YELLOW BRICK ROAD

By: Lisette (lisette@chaletian.co.uk)

Rating: PG-13 so far - might change later on.

Distribution: Want, take, have. Just e-mail me first.

Summary: Faith is released from prison - but there's a catch.

Feedback: God, please.

Angel, Buffy, the whole lot, belong to JW, Mutant Enemy, and anyone else who officially owns them. I don't. Big surprise.

Okay, a few notes. Firstly, I haven't seen any of season 3 yet, though I know vaguely what happens. So, definitely after "Billy", and Fred and Gunn are getting with the happy, but "WITW" never happened.

Please, please review - I need to know what people think! I have a fragile ego and it needs bolstering! Thanks to everyone who has already reviewed - you have made me a happy person!

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Chapter Nine - Act Your Usual Bitchy Self

"What!?"

"You're shittin' me, man!"

"Okay, Wesley, that is a bad idea!"

"I have to be dead?"

"You are dead!" With this last comment, Cordelia subsided under the pointed glare Wesley was handing around with admirable impartiality. When there was silence, he spoke again.

"We need to find out what Wolfram & Hart have planned. And this is the best way to do that, as far as I can see. Now, we don't know how fast they'll move after they think Angel is out of the way - or even if they'll move at all, for that matter, but hopefully they'll use Faith, and we can rely on her to keep us informed."

"Are you nuts, Wes? And, believe me, that is an honest question!"

"Okay, what's with the relying on me?"

"Faith-"

"No, Wesley! I'll…I'll screw up! You know I'll screw up! I can't do this."

"Faith, you won't screw up." As he spoke, Wesley approached the slayer, noticing the fear that darkened her eyes. "You can do this." He put out a hand, and she reacted, pushing him back so that he almost fell. Her hand flew to her mouth, and she looked at him in shock.

"Wesley, I-"

"Faith, it's all right. See? It doesn't matter."

"No-no! I shouldn't be here!" She looked around blindly, her panic clear. "I'm sorry - I-" She ran for the door, but to everyone's surprise it was Gunn standing in front of her.

"The boss says we're gonna rely on you, then we're relying on you." She looked around again, back at Wesley, who stared right back at her.

"We need you, Faith. We need you to help us."

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Two hours later, the plan was ready. Angel would spend the foreseeable future down in the basement, with an axe, a good book, and a fridge full of blood. Cordelia, Fred and Gunn would go to Caritas with Lorne, taking Connor. The spells guarding Caritas were back in full effect, and no violence was going to be done by anyone there. Wesley would stay at the Hyperion, keeping the place running, and providing a link between Angel and the others, and would also be the one in contact with Faith. Faith herself was to go back to the hotel with her stuff, and thence to Wolfram & Hart, where she would inform Lilah Morgan that Angel was dead.

"Now, Faith, they may be a little suspicious, especially after what happened before, so you just need to keep up the façade; give them a little attitude, and, er, well…"

"He means act your usual bitchy self and no one will suspect anything," interrupted Cordelia impatiently.

"Yes, Cordelia, thank you. Now, there is the problem of the mind readers -"

"Mind readers? They've got fucking mind readers in there?"