While the gang waited for the results of Wesley's tests Cordelia's seventeenth birthday arrived and Xander decided to dip into his savings and get as nice a gift as he could afford. He found a delicate silver bracelet with a small pear shaped sapphire on it at a pawn shop for much less than it would have cost to buy new and carefully wrapped and presented it to her on her birthday.

"Happy birthday, Cordy."

"Oh, wow, that, that's beautiful, Xander. But how?"

"Dipped into my savings and went to a pawn shop. I hope that doesn't offend you, but it's the only way I could afford something like that and I know we've only been together officially for a week and I wasn't sure if it was too much, too soon. But it's pretty, like you and I hope you it."

"I do." She assured him and set the box in his hand and extended her hand towards him. "Put it on for me."

"As you wish."

The Monday after her birthday saw Cordelia admiring her new bracelet when the Cordettes approached her.

"What's that?" Harmony asked.

"My birthday present from Xander."

"Wow, looks pricy." Harmony said, enviously, no boyfriend had ever given her anything like that. "Guess he likes spending money on you."

Yep, once again Xander activated the rumor mill.

"Xander." Willow said when she and Buffy caught up to him at lunch. "According to the rumor mill you're on the verge of proposing to Cordelia. Apparently you've given her a very expensive pre engagement present."

"What?! How the Hell does a rumor like that get started? I gave Cordy a birthday present and it's wasn't expensive even when it was brand new."

"What did you get her?" Buffy asked.

"A silver bracelet with a sapphire in it."

"How could you afford that?" Willow asked, just as envious as Harmony, but for a different reason.

"Dipped into my savings and went to a pawn shop."

"You didn't tell her that, did you?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because it comes off as cheap when it comes to a pawn shop."

"It's all I can afford, Buffy, and Cordy knows that. Just because the rumor mill claimed I inherited money, doesn't mean I actually have. She asked me to always be honest with her and I was. If she had a problem with it she would have told me."

"I don't." Cordelia said, as she sat down beside him with her lunch. "Where a gift comes from isn't as important as the intention that comes with it. Xander wanted to give me something pretty for my birthday and got what he could. I think it's gorgeous and I've been getting complements on it all day."

"Can I see it?" Buffy asked.

Cordelia held out her arm and Buffy saw the bracelet. "That is nice." Buffy agreed.

"Yeah, pretty." Willow muttered. Xander usually gave her books or something like the build your own robot kit he'd gotten her a couple of years ago.

The rest of the day and week was fairly uneventful and then Wesley returned.

"The lab I found was able to runs several tests. Those tests agree with my own analysis. The paper is accurate to the time period each was taken. The items in the pictures, i.e. cars, are authentic to the time periods in question, as is the clothing of the individuals in each pictures. The chemicals used to create each photo is accurate to the time period represented in each photo. They appear to be the real deal. Evidence that Mayor Wilkins is over one hundred years old."

"Now we have to determine what exactly he is." Giles said. "Is he a mutant, an alien, a demon using a glamour or a human? And if he's human, is he using Magic and dark rituals to sustain his youth and longevity or has he sold his soul? We also need to determine if he's connected to the spell over Sunnydale and what, if anything, is his ultimate goal?"

"His ultimate goal?" Willow asked.

"Yes, does he just want to live forever or does he want to take over the world?"

"Or does he want to bring about an apocalypse on his own time schedule?" Buffy suggested. "Willow and I first discussed that possibility back when we originally discovered the spell. That the Master might have been imprisoned to keep him from ending the world just so someone else could end it on their terms."

"A distinct possibility." Giles agreed. "There are any number of star patterns and other celestial events that they could be waiting for. I'll check into possible prophecies that could help us narrow it down."

"Aside from that, how exactly do we determine which of our suspected possibilities our esteemed Mayor is?" Xander asked.

"If he's a mutant he most likely had the x gene." Wesley pointed out. "If he's an alien or a demon then he's hiding behind a glamour."

"And I can see though glamours." Xander said. "And I can go invisible. Willow, I need you do see if you can find any information on his upcoming schedule. Find out if he's got a public speech or something planned. If he does, all I need to do is be there and get a look at him and I'll be able to tell you if he's using a glamour and what he looks like under it."

"And if he doesn't have anything public scheduled?" She asked.

"Than I get creative."

A/N Pear-Shaped Lab-Created Blue Sapphire and Diamond Accent Bangle in Sterling Silver. Zalesdotcom. Replace dot with period.