"Hey. The time for speech giving is over" Faith shouts. Giving Rupert some time to recompose himself. My words had hit their marks exactly. He looked flustered and grim.
"Ha, you best believe I'm not done yet gang" I say in a menacing tone.
"Well, I think it's cute. You're pretty sweet on her, aren't you?" she says sarcastically.
"Actually it's called loyalty… but then I guess none of you would even know the meaning of the word" I spit back.
"Don't be stupid, of course we do. We've been with Buffy for seven years" her Watcher states calmly in an exasperated voice, clearly he has recovered from my earlier outburst.
"Please. You lot couldn't hit water if you fell out a bloody boat!"
Anya speaks up from behind the group, if anything she looks bored. "We caught a Bringer and got information from him. They've got a weapons place underground. What has Buffy been doing, sitting on her own moping about things not going her way for once."
"'fraid not, luv. Between the what.. thirty of you, you managed to bring down one Bringer?" I find Bit in the crowd again and she finally looks at me. "Your sister was ambushed by a whole group of 'em back at the house." All of them are hanging on my every word and I love it, their eyes full of guilt and shame. "Boy you should have seen her when I found her. I've never seen her act so savagely, it was bloody beautiful. The last guy was pretty unrecognizable; to say he was lookin' a tad disfigured would be a hell of an understatement."
"But anyway, not to get distracted on how much better the Slayer will always be than you, don't even get me started on the rest of you pathetic children. I think it's time for the rest of you girls to find out a few home truths about you're precious leaders. You Faith, you should be thankful Buffy even let you enter her house. You killed people, poisoned her boy 'causing him to nearly kill her, and then tried to turn him against her. You switched your bodies and slept with her next boyfriend. You're a wanted killer Faith, but did she turn you away. No." People are looking shocked already but they have no idea of the bombshells I'm about to drop.
"I'm actually not that surprised at you Harris. I always knew you were a coward." Xander strides towards me, and comes face to face with me. "You watch what you say dead boy. You wouldn't be here if we hadn't all pitied you when you came to us for help." I laugh in his face and cover the tiny piece of ground between us so we're almost nose to nose. "I think you should be the one watchin', I'm not the defenceless vamp I was then. So get the hell out of my face before I tear that other eye out of your worthless skull" I growl and he backs away instantly. Remembering he can't threaten me with violence anymore because I can give it back tenfold.
"You were never important to the group really were you mate, let's face it. But have you forgotten that this is what you signed up for. The Slayer never asked you to get involved, you and your witchy friend made that decision all by yourselves. And to be frank mate, I'm surprised you haven't lost more than just the one eye. You're blamin' Buffy for somethin' that was totally out of 'er control but again, I'm really not surprised. You judged Buffy at every corner, making her feel bad about who she was and made her doubt herself. I know this because she tells. You know she trusts me and you hate it. But now the question is, will she trust you?" My tone is full of malice and I have a vicious grin on. It felt good to be the bad guy again, even if it was only temporary.
"Now you, Red, I'm surprised at. Glinda would be ashamed at you. You, who had the most to make up for more than any other soddin' person in this room. Did Buffy treat you any different when you put that 'will be done' spell crap on all of us. No. Or the next time you did it, makin' us all lose our memories… umm, nope. How 'bout when you nearly killed Dawn when you were high as a bloody kite. Still no. And when you ripped her out of Heaven just because you were lonely and left her in her own grave? Did she blame you? Tell me Red, did Buffy bat an eyelid when you nearly killed Giles in that magic shop or when you nearly destroyed the world? Or even when you ripped that blokes skin right ofa' him and became a cold blooded killer" I seethe. Willow's eyes had started to shed tears about halfway through my little speech, but by the end she was practically in a heap on the cold hard floor. Good, she deserved it.
The crypt is in utter silence. Every single person is watching either me or the witch with wide eyes. "Of course she bloody didn't. And now she's finally growing a backbone and standing up for herself, you walk away. How do you think she feels knowin' I'm the only one that's on her side. But I haven't even told you kiddies the best part yet." I turn slowly in a circle catching the eyes of as many of them that I can. "How does it feel to be wrong? Buffy was right. Caleb is protecting something powerful at the Vineyard that could potentially blow this whole thing wide open. Something about… what was it Andrew?" All eyes turn to the former prisoner and he lights up at being given the spotlight.
"'It is not for thee. It is for her alone to wield.'"
"Yeah, what he said. So… rant over. While the real Slayer is out putting her life on line for all of your insignificant lives again with no back-up, you wanna tell me about this place with the weapons? We'll go blow it up or something while Buffy's out doing save the world thing and then we'll all go back to Revello Drive.