Chapter 75: Graduation

Prue knocks on the door of the mansion and Angel opens it.

"Prue." Angel says.

"Can I come in?" Prue asks.

Angel nods and motions her inside. "What can I do for you? Is Buffy okay?"

Prue sighs, "Buffy's fine considering the circumstances. Angel I was wrong to ask you to do what you did."

Angel nods, "But you were right to ask it. I will always love Buffy. But you were right she should have a normal life. I thought about it after you left. What kind of life would she have with me? She could never have any children with me. I will never age, and she will grow old and die and I will have to watch it. She deserves so much more. She deserves someone who can take her into the light. Who can when she's ready give her a son or a daughter."

Across town Buffy and Faith have snuck into the apartment the Mayor gave Faith. Clothes and weapons are laid out on the couch - there are packing boxes everywhere. A cat jumps onto the bed.

Buffy looks at it. "Who's gonna look after him?"

Faith crosses behind Buffy, "It's a she. And aren't these things supposed to take care of themselves?"

"A higher power, guiding us?" Buffy asks.

Faith shakes her head, "I'm pretty sure that's not what I meant. Seriously though Hope gets her. Something to hold on to while I'm in jail, assuming we survive that is." She turns to the window.

"What about you?" Buffy asks. "Seriously, how are you doing?"

Faith turns back to Buffy and sighs, "It's hard. I won't say it's not. To have found Hope after so long. To have done the things that I did. To tell her I'm going away. I have to do it for her though. I have to show her that I'm not going to revert back. And paying for what I did is the best way I can do that."

"Faith never think for one second that Willow wants you to do that. She's your sister she'll stand by you no matter what. Believe me I know." Buffy says.

Faith nods, "Yeah those cousins of yours are wonderful women. And I know Hope will stand beside me. But this is something I have to do."

Buffy smiles, "I understand Faith. And you know what I'll be waiting with Willow when you get out. I know we had a falling out. But I'd like to think were friends."

"Sure Buffy, were friends. The Chosen Two." Faith says.

Buffy is taken back by the use of her name, "You called me Buffy. You've never called me anything other than B before."

Faith smiles, "True. But I think I owe that much to you. It's the same reason I don't call Hope, Red anymore." She pauses for a moment. "I just thought of something."

"What?" Buffy asks.

Faith moves toward Buffy. "Human weakness. It never goes away. Even his."

"Human weakness? What would be his human weakness?" Buffy asks.

"Me of course. He treated me like the daughter he never had." Faith said. "If he sees me standing next to you we might be able to play it."

"So what are you going to do with all this stuff?" Buffy asks.

Faith shakes her head, "No use to me in prison. Take it home its yours. Well except for the cat, that's Hope's."

Buffy shakes her head, "I can't use all this."

Faith stands before her, looks at her with quiet regard. "Just take what you need. Give the rest to Hope then." Buffy nods. "You ready?"

"We'll come back for the rest after we deal with the Mayor." Buffy says.

Faith nods, "Sounds like a plan."

They each grab a box or two and head out the door.

Later in the library Faith and Buffy are addressing the gang – Xander, Willow, Oz, Cordelia, Angel, Giles, Prue, Piper and Phoebe. The gang is a tad non plussed, staring at the girls.

"That's the basic plan. So. Are we crazy?" Buffy says.

"Well, "crazy's" a strong word –" Willow says.

"Hope!" Faith says.

Giles shakes his head, "Let's not rule it out though."

"You don't think it can be done." Buffy says.

"I didn't say that. I might, but I haven't yet." Giles says.

Cordelia nods, "Okay, well, I personally don't think it's possible to come up with a crazier plan."

"We attack the Mayor with hummus." Oz says.

"I stand corrected." Cordelia says.

Oz smiles, "Just keeping things in perspective."

"Thank you. My point, however, is crazy or not, it's pretty much the only plan. Besides, it's Buffy and Faith's and their slay-gal, you know. Miss Like-to-Fight, so..." Cordelia says.

Willow glares at Cordelia.

"I think there was a 'yea' vote buried in there somewhere." Xander says.

Buffy nods, "Well, we need you all on board. Especially you, Xander and Prue. You two are kind of the key to this figure here."

"Key? Me? Okay, pride... humility... and here's the mind numbing fear." Xander says.

Prue rolls her eyes, "What do we have to do?"

"Xander do you still remember any of your military training from when you became soldier guy?"

"Ooh! Rocket launcher?" Xander asks.

Faith shakes her head, "Rocket launcher's not gonna get it done."

Buffy nods, "Took a volcano to kill one of these things last time."

"Buffy, Faith, all of this is dependant on your being able to control the Mayor. How do you plan to do that?" Giles asks.

Buffy looks to Faith, "It's your show."

Faith sighs and nods, "We're going to play on his human weakness. That's the way we're gonna get to him."

"The Mayor's weakness." Giles says.

"Right." Buffy says.

Giles nods, "Which is what?"

"Me." Faith said. "I'm his weak link. Ever since I started working for him. He always saw me as the daughter he never had."

"Neither of you have an enormous amount of time." Wesley says having entered unnoticed.

"Hey, it's Mister States-the-Obvious!" Xander says.

Buffy shakes her head, "I think Faith and I are in agreement here that the Council isn't welcome here. We got no time for orders. We need someone to scream like a woman, we'll give you a call."

"Buffy's right we don't need you." Faith said. "Plus I don't trust you. If Buffy hadn't stopped you from calling them. You would have had me taken from my sister."

Wesley sighs, "I'm not here for the Council. Just tell me how I can help. "

"Oh, you are SO classy. Isn't he just so classy?" Cordelia says.

"It's a start." Buffy says.

Wesley nods, "So there is something I can do? Besides scream like a woman?"

"There's plenty. Chores for everyone. Okay, this is how it's going to lay out..." Buffy says.

Later Wesley walks over to Faith carrying an envelope.

"Faith I want to apologize to you. You and Buffy are right. What good is it to be in this war if whole families are ripped apart. It's why I got this for you." Wesley hands her an envelope. "It's what I found out about Willow's kidnapping when she was a baby."

Faith opens the envelope and looks at the contents. "They took Hope from me? The Watcher's Council took my sister?"

Wesley sighs and nods, "Yes. They thought she was you."

Faith growls, "Those no good…"

"Faith!" Willow says. "It's okay we're together now."

Faith looks to Willow and smiles, "Your right, Hope."

Later Everyone has divided into sections, talking about their plans. Wesley is reading to Faith, Buffy, Prue, Xander and Angel, "Darkness will follow, the day become night..."

"An eclipse." Buffy says.

Wesley nods, "Standard procedure during an Ascension."

"That puts me back in the game." Angel says.

Buffy nods, "Yes it does. I'll need you, Prue and Xander working in sync here. Can you guys handle that?"

Prue nods, "No Problem, Buffy."

"Prue and I are still Key Guy, right?" Xander asks.

Buffy nods, "Right."

"Great, then Angel - in his non-Key Guy capacity - can work with us." Xander says.

"What fun." Angel says.

Prue shakes her head. "You got that right."

Later Faith and Buffy approaches Oz and Willow. "How are we on volcano detail?"

"I think we can work it." Oz says.

Willow nods, "Fun with chemistry."

Faith shakes her head, "Dang Hope. You could give me a run for my money."

Willow laughs, "Well."

Giles joins them.

"Xander should be able to locate the materials." Buffy says.

Oz nods, "Who's gonna stoke it up?"

Buffy turns to Giles. "Feel up to it?"

"I suppose it should be I. It's fitting, in a grotesque fashion." Giles says.

"Okay." Buffy says as she looks around at everyone. "You guys start reaching out." She looks to Giles. "Giles, weapons weapons weapons." She looks to Prue, Phoebe and Piper. "Time start thinking Power of Three."

Later in Oz's van Faith, Oz and Willow are hoisting sacks of fertilizer, handing them over to Jonathan and Larry. They put them in a shopping cart with a bunch of others.

"Put these with the others. And don't touch anything." Oz says.

Larry nods, "We got it."

"What do we do then?" Jonathan asks.

Faith shakes her head, "Nothing. Wait for Graduation to start."

Willow nods, "Faith's right just relax, have a good time."

"Uh, okay..." Jonathan says nervously.

Larry looks around conspiratorially. "It's clear. Let's move."

The two of them drive the cart off.

"I guess that's it. Won't be long now." Willow says.

Oz nods, "Nervous?"

Willow nods, "Only in a terrified way."

Faith smiles, "It's good to be scared though. Helps to make sure you stay alive. Belive me Hope. If you die I'm going to raise you from the dead and kick your rear from here to eternity."

Willow smiles, "Sure, Faith."

Faith moves towards the van's doors.

Oz comes close to Willow. "We'll make it through this."

Willow shakes her head, "Are you sure?"

Oz nods, "I sound pretty sure, don't I?

Faith grins and gets out.

Willow nods, "Yeah..."

"Then I must be sure." Oz says.

"Was that just a comforting way of not answering the question?" Willow asks

Oz stops her, hand to her face. They kiss. It becomes passionate.

Faith shakes her head, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, Hope." She slides the van door closed as Willow blushes.

In Giles office Angel is there, stocking weapons, when Buffy walks in carrying something wrapped in an old rag.

"You get what you needed?" Angel says.

Buffy nods as Faith walks in, "I did." She unwraps the knife and hands it to Faith, "Just what you ordered."

Faith looks at the knife and nods, "One of the few toys he gave me that I like. It looks wicked don't it."

Buffy smiles, "Yeah." She looks over the weapons, brushing past Angel. "We're gonna need more than this."

Faith turns and leaves heading over to Buffy's cousins.

"Giles is on it." Angel says.

Buffy nods, "Have you, Prue and Xander worked out your timing?"

"I'm not saying goodbye." Angel says. Buffy stops, drops the businesslike demeanor. "We make it through this, I'm just gonna go. Do you understand?" Buffy nods. "There's just too much to –"

Buffy holds up her hand. No more. He nods, turns to collect some weapons. She watches him, keeps watching as he exits the office.

Later the ceremony is underway. The students file into their seats as the band plays some processional.

Buffy is the last into her seat, in front near the middle. Willow's seat is next to hers, and conspicuously empty. And Faith sits on the other side of Willow's seat.

The music stops, and Snyder, who sits on the podium with the Mayor and a few teachers, steps up to the microphone. "Congratulations to the class of 1999. You've all proved more or less adequate. This is a time for celebration, so sit still and be quiet." He looks to a student. "Spit out that gum. Please welcome our distinguished guest speaker, Sunnydale's own Mayor, Richard Wilkins III." He looks back at the gum chewing student. "I saw that gesture. You see me after graduation." He sits by the diplomas as the Mayor takes the podium.

Buffy eyes the Mayor from her seat. Waiting.

Willow scurries into her seat between Faith and Buffy. Buffy looks at Will, whose hair is luxuriantly mussed.

"Am I late? Did we fight?" Willow asks.

Buffy and Faith shakes their heads, looks back to the stage.

The Mayor pulls out some 3x5 cards, looks over them. "Well. What a day this is. Special day. Today is our centennial, the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of Sunnydale. And I know what that means to all you kids. Not a darn thing. 'Cause today something much more important happens. Today you all graduate from high school. Today all the pain and the work and the excitement is finally over, and what's a hundred years of history compared to that?"

Something horrible dawns on Buffy. "My god... he's gonna do the whole speech."

"Oh, man... just ascend, already!" Willow says.

"Evil." Faith says.

"But you know what, kids? Maybe the two things are connected. Maybe you have a place in Sunnydale's history, whether you like it or not. It's been a long road getting here, for you, for Sunnydale... there's been achievement, joy, good times... and there's been grief. There's been loss. Some people who should be here today, aren't." The Mayor says.

Faith notices he is looking right at her. She smirks and waves.

"But we are. Journey's end. And what is a journey? Is it just distance traveled? Time spent? No. It's what happens on the way, it's the things that shape you. At the end of the journey, you're not the same. Today is about change. Graduation doesn't just mea your circumstances change, it means you do. You ascend to a higher level. Nothing will ever be the same. Nothing." As the Mayor speaks this last, the sun disappears in an eclipse - the Mayor, Buffy and all the students looking up as night falls suddenly upon them.

The Mayor feels the change start. It's painful, but he struggles to continue, "So as we look back on..." There is a murmur along the students as he goes on... "...on the events that have brought us to this day... we..."

"Come on..." Buffy and Faith says.

"We must all... AHH. It has begun. My destiny. Little sooner than I expected –" The Mayor says as he messes with the 3x5 cards "—I had a whole section about civic pride, but..." He looks up, death in his eyes. "I guess we'll just get to the big finish."

And he transforms, suddenly, horribly - his clothes ripping off him as he grows too big for them, too big by far as he transforms into this unholy big-ass snake thing.

The students clamor to their feet, looking up in awe and terror.

Snyder looks up as well, reason slipping away from him. "This is simply unacceptable."

The parents turn tail and run. All but three – the most power witches, the Charmed Ones.

Twenty vamps form a line, looking up the steps at the hapless class.

The Mayor roars in triumph.

Buffy and Faith looks up at the Mayor - and then calls out, "NOW!"

As one, the class drops their robes. Every single class member has weapons underneath.

"Flame units!" Buffy calls out.

At either end of the front row are guys - one of them being Larry - with flame throwers. They fire up at the Mayor, causing him to recoil.

Buffy turns to Xander, nods.

Xander looks to Prue who nods and they call out, "First wave!"

Other students in the front row have harpoon guns, spears, crossbows - they aim at the Mayor.

The Mayor swoops down, avoiding the flames, and grabs a kid, makes a meal of him.

"Fire!" Prue and Xander says.

Assorted projectiles fire at the Mayor, some of them striking true.

"Xander! Prue!" Oz says from where he's watching the line of vamps, as a couple of students try to flee down the stairs and get eaten for their troubles.

"Bowmen!" Prue and Xander calls out.

Piper moves over next to Oz.

A row of ten arrows is raised, tips all aflame.

"Fire!" Piper calls out.

A volley is fired.

A couple of vamps take hits - one in the arm, one right in the chest. Others stumble back, shield themselves in confusion.

Another row of flaming arrows is raised.

Amidst the second volley, the vamps turn tail.

Angel is behind them. Flanked by Wesley, Percy, and six other heavy looking fellows.

The vampires stop, trapped.

Angel smiles... and charges. He hits them - and easily engages a few, while his companions do their best with stakes.

Larry's flame thrower putters out. "Dammit!" He drops it and picks up a fallen spear - but the Mayor's tail lashes out and slams into him, sends him flying. His neck cracks sickeningly as he hits the ground.

"Fall back!" Faith and Buffy call out.

Snyder is looking up at the Mayor - and at the kids - becoming increasingly irritated. "This is not orderly. This is not disciplined. You're on MY campus, buddy, and when I say I want quiet—"

The Mayor eats him.

"Fall back! Get back!" Buffy calls out.

Faith looks to Willow, "Hope, go."

Willow nods, "Good luck. And Faith, you don't die."

Faith laughs, "Not without your approval little sis."

Willow smiles, "And you will never have it." She turns to follow Xander.

"Xander! Take 'em down." Buffy says.

Xander nods, "Everyone! Hand to hand!"

The class drop their bows and harpoons, pulling out stakes, axes, bats and the like. Prue, Piper and Phoebe each pull out stakes and crosses.

"Ready!" Xander and Prue says.

Angel is just kicking ass.

The vamps are torn - finally one calls out, "Get the kids!" And heads up the steps. The others follow - and are met by a wave of students, the entire graduating class pouring down on them, yelling, weapons in hand, they meet on the stairs and fuggin Braveheart ensues.

Amidst the carnage; Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Willow, Oz, Cordelia are all engaging vamps. Jonathan also managing to hold his own.

Harmony is pulled aside as a vamp bites her.

Wesley gets knocked on his ass and landing painfully.

Xander socks a vamp down the stairs, calling out, "Right flank! Close on them! Close! Jason, Doug, you guys are the right flank! Prue you got left flank?"

Prue nods, "Got it, go Xander."

Xander goes to help right flank.

The Mayor swallows the last of Snyder.

"Hey!" Buffy and Faith calls out.

The Mayor looks around. Buffy and Faith are standing alone, the rest of the kids still booking down into the field of play below.

"Remember ME?" Faith says as she holds the knife the Mayor gave her. "You gave me this when you thought of me as your daughter. Newsflash old man, I'm not your daughter. In fact I have a family and it aint you, Dick!"

The Mayor lunges at Buffy and Faith and they run, runs through the arches, down the corridor, away from the students.

Buffy and Faith runs in to the student lounge - and a moment later the Mayor crashes through the window, shooting down the hall after them. They run toward the library, he follow and gets stuck in the door way. Smashes his head into it and breaks it off the walls, bringing it with him as he follows them.

Buffy and Faith runs into the library and through, jumping to the second level and out the back door, running through the empty stacks and BURSTS through a window, landing in a roll at Giles' feet.

Inside the Mayor snakes in after them, bursting through the library doors and into the room, stopping to see the many big metal drums, many bags of fertilizer, many sticks of dynamite strapped to the railings, and many wires leading out the back of the room.

Outside Giles hits the plunger.

And the school goes boom as each square inch of it goes up in flames barbequing the Mayor.

Giles, Faith and Buffy step back, light and wind playing on their faces.

Faith smiles, "Now isn't that a pretty sight. Buffy I can see why you like blowing things up."

Buffy laughs, "I'm never going to live burning the gym at Hemery down, am I?

Faith shakes her head.

Later in front of what's left of the school Fire trucks and ambulances have arrived, the smoking ruin of the school just hidden by them. People are helping the wounded into ambulances, milling about in postwar shock, leaving, talking, hugging, crying.

Wesley is in a gurney, being loaded into an ambulance. "If I could just get something for the pain, it's rather a lot of pain... an aspirin.. anyone... if I could just be knocked unconscious..." He is loaded up and roundly ignored.

"We got off pretty cheap, considering." Xander says.

Buffy nods, "Seems like we did." Her eyes are elsewhere, searching.

Xander understands. "He made it through the fight. Guess maybe he took off after."

Buffy nods. They part ways. Buffy running into Giles and Faith.

"How are you?" Giles asks.

"Tired." Buffy says. "How are you Faith?"

"I could sleep for like a week." Faith says.

Giles nods, "I'd imagine so. Quite a couple of days."

Buffy nods, "My brain hasn't processed everything yet. It's not really functioning at the higher levels; it's pretty much, "fire bad, tree pretty". Anything more complex..."

Giles nods, "Understandable. Well, when it starts working again, congratulate it on a good campaign. You did very well. In fact you both did very well."

"Don't go getting sentimental on me, G." Faith says.

Buffy nods, "Thanks."

Giles reaches into his pocket, "I uh, I ferreted this out of the wreckage for you. You may not have any interest, but..." It's Buffy's diploma. He hands it to her. "I'd say you've earned it." Buffy takes it gratefully. He looks out at the wreckage of the school. "There is a certain dramatic irony in the way things turned out. A synchronicity that almost borders on predestination, one might say."

Buffy nods, "Fire bad. Tree pretty."

Giles nods, "Right. Sorry. I'd best check on Wesley, see if he's still whimpering. Faith, say the day after tomorrow? I meet you at the police station like we discussed. "

Faith nods, "See you there, G."

Giles nods, "Tell Willow I said hello. Oh and Buffy you do the same for me with Prue, Piper and Phoebe."

Buffy and Faith smiles as they say together, "Will do."

Giles goes over to the ambulance.

Buffy looks at her diploma, looks around her. She feels Angel before she sees him. She turns to see Angel stands some twenty yards away, looking at her. People coming and going in between. They stare at each other. Angel turns and walks away.

Buffy stands and watches him.

"A little anti-climactic in a way. No long goodbyes." Faith says.

"Getting sentimental, Faith?" Buffy asks.

Faith smiles, "I think Hope's rubbing off on me."

The gang (Oz, Willow, Xander, Cordelia) is together by the curb. Buffy joins them.

"Well, that was the most fun you can have without having any fun." Cordelia says.

Willow nods, "What about the part where we kicked demon ass? I didn't hate that."

Faith shakes her head and smiles at Willow. She pulls her sister into an embrace.

"Guys, we blew up the school! It's the best day ever!" Xander says.

"Why do demons even come here anymore?" Willow says. "Don't they know how bad we are?"

Buffy nods, "I think we've done pretty much everything we can."

"Oh I think there is more damage we could do, you know other schools we could burn down." Faith says.

Buffy laughs, "You guys wanna take off?"

Cordelia nods, "I'm for it."

"You okay?" Willow asks Buffy.

Buffy considers the question. "Yeah. I'm okay. I just... I could use a little sleep."

"You and me both, Buffy. You and me both." Faith says smiling.

Willow smiles and hugs Faith again, "Yeah."

"If somebody could just wake me up when it's time to go to college, that'd be great." Buffy says.

"Guys. Take a moment to deal with this. We survived." Oz says.

Faith nods, "It was a hell of a battle."

Oz shakes his head, "Not the battle. High school."

"Yeah you did. Makes me think about getting my GED." Faith said.

Willow smiles, "You should."

"We're taking a moment." Oz says as they do indeed take a moment of reflection over the events of the last few months. "And we're done."

They head off.

"You know what the best part of high school was?" Xander asks.

"When we blew it up?" Faith and Buffy says.

Xander nods, "Yeah! That ruled. 'Cause you know the thing that made it so special..."

"Was that the school blew up?" Buffy asks.

Xander smiles, "Exactly!"

Buffy shakes her head, "I begin to find you troubling."

"Oh, come on, you know you're all thinking it." Xander says.

"Well..." Buffy says.

Faith smiles, "X is right. You were all thinking it. Shoot so was I."

"I was." Willow says as she looks at her sister.

Cordelia nods, "Pretty much."

"Uh huh." Oz says.

"Yeah." Buffy says.

Two days later Willow and Faith stand outside a San Francisco Police station.

"You don't have to do this you know." Willow says. "There is no evidence pointing towards you."

Faith nods, "Just my confession. I have to do this, Hope. I doubt they will throw the book at me. I was underage when it happened. Besides I have the best lawyer money can't buy. G is going to represent me, he's going to get it so I spend a couple years in Juvie and I'm out when I turn 21. Then we will have our whole lives to be sisters."

Willow sighs and nods, "You'll have them add me to your visitor's list."

Faith nods, "Sure thing, you and Buffy get an all access pass."

"Buffy? You said Buffy not B." Willow asks.

Faith nods, "Yeah I did. Just before the fight with the Mayor we talked. And not only about how to defeat the Mayor. I think we made up. I think were friends. Only people I know who aren't close friends tend to get nicknames, which in the past was just about everyone. Friends and family don't. It's why I call you Hope now instead of Red."

"So I'm never going to get you to call me Willow?" Willow asks.

Faith shakes her head and smiles, "Nope. Hope was the name our mom gave you."

"Well technically she named me Hope Willow." Willow said.

Faith nods, "True. But Hope is your first name not Willow. So I'm always going to call you Hope. Even though you go by your middle name now." She looks at the Police Station and notices Giles is waiting for her. "Well looks like it's time for me to go. Want to walk me inside?"

Willow nods, "Of course." And they walked across the street and join Giles as they make their way inside the Police Station.