Night Falls

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry for the delay in posting, but school has been crazy.

Previously:

Buffy dropped the chain and looked around, into the faces of her friends and the potentials. "This is how it's going to be from now on. You came here because you heard that I could protect you. Well, I can. And I'm going to. It's not going to be easy. But I will do everything in my power to keep each of you alive, that much I can promise you," she said.

Chapter Twenty-One:

"You can chain me up all you want, but I'm not going to hurt anyone," Spike argued.

"The First can still control you, Spike," Buffy said exasperatedly. She, Faith, and Spike had been arguing over how to house the blonde vampire ever since they arrived back home from the warehouse. Spike was convinced that he had broken the First's spell over him when he voluntarily walked out of the school basement. Though Faith was inclined to agree with him, Buffy was still wary.

"We should give him a chance, B," Faith said.

"Why are you on his side anyway?" Buffy demanded.

"This isn't about sides," Faith argued. "It's about what's right. You know I'm a firm believer in second chances. Yeah, I don't really like the guy. He did things to you that I can't forgive, but we need him. He has a soul now and maybe, somewhere deep down inside, there's a good person waiting to be given the opportunity to come out."

"What she said," Spike added. "I know I've said this before, but I just want to say it again. I really am sorry for everything that happened. I was out of my mind. You know that it won't happen again."

"I know," Buffy said quietly. "I get that you were a different person back then. But that doesn't change the fact that the First has some kind of power over you."

"Like I said, I'm not going to stop you from chaining me up again. But I don't think it's me you've got to worry about," Spike noted.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"I'd be more worried about Hailey if I were you," Spike said. "Did you see the look on her face when she killed that Bringer?"

"She liked it," Faith said, her eyes far away.

"She killed something evil," Buffy said. "What's the problem?"

"Evil or no, those guys are still human," Spike said. "She just killed a person and enjoyed it. That doesn't bother you?"

"It's not exactly like I can say I didn't enjoy killing them either," Buffy replied.

"You didn't see her though, B," Faith said. "There was something off about her after that."

"She kept staring at the blood on her hands," Spike noted.

"And she was a bitch to Willow," Faith added.

"So she's going through something. There's no need to pounce all over her because she got a little freaked out," Buffy replied. "We have bigger things to worry about."

"Like what?" Faith asked, astonished at Buffy's lack of concern.

"Like whatever the First is planning to throw at us next. We just eliminated its best warrior. It can't be too happy about that," Buffy said.

"So what's the plan?" Faith asked, sighing deeply.

"Training is going to get a hell of a lot more intense from now on. I want those girls ready to tackle anything that comes their way. I'm not always going to be there to save them. They need to be able to save themselves," Buffy said.

"What about that kid, Andrew?" Spike asked. "Surely he can be of use somehow."

"Didn't you say that he had rigged your house with cameras once?" Faith asked, looking over at Buffy.

"Yeah, so what?" Buffy asked.

"I was just thinking," Faith said, running a hand through her hair absently. "What if we got him to rig the town with cameras so that we could see what was happening everywhere? We'd know where the Bringers were and we'd be the first to see if something new came to town."

"That's a pretty good idea," Buffy said, smiling. "I'll talk to him."

Buffy quickly walked up the basement stairs in search of Andrew, leaving Faith and Spike staring at each other awkwardly. "So you're sleeping with her now?" Spike asked.

"No," Faith said. "Who told you that?"

"The First, actually," Spike replied sheepishly. "Must have been trying to mess with me. But you are with her now," he stated, moving over to his cot and sitting.

"Yeah," Faith answered.

"Listen, I appreciate you sticking up for me. I know that I don't deserve it. I just want you to know that I'm not going to try to interfere with anything that you two have. She deserves better than me," Spike said.

"I think that myself sometimes," Faith said, sitting down on the cot next to him.

"What do you think we should do about Hailey?" Spike asked.

"Nothing, according to B," Faith answered.

"You always listen to everything that she says?" Spike asked conspiratorially.

"No," Faith said, smiling. "You really care about her, don't you?"

"Who? Buffy?" Spike asked.

"No, Hailey," Faith replied.

"There's something different about her, you know? She's got so much sadness in her eyes. It's hard not to want to make life better for her," Spike answered.

"I know what you mean," Faith said. "When I first met her, she didn't care about the fact that I was a criminal or a murder, she believed in me. It was kind of amazing."

"I suppose we could talk to her, see if she'll open up," Spike said.

"If she's anything like me, that'll only make it worse," Faith responded bitterly.

Spike smiled wryly. "Then we better hope she's not."

………………………………..

"All of the washing in the world won't make it go away," Willow said quietly, standing in the doorway of the bathroom.

"What are you talking about?" Hailey asked, looking over at her. Scalding water was running over her hands. The blood had been washed away a long time ago, but somehow Hailey could still see it staining her skin.

"The blood," Willow replied, moving into the room and shutting the door behind her. "You can wash and wash and wash, but it'll still be there."

"How do you know anything about it?" Hailey replied bitterly.

"I was there," Willow answered. "I killed someone too, you know. Sure, he was evil. He was the worst kind of evil – a person who willingly gave himself over to darkness. And for what? Power? Women?"

"I don't see where you're going with this," Hailey replied, focusing back on her hands.

"But Warren was still human, even though he was evil," Willow continued. "Just like that Bringer."

Hailey froze. Her heart was pounding in her chest, each thud only magnifying the guilt that she felt for ending another's existence. "It was a Bringer. Who cares?"

"You do, obviously," Willow said, taking a step closer.

"Why the fuck should I care about some stupid Bringer? He was a lackey for the First Evil. He deserved to die," Hailey shouted.

"Then why are you washing your hands raw in the sink?" Willow questioned. "You're hurting yourself, baby."

Hailey looked down at her hands, noticing for the first time that she was rubbing off the skin. Blood seeped through cracks in her palms, turning the water red. It was not the blood of the Bringer; it was her own blood. Hailey pulled her hands away from the water, shaking, and looked up at Willow. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore," she whispered.

"I know," Willow said, taking a step closer and pulling Hailey into a tight embrace. "But we can get through this together."

"Why don't you tell her that it's not the first time you've killed someone?" Quentin Travers said, suddenly appearing in the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Hailey nearly jumped in surprise, but concealed her reaction by pulling away from Willow, and looking down at her hands.

"You okay?" Willow asked, noting the change in Hailey's eyes. Her girlfriend had seemed receptive to her efforts to comfort her, but something had shifted in her eyes, something dark. "What's wrong?"

Hailey slowly turned her head and gazed over at the First Evil. Willow followed her gaze, frowning at the empty space. "There's something else in this room," Hailey said softly.

"What are you talking about? There's no one else here," Willow replied.

"Is that anyway to talk about your father? Something else?" Quentin asked, smiling smugly.

"The First Evil," Hailey replied. "It's in here. You can't see it, but I can."

Willow turned pale. "How long has it been here?"

"Long enough," Quentin said, though Willow could not hear him. "All of that blood on your hands, Hailey. Layers and layers. It's never going to come off, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you scrub. You can never wash away the things that you do. They stay with you forever. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Hailey asked, ignoring Willow.

"Don't listen to it, Hails. It's trying to mess with you. We should get out of here," Willow said, reaching over to open the bathroom door.

"Unless you make it stop," Quentin said. "It can all be over. But only if you choose it to be." Quentin disappeared just as suddenly as he had appeared, causing Hailey to jump with surprise.

"He's gone," she said, allowing Willow to lead her from the room.

"What did he say to you?" Willow asked, half dragging Hailey into the bedroom that they shared and closing the door behind them. "I should do a spell," she muttered to herself. "To keep it out of the house."

"Nothing," Hailey replied. Willow looked at her pointedly. "Nothing important, anyway," she amended.

"In my experience, everything it says is important in some way," Willow said.

"You should do a spell," Hailey reflected.

Willow flushed. "I don't know. I was just thinking out loud."

"Why not?" Hailey asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Willow said beside her.

"I guess I'm afraid," Willow replied cautiously.

"Afraid of what?" Hailey prodded.

"Losing control again. Magic…it's an incredibly powerful thing. Not just in what it can do, but also in what it can do to the person performing it. I lost myself in it. I don't want to do that again," Willow replied sadly.

"Hey," Hailey said, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Don't forget that I'm here to help you, okay? I know a thing or two about addiction," she said. "Drugs and I were best friends for a long time. But I got through it and so can you."

"How?" Willow asked, looking over at her with tears shining in her eyes.

"Take it one step at a time," Hailey replied. "Just stop thinking about tomorrow and the day after that. Just think about today. Right now. This second. And right now, you're okay. That's all that matters."

Willow smiled. "You know, I thought that I was supposed to be helping you tonight," she said.

"Don't really need all that much help," Hailey answered. "Just being around you is enough."

Willow blushed and looked down at her feet. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, glancing over at Hailey.

Hailey frowned and sighed. "I don't know. There's a lot you don't know about me, Will. A lot of bad things."

"The past doesn't matter," Willow replied boldly. "Everybody deserves a second chance."

"How about a fifth chance?" Hailey asked, smiling wryly. "Seeing that blood it just…" Hailey trailed off, unable to say what she had been thinking. It just reminded me of someone, she thought.

"Just what?" Willow asked curiously.

"You know what, it doesn't matter," Hailey said. "It's been a long day…or night. How about we get some sleep?"

"Okay," Willow agreed, though reluctantly. She felt as thought she had almost succeeded in prodding Hailey into opening up and she did not want to opportunity to pass her by. Hailey had been right; Willow did not know all that much about the other girl, but she found that she was incredibly curious. "But first, let me fix up your hands. You're bleeding everywhere."

"I guess I am," Hailey said, looking down at her hands again when Willow left the room to procure bandages.

"Poor baby," Tanya said, suddenly appearing in front of her. "You must just be so tired."

"I am," Hailey agreed. She knew that she was talking to the First Evil again, but it was easier when it wore her old girlfriend's face.

"Go to sleep, Hails. You don't have to work so hard anymore. Let everyone else worry about everything," Tanya said soothingly.

"I have to worry," Hailey contradicted her. "It's part of the job."

"It's not your job," Tanya replied. Willow walked into the room and the other girl disappeared.

Kneeling in front of Hailey, she set the bandages on the floor and looked up at her. "Give me your hands."