Part 7 - Revelation
Her face and eyes were blank when she looked up at him, her voice monotone. No inflection, no expression, as she told them something she hadn't even related to Buffy.
"When I was little, my Mom used to watch me. All the time. Said I was bad, evil, a thing of the Devil. I never knew my father... Perhaps she didn't. She was religious but she - slipped. She started dabbling, she called it, in the occult. Witchcraft, spells, stuff like that. Sort of thing that Willow does but, but, darker. Said it was my fault. Started going with men, but couldn't keep them very long. Started to drink, and blamed it on me when they left her. Accused me of - things I didn't understand, not then. I was only nine years old!" Her voice rose slightly then, settling back almost immediately into its monotone. The others watched her carefully, Willow still clutching tightly to Xander's hand, while Anya stood behind him, hands resting on his shoulders. For a change, she understood his need to comfort Willow. Even her face had paled at the description of the hospital rooms, and she'd been a demon.
"It went on for a couple of years, getting worse and worse and worse. She'd lock me in a cupboard under the stairs, she'd hit me, she'd even burn me with her cigarettes." She shuddered. "There was something in that cupboard, but she never believed me... But she was always sorry afterwards, y'know, when she was sober again. And I used to forgive her and think it would never happen again, and then it'd be the next time. And the time after that. But I stayed, I mean - she was still my Mom." She paused, looking inward. "And then one day - I turned 16. We hadn't celebrated my birthday for years, not even a card, nothing. That was the day my Watcher turned up - well, my first Watcher." Giles nodded. He'd known, as the others had not, that Faith had had more than one Watcher.
"She was drunk when he came, as usual. Told him where he could go, after she tried to seduce him. But she was so drunk she couldn't even stand up. He left but he promised to come back. When he did? He had enough time to tell me what he was, what I was, then she - she came. She - uh, she - she," her voice broke on the words, "she shot him. With a rifle she'd borrowed. I don't know where she got it, or what she did with it afterwards. She was crazy, you know? Really crazy." She began to cry then, deep sobs. "She made me haul his body to the cellar. I - I - I couldn't take anymore. But I didn't mean for it to happen, I didn't know how strong I was as a Slayer. I just - I just pushed her. That's all. Just pushed her a bit, and she fell down the stairs. She lay at the bottom, she didn't move. No sound. Nothing. And I left, I just got out. I left her there." She looked back at her knees, breath hitching in and out. "You read the - stuff in that room. What was on the walls. I
thought she was dead. Maybe I was wrong......"
Buffy looked at Giles, worry in her blue eyes. He barely shook his head before turning back to Faith. "But why now? Why should she suddenly come back now?" Faith shook her head and shrugged, still studying her drawn up knees. Giles began to pace again, tapping his glasses absently against his lips. "I think......I wonder," he began, "if it's something to do with one of the rituals Wesley performed...... We'll need to look into it."
He polished his glasses, put them back on and turned to Willow and Xander, smiling grimly. "It's research time. Willow, try and find anything you can on the ritual that Wesley used to switch Faith and Buffy back. Anything to do with the stone he used, the spell. I'll try to contact Wesley or Angel, find out where he found it, anything that might help us. Xander, you help Willow, but I want you to look for the - ritual he used to, um, help Faith. Anya, you do what you can to help them both." They nodded and rose to their feet, faces clearing, now feeling that perhaps they could do something to help, to stop anything more happening. Buffy sat, watching him, cradling Faith in her arms - she sat, shoulders shaking, but quiet now.
"What can I do?" she asked.
Giles crouched down in front of them, and tightly gripped Faith's hand. "Look after Faith, for the moment," he replied. "Until we find out - well, till we know something." He squeezed Faith's fingers and rose to his feet. "I'm going to phone Angel - and Wesley."
Her face and eyes were blank when she looked up at him, her voice monotone. No inflection, no expression, as she told them something she hadn't even related to Buffy.
"When I was little, my Mom used to watch me. All the time. Said I was bad, evil, a thing of the Devil. I never knew my father... Perhaps she didn't. She was religious but she - slipped. She started dabbling, she called it, in the occult. Witchcraft, spells, stuff like that. Sort of thing that Willow does but, but, darker. Said it was my fault. Started going with men, but couldn't keep them very long. Started to drink, and blamed it on me when they left her. Accused me of - things I didn't understand, not then. I was only nine years old!" Her voice rose slightly then, settling back almost immediately into its monotone. The others watched her carefully, Willow still clutching tightly to Xander's hand, while Anya stood behind him, hands resting on his shoulders. For a change, she understood his need to comfort Willow. Even her face had paled at the description of the hospital rooms, and she'd been a demon.
"It went on for a couple of years, getting worse and worse and worse. She'd lock me in a cupboard under the stairs, she'd hit me, she'd even burn me with her cigarettes." She shuddered. "There was something in that cupboard, but she never believed me... But she was always sorry afterwards, y'know, when she was sober again. And I used to forgive her and think it would never happen again, and then it'd be the next time. And the time after that. But I stayed, I mean - she was still my Mom." She paused, looking inward. "And then one day - I turned 16. We hadn't celebrated my birthday for years, not even a card, nothing. That was the day my Watcher turned up - well, my first Watcher." Giles nodded. He'd known, as the others had not, that Faith had had more than one Watcher.
"She was drunk when he came, as usual. Told him where he could go, after she tried to seduce him. But she was so drunk she couldn't even stand up. He left but he promised to come back. When he did? He had enough time to tell me what he was, what I was, then she - she came. She - uh, she - she," her voice broke on the words, "she shot him. With a rifle she'd borrowed. I don't know where she got it, or what she did with it afterwards. She was crazy, you know? Really crazy." She began to cry then, deep sobs. "She made me haul his body to the cellar. I - I - I couldn't take anymore. But I didn't mean for it to happen, I didn't know how strong I was as a Slayer. I just - I just pushed her. That's all. Just pushed her a bit, and she fell down the stairs. She lay at the bottom, she didn't move. No sound. Nothing. And I left, I just got out. I left her there." She looked back at her knees, breath hitching in and out. "You read the - stuff in that room. What was on the walls. I
thought she was dead. Maybe I was wrong......"
Buffy looked at Giles, worry in her blue eyes. He barely shook his head before turning back to Faith. "But why now? Why should she suddenly come back now?" Faith shook her head and shrugged, still studying her drawn up knees. Giles began to pace again, tapping his glasses absently against his lips. "I think......I wonder," he began, "if it's something to do with one of the rituals Wesley performed...... We'll need to look into it."
He polished his glasses, put them back on and turned to Willow and Xander, smiling grimly. "It's research time. Willow, try and find anything you can on the ritual that Wesley used to switch Faith and Buffy back. Anything to do with the stone he used, the spell. I'll try to contact Wesley or Angel, find out where he found it, anything that might help us. Xander, you help Willow, but I want you to look for the - ritual he used to, um, help Faith. Anya, you do what you can to help them both." They nodded and rose to their feet, faces clearing, now feeling that perhaps they could do something to help, to stop anything more happening. Buffy sat, watching him, cradling Faith in her arms - she sat, shoulders shaking, but quiet now.
"What can I do?" she asked.
Giles crouched down in front of them, and tightly gripped Faith's hand. "Look after Faith, for the moment," he replied. "Until we find out - well, till we know something." He squeezed Faith's fingers and rose to his feet. "I'm going to phone Angel - and Wesley."