Chapter 7 : Blame

((So so so so sorry for the trillion-year late update. I got really busy. Kaki-sama is right. Death is NO excuse to stop writing. Been through a bad streak of luck and stuff- but I'm back full force, okay? Review and comment, please. I like it. ENJOY!))

Dawn kept right on marching down the various hallways of the Sunnydale hospital in an attempt to remove herself from some invisible radius she had managed to set between herself and the dark slayer. In Dawn's opinion, Faith would never earn enough redemption to ever rank in her books. Sure, forgiveness seemed to be one of those key motifs at the moment, but she was not going to buy it. Everything was falling apart bit by bit. Everywhere she turned, there was conflict!

"Ow! Watch where you're goin' you bloody son of a-" The voice stopped a moment and the owner of said voice smirked as he crossed his arms, "Oh. Hey, Dawnie. How's big sis holdin' up, and the rest of the gang?"

"They're fine," Dawn spat out in a choppy manner. "Now move."

"A bit hasty now, aren't we?"

"Spike, you don't understand!" Dawn snapped, rolling her eyes.

"Right. Summers women. Look, Dawnie... if this is about Faith-"

"No, it's not about Faith," Dawn growled. "Or maybe it is- maybe it's all about her! Why did she come here, huh? All she did is cause some problem already... she brought trouble with her. Trouble loves us enough already, and she's like... the bringer of problems. I felt safer when she was in jail," the teenager tacked on. "I'll never trust her, she killed and-"

"Uh... Pet? You do know I killed people, yeah?"

"But... but... you're different. You're... you had an excuse- no soul. She had one! How is that justifiable?"

"Look, I can't pretend that everything's just going to go away but... you have to realize that you'll be safe. We all have the same goal- try not to die and make sure the world's still here tomorrow. If Faith were really a threat, we would have never considered bringing her on board. Buffy and I'll make sure of that, you understand? We won't compromise the safety of our team, I promise you. Buffy gave her life for you, remember. I would never let a sacrifice like that go to waste."

Whether or not Dawn actually believed what Spike was saying, the fact that he was saying it seemed to mean a lot to the teen. He always had this awkward way with comforting her, which was a lot to say for a vampire. She lowered her eyes and watched the pavement slip past her feet with each step she took. The sun would be rising shortly, and here Spike was, walking her home from the hospital. She hadn't bothered to really think about it but... the real reason he was currently there was most likely because he felt the need to protect her. Keep her safe (probably for Buffy's sake), but still. His intentions were true and- if he was able to catch it in time? He would never let anything happen to her. "T-Thanks, Spike," she said softly when they entered the house. And with that, each being went separate directions- Spike to the basement, and Dawn to her room.

--

"Do you guys mind?" Angel asked the others in the room rather gruffly. "Faith and I need to have a little chat... We'll uh... we're going to need some time alone."

While Willow, Giles, and Buffy made a motion for the door, Wesley stepped away from the doorway. Buffy shot a look back at Angel before she shut the door behind her. She still trusted the man, sure... but she definitely could not wait for this explanation. So much was going on right now and this problem seemed to wiggle itself into her life unfortunately. Talk about bad times for strange things to occur... Buffy also hated feeling useless in a situation like this, it would help to know some background for sure. "Giles? Willow and I are gonna go downstairs... find some sort of hospitally substitute for breakfast," she explained. It wasn't a question so much as a statement. Once the man nodded, the blonde slayer and the witch wandered off down the hall since Buffy was determined to separate herself as far from the room as possible right now.

Angel sighed, looking at Faith and approaching her slowly. The vampire began rotating her arm in apparent concern, "Been twitchy lately?"

"Not too... they've been shootin' me up with some powerful Valium whenever I get a little squirmish- amazing stuff, ya know," Faith half-smirked lightheartedly. "So what they got you up to these days? Your boy still running you in circles? He seemed like the type that would-"

"Connor... is not a part of this discussion," Angel finished for Faith, snapping bitterly. Angel's eyes moved up to meet Faith's now. He had not meant for it to come out so angrily or be so, well, choppy... but Angel had been keeping some anger pent up for what seemed to be a long enough time now. Angel kept a lot of things pent up, sure, but anything regarding Connor made him feel inferior- like he had failed the boy. Really, in a way, he still believed he did.

"Damn. Sorry man... just seemed like quite the firecracker and all..." Faith said in rebound, backing off of the subject.

"That's one way to describe him," Angel muttered angrily.

"Faith, are you listening to me?" A form appeared on the opposite side of the bed where Angel was standing. Actually, the figure was Angel.

"I-I... I'm listening, yes," Faith responded, confused.

"Faith?" Angel's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Don't listen to a word he's saying, he's trying to trick you!" The other Angel-form replied slowly. "I know this sounds weird, but that thing is NOT me!"

"Faith, are you okay?"

The slayer began to panic, looking from one form of Angel to the other.

"Faith? Are you listening? He's NOT there!"

"Faith, whatever you see... whatever's talking or whatever, it's NOT here!"

"Faith?"

"Faith!"

"SHUT UP!" Faith yelled, covering her ears. "Shut... ergh..." and before she knew it? That Valium would surely kick in and do its trick.

--

"What do you suppose he's trying to accomplish in there?" Wesley fumed outside the door, resisting the urge to barge in and interrupt, guns a blazing. Giles looked up and met the man's eyes with clear opposition of his own.

"Perhaps they are talking civilly," Giles suggested ironically, walking down the hall in apparent disinterest. "It's really not my place to assume. If I'm correct, it never truly was yours either."

"Do you have any idea what kind of apocalyptic events are unfolding in Los Angeles as we speak? Angel is wasting valuable time!" For some reason, the mere presence of Giles seemed to be upsetting him more than he cared to admit. It had been quite some time since the two had managed to meet face to face, and other than that they rarely spoke. Giles' last impression of this man was probably nothing more than a pathetic wimp who tried to act informed about everything around him when, in actuality, he was a clumsy and blubbering weakling. Definitely not the pick of the litter and clearly never good enough even for his own father. For a while, he even wondered why he cared so much what Giles thought of him... Wesley stopped his digressing on this note and blinked back into reality when Giles' curt response snapped him out of his daze.

Giles looked up and squinted at the rising sunlight peeking above the horizon now, "Well... uhh," he shook his head, returning his glance back to Wesley, "Actually, no." He was about to add that he did not care, either, but decided to leave that comment out of the conversation out of his better judgment.

"Angel's decision to come here was rash and unprecedented," Wesley stated, not realizing how stuffy he actually sounded right then. Perhaps part of it had to do with the fact that he was still bitter about what had happened with Lilah, even though he knew it was not Angel's fault. Angel had every right to hate him, however... he had not exactly been what one might call a 'devoted' friend towards the vampire. He was itching to add another comment about Angel thinking with the wrong head, but he, also in agreement with his better judgment, refrained.

"And yet for some reason it surprises me to see that your hatred for Faith has done nothing but thicken," Giles cut in indifferently. "You don't have to agree with Angel's methods- hell if I do- but I think it can be agreed that if something isn't done about Faith's current situation, there could be untold consequences. For all we know-"

"There already are!" Wesley interrupted Giles with a heated expression, "You have no idea what that woman has put me through. Put all of us through..." For a moment, it seemed as though Wesley's eyes glistened with a tint of fearful remembrance. Faith's arrival back in LA was perhaps one of the worst experiences Wesley could ever recall. Faith's torture methods were unexpected and she had taken all of her fury and confusion that she had experienced in Sunnydale out on the poor watcher that day. A part of Wesley changed that day. This event, along with many others that unfolded the past few years, changed the man's exterior severely. Wesley was no longer the meek picture-perfect Watcher Council's pet trying to make a difference in the world. No, he had developed into something else- something unpredictable and unworthy of Giles' trust. Not that the man ever trusted him to begin with. Or did he? Perhaps the man would never know for certain. "I was prepared to sacrifice Faith in exchange for Angel."

"And that is part of what makes us so different," Giles muttered, looking back out the window, storms visible in his eyes, "My record may not be a clean one, but hell if I sacrifice my slayer's life over a demon like Angelus.' At least my judgment has not been muddled." Giles narrowed his eyes, "Needless to say, your choices have rarely been honorable."

"You know nothing of me," Wesley challenged, his eyes darkening as if on cue.

Giles continued to stare out the window and he placed his hands in his pockets, rocking back on his heels for a moment just to relish the brief silence that had squirmed its way between their conversation. "Yes, well. I like to think you believe in what you do," Giles said slowly. "There must have been good reason. After all..." Giles said slowly as he turned around to face Wesley. "The most difficult choices always seem to land in our laps, don't they?"

To this, Wesley said nothing. All he did was stare out the window with a hardened expression. The conversation had shifted so rapidly, he had not expected it. So Giles DID at least understand where Wesley was coming from. His hands slid into his pockets. The main thing was that they shared opposing views on different cases. They were different; Giles and Wesley. They always would be... but in the end, they both shared heavy burdens. As far as the two englishmen were concerned, there would always be a cross for them to bear. "We are sometimes forced-"

"To do what others cannot," Giles finished quietly.

"Hey, so I was wondering if you two wanted to play... oh, Monopoly? I-I have the Lord of the Rings version... o-or we could try Chutes and Ladders. I haven't played that in forever. So what say you two? Oh- I also have Weapons and Warriors but... I don't think the nurses would be too happy if we shot little red cannon balls all over the lounge- though it's definitely something I wouldn't rule out..."

Giles and Wesley both stared at each other, exchanging a wordless glance that spoke volumes.