See Part 1 for Disclaimer and other details. Well, here it is at long last, the end of TXI - finally! And once again, I just wanted to say thank you. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all those who have reviewed this story, and also to my beta readers - who helped me polish it up and finish it off. Thanks heaps guys, I honestly couldn't have done it without you! And so, now, the conclusion...
Part VIII: Graduation
City Hall, Sunnydale. Late May, 1999
Richard Wilkins went into his office and sat down. ( Well, my. But just look at the time, ) he thought to himself with a smile. ( Big day's almost here... )
The Mayor leaned back and enjoyed the fleeting sensation of being on top of the world, almost. Then he frowned as some annoying thoughts crossed his mind. ( That darn geology professor, Lester Wirth. Who'd have figured that he'd just suddenly leave town like that? Well, never mind. One minor little loose end at this late stage hardly matters, and when I finally ascend... )
Sunnydale High, Sunnydale. The same time
Xander Harris signed for his graduation gown alone, and noticed Willow and Buffy talking. He walked over to them and said, "Hey."
"Hey," "Hi," blonde and redhead replied, a few more bridges having been built ever since Prom night. Then Willow added, "Xander, Buffy just said she's not gonna go to Graduation! That she's gonna fight the Mayor instead-"
"She can't do both?" Harris asked in surprise.
"What do you mean?" the Chosen One asked.
"Ah. You haven't heard who the commencement speaker's gonna be then, obviously," Xander nodded to himself.
Buffy's eyes went wide. "HIM? Oh, boy. So Wilkins is gonna become a whale-sized demon with a hundred helpless kids to feed on right in front of him? Wonder what other surprises are in store for us!"
Just then Xander spied Cordelia, and excusing himself from his one-time best buds he quickly chased after her. "Hey, Cordy! Wait up!"
The brunette girl stopped and turned around. "Yeah, Xander, what is it?"
The male teenager didn't like her tone, but kept that to himself. "How've you been? We haven't really talked since Prom-"
"Gee, is that right? And to think, I never even noticed!"
Xander sighed to himself, he'd been afraid of this. Back after the dance was over that evening, Cordelia had dragged him away from the gym to the finest hotel in Sunnydale for the...hotel room ritual.
And he knew, the guy just KNEW that what she'd wanted from him then was a mistake; but Harris had given Ms. Chase his word to make her end-of-school rite of passage 'perfect', after all. And that meant being unable to refuse her sexual advances that night, even though Xander had made it clear that it would be a one-time-only thing.
"Look, Xander, I already said thanks for the dress and everything. If you want me to start paying you back-"
Harris by now knew something was seriously wrong. "What's the matter with you? OF COURSE I don't want that!"
"Then what do you want from me?" Cordelia asked simply.
"Well, I want to make sure you're gonna be all right, for one thing. You know, I still can't believe how you turned down my offer to move in with me and Faith-"
The cheerleader instantly snarled, "I don't want your charity! I just want-" she abruptly stopped, and looked away.
"What?" Xander asked curiously.
Finally, Ms. Chase looked him right in the eye. "You."
Xander exhaled again. "But Cordy...we went through this on Prom Night, and other times before that. I'm, I'm not who you think I am, I'm not that person anymore-"
"BULLSHIT!" Cordelia snapped. "You're just afraid of trying to build yourself a life with me!"
Xander was by this point starting to get angry. "You wanted to know about my plans after high school...okay, fine, here it is. I'm leaving Sunnydale. I'm heading for France, and hopefully do the whole backpacking trip through Europe thing."
Cordy's eyes went wide at hearing that. "You're gonna do what?"
Harris sighed for a third time. "Despite what you may think, the Bourne memories haven't faded away like the ones from Soldier Guy did two years ago. Whatever Ethan Rayne really did to my ass last year, it's not...well, maybe since the power of the spell was completely focused on yours truly, the effects were different this time. Cor, I've watched myself do things over the last six months that I'm sure I never would have done otherwise. That's why I need to go to places like Paris and Zurich, to finally prove to myself that those memories aren't real. That I'm Xander Harris, not...him. Establish my own identity, once and for all."
"So when are you coming back?" Cordelia asked, her eyes becoming somewhat shiny.
"I don't know," Xander said simply. "It'll take...as long as it takes." He pushed back some hairs behind her ear, hating the fact that he seemed to be causing his ex-girlfriend nothing but pain.
"I just want to know one thing. Did you ever love me? Even a little?" the poor girl asked, her heart obviously on her sleeve.
"You were the first girlfriend I ever had, Cordelia. Not to mention, technically my first. How could I NOT have loved you, and more than just a tiny bit?" His hand fell away from her hair as Xander smirked a fraction.
That was all the encouragement the cheerleader needed to slam her lips upon his, as Cordelia grabbed Xander's head for about two seconds and then said, "Well, I still love you. Live with it!", before she stormed away down the school corridor.
"Wow," was all that the one-time agent/assassin could say in astonishment, ignoring the looks from all the students around him.
Sunnydale High Courtyard, Sunnydale. Later that day
Richard Wilkins was alone with Principal Snyder, as the headmaster of the school explained what the protocols for Graduation were going to be. "Kids are here. Parents off to the side there. We'll go up, they'll play the processional, I introduce you, and then you'll give the address, sir."
The Mayor nodded. "It all looks wonderful..."
Snyder smiled politely, which looked like a very awkward expression; most likely, he wasn't used to doing it very much. In fact as far as anyone knew, Snyder hadn't smiled ever since the night of the Band Candy incident. Apart of course, from when the school administrator had had an open shot at examining all the lockers of the student body when that 'Gingerbread' demon had come to town...
"I assure you, it'll all go off as planned. The parents and students will be here when it's time. Because I believe in making sure everything gets done properly!" the principal then said vehemently.
Wilkins just smiled and congratulated himself again for choosing this annoying little man to run the high school. Snyder was obviously a control freak without any friends, a stunted individual who had most likely never gone on a date once in his life. That said, though, his autocratic ways on campus had probably kept the majority of students alive up until now.
Which was just fine and dandy with the honorable Mayor. The more of those kids at the graduation ceremony, the better. "So I see. But seriously, you've done very well. Both Sunnydale and I owe you a great debt," the politician then said smoothly.
"Thank you, sir."
Wilkins grinned, "Please, call me Richard. You know, I'm going to make you a promise. That debt which I just mentioned? It will be repaid. Yes sir, when the time comes? We'll mark that invoice paid in full!"
"Thank you, si...Richard," Snyder stumbled for a moment.
"Well, I won't take up any more of your valuable time," Wilkins said, as he started to move off. "You just take care of everything, while I take the opportunity to admire this fine school of yours. Toodles!"
Sunnydale High Library, Sunnydale. A short while later
Wesley and Giles were fencing, Oz and Willow were chatting, and Buffy was sparring with Faith. Cordelia was just staring at Xander, though, who yet again seemed to be lost in a world of his own.
But in a moment, everything changed.
Xander's head snapped up, at the exact same time as the Chosen Two stopped training and took up their standard attack positions facing the doors of the library. Ms. Chase and the others looked around too...
Just in time to see the Mayor walk in. "Well, hello everyone! Permit me to introduce myself. I'm Richard Wilkins III, the Mayor of..."
"We know who and what you are," Giles said icily, holding his sword.
"Well, of course you do. So then, let's dispense with the formalities, shall we? I wanted to personally meet you all, right here in the home of the Slayer. Sorry, make that Slayers! Gosh, but it gets hard to keep up with the little things around here, doesn't it?" Wilkins still had that friendly smile on his face.
He went on, "Now, then. Rupert Giles and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, if I'm not mistaken? The two high school librarians, guardians of sacred knowledge. Guardians of other things too, of course. Well, let me please say 'thank you'. I'm told you and your kids here have saved the world on a number of occasions! And thus Sunnydale owes you its continued existence. Yes, it certainly does!"
"You know, you sure seem to like to talk a lot," Buffy spoke up suddenly.
"What did ya expect, B? Politicians, they always keep flappin' their jaws. Love the sound of their own voices far too much!" Faith added, staring at the evil newcomer.
Wilkins just chuckled. "My! That's a very cynical view of the world, young lady. Must be your upbringing. Trailer trash home in Boston, wasn't it?"
Without warning, Giles plunged the fencing sword deep into Richard's chest. The Mayor staggered back, before regaining his balance. "Whoa! Well now, that was a little thoughtless." He pulled the blade out of his chest, "Violent outbursts like that, in front of the children? You know, Mr. Giles, they look to you and Mr. Pryce here to see how to behave. So I'd say that was very improper of you!"
He wiped the sword clean of blood with a handkerchief, as everyone digested the fact that Wilkins truly was unkillable for now. "You are not welcome here. And you would be wise to kindly depart at once," Wesley spoke as firmly as he could.
"Oh, English good manners! Been a while since I've had the pleasure," Wilkins just put that damned smile back on his face, as he strolled around the library. "Now what have we here? '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'. Really, what are you kids reading these days? Well, at least it's better than 'Harry Potter'..."
"You're sick," Cordelia spoke up in disgust. "Not to mention evil as!"
Wilkins turned the full force of his stare on her. "Cordelia Chase, am I right? May Queen, Prom Queen...but not Homecoming Queen, as I recall. That's a darn pity, too, I always thought. You know, your high school counselor used to report such wonderful things to me about you, until you fell in with the wrong crowd of course-"
"Hardly," Xander spoke up, stepping in front of his ex. "I've been wanting to personally meet you for a LONG time, Wilkins."
"Really? And you are?" the Mayor said politely.
Luckily, Xander didn't rise to the bait. "The guy who's been investigating you for the last three months, and please don't pretend you didn't know that."
"Ah, Mr. Harris! Yes, of course," Wilkins got an even bigger smile on his face. "Well, if I may ask, do I pass muster? Live up to all your expectations?"
"And then some," Xander replied. "Tell me something. Did you really arrange for Buffy to come to Sunnydale way back when, and unknowingly act as your personal troubleshooter to deal with the Master, Spike, Angelus and everything else over the last three years?"
The rest of the gang just stared at him in surprise, as Wilkins laughed. "Well now, that's an interesting theory. Bravo, young man! Tell me, how did you come up with it?"
"A little gift from your old pal Ethan Rayne last year," Xander said, walking around slightly. "By the way, I also read about the woman you married in 1903, what was her name? Edna Mae, or something like that. Now I'm no shrink, but I couldn't help wondering if she ever cheated on you, once she realized what you were?"
For an instant, the Mayor's façade slipped and a look of inhuman rage could be seen on his face. Then the mask slid smoothly back into place as he lifted the sword, "Unless you want to be gutted like a sea bass, myself I'd suggest showing a bit of respect for your elders, young man-"
"Respect is something earned, not given. YOU of all people should know that," Xander shot back calmly as Faith came to stand at his and Cordelia's side.
"You don't-" Wilkins started to say.
But Harris interrupted, "That reminds me, I also wanted to ask – Lyle Gorch? I'm not wrong in assuming he was working for you when he came back to town last month, am I? Because really, cheating him out of ninety percent of his pay. Not exactly something to respect a man for, is it? And I can't help wondering what the local Chamber of Commerce would think about that..."
Another look of murderous anger appeared, and Faith stepped in saying, "I got my own theory I'd like to test. You may not technically be killable, but is there anything preventing me and B from hacking you into little pieces, right here, right now – and storing your body parts in a lot of different steel boxes? Kinda like my buds here took care of that Judge character, way back when..."
Buffy added, "Oh yeah, right, that was a fun time for all the family. Lots of mayhem and hijinks for everyone concerned!"
Wilkins just stepped back, his cheerful expression now firmly back in place. He looked towards Giles and Wes and chuckled, "Very innovative. I have to say, that's some spunky kids you two have got there. I'm going to enjoy flossing my teeth with their viscera!"
He looked around, and after tossing the sword to the floor added, "I smell fear. That's smart. Some of your deaths will be quick, if that's worth anything. Not many, though. The majority of you will be in a for a world of pain."
There was a short pause, as Wilkins looked around again and let that sink in. "Well, see you all at Graduation. And by the way, you don't want to miss my commencement address, it's going to be one heck of a speech! Been working on it for a hundred years-"
"Which means the odds of you actually having anything original to say are shockingly slim," Xander couldn't help adding.
The Mayor didn't respond to the jibe, and just casually walked out the library doors.
City Hall, Sunnydale, California. Later that afternoon
Mr. Trick knocked and entered into the Mayor's office, finding the man in question deep in thought. Wilkins then looked up and said, "Well?"
"Talked to Rayne personally," the black vampire reported. "Apparently, some things went on the night we had to give that Lurconis guy his tribute that I didn't know about..."
"I'm all ears," said the other male in the room.
Richard Wilkins then heard the whole fantastic tale of what Ethan had done to Xander that night, and exhaled sharply. "Well! That certainly explains a lot. I KNEW there was a reason why that little boy almost disturbed the heck outta me. Insightful, devious and easily able to kill." The Mayor chortled, "Gosh. I should have offered him a job ages ago!"
"You want me to send out some of my people to kill him?" Trick asked nonchalantly.
Instantly, Wilkins shook his head. "No, no, certainly not! That pleasure will be mine alone, soon enough. But I can't help thinking, this is an opportunity. Yes sir, an opportunity indeed. Distract and conquer, Mr. Trick. That's the name of the game."
"As I recall the saying goes 'divide and conquer'," the undead guy pointed out.
Wilkins got up and placed a friendly hand on the vampire's shoulder. "My town, my rules. Now don't contradict me again." He squeezed hard, and Trick suddenly had a look of agony on his face. "It might make me think you're not a team player..."
Not far from the Sunnydale Docks. Later that night
Things had started to move faster, now that the end was drawing near.
Willow and Oz made love for the first time that afternoon, as the Amy rat watched from her cage. Elsewhere Buffy packed her mother's things, and sent Joyce out of town for her own safety. In the library Giles and Wesley tried to come up with a plan for destroying the Mayor with minimum civilian casualties, but didn't get very far.
But all of that meant little to the two vampires perched on top of one of the warehouses. They watched as two teenagers, a boy and a girl, walked along the street – and then Mr. Trick fired his crossbow, hitting the male in the shoulder with the arrow.
"You didn't kill him," said his minion, the same one who had been at the airport that night.
"That was the whole point," Trick smirked, as Xander suddenly went berserk and the dark-haired Slayer had to punch him unconscious.
Angel's mansion, Crawford Street, Sunnydale. The next day
For Xander Harris, the last twelve hours had been his own personal nightmares come to life.
As the boy woke up, he remembered getting hit in the shoulder by the crossbow bolt. There had been pain, but he was used to that. What he wasn't used to though was suddenly finding himself transported into a fantasy world, and living a life that wasn't his...but rather Jason Bourne's.
FLASH
Zurich. Marie St. Jacques about to get raped and killed on the Guisan Quai. "You move, you're dead! Get out, you son of a bitch!"
FLASH
Lenzburg. Bourne and Marie's first time together. Reading about Carlos with her, and the killing of Ambassador Howard Leland in Marseilles. Responding instinctively to one of her questions, "All contracts will be processed through Paris."
FLASH
Argenteuil. The conversation with Jacqueline Lavier, in that restaurant twenty miles outside the City of Lights. Believing he was Cain, the mythical killer for hire. "I am Cain. I am death."
FLASH
Paris. Saving d'Anjou from Carlos's gunfire outside the Louvre, and eventually learning the truth about who and what he really was. "Tam Quan's never far away it seems. Where shall we go, Delta? We can't stay here."
FLASH
Ramboulliet. Meeting Alexander Conklin, ex-Medusa and CIA legend. He of the crippled foot and an inheritor of Treadstone, after Carlos's orchestrated massacre. His hate-filled face in the pouring rain that night in La Cimetière de Noblesse hissing, "I don't know how you did it, but you did. The only thing left to do and you did it! You got back to New York and blew them all away. You butchered them, you son of a bitch-"
FLASH
Parc Monceau. Talking to General André Villiers of the Brevet du Militaire. Discovering his young wife Angelique was Carlos's spy and lover, the only other person in the world the terrorist gave a damn about. Taking the blame for her murder after the old man had strangled her, in order to flush out the enemy. "There are 71 streets in the jungle. You marked Cain. Now I mark you."
FLASH
New York. The house with the black front door, Number 140 on East 71st Street, the place where Cain had been conceived. The removal men getting slaughtered. A knife fight with Carlos in the darkness, his Latin American features contorted with fury. "Your execution, Delta. On the day scheduled. For everything you've done."
FLASH
"ARRRRGHHHHHHH!" Xander screamed, as he tried to lurch up. No such luck; he was shackled tightly to the wall. "Where am I? What's going on?"
"Xander? Is that really you?" a male voice asked.
Harris turned his head, and saw the ensouled vampire studying him carefully. "Angel? Why am I here? And why am I being held in restraints?"
Angel said thoughtfully, "You've been out of it for hours. What do you remember since yesterday?"
"Nothing," Xander replied, shaking his head to try to clear it of the cobwebs. "Just...the most intense flashbacks I've ever had..."
Angel came over and unlocked the manacles. "Sorry about having to do that, but you were a danger to both yourself and the others after you were hit with that poison-"
"Poison?" Xander interrupted. "What are you...oh, wait. I remember getting hit by that arrow, before it all went nuts...it was poisoned?"
The future Champion for the Powers That Be nodded. "The arrow tip was coated with material from a Glarghk'guhl kashmaknik demon; it can inject its victims with a substance that makes them start to have powerful hallucinations. Instant schizophrenia."
"You found a cure, though?" Xander asked, rubbing his wrists and deciding not to comment on the demon's name.
"Almost as soon as we identified the toxin. The demon produces its own antidote, in the same stinger on its arm that it uses to inject its victims. All we had to do is catch one; it's not like the Council was gonna send us what was needed," Angel replied, looking away.
Xander sighed. "The Mayor used this as a distraction from the Ascension for you guys, and it worked."
"Faith brought you over here last night after she knocked you out," the vampire replied, not directly answering the question. "Once you were secured, Giles and Wesley went to work on the arrow the girl brought in. Later, Buffy and Faith went out in search of the Glarghk, then Willow made the cure. The rest of it, you already know."
Harris suddenly had a question. "How did Cordelia take all this?"
Angel snorted. "We had a heckuva time keeping her away from your side, Harris. Some of things you were yelling and ranting about...well, let's just say she wouldn't have ever looked at you quite the same way again if she'd heard them."
Xander simply shrugged. "There's no point trying to keep that sort of stuff secret in my opinion, it's part of who I am now. If you've read the book, or even seen the film, you should know that Bourne didn't exactly have the easiest time of it-"
"But you remember killing people, as if you'd done it yourself. That changes someone," Angel said knowingly. "Then again, of course, I've known that about you for months now. Xander...I was there in Vietnam, during the war. Tam Quan may just be fiction, but I saw things during that time that were just as bad. That's why I sent the others away, they couldn't deal with that sort of thing without the proper life experience. Especially your ex-girlfriend."
"Well, hey. If we're gonna be talking about girls like this, then I have a question. Why'd you break up with Buffy?" the young man asked, as he finally felt his body lose all the kinks from having being chained up for hours.
"None of your business," Angel replied, looking away once more.
"True, but I'm curious. You love her, she loves you. She dumped your ass after Spike came back, but then you guys got back together, so it can't be those issues again. Suddenly you dump her? SOMETHING must have happened. And if you do cough up, I can promise you that Buffy won't hear about it from me."
The vampire stared at his mortal companion, indecision written all over his face. Suddenly he just blurted out, "Joyce came to see me, we talked-"
But Angel was then stunned to witness Xander burst out laughing. "What? You're telling me that the Scourge of Europe caved in the face of a pissed-off mom? Somewhere down there, Satan has GOT to be rolling around on the floor laughing his ass off!"
"Ha, ha," Angel said in annoyance. "Very funny, Harris-"
"Oh, come on! Look at it from my point of view!" Xander said merrily. "You, a vampire with a soul who seeketh redemption. Buffy, with the sacred birthright and duty to destroy the creatures like you. A star-crossed romance, with pain and angst at every turn. And how does it end? Mrs. Summers glares at our hero and says, "Stay away from my daughter, you bloodsucking fiend!" If all this was a romance novel, the publishers woulda rejected it unless the ending was completely rewritten!"
"And again I say, ha-ha," Angel growled. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore. Buffy's going to be heading for UCLA if – when we defeat the Mayor, and apparently Willow and Oz are going to be going there with her. She'll get a chance for a normal life-"
"Slayers don't get to have a normal life, Angel. Sad to say, but her expiration date's not long from now, same as Faith. Same as all of them," Xander said quietly.
"I know. But that's all the more reason for Buffy to live in the daylight for as long as she can, to find someone who can give her all of life's pleasures instead of hiding in the darkness with someone like me. Joyce was right about that, if nothing else," the vampire pseudo-sighed.
Xander shrugged. ( No point in fighting a lost battle, I always say. And what the hell, it's his choice, not mine. ) "Let's get back to the library. We still got ourselves a demon-wannabe Mayor to kill."
Sunnydale High Library, Sunnydale. A while later
While elsewhere Snyder was preparing for the graduation ceremony, and Richard Wilkins was snacking on the demonic spiders within the Box of Gavrock, Angel and Xander came up through the underground entrance into the library. Everyone else was already present; Giles, Wesley, Buffy, Willow, Oz, Cordelia and Faith.
As soon as she saw him Ms. Chase instantly fastened herself to the young man like glue, and warned Harris that if he ever put her through the wringer like that again she was going to kill him herself. Xander just ignored her and asked, "What's our status?"
Wesley and Giles looked at one another, and Rupert started to say, "Well, there still isn't a plan as such-"
"It took a volcano to destroy one of these things the last time," Wes added.
( Heat. Fire. Explosion, ) Xander suddenly thought to himself. Then he had an idea.
After the boy was done explaining himself, everyone looked at him as if he was crazy. "So you all think I'm nuts?" Xander asked, seeing their stares.
"Well, nuts is a, a very technical term," the more senior librarian replied.
"You don't think it can be done?" Faith asked him.
Giles shook his head. "I didn't say that. I might do so later, but not yet."
Cordelia just said it with her own usual brand of tact, "I personally don't think it's possible to come up with a crazier plan!"
Oz decided to speak up. "We attack the Mayor with hummus."
Everyone looked at him. And Cordy said it best, "I stand corrected."
The musician shrugged. "Just trying to keep things in perspective."
Cordelia waxed more than a little sarcastic, "Thank you. My point however is, crazy or not, it's pretty much the only plan we've got. And since it's Xander's plan, I say we go for it!"
"We still need a key element that's missing for this to work," Giles said hesitantly. "To control the Mayor, neutralize the allies he's sure to bring along and try to keep the students safe-"
"I think I already know how to get the Mayor pissed off enough that he'll do what I want," Xander said slowly as the plan slowly took form in his mind, thanks to those demon poison-induced hallucinations.
"How?" more than one person asked.
"The same way Bourne led Carlos to right where he wanted him. Sending a message Wilkins can't ignore."
Sunnydale High, Sunnydale. Graduation day
The final hour had come.
For the good guys, the preparations had been a mad frenzy up until less than an hour ago. Talking to the entire senior class, convincing them of what lay ahead and the part they were going to have to play. Emptying the library of its precious books and resources, and filling it up with enough C-4, kerosene and fertilizer to make the Fourth of July celebrations look like a mere firecracker in comparison.
For their part, Wilkins and his forces had not been idle either. The Mayor and Trick had instructed their vamps on what to do, explaining about the eclipse – standard procedure for any Ascension – that would put the bloodsuckers back in the game. And Richard had warned them all that anyone caught feeding during the initial stages would be dealt with...unfavourably.
Xander sat in his gown and cap within the assembled student body, an oddly trusting Cordelia Chase beside him holding his hand. The young man then noticed Willow and Oz join the rest of the students, almost too late. He didn't need to guess what they had been up to; Willow's tangled hair and a faint trace of lipstick on Oz's face gave it all away.
"Looks like those two decided to go out with a bang instead of a whimper," he whispered to the girl beside him.
"Don't say that," the young woman hissed back. "You're gonna jinx us!"
"Sorry..."
Principal Snyder came up to the microphone. "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." Then he snapped out to one of the kids, "Spit out that gum!"
The little troll then continued, "Please welcome our distinguished guest speaker: Richard Wilkins III." Again Snyder couldn't help adding to one of the students, "I saw that gesture. You see me after graduation!"
There was polite applause, then Richard Wilkins came up to the microphone. "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?"
Willow and Buffy, seated next to one another, looked amazed. "Oh my God. He's actually going to do the entire speech!" the blonde whispered to her best friend, an expression of mixed horror and disbelief on her face.
"Man, just ascend already!" the redhead added her opinion.
But like Faith had said not long ago, ALL politicians love the sound of their own voices too much. Wilkins continued on and eventually said, "And so, as we look back on..."
All of a sudden, pain seemed to hit him and the Mayor half-turned to the side groaning. Then he went on, "...on the events that brought us to this day..."
Another wave of pain seemed to hit the ultimate father of Sunnydale. Buffy took her hat off, "Come on."
The Mayor grunted, "We..." He stopped in pain again, as all the students watched tensely. "We must all..."
Xander glanced upwards towards the sun, which was about to undergo its eclipse. "Here we go..." he whispered.
Suddenly, the sky went dark as Wilkins screamed in agony and gave up all pretence about what was going to happen now. "It has begun. My destiny. It's a little sooner than I expected, I had this whole section on civic pride..." He shuffled his cue cards, then dropped them. "But I guess we'll just skip to the big finish!"
And right in front of the gathered crowd of human beings, one of the Old Ones began to take form again on the face of the earth.
Sunnydale High Quad, Sunnydale. A moment later
Deep inside the Mayor's pure demon mind, strange and inhuman thoughts began to take shape as his body continued to expand and grow.
That part of his essence that had once been the human called Richard Wilkins screamed in horror, as it faded away into oblivion. The consciousness of Olvikan didn't notice, as it was still processing basic instincts and urges; which was, in essence, the need to feed.
The desire for human blood.
It could hear the insects screaming, as the sixty-foot snake ascended; reaching up towards its full glory, its terrible potential. Olvikan then looked down, as it roared; its hunger demanding to be fed.
All the students looked at this...thing in shock. It was the ultimate wake-up call, the monster that had finally come out of the closet and blown away any last fragments of denial. The ultimate definition of all things Sunnydale.
Willow looked to Buffy, who had already shucked off her graduation gown. ( We can do this... ) the apprentice witch chanted to herself. ( We can DO this! )
As Ms. Rosenberg and the rest of the senior class disrobed, the minions of Wilkins got a rather nasty surprise; instead of being the unaware sheep they'd expected, these boys and girls were armed to the teeth and looked ready for a fight.
"Shit," Mr. Trick said succinctly. "Now this wasn't part of the plan..."
Principal Snyder, alone on the platform now, stared at the pure demon in shock. "This...this is simply unacceptable!" He ignored the students who were now taking up arms against the monster; shooting flaming arrows at it, as well as utilizing a flame-thrower under the orders of that troublemaker Harris. "This is not orderly. This is not discipline!"
Olvikan stared at the ranting little thing, trying to remember who it was. ( Snyder? Yes, I remember now. I promised you something, didn't I? What was it... )
"You're on my campus, buddy! And when I say I want quiet, I want-"
( Oh, well, doesn't matter! ) the Old One dismissed all that as inconsequential, and swallowed the principal with one gulp.
The battle raged on as Xander shouted orders, "Fall back!" just as another round of flaming arrows were let loose.
In the meantime, Angel, Faith and the others had gotten right into the thick of things. Slayer and vampire, working together in perfect harmony, mowed down Trick's minions as the students fought back against an enemy too used to thinking of their targets as helpless prey and cattle. When suddenly, the brunette Slayer spied the big cheese vamp giving the orders. And remembered what Harris had once mentioned to her about always going for the head of the organization, if the opportunity presented itself.
"Hey, Trick! I got a stake right here with your name on it!"
The Master vampire just smiled as they fought, as did all the others around them, the black man forgetting his promise to settle accounts with Buffy today first and foremost. Suddenly Xander yelled, "Everyone, hand to hand! Let's go! Move! Move!"
The vampires were suddenly astounded, when a virtual sea of angry and armed teenagers came roaring down upon them. Some of the kids were bitten and died (or worse), but for the majority it was Payback Time.
Suddenly, Xander stood before the pure demon with an axe in his hand. "Hey, you! Yeah, Snake Boy, I'm talkin' to you. Just thought you'd like to know, I was the one who got my hands on the Books of Ascension a few months ago! I was the one who shot your flunkey Lyle Gorch, and took your money! I was also the one who planned this little surprise party for you. So you feel like doing anything about that...Dick?"
Something exploded in Olvikan's mind then, a furious hatred that overcame even the bloodlust. Screaming unintelligibly, the pure demon noticed the insignificant but detestable pest run for the innards of the school and, goaded into a frenzy, the huge snake started to give chase. Blasting through the colonnade, uncaring of the damage.
Buffy, in the meanwhile, noticed Trick and Faith engaged in that timeless dance that was the curse of every Slayer. She decided to end it herself though, staking the enemy vampire in the back – just as Faith would done under less pleasant circumstances. "I think it's working!"
Faith glanced around, "Duck!"
Buffy did so, as Ms. LeHane did a running jump over her and took on another bloodsucker. The older Slayer then leaped back into the fray herself, just as Angel punched two vampires, Cordelia staked her own target and the boy called Jonathan Levinson fell down the stairs with his opponent lunging for his neck.
Elsewhere, far away, Xander's lungs felt like they were on fire. He was fit and in shape, but he was no Slayer or vampire and this chase was nearly over for him. Finally, he made it to the library and headed for the underground escape route.
Just then, Olvikan's enormous head arrived into the trap. And upon viewing what was present, the Old One said in an inhuman voice, "Well, gosh! That was sneaky of them-"
Outside, Giles looked at his watch as he saw Buffy wave frantically. It was time. He plunged down on the detonator, and a muffled 'whomph' noise was heard coming from the depths of the school.
That was just an instant before the fireball erupted, turning Sunnydale High into a flaming, charred ruin, sending a mushroom cloud high into the sky and splattering the wrecked walls with chunks of blackened and burnt Mayor meat.
Everyone stopped to look at the explosion, bad guy and good guy alike. Cordelia had jumped into Jonathan's arms at that moment, startled, as not far away the Chosen Two looked upon their handiwork in awe.
Along with Angel, that duo then just started up the fight again, getting in a few more stakings. But it was effectively over; with both Trick and the Mayor gone, the evil command infrastructure was also gone, and it was basically every demon for himself as the undead wisely decided to flee the scene.
Outside the remains of Sunnydale High. Just after sunset
The machinery had taken over; the police, fire crews and ambulance personnel were streaming about, trying to make some sense out of the messy madhouse and putting out the remains of the fire that had erupted as a result of an unexpected 'gas leak'.
Buffy just glanced around, looking for Angel. She saw her beloved with a burn mark on his face and asked, "What happened?"
"Holy water that one of your classmates brought along. I'll be fine, it's just a little collateral damage," he explained.
"So this is it," the blonde Slayer tried to keep her voice steady. "We're done."
"Yeah. We're done," the vampire said, his double-meaning clear.
All of a sudden, a grimy and exhausted Xander Harris joined them. "Man. I feel like I could sleep for a week-"
"Xander! You made it!" Buffy exclaimed, happy that the guy had survived.
"Yeah, guess so-" was all that Harris managed to get out before a female brunette missile launched itself into his arms. "You're still alive! You're still alive!"
"Cordelia-" was all that Xander was able to get out, before the former cheerleader started kissing the hell out of him.
At this point the rest of the Scooby Gang joined them, apart from Wesley who was in one of the ambulances – Willow, Oz, Faith and Giles. The ex-Watcher silently handed Buffy her diploma, with a quick smile to the daughter of his heart, and then they all watched as the smoke and heat began to dissipate away.
Graduation was officially over. The Mayor was gone, and it looked like things were now finally going to be all right.
Sunnydale Airport, Sunnydale. A few days later
Xander looked out of the plane window, as his flight took off. He was in the first class section, which was less than half-full. "Goodbye, Sunnydale..."
He had just begun the first leg of a long journey, in becoming who he truly was. He had said goodbye to all of his friends, and Xander was now looking forward to the future.
The departure had been more than a little bittersweet, after the young man had told everyone about his intentions to leave. Apart from his ex and Faith, the announcement had taken all of the white hats completely by surprise; but at least they had thrown him a farewell party and wished him well, hoping that Xander would come back home one day after he'd found himself again.
Suddenly, someone sat down in the seat next to him after the seatbelt sign had been switched off. "You're in my seat. But you may as well stay there for now-"
Harris whirled his head around in shock. "CORDELIA? What the hell are you doing here?"
"What's it look like, dorkhead? Look, just so you understand, I kept a low profile in coach till our plane was in the air, in case you tried anything stupid. On account of I'm coming with you," Ms. Chase said in definite annoyance.
"You're WHAT?" Xander exclaimed, ignoring the looks from their fellow passengers. "Cordy-"
"Xander, please listen to me. I've thought about this. A lot. And yeah, I could do that whole Hollywood actress and get rich quick thing...but one thing I've learned is that being famous and rich means jack if you're not with the ones you love. And that's why you're NOT just leaving me behind that way."
Harris sighed impatiently. "You don't understand-"
"-what I'm letting myself in for? I think I do. Don't you get it? When I thought you might have been killed during that explosion, it all became real clear to me," Cordelia said emphatically. "Besides, you really think you can make your own memories and identity just by going to the same places that guy did? You need me around, to make sure the new memories there are real. So deal with it, you're stuck with my ass."
He scowled at her. "You can be the most ANNOYING-"
"I'm not a child, so don't try to treat me like one! I'm older than you are," the young woman scowled right back. "Remember? You are not that thirty-something amnesiac out of a cheap spy thriller novel. You're Xander Harris. And you're mine!"
Xander's eyes suddenly narrowed. "Cordy, you're broke. How the heck did you even get on this plane?"
"It was a group effort, actually..."
To his astonishment, Harris then heard how she'd talked to the entire Scooby Gang about it, and both Giles and Wesley had decided to pay for her fare. Willow had used her knowledge of computers to make sure that her plane seat was next to his, the entire way. Angel had given her some seed money to survive on. Oz had driven her to the airport, and Buffy had given her the names of some of Joyce's art gallery contacts in Europe in the event of an emergency.
"So what did Faith give you?" And once Xander saw the box of condoms the brunette girl took out of her purse he groaned, "I HAD to ask..."
"Come on! This is our movie moment," Cordelia said urgently.
"Movie moment?"
"Yeah...when the smart one, that's me, decides she doesn't want to end up forever regretting how she never went after the guy, namely you, that she intends to spend the rest of her life with," Cordy said triumphantly.
Harris sighed, "Chick flicks..." as his female companion then started talking about her future movie star ambitions. Still, Xander supposed Cordelia was right about one thing; with her in his life, the future promised to be a lot more interesting than it otherwise would have been.
The End