17. Enemies

Complete story — includes the ending

Buffy and Faith encounter a demon, claiming to have Books of Ascension for the Mayor and offering to sell them. Faith tracks the demon down on the Mayor's orders and kills it, recovering the Books. She visits Angel, confessing to a murder and acting distressed. Faith tries to seduce Angel, but he rebuffs her. Faith and the Mayor plot to remove Angel's soul, with help from a demon. Faith returns to Angel along with the demon, and they perform a spell in an attempt to remove his soul. The spell appears successful, and after a struggle, Angel and Faith visit the Mayor. Wesley leads Cordelia and others to the Hall of Records, to research on the Mayor. They learn that the Mayor has been alive for almost a century. Angel joins Faith to find Buffy. After bringing her to Angel's mansion, they restrain her. Faith taunts Buffy, moaning about being in her shadow and revealing details about the Mayor's plans for Ascension, and that the Mayor deliberately built Sunnydale on the Hellmouth. Angel reveals that his turn was in fact a sham. Faith escapes. Shaken by their joint deception, Buffy tells Angel that she needs a break from being together for a little while.