Faith escaped the Mayor's office feeling keyed up and ready for action. Killing the demon was just what she needed to get back on track. Damn B and her rah rah speech. Got all the family I need right here. She headed for the stairs, intending to scare up a couple of the Boss's vamp bully boys to help locate the mouthless demon. Wrenching the access door open, the Slayer hesitated in the hallway. Man, if I tell these guys about the demon, they're gonna know the Boss wants something. Can't let 'em do my job. This is a test. I can't fail the Boss on this one. Stepping back, she closed the door with a thud and hurried out into the fading sunlight. There was only one place to start scouting for information – Willie's.
The trip across town was quiet. The sun was still casting enough light to keep the demon population in their lairs while the good citizens of Sunnydale were settling in for the night to avoid one of the numerous "wild dog" attacks that occurred after dark. The Slayer eyed the few straggling couples with disdain and a just a touch of envy. Kinda miss hanging out at the Bronze with the Scoobs, she thought. Of course, that made her frown. She had moved beyond those days and didn't need visions of what could have been clouding her mind. She had a job to do. That's what she needed to think about.
When she reached Willie's, the brunette took great delight in opening the door with a powerful kick. The cheap wood splintered. The few pieces that remained clung grimly to the hinges. Striding confidently into the dark bar, Faith automatically scanned the room for her prey. Unfortunately, Willie's was nearly empty. Only a trio of vamps and a lone Fyarl demon sat nursing drinks. The owner/bartender practiced an age-old tradition, polishing glasses with a rag. His eyes widened when he saw her. "Hey, if it isn't the Mayor's pet Slayer." He raised his voice on the last word and the vampires immediately headed for the back entrance. The large demon raised his glass in her direction, and made no move to flee to safety.
Hopping onto a stool at the bar, Faith propped both elbows on the scarred surface. "Thanks for the introduction," she said pleasantly. Then, leaning toward the weedy bartender, "Next time you refer to me as anyone's pet, though, I'll use your face to wipe the bar with."
"Hey, I didn't mean anything by it – really," he was quick to reassure her. "Can I get you anything?" He smiled ingratiatingly.
"Nah. I'm working tonight. Need to keep a clear head." Faith cocked her head at the man. "I'm more interested in finding a particular demon. Don't have a name, but the sketch I saw was creepier than most. No mouth." She watched carefully to see if Willie lied.
The little man put down the rag and glass he'd been holding. "Got a lot of strange looking creatures in here. But not one matching that description. Of course," he chuckled, "if it ain't got a mouth, it probably doesn't spend much time in bars."
"Got a point there, Willie," the Slayer agreed. "It's important I find this demon, though. It's got something my boss wants. So, if you could send any info my way, I'd be real appreciative."
"That's nice to know," the bartender replied. "But I'm looking for a bit more than your good will."
The Slayer nodded and reached across the bar to pick up a glass. "Well, I guess I could be persuaded to pay up." She heaved the glass at the row of bottles behind the bar. "Consider this my down payment," she said as the bits of glass and liquid filled the air. Hopping off the stool, her dimples deepened as she smiled. "I'll wait to hear from you, Willie." Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she strode from the bar.
Several hours later, Faith was cursing her decision not to ask for more help searching for the demon. She's combed every inch of Sunnydale looking, but had only managed to discover a vampire lair and some funky green demon that spit slime at her. Scowling, she headed for Willie's in the hope he'd gotten some information for her. The door to the tiny bar had been replaced, and the Slayer gave it a pass this time. She opened the door without violence and walked inside. More denizens of the night filled the area now that full dark had fallen. Ignoring the startled looks from tables of vampires and other assorted creatures, Faith strolled up to the bar. "Hey, Willie. Wanted to see if you had anything for me."
To her surprise, the little man nodded. "Funny. You aren't the only one asking questions about the demon. Angel was in a little bit ago. He's on the prowl, too. I'll give you the same information. Rumor says this particular weirdo has digs in one of the big crypts in Crest Hill."
"Angel, huh?" the girl commented. "How long ago was Soul Boy in here?"
The bartender shrugged. "Not very, maybe ten or fifteen minutes."
"Cool. Thanks, Willie." Moving with Slayer speed, Faith sprinted from the bar, hoping she could catch Buffy's boyfriend before he found her demon. Crest Hill Cemetery wasn't far. In minutes, Faith had reached its gates. She stopped, pulling on leather gloves and making sure her jacket sleeves kept her skin completely covered. She stood there, listening intently and reaching out with her senses. If Angel was here, she couldn't tell. Concentrating on moving silently, the Dark Slayer headed for the first crypt. Methodically making her way through the graves and larger tombs, Faith continued searching. She was getting frustrated. She'd been at this for hours; now, it looked as though her only lead was a dead end.
Grudgingly, she decided to make one more circuit through the cemetery. Picking up her pace, she trotted passed a row of headstones and down the short flight of stairs into the biggest of the crypts. Panting with the effort of opening the heavy stone door, she wasn't prepared for the sight of the demon standing in the center of the cluttered chamber. "Hell, you're even uglier in person," she quipped at the tall, milky white demon. She reached back and yanked the knife – a gift from the Mayor – out of its sheath. "My Boss said to say 'Hi,'" she continued, stalking forward.
Buffy stared at her mother in disbelief. "Angel? Angel's going to help?" Wow. He must really feel guilty about the thing with Faith.
"Yes. Rupert and Xander went to talk to him. He's out now, looking for the demon." Joyce stood up and turned to leave. "You try to get some more rest."
"Mom, can you maybe stay a bit?" Buffy asked hesitantly.
Joyce looked concerned when she faced her daughter. "Buffy, I don't want to make things worse. You look much better than when you were downstairs."
It was true. The distance from the Scoobies and the lateness of the hour meant not many people were out. The shriek of voices had faded to an annoying but still painful murmur. "It is better, without everyone around. But, I really need to talk, if you don't mind."
"About that night with Rupert, dear, I really-" the older blonde began.
"No! A world of no, Mom. I really don't want to talk about that like ever," Buffy assured her mother. "I want to talk about Faith."
Mrs. Summers was surprised. "Why? Did something happen while you were there? She seemed very concerned and helpful when I picked you up earlier."
"See, that's the problem. Faith – concerned and helpful – not really a normal combination," the Slayer tried to explain. Her mother just raised an eyebrow and waited for more. "Um, there's been a lot going on lately you don't know about."
Why, Buffy, I'm so stunned. You mean you haven't been telling me everything? Like that's anything new.
Responding to the thought, the younger Summers started to apologize. "I'm sorry, Mom. I don't mean to hide things from you."
"Let it go, Buffy. Now isn't the time." Her mother shrugged. "Feeling in the dark is something I should be used to by now. Tell me about Faith, though. If you asked to talk to me, it must be important."
"Yeah, I think it might be. When Giles and I first figured out what Aspect I'd gotten, it seemed like a really useful thing. I could read an enemy's thoughts and know what he was going to do before it happened. So, I decided to try it out on Faith. I was planning on getting her to think about the Mayor and the Ascension. I could read her thoughts and go back and tell Giles and the gang what's really going to happen." Buffy's eyes widened at the conclusion of her speech. Her mom didn't know about any of this.
Frustration clear in her tone, Joyce ground out between clenched teeth, "I'm not going to ask what the Mayor of Sunnydale has to do with any or this or beg you to tell me about this Ascension. However, you will explain why you treated Faith like an enemy."
"Because she is, Mom," Buffy exclaimed. Then she paused. "OK, I thought she was, until I visited her at the apartment. Mom, Faith's done a lot of bad stuff recently and it's a really long story." Oh, yeah, and by the way, Mom, I was part of a lot of it. "Can I just skip those details for now and tell you about today?"
There was an ominous silence from the stern blonde at her side. "OK, I'll take that as a no," Buffy said quietly. She quickly launched into a grossly abbreviated version of the night Allan Finch died. "I felt horrible for her, Mom. It was an accident. We thought he was a vampire and I was the one who tossed him at her. When we finally realized he was human, it was too late." Her voice caught. "He was dead."
"Buffy! Why didn't you tell me?" Joyce was too stunned to even be angry about the communication breakdown.
Looking ashamed, the Slayer went on. "At first, Faith and I agreed not to tell anyone. Then it was all over the news and I couldn't hide it anymore. I talked with Giles and Willow. Faith, though, went into full denial. She told Giles I was the one who killed Finch, and when I confronted her later, she brushed it off, claimed she didn't care."
Gently grasping Buffy's hand, the older Summers asked, "I take it you think she lied."
"Yeah. Faith's a little rough around the edges, but I always thought her heart was in the right place." The teen gripped her mother's hand tightly. "Giles and I agreed to keep the whole thing from the Council; they have fairly barbaric ideas on 'punishment.' I don't know all of the details; a lot happened in a hurry, though. Angel captured Faith and was making progress getting her to admit to everything and agree to work with him. Unfortunately, my brand new Watcher found out what happened. That's when he and a Council retrieval team went after Faith."
"Probably not the best way to convince her that you were on her side," Joyce commented.
"No. She was all set to run, after that. I talked her into staying; at least, I thought I had." Buffy shrugged. "Turns out she went to the Mayor and offered to play double agent. We didn't suspect anything until she tried to bring Angelus back. Been open war since then."
Tilting her head questioningly, Joyce asked, "What happened today that made you think Faith wasn't happy with her choice?"
"Her thoughts, partly. I was fishing for information, asking about the Mayor and mentioning the Ascension. The Aspect wasn't working on overdrive, yet, so I was only getting thoughts here and there. She kept worrying about what the Mayor would say if he found out I was there, like she was more afraid of him than committed to the cause."
The Slayer stopped and took a slow breath. Giles was coming up the stairs and the added pressure of his thoughts jarred the temporary balance she'd forged in her mind. Seconds later, the ex-Watcher entered the room. He seemed surprised to find the Summers women huddled together. "Buffy, my dear, is everything alright?"
"Yeah, Giles, just having a little chat with Mom," Buffy replied.
"Are you sure you're up to that?" he questioned, moving further into the room and taking a seat on her desk chair.
The Slayer smiled at the concern in his voice. "Yeah. I'm good. I was telling Mom that I picked up some thought and feelings from Faith that make me think we might be able to get her back on the team."
"Really?" Giles sat forward in the chair. "Are you certain?"
"Rupert, let her finish telling us about Faith," Joyce interrupted.
"Oh, well, yes. Of course," the older man mumbled.
"God, you guys, get a room, please," Buffy pleaded at the thoughts streaking into her mind. "If you can just focus on what I'm saying, maybe we can help Faith and find a way to beat the Mayor." She waited for a response but didn't get one, at least not verbally. Glaring at her audience, she continued, "Faith was kind of all over the place. Angry one minute, scared the next. If I hadn't been able to read her thoughts and feel her emotions, I…"
"Buffy, you shouldn't have been able to feel her emotions. Empathy isn't part of the Aspect," Giles interjected.