Part III
"All right. . .we will hear closing arguments now. . .Mr. Travers?" Masters calmly brought matters back to order, staring intently at the balding Watcher who was fumbling with his notes in a last minute frenzy of preparation.
After a moment, Travers stood up, met Masters' gaze without flinching, and began: "Gentlemen, we all know of the difficult circumstances that Miss Stevenson has faced in life. . .abusive parents. . .life on the streets of Boston. . .and inadequate instruction after the tragic death of her first Watcher." Buffy, Giles, and their friends (excluding Angel, naturally) flushed angrily at the casual insult, but said nothing as Travers continued, "But we cannot ignore the evidence. . .Faith killed a man, hid the body, then made grandiose speeches to her fellow Slayer about how she should be held blameless because she was better than everyone else. . .before she tried to frame Ms. Summers for the crime she had committed. While Ms. Summers unfathomable compassion prevents us from judging her for that offense, it certainly speaks to her guilt for the offense that we are dealing with here: she was guilty. . .she knew it. . .and she tried to put the blame on an innocent party. . .a young woman whose conduct has been exemplary." He paced, then continued, "Her conduct clearly reflects a consciousness of guilt of the crime and a desire to avoid responsibility for it. We should take no pleasure in doing what must be done. . .but it must be done nonetheless." Travers added one more dramatic pause, then concluded, "I ask that this body take the appropriate actions against Faith Stevenson for her offense." He sat down, and Masters nodded to Willow.
Willow stood up, and was silent for a long moment before commenting, "I've read up on the way that the Watchers have trained potential Slayers over the years. . .so that they would be ready for their sacred duties. The preparation is important, of course. . .what would be more difficult than for a young woman utterly unaware of her destiny as the Chosen One to have that duty thrust upon her without the slightest preparation? Yet, this has happened twice in the span of four years. . .Buffy Summers. . .and now Faith Stevenson. Buffy Summers had the benefit of a loving home for the years before she was Called. . .and the help of two Watchers: one who surrendered his life to save her, and the other who-whatever this Council might think of him-has repeatedly risked his own life for the same purpose. Faith had a harder road. . .as Mr. Travers was kind enough to point out, her life was difficult before she became a Slayer, and she had to watch her first Watcher being killed in front of her when she was helpless to prevent it. All of these things have undoubtedly contributed to the way she has approached combat. . .ruthless, all-out, not wanting to risk letting the enemy have even a moment's respite. . .for fear that someone else she wants to protect might fall prey to her foes." She paused and took a deep breath, then continued, "Unfortunately, that approach had a tragic consequence in this instance: Alan Finch was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he was killed. No one has alleged that Faith took any pleasure in his death: she was clearly devastated by the event, to the extent that she behaved irrationally. The Council would certainly not be amiss in carefully examining her to see what the long term consequences to her psyche have been, and her training should be amended to try to rid her of her tendency to shut out the rest of the world when she is in battle in order to avoid future tragedies. But as for simple punishment. . .Faith is punishing herself far more effectively than this august body could ever hope to. . .she will have to live with the price of her lapse for the rest of her life. . .we should try to help her get past this tragedy and learn from it, not slap her in the face for it." Willow sat down, visibly drained, and Faith leaned over and squeezed her arm in thanks, provoking a gentle smile from Willow.
Masters looked out at the room and called out, "Thank you, Mr. Travers. . . Ms. Rosenburg. We will now adjourn to consider our decision." The five men walked out into one of the side rooms in the hall as Giles, Buffy, Joyce, Xander, Oz, and Angel moved over next to the defense table to talk with Willow and Faith, while Travers disdainfully walked over to the refreshment area and Wesley, ostracized by the others in the audience, polished his glasses and brooded. After a few moments, the Watchers filed back into the room, and the little group broke up, Faith and Willow standing to face the tribunal, and the others settling into the first row seats, as Masters sat down and banged his gavel once to call the hearing back into order.
Masters carefully looked at the grimly waiting Slayer for a long moment before beginning: "Faith Stevenson, I must begin by stating that, as I have stated before, your conduct, regardless of the circumstances, does not reflect well upon you. You attempted to conceal the evidence of a homicide, lied about it to persons in positions of authority, and attempted to cause another person to receive the blame for your actions. Though no formal punishment will be meted out for these actions, the Judicial Branch hereby reprimands you for them, and notes that they will be taken into account should this body have to refer to any future misconduct on your part. Do you understand?"
Faith nodded and replied, "Yes, I do."
Masters nodded in acknowledgment, then continued, "In the matter of the death of Alan Finch, the Judicial Branch rules that it was accidental in nature, and that you should not be subject to any formal punishment as a result of said accidental death." Willow squeezed Faith's arm in support at this point, but Faith's expression remained somber as Masters continued, "However, it is clear that you do need some help to avoid repetition of this tragedy. . .and this body rules that you shall receive psychological counseling and additional training to try to alleviate the problems you have had in controlling your emotional state in combat. . ."
"And how in the hell is she supposed to get that training with Wesley the Weasel playing at being her Watcher?" Buffy's angry voice snapped across the room like a whip, startling everyone present. "Faith deserves better. . .and for that matter, so do I, damn it!"
Visibly shocked, Masters banged his gavel and responded, "Miss Summers, you are completely out of order. It is the responsibility of the Council to provide appropriate personnel for the purpose of Faith's evaluation and training, and you have nothing to say about it."
"Mr. Masters, please excuse Ms. Summers' outburst." The request came from Quentin Travers, and all present turned to him as he unexpectedly defended the older Slayer, "Though she is remarkably capable, she's been under a great deal of stress recently, and she's obviously suffered from the inadequate supervision she has received over the past two years-"
"That's quite enough, you bloody fool."
The voice of Rupert Giles echoed through the room with a clear air of menace: Buffy thought with a chill that it was the voice of Ripper, magnified by two decades of experience and confidence. She watched Giles as he walked up to the table where the five elder Watchers stared at him with expressions varying from irritation to concern. Giles looked over all of them and continued, "This fiasco has gone on long enough. The Council relieved me of my duties and put an incompetent quasi-adolescent in my place, which contributed greatly to this disaster. All because it chose to accept the word of one man, Quentin Travers, rather than allow me, or Buffy, to present our own version of events. The Council of Watchers' foremost duty is to serve the well being of the Slayer so that she might defend all of us from disaster. Removing me without a detailed hearing was an intolerable breach of that trust."
Most of the Watchers found they could not meet the accusing stares of Rupert Giles and Buffy Summers, but Daniel Masters was made from stern stuff, and locked eyes with Giles as he replied, "Rupert, you know the rules of the Council are clear on this matter: the recommendations of the Supervising Watcher conducting the Cruciamentum are to dictate the Council's actions. . .to prevent situations where a Slayer might be corrupted by undue influence from the Field Watcher, or vice versa. I'm sorry, Rupert, but you have no recourse here."
Rupert Giles smiled coldly, then replied, "With all due respect, sir, you are wrong. I do have one avenue left to me. . .I call for the Test of Honor."
There was a stunned silence in the room as the Watchers, including Wesley in the audience, stared in surprise and disbelief, and most of the others looked on, uncomprehending, except for Angel, who smiled in amusement at the sheer nerve of the friend he had so wronged, and Quentin Travers, whose eyes twinkled with hidden menace. Faith, ever ready to leap in where angels feared to tread, voiced the question that several others would have loved to ask: "Uhh. . .what in the hell is the Test of Honor?"
Masters blinked, cleared his throat, and replied, "Under ancient Council law, any person subject to the jurisdiction of the Council of Watchers, with the sole exception of the Slayer herself, may seek justice from the Judicial Branch in the form of trial by combat, to take place no more than twelve hours after the request is made. If the person prevails, his position in the matter in question does also." He looked at Giles in disbelief and commented, "Rupert. . .you can't be serious. The Test of Honor has not been invoked in over three centuries. . .it's a archaic throwback. . .a barbaric ritual holdover-"
"Like stripping a Slayer of her powers and throwing her into mortal combat with an insane vampire?" Buffy's sardonic interjection drew snickers from her friends and winces from the Watchers in the room.
Masters gave Buffy a dirty look and replied, "Miss Summers, whether you choose to believe it or not, there are important justifications for the Cruciamentum. . .but in an sense, your point is well taken. The Test of Honor, though long unused, is a valid part of the Council's laws, and may freely be invoked." He looked carefully at Giles and commented, "Under the rules of the Test, Rupert, you have choice of weapons. . .am I correct in remembering that you were twice the champion saber man at Oxford in the late seventies?"
For once, Giles dispensed with the hemming and hawing that usually accompanied an admission of great ability on his part: "You are, sir."
Masters nodded and continued, "Hmm. . .there is no one here who could come close to matching that, Rupert. I take it you would not waive the twelve hour rule to allow an appropriate opponent to be flown in from England." Seeing Giles' enigmatic smile, Masters continued further, "Well, Rupert. . .you appear to have us over a barrel. . .may I prevail on you to suggest an honorable compromise?"
Giles nodded and replied, "Certainly. . .I have no wish to see such an important issue settled by a technical default or a one-sided brawl. I ask that this body re-open the question of the propriety of my behavior during Buffy's Cruciamentum, accepting testimony from all relevant witnesses, and giving that testimony the weight it would be given in an ordinary judicial procedure. I am content to depend on the unrestrained honor of all of the individuals on this body to come to a fair conclusion in this matter."
Masters and the other Watchers huddled for a long moment as Buffy, Faith, and the others stared openly at Giles as he patiently waited for the conference to conclude. After a moment, the discussion ended, and Masters moved back to his seat and commented, "Although we are less than pleased with your tactics here, Rupert, you appear to have the advantage, and-to be quite candid-your request is not unreasonable. The Judicial Branch of the Council of Watchers here-"
"Not so fast, Daniel." Quentin Travers' voice was smug as he interrupted the head of the Judicial Branch. Masters gave him an annoyed stare at the interruption, but Travers was unhurried as he elaborated, "The governing rules of the Test of Honor allow the senior Watcher present to, at his sole discretion, determine that allowing the challenging party to participate as his own champion would not serve the interests of justice, and may thereby require that party to designate another champion of his choice." Smiling broadly, he concluded, "If I'm not mistaken, that senior Watcher is me. . . and I so determine and require."
Masters glared at Travers and responded, "Yes, Quentin. . .but you are the opposing party. . .it would be an obvious conflict of interest to allow you to make such a ruling."
Travers grinned ferally and replied, "True. How unfortunate that the drafter of the original laws was so sloppy. . .you could take it up with him, had he not been dead for nine centuries. Nonetheless, the law is the law, and I exercise my rights under it. . .Rupert will have to designate a champion. . .or, since I'm feeling generous, he can come back to England with us and face our designate over there."
Buffy and Faith grinned at each other and started to rise as Travers continued, "Yes Rupert, you may designate a champion. . .who must be male-" , Buffy and Faith started, then sat down, with Faith quietly swearing while Buffy snarled in frustration, "--, human-" Angel glared at the smug Watcher as he resumed his seat, "-and not subject to any supernatural diseases." Oz had begun to rise, then dropped back into his seat, irritated. Travers noted all of the reactions and smiled sadistically, then concluded, "Young Walters here will serve as a suitable champion for the Council." A young man, well muscled and apparently in his early twenties, stood and looked over at Giles with a smug expression of his own.
Giles' thoughts raced as he contemplated the dilemma. * Damn. . .Quentin was lying in wait for me. . .hoping I'd try this. Oh well, it was worth a shot to do it the easy way. . .the only recourse now is to go to England and hope I can defeat their champion. . .as unlikely as that may be * He entertained no illusions. . .he had no doubt that, given time, the Council could recruit a champion that could defeat him with any weapon he chose to use. . .but there was no choice. He looked contemptuously at Travers, then turned back to Masters and began, "Since Quentin has no honor, I will be forced to defend my own honor in England. I hereby-"
"Not so fast, Giles."
The voice was calm and determined, and all eyes turned onto the speaker: Alexander Lavelle Harris. He walked up to Quentin Travers with a look of utter disdain on his face, then turned to Walters and gave him a once over before turning away dismissively and announcing, "I volunteer to serve as champion for Rupert Giles. . .his cause is just. . .and I will be proud to serve it."
The room went into chaos, and as Xander watched the commotion his simple announcement had caused, a single thought burned itself into his consciousness:
* Oh, crap. . .I've really gone and done it this time. *
. . .to be continued
As always, comments are welcomed and desired
"All right. . .we will hear closing arguments now. . .Mr. Travers?" Masters calmly brought matters back to order, staring intently at the balding Watcher who was fumbling with his notes in a last minute frenzy of preparation.
After a moment, Travers stood up, met Masters' gaze without flinching, and began: "Gentlemen, we all know of the difficult circumstances that Miss Stevenson has faced in life. . .abusive parents. . .life on the streets of Boston. . .and inadequate instruction after the tragic death of her first Watcher." Buffy, Giles, and their friends (excluding Angel, naturally) flushed angrily at the casual insult, but said nothing as Travers continued, "But we cannot ignore the evidence. . .Faith killed a man, hid the body, then made grandiose speeches to her fellow Slayer about how she should be held blameless because she was better than everyone else. . .before she tried to frame Ms. Summers for the crime she had committed. While Ms. Summers unfathomable compassion prevents us from judging her for that offense, it certainly speaks to her guilt for the offense that we are dealing with here: she was guilty. . .she knew it. . .and she tried to put the blame on an innocent party. . .a young woman whose conduct has been exemplary." He paced, then continued, "Her conduct clearly reflects a consciousness of guilt of the crime and a desire to avoid responsibility for it. We should take no pleasure in doing what must be done. . .but it must be done nonetheless." Travers added one more dramatic pause, then concluded, "I ask that this body take the appropriate actions against Faith Stevenson for her offense." He sat down, and Masters nodded to Willow.
Willow stood up, and was silent for a long moment before commenting, "I've read up on the way that the Watchers have trained potential Slayers over the years. . .so that they would be ready for their sacred duties. The preparation is important, of course. . .what would be more difficult than for a young woman utterly unaware of her destiny as the Chosen One to have that duty thrust upon her without the slightest preparation? Yet, this has happened twice in the span of four years. . .Buffy Summers. . .and now Faith Stevenson. Buffy Summers had the benefit of a loving home for the years before she was Called. . .and the help of two Watchers: one who surrendered his life to save her, and the other who-whatever this Council might think of him-has repeatedly risked his own life for the same purpose. Faith had a harder road. . .as Mr. Travers was kind enough to point out, her life was difficult before she became a Slayer, and she had to watch her first Watcher being killed in front of her when she was helpless to prevent it. All of these things have undoubtedly contributed to the way she has approached combat. . .ruthless, all-out, not wanting to risk letting the enemy have even a moment's respite. . .for fear that someone else she wants to protect might fall prey to her foes." She paused and took a deep breath, then continued, "Unfortunately, that approach had a tragic consequence in this instance: Alan Finch was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and he was killed. No one has alleged that Faith took any pleasure in his death: she was clearly devastated by the event, to the extent that she behaved irrationally. The Council would certainly not be amiss in carefully examining her to see what the long term consequences to her psyche have been, and her training should be amended to try to rid her of her tendency to shut out the rest of the world when she is in battle in order to avoid future tragedies. But as for simple punishment. . .Faith is punishing herself far more effectively than this august body could ever hope to. . .she will have to live with the price of her lapse for the rest of her life. . .we should try to help her get past this tragedy and learn from it, not slap her in the face for it." Willow sat down, visibly drained, and Faith leaned over and squeezed her arm in thanks, provoking a gentle smile from Willow.
Masters looked out at the room and called out, "Thank you, Mr. Travers. . . Ms. Rosenburg. We will now adjourn to consider our decision." The five men walked out into one of the side rooms in the hall as Giles, Buffy, Joyce, Xander, Oz, and Angel moved over next to the defense table to talk with Willow and Faith, while Travers disdainfully walked over to the refreshment area and Wesley, ostracized by the others in the audience, polished his glasses and brooded. After a few moments, the Watchers filed back into the room, and the little group broke up, Faith and Willow standing to face the tribunal, and the others settling into the first row seats, as Masters sat down and banged his gavel once to call the hearing back into order.
Masters carefully looked at the grimly waiting Slayer for a long moment before beginning: "Faith Stevenson, I must begin by stating that, as I have stated before, your conduct, regardless of the circumstances, does not reflect well upon you. You attempted to conceal the evidence of a homicide, lied about it to persons in positions of authority, and attempted to cause another person to receive the blame for your actions. Though no formal punishment will be meted out for these actions, the Judicial Branch hereby reprimands you for them, and notes that they will be taken into account should this body have to refer to any future misconduct on your part. Do you understand?"
Faith nodded and replied, "Yes, I do."
Masters nodded in acknowledgment, then continued, "In the matter of the death of Alan Finch, the Judicial Branch rules that it was accidental in nature, and that you should not be subject to any formal punishment as a result of said accidental death." Willow squeezed Faith's arm in support at this point, but Faith's expression remained somber as Masters continued, "However, it is clear that you do need some help to avoid repetition of this tragedy. . .and this body rules that you shall receive psychological counseling and additional training to try to alleviate the problems you have had in controlling your emotional state in combat. . ."
"And how in the hell is she supposed to get that training with Wesley the Weasel playing at being her Watcher?" Buffy's angry voice snapped across the room like a whip, startling everyone present. "Faith deserves better. . .and for that matter, so do I, damn it!"
Visibly shocked, Masters banged his gavel and responded, "Miss Summers, you are completely out of order. It is the responsibility of the Council to provide appropriate personnel for the purpose of Faith's evaluation and training, and you have nothing to say about it."
"Mr. Masters, please excuse Ms. Summers' outburst." The request came from Quentin Travers, and all present turned to him as he unexpectedly defended the older Slayer, "Though she is remarkably capable, she's been under a great deal of stress recently, and she's obviously suffered from the inadequate supervision she has received over the past two years-"
"That's quite enough, you bloody fool."
The voice of Rupert Giles echoed through the room with a clear air of menace: Buffy thought with a chill that it was the voice of Ripper, magnified by two decades of experience and confidence. She watched Giles as he walked up to the table where the five elder Watchers stared at him with expressions varying from irritation to concern. Giles looked over all of them and continued, "This fiasco has gone on long enough. The Council relieved me of my duties and put an incompetent quasi-adolescent in my place, which contributed greatly to this disaster. All because it chose to accept the word of one man, Quentin Travers, rather than allow me, or Buffy, to present our own version of events. The Council of Watchers' foremost duty is to serve the well being of the Slayer so that she might defend all of us from disaster. Removing me without a detailed hearing was an intolerable breach of that trust."
Most of the Watchers found they could not meet the accusing stares of Rupert Giles and Buffy Summers, but Daniel Masters was made from stern stuff, and locked eyes with Giles as he replied, "Rupert, you know the rules of the Council are clear on this matter: the recommendations of the Supervising Watcher conducting the Cruciamentum are to dictate the Council's actions. . .to prevent situations where a Slayer might be corrupted by undue influence from the Field Watcher, or vice versa. I'm sorry, Rupert, but you have no recourse here."
Rupert Giles smiled coldly, then replied, "With all due respect, sir, you are wrong. I do have one avenue left to me. . .I call for the Test of Honor."
There was a stunned silence in the room as the Watchers, including Wesley in the audience, stared in surprise and disbelief, and most of the others looked on, uncomprehending, except for Angel, who smiled in amusement at the sheer nerve of the friend he had so wronged, and Quentin Travers, whose eyes twinkled with hidden menace. Faith, ever ready to leap in where angels feared to tread, voiced the question that several others would have loved to ask: "Uhh. . .what in the hell is the Test of Honor?"
Masters blinked, cleared his throat, and replied, "Under ancient Council law, any person subject to the jurisdiction of the Council of Watchers, with the sole exception of the Slayer herself, may seek justice from the Judicial Branch in the form of trial by combat, to take place no more than twelve hours after the request is made. If the person prevails, his position in the matter in question does also." He looked at Giles in disbelief and commented, "Rupert. . .you can't be serious. The Test of Honor has not been invoked in over three centuries. . .it's a archaic throwback. . .a barbaric ritual holdover-"
"Like stripping a Slayer of her powers and throwing her into mortal combat with an insane vampire?" Buffy's sardonic interjection drew snickers from her friends and winces from the Watchers in the room.
Masters gave Buffy a dirty look and replied, "Miss Summers, whether you choose to believe it or not, there are important justifications for the Cruciamentum. . .but in an sense, your point is well taken. The Test of Honor, though long unused, is a valid part of the Council's laws, and may freely be invoked." He looked carefully at Giles and commented, "Under the rules of the Test, Rupert, you have choice of weapons. . .am I correct in remembering that you were twice the champion saber man at Oxford in the late seventies?"
For once, Giles dispensed with the hemming and hawing that usually accompanied an admission of great ability on his part: "You are, sir."
Masters nodded and continued, "Hmm. . .there is no one here who could come close to matching that, Rupert. I take it you would not waive the twelve hour rule to allow an appropriate opponent to be flown in from England." Seeing Giles' enigmatic smile, Masters continued further, "Well, Rupert. . .you appear to have us over a barrel. . .may I prevail on you to suggest an honorable compromise?"
Giles nodded and replied, "Certainly. . .I have no wish to see such an important issue settled by a technical default or a one-sided brawl. I ask that this body re-open the question of the propriety of my behavior during Buffy's Cruciamentum, accepting testimony from all relevant witnesses, and giving that testimony the weight it would be given in an ordinary judicial procedure. I am content to depend on the unrestrained honor of all of the individuals on this body to come to a fair conclusion in this matter."
Masters and the other Watchers huddled for a long moment as Buffy, Faith, and the others stared openly at Giles as he patiently waited for the conference to conclude. After a moment, the discussion ended, and Masters moved back to his seat and commented, "Although we are less than pleased with your tactics here, Rupert, you appear to have the advantage, and-to be quite candid-your request is not unreasonable. The Judicial Branch of the Council of Watchers here-"
"Not so fast, Daniel." Quentin Travers' voice was smug as he interrupted the head of the Judicial Branch. Masters gave him an annoyed stare at the interruption, but Travers was unhurried as he elaborated, "The governing rules of the Test of Honor allow the senior Watcher present to, at his sole discretion, determine that allowing the challenging party to participate as his own champion would not serve the interests of justice, and may thereby require that party to designate another champion of his choice." Smiling broadly, he concluded, "If I'm not mistaken, that senior Watcher is me. . . and I so determine and require."
Masters glared at Travers and responded, "Yes, Quentin. . .but you are the opposing party. . .it would be an obvious conflict of interest to allow you to make such a ruling."
Travers grinned ferally and replied, "True. How unfortunate that the drafter of the original laws was so sloppy. . .you could take it up with him, had he not been dead for nine centuries. Nonetheless, the law is the law, and I exercise my rights under it. . .Rupert will have to designate a champion. . .or, since I'm feeling generous, he can come back to England with us and face our designate over there."
Buffy and Faith grinned at each other and started to rise as Travers continued, "Yes Rupert, you may designate a champion. . .who must be male-" , Buffy and Faith started, then sat down, with Faith quietly swearing while Buffy snarled in frustration, "--, human-" Angel glared at the smug Watcher as he resumed his seat, "-and not subject to any supernatural diseases." Oz had begun to rise, then dropped back into his seat, irritated. Travers noted all of the reactions and smiled sadistically, then concluded, "Young Walters here will serve as a suitable champion for the Council." A young man, well muscled and apparently in his early twenties, stood and looked over at Giles with a smug expression of his own.
Giles' thoughts raced as he contemplated the dilemma. * Damn. . .Quentin was lying in wait for me. . .hoping I'd try this. Oh well, it was worth a shot to do it the easy way. . .the only recourse now is to go to England and hope I can defeat their champion. . .as unlikely as that may be * He entertained no illusions. . .he had no doubt that, given time, the Council could recruit a champion that could defeat him with any weapon he chose to use. . .but there was no choice. He looked contemptuously at Travers, then turned back to Masters and began, "Since Quentin has no honor, I will be forced to defend my own honor in England. I hereby-"
"Not so fast, Giles."
The voice was calm and determined, and all eyes turned onto the speaker: Alexander Lavelle Harris. He walked up to Quentin Travers with a look of utter disdain on his face, then turned to Walters and gave him a once over before turning away dismissively and announcing, "I volunteer to serve as champion for Rupert Giles. . .his cause is just. . .and I will be proud to serve it."
The room went into chaos, and as Xander watched the commotion his simple announcement had caused, a single thought burned itself into his consciousness:
* Oh, crap. . .I've really gone and done it this time. *
. . .to be continued
As always, comments are welcomed and desired