The Truth and Fairy Tales

“I will not simply be left behind. From now on, everything that involves the Slayers is my jurisdiction. The only thing they need to discuss with you, Mr. Giles, is over-due library fees!” Wesley ranted.
“Chill, Watcher. B just wanted to talk to him. Either way, we’re leaving and you’re staying,” Faith said.
“I will be forced to contact the Council. I will not have my authority undermined,” Wesley said.
Giles removed his glasses and began to polish them furiously. This was not going well at all. There was nothing he could do to change Faith’s mind. Perhaps if it were Buffy the two of them could reason, but with Faith reasoning was a foreign concept. She had made it clear that this was Buffy’s wish, that fact forced him to keep his mouth shut.
“You can call the president and the Pope too, I don’t really care,” Faith said, “Now, I’m leaving.”
Faith walked to the libraries entrance, “You commin’?”
“Um, yes,” Giles stammered as he followed after the brunette.
As soon as the pair had vacated the library, Wesley walked into the office and dialed England.
“Mr. Travers, please,” Wesley said into the phone.
After about ten minutes of heated discussion, Wesley placed the phone back in the cradle and left to prepare for the Council’s arrival. Disobedience by Slayers was not something the Council took kindly too. The girls were about to learn exactly who they worked for. Unfortunately for him, Wesley was not aware of the determination and defiance both Slayers possessed. No matter what the Council did, neither girl would give them the time of day. After all, they were the ones with the power.
“This should be terribly satisfying,” Wesley said to himself.
“Is Mr. Giles here?” a brunette girl inquired.
At the sight of the young beauty, Wesley’s breath caught in his throat. She truly was stunning. “Er, um, no. He’s not. Is there something that perhaps I could assist you with, miss?”
“No, I needed him to help me with a book. Actually something to do with the library and not Buffy,” Cordy said with a hint of distaste.
“Buffy?” Wesley inquired. “Good Lord, does everyone know about her?”
“I thought you were the new Watcher. Shouldn’t you know who Buffy is?” Cordy asked.
Wesley stood up a bit straighter and puffed out his chest, “Indeed. I am her Watcher. I just wasn’t aware that so many people knew about her.”
“It’s kind of hard not to. She’s always getting people put into near death experiences. I myself have been very, very close to death. Xander is lucky I like him so much or else I just wouldn’t put up with Buffy,” Cordy said.
“Xander?” Wesley asked.
“Buffy’s friend, my boyfriend…he knows, it’s ok,” Cordy said.
“And you are?” Wesley asked
“Cordellia Chase,” she answered as she extended her hand.
“Very good,” Wesley said as he returned her offered shake, “Wesley Wyndham-Pryce, the third.”

“Where exactly are we going, Faith?” Giles asked.
“Spike’s crypt,” Faith answered.
“Right,” Giles replied. His mind was too muddled to even contemplate the implications of walking into a vampire’s crypt.
“Look, it’s the one place I could think of that Prissy Boy wouldn’t come to,” Faith explained.
“Good thinking,” Giles said.
“So, uh, what happens when he calls the Council?” Faith asked.
She hid it well, but Giles could hear the note of concern in the young girl’s voice. Silently he cursed the Council. There was no answer he could offer her that would be of any comfort. At the very least, he would be permanently removed, possibly even from the country. Then, both she and Buffy would be shipped back to the Mother Country and face the consequences. No one, not even the Chosen One, undermined the authority of the Council. Buffy was already on their hit list, one of Travers least favorite.
“I’m not entirely sure, Faith,” Giles answered truthfully.
“Seriously, tell me, I can handle it,” Faith said. She forced a smile to reassure the Watcher.
“Most likely, you and Buffy will be forced back to England. There I’m sure they will decide on what your punishment will be,” Giles said as he looked away.

“This is bad, very, very bad. This shouldn’t be happening,” Buffy said.
“You think I don’t know that, Slayer?” Spike exclaimed.
“You didn’t exactly seem opposed to it,” Buffy retorted.
Spike curled his tongue and hooked his thumbs through the loops on his jeans, “Neither did you, pet.”
A flush immediately graced her cheeks. She ducked her head in embarrassment and silently cursed the vampire before her. “It was supposed to be a touch for a vision! Not a, ‘let’s get a good feel in’ touch!”
“You’re sayin’ something different from your body. I can smell it,” Spike said.
“That is so gross. A world of ew,” Buffy told him.
Spike ran a hand through his hair, tousling it about on his head. “There’s something between us. I know you can feel it.”
“No there is not. No US! Slayer and vampire…unmixy things, Spike!”
“You can’t deny it forever,” Spike said softly.
“Denial is the wonderful world I live in, and I will live there for as long as it takes,” Buffy answered.
He looked away from her to hide the hurt that was evident in his eyes. It was the first time in a century that he once again felt like poncy William. “You’re beneath me…” Cicily’s voice taunted him. He cursed whoever was responsibly for this sick twist of fate. He was a master vampire, a Slayer of Slayers and he couldn’t even hurt this girl. No matter how he tired, he couldn’t kill her. He’d be her lapdog for eternity. Love’s Bitch.
“Look, Spike…I don’t know what’s going on here. It scares me, a lot. This whole thing has me wigged big time,” Buffy said softly. It wasn’t exactly an apology, but it was as close as she would get to one.
“I know that, pet. I know this isn’t normal. There is no way I should want you safe…I should want you dead. But, I want you alive…I need you alive,” Spike whispered.
“Where is this coming from? This spell is not good, a very bad, bad spell,” Buffy said, “This isn’t fair. I want my feelings to me mine, not some spell’s.”
“I lost my Dark Princess because of this, I understand what you’re sayin’, but that doesn’t change what is happening,” Spike tried to reason with the girl.
The door to the crypt slamming open saved Buffy from having to continue the very uncomfortable conversation.
“Buffy,” Giles began, “I think you should know, Wesley has decided to contact the Council.”
Spike watched in amazement as his strong Slayer visibly paled. “Since when is she MY Slayer?”
“In that case,” Buffy said as she slipped into Slayer mode, “We’ll need to figure this out before they get here.”
“I agree. Buffy, you must understand the severity of this. The council will not take your treatment of Wesley very well. There will be punishment,” Giles stated sadly.
“I don’t care about the Council right now, Giles. They can’t touch me. I’m the one with the power, I know it and so do they…that’s why they are coming. They want to take the power back. I don’t exactly see that happening,” Buffy said.
“I’m with B on this. Seriously, we’re the chosen two, they work for us. They can’t take us down,” Faith said.
“That’s not important now. Giles, the three of us had the same dream last night. It felt like a Slayer dream to me,” Buffy said.
“Are you quite sure? Was it the same exact dream, or were they just similar?” Giles asked.
The three proceeded to tell Giles about the dream. Throughout the tale, Giles interrupted to ask many, many questions, most of which did not receive answers.
“And you have no desire to turn Buffy?” Giles asked Spike.
“No, you git. You have those books, ever read about a Slayer that was turned?” Spike asked.
“Yes, actually. It wasn’t what anyone was expecting,” Giles said.
“That’s why I won’t do it,” Spike said.
“That very well may be, but if this dream is in any way associated with the other visions and dreams that both you and Buffy have shared, then perhaps sometime in the future your mind changed. This will require a great deal of research. I don’t know of anything powerful enough to cause this to be happening,” Giles said.
“Research, great,” Buffy muttered.
“Not to spoil the fun before it gets in gear, but what about he Council? How do we deal with them?” Faith asked.
“That all depends on them,” Giles said, “I don’t want any of this information to reach the Council’s attention. We must keep Wesley in the dark, he can not be trusted.”
The other three occupants of the crypt nodded in agreement.
“You girls really should return to school. Spike, we’ll see you after sunset?” Giles asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Spike answered.


The Scoobies all avoided the library like the plague. Giles was unfortunate enough to have to endure Wesley’s presence since he was the librarian. Both Buffy and Faith had convinced Joyce to excuse them from school until the Council arrived. Neither girl wanted to face Wesley, and if they were being completely honest, they were afraid of what they would do to his face if they did see him.
“Will you sit down! You’ve been pacing for the past hour,” Buffy said.
“Sorry, B. I’m just itchin’. I’m not used to just chillin’ in my heels. I want to be out there doing something,” Faith said impatiently.
“I know. All this pent up energy is not of the good, but we can’t do anything. We don’t need to make things easier on the Council,” Buffy said. She was just as exasperated as Faith, but she had to keep her cool, for both of them.
“Buffy!” Joyce called, “Phone.”
Buffy left Faith alone in the living room and walked into the kitchen where her mother was holding the phone out to her. The look on her mother’s face indicated that something wasn’t right. Wesley’s voice on the other end of the line confirmed her suspicions. The Council had arrived.
“It’s time,” Buffy said as she walked into the living room.
With a nod of her head, Faith stood up and followed Buffy out of the house. Joyce stood in the kitchen and clutched the phone to her chest. This was all new to her. She was just coming to terms with the horrors her daughter and her surrogate daughter faced every night and now she found out that the people responsible for the girls’ wanted to punish them for defying a person they clearly couldn’t trust. These same people, she reminded herself, that nearly incapacitated her daughter last year.
The girls walked in silence for a few blocks before splitting off to walk alone. Faith walked toward the suburbia of Sunnydale to collect Willow, Xander, Oz and Cordellia while Buffy walked into one of the numerous cemeteries of Sunnydale to collect Spike.
Not bothering to knock, Buffy kicked open the door to Spike’s crypt.
“Sun sets and she appears,” Spike drawled as he climbed up the ladder.
“They’re here,” Buffy said. Her voice was cold.
“Right,” Spike said as he grabbed his duster and followed the Slayer out into the night.
They walked the remaining distance to the library in silence. Both lost to their thoughts. Spike still couldn’t understand why he was subjecting himself to the Council’s presence. They bloody wankers were the reason for Slayers, the bane of his existence. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew exactly why he was going to the school on this night. He wasn’t going to let Buffy or even Faith face the Council on their own. He didn’t know when his possessiveness of the girls had become so dominate in his mind, but he wasn’t fighting it. For now, it was just easier to go with the feelings flooding his system.
Faith waited outside the main entrance with the Scoobies. They all wore the same expression…dread. Even Cordellia who was normally the only one who could pass a nonchalant face was feeling the same dread. She didn’t even know what the Council was, but she knew Buffy. Anything that had Buffy worried, was definitely a big deal. Faith began the seemingly long walk towards the door the second she’s spied Buffy and Spike approaching. No words were necessary.
“Miss Summers,” Quintin Travers greeted as the entourage entered the library.
“Travers,” Buffy said spitefully.
If Travers was affronted by the greeting he received, he didn’t let it show. “You must be Faith.”
Faith merely nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement.
“William the Bloody,” Travers deadpanned.
“Wanker,” Spike greeted.
Buffy smiled.
Faith snickered.
This time, Travers had the common sense to look abashed. Shaking it off as quickly as he could, he continued, “And the rest of you?”
“They are no business of yours. There’s a reason you’re here. I suggest you get to it,” Buffy said sternly.
“Very well, Miss Summers. As I’m sure you are well aware, Mr. Giles is no longer your Watcher. Mr. Pryce was sent to take over the Watcher duties. Both you and Faith were insolent from the beginning. This kind of behavior can not be tolerated. Seeing as things of this manner can not be corrected here, I will be making arrangements to have you both brought to England. There you will face the full weight of the Council,” Mr. Travers said.
“Is this the part where we get scared?” Buffy asked Faith.
“I think that’s what the suit wants,” Faith replied casually.
“Hm,” Buffy said thoughtfully.
“Not feelin’ it, B,” Faith replied.
“Me either.”
“It appears that you were not exaggerating, Wesley,” Mr. Travers said, “It was good of you to call us. This has gotten out of hand.”
“Yes, sir,” Wesley spoke, “I’m terribly sorry I had to trouble you with this. I’m sure there were other more pressing matters that needed your attention.”
“Either way, we’re here now. Ladies, please, take a seat,” Mr. Travers gestured to the table in the middle of the room.
After exchanging a glance the girls moved and sat down. Spike placed himself behind the girls.
“In order to asses what kind of punishment is due, we have prepared a test, so to say, for the two of you to complete. Depending on how satisfied we are with your performance, there may not be any need for further action. It is entirely up to you,” Mr. Travers stated. He folded his hands in front of him and waited for their answer.
“Is he for real?” Faith asked incredulously.
“Appears to be,” Buffy answered. She paused and gathered all the politeness she could muster and addressed Travers, “Would it be possible for Faith and I to discuss this in private, sir?”
“Maybe this won’t be as hard as Wesley indicated.” Travers looked at his colleagues to gage their reaction to the question. “I suppose that would be acceptable, Miss Summers.”
Buffy nodded to Travers and she and Faith walked toward the library exit.
“Spike?” Buffy asked.
Catching on, Spike followed the girls.
“Miss Summers?” Mr. Travers asked, “Is there a reason for taking the vampire with you?”
In a mock innocent voice she replied, “Would you rather I leave a deadly vampire with you and a room full of innocents, sir?”
Feeling foolish, Travers looked away momentarily, “No. It was wise of you to insist on taking him with you.”
Buffy nodded once more and joined Faith and Spike in the hallway.
Faith and Spike followed Buffy outside. She wanted to put as much distance between them and the Council as she could. There was no reason for them to hear this particular conversation.
“I don’t like it,” Spike said once they were outside.
“Neither do I,” Buffy said, “But, I really, really don’t want to go to England. Here I’m on familiar ground. I have backup, people I can trust.”
“I don’t think you should be going anywhere…’least till we can find out what’s up with your connection,” Faith gestured to the two blondes.
“So, we take Traver’s offer?” Buffy asked. She already knew they had little choice, but she wanted everyone on board. She was getting used to having people around her to watch her back…ones she didn’t have to worry about.
“Looks like,” Faith said.
Spike nodded his consent. It was too much for him to vocalize his agreement. He thought the whole lot of Watchers were too high minded. They were just upset because they had two Slayers that didn’t follow the rule book to the “T”. “That’s why Buffy’s lived as long as she has. If Faith sticks with Buffy, she’ll live a long time, too.” He would do whatever he could to assist the girls. They were both powerful, and so much different than the other two Slayer’s he had come in contact with. There was no way he would allow a group of humans to hurt his girls.
“Into the fire,” Faith said as she walked Buffy walk back into the school.
Spike followed the girl with his eyes. It still amazed him.
Power.
She was surrounded by it.
“Let’s go, luv,” Spike said to Faith.
As expected, Buffy was waiting for the other two by the entrance to the library. After taking a few calming breaths, Buffy pushed the doors open and walked inside the room. For any normal person, the sight would have been intimidating. All three were deadly predators. Buffy, flanked by Spike and Faith…not something you’d want to cross. The Council, however, was not intimidated in the least.
“Have you made a decision, Miss Summers?” Mr. Travers asked.
“Is there a reason you don’t talk to me?” Faith asked.
Travers ignored Faith and focused his attention on Buffy.
“We accept,” Buffy answered.