UnExpected

Chapter 73

"So, is it crazy?" asked Buffy.

"Well, crazy is such a strong word," replied Willow.

"Let's not rule it out, though," Giles said, chewing on the ends of his glasses.

"You don't think we can do it?" asked Faith.

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

"I personally don't think it's impossible to come up with a crazier plan," Cordelia chimed in.

"We attack the Mayor with humus," said Oz, garnering everyone's confused attention.

"I stand corrected."

"Just trying to keep things in perspective."

"Thank you," Cordelia sarcastically replied. "My point, however, is crazy or not, it's pretty much the only plan. Besides, it's Buffy and Faith's, slay gals, you know, they're Little Miss Likes-to-fight. So..."

"I think there was a 'yea' vote buried in there somewhere," Xander interrupted.

"Well, we're going to need every single one of you on board," Buffy said. "Especially you, Xander. You're sort of the key figure here."

"Key? Me?" he asked, surprised. "Okay, pride, humility, and here is the mind-numbing fear. What do I have to do?"

"You remember any of that military stuff from when you became soldier guy?" Faith asked him.

"Uh, rocket launcher?" he asked Buffy.

"Rocket launcher not going to get it done. It took a volcano to kill one of these things last time," said Buffy.

Their plan, though crazy as it was, could work; however, there seemed to be one important factor they seemed to have overlooked.

"Um, all of this rather depends on you being able to control the Mayor," Giles pointed out.

Buffy glanced at Faith, who had lowered her eyes at the sore subject.

"Faith told me we should play on his human weakness," Buffy said, empathy in her tone.

"His human weakness," questioned Giles, and Faith shrugged in what could be interpreted as a yes. "Which is...?"

They weren't alone. Not anymore. Angel could sense it. He moved forward in the shadows of the sunlit library. His shoulders tensing, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the library doors, and his actions didn't go unnoticed.

"Angel?" Buffy asked.

"Someone's here," he said cryptically.

Buffy and Faith focused their hearing, and soon they were able to pick up on sounds in the hallway. They looked at each other and rose from their seats, weapons in hand, and they faced the library entrance. Everyone else picked up whatever weapon they could find, not wanting another run-in with the Mayor like last time, and waited.

"There is an eight-hour time difference."

"What are all these little metal doors all over the place?"

"What are they supposed to be?"

"They're called lockers. It's where students keep the books they don't need between classes."

The voices were louder, clear enough for all mortal hearing, and Buffy smiled when she recognized them.

"Fancy Muggles, they won't even carry their own books around."

The doors swung open, and in flooded a rather large group of people.

"Here you are," said a tall redheaded teenage boy to Buffy. "Do you know how long it took us to Portkey over here?"