Faith's POV
What the heck am I doing? Why the hell am I still here?
I'm still sitting here in this chair, hands tied behind my back, waiting for B's friends to get here so she can find out how wrong she was.
But that's not why I'm here, not really. She already knows she screwed up, that's not why I'm still here. I could get out of these ropes any time I want, but I'm not. I want her to do it.
I look around the room. Xander and Giles are sitting in the living room with the furniture all around me. I'm facing toward the kitchen, Giles sitting in a chair to my left, Xander sitting on the couch to my right.
I want her to do it in front of her friends and those Watcher boys. I want everyone she cares about to see what a colossal mistake she made just so she knows that all her friends know.
I watch Buffy standing in the other room talking to the Watchers. She looks upset.
Good. She is gonna be even more upset cause the second she unties me I'm out of here.
Willow comes in without Tara.
Interesting...
Buffy comes in to see Willow.
"Where's Tara?"
"She said she was tired but she would do a little more research before she went to bed."
"Oh, okay."
Buffy seems disappointed, she was probably hoping Tara could help her win me back and all that crap. Good luck bitch.
"Well, um, we should... we should start the meeting."
She watches as the two Watchers come into the room.
"Okay Will, if you sit down we'll go ahead."
Willow moves to sit down next to Xander. Xander speaks up.
"Go ahead with what exactly?"
"These two Giles wanna-bes here are Watchers, in case you didn't already figure that out. They came because they heard about the murders and the council asked them to investigate."
Oh good, more people who just naturally assumed I was guilty without proof. Worst of all they're British people.
"And they found something?"
"Yeah they did."
"We were able to determine with a negligible margin for error that a demon was directly responsible for the young girls' deaths."
"A demon? Meaning it wasn't Faith."
"Yes Willow, contrary to popular belief, I'm not actually a demon."
She looks at the floor, conceding. Xander on the other hand doesn't.
"But what about Riley? I mean, Giles said you found him lying dead on the floor with Faith's knife next to him."
"We have made a thorough examination of the knife and we were able to get to the body before the police arrived. She was not involved in the murder."
"In point of fact we believe Faith may have been attempting to save Mr. Finn's life."
"Thank god someone finally said it. People tend not to believe me when I say things like that."
I stare at Buffy coldly with those last few words.
"See I told you she didn't do anything."
Yeah you can be all high and mighty with your friends if you want to, but you and me? That's a whole other story.
The gang looks all apologetic and stuff, which usually comes right before the apology.
"We're sorry Faith."
And here we go with an apology from Willow.
"Yeah we're really sorry."
Now Xander throws his hat in the ring.
"We were wrong to..."
"Hey, we're five by five guys. I guess I didn't really give you a reason to trust me. Come to think of it, if I were in your shoes I probably wouldn't trust me either. We're cool, but B and I... that's a whole story."
"What do you mean? Why would you guys be different?"
Buffy interrupts in a panic.
"Look that's not important, what's important is that Faith didn't kill anyone so we can untie her."
I move my hands against the ropes and they chafe.
"Good idea, these ropes are starting to bug the hell out of me."
Buffy moves to untie me. One of the Watchers interrupts.
"Perhaps we shouldn't."
What?
"What?"
I had the same thought B.
"Perhaps we shouldn't let her go."
Uh okay.
"Why the hell not? I want out."
I pull on the ropes a bit, trying to break them. Buffy confronts them.
"Why, why not? You said yourself that Faith didn't kill anyone. What's the problem?"
"While it is true that Faith was not responsible for the deaths of the two girls she is clearly not entirely stable. She also has a lot to answer for. The Council has authorized us to remove her to England to face their judgement."
Remove me to England? Dark, rainy, dank and... away from Buffy. Could have potential, maybe I should let them do it.
"Remove her? No you can't remove her. Okay, yes, she's done some bad stuff but she, she's sorry. She's really sorry and she's willing to do what it takes to change."
Giles makes his ever enjoyable contribution.
"If that's true Buffy then perhaps it is best that she face The Council so they can help her deal with what she's done."
She nearly goes insane.
"DEAL? The Council has no intention of helping her deal. They're just gonna lock her up and throw away the key. That's not dealing, that's punishing."
"Buffy this should not be your decision. If Faith truly feels remorse, this should be her decision to make."
Well at least someone's interested in what I want.
Buffy moves between me and the Watchers and faces me in a panic.
"Okay fine, let's do that then. Faith?"
I look up at her in the eyes and I know what I have to do.
I know I only have one choice.
"Go ahead, take me away... it's not like I have any reason to hang around here."
I can almost see her heart breaking.
"No..."
She turns to face the Watchers.
"You can't do this, I won't let you."
"It appears as though the decision has been made Ms. Summers."
"No it hasn't, I won't let it."
One of the Watchers moves toward me, trying to move past her and she freaks. She grabs his left arm and pulls it into a chicken wing, using her free arm to wrap it around his forehead.
Okay this is bad.
"I'll kill him if I have to."
This is really bad, I have to stop her.
I pull against my ropes hard and they get a little loose but they don't break. The gang gets up to try and calm her down but it doesn't help.
"Buffy what are you doing?"
"I'll do it, I'll kill him."
Buffy tightens her grip and everyone twitches except me.
I've got to get out of these ropes.
I pull even tighter.
"Buff you don't wanna do this."
"No I don't want to, but I can, and I will if it means Faith stays here."
"Buffy, please calm down."
"No, I can't... not until you agree that she doesn't have to go anywhere."
Willow asks the obvious.
"Buffy, why are you doing this?"
"BECAUSE I LOVE HER!"
The room falls silent and the shock sets in.
She did it, she admitted it. Okay, not the most important thing right now... come back to reality with the life and death situation.
I pull against the ropes and they break. I leap out of my chair.
"I love her and... and if they take her away I may never see her again."
I gotta stop her from doing something she'll regret, or I'll regret.
"Buffy, listen to me."
"I can't let them take you Faith. I love you too much to let them take you."
I have to talk her down.
"I get that B, but this isn't the way. This isn't the way to make me stay. In fact if you do this, if you kill him, it'll give me every reason you can think of to leave."
"But..."
I take a step toward her and she twitches.
"Let him go Buffy and we can talk about this."
We may not talk about this but I need her to believe it.
She starts to cry.
"Faith... I love you."
"If you mean that, then you'll let go of him."
She loosens her grip on him in a moment of indecision. I take another step to her and she lets go, throwing him into my arms and I catch him. He regains his balance and we all look at Buffy, distraught.
"I'm sorry I... I shouldn't have... I just, Faith... I told you I'd do whatever it takes and I meant it."
I don't have a response for that. Okay this is too tense, I'm out of here.
I start toward the door.
"Okay this is kinda tense, obviously me going away isn't the best idea, especially with the whole apocalypse nowish vibe we're getting around this town. You guys know I didn't kill anyone so we can work on the whole trust thing but for now, I'm out of here."
I take one last look at Buffy before leaving.
Bitch!