Shocks

Xander was walking towards the Magic Shop when he saw the Ghost Rider, of all things, going in the opposite direction. This shocked and worried Xander. As the Ghost Rider was a lesser known hero, he was someone who Buffy would probably attack due to how he looked. As he neared the Magic Shop he noticed the main display window was broken. Xander instantly quickened his pace and saw a group of people with Faith and Logan of all people. How did he survive World War Two and not age a day?

As Xander rushed into the Magic Shop, he stopped as he heard an older man's voice say "Now that everyone is here let's get down to business, as you know about Finch's death from Miss Summer's I think that it would only be fair to let you see Faith's side."

"What side? She went psycho. How do you explain that away?" Willow said venomously.

"I said see her side, not hear it." Stick shot back.

"How?" a genuinely curious Tara asked Stick. He seemed certain in his claim and she was sure magic would be involved.

"Blaze managed to reveal the truth the same way you see aura." Psylocke said in a British accent causing everyone who did not know to be startled, especially Giles, who actually recognized the voice.

"How do you know that?" Buffy nearly growled tensing up. She didn't like were this was going.

"Your minds lack the mental defenses that would prevent what you are thinking from projecting so that any low level telepath could hear them." Psylocke said. "I'm not controlling you luv, before you even think that I'm doing that," she added having noticed Willow's expression.

"So...what do you mean by Tara being able to see the truth?" Buffy asked Stick. It seemed this was going to happen, so best to know what she was in for.

"Vampires and people have very different aura's and the fact that spells tend to have a way to trace this fact." Stick said smirking then he nodded to Psylocke.

Flashback

Buffy and Faith were fighting vampires in a dark alley, the enemy coming at them in waves, both throwing targets at the other to be dusted. Then Buffy lost her stake leaving the dusting to Faith. Suddenly a suited figure loomed out foot he shadows and grabbed at Buffy. Buffy in turn grabbed the man they all now recognized as Finch, beat him into submission, and threw him towards Faith slamming him hard into a steel dumpster. Faith quickly kneeled even as sudden realization came over Buffy. Even as the older Slayer screamed "NO!" Faith had begun the plunge into Finch's chest.


Present

Stick smirked the Scoobies were looking at Buffy in shock. "Now you see what I was saying."

"Fine, all's clear now...not. How do we know its not fake?" Xander asked.

Stick chuckled as he pulled out the autopsy report done on Finch from his inner coat pocket. "The stake that killed Finch went with enough force to break ribs, shoving a stake could have caused that, but combined with the fact that Finch had bruising around where you just saw Buffy grab and beat him and that the size of the bruising is too small for Faith's fists.... I also had Faith stab a dead pig with a stake while holding the stake in various fashions, the target in various positions, and Faith striking from various angles. Including with forward momentum and the target vertical but still, the scenario I'm sure you all imagined, and once on the ground as you saw. Again consistent with what you all experienced. The victim was struck from above while on the ground, stake held vertical, and thrust downward.

"The forensics reports also support what you all saw: Buffy Summers attacked Finch and threw him to Faith to be staked. The bruising is too small to be Faith's fists and doesn't match her knuckle pattern. As Faith never actually touched him and her senses filled by the other vampires, she never realized he was human. And neither did Miss Summers until too late.

Likely just as the Mayor wanted, as he had cast a spell that made Finch's aura be the same as a vampire.

Stick looked hard at Buffy Summers then everyone in the room, then settled coldly on Rupert Giles. The old Master was not happy with how the Watcher had handled what amounted to a 'honest' friendly fire incident. Especially the blatant favoritism towards 'his' Slayer shown by Giles during the aftermath in shifting complete blame by default on Faith. He continued even as he glared at the Englishman.

"Thus, no one's fault," the older man said firmly, "just an ugly accident that happens all to often in war, to even the most experienced. It's in how it's handled afterwards that measures you."


"Been in enough of them to know that this is pure friendly fire and not 'you're a liability' friendly fire." Logan said confusing the everyone who did not know of his varied and checkered past with various wars and spy agencies. And one nasty spy mission in particular.