Faith stood in her apartment looking herself over. She was wearing tight black pants and a matching tank top. She grabbed her leather jacket and started to put it on when there was a knock at the door. She turned around at the door opening it. The mayor stood there.
"So what do you think of the apartment?"
"It's great. Fridge is full and the bed is comfy what else can you ask for?"
The mayor stepped in walking past her. "Well maybe one more thing. I have a gift for you." Just than a man who looked like a professional wrestler stepped in to the room carrying a tiny gift bag.
Faith looked at the man up and down. "You got me a walking steroid?"
The mayor just laughed "Oh no. Tommy here is just some hired muscle."
Tommy stepped up to Faith and raised his arm to her putting the gift bag in her face. Faith looked confused taking the bag. "Didn't know we were exchanging gifts."
The mayor moved in to the apartment inspecting things, as he talked "Oh it's not much Just my way of saying welcome to the team."
Faith pulled out a knife. The handle had a nice curve and the blade split right down the center. "Wow this is."
The mayor smiled. "Made just for you. I was thinking you could use it tonight when you kill Finch."
"That is very thoughtful of you." Faith joined him in the living room and walked to the mirror looking herself over. The mayor stepped behind her.
"Do you have butterflies in your stomach?"
Faith looked at him curious. "No Why would I?"
"It is just your first human kill and."
"And you were right, I was over thinking it. There are billions of people on this planet and what makes him so special? Just one life gone. It's not even speck in the grand scheme of things."
The Mayor just nodded in agreement. "So walk me through your plan."
"Well since this is a whole test of loyalty I am assuming you want the body as proof?"
Mayor shook his head. "That won't be needed. See Tommy is going to come along with you. He's not going to help but he will just act as my eyes."
Faith looked at the lump of muscle and flesh. He didn't look very smart. "I'm fine with that but he better stay out of my way. No offense Tommy."
The Mayor just laughed. "He doesn't talk. It's a long story."
Faith laughed, "A guy who cant talk I think I'm starting to like him even more."
The Mayors look turned much more stoic and stern. "Faith I want you to walk me through what your plan is."
"He is most vulnerable at home. He lives alone. We will be waiting for him there when he walks in. From there I plan on killing him in his living room."
The mayor nodded "When he is dead Tommy will take you some where to dispose of the body. I do have one request."
"What?"
"Allen has to die but no need to be overly dramatic or drawn out. Just make it something quick and painless. It would be nice if you could do it so he didn't even see it coming."
"I can do that. But in turn I have my own request."
"A little tit for tat. I am willing to listen."
"All of the people I used to call friends they are hands off to you. That includes the vampire."
"You aren't with them anymore. They are your enemy and you protecting them."
"Protecting them? That Fucking asshole watcher poisoned me. He tried to get me killed. All of them played like they were my friends. It was all bullshit though. It was about what could you do for me. I want payback on all of them and if anyone tries to take that from me they are going to deal with me."
The mayor folded his arms. "Faith vengeance clouds judgment. Emotions makes things messy and." He looked in to her eyes. "Ah darn it. When you look at me with those big puppy dog browns I just." He nodded. "Okay I'll give you this one."
Faith jumped at him hugging him. "Thank you so much. I promise after this I'll do everything your way."
The mayor hugged her back but felt awkward about it. Usually he wasn't so touchy feely. "Well you do good tonight and we will have that sit down and bring you in to my circle."
Faith pulled back. "Well Tommy and I got an appointment with Mister Deputy Mayor."
The mayor just laughed. "You too have fun. Not too much fun."
Tommy followed Faith out the door like a stupid loyal puppy. "You heard him Tommy Boy lets have some fun."
Buffy sat at the long table in Angel's dining room poking through her Chinese food. Angel was reading through a book. Buffy cleared her throat. "So there has been something I wanted to ask you?'
Angel closed the book looking up. "It sounds kind of serious?"
Buffy stammered, "It is. Sort of. Just not in the end of the world serious we usually face."
"What's on your mind?"
"So Willow is going with Oz to prom and in the surprising move of the year Xander and Cordy are pulling a one night only reunion tour thing so they can go to prom."
"Oh." It was obvious where Buffy was going with this. "And this is you senior year and you want to say you attended prom?"
"I know to someone like you it seems silly and I get it. It is silly but it's also one of those moments in life where you look back on years later and say."
"Buffy it's okay. You don't have to sell anymore. I get it. If you want me to go. I will."
"Really?"
He laughed. "Yes really. I know I come off as broody and dark sometimes but that doesn't mean I don't care."
"I know you care. I just."
"It is important to you. Which means it is important to me."
"It is important." She grumbled. "I just hope I'm able to go."
"Why wouldn't you be able?"
"I'm getting bigger and bigger daily Angel. Principal butthole is just waiting for any excuse to throw me out of the school again. I swear I thinks he knows I am pregnant."
"Can he throw you out for being pregnant?"
"Mom says if he does than she is going to hire a lawyer to challenge him but."
"But you don't want the fight or the attention that something like that would bring."
Angel looked at the table and shook his head. "When Xander and I switched bodies I made some poor choices. I will own that now."
Buffy sighed and took in a deep breath. "Angel you weren't the only one."
"I know but I am the older one. I've been around long enough to know better. 200 years as a vampire you learn a lot about yourself and 1 month as a teenager wipes all of that out."
"Angel I didn't plan on this baby but I don't curse it. It's one of those things life throws you. You don't plan on it but you roll with it. I've already talked to my mom. She's going to watch the baby as much as she can when I have my college courses and I have good friends and"
"Xander."
Buffy nodded trying to find the right words. "We are going to double team this."
Angel thought over his words. "Buffy I don't want to start the argument about Xander as the father again but do you really think . I mean do you honestly believe he is going to be a good father."
"I think he is going to screw up along the way but if I'm being honest I think I will too. I think he is some one I can count on. I think he is someone who will be there for this child. He's not perfect but I have faith in him."
Angel reached out and took her hand. "I haven't made everything easy. I know that. I want you to be able to count on me though too. "
Buffy got up and crossed to him hugging him "That is good cause I'm going to lean on you so much."
"Well for right now I can help you out by giving you a lift home. I am going to meet up with Xander and Giles. We are going to get patrol done."
"Oh God please don't let Giles die."
Angel laughed. "I promise I will keep both of them safe."
"Thank you and I will take a ride but drop me at Willows. I'm spending the night there."
"Really?"
"I feel like since the pregnancy thing I'm not connecting enough with her so we are going to have a girls night."
A few minutes later she kissed Angel good bye as he dropped her off at Willow's front door. Buffy didn't tell him it but the kiss only made things worse. Lately she had been constantly in the mood for action. Kissing Angel was like pouring gasoline on a campfire.
Willow came out greeting her at the door with a hug. "Hey Buffy. Come on in."
"Thanks Will."
She stepped in to the living room. "So what do you want to do first?"
"I know it's terrible cause I just ate at Angel's but do you have any food?"
Willow laughed. "I know exactly how you think so I ordered a pizza and it's on the way."
"You do know that you are like the best ever."
An hour later the two of them were watching a movie while Buffy finished her 3rd slice. "James Spader is so hot in this movie."
"Really? I mean he's kind of the douche bag bad guy. I think I'm more of a Ducky type girl."
"Ducky Is hot too. I mean he's not as hot as Andrew or James but."
"Is there anyone in Pretty in Pink you don't find hot?"
Buffy sighed shaking her head. "It's not my fault. This damn pregnancy has me hot for every guy. Do you know the other day Percy actually whistled at me and did the whole cat call thing and I was actually turned on."
"Really?"
"It's not my fault. The old me would have kicked him in the nuts. My mom warned me about the pregnancy hormones making me hungry and horny. Well the problem is." She picked up a slice of pizza. "I can take care of the hungry but with a strictly off limits boyfriend."
"That is one hunger you can't feed."
"Does that make me sound like a slut?"
"Of course not Buffy It's the hormone working in you. I imagine being the slayer, you probably get it jacked up more than most."
"Want to hear the most messed up part." She paused before saying it. "I keep going back to this analogy Faith had."
"Was this before she went evil?"
"Way before. Faith said that if I was starving and the only food Angel could give me I was allergic too. I mean you couldn't blame me for eating from some one else."
Willow looked at her a little surprised. "You mean cheating on Angel."
"I know it's terrible. I don't' want to. I won't I just." She sighed, "It's not fair."
"Have you talked to Angel about this?'
"And say what? Hey Angel I'm a bottle of champagne ready to pop but I don't want you going all evil so no drinking for you."
"Buffy I don't know if I should ask this but have you ever thought that maybe you and Angel aren't meant for the long haul?"
"I'm not sure if I'm ready to pull at the thread yet Willow."
"I'm sorry for asking."
"It's okay. It is just one of those holes that once I start down it. It goes to some pretty dark places and I'm not sure if I'm ready to face it."
"Well for tonight all you have to face is some cheesy 80's movies and pizza."
"That I can deal with."
Xander was loading up the back of his truck with some weapons Giles had agreed to meet him and Angel to help with patrol.. Now that they were down a slayer they needed all the help they could get.
Xander wondered how much help Giles could actually be. Training to kill vampires and actually killing them were two different worlds entirely. As Xander grabbed the throwing knives he was heading back to his truck to find Angel leaning against it.
Xander sighed and shook his head. "You are a little early for patrol. I thought we were meeting at the cemetery."
Angel nodded "Yea I know but I wanted to talk to you before patrol."
Xander sighed and shook his head. "Can we just not."
"What is your problem?"
"Do you realize every time you say you want to talk NO GOOD ever comes of it."
"Xander."
"Let's see how this works. Xander we need to talk. Oh by the way I impregnated my girl friend with your DNA. Xander. Oh Xander we need to talk Hey I want to offer you a bribe if you will turn your back on your child forever."
"Xander you are over reacting."
"I can go on."
Angel clenched his fist. "Oh my God you make this so hard. I came to apologize."
"Really. Some how I have my doubts. You know what though fine. Give me what you got."
Angel rolled his eyes. "Buffy seems to have a certain amount of trust in you. I have to admit I still don't know if you are going to be a good father but maybe I need to give you a chance before I criticize."
"What the hell brought this up?"
"Even if I'm not getting the role in this child's life I want. I mean this kid is important to me and things will be easier for us if we get along."
Xander looked at him skeptically not sure what to say. He took a moment to think it over. "So you are really apologizing?"
"Not just for that. I was out of line when I blamed you for what happened with Faith. "
"I could have told you that one."
Angel closed his eyes trying to keep his temper in check. "Xander I just. There are people in this world that shouldn't be forced to work together."
"Well for once we agree. See it's like I don't want to hate you but it's just." He let go of a deep breath. "It's hard wired in to who I am."
"Exactly. I mean you say something and even if it's a good idea."
"It's like nails on a chalkboard. I totally get it."
"But I bring all of this up because we need to find some way to fake it or pretend or what ever."
"Because?"
"Because this child is more important than any bullshit we might have against each other." Angel stepped to him. "I'm proposing a truce with a basic understanding and agreement."
"What understanding is that?"
"No matter how angry or pissed we are at each other we don't talk the other down to this kid." Angel stuck out his hand to shake on it.
"This isn't a foreign concept I guess. I mean divorced couples have to work out shit like this."
"Please don't refer to us as a divorced couple."
"You know what I'm getting at."
Angel held his hand out. "Do we have a deal or not?"
Xander looked at the hand and took it shaking it. "I won't talk you down in front of the kid."
"This feels like progress."
"Hey maybe it won't matter and Faith and the Mayor will kill us all with what ever they got planned."
"For the record I still hate you."
Xander laughed "Yeah me too."
Faith stood over the now dead body of the former Deputy Mayor of Sunnydale. All of the light that was once in his eyes gone. Per the mayor's request she waited till she could approach him from behind. He never saw her. One second he was looking for the ice cream in the freezer and a neck snap later his corpse laid out on the cold linoleum.
She turned looking at Tommy. "Come on dipshit we got a body to get rid of." Tommy looked at her not sure what she was asking. "Come on I killed him. You can at least carry him."
Tommy walked over picking up the body like it was nothing. Faith followed behind him. "See Tommy I think you and I are going to make one hell of a team." Tommy just kept walking with the body. The mayor had a line on a incinerator that would burn everything down to the ash.
Faith opened the trunk of the car and Tommy threw the body inside. As he slammed the trunk shut Faith looked up at him. "So what do you do for fun. I mean when you aren't acting as an accomplice to murder?"
Again with no words he got in the car waiting for Faith to drive. "Tommy some day I'm going to get you to sing for me." Faith got in the car ready to drive. "Well at least you are a better tag team partner than Buffy."
