Part II
"The defense would now like to call Alexander Harris to the stand."
Xander stood up, swallowed hard, and walked over to the witness stand, feeling Faith's eyes on him as he did so. He sat in the witness chair and locked eyes with Willow as he was sworn in to avoid having to look at anyone else. He saw concern and determination in those eyes, and he relaxed a bit as Willow walked over to him and requested, "Could you state your full name for the record, please?"
Xander saw the flash of impishness in his old friend's eyes, and resolved to get even with her later as he recited flatly, "Alexander Lavelle Harris. . .but I go by Xander."
Willow nodded politely, as if this were mildly surprising to her, then continued, "Mr. Harris, could you briefly describe the nature of your acquaintance with Faith Stevenson up to January of this year?"
Xander quickly recounted meeting Faith and their contact over the first four months he had known her, concluding with Faith coming back into town just before the Sisterhood of Jhe arrived in Sunnydale. Willow nodded and commented, "Thank you, Mr. Harris. Now, would you tell us about your encounter with Faith on January 26, 1999?"
Xander cleared his throat, turned apologetically to the Watchers to his right, then began, "I had just outdistanced a bunch of pissed-off zombies in my Uncle Rory's car when I saw Faith fighting one of the Apocalypse demons we had run into the other day. From where I was, I could see that she was having problems: it looked as if it was going to take her out. I waited for Faith to get in a good shot and knock the demon back, then I ran into it with the car. It was stunned, and I yelled at Faith to get into the car. She did, and we took off."
Willow nodded and continued, "Mr. Harris, what was your evaluation of what you saw of the fight between Faith and the Apocalypse demon?"
Travers' voice cut off Xander's answer: "Objection. What would a teenager without formal training have to say about the battle performance of a Slayer?"
Masters raised an eyebrow and looked at Willow as he commented, "A fair question, Ms. Rosenburg. Your response?"
Willow smiled and replied, "Xander Harris has seen three different Slayers in any number of combat situations over the past three years. . .possibly more than some of the members of this honored tribunal." She paused as the Watchers nodded at the truth in her words, then continued, "Also, thanks to the mischief making of Ethan Rayne, Xander Harris possesses the knowledge and training of a combat soldier, including the ability to tactically analyze combat situations. If you have any doubts about the level of competence represented by those abilities, I direct your attention to Appendix C of the defense brief." The members of the Judicial Branch leafed through their copies as Willow continued, "The document in question describes the complete activities of Mr. Harris on the night in question."
The Watchers leafed through the pages quickly; then, to a man, they turned and gave Xander a respectful look as he squirmed in his seat. He dared a look out into the audience, and saw Angel giving him an enigmatic smile, and Buffy, Giles, Joyce, and Oz all looking at him with profound gratitude. Faith settled for a wink and a nod, which actually made him feel less uncomfortable with the whole thing. Masters looked at Travers, who was finishing the document and shaking his head, and commented, "Quentin, your objection is overruled: Mr. Harris, you may answer the question."
Xander started to speak while still looking into Willow's eyes; however, an instinct within him caused him to turn to Faith and met her own curious gaze as he responded, "She was totally caught up in the fight. . .she was clearly losing. The demon was stronger and faster than her, and it was clearly overpowering her, though she was occasionally able to force it back. . .or I wouldn't have been able to help her. She should have retreated, either to seek out an effective weapon or to gain assistance. She did neither until I arrived on the scene and stunned the demon using the car."
Faith blinked hard at that, and Xander gave her an apologetic look before Willow continued, "So, what you're saying is that Faith was so caught up in the fight that she wasn't able to rationally decide to withdraw, even to save her own life?"
"Objection. Whatever Mr. Harris' abilities as a tactician, he is not a psychologist." Travers' dry tone caused Willow to give him an annoyed look, but this time Travers was nodding in agreement as he responded, "Sustained. . .though we see where you are going with this, Ms. Rosenburg, and the point is well taken. Move on, please."
Willow nodded, allowing only a brief look of annoyance to cross her face before moving on to the next question. "Mr. Harris, are your observations of that night consistent with what you have observed at other times Faith has been in combat?"
Xander nodded and elaborated, "Yes. She gets totally into it. . .to the point where she sometimes passes up chances to finish things quickly. She's in a frenzy when she's fighting. . .sometimes it's not to her benefit, though she's still an incredible fighter." He spoke the last words looking Faith straight in the eyes, and he saw acceptance there, though he had the feeling that they would be having a long conversation about all of this when this was all over.
Willow nodded, and Xander relaxed, thinking that he was finished. He was startled when Willow looked sadly at him and continued, "Mr. Harris, what happened after you drove Faith back to her motel room?"
Xander blinked twice, and stared in disbelief at Willow. He temporized by replying, "I'm not sure what you're asking, Willow."
Willow walked right up to him and replied, "I'm sorry, Xander, but you know exactly what I'm talking about. Please describe what happened after you and Faith arrived back at her motel room."
A burst of anger shot through Xander as he glared at his best friend. After a long moment, he looked at Faith. She met his gaze with complete calm, then nodded once, and gave him a brief, forced grin. Xander turned back to Willow, and answered in an icy tone: "We went into the room, and Faith asked me to hold her while she dealt with the dislocated shoulder she had suffered in the fight. After that. . .she indicated to me that she was in the mood. . .and asked if I wanted to help her deal with it. . .and I did." He spoke the last words while spearing Willow with his gaze: only his long experience with her allowed him to perceive her intense discomfort as she continued, "So, you were intimate with Faith on that occasion?"
Xander nodded and replied, "Yes, I was."
Willow nodded and continued, "So, after that time, did Faith ever show any interest in resuming intimate relations with you?"
Xander flushed, then replied, "No. She gave me the cold shoulder after that, and I found out why after Buffy told us about Mr. Finch having been killed. Buffy said-"
"Objection, hearsay, move to strike. What Miss Summers might have said is not relevant here." Travers jumped in, relieved at the opportunity to interrupt a line of questioning that he had a sinking feeling would not be in the prosecution's best interests.
Masters looked at Willow and raised an eyebrow. Willow hastened to explain, "It goes to the state of mind of the witness, Mr. Masters, and I was also informed that the strict rules of evidence would not be applied in these proceedings."
Masters frowned and replied, "True, Ms. Rosenburg, but the hearsay rules are well-established and proven to be of great utility. . .but the objection is overruled. You may continue, Mr. Harris."
Xander nodded, feeling ambivalent about being allowed to continue, as he responded, "Buffy said that Faith. . .didn't think much about the guys she slept with. . .it was just a big joke to her. I knew that Buffy wouldn't say that just because she was upset with Faith. . .I believed her."
Willow nodded, and Xander could see the sadness in her eyes as she asked, "How did that make you feel, Xander?"
Xander paused for a long moment. He could feel the scrutiny of all of his friends, and he could see that Faith was watching him intently, a curious expression on her face. He took a deep breath, then replied, "I was angry. I've tried to be a good friend to Faith. . .she's had a rough time of it, and she's been a big help since she arrived in Sunnydale. Maybe I should have shown a little more restraint that night. . .but I'm only human, and she's an extremely desirable woman. . .I just wish she had trusted me a little more. . .let me have a shot at showing her that not all guys are jerks. . .but, it was her call, I guess."
Willow nodded, and continued, "So, if you were angry at her, why did you go to her room to try to get her to come back?"
Xander swallowed hard, then snapped, "Because she deserves a chance, damn it! Because she's been on the edge, risking her life to keep all of us alive. She didn't kill that guy on purpose, and she did all of that stuff because she was scared. Sure, I was pissed off at her. . .but I didn't want her to die, or disappear. . .we've all screwed up more than once. . .and I wanted to give her the chance to make things right."
Willow nodded, and called out, "No further questions. Your witness, Mr. Travers." She walked back to her seat, and Xander braced himself for a flood of hostile questions from the Watcher.
Travers stood up, and Xander could see the abject frustration in his eyes as he briefly responded, "No questions, Your Honor," and sat down.
Masters turned to Xander and commented, "You are excused, Mr. Harris." Xander stood and began walking back to his seat, his thoughts racing. * Willow knew that Travers knew I had slept with Faith. . .and that he'd use it to make me look biased. . .by bringing it up first, she was able to show that I was pissed off at her. . .that, if anything, sleeping with her had made me less friendly to her, not more. . .still, I'm going to make her pay for that little experience * He communicated that thought to Willow with an annoyed glare as he sat down, and Willow winced visibly before calling out, "The defense calls Rupert Giles to the stand."
Giles' testimony was brief and to the point: Faith was formidable in combat, but she did have a tendency to get caught up in the moment, causing her to get into trouble on occasion as a result. He had attempted to train her to overcome the problem, but had not yet been successful when he had been relieved of his duties by the Council. Willow nodded and sat down. Travers stood up, gave Giles a contemptuous look, and called out, "No questions."
Giles stood up and walked back to his seat, studiously ignoring his tormentor as he did so. Masters looked at Willow and asked, "Did you have any other witnesses, Ms. Rosenburg?"
Willow looked up and replied, "Yes, I do. The defense would like to call Faith Stevenson to the stand."
Faith stood up, and all could see the uncharacteristic nervousness on her face as she sat in the witness chair and was sworn in. Willow walked up to Faith with a compassionate expression on her face, and started by asking, "Faith, could you tell us how you came to be in Sunnydale last October?"
Faith took a deep breath, and told of how Kakistos had killed her first Watcher and driven her into flight, until she arrived in Sunnydale with the ancient vampire at her heels. She next described her early fights with Buffy, including the nearly disastrous fight with Kakistos' minions that almost cost Buffy her life. She was meticulous in detail, and Willow could see that the Watchers were taking notes and nodding. She waited for Faith to finish, then asked her to describe the events of the night that Finch was killed.
Faith paused, blinked twice, then began: "We were going after that Balthazar demon. . .his goons were coming at us, one at a time out of the shadows. Stupid, but they kept coming, and Buffy and me. . .we had a rhythm going. Stake and move, stake and move. When that Finch guy came out of the shadows, it never even occurred to me that it was anything other than another vamp. Buffy threw him down, and I moved in to stake him. . .at the last split-second, I heard Buffy yell, 'Faith, no!'. . .but it didn't really register, you know? I got him with the stake. . .and then it registered. . .he wasn't a vamp."
Faith paused at that moment, and Willow waited for a moment before prodding her: "Faith, what were you thinking after it happened?"
The Slayer blinked again, then haltingly continued, "I went numb. . .nothing seemed real any more. I told Buffy that I didn't know. . .then I just had this overwhelming urge to get the hell out of there. . .I dragged Buffy away. . .then we were separated. Afterwards, I went back and just looked at him for a while. . .I kept wanting to wake up. . .to know it was just a dream. . .but it wasn't happening. After a few minutes, I took the body, weighted it, and dropped it in the river, then went back to my room."
Willow waited another moment, then asked, "Faith, why did you do that?
Faith looked down, and replied, "I think that I thought that if there was no body. . .it would all go away, that I wouldn't have to deal with it. . .but, even as I did it, I knew better. When Buffy showed up at my room that morning, I was trying to get a stain out of my shirt. . .a stain that was long gone: I just couldn't stop scrubbing."
Willow nodded again, and continued, "Faith, when Buffy confronted you about Mr. Finch's death, you told her you didn't care. . .that one life lost wasn't that important with all of the good that you and Buffy have done. . .do you really believe that?"
Faith laughed bitterly and replied, "I wanted to. . .she wouldn't let it go. . .and I really wanted something to help me deal with it, you know? But it doesn't work. . .I kept seeing his face, and the blood. . .I didn't want to kill him. . .but I did, and now I have to live with it. . .and nothing I do or say can change that." She paused again, and when she continued, her tone was softer than it had been at any time Buffy or her friends had heard from Faith before: "For most of my life. . .I really didn't matter much to the people around me. . .except that occasionally someone would yell at me or hit me, I might as well as been a piece of furniture. When I found out I was a Slayer. . .it opened up a new world to me. . .I mattered. Sure, it meant going out and maybe dying a nasty, bloody death in the near future, but I was willing to deal with that. . .but I wasn't ready for this. . .I didn't have a clue about what to do. . .and it made me stupid." She turned to the quiet Watchers sitting and observing it all and whispered, "I'm sorry. . .I want to do what's right."
Willow paused for a long moment, then quietly spoke: "No further questions, your Honor. Your witness, Mr. Travers." She sat down, and Masters looked at Travers, raising an eyebrow as if to invite him to speak.
With a deep sigh, Travers stood up and scrutinized the Slayer as he gathered his thoughts. * What is there to ask her? She's admitted the crime, acknowledged hiding the body, admitted her incriminating comments to Ms. Summers. . .it's not as if she's going to jump up and announce she's been lying. . . * He looked at Masters and replied to the non-verbal invitation, "No questions."
Masters nodded to Faith, and she walked slowly out of the witness chair and returned to her seat, looking numb. Masters looked at Willow and asked, "Do you have any further witnesses, Ms. Rosenburg?"
Willow shook her head and replied, "No, Your Honor. The defense rests."
Masters nodded and replied, "Then we will have a ten minute recess, and then hear closing arguments." The Watchers stood up and walked over to the nearby refreshment area, while Willow returned to her seat and asked Faith quietly, "Are you all right?"
Faith smiled gently and replied, "Five by five. . .but I hope I never have to do that again. . .what do you think, Willow? Are they buying it?"
Willow frowned and replied, "I don't know, Faith. I'm pretty good at the whole presenting the argument thing, but as for reading judges. . .well, there must be some reason they make people sit through three years of law school." She heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see the familiar figure of Giles moving up to them. She motioned for him to lean down and asked, "What do you think, Giles? How are they reacting to our arguments?"
"You've done an excellent job, Willow. . .being up front about everything has neutralized a lot of what Travers could have done against you. . .and Masters is a fair man. . .but, I just don't know. Closing arguments will be important. . .and I have utmost confidence in your abilities." He squeezed her arm in support, and locked eyes with Faith to indicate his continued support before returning to his seat.
Faith and Willow turned and locked eyes: they had never truly been comfortable together. . .but, at this moment, Willow had been moved by Faith's testimony, and Faith had been impressed by the quality of Willow's arguments on her behalf. For the first time, there was true mutual respect between them, and they watched the Watchers return to their seats with a sense of serenity in their hearts. The moment had arrived, and they were ready for it.
. . .to be continued
As always, comments are welcomed and desired
"The defense would now like to call Alexander Harris to the stand."
Xander stood up, swallowed hard, and walked over to the witness stand, feeling Faith's eyes on him as he did so. He sat in the witness chair and locked eyes with Willow as he was sworn in to avoid having to look at anyone else. He saw concern and determination in those eyes, and he relaxed a bit as Willow walked over to him and requested, "Could you state your full name for the record, please?"
Xander saw the flash of impishness in his old friend's eyes, and resolved to get even with her later as he recited flatly, "Alexander Lavelle Harris. . .but I go by Xander."
Willow nodded politely, as if this were mildly surprising to her, then continued, "Mr. Harris, could you briefly describe the nature of your acquaintance with Faith Stevenson up to January of this year?"
Xander quickly recounted meeting Faith and their contact over the first four months he had known her, concluding with Faith coming back into town just before the Sisterhood of Jhe arrived in Sunnydale. Willow nodded and commented, "Thank you, Mr. Harris. Now, would you tell us about your encounter with Faith on January 26, 1999?"
Xander cleared his throat, turned apologetically to the Watchers to his right, then began, "I had just outdistanced a bunch of pissed-off zombies in my Uncle Rory's car when I saw Faith fighting one of the Apocalypse demons we had run into the other day. From where I was, I could see that she was having problems: it looked as if it was going to take her out. I waited for Faith to get in a good shot and knock the demon back, then I ran into it with the car. It was stunned, and I yelled at Faith to get into the car. She did, and we took off."
Willow nodded and continued, "Mr. Harris, what was your evaluation of what you saw of the fight between Faith and the Apocalypse demon?"
Travers' voice cut off Xander's answer: "Objection. What would a teenager without formal training have to say about the battle performance of a Slayer?"
Masters raised an eyebrow and looked at Willow as he commented, "A fair question, Ms. Rosenburg. Your response?"
Willow smiled and replied, "Xander Harris has seen three different Slayers in any number of combat situations over the past three years. . .possibly more than some of the members of this honored tribunal." She paused as the Watchers nodded at the truth in her words, then continued, "Also, thanks to the mischief making of Ethan Rayne, Xander Harris possesses the knowledge and training of a combat soldier, including the ability to tactically analyze combat situations. If you have any doubts about the level of competence represented by those abilities, I direct your attention to Appendix C of the defense brief." The members of the Judicial Branch leafed through their copies as Willow continued, "The document in question describes the complete activities of Mr. Harris on the night in question."
The Watchers leafed through the pages quickly; then, to a man, they turned and gave Xander a respectful look as he squirmed in his seat. He dared a look out into the audience, and saw Angel giving him an enigmatic smile, and Buffy, Giles, Joyce, and Oz all looking at him with profound gratitude. Faith settled for a wink and a nod, which actually made him feel less uncomfortable with the whole thing. Masters looked at Travers, who was finishing the document and shaking his head, and commented, "Quentin, your objection is overruled: Mr. Harris, you may answer the question."
Xander started to speak while still looking into Willow's eyes; however, an instinct within him caused him to turn to Faith and met her own curious gaze as he responded, "She was totally caught up in the fight. . .she was clearly losing. The demon was stronger and faster than her, and it was clearly overpowering her, though she was occasionally able to force it back. . .or I wouldn't have been able to help her. She should have retreated, either to seek out an effective weapon or to gain assistance. She did neither until I arrived on the scene and stunned the demon using the car."
Faith blinked hard at that, and Xander gave her an apologetic look before Willow continued, "So, what you're saying is that Faith was so caught up in the fight that she wasn't able to rationally decide to withdraw, even to save her own life?"
"Objection. Whatever Mr. Harris' abilities as a tactician, he is not a psychologist." Travers' dry tone caused Willow to give him an annoyed look, but this time Travers was nodding in agreement as he responded, "Sustained. . .though we see where you are going with this, Ms. Rosenburg, and the point is well taken. Move on, please."
Willow nodded, allowing only a brief look of annoyance to cross her face before moving on to the next question. "Mr. Harris, are your observations of that night consistent with what you have observed at other times Faith has been in combat?"
Xander nodded and elaborated, "Yes. She gets totally into it. . .to the point where she sometimes passes up chances to finish things quickly. She's in a frenzy when she's fighting. . .sometimes it's not to her benefit, though she's still an incredible fighter." He spoke the last words looking Faith straight in the eyes, and he saw acceptance there, though he had the feeling that they would be having a long conversation about all of this when this was all over.
Willow nodded, and Xander relaxed, thinking that he was finished. He was startled when Willow looked sadly at him and continued, "Mr. Harris, what happened after you drove Faith back to her motel room?"
Xander blinked twice, and stared in disbelief at Willow. He temporized by replying, "I'm not sure what you're asking, Willow."
Willow walked right up to him and replied, "I'm sorry, Xander, but you know exactly what I'm talking about. Please describe what happened after you and Faith arrived back at her motel room."
A burst of anger shot through Xander as he glared at his best friend. After a long moment, he looked at Faith. She met his gaze with complete calm, then nodded once, and gave him a brief, forced grin. Xander turned back to Willow, and answered in an icy tone: "We went into the room, and Faith asked me to hold her while she dealt with the dislocated shoulder she had suffered in the fight. After that. . .she indicated to me that she was in the mood. . .and asked if I wanted to help her deal with it. . .and I did." He spoke the last words while spearing Willow with his gaze: only his long experience with her allowed him to perceive her intense discomfort as she continued, "So, you were intimate with Faith on that occasion?"
Xander nodded and replied, "Yes, I was."
Willow nodded and continued, "So, after that time, did Faith ever show any interest in resuming intimate relations with you?"
Xander flushed, then replied, "No. She gave me the cold shoulder after that, and I found out why after Buffy told us about Mr. Finch having been killed. Buffy said-"
"Objection, hearsay, move to strike. What Miss Summers might have said is not relevant here." Travers jumped in, relieved at the opportunity to interrupt a line of questioning that he had a sinking feeling would not be in the prosecution's best interests.
Masters looked at Willow and raised an eyebrow. Willow hastened to explain, "It goes to the state of mind of the witness, Mr. Masters, and I was also informed that the strict rules of evidence would not be applied in these proceedings."
Masters frowned and replied, "True, Ms. Rosenburg, but the hearsay rules are well-established and proven to be of great utility. . .but the objection is overruled. You may continue, Mr. Harris."
Xander nodded, feeling ambivalent about being allowed to continue, as he responded, "Buffy said that Faith. . .didn't think much about the guys she slept with. . .it was just a big joke to her. I knew that Buffy wouldn't say that just because she was upset with Faith. . .I believed her."
Willow nodded, and Xander could see the sadness in her eyes as she asked, "How did that make you feel, Xander?"
Xander paused for a long moment. He could feel the scrutiny of all of his friends, and he could see that Faith was watching him intently, a curious expression on her face. He took a deep breath, then replied, "I was angry. I've tried to be a good friend to Faith. . .she's had a rough time of it, and she's been a big help since she arrived in Sunnydale. Maybe I should have shown a little more restraint that night. . .but I'm only human, and she's an extremely desirable woman. . .I just wish she had trusted me a little more. . .let me have a shot at showing her that not all guys are jerks. . .but, it was her call, I guess."
Willow nodded, and continued, "So, if you were angry at her, why did you go to her room to try to get her to come back?"
Xander swallowed hard, then snapped, "Because she deserves a chance, damn it! Because she's been on the edge, risking her life to keep all of us alive. She didn't kill that guy on purpose, and she did all of that stuff because she was scared. Sure, I was pissed off at her. . .but I didn't want her to die, or disappear. . .we've all screwed up more than once. . .and I wanted to give her the chance to make things right."
Willow nodded, and called out, "No further questions. Your witness, Mr. Travers." She walked back to her seat, and Xander braced himself for a flood of hostile questions from the Watcher.
Travers stood up, and Xander could see the abject frustration in his eyes as he briefly responded, "No questions, Your Honor," and sat down.
Masters turned to Xander and commented, "You are excused, Mr. Harris." Xander stood and began walking back to his seat, his thoughts racing. * Willow knew that Travers knew I had slept with Faith. . .and that he'd use it to make me look biased. . .by bringing it up first, she was able to show that I was pissed off at her. . .that, if anything, sleeping with her had made me less friendly to her, not more. . .still, I'm going to make her pay for that little experience * He communicated that thought to Willow with an annoyed glare as he sat down, and Willow winced visibly before calling out, "The defense calls Rupert Giles to the stand."
Giles' testimony was brief and to the point: Faith was formidable in combat, but she did have a tendency to get caught up in the moment, causing her to get into trouble on occasion as a result. He had attempted to train her to overcome the problem, but had not yet been successful when he had been relieved of his duties by the Council. Willow nodded and sat down. Travers stood up, gave Giles a contemptuous look, and called out, "No questions."
Giles stood up and walked back to his seat, studiously ignoring his tormentor as he did so. Masters looked at Willow and asked, "Did you have any other witnesses, Ms. Rosenburg?"
Willow looked up and replied, "Yes, I do. The defense would like to call Faith Stevenson to the stand."
Faith stood up, and all could see the uncharacteristic nervousness on her face as she sat in the witness chair and was sworn in. Willow walked up to Faith with a compassionate expression on her face, and started by asking, "Faith, could you tell us how you came to be in Sunnydale last October?"
Faith took a deep breath, and told of how Kakistos had killed her first Watcher and driven her into flight, until she arrived in Sunnydale with the ancient vampire at her heels. She next described her early fights with Buffy, including the nearly disastrous fight with Kakistos' minions that almost cost Buffy her life. She was meticulous in detail, and Willow could see that the Watchers were taking notes and nodding. She waited for Faith to finish, then asked her to describe the events of the night that Finch was killed.
Faith paused, blinked twice, then began: "We were going after that Balthazar demon. . .his goons were coming at us, one at a time out of the shadows. Stupid, but they kept coming, and Buffy and me. . .we had a rhythm going. Stake and move, stake and move. When that Finch guy came out of the shadows, it never even occurred to me that it was anything other than another vamp. Buffy threw him down, and I moved in to stake him. . .at the last split-second, I heard Buffy yell, 'Faith, no!'. . .but it didn't really register, you know? I got him with the stake. . .and then it registered. . .he wasn't a vamp."
Faith paused at that moment, and Willow waited for a moment before prodding her: "Faith, what were you thinking after it happened?"
The Slayer blinked again, then haltingly continued, "I went numb. . .nothing seemed real any more. I told Buffy that I didn't know. . .then I just had this overwhelming urge to get the hell out of there. . .I dragged Buffy away. . .then we were separated. Afterwards, I went back and just looked at him for a while. . .I kept wanting to wake up. . .to know it was just a dream. . .but it wasn't happening. After a few minutes, I took the body, weighted it, and dropped it in the river, then went back to my room."
Willow waited another moment, then asked, "Faith, why did you do that?
Faith looked down, and replied, "I think that I thought that if there was no body. . .it would all go away, that I wouldn't have to deal with it. . .but, even as I did it, I knew better. When Buffy showed up at my room that morning, I was trying to get a stain out of my shirt. . .a stain that was long gone: I just couldn't stop scrubbing."
Willow nodded again, and continued, "Faith, when Buffy confronted you about Mr. Finch's death, you told her you didn't care. . .that one life lost wasn't that important with all of the good that you and Buffy have done. . .do you really believe that?"
Faith laughed bitterly and replied, "I wanted to. . .she wouldn't let it go. . .and I really wanted something to help me deal with it, you know? But it doesn't work. . .I kept seeing his face, and the blood. . .I didn't want to kill him. . .but I did, and now I have to live with it. . .and nothing I do or say can change that." She paused again, and when she continued, her tone was softer than it had been at any time Buffy or her friends had heard from Faith before: "For most of my life. . .I really didn't matter much to the people around me. . .except that occasionally someone would yell at me or hit me, I might as well as been a piece of furniture. When I found out I was a Slayer. . .it opened up a new world to me. . .I mattered. Sure, it meant going out and maybe dying a nasty, bloody death in the near future, but I was willing to deal with that. . .but I wasn't ready for this. . .I didn't have a clue about what to do. . .and it made me stupid." She turned to the quiet Watchers sitting and observing it all and whispered, "I'm sorry. . .I want to do what's right."
Willow paused for a long moment, then quietly spoke: "No further questions, your Honor. Your witness, Mr. Travers." She sat down, and Masters looked at Travers, raising an eyebrow as if to invite him to speak.
With a deep sigh, Travers stood up and scrutinized the Slayer as he gathered his thoughts. * What is there to ask her? She's admitted the crime, acknowledged hiding the body, admitted her incriminating comments to Ms. Summers. . .it's not as if she's going to jump up and announce she's been lying. . . * He looked at Masters and replied to the non-verbal invitation, "No questions."
Masters nodded to Faith, and she walked slowly out of the witness chair and returned to her seat, looking numb. Masters looked at Willow and asked, "Do you have any further witnesses, Ms. Rosenburg?"
Willow shook her head and replied, "No, Your Honor. The defense rests."
Masters nodded and replied, "Then we will have a ten minute recess, and then hear closing arguments." The Watchers stood up and walked over to the nearby refreshment area, while Willow returned to her seat and asked Faith quietly, "Are you all right?"
Faith smiled gently and replied, "Five by five. . .but I hope I never have to do that again. . .what do you think, Willow? Are they buying it?"
Willow frowned and replied, "I don't know, Faith. I'm pretty good at the whole presenting the argument thing, but as for reading judges. . .well, there must be some reason they make people sit through three years of law school." She heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see the familiar figure of Giles moving up to them. She motioned for him to lean down and asked, "What do you think, Giles? How are they reacting to our arguments?"
"You've done an excellent job, Willow. . .being up front about everything has neutralized a lot of what Travers could have done against you. . .and Masters is a fair man. . .but, I just don't know. Closing arguments will be important. . .and I have utmost confidence in your abilities." He squeezed her arm in support, and locked eyes with Faith to indicate his continued support before returning to his seat.
Faith and Willow turned and locked eyes: they had never truly been comfortable together. . .but, at this moment, Willow had been moved by Faith's testimony, and Faith had been impressed by the quality of Willow's arguments on her behalf. For the first time, there was true mutual respect between them, and they watched the Watchers return to their seats with a sense of serenity in their hearts. The moment had arrived, and they were ready for it.
. . .to be continued
As always, comments are welcomed and desired