"Choices"
Based on the Episode Written by David Fury
Author's note: I use episode transcripts as the base of each story in this rewrite series. Starting with this episode, the transcripts are noticeably less detailed and much shorter. The fight scenes suffer the most, but there's a general reduction in detail and description throughout. I'm not sure if someone else took over doing the transcripts or what. Anyway, I'm going to try my best to flesh the details out as needed, but writing fight scenes definitely isn't my strong suit.
The following story is copyright © 2022 by Mark Moore.
In the mayor's office, Faith was sitting at the desk with her eyes closed.
The mayor stood by her side. "All right, you can open them up now."
Faith opened her eyes, saw the present laying on the desk in front of her, and smiled up at him. "Fab. What's the occasion?"
"Faith! As if I need a reason to show you my affection. Or appreciation for running a small errand at the airport."
"Airport? What's next? Gonna want me to help a buddy of yours move a sofa?"
"This isn't a free ride, young lady. You know, I'm beginning to think that somebody's getting a little spoiled. Maybe I should take this back."
Faith clutched the present. "Sorry...sir."
"That's my girl." Wilkins chuckled and gestured at a plate of cookies on the desk. "Another cookie?"
Faith took one.
"Now. A package is arriving tomorrow night from Central America. Something, and I can't stress this enough, something crucially important to my Ascension. Without it..." Wilkins paused. "Well! What would Toll House cookies be without the chocolate chips? A pretty darn big disappointment, I can tell you." He giggled. "Open your present."
Faith picked up the box and opened it. The present was a knife with an intricate design. Faith smiled.
"There. That look on your face is my reward."
"This is a thing of beauty, boss."
"Well, it cost a pretty penny. So...you just take good care of it. And you be careful not to put somebody's eye out with that thing - until I tell you to."
"Any particular eyes in mind?" Faith asked.
At night, in the graveyard, Buffy, Cordelia, and Angel were fighting three vampires. Cordelia tripped her opponent into Angel's legs.
"Sorry, honey!" Cordelia yelled.
"That's okay."
They finished off all three vampires.
"Well, there's something you don't see every day. Unless, of course, you're me." Buffy took out a roll of Mentos and popped one into her mouth.
"That was bracing. Want to do another sweep?" Angel asked.
Buffy shrugged. "It's what I live for. Sad to say."
Cordelia sighed.
"You too tired?" Angel asked her.
"No. It's just..." Cordelia paused. "Do you get the feeling that we're kind of in a rut?"
"A rut?" Angel asked her.
"You never take me any place new."
"What about that fire demon nest in the cave by the beach? I felt that was a nice change of pace."
"So this is our future?" Cordelia asked. "This is how we're going to spend our nights when I'm fifty and you're...the same age you are now?"
Buffy looked at her. "Cordy, you don't have to do this."
Cordelia looked at her. "And let you spend every night with my boyfriend?"
Buffy pointed at herself. "Great big lesbo, remember?"
They heard a growl nearby.
Angel looked at Cordelia. "Let's just get you to fifty."
Cordelia nodded. "Liking that plan."
The three of them ran toward the next creature.
Cordelia returned home and entered the living room.
"Cordy, is that you?" her mother called.
"Yeah!" Cordelia replied.
"Please come into the kitchen."
Cordelia walked through the dining room and entered the kitchen. Her mother was sitting at the island. Her father, Don, was standing behind her. Both of them looked upset and nervous.
"What's going on?" Cordelia asked.
Charisma nodded at the empty stool next to her. "Sit down, honey."
Cordelia did, wary. "Is something wrong?"
Charisma looked into her daughter's eyes. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just come out with it. We're in deep financial trouble. Your father...cheated on his tax returns for the past twelve years. Well, the IRS came knocking today. They'd been auditing him."
Cordelia looked at her father, who quickly looked away, and then she looked back at her mother.
"How much does he owe?" Cordelia asked her.
"More than we have. Much more. We have until the end of the week to move out."
Cordelia couldn't believe this was happening. "And go where?!"
"Most likely a motel. You, uh, you can't take anything that was bought with our money, except a few clothes. It's all being confiscated to be sold at auction."
Cordelia felt like her entire world was ending. "But the prom! I've had my eye on a dress!"
Charisma shook her head. "I'm sorry, dear. If you want it, you'll have to earn the money and buy it yourself." She held up her hands, palms up. "We're broke."
Cordelia sat and thought about that in silence for a long time. She eventually started crying. Her mother offered her a tissue.
Cordelia took it and wiped her tears. "What about college? Financial aid?"
"I-I don't think that'll be possible. The state deadline's passed, and so have the deadlines for many colleges."
Cordelia blew her nose.
"However..."
Cordelia looked at her mother.
"I've got enough cash stashed in places that they don't know about. It might be enough to get you through the first year of...a smaller school...like UC Sunnydale."
"And then?" Cordelia asked.
Her mother shrugged. "Good question."
The next morning, in the Summers' house, Buffy sat at the dining room table, eating a breakfast of sausage links, bacon, and eggs and flipping through a book.
Joyce entered from the hall. "Buffy? When were you going to tell me?"
"All right, busted. I didn't think you'd miss them." Buffy took off the earrings.
"You were accepted to Northwestern University. Honey, I'm so proud of you! That's wonderful!"
Buffy was less enthusiastic. "Right! It's wonderful."
"I mean...it's not cheap, but, uh, I know we can make it work, if your father pitches in. Not that Northwestern is your only option. It's a great school, though. I am so proud of you."
"You said that before."
"And will again soon."
"Mom, you know that I can't...I-I just can't decide on a school right now. I mean I want to sleep on it, you know, mull it over. Also find out where Tara got accepted."
"I know, sweetheart. I'm just so pleased that you have so many choices. Ooh, you know what? Your aunt Arlene and her family are in Illinois. I've got to call and tell them. Oh, Buffy?"
"I know, you're proud of me."
"Uh, don't forget to put my earrings back in my dresser before you go out."
At Sunnydale High School, during lunch, Tara sat next to Buffy at an outdoor table, sharing fries.
"Sounds like your mom's in a state of denial."
Buffy hesitated. "More like a continent. She just has to realize that I can't go away. Faith's turn to the dark side of the Force pretty much put the proverbial kibosh on any away plans for me. UC Sunnydale - at least, I got in. You, too!"
Tara smiled. "And I'm perfectly satisfied with that."
Buffy hesitated again. "Anywhere else?"
Tara shook her head. "Nowhere that you did. UC Sunnydale it is."
Amy and Katrina walked by, holding their lunch trays.
"Mind if we join you?" Amy asked.
Buffy gestured at the bench. Katrina and Amy set down their trays and sat on the bench, opposite Buffy and Tara, respectively.
"What's up?" Buffy asked.
Amy looked at Katrina and smiled.
Katrina grinned. "I got into Caltech!"
Buffy grinned.
Tara gasped and grinned. "Holy shit, Trina, that's amazing! They're crazy selective!"
"They've got a kick-ass engineering program!" Katrina gushed.
"I'm so happy for you, Trina! What about you, Amy?" Buffy asked.
Amy smiled good-naturedly. "Well, unfortunately, I'm not as smart as my smartypants girlfriend. I'm going to UC Sunnydale."
Buffy grinned. "Cool! So are we!"
Tara frowned in concern. "What does this mean for your relationship?"
Amy shrugged. "Well, it's not too, too far away."
Katrina nodded. "Right, and I'll be coming home for all breaks." She looked at her girlfriend and smiled at her. "We'll make it work."
Amy grinned and kissed Katrina on the lips.
Buffy smiled and looked at Tara. "That reminds me: I haven't kissed you nearly enough today." She kissed Tara on the lips.
Buffy and Wesley walked into the library.
"I don't understand."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't think I can talk any slower, Wes. I'm tired of waiting for Mayor McSleaze to make his move while we sit on our asses, counting down to Ascension Day. I mean...let's take the fight to him."
"No. No! Much too reckless. We're at a distinct disadvantage. We don't know anything about the Mayor's Ascension-"
Giles was listening from the door of his office. "She's right. Time's running out. We need to take the offensive." He looked at Buffy. "What's your plan?"
"I gotta have a plan? Really? I can't just be proactive with pep?" Buffy asked.
"No. You want to take the fight to them? I suggest the first step would be to find out exactly what they're up to."
Buffy smiled. "Oh. I actually knew that. I thought you meant a more specific plan, you know, like with maps and shit. Great. We'll find out what they're up to."
That night, at the airport, Faith watched as a small plane taxied to a stop, and a demon left the plane, carrying a box handcuffed to his right hand. A vampire waited by a limo with a briefcase.
"Is he in the car?"
"No, I'll take you to him." The vampire opened the limo door.
The demon kicked the limo door shut. "The mayor was supposed to be here in person with the money. Well, the price just went up. I don't like surprises."
Faith drew back the string on her bow, aimed, and shot him through the back with an arrow. The head of the arrow exited through the front of his shirt.
"Surprise." Faith climbed down from her hiding place and approached the body.
"You killed him."
"What are you, the narrator? Keys to the cuffs?" Faith asked the vampire.
The vampire searched the demon's clothing. "Nothing."
Faith pulled out her flashy new knife.
"That won't cut through steel."
"No, but it will cut through bone."
The limo pulled up in front of Sunnydale City Hall. Faith got out of the limo, walked up the steps, and carried the box inside. Buffy was watching from the bushes.
Faith kicked in the door to the mayor's office and carried the box inside.
Wilkins grinned. "Hey-ho! There it is! Hahahaha! Uh, what happened to the courier? I was supposed to pay him."
"Huh. Made him an offer he couldn't survive." Faith took the money.
Wilkins chuckled. "You are one heck of a girl, you know that? I mean, geez, the initiative, the - the skill."
"Go on, go on." Faith sat down.
"I will. You know, I'll tell you, if Buffy-"
Faith propped her feet on the desk.
The mayor frowned. "Hey, hey, hey, hey."
Faith dropped her feet.
"If Buffy Summers walked in here and said she wanted to switch to our side, I'd say 'No, thanks, sister, I've got all the Slayer one man could ever need." Wilkins chuckled.
Faith sighed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Oh, it's cause I used the B-word, huh? Don't tell me you're still sore about her not returning your advances."
"No, I'm over it."
"Good. You can do better."
Faith was fidgeting and began toying with the clasp of the box.
The mayor slammed his hands down on top of the box. "Don't do that."
Buffy followed the limo into a parking lot. The limo pulled to a stop. The vampire driver heard her and looked back through the rear window. Buffy smashed the driver-side window with her fist and pulled his upper body out of the window.
Buffy was peppy. "So...what's in the box?"
The next day, after school, in the library, Buffy sat at the table, looking at a book. Katrina and Wesley looked on.
"The Box of Gavrock. It houses some great demonic energy or something, which His Honor needs to chow down on come A-Day."
Tara and Giles entered the library. Giles carried some large drawings.
"What's that?" Wesley asked him.
"Maps. And stuff." Giles set them on the table.
Tara nodded. "Plans for City Hall. They were in the Water and Power mainframe."
"The box is being kept under guard in a conference room on the top floor." Buffy pointed to a map sheet. "There. Unfortunately, that's all I could get out of my informant before his aggressive tendencies forced me to introduce him to Mr. Pointy."
Wesley looked at all of them. "Well, now, here's what I think we should do-"
"I figure we can enter through the skylight. I'll take Angel with me."
Giles looked at Buffy. "Agreed."
Tara pointed on the map. "And there's a fire ladder on the east side of the building, here."
Wesley nodded. "Yes, yes, fine, but we still need to consider whether the mayor-"
"It won't be enough to simply have possession of the box."
Tara looked at Giles. "Right, we have to destroy it. Not just physically - ritually, with magic. But I...I d-don't trust myself to do it."
Katrina looked at her. "I'll ask Amy to help with that."
Wesley shook his head. "Hang on. We don't know what such a ritual would require."
Giles flipped through a book. "I think the Breath of the Atropyx is standard for this sort of thing. Fairly simple recipe. Tara?"
Tara nodded. Wesley attempted to read over Giles' shoulder, but Giles handed the book to Tara, who handed the book to Katrina.
Katrina took the book. "On it."
"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. Giles pushed a map into Wesley's hands. Wesley moped for a moment, then turned to follow.
Harmony was walking along a street and paused at the window of a shop called April Fool. She saw Cordelia inside, holding up a dress. She opened the door and went inside.
Harmony walked over to Cordelia. "Hey, Cordy!"
Cordelia started and looked at her. "Harm!"
"Shopping for a prom dress, too, huh?"
Cordelia forced a grin. "Uh, yeah!"
"Hey, did you get into any schools?" Harmony asked. "All that I managed is UC Sunnydale."
Cordelia hesitated and then took envelopes from her purse. "Read 'em and weep. UC Sunnydale, USC, Colorado State, Duke, and Columbia."
Harmony grinned. "Wow! These are great colleges. I'm so happy for you."
Cordelia nodded stiffly and put the letters away.
"Have you made a choice yet?" Harmony asked her.
Cordelia shook her head. "Not yet."
Harmony nodded. "Well...see ya." She left.
Cordelia dropped her smile, unhappy.
That evening, Buffy brought her van to a stop in a parking lot, parked it, and shut off the engine. She unfastened her seatbelt. Tara was riding shotgun. Angel, Giles, and Wesley sat in the back. Tara unfastened her seatbelt. Buffy and Tara unlocked and opened their doors and got out. Angel unlocked and opened the sliding door and hopped out. Buffy, Tara, and Angel closed the doors.
Giles looked at them. "Now, remember, if anything should go awry, Wesley and I will create a diversion."
Wesley nodded. "Let's synchronize our watches. I have twenty-one-four-"
Buffy and Tara held up their bare wrists.
Wesley sighed. "Yes, typical."
Giles looked at them. "Be careful, all of you."
The trio marched off.
Giles turned to Wesley. "Tea?"
Angel pulled down the fire ladder. Tara started climbing.
In the library, Amy placed a large ceramic pot on a pedestal. Katrina entered, carrying a paper bag.
"You got the goods?" Amy asked her.
Katrina smiled. "That's what you said last night."
Amy chuckled.
"Yeah." Katrina started pulling plastic bags out.
"Well, we better be sure. Destroying this box is a pretty delicate operation." Amy dropped three gold pieces into the pot.
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. Angel fit Buffy with a harness and set up a pulley system. He lowered her down over the box.
"How are you doing?" Angel called.
"I feel like I'm in Mission: Impossible." Buffy reached for the box. "Got it!"
As she lifted the box off the table, an alarm bell rang. Angel pulled on the cord, but Buffy didn't move.
"Angel!" Buffy yelled.
"It's jammed."
"I'd like very much to come up now, please. Angel!"
"I know!"
Two vampires entered the room with a growl.
"Don't suppose you want to help me get down."
They growled.
"Didn't think so."
Angel leaped down to the table. They fought. Buffy got in a kick using a vertical spin in the trapeze harness, then got out of it. Buffy and Angel escaped the room with the vampire guards in pursuit.
Buffy and Angel ran out of the building and darted right. They ducked behind some bushes. As the vampires left the building, Buffy's van accelerated past the door, and the vampires chased it. Buffy and Angel stood up and watched from their hiding place in the bushes, then ran the other way.
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.
In the library, Buffy, Amy, Katrina, Cordelia, Giles, Wesley, and Angel were standing.
"How did you guys let...?" Buffy paused. "How did this happen?"
Giles looked at her. "We thought she stayed with you."
"They must have grabbed her when she hit the ground." Angel looked at Buffy. "Buffy, I'm sorry."
"Look, it's nobody's fault, okay? We just need to focus and deal." Buffy paused. "I swear I won't let them hurt her."
Amy looked at her. "We go back. Full-on assault."
Giles looked at Amy. "They'll kill her."
Wesley looked at Giles. "We're assuming they haven't already."
Buffy shook her head. "No. No, they know what she means to us. She's too valuable as long as we still have the box. We trade."
Wesley looked at her. "We can't."
"No, it's the safest plan." Buffy looked at Giles. "It's the only way, right?"
"It might well be."
"Look, we call the mayor and arrange a meeting."
Wesley stared at her. "This box must be destroyed." He looked at Giles. "Giles, you know I'm right about this."
"Wes, you want to duck and cover at this point?" Buffy asked him.
Wesley looked at her. "Damn it, you listen to me! This box is the key to the mayor's Ascension. Thousands of lives depend on our getting rid of it. Now, I want to help Tara as much as the rest of you, but we will find another way."
Buffy stared at him. "There is no other way."
"You're the one who said take the fight to the mayor. You were right. This is the town's best hope of survival."
"You think I care about that without Tara here with me?" Buffy asked him. "Are you made of human parts?"
"All right!" Giles yelled. "Let's deal with this rationally."
Buffy looked at him. "Why are you taking his side?"
Wesley looked at the teens. "You'd sacrifice thousands of lives? Your families, your friends? It can all end right here. We have the means to destroy this box."
Buffy walked behind Wesley, picked up the pot for the box-destroying ritual, and threw it into a display case, smashing both to shards. Everyone looked at each other.
Buffy looked at Wesley. "The town can be evacuated. People can be relocated. No extinguished human life can be brought back." She looked at Giles. "Giles, make the phone call."
In City Hall, in a musty storeroom, Tara was banging on a locked window, trying to open it. She gave up on the window and pulled out a desk drawer.
A vampire guard entered the room. "What are you doing?" The vampire slowly approached her with a hungry look.
Tara slowly backed away and assumed a fighting stance. The vampire made a move to grab her shoulders, but Tara dodged and punched him in the face, then she followed it up with a front snap kick to the chest. He fell to the floor, out cold.
Tara left the room and started down a hallway. A door opened, and she heard Faith and the mayor. Tara quickly hid in another room and listened as they passed.
"She's not gonna be brain-dead, but she'd be to come back here tonight."
"Ever had a dog?" Wilkins asked Faith.
"What?"
"I did. Rusty. Irish setter. A dog's friendship is stronger than reason, stronger than its own sense of self-preservation. Buffy's like a dog, and, hey, before you can say Jack Robinson, you'll get to see me kill her like one."
Faith and the mayor walked down the hall. Tara started to run the other way but stopped at the open door to the mayor's office.
She entered, opened the mayor's cupboard, and found skulls and magic stuff. She found a hidden compartment containing the Books of Ascension and began skimming the pages. She tore some out, folded them, and stuffed them in her pocket.
"Check out the bookworm."
Tara looked. Faith was standing in the office doorway.
"Faith!" Tara exclaimed.
"Anyone with brains, anyone who knew what was going to happen to her, would try to claw her way out of this place. But you, you just can't stop Nancy Drew-ing, can you? Guess now you know too much, and that kinda just naturally leads to killing."
"Faith, wait. I want to talk to you."
"Oh, yeah? Give me the speech again, please. 'Faith, we're still your friends. We can help you. It's not too late.'"
Tara looked at her sympathetically. "You know, it didn't have to be this way. But you made your choice. I know you had a tough life and went through shit with your parents. I know you had a lot of bad breaks. And I'm sorry. But, you know, you had a lot more in your life than some people. I mean...you had friends in your life like Buffy. Now, you have no one. Was it worth it?"
"You're begging for some deep pain."
"I'm not afraid of you."
Faith pulled out the fancy knife. "Let's see what we can do about that." She held it up to Tara's neck.
The mayor was standing in the doorway. "Girls, I hope I don't have to separate you two. Faith, you can play with your new toy later. Something's come up."
Faith kept holding the knife to Tara's neck, staring into her eyes.
"Faith! You know I don't like repeating myself."
Faith stared at Tara. "I got someone. I got him."
"I just received a heck of an interesting phone call."
It was arranged for the swap to occur in the Sunnydale High cafeteria. Buffy, Cordelia, Amy, Katrina, Giles, Wesley, and Angel waited for the mayor. Angel held the box. Giles held a baseball bat.
Katrina tested a locked door. "The whole place is locked down, except for the front."
Amy looked at her. "Yeah, it gives me that comforting trapped feeling."
Buffy looked at her. "One way out means one way in. I want to see them coming."
The lights went out, leaving the room dimly lit by outside lights.
Amy looked at Buffy. "Guess they're shy."
Angel shrugged. "I can see all right."
Cordelia gave him a look and then rolled her eyes.
Two vampire guards pushed open the front doors, followed by the mayor, then Faith holding Tara. The two groups stopped and glared at each other. The mayor and Buffy advanced to within arm's reach.
"Well, this is exciting, isn't it?" Wilkins chuckled. "Clandestine meetings by dark of night. Exchange of prisoners. I just - I-I feel like we should all be wearing trenchcoats."
Buffy stared at him. "Let her go."
"No. Not until the box is in my hands. So you're the girl that's been causing me all this trouble." Wilkins looked at Angel. "Hey, Angel. Been a while. Still don't understand why it couldn't work out with you and my Faith. Guess you kind of just have strange taste in women."
Cordelia frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, what can I say?" Angel asked. "I like them sane."
Tara made a sound as Faith tightened her grip.
Buffy didn't take her eyes off Wilkins. "Cordy, Angel, shut up."
"Well, I wish you kids the best; I really do. But if you don't mind a bit of fatherly advice, I, uh, I-I just don't see much of a future for you two. I don't sense a lasting relationship. And not just because I plan to kill you. You two have a bumpy road ahead."
Cordelia crossed her arms. "I don't think we need to talk about this."
"God, you kids, you know. You don't like to think about the future. You don't like to make plans. Unless you want Faith to gut your friend like a sea bass, show a little respect for your elders."
Angel stared at him. "You're not my elder. I've got a lotta years on you."
"Yeah, and that's just one of the things you're going to have to deal with. You're immortal; she's not. I married my Edna May in ought-three, and I was with her right until the end. Not a pretty picture. Wrinkled and senile and cursing me for my youth. Wasn't our happiest time. And let's not forget the fact that any moment of true happiness will turn you evil. I mean...come on. What kind of a life can you offer her? I don't see a lot of Sunday picnics in the offing. I see skulking in the shadows, hiding from the sun. She's a blossoming young girl, and you want to keep her from the life she should have until it has passed her by. My God! I think that's a little selfish. Is that what you came back from Hell for? Is that your greater purpose?" Wilkins stared at Angel for a moment and then shook his head in disgust. "Make the trade."
Angel and Faith traded. Buffy motioned for Tara to get behind her. Faith held the box in the center of the room.
Wilkins smiled. "Well, that went smooth."
Snyder and two police officers entered through the front door.
"Nobody moves!" Snyder yelled.
The mayor stepped back into the shadows as Snyder advanced. One police officer locked the doors behind him.
"I knew you kids were up to something."
Buffy stared daggers at him. "Snyder, get out of here."
"You're not giving orders, young lady. I suppose you're going to tell me I won't find drugs in this box." Snyder took the box from Faith and turned away.
Faith pulled her knife.
Buffy looked at Faith. "Wait!"
"Principal Snyder."
Snyder turned at the mayor's voice, then focused on the drawn knife.
"I think we have a problem."
"Mr. Mayor, I had no idea you..." Snyder paused. "I'm terribly sorry."
"No, it's I who should apologize. Coming down here at night. What must you be thinking? But you see, I just needed to-"
Behind Snyder, one of the police officers was opening the box.
"No! Don't do that!" Wilkins yelled.
A spidery creature leaped out of the box, onto the police officer's face. He started screaming. The police officer attempted to pull the spider off his face but couldn't. He collapsed to the floor and stopped moving. The spider released him and skittered away into the shadows. The whole thing happened so quickly that no one moved to interfere. Everyone started shifting positions, looking for the creature.
Wesley looked around frantically. "Oh, God."
"Where did it go?" Katrina asked.
Snyder looked at the remaining cop. "Get that door open!"
"No! You can't let that thing out of here!" Buffy yelled.
The police officer fumbled nervously with his keys and dropped them.
Katrina looked around. "I still want to know where it went."
Buffy looked at all of them. "Listen."
They heard subtle noises on the ceiling: skittering feet, a low keening. Everyone looked up. The spider dropped onto the mayor's face, and he fell backwards onto a table.
"Boss!" Faith rushed to his aid. She pulled the spider off and flung it into a wall.
It righted itself and skittered out of sight. Giles and Wesley climbed up on chairs. The mayor sat up with wounds on his face, which rapidly faded away. Snyder stared in horror at the mayor's face.
Wilkins nodded at the box. "Wouldn't leave that open."
Buffy slammed the lid of the box shut just as a creature was climbing out. Severed limbs clattered on the floor. As she was crouched at the box, one of the spiders dropped on her back. She flipped onto her back, crushing it against the floor. Faith saw a second spider climbing the wall behind Wesley and drew back her arm.
Wesley saw her. "No!" He ducked.
Faith snapped the knife into the spider, killing it. The mayor strode over to the box and picked it up.
"Is that all of them?" Amy asked.
"Uh, not really. You see, there's about fifty...billion of these happy little critters in here. Would you like to see?" Wilkins offered.
The cop finally got the front doors open. He and the two vampire guards raced out of the room.
Wilkins raised his hand. "Raise your hand if you're invulnerable."
There were no replies.
"Faith, let's go." Wilkins headed for the door.
Faith stared at the impaled spider on the wall.
"Faith."
Faith stared a moment more, then followed him. Snyder was holding a chair at chest height, legs pointed outward. He turned as Faith walked by, keeping the chair between them.
"Snyder, you alive in there?" Buffy asked.
"You. All of you. Why couldn't you be dealing drugs like normal people?" Snyder walked out cautiously, still holding his chair like a security blanket.
Wesley looked at all of them. "Well, that went swimmingly."
"We did all right." Buffy pulled Tara into a hug and kissed her on the lips.
In the library, Buffy and Tara sat cross-legged on the counter. Giles and Wesley stood back.
"You actually had your hands on the Books of Ascension?" Giles asked Tara.
"Volumes One through Five."
"Is there anything you can remember that could be of use to us? Anything at all?" Giles asked.
"Well, I was in a hurry. Actually, there were a few pages that looked kind of interesting, but I didn't have a chance to read them fully."
Giles was disheartened.
Tara pulled the folded pages out of a pocket. "See what you can make of them?"
Giles smiled like a kid at Christmas, grabbed the pages, and rushed off.
Buffy smiled at Tara. "This is your night for suave, babe. You should get captured more often."
"No, thank you."
"Well, let's hope there is something useful in those pages. The mayor has the Box of Gavrock. As of now, we are right back where we started. Wouldn't you say?" Wesley asked.
Buffy frowned, unhappy.
The next day, after school, in April Fool, Cordelia was holding the dress in front of her, looking in a full-length mirror.
Mrs. Finkle entered the room behind her. "Chase! What are you doing? Your break's been over for ten minutes. I still need you to re-stock the shelves and clean out the storage room. Let's go."
Cordelia looked at the dress for a few seconds more, then went back to work.
That night, in Angel's bedroom, Cordelia and Angel were holding hands, sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard.
"It's gonna be fun. Buffy, Tara, and I are going to go on Saturday to check out the campus. I'll be close to your place. I don't know what the mayor was talking about. How could he know anything about us?" Cordelia asked.
"Well, he's evil."
"Big time. He doesn't even know what a lasting relationship is."
"No."
"Probably the only lasting relationship he's ever had is with evil."
"Yeah."
"Big, stupid, evil guy. We'll be okay."
"We will."
Cordelia leaned her head against Angel's chest, not very okay.