"My Way - Chapter Twenty-Six"
Author: Sydnie
Email: sydniep@hotmail.com
Wesley Wyndam-Price. Three words Buffy was beginning to hate. This guy was beyond annoying.
"Why must you defy my orders, Buffy?" Wesley said as he paced in front of her.
Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "Because I do not take orders from you."
"I am your watcher..."
She shook her head. "No, you are Faith's watcher. If Faith needs my assistance, I will assist her."
Wesley slammed his hand down on the library counter. "Faith is not stable! ... A man was killed last night. I think she was involved."
Buffy's face lost it's smirk. "How ... Why do you think she's involved?"
"He was stabbed in the chest with a wooden weapon leaving a round hole, two inches in diameter."
She put her hand over her mouth. "What do I need to do?"
Faith sat in her dank motel room watching television. She knew she should feel ... guilt, but there was none.
When she stabbed that guy, she had been fighting vampires. She didn't realize that he was human until the stake entered his chest.
There was a knock on the door.
"Hey B. Whacha doin' here?" She asked as she let the blond into her room.
Buffy looked at Faith. "I was just wondering if you're okay?"
Faith looked at her with bewilderment. "Five by five. Why wouldn't I be?"
Buffy sat on the edge of the bed. "I heard about that guy ... last night ... in the alley."
"It's no big deal."
"No big deal?" Buffy stood up. "Faith, you killed a man last night!"
"I don't care. He shouldn't have been there. It was a mistake. Haha, get it? Mis-stake."
"This isn't funny, Faith. A man was killed last night because of your recklessness and carelessness."
"He was a casualty of the war that you and I, well, you used to, fight. It's just one life for the thousands saved."
Buffy shook her head. "One life taken is too many. Go to Wesley, talk to him, tell him what happened. Let him help you."
"I don't need help. I don't need to talk about it, B. I'm fine."
Angel was rubbing Buffy's shoulders. "She was completely cold. Angel, this can't a normal reaction."
"For you, me and every other sane person on this planet, it's not ... Faith on the other hand..."
Buffy lay her head back on her husband's chest. "Is far from normal ...or sane. When I told Wesley and Giles what she told me, they reacted differently. Giles wants to help her, but Wesley wants to go by the book and turn her over to the Watcher's Council."
"What do you want to do?" He said. Then kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her.
"The 'mommy' part of me wants to make everything right. But the slayer part of me desperately wants to pound some sense into her."
He laughed slightly. "Now you know what it's like for me."
She turned in his arms to face him. "What do you mean?"
Angel looked into her eyes. "The human part of me is all about reason whereas the demon would like to kick some ass. There's always an inner struggle. ... Of course Angelus has only almost surfaced twice and both times your father was involved."
"Yes, well, Daddy does have the tendency to bring the worst out in people. ... What makes the impulse go away?"
"You and Meghan." He stroked her face. "The two of you keep me grounded."
Buffy slipped her hands around the back of his neck and began kissing her husband. After a few minutes of a passionate makeout session, they were interrupted by the doorbell.
Angel opened the door to reveal Wesley. He was frantic.
"What's wrong?" Angel asked.
"She's gone."
Buffy walked into the entry hall. "What do you mean she's gone?"
"The Council ordered her to be taken to England. We were on our way when she broke from her restraints and escaped."
Buffy looked directly at Angel. "Call Mom and tell her to come watch Megg. After she gets here, go check the bus station. Wes, go to the train station. I'll check out the docks. She's gonna to want to get out of town."
Buffy found Faith sneaking onto a ship.
"Going somewhere?"
The brunette looked down at the blond. "Why do you care?"
"Because you need help, Faith. If you don't let us help you, it's going to eat you up inside until there's nothing of you left."
Faith shook her head. "You just don't get it, do you? Nothing's eating at me." She walked closer to Buffy.
Without warning, both slayers were attacked by vampires.
A particularly viscous one was fighting Buffy. When he got the upper hand, he began spouting how this was revenge for the mayor's boy and how the mayor would reward him.
Buffy closed her eyes. She wasn't in shape enough for that kind of fight and she knew that he would easily kill her. In her thoughts she apologized to Angel and Meghan for leaving them and then it happened, the vamp turned to dust.
Faith looked at Buffy and then ran.
Buffy was sitting in the rocking chair in Meghan's room holding her baby close to her chest and crying.
Angel knelt in front of her. "You survived. That's all that matters."
"But if Faith hadn't saved me..."
"But she did. You're alive and you're here with your family that loves you." He caressed her face and kissed her.
"It proves there's still good in her, right? I mean there's hope, right?"
Faith stood in the doorway of Mayor Richard Wilkins III's office. "You sent your boy to kill me."
He looked up and laced his fingers. "And considering that you're standing here and alive, I'm guessing he failed. So, what? You've come here to kill me?"
Faith shook her head. "Nah. I just figured you had a job opening. I thought I'd apply."
The End