"Willow has also been casting spells on people and influencing them." Jessica said.
"There are alot of protections on this house, it's where we meet, which means any influence both Angel or Willow are exerting on anyone is being lessoned by being in the house." Xander said. "Oz, two days ago your own research uncovered the fact that the cure for the killer of the dead poison was the blood of a Slayer and Buffy decided that she was going to feed Faith to Angel to save him. She promptly got a weapon and marched off to Faith's apartment."
Oz's eyes went wide as he realized that meant he'd known Buffy was going to try to kill Faith and did nothing to stop her. "Willow, what did you do?"
"I was just trying to help Buffy! Faith is evil and slutty and trying to take Buffy's place. Buffy's the Slayer, not Faith!"
"In point of fact, Willow." Wesley said. "Faith is the Slayer. Buffy ceased to be the Slayer, officially, when the Master killed her. If Xander had not revived her, she would have stayed dead. She's alive simply because he knows CPR."
"I have no doubt you are aware of the protections on Xander and Cordelia." Jessica said. "Did you try to influence them as well?"
"Yes." Willow said resentfully. "But I couldn't do anything. Those protections you have on them are too strong."
"Actually, Xander keeps the protections going on himself and Cordelia, as well as the other kids in our group. It's a natural outgrowth of his protective nature. If he had more power, he could have established more protections around all of you, himself. But Xander doesn't have much interest in power, he's much more physical. Give him a blunt or sharp object and a target and there's very little he can't take down with it." Jessica told them. "Cordelia isn't interested in power either. Aura's been learning Magic from Coral and myself. Johnathan is far more comfortable with computers, so Magic isn't an interest of his either. Jesse's protections were overwhelmed the night he was taken and turned, the sheer number of vampires he was surrounded by, meant they just couldn't handle it."
"Do you have anything to do with why Giles barely knows Faith exists?" Cordelia asked. "Giles was her Watcher too, before he was fired, but he's wasn't doing anything to take care of her. Wesley either, for that matter."
"What do you mean? How did I neglect to take of Faith?" Girls asked.
"What's Faith's last name, Giles? How old is she? When's her birthday? Where was she living before the Mayor got her a decent apartment? For all his faults, the Mayor did love Faith as a daughter. She came to care for him too. But she's a Slayer, she did what she had to protect the world, just like Buffy finally did when she realized she had to choose between Angel and the world and sent Angel to a demon dimension to save the world." Cordelia told them.
"I just wanted her to go away! She took Xander's attention and Buffy's and she doesn't belong here!"
"And what kind of influence do you have on Buffy?" Joyce asked.
"Buffy didn't want Xander involved in the Slaying anymore then I do, so I encouraged her to start pushing him out."
"Why don't you want me involved, Buffy? As we already established, I keep saving your life, you can be incredibly reckless. You've seen me deal with vampires and demons, so why don't you want me involved?"
Buffy remained stubbornly silent.
"Buffy, I want an answer." Joyce said.
"I can't, I know I don't think he can do much without powers, but I don't know why else."
"I think I do. I'm Mary Levinson, Johnathan's mother. I counsel people at our synagogue. Buffy, I think you're border line suicidal. Part of you sees an appeal in death. You fell In love with a vampire, a walking dead body. You didn't want to be the Slayer and it killed you. You resent Xander for pulling you back into it. You came back from L.A. accepting being the Slayer. I think it's because you were hoping, being the Slayer would finally help you die and stay dead. You want Xander out because he keeps saving you from your own reckless behavior."
"Oh, Buffy." Joyce said softly.
"I also think, without help, eventually, you'll succeed. You'll find yourself in a situation where you dying is an option and you won't bother to consider other options and will just run head long into death. You've done alot of good as a Slayer, but for your sake, it might have been better if you'd never been Chosen."
Tears were roiling down Buffy's face as she considered Mary's words. "Do I want to die?"
"I don't think you're at that point, not yet. As I said, death holds appeal for you. But without something changing, you'll get to the point where you do want death, not substitutes. I think that's also why, you forgave Mr. Giles for his role in the Cruciamentum test. As much as you resent being made to feel helpless and him injecting you with that poison, he also gave you a moment of respite from being a Slayer."
"From what we've observed and what our contact in the Watchers Council has told us." Charles said. "They don't seem to care too much about the emotional and mental well-being of the Slayers. Probably because they die so quickly. Most Slayers barely last a year before they die. Buffy's only lasted as long as she has because she has more support then the average Slayer. Mr. Giles obviously cares, but has no idea what she, as a person, separate from being a Slayer, actually needs. If Buffy's actually to survive, let alone future Slayers, that's something that needs to change."