Chapter 6
**
Previously:
Penny held up the stake she had taken from Riley. “Plastic wood-grain. It doesn’t kill; it’s only purpose is to cause pain.” Placing her hand on Spike’s shoulder, she finished her point by looking at Riley as she asked, “Who’s the real monster?”
**
“You Bitch,” Riley snarled at the psychologist. “You set me up.” Moving toward her, he made an attempt to grab her, his large hands useless in catching her non-corporeal body.
Before anyone else could, Penny had the ex-soldier stumbling backwards by purposefully poking him in the chest as she made her thoughts clear. “I have asked you not to touch me. I have told you not to touch me. Now I’m telling you that if you attempt to manhandle me again, I will take that to mean that you have decided that you’d prefer to speak in falsetto for the rest of your miserable little life.”
“I’ve had enough of this. Buffy, we’re leaving.” Riley held out his hand imperiously to the small blonde.
“Well you certainly are,” Buffy replied coldly.
“I can turn him into a rat if you like, Buffy?” Willow offered in mock innocence, outraged at the ex-soldier.
“I’d be willing to have Spike’s chip removed and then lock ‘em in a room together. Spike deserves a little payback,” Xander apologized, in his own way, to the vampire.
“I believe it’s time you left, Mr. Finn. I suggest you stay away from all of us—very far away.” Ripper made his presence known.
“You can’t be serious. I’m not going to let you make a mistake like this, Buffy. You can’t break up with me because of somebody who claims to be a representative of the Powers That Be – whatever they are!” Riley exclaimed, incensed.
“I’m not,” Buffy announced firmly, much to the shock of her friends, and the delight of Riley. Waiting for the right moment, she continued. “I’m breaking up with you because of the stake, Riley. And because there is no excuse you could ever come up with that could make that right. Goodbye, Riley.”
They all watched the dejected ex-soldier leave.
“Can I ask a question?” Xander focused his pain filled eyes on Penny.
Penny considered the boy for a moment before she answered with a question of her own. “It’s about Jesse, isn’t it?”
His tearful nod had her giving him a consoling and commiserating smile. When Xander seemed unable to put his question into words, Penny took it upon herself to alleviate his pain. “You did the right thing, Xander. You didn’t have a choice.”
“You’ve all been under the mistaken impression for so long that the soul is what makes the difference between good and evil, that you may find it hard to adjust your way of thinking,” Penny started. “The soul is not responsible for good or evil. If it were then Hitler, Charles Manson and John Wayne Gacy would all be soulless. But then you all know this intellectually.
“In the supernatural world, the side you are on, whether good or evil, is a conscious choice made by your natural inclinations. Demons know the difference between right and wrong, but most of them just don’t care. The majority of demons choose evil because it’s easier. It’s always easier to give in to your own selfish desires, but with supernatural beings, that can be disastrous to humans, thus the need for a Champion of the People. You waste so much time and energy on hating the enemy that you don’t have enough left to consider your options. Most demons who meet a slayer get slayed. They aren’t given the opportunity to choose a different lifestyle. The Council has taught you the way they want the order of the world, but at the same time they’ve kept from you the knowledge of how it used to be. Did you know there was a time when a slayer would leave a message for the local demon community to tell them that they would be left in peace as long as they followed the rule: you hunt, you die? But, I digress. Xander wanted to know about Jesse.” Penny smiled at the young man.
“With the obvious exception of Spike, I would have expected you to understand what happened with Jesse more than anyone, Xander. You went through the same feelings of freedom and revelled in your darker side when you were possessed by the hyena spirit. No Xander, don’t deny the memories, we both know you remember.” Penny refused to allow him the comfort of his denial. “The difference between you and Jesse is that you were cleansed of your possession whether you wanted to be or not, and Jesse couldn’t be, even if he wanted it. But, think about it, Xander. What fifteen year old hormone bomb would want to give up those feelings?” Anya attempted to console the young man by patting him awkwardly on the back. His embarrassment, as he saw Buffy stiffen at her own memories of the event, had him bowing his head in shame.
“Jesse made his choice, which in turn forced you to make yours. You made the right one, Xander. It’s alright to grieve for your friend, but grieve his choices, not yours. If you need someone to focus your anger on, focus it on Darla. She’s the one who turned him.”
“Darla’s dust.” Buffy spoke softly.
“Not since the resurrection,” Penny told them.
“What?” Xander gasped.
“What resurrection?” Willow stood in surprise.
“Good Lord, when did this happen?” Giles questioned, concerned.
“Bloody hell, what bleedin’ moron would bring that vicious whore back?” Spike savagely spat out.
“Wait…you hate her too?” A surprised Xander asked Spike.
“With a bloody passion, mate,” Spike returned.
“I have something in common with the bleached menace…who’da thunk it?” Xander joked, malice nowhere in sight.
“Penny?” Buffy said as she attempted to control the direction of the conversation. “What happened with Darla?”
Looking at the expressions on the faces around the room, Penny made her decision and turned to Anya. “Does the phone here have conference mode?”
“Of course, but I’m not paying for the call if it’s not Magic Box business.”
“Get the phone, Anya. I’ll pay for the call,” Giles insisted, intrigued.
“Who are we calling?” Buffy asked, terrified that she already knew the answer.
Penny confirmed Buffy’s suspicions with a single dreaded word.
“Angel.”