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He'd managed to wipe clean most of Ethan's blood from his hands, but the imagery wasn't lost on Rupert. He'd brought this about; his inaction to stop Cain at the beginning when the plot was revealed, the inability to lead his friends into battle when they practically demanded it of him. There was so much blood on his hands over the years: Jenny, Anya, Buffy...
Rupert daubed the cold cloth over his face one last time before exiting the hotel room. He strode quickly down the hallway to the elevator, relieved that it was waiting for him. He hadn't been paying attention and nearly bowled over the brunette who exited as he moved forward.
"Sorry, I--", his voice caught. Rupert knew they would follow, but silently hoped the group would arrive after his confrontation with Jason Cain. In fact, he'd preferred they'd never had to see this fight. But his heart dared beat again as he realized the girl in question was...
"Faith."
Leaving the others as they headed into the basement, Faith decided to do one last sweep for Giles. There was no way she was going into battle without knowing where he was. Without making sure he was safe and right there fighting by her side. They'd came a long way, the two of them over the last year. A bond she didn't take lightly.
As she exited the elevator for the fourth time in her rounds of searching floor by floor, she was knocked backwards by someone making a beeline for the same elevator she'd exited. She clenched her jaw, ready to snap on whomever it was if need be, her eyes met his.
"Sorry, I--Faith."
He looked out of it. She wrinkled her brow, tilting her head to the side as she studied him, as if trying to read him. To sense what he was feeling or thinking.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who's on edge here. What gives G-man? You bailed, but looks like we caught up huh? What? You think we was lettin' you go into this alone. No, scratch that, you think I was lettin' you go alone?"
He heard Faith speak. She was putting vowels and consants together. Rupert was reasonable sure they formed words and sentences. But, for a moment, it was gibberish to him. Forcing himself back into the moment, he stuttered once, twice, three times, before finally responding.
"Ethan--", he sputtered, turning his head to the room he'd just left. "There was a plan. I..." Rupert stepped back and leaned against the wall, making a conscious effort to stuff his hands into his trouser pockets. "I wanted to keep you alive, Faith. You, Willow, Dawn, Wesley. Tired of watching," he mumbled.
Faith frowned, watching him but not understanding why he was acting this way. He wasn't making any sense. It was starting to concern her. Following his eyes, she saw a room he'd apparently just left. But again, he wasn't formulating a coherent though so she wasn't able to try and piece anything together.
Reaching out, she grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him hard.
"Yo, Giles. Chill. You ain't makin' no sense. Start from the beginning. What the fuck is goin' on here?"
It all seemed to blur. Moments earlier, his mind had been so clear. Focused. And now? Realization slowly sunk in; shock had set. It threatened to overload his senses, and if that happened then surely the fight was lost. Rupert exhaled deeply several times.
"Ethan," he said again. "I was away only a few minutes. He was the trump card, you see. Cain needed him to open the Gate. It's... it's in the blood. It's always the blood."
Rupert giggled momentarily, an earlier memory of Spike's explanation as they were about to face Glory. And Ben. More blood on his hands.
"Well," he stammered finally. "Cain won't get that chance now. Ethan's dead."
Her hands still gripping his shoulders, she listened to him as he began to form actual sentences. As he began to make sense. Her confusion fading as it started coming together.
"Well, Cain won't get that chance now. Ethan's dead."
Faith blinked, letting all the pieces fit together in her head. Letting it all register as her hands fell away, landing softly at her sides before she reached into her jacket and pulled out a cigarette. She lit it and ran a hand through her hair as she exhaled the smoke, paying no mind to the no smoking sign hanging on the wall.
"That's a good thing right? Now Cain can't...No wait, that was fucked up of me to say. Back up. How the fuck?" Her confusion came back with a vengence. "No way, did you do it? Did you take Ethan out?"
Rupert tentatively removed his right hand from his trouser pocket and, without a word, took Faith's cigarette and inhaled deeply. Tendrils of smoke snaked from the corners of his frowned lips.
"I didn't," he slowly replied. While not a smoker by any stretch of the imagination, the actions helped ground him somewhat. "And I suppose I was deluding myself to think I'd willingly sacrifice him to Jason when the moment came. Too much... history, you see."
Rupert took another drag on the filter before handing it back to Faith. "He took his own life. The coward's way out and yet..."
Faith watched him with both confusion and amusement as he took her cigarette. She knew this wasn't something he did often, but when he did, it was usually with her. And it was usually a time of stress.
Taking it from him as he held it back out to her, she took another drag and listened as he began to fill her in.
"Cowards way out yeah, but what he did mighta actually saved our asses right?"
"It's always about the blood. Spike said that once," he replied matter-of-factly. "Who'd have thought that Spike would have the answers?" A small chortle escaped Rupert's lungs, followed by a cough from the smoke.
"But the key... the key to this, is playing Cain's arrogance and a little subterfuge."
"I never woulda thought he'd have any kinda answers." Faith smirked, taking another drag from her smoke.
"Subterwho?" She tilted her head, looking at him with a completely confused and lost look on her face. "I ain't even seen him around. Ain't seen his little lapdog either." She clenched her jaw, thinking about how Kennedy had pretty much sold them all out.
"Anyway, what's the plan? Wes, Big Blue and Willow are down in the basement already. The kid bailed on me and I'm guessin' she's down there too. I'm tellin' ya, Giles, she's B made over." She chuckled, then stopped looking at him. "In the total little sister kinda way." She nodded her head so he didn't get any ideas from her comment.
"I'd never presume," Rupert replied. "After all, you wouldn't want to make Willow jealous."
He laughed again, a small but welcome chuckle. He'd suspected from the day Faith rescued Willow from the Council, and her shocked expression from his words confirmed it.
And while she might have once been a ball of glowing green energy, Dawn had indeed come into her own, and was as committed to the cause as Buffy ever was. As they all are, Rupert realized. Willing to put themselves on the line for the greater cause.
"What's the plan, Faith?" Rupert stood straight, took her cigarette for one more drag. "We fight. And we win."
Faith shook her head, laughing as she rolled her eyes at her friend.
"Gettin' ahead of yourself there ain't ya G-man? Ain't no reason for nobody to get jealous. You think you're all smart and in the know on every sitch, but not this one man. Not this one."
She smirked. "So keep laughin' it up. We'll see who's gettin' the last laugh."
Taking the last drag, she glanced around to find an ashtray. It was then she saw the sign prohibiting her from the act she'd just taken place in. Shrugging her shoulders she smirked again, stubbing it out on her boot.
"If the plan is to fight and win, then what the hell are we doin' here chattin' and gigglin' like some fuckin' teenagers? Let's go kick some ass."
Thankfully there was little wait for the elevator, and he and Faith managed to squeeze themselves in between a gaggle of grey-haired women in matching outfits.
Rupert leaned into Faith, whispering in her ear. "That's you and Willow in forty years, you know. Blue track suits."
Faith just looked up at the numbers, watching each one light up as they descended. She chose to pretend she didn't hear him this time. In fact, she probably didn't hear him. She was going into battle. Her focus was on the task at hand.
As the doors opened on the lobby level, she stepped out and turned to make sure Giles was with her as she headed towards the basement.
Stopping, she turned and looked at him seriously.
"Look, Giles.I know I ain't much for shit like this. But thanks. For you know, everything or whatever." She shrugged. "Means a lot that we got past all that bullshit and I just kinda wanted to let you know I thought it was cool. So, yeah."
She nodded and turned to start walking again.
Rupert kept pace with Faith. "Tell me again in the bar when this is done and I'll do the same, but not until then. No good-bye speeches now." As the reached the door, he put one hand up to pause his slayer.
"And would it kill you to call me Rupert just once?"
Faith nodded in agreement. She didnt' mean for it to sound like a goodbye speech, but now that she thought about it, it kinda did.
She looked at him and shook her head with that ever present smirk.
"Can't do it G-man. Ain't my style. 'Sides, that name? Too stuffy for you. Makes ya sound like some tweed wearin' librarian or somethin'."
Laughing, she walked past him and into the basement.
"What's wrong with tweed?" he called out, following Faith into the basement.
Rupert daubed the cold cloth over his face one last time before exiting the hotel room. He strode quickly down the hallway to the elevator, relieved that it was waiting for him. He hadn't been paying attention and nearly bowled over the brunette who exited as he moved forward.
"Sorry, I--", his voice caught. Rupert knew they would follow, but silently hoped the group would arrive after his confrontation with Jason Cain. In fact, he'd preferred they'd never had to see this fight. But his heart dared beat again as he realized the girl in question was...
"Faith."
Leaving the others as they headed into the basement, Faith decided to do one last sweep for Giles. There was no way she was going into battle without knowing where he was. Without making sure he was safe and right there fighting by her side. They'd came a long way, the two of them over the last year. A bond she didn't take lightly.
As she exited the elevator for the fourth time in her rounds of searching floor by floor, she was knocked backwards by someone making a beeline for the same elevator she'd exited. She clenched her jaw, ready to snap on whomever it was if need be, her eyes met his.
"Sorry, I--Faith."
He looked out of it. She wrinkled her brow, tilting her head to the side as she studied him, as if trying to read him. To sense what he was feeling or thinking.
"Looks like I'm not the only one who's on edge here. What gives G-man? You bailed, but looks like we caught up huh? What? You think we was lettin' you go into this alone. No, scratch that, you think I was lettin' you go alone?"
He heard Faith speak. She was putting vowels and consants together. Rupert was reasonable sure they formed words and sentences. But, for a moment, it was gibberish to him. Forcing himself back into the moment, he stuttered once, twice, three times, before finally responding.
"Ethan--", he sputtered, turning his head to the room he'd just left. "There was a plan. I..." Rupert stepped back and leaned against the wall, making a conscious effort to stuff his hands into his trouser pockets. "I wanted to keep you alive, Faith. You, Willow, Dawn, Wesley. Tired of watching," he mumbled.
Faith frowned, watching him but not understanding why he was acting this way. He wasn't making any sense. It was starting to concern her. Following his eyes, she saw a room he'd apparently just left. But again, he wasn't formulating a coherent though so she wasn't able to try and piece anything together.
Reaching out, she grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him hard.
"Yo, Giles. Chill. You ain't makin' no sense. Start from the beginning. What the fuck is goin' on here?"
It all seemed to blur. Moments earlier, his mind had been so clear. Focused. And now? Realization slowly sunk in; shock had set. It threatened to overload his senses, and if that happened then surely the fight was lost. Rupert exhaled deeply several times.
"Ethan," he said again. "I was away only a few minutes. He was the trump card, you see. Cain needed him to open the Gate. It's... it's in the blood. It's always the blood."
Rupert giggled momentarily, an earlier memory of Spike's explanation as they were about to face Glory. And Ben. More blood on his hands.
"Well," he stammered finally. "Cain won't get that chance now. Ethan's dead."
Her hands still gripping his shoulders, she listened to him as he began to form actual sentences. As he began to make sense. Her confusion fading as it started coming together.
"Well, Cain won't get that chance now. Ethan's dead."
Faith blinked, letting all the pieces fit together in her head. Letting it all register as her hands fell away, landing softly at her sides before she reached into her jacket and pulled out a cigarette. She lit it and ran a hand through her hair as she exhaled the smoke, paying no mind to the no smoking sign hanging on the wall.
"That's a good thing right? Now Cain can't...No wait, that was fucked up of me to say. Back up. How the fuck?" Her confusion came back with a vengence. "No way, did you do it? Did you take Ethan out?"
Rupert tentatively removed his right hand from his trouser pocket and, without a word, took Faith's cigarette and inhaled deeply. Tendrils of smoke snaked from the corners of his frowned lips.
"I didn't," he slowly replied. While not a smoker by any stretch of the imagination, the actions helped ground him somewhat. "And I suppose I was deluding myself to think I'd willingly sacrifice him to Jason when the moment came. Too much... history, you see."
Rupert took another drag on the filter before handing it back to Faith. "He took his own life. The coward's way out and yet..."
Faith watched him with both confusion and amusement as he took her cigarette. She knew this wasn't something he did often, but when he did, it was usually with her. And it was usually a time of stress.
Taking it from him as he held it back out to her, she took another drag and listened as he began to fill her in.
"Cowards way out yeah, but what he did mighta actually saved our asses right?"
"It's always about the blood. Spike said that once," he replied matter-of-factly. "Who'd have thought that Spike would have the answers?" A small chortle escaped Rupert's lungs, followed by a cough from the smoke.
"But the key... the key to this, is playing Cain's arrogance and a little subterfuge."
"I never woulda thought he'd have any kinda answers." Faith smirked, taking another drag from her smoke.
"Subterwho?" She tilted her head, looking at him with a completely confused and lost look on her face. "I ain't even seen him around. Ain't seen his little lapdog either." She clenched her jaw, thinking about how Kennedy had pretty much sold them all out.
"Anyway, what's the plan? Wes, Big Blue and Willow are down in the basement already. The kid bailed on me and I'm guessin' she's down there too. I'm tellin' ya, Giles, she's B made over." She chuckled, then stopped looking at him. "In the total little sister kinda way." She nodded her head so he didn't get any ideas from her comment.
"I'd never presume," Rupert replied. "After all, you wouldn't want to make Willow jealous."
He laughed again, a small but welcome chuckle. He'd suspected from the day Faith rescued Willow from the Council, and her shocked expression from his words confirmed it.
And while she might have once been a ball of glowing green energy, Dawn had indeed come into her own, and was as committed to the cause as Buffy ever was. As they all are, Rupert realized. Willing to put themselves on the line for the greater cause.
"What's the plan, Faith?" Rupert stood straight, took her cigarette for one more drag. "We fight. And we win."
Faith shook her head, laughing as she rolled her eyes at her friend.
"Gettin' ahead of yourself there ain't ya G-man? Ain't no reason for nobody to get jealous. You think you're all smart and in the know on every sitch, but not this one man. Not this one."
She smirked. "So keep laughin' it up. We'll see who's gettin' the last laugh."
Taking the last drag, she glanced around to find an ashtray. It was then she saw the sign prohibiting her from the act she'd just taken place in. Shrugging her shoulders she smirked again, stubbing it out on her boot.
"If the plan is to fight and win, then what the hell are we doin' here chattin' and gigglin' like some fuckin' teenagers? Let's go kick some ass."
Thankfully there was little wait for the elevator, and he and Faith managed to squeeze themselves in between a gaggle of grey-haired women in matching outfits.
Rupert leaned into Faith, whispering in her ear. "That's you and Willow in forty years, you know. Blue track suits."
Faith just looked up at the numbers, watching each one light up as they descended. She chose to pretend she didn't hear him this time. In fact, she probably didn't hear him. She was going into battle. Her focus was on the task at hand.
As the doors opened on the lobby level, she stepped out and turned to make sure Giles was with her as she headed towards the basement.
Stopping, she turned and looked at him seriously.
"Look, Giles.I know I ain't much for shit like this. But thanks. For you know, everything or whatever." She shrugged. "Means a lot that we got past all that bullshit and I just kinda wanted to let you know I thought it was cool. So, yeah."
She nodded and turned to start walking again.
Rupert kept pace with Faith. "Tell me again in the bar when this is done and I'll do the same, but not until then. No good-bye speeches now." As the reached the door, he put one hand up to pause his slayer.
"And would it kill you to call me Rupert just once?"
Faith nodded in agreement. She didnt' mean for it to sound like a goodbye speech, but now that she thought about it, it kinda did.
She looked at him and shook her head with that ever present smirk.
"Can't do it G-man. Ain't my style. 'Sides, that name? Too stuffy for you. Makes ya sound like some tweed wearin' librarian or somethin'."
Laughing, she walked past him and into the basement.
"What's wrong with tweed?" he called out, following Faith into the basement.