Part 3:

Earlier that day:

"G-man, can I ask you something?"

Giles looked up, still feeling rather exhausted from the workout he had just gone through with his younger charge. Faith had a thoroughly different style from Buffy, one he had a hard time putting a name to. She was not as strong and fast as Buffy was, not yet at least, but she made up for that with something he would describe as wild abandon. It was almost impossible to put a finger on her once she started moving, never being where he expected her to be.

As a result he was quite worn out after half an hour of sparring.

"You can ask me anything, Faith," he replied. "Just please stop using that nickname."

"I use nicknames for everyone I like or haven't you noticed? You should feel honored."

He managed a smile. The Council had sent him a letter yesterday telling him that the paperwork was almost done and soon he would be Faith's legal guardian. Maybe it was time he got used to her antics.

"Well, I will try. What did you want to ask me?"

Her demeanor changed from that of a tough and frightening warrior to that of an insecure child. Giles was still amazed at how this young girl managed to live with so many different facets to her personality.

"It's about B and the whole not telling the Council guys that she's back."

Giles nodded, Buffy having told him that Faith had talked to her about that a few weeks ago. He had wondered when she would bring up the topic with him.

"Buffy feels that it would not be the most prudent course of action to let them know of her return," Giles said, "and in this instance I agree with her."

"I know. She said that they would not be too thrilled with what happened to her. The whole vampire blood thing."

"The Council has little tolerance for things that are not thoroughly human, Faith. It might not be the most flexible way of thinking ever devised, but considering that most things that are even partly demonic are quite definitely hostile towards the human race it has proven to be quite practical."

"But you belong to the Council as well and you don't seem to have a problem with what has happened to B."

Giles looked down, rubbing his eyes.

"Does it appear that way?" he wondered, more to himself than Faith. "I suppose it might."

Straightening he put away his combat padding, then walked over to his desk where he opened a bottle of scotch and poured himself a glass. Maybe this was a mistake, but he was rather tired. Tired of keeping his worries and fears to himself, tired of weeks of looking through books and finding no answers to what was happening to the girl he considered his daughter.

"When Buffy came back I was without doubt the happiest man alive," he told Faith after downing his first glass of Scotch. "Oh, I was furious with her for doing something as stupid as jumping into a portal leading to Hell, but still ... I thought I had lost her. Getting her back was ... I can't describe it. Then I saw what she had become, but it could not dampen my joy, not much at least. She is still Buffy, the same girl I knew, and everything else is secondary, right?"

Faith studied him, unsure of what to say. She had not known Giles for all that long, but right now he seemed like a complete stranger to her. A tired, old stranger.

"I was even happy that Angel, the real Angel, was back. It was hard at first, looking into his face and telling myself that this was not the same man who had tortured me, who had killed the woman I love. But I managed. Somehow I managed."

He sat down heavily, refilling his glass.

"A few days later, though, I started to realize that Buffy had changed very, very much. Is still changing, in fact. There is very little information on what a vampire's blood can do to a human being, especially over this long a time. I only know that whatever it's doing to her, it is still ongoing. I ... I am afraid of watching her change, Faith, unable to do anything to stop it."

Faith sat on the desk next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"She is still B, right? I mean, even if she turns even more vampiric than she already is, it doesn't change that, right?"

"I don't know, Faith. I just don't know."

Faith watched helplessly as Giles buried his face in his hands. Was there anything she could do? These people had become her friends. Buffy was without doubt the best friend she had ever had, almost a sister due to their joint nature as the Slayers. She knew that Buffy was not exactly human anymore, but until now she had not spent much thought on what that meant or what it could mean in the future.

Was Buffy going to change into a monster? A monster that she might have to slay one of these days? She was not sure she could. God, why was she even thinking about this stuff?

"Let's train some more," she finally said, jumping off the desk. "Might help us get rid of the gloomy thoughts."

Giles looked up, nodding.

"Yes, that might be a good idea. Uh, Faith ..."

"I won't tell anyone about your worries, G-man. Promise!"

He smiled at her as they prepared to spar once more.

"I want to talk to you about that harpy of a tutor again, though," Faith added after a moment, causing Giles to groan.

#

Willow and Oz stared in horror at the things that the devil himself, or the closest thing they had ever met, had delivered into their hands.

Band candy. For the band. New uniforms. Fuzzy hats that went with everything.

"This is just ... evil," Willow proclaimed.

"In a very subtle way, though," Oz said. "Evil spreading through chocolate."

Xander, who had also gotten chocolate handed to him, was slightly less terrified about the inherit evilness of Principal Snyder's railroading them into selling the chocolate. Chocolate was chocolate after all and, seeing as Snyder was evil, who could possibly blame him if this evil chocolate was never circulated among the unsuspecting populace? The world would probably thank him if he simply destroyed it.

"Don't even think about it!" Willow gave him a glare, guessing at his thoughts. "Knowing Snyder he'll work us until he has the money so you're going to sell that chocolate, mister!"

A part of Xander was glad that Willow was glaring at him in this way again. It proved that they were getting closer again, though very slowly. Most of him was terrified of his friend's stare, though, and quickly abandoned his plan to stop evil from spreading into the world.

"Okay, okay, I'll give my best," he mumbled.

The past two weeks had seen a very gradual return to normal, or what passed for normal here in Sunnydale. Xander had apologized to Angel and the souled vampire had proven willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, at least. Willow, who had never been comfortable with hating his guts, was almost treating him good again. Oz ... well, Oz was Oz. He still didn't say much and what he said often left Xander confused. Most of the times he just figured that Oz went where Willow went.

Buffy still was not talking to him, barely tolerated his presence. He could not really blame her for that. After everything he had done ... no, he immediately clamped down on his thoughts. What was done was done. He was not about to forget it, but brooding over it accomplished nothing. When he had told Angel that he was sorry the vampire had asked him what he was going to do about it. The only thing he could do was try and do better in the future. He was determined to do just that.

Other than standing around during the big fight two weeks ago he had not had much opportunity to do it, though. They still were not any closer to finding Amy's killer or figuring out who had sent the assassins after them. The two humans among the attackers, the only ones who had survived, had escaped while the gang had still been busy scrubbing off the remains of the slime demon.

"Oh, chocolate!"

Faith came down the corridor, immediately spying the goods held in their hands. Their eyes met briefly and Xander managed not to flinch at the hostility in the Slayer's gaze. As far as sides went Faith was firmly on Buffy's, meaning that she was not about to give Xander any break until her fellow Slayer did. Which probably meant never. Which inevitably reminded Xander of the other brunette female who seemed determined never to give him a break, either.

He had barely seen Cordelia at all these past two weeks.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Faith," Willow warned the approaching Slayer. "This is band candy and we have to sell it to make money for the band. They need new uniforms."

"And fuzzy hats," Oz added.

Faith looked confused for a moment, then realization dawned. "Snyder?"

"Snyder," Oz confirmed.

"Good luck, guys!"

"You could help us, you know?" Xander realized that it was his voice posing this question moments before Faith glared at him again. He took an involuntary step back.

"Yeah, right," she just said, then turned around to leave.

"Maybe you shouldn't be pushing your luck with her, Xander," Willow reminded him.

Xander looked down, wondering when this would be over with. He hated feeling this guilty. How had Angel managed this for a hundred years? Maybe he should ask him.

Maybe he could sell him some chocolate.

TO BE CONTINUED