Disclaimer: I do not own Buffyverse or anything else you may recognize
Well, I might piss some people off with this chapter, but it's my opinion, you are all completely free to disagree, as long as you're not rude about it. Okay? Okay.
Chapter 24- Sanctuary
The six were still just silently sitting, thinking about how damaged Faith really was, and how much she had wanted to die. In hindsight, the signs had always been there, but they had noticed too late, and Faith wasn't the kind to really ask for help.
Without a comment, Buffy moved to the next recording, knowing what would happen in it, and knowing she wouldn't be pleased by what she sees of herself this time, and then started.
Angel and Faith, still looking roughed up, rode down the elevator in his apartment, and Angel led Faith to his bed where she sat, arms wrapped around herself. He told her to rest, wrapping a towel around her shoulders and she slowly lay down as he covered her with a blanket. He told her to rest and put her backpack on a chair next to the bed, assuring he'd be close. He turned and started to leave when Faith called out. "Angel." Angel turned around. "Yeah." Suddenly Faith attacked Angel with a butcher knife but it was just her imagination and she said to him. "Nothing." He left.
Everyone was a bit startled by the imaginary scene.
"She doesn't want to talk, and I never tried to listen harder", Buffy said, remembering after the Gwendolyn Post incident, Faith had called out to her just like this, and then said 'nothing' just like this too when Buffy had offered an ear like Angel.
Cordelia looked through some files in the office as Wesley walked in and saw her black eye, calling Faith a bitch and apologizing to Cordelia for allowing this to happen but Cordelia said Faith had allowed her elbow to collide with her face, so not Wesley's fault. Wesley assured her at least she just got an elbow, and Cordelia said for what it was worth he looked like he'd been tortured by a much larger woman, making him smile a little, and he knew Faith was still here, and Cordelia incredulously said Angel had given her his bed.
"I feel horrible for her, but she did torture Wes and knock Cordy out", Xander pointed out, so and all agreed. Faith was at a fragile place, but Wesley's and Cordelia's points of view weren't wrong either and completely understandable.
Angel arrived, inquiring about Wesley's well-being, and then he asked Cordelia for some sweets which he wanted to give to Faith. Wesley said Angel was right not to turn Faith over to the police since they couldn't hold a Slayer, but wasn't pleased that the woman who had tortured him one night ago was getting pastries now. Angel asked if Wesley wanted Faith to starve, and he said there were more humane ways to deal with a rabid animal. Angel called Faith a person and said they didn't give up on people, and Wesley told him not to take the moral high ground, saying he believed in helping people, not coddling murderers, making Angel remind Wesley he had made a case for her rehabilitation but Wesley said back then he had a full feeling in his right arm. Angel said she wanted to change but Wesley said she was evil and if let out, she'd kill again, but when Angel didn't answer, he took his jacket and left.
"His point of view is understandable, since he was just tortured", Willow sympathized with Wesley. "But Angel isn't wrong. She does want to change, and Wesley saw it himself too."
"People aren't rational after they have just been tortured", Giles said.
Angel said he'd come around as Cordelia sarcastically said people got funny after being sadistically tortured, and put a book of business checks over the doughnuts, making Angel sign them as he gave her the reasons why he wanted to help Faith, and she seemed to agree before ripping out the page of checks, and then Angel realized they were all made out to her for a paid vacation, and Cordelia said she wouldn't stick around when psycho case was roaming lose downstairs with three tonnes of medieval weaponry, and said she shouldn't be give sugar either before leaving.
"Damn! She left and got a paid vacation", Xander noted. "Smart."
"I thought she'd help", Dawn said.
"At least she moved herself away from the situation since she has foreseen she could be a nuisance if she stuck around", Tara said. "That's actually very mature."
"Yeah, better to be away than in the way", Buffy agreed. "Much better than staying and harping at his ear."
The police inspected the cigarette guy's house where Angel and Faith had fought, and Kate was there too, as another Detective called Kendrick knew she'd heard rumors of the Sunnydale felon having supernatural powers, and noted she'd been all over weird cases recently. Kate told him she was believing in such stuff now.
"So she's into every supernatural case in LA now, due to her father dying", Buffy realized.
"She got issues with the supernatural in general and Angel because of it", Xander commented. "So she'd want to do something about it."
"And I don't think it's anything good", Willow pointed out.
Angel came down with a box of doughnuts to see his bed was empty and made, then saw her leaning into the kitchen wall, and offered her doughnuts, but when she didn't react he put it down and walked closer, saying he understood what she was going through, and wanted to help, but she needed to do a few things, like hand him the knife. He held out his hand and Faith looked down to see she was holding a big butcher knife. She slowly lifted it after a little hesitation, and handed it to Angel as he asked her to rest but she said she'd slept for eight months so he could rest instead.
"She's at a crucial stage right now", Tara noted. "She's trying, but if anything goes wrong, it's gonna go to Hell."
"So far, nothing too bad though", Giles noted.
"So far", Buffy reminded, knowing she would be the too bad this time.
At Wolfram and Hart, Lilah walked into Lindsey's office, telling him Faith was Angel's house guest now, shocking him. Lilah said Angel couldn't be bought or killed, even by a Vampire Slayer, and there is rumor he used to date one.
"How do they know about that?" Buffy asked in surprise.
"Word of things that significant passes very fast in the supernatural world", Giles told her. "Every wants information that can benefit them."
"A Slayer and a Vampire, wonder how people would be benefited from that", Buffy wondered, a bit angry that her private love life was this well known.
Lindsey said they should keep it at a low right now since they didn't want to look like fools, and Lee, now wearing a neck brace with his face swollen black and blue, said they should kill her.
Seeing him in this condition actually made the viewers chuckle.
"I know I should be disturbed, but he deserved it, so I am laughing", Dawn said.
"You're not the only one", Willow said to her. "He did deserve it."
Faith sat on Angel's bed as Buffy's voice echoed in her head. "Faith, no!" There was a flash to Faith staking Finch, and then his blood covered hands were seen as he stared up at Faith. "You killed a man!" Buffy's voice was heard. "I don't care." Faith's voice was heard too.
"She did", Buffy muttered, now finally realizing it. "She just couldn't handle it that she cared, and so she didn't care eventually."
"This stage is still crucial", Willow said. "She'd be afraid, broken, jumpy."
Faith got up and started packing her backpack as Angel came in and said she wasn't in any condition to leave, if she went out she'd be running her whole life and it would be a short run. Faith walked past him, saying it didn't matter but he stepped in the way and said it mattered to him. Faith was confused he was being nice to her, asking if she was his prisoner, but he said she wasn't so she said she was free. Angel slid the door open and said it was open for her. She walked past him as Angel asked. "Where are you gonna go? Back out in that darkness?" Faith hesitated then kept walking. "I once told you that you didn't have to go out in that darkness." Faith slowly came to a stop her back to Angel. "Remember? That it was your choice. Well, you chose. - You thought that you could just touch it." He walked slowly closer. "That you'd be okay. – Five by Five, right, Faith? - But it swallowed you whole. - So tell me", he came to stand behind her. "How did you like it?"
"It felt good, and then the worst thing ever", Willow shook her head.
Faith slugged him but he didn't retaliate, just slowly turned back to look at her as she stared for a moment then looked at anywhere but him. She then hesitantly asked. "Help me?" Angel said. "Yeah."
"Finally, she asked", Xander said.
"Which is an improvement", Tara pointed out. "She is already a little better than before. It's a baby step."
Buffy could now only groan as she realized how she'd almost screwed it up with her vendetta.
Wesley was in a pub, drinking beer and playing with darts. He went up to get the darts when one flew close by his head and hit the bull's eye. Wesley turned to see Weatherby in the chair, miming throwing the next dart at him, then Collins and Smith came to stand next to his chair as Weatherby mimed a toast to Wesley from his own beer.
"Them", Giles muttered.
"You know them?" Dawn asked.
"The Council's assassins. They approached me when Faith first woke up", Giles told them all.
"I met them too, when I was Faith", Buffy sighed. "Not pleasant memories."
"They look like they really don't want to play around", Willow said.
"Because they don't", Giles and Buffy said at the same time.
Wesley and the Council assassins sat in a booth as a waitress brought them more beer. Collins was about to light a cigarette but Wesley looked at a no-smoking sign. Collin still lit it as Wesley said he was in LA to reevaluate his situation after being fired, but Collins said the Council could admit when they made a mistake, and were willing to let Wesley come back to England with them, and reinstate him as a Watcher, saying nobody blamed him for Sunnydale, but Wesley said they clearly did when they sacked him. Collins said it was a mistake as Smith handed an envelope to Wesley, from where he pulled out a picture of Faith. Wesley didn't want to help at first but Collins said they weren't here for Angel, but for the rogue Slayer. Wesley asked why they'd come to him for help instead of taking her on themselves since they were the Council's elites, but then realized Faith had beaten them up, and Collins told Wesley she must be stopped for her betrayal.
"Faith didn't clean their clocks, I did", Buffy said with a smirk.
"Which they have no way of knowing", Tara told her.
"Yeah, I tried to tell them about the body switch, they didn't listen, but then again, even if they believed me, they wouldn't care", Buffy said to them all.
"Will Wesley help them though?" Dawn asked, and Buffy didn't respond, deciding to keep it a surprise.
Faith was leaning on a microwave in Angel's kitchen, the box of doughnuts still closed as Angel arrived and she asked how this worked. Angel said. "There is no real simple answer to that. - I won't lie to you and tell you that it'll be easy - because it won't be. - Just because you've decided to change doesn't mean that the world is ready for you to. - The truth is - no matter how much you suffer, no matter how many good deeds you do to try to make up for the past - you may never balance out the cosmic scale. - The only thing I can promise you is that you'll probably be haunted - and may be for the rest of your life." Faith indicated to the microwave and asked how that worked, and Angel blinked a few times before going over to program it, asking if popcorn would be enough for her.
"I know she was asking about the microwave, but he's right about what he said", Willow said to them all. "Nothing is going to balance the cosmic scales."
Faith said she lived off the stuff and would pay Cordelia back, but Angel said it belonged to Wesley so she decided not to mention it to him, but Angel said they could, and Faith realized she had to apologize, and wondered how she could. Angel asked if she was sorry, and she said she may not be able to say it, or take what she did back no matter how many times she said sorry. Angel agreed due to his experience as Faith reminded he'd a few 100 years' experience while she couldn't make it through the next 10 minutes. Angel asked her to make through the next one, assuring she could. Faith walked away, saying how much it hurt, and Angel said it was supposed to, since all she did was coming back to her, and dealing with it was the only way to be free. Faith let out a sound between a laugh and a sob, saying she was the first Slayer in history to be sponsored by a Vampire and Angel said he'd experience in that area too, Faith now wondering how she'd make things right with B.
"Well, you did", Buffy simply said, since that was all that came to her mind.
"She can't see the future", Tara pointed out.
Angel said this wasn't about Buffy as Faith said. "All my life there was only one person that tried to be my friend, - went out of her way when I had no right or reason to expect her to - and I screwed her. Not to mention her boyfriend, only - him literally." Angel started that he and her hadn't done it but Faith said it was the new one as Angel looked down, Faith realizing he didn't know and said sorry, and then Angel pointed out she could say it, turning to leave.
"Riley", Buffy sighed, and then remembered how she had brought him up to hurt Angel. At the time, she felt justified in all she did, but now seeing what Faith was going through, she knew she was going to want smack herself in the head when she saw herself in the recording.
"Another baby step", Tara noted.
"It's all just many baby steps", Willow told them.
Lindsey, Lilah and Lee talked to someone, giving them a picture of Faith, who was the target, and she needed to be killed. Lilah brought a tray over to the table, saying this won't be put on paper and was a handshake deal while putting a bowl of gruel on the table, as Lindsey added they didn't need hands for this business, and Lilah apologized for the offense as it was species-ist of her, and during that time the creature stuck its head into the gruel and started slurping it up. It then looked up. It had scraggily black hair, blue skin, a mouthful of fangs and four eyes.
The sudden appearance of the creature startled the viewers temporarily.
"What is that?" Dawn asked, disgusted.
"Some sort of female bug Demon", Giles noted.
"It's female?" Buffy asked and he nodded. "It's disgusting."
"What was your first clue?" Xander asked sarcastically.
Collins pushed a folded napkin to Wesley which he opened to find a syringe, and was told it could take down a Slayer too, and he must jab Faith with it so she'd be unconscious when transported to England, and there her rehabilitation would happen, though Wesley was doubtful the Council could rehabilitate her. As the waitress put some more beer, Wesley said Angel mustn't be harmed, pointing out he had a soul and that he had done more good with him than with the Council, so Collins finally agreed and held out his hand, Wesley shaking it.
"Yes, he did much more good here than with the Council, we can see that", Buffy said.
"Would the Council have rehabilitated her?" Tara asked Giles.
"Not in a pleasant way", Giles said grimly, and they could only imagine what the Council would have done.
Faith was eating popcorn and flicking through the channels as something scampered behind her unnoticed and Angel stuck his head out of the bathroom, asking if all was okay and Faith said she'd gone through 4 minutes. Angel went to his bedroom to finish dressing up while the thing skittered above Faith, and she changed the channel to a police report, where her crimes were being reported. Faith reached for her drink and spilled it as Angel came out and seeing her picture on TV, crouched beside her, assuring her it would be all right while Kate was on TV, asking to get in touch with the police if they had info on Faith, calling her violent and unpredictable as Angel shut the TV off, telling her she was safe.
"Bad timing to watch news", Willow sighed sadly, since this could undo all the progress Angel had made.
"The news isn't the worst thing that's going to happen here", Buffy said, referring to herself.
"The Demon", Xander said, thinking that's what she was referring to.
The thing hanging on the ceiling picked that moment to drop down on top of them. It threw Angel off Faith, then tossed Faith onto the sofa, over turning it, when Angel came right back at it. The thing tossed Angel towards Faith and he pushed her into the kitchen to get her out of harm's way then took a hold of an overhead beam and swung both feet into the thing's face. In the kitchen Faith grabbed a hold of the big butcher knife and hurried back to the fight. Angel came sliding past the opening to the kitchen. The thing was charging a slightly dazed Angel as Faith came up behind it and stabbed it with the butcher knife. A few blows later the thing lay dying in the floor. Faith was staring at the bloody knife in her hand as Angel picked himself up.
"Demon's gone", Dawn said.
"What I'm worried about is if Faith ends up going too from this", Tara said grimly.
Faith dropped the knife, gasping and shaking her head as Angel calmed her down, leading her to the bed where she wrapped her arms around his neck, careful not to touch his neck with her bloody hands, and Angel held her. Then he heard someone come down the stairs, and looked up to see it was Buffy!
"It's you!" Dawn said.
"Yeah", Buffy said lamely.
"Why do you sound so down?" Xander asked.
"Remember when Wesley messed up Angel's attempt to reach through to Faith?" Buffy reminded and they all nodded. "Well this time, I am the Wesley."
Everyone groaned, realizing what was going to happen now.
Angel got up, buttoning his shirt, surprised to see her as Buffy looked from Faith on the bed staring at her bloody hands back to Angel, asking him what he was doing. Angel said they were attacked, and Buffy noted he'd said 'we', and he said it wasn't what she thought. Buffy said she couldn't form a thought, and said Giles had heard she'd tried to kill Angel. Angel said she had and Buffy asked if he'd decided to punish her with a severe cuddling.
"What did you think was going on?" Willow asked Buffy.
"I didn't think anything. I just saw Angel and Faith hugging on the bed and my mind just left my body", Buffy said to them all.
Angel asked if Buffy was here to punish Faith but she said she was worried about him. Faith said Buffy's name as she turned to her, walking closer as Faith cringed away from her. Buffy said she had found her now, as Angel asked her to talk, but Buffy wasn't interested. Angel said Faith needed help and Buffy whipped around to face him, asking if he knew what Faith had done to her. Angel said he did so she asked if he cared, and he just said she needed a chance to change, but Buffy was adamant about her going to prison. Angel asked if that'd help. Faith got up and started saying she was sorry, but Buffy cut her off, saying if she said that, she'd beat Faith to death, so Faith quietly told Buffy to go ahead.
"You're messing it all up!" Dawn of all people snapped.
"I know that!" Buffy said. "Like I said, I wasn't thinking."
"Well, she did give you good reasons to hate her", Xander pointed out. "So I can see your side too."
"Well, now I'm seeing the other side too", Buffy told him.
Angel stepped in the way, saying that won't happen as Buffy said he'd have to stop her. Angel told Faith to go upstairs and Buffy to back off, so Faith went up the stairs while Buffy moved to stop her. Angel caught her arm to stop her and she punched him, hauling her fist back to hit again but he blocked and hit back. He then stepped back as she stared at him with her hand over her mouth, Angel apologizing.
"Okay, you hit first but then you're hurt when he hit back?" Tara asked, disappointed.
"I was angry that he would pick her over me after what she did to me", Buffy said. "Not that it justifies me hitting him."
"He didn't pick anyone, he was trying to help", Willow pointed out.
"Tell that to her", Buffy said about her on-screen self, clearly not proud of what she was doing.
Faith opened the upstairs door and stepped into Angel's office, looking down as Wesley arrived, asking if she was going somewhere. She turned to him and said she just wanted to be alone and he asked if Angel was downstairs, to which she responded he was.
"What's he going to do?" Dawn wondered.
Lilah came to Lindsey and Lee, telling them the assassin was dead too, and Lee pointed out how ridiculous this was getting. Then Lindsey realized they'd gone about this the wrong way- they were lawyers and shouldn't work outside the law. Lilah said he was being ironic but Lindsey said it was time to move the fight to their turf and he'd take care of it.
"What's he going to do?" Xander asked.
"Call the cops on Angel", Buffy said, now realizing why the cops had come to arrest him there.
"Well, with Kate hating him, it's gonna work", Willow sighed.
Angel told Buffy that Faith wasn't going to run but Buffy said she wouldn't with her knight to protect her. She said he'd hit her and Angel reminded she'd hit first and was a little bit stronger. Buffy said he'd done it for her as Angel said Buffy was 3 seconds from making her run, and she was at a crucial stage. Buffy said she was playing Angel and had tried to kill him but he said it was a cry for help, Buffy countering that would be shouting for 'help' in a loud voice. Angel said he knew Faith had done horrible things to her but she didn't know what Faith was going through, as Buffy said she couldn't be in the club as she hadn't killed anyone.
"Low blow", Tara said as Buffy cringed.
"I really let my anger cloud me here", Buffy muttered.
Then Wesley arrived with Faith, telling her to get her coat as he told Angel about the Council assassins arriving, and held up the syringe, saying they expected to find Angel gone and Faith drugged. Wesley then told him they were 3 while greeting Buffy, saying she'd come at a bad time, and she agreed. Angel asked why he had brought them where and Wesley said he couldn't shake them so he had to pretend he was helping. Angel asked why he wasn't and Buffy said she knew the guys to be killers.
"He didn't betray Angel!" Dawn said happily.
"His loyalty to Angel is stronger than his ill feelings towards Faith", Tara said with a smile.
"Wesley saved us", Buffy said.
"Go Wes", Willow smiled.
"He is getting better with each of these", Giles noted.
"Guess like you, he needed to get away from the Council to find his better self", Xander shrugged.
Wesley said they'd surrounded the place so Angel decided to check the sewers but they noticed Faith was gone. Angel said she'd be headed for the roof and Buffy made to move, Angel after her. Wesley stopped Angel, saying they needed a plan and Buffy could protect Faith. Angel turned to the sewer entrance and said it wasn't her agenda. Wesley followed him, agreeing the sewers were the best route. Wesley then told Angel this wasn't for Faith, but because he trusted him a lot more than 3 gun toting maniacs. Angel dropped into the sewer and Wesley followed.
"We can see that", Buffy smiled. At least he had kept his head in the game there, unlike her.
At the precinct, Kate and Lindsey talked, Kate saying she despised everything about him while Lindsey said they still had one thing in common. Kate sarcastically asked if it was their bodies being 80% water, while Lindsey lay Angel's picture on the table, and then Lindsey brought up the creatures that had murdered Kate's dad, saying they could never get traditional justice, saying she was justified in doing what she did. Kate just asked what he wanted, and Lindsey told her Angel was harboring the woman the police were looking for before leaving.
"And now she's gonna come with all the cops", Dawn muttered. "These Wolfram and Hart lawyers love messing stuff up."
"That's why they exist in the first place", Willow told her.
Buffy came to the roof to see Faith standing while a helicopter was heard. Buffy told Faith she wouldn't run as Faith asked if Buffy would throw her off the roof again, and Buffy said there was no reason for her not to. Faith turned to look at Buffy and said she could never make it right, so Buffy asked if that meant she would take off again and leave them to clean her mess, and Faith said it would make things easier for her. Buffy said Faith would just get bored with the guilt thing and come back to shake things up, but Faith assured it wouldn't, and Buffy agreed for a different reason. Faith said Angel had told her Buffy wouldn't give her a chance and Buffy snapped. "I gave you every chance! I tried so hard to help you, and you spat on me. My life was just something for you to play with. Angel - Riley - anything that you could take from me - you took. I've lost battles before - but nobody else has -ever- made me a victim." Faith countered. "And you can't stand that. You're all about control. You have no idea what it's like on the other side! Where nothing's in control, nothing makes sense! There is just pain and hate and nothing you do means anything. You can't even.."
"She did try to take away your life", Tara agreed. "And nothing will ever make that right."
"She also didn't take your help when you offered back then, but now she wants to change", Willow pointed out. "And she does raise a good point about you being about control."
Buffy knew they were talking about the time she had planned to confront Caleb again with the same strategy as before because she had a hunch, and wasn't liking it when questioned. So Faith wasn't wrong about this.
And well, she had gotten a taste of the other side too, after her resurrection when she was in a toxic relationship with soulless Spike. So she understood Faith and her choices better now.
Buffy told Faith to shut up as she just asked how to make it better. The door to the roof burst open and Collins stepped through, machinegun in hand. Buffy tackled Faith to safety as Collins opened fire. Angel and Wesley, standing next to the sewer entrance in his apartment, heard the shots from the roof. Just then Weatherby came in shooting at them with his machine gun. Angel and Wesley took cover. Wesley said he hadn't given the signal but Weatherby was having none of it.
"Well, they're dangerous, but do they really think they can take on 2 Slayers and a powerful Vampire?" Xander wondered. "Even if Wesley had betrayed them, it's a stupid strategy."
"They weren't aware of me", Buffy pointed out.
"Still stupid", Xander said.
"No wonder they can't do a thing without Slayers", Willow commented.
Buffy and Faith decided to get to the other building. They ran but before they reached the edge a black helicopter came to hover in front of them. Smith was in the open door, machinegun in hand. Buffy and Faith ran to hide behind a skylight. Collins had to reload and Buffy and Faith changed skylights. Wesley tried to reason with Weatherby but he called a Watcher working for a Vampire perversion. Buffy told Faith the plan and asked her to stay, and she agreed. Buffy lunged over the skylight and tackled Collins. She then disarmed him as Smith asked the pilot to stay steady. Weatherby asked if the sacred oaths meant nothing to Wesley, and he said he'd sworn to protect the innocent, before telling Angel to go to the stairs. Angel ran for the stairs while Weatherby dropped the crossbow and shot at Wesley as he ran for the cover of another pillar. Buffy fought and beat Collins before he pushed her away. Wesley took the cap from the syringe and threw it like a dart. It hit Weatherby in the side of the neck and he dropped his gun. Wesley smiled. "180." Weatherby pulled the needle out. While he stood there swaying Wesley walked up to him and knocked him out with a right cross. "That's for calling me a ponce."
"Go Wes!" Dawn cheered for him.
"Now we can all see who the true ponce is", Giles smiled.
"One down, two to go", Xander said.
"And they're up to the rest of us", Buffy said.
Angel ran upstairs as Buffy kicked Collins back twice and deflected his blows before kicking him again and spin kicked him down before turning to face the helicopter. Angel came shooting through the skylight, catching its left rung with his arms. He reached up and pulled Smith out of the door, disarming him of his gun while he tried to shoot and tossing him off. Smith landed at Buffy's feet, while Angel climbed up to stand on the rung and in Vamp face, told the pilot to take it down, and he agreed while Buffy noted Faith was gone again.
"How does she do that?" Tara wondered.
"It's a Slayer and Vampire thing", Buffy told her.
The helicopter brought Angel down as Kate and several other cops arrived in cars, and Kate asked about Faith but Angel didn't respond so she arrested him for aiding and abetting a fugitive. Later, Wesley and Buffy arrived at the police station in a car, trailing behind Kate and Angel as Kate told him the prison cell was facing east and would have a great view of the sunrise, making Buffy realize Kate knew about Angel and stepped between the two, telling Kate this was murder.
"She is ready to kill Angel to get to Faith?" Xander said, now seeing some parallels between Kate and himself, as both had taken out the issues of their close ones' deaths on him. "She is falling."
"Her anger is understandable, but this went too far", Willow agreed.
Kate asked a cop to get Buffy out but she pushed him off, telling Angel he wouldn't take the fall for Faith, but then they noticed Faith sitting there with her back to them. A cop tried to pull Angel away as Buffy pushed his arm off while Faith looked over her shoulder at them and standing, walked to Kate. "I would like to make a confession."
"Never expected that to happen to be honest, even though I know it did", Dawn said, surprised by Faith.
"Like we keep saying, people can always surprise", Tara said, proud of Faith for making the right choice, at least the one she could.
"Even this wasn't enough to make me see", Buffy said, not pleased with what she had said to Angel after this either, since it was to hurt him.
"What did then?" Xander asked.
"When Angel came back to explain, then I started seeing my behavior wasn't the best", Buffy said. "And now I can see what Faith went through. I was just making it worse."
Angel and Buffy later stood alone in the hallway as she said he should have told her, but Angel said it wasn't her business, because he needed more time with her. Buffy asked if he'd any idea what it was like for her to see the two together, saying he had gone behind her back. Angel said. "Buffy, this wasn't about you! This was about saving somebody's soul. That's what I do here, and you're not a part of it. - That was your idea, remember? We stay away from each other."
"He's right, this wasn't about you", Willow said. "Your reasons for being angry at Faith are justified, but your behavior with Angel, is not."
"And I am too much of a hothead in here to see it", Buffy agreed with a sigh.
Buffy said she'd come because Angel was in danger, but he said he was in danger all the time and she'd come for vengeance. Buffy said she had a right to it but Angel said not in his city.
"So you think only you have the right to vengeance?" Dawn asked and Buffy couldn't speak, knowing exactly what Dawn was referring to.
Buffy turned away for a moment then turned back. "I have someone in my life now." Angel looked away from her but otherwise didn't move. "That I love." Angel swallowed hard. "It's not what you and I had. - It's very new." She stepped closer. "You know what makes it new? - I trust him. - I know him." Angel let out a sharp breath. "That's great. - It's nice - you moved on. - I can't. You found someone new. - I'm not allowed to, remember? I see you again it cuts me up inside and the person I share that with is me! You don't know me anymore. So don't come down here with your great new life and expect me to do things your way. - Go home!" Buffy looked at him for a moment then went to pick up her jacket, while Angel walked over to the wall and braced his hands against it. Buffy asked. "See? - Faith wins again." Angel without looking at her said. "Go." Buffy finally went off.
"You trusted him, but he betrayed that trust, remember?" Dawn reminded and Buffy nodded.
"Wait! So you're telling him you've moved on from him, but don't want him to move on from you?" Tara asked Buffy, and now she gulped, realizing just how badly she had tried to hurt him.
"That's messed up", Xander said, almost in disbelief that Buffy had gone that far.
"It's messed up because I messed up", Buffy said. "I had good reason to be angry with Faith, but I messed up completely."
"Well, hopefully you learnt from it, and the many more times", Willow shrugged.
"And saying Faith wins again, I am sorry Buffy but that was just immature and bratty behavior, I did not expect that from you", Giles told her, shaking his head.
"Neither did I. Guess my anger really changes me, huh?" Buffy said, not a fan of herself here.
Angel slammed his hands against the wall and sighed as Wesley arrived and Angel said he had a big mouth for a shadowy guy. Wesley realized Angel wanted to go after Buffy, and also told him he'd done the right thing. Angel asked if he was talking about the yelling but Wesley said it was the other thing. Angel shook his head. "I didn't do it. - Faith did." Faith was sitting alone in a jail cell, leaning back against the wall. Wesley's voice was heard. "I hope she is strong enough to make it. - Peace is not an easy thing to find." Angel's voice said. "She has a chance." Faith closed her eyes, feeling more peaceful in prison now as she was now atoning. The screen went black.
"So the Faith that will come out of prison would be the one who has changed into a better person", Dawn said. "Because of Angel."
"He never gave up on her, and he pulled her back", Tara said with a smile. "She came back the better."
"Everyone needs someone to pull them out as long as all hope is not lost", Willow said.
"So, he's gonna come after you now?" Xander asked.
"Yes, he did, and we met, and I have no idea if the next one will cover it or not", Buffy sighed.
"Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't", Giles said. When they got back, Giles resolved to talk with Faith more and advise her too like he did with Buffy, and for the rest as well, especially Dawn since she was still young.
Buffy brought them to the next recording, wondering what would be on this.
And with this, we end the Faith arc here. I see both Buffy's and Angel's sides, but for Buffy IMO, her anger against Faith is totally justified, Faith almost took over her life and was willing to let her be put into Council prison, and also raped Riley, but then it's her behavior with Angel that made me take his side more. She hit first, then got butthurt when he hit back, and in the end she brought up Riley to hurt him and did the 'Faith wins again' thing, even though she was in prison and paying for her crimes at that point.
Those are my thoughts, you all probably feel differently, so it's all good.
Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. Stay safe from the coronavirus ya all!