"Graduation Day"

Based on the Episode Written by Joss Whedon

The following story is copyright © 2022 by Mark Moore.

In a hallway of Sunnydale High, students were picking up graduation caps and gowns. Cordelia and Amy were signing for their gowns.

Cordelia sighed. "I can't believe this loser look. I lobbied so hard for the teal. No one ever listens to me. A lone fashionable wolf."

Amy smiled. "I like the maroon. Has more dignity."

"Dignity? You? In relation to clothes? I am awash in a sea of confusion."

A short distance away, Tara was standing at the foot of a stairwell.

Harmony walked down the stairs. "Tara, will you sign my yearbook?"

"Yeah. You have to sign mine, too."

They swapped maroon Sunnydale High '99 yearbooks - with the phrase "The Future Is Ours" on the front cover - and wrote messages for each other.

Harmony felt a bit melancholy. "You know, I really wish we woulda got to know each other better."

"Me, too."

"I mean...you're so smart. I always wanted to be like that."

"Thanks. You're so sweet."

"I hope we won't lose touch."

"No, we'll hang out."

They swapped yearbooks again.

Harmony smiled. "Bye!"

Tara smiled. "Bye!"

Harmony left as Buffy walked down the stairs.

Tara looked at Buffy and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey." Buffy kissed Tara on the lips.

Katrina walked over to them. "Hey, guys. Excited for graduation?"

Buffy shook her head. "No, I'm not. I guess I'll miss stuff, but I just don't get the whole graduation thing. I mean...you get a piece of paper, and nothing changes. I don't even think I'm gonna go."

"What do you mean, not go? Why not?" Katrina asked her.

"Ascension. Mayor becoming a demon. Snacking up on populace. I was planning on fighting him."

"You can't do both?" Katrina asked her.

Amber Grove walked over to them. "Both what?"

"Go to graduation and fight the mayor."

"The mayor? What, you guys didn't hear?" Amber asked them.

"Hear what?" Buffy asked her.

"Guess who our commencement speaker is?" Amber rhetorically asked.

Buffy sighed. "I don't believe this. The mayor at graduation? A hundred helpless kids to feed on. Got any other surprises for us?"

Faith knocked at the door of an apartment.

"Just a moment!"

Soon, a man opened the door. He was balding and wore glasses and a bow tie.

Faith smiled. "Hi, I'm looking for Professor Wirth."

"Oh, well, that's me, but I should ask you to come back during office hours. Students generally make an appointment."

"Uh, I'm not from the college. I work for Mayor Wilkins. I'm Faith."

"Oh, well, come in, please." Wirth stepped aside. "I was so surprised when he called. Didn't expect a politician to be interested in my research."

Faith walked into the apartment. "He's a big fan, professor."

Wirth closed the door. "Oh, Lester's fine."

"We alone here, Lester?" Faith asked him.

"Well, yes. Lifelong bachelor. I like my space."

"I hear that." Faith took out a knife. "You want to turn and face the wall, Lester?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'll make it quick."

"Put that away. I'll scream."

"Who wouldn't?" Faith asked.

"Please."

"Sorry, friend, boss wants you dead."

"Why?"

Faith stabbed him. "You know, I never thought to ask."

In Faith's apartment, she was changing into a pink and white dress in her bedroom. She was barefoot. The mayor was in the living room.

"And everything went smoothly with Mr. Wirth?" he asked.

Faith smiled. "Not if you're Mr. Wirth."

The mayor giggled. "Well, that's swell. You know how I feel about loose ends. And the big day is so close, you can smell the excitement in the air. Say, are you ever coming out of there?"

"I don't know."

"Aw, come on."

Faith entered the living room.

"Wow, aren't you a vision?"

"I feel I look stupid in this."

"You look lovely. Perfect for the Ascension. Any boys that manage to survive will be lining up to ask you out."

"It just isn't me, though."

"Not you? Let me tell you something. Nobody knows what you are. Not even you, little Miss Seen-It-All. The Ascension isn't just my day. It's yours, too. Your day to blossom, to show the world what a powerful girl you are. I think of what you've done, what I know you will do." Wilkins caressed her face. "No father could be prouder."

"I hope I don't let you down."

"Impossible. Now come on, change back into your street clothes. I'll buy you an Icee."

They shared a smile.

The next day, in the Sunnydale High School library, Giles and Wesley were fencing. Tara was sitting at the table. Buffy stood to the side, holding up a newspaper headline: "PROFESSOR FOUND MURDERED".

"Faith."

"You sure?" Giles asked her.

"One of her pieces. I recognize the brush work."

Giles took the paper and held it in one hand, reading while parrying Wesley's light attacks.

"Brutally stabbed. Mr. Wirth, visiting professor of geology. There's nothing in here that bellows motive."

"Random killing, perhaps? Fit of rage?" Tara suggested. "Everybody does seem to be going a bit mad lately. Faith has something of a head start."

Buffy shook her head. "Doesn't read. I think it's homework."

Giles stopped sparring. "The mayor wanted the good professor out of the way."

"Which leads to the question, how come? I'm gonna destroy the entire city, but I take the time to kill harmless Lester first?" Buffy asked.

"Tying up loose ends?" Giles suggested. "Lester had something or knew something."

"Then I wanna know, too. The mayor's trying to hide. I say we go seek."

"Ah. By attempting to keep a valuable clue from us, the mayor may have inadvertently led us right to it." Wesley made a flourish with his sword.

"What page are you on, Wes?" Buffy asked him. "'Cause we already got there."

"Yes, well. You will go tonight. Look over his apartment. Anything of note, report back here."

"I just love it when you take charge, you man, you."

"Uh, we...was that a yes?" Wesley asked her. "I have trouble keeping track."

"I'll go."

Giles looked at her. "Be careful. If Faith should show up-"

"I don't think she'll show. Been there, killed that. She's not much for follow-up."

"Nonetheless, keep watch. Faith has you at a disadvantage, Buffy."

Buffy sighed. "I hear you. I can't kill her, fun as it may sound. I can make her cry uncle, though, and I mean to."

Wesley looked at her. "Don't let your feelings about Faith interfere with your work."

"Stopping Faith is my work. Take a beat to love the synergy."

"Faith is a footnote. Our priority is stopping the Ascension."

"Easier said than done, Monarchy Boy."

"Buffy, if you don't have something constructive to add..."

Buffy turned and left the library.

After school, in the Summers' house, Buffy went into her mother's bedroom, took a suitcase out of the closet, opened it, put it on the bed, and started packing her mother's clothes.

Joyce walked into the bedroom. "Buffy, I'm home. Do you wanna go to, uh,...? What are you doing? You're running away again? And you're taking my clothes."

"Mom, I need you to leave town. Tonight."

"Buffy, I'd miss your graduation."

"Yeah, that's sort of the idea."

"There's no way. I wouldn't dream-"

"Mom, graduation is a pointless ceremony where you sit around and listen to a bunch of boring speeches until someone hands you a piece of paper that says you graduated, which you already know, and maroon does nothing for my complexion, so don't argue, okay?"

"What, is some terrible demon going to attack the school?"

Buffy glared at her but kept packing.

"Oh, I see. Oh, you know, Buffy, looking back on everything that's happened, maybe I should have sent you to a different school."

"Just promise me that you'll be far away from here."

"I'm not leaving you to face an awful monster. If I go anywhere, you're going with me."

"You know that I can't."

"Well, then I can't either."

"Mom, I know that sometimes you wish I was different."

"Buffy, no."

"I wish I could be a lot of things for you. A great student, a star athlete, remotely normal. I'm not. But there is something I do that I can do better than almost anybody else in the world. I'm gonna fight this thing, but I can't do it and worry about you."

"Buffy, you just can't-"

"You stay, you'll get me killed. You'll have to trust me on this. Can you do that?"

In Katrina and Amy's room in the Silbers' house, Amy was lying on their bed, naked, reading on her laptop and nibbling on a slice of cheddar cheese. Katrina was typing on her computer at her desk, also naked.

Amy sighed. "Oh, this is so frustrating."

"Nothing useful?" Katrina asked her.

"No." Amy sighed again. "Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not going to find a spell to stop the Ascension. I'm a shitty witch."

Katrina stood up, walked over to the bed, and lay down, facing Amy. "No, you're not."

"Everything's really scary now, you know, and I don't know what's gonna happen. We're probably just gonna die."

"We're gonna figure this out." Katrina leaned forward and kissed her, slowly.

Amy broke the kiss. "Trina..."

"If we do die, we should savor every moment that we have left."

Amy thought for a moment and then kissed Katrina on the lips.

After a bit of making out, Amy broke the kiss, lay down on her back, and spread her legs. Katrina lay down between Amy's legs and gently started licking Amy's pussy.

Amy moaned her approval and ran her fingers through Katrina's hair. "Harder, baby. Harder."

Katrina's tongue picked up speed. She plucked at her lover's pussy with her teeth, being careful not to hurt Amy. "You like that?"

"Mmm, yeah." Amy looked at Katrina's face between her legs. "Turn around. I want us to cum together."

Katrina briefly broke contact with Amy's pussy. She turned herself around and lay on top of Amy, facing the opposite direction. Amy put her hands on Katrina's ass and pulled her close, mashing her pussy against her lips. Amy went to work on Katrina's pussy with her tongue. Katrina lowered her head and resumed licking Amy's pussy.

As the minutes passed, the two lovers went from licking to eating. Nothing mattered but their pleasure. They were insatiable, almost chewing on each other, but they never did anything to hurt each other. Amy took a moment to wet the index finger of her left hand in her mouth, and then she pressed it against Katrina's asshole. Using her hands to spread Katrina's anus, Amy slowly worked her index finger into her girlfriend's asshole while still eating her pussy. For her part, Katrina didn't express any surprise. Anal sex was just another activity that they enjoyed immensely. Katrina took a moment to wet her own index finger in her mouth, and then she reached down and started working it into Amy's asshole.

More minutes passed. They didn't rush their orgasms. They went slow, prolonging their pleasure. They finger-fucked each other's assholes and ate each other's pussies. When their orgasms finally came, their bodies quaked, their anal muscles clamped down on each other's fingers, and they cummed into each other's mouths.

Then they went at it again.

In Professor Wirth's apartment, Buffy was collecting papers and books and putting them in a file box.

Angel arrived at the open front door and stumbled over the door jamb. "Ow."

"Stealthy."

"Not my best entrance. I think they were mopping in the halls."

"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked him.

"I checked in with Giles. He asked me to back you up."

"He's afraid I'll run into Faith."

"And you're not?"

"It's gonna happen sooner or later."

"What's that?"

"A report. Excavation of some old lava bed. Guy was a volcano-ologist or something."

"Anything in there that connects him to the mayor?"

"I looked through it, but the only thing I understood were the commas. Gonna bring it to Giles, see if he can do better." Buffy picked up the file box.

"Let me give you a hand." Angel took the box.

They left the apartment. Buffy closed the door behind her.

They walked down the hall and left the building.

"You know what?" Buffy asked. "Thank you, but I can take it from here."

"It's all right. I'll walk you to your van."

"Look, I don't need an escort. I'm a big girl. Superpowers, remember? I don't need you crowding me."

"I didn't think I was."

"No, of course, you don't. I just wish it was over, done."

"It's not that simple. I mean...once the mayor-"

"I know, world in peril, and we have to work together."

"I'll get out of your face." Angel dropped the box at her feet and turned away.

Suddenly, Buffy heard the sound of an arrow striking. The arrow was fired above and behind Angel and had passed through his back, so the point stuck out the front of his jacket. He fell, and Buffy caught him.

"Angel!" Buffy exclaimed.

Behind a neon sign atop a nearby building, Faith and a vampire looked down at them.

"Missed the heart."

Faith stared down at Angel. "Meant to."

Buffy drove Angel to the school and took him into the library. Angel sat in a chair.

Giles cut the arrow shaft where it entered Angel's back. "There."

"Okay, ready?" Buffy grasped the arrow's point.

"Yeah."

"On three. One." Buffy pulled the arrow out.

"I knew you were going to do that."

Giles looked at the exit wound. "Not too much blood here."

"I heal pretty fast. I should be all right."

Buffy swabbed the exit wound. You're lucky Faith's such a suck shot."

"You sure it was her?" Giles asked her.

"Well, I've narrowed down my list of one suspect."

Buffy and Giles continued bandaging Angel.

Wesley was sitting at the table, reading. "Fascinating."

"What?" Giles asked him.

"It seems our Mr. Wirth headed an expedition in Hawaii, digging in old lava beds near a dormant volcano."

Buffy yawned. "I'm not fascinated yet."

"He found something underneath. A carcass buried by an eruption."

"A carcass?" Giles asked.

"A very large one. Mr. Wirth posits that it might be some heretofore undiscovered dinosaur."

"A demon?" Angel asked.

"Yes, that would be something that the mayor would want to keep a secret. If it's the same kind of demon he's turning into, and it's dead, it means that, well, he's only impervious to harm until the Ascension. In his demon form, he can be killed."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Great. So all we need is a million tons of burning lava. We're saved."

Angel looked at her. "Well, it's a start, anyway."

Buffy looked at him. "Okay, you've been a real klutz today. You need-"

"Damn." Angel fell to the floor, unconscious.

Giles sniffed the arrow's point. "We'll have to run some tests."

Buffy felt Angel's forehead. "You're burning up."

"It's poison. I can feel it."

Giles looked at Buffy. "Call the others. Get them here. We need to move him to the safety of his own bed before the sun comes up."

"Will you be able to find out what this is?" Buffy asked him.

Wesley looked at her. "The Council has all the known toxins on file, mystical or otherwise. I'll contact them immediately."

Buffy looked at him. "Thanks." She looked at Angel. "You're going to be okay."

In Katrina and Amy's bedroom, the two lovers cuddled in their bed. Katrina stroked Amy's hair.

Amy smiled. "That was nice."

They kissed. The phone rang.

Katrina answered it. "Hello?"

"Trina, it's me. You and Amy get to the school. Angel's been poisoned."

"On our way." Katrina hung up and looked at Amy. "We've gotta go."

Faith entered the mayor's office as he placed the Box of Gavrock on his desk.

"He's dropped, boss."

"Applause, applause."

"Right in the back. He pitches over, and Buffy's freaking, looking around, all panicked. It's a good time."

"Well, that should keep her occupied for a spell."

"What next?"

"The Ritual of Gavrock. I have to ingest several of the inhabitants of this box."

"Ingest?"

"Eat."

"You're wicked gross."

Wilkins chuckled. "Well, you don't have to watch. Just, you know, go home, take it easy. It's a big day tomorrow."

"You gotta give me something to do. There's no way I'm sleeping. Don't you need anyone dead? Or maimed? I can settle for maimed."

He chuckled again. "You little firecracker."

"My mom used to call me that when I was little. I was always running around." Faith fell silent as she remembered her mother. "Tomorrow, at the Ascension and all that, am I going to get to fight?"

"If everything goes smoothly, you won't have to. But how often do things go smoothly?"

"So you'll still need me in there."

"Always."

"When I was a kid, a couple of miles outside of Boston, there was this quarry. And all the kids used to swim there and jump off the rocks. And there was this one rock like forty feet up. I was the only one that would jump off it. All the older kids were too scared."

"Not you, though."

"Nah. I could do it easy."

"Get some rest."

"Good luck with your spiders there." Faith turned and left the office.

Tara, Amy, and Katrina were gathered in the Sunnydale High School chemistry lab. Tara was peering through a microscope.

Amy tore a page out of a notebook and handed it to Katrina. "They should have all this at the magic shop. I can run a trace analysis, see if it's a mystical poison."

"I'm a little short on cash."

"Just tell them it's for me."

"Right."

Inside Angel's mansion, Angel lay in bed, sweating.

Cordelia held his hand and soothed him with a cool, wet rag. "It'll be okay. You'll be okay."

Buffy and Giles were standing at a distance. They heard a door opening. Wesley entered the bedroom, looking upset.

"Did you reach the Council?" Giles asked him.

"Yes. They - They couldn't help."

"Couldn't?" Buffy asked.

"Wouldn't. It's not Council policy to cure vampires."

"Did you explain that these were special circumstances?" Giles asked him.

"Not under any circumstances, and, yes, I did try to convince them."

Cordelia looked at him. "Try again."

"Cordelia, they're very firm. We're talking about laws that have existed longer than civilization."

Cordelia gave him a death stare. "I'm talking about watching my lover die. I don't have a clue what you're talking about, and I don't give a fuck."

Giles looked at her. "Cordelia, we'll find a cure."

Wesley looked at Buffy. "The Council's orders are to concentrate on-"

"Orders?" Buffy asked, offended. "I don't think I'm gonna be taking any more orders. Not from you, not from them."

"You can't turn your back on the Council."

"They're in England. I don't think they can tell which way my back is facing."

"Giles, talk to her."

Giles walked to Buffy's side. "I've nothing to say right now."

"Wesley, go back to your Council and tell them, until the next Slayer comes along, they can close up shop. I'm not working for them anymore."

"Don't you see what's happening? Faith poisoned Angel to distract you, to keep you out of the mayor's way, and it's working. You need a strategy."

"I have a strategy. You're not in it."

"This is mutiny."

Buffy paused and stared at him for a long time. "I like to think of it as graduation. Giles, I can't stay here any longer. I'm gonna see if I can help the others."

"Of course."

"Cordy?" Buffy asked.

"I've got this. Go."

Wesley looked at Buffy. "Buffy, you don't know what you're doing."

"Get a job." Buffy marched off.

Buffy went back to the library and met up with Tara, Amy, and Katrina.

Amy looked at Buffy. "Finding the poison wasn't that hard. It's a mystical compound. The Latin name translates roughly to Killer of the Dead. Used on vampires."

"And the cure?" Buffy asked her.

"There aren't a lot of instances of it being cured."

"But there are some?" Buffy asked her.

"One or two. Pretty vague accounts. How is he?" Amy asked her.

Katrina was reading something on the PC. "Hold it."

"You got something?" Tara asked her.

"I'm not sure."

Buffy looked at her. "Be sure."

"Okay. Killer of the Dead. That's our boy, and here's a vamp that walked away from it."

"Does it talk about the cure?" Tara asked her.

Katrina frowned. "Damn."

"Nothing?" Buffy asked her.

"No, it's in here, but..."

Tara read over her shoulder. "Wait, completely reversed the effects. Oh."

"What?" Buffy asked.

Katrina looked at Buffy. "The only way to cure this thing is to drain the blood of a Slayer."

Buffy stared at the screen for a long time. "Good."

Tara looked at Buffy in confusion. "Good?"

"It's perfect. Angel needs to drain a Slayer, then I'll bring him one."

Tara stared at Buffy in shock. "Buffy, if Angel drains Faith's blood, it'll kill her."

Buffy gave Tara a dark look. "Not if she's already dead."

Later, in the library, Buffy and Tara headed into the book cage.

Tara felt troubled. "Buffy...are you sure about this?"

"It's time."

"We're talking to the death."

"I can't play kid games anymore. This is how she wants it."

"I just don't want to lose you."

"I won't get hurt." Buffy reached into a weapons cabinet and picked up Faith's fancy knife.

"That's not what I mean." Tara paused for a moment. "You can't kill one person to save another. It's murder."

Buffy hesitated for a moment, then she shook her head. "I owe it to Cordy."

"Sweetie-"

"Just get me an address."

They stared at each other for a moment, then Tara left, upset.

In Faith's apartment, she was lying on her bed and reading a comic book while "Fishfuck" by Gwar blared from her stereo.

Buffy entered the room, behind her, and turned off the stereo. "Thought I'd stop by."

"Is he dead yet?" Faith asked her, not looking around.

"He's not gonna die. It was a good try, though. Your plan?"

"Uh-huh. The mayor got me the poison. Said it was wicked painful."

"There's a cure."

Faith finally looked at her. "Damn. What is it?"

"Your blood. As justice goes, it's not un-poetic, don't you think?"

Faith stood up. "Come to get me? You gonna feed me to Angel? You know you're not going to take me alive."

"Not a problem."

"Well, look at you. All dressed up in big sister's clothes."

"You told me I was just like you. That I was holding it in."

They approached until they were standing face to face.

"Ready to cut loose?" Faith asked her.

"Try me."

"Okay, then. Give us a kiss."

Buffy stared at Faith for a long moment.

In the library, Giles suddenly remembered something. "Right. Right." He headed for a bookshelf.

"Something about the demon?" Tara asked him.

Giles pulled out a book. "The local villagers near the volcano site made reference to the legend of Ollokai. Might be a bastardization of Olvikan."

"Who's Olvikan?"

"I know it's a demon, a very old one. Might have a picture." Giles flipped pages and then stopped.

Tara looked over his shoulder and unfolded a page twice like a centerfold. "Holy shit."

Later, in the library, Giles came out of his office, massaging his right shoulder, while Harmony walked in, carrying a Styrofoam cup.

"Any word from Buffy?" Harmony asked.

Giles sat down at the table. "Not yet."

Harmony offered him the cup. "Here is your cup of coffee. Brewed from the finest Colombian lighter fluid."

Giles took the cup. "Thank you." He took a sip. "Horrible." He took another sip.

Harmony sat down across from Giles. "Aren't you supposed to be drinking tea, anyway?"

"Tea is soothing. I wish to be tense."

Harmony shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat."

Giles put down his cup. "Look through the, uh, Kepler volumes.

Harmony picked up a book.

"Any reference to the demon Olvikan."

Harmony opened the book.

"Powers, weaknesses, hat size, anything. There's got to be something."

In the mansion, Angel was laying in bed. The arrow wound was red and inflamed. He was twisting restlessly, clearly in pain, and moaning softly. Cordelia dabbed at his sweaty forehead with a wet rag. Angel opened his eyes.

Cordelia smiled. "You're awake."

Angel reached for her hand. "You've been watching over me?"

Cordelia nodded.

Angel took her hand and started kissing it. He lay his other hand on Cordelia's right arm. "I thought - I thought I'd never see you again." He shook his head. "I can't leave you. I was wrong. I need you."

Cordelia sadly pulled her hand out of his and patted his hand. "No. You were right."

Angel lifted his head and tried to sit up. "Where is Buffy?"

Cordelia pushed him back down, worried. "She'll be back soon."

Angel sunk back and closed his eyes.

Cordelia heard the door open. She looked behind her. Buffy walked in slowly, staring at the floor. Cordelia stood up. Buffy walked up to her, looking unhappy.

"Did you find Faith?" Cordelia asked her.

Buffy just looked at her, saying nothing.

"You didn't...?" Cordelia paused. "She's not here?"

"How is he?" Buffy asked her.

"He comes in and out. I think the...pain is...less. Now."

Buffy and Cordelia walked into the library. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at them. Buffy mentally noted who was there: Tara, Amy, Katrina, Harmony, Jenny, Giles, and Wesley.

Faith walked into the library. "Well, well, well."

Everyone stood up in surprise.

"Faith!" Tara exclaimed.

Faith took out her knife and raised it high.

Tara held out her hand. "Stop!"

Faith plunged the knife downward, jamming it into the counter. Buffy and Cordelia didn't react at all. Faith started laughing. Tara smirked, realizing the truth. The others stared in confusion.

Faith took a bow. "Everybody give it up for the world's greatest actress."

Buffy and Cordelia turned to her and applauded. Tara joined in.

Giles frowned in confusion. "I don't understand."

Buffy smiled and walked over to the table. "It was all a ruse. She's on our side."

Cordelia and Faith joined the others at the table.

Buffy sat down. "Everybody have a seat. We'll explain."

Everyone else sat down.

Buffy took a deep breath and let it out. "Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer..."

Everyone stared at her, confused.

"What?" Buffy asked. "If there was a show about me, that's what it would be called. Anyway..."

The two Slayers looked at each other uncertainly for a long while. Faith lowered her stake. Buffy massaged her neck.

"Need a ride home?" Buffy finally offered.

Faith stared at her for a moment longer. "Yeah."

Neither of them said anything as Buffy drove.

Faith looked out the window. "This isn't the way back to Jenny's place."

Buffy didn't say anything.

"Where are we going?" Faith asked her.

"You'll see. Just be patient."

Soon, Faith realized Buffy was pulling into the parking lot of the police station.

"Oh, fuck no!" Faith declared, scrambling to unfasten her seatbelt.

"Calm down, Faith. I wanna talk with you." Buffy parked her van and shut off the engine. "Look, life dealt you a shitty hand. I get that. I can't imagine what you've been through."

"That's right, you can't."

"And you made an honest mistake. Yes, it was horrible, and it was tragic, and I know it haunts you. In that respect, I can imagine what you've been going through. But guess what, Faith. You're better than me. Of the two people in this van, you alone haven't gone over the edge. Let's keep it that way."

Faith was wary. "What are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting...we go in there...and you confess-"

Faith started to shake her head in protest.

"-in exchange for the same kind of deal that I have."

"What, and work for the cops? No, thanks."

"It's better than going to prison. And it's better than running away and not dealing with it. Because you'll always wonder...is today the day that I get caught?"

Faith considered that and decided to stay where she was at the moment.

"You're angry. You have all of this rage inside you. Believe me, I know how that feels. And anger...can lead to tragedy. I believe this is a healthier alternative."

"How, um...how do you know the police will offer me a deal?" Faith asked.

"Because we're gonna offer them the mayor."

Faith gave her a look of confusion.

"The mayor's dirty. He's gotta have his hands in the police department for them to bend to his will and offer me the deal. I'm willing to bet they don't like being told what to do and will be more than happy to be rid of him. We won't go to Chief Munroe; he might be in the mayor's pocket. We'll go to Detective Stein; he's my contact in the department and the one that investigated our respective...incidents. He really didn't seem to enjoy welcoming me to the department. He should be able to work something out for you, if we can take out the mayor."

"But how are we gonna do that?"

"I have a plan. It's very risky. It involves you turning to the dark side and going to work for the mayor."

Faith was intrigued.

"You'd be on your own, no help from us. Honestly, you shouldn't even have any contact with us. The mayor probably has spies everywhere, so you would need to keep up the act the entire time. I'll do the same. I might have to let a few others in on it, but most people won't know the truth. If you reveal yourself as a bad guy, they'll believe it. Would you be okay with that?"

Faith shrugged. "Story of my life." She paused. "Do you really think we can pull this off?"

Buffy nodded. "I think so. We'll just have to act our asses off and give the performance of a lifetime."

Faith chuckled despite her feeling of dread. "No pressure, right?" She shrugged. "What the hell? Let's do it."

Buffy and Faith walked into the police station and over to the reception desk.

"Excuse me?" Buffy asked the attending officer.

He looked up. "Ms. Summers."

"Detective Stein's working tonight, isn't he?" Buffy asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, he's at his desk."

Buffy looked at Faith. "C'mon."

Faith followed Buffy over to Detective Stein's desk, where he was doing paperwork.

"Detective Stein?" Buffy asked.

He looked up. He was surprised to see Faith.

"Interrogation room free?" Buffy asked him.

The three of them went into the interrogation room, and Buffy laid out her plan.

Stein sat in silence for a while as he considered it. "Okay."

Buffy and Faith were surprised.

Stein gave them a small smile. "I hate that son of a bitch."

"So...if I do this...and the mayor's taken down...I get the same deal as Buffy?" Faith asked him.

"Well, I'll need to convince Chief Munroe, but I'll...hold off on that for now. Things are kinda weird around here."

Buffy frowned. "Weird how?"

"There's actually a 'do not arrest' order in place regarding you, Ms. Lehane. One guess as to who gave it."

Faith nodded. "The mayor. Why?"

Stein shrugged. "Beats me, but Munroe doesn't like it. Convincing him to actually hire you would be a neat trick."

Buffy smiled. "Well, I'm sure you can pull it off." She thought for a moment. "Maybe even ask the governor for a pardon."

Stein stared at her humorlessly. "Don't push it, Summers."

Faith sat in silence as Buffy parked her van and shut off the engine.

"Remember what we talked about, Faith."

Faith looked at Buffy and nodded.

Faith walked up the steps of Sunnydale City Hall, went in, and walked straight past the reception desk in the lobby.

"Hey, state your business!" the receptionist yelled. "Excuse me!"

Faith ignored her. She found the mayor's office and stood there for a moment, unsure. She took a deep breath.

Faith knocked on the door to the mayor's office and then stood there, arms crossed. Eventually, the door opened, and the mayor was standing there. He looked surprised to see Faith.

"You sent your boy to kill me."

"That's right, I did."

"He's dead."

"I thought he might be. What with you standing here and all."

Faith stepped brazenly into the doorway. "I guess that means you have a job opening."

The mayor stepped back to let her enter and closed the door.

Faith stepped closer. "Hey, I know I shouldn't be asking this, but...do you think, if things were different, that things between you and me'd be different, too?"

Angel shook his head. "We'll never know."

"Right. How could we?"

"Take care of yourself."

She stepped up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Just as she did so, Cordelia walked up to the atrium door and saw them.

"Lifetime of practice."

Cordelia watched them as they separated and Faith left. Rather than go in, she turned around and left also. "You're overdoing it, bitch."

In Faith's apartment, she was sitting on her couch, filling in the mayor, who was leaning against the kitchen table.

"It's not like I wasn't trying, okay?"

"Hey, there's no need to convince me. I'm sure you gave it your level best. I just don't understand what that boy could be thinking."

"Try Cordelia Chase, like in a big fat one-track way."

"Hey, come on!" Wilkins stood up. "Don't be discouraged. You're a bright, young, energetic girl with a whole life ahead of her, and I won't tolerate brooding. So you couldn't give him that one moment of true happiness."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a long weekend, but okay."

"And he spurned your advances. So be it. There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that's factually true." Wilkins paced. "We wanna take Angel's soul away. If we can't do it by giving him happiness, well, by golly, we'll just have to do it in the most painful way imaginable." He smiled.

"Oh?" Faith asked.

"We can have his soul removed forcefully. There are few that can do it. I know of a mage, but scheduling a man of his talents will be quite the chore."

"Yeah, well, let me know when you get it set up, huh?" Faith forced a grin. "I'd like to be there for it."

Wilkins smiled. "Sure thing."

Faith walked into the library.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I'll remember to mention that."

"Mention what? Where're we going, girlfriend? Faith asked.

She took Buffy's arm as she was about to pass, but Buffy pulled it back.

"Uh, actually, I can handle this one solo."

"Why should you get to have all the fun?" Faith smiled at everyone. "Share, share, that's fair, right?" She faced Buffy.

"Right." Buffy showed her the address. "Found our demon."

Faith took it. "Oh. Well. Just go look him up." She smiled weakly.

Buffy wasted no time getting on her way. A moment later, Faith followed.

"B, wait up." Faith quickened her pace and walked beside Buffy. She leaned over to Buffy's left ear. "There's something that you need to know."

"All right, stop! I demand everyone stop this instant!" Wesley yelled.

Everyone looked at him.

"I'm in charge here, and I say this is all moving much too fast. We need time to fully analyze the situation and devise a proper and strategic stratagem."

Buffy stared daggers at him. "Wes, hop on the train or get off the tracks."

"The mayor will most assuredly have supernatural safeguards protecting the box."

There was silence.

"Oh, we all forgot about that, did we?" Wesley asked smugly.

"Looks like a job for Wiccan girl." Buffy looked at Tara. "What do you say, sweetie? You up to it?"

Tara was a bit nervous but nodded. "Uh-huh."

Buffy nodded. "Let's get to work." She stood up.

The gang filed past Wesley.

Buffy learned over to Tara's left ear. "Sweetie, before we go on this mission, there's something that you need to know...just in case you get caught."

"What?" Tara asked.

Buffy was about to reveal the secret to her but then hesitated, fearing what would happen. "If you get captured, hope it's by Faith. You might be able to reason with her. Everyone else, probably not."

Tara nodded.

On the roof of City Hall, the trio could see the box through the skylight. Angel opened the skylight. Buffy handed Tara a book and a bottle containing sand. Tara thought a spell while pouring the sand over the box. As the sand fell, a blue force field appeared around the box, then suddenly disappeared.

Tara looked at Buffy. "I think that did it."

"Four stars, Tara. Now, get going." Buffy kissed Tara on the lips.

Tara left by the fire ladder. She climbed down to the ground. Suddenly, she was yanked close to someone.

Faith held a knife up to Tara's throat. "Well, well."

"Faith..."

Faith stared at her for a moment. "Come with me. And keep your mouth shut."

Faith pulled her, and they started walking. They walked up the steps of City Hall and went inside.

Faith approached the wrecked conference room, holding a knife to Tara's neck. She saw the mayor surveying the damage while the vampire guards stood with their heads down.

"Well, this is very unfortunate. I just had this conference room redecorated, for Pete's sake. At taxpayers' expense. And, oh, yeah..." Wilkins' cheerful facade broke, and, with a burst of rage, he smashed a chair. "They've got my box."

Faith walked into the room with Tara.

"Yeah, they do, but looky what we got."

The mayor gave her a big smile.

Faith smiled. "Hi, I'm looking for Professor Wirth."

"Oh, well, that's me, but I should ask you to come back during office hours. Students generally make an appointment."

"Uh, I'm not from the college. I work for Mayor Wilkins. I'm Faith."

"Oh, well, come in, please." Wirth stepped aside. "I was so surprised when he called. Didn't expect a politician to be interested in my research."

Faith walked into the apartment. "He's a big fan, professor."

Wirth closed the door. "Oh, Lester's fine."

"We alone here, Lester?" Faith asked him.

"Well, yes. Lifelong bachelor. I like my space."

"I hear that." Faith took out a knife. "You want to turn and face the wall, Lester?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'll make it quick."

"Put that away. I'll scream."

"Who wouldn't?" Faith asked.

"Please."

"Sorry, friend, boss wants you dead."

"Why?"

Faith stabbed him in the shoulder, not too deeply. "You know, I never thought to ask."

Wirth groaned in pain. "You're...not...a very good...killer."

Faith leaned very close to him. "Yeah, I know, but I gotta make it look like I tried. Hide here for a few hours to make sure no one's watching the place, then get out of town." She withdrew the knife. "Either the mayor's going down, or the town is."

Faith and a vampire positioned themselves behind a neon sign atop a building near Professor Wirth's apartment building and looked down at it. Buffy and Angel left the building. Faith readied the arrow, drew it back in her bow, and waited.

"You know what?" Buffy asked. "Thank you, but I can take it from here."

"It's all right. I'll walk you to your van."

"Look, I don't need an escort. I'm a big girl. Superpowers, remember? I don't need you crowding me."

"I didn't think I was."

"No, of course, you don't. I just wish it was over, done."

"It's not that simple. I mean...once the mayor-"

"I know, world in peril, and we have to work together."

"I'll get out of your face." Angel dropped the box at her feet and turned away.

Faith fired at Angel. The arrow passed through his back, so the point stuck out the front of his jacket. He fell, and Buffy caught him.

"Angel!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Missed the heart."

Faith stared down at Angel. "Meant to."

Buffy noticed a piece of paper rolled up around the back of the arrow, untaped it, unrolled it, and read the note: "B, Cure is the blood of a Slayer. Or two. You and me. Let me know when ready."

In Faith's apartment, she was lying on her bed and reading a comic book while "Fishfuck" by Gwar blared from her stereo.

Buffy entered the room, behind her, and turned off the stereo. "Thought I'd stop by."

"Is he dead yet?" Faith asked her, not looking around.

"He's not gonna die. It was a good try, though. Your plan?"

"Uh-huh. The mayor got me the poison. Said it was wicked painful."

"There's a cure."

Faith finally looked at her. "Damn. What is it?"

"Your blood. As justice goes, it's not un-poetic, don't you think?"

Faith stood up. "Come to get me? You gonna feed me to Angel? You know you're not going to take me alive."

"Not a problem."

"Well, look at you. All dressed up in big sister's clothes."

"You told me I was just like you. That I was holding it in."

They approached until they were standing face to face.

"Ready to cut loose?" Faith asked her.

"Try me."

"Okay, then. Give us a kiss."

Buffy stared at Faith for a long moment, and then she kissed her on the lips.

When their lips parted, Faith grinned.

Buffy smiled. "You did good. C'mon, let's get the fuck outta here."

Cordelia heard the door open. She looked behind her. Buffy walked in slowly, staring at the floor. Cordelia stood up. Buffy walked up to her, looking unhappy.

"Did you find Faith?" Cordelia asked her.

Buffy just looked at her, saying nothing.

"You didn't...?" Cordelia paused. "She's not here?"

"How is he?" Buffy asked her.

"He comes in and out. I think the...pain is...less. Now."

Buffy turned around. "Come in."

Faith walked into the room and over to Cordelia and Buffy.

Buffy and Faith each held up a bag of blood.

Buffy smiled. "And that brings us to the present. Everyone all caught up?"

Amy smiled. "Goddamn, you sure pulled one over on us."

Faith took some folded-up pages out of her pocket, unfolded them, and set them in front of Giles on the table. "You'll find out everything that you'll need to know about the Ascension here, G-Money."

"Don't call me that." Giles took the pages and started reading them.

Faith shrugged. "Long story short: About eight-hundred years ago, in the Kastka Vallies above the Urals, there was a sorcerer there who achieved Ascension. Became the embodiment of the demon Lo-Hash. It decimated the village within hours. Maybe three people got out."

"Ahem, I'm sorry, but Lo-Hash was a four-winged soul killer, am I right?" Wesley asked Giles.

Giles nodded.

"I was given to understand that they're not that fierce. Of all the demons that we've faced-"

"You've never seen a demon."

Buffy looked at Faith and raised her hand. "Uh, excuse me? Kind of professionally, three years running."

"All the demons that walk the Earth are tainted - are human hybrids like vampires. The Ascension means that a human becomes pure demon. They're different."

"Different?" Giles asked.

"How?" Buffy asked.

"Well, for one thing, they're bigger."

"What about the spiders? The mayor had a box of spiders that he had to eat. The Box of...I want to say Grav-Locks?" Buffy guessed.

Giles looked at her. "Gavrock."

Mayor Wilkins entered the library, alone. The group stood up, shocked. Wilkins was surprised to see Faith with the others. Faith shrugged.

"You betrayed me?" Wilkins asked in disbelief.

Faith shrugged. "Actually, deceived is more like it."

Cordelia nodded. "We put one over on you."

"So all of that was an elaborate act?" Wilkins asked.

Buffy shrugged. "What do you want us to say? Life's a show, and we all play our parts."

Wilkins regained his composure. "So...this is the inner sanctum. Faith told me this is where you folks like to hang out, concoct your little schemes. I tell you, it's just nice to see that some young people are still interested in reading in this modern era. So...what are kids reading nowadays?"

The mayor walked to the table and picked up a page. Giles stood his ground and didn't flinch at the proximity.

"'The beast will walk upon the Earth, and darkness will follow. The several races of man will be as one in their terror and destruction.' Aw, that's kind of sweet. Different races coming together."

"You never get even a little tired of hearing yourself speak, do you?" Buffy asked him.

Wilkins chuckled and looked at Giles. "That's one spunky little girl you've raised. I'm gonna eat her."

Giles grabbed Wesley's sword from the table and thrust it through the mayor's chest.

Wilkins staggered back but regained his balance. "Whoa! Well, now, that was a little thoughtless." He pulled the sword out of his chest. "Violent outbursts like that in front of the children? You know, Mr. Giles, they look to you to see how to behave."

Buffy stared daggers at him. "Get out."

Wilkins took a handkerchief and slowly wiped the blood from the sword. "I smell fear. That's smart. Some of your deaths will be quick, if that's worth anything. Well, see you all at graduation." He tossed the sword back to Giles. "You don't want to miss my commencement address. It's going to be one heck of a speech." He left the library.

Buffy took a moment to regain her composure. "Call everyone. Meeting. My house. One hour. We're going to war."

Later, at Buffy's house, everyone was gathered in the backyard: Buffy, Tara, Amy, Katrina, Cordelia, Harmony, Faith, Jenny, Giles, Amber Grove, Lishanne Davis, Rhonda Kelley, Heidi Barrie, Emily Djiemanowicz, Laura Egler, Sheila Martini, Callie Megan Anderson, Theresa Klusmeyer, Debbie Foley, Nancy O'Brien, and Nicole Bilderback.

"So...am I crazy?" Buffy asked everyone.

Amy hesitated. "Well, 'crazy' is such a strong word."

Giles chewed on his glasses. "Let's not rule it out, though."

"You don't think it can be done?" Buffy asked him.

"I didn't say that. I might, but not yet."

Cordelia grinned. "I personally don't think it's possible to come up with a crazier plan."

Buffy gave her a sarcastic smile. "Thank you."

"My point, however, is, crazy or not, it's pretty much the only plan. Besides, it's Buffy's, and she's slay gal, you know, Ms. Little Likes-To-Fight. So-"

"Thank you, Cordy." Buffy looked at everyone. "Well, I'm going to need every single one of you on board." She looked at Amy. "Especially you, Amy. You're sort of the key figure here."

Amy took a deep breath and then let it out. "What do I have to do?"

"Do you remember any of your military training from when you became G.I. Jane?" Buffy asked her.

Amy pointed at her. "Uh, rocket launcher?"

Buffy shook her head. "Rocket launcher not going to get it done. I mean...it took a volcano to kill one of these fuckers last time."

Rhonda rolled her eyes. "Great. We're doomed."

Buffy gave her a sharp look. "We're not doomed."

"Then what would you call it?" Heidi asked Buffy.

Buffy looked at her. "I can requisition the required materials through my contact in the police department."

Amy nodded. "I'll provide you with a list, but I'll need to calculate the strength needed."

Katrina looked at Amy. "I can help you with that. I'll also work on the detonator."

Buffy nodded. "Good."

Giles walked towards her. "Um, Buffy, all of this is rather dependent on your being able to control the mayor."

Faith looked at Buffy. "Play on his human weakness."

Giles thought about it. "His weakness."

Faith nodded. "Right."

"Which is?" Giles asked her.

Faith and Buffy looked at each other for a moment and eventually shrugged.

Giles put his glasses back on. "Well, let's - let's, uh, let's think."

"Well, Faith, you hung with him the most. Is there something that he's afraid of?" Katrina asked.

Faith thought about it. "Well, he's not crazy about germs."

"Of course, that's it. We attack him with germs!" Cordelia exclaimed.

Buffy looked at her and rolled her eyes. "Great! We'll corner him, and then you can sneeze on him."

Cordelia gestured excitedly. "No! No, we'll get a box with the Ebola virus, and - and...or it doesn't even have to be real; we can just get a box that says 'Ebola' on it and, um, chase him with the box." Cordelia snapped her fingers.

No one said anything. Cordelia frowned. Harmony patted Cordelia's shoulder in support.

Katrina thought for a moment. "Faith."

Faith glanced over at her. "What?"

Katrina looked at her. "He was positively shocked when he saw you with us, like you'd committed the ultimate betrayal. You are his weak link."

Faith nodded. "Human weakness never goes away. Not even his."

Buffy looked at Faith. "We can work that."

The door in the fence opened. Wesley entered the backyard and walked over to Buffy. "You haven't an enormous amount of time."

Buffy looked away. "The Council is not welcome here. I have no time for orders."

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

Buffy looked at him.

"So there is something I can do."

"There is plenty. There is chores for everyone."

Later, in the library, Wesley was reading while Buffy and Angel listened. Buffy stood next to Wesley with her arms crossed.

"'Darkness will follow, and day becomes night.'"

Buffy thought about it. "An eclipse."

"Standard procedure for an Ascension?" Wesley guessed.

Angel stepped up to them. "That puts me back into the game."

Buffy looked at him. "Yeah, it does. You and Amy are going to work together. Also, bring in Cordelia."

"Cordelia?" Angel asked, uncomfortable.

"She's the best of the Potentials, and she's a good archer."

Angel stared at her in surprise.

"Rich-people hobby learned while she was rich. Is there gonna be a problem?" Buffy asked him.

"No. No problem."

Sandy Gray walked into the library. "Hi, Buffy."

Buffy looked at her. "Sandy. Hi."

Sandy walked over to her. "I heard what's going on. I went to your house, and they told me you were here. I wanna help."

Buffy was surprised. "You?"

"Is that so surprising?" Sandy asked her.

"Well, it's just...the mayor's gonna have vampires on his team. You might be put in a position to kill them."

"I know."

"Are you okay with that?" Buffy asked her.

"Well..." Sandy paused and wrung her hands. "This is my school, too. My graduation. I want to contribute."

Buffy smiled at her. "It just so happens that there'll be an eclipse. You'll be in Angel's group." She gestured at him.

"Thanks." Sandy walked over to Angel.

Buffy walked over to look over Amy and Katrina's shoulders as they were looking through some books on the table.

"So...how are we coming on volcano detail?" Buffy asked them.

Katrina looked at her. "I think we can work it out."

Amy nodded. "Fun with chemistry."

Buffy nodded. "I'll call Detective Stein and see about getting the materials. That oughta be a fun conversation."

"Who's going to blow it up?" Katrina asked.

Buffy turned to Giles coming up beside them. "You feel up to it?"

Giles took off his glasses. "Uh, I suppose it should be me. It's strangely fitting in a grotesque fashion."

Later, Amy, Cordelia, Gwen Ditchik, Holly Charleston, Michelle Blake, and Angel were in Buffy's backyard. The girls were practicing their archery skills against a target.

"So when you say the mayor will be 'big'..." Gwen looked at Cordelia.

Cordelia shrugged. "That's all I know. Big."

Gwen was uncertain. "You better not be fucking with me, Cordy."

"Pull back!" Amy ordered.

The archers pulled their strings.

"Aim!" Amy ordered.

They aimed.

"Fire!" Amy ordered.

The archers let their arrows fly. Cordelia's arrow hit the bullseye. Everyone else's arrows missed.

Holly looked at Michelle. "Maybe we should try the crossbow."

Michelle shrugged. "Yeah, maybe."

Angel looked over at Cordelia. "If we get through this, I'm just going to go. I'm not going to say goodbye."

Cordelia slowly looked down.

"You understand?"

"No, of course, I don't. You just show up at the prom, and then you disappear into the ozone. For all I know, you left town."

"Are you mad at me for being around too much or for not being around enough?"

"Duh. Yes."

"Which?"

"What?"

"I don't get you."

Cordelia picked up another arrow. "No, you don't, not anymore."

"Are you just making this harder to make this easier on yourself?"

"Could we stop with the brainteasers? I just wish it was over, done."

"It's not that simple. I mean...once the mayor-"

"I know, world in peril, and we have to work together. This is my last office romance, I'll tell you that."

"I'll get out of your face." Angel put down the arrow that he had been playing with and turned away.

"Isn't it even a little hard for you?"

"How can you ask me that? Just because I'm not acting like a brat doesn't mean I don't feel-"

"It's nice to know what you think of me!" Cordelia yelled.

Angel looked at her. "What do you expect me to say when you just attack?"

"I just can't do this anymore. I can't have you in my life when I'm trying to move on." Cordelia swallowed hard.

Angel hesitated a moment, then turned to leave quietly. Cordelia took a slow breath.

Later that night, after everyone else had left, Buffy and Tara showered, brushed their teeth, got into bed, and snuggled with each other. Tara gently kissed Buffy's neck repeatedly.

Buffy was pensive. "I'm worried, babe."

"Me, too, but worrying's not going to change anything."

"I don't know if they're ready."

"You've trained them well. They're as ready as they'll ever be."

"Not Slayer School. The senior class. I don't know most of them. They're not fighters. And I'm asking them to stand and fight tomorrow."

Tara had an idea and looked Buffy in the eyes. "What if we held a pep rally?"

Buffy stared at Tara blankly. "Huh?"

The next morning, Buffy was walking through Faith's apartment, her arms crossed in front of her. There were cardboard boxes stacked everywhere. Faith was packing.

"I'm glad that you're getting out of this place."

"Hey, it ain't easy givin' all this up, but no way in Hell am I staying here any longer." Faith shrugged. "Besides, if we win, the mayor won't be around to pay the rent, and I sure as fuck can't afford it."

"Moving back in with Ms. Calendar?" Buffy asked her.

Faith walked up behind Buffy and stopped next to her. "Actually, if we survive, I'm gonna head out."

Buffy was surprised. "Oh?"

"Sunnydale doesn't need two Slayers." Faith smiled. "And we both know you're not going anywhere, and I ain't stickin' around just so you can fuck your girlfriend 24/7."

Buffy laughed. "It wouldn't be 24/7. Gotta set aside time to eat."

Faith grinned. "Why? You'd be doing that, anyway."

Buffy playfully elbowed Faith in the ribs.

Faith sobered. "It's better this way. It just feels right."

"A higher power guiding us?" Buffy asked her.

Faith looked at her, then turned and walked away. "I'm pretty sure that's not what I meant." She stood in front of the broken window, looking out. "They are never going to fix this, are they?"

"Where will you go?" Buffy asked her.

Faith turned around and gestured widely with a short laugh. "Beats me."

Buffy gave a little laugh in return and looked down.

Faith walked towards her. "Getting towards that time."

Buffy looked at all the boxes and the weapons laid out on the table beside her. "How are you going to fit all this shit?"

"Not gonna. It's yours."

Buffy was shocked. "I can't use all of this!"

"Just take what you need." Faith reached her right hand up to touch Buffy's cheek. "You're ready?"

"Yeah." Buffy looked at Faith, then softly kissed her on the lips.

Harmony parked her pink 1997 Mazda MX5 Miata in the student parking lot and put the roof up. She shut off the engine.

Cordelia was sitting in the passenger seat. She was lost in thought and casually pushed the stuffed unicorn that dangled from the car's rearview mirror. She eventually looked at her friend. "Angel's leaving after graduation."

Harmony looked at her.

"If we survive. He's just gonna leave. He told me last night."

Harmony frowned. "Sorry."

Cordelia sighed. "And I'll be stuck here on the Hellmouth, wondering where the fuck he is."

Harmony wasn't sure what to say. "Yeah, that does kinda suck."

Cordelia gave her a look, and then she opened her purse and took out an envelope.

"What's what?" Harmony asked her.

"I dunno. A graduation card or something from Mom. She made me promise not to open it until after the ceremony." Cordelia paused in thought for a moment. "Fuck it. She opened the envelope and took out a card.

Cordelia opened the card, and a lot of money fell into her lap. She quickly gathered up the bills.

Harmony stared. "Holy shit. How much is that?"

Cordelia counted the money. "There's gotta be...at least ten-grand here. What the hell is my mom thinking? She can't afford this."

"What does the card say?" Harmony asked.

Cordelia looked at it. "'Dear Cordy, I am so very proud of you on this day. From graduating high school to saving the town, you have truly exceeded all of my expectations.'" She paused and frowned, offended. "'You are a light that burns bright, and I know you'll achieve even greater things, so take this money, go to Hollywood, and follow your dreams. Love, Mom'" She broke down and started crying.

Harmony put a hand on Cordelia's shoulder to comfort her. "Are you...gonna go?"

Cordelia wiped away her tears and looked at her. "I dunno. What do you think I should do?"

"Well, you've always wanted to act."

Cordelia sniffed. "Yeah." She paused and considered it. "Y'know, maybe I should. I could use a change. Besides, Sunnydale has two Slayers; L.A.'s got no one to protect them."

Harmony smiled. "You gonna be a champion of the helpless?"

"I guess." Cordelia closed the card and put it back in the envelope. "Yeah, living in L.A. will be nice. I can follow my dream, do some good, and put Angel behind me."

Harmony grinned. "That's the spirit."

Cordelia put the envelope back in her purse and stashed it under the seat. "Okay, let's get to the locker room."

The senior class met in the gym. Most of the students sat in the bleachers. The varsity cheerleading squad ran into the gym. The crowd cheered. Joy Wilmshurst, Cordelia, Amber Grove, and Lishanne Davis jumped and waved their pompoms.

Buffy, Tara, Amy, Katrina, Faith, and Harmony ran into the gym. They were each wearing a Sunnydale High School cheerleading uniform. Buffy and Harmony jumped and waved their pompoms. Faith, Tara, Amy, and Katrina were far less enthusiastic.

Faith looked at Tara, Amy, and Katrina. "This so isn't me."

Amy nodded. "I know the feeling."

"What the fuck, Summers?" Joy asked, annoyed. "You guys aren't cheerleaders. If anything happens to those uniforms-"

"Y'know what, Joy?" Buffy asked her. "If we survive graduation, bill me."

Joy rolled her eyes.

Lishanne laughed. "She really told you, Joy."

Joy shot her a look. "Shut up."

"All right, can I have everyone's attention, please?!" Buffy requested.

The crowd was talking loudly and ignoring her.

"Excuse me, you're being rude!" Harmony yelled.

They ignored her, too.

Cordelia whistled sharply. Everyone settled down.

"Thank you all for coming. Later this afternoon, we'll attend our graduation ceremony. We have plenty of work to do between now and then. I have worked closely with many of you, and I am confident that we will go out there and do our best. Whatever happens-"

The sound of the door opening interrupted Buffy. She looked and saw Mayor Wilkins walk into the gym. He took a seat on a bleacher in the first row. Buffy looked at him. He gave her a small smile and then gestured for her to continue. Buffy stared into his eyes. He stared straight back at her.

Without taking her eyes off the mayor, Buffy stomped her left foot twice on the gym floor, and then she followed that up by clapping her hands. She repeated the actions and kept it up. She looked to her friends. Cordelia dropped her pompoms, stomped her foot twice, and clapped her hands. The rest of their friends and the cheerleading squad joined in. Then the students sitting in the bleachers joined in. The entire senior class was involved. The loud sounds of stomps and claps filled the gym.

Having no microphone set up, Buffy was forced to raise her voice much higher than normal:

"Buddy, you're a boy,
Make a big noise,
Playing in the street,
Gonna be a big man someday.
You got mud on your face,
You big disgrace.
Kicking your can all over the place, singin'
We will, we will rock you.
We will, we will rock you.

"Buddy, you're a young man,
Hard man,
Shouting in the street,
Gonna take on the world someday.
You got blood on your face,
You big disgrace,
Waving your banner all over the place."

"We will, we will rock you!"

"Sing it!" Buffy yelled.

"We will, we will rock you!"

"Buddy, you're an old man,
Poor man,
Pleading with your eyes,
Gonna make you some peace someday.
You got mud on your face,
Big disgrace.
Somebody better put you back into your place."

"We will, we will rock you!"

"Sing it!" Buffy yelled.

"We will, we will rock you!"

"Everybody!" Buffy yelled.

"We will, we will rock you!"

Mayor Wilkins stood up and walked out of the gym. The senior class didn't let up until he was gone.

Later, in the student parking lot, Katrina was taking sacks of fertilizer from Buffy and Tara out of Buffy's van and putting them into a shopping cart.

Buffy nodded. "Okay, put these with the others."

"When should I wire it?" Katrina asked her.

"Shortly before the ceremony's about to begin."

"Okay. And until then?"

Tara smiled. "Just relax. Have a good time."

Katrina looked at her dubiously, shut the van's sliding door, and started moving off with the shopping cart.

Tara looked out the window at her. "I guess that's it. Won't be long now."

Buffy was concerned. "You nervous?"

Tara swallowed. "Yeah."

Buffy took her hand. "We'll make it through this."

"Are you sure?" Tara asked her.

Buffy smiled. "Yeah."

Tara and Buffy leaned forward, and they kissed softly. Buffy put her hand up to caress the side of her head. They kissed some more.

Tara pulled away just a little and slowly opened her eyes. "How long till graduation?"

"A little while."

Tara moved to kiss her again. The two girls sat down and started making out. They slowly undressed each other. Once they were naked, Buffy lay down on her back. Tara immediately knew what Buffy wanted; a sixty-nine with Tara on top was Buffy's preference. Tara got into position, laying down on top of her girlfriend in the opposite direction.

Buffy put her hands on Tara's ass, drawing her close. Tara lowered her head and started eating Buffy's pussy. Buffy ate Tara's pussy. They continued like this for many minutes, the silence broken by only their moans and the occasional vehicle outside. They were content to shut out the world as much as possible and have a loving moment together - perhaps their last ever.

When their orgasms came, they cummed into each other's mouths, nourishing each other. Then they made out for a while, tasting themselves on each other, and then wordlessly got dressed and went about their business.

Buffy walked into the library. She found Emily, Laura, Sheila, Callie, Theresa, Debbie, Nancy O'Brien, and Nicole taking books off the shelves and packing them into boxes.

"How's it going in here?" Buffy asked them.

Sheila rolled her eyes. "It's boring. When are we gonna see some action?"

Buffy looked at her. "You'll see it soon enough. Then you'll wish for boring."

Callie looked at Buffy. "It's coming along fine. We should have it all cleared out before the ceremony."

Buffy nodded. "Good."

Laura looked at Buffy. "I'm scared, Buffy."

Buffy put a comforting hand on Laura's arm. "Stay focused, Laura. Just remember your training."

"Will our training be enough?" Theresa asked Buffy.

"You are all excellent Slayerettes, and you all have amazing potential. I'm proud of all of you."

Debbie smiled. "Thank you, Buffy."

Buffy smiled at her.

Emily looked at Buffy. "Buffy, I'd like to volunteer to do the final run."

Buffy raised her eyebrows in surprise.

Emily nodded. "I'm on the track team. It's kind of my specialty."

Buffy gave her a smile. "I appreciate the offer, Emily, but you don't have Slayer speed. Faith and I will handle it."

Emily nodded.

Giles walked over to them. "Ladies, anyone have any more boxes ready?"

Nancy picked up a box and offered it to Giles. "Here you go, Mr. Giles."

Giles took the box. "Thank you, Nancy."

Nicole picked up a box and put it on top of Nancy's box. "And another one, Mr. Giles."

Giles struggled to hold both of them. "Uh, yes, very good. Thank you, Nicole." He turned and slowly, awkwardly walked away.

Buffy walked into Giles' office, where Angel was sorting through weapons.

Buffy looked at the weapons. "This isn't going to be enough."

Angel was still looking down at the stuff on the table. "Giles is on it."

"So...are we sure that everyone knows what their position is?" Buffy asked him.

"Yeah."

Buffy hesitated. "Cordy says you're leaving after, so I'll say this now. I know I've been a bit of a hardass around you-"

"You have every right to be. I nearly bit your mother."

"And I still don't fully trust you." Buffy drew in a breath and then sighed. "Still. You've proven yourself. So...thanks."

Angel didn't say anything or even look at her. Buffy turned and left without a word.

Katrina found Giles struggling with the boxes in the parking lot. She walked over to him and took the top box. "Here, let me help."

"Oh, thank you, Katrina." Giles fumbled for his keys and unlocked the passenger-side door of his car. He opened the door and put his box on the seat.

Katrina put her box on the floor of the car. "Have you gotten everything away from here?"

"Yes, uh, mostly. Ms. Calendar has been taking boxes to my apartment as well. Whatever we can't get off campus should be safe in our vehicles."

"The detonator's hooked up. It's outside the library, a fairly safe distance away. Just push down on the plunger when ready."

Giles nodded. "Very good." He paused and considered. "Are you sure it will work?"

Katrina laughed. "After all that I went through to MacGyver this shit, it better work."

Giles chuckled. "Ah, yes."

Katrina turned and walked away. She headed for the quad. On her way, she was joined by Amy.

Amy kissed Katrina on the lips and smiled. "Hey, you."

Katrina smiled. "Hey."

Cordelia and Harmony joined them. Then Buffy and Tara did.

"Everybody ready?" Buffy asked.

"Would you know I'm lying if I said no?" Harmony asked her.

"Buffy!"

Buffy turned around. Dawn was running right for her.

Buffy walked toward her in disbelief. "Oh, no, no, no. Shit, no. Fuck! Dawn, what are you doing here?!"

Dawn grinned. "Dad and I came to surprise you for your graduation."

Hank Summers walked up to Buffy and smiled. "Surprise!"

"Dad, this really isn't a good time. You and Dawn need to get out of here."

Hank frowned. "Why?"

"Because it's dangerous. Look, there's no time to explain. I just need you to do as I say."

Dawn grinned. "Is there gonna be a big battle? 'Cause I want in."

"Yes and hell no." Buffy turned Dawn around. "Get going!"

Music started playing.

"C'mon, it's starting!" Tara told them.

Dawn turned around and ran past Buffy.

Buffy turned around and looked at her. "Dawn! If you get killed, I'm telling!"

Cordelia looked at Buffy and smiled. "Way to lay down the law, Buff."

"Fuck you. Let's take our seats." Buffy walked past Cordelia.

They all entered the quad.

The students took their seats in the quad. The music stopped, and the students sat down. Tara sat Buffy's right.

Principal Snyder was standing at the podium. "Congratulations to the Class of 1999. You all proved more or less adequate. This is a time of celebration, so sit still and be quiet." He surveyed the students. "Spit out that gum. Please welcome our distinguished guest speaker: Richard Wilkins III." He looked at one of the students. "I saw that gesture. You see me after graduation." He turned and clapped.

The students clapped. The mayor shook Snyder's hand and stepped up to the podium. He smiled and took out some cue cards.

Wilkins cleared his throat and surveyed the students. "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. Because today, something much more important happens: today, you all graduate from high school. Today, all the pain, all the work, all the excitement is finally over. And what's a hundred years of history compared to that? You know what, kids?"

Buffy stared at him. "Oh, my God. He's going to do the entire speech."

Tara frowned. "God damn it, just ascend already."

"Evolve!" Buffy muttered.

"For all of you, it may be that there is 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 has been achievement, joy, good times, and there has been grief. There's been loss. Some people who should be here today aren't. But we are. Journey's end. And what is a journey? Is it just distance traveled? Time spent?" Wilkins shook his head. "No. It's what happens on the way; it's the things that happen to you. At the end of the journey, you're not the same. Today is about change. Graduation doesn't just mean your circumstances change; it means you do. You ascend to a higher level. Nothing will ever be the same."

A shadow fell across the mayor.

"Nothing."

He looked up. Buffy and the other students looked up to see the sun being totally blocked.

Wilkins flinched in pain, then swallowed. "And so as we look back on..." He turned half to the side, groaning. "...on the events that brought us to this day."

Buffy took her hat off. "Come on, fucker."

"We..." He stopped in pain again.

All of the students were watching tensely.

"We must all..." Wilkins screamed.

The students and the faculty looked at each other uneasily.

"It has begun. My destiny." Wilkins smiled. "It's a little sooner than I expected. I had this whole section on civic pride." He shuffled cue cards. "But I guess we'll just skip to the big finish!"

Buffy and Tara looked at each other as the mayor started to grimace and stretch and grow. His suit split around him, and Snyder was leaning back in his seat, looking taken aback. The mayor suddenly transformed into a big snake-like demon with clawed mandibles surrounding its mouth. It kept growing, stretching higher as the faculty abandoned their seats. The students got up but stayed in place, staring up at the mayor, who seemed to stretch up above the roof of the school.

The parents in the back began to panic and left. A group of vampires came up the steps behind the students.

"Now!" Buffy commanded.

All of the students took off their gowns, revealing crosses, axes, and other assorted weaponry.

Buffy stared up at the mayor. "Flame units."

Several students - including Theresa, Joy, Nicole, Lishanne, Sheila, and Amber - pointed flamethrowers at the mayor and started flaming him. The mayor swayed above the students, screaming. Buffy nodded at Amy.

"First wave!" Amy commanded.

A group of students - including Tara, Nancy O'Brien, Gwen, Holly, Michelle, and Debbie - aimed crossbows loaded with lance points at the mayor.

"Fire!" Amy ordered.

The mayor screamed and swayed, then lunged down and swallowed a male student in the first row. Buffy stared in shock as some of the students started milling around.

Snyder was upset. "This - This is simply unacceptable!"

Three of the male students broke and ran right into the group of vampires waiting on the steps. Katrina looked over as they were quickly killed by the vampires.

Katrina turned back around. "Amy?"

Amy stared straight up at the mayor. "Arm archers."

Katrina, Cordelia, Rhonda, Heidi, Callie, and Laura picked up longbows and arrows. The vampires slowly moved up the steps as the kids lit their arrows on fire and took aim.

"Fire!" Amy ordered.

The students let fly a mass, and several vampires were hit and set on fire. Amy looked back at the students in front of the mayor. Jonathan came flying through the air and landed on top of some students, knocking them down.

"Fall back!" Buffy yelled to the students around her.

"Fire!" Amy ordered the archers.

The students let fly with the fire arrows again, and several more vampires got hit. The vampires turned to leave, only to find themselves confronted by another group of students led by Angel, who was flanked by Sandy and Wesley. They looked at each other for a moment, then Angel's group attacked. Angel started beating up some vampires. Wesley ran up and right into a vampire's fist and fell on his back. Angel fought three vampires at once, easily holding his own. Sandy could manage only one vampire, not being quite as skilled yet. The flame units once more shot fire at the mayor.

Buffy got up on a chair and looked up at the mayor.

Snyder looked up. "This is not orderly. This is not discipline!"

The mayor's snake head whipped around.

"You're on my campus, buddy!" Snyder told the mayor. "And when I say I want quiet, I want-"

The mayor's head came down and swallowed Snyder. Buffy and Amy looked on in horror.

"Fall back! Get back!" Buffy yelled to the students around her. She got down from her chair and turned to Tara. "Get into position!"

"Good luck!" Tara left.

Buffy looked at Amy and Katrina. "Amy, Trina, take 'em down."

Amy and Katrina pulled stakes out of their back pockets.

"Everyone: hand to hand!" Amy commanded.

Faith reached into her jacket.

"Everyone! Let's go! Move! Move!" Amy ordered.

Angel sent a vampire flying, then took care of two others. Sandy staked her first vampire in the heart and then took on another. Their group was driving the vampires back up the steps.

One of the vampires turned around. "Get the kids!"

The other vampires turned to follow his lead only to find themselves confronted with a mass of armed and angry teenagers with baseball bats, crosses, and stakes. Harmony got bit, but Callie started whaling on her attacker with a bat. Harmony broke free, turned around, and staked the vampire in the heart. Jonathan jumped a vampire and fell down the steps with him. Amy was struggling with another vampire, and Katrina sneaked up behind him and staked him through the back.

"Right flank, close in. Close!" Amy pushed the dead vampire off herself. "Rhonda and Heidi, you girls are right flank!"

Angel punched another two vampires. Sandy killed her second vampire. Cordelia staked a vampire coming at her in good form. Tara moved down the steps, pulling Dawn with her.

Tara offered Dawn a stake. "Here. In case you need it. But please don't need it."

Dawn took the stake. "Thanks."

Wesley was still laying on his back, lifting a hand, and looking around, groaning. "How about some help here?"

A vampire ran at Dawn. She nervously raised her stake and thrust it toward his chest. He grabbed her wrist, but Dawn bit his arm through his shirt. He screamed in pain. Dawn thrust the stake into his chest, killing him. He fell to the ground.

Dawn bent over and pulled the bloody stake from his corpse. "Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!"

She stood up straight. That's when she noticed three more vampires approaching her.

Dawn frowned. "Oh, Fudgsicles."

Suddenly, an arrow struck the central vampire in the heart, killing him. Dawn looked behind her.

Jenny approached her, readying another arrow. "Get back, miss!"

Dawn ran past Jenny. Jenny let her second arrow fly, killing another vampire. Then she killed the third vampire and then turned and ran out of there.

Emily picked up a longbow and arrow, lit the arrow on fire, and ran across the quad to the stairs. There she looked up, then jumped onto the stair railing and ran up it. This attracted the attention of Nancy Doyle, who looked up and followed Emily's lead. They reached the top, stopped, and leaped up, grabbing the gutter at the edge of the roof. They swung their bodies forward and pushed off with their feet to do a kip-up to a front handspring, flipping themselves up and over onto the rooftop of the clock tower.

Nancy looked at Emily. "I had to try it at least once."

Emily nodded. "Nice job. Let's fry this fucker."

They drew back the strings of their bows and let their arrows fly. Their arrows hit the mayor, who screamed in pain.

Amy looked at Tara. "Ready?"

Tara nodded. "Ready."

Tara and Amy flew into the air and spun in a circle around the mayor, dodging his mouth and hitting him repeatedly with fire that they blasted from their hands.

"Hey!" Faith held her knife in her right hand and was looking up at the mayor. "You remember this? You gave it to me." She looked at the knife, then back up at the mayor. "Bet you were pleased as punch about it, too: Daddy giving his little girl a gift."

The mayor gnashed his teeth and growled. Tara and Amy grabbed hold of Emily and Nancy, respectively, and flew out of the way.

"You want to get it back from me, Dick?" Faith asked him.

Faith turned and ran to the school with the mayor in pursuit. She handed the knife off to Buffy and then ran to take cover. Buffy opened the door and ran into the hall. The mayor barreled down the door and some of the surrounding wall as he pursued her. Buffy kept running towards the library while the mayor tore through the school like a freight train. Buffy ran into the library and vaulted a banister, looking back at the mayor. The mayor looked around the library and saw the barrels of diesel fuel and bags of fertilizer stacked everywhere. Buffy kept running and jumped out of a window.

Buffy crouched down next to Faith. Giles, on Faith's other side, pushed down the plunger. A fire cloud erupted from the top of the school. Tara, Amy, Katrina, Cordelia, Harmony, Jenny, Dawn, Sandy, and Angel looked up at the explosion. Some more explosions erupted from the school. Debbie lay on the steps, looking up at them. Emily protectively wrapped her arms around Laura as she looked at another explosion. More explosions erupted all along the school. Buffy stared at the explosions, then looked over at Giles.

Later, police cars and fire trucks were parked in front of the school. The air was dark and smoky. Two firefighters wheeled a gurney with a groaning Wesley over towards an ambulance.

"If I could could just get something for the pain. It's rather a lot of pain, actually. Aspirin? If you would...uh...uh..."

The firefighters started sliding the gurney into the ambulance.

"Perhaps I could just be knocked unconscious."

They slid him into the ambulance. Buffy and Cordelia walked by. Buffy watched Wesley being put in the ambulance. Cordelia kept looking around her.

Buffy looked at Cordelia. "We got off pretty cheap, considering."

Cordelia still looked around. "Seems like we did."

They walked a few more steps, then Cordelia stopped, still looking around.

Buffy stopped beside her, her hands buried in her pockets. "He made it through the fight."

Cordelia whipped around to look at her.

"Guess maybe he..." Buffy took a deep breath. "...he took off after."

Cordelia blinked and looked down. Buffy hugged Cordelia with one arm, then turned and walked away. Cordelia stood there, again looking around.

Giles walked up to Buffy. and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

Buffy laid her head to one side. "I'm tired."

Giles smiled. "I should imagine so. It's been quite a couple of days."

"I haven't processed everything yet." Buffy let out a small laugh. "My brain isn't really functioning on the higher levels." She took a deep breath. "It's pretty much: fire bad; tree pretty."

Giles shook his head. "Understandable. Well, when it's working again, congratulate it on a good campaign. You did very well."

Buffy nodded. "Thank you. I will."

Giles put his glasses on. "I, uh, I managed to ferret this out of the wreckage." He reached into his jacket and pulled out her high school diploma. "Now, it may not interest you, but I'd say you earned it."

He handed it to Buffy, who looked at it and took it.

Giles took a deep breath and looked around, taking off his glasses. "There is a certain dramatic irony that's attached to all this. A synchronicity that borders on predestination, one might say."

Buffy looked at him. "Fire bad; tree pretty."

Giles looked at her. "Yes, sorry." He put his glasses back on. "I'm going to see to Wesley, see if he's is still...whimpering." He suppressed a laugh.

He walked off, and Buffy looked after him.

Faith walked over to Buffy and put an arm around her. "Hey, girlfriend."

Buffy smiled in amusement. "Hey."

"Check it out." Faith held up a piece of paper.

Buffy looked at it but was too tired to comprehend it. "Lots of pretty letters. What do they all say?"

"It's my pardon."

Buffy smiled, surprised. "You're kidding."

"Nope. Chief Munroe just handed it to me. See? It's signed by Governor Davis and everything."

Buffy looked at the signature. "Pretty letters."

Faith laughed.

Buffy smiled at Faith. "You're free."

Faith offered Buffy another piece of paper. "Not just me."

Buffy took it and looked at it. It was a pardon for her. She started crying.

"It's over." Buffy wiped away her tears.

Cordelia was having no luck finding Angel. Suddenly, she turned around, a slight frown on her face. Her eyes locked on something, and her face cleared. Angel was standing beside a fire truck, looking at her. Both just stared at each other. Cordelia blinked, and her face fell. She hugged herself a little closer. Angel was first obscured by some firefighters walking by, then by a cloud of smoke. The smoke blew by, and he stepped back, slowly turned around, and walked off. Cordelia watched him leave. Angel disappeared into the smoke.

Jenny walked over to Buffy. "Hey."

Buffy looked at her. "Ms. Calendar."

Jenny smiled. "You're no longer a student. Jenny's fine."

"Jenny." Buffy made a face. "It'll take a while to get used to that."

Jenny laughed. "Anyway, you lost something." She looked over at Dawn.

Dawn walked over to them, grinning. "That was so cool! When's our next battle?!"

"Uh, how about the Twelfth of Never?" Buffy suggested.

Dawn pouted and crossed her arms.

Buffy held up her diploma for them to see. "Check it out."

Jenny smiled. "I never thought I'd live to see the day."

Amy was sitting on a stone bench in front of the school, Katrina was sitting beside her, and Tara and Harmony were standing behind them.

Cordelia walked up to them. "Well, that's the most fun you can have without having any fun."

Tara smiled. "How about the part where we kicked some demon ass? I didn't hate that."

"Hear, hear!" Amy cheered.

Buffy, Dawn, and Faith walked up.

"You guys want to take off?" Buffy asked. "I think we've done pretty much all we can."

Cordelia raised her eyebrows and nodded. "I'm for it."

Tara looked at Buffy. "Are you okay?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. I could use a little sleep, though."

Tara nodded emphatically. "Yeah."

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

Tara smiled at her and kissed her on the lips.

"It was a hell of a battle!" Buffy exclaimed.

They all looked quietly at the school and listened to the crickets chirping.

Cordelia suddenly clapped her hands loudly, breaking the silence and startling everyone. "All right, people, come on! We've got the graduation party at the Bronze to get to!"

Buffy groaned. "I can't fucking sing tonight."

Cordelia grinned. "Fine. I will."

Amy and Katrina got up from the bench. The group of eight friends walked off.

The Bronze was packed with the surviving graduates. Buffy and the Slayerettes had taken the stage and performed for a while, but they were now taking a break, so Brett and his band, Cunt Thrust, had taken the stage and were performing "School's Out". Harmony had set up her video camera, pointed it at the stage, and was recording the entire graduation concert.

"You didn't tell me there was gonna be a giant snake!" Hank exclaimed.

Buffy shrugged. "I didn't know."

Dawn grinned. "It was so cool. I killed a vampire."

"Yeah, well, don't tell your mother. I'll never hear the end of it."

"So you're heading to L.A., huh?" Faith asked Cordelia.

"Yeah."

Faith considered. "Want a buddy for your road trip?"

Cordelia was surprised. "You wanna move to L.A.?"

Faith shrugged. "It's as good a place as any that doesn't suck. Besides, B's got a handle on things here."

Cordelia shrugged and nodded. "Okay."

"Y'know what?" Buffy asked. "Save your money. I'll drive you two down there myself."

Cordelia smiled. "Thanks, Buffy."

Buffy nodded. "No problem. Just let me know when you two are ready to blow this town...so to speak."

Faith laughed.

"There's also a girl there that I want to introduce you to. Her name's Anne."

"The girl that was in that vampire cult, right?" Cordelia asked.

"Yeah. She's living in my old apartment. It's not much, but, if you need a place to stay, she might be able to take you in." Buffy paused in consideration. "Well, one of you, anyway. Also, she's working at the diner that I used to work at. You might be able to get jobs there."

Faith nodded. "Thanks."

Cunt Thrust finished performing. Buffy, Cordelia, Faith, Tara, Amy, Katrina, Harmony, and various other members of the audience applauded.

"Speaking of thanks..." Katrina nodded toward the stage.

Cordelia, Katrina, and Tara walked onto the stage. Tara turned on her keyboard.

Katrina turned on her microphone. "Excuse me. Could everybody settle down, please?"

The crowd didn't pay any attention to her.

Cordelia turned on Buffy's microphone. "Hey!"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at her.

Cordelia smiled. "Thank you."

Katrina looked out at everyone. "As you all know, I'm leaving the band while I go to college."

Cordelia nodded. "And I recently decided to go to L.A. to pursue my dream of becoming a world-famous actress."

"So tonight is our last performance with the band, but, before we go, we have a message." Katrina's eyes sought out Buffy. "Buffy Summers, would you please have a seat close to the stage?"

Buffy went and sat at a table close to the stage, surprised.

Katrina smiled. "This is for you." She looked at Tara and nodded.

Tara started playing her keyboard.

Katrina looked at Buffy and sang:

"Say goodbye,
Not knowing when
The truth in my whole life began.
Say goodbye,
Not knowing how
To cry; you taught me that.
And I'll remember
The strength that you gave me
Now that I'm standing on my own.
I'll remember
The way that you saved me.
I'll remember."

Cordelia looked at Buffy and sang:

"Inside,
I was a child
That could not mend a broken wing.
Outside,
I looked for a way
To teach my heart to sing.
And I'll remember
The love that you gave me
Now that I'm standing on my own.
I'll remember
The way that you changed me.
I'll remember."

Tara played her keyboard for a while. Cordelia and Katrina waited. Then Cordelia sang:

"I learned
To let go
Of the illusion
That we can possess."

Katrina sang:

"I learned
To let go.
I travel in stillness,
And I'll remember
Happiness.
I'll remember."

Tara played her keyboard for a while. Cordelia and Katrina waited, then they sang in unison:

"And I'll remember
The love that you gave me
Now that I'm standing on my own.
I'll remember
The way that you changed me.
I'll remember."

Tara played a bit longer and then ended the song. The audience cheered and applauded. Buffy wiped away tears and clapped her hands. Cordelia, Katrina, and Tara walked off the stage and over to Buffy. Buffy stood up and hugged Cordelia and then Katrina.

Buffy was crying. "I'm gonna miss you guys. Promise you'll come and visit."

Cordelia and Katrina nodded.

Faith walked over to Buffy and put an arm around her. "You gonna miss me, too?"

Buffy blushed. "Of course."

Tara gave Buffy a pointed look. Buffy laughed nervously. Tara shrugged and waved it off.

Buffy looked at her bandmates. "C'mon, girls, let's set up for the big finale."

Buffy, Tara, Amy, and Katrina headed for the stage. Suddenly, they heard music and looked. Jenny and Giles were on the stage. Jenny had hooked up her laptop to the amplifier and was playing a karaoke track, and she and Giles were holding microphones.

Tara smiled. "Uh, it might be a while."

Giles looked at Jenny, smiled, and sang:

"No more timing
Each tear that falls from my eyes.
I'm not hiding
The remedy to cure this old heart of mine.

"I can dream about you,
If I can't hold you tonight.
I can dream about you.
You know how to hold me just right."

Amy smiled in surprise. "Holy shit. Who knew Giles could sing?"

Jenny looked at Giles, smiled, and sang:

"Moving sidewalks,
I don't see under my feet,
Climbing up from
Down here below,
Where the street sees me lonely for you.

"Oh!
I can dream about you,
If I can't hold you tonight.
I can dream about you.
You know how to hold me just right."

Giles sang:

"I can dream about you.
I'm gonna press my lips against you and hold you to me.
I can dream about you.
You know you got me spellbound.
What else can it be?

"Moving sidewalks,
I don't see under my feet,
Climbing up from
The pain in my heart,
'Cause it's you that I need."

When the song was over, the audience applauded. Jenny disconnected her laptop, and she and Giles walked down from the stage.

Buffy grinned. "You've been holding out on us."

Jenny smiled. "Well, I'm trying to get Rupert to come out of his shell."

Giles adjusted his glasses. "I rather like my shell, thank you very much."

Buffy, Tara, Amy, and Katrina walked onto the stage. Jenny and Giles headed for the bar. Cordelia, Faith, and Harmony were left by themselves.

Faith looked at Harmony. "So, uh, we haven't gotten a chance to talk."

Harmony shrugged and crossed her arms. "So talk. I suppose you expect me to believe the way that you treated me was all an act."

Faith sighed. "No. It wasn't. The act didn't begin until I went to work for the mayor. I'm...not the best person, and I'm sorry for the way that I treated you."

"And now you're leaving."

"Well...not right away."

"So...what? You want a long-distance relationship?" Harmony asked her.

Faith shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe. We'll figure it out. But for now, let's just enjoy now."

Harmony was hesitant.

"Kiss already!" Cordelia exclaimed.

Harmony kissed Faith on the lips. The two girls hugged each other. Cordelia smiled.

The band started playing their instruments. That was Cordelia's cue to make her way to the stage. She climbed the steps and walked over to the microphone. She gripped it tight and looked out at the audience.

"I've got a dream 'bout an angel on the beach,
And the perfect waves are starting to come.
His hair is flying out in ribbons of gold.
In his touch, he's got the power to stun.

"I've got a dream 'bout an angel in the forest,
Enchanted by the edge of a lake,
His body flowing in the jewels of light
And the earth below him starting to shake.

"But I don't see any angels in the city,
I don't hear any holy choirs sing,
And, if I can't get an angel,
I can still get a boy,
And the boy'll be the next best thing-
The next best thing to an angel.
A boy'll be the next best thing."

The other ladies started playing faster. Cordelia started dancing.

"I've got a dream 'bout a boy in a castle,
And he's dancing like a cat on the stairs.
He's got the fire of a prince in his eyes
And the thunder of a drum in his ears.

"I've got a dream 'bout a boy on a star,
Lookin' down upon the rim of the world.
He's there all alone and dreamin' of someone like me.
I'm not an angel, but at least I'm a girl."

Buffy, Tara, Amy, and Katrina joined in the singing:

"I've got a dream, when the darkness is over,
We'll be lyin' in the rings of the sun.
But it's only a dream,
And tonight is for real.
You'll never know what it means,
But you'll know how it feels.
It's gonna be over (over)
Before you know it's begun.
(Before you know it's begun, oh!)

"It's all we really got tonight.
Stop your cryin'; hold on tonight.
Before you know it, it's gone: tonight.
Tonight is what it means to be young.
Tonight is what it means to be young."

Giles, Jenny, Dawn, Faith, and Harmony walked up onto the stage and joined in:

"Let the revels begin; let the fire be started.
We're dancing for the restless and the broken-hearted.
Let the revels begin; let the fire be started.
We're dancing for the desperate and the broken-hearted.

"Let the revels begin; let the fire be started.
We're dancing for the restless and the broken-hearted.
Let the revels begin; let the fire be started.
We're dancing for the desperate and the broken-hearted.

"Say a prayer in the darkness for the magic to come.
No matter what it seems,
Tonight is what it means to be young.

"Tonight is what it means to be young.
Before you know it, it's gone.
Tonight is what it means to be young.
Before you know it, it's gone!"

The lights started flashing off and on and running the spectrum of colors, bathing the singers in an otherworldly glow. The band went into an intense instrumental break. Cordelia, Faith, and Harmony starting clapping, and the entire crowd soon joined in, raising their hands above their heads and making a sound like thunder. Cordelia started pumping her right fist into the air, overcome with emotion.

"I've got a dream, when the darkness is over,
We'll be lyin' in the rings of the sun.
But it's only a dream,
And tonight is for real.
You'll never know what it means,
But you'll know how it feels.
It's gonna be over (over)
Before you know it's begun.
(Before you know it's begun, oh!)

"It's all we really got tonight.
Stop your cryin'; hold on tonight.
Before you know it, it's gone: tonight.
Tonight is what it means to be young.
Tonight is what it means to be young.

"Let the revels begin; let the fire be started.
We're dancing for the restless and the broken-hearted.
Let the revels begin; let the fire be started.
We're dancing for the desperate and the broken-hearted.

"Let the revels begin; let the fire be started.
We're dancing for the restless and the broken-hearted.
Let the revels begin; let the fire be started.
We're dancing for the desperate and the broken-hearted.

"Say a prayer in the darkness for the magic to come.
No matter what it seems,
Tonight is what it means to be young.

"Tonight is what it means to be young.
Before you know it, it's gone.
Tonight is what it means to be young.
Before you know it, it's gone!

"The things they say and then the things they do.
Nothin's gonna stop us if our aim is true.

"The things they say and then the things they do.
Nothin's gonna stop us if our aim is true.

"The things they say and then the things they do.
Nothin's gonna stop us if our aim is true."

The band finished playing. The audience cheered and applauded wildly. The band members took bows, and then they hugged each other.

Buffy grabbed Tara and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. Katrina did the same to Amy, Faith did the same to Harmony, and Jenny did the same to Giles.

It was a night that each of them would remember forever.