Sunnydale, not far from The City Hall
Not long after the incident with the Gun
Faith had taken the books of Ascension with her. "So with Graduation Day the Mayor will turn himself into a *real* demon, a real nasty piece of work," Xander asked Faith incredulous. She just nodded. "But you don't know exactly what it is, other than it's big and very powerful." She nodded again. "And until then he is invincible . . . completely?"
"Yes, Xander. By no means can we hurt him and after he gets his box, whatever it may contain, he can't be stopped from it. We need to help to protect it."
"We can't," Xander surprisingly said.
Faith blinked. "What? Why? We can't protect it, because we can't handle the Mayor . . ." She looked at him in a serious tone. ". . . If you think I can't handle Buffy, than you're wrong . . ."
Xander shook his head. "No Faith, it's not that. I have trust in you and Buffy can work together and deal with Mayor, stop him until Graduation is passed." He looked up in the sky and then back to Faith. "And what then? He is invincible, Faith! You think it's over after Graduation Day?" He shook his head. "He'll come after us or even worse, killing innocent people. And then in a hundred years he'll try again, when we aren't there anymore to stop him." He looked at her in the eyes. "Until then, he'll have murdered and hurt so many people . . . and he'll have caused destruction and havoc everywhere. Up 'till now he hasn't done much, because he has waited for the Ascension. He'll probably lose his patience if we prevent him from that and he will lead this town with all its demons into a real Hellmouth. He has connections everywhere, deep into the demon world as well as into the civilized world. We can't kill him, go to the authorities or stop him and if he uses his *real* power then . . . we can't let that happen Faith."
Faith let this ponder in her head, she never had realized that, and she saw what The Mayor could do. "What can we do?" she finally asked him.
"Play along with his game!" Xander said.
Faith eyes widened and Xander reacted to that. "He is only vulnerable as a demon. You said it yourself! Ok, he is not easy to kill then, but we can only destroy him then and not the way he is now . . . The Ascension must go on. And we have get ready for him when he does . . ."
Faith nodded. "That means he needs to get the box. Buffy'll never give it away freely. And I doubt she'll agree with you on that. Maybe the others, but she . . ."
Xander shook his head. "I think I could convince her. She knows what is at stake. But I can't tell her," he stated.
"Why not?" Faith asked.
"She needs to go along with the plan, convincingly."
Faith frowned. "What plan?" she asked while Xander turned around and started to walk back to The City Hall.
*****
"Xander, you can't do this! He'll kill you!" Faith said concerned.
"I don't think so, Faith. He'll need me," Xander said calmly, not letting her objections slow him down as he walked back to the City Hall.
"You can't take the risk!" Faith pressed, trying to get it through his thick scull.
"I'll have to, Faith. He needs to get the box," Xander explained calmly.
"You don't! Just talk to Buffy and she'll give it to you," Faith practically yelled while throwing her arms in the air.
Without looking at her he continued his walk. "Listen, Faith. I have already told you that she needs to stay in the dark with this plan." Xander tried to explain . . .again.
"This plan of yours is ridiculous! It will never work and it is too dangerous," Faith now yelled at him.
Xander stayed calm. "It will work!" he said with some confidence in his voice.
"No, it won't!" Fatih practically yelled.
"Xander stopped walking and looked at Faith with concern on his face. "Why don't you believe it, Faith?" he asked, "The plan isn't that bad!"
"Why are you doing this, Xander?" she returned the question with another one and added, to explain her question, "They'll think even less of you."
Xander just shrugged. "No, they won't. Their opinion about me can't get any lower . . . Besides I don't care!"
"They'll think that you did another stupid thing and now they have to return the box to the Mayor, just to get you back."
Xander shrugged again. "Just another stupid thing added to the list. It doesn't bother me."
Faith couldn't stop the questioning about this aspect of Xander. "But if you return me back to them, then that will raise their opinion of you . . . big! It will do you good!"
Xander raised his eyebrow in the spock way, questioningly. "I thought that you didn't want to go back to them . . . and why this sudden interest in my mental condition?" he asked back.
She looked him in the eyes. "Because *if* I am gonna be your friend then I want your your mind in good health," she simply answered, with sincerity.
Xander was taken aback by her revelation. The dark slayer saw it on his face. "Yes, Xander, I mean that," she softly answered to his surprise.
It struck Xander to the heart, but then he sighed. "No matter how much I appreciate this from you, Faith and no matter how much I want to, 'cause *I* really do want their respect, I just can't . . . This is the only way. Their opinion of me is not at stake; the world is!"
Now it was Faith's turn to be surprised and a tear appeared in her eyes. #He really meant it, that he didn't want me back to impress the others. He wanted to help me, just as much how he wants to save peoples lifes.#
She tried her last ace to convince him. "It is not only about their respect for you, Xander. If they'll ever find out that it's you who came up with what *I* am about do to Angel then at the very least she'll kill you! And *she*, and make it Willow too, will hate you for the rest of their lives. How can you live with that thought?"
Xander sighed and looked up in the air before facing her again. "It is not the first time, Faith. I have lied to Buffy and betrayed Willow's trust, so that Buffy could deal with Angel . . . push him into Hell. I . . . I can live with that . . . I'll have to."
Faith eyes grew wide for the umpteenth time now. He had her surprised now in so many ways. This was a revelation that made change her view on him completely again. #He was willing to live with that, because it had to be done. He just understood the risks so well, knew Buffy and Willow so well. Maybe he had been wrong about a lot of things, but he certainly knew what was at stake and could handle it. He would stand behind your back, no matter how far he needed to go. Until you were beyond any reach, even his own, and when he would be forced to kill you . . . he would do it . . .# She let this last thought ponder into her head as another tear appeared in her eye. #He didn't with me . . .# Then his words hit her more than she had realized and shook her head in complete disbelief, in shock! #He didn't trust Buffy!#
She sighed and fear began to mix with her other feelings and it was growing. All her questions about his mental condition, about the weaknesses of the plan and her objections to it, so he would stop or change it, were actually meant for only one reason. After the dust had laid down in her mind, that the explosion of revelations had caused, this reason came back to the surface again.
#I can't convince him. His mind is settled and everything has to be pushed away . . . all the feelings, for will this plan of him succeed . . . This crazy plan!# Xander saw the growing fear in her face as it turned into a terrified one and suddenly it hit him. He gently laid an arm on the now shaking Slayer to comfort her as he gently spoke.
"This isn't about the plan or me, is it? . . ." Her body calmed and stopped shaking by his touch and gentle voice.
"You're afraid that you have to face The Mayor . . . to become his Slayer again! You are afraid that you can't resist the temptation to go to his side again, isn't it?" he asked sympathetically. Faith looked away . . . it was the truth and she was ashamed about it. Xander gently put his hand on her cheek and gently turned it to face his. He was struck by the amount of fear in her terrified eyes. He barely managed to do the only thing he could do. "I trust you, Faith . . ." he spoke with as much sincerity he could put.
Not long after the incident with the Gun
Faith had taken the books of Ascension with her. "So with Graduation Day the Mayor will turn himself into a *real* demon, a real nasty piece of work," Xander asked Faith incredulous. She just nodded. "But you don't know exactly what it is, other than it's big and very powerful." She nodded again. "And until then he is invincible . . . completely?"
"Yes, Xander. By no means can we hurt him and after he gets his box, whatever it may contain, he can't be stopped from it. We need to help to protect it."
"We can't," Xander surprisingly said.
Faith blinked. "What? Why? We can't protect it, because we can't handle the Mayor . . ." She looked at him in a serious tone. ". . . If you think I can't handle Buffy, than you're wrong . . ."
Xander shook his head. "No Faith, it's not that. I have trust in you and Buffy can work together and deal with Mayor, stop him until Graduation is passed." He looked up in the sky and then back to Faith. "And what then? He is invincible, Faith! You think it's over after Graduation Day?" He shook his head. "He'll come after us or even worse, killing innocent people. And then in a hundred years he'll try again, when we aren't there anymore to stop him." He looked at her in the eyes. "Until then, he'll have murdered and hurt so many people . . . and he'll have caused destruction and havoc everywhere. Up 'till now he hasn't done much, because he has waited for the Ascension. He'll probably lose his patience if we prevent him from that and he will lead this town with all its demons into a real Hellmouth. He has connections everywhere, deep into the demon world as well as into the civilized world. We can't kill him, go to the authorities or stop him and if he uses his *real* power then . . . we can't let that happen Faith."
Faith let this ponder in her head, she never had realized that, and she saw what The Mayor could do. "What can we do?" she finally asked him.
"Play along with his game!" Xander said.
Faith eyes widened and Xander reacted to that. "He is only vulnerable as a demon. You said it yourself! Ok, he is not easy to kill then, but we can only destroy him then and not the way he is now . . . The Ascension must go on. And we have get ready for him when he does . . ."
Faith nodded. "That means he needs to get the box. Buffy'll never give it away freely. And I doubt she'll agree with you on that. Maybe the others, but she . . ."
Xander shook his head. "I think I could convince her. She knows what is at stake. But I can't tell her," he stated.
"Why not?" Faith asked.
"She needs to go along with the plan, convincingly."
Faith frowned. "What plan?" she asked while Xander turned around and started to walk back to The City Hall.
*****
"Xander, you can't do this! He'll kill you!" Faith said concerned.
"I don't think so, Faith. He'll need me," Xander said calmly, not letting her objections slow him down as he walked back to the City Hall.
"You can't take the risk!" Faith pressed, trying to get it through his thick scull.
"I'll have to, Faith. He needs to get the box," Xander explained calmly.
"You don't! Just talk to Buffy and she'll give it to you," Faith practically yelled while throwing her arms in the air.
Without looking at her he continued his walk. "Listen, Faith. I have already told you that she needs to stay in the dark with this plan." Xander tried to explain . . .again.
"This plan of yours is ridiculous! It will never work and it is too dangerous," Faith now yelled at him.
Xander stayed calm. "It will work!" he said with some confidence in his voice.
"No, it won't!" Fatih practically yelled.
"Xander stopped walking and looked at Faith with concern on his face. "Why don't you believe it, Faith?" he asked, "The plan isn't that bad!"
"Why are you doing this, Xander?" she returned the question with another one and added, to explain her question, "They'll think even less of you."
Xander just shrugged. "No, they won't. Their opinion about me can't get any lower . . . Besides I don't care!"
"They'll think that you did another stupid thing and now they have to return the box to the Mayor, just to get you back."
Xander shrugged again. "Just another stupid thing added to the list. It doesn't bother me."
Faith couldn't stop the questioning about this aspect of Xander. "But if you return me back to them, then that will raise their opinion of you . . . big! It will do you good!"
Xander raised his eyebrow in the spock way, questioningly. "I thought that you didn't want to go back to them . . . and why this sudden interest in my mental condition?" he asked back.
She looked him in the eyes. "Because *if* I am gonna be your friend then I want your your mind in good health," she simply answered, with sincerity.
Xander was taken aback by her revelation. The dark slayer saw it on his face. "Yes, Xander, I mean that," she softly answered to his surprise.
It struck Xander to the heart, but then he sighed. "No matter how much I appreciate this from you, Faith and no matter how much I want to, 'cause *I* really do want their respect, I just can't . . . This is the only way. Their opinion of me is not at stake; the world is!"
Now it was Faith's turn to be surprised and a tear appeared in her eyes. #He really meant it, that he didn't want me back to impress the others. He wanted to help me, just as much how he wants to save peoples lifes.#
She tried her last ace to convince him. "It is not only about their respect for you, Xander. If they'll ever find out that it's you who came up with what *I* am about do to Angel then at the very least she'll kill you! And *she*, and make it Willow too, will hate you for the rest of their lives. How can you live with that thought?"
Xander sighed and looked up in the air before facing her again. "It is not the first time, Faith. I have lied to Buffy and betrayed Willow's trust, so that Buffy could deal with Angel . . . push him into Hell. I . . . I can live with that . . . I'll have to."
Faith eyes grew wide for the umpteenth time now. He had her surprised now in so many ways. This was a revelation that made change her view on him completely again. #He was willing to live with that, because it had to be done. He just understood the risks so well, knew Buffy and Willow so well. Maybe he had been wrong about a lot of things, but he certainly knew what was at stake and could handle it. He would stand behind your back, no matter how far he needed to go. Until you were beyond any reach, even his own, and when he would be forced to kill you . . . he would do it . . .# She let this last thought ponder into her head as another tear appeared in her eye. #He didn't with me . . .# Then his words hit her more than she had realized and shook her head in complete disbelief, in shock! #He didn't trust Buffy!#
She sighed and fear began to mix with her other feelings and it was growing. All her questions about his mental condition, about the weaknesses of the plan and her objections to it, so he would stop or change it, were actually meant for only one reason. After the dust had laid down in her mind, that the explosion of revelations had caused, this reason came back to the surface again.
#I can't convince him. His mind is settled and everything has to be pushed away . . . all the feelings, for will this plan of him succeed . . . This crazy plan!# Xander saw the growing fear in her face as it turned into a terrified one and suddenly it hit him. He gently laid an arm on the now shaking Slayer to comfort her as he gently spoke.
"This isn't about the plan or me, is it? . . ." Her body calmed and stopped shaking by his touch and gentle voice.
"You're afraid that you have to face The Mayor . . . to become his Slayer again! You are afraid that you can't resist the temptation to go to his side again, isn't it?" he asked sympathetically. Faith looked away . . . it was the truth and she was ashamed about it. Xander gently put his hand on her cheek and gently turned it to face his. He was struck by the amount of fear in her terrified eyes. He barely managed to do the only thing he could do. "I trust you, Faith . . ." he spoke with as much sincerity he could put.