Giles glanced across at Faith as he drove to the motel the Winchesters had said they were staying at.
"Are you ok?" he tried again.
No answer.
Giles sighed quietly, returning his attention to the road ahead, not knowing how to get her out of this mood. She'd been quiet since the night they completed their mission, and he hadn't managed to get a full sentence out of her then. At first he had thought she was tired, but as they packed up to come back to the States, it became clear that something was troubling the young Slayer.
And that troubled him, really. Faith was always hard to read, always troubled, but she was never shy about letting you know if she was angry. She would be snide and cold, or she would take it out on a punching bag, but she was never cut off completely.
He just hoped Sam would be able to get something out of her.
~*~*~*~
Faith's eyes caught Sam's as the car pulled into the parking lot and before Giles had even put the brakes on completely, she'd opened the door and gotten out. She ran over to him, needing something from him she wasn't entirely sure of yet.
She just knew that he would make the crappy feeling go away.
Sam
Sam's grin covered half his face as he enveloped her in his arms, pulling her up to sit on his waist.
"Hi," he breathed.
Faith and Giles
For the first time in days, Faith smiled and she wrapped her arms around Sam's neck.
"Hi," she replied.
Giles parked the car and got out, feeling a little awkward.
Sam
Sam closed his eyes as he hugged her, just breathing in her scent for a good minute or so. Finally, he let her down.
"I got you something," he sniffed a little, pulling a small box from his back pocket and handing it to her.
"Happy birthday for yesterday?" he shrugged.
Faith and Giles
Faith smiled slightly, taking the box from him. She undid the ribbon and opened the top of the box.
"Awww, thanks, Sammich."
Giles was busy pulling their bags from the trunk of the car.
Sam
"You're welcome," Sam smiled again, before looking up at Giles.
He gave Faith a glance before going over to help him with the bags.
Giles and Faith
"Thank you," Giles said quietly.
He looked over at Faith worriedly, as she appeared to be back in her depressed dreamworld now that Sam had left her side.
"Could I have a word?" he asked.
Sam
Sam instantly looked up, holding back a gulp. Now what?
"Sure," he nodded, "maybe once we get inside though, huh?"
Giles and Faith
"Of course," Giles replied.
He closed the trunk once the bags were out, and looked over at Faith again.
She was wandering absently down the footpath, fingers playing with the bracelet that Sam had given her.
Sam
"Or now if it's nothing too serious, it's a bit of a walk," Sam suggested, looking across at Giles as the followed with the bags.
Giles and Faith
"Now would be best," Giles said quietly.
He started in the direction of the room.
"It's about Faith. And the mission."
Faith walked along ahead, barely paying attention to anything around her.
Sam
"Yeah...?" Sam indicated for him to go on.
There was a walk to their room, but it wasn't that long.
Giles
"Uh, I haven't been able to get full sentences out of her since the mission. Or even facial expressions. This is the most lively I've seen her since the mission ended."
Giles shrugged.
"I was hoping you could talk to her. She's bottling a lot of things up, and I figured you'd be the one she would talk to."
Sam
Sam rolled his eyes.
"I should have known," he sighed, shaking his head.
"But yeah. Sure thing."
Giles and Faith
"I worry about her, is all," Giles said, scratching his nose. "And I suspect... while the mission was considered a success... she doesn't quite see it that way."
Faith was standing on the sidewalk, a few metres away, her eyes on the road, almost in her own little world.
Sam
"Yeah, I guessed," Sam grunted, walking up to the door.
He unlocked it, opened and walked through, dumping the bags on Faith and his bed.
Giles and Faith
"I'm sorry," Giles said softly. "I never meant for her to - "
He cut himself off as Faith walked into the room, her face brightening when she looked at Sam.
Sam
"Sure," Sam smirked, before walking over to her again.
He stooped to kiss her cheek before leaning outside the door and looking down the path.
"Dean said he'd be back by the time you got here," he turned back to her and putting a hand on her arm, "but you know him."
Faith and Giles
"Dean wasn't the Winchester boy I was pining for when I was away," Faith teased.
She reached up and kissed Sam's cheek.
Giles smiled faintly, thinking to himself that maybe Faith would be ok now.