The Quickening

Note: I apologize, as this chapter is exceedingly short. However, I do not have time to write much today, so I figured you all would just want what I did manage to write. So here it is. Thanks for all of the reviews.

Previously:

"Exactly. I chose the lesser of two evils, at least in my opinion," Giles replied. "I hope Buffy sees it the same way."

"I'll keep her safe," Faith promised.

Chapter Thirty-Eight:

Alan Finch stood at the end of the hallway leading to the Mayor's office. He had a crime report to deliver to his boss. When Alan first started working for the Mayor, he did not notice all of the strange things that went on around him. Specifically, he failed to see the gruesome artifacts that the Mayor housed inside of his office – the shrunken heads and other paranormal paraphernalia. As time progressed, he began to notice that some of the Mayor's friends and associates only came to work at night. More over, they had a certain unearthly feel about them. Alan did not realize what they were, until one of the secretaries told him about what really lurked out in the night of Sunnydale. Alan heard the whole story about the town sitting on top of a Hellmouth and how vampires, demons, and other creatures prowled the night looking for hapless victims.

The secretary also explained to him that though most vampires and demons were intrinsically evil, some saw a higher purpose to their continued existence, such as Mr. Trick. Instead of wishing evil upon the world, they wanted to help make it a better place. Since the Mayor knew about the state of his town, he decided that he would enlist the help of such noble vampires and demons, so that he could penetrate the very heart of Sunnydale's problems. The secretary had all but told him to look the other way when it came to the people with which the Mayor surrounded himself.

Alan, however, was beginning to have second thoughts about his affiliation with Sunnydale's top political figure. Though he would have liked to believe what the secretary had said, about the vampires desiring to help Sunnydale, he was not so sure that their intentions were as pure as she thought. He had seen some of the Mayor's reports, read documents not marked for his eyes, and he knew that the Mayor was up to something less than noble. However, Alan did not know what to do with his knowledge. He had never been one to deviate from the common path and he did not think that he had to strength to do it now. He had always just fallen in line with whatever anyone told him to do – from his mother, to all of his teachers, and now the Mayor.

However, he was starting to get to the point where he wanted, and needed, to make a stand – to fight back. He had decided that he did not like what was going on in the Mayor's office. He did not want to contribute to the actions of a man who was trying to perpetuate evil in the world. Though he had made up his mind that what he saw was not good, he did not know how to go about fixing it. He alone could not do anything to stop the Mayor from continuing his actions. The Mayor would simply kill him; of that much he was certain. He needed to find someone who was strong enough to stop the Mayor and protect him at the same time.

A bright smile lit up Alan's face when it suddenly dawned on him that though Sunnydale was home to numerous evil and filthy creatures, it was also home to two vampire slayers – mystical warriors chosen by fate, or god, or some higher power, to restore balance in the world by fighting the forces of darkness. Alan had read about the slayers in one of Mr. Trick's reports to the Mayor. Trick had been hired by the Mayor for a myriad of reasons. However, Trick's primary function was to eliminate the slayers, thus freeing the darker residents of the town from the constant fear of death. Alan knew that Trick had unsuccessfully tried to assassinate the slayers in an event he entitled 'Slayer Fest.' The event had failed – the slayers managing to defeat their assassins quite overwhelmingly. Alan knew that Trick was eager to make up for the defeat, as Trick knew that the Mayor did not like disappointments and tended to handle them a bit violently.

Alan knew that he could not let Trick succeed in killing the slayers, as they were his only hope for stopping the Mayor. Pulling himself together, he mustered all of his confidence, which was not very much, and slowly began walking towards the Mayor's office. When he reached the solid slab of wood, he raised his fist, and hesitated for a moment. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He imagined his face must have been blood red and felt almost as if sweat was starting to form on his forehead. Closing his eyes, he managed to focus his energy into calming himself. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The Mayor's cheerful voice greeted him, permitting him to enter. Alan opened the door and stepped inside.

Mr. Trick was seated inside of the Mayor's office, near the windows, which were covered by blinds to keep the sun from burning Trick into a pile of ashes. "I have the report you wanted," Alan said, stepping forward and handing the manila file folder to the Mayor. The Mayor took it with a smile and laid it down on his desk, barely even looking at it.

"How're you, Alan?" The Mayor asked pleasantly. "You look a little pale."

Alan repressed a gulp. His greatest fear was that the Mayor would figure out what he was up to and have him killed. "I'm not feeling very well today, sir," Alan managed to reply, his voice rather weak, but still audible.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Tell you what, why don't you take the rest of the day off? Rest up," the Mayor said, a look of concern gracing his features. "Can't have you getting ill, can we? We need you around here, Alan."

"Yes, sir," Alan said, faking a small smile. "I'd like that very much."

"Good, it's settled then," the Mayor said, clapping his hands and leaning back in his chair. "See you tomorrow." Alan nodded and turned to leave, quickly nodding at Trick on his way out. Once the Mayor's office door was closed behind him, he let out a small sigh of relief. He had been certain that the Mayor knew what he was thinking, knew that he was planning to betray him. However, the Mayor seemed quite oblivious to Alan's intentions, most likely assuming that Alan was too weak to try to stop him. Alan was determined to prove him wrong. He just needed to figure out a way to meet the slayers in secret.