In a hallway of Sunnydale High, students were picking up graduation caps
and gowns. Cordelia and Xander signed for their gowns. Faith walked in,
hearing their conversation from a distance. Her face had some scratches,
but nothing serious and would quickly heal as a Slayer.
Her mental condition was a different case. She remembered Harmony insulting her and the young man she had fallen in love with, and burning rage, the desire to kill that came after it.The satisfaction she felt as her fist hit Harmony's face. She remembered how it took every ounce of self control not to continue the abuse of the blonde. She knew she was nowhere near being a nice stable individual. But she had controlled it! She walked away, and harmlessly let her rage loose on inanimate objects. She had finally get rid of her own thought that she was evil. It filled her with a sense of pride and accomplishment; *perhaps* she was heading toward a good ending after all . . .
"I just want to look respectable in this, considering I'm probably gonna die in it," Xander said with confidence.
Codelia blinked. "Excuse me?"
Xander explained, "I'm telling you. I woke up this morning from a nightmare and this feeling in my gut. I just know there's no way I'm getting out of this school alive."
Faith frowned. #He thinks he's gonna die?# she thought surprised and worried.
"That's different from anything you've done lately how?" Cordelia stated with some high air in her voice.
"Oh, well. Not really . . ."
"You think that you're the hero now, don't you?" she asked, mockingly.
Xander blinked and shook his head. "No, of course not!'
"Well, let me tell you something mister! It was the most stupid thing to do. She could easily have killed you and then . . . then . . . " She thought for moment to come up with something. ". . . then everything would even more grim . . . from the lack of donuts."
Faith frowned and Xander couldn't even react anymore to any of her insults.
Cordelia sighed. She wasn't really mad at him anymore, she was more confused and embarrassed about her recent behavior towards him. She shook her head. "It was also the bravest thing you could have done. Precisely like you. Stupid and brave!"
Xander blinked and looked her with widened eyes. This was an unexpected turn.
Cordelia sighed again, looking at his surprised face. "Look, Xander, I know I have been a real bitch towards you lately. Now, don't expect an apology, you deserved every bit of it. But what you did for me with the dress and what you did for Faith is truly amazing. It's you, the real you, the Xander I had fallen in love with."
Faith eyes widened. #What!? She still loves him! That's why she is such a bitch all the time!# she thought, suddenly very scared.
Cordelia frowned and looked lightly concerned at him. "With all the risks you have taken the last few years, why do you think you're gonna die now?"
Xander stared blankly at Cordelia, in thought, before he answered. "I've been lucky too many times. My number's coming up, it's plain statistics and the numbers are against me."
Cordelia frowned again. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."
Buffy and Willow walked towards them. "Go to graduation, or fight the Mayor," Buffy said to Willow, disappointed.
Xander turned around and welcomed them with a worried look. "The Mayor? What, you guys didn't hear? He's going to be our commencement speaker!"
"What? The Mayor at graduation? A hundred helpless kids to feed on . . . " Buffy spoke frightened.
"He'll get indigestion!" Xander quipped.
Buffy and Willow gave him a nasty look. "That's gross. You have been way too much around Faith!" Buffy exclaimed.
"Not nearly enough for me," Faith said wickedly while finally showing herself.
Buffy turned around and actually smiled towards her. "Faith!" she welcomed her.
Willow smiled to, out of politeness and Cordelia looked annoyed.
"B, we need a gathering of the clan in 'bout an hour or two. Gonna get some info for you about the Ascension."
"Gang," Willow corrected not too friendly. Faith looked strangely at her. "It's the Scooby Gang, not clan."
"Right, gang," Faith said deadpan, and turned to look at Xander. "Come on, X, I need your help."
*****
A knock sounded on the door inside the apartment, which was eccentrically furnished. The owner - a man who was balding, wore glasses, and sported a bow tie - went to the door.
"Just a moment!" said the Professor. He reached the door a few moments later, and opened it, revealing Faith, Xander standing behind her.
Faith asked, "Hi, I'm looking for Professor Wirth."
"Oh, well, that's me, but I should ask you to come back during office hours. Students generally make an appointment," the Professor said somewhat perplexed.
"Uh, I'm not from the college. I work for Mayor Wilkins. I'm Faith," she said introducing herself. Then she gestured to Xander, and said, "And this my associate Xander Harris."
"Oh, well, come in, please. I was so surprised when he called. Didn't expect a politician to be interested in my research." The two entered.
Faith grinned. "He's a big fan, Professor."
"Oh, Lester's fine," the Professor said casually, as he walked over to a table containing a lot of notes.
"We alone here, L?" Faith asked.
The professor smiled. "Life long bachelor. I like my space."
Faith frowned and then smiled warmly. "Bachelor? A cutie like you?"
The professor blushed a bit. "You think so?"
Faith nodded sweetly and turned her eyes towards Xander who rolled his eyes. She turned her head toward the professor again and she made an apologetic face, laid her hand on his shoulder as she smiled gently. "Sorry, friend. But I have bad news. My boss wants you dead. We would like to know why?"
His eyes widened. "He . . . he . . . he wants me dead? Why?" the professor stuttered.
"You know, I asked. He didn't tell me. Only that it had something to do with an Ascension."
"Ascension?"
"That he would change into something higher."
The professor's eyes went huge, disbelieving. "Higher?"
Faith nodded with sympathy. ""It must have something to do with your research. He is gonna change into a demon of some kind. We need to know how to kill . . ." She stopped in her sentence as she saw him chuckle.
His chuckle rapidly changed into laughter as it went louder and louder and he almost tumbled over. "D . . . d . . . demon?" he asked as tears ran from his eyes.
Faith and Xander watched him until Xander turned his head and frowned at her. Faith shrugged. "I knew politeness wasn't my thing . . ."
Her mental condition was a different case. She remembered Harmony insulting her and the young man she had fallen in love with, and burning rage, the desire to kill that came after it.The satisfaction she felt as her fist hit Harmony's face. She remembered how it took every ounce of self control not to continue the abuse of the blonde. She knew she was nowhere near being a nice stable individual. But she had controlled it! She walked away, and harmlessly let her rage loose on inanimate objects. She had finally get rid of her own thought that she was evil. It filled her with a sense of pride and accomplishment; *perhaps* she was heading toward a good ending after all . . .
"I just want to look respectable in this, considering I'm probably gonna die in it," Xander said with confidence.
Codelia blinked. "Excuse me?"
Xander explained, "I'm telling you. I woke up this morning from a nightmare and this feeling in my gut. I just know there's no way I'm getting out of this school alive."
Faith frowned. #He thinks he's gonna die?# she thought surprised and worried.
"That's different from anything you've done lately how?" Cordelia stated with some high air in her voice.
"Oh, well. Not really . . ."
"You think that you're the hero now, don't you?" she asked, mockingly.
Xander blinked and shook his head. "No, of course not!'
"Well, let me tell you something mister! It was the most stupid thing to do. She could easily have killed you and then . . . then . . . " She thought for moment to come up with something. ". . . then everything would even more grim . . . from the lack of donuts."
Faith frowned and Xander couldn't even react anymore to any of her insults.
Cordelia sighed. She wasn't really mad at him anymore, she was more confused and embarrassed about her recent behavior towards him. She shook her head. "It was also the bravest thing you could have done. Precisely like you. Stupid and brave!"
Xander blinked and looked her with widened eyes. This was an unexpected turn.
Cordelia sighed again, looking at his surprised face. "Look, Xander, I know I have been a real bitch towards you lately. Now, don't expect an apology, you deserved every bit of it. But what you did for me with the dress and what you did for Faith is truly amazing. It's you, the real you, the Xander I had fallen in love with."
Faith eyes widened. #What!? She still loves him! That's why she is such a bitch all the time!# she thought, suddenly very scared.
Cordelia frowned and looked lightly concerned at him. "With all the risks you have taken the last few years, why do you think you're gonna die now?"
Xander stared blankly at Cordelia, in thought, before he answered. "I've been lucky too many times. My number's coming up, it's plain statistics and the numbers are against me."
Cordelia frowned again. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."
Buffy and Willow walked towards them. "Go to graduation, or fight the Mayor," Buffy said to Willow, disappointed.
Xander turned around and welcomed them with a worried look. "The Mayor? What, you guys didn't hear? He's going to be our commencement speaker!"
"What? The Mayor at graduation? A hundred helpless kids to feed on . . . " Buffy spoke frightened.
"He'll get indigestion!" Xander quipped.
Buffy and Willow gave him a nasty look. "That's gross. You have been way too much around Faith!" Buffy exclaimed.
"Not nearly enough for me," Faith said wickedly while finally showing herself.
Buffy turned around and actually smiled towards her. "Faith!" she welcomed her.
Willow smiled to, out of politeness and Cordelia looked annoyed.
"B, we need a gathering of the clan in 'bout an hour or two. Gonna get some info for you about the Ascension."
"Gang," Willow corrected not too friendly. Faith looked strangely at her. "It's the Scooby Gang, not clan."
"Right, gang," Faith said deadpan, and turned to look at Xander. "Come on, X, I need your help."
*****
A knock sounded on the door inside the apartment, which was eccentrically furnished. The owner - a man who was balding, wore glasses, and sported a bow tie - went to the door.
"Just a moment!" said the Professor. He reached the door a few moments later, and opened it, revealing Faith, Xander standing behind her.
Faith asked, "Hi, I'm looking for Professor Wirth."
"Oh, well, that's me, but I should ask you to come back during office hours. Students generally make an appointment," the Professor said somewhat perplexed.
"Uh, I'm not from the college. I work for Mayor Wilkins. I'm Faith," she said introducing herself. Then she gestured to Xander, and said, "And this my associate Xander Harris."
"Oh, well, come in, please. I was so surprised when he called. Didn't expect a politician to be interested in my research." The two entered.
Faith grinned. "He's a big fan, Professor."
"Oh, Lester's fine," the Professor said casually, as he walked over to a table containing a lot of notes.
"We alone here, L?" Faith asked.
The professor smiled. "Life long bachelor. I like my space."
Faith frowned and then smiled warmly. "Bachelor? A cutie like you?"
The professor blushed a bit. "You think so?"
Faith nodded sweetly and turned her eyes towards Xander who rolled his eyes. She turned her head toward the professor again and she made an apologetic face, laid her hand on his shoulder as she smiled gently. "Sorry, friend. But I have bad news. My boss wants you dead. We would like to know why?"
His eyes widened. "He . . . he . . . he wants me dead? Why?" the professor stuttered.
"You know, I asked. He didn't tell me. Only that it had something to do with an Ascension."
"Ascension?"
"That he would change into something higher."
The professor's eyes went huge, disbelieving. "Higher?"
Faith nodded with sympathy. ""It must have something to do with your research. He is gonna change into a demon of some kind. We need to know how to kill . . ." She stopped in her sentence as she saw him chuckle.
His chuckle rapidly changed into laughter as it went louder and louder and he almost tumbled over. "D . . . d . . . demon?" he asked as tears ran from his eyes.
Faith and Xander watched him until Xander turned his head and frowned at her. Faith shrugged. "I knew politeness wasn't my thing . . ."