FAITH: Sewer tunnel on the north side is closest so guess we?ll start there.

GILES: Sounds fine. What time shall I tell everyone?

FAITH: How about around seven? (decisive) Seven sharp. So tomorrow we fight.

GILES: Tomorrow. Goodnight, Faith. (beat) And Faith?

FAITH: Yeah?

GILES: You?re doing just fine. (exit)

THE FIRST/MAYOR WILKINS: I?d say better than fine. I?d say you?re doing a bang-up job.

FAITH: Get out.

THE FIRST/MAYOR WILKINS: Well, gosh! I think a ?Hello? or a ?Nice to see you? might be a little more welcome. It?s the end of humanity Faith, not the end of courtesy.

FAITH: You?re wasting your time. I know who you are. What you are.

THE FIRST/MAYOR WILKINS: Yeah, nobody?s explained to you how this works, have they? You see, I am part of The First, as you kids call it, but I?m also me. Richard Wilkins III, late mayor and founder of Sunnydale. Here, I?ll prove it to you. Ask me a question only I know the answer to. Something like? where did I hide the moon pies in my office or who was my favorite character in Little Women. Meg. I know! Most people guess Beth but Meg, she?s such a proper young lady. Remember when Jo burned her hair?

FAITH: I know what you?re doing and it?s not going to work. But feel free to keep talking ?cause, hell, I could listen to you yap all night.

THE FIRST/MAYOR WILKINS: Hey, hey, hey! Language. You?re a leader now. You keep throwing the H-E-double-hockey-sticks around, pretty soon the girls are going to pick up on it. Then what?

FAITH: Hey, you let me worry about the girls.

THE FIRST/MAYOR WILKINS: Of course, of course. You?re doing a great job with them, by the way. Much better than Buffy ever did. You were smart to kick her out.

FAITH: That?s not what we? Buffy got ?em this far.

THE FIRST/MAYOR WILKINS: Why are you protecting her? You think she cares about you? She nearly killed you, Faith.

FAITH: It?s different now.

THE FIRST/MAYOR WILKINS: No matter what you do, Buffy will always see you as a killer, not as a person. And now you have what she so desperately wants? the respect of these girls. All she needs is an excuse and she?ll finish what she started when she stuck that knife in your belly. You stay on guard, Faith. Buffy?s dangerous. If you?re not careful, she?ll destroy you. (beat) I?m just saying?

(...)

THE FIRST/MAYOR WILKINS: Deep down, you always wanted Buffy to accept you, to love you even. Why do you think that is?

FAITH: You a shrink now?

THE FIRST/MAYOR WILKINS: You keep looking for love and acceptance from these people, these ?friends? of yours, but you?re never going to find it. The truth is nobody will ever love you. Not the way I love you.

FAITH: Get out.

THE FIRST/MAYOR WILKINS: They?ll forever see you as a killer.

FAITH: I said get out.

THE FIRST/MAYOR WILKINS: I?ll always be with you, firecracker. In everything you do.

(disappears)

• Faith & the Mayor

written by: Rebecca Kirshner; original transcript by Buffy vs Angel. Edited by me.. Full transcript at:
http://ww3.buffy-vs-angel.com/buffy_tran_142.shtml