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Help me, Mommy.

Every day I wish you were here. Every day I'm afraid I'll let you down. You and Dawnie both. And now I know I already have.

I keep a wary eye on the Slayer who once answered my friendship with betrayal and death. The Slayer who tried to murder Angel, and did it by slow poison just to distract me from my duty. The selfish, cruel, and completely insane Slayer who has been using my sister in ways I'm afraid to know.

Giles and Xander take charge of flanking Faith so she can't run, and we gather in the living room to decide what the hell to do now. Dawn's eyes are filled with love and concern. At least, when she looks at Faith! When she looks at me, I feel like... I feel like my sister hates me.

I love Dawnie so much. I wish I could jump off a tower again and save her. But this time I'm afraid her wounds may never stop bleeding. And when all this is done, and Faith is defeated all over again, I know Dawn will never come to me for the comfort I want to give her. Faith will break her heart, but she'll blame me. And I'm all the family she's got.

I've fought evil beyond imagination. Evil that feeds off of children. Evil that kills people and poses the corpses for their loved ones to find. Evil that wants to send every living thing on Earth to hell forever. But I look at Faith, and I know I've seen the purest evil possible. Evil that would use the love and trust of an innocent girl to get what it wants.

And all along I was worried about the Ascension! I hardly even care what Faith was trying to do with the Mayor's magic. I only care about how she used poor Dawnie.

That look of love on Dawn's face is going to change to betrayal soon, and I can't bear to see it. I'm sorry, Mommy. I couldn't protect your Dawnie.

Tara brings in some more chairs, and Xander hands me some iron chains from the linen closet, to keep Faith harmless for the time being.

"No!" hisses Faith, jumping up from her chair, wincing in pain, her eyes suddenly panicky. "I'll tell you anything you want, and I'm not going anywhere. But you are not chaining me up! Not after I've been to prison. I will fight anyone who tries, and I don't want to do that!"

Nice act. But Giles buys it. "Faith, sit down." He turns to me. "She's injured and outnumbered. Perhaps the chains are unnecessary."

I'm amazed he even pretends to ask my opinion. Talk about blind! Watcher's duty is one thing, but he is giving Faith way to much benefit of the doubt! Does he honestly think she'll be so grateful she'll accept him as her Watcher and suddenly turn all sweet and good?

I stand firm. "The chains are–" I catch Dawn looking at me like I'm the villain, and I realize she's close to completely turning on me. My little sister! "–too short anyway." I set them down with my teeth clenched, not looking Giles or Faith in the eye. I lean forward to take Dawn's hand. "Dawnie, I know Faith has made you care about her. She's made you think she loves you. I want you to remember, no matter what, that I really do love you. We all do."

Dawn's eyes harden. I'm the enemy. "Then leave my girlfriend alone." She pulls her hand away.

Xander and Willow are sitting on the couch, but Dawn waves for them to get up. "Faith's hurt. She should lie on the couch." They glance at Faith, who does seem to be in some pain, and get up.

Faith shakes her head and stays in her chair. "I'm cool, Dawnie. I think I'll hang onto whatever shred of dignity I have left."

Dawn looks at Faith tenderly. "Faith," she says, gently, "lie down. You'll feel a lot better."

Faith starts to stand up, glances around at the rest of us, and sits back down.

"Faith..." says Dawn again, in a more commanding tone. She holds Faith's eyes for a long moment.

Faith gets up and lies face down on the couch with a sigh of relief.

I do not believe what just happened! No way would Faith let my sister order her around like that. All part of whatever little act she's playing, I suppose. It's pretty obvious how confused Faith is, trying to keep up her act with Dawn while all of us are watching.

Giles starts off the Scooby meeting just like old times. "All right. As I see it, there are two mysteries we need to solve. What black magic was Faith doing? And why was she using Dawn? Then, we need to make sure the process has been stopped."

Dawn rolls her eyes and goes upstairs.

"I told you," says Faith with a sigh, chin on her folded arms, "I was just afraid of something happening to her."

Tara frowns and starts to open her mouth, but Giles doesn't notice. "I hope that you are telling the truth, Faith. I didn't come looking for you just because the Council asked me to. I came because you were called to be the Slayer."

"And what does that mean?" I ask, increasingly annoyed at how much interest my Giles is taking in Faith.

"Slayers are not called at random," he explains, "and they are not called because of their fighting prowess. That can be taught. They are called because they have the strength of character to carry out their duty. They are called because it is in their nature to defend the innocent and endangered. And so whatever evil has consumed you, Faith, there was once something caring and selfless within you as well. That is why I accepted this assignment."

Faith turns her head sideways to look at Giles. "I think there was a compliment in there somewhere. Thanks. Still don't need a Watcher."

"It's true!" says Dawn, returning with a big pillow. "She was always helping kids who got picked on!" She's sits cross-legged on the floor, sliding slowly closer to Faith. She scowls when I put my hand on her shoulder to keep her away. She tosses the pillow to Faith, who props herself up on it gratefully.

"What are you talking about?" I ask. "And that's my pillow!"

Dawn looks at me angrily. "I told you I've known her longer than you! She's always been my girlfriend!"

"That's right, B," says Faith, smiling at my sister. "And if you'd stopped to think about it, you'd have figured that out before I even got out of prison!"

I stare at her. She is insane. "You were Dawn's girlfriend since before you went to prison?" Beyond insane! "And I should have known that...?"

"Why are you her sister, B?"

"You know very well why. She's the Key. I'm supposed to protect her."

"But why? Why you?"

"Because I'm the Slayer!"

"A little correction: you were the Slayer. Now you're just a Slayer. Last I checked, I'm the chosen one, now."

"What's your point?"

"My point is, you should have guessed that the Monks would make me protect her too. She'd probably be my sister if I wasn't in jail at the time!"

"That would have sucked," says Dawn, thoughtfully.

Giles rubs his chin thoughtfully. "So the Monks made you both care about Dawn. I must say, there is a certain logic there..."

"Buffy," my sister interjects, "Faith was my girlfriend almost three years ago. It's as real as me and you."

"That's ridiculous! You were in... what... eighth grade? Besides, you and Dad were living in...." I fall silent, my mouth hanging open, trying to make any sense out of all this.

"In Boston, Buffy," my sister says, exasperated. "We were both in eighth grade. I was thirteen and she was sixteen. It was a crappy year for both of us and we helped each other. Why do you think I was so messed up in ninth grade? Because she left me! Because that vampire killed her Watcher and she ran away to find you!"

I stare at Faith. The pieces are slowly beginning to fit together. "You changed her memories somehow! You found out about her fake memories and you changed her whole life just to make her trust you!"

"No," says Faith. "I got bit by the Dawnie bug same as you. And I don't have any more choice about it than you have. You were willing to give your life for her. So was I." Ah yes, the bus thing. If you believe Faith's version of that.

"It does make sense, Buffy," says Giles. "That would explain why you remember your father moving to Boston. It's a bit much of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"I didn't know, Buffy," says Faith. "I didn't know you were Dawn's sister. I would have stuck by you if I'd known. But Dawnie was still in Boston. The three of us were never together."

Giles and Dawn are looking at me expectantly. Even Xander is nodding in agreement. Only Tara seems unconvinced. She's watching Faith with narrowed eyes. She whispers to Willow and they both glare at Faith.

"What is it, Tara?" I ask.

"The Rites of Ascension. She says she started them because she was scared after the bus accident."

"So she says," I agree.

"Don't you remember? We detected the rites before the accident!"

She's right! "She did start before the accident! And it wasn't an accident, it was a trick to gain Dawn's trust! Whatever memories Dawn may have, Faith still had to prove herself. Dawn knows what Faith did in Sunnydale. So she staged the accident... but she was already doing the Rites all along!"

Giles gives Faith a cold look. "I had hoped you would earn our trust. That is beginning to seem rather unlikely." Poor Dawn is looking at her "girlfriend," clearly confused.

Faith's caught and she knows it. A touch of panic enters her eyes. "OK, yes... I did do the first rite. Immortality, you know? Me and Dawn forever? It sounded good. But I stopped. I knew it was wrong. Then the bus thing happened. That's the truth. I still wouldn't have had the nerve to go through with it, except I found my old knife at the school. It helped me be just a little evil." Dawn looks at her, worried. "But that's all over. I killed the beast inside me. I did one last thing with the knife, something I can remember every day, and remember who I really am. And I got rid of the Mayor's money. Gave up that whole future. I'm starting over with exactly what I deserve. Nothing."

"So... where's all the money?" asks Willow.

"That's none of your business. And I'm never going to tell you."

Xander shakes his head. "I don't buy it. Any of it. The way I see it, it doesn't really matter whether Faith put herself in Dawn's memories, or the Monks did it. Faith found out the truth about Dawn, and used those memories for her little schemes."

Faith twists on the couch with a sharp hiss of pain, and pulls her top away from her collarbone. My sister's name is tattooed there. Somehow, seeing that makes me angrier than ever. "You bitch. You started with some fake memories, added a tattoo and staged a bus accident, threw in some expensive gifts and a little cleavage, and you had my sister lying to us and eating out of the palm of your hand." I stand up angrily. "I want to know why! What did you want my sister for?"

Dawn takes advantage of my distraction and darts in close to Faith. I pull her to safety but not before she hands Faith a glass of something brown. Dawn smiles at Faith as though nothing is wrong. "I made you my Triple Chocolate Milk with Cinnamon!"

Faith sips it and smiles. "Thanks, sweetie. I've been starving ever since patrol last night."

Yeah, right. Faith has been patrolling. I don't think so!

Dawn mouths something. Faith mouths a reply. "I love you too." She drinks a big gulp of her chocolate milk.

My sister has taken the wind out of our sails, but we're all still eyeing Faith with extreme distrust.

Willow speaks. "The way I see it, there are only two reasons Faith would be after Dawn. Either to hurt you, Buffy, or because she's the Key. Maybe she was using the Books of Ascension to do something with the Key."

We all fall silent, contemplating Faith with dread. Except for poor Dawnie, of course. She's gazing at Faith with something close to worship. And Faith has mastered of art of giving the same gaze back.

 

---

 

I come back from the kitchen with a tray this time, and sit down on the floor again... not too close to my girlfriend. Faith is finishing her milk while Tara leafs through the Books of Ascension with Willow and Xander. My sister is whispering with Giles.

Faith reaches over the end of the couch to hand me the empty glass, and I scramble close and take it, kissing her hand before Buffy can get to me.

Tara looks up from the pages, shaking her head. "I've been trying to find anything Faith could do with the Books and the Key... I just don't think that's it. I've been looking at the rites Faith performed. It's hard to be sure, but I think Faith is telling the truth about the whole immortality thing. The same thing you said happened to the Mayor for a hundred days. I think it would have worked if Faith had done some more of the rites. It will still work if Faith has living spiders hidden someplace to use later." Willow and Tara were so happy when I told them about my girlfriend. Now look at how they glare at Faith!

Xander looks from the Books to Faith. "So Faith wanted herself and Dawn immortal. She could have picked anyone, if the magic needed two people. But she picked Dawn. Why?"

"Because I love her," says Faith again, sounding bored. She and I exchange helpless shrugs.

"Convincing as that sounds," Buffy says sarcastically, "I'm still thinking there's another reason. Faith needed Dawn alive for something. Something big. The Rites of Ascension were just a step along the way. Faith wanted something besides just her own immortality. She wanted something that needed Dawn and only Dawn."

"She's the Key," says Giles, "and she's your sister. But if she only wished to hurt you, there are a lot worse things she could have done than making Dawn immortal. It must be the Key that she wanted."

"Right," says my sister, "something to do with the Key. Why did Faith want the Key to be immortal?" As soon as she asks the question, everyone stares at Faith in horror, like they've just figured it all out.

Giles speaks softly. "You know how to open the Portal, don't you, Faith?"

"What did you want, Faith?" Buffy asks. "Did you just want me dead all over again, or did you want to destroy the world? Are you really that crazy?"

"What are you talking about, B? If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. I can think of a million ways to get that job done."

"She was going to destroy the world," says Willow, shaking her head in amazement. "How could anyone be that evil?"

What are they going on about now? I shake my head and sigh.

"She needed Dawn to open the Portal," Tara explains. "And she knew it could only be closed by Dawn's death. So she decided to make sure Dawn could never die."

Giles looks crushed. Like he's lost all hope of reforming Faith. "I suspect she would have killed you first, Buffy, so that you couldn't give your life again to close the Portal."

I sigh again and put my tray of sandwiches on the coffee table where Faith can get to it. "I invented a sandwich just for you. Butter and walnuts. I made 'em extra fancy: one side bread, one side toast!"

"Thanks, Dawnie," says Faith smiling again. "I'm getting more evil by the minute here. It's hungry work!" She starts wolfing down sandwiches, the way she does, and I almost laugh.

"I can make more if anyone wants them," says Dawn brightly. "Now, what's all this I hear? All Faith wanted was to open my Portal?" I stop and frown. "That didn't come out right."

"Dawn," Buffy says, "this is serious."

Faith sighs. "So what are you going to do about it, B?"

My sister takes a step toward her. "If you're lucky, I'll let you live... as long as you never set foot in Sunnydale again!"

"That's not happening, B. You see, my girlfriend lives here."

"You're never coming near my sister again!"

"Yes she is, Buffy," I say, making fists in frustration. "She promised she'd never leave me again, and she won't." I get a nice smile from Faith.

"You heard the girl, B. And besides, I owe her a candlelight dinner with grilled cheese."

Buffy's getting really pissed, but I've just remembered something that makes me forget this whole mess... "Faith... do you think your ribs will be healed by the end of next week?"

"Yeah, pretty much. If I don't start patrolling too soon like I did last time."

"Well then you better not. Next week at school–"

"Dawn," says my sister, standing between me and Faith, "I know you don't want to believe you were tricked. But we have to deal with this right now. It's important, Dawn. It's life and death. Using you to destroy everything!"

"This is more important!" I yell, getting up and approaching Faith as close I can with my sister in the way. "Faith... will you come to the dance with me next week?"

 

---

 

I see Tara has taken Willow aside. They're whispering. I half expect them to take Faith's side: they used to think Dawn and Feather were the cutest. So did I, come to think of it.

They finish their huddle. The looks they are giving Faith are anything but friendly. Thank goodness! I could sure use them on my side to help my sister through this.

Tara touches my arm. "We need to be sure Faith's spells have been stopped." I nod. "I can do the magic to find that out. But it's going to take a while. I'll need to be alone with Faith. Just Willow to help me out."

"Willow? She can't do any magic–"

"It's OK, Buffy," says Willow softly. "I need to be there."

I look my friend in the eyes. She's not afraid, so I won't be. She and Tara can handle the magic and Faith both. Probably. "Fine. Put her in... Dawn's room, I guess. And holler if she tries anything."

"No!" Dawn objects, jumping up. "Not my room! It's not ready. I need to clean up a little."

Willow shrugs. "We've all seen your mess before, Dawnie!"

"Faith hasn't! I want to show her my room when it's nice!"

"We can use your room, Willow" says Tara, collecting her magic supplies and heading upstairs. Willow gestures to Faith to follow. "Slayers first."

Halfway up, Faith glances back at Dawn, looking worried. She should be. Tara's magic will unmask her once and for all. And from the grim looks on Willow and Tara's faces, I'd say the magic is going to be painful. Good.

The door closes upstairs and Dawn turns away from the stairs, looking deeply troubled. Poor, poor Dawnie. I open my arms to comfort her.

She turns away.

 

~ Continue to Episode 9 – Witch Trial ~

 

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If you enjoyed this story, try CV-1. Buffy agrees to a meeting with someone from her past. It's not what she expected.

I turn around. The woman's pissed. And wearing a uniform. What now? They think I can hide a weapon in this skirt? Maybe a sewing needle! "CV's this way."

CV? "But I..." I gesture helplessly toward the phones, getting more confused and nervous by the minute.

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