The Quickening

Previously:

Any thoughts of the Mayor as an unwitting participant in some larger plan faded from Cordelia's mind. The man was evil, pure and simple, and she was about to meet him face to face.

Chapter Sixty:

Cordelia took a deep breath. She felt as if she were about to dive into a dark, murky, and bottomless ocean. "Just relax," Mr. Trick said, looking over at her and smiling. "First time in an office, huh?"

"Yeah," Cordelia said, nodding slightly. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Oh, there's nothing to be nervous about," Trick said. "The Mayor's very nice."

Cordelia smiled. "I'm sure he is." She did not particularly think that 'nice' was an appropriate word to use to describe a soulless monster.

"Ready?" Trick asked.

"I'm good," Cordelia responded. Trick knocked swiftly on the Mayor's office door. A chipper voice answered from inside and Trick opened the door. The first thing that Cordelia noticed was the office's cozy atmosphere and décor. The curtains were drawn over the windows, the lamps casting deep shadows on the floor, and the walls were painted in shades of deep green and blue. The Mayor had taste, Cordelia had to admit it.

"Ah, you must be our new intern," the Mayor said, rising to his feet behind his desk. "I'm Mayor Wilkins. But you can just call me Richard, if you want."

"Hi, Richard," Cordelia said awkwardly, reaching out to shake his extended hand. The Mayor had a firm grip. His hand squeezed hers with just the right amount of pressure. Cordelia imagined that, as a public figure, he had a good deal of practice shaking hands with people. She, on the other hand, had virtually no practice shaking hands with people. Her grip seemed limp and hesitant in comparison with his and Cordelia felt, not for the first time that day, that the Mayor was going to be able to see through her true intentions.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cordelia. I hope you have a good experience here with us. Don't worry, we won't work you too hard," the Mayor joked. "And just keep in mind, that if you have any questions, I'm here."

"Thank you," Cordelia replied. "I'm sure I'll fit in nicely."

"I'm sure you will too," Wilkins replied. "Mr. Trick, if you don't mind…" he said, motioning towards the door.

"Of course," Trick said. Looking over at Cordelia for a moment, he moved over to the door and quickly exited. Cordelia felt strangely uncomfortable now that the vampire had left. Even though Trick was obviously evil, she felt worse being alone with the Mayor. She had no idea the level of evil to which the Mayor had sunk and, though she was all for helping out the team, she was starting to regret her decision to agree to the plan.

"Have a seat," the Mayor said, pointing to the chair across from him. Cordelia looked down at the chair with trepidation, but swallowed her fear, and sat. The Mayor joined her and smiled widely. "So, you go to Sunnydale High School then? A quality establishment, I hear. I'm very proud of the young people of Sunnydale. The future of this country lies in your hands. It's very exciting," Wilkins said enthusiastically.

"I'm a senior there," Cordelia replied. She understood what Trick meant when he said that the Mayor was nice. He seemed to exude friendliness with his relaxed demeanor and easy smile.

"Must have lots of friends," the Mayor said knowingly. "You know, I'm going to be speaking at your graduation."

"Oh really?" Cordelia asked, suddenly intrigued. She knew that the Mayor was trying to pump her for information. However, her instincts told her that the perfect opportunity to pump him for information had just presented itself.

"Yes, I feel that it's incredibly important to connect with young people. They need a little guidance in their lives, to know that adults aren't the enemy, so to speak," Wilkins said, air quoting with his fingers the word 'enemy.'

"What are you planning on speaking about?" Cordelia asked interestedly as she crossed her legs and leaned forward slightly on her elbows.

"You'll just have to wait and see," the Mayor said, winking. "But I think you're going to find it very enlightening."

…………………

Faith turned on the television in Xander's apartment and sat down on the sofa. He was still at the library. Faith had left training early that night. Her heart was not in it and Giles knew it. Wesley had been pushing her too hard. Faith was not certain that leaving the younger Watcher out of the loop about Alan Finch's death was wise, but as it was Giles's wish, she had not said anything. As a result, Wesley could not understand why Faith had recoiled when he handed her a stake that afternoon. As soon as Faith had touched the wood, she could feel Alan's heart beating against her fingertips. Giles had noticed the look on her face and had sent her home immediately, much to Wesley's annoyance. Faith, however, did not go home. She went to Xander's apartment instead. He had given her a key shortly after he moved in.

Faith sighed and flipped through the channels. The cartoon she had settled on was interrupted suddenly by a breaking news story. A reporter appeared on the screen down by the docks. "Shocking news in the small, quiet town of Sunnydale. Some local fishermen discovered a body this afternoon. The body has been identified as that of Alan Finch, the deputy Mayor of Sunnydale. No word has come from the Mayor's office as of this time. However, the police department has issued a statement, assuring the people of Sunnydale that Alan Finch's murderer will be caught."

Faith leaned forward, her face pale. "Oh shit," she muttered. Flipping off the television, she ran a hand through her hair absently. Her mind was reeling. She had been certain that Alan's body would never be discovered. Her worst fear had just been realized. "What am I gonna do?" She said, rising to her feet suddenly. She felt like breaking something. She was panicking. She knew that she needed to calm down, but her heart was racing and the blood pumping through her veins sounded like a mighty river to her ears. Her breath came in short gasps and she suddenly felt lightheaded. Sinking back down onto the sofa, she closed her eyes and tried to focus her breathing.

The phone rang, interrupting her. Glancing over at it fearfully, she reached over and picked up the receiver. "Hello?" She said shakily.

"Faith? It's Giles. I just saw the news. Come back to the library right away," Giles said as soothingly as he could, despite his own panic.

"Okay," Faith said before hanging up the phone. The apartment was overbearingly silent. Faith felt as though the walls were slowly creeping in around her, suffocating her. Jumping to her feet, she rushed over to the door and flung it open. The stale air of the hallway filled her nostrils. Closing the door, she locked it, and walked over to the stairwell. She had to try to think rationally. There was no need to panic yet. The police only had a body. They did not have any suspects, or any reason to think that Faith was involved in Alan's death. The more attention that she drew to herself, the worse it would be for her. She had to calm down.

Faith hurried down the stairs and pushed open the exit door. The last things that she wanted to see that moment were the happy palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze. But they greeted her as soon as she opened the door. She wanted to scream in frustration and beat her fists against the cracked, concrete sidewalk. A storm was raging inside of her and there was nothing she could do to dispel it. Her feet were leading her to the library when she suddenly stopped. She knew that Giles was expecting her, but there was somewhere else that she needed to go first. Redirecting her footsteps, she began walking towards Angel's mansion.

………………………

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation Cordelia was having with the Mayor. He looked mildly irritated, but the shadow of annoyance passed, and his face once again possessed its usual cheerfulness. It astounded Cordelia how easily he could switch between facades. He had been asking Cordelia about the high school. She had dropped Buffy's name, noting how his eyes lit up when he heard her mention the slayer. Cordelia knew that she had hooked him. She was having a more difficult time subtly extracting information from him, however. She knew that he was planning to speak at their graduation. Therefore, whatever he had planned was either happening on or after graduation. Cordelia never would have suspected the Mayor of being aligned with evil had she not already known it. She felt completely at ease speaking with him.

"Come in," the Mayor said, smiling at her. "Sorry for the interruption."

"It's quite alright," Cordelia replied.

"I wouldn't have knocked, but I thought you would want to know this," Trick said, stepping into the room as he opened the door.

"What is it?" The Mayor asked.

"The police have a body," Trick replied.

"Well, who's is it?" The Mayor asked curiously.

"Alan Finch," Trick stated. Cordelia felt her heart begin to race in her chest. Alan Finch's body had been found. They had not planned on the police ever finding his body. She knew that Faith would be panicking at that moment. Though she wanted to rush out of the office and comfort her best friend, she remained rooted in her chair.

"What?" The Mayor asked in shock. "Alan's dead?"

"It would appear so," Trick replied. "Would you like to issue a statement?"

"Right away," Wilkins said, rising to his feet. "I'm terribly sorry to leave you hanging like this," he said turning to Cordelia, "but duty calls. I'm sure my secretary will have something for you to do in the mean time."

"Of course," Cordelia said as Trick ushered her out of the Mayor's office and down the hall. Cordelia watched Trick retreat into the Mayor's office and close the door. Things were about to go from bad to worse for her and her friends.

……………………

Faith walked into the mansion, using her slayer senses to locate Angel. "Angel, you busy?" Faith asked shakily as she moved out onto the patio in the back. Angel was sitting on a plastic lawn chair, reading an ancient looking book.

"Not really, what's up?" Angel asked, flipping his book closed and watching as Faith paced back and forth in front of him.

"The police found Alan's body. They have it right now. They're gonna figure out everything that happened. I'm fucked, Angel," Faith ranted.

"Calm down," Angel said, rising to his feet and laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Nothing's happened yet."

"Yeah, yet," Faith reinforced. "I'm freaking out here."

"I know," Angel said. "Sit down." Faith complied, practically throwing herself in one of the lawn chairs.

"What am I gonna do?" Faith asked wearily. She ran a hand over her face and sighed.

"Whatever happens, we're behind you. Just remember that. The police aren't going to arrest you. We won't let it happen," Angel said. "The world needs you, Faith. They may not understand that, but we do. You're not going anywhere."

"What if they try to arrest Cordelia or Xander?" Faith asked, looking over at him. "It's my fault that they're involved at all."

Angel sat back in his chair, deep in thought. "Without a body, they won't have any proof."

"What are you talking about?" Faith asked.

"We need that body," Angel replied.

"I'm not following you here," Faith said.

"To put it simply," Angel said, "we need to break into the police station and steal the body."

"Are you crazy?" Faith asked.

"A little bit," Angel replied with a lopsided smile.

"That's absolutely insane," Faith responded. "But I like it."