walk again." The Slayer shoved through the crowd and lowered the body onto the couch.
"We were going to tell everyone tonight," a tearful Willow defended.
"Too fucking late," Faith retorted.
Willow swallowed as she entered the library, Amy's presence beside her the only thing that stopped her from bolting. She stared at the group huddled around the library desk for a few seconds before gathering the courage to speak. "Hi guys-."
"Fuck no," Faith's chair scraped across the floor as the Slayer stood and strode over to them, a dangerous look in her eyes. "You bitches can get out of here, right now!"
"Faith, perhaps you should calm down."
"No, G." Faith continued to glare at the two of them. "One of the rules you live by on the street is you have your crew's back. These two bitches," she wilted under Faith's glare. "I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw 'em." The Bostonian's sneer widened. "Although I could throw 'em pretty far." The sultry brunette cracked her neck. "Wanna see how far?"
"FAITH!" Willow jumped at Giles' roar. In an instance, the Watcher was between them, his face thunderous. "That is enough! Faith, you do not threaten to hurt your friends, understand?"
"You don't cheat on your friends," Faith shot back.
"I beg your pardon?"
Faith's gaze dropped to her boots. "Nothing," she muttered sulkily.
"That's what I thought you said. Now go and sit down." After a final vicious glare, Faith retreated to the table. Giles turned towards Willow and Amy. "I think you both should leave."
"But-," Amy put in.
"I'm afraid that while Faith has had the most extreme reaction, none of us are exactly happy with your behaviour," Giles' face softened. "Faith aside, none of us actually blame you for Jonathan's death, but perhaps you should give us a few days to come to terms with Friday night's occurrences."
Amy's head was swimming as she stumbled out of the library, Faith's condemnation echoing in her ears. She turned to her girl-friend and forced a smile. "Maybe we should go somewhere."
Her heart hollowed when Willow shook her head before rubbing at her eyes. "I..I need to be alone, to think about things."
Amy opened and closed her mouth twice before managing to speak. "But Will-."
Her girl-friend waved her away. "I'll ring, promise," Willow muttered before running off.
"Hi, is anyone sat there?"
Amy looked up at the pretty black girl stood beside her at the coffee bar she'd been sat in for the past hour. "No," she muttered with a shake of her head. Not now she was a social leper. Her girl-friend didn't want to see her, her friends hated her, one of them was bordering on psychotic in her dislike, and the whole school was talking about her being 'gay'.
And she'd contributed to the death of a sweet, innocent boy.
Suddenly she realised the other girl was talking to her. "You seem upset," the pretty black girl commented.
"You have no idea," she muttered.
The girl smiled at her. "And I won't have until you talk to me," the girl coaxed. She didn't speak. "My name is Solada, it's Thai for listener. And if there's one I can do it's listen."
Amy stared at the girl for a long second before starting to talk, telling her companion an heavily edited version of what had happened, omitting any mention of vampires and supernatural occurrences. "And everyone blames us!"
"I'm sure that given time, they'll feel better," Solada soothed.
"I just wish things were back the way they used to be!" Amy teared up.
Her new-found companion passed her some tissues. "There, there," the black girl patted her on the back. "Just give it time," she soothed. "Things will get better. Now," the girl smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry but I have to go."
Solada laughed as she left the small coffee bar. She guessed she hadn't got the complete truth from Amy, but that didn't matter. All she needed as the wish demon for deserted friends was a wish and she had it. "Wish granted."
Of course it wouldn't be the wish Amy had wanted.
She looked around in confusion. One moment she was in her prison and now she was in, she smiled as she recognised the darkened corridor. "They'll pay," she croaked, her voice dry from disuse.
Amy sighed as she unlocked the door of her house and stumbled inside, her eyes still red from crying. Locking the door behind her, she shouted. "Hey dad, I'm home."
"Oh hello dear," her heart stopped when her mother stepped into the hallway. "It's been a long time."
"M…mom." Mouth apage, Amy began to back towards the door. "How did you get out?"
"You know," there was nothing warm in her mother's smile, "I'm not entirely sure. One moment I was inside that statue, the next I was stood outside it."
"Mom-," Amy's body writhed when black energy spurting from her mother's fingers enveloped. "Argggh!" she screamed for a second and then unconsciousness engulfed her.
Catherine smiled at her daughter and then at the cheerleading statue. Taking a second, she transported her consciousness into her daughter's body and then her own body and Amy's consciousness into the statue before placing it back on the cabinet. She looked in the mirror, her daughter's face staring back at her. She laughed softly. "And now for that little tramp's friends."
"Oh come on G," Faith pleaded, her Watcher was being so unreasonable. "Just one night-."
"No Faith," Giles shook his head. "You know that we're now down three people," Faith's stomach filled with bilious guilt the thought of Jonathan, someone she'd failed. "Now, more than ever, we can't take our eye off the ball. If we do, Angelus and his group won't hesitate to take advantage." With that, her Watcher walked off.
"You wanna try being me!" Faith shouted after her Watcher as he strode towards his library.
Catherine watched through half-lidded eyes as the Englishman talked to his charge, smiling slightly at the girl's last angry words. "What a good idea," she muttered.
She jumped at a pair of arms around her waist and Willow's soft voice in her ear. "Don't worry," the red-head whispered. "Just give them time, they'll forgive us. Maybe even," she gasped when the other girl kissed her neck, her daughter was a lesbian? That hadn't been in the PTA letters! "Accept us."
"Yeah," Catherine pulled away. "Well we can hope. Gotta go, see you!"
"Am-." Willow started forward only for her girl-friend to run off. Willow's head dropped. She shouldn't have pushed her away yesterday, but she'd felt so guilty.
"Oh look," she cringed inwardly at Harmony's scoffing tone behind her and refused to turn to face her. "Ellen's girl-friend's has dumped her." Cheeks burning, she barged her way down the crowded corridor, heedlessly knocking student and teacher alike out of her way in her haste to leave.
Harmony opened her mouth to laugh. And was abruptly grabbed by the scruff of her neck, lifted a foot off the ground, and turned to face Faith. "I hear you dissing Red again and you'll need your jaw wired back together, you dig?" Too frightened to speak, she nodded. "Good. Now," Faith dropped her back to the floor. "Fuck off."
Catherine smiled as she rose and quickly dressed, affectionally patting the head of the cheerleader statue. She couldn't wait to see the results of the spell she'd cast last night. Her smile turned to a scowl as she realised that would mean meeting her daughter's girl-friend again. "Ah well," she comforted herself, "a few days and Willow and her friends wouldn't be around anymore. Just a few more days."
"Whoa," Xander stopped as he entered the school, eyes widening at the remarkable sight that greeted him. Faith dressed in an ankle-length, blandly grey dress. And talking to one of the chess club geeks. His amazement grew as he approached and caught the tail-end of his girl-friend's conversation. "I'm not joking," Faith protested as the other student turned away. "I wanna learn how to play! Chess players rock!"
"Faith honey," he placed his hands on his girl-friend's trim waist as he came up to her from behind. "What's with the new look?"
"Please Alexander," Faith scolded. "Public displays of affection are inappropriate."
Xander laughed, knowing full well his girl loved bedevilling Snyder and his fellow Nazis with displays of the afore-mentioned affection. He reached in and kissed his girl-friend on the neck.
The next thing he knew he was on the floor, holding his testicles courtesy of a Slayer powered elbow. "I'm sorry Xander," Faith looked down at him, her expression disapproving and her tone school-marm prim. "But when a lady says no, she means no!" With that, his girl-friend turned and flounced, Xander blinked through teary eyes, Faith never flounced, she stalked, sauntered, or swaggered, but flounced?
"I bet that hurt."
Xander groaned as he looked up at Cordelia and Jesse grinning down at him. "Help would be good," he groused. He moaned as Jesse pulled him to his feet. He tried to stand unsupported, but found himself slumping against the wall, head swimming.
Cordelia's expression turned from amusement to concern, which sorta disproved his theory about her being completely heartless. "Maybe you should go to the nurse?"
He shuddered. Okay, correction, anyone who wanted the 200lb health care worker to fondle his most prized possessions was completely heartless. "Uh, uh," he shook his head to emphasise the point. "No way am I explaining this injury to anybody." He took a breath and stepped away from the wall. He was amazed when the floor didn't rise up and smack him square in the face.
"What was up with Faith anyhow?"
He shook his head at Jesse's question then wished he hadn't as bile rose up in his throat. Resisting urge to either pass out or vomit, he answered. "I don't know, we'll have to go see G-Man."
"K," he smiled gratefully at his friend when Jesse looped a supporting arm around his shoulders. "In that case let's go."
Catherine laughed as she watched from a distance as Xander was helped away by his friends. Seeing Faith attack her boy-friend had been fun. But only the beginning.
"Hey."
She forced herself to relax at her fellow witch's voice behind her. She could sense Rosenberg's power now, her potential exceeded both her and Amy's by a considerable margin, far too powerful to confront directly. Knowing this made it doubly difficult to force a smile when she turned to face the Jewish student. "Hi," she said through gritted teeth.
Willow's smile slipped slightly. "I'm sorry about running off the other day, but it hurt," she shrugged, "being blamed for Jonathan's death, even if it was a little true."
"Uh, uh," Catherine was more than a little confused. Jonathan, Jonathan Levinson? What had he to do with all this? Pushing the question away, she nodded. "Sorry," she muttered, awkwardly kissing her daughter's girl-friend on the cheek. "But I've got to go." Turning, she hurried out of the school.
"Oh."
"Oh stop whining Xander!" Cordelia snapped. "It was like five minutes ago."
"It obvious you've never been elbowed in your sac!" Xander retorted.
Cordelia's eyes hardened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Guys," Jesse sighed, would his best friend and his girl-friend ever stop bickering? "We're here."
Xander moaned at the sight of the library door. "Thank god, let's get this sorted."
Cordelia shoved the door open and they walked, or in Xander's case limped, in.
Their jaws hit the ground a half second later.
"Oh," Xander began.
"My," Cordelia supplied.
"God," he finished. "That's Giles right?"
"I don't know," Xander admitted. "He sorta looks like him. But it can't be."
Jesse shook his head and closed his eyes. Opening them, he found the sight before them exactly the same, Faith's ultra-uptight adopted father and guardian dressed in a pair of leather pants and a denim shirt screaming out the Steppenwolf classic 'Born To Be Wild' while playing an energetic air guitar stood on the library counter. "You think this is what he usually does when we're in class?"
Cordelia slapped the back of his head. "Doofus," she scolded. "He's under a spell too."
Giles' eyes widened as he noticed the three interlopers into his domain. Grinning to himself, he jumped off the counter, wincing slightly at an unexpected chafing, he didn't remember from that last time he was in these pants, and swaggered over to the trio. "Right there Cor," he drawled, shooting the brunette bombshell a knowing smile. "How about you drop these two squares and you and me go party, get a few cans, get to know each other?"
"Look Giles," Xander interjected. "This is real funny," the youth's tone suggested it was anything but, "but we have a problem with-."
"Piss off." Spinning around, he buried a knee in the boy's testicles. The youth's face turned purple, he muttered something that sounded like 'not again', and fell to the floor.
Giles turned to face Cordelia again. "What you say-." Something crashed into his head, turning his world black.
"Teach you to chat up my girl-friend!" Jesse snapped at the unconscious Englishman. He turned to Xander. "You alright man?"
"Aside from swellings the size of footballs between my legs I'm fine," his best friend winced. "Best go and see Ms. Calender."
Cordelia looked horrified. "You want her to look at your swellings?" the cheerleader trilled.
"There's a thought," Xander's face briefly brightened before he shook his head. "No, we need to see her about what's happening."
"Okay," his girl-friend's eyes gleamed. "Maybe she'll want to get up close and personal with you too." Xander groaned. Jesse shuddered, he was very glad he wasn't Xander right about now.
"Faith!" Willow gathered her courage and grabbed the strangely-attired Slayer's elbow, spinning her around to face her. "We need to talk."
"I'm afraid not Miss. Rosenberg," Willow blinked at the Bostonian's tone. "I'm afraid I've found your actions of the past few days quite unacceptable and feel you should have some time alone to dwell on the consequences of your actions." Turning, the supernatural warrior hurried away.
"Well, that was wei-," Willow's voice trailed off. First Amy, and then Faith acting out of character. "It's gotta be a spell," she turned towards the library then stopped, realising she was still likely to face a cool reception there. In fact the only person who hadn't given her the cold shoulder was… "Jenny."
"XANDER!" Jenny cried as Xander was half-dragged, half-carried into her empty classroom, looking a shocking shade of grey. The boy moaned as Cordelia and Jesse lowered him into a seat. "You don't look at well. Perhaps you should be at the nurse's?"
"A world of no," Xander muttered.
"What happened?" she demanded. "Did the football team-."
"First Faith and then Giles hit him in the nuts." Cordelia gleefully explained.
"Oh Xander," Jenny shook her head disapprovingly. "I hope you haven't hurt Faith's feelings-."
"My fault!" the youth's eyes widened in outrage. "Why is it always -."
"Hi guys," everyone's head snapped to a nervous looking Willow stood in the classroom doorway. "Anyone notice something different about Faith and Amy?"
"See," Xander winced. "That was what I was trying to say."
"So, Amy, Faith, and Giles are all acting out of character, what does that suggest?"
Xander and Jesse shrugged at her question. "I'm coming up on empty," Cordelia admitted.
"Who do we know who casts body-swap or personality spells?" Willow pressed. Again her question was met with shrugs. "Who do we know who Amy, Faith, and Giles took down between them?" Again her friends shrugged, Willow sighed. "Catherine Madison!"
"I don't know Willow," Xander's expression resonated with doubt. "That's a stretch. I mean how did she get free?"
Willow shrugged, Xander's query momentarily derailing her. "I don't know, maybe she was able to work magic inside the statue?"
"What about Ethan Rayne?" Jesse suggested. "He doesn't like Faith or Giles, especially Giles."
"Ethan doesn't have a grudge against Amy, why involve her?" Willow argued. "It must be Catherine!"
"Maybe we should check the statue before going off half-cocked?" Miss. Calendar suggested.
"Sounds like a plan," Jesse stood. "Let's go."
"I'll stay here and research personality spells," the techno-pagan volunteered.
"It's gone," Willow declared as she peered through the trophy cabinet.
"Maybe it was stolen?" Xander suggested.
"That's weak," Jesse shook his head. "Too coincidental."
"Back to Ms. C?" Xander suggested.
"The statue's gone?" Jenny groaned. "This is not good."
"But it's not proof is it?" Jesse said.
"No, but I've found a spell that can prove if we're right," Jenny said excitedly. "And how to reverse it."
"Great!" Xander beamed. "Let's do it."
"Ah, we need something from both couples to prove it. Either Faith or Giles, and either Amy or the statue. And all four people in the same room to do the spell."
"Oh crap," Xander pursed his lips in thought. "Ms. Calender, you take Willow and Jesse up to Amy's house and retrieve the statue. Cordy, you find Giles, he likes you. And I'll," the boy winced and he glanced at his groin. "Get Faith."
"But I'm not joking," Faith protested, tears welling in her eyes at the club president's refusal. She was trying to turn over a new leaf, become more lady-like, more refined, but nobody believed her. "I really want to join the debating club!"
"Hey Faith!" She turned at Xander's approach. Her boyfriend reached for her arm, she glanced meaningfully at his groin, Xander gulped, dropped his hand, and forced a smile. "Come with me to the library."
"Oh I don't think so Xander," Faith shook her head. "I'm not into that fighting malarkey anymore. Most unladylike."
"Okay." Xander's eyes bulged. "But the amateur dramatics society are meeting there, they're doing Shakesphere."
"Oh Xander!" Faith beamed. Maybe she'd misjudged him after all. "We best get there before everyone finds out and gets the good parts," she whispered.
"Yeah," Xander nodded. "There's always a rush."
"This is most deceitful, Xander," Faith scolded. "I expected you to act better. Most disappointing."
Xander cast Cordy a despairing glance, only to see the cheerleader once again fighting off an amorous librarian. "Faith," he intoned, between the nagging he was receiving and the horrifying sight before him, he almost preferred Faith's fists of fury. "Giles is being a pain again."
Faith's eyes rolled. "Please, Giles." The Slayer grabbed the Watcher by the shoulder and forced him into the chair. "Miss. Chase might dress like a tramp," Xander winced at Cordelia's scream, "but she still has the right to say no, nonetheless."
"A tramp!" Cordelia shrilled. "This from Miss Biker-Chick!"
"I saw the error of my ways," Faith said primly. "It's not too late for you. Although, maybe it is."
"And next, she'll be selling copies of 'The Watchtower'," Xander muttered. He looked up at the opening door and beamed at Jesse and the others' entry. "You've got it?"
"We've got it," Jesse lifted the statue upright as proof. His friend's triumphant expression changed to one of concern. "Uh, shouldn't someone step in before they start fighting?"
"Oh bollocks to that," G-man cut in, a leer on his face. "I love a good cat-fight!"
Once he and Jesse had separated Faith and Cordelia, he turned to Jenny. "Miss Calender?"
The teacher nodded. "I've done the spell, and checked with the transfusion crystal, Willow was right, they've all been swapped. Amy and Catherine body wise, and Giles and Faith personality-wise, only in their case it's a gross exaggeration of their personalities."
"I'd say. What's next?" he queried.
"We need to get AmyCatherine here."
"I'll do it," Jesse stood. "See you in a bit."
"Hey Amy!" Catherine turned at Jesse's shout. "We need your help with a Scooby crisis. You in? I know things are strained…"
Catherine opened her mouth to say no and then smiled. As time went on, the reversal spell would only grow more pronounced. It would be interesting to see Giles and Faith suffer at first hand. "I'd love to help, Jesse," she replied.
"Great," Catherine noted Jesse was looking wild-eyed, probably of seeing his friends fall apart. She smiled inwardly at the thought, it must be really bad. She couldn't wait. "Let's go!"
"What seems to be the problem?" Catherine looked around, smiling at her 'friends'.
Willow stood, a nervous look on the red-head's face. "Faith and Giles have had their personalities switched," Willow blinked at the sight of Faith with her nose deep into 'Middlemarch', "and I need to do a spell to change their personalities back."
Oh damn. It was an effort, but Catherine managed to comfort herself that she could do another spell, a different curse every day – had possibilities. She smiled winningly at Willow. "How can I help?" she looked around the table's cluttered contents. "You seem to have everything."
"Not quite!" Catherine's eyes widened when the cheerleader stood behind Willow passed the red-head the cheerleading statue.
"Not again!" Catherine's eyes flashed. "NO!"
The red-haired witch held the bronze cheerleader statue at arm's length as she chanted with determination. "By the power of the Balancer, return all to what it once was."
Catherine screamed as the red-headed witch's power, so much power, hit her, sending her body into helpless convulsions.
Faith leapt forward, thanking god her powers had returned, and grabbed Amy as the limp body plunged to the ground. After carefully placing the unconscious girl on the library counter, she turned to Jenny. "Everything back to normal?"
Jenny stared intently into her crystal. "Well you and Giles are back to normal." Faith grinned, she already knew that. "And," the techno-pagan looked up triumphantly from the crystal, "Amy's aura has re-aligned. Which means…"
Faith looked towards the statue in Red's hand. "Madison Snr.'s back in her cage," she finished.
"Ooh," Amy moaned as she awoke. Faith stepped back, allowing Willow to run forward. At least now everything was back to normal, the two witches could fuck off and leave them in peace.
"Faith," she turned to face her guardian, a stern expression on his lined face. "Please could we speak in the office?"
"Sure G." Faith shrugged, confused by her Watcher's expression. What had she done wrong this time?
"Hey guys!" Taking a breath, Amy joined Willow in turning from retreating across the school parking lot to face the east coast native. "For the record, I think what you two did to Jonathan blew," Faith said before shrugging. "But you came through in a pinch. And friends are important." She looked down. "I know you didn't mean for him to die, so still friends?"
"Still friends," Willow confirmed.
"Wicked," Faith nodded. Judging from the unenthusiastic look on the Slayer's face she'd been coerced into speaking to them by Giles. "Your pop okay?" the Slayer asked.
"I just phoned him, he's shaken up, but okay." Amy replied before shuddering. "I just hope she never escapes again."
"G's having the statue shipped back to England," Faith lied as she walked along with the two Wiccas. It was best not to mention that Giles intended to melt the statue down. Catherine Madison would never threaten them again.