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| - We're back on the balcony; Faith has just taken her swan dive. Buffy is in a state of shock over what's she done. She scurries down the fire escape -- just missing Mayor Wilkins and his henchvamps, who emerge upstairs. Wilkins surveys the shattered window and pieces together what happened. He orders one of his mooks to find the Slayers: "Put everyone on it." The mook meekly reminds Wilkins that they're on a tight timetable here... "FIND THEM!" Eep! Uh, I'd obey the crazed-with-grief-soon-to-be-demon if I were you, dude. The henchvamp exits as the Mayor quietly goes bonkers. Back at the mansion, Willow and Oz are tending to Angel, who is delirious. He's professing his love for Buffy. Who is actually Willow. Whoops. Buffy enters, and they ask if she found Faith in time. Buffy asks to be alone with Angel. Naively, her friends take their leave, no doubt assuming she's come to pay her last respects. Buffy goes into Angel's room, where he tells her he's ready to die. She disagrees, then slips off her jacket: "Drink me." Angel's having none of that. He knows it'll kill her, but Buffy says it won't if he doesn't take too much. Angel begs her to not make him drink, and she punches him in the face. ..And when that doesn't work, she punches him two more times. This triggers the game face. She pushes her shirt aside and pulls his face to her neck. He begins to feed. Buffy goes weak, and they fall to the floor. He ends up taking too much and Buffy passes out just as Angel finally breaks free ... but gets no response from an unconscious Buffy. Angel rushes Buffy to the hospital, then goes to use a payphone. In a nearby room, a doctor is telling the Mayor that Faith has broken bones, damage to the kidney, head trauma, and severe blood loss - there is almost no chance that she will ever awaken. The nurse comes in to tell the doctor about the other girl with severe blood loss. A lightbulb goes off. The Mayor realizes who it must be, walks into her room, and puts his hand over her mouth, trying to smother her. The nurse tries to stop him and calls for security. Angel bursts back in and yanks the Mayor away from Buffy. The Mayor and Angel exchange words. Wilkins gives him a stern talking to: "Misery loves company, young man, and I'm looking to share that with you and your whore!" Angel shoves him backward, causing a scene. The Mayor, all smiles again, dusts himself off and tells the onlookers the "show's not over -- but there will be a brief intermission." Angel grrs that he'll be there. The Scoobies arrive, having received Angel's phone call. Xander notes with mock sincerity that when chips are down and things look grim, Angel can be counted on to save his own ass. Angel apologizes, but Giles icily insists that Angel go; the sun will be up soon. The lonely figure of Angel departs down the hall as the others go see how Buffy's doing. Buffy finds herself in Faith's sunny apartment, which is full of moving boxes. It's a dream, of course, which Buffy seems to pick up on. The two trade cryptic comments, and Faith assures Buffy she'll heal. She also offers Buffy a tip: "Human weakness. It never goes away. Even his." Buffy looks down at her hand, where the knife she killed Faith with appears and then disappears. Buffy asks Faith if this is her mind or Faith's, but Faith doesn't know. Faith reaches up to touch Buffy's face, thus awakening her. Buffy wakes up in the hospital, and walks into Faith's room. She compassionately kisses the unconscious Faith on the forehead, and walks away. Then, after changing from the hospital gown into her street clothes, goes out and tells the gang to get Angel; she's ready for war. Back in the library, Buffy has just finished describing her plan to the gang. Cordelia doesn't think they could come up with a crazier plan, but Oz points out that they could attack the Mayor with hummus. Cordy stands corrected. ("Just keeping things in perspective"). Xander thinks she wants to use a rocket launcher, but she says that won't get it done. It took a volcano to bury Olvikan last time. Buffy tells them that Faith told her to play on the Mayor's human weakness. They try to figure out what that weakness is, and Angel mentions the whole germ thing. Cordelia suggests chasing him with a box labeled 'Ebola virus.' An exasperated Xander is now starting to lean toward the Hummus Offensive. Wesley enters, and Buffy tells him she's in no mood for orders, but he says he is there to help of his own volition; not on behalf of the Watcher's Council. He just wants to help. Predictably, his valor makes Cordelia melt. At City Hall, the Mayor is laying out his plan for his lackeys. The sun, he tells them, will not be a problem. Back in the library, the gang figures out that there will be an eclipse, putting Angel "back in the game." Xander and Willow are to recruit other students for help, while everybody else is put on "volcano detail." Buffy instructs Giles to get "weapons, weapons, weapons." At City Hall, the vamps are leaving, and the Mayor reminds them to keep it fast and brutal-- "and boys? Let's watch the swearing." Wesley and Cordelia are in the library, packing up all the books. Wes finally breaks the silence. He says that, should they survive, he's going back to England. They inch closer as Wesley removes his glasses. They kiss. ...And it's the most forced, out-of-sync kiss imaginable. Wesley has no idea what to do with his hands. The dramatic romantic music stops. They pause, realizing it's not going so well. They give it another go. It's even worse than before. They give up again. Cordelia wishes him good luck in England. Wesley mumbles that he'll drop her line. "That'd be neat." In Giles' office, Angel tells Buffy that he's not going to say goodbye; when the whole thing is over, he's just going to go. He leaves her alone. She looks down at the what she's been holding wrapped in a rag - Faith's knife. The students march in to the Graduation ceremony. A little way into the Mayor's speech, the sky goes dark. He doubles over in pain. Characteristically, he tries to continue with his upbeat speech. But to no avail. The Mayor suddenly morphs into a giant serpent/dragon thing. Buffy calls, "Now!" The students take off their gowns to reveal a full range of medieval-type weapons, plus a few flame-throwers. The Mayor finds himself attacked with fire. Snyder finds this whole scene unacceptable. Xander gives the order to "Fire!", and the students rain down flaming arrows on the vamps.The vamps turn to run, but are faced down by a horde of good guys, including Angel, Wesley, and Percy. Whoops. They engage in hand-to-hand fights, while the students keep attacking Olvikan. The snake's tail whacks Larry, killing him. Snyder shouts warnings at Olvikan, insisting on maintaining order on his campus. He is interrupted when Olvikan takes him into his jaws, eating him. The students come down the stairs in a herd, attacking the vamps with their weapons. A vampire feeds on Harmony, presumably killing her. Cordelia stakes a vampire. Wesley is still down on the ground, whining for help. Buffy shouts up at the Mayor, holding the knife he gave to Faith as a gift. Remember this? She gloats about how she stuck it into Faith's gut. "Just slid in her like she was butter. You wanna get it back from me? Dick?" Buffy charges back into the school, the Mayor right behind her, head-butting through entire walls. She runs through the library, and bursts through a window, leaving Olvikan surrounded by fertilizer explosives. "Well, gosh." Giles sets off the explosives - and the library, the Mayor, and the whole darn school are awash in a sea of flames, smoke, sparks, smoke, and still more smoke. In the aftermath, fire trucks and ambulances litter the area. Giles congratulates Buffy on a job well done, and pulls out her diploma, which he fished out from the wreckage. Buffy spots Angel twenty yards away. They exchange a long, plaintive look. He turns and walks away, disappearing into the haze. The gang gathers together, taking stock of the situation. Oz thinks they should take a moment to reflect on the fact that they survived. Buffy comments that it was a hell of a battle, but Oz says screw that noise: they survived High School. They all stare blankly at the smoking ruins. Oz is spacious. "We're taking a moment." The girls get antsy and leave. "...and we're done." Everyone walks off together.
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