A/N We're going to meet the local Agatha Harkness next. Several reviewers have offered suggestions regarding plotlines with her and Xander and I've been studying her character information. Those suggestions won't be appearing in this story because she's not the focus of the story, just a means of eventually getting Xander to a point where he meets Dr. Strange, however I have added several of them to my plot bunny list for future stories. Everything Xander knows about Agatha Harkness comes from the comics prior to 1999 and she helps quite a few superheros during that time. For purposes of this story New Salem and her son, Nicholas never existed. Future stories on the other hand? We'll see. 😊

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"Why didn't the Mayor ever do anything about Buffy?" Xander asked as Giles drove the group out to meet Agatha Harkness and her Coven and to see local Willow.

"What do you mean?" Giles asked. "He turned into a giant demon and tried to eat everyone on his mad quest to rule the world."

"Buffy lived in Sunnydale for two and a half years, he was a black Magic sorcerer and had to know she was a Slayer." Xander reminded him. "Why didn't he ever do anything, attack her or something?"

"Well, he did once send a few vampires to attack both her and Faith shortly before Faith joined him, Faith saved Buffy from one of them."

"Why about Deputy Mayor Finch? How did he react to his death?"

"The girls were both investigated by the local police, but that ended quickly, no evidence I suppose."

"But after your guy's Faith joined him she would have told him everything that happened, wouldn't she?" Faith asked a question herself. "Why didn't he do anything then? When he knew she was involved."

"Maybe he didn't want to call attention to himself, he may have felt vulnerable." Giles frowned. "But exactly 100 hundred days before the Ascension he underwent a ritual to make himself invulnerable to harm, so after that he could have done something I suppose. He did once come into the Library and taunt us. I shoved a sword into his chest and he pulled it out and there was no blood on it."

"He let you do that." Cordelia smirked. "Intimidate you. Show you proof there's nothing you can do to him and he could do anything he wanted to you, psychological warfare."

"Anything else?" Xander asked, the Mayor was a puzzle and it was missing pieces.

"He knew Buffy attacked Faith and he tried to kill her in the hospital. Buffy fed herself to Angel when she couldn't deliver Faith and when Angel came out of it, he rushed her to the hospital."

"Why was he surprised Buffy tried to feed Faith to Angel?" Xander questioned. "From what I understand, he got the poison for Faith. Didn't he know the only cure was the blood of a Slayer? Did he assume Buffy would go straight to feeding herself to Angel? He knew she was partially responsible for Finch's death, she'd killed before, but always in defense of herself or others, right? Except for all the people Angelus killed when she was almost completely unable to do anything about him. Which may have been part of the manipulation. Your guy's Xander pointed out Angel tried to kill himself over Christmas when the First tried to drive him to it and it snowed, because Twilight needs him around in order to carry out his part of the plan, so he's protecting him. When the curse broke, you didn't call in backup and you should have, you made Buffy deal with it and that was so stupid an idea, force her to hunt the monster wearing the face of someone she loves, of course she wouldn't be able to do it. But it kept Angelus around long enough for the soul curse to be rediscovered and an overreaching little redhead to convince herself she could do something just by reading it. And you let her."

"She's quite intelligent, Xander, you know that." Giles frowned.

"And you of all people should know that Magic isn't about intelligence, Giles. You should have seen the danger of Willow learning Magic because she has no boundaries, no wisdom and she's arrogant about her intelligence. She doesn't listen when she thinks her genius means she knows better and she doesn't learn from her mistakes." Xander answered. "I've known her since I was two, Giles, it's only since I started challenging her assumptions and making her see that she's wrong that she's started learning. Her parents, her teachers, you, none of you ever gave her boundaries or challenged her assumptions or made her learn from her mistakes. You did the same with Buffy and always look so confused when Mrs. Summers does it. Between her and Ms. Calendar we're all finally learning."

"Jenny's alive where you come from?"

"Yes." Xander pulled out his wallet. "Group picture of the Scoobies taken after Kendra and Faith joined us."

"Kendra's alive?"

"The Watchers Council doesn't know that. Dr. Zabuto managed to revive her after they killed her with the Cruciamentum and brought her to us for safety."

"Is that Amy Madison? And Harmony Kendall?! And Johnathan Levinson?! They're all part of your group?"

"Scoobies and proud of it."

"Miss Madison is a rat here, she accidentally turned herself into one to escape a mob and Willow has been unable to turn her back. Harmony disappeared during the attack at the Graduation and I'm unsure where Johnathan is."

"I'll see if I can help Amy while we're here, unless Willow did the smart thing and already asked Ms. Harkness to do something about it."

"What do you think the chances of that are?" Faith asked with her own smirk.

"About the the same as Angelus going sunbathing."