In a very expensive restaurant at a large table.
Faith was sitting next to the Mayor, wearing her expensive dress, shoes and necklace. She smiled at the Mayor and he smiled back. "See, Faith. That's Francois. He is nice old and experienced cook. He came to our strong country twenty-five years ago, to give us a taste of his talents. He has created this nice establishment, a three star restaurant. Do you know how I arranged that?" Faith shook her head. "Networking. I wanted something, he wanted something. In this case we wanted the same. So we made an agreement. He and I get this three star restaurant in Sunnydale. He gets the papers, the protection and he arranged votes for me from his connections within the world of cooking."
Faith nodded in understanding. Giving people what they want is a very good way to get things done. She had learned that from the Mayor and from her own recent experience.
"Or I will murder his family . . . again . . ."
Faith looked at the man with sympathy and nodded in understanding, wearing her wicked grin.
"Later, Faith, later, my little delinquent." Faith blinked and looked at him. The Mayor smiled. "I got a phone call this afternoon, from the principle. Apparently you hold house there today and he was a little bit angry about that. You hit a girl into the hospital, you threatened a couple of boys and you damaged a bathroom?"
Faith nodded.
"Oh, my, I can see that you are getting impatient. But don't worry, daddy took care of it."
Faith memories trailed back to her younger years. She usually got a big beating from her mother when she had stolen again, out of hunger and for her sick dad, who had been completely abandoned by her mother when he lost his job. She looked at the Mayor, it felt so good not to worry anymore.
The Mayor saw her sad look and laid his hand gently on her shoulder, comforting her. "You're my daughter, Faith. I will make sure that you will protected and cared for, always. Tomorrow you'll be respected by a lot of people. I haven't said this in almost a century and it feels strange, but it's true, Faith. I care about you . . . I love you . . . I love you as a daughter . . . I really do . . ."
Faith looked in his sincere eyes, drinking in his fatherly warmth, she had missed for so long. She lowered her hand and slipped in her pocket, feeling her dagger.
"Tomorrow morning we will give your dad the decent funeral he has deserved, Faith . . ."
*****
Xander is busy with the wires, while Angel is carrying a bunch of bags. Angel throws the bags on the ground.
"Watch out! You'll break it with your clumsy manner," Xander snapped.
Angel rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time now, to the point that a normal human would be hurting.
Xander turned back to his work and Angel stared at him. Both his hands rubbed each other as he let out his vamp face. He stepped forward and was stopped in his track, clasping his jaws together. Xander had pushed his big cross that he was wearing along his neck over his back. Xander smirked, knowing Angel. "Watch out, Fang! You could get hurt!" he quipped.
"You know that you could never stop me, if I really wanted too!" Angel growled when he was morphed back.
"Yeah, you have real guts . . ." He looked at him in disgust. "Attacking me with my back turned!"
Angel narrowed his eyes, but realized he was right. #He's playing games with me, trick me. Ooh, you can try, buddy!#
"If you just do your job then I can concentrate. This is think work, Dead Boy, you do your muscle work."
Crunching his teeth Angel walked back to the van, still standing in front of the Highschool.
When he was outside he hit a chair with his foot and launched it into the air out of frustration. #Damn, I can't hurt him a little bit to scare him; even Buffy would kick my ass and Faith . . ."# He gulped at the thought.
A few moments later the chair smashed on the ground, close to a person who appeared suddenly out of the dark. Angel recognized the person from the distance and was shocked as he rushed towards him. In a second he was standing next to him, "Giles? I'm sorry . . . I . . . You're alright?"
Giles looked a bit dazed, but nodded. "Why are you so frustrated?" he asked after he had calmed down.
Angel shrugged.
"Is it about Buffy?" he asked worried.
Angel shook his head. "No, it's . . . it's just, Xander is getting on my nerves and I have to work with him. He is so . . ." words couldn't tell what the expression on his face did.
Giles barely managed a chuckle and spoke serious. "Yeah, he can get to you sometimes. But you two really need to find a way to get along, this rivalry is getting tiresome. And you might hurt him."
Angel nodded. "Why are you here, Giles?"
"I have the plunger that Xander requested and he is going to explain what I have to do."
While Giles walked back into the school and Angel walked to the truck another person, who had arrived at the scene earlier, had followed there conversation and looked at Angel. She put on her helmet, reached into her pocket and roared the motor . . .
*****
Giles and Xander were outside the building. Xander was connecting the plunger to a bundle of wires while the Brit was looking in thought. He corrected the position of his glasses.
"Uh, Xander," he said a bit nervously and embarrassed. Xander turned his head to look at him. "Xander, I want to apologize to you. You were right about saving Faith and destroying the Mayor permanently."
Xander blinked, stunned.
Now the first words were out, Giles got more confident. "I never thanked you for saving Buffy all those times." He shook his head. "I must confess that I never realized it. I was so blindly focused on Buffy all this time. Cordelia, Willow, and most of all you lacked my attention."
Xander barely knew what to say, "It . . . it's ok, Giles," he managed to get out of it.
Giles shook his head. "No, it isn't. From the first day on you have fought at her side. Then you and Willow offered your help. It's my responsibility, I agreed with it. My lack of attention could have killed us all. I'm sorry that we left you out of the game. But you must understand that it was worry that made us do that."
Xander nodded.
"Do you have any plans for after graduation?" Giles asked suddenly.
Xander shook his head. "I wanted to go on a road trip, but, uh, my money savings are, uh, well, vanished. I think I'm going to look for a job."
Giles nodded in understanding and laid a hand on his shoulder. "What you did for Cordelia was great, Xander. It made me think on how to continue the new situation. Willow and Buffy are planning on going to Sunnydale's University. Maybe you and Faith should do that as well?"
Xander was stunned now. "Faith hasn't even graduated highschool and I don't have the money."
"We can work something out, it all depends on motivation. Would you like to?"
Xander was silent for a moment. #A Harris in college?# he thought while an unfamiliar pride became master of him. Then his worry about his grades were taking over his happy thoughts.
"Xander, don't worry about your grades. They don't say anything about a your performance at a University. You really need to want to. Then you will succeed. It's the only way. And I think you would do excellent in Psychology!"
"Really?" Xander wondered.
Giles smiled and nodded.
"Then I'll try."
Giles looked satisfied, but then another matter took control in his mind. "Xander, you and Angel, really need to work things out." Xander's happy face changed immediately in a grim one. "Xander, I know how you feel." Xander tried to protest, but Giles quickly continued. "Angelus tortured me for hours and most of all: he killed Jenny. But Angel is not Angelus!"
Xander nodded, realizing his mistake. "I know, Giles. He fights to be a good guy. I just make sure he continues that!"
Giles blinked, realizing his motivation. "Xander, he is a good guy as long as he has his soul."
Xander shook his head. "Giles, you know that in this business hard decisions have to be made. I know Angel is tough, I'm only not sure if he is always capable of it or appreciates them." Xander shrugged. "But I guess that in Los Angeles he'll find out if he is."
Giles nodded. "We'll give him a couple of months. Now go talk with him!"
Xander sighed and agreed.
Faith was sitting next to the Mayor, wearing her expensive dress, shoes and necklace. She smiled at the Mayor and he smiled back. "See, Faith. That's Francois. He is nice old and experienced cook. He came to our strong country twenty-five years ago, to give us a taste of his talents. He has created this nice establishment, a three star restaurant. Do you know how I arranged that?" Faith shook her head. "Networking. I wanted something, he wanted something. In this case we wanted the same. So we made an agreement. He and I get this three star restaurant in Sunnydale. He gets the papers, the protection and he arranged votes for me from his connections within the world of cooking."
Faith nodded in understanding. Giving people what they want is a very good way to get things done. She had learned that from the Mayor and from her own recent experience.
"Or I will murder his family . . . again . . ."
Faith looked at the man with sympathy and nodded in understanding, wearing her wicked grin.
"Later, Faith, later, my little delinquent." Faith blinked and looked at him. The Mayor smiled. "I got a phone call this afternoon, from the principle. Apparently you hold house there today and he was a little bit angry about that. You hit a girl into the hospital, you threatened a couple of boys and you damaged a bathroom?"
Faith nodded.
"Oh, my, I can see that you are getting impatient. But don't worry, daddy took care of it."
Faith memories trailed back to her younger years. She usually got a big beating from her mother when she had stolen again, out of hunger and for her sick dad, who had been completely abandoned by her mother when he lost his job. She looked at the Mayor, it felt so good not to worry anymore.
The Mayor saw her sad look and laid his hand gently on her shoulder, comforting her. "You're my daughter, Faith. I will make sure that you will protected and cared for, always. Tomorrow you'll be respected by a lot of people. I haven't said this in almost a century and it feels strange, but it's true, Faith. I care about you . . . I love you . . . I love you as a daughter . . . I really do . . ."
Faith looked in his sincere eyes, drinking in his fatherly warmth, she had missed for so long. She lowered her hand and slipped in her pocket, feeling her dagger.
"Tomorrow morning we will give your dad the decent funeral he has deserved, Faith . . ."
*****
Xander is busy with the wires, while Angel is carrying a bunch of bags. Angel throws the bags on the ground.
"Watch out! You'll break it with your clumsy manner," Xander snapped.
Angel rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time now, to the point that a normal human would be hurting.
Xander turned back to his work and Angel stared at him. Both his hands rubbed each other as he let out his vamp face. He stepped forward and was stopped in his track, clasping his jaws together. Xander had pushed his big cross that he was wearing along his neck over his back. Xander smirked, knowing Angel. "Watch out, Fang! You could get hurt!" he quipped.
"You know that you could never stop me, if I really wanted too!" Angel growled when he was morphed back.
"Yeah, you have real guts . . ." He looked at him in disgust. "Attacking me with my back turned!"
Angel narrowed his eyes, but realized he was right. #He's playing games with me, trick me. Ooh, you can try, buddy!#
"If you just do your job then I can concentrate. This is think work, Dead Boy, you do your muscle work."
Crunching his teeth Angel walked back to the van, still standing in front of the Highschool.
When he was outside he hit a chair with his foot and launched it into the air out of frustration. #Damn, I can't hurt him a little bit to scare him; even Buffy would kick my ass and Faith . . ."# He gulped at the thought.
A few moments later the chair smashed on the ground, close to a person who appeared suddenly out of the dark. Angel recognized the person from the distance and was shocked as he rushed towards him. In a second he was standing next to him, "Giles? I'm sorry . . . I . . . You're alright?"
Giles looked a bit dazed, but nodded. "Why are you so frustrated?" he asked after he had calmed down.
Angel shrugged.
"Is it about Buffy?" he asked worried.
Angel shook his head. "No, it's . . . it's just, Xander is getting on my nerves and I have to work with him. He is so . . ." words couldn't tell what the expression on his face did.
Giles barely managed a chuckle and spoke serious. "Yeah, he can get to you sometimes. But you two really need to find a way to get along, this rivalry is getting tiresome. And you might hurt him."
Angel nodded. "Why are you here, Giles?"
"I have the plunger that Xander requested and he is going to explain what I have to do."
While Giles walked back into the school and Angel walked to the truck another person, who had arrived at the scene earlier, had followed there conversation and looked at Angel. She put on her helmet, reached into her pocket and roared the motor . . .
*****
Giles and Xander were outside the building. Xander was connecting the plunger to a bundle of wires while the Brit was looking in thought. He corrected the position of his glasses.
"Uh, Xander," he said a bit nervously and embarrassed. Xander turned his head to look at him. "Xander, I want to apologize to you. You were right about saving Faith and destroying the Mayor permanently."
Xander blinked, stunned.
Now the first words were out, Giles got more confident. "I never thanked you for saving Buffy all those times." He shook his head. "I must confess that I never realized it. I was so blindly focused on Buffy all this time. Cordelia, Willow, and most of all you lacked my attention."
Xander barely knew what to say, "It . . . it's ok, Giles," he managed to get out of it.
Giles shook his head. "No, it isn't. From the first day on you have fought at her side. Then you and Willow offered your help. It's my responsibility, I agreed with it. My lack of attention could have killed us all. I'm sorry that we left you out of the game. But you must understand that it was worry that made us do that."
Xander nodded.
"Do you have any plans for after graduation?" Giles asked suddenly.
Xander shook his head. "I wanted to go on a road trip, but, uh, my money savings are, uh, well, vanished. I think I'm going to look for a job."
Giles nodded in understanding and laid a hand on his shoulder. "What you did for Cordelia was great, Xander. It made me think on how to continue the new situation. Willow and Buffy are planning on going to Sunnydale's University. Maybe you and Faith should do that as well?"
Xander was stunned now. "Faith hasn't even graduated highschool and I don't have the money."
"We can work something out, it all depends on motivation. Would you like to?"
Xander was silent for a moment. #A Harris in college?# he thought while an unfamiliar pride became master of him. Then his worry about his grades were taking over his happy thoughts.
"Xander, don't worry about your grades. They don't say anything about a your performance at a University. You really need to want to. Then you will succeed. It's the only way. And I think you would do excellent in Psychology!"
"Really?" Xander wondered.
Giles smiled and nodded.
"Then I'll try."
Giles looked satisfied, but then another matter took control in his mind. "Xander, you and Angel, really need to work things out." Xander's happy face changed immediately in a grim one. "Xander, I know how you feel." Xander tried to protest, but Giles quickly continued. "Angelus tortured me for hours and most of all: he killed Jenny. But Angel is not Angelus!"
Xander nodded, realizing his mistake. "I know, Giles. He fights to be a good guy. I just make sure he continues that!"
Giles blinked, realizing his motivation. "Xander, he is a good guy as long as he has his soul."
Xander shook his head. "Giles, you know that in this business hard decisions have to be made. I know Angel is tough, I'm only not sure if he is always capable of it or appreciates them." Xander shrugged. "But I guess that in Los Angeles he'll find out if he is."
Giles nodded. "We'll give him a couple of months. Now go talk with him!"
Xander sighed and agreed.