Chapter 8 – Choices Part 2

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A/N: Sorry about the wait.

Library

Xander walked into the library to see an all out panic going on.

"How did you guys let ... How did this happen?" Buffy was asking Giles and Angel frantically.

"We thought she stayed with you." Giles answered, cleaning his glasses.

"They must have grabbed her when she hit the ground." Angel explained. "Buffy, I'm sorry."

"Look, it's nobody's fault, okay," Buffy said, immediately trying to comfort the guilty vampire. "We just need to focus and deal. Oz, I swear I won't let them hurt her."

"We go back. Full-on assault." Oz said, not noticing the other male Scooby standing in the doorway.

"They'll kill her." Giles explained.

"We're assuming they haven't already." Wesley pointed out.

"No. No, they know what she means to us. She's too valuable as long as we still have the box. We trade." Buffy told the group.

"We can't." Wesley said, trying to sway her.

Buffy shook her head. "No, it's the safest plan." She turned to Giles. "It's the only way, right?"

"It might well be." Giles agreed, cleaning his glasses.

"Look, we call the Mayor and arrange a meeting." Buffy went on.

"This box must be dest..." Wesley began but was interrupted by Xander's fist.

"I just volunteered to hit you, Wes." Xander said, looking at the semi-conscious Watcher with disgust. He turned to the group and asked, "What did I miss?"

"Where were you man?" Oz asked. He had a confused look on his face as he looked at Xander, there was something about the way he smelled that was bothering the werewolf

"Uhh, I...was attacked by a group of vamps." Xander explained in a hurry. "Dusted them, but they took out the ingredients. Sorry."

"Willow's been captured and now we're planning on trading the box for her return." Giles explained.

"Damn it, you listen to me!' Wesley exploded as he climbed shakily from the floor. "This box is the key to the Mayor's Ascension. Thousands of lives depend on our getting rid of it. Now I want to help Willow as much as the rest of you, but we will find another way."

"There is no other way." Buffy said solemnly.

"Alright, now." Giles said seeing the beginning of an argument between the Slayer and younger Watcher. "Let's deal with this rationally."

"Why are you taking his side?" Buffy asked.

Before they can continue, a crash is heard and they turn to find Oz standing over the remains of the pot for the box-destroying ritual, and Xander stomping on them for good measure.

"Giles, make the phone call." Buffy sighed.

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Night - Sunnydale High cafeteria.

The Scooby Gang waits for the Mayor and Faith. Giles holds a baseball bat, while Wesley stands behind him, unarmed. Buffy is armed with a crossbow and stands beside Angel, using him for support. Xander leans against the far wall ,away from the group, a broadsword resting on a table nearby.

"The whole place is locked down, except for the front." Oz told him as he checked the locks to the entrance to their backs.

"Yeah, it gives me that comforting trapped feeling." Xander joked, before turning away from Oz's stare. He kept thinking that Oz knew what happened between him and Faith.

"One way out means one way in. I want to see them coming." Buffy replied to the two males.

As she said this, the lights went out, leaving the room dimly lit by outside lights.

"Guess they're shy." Xander said as he stood straighter, and grabbed his sword.

"I can see alright." Angel said with a grin.

"Me too." Xander shot back. "Looks like night vision comes with the Brood package." He smiled as he heard the Master vampire mutter under his breath.

Two vampire guards push open the front doors, followed by the Mayor, then Faith holding Willow. The two groups stop and glare at each other for a while before the Mayor and Buffy advance to within arms reach of each other.

"Well, this is exciting, isn't it?" The mayor asked with a chuckle. "Clandestine meetings by dark of night. Exchange of prisoners. I just, I, I feel like we should all be wearing trenchcoats."

"Let her go." Buffy said with authority

"No. Not until the box is in my hands. So you're the little girl that's been causing me all this trouble." The Mayor said as he looked Buffy up and down. He turned to Angel with a grin. "She's pretty, Angel. A little skinny. Still don't understand why it couldn't work out with you and my Faith. Guess you kind of just have strange taste in women."

"Well, what can I say?' Angel said with a shrug. "I like them sane."

Willow made a sound as Faith tightens her grip at that comment. Xander growls softly, but still manages to get more weird looks from Oz, and then Angel.

"Angel." Oz said with a glare towards the souled vampire.

"Ahh, of course the Werewolf and the last of the Brood. My what an odd friendship you too must have." The Mayor said turning to the two Scoobies. He noticed how Xander's gaze seemed to be on Faith who was not looking him in the eye. "And what's this? Faith are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Boss." Faith said, still not looking at neither him nor Xander. "Let's not talk about this."

The Mayor stared at her for a moment before turning to stare at Angel. "Make the trade."

Angel slid the box across the floor as Faith freed Willow from her grasp. The freed red-head runs straight to Oz's waiting arms. Faith picks up the box from the center of the room.

"Well, that went smooth." The Mayor commented.

As he said this, the front doors opened and Snyder followed by two policemen entered blocking the only exit.

"Nobody moves!" Snyder yelled.

The Mayor stepped back into the shadows as Snyder advances on the group. One policeman locks the doors behind him.

"I knew you kids were up to something." Snyder said smugly.

"Snyder, get out of here." Xander growled.

"You're not giving orders, Harris. I suppose you're going to tell me I won't find drugs in this box." Snyder said as he took the box from Faith's grasp. As he did so, Faith whipped out her knife.

"No, Faith!" Xander yelled to the dark Slayer.

The Mayor came out of the shadows and grinned cheekily at Snyder. "Principal Snyder."

Snyder turned at the Mayor's voice, but his eyes then stayed glued to the knife in Faith's hand. "I think we have a problem."

Snyder immediately handed the box to one of the officers, and began apologizing. "Mr. Mayor, I had no idea you ... I'm terribly sorry."

The Mayor waved his hands dismissively. "No, it's I who should apologize. Coming down here at night. What must you be thinking? But you see, I just needed to ..."

He stopped as he saw the officers begin open the box. "No! Don't do that!"

The cop looked up but his face was covered by a large, spider-like, insect that was attached to his face. Within seconds, the officer falls to the floor. Dead.

The spider released its prey and skittered away into the shadows. The whole thing happened so quickly, nobody had moved to interfere.

"Oh god." Wesley moaned, his hand covering his mouth.

"Where did it go?" asked Xander, broadsword in hand.

Snyder turned to the remaining cop and shrieked, "Get that door open!"

"No!" Giles commanded, pointing at the officer. "You can't let that thing out of here!"

Xander raised his voice a bit. "I still want to know where it went."

"Listen." Buffy said. As they went quiet they could hear the subtle noises on the ceiling. A variety of skittering feet and low keening noises came from above. Everyone looks up. The spider drops onto the Mayor's face and he falls backwards onto a table.

"Boss!" Faith shouted as she rushed to his aid. She pulled the spider off and flung it hard against the wall.

Giles and Wesley climb up on chairs as the creature righted itself and scrambled into the shadows.

The Mayor sits up, and Snyder stares in horror at the rapidly healing wounds on the Mayor's face.

"Wouldn't leave that open." The Mayor said as he pointed to the box, where yet another spider tried to climb out.

Xander calmly snaps the lid shut, severing the escaping spider's legs. He smiled before he felt the other spider fall on his back.

"Holy..." Xander said as he dropped himself on his back, crushing the spider.

Faith turned to look at the Scoobies and saw a second spider behind Wesley's head. She flipped her knife, blade up, and threw it towards Wesley's head.

Wesley, seeing Faith throw the knife in his direction, screamed out, "No!"

He ducked as the knife impacts on the spider behind him with a dull thud.

A slight purple glow seemed to come from the now dead spider as it hung from the wall, and from the dragon design of Faith's dagger.

The Mayor strode over to the box and picked it up. He smiled slightly at the fallen Brood.

"Is that all of them?" Oz asked out loud as he helped up the former Zeppo.

"Ah, not really. You see, there's about fifty..." the Mayor began, "billion of these happy little critters in here. Would you like to see?" Behind him the remaining cop finally got the doors open and ran out into the hallway, with two vampire guards right behind him.

"Raise your hand if you're invulnerable." The Mayor said as he raised his hand. After a few tense seconds he turned to the dark Slayer. "Faith, let's go."

Faith stared at the impaled spider on the wall. 'I could have sworn I saw...'

"Faith!" The Mayor called again. She stared a moment more, then turned and followed him. She passes a freaked out Snyder who hold a chair, legs out, pointed towards her.

Xander approached the frozen principal. "Snyder, you alive in there?"

Snyder look at the group, pointing at them with a shaking finger. "You. All of you. Why couldn't you be dealing drugs like normal people?" He then walked out of the cafeteria cautiously, still holding the chair like a shield.

"Well, that went swimmingly." Wesley said quietly.

"We did alright." Buffy said, sharing a look with Willow.

"Yeah, sure." Xander said as he felt himself drawn towards the impaled spider on the wall.

He moved slowly towards it until he heard the ancient voices of the Brood.

"Miracle"

"Miracle"

"Miracle"

"Miracle"

Xander reached out and gently touched the carcass and watched as a purple light was absorbed into his skin.

Xander sensed as a new gene was added to his growing stockpile in his head. This gene was a deep, red, diamond-shaped gem with a yellow arrow pointing to the right.

He turned, his body blocking the dagger embedded in the wall, to find the Scoobies looking on in amazement. He simply shrugged and quipped, "Three guesses to what that was."

No one noticed the dagger glowing the same faint purple.

As they began to leave, however, Buffy moved towards the blade and removed it from the wall. She looked at the blade and could see only one use for it.

"Soon, Faith. Soon."

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Xander stood outside Faith's apartment his hand poised to knock, but not sure if he should.

His choice was made for him by the door opening and Faith looking at him, dressed in a dark blue robe. "Are you going to just stand there or are you going to tell me what the hell you want."

"Uh...I.... We need to talk." Xander stuttered out.

"No, we don't," Faith said, trying to close the door.

The door was stopped by Xander 's foot as he tried to keep it open. "Yes, we do. What happened last night..."

Faith shrugged. "Was nothing, we just lost our heads for a while."

"No, it was more than..." Xander didn't finish because Faith chose that moment to kick him in the shin, once again. "YEOW!"

Faith slammed the door shut once Xander's foot moved. "Now leave."

Xander hopped on one foot as he looked at the door. 'That's the second time she's done that.' He limped to the door and called out, "Come on, Faith. Open the door."

On the other side of the door, Faith leaned against her wall, wanting him to go away. She wanted so much to open the door and to tell him how she felt, but she didn't want to betray the man who had been like a father to her.

Xander leaned his head against the door, "Please, Faith, open the door."

Faith, tears falling from her eyes, Faith yelled out, "Just go away already!"

"I think...No, I know that... I love you."

The whispered words easily reached the rouge Slayers ears, Her eyes opened as she thought about the blue haired youth who had just spoke the words that she had both wanted to and dreaded to hear. She moved to the door and opened it.

Xander fell to the floor, as he had been leaning against it. He picked himself up from the ground and looked at the Slayer, an unsure smile on his face, "You didn't do that on purpose did you?"

Faith didn't answer, instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him into a soul searing kiss. When they pulled away, Faith said only four words that Xander had never thought he would hear.

"I love you, too."

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