College Girl (Book Four, BTVS)

chapter 16 - Who Are You?

Mom and I sat in the living room, laughing quietly.

I slowly let the laughing mood fade, returning serious, looking around. "I wonder where she is."

"Who?" Mom asked. "Faith?"

"Yeah," I answered. "I wish she would make a move."

"But you think you and Buffy can handle her?" Mom asked.

I nodded. "I think so. I mean, we've handled her before. But that doesn't mean Faith won't hurt someone else. I just... I don't wanna leave, but Faith likes to go after people that you care about, and right now, the others are all grouped up, and you were gonna be here, all alone. Couldn't forget about you."

"Of course not," Mom told me. I smiled a small smile. The phone rang. Mom stood, walking toward the phone, answering. "Hello? Hi, Mr. Giles." I stood in confusion, walking closer. "Yes, she's here." Mom held the phone toward me. "It's for you."

I took the phone.

        ••••    

Willow, Xander, Giles, Anya and I were waiting in Giles' apartment.

Buffy walked in, wearing all black, her hair crimped.

"Buffy," Giles told her. "Good."

"The Scooby gang's all here," Buffy told us. "Willow, Xander, Zoey, and..." She looked at Anya. "Everybody." She sat on Giles' desk. "What's up?"

"It's about Faith, not surprisingly," Giles told us.

"Didn't Joyce tell you?" Buffy asked. "I already kicked that ass."

"I feel a high-5 coming on," Xander told her.

"Where is she?" Willow asked.

"On her way to the big house," Buffy answered. "Cops took her off my hands about an hour ago. Poetic justice."

"How's that?" Anya asked.

"Well, she did all those crimes, and now she's being arrested," Buffy told us. "I guess that's just regular justice." Willow smiled. "It's cool, anyway."

Giles walked closer. "Unless I'm mistaken, Faith is no longer in police custody."

Buffy stood. "What are you talking about?"

"The Watcher's Council," Giles answered. "They, uh, sent a retrieval team to capture Faith."

"Well, yeah, I mean, 'cause it worked so well when Wesley tried it," Buffy told us sarcastically.

"This is a special operations unit," Giles told us, sitting down. "They, uh, handle the Council's trickier jobs. Smuggling, interrogation, uh, wet works."

"What's wet works?" Willow asked.

Xander shrugged. "Scuba-type stuff."

"I thought it was murder," Anya told us.

"Well, yeah, but there could be underwater murder, with snorkels," Xander told us.

"So, they're taking her to England?" I asked.

"It'll be a long, long time before she returns," Giles told us. 

Buffy started to laugh.

Giles gave her a look.

"I'm sorry," Buffy told us. "It's just... I'm happy. Faith is evil."

"Yeah, I hope they throw a book at her," Willow told us.