"I'm sure she'll be here any second now." Buffy grinned, very much not sure.

Willow hummed appeasingly, then raised her eyebrows and shook her head at Xander. Xander crossed his arms, and scoffed in agreement.

"You guys do know that I'm right here, don't you?" Buffy asked.

Oz shrugged sympathetically, and Willow ignored her, frowning down at her supplies.

"I forgot an ingredient, I think it's in my locker, I'll be right back."

Willow stepped away from her cauldron thingy, and headed out the double doors. Wesley made a clucking noise in the back of his throat, and wiped his glasses with his handkerchief.

"What are you making that infernal noise about now?" Giles asked in annoyance. Buffy saw him reach up and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"I just think that she should have been a little more prepared. Everything depends on this ritual being executed perfectly. Of which I do believe she is well aware." Wesley sniffed.

"Can someone explain to me why he's even here?" Xander asked, raising his hand, and rolling his eyes.

Oz's expression minutely changed in what might have been agreement. There weren't a lot of ways to bother Oz, but saying anything negative about Willow was definitely one of them, Buffy reflected. Wesley stopped what he was doing, and his eyes widened innocently.

"I'm helping." He sounded both hurt and a little whiny.

"Sorry Wes, but your constructive criticism is currently in a 'don't want, no go' zone. Deal." Buffy said, a little snippier than usual as she glanced from him to the clock on the wall.

"Whatcha looking at Buff?" Xander asked, completely aware of what she looking at.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"You know, staring at the clock isn't going to change anything, Buffy. Faith's not coming. She manipulated you, just like me and Will said she would, and now we're all going to pay the price."

Buffy grimaced.

"She just needs a little more time." Buffy said, a hint of desperation to her voice that even she heard.

"How much more? Her job wasn't complicated, get the box, get here. She isn't here, so where do you she think is?" Xander asked darkly.

Buffy opened her mouth, and closed it again. She looked around at the faces around her. Giles, Oz, Wesley, Xander, they all thought that Faith wasn't going to show up.

At least one of them,Wesley of all people, looked a little sad about it. Buffy didn't know how to refute their assumption, there was a sinking feeling coming over her. Her throat felt painfully tight as she looked at the clock again. Another minute had ticked by. Faith was officially forty minutes late. She wasn't coming. They were right.

Buffy leaned back against the table feeling numb. She was grateful that they weren't rubbing it in her face yet, at least. Xander looked like he might be about to start, when everyone heard what seemed like something metal slamming. Most likely the heavy school doors at the end of the hall. Then the scoffing of shoes on the linoleum floor, followed by voices.

"Will you let me carry it? You're only going to make it worse." Angel?

"No, I got it. If my arm falls off just from totting this funky box around, then you have full permission to say 'I told you so,' a'ight, Dr. Lamevamp?" Faith!

"Your insults could use work. And don't think I won't."

They sounded a lot closer now, and sure enough, as soon as Buffy had that thought, the door swung open midway through Faith's response.

"You do that. Course I'd have to stake you for it with my good arm, but hey, then we'll both get something out of my misfortune."

Angel sighed and rolled his eyes, and Faith brushed by him. She purposefully knocked against him with her shoulder roughly, even though it seemed to cause her a good amount of pain. She almost pushed him over, though he managed to right himself at the last second. Then he looked around to make sure no one had noticed his near encounter with the floor. Faith carelessly dumped the Box of Shamrock on the table, pulled herself up onto the table so that she was right next to it, and grinned as she patted the box.

"Delivery for one Summers comma B. A mystical box of evil, brought to you by me, The Superior Slayer."

Buffy shook her head with a grin. Yeah, Faith's comment was a little annoying, but she was so relieved that Faith had shown up, that Faith had about a fifteen minute window of 'say whatever she wants and I'm still gonna think it's hilarious, and might possibly even propose to her right now' time.

Angel's lips twitched upwards as he looked at Faith.

"Let her brag, she almost got herself killed bringing it here. Do you have a first aid kit?"

Giles looked surprised for a moment at being addressed, but nodded.

"Yes, of course." Giles said, before walking to his office to get the kit, making no move to hide that he was watching Angel warily over his shoulder the whole time.

Angel deflated a little at his reception, but was accepting of it. Buffy smiled at him in solidarity. Faith interrupted the moment with an exaggerated fake cough, and slid her jacket off of her shoulders. Buffy winced in sympathy at the gash on Faith's arm. It didn't look bad enough to scar a Slayer, or at least not too bad, but it still didn't look pretty or painless.

"You would not believe the night I had." Faith said, gesturing first towards Buffy, then herself.

Faith was clearly about to go into what Buffy called 'Faith's story time mode.' She sat up straighter, her arms moved around more, and her face became it's most animated. Buffy could see her energy waning though as the adrenaline from whatever had happened to her wore off. Buffy could see her begin to register exactly where she was. Faith was withdrawing. Turning sullen, wary, disinterested, like a light switch had been flipped.

There was no way that Faith could have heard what they were saying about her. That didn't prevent Faith from giving the impression that she knew exactly what they had begun to believe about her, anyway. Buffy felt like kicking herself. Of course Faith would be able to guess what they had thought about her tardiness. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out, and while Faith has many flaws, being stupid wasn't one of them.

Buffy didn't know what to do or say to wipe away the bleak look that had crept across Faith's face. There wasn't a lot she could do to reassure Faith, because Faith wasn't wrong. They didn't trust her, and it wasn't something that was likely to change anytime soon.

And now Buffy was feeling both sympathetic and annoyed. It wasn't fair of Faith to sit there pouting and making her feel guilty. Everything that Faith was currently going through was her own fault, what did she have to be sorry about? Buffy tried to school her features into indifference and ignore her sudden urge to glare at Faith.

Giles returned with the first aid kit in hand, and set it down next to Faith. From his expression, it seemed like Buffy wasn't the only one with mixed feelings.

Buffy and Angel reached for the kit at the same time. She stared at him until he let go. He pulled his hand back, and raised both open palmed, and teasingly defensive. A quick glance around the room showed that pretty much everyone found her reaction to be a bit weird and dramatic.

Buffy made an embarrassed noise at the back of her throat, and shrugged at Angel. She sat down next to Faith on the table, and tugged Faith's arm into her lap, so that she could start working on it. Faith had her eyebrows up about as far as they could go for a second. Then she shrugged it off, and gave Buffy the best nonverbal look of 'whatever' she had ever seen.

As much as she tried to hide it, it was obvious that Faith didn't seem to know how to feel about the whole 'being taken care of' thing. If she was enjoying it or if made her feel weak. She had her arm laying on Buffy without resisting it, but the rest of her body was as rigid as a statue, and she was leaning as far away from Buffy as she could get.

"So, uh, you were saying that your night was eventful?" Buffy asked, looking up at Faith from beneath her eyelashes.

Faith hesitated, glancing at her, then around the room. She still looked a little annoyed and suspicious, but was starting to get over it. Faith sighed, her muscles relaxing a little, and answered her question.

"Yeah, getting the box wasn't a problem. I just killed the delivery boy and the vamp who had given me the ride over there. Pretty easy. It was the walk over here that was the challenge. You try fighting a group of vamps while carrying that thing." Faith finished. She glanced at the group, as though waiting for some sort of rebuke.

Buffy didn't bother reassuring her that it would be difficult for her to fight no handed too. She had a strong feeling that it was liable to be taken as pity. So she continued diligently cleaning the wound instead, and hoped that everyone else would keep their mouths shut as well.

Buffy traced her fingers up and down Faith's arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps. Faith frowned and turned to face the wall.

"Now by 'killed the delivery boy' you wouldn't happen to mean an actual delivery boy, right?" Xander asked nervously.

"An actual demon delivery boy." Faith deadpanned with an eye-roll.

Which Buffy was not going to complain about. Faith's response to that was a lot more civil than she could have hoped for.

"Boss, The Mayor, he's gonna know that I've that I stabbed him in the back by now. I made a bit of a scene, plus lugging that box around doesn't exactly make a person invisible, ya'know?"

Faith shifted, shoulders dropping, and her jaw clenched as she talked about The Mayor. She was doing a pretty poor job of pretending that it didn't hurt her to betray him. Buffy wondered if she was trying so hard because she didn't want to make them mad or if it was more of her tough girl posing.

Buffy finished bandaging Faith's arm, and stroked it a few more times before letting go. She felt conflicted seeing Faith like this over the Bad Guy. On one hand she was a little sympathetic since it hurt Faith. On the much stronger hand was vindictive gratification. Faith getting all upset over the Mayor served her right.

Maybe now she'll understand a fraction of what she felt seeing Faith all over Angel. The things she said, the things he said. Plus there was that confusion over Faith's attachment to 'Immortal, wants to be a Demony thing, public servant guy.' Not the kind of person that Buffy would see Faith liking and respecting.

"That is of little consequence. Once we destroy the box of Gavrok, the Mayor will be a substantially smaller threat." Wesley said, looking pleased.

"So why haven't we started the ritual?" Angel asked from his spot in the nearest corner by Faith and Buffy.

"We're merely waiting on Ms. Rosenburg to rejoin us, she has a few components for the spell needed." Wesley answered, taking his glasses off and cleaning them.

"Willow has been gone for rather a long time, now that I think about it." Giles said frowning.

Buffy stood up at the same time as Oz, they glanced at each other for a beat before walking out the door. Something felt wrong. The only sounds Buffy heard were her and Oz's breathing, and their shoes clapping against the floor. They reached Willow's locker at the same time. Willow wasn't there. A few of her things were scattered on the floor, most likely what they needed for the ritual, and a piece of paper was taped to the locker beside Willow's.

Buffy read the short ransom note, and handed it over to Oz, her lips thin. He glanced over it, then crumpled it in one hand, and slammed the other into the wall. Buffy crossed her arms stiffly, simmering with cold anger. Of course. Right when things are finally starting to go well, something awful has to happen to someone she cares about.

"We have to tell the others." Buffy said.

Oz nodded, his shoulders the most tense she had ever seen him. It was almost the same look he got right before he went Werewolf.

They headed back to the library much quicker than they had left it. Oz held the door open for her, and the other's looked up. Buffy walked forward and slapped the paper on the table at the center of the room.

"The Mayor has Willow. He wants to trade."

Xander didn't seem to understand what was happening for a second before getting it. He looked right at Faith.

"This is you, isn't it? You're still working for the Mayor. This was all a distraction!" Xander said seriously.

"No. I told you guys that he would know what had happened, he must have figured it out sooner than I thought, and sent some of his boys out to cause trouble."

"If something happens to her, I'll kill you."

"You against a Slayer? Dream on." Faith sneered.
"Xander stop, I don't think Faith did anything wrong." Buffy intervened.

Things were starting to look like they were going to get violent. And she really didn't want to lose Xander and Willow in the same night.

"Yeah, why's that? Because she's not a violent, manipulative person? Because you think she would never do something like this? Hate to be the one to break it to you Buff, buuut..."

"No. I know what she's like. I know Faith pretty well, better than you Mr. 'We have a connection.'And-"

"Buffy that's enough." Giles interrupted.

Buffy nodded grudgingly apologetic.

"Look, it just wouldn't make sense. If we're going off of something other than my gut instinct to believe Faith, then how about a fact. Why would the Mayor have Faith bring the box here? To distract us, so that they can kidnap Willow, to ransom her for the box? That makes no sense." Buffy said, raising an exasperated eyebrow.

Faith was looking at the ground, her face framed by her hair, but Buffy could just make out a smile anyway. She either really enjoyed Xander getting yelled at, or she was happy that Buffy was sticking up for her. Honestly, knowing Faith, the first one was more likely, but Buffy liked to think that she had something to do with Faith's smile as well.

"Maybe that's not the endgame. It was Faith that told us about the box, maybe it's useless, and this is all some clever plan."

"No. The research that we've done confirms that the box of Gavrok is essential to the Ascension." Wesley pointed out, even holding up one of his books as proof.

Xander sighed and held his head in his hands for a moment.

"Fine, you guys are right, that doesn't make a lot of sense. But what do we do now? We have to get her back."

"We have to make the trade." Buffy said.

"No, we can't. The life of one girl cannot come before the lives of everyone else. This is our best chance to eliminate the threat that Mayor Wilkins poses." Wesley said.

"I'm not sacrificing one of my friends Wes, we'll find another way, just like we always have." Buffy answered determinedly.

"You are a Slayer, you don't get the luxury of the easy way. Sometimes there are things that are unpleasant that we must do for the greater good."

"This is not one of those times."

"Yes it is. By my authority on behalf of the Watcher's Council, I forbid you from making the trade."

"Oh, you forbid me? Well that changes everything."

Wesley looked stunned by her belligerence, and turned to Giles.

"Tell her that she has to listen me."

"I can tell her that all you want, but I doubt it would make much of a difference." Giles retorted dryly.

"Oh Giles, you know me so well."

"As sentimental as all of you seem to be, even you have to admit that your plan isn't the most logical one." Wesley pointed out in obvious distress.

"No our plan is the one that isn't heartless." Xander chimed in.

"Oh now my wish to save as many innocent lives as possible is heartless, is it? Why don't you people take a good look in the mirror? Will you still see yourselves as such paragons of virtue when you're looking at the bodies that The Mayor leaves in his wake. When you see the people who will die when you allow him to ascend because of your own selfish desires?"

"Haven't you been listening? I'm not going to let that happen." Buffy said.

"How?" Wesley asked quietly.

Buffy didn't have an answer, and the room was suddenly silent. She looked at the people who had yet to say a word. She couldn't get a read on Angel. Whether he was siding with them or Wesley, and he didn't look like he was going to offer an opinion any time soon. Faith looked like she was just going to agree with whatever Buffy went with. The support was nice, but not really constructive feedback.

She turned to look at Oz, only to be surprised by him striding across the room. He overturned the spell, and looked at the group.

"Now the ritual's not an option. Let's get Willow."