"Merlin!" Faith called as she walked into the house. "I'm back."
She looked better. There was a relaxed smile on her face. Her clothes looked more like her style as well. He didn't miss the suitcase and duffle bag she had with her either.
"How was your trip?" Harry asked with a smile.
Faith hooked the door with her foot and closed it, "Great. Dusted some vamps, smashed a couple thugs, did a few things, and got some of my stuff."
"I'm glad you had a good trip," Harry said.
Faith chuckled, "What did I miss?"
"The usual," Harry shrugged. "Potion laced chocolate made adults act like teenagers. Some vampires tried to use the Maternity Ward into a buffet."
Faith nodded, "Sounds fun."
"I ordered pizza and watched TV," Harry added.
Faith shrugged, "I'm going to unpack."
"Are you hungry?" Harry asked.
Faith shook her head as she went up to her room, "I don't want to be overstuffed before patrol."
"Shame," Harry teased.
Faith laughed, "Maybe after patrol."
~
Harry didn't realize he had dozed off until the sound of the door woke him. He was up and on his feet with his wand pointed at the noise on instinct. It always made him wonder where the wand came from. He didn't have a wrist holster anymore nor did he carry it in his back pocket like when he was a kid. His wand simply appeared in his hand when he needed it. It was one of those things that he didn't think too hard about.
He had started the habit of watching the local news in the evening. It made it clear that the local people in charge were doing their best to handwave the danger of the situation. Vampire attacks were written off as public indecency, domestic disputes, drunken brawls, or a mugging. Demons were wild animal attacks. Magic was either a gas leak, spoiled food, or an unexpected reaction to medication. He got the feeling that the newscasters knew it was all lies but were desperate to believe it.
"Easy, Merlin," Faith chuckled.
Harry's vision cleared as he fully woke up. Faith stood in the entry way with a woman he didn't recognize beside her. The woman had stiff posture and a disdainful look that made him instantly not like her. She studied the house with an expression that bordered on disgust.
"Merlin?" The woman asked.
"He's a wizard," Faith explained.
The woman raised her eyebrows taking another look at him. He caught a slight twitch of the corner of her mouth when she saw the wand he held. It made him think of all the annoying Pureblood twats he had to deal with in the past.
"Who's your friend?" Harry asked.
"My new Watcher," Faith replied. "Gwen Post."
"Mrs. Gwendolyn Post," The woman corrected.
"The British are invading," Faith laughed.
"Could I offer you some tea?" Harry offered.
"Tea?" Faith questioned. "I thought you drank coffee?"
"I drink coffee in the morning," Harry corrected. "Tea isn't restricted by the time of day."
"That would be lovely," Mrs. Post cut in.
Harry shook off the linger sleep as he walked into the kitchen. He kept an ear out to listen to their conversation. Everything about the woman set his hackles on edge. She could just be a jerk, but he wanted to be sure.
He went through the process of making his own personal blend of tea. Honest-Tea as he liked to call it. He wasn't usually one for puns, but it fit. Neville had discovered multiple uses for mundane herds when treated through magical means. Treated Hibiscus Powder was nearly tasteless and had an effect similar to diluted Veritaserum. It wasn't a full Truth Serum, thus not restricted by Ministry Law.
Harry returned carrying the teapot and three cups.
"I don't want any," Faith said.
Harry nodded, "No problem."
He poured himself a cup then another for Mrs. Post. She watched him take a couple of sips before she made her own.
"Is Merlin your given name?" Mrs. Post asked.
Harry chuckled, "No, it's Harry."
"And how much do you know about all of this situation?" She asked.
"The vampires, demons, and monsters?" Harry asked. "A little."
"Quite," Mrs. Post gave a tight smile.
He waited a few sips through casual conversation before he asked the real questions.
"What brings you here?" Harry asked.
"The Glove of Myhnegon," Mrs. Post replied smoothly. "I've been tracking it since before I was fired from being a Watcher."
Harry nodded. Faith went rigid.
"Why did you get fired?" Harry kept his voice even and friendly.
Her voice was laced with venom, "The stuffy old men who never step foot out of their Council Chambers think Black Magic is too dangerous." She took another sip. "Please, we're Watchers. We have to understand what the enemy uses so we can better fight it. They'll see that I was right and they were wrong just in time for me to kill them all."
"You're not here to be Faith's Watcher?" Harry asked.
Mrs. Post gave a single, forced laugh, "Please. Those fools are still trying to figure out who to assign. Rupert might be on the outs with the Council but at least he has actual experience. Nepotism will play a bigger part in the assignment than competency." She paused to take another sip. "This is truly delightful. There is a subtle flavor that I can't place."
"Powdered Hibiscus," Harry offered. "It's been stewed with Sopophorous Bean paste. Veritaserum has a strong taste that is hard to hide. It doesn't induce the fugue state of standard truth serums."
Mrs. Post nodded, "I will have to note that for the future."
Harry waited until she put down her empty cup before he hit her with a stunner.
"What the fuck?" Faith yelled. "She's not a Watcher?! How did you know?"
Harry shrugged, "I didn't."
"Then why did you poison her?" She asked.
Harry motioned to the unconscious woman, "She reminded me of someone I don't like."
"Damn," Faith growled.
She glared at the woman for a moment before punching her in the face. Mrs. Post went sprawling across the floor. Her unconscious form was more flexible than expected. Ropes appeared wrapping around the woman until she was properly restrained.
"I didn't know you could do that," Faith muttered.
Harry laughed, "It's not as fun as you'd think." He levitated her over to the couch. "I'll call Giles. This glove thing must be close if she's here. We don't want someone to find it before we do."
"I'll keep an eye on her," Faith crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall.
He nodded before he tried to call Giles. The line rang for a while without any answer. He hung up and checked to make sure he had dialed it correctly. The second attempt also went unanswered.
"Giles isn't answering," Harry said.
"It's late," Faith said. "Even for us." A wicked smile crossed her face. "Wait a minute. You drank that truth stuff too."
Harry didn't like the idea of keeping this woman in his house for much longer.
"Yes, I did," He answered distractedly. "I'm rather resistant to mental magic."
"I could ask you anything and you would tell me?" She asked.
Leaving her on the couch sounded like a bad idea. Locking her out of sight was just asking for trouble.
"How many women have you slept with?" Faith asked.
"Fourteen including you," Harry didn't look up. "Twenty if you count foreplay."
He had cleared out the basement. There wasn't anything down there she could use to escape. The conjured ropes weren't anything special. She could potentially cut them or untie the knots.
"Who was the best?" Faith asked.
"Su Li," He replied. "We went to the same school. I didn't know her well back then with everything happening. It was a one-time thing. She's married now. "
The unplanned nap earlier was going to have to be enough for now. He had some extra Pepper-Up Potion that he could use to keep watch.
Harry looked at Faith to see her smiling like crazy. He suddenly realized that he hadn't been paying attention to their conversation. His resistance to mental magic worked on potions as well. He could shrug off Veritaserum easier than an Imperio. The taste was too strong to hide. Honest-Tea was subtle, he had to pay attention to stop it.
"What did you ask?" His voice was void of all emotion.
Faith straightened her posture, "Nothing serious."
The air grew heavy with magical energy.
"Easy, Merlin," Faith soothed. "I just asked who you've been fucking."
Harry relaxed, "Oh. That's fine. I would tell you that without the tea."
"That was dramatic," Faith said.
Harry forced himself to relax, "I don't like people in my head."
"Sorry," Faith winced.
Harry nodded, "Now you know." He motioned at Mrs. Post. "I have a potion that will keep me awake to keep an eye on her. Go get some sleep."
"This did kill the mood," Faith glared at the woman. "I should punch her again for that. I was looking forward to getting overstuffed."
Harry rolled his eyes, "Go to bed."
He went upstairs to his potions room for a Pepper-Up. His supplies weren't going nearly as far as he had hoped. It was time for another trip to the Magic Box for a restock. His experimenting with the Wolfsbane Potion had used a lot more than he realized.
~
Giles arrived the next morning to take Mrs. Post into custody. Harry had no idea what they planned to do with her, but he was glad she was out of his house.
"We are having a meeting this afternoon to speak with Buffy," Giles said to both Harry and Faith. "You two are invited if you would like."
Harry shared a look with Faith. She shrugged.
"Sure," Faith said after a moment. "What's going on?"
Giles paused at the door, "Angel is alive and she's been hiding him."
"She told you?" Harry asked.
Giles shook his head, "No. Xander discovered it."
"Her dead ex isn't dead," Faith grunted. "Clingy guys are the worst."
"We'll see you this afternoon," Giles said before leaving.
Faith waited until Giles was gone before she spoke.
"You knew?" Faith asked.
Harry nodded, "She told me a while ago."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Faith asked, there was a spark of heat in her voice.
Harry shrugged, "It wasn't my secret to tell."
"Fuck," Faith groaned. "I can respect that."
Harry smiled, "It makes sense she would keep it a secret with how her friends are taking it."
"We have a few hours to waste," Faith wiggled her eyebrows at him.
Harry chuckled, "My potion is wearing off. I need sleep."
~
Harry and Faith were the last to show up to the intervention. Everyone else was already brooding while they waited.
"Hey, Harry. Hey, Faith," Willow waved at them.
She tried to smile but it was clearly forced.
"Hello, Willow," Harry said giving her a genuine smile.
Faith dropped into a chair at the table and kicked her feet up, "What's the plan? Are we coming out swinging? Has her mind been scrambled? Is the dick just that good?"
"Faith!" Giles snapped. "This is not the time for jokes."
Harry raised his eyebrows at the reaction, "Could you fill me in on the details? I understand that Angel is back, but you seem more invested than a concerned Watcher."
"The last time Angel was around he tried to summon a demon to plunge the world into a hell dimension," Giles explained. "Along the way he killed Kendra, the slayer before Faith. Jenny, a woman whom I was in a romantic relationship with, as well. Not to mention he tortured me physically and mentally."
Harry winced, "Was this before or after the spell to return his soul?"
"Before," Willow added softly.
Harry nodded, "Then it wasn't actually him, was it? His soul was returned before she killed him. It stands to reason that he came back with his soul considering we haven't heard of a bloody rampage and there aren't demons swarming the streets."
"How did you know that?" Giles asked staring directly at Harry.
"Buffy told me," Harry stated simply.
Xander jumped to his feet sending his chair to the ground, "You knew!"
"Yes," Harry nodded.
Xander fumed, "Why didn't you say anything?"
"It wasn't my secret to tell," Harry repeated the phrase from before. "She told me in confidence. I am not going to break it. She has proven in the past that she will take care of Angel should the situation go bad."
"Thank you, Harry," Buffy spoke from the doorway.
The group turned to face her.
"He's back," Buffy said with a shudder in her voice. "Angel. Not Angelus. I know you're all upset, but you have to trust me. It's really him."
Their anger was now spread between her and Harry.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Giles asked softly.
Buffy winced, "I knew you wouldn't listen. You don't trust me with this stuff. Just look at this. You're all here to ambush me like some sort of after school special." She took a breath. "I told Harry because he wouldn't judge me."
"Thanks, B," Faith scoffed.
Buffy shook her head, "You're telling me you wouldn't have gone to stab-happy if I told you?"
"Fair," Faith shrugged. "See a vamp, stake it. It's kept me alive for this long."
Buffy motioned to Faith, "See. Who was I supposed to tell?"
"Buffy," Giles took a step closer to her. "He tortured me, taunted me with Jenny's death, and you hid him from us. You don't trust or respect me."
The Watcher left those words hanging in the air before he went into his office and closed the door.
"He's Angel, not Angelus," Buffy said softly. "Please, trust me."
Xander spoke before anyone else, "You know it's him? Tongue wrestling with him was the only way to figure that out?"
"You followed me?" Buffy asked.
Xander shook his head, "I followed him."
"And then you spied on us," Buffy fueled her words with bubbling anger.
Xander glared at her, "How else was I supposed to learn the truth?"
Harry took in the situation. It was weird being on this side of things. He was usually the one getting put on the spot.
"Xander," Harry said.
"What?" Xander snapped turning back toward Harry.
"Do you trust Buffy?" He asked.
Xander scoffed, "Not right now."
"What about this morning?" Harry asked. "Or yesterday? What about next week when she saves all of your lives again?"
"Who said you could say anything?" Cordelia spoke up in defense of her boyfriend.
"I was invited," Harry shrugged. "Once Angel went evil, or became Angelus, did Buffy help him?"
"No," Willow answered. "Of course not."
Harry motioned to Willow, "Why would she do it now? She killed him once and it broke her heart. She would do it again if he was evil."
"Thanks, Harry," Buffy whispered.
Harry stood, "I'll go talk to him."
"What?" Willow gasped.
"Great idea!" Cordelia said.
They all looked at her.
"What?" Cordelia asked. "Then Harry can kill him. Problem solved."
Harry sighed, "I will kill him if he's evil. That means you'll have to trust my judgement."
"I'm fine with that," Oz finally spoke. "You've done nothing but help since you got here."
Faith hopped to her feet, "I'll come too."
"No," Buffy said.
Faith rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to stake him. Yet. I just want to meet the vamp that popped a slayers cherry."
Harry pinched the bridge of his nose while everyone else stared at Faith in shock.
"Buffy," He said after a moment. "Would you take me to him?"
She nodded. Faith jogged to catch up as they left.
"It's a little bit of a walk," Buffy cautioned.
Faith scanned the parking lot, "No problem."
She found a red sports car that met her requirements. The two watched as she strolled over to the car then punched through the driver's side window. She reached in, unlocked the door, and slid inside. A moment later the engine sparked to life.
"Let's go!" Faith called.
Harry shrugged and walked over to the car.
"There are only two seats," Buffy stated.
"Guess you'll have to ride Harry," Faith teased.
Harry got into the passenger seat. Buffy blushed as she climbed in a moment later. It took a moment to get comfortable only to have to do it all over again once Harry tried to put on the seatbelt.
"Safety first," Harry answered her unasked question.
Faith revved the engine, "Hold on."