The comment upset Willow. Eyes blazing, she sat up more, and Buffy frowned. The red stain on the bandage grew every time Willow moved. Willow, however, had bigger concerns. "One day back from the Dark Side and you're an expert on the Ascension?" Her voice rose shrilly. "Where did you get your information? 'Tales of the Snakeman' comic book?"
For once, Faith didn't flinch. In fact, Buffy had to fight a laugh when she felt Faith's impatience through their link.
"Red, when this is all over, if you want to let loose on me, I'll stand and take your best shot." Faith's husky voice was quiet and intense. "Right now, we got bigger things to worry about."
If she hadn't been wrapped in a blanket and wounded, Willow would have been toe to toe with Faith. Prone position or not, her disdain for Faith's response was clear. "Please. Now you want us to believe-"
"That's it." Buffy had heard enough. "Will, either play nice or we'll discuss strategy in Giles' office while you sleep." Knowing she might be causing more problems than she solved, Buffy reached out and wrapped an arm around Faith's waist. "We've been buried in dusty books for weeks. We found nothing. Everything we do have, Faith provided. Let's hear what she has to say." Buffy held her breath, silently pleasing with her best friend to see reason.
Two spots of color blazed on Willow's pale cheeks, but she nodded tersely.
"Faith?" Smiling up into Faith's eyes, Buffy urged her to go on. "What's the plan?"
Snorting, Faith slipped out of Buffy's embrace. "No plan, B. Just information." She moved away, dropping into the chair Buffy had abandoned. "When Fang and I were…ah, visiting the Mayor we kinda traded blows. Like I said before, I stabbed him and he laughed. Pulled it out, looked at it, and gave that crazy ass grin of his."
Faith's lips twitched into a tiny grin of her own, and Buffy frowned at the reminder of her former allegiance to Wilkins. Wanting to break up the memory, she commented, "So we can't use normal weapons. Got it." Faith still stared moodily at her feet. Sighing inaudibly at the sudden realization that Angel and Faith shared the need to brood, Buffy prodded, "What do you think we should try?"
"Red had the right idea," Faith muttered. "Fire." She glanced up, meeting Willow's shocked green eyes. "Only you don't need any special fire or magic."
"Are you certain, Faith?" Giles leaned forward intently.
Turning her palms up and shrugging, Faith answered, "All I know is Angel tossed a cocktail at Dick's feet. When it started to burn, the Boss nearly shoved his vamp buddy into the flames to get away. The way I see it, the big change is already happening and the Mayor's afraid of a getting singed."
"I…" At Willow's soft start, Buffy tensed. It wasn't necessary. "If that's true, we need a new game plan."
Faith chuckled. "Yeah, B won't need to arm the kiddies. We can just take the Mayor out long before the fancy robes and proud parents show up."
Her words caused a flurry of activity. "Indeed, yes." Giles stood and began to pace behind a research table.
Faith watched him with a smirk of amusement. Some things never changed. Other things were the same as well.
"I'm not sure we have enough information for an offensive." Wesley peered over his glasses at Faith. "Other than his reaction to the fire, was there anything else you noticed about the Mayor?"
"Fuck, Wes, I was trying not to get dead. I wasn't looking for clues." Faith jammed her hands in her pockets, scowling at her Watcher. "Sorry I couldn't snoop through his underwear drawer or something." Skin burning in anger and embarrassment, she started to leave, let the Scoobies figure this one out the way they always did – without her.
"Faith!" Two voices rang out.
Faith slowly pivoted.
Two very irritated sets of hazel eyes glared at her.
"Sit!" Buffy pointed to the chair. "No more running. You promised, remember?"
Willow must have done something, cast another spell maybe. It was the only explanation Faith had as her feet carried her over to the chair. She plopped into it without a word. Mind blank with shock, Faith watched Buffy nod in satisfaction.
Joyce nodded, too – and then stalked toward Wesley. "Mr. Pryce, I know we only met today. However, I'm wondering: do you do anything useful or are you simply here to make pompous announcements and criticize everything the girls do?"
Xander snickered and then yelped when Anya elbowed him.
"My dear Mrs. Summers, I am the Council's representative here in Sunnydale. In fact, I am your daughter's Watcher since Mr. Giles was removed from the post." Straightening his already impeccably knotted tie, Wesley smiled at Joyce.
Faith rolled her eyes at his posturing.
"The Council." Joyce tilted her head. "Is this the same Council who locked me in a house with a crazed vampire?"
Buffy's soft breath brushed Faith's ear and she shivered as Buffy whispered, "He's toast. Mom's in full protect mode now. Watch."
Nodding slightly, Faith forced her attention away from the lips against her ear.
Head still at an angle and hands on her hips, Joyce returned Wesley's smile. "Right now, my daughter," she stopped and took a deep breath, "my family is working to keep all of us safe. Faith's information may not do what we hope, but it's one hell of a lot more than you've managed to find on your own. You weren't so cautious in the science lab, Mr. Pryce. We need that man here, not the Council's stuffed shirt."
Wesley twitched then looked everywhere except at Joyce. Faith leaned farther back in the chair, pressing into Buffy's neck and shoulder. "Your mom is hot."
The comment earned her a glare and a pinch which Faith knew was going to leave a bruise.
"Right, then." Wesley announced, unbuttoning and then removing his suit coat. When his fingers started loosening his tie and undoing the top button on his starched dress shirt, Faith wondered if he was getting ready to remove his stuffed shirt. Thankfully – to her mind – he stopped after the second button. "If we are going to follow Faith's suggestion and strike at the Mayor before the ceremony, we need a plan."
"Huh?" Faith knew she hadn't missed anything. She'd been there the whole time, watching and listening. "You wanna run that by me again?" Wesley hadn't really said they were going to use her idea, had he?
Wesley didn't repeat his comment. A quiet voice from the floor took up the conversation. "Won't the Mayor expect us to try something?" Willow asked.
"No," Faith shook off her surprise and sat forward. "He thinks you don't know about the change. He's got," she broke off with a grin, "he had the same information you do. The stuff in the Books. It don't mention him being killed by anything until after the big day."
"Then why shoot me?" Willow sounded irritated.
Faith grimaced and met Willow's eyes. The green was dull, and Willow blinked a lot. Like she was about to fall asleep and didn't want to. "I don't know. Probably to keep B too freaked to do anything."
"Well, it worked." Buffy moved up next to Faith and half leaned, half sat on the arm of her chair. "Buffy was big on the freakage and little on the saving."
Laying her hand on Buffy's thigh, Faith squeezed softly. "Good thing I got your back then, huh?"
"Yeah." Buffy's voice deepened and shook slightly.
Faith hoped no one else noticed it. Taking a deep breath, she said, "He knows I know – about him being a demon now. He said it was too bad I knew his secret."
"Then isn't it more likely he'll expect us to realize his weakness?" Giles wanted to know. He rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "I don't want to underestimate the Mayor. Even without the Ascension, we are badly outnumbered."
Giles was right. "Right. Sorry, G-man," Faith mumbled. "I'm not real good at the strategy and stuff. I do better when you point me in the right direction and put a stake in my hand."
His quirky grin surprised her. "Oddly, I've noticed the same difficulty with Buffy. A Slayer thing, perhaps?" Eyes twinkling, Giles continued, "We need to distract the Mayor – in much the same way he did with us. That way, we might be able to get close enough to attack."
"Do you have something in mind, Rupert?" Joyce stood and stretched, walking a few feet in their direction.
Faith yanked her hand off Buffy's thigh, just in case Joyce noticed their exchange.
Joyce's attention, though, was all for Giles. "There aren't a lot of useful targets, I'm afraid," he admitted. "It doesn't seem likely he'd have close acquaintances we could target."
"Faith would have all the information on that," Anya commented. "Wouldn't you, Faith?"
Only Buffy's hand around her forearm kept Faith in the room. "What the fuck is it with you all? I'm here, not with the Mayor," she snapped, yanking at the restraining hand. "Get it? I'm one of the good guys now."
"That's not what she meant," Buffy said pointedly, "is it, Anya?"
Even Anya realized her mistake. Faith saw the ex-demon take a tiny step away from her. "No. I just meant Faith would know who we should kill, that's all. You know, like the time in Coniston, when the Village Priest had raped this-"
"I get it." Faith cut Anya off before she could get really into the gory details. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she returned to her place at Buffy's side, needing to feel Buffy pressed against her. "Look, the Mayor wasn't big on sharing personal stuff. He had a family. There were pictures." She gave the group a wry smile. "It's hard to kill the already dead, though."
"What about City Hall or his house?" Xander wanted to know. "Spray paint's a lot easier to steal than a rocket launcher."
Angel joined the conversation for the first time. "You're all missing the point." Hands in the pockets of his duster, he stared moodily at the floor. "If you want to distract the Mayor, you have to pick a target that has personal meaning to him."
"We just decided there isn't anyone who fits the bill, Fang," Faith pointed out with a growl. "Dead wife, no friends. Who the fuck do we shoot?"
"No one." Angel smiled coldly, his fangs protruding for a second. "We don't want to kill anyone. We want to save them"