Chapter 12

They had just finished listening to Giles' message on the answering machine when the phone rang. Thinking that it was Giles, Buffy picked it up as fast as she could. She was disappointed when she heard that it wasn't Giles' voice. She didn't know who it was, but the voice was familiar.

"Hey Buff… I need your help," the voice said. Buffy stood there shocked for a few moments.

"Faith? Is that you?" She asked into the phone.

"Yeah. You're quick today. I gotta get some help. T-the Council's gonna kill me!" Faith said frantically into the phone.

"What? Faith. I know the Watchers are bastards, but they won't kill you!" Buffy exclaimed.

"I got the letter right here B. Says that they need a Slayer under their control, and that they're real sorry that they have to get me out-o-the way," Faith said matter-of-factly.

"Faith…" Buffy started, but Faith cut her off.

"Look. I'm breaking out of here, and I'm gonna take those bastards down. Either you can help me or not!"

"Faith!" Buffy called out.

"Hope to see ya around B. I've got to get a move on," Faith said right before she hung up the phone. Buffy put the phone down slowly and looked to Xander.

"Faith rang you up?" He asked. "Has this world gone crazy all of a sudden?"

"She says that the Council's coming to kill her because they want a Slayer that they can control," Buffy told him. "And since I refuse to work with them and Faith's…unstable, I guess they figure if they kill Faith, they get a new Slayer."

"One they can twist around their little finger," Xander added. Buffy and Xander just stood staring off into space for a few moments. "What are we going to do about her?"

"Right now, Faith's the least of my concerns. I want to find out about Willow," Buffy replied.

He watched her sleeping. He watched as she twitched under the nightmares he was sure she was having. She looked so helpless, so calm while she was sleeping. He looked out the window, into the tall trees of the forest. Through them, he could see that the sun was rising, and he could at last get some rest. Quickly, he turned his head back to the sleeping figure as he heard a whimper come from her. He was amazed at what this girl could do. He was also flattered, as he knew she looked up to him, as a teacher, as one that knows all and can never be wrong. Yet, behind the outer mask lay hurt, and power that he could never hope to imagine. He felt his heart break as he saw tears slowly streaming down her face while she slept.

"Poor girl," he said quietly to himself. He took off his glasses and methodically cleaned them, as he always does.

"How is she?" a voice behind him said. Startled, he jumped up and turned around to face it. Giles was glad to find that it was Cassia. With her, was Samantha.

"Oh. I didn't hear you come in," Giles replied. He looked back to Willow, then back to Cassia and Samantha. "We need to do something… soon." Giles watched as Samantha slowly nodded her head.

"We now know that we are not going to wrest the power from Willow. Perhaps, if we could teach her to use it properly…" Samantha started.

"I didn't mean that," Giles replied. "I have the utmost confidence that Willow will be able to do that… We need to do something for the pain." Samantha let out a soft sigh.

"I'm afraid the only thing we can do is to comfort her," Samantha said.

"You mean we can't do anything for this? I can't just stand here and watch her in this much pain. I've known Ms. Rosenberg for the longest out of all of them. I can't just stand here and do nothing!" Giles exclaimed. He saw that Samantha and Cassia were both taken aback by his outburst. There was silence afterwards, no one knowing what to say. After a while, Giles said, "I've contacted Buffy. I'm going to ask her to get everyone to come here… Willow needs to be among friends, people she knows."

"I do not believe that is the best course of action," Samantha said. "Didn't Willow herself say that she needed to be away from them?"

"Yes she did, but I believe it would be best for her, even if she doesn't know it," Giles replied.

"I agree with Mr. Giles," Cassia added. Samantha just pressed her lips together.

"Very well. But you must know that I do not embrace this course of action," Samantha said. Giles just nodded his head, and walked towards the door. He opened it, took a step outside, and then ran into an invisible barrier. He took a step back, and stuck his hand out. In front of him, the air wavered. He tried to push his hand forward, but it just got pushed back with the same force. He turned around, storming into the cabin.

"What is the meaning of this?" he exclaimed. S

"It's only for our protection," Samantha said. "We need to keep Willow here, for the time being."

"Well then, let me out!" Giles said, almost shouting.

"We can not do that," Samantha replied. Then, the image of Samantha shimmered and faded before them. Giles looked to Cassia, who was there wide-eyed.

"What's happening. I didn't know anything about this," Cassia pleaded with Giles. Giles could see the sincerity in her eyes, and he knew that she wasn't lying.

In the back of his head, he had a rousing suspicion, and Giles was too afraid to admit it to himself. At this point in time, he didn't know what was right, what was wrong. He didn't know what to think.

"Damn!" he shouted as he punched the wall in an outburst of anger.

He was now riding in a four wheeled drive across the great expanse of desert that he was in. The great expanse of desert in which he could walk in the daylight. He still didn't know where he was, yet. The owner of the four wheeled drive didn't talk much, and when Spike did question him, there was no response. He decided just to sit back and see where the journey took him.

Faith had managed to break out of the prison by nightfall. For the afternoon, she had disappeared while the search was out for her. She had to be very careful to avoid the video cameras that were positioned all around the place. Eventually, under the cover of night, she had managed to scale the chain linked fence, and get over the barbed wire with great difficulty, and then do the same again to the outer fence. Now, she was lost in LA, wondering helplessly. She knew only of one place to go to: Angel Investigations, if she could find the place.