Part 27

"Faith, Giles, what's wrong? We weren't expecting to see you until
tomorrow night," Willow said as she ushered the couple into the house.
"We have some news," the Watcher said. "It appears as if Drusilla is back
in town."
"We know," Willow replied. "Spike and Cordelia had a run in with her
earlier tonight, and, from what we heard, it wasn't a pretty sight. Delia
was pretty shaken up. They're in the moon room if you want to see them."
Giles shook his head.
"Not just yet. Do they have any idea of why she came back? It had been my
understanding that she was staying in Brazil."
"Well, according to Spike, Dru left that Chaos demon she had been living
with and decided that she wanted Spike back," Angel answered. "When he
turned her down, Dru didn't take it well. She always was the possessive
type. She tried to go after Cordelia. Luckily Spike stopped her before
anything happened. He told her to leave and she did, but he doesn't think
that was the last we'll see of her. I have a feeling he's right about that,
too."
"There's something about her return that I think you all need to know,"
Giles told them. "Including Spike and Cordelia." Willow and Angel led them
into the other room, where Spike was holding a still shaken Cordelia. Giles
went over to the girl who he considered like a daughter to him and knelt
down in front of her. "Angel told us what happened. Are you okay,
Cordelia?"
"She wanted to kill me Giles," the scared girl said. "You should have seen
her. She had this crazed look in her eyes. I mean, I always knew that she
wasn't all there, but there was this wildness that I never expected to see
directed at me." Giles turned to Spike.
"Did Drusilla give you any idea of what she might be planning?" Spike
shook his head.
"All she said was that she wanted things to be the way they were before,"
he replied. "For us to be together, but I have no idea what the chit means
to do to make it happen. I'll promise you one thing though. I'll stake her
my own self before I let her hurt Delia." Giles saw the way Spike was
holding the cheerleader and could her the concern in his voice and knew that
the blonde vampire meant what he was saying.
"Giles, you said that there was something about her return that you had to
tell us about," Willow said. The Watcher nodded his head as he stood up.
"Unfortunately there is, but I think that it would be better if Faith told
you about it since she was the one that witnessed it." Everyone's attention
turned to the Slayer.
"Faith?"
"I was out patrolling tonight when I saw Drusilla. That's how Giles and I
knew of her return," she started to explain. "I recognized her from some of
the drawings Angel showed me of her. But, unfortunately, whatever she is
planning, she isn't alone in it. She has a couple of unexpected partners
with her." There was something in Faith's voice that made Willow pale.
Angel felt the red-head weaken at his side and tightened his grip around her
waist.
"No," she whispered. "They couldn't." She looked at Giles, hoping he
would deny what she was thinking but he could only nod his head sadly.
"I'm sorry, Red, but it looks like they would," Faith said softly. "I was
close enough to hear what they were talking about. They were making plans
to break all of you up." Angel helped Willow over to her favorite chair and
pulled her into his lap.
"I can't believe it," Cordelia mumbled, not even needing to hear their
names to know that it was Buffy and Oz that Faith had seen with Drusilla.
"I mean, I know that they were getting desperate, but I didn't think that
they would be willing to team up with Drusilla. Not after everything that
she put them through last year."
"Peaches, I know you said I couldn't kill them, but...," Spike left the
rest of the sentence hanging.
"No, Spike. As tempting as it is right now to want to hurt them, we still
can't." The younger vampire looked at his sire. "But if things don't
change, I may be forced to change my mind on that point."
"Do you really think that will be necessary, Angel?" Giles asked,
concerned with the safety of his former Slayer. He knew that Buffy and Oz
were going too far in their plans to reunite with their lost loved ones, but
he still didn't want to see them hurt.
"I hope not, Giles, but I won't lie to you," Angel informed him. "If Buffy
and Oz do anything to hurt Willow, or any of us, I won't sit back and let
them. We've already given up way too much just to keep the peace." Giles
nodded his head, understanding what Angel was saying and knowing that he was
right. Buffy and Oz had gone over the line in joining up with Drusilla and
they had to be stopped.
‘Faith, did you head anything about what they might be planning?" Willow
inquired, finally regaining her strength after hearing the news. The Slayer
shook her head.
"Sorry, I didn't. They must have sensed me or something because they took
off and I couldn't follow them," she admitted. "They got away from me. But
whatever they're planning, I have a feeling that none of us are going to
like it."
"Giles, isn't there anyway for Buffy's new Watcher to control her?"
Cordelia asked, finally recovering from the earlier attack.
"Unfortunately Wesley is having even less success that I did in making
Buffy behave," Giles told the group. "When I spoke with him earlier, he all
but admitted that there was nothing that he could do with her. She refused
to show up for training. She never gives him any reports on her patrols.
And, on those few occasions when she does come to him, she is completely
disrespectful. I believe it is only a matter of time before he is removed
as her Watcher."
"That doesn't seem fair to me," Willow said. "It's not his fault that
Buffy is the way she is. Her first Watcher allowed her to live her life not
knowing her destiny. Maybe if Merrick had started training her when he
should have, or if the Council had even taken an interest in her before they
did, she would be a more obedient Slayer."
"Hell, I'm proof of what happens when the Council doesn't get their act
together," Faith commented. "Look how well I turned out." Giles put his
arm around the brunette.
"That is more because of the, pardon my French, crappy way you were
raised," he stated. "Now that you have people that care about you, and that
you care about, you're a lot better. Both in your attitude towards people
and your slaying abilities. As hard as it may seem to believe, I am willing
to state that you are turning out to be a much better Slayer than Buffy
could ever hope to be."
":Thank you," Faith said, slightly embarrassed and pleased by the
compliment. Willow smiled at the tenderness between Giles and Faith, happy
that the two of them had finally admitted their growing attraction to each
other. She just hoped that the two of them would have the time to truly
explore their relationship.
"So what do you think we should do?" Cordelia asked. "I'm tired of just
waiting to see what they're going to do next. I want this whole thing over
with so that we can go on with our lives."
"So do I," Willow agreed. "I think its time that we make all of them
finally realize that things are definitely over between us and that we no
longer want them in out lives."
"You mean go on the offense," Angel said. Willow nodded her head. "Do you
have a plan?"
"But of course. It goes something like this."
 

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