Faith stood there a little shocked and stunned. ""You want me to kill the deputy mayor? Won't that kind of throw your election cycle for a loop?"

The mayor laughed as he waked behind his desk. He sat down in his chair. "The voters won't miss him."

Faith sat on the edge of the desk "Can I ask you why?"

The Mayor made a disgusted face "Allen was good in the start. He would follow and do as he was told."

"Let me guess he is falling out of favor."

"I can't be questioned Faith. Everything is going to fall in to place. If you can't stand in line with my plan than I have no place for you."

"So fire him?"

"With what he knows. It's a loose end Faith. I can't have loose ends." He drummed his fingers along his desk. "Faith you seem reluctant."

She put her hands up. "Hey I am not a saint I just."

The Mayor sighed. "You've never killed a man before and you have complications."

"No I mean yeah but."

"Faith being human means you over think over analyze things. You put more stock in to things than deserved. You have these ideas about things that just really don't matter. Right or wrong, Good or Evil are just ideals that in the grand scheme of things really add up to a whole lot of nothing."

"Yeah but."

"This whole human lives are sacred or something right."

"Well yeah."

"You kill vampires right?"

"Yeah but they kill people so it is about me protecting people."

"Ever eaten a hamburger Faith."

"That's not the same thing."

"Why? A vampire is killing to feed. You could make an argument that they have to have the blood to live. People don't care about the animals they are eating and they could choose to eat plants or fruits."

"Butchering a cow and killing a man are a world apart."

"Some would disagree."

"Well anyways I don't want to end up doing 20 to life."

He just laughed and slapped his knee. "See that is a better reason. There is nothing wrong with some self-preservation. Let me put your mind at ease though. First off I run this town and no police officer is going to touch you. I promise I will keep you safe."

Faith stood up and crossed the room looking out the window for a second. She finally turned around. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"You are right I am making a bigger deal out of this than I should. You give me the details of where he will be and I will have him dead by morning."

The mayor put his hands up shaking his head. "Oh no not that soon. I need him for something important next Saturday so you can kill him Sunday." "

"What is the something important?"

"The boy scouts are doing a pancake breakfast and if you kill him before that than I have to go and trust me I have no interest."

"You don't like pancakes?"

"Lord no. They are soppy sticky sweet pieces of bread. I hate pancakes."

Faith looked at him confused not even sure what to say. "You are a strange guy."

"You don't even know the half of it."

Monday morning before school Xander was sitting under a tree on the quad. His face was still swollen and bruised from his one on one with Faith. On top of that his ribs hurt and his chest looked a shade of purple resembling an eggplant.

Cordeila still stayed in the loop via Willow. They were far from best friends but they had a healthy respect for each other. So she wasn't surprised to see Xander in the condition he was in as she approached.

"Wow you look like hell."

Xander closed up the book and looked up at her. "Well chicks dig scars."

"May I sit?" Before he could answer she sat back down. "So you and Faith exploded."

"You heard?"

"I did."

"Cordy I don't."

"Wan to talk about it? Well tough luck. What were you even thinking jumping back in to the dating pool so soon after we broke up."

"Hind sight is always 20 20. If I had to do it over again."

"You'd still make the same dumb ass mistake."

"Well this is fun. Did you come by to rub salt in the wound."

"Oh stop being a baby." She sighed and shook her head. "Xander there is something I want from you."

"Of course there is." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "What do you want?"

"Do you know how many guys in the last 2 weeks have asked me to prom?"

"A dozen?"

"14 Xander. 14 guys. We aren't talking slumps either. The student council president asked me. Percy the captain of the basketball team asked me. The list is pretty impressive."

"So whom are you going with?"

"Well that's why I'm here and talking to you."

"Cordy you aren't asking me?"

"Xander hear me out."

"Cordy we broke up for a reason. I mean nothing has changed."

She flicked the side of his head with her fingers. "Oh my God dumb ass I'm not saying we need to get back together. I don't have the time or the patience for that big of a project."

"So you just want me to take you to prom?"

"Pretty much."

Xander sighed and shook his head. "Cordy you have a bunch of guys that want to take you."

"I don't want to go with them. I want to go with you."

"Why?"

"Xander I knew you and I weren't going to be long term. I thought we would honestly finish out the school year though. I was looking forward to us going to prom. You are the one I want to go with."

Xander sighed and looked at the ground "Cordy that is amazing and I can't think of anyone I would rather go with but right now with Faith going rogue this new thing with the mayor."

"That is all the more reason you need to say yes."

"Cordy."

She cut him off. "Remember how you would tease me about all my little extra curricular?"

"I might have poked and prodded a bit."

"In a town like Sunnydale where you have something new to worry about every week I would deal with it by burying myself in all of those silly little things." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I know in the grand scheme of things in the world the perfect human pyramid is silly but it helped to keep my mind off of all the other things."

"I'm glad you have those things Cordy."

"You are listening Xander but you are missing the point. You have so much on your plate right now, Faith, The nightly patrols, Buffy and the baby. I get it. Your plate is full. I'm asking you though to let me offer you this one tiny distraction."

Xander sighed and looked down at his feet not sure what to say "It would be nice to have that escape for even one night." He smiled and looked up at her. "You win."

"I win?"

"Yes. I will go to prom with you."

Cordy pulled back a little angry. "You know what forget it."

Xander stood there confused watching her march away pissed off. "What the hell just happened?"

Giles was in the library reading through the brief bit of knowledge he could find on the mayor. Buffy was sitting on he edge of the table. "So the towns mayor is evil?"

Giles kept his face in the manila folder. "Well he is a politician so that might be redundant but the information on the mayor is few and far between." He looked up at Buffy. "He's not human I know that?"

"Vampire?"

Giles shook his head. "I don't believe so." He crossed to Buffy and handed her a photo. It was an old grainy black and white. "That is Richard Wilkins the 2nd. Does he look familiar?"

Buffy scanned the photo and it looked exactly like the mayor. "You think this is him?"

"He just became Richard Wilkins the 3rd and explains away how he has been alive for so long."

Buffy read through the papers. "Richard Wilkins the 1st was one of the founders of this town. Maybe that explains why Sunnydale is on a hellmouth."

"I have the council working on anything they can find on him. Angel is reaching out to his sources." Giles let go of a deep breath and turned to Buffy. "How is Xander holding up?"

"He won't admit it but I know it is killing him that he couldn't reach Faith. If you are asking how he is doing physically. His wounds will heal. At least the ones you can see."

Standing in the door way he called out to Buffy. "You talking about me again?"

She jumped a little startled. "I didn't see you there I."

He smiled and started towards her. "It's fine Buffy." He sat on the edge of the table. "Rule number 1 today I don't want to hear any question about How am I doing or holding up or my general well being."

Buffy nodded at him. "So what does that leave us to talk about?"

Xander was digging through his book bag looking for the other half of his pop tart. "Buffy are you going to prom?
Buffy look surprised at the question. "I guess I haven't thought about it. I mean it is 3 weeks away. I am going to talk to Angel but."

Giles turned around heading in to his office. "As much as I love a good discussion on all things dance related I'm going to place a few calls."

Xander laughed and shrugged. "Cordy says that I need prom if for no other reason that it is a much needed distraction to hide from all the other messed up shit going on right now."

Buffy looked shocked. "You are going to prom with Cordy?"

Xander rolled his eyes at her. "Could you be any more nosey?"

"Well you brought it up and."

"For the record I asked her and she said no. It was kind of mean of her."

"Well it is Cordy she is really good at you know the mean."

Xander shook his head "Yeah but she was the one who set it up. She told me that of all the guys she wanted to go with I was her first choice."

"That is confusing." She stood in front of him and looked him in the eyes. "Think back what exactly did you say to her."

Xander opened his mouth trying to remember. "I think it was something like alright you win I'll go to prom with you. "

Buffy laughed. "Oh my God you did not say that."

"What is the big deal I told her I'd go with her. It is what she wanted."

Buffy just shook her head. "Take a seat Xander. I'm going to teach you a thing or two about women."

He was going to argue but stopped. "Fine."

Buffy sat across from him. "You made it sound like she beat you in to submission. Never mind that she came to you painted this picture that you were her first choice but you made it out like taking her to prom was doing her a favor."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"You might not have meant it like that but this is Cordy and how it came across."

Xander put his hands up in surrender. "You are right."

Buffy twinged a little and shook her head. "It's not your fault Xander but after everything she has been through this year. She deserves to be properly asked to prom."

Xander shook his head. "I don't even know if I should be thinking about prom. I mean with all that is going on right now."

"That is more than enough reason to go. I agree with Cordy. We all deserve one night where we don't have to think about potentially world ending scenarios."

"It has been too long since we've had one of those."

"So is this maybe the start of you and Cordy getting back together?"

Xander stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder ignoring her question. "I am going to go find her and ask her properly."

Buffy stood up ready to leave but heard footsteps behind her. "Oh Prom isn't that just so sweet."

Buffy didn't have to even turn around to recognize the voice. "Faith."

"Did you miss me?"

Buffy turned glaring at her. "I'm not afraid of you. Just because I shouldn't fight doesn't mean I can't"

Faith just laughed. "Relax. I'm not here for you. Where is Giles?"

Buffy shook her head not giving up any info. "You going to beat him up too?" She crossed her arms not backing down. "You'll have to go through me."

Faith rolled her eyes. "You know I'm kind of wondering. Are you jealous of Cordy now? Since Xander is taking her to prom?"

Buffy laughed, "Are you jealous of Cordeila You know the fact that Xander got over you so quickly. I mean the wounds are literally still fresh and he's moved on. That has to sting."

Faith glared at her. "I'd watch what I say. Would hate to see anything happen to your baby."

Giles office door opened as he stood there looking at Faith. "Your quarrel isn't with Buffy."

Buffy stood her ground. "Giles I'm not going to."

Giles stepped to Buffy. "I am not going to put you in any more danger than need be. I am still your watcher and I am ordering you to step aside."

Faith just laughed. "This is sweet. Really it is. You know what I've been thinking. If you weren't pregnant and were still active as a slayer would Giles had put the needle in your arm."

Giles cleared his throat. "Faith if you want me to apologize I will. I've made mistakes. That isn't why you are here though."

Faith glared at her former watcher. "I'm here to tell you when all of this is done. You and I are going to even up. I am going to find you and when I'm done your life won't be worth the trash in that garbage can." With that Faith turned around walking away.

Giles stood his ground. "It doesn't have to be this way Faith."

She refused to turn even giving him eye contact. "Stop trying to recruit me. I've picked my side and it's the winning side." With that she walked out the door and slipped away blending in with all the other students passing in the hallway.

Giles looked at Buffy. "You should get to class."

"So we aren't going to discuss what just happened?"

"What is to discuss? Faith is a viable threat. I don't want to see anyone hurt but we must prepare for a future where she is now the enemy."

"But Giles she said."

"I said. Get to class Buffy"

Buffy opened her mouth to object but knew it was pointless to argue."Fine."

As the school day was ending Xander was leaning against the passenger side door of Cordeila's Corvette waiting for he to come out. She spotted him and shook her head. "You cant buff my car with your jeans so get the hell off."

He straightened up quickly. "Cordy give me 2 minutes."

"Why?"

"Cause I was an ass this morning and I want to apologize."

She tapped her foot. "You are an ass. 2 minutes? Okay you win."

Xander chuckled a little. "I deserve that." He looked at her. "Cordy any guy in this school would be lucky to take you to prom. You are amazing and I have to admit when you approached me this morning I didn't get it. You could go with anyone but you chose me. Where I should have shown gratitude I came off as an ungrateful dick and you deserve so much better than that."

She nodded. "So far you are right on all of your points."

Xander looked at her. "So right here and right now I'm asking you. Please Cordy make me the luckiest guy in the school and go to prom with me."

She crossed her arms still looking at him angry. "If I do agree to go with you I get to pick out your tux. You have terrible fashion sense and I'm not leaving it up to you."

"That is fair"

"And don't get the idea in your head just cause we are going to prom means you are getting any afterwards. I know what the after prom tradition is but."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"And you will worship me as the Goddess that I am both at prom and the weeks leading up to it."

"Seems a bit much but okay."

She put out her hand. "Xander Harris you got yourself a prom date."

Xander took her hand shaking it. "Deal."

Cordy opened her car door. "Okay well we will go look at formal wear this weekend. I will call you tonight."

"Thank you Cordy."

Xander turned to walk to his car but stopped as he passed Jonathan sitting on a bench. He had the sad defeated look on his face. A part of Xander said keep walking but something told him to stop.

"Johnny you look miserable, what is wrong man?"

"Like you care." Jonathan looked up to see Xander. The mix of cuts and bruises on his face still visible. "What happened to you?"

Xander sighed "Sunnydale happened to me. Something about this town that just makes you."

"Want to eat a bullet?"

Xander looked at him a little surprised. "That's a tad bit darker than I was going to go."

"Seriously some days this school just pisses on you and."

"Been there. What has you so messed up?"

"Harmony did this whole joke where she set me up to ask her out to prom. She made it like she wanted to go with me. Than when I asked her she turned it in to this prank where she just humiliated me."

"Oh my God. You dodged a bullet there."

"What?"

"Harmony is a pain in the ass that knows no end. Trust me when I tell you that you are way better off."

"You think?"

"Oh I know it. What gets me is why would you even want to go with her?"

He shrugged. "Who else is going to go with me? I am practically a leper at this school."

"Get up."

"Why?"

"I'm hungry. Let's get a pizza and a drink. You look like you could use a friend."

Jonathan just looked at her. "I don't need pity."

"This isn't pity. This is me telling you I have been where you are. Now come on let's go."

Jonathan sighed ready to object but figured what the hell. "Fine."

"I promise you Jonathan things are going to turn around."