Part seven: In which scouting reports are made and meetings held.

Holtz's Mansion
Sunnydale, CA
January 18, 1999
0936 Hours PST

The smell of meat being cooked filled the kitchen area of the mansion. One of the first places refitted when they moved in, the kitchen wasn't up to the standards it had been when first built, but served its purpose well. Holtz stood before the stove, carefully working at the pieces of bacon and sausage cooking in the pan before him. Justine and Kate sat at the table, and Justine was chewing on a piece of sausage while Kate sipped at some coffee. Justine wore her usual muscle shirt and jeans, Kate, a pair of jeans and a light blue shirt. Both women appeared far more relaxed than they had been the day before.

"Hmmm, been a while since I had a home-cooked meal," Wesley announced as he walked into the kitchen, dressed in a simple pair of slacks and dark shirt. "Of course, it's also been a while since I had a home to have a meal cooked there."

"Dive on in, there's plenty," Kate remarked as she watched Wesley move toward the small plate near the stove, where several pieces of bacon and sausage already sat. "Toast is on the counter too."

"Where did this come from?" Wesley remarked in surprise as he surveyed the wide range of food available."

"Me and Kate made a run to the store early," Justine explained. "We figured dried pizza wasn't the best way to start a day."

"Good thing Katya got us a little operating cash," Kate piped in.

Wesley raised an eyebrow. "Just how early were you two up?" He had his back turned and thus missed the look Kate and Justine shared.

"We...didn't get much sleep last night," Justine couldn't help saying. "Course, I was in the Marines, we're used to short sleep times."

"And I was a cop," Kate said. "You do long hours there too."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," Lilah sourly said as she marched into the kitchen. She appeared a bit pissed off...then again, since she always looked pissed off, it was hard to tell. Her hair was a bit rumpled and she was wearing a dark blouse with slacks that she hoped gave her a better look than they really did. "I miss my bed. I really do."

"You have a bed," Holtz stated, not looking up from his pan.

"No, I have a cot on a metal frame," Lilah corrected. "I miss my actual bed, I do." She looked over at the pan and frowned. "Is there anything non-meat here to eat?"

"We got some fruit," Justine offered, pointing at a small bag to the side.

"Great," Lilah muttered. "Yeah, that'll keep me going all day." She shook her head, looking over at Kate. "You know, Kate, I didn't think you would be taking after Justine so well."

The two froze and looked over at Lilah. "Excuse me?" Kate asked.

"The military-style bed making skills," Lilah remarked as she rummaged through the basket of fruit, finally picking out an apple. "I passed by your room and your bed doesn't even look like it's been slept in."

Kate and Justine were both quite grateful that Jarod and Andrea picked that moment to enter. Jarod was dressed in a loose pair of slacks and flannel shirt with a dark jacket. Andrea wore one of her usual black skirts and a dark blouse with her own jacket. Both appeared cheerful, a mood that simply made the others annoyed. "Good morning," Andrea piped up.

A round of murmurs were their greeting as they took their seats. "God, I'm so grateful to Wesley for that spell," Lilah muttered. "I could actually sleep over the noise of passion."

"Always good to have my gifts recognized," Wesley announced as Gunn stepped into the kitchen, dressed in his usual black pants and jacket, proving he wasn't a morning person.

"You get any of those power bars?" Gunn asked as he rummaged through the cabinets. "I always like the boost from those."

"Whatever happened to actually sitting down for a meal?" Holtz spoke up, staring down at his pan. "Is this an effect of, what is it called, fast-food?"

"Here we go again," Andrea groaned as she and Jarod sat at the table.

"Now, give him a break on this," Justine said, chewing at her food. "I think he's onto something. Good meal to start the day was one of the first things they taught us in the Marines." She paused to swallow her bite. "Of course, we didn't really have that many good meals..."

"I'm surprised to find you're a good cook, Holtz," Kate stated. "I thought you'd have left that in the hands of someone else."

"Yeah, right," Lilah sniffed, tapping a hand on her table as she bit into her apple. "His wife? The woman was too busy with the sainthood she would have needed to put up with him and his----"

A whistling sound cut through the air and suddenly a knife appeared, the blade buried into the table right between Lilah's index and middle fingers. She froze, as did most everyone around the table. Those that dared slowly turned to face Holtz. The Englishman marched forward, his face set harder than usual as he came up to Lilah. He leaned in, his hand wrapping around the hilt of the knife, his eyes glaring at Lilah.

"You may insult me as you wish," he hissed. "I will take insults on my country, my life, and even my upbringing. I am used to that. But my wife is not, nor ever shall be, a subject fit for conversation. Not by you." His eyes slowly swept across the rest of the table. "Not by any of you."

Gunn leaned over, looking at the way the knife was placed in between Lilah's fingers. "Wow, nice aim, boss."

"What are you talking about?" Holtz frowned as he yanked the knife away. "I missed."

Justine waved a hand at the stunned Lilah. "Sympathy here."

Not surprisingly, no one had much to stay after that for a while.

*****

"Let us discuss our plan for action," Holtz said, patting at his lips with a napkin as he sat back in his chair. Ulric and Katya had arrived in this time, Ulric in his usual clerical robe while Katya was wearing dark, loose pants and a red jacket with a dark shirt. Holtz glanced over the group. "Kate, you use your police identification to get access to the local constabulary. Get whatever information you can."

"I'll go with her," Justine immediately piped in.

"What, you two bonding now?" Lilah asked.

Kate shrugged, trying to brush the question off. "You know what they say. Misery loves company."

"I would think misery would love a way to stop being miserable," Jarod observed.

"Very well," Holtz said. "Wesley, you mentioned you had to pick up supplies at the local magic shop----"

"Actually, Holtz, I have another task," Wesley broke in. "I put through a search through the local phone booth and I saw a name I found familiar. I think I'll check it out later. Gunn can take the magical items."

"Scuse me?" Gunn blurted. "I don't to go around getting your voodoo crap! I drop something on me, and I break out in warts or boils or----"

"Hair?" Lilah smirked.

Holtz glared at her. "Lilah, you, Jarod and Parker canvas the town, get a feel for the locals."

Lilah stared at Holtz. "Why do I have to put up with them?"

"Because I know it annoys you," Holtz said before turning toward Katya. "Katya, I need you to----"

"I have an errand to run first," Katya said.

Holtz stared at her. "Excuse me?"

Katya fixed him with a calm look. "I'll check out the city hall and the records they have there," she stated. "But there's something I want to take care of first. It is personal and important to me so please don't dissuade me from it."

Holtz appeared ready to say something but the look in Katya's eyes made him back away. "All right," he said, rising from the table. "You have your assignments. Get started on them. We meet back here, compare notes, and then we go after them."

"And maybe we can be home in time for 'An Affair to Remember' on AMC," Justine spoke up.

"I never saw that..." Andrea muttered, rubbing at her chin.

The other women looked at her in surprise. "You never saw it?" Justine said.

"I spent my life locked up and I've been on the run for the last few years," Andrea answered. "I've been just a tad busy."

"Oh, then we're definitely seeing it," Kate spoke up. She glanced toward Katya. "You saw it, right?"

Katya nodded. "Oh, yes. I caught it at the premiere with Cary."

Most everyone froze and stared at her. "You knew Cary Grant?" Lilah whispered.

Katya nodded. "And he was just as good a gentleman off screen as on."

"Don't tell me, I don't want to know," Holtz muttered.

"Good call, man," Gunn sniffed. "I don't get why women go all ga-ga for that flick."

"I agree," Wesley said. "It's such a trite and predictable tale, no real story, I can't understand why it's-----" He broke off as he saw Kate, Justine, Katya and Lilah giving him looks that could kill.

"Don't ever," Kate hissed. "Ever. Make fun. Of 'An Affair to Remember.'"

"Um, Kate, I----"

"NEVER!"

Holtz glanced at Andrea who, like Jarod, simply shrugged. "I never saw it either so don't ask me," the man said.

"Say, Katya," Lilah asked. "I'm wondering. Is it true that not only did Cary turn down the part in the movie version of 'The Music Man' but told the producers if Robert Preston wasn't in it, he wouldn't see the film? I figure you'd know if that was for real or not."

Katya rolled her eyes. "This must be how Corday feels about the Moll Flanders thing," she muttered.

"Let's just be glad they're not renting 'Titanic,'" Jarod threw in.

"I don't know, I liked that," Katya shrugged. "They got most of the details right."

There was silence as everyone looked at her. "You were on..." Jarod started.

"You'd be amazed how many Immortals were on that boat," Katya said.

Lilah sighed as she stood up. "On my travels around town, can I look for a better place to live?"

"Not everyone spent time in a swank apartment, Lilah," Justine pointed out.

"I just hate being among the underprivileged again," Lilah complained.

"Lilah, I was the underprivileged," Katya spoke up. "It sort of led me to my first death so you're out of luck bellyaching to me on that score."

Lilah groaned. "God, I miss my clothes. I had a great batch of expensive dresses and now I'm stuck in these cheap-ass K-Mart threads."

"Oh, get over it, Lilah," Kate groaned. "If I have to hear you bitching about your wardrobe one more time..."

"Hey, there was a lot of great stuff I had there!" Lilah snapped back. "I had a great bunch of Jackie Kennedy dresses. Do you know how many women would love to look like Jackie Kennedy?"

Holtz stared at her, then turned toward Wesley and Katya. "Wesley, perhaps you can answer this or Katya, you were alive then."

"What?" Wesley asked.

Holtz gestured towards the Americans. "How the devil did we ever LOSE to these people?!"

"God knows," the Britons said, both rolling their eyes.

"Actually, it's quite obvious," Andrea spoke up.

Holtz sighed. "You can explain it."

Andrea eagerly nodded. "Of course. The short version is simple: the reason the Americans beat you is because they were fighting for more than independence. They were fighting for their homes." She brought her chin up with a trace of pride. "They were fighting for an ideal, one that I'm sure you've heard: all men are created equal. It's easy to fight a man. It's impossible to fight an idea."

She sat back and basked in the looks everyone was giving her. "Andrea, I will admit, that was extremely well put," Holtz stated. "Did you work as a teacher or a college professor?"

"Only until I became a rodeo clown."

Holtz closed his eyes and sighed. "Just when I think I understand one of you..." He sighed and shook his head. "Break out the disguises, all."

"Why do we----" Kate started.

"Because," Holtz broke in. "We don't know who Angelus has working for him here and we need to keep a low profile. So, get some disguises on."

"Why do I have to be the blonde?" Lilah demanded. "I can feel my IQ drop twenty points putting on the wig."

Kate glared at her. "I have a gun, you know."

"Oh, sorry, RED."

"I think red hair can be flattering on me," Kate smiled, Justine joining in.

"It's a good idea," Katya said. "You'd be amazed how a simple change in style and color to your hair changes your look. Course, that's the easy part, getting an accent is tricky which is why I usually stuck to Europe or America."

"I think it's actually overrated," Andrea piped up. "I never really changed my looks and I did well."

"She's right on that," Jarod said. "Tracking down a smart person is harder than you might think."

"Thanks, hon," Andrea said, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I'm going to shoot them," Kate said. "That's all there is to it, I'm going to shoot them both."

"Fine by me," Katya shrugged.

Holtz sighed. "Whatever you do, try not to let yourselves be captured. There's no telling what abuse they could put you through."

"Abuse?" Gunn snorted. "I had to listen you sing in Vegas, and you talk to us about abuse?"

"It could have been worse," Wesley said.

"How?" Gunn demanded.

"He could have done a John Tesh song."

"Good point," Gunn nodded.

"When you do go out," Holtz said. "Try not to be too conspicuous."

Kate glanced at Justine. "He's telling us how to dress now?"

"Be careful or he'll slam us with another rant on the way women dress nowadays."

"Or don't, as the case might be," Lilah threw in.

"At least he notices," Kate shrugged.

Justine frowned at her. "What does that matter?"

"He shows he's still a man," Kate answered.

"In other words, that he has faults," Lilah threw in with a smirk, causing Holtz to growl.

"Are we hitting the streets or are we just gonna hang it up here?" Gunn demanded.

Holtz raised an eyebrow. "Is this what is known as being fly?"

Gunn narrowed his eyes and held up a finger. "Holtz. Listen to me very carefully. Never. Never. Ever. EVER. EVER. TRY to talk street again, okay?"

"I do need to learn how to blend in with the times, Charles."

"Well, blend in with London or something."

"At least this place cannot be more bizarre than that Vegas place," Holtz sniffed. "I simply do not understand the fascination you have for that singer."

"Hey, he's the King," Jarod shrugged.

"Who?" Katya asked.

Jarod stared at her. "Elvis, Katya! Everyone knows that Elvis is the king!"

Katya let out a thin smile. "Jarod, consider that I've lived through times where kings were not only commonplace but had actual power. Elvis was a good entertainer and high profile to be sure. But trust me...in the long run, he was only a man, not a king."

At the looks on the faces of the others, Holtz turned toward Wesley. "Even I know that's not a popular statement."

Gunn sighed and looked toward Lilah. "Li, I gotta ask. Just why the hell did you go to Vegas in the first place?"

Lilah looked down at the table. "It's my business, Gunn."

"No, I think Gunn's right," Kate piped in. "We followed you, we got into some trouble, we lost some cash, I think we all deserve to know why."

Lilah let out a long breath. "I went to see my mother."

"She works in Vegas?" Kate smirked. "Wow, that somehow fits. Just where does she live?"

Lilah brought her cup of coffee to her lips. "At a special clinic for Alzheimer's patients."

Dead silence filled the kitchen. Even Holtz was thrown by that revelation as Lilah sipped at her coffee, taking her time to swallow it. "She was diagnosed five years ago," she said in a calm voice. "It got bad two years later. The clinic is top of the line, one of the best out there. I set her up under a false name so she'll still be taken care of." She brushed at her hair, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. "I just wanted to make sure she was still okay. Even if she doesn't know who I am...I know who she is. And I wanted to make sure that one of the few things in my life worth a damn was still around."

The silence came back, broken by Jarod's cough before he spoke. "Well, Lilah...it's good to see you showing so much love." He paused and frowned. "Actually, it's good to see you showing any human emotion..."

Lilah let out a small smile. "You old softy."

"I'm not old," Jarod replied. He pointed at Katya. "She's old."

Katya rolled her eyes and sighed. *Just you wait, Jarod...*

*****

"Are you sure you want to split us up like this?" Katya asked. She and Holtz were walking through the upstairs area, both ready to go on the town. "Common sense dictates----"

"I never understood that phrase," Holtz interrupted. "Common sense. It sounds like an oxymoron."

"Actually, from my experience, the common had far more sense than the elite."

Holtz threw her an annoyed glance. "I was not a nobleman, Katya. I was a Captain."

Katya shrugged. "Officer. Nobleman. Same difference sometimes." She looked carefully at Holtz. "Just what are you going to do after Angelus is dead? Have you thought that far ahead?"

"I never think far ahead," Holtz stated. "Life is too short for that."

"It's a lot shorter if you spend all your time risking it," Katya pointed out.

"Considering that you and your kind spend their lives, which has a whole new meaning to the term 'life,' fighting for each other's life forces, I find I must take your comments with a dash of salt." He narrowed his eyes. "In fact, Katya, for a woman who knows she's going to be around for centuries, you don't seem to plan things on long-term."

Katya shrugged. "That's not the way I am, Holtz. It never has been, really. Whenever I try to plan a future out, something comes along to wreck it. I live life day to day. Until the last day."

Holtz raised an eyebrow. "Live in the moment? That still seems strange for someone like you."

Katya let out a dark smile. "Life can change in an instant, Holtz." Her smile fell. "It can end in an instant too."

Holtz shook his head as he started to walk down the hallway. "I don't know how much longer I can take this," he muttered.

"Oh, I can handle it," Katya said. "I know about raising children."

"So do I," Holtz answered.

"Yes, but mine lived past the age of ten."

Holtz stopped and slowly turned toward Katya. The Immortal's face fell into shock as her own words impacted upon her. "I...I can't believe I just said that," she whispered. "Holtz...Holtz, I'm very, very sorry."

Holtz simply gave her a cold look before turning on his heel and walking away, leaving Katya to feel a wave of guilt.

*****

Sunnydale High School Library
1014 Hours PST

Giles sighed as he slipped the volumes into the shelves before him. There were times when he actually preferred fighting vampires rather than dealing with high school students. The latest batch of history majors had left books from a dozen different subjects scattered about the tables, leaving Giles a major reshelving job. *I suppose I should be grateful* Giles thought to himself. *If high schoolers start cleaning up after themselves, it might just be a sign of the Apocalypse.*

He heard the doors to the library open and spoke up. "I believe there is class at this time," he stated. "As grateful as I am that you choose to skip it to come here, I would recommend not risking truancy."

"Hello, Giles."

Giles froze as he recognized the voice. He slowly turned to face the man who was calmly walking into the library. "Wesley," Giles whispered as he lowered the books in his hands. "It is you. I can't believe it."

"Those were my words exactly when I found out you were here," Wesley stated as he strode into the center area of the library, pausing by the table. He looked around, taking in his surroundings.

"Seems you've done well for yourself," he stated. "A librarian suits you."

"There are some who might argue that," Giles stated as he carefully walked down the stairs until he faced Wesley. "You dropped out of sight after that...unpleasantness with the Council."

"You mean when they kicked me out for avenging the murder of the woman I loved?" Wesley said in a cold tone. "Yes, I've rearranged my priorities since then."

"The Council didn't want you to bring war on demons," Giles pointed out.

Wesley raised an eyebrow. "Given how you work with a trio of vampires, I hardly think you're one to dictate to me the Council line." He paced slowly around the table as he spoke. "We're a long way from England, Giles." He fixed a gaze on the other man. "And a long way from the Council as well. Both of us."

"I'm Buffy's Watcher."

"Really? How very interesting." Wesley rubbed at his chin. "And how, pray tell, does one work being a Watcher to a Slayer who willingly allies herself with vampires. I'm curious as to how much one gets to betray humanity."

Giles narrowed his eyes. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Wesley, but you're the one who betrayed the Council first."

"No, they betrayed me," Wesley bit out. "All they had to do was drop a line, send a memo, do something to warn the Watchers that Penn was hunting us for fun. They didn't. And that cost me the only woman I've ever loved."

"And you broke away," Giles said, trying to show Wesley some sympathy. "I understand that. But things have changed, Wesley. The Council has changed, the rules are different now."

"How so?" Wesley asked with what sounded like honest curiosity. "Accepting the very creatures we dedicated ourselves to destroying?"

"If they have souls, then yes," Giles stated with a nod.

Wesley snorted. "Don't give me that, Giles. This is Angelus. The Scourge of Europe. This is the man they tell the trainees about to give them a good scare. And those other two are almost as bad. It doesn't matter if they have souls. It doesn't make up for what they've done."

Giles felt a bit of his old Ripper anger start to come up as he stepped forward. "Don't talk to me like that, Wyndham-Pryce. I was here for *two years* on my own, with no Slayer, while the Council just sat back and twiddled their thumbs. I saw good people, students, MY students, be killed or turned on a nightly basis. And I saw a couple of them die at Xander and Willow's hands and I couldn't stop them."

Giles stopped and took a deep breath. "But I've also seen those two deal with that, Wesley. Can you even try to imagine what it must be like for them? To have to deal with two years worth of memories of all those demons did while in control? The pain, the grief, the guilt, not just over what they did but also because they have to spend every day with people who saw them do it. Don't try to talk about pain, Wesley, because neither of us can hold a candle to those two."

Wesley refused to back down even against the passion Giles was showing. "They're still vampires," he said. "They still crave blood and violence. It's their nature."

"No," Giles said. "Their nature is human nature now, Wesley."

Wesley stared at him. "You're actually calling them human?"

"Frankly, more human than you," Giles sniffed.

Wesley sighed and glanced about the library. "I did not come here to be lectured by you, Giles."

"And why are you here?" Giles asked. "Why aren't you with the rest of your little revenge squad?"

"I wanted to see you face to face, Giles," Wesley said. "See what kind of man you are now."

"Oh, I don't think seeing what kind of man I am now should worry you, Wesley," Giles said with a touch of anger. "It's seeing the man I used to be that should scare the bloody hell out of you."

Wesley waved a hand in dismissal. "I don't need your threats, Giles. I came here to stop those three from causing any more pain."

"And you think killing them is the answer?"

"Well, if nothing else, it serves as an excellent guess," Wesley shrugged off.

Giles snorted. "And here I thought you had some potential when you left the Council."

That threw Wesley. "What?"

"Yes," Giles said. "When you left, I applauded your reasons. I thought you knew enough about me to know what I of all people hardly fit the traditional mode of a Watcher."

Wesley had recovered enough to sneer at Giles. "Maybe that's why you're willing to work with vampires. Not a ringing endorsement."

Giles shook his head. "It's not that simple, Wesley------"

"It sounds quite simple to me, sir," a deep voice came into the library. Giles and Wesley both turned to see Holtz calmly walking forward, his face sedate yet carrying an edge of danger around the eyes. "You are working with vampires, one of whom has a body count greater than most battlefields. You are a man who belongs to an organization that is supposed to stop such creatures so to me, you are a traitor on multiple levels."

Giles looked the man over and raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess," he spoke up. "You must be Holtz."

"I am," the man stated. "And you are the Giles Wesley was telling me about. I'm curious, sir. Are you going to lecture me on the morality of what we're doing?".

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"Uncross it." He carefully paced before Giles. "I have a long-standing grievance with Angelus. I won't bore you with the details..."

"That's a relief," Giles interrupted. "I found you boring enough as it was."

Holtz glared at him. "I don't know who you think you are, Mr. Giles, to talk to me that way..."

"Then let me, as Americans say, lay it on the line for you," Giles broke in, brining himself up. "I am the LORD Rupert Giles, next Earl of Leicester, descendent of Sir Henry Giles, Knight of the Round Table, former curator of the British Museum and current Field Watcher for the Slayer, who has spent the last two years fighting vampires while you were taking a bloody nap."

It was hard to tell if Holtz was impressed or angry as he narrowed his eyes with Giles. "You are an arrogant man."

"I'm British," Giles returned. "Perhaps you've slept so long, you've forgotten what that means."

"Ooooh, dis!" Both Giles and Holtz stared at Wesley. "Oh, God, Charles is getting to me," the younger man said.

"Well, that's what you get when you hang around the lower rungs of society," Giles jibed.

"Don't talk to me about lower rungs," Wesley barked back. "Not after your youth or your company in the here and now, including that blonde harlot------"

"Don't talk about her like that, Wesley," Giles snarled. "I won't have you insulting-----"

"Enough!" Holtz broke in. "Despite what personal differences we have, we can at least discuss them in a civilized manner! We're English, remember? We're not uncivilized. We're not savages. We're not barbarians. We're not the French!"

A long silence descended over the library before being broken by Holtz. "Mr. Giles, I came here to attempt to make it clear to you that you are on the wrong side of things. I am giving you the chance to go back to the right one, which is any side that is not allied with these creatures."

"They've changed, Holtz," Giles insisted. "They truly have."

"Really," Holtz sardonically said. "So, it's supposed to be like Ebenezer Scrooge? They saw the error of their ways and repented?"

Giles was surprised. "You know about Scrooge?"

"Yes," Holtz confirmed. "I've found *A Christmas Carol* to be a very good biography."

Wesley and Giles both stared at him with confusion. "Biography?" Giles asked.

"Holtz," Wesley began. "That's fiction. Scrooge wasn't real."

Holtz frowned. "He wasn't?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Both Giles and Wesley swept out arms to indicate where they were.

"Hmmm," Holtz muttered, rubbing his chin. "May I take it then, that *Treasure Island* is not actually a travel guide?"

The two Watchers stared at him and Holtz sighed. "Remind me to have a very long talk with Lilah and Justine when we get back."

Giles rubbed his nose. "I don't need to be lectured by a man who is, in strict terms, a dinosaur regarding vampires and Slayers."

Holtz frowned. "What's a dinosaur?"

Giles stared at him, seeing the honest confusion in his features, then looked to Wesley, who rolled his eyes. "Right, I'm going to explain Darwinism to a man raised in mid-18th century England and hear his unique take on it."

Pausing to shrug that one off, Giles turned back to Holtz. "You might as well kill me for happened to you," Giles demanded. "I'm no more responsible for Angelus' crimes than Angel is. We have just as much blood on our hands."

"Really?" Holtz stated coolly. "Was it your hands that held down my wife as she was raped and murdered? Were yours the hands that wrapped around my infant son's neck and snapped it like kindling? Did your hands embrace my daughter as she was turned into a soulless monster? Were you the ones who murdered the parents and classmates of Harris and Rosenberg?"

Giles set his face as he responded. "That wasn't them, Holtz. No matter what you think, they can't be held responsible."

"Oh, it does matter what I think, Mr. Giles," Holtz said. "It matters very much because it dictates my actions now. Actions I take for justice."

"Justice?" Giles snorted. "This isn't justice. It's vengeance."

"Don't knock vengeance, Giles," Wesley broke in. "It's all some of us have."

"Thank you," Holtz said before turning back to Giles. "You do not get to talk to me about how these creatures are, Mr. Giles. You haven't suffered as I have."

Giles raised an eyebrow. "Oh, no?" He reached up and pulled down his collar, revealing a trio of claw marks and what appeared to be a sizeable burn on the clavicle. "The claw marks were from Willow," he explained. "The burn was Xander trying out a cigarette." He pulled the collar back up as he fixed a glare on Holtz. "I have more. Nothing really immense or incredibly painful today but they hurt like hell at the time." His eyes took on a level of pain. "And those are just the physical ones. Never mind the psychological scars of those two killing or turning some of their fellow students, knowing they could just waltz in here and torture me for the hell of it anytime they wanted." He brought himself up and returned Holtz's gaze. "But I have forgiven them, Holtz. I've forgiven them for what they did."

Holtz sniffed. "Forgive Angelus? Mr. Giles, I willingly let go of my time, my world, everything I knew to come two centuries into the future, into a nation and world I still know little about for the express purpose of killing Angelus. Do you truly believe a man who has done all that will be swayed by a few simple scars?"

"I hope you are," Giles darkly stated. "Otherwise...we may have to go to more brutal tactics."

"Please," Holtz said. "My group knows more about brutal tactics than your possibly could."

Giles chuckled. "Mr. Holtz, need I remind you my team consists mostly of teenagers?"

"So?" Holtz inquired.

"So, among those teenagers are the Slayer, two empowered men, two vampires and a witch who happens to be an Amazon."

There was a long silence as Wesley and Holtz exchanged a look. "Been hitting the local bars a bit too much, Giles?"

"Whatever you claim, your people are undoubtedly lacking in combat," Holtz said to Giles.

"More than made up for by the rest of my team," Giles said with a smile. "Believe me, they can take the combat to you, especially a woman who has a truly whacked idea on vengeance."

Holtz turned to Wesley. "Whacked?"

"Quite strange and unnatural."

"Thank you." He turned back to Giles. "By now, you know something about my people. You know we are skilled and we are dedicated and we will not stop until we do what is required of us."

"And if you try, then I'll put in a call to Buffy's father," Giles stated.

Wesley frowned. "Who would that be?"

"Well, it depends on what name you know him better by," Giles calmly said. "JP Withers or Aderron of Atlantis."

Wesley's face went pale while Holtz simply looked puzzled. "I'll ask for details later," he said to the stunned Wesley before turning back to Giles. "Bring whoever you want, sir. Before you tell this… Withers or Aderron or whatever his name is to come… let him know that if he does, he risks the chance of gaining the same fate as his daughter."

Any doubts that Holtz wasn't from this century were brushed aside by his non-reaction to news of JP Withers. Giles folded his arms as he glared at the man. "So, you're simply going to stake them. Never mind whether or not it's the right thing to do."

"Mr. Giles, I have been taking a crash course in history and it's come to my attention how history is written by the winners. In the end, it doesn't matter who is right or wrong, what matters is who wins. I intend that to be me." Holtz shrugged. "As for the rightness of it, I'll leave that to history."

"Actually, sir, I've heard it said that it's not the winners who write history. It's the survivors." Giles smiled. "And I intend that to be *my* team."

Holtz studied him carefully. "Are you sure you're from this century?"

"I am British," Giles stated. "My point, Holtz, is that you can't expect this blood vendetta to make up for what happened to you. Two wrongs don't make a right."

"No, but three rights do make a left," Holtz dryly stated.

Giles and Wesley both stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've been the straight man for so long..."

"I know the feeling," Giles muttered.

Holtz got his mind back on track. "I truly hope you can agree to stand aside, Mr. Giles. I would really hate to have to kill a fellow countryman."

"I would as well," Giles said. His eyes narrowed. "But I will. Make no mistake. I will if you push me."

"When I push, Mr. Giles...It's the final push. Do remember that."

"Tell me, Mr. Holtz," Giles said. "Have you by any chance heard of the Incredible Hulk?"

Holtz frowned and shook his head. "It fails to ring a bell."

"Oh, good, then this won't seem to be a rip-off." Giles reached up and slowly took off his glasses, leaning forward and glaring right at Holtz. "Mr. Holtz, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

"And why is that?" Holtz calmly asked. *The man is positively unflappable* Giles thought as he smirked.

"Then I'll put in a call to the Order of the Grail."

For the first time, something akin to surprise flashed across Holtz's features and Wesley was shocked as well. "The Order?" he gaped. "You're telling me the Order will aid you?"

"They will," Giles remarked. "They have before." He stared at Holtz with a strong gaze. "So how does it feel to know that you, a man who believes so strongly in God's work is going to handle those blessed by the Holy Grail?"

Holtz silently chewed his lip. "I believe," he finally said. "That we have to make a very difficult decision. But one that will end in Angelus' death and------"

Giles stared at him and shook his head. "Were they always this stubborn in your time?"

"Please don't interrupt me again, Mr. Giles," Holtz said.

"Or what?" Giles asked. "You'll ask me to talk to the hand?"

"No. You'll talk to my fist."

"He is trying as you can see," Wesley added with a smile. "You learn something new every day."

"Words to live by," Holtz added.

"Or die by," a dark female voice suddenly cut into the room.

The two men turned to face the library entrance. Jenny stood, her face tight as she stared at the two men, her dark blouse and slacks failing to hide the tension in her body. "Get out," she said in a hard tone. "Now."

Holtz calmly regarded the young woman. "My dear, you are unarmed. So why should I comply with that order?"

"I don't know who you are, nor do I care," Jenny hissed. "But you will *not* harm him."

Wesley chuckled, apparently finding this quite amusing. "My word, Giles. I do believe the young lady has feelings for you."

Jenny glared at him. "Whether I do or not is not the question." She lifted one side of her mouth in a slight smirk. "And if I do, you had best leave him unharmed."

Wesley's mouth thinned, the amusement gone. "And if we don't?"

Jenny's mouth turned upward. "Then you'll both learn what happens to those who piss off the Romany."

Wesley was visibly startled and even Holtz appeared caught off-guard by that. Jenny's smile grew at their discomfort. "I see our reputations precede us." She turned her attention to Holtz. "Try anything that harms me or mine and my clan will dispense their own brand of justice upon you and yours. And take it from me, or yet, take it from Angelus...with us, justice is more than a concept. It is eternal."

There was another long silence. Jenny took satisfaction in the uncomfortable look in Wesley's eyes. Holtz, for his part remained silent. *The man is positively unflappable* Jenny couldn't help but think. The bearded man finally turned toward Giles, trying to bring back his aura of intimidation. "I am not a man used to giving out warnings, Mr. Giles, so appreciate this. Forget Angelus and his friends and you'll be left alone. Join them and you may share their fate. I do not want to kill humans but if I must, I will. It's your choice. I hope you make the right one."

"Are you finished?" Giles said, his face still showing anger. "Because if you are, get out before I throw you out."

Holtz paused before speaking. "Am I to interpret that as a refusal to accede to our wishes?"

Giles stared at him in disbelief. "Is English a second language to you, Holtz?"

"No, but I'm becoming rapidly convinced it's a second language to most Americans," the man said with a long sigh. "So, you're giving me no choice then."

"There are always choices, Holtz," Giles stated. "Whether or not you choose to see the choices before you is a choice in itself."

"Perhaps," Holtz allowed. "But in regards to yourself...you seem to have chosen the path most bloody." He turned on his heel and began to march toward the exit. Sharing a final look with Giles, Wesley quickly followed.

"Before you go, Mr. Holtz," Giles called out, reaching down to the table. "Here." He picked up a certain book and threw it through the air. Holtz caught it, hefting it a bit in his hands as he looked at the cover.

"*Les Miserables?*" he asked.

"There's a character in there named Javert," Giles said. "I think you'll find quite a few intriguing parallels between the two of you."

Holtz stared back at him before turning back to the door. He paused as he looked Jenny dead in the eye. Despite her bluster before, Jenny had to repress a shiver at the utterly cold look in the Englishman. She brought herself up and stepped aside, not altering her glare one bit. She smiled as Wesley quickly scooted past her and Holtz exited, staring dead ahead.

Jenny quickly turned toward Giles. "Are you all right?" she asked with concern.

Giles nodded. "I am. I am grateful for your intervention. It could have become quite ugly if not for your threat." He met her gaze and smiled. "Of course, you didn't tell them you're no longer part of the clan."

"They didn't need to know that." Jenny raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing they didn't drop in for tea and crumpets."

Giles sighed. "No. No, I'm afraid I have just been officially warned not to interfere in their little blood vendetta or pay the price."

Jenny frowned. "Do you think they'll follow through on that?"

Giles fixed her with a look. "Jenny, what may to you sound like charm and culture sounds to an Englishman a definite threat. Trust me, they'll go after us if they feel it's necessary."

Jenny stared at the door the two had left from and shook her head. "I can't help but feel for Wesley a bit," she admitted. "From what you told me, that is. Cast out of a group for doing what you know is right." She looked down at her feet. "I can relate to that."

"I know," Giles said with sympathy. "And I agree with what he did in a lot of ways. But that doesn't change the fact that he wants to kill Angel, Willow and Xander and I doubt he'd be too upset knocking us off along the way."

Jenny snorted. "He'd fit right in with my clan then." She paused before looking at Giles with concern. "What do we do?"

"This doesn't have to be your fight."

"Yes, it does," Jenny stated with feeling. "I've been cast out of one family. I'm not losing a second."

Giles stepped back. "Why, Ms. Calendar," he softly said. "I would never have thought you such a romantic."

A wicked smile came to Jenny's face. "Give me time and I'll show you more, England."

*****

"Unbelievable," Holtz muttered as he walked down the hall of the school. "That a Watcher stands with vampires."

"I can't believe the woman either," Wesley said. "For God's sake, a part of the Romany clan was wiped out by Angelus! And she stands with him?"

"And her attitude..." Holtz shook his head. "What happened to women in the last two centuries to make them like this? A gypsy attracted to an English Watcher?"

"You know what they say, Holtz," Wesley remarked with a shrug. "Love isn't blind, it's just selectively near-sighted."

Holtz peered at him. "A British nobleman who works as a librarian and a Gypsy American with apparent magical abilities. Would you see this happening?"

"In an alternate reality, perhaps," Wesley remarked. "Well, we'd better get going to meet the others."

"Will we be taking one of those..." Holtz stumbled a bit over the words as Wesley rolled his eyes.

"Cars, Holtz," he said. "They're called cars."

"Cars, yes. Are you sure they're not just a passing fad?"

"No, I rather suspect they're here to stay," Wesley answered in his driest tone.

Holtz nodded before speaking again. "Is there anything else I need to know about them?"

"Just that if we ever return to England, people drive on the left side of the road."

"Why?"

"Because we have better sense."

"I'm glad to see you're retaining your sense of propriety." With that, Holtz and Wesley exited the school, thus just missing Buffy turning into the hallway they had vacated and heading toward her locker.

"Can't believe this," the Slayer muttered under her breath. "There's a whacko revenge squad in town searching for us, one of them's Immortal, one's a Watcher and I've got a book report!" She brushed at her hair. "God, sometimes I think I was better off in Cleveland."

"You're not alone." Buffy turned at the voice to see a trio of girls standing before her. They were all dressed in expensive outfits, all with smirks on their faces and were glaring at Buffy with disdain. Buffy knew what kind of girls they were, of course. Hell, she had been one of them, a lifetime ago. She sighed, knowing what was coming. "Lysette, I've got a lot on my mind and I don't have time for you and your airhead brigade to try to mess with me. So fuck off, will you?"

"Oooh, nice mouth," Lysette Torchio smirked as she stared at the Slayer. "Listen, honey, things are changing around here. Me and my little group are trying to get back to the status we lost during the Dark Ages. We were meant to be the top of the food chain around here and that means every now and then, we have to chew up and spit out someone who doesn't belong. That means you here. My advice? Change the outfits, get some surgery for that scar and know who's in charge here or----"

That was as far as she got before Buffy grabbed her by the shirt and slammed her against the locker door. Lysette gasped in surprise and pain as Buffy actually pulled her a few inches over the floor. She leaned in, letting Lysette see the anger in her features. "Listen and listen closely, bitch," Buffy hissed. "I have got more on my damn plate than you could ever guess at so this attitude of yours is making me mad. That after all you've been through, you're going right back to acting like a stuck-up bitch looking down on others is making me peeved. The fact that looking at you reminds me of what I used to be makes me almost nauseous. So do me and you a favor and stay out of my way or I'll kick your ass out of here." She let go, Lysette dropping to her feet and rubbing at her throat, then glaring at Buffy.

"Oh, that does it, bitch," she hissed. "You are so out of here! When I tell my dad------"

"You do and I tell him what you were *really* doing last weekend," a voice suddenly cut in.

Everyone turned to see an attractive young woman with long blond hair and rather subdued clothing come forward. She was glaring at Lysette with a fire that almost matched Buffy's. "Somehow, I think you'd prefer to keep that quiet."

Lysette gaped at the girl. "Are you standing up for her? Come on, look at her-----"

"Save it," the blond said, holding up a hand. "I don't want to hear it, Torch." Her eyes narrowed. "You know, after all we've been through in the last two years, I'd think you'd want to give some new gal a nicer time than this. We've seen so many of us get killed or turned, I'd be welcoming anyone, no matter what. I don't know about all of you but I for one have gotten a little more perspective as to who sits where on the social ladder after all we've seen." She leaned in toward Lysette, her face hard. "So until you realize that and are willing to give her a break, get the hell out of here, all right?"

Lysette made like she was about to say something but the look in the other girl's eyes convinced her to keep quiet. She carefully backed away and then moved off, the other girls, all stunned by what they had seen and heard, following.

Buffy looked at the other girl and saw her give a sad sigh. "Sorry if I cost you some friends," she sadly said.

The girl shook her head. "That's all right. I'm used to losing them." She made a bitter smile.

"Sad part is, not that long ago I'd have been on their side. Things...sort of changed it for me."

"I know that," Buffy agreed with a nod. She paused, then stuck out her hand. "Buffy Summers. "The girl took it and shook back. "Harmony Kendall. Welcome to Sunnydale."

"Not sure about that yet," Buffy remarked. "Seems I was supposed to move here two years ago."

Harmony frowned. "What happened?"

For some odd reason, Buffy found herself connecting fast with this girl and so, with a shrug, matter of factly told her. "It's a Slayer thing."

Harmony's eyes went wide. "YOU'RE the Slayer? The one who killed the Master?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "That's me," she sighed. "I was hoping it wouldn't get out too much. It's hard enough to do this job without a fan club around me."

"Oh, not everyone knows," Harmony said with a wave. "Hell, there are actually people in this town who don't believe there were ever vampires here. Even those who know the truth don't know all the details." She shrugged. "I...sort of keep an ear out for that stuff. I prefer being on top of things."

"Smart attitude," Buffy remarked. "Trust me, though, the job is not all it's cracked up to be."

"Oh, come on," Harmony pressed with a smile. "What I wouldn't give to have your job."

Buffy looked at her sadly. "I gave up my mother."

Harmony's face fell. "Oh. Sorry."

Buffy made a smile. "It's okay. It was a while ago and I...sort of got over a lot of the pain at Christmas." She smiled at Harmony. "Listen, I've gotta get to class but...I'm hoping I can see you again sometime."

"No prob," Harmony said with a nod as she turned to a row of lockers on the opposite end of the hall. "I've gotta grab something before my class but...maybe at lunch?"

"It's a date," Buffy said. She swiftly added. "As in just to talk and eat, nothing more than that." She sighed at Harmony's stare. "Sorry. I've been hanging around some...randy people for a while."

"Spare the details for later," Harmony said. "See you in the quad." Buffy gave a nod and quickly walked down the hall. Harmony went back to spinning the combination lock on her locker, then tugging at the handle. It rattled but stayed shut, the lock stuck somehow. Harmony sighed and pulled again and with a tearing sound, the entire locker door came loose in her hand.

Harmony looked at it with the air of someone who had just endured yet another annoying factor in her life. "Dammit, not again!" she groaned, pushing the door back onto the locker. "I've gotta check what Mom's putting in those diet drinks," she muttered as she tried to put the locker door back in order.

*****

Our Lady of Peace Church
1032 Hours PST

Despite the early hour, the church was still rather dim inside, sunlight floating through the stained glass windows yet not doing much to illuminate the surroundings. The lights above were dimmed as well, making the church a tad less cheery than it should have been. Ulric hardly noticed. It was a church, after all, a place of worship and that was what mattered to him.

He completed his prayer and crossed himself, slowly rising from his pew and bowing his head toward the altar. He turned and carefully walked down the aisle toward the section to the side of the church. Katya was there, lighting a trio of candles, the light illuminating her face with a gentle touch. She blew out the stick she had used and gazed down at the candles. "Thank you for coming with me, Father," she said.

"It's no problem," the priest told her. "I must admit some surprise, however. With all you've done in your life, I thought a church would be the last place you would be at."

"If you think about it, Father, with all I've done in my life, a church would be the first place I would be at." As Ulric nodded in agreement, Katya gazed down at the candles. "I've got a lot of sins, Father. More than even you can imagine."

"I know," Ulric softly said. "And you show remorse for them. That's what makes you worthy of redemption in His eyes."

Katya was silent for a moment. "Do you believe in God, Father?" she quietly asked.

"It's something of a requirement for me," Ulric carefully answered. "Don't you?"

"I suppose I do," Katya said. "If only so that after I die, there will be someone around to explain to me just what the point of my existence has been."

"Sometimes it's not God who determines that, Katya," Ulric gently said. "Sometimes, one has to determine it for themselves."

Katya was silent as she looked down at the candles. "I never gave Heaven much thought before," she said. "After all, when one is going to live forever, the afterlife is really a second thought. I never really gave much stock to God and forgiveness and such before. Now..." She took a deep breath. "Now, I hope he can turn a blind eye to my past and allow me into Heaven."

"Why?" Ulric asked. "Aside from the obvious, of course."

Katya looked at him and the light of the candles illuminated the thin veil of tears in her eyes.

"Because I miss my girls, Father," she whispered. "And I hope eliminating these demons will mark me up for good points."

Ulric made a smile. "God doesn't run things on a scoreboard, Katya." He shrugged. "But, I'll try to put in a good word for you."

Katya smiled back, then suddenly stiffened, her head whipping about. Ulric recognized that look. "Is there going to be trouble?" he asked.

Katya shook her head. "We're on Holy Ground so there won't be a fight," she stated. "But there might still be trouble..."

"I hope not," a strong female voice echoed through the church. "Trouble is what I'm hoping to prevent." Katya and Ulric both gazed down the aisle as a figure approached them. She was a strong-looking woman with long and dark curly hair, wearing a pair of slacks and a dark jacket over her shirt with a long coat billowing around her. She smiled at Katya, whose face dizzolved into utter surprise. "I thought I'd find you here," the woman said. "You always had to stop by a church any time you came to a new town. I already checked out two and I just knew I'd run into you sometime soon."

Katya blinked her eyes as she realized who it was she was seeing. "Ceirdwyn?" she whispered. "Is...is that you?"

"Hello, Katya," the Scottish Immortal said. "It's been a while."

"I can't believe it!" Katya said, her face breaking into a wide smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I live here," Ceirdwyn easily stated. "I...came to talk to you, actually. About what you're doing here?"

Katya had been about to move to embrace her old teacher but something in her voice stopped her. "I'm...looking for justice," she carefully said.

Ceirdwyn looked her right in the eye. "You won't get it by killing Angel, Xander and Willow."

Katya was thrown. "How do you------" She stopped as she took in the expression on Ceirdwyn's face and a wave of anger and betrayal washed over her. "Ceirdwyn..." she choked out. "Please tell me you're not working with them."

Ceirdwyn sighed. "They're not the same, Katya. They have souls."

"And that's supposed to make it better?" Katya exploded with rage, not believing her teacher and oldest friend was allied with vampires. "Does that change what they've done? It can't, Ceirdwyn. It can't change them and it can't change what happened to Elena and so many others..."

"Elena?" Ceirdwyn frowned. "What happened to her?"

Katya looked down at her feet and took a breath. "She...Armondo and...Mia...were killed by vampires. A little over three years ago."

It was Ceirdwyn's turn to be shocked. "Oh my God, Katya, I'm so sorry----"

"Don't give me sorry, Ceirdwyn," Katya bit out. "Just get out of my way."

"I can't do that," the Scot said. She set her face into a serious mode as she spoke. "I'm giving you a chance and you need to pass this along to your group. Stop whatever you had planned in this town or I'll arrest you."

Katya held up a hand in confusion. "Arrest me?"

"I'm a cop," Ceirdwyn stated.

Katya stared at her before forcing out a bitter laugh. "A cop." She shook her head. "Wow. You really do want to hurt me, don't you?"

"Katya..."

"You know how I feel about law enforcement, Ceirdwyn," the redhead stated. "And just how do your superiors feel about you allying yourself with mass murderers?"

Ceirdwyn felt a pain in her heart as she realized for the first time just how badly things had gone for her favorite student. "I never thought I taught you to be so cold," she softly said.

"Then you never paid attention to your own lessons," Katya bit out.

Ulric felt he needed to speak and stepped forward. "Madam," he said, getting Ceirdwyn's attention. "As one who has suffered as much as Katya at the hands of vampires, I can assure you that we serve God's will as much as ourselves."

"Is that right?" Ceirdwyn said with a raised eyebrow. "Well, then, let me put this in terms you can understand." She fixed a hard gaze on Katya. "You so much as scratch Angel, Xander or Willow and I'll take your head."

Katya's eyes bulged. "How can you possibly defend them?!"

"The basic reason is that they, at least, Xander and Willow, *chose* to come back and inhabit their bodies."

Ulric let out a disbelieving laugh. "What?! What kind of nonsense is that?"

"I'm not totally sure myself," Ceirdwyn admitted. "But from what I was told, Joan of Arc herself told the kids, that is the kids whose souls now reside in vampiric bodies, that they were needed here, to fight the good fight. Joan herself brought their souls back to this world and helped restore them."

Ulric simply stared in utter disbelief as Katya tried to get words out. "That's right, Katya," Ceirdwyn went on. "Willow and Xander, the children you want to *kill* gave up a place in Heaven to come back and help defend the innocent, *knowing* what they were giving up and *knowing* how'd they'd be treated. But their desire to help others was so strong that they gave up the chance to be with their loved ones in the great beyond." She sniffed. "And I'm especially surprised you'd want to kill Willow of all people. She might be a vampire, but she's still Jewish. I'd think you would never try to do anything that emulated Hitler."

Katya set her teeth and resisted the urge to pull out her sword. Beside her, Ulric was gathering himself up to speak. "Madam, I cannot begin to number how many things I find wrong with that statement of yours but one in particular stands out." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Do not call these monsters children. Children are innocent and do no wrong. They do not commit acts of depravity."

Ceirdwyn stared at him and actually chuckled. "And I thought Holtz was the one who had been brought through a time-warp..." she muttered under her breath.

Ulric bit his lip. "You work with vampires and you're a police officer. Interesting how you claim to serve the public good while working with mockeries of God."

Ceirdwyn's eyes narrowed in anger. "I don't need you telling me about what God approves of, Father. He was the one who allowed their souls to return in the first place. He allowed them to leave Heaven and enter the bodies of demons, which is a living Hell. Exactly, how does that fit in your belief in a just and loving God?"

Katya managed a smile. "I see you can still put people down as well as ever."

Ceirdwyn shrugged. "What can I say? Freedom of choice is big with my people. You know that."

"Child, the Roman Catholic------" Ulric broke off as Ceirdwyn's eyes flamed with anger at him.

"Oh, no," Katya whispered. "You said it!"

"What?" a confused Ulric frowned. "Catholic?"

"Roman," Ceirdwyn hissed, hatred in her voice. "I am a Celt, Father. I was fighting Romans in 60 AD. To put it simply, I was fighting for the independence to make one's own choices *before* it became Scotland's favorite pastime."

There was silence again as Ceirdwyn sighed deeply. "What are you doing here, Katya?"

"I want justice," the redhead hissed.

"No," Ceirdwyn said, shaking her head. "You want vengeance. Admit it."

"Maybe I do," Katya barked out. "Why not? I'm entitled to it. They have to pay for what they've done."

"They are paying, Katya," the elder Immortal stated. "Believe me, they are. You couldn't possibly hurt them more than having them live with the memories of what they were like."

"That's not good enough," Katya hissed. "They have to die."

Ceirdwyn brought up her chin. "I'm standing with them, Katya," she said in a strong voice. "You want them, you'll have to fight me." Her eyes narrowed. "Can you do that? Put aside the fact I'm centuries older than you are...Can you fight me, kill me, to kill them? You want my head, Katya? Because I swear before God, as much as I care for you, that is the only way you'll be able to get at them. To kill me. Are you capable of that."

There was a long pause before Katya replied. "You know the answer as well as I do," she choked out. "It's what you taught me." She brought her own chin up. "There can be only one."

She marched forward, brushing past Ceirdwyn and walking down the aisle. Ulric followed her, giving the Scottish woman a dark look. Before they reached the end, Ceirdwyn called out.

"Katya?"

The redhead turned to face her. "Those two Buffy reported you with..." Ceirdwyn said. Jarod and Parker, I think their names were?"

"Yes?" Katya tightly said.

Ceirdwyn blew her breath between her teeth. "Buffy said that she...felt something off about them. She's young but as she is the Slayer, her senses are a tad more attuned so..." She looked up at Katya. "Are they?"

Katya nodded. "Yes."

"Do they know------"

"No."

Ceirdwyn nodded. "So, if it happens...you'll just teach them how to kill regardless of the consequences?"

"I'll teach them what you taught me, Ceirdwyn," Katya evenly replied. "I'm hoping that, unlike you, my convictions will still be the same 600 years from now and I don't end up betraying them." With that, she turned on her heel and marched away, a slightly confused Ulric behind her.

Ceirdwyn watched them go and bowed her head, trying to fight off the tears in her eyes.

*****

Sunnydale Police Station
1113 Hours PST

"Lochley, LAPD," the blonde-haired woman said as she flashed an ID badge at the desk clerk. "We need to check out some records."

The desk clerk gave her ID a quick once-over and nodded. "Okay. Record room is down the hall, just sign the log and check out what you need."

Kate nodded as she took back her wallet and followed where his hand was pointing, Justine behind her. As soon as they were out of earshot, Justine moved in to whisper in Kate's ear. "Is it supposed to be that easy to get in here?"

"No," Kate said with disapproval. "Jeez, no wonder vamps get away with murder in this town. These guys are idiots."

Justine glanced at her. "Why'd you take off the wig? I sort of thought red hair looked good on you."

"Had to look like my old ID," Kate explained. "Which I still can't believe they fell for so easily. You'd think they'd at least check the LA database."

"Well, come on, let's get this info fast," Justine muttered. "I want to kick that female vamp's ass bad. Nothing makes a point better than a punch to the face."

"One thing does," Kate said.

"What?"

Kate smiled. "A kiss to the face." Justine returned the smile as they made their way to the record room.

*****

"My God," Justine whispered as she flipped through the records before her. "I've seen Third World countries with lower mortality rates than this. I've been in a couple."

"I know," Kate sighed as she clicked on the files on the computer before her. She stopped and straightened as she saw a photo pop onto the screen. "Okay, I think we've got a familiar face."

Justine glanced up to see what looked like an official file on Willow Rosenberg. "That's her." She watched as Kate got ready to copy the file. "So...um...I wanted to ask you something."

"About?" Kate distractedly said.

"Last night."

Kate paused and turned to look at Justine. The redhead sighed deeply as she gathered her thoughts. "It was...good..." she softly said. "It was really good. In fact, it was the best I've felt since..." She licked her lips and swallowed before continuing. "The thing is...I need to know if this was just a one-time thing or..." She looked to Kate. "Or if it could be more."

Kate was silent for a moment, trying to process her own thoughts. "It's new for me too," she admitted. "I'm not sure where this is going yet." She sighed. "Let's face it, Justine, we do not exactly have the safest occupations and I'd hate to have one more loss added to the list." She brushed back at her hair as she continued. "I guess that's one reason I've felt more out of place than usual with the group. I've lost friends before, and not to vampires. Just random shootings and shit. It never gets easier."

"I know that," Justine said. She rolled her eyes. "God, don't mention that to Justine, she'll go off another 'you don't know pain' tangent." She looked over to Kate with emotion in her eyes.

"Listen, Kate. I don't know where this is going to go either. I don't know if we could last or not. And like I said, it's not exactly a safe life or sure future for either of us." She licked her lips before speaking. "But I would like to at least try to find out. At least give us both a shot at making...something work and see where it takes us. Are...are you willing to try?"

Kate silently processed the question before nodding. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I'd like that." She shook her head and turned back to the screen. "Okay, we'd better get focused on this for now. Later on, we can try to expand on this little plan."

"Looking forward to it," Justine said. She sighed deeply and scratched at her arm. "God, I still wish I had a cigarette."

"They cut down on your life expectancy," Kate pointed out.

Justine shrugged. "Hell, I don't expect my life to be that long, so what's the point?"

Kate gave her a sly smile. "We'll work on that."

*****

The Magic Rack
1309 Hours PST

Catherine Madison had never thought being in retail would be such an invigorating experience. She especially never thought that a magic shop could be such a success, even in a town like Sunnydale. After only a few weeks, she was already turning a nice profit and was looking forward to building up her business. *Too bad my other self couldn't stumble onto this* Catherine thought. *Would have saved her some trouble*

Catherine had to admit that hearing about her counterpart in that other reality was effecting her more than she let on. The very idea of her becoming so twisted and selfish to switch bodies with Amy just to relive her teenage years horrified Catherine. The double abuse of both magic and her own daughter was something Catherine could barely contemplate, let alone think about using. It made Catherine realize just how lucky she was with her life the way it was and try to connect with her daughter a bit better.

The ringing of the bell over the door got Catherine's attention and she straightened from the counter to watch an athletic and handsome young black man enter the shop. His face was marked by an angry scowl as he glanced over at Catherine. "Hey," he said, marching forward and reaching into his pocket. "I needed to get some stuff."

He paused as he saw Catherine tense up, her fingers flexing as if going for a weapon and rolled his eyes. "Dammit, I told them it was a bad idea to send me to do this," he muttered, holding up his hands. "Listen, I've got a list of shit a buddy of mine wanted. Personally, I don't know what most of it is for, hell I can barely pronounce half of it. I'm gonna pay cash for it all so don't go calling the cops, all right?"

"Okay," Catherine said, lowering her hands and feeling more than a little ashamed at her reaction. *God, not even a month as a business owner and I'm profiling already* she thought as the man lay the list on the counter. Catherine's eyes darted down it and her eyebrows raised. "Powder of ordank, two cups of iokini herbs, raven's claws? Just what in the world does your friend want with all this?"

The man shrugged. "He's English."

"Oh." Catherine moved to the shelves behind the counter to begin taking down the items the young man wanted while he just tapped the counter impatiently. *Damn, Wesley, this crap better be worth it* Gunn thought. *I'd rather be fighting vamps than hanging around Mayberry much longer*

*****

City Hall
1323 Hours PST

"You know, maybe we ought to settle down in this town," Andrea said as she and Jarod exited the city hall, each carrying copies of various records under their arms. "Good place, nice people and have you *seen* the real estate prices?"

"Well, there's the little thing of the vampires, Andrea," Jarod pointed out. "That sort of takes the ambiance out of the town."

"True," Andrea sighed. "God, I still can't believe we're hunting vampires. And souled ones to boot."

Jarod looked at her carefully. "That bugs you, doesn't it?" he gently asked. "That we're hunting people with souls."

Andrea nodded as she walked down the steps to the sidewalk. "I admit I don't have all the facts on vampires, Jarod. But from what I can tell, putting souls inside two demons is pretty much a fate worse than death. I don't think we need to pour more misery on them."

"You might be right," Jarod admitted. "But it's a little early yet to simply run off and bail on the group. For no other reason than we can try to curb the blood lust from getting out of control."

Andrea nodded grimly. "Let's face it, Jarod, we're not like them," she pointed out. "We haven't lost anyone to vampires, hell we didn't even know they existed until a month ago. The rest of this group is out for blood and I'm worried about them stepping over the line."

"With a couple of them, I might agree with you," Jarod said. "But not all of them are like that, Andrea. I think that for the most part, they can control themselves------"

"Get back here, you little shit machine!" Jarod and Andrea looked over to see Lilah chasing after a couple who were swiftly pushing the stroller containing their baby as far away from the lawyer as possible. Lilah was holding one hand in the other, throwing a leg out in a bad kick that was miles away from the departing duo.

"Do you just plan to make these ironic comments?" Andrea asked.

"That's why irony exists," Jarod shrugged as they came up to Lilah. "Just how many times were you found in contempt, Lilah?"

"W&H never does that," Lilah sniffed as she sucked on one hand. "I was trying to be nice, saw the kid drop his pacifier, picked it up to hand it back, next thing I know, the little bastard bit me!" She suckled on her finger again and looked at the small bite mark. "God, I hope I don't need a tetanus shot," she muttered.

Andrea rolled her eyes as she and Jarod fell in with Lilah. "Come on, Li. He's just one little kid. What could be the worst that can happen?"

*****

"Not a nice lady."

"True. Too big a screamer."

"We're leaving?"

"Tonight. Seeing Daniel was good but "

"We have to get home."

"Yep."

"The lady. You think?"

"Maybe. She could get lucky and avoid it."

"Hmmm."

The mother leaned down to brush at the baby's hair. "Naughty Jody."

*****

As Andrea, Jarod and Lilah walked off, none of them saw the man sitting on a bench across the street. On the face of it, he appeared to be a businessman, dressed in a dark suit, perusing a paper. The instant the trio were out of sight, he whipped out a cell phone and swiftly dialed in a number. "It's Mason in Sunnydale," he said as soon as the other end picked up. "Parker and Russell are here. Yes, I'm sure. I just saw them myself." He listened to the other end of the line. "What other recommendation is there? Tell Lyle to call L.A. and get a sweeper team here ASAP. It's time we take care of them once and for all." He ended the call and sat back as he waited for the troops to arrive from the Center.

*****

Home of Rupert Giles
1723 Hours PST

Rupert Giles was used to having his home resemble a war room. Of course, that was all humans trying to figure out how to fight vampires. Now, he was helping vampires in a strategy to fight humans. *Strange old world, Ripper, strange world* the Watcher thought as he entered the main room and glanced at the occupants.

Buffy was pacing about impatiently, glancing at the couch's occupants. Willow and Amy were sitting side by side, Willow's fingers clicking over the keys to the laptop before her. Giles had noticed the two were still wearing the same clothes from the day before but decided not to press the issue. Jenny was in the kitchen, making some coffee and tea. Oz and Larry were sitting on a side sofa, waiting for Willow to come up with some information. Giles frowned. "Where are Xander and Angel?"

"They'll be down in a minute," Amy explained. "They're fixing each other's hair."

Giles stared at her, blinking a couple of times in confusion. "Vampires?" Amy gently reminded him. "No reflection?"

"Oh, yes, yes," Giles quickly nodded. "Sorry but grooming habits of vampires weren't covered in Watcher training."

"Too bad," Willow said. "Believe me, that's a chore in and of itself."

"Especially the way Angel does it," Xander stated as he and the other vampire entered the room. "For a guy who spent a century moaning over his sins, you still care about the hair, Angel."

"We all have our quirks," the elder vampire shrugged as he walked over to where Buffy stood. It was at this point that Arthur and Ceirdwyn entered from the training area, Arthur dressed in a nice suit, his hair and beard immaculate as usual. He glanced over at Willow and frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking up some information on these guys in the computer," Willow said.

"Ah, computers," Arthur said with a smile. "Fascinating machines. Merlin really outdid himself there."

Jenny came out of the kitchen, holding a tray in her hands filled with cups of coffee and tea, frowning at Arthur. "Arthur, these are computers. Merlin didn't have anything to do with them."

"Yes, he did," Arthur pressed on. "They bear his mark. IBM. Invented By Merlin."

There was a long silence as everyone stared at him. "I don't know what's scarier," Jenny muttered. "The fact that you believe that or the off-chance you might actually be right."

"I'm still not sure about them," Giles remarked as he wiped off his glasses. "I admit they have benefits but I still don't believe Willow can find out any information quickly-----"

"I found the info we need!"

"Did you plan that?" Arthur asked Giles.

"I wish."

"Oh, let's not start *that* again!" Larry moaned.

"It wasn't that hard," Willow said. "Holtz did give us their names after all so all I had to do was access some databases, DMV, LAPD, Watcher records "

"Ah, smart girls are always the best catches," Xander remarked with a smile.

Willow looked up at him with a sad smile of her own. "You couldn't have figured that out in the second grade?" She leaned up to catch a long kiss from Xander.

Buffy rolled her eyes as she turned to face Larry. "Should I turn the hose on them?"

"Best not to," Larry said. "They might like it."

Buffy peered at him. "You worry me sometimes, Larry."

"Why?"

"Because you're starting to sound like Xander."

Willow clicked on a few keys to bring up a screen. "Okay. Kate Lochley. LAPD for eight years, dad was a cop, grandfather was a cop, the usual. Mother died when she was in college, she switched herself over to criminology almost immediately after, joined the academy, did pretty well. Her dad died a few months ago from 'extreme trauma involving blood loss.'"

"Vamps," Xander stated.

Willow nodded as she continued to read. "She was suspended about a month ago after an incident involving her ramming a police car filled with gasoline into a gas station, set off a major explosion." She flickered over the keys and another face came up. "Justine Cooper. Eight years in the Marines, saw some action in Iraq and Bosnia. Court-martialed for striking a superior officer but managed to get an honorable discharge so it sounds like there may have been extenuating circumstances. Her twin sister, Julia, died last year--looks like a vamp attack."

"There's her motivation," Buffy muttered. "How's about the others?"

Willow frowned. "Well, I've come up with nothing but blanks for those Jarod and Andrea people, both of them have data trails that lead to nowhere. For Andrea, it's like she doesn't even have a driver's license." She shook her head. "Someone went to some trouble to hide their pasts."

"I know the feeling," Ceiderwyn said. "Anything you find on Katya will be fake. It's been a few years since I saw her but I can tell you she was the best student I had, almost as good as me at some points. And one doesn't live 600 years in the Game without being able to fight so she definitely has skills." She took a deep breath and blew it out as she frowned. "And now she has a desire for vengeance driving her on. That makes her even more dangerous."

"Speaking of which," Willow said as she came across another file. "This woman, Lilah Morgan? For the last seven years, she's worked for Wolfram & Hart."

"Oh, shit," Xander muttered. "Just what we needed."

"Why?" Jenny frowned. "Who are Wolfram & Hart?"

"The 'L.A. Law' of the demon set," Xander remarked. "If she used to work there, she's nasty as they come."

"Not like we don't know about that," Larry observed.

Buffy nodded toward the computer. "Got anything on that black guy who was with them?"

Willow nodded. "Yeah, he's got a record. His name is Gunn."

Buffy blinked. "Gun?"

"Yeah," Xander said with enthusiasm. "You know, he needs a real tight name for hanging with his homies, something to let everyone know how bad he is on the streets, give him his rep!"

"Xander?" Willow broke in. "That's his name. Charles Gunn. Two n's."

"I'll be shutting up now," Xander said with far more humility.

"First time for everything," Oz observed. He saw everyone staring at him and shrugged.

"What are you looking at?'

Larry raised his eyebrows. "Two consecutive four-word sentences! I think that's a record!"

Xander chuckled as he looked to Larry. "Hey, that Gunn guy had some good punches. He might give you a good ride, Larry."

"Punching a vamp, gotta respect that," the football player said.

"Is this all men respect?" Jenny asked. "Someone who can beat them up?"

"No, but it's high on the list," Larry informed her.

"What's at the top of the list?"

"Give Giles some time! He'll show you!"

"WILLOW!"

"Please, someone, get us back on topic!" Buffy begged.

"As for Wesley, not a whole lot about him since leaving the Watchers," Amy observed.

"Giles, what can you tell us about him?"

"Not much else," Giles said. "Aside from the fact that his magical abilities are evidently a lot greater than he ever let on."

"Ah, the Watchers, still the useless fount," Buffy sardonically observed.

"Thank you for that charming assessment," Giles said. "Any suggestions for course of action?"

"They're going to come after us anyway," Buffy said. "I say we try and meet them head on."

"That's a bit of a problem considering we don't know their full capabilities," Giles pointed out. "We should try to keep things to a relatively normal pace."

"Hold on," Larry interjected. "You think we should just go out and do things normally despite the fact we've got a bunch of guys out there trying to kill us?"

"You think that's a bad idea," Giles stated more than asked.

"No, fixing 'Star Wars' so Han shoots Greedo first instead of the original and better way around was a bad idea. This is just stupid."

"Maybe Xander and I could try and seduce a couple of them," Willow piped in.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Willow, one of them's a priest."

"Oh, I had a priest once."

Buffy looked at her. "Get out of here."

"No, no, she did," Xander said. "Got him right in a church while I was having some fun with some young nuns."

"Get out of here," Buffy repeated.

"No, we did," Willow emphasized. "Believe us."

"Yeah, I believe you--get out of here!" Buffy yelled.

Oz coughed to cut through the tension. "Um, if we do run into these guys, how do we recognize them?" he asked.

"He's got a point," Larry said. "There are still a couple Willow couldn't find and we didn't see those guys ourselves."

"Oh, I've got it," Angel said, reaching into his coat and puling out several sheets of paper. "I sketched these last night," he explained as he passed them around. "I was only working from memory so I may have missed a detail or two."

Xander's eyes widened as he saw the near-perfect rendition of Kate in his hands. "Not that I can see," he said, unable to hide his admiration.

Buffy stared at the drawing of Katya and her eyes widened. "You---- you drew these yourself?"

"Sketched it actually," Angel said with a shrug.

"My word, Angel," an impressed Giles said. "These are remarkable. You truly have an artist's talent."

"Ah, just something I picked up," he said with a wave. "Darla had me practicing on her all the time as a prelude to getting her own painting."

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "So in between murdering and pillaging she actually took the time to get her portrait done? Lord, how vain."

"Darla always did have a big ego," Willow sniffed. "Thought she was Satan's gift to the male vampire population."

"Well, I would have to go along with her there "

"Xander!"

"But I was thinking of you all the time!"

"Nice save."

Buffy rubbed at her head. "Can't believe I know these people," she muttered as she began walking toward the training area. "I need a workout to get the tension out of me. Amy, Will, Xand, you want to join?"

Willow brightened. "Thought you'd never ask!"

Buffy closed her eyes. "I walked right into that one," she observed as she marched away, Amy, Willow and Xander quickly following. Ceirdwyn chuckled for a moment, before sobering and walking toward a corner of the room. Arthur frowned as he walked up behind her. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Ceiderwyn shook her head. "Seeing her today, seeing all that pain and rage within her all coming out at me. It hurt me, Arthur. It hurt to see her turn out that way. It makes me wonder just where I went wrong."

"I don't believe you can blame yourself for her," Arthur gently said. "You did what you could, Ceiderwyn. That was all you could ever do for her. You gave her a start to her life, the training she'd need to survive. That counts for something."

"Perhaps," Ceiderwyn admitted. "But it still hurts."

Arthur smiled. "Ceirdwyn, believe me. I have had some....experience with people betraying your, trust and battling those you once cared for." He sobered as he looked her over. "But you've never struck me as someone who's likely to give up. Or a woman who could kill someone she cared for like that. Instead, I think you should show some strength, Ceirdwyn. Try to get through to Katya, let her know how wrong she is." He placed a hand on the Scot's shoulder to give her support. "I think you have that strength. I'm certain you can succeed."

Ceirdwyn smiled at him. "Wow. It's at times like this, I realize why you were the one to pull the sword out of that stone in the first place."

Arthur smiled. "Well, with you, I don't have to worry about a crazed witch trying to bed me."

"What about Willow?"

"Please don't make me as insane as these Americans," Arthur moaned.

"No problem," the Immortal said. She smiled. "You sure you're not abusing your station trying to help me?"

Arthur's lips thinned. "Ceirdwyn, may I remind you that whatever else you may think of me, I am a perfect gentleman."

"Really?" Ceirdwyn reached out and let a finger caress Arthur's beard. "Well, I knew you had to have a flaw in you somewhere." She walked away with a light smile to her face as Arthur simply stared after her and shook his head.

Giles was approaching, watching Ceirdwyn walk off and then smiling over at Arthur. "It would appear some sparks are flying," he observed.

Arthur sighed deeply. "Giles, before you say anything about her and myself, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that my romantic history includes my bedding my own half-sister and having my true love betray me with my best friend. That hardly forebodes anything good for the two of us."

"Third time's the charm, your Majesty."

Arthur shook his head. "It's the water. It has to be something in the water..."

"That isn't saying much, your Highness," Giles pointed out.

"Why not?"

"We're only a few miles away from a 5000 mile wide ocean."

"True."

Giles shrugged. "One cannot be held back by the past, your Highness. I believe we know a few people who can attest to that." He and Arthur both looked toward Angel, who was standing near Jenny.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"As I can be," Angel shrugged.

Jenny wasn't sure what to say to the man she had been sent to spy upon. "So...he wants to kill you because of what you've done to his family."

"Yeah," Angel sardonically replied. "I'm sure you can relate."

Jenny stepped back, her face marked with anger. "That's unfair, Angel."

Angel looked at her and his frown deepened. "You're right. It is. I'm sorry." He looked away as old memories washed over him. "It's just...I thought I'd put aside what he did."

"Holtz?"

"Angelus." As Jenny fell silent, Angel continued. "I didn't make total peace with it but I think I was getting there. Hell, I spent two years being put through the same thing I did to so many people, if that's not penance, what is." He shook his head. "Then, I get thrown into a reality where the curse got broken and I went on another killing spree that nearly destroyed the world." He looked at Jenny, showing pain in his eyes. "When I saw that other world...When I saw how afraid they were of...me...It brought back all that pain." He looked away. "And then Holtz comes into my life and brings in even more of my past pain." He rubbed at his face. "I swear, Jenny, there are days when I truly wish, with all my heart, that your clan had just staked me all those years ago and been done with it."

Jenny was quiet for a long moment. "When I came here," she finally said. "When I saw you working with Buffy and the others, I was thrown. I was sent to make sure you kept suffering, not to see you try to make peace with yourself. That's why the clan cursed you, to ensure you suffer for what the demon did."

Angel snorted. "And left that lovely loophole."

"Yeah, I never understood that myself," Jenny admitted. "God knows what they were thinking when they put that in." She shook her head to get back on track. "But the more I saw you, the more I got to know you...I realized something my clan didn't, that they couldn't. I know nowm that you and Angelus are two different beings. You can't be held responsible for what he did."

"Apparently, Holtz thinks differently," Angel pointed out. He rolled his eyes. "God, I just know Angelus is laughing at me right now."

Jenny brushed at her hair as she got ready to speak her next piece. "Angel...What my clan did to you..."

"I deserved it," Angel said, bowing his head.

"No," Jenny pressed, placing a hand on his shoulder and forcing him to look at her. "You didn't. Angelus did but you...I don't care what kind of a man you were as a human, you did not deserve to be cursed with a soul and be hit with the memories of everything that monster did." She took a deep breath. "My clan has only ever considered the demon. Punishing him, torturing him, making sure he suffered. We never once, not once...thought about the man. And for that, I am sorry."

Angel looked at her and smiled. "Thanks, Jenny," he whispered. "That means a lot, really."

Jenny smiled back, feeling a slightly sadistic touch within her. *I'd love to see the look on Uncle's face if he could see me now* She moved back toward the kitchen, hoping to find something a bit stronger to drink. It took her a moment to realize that Giles had followed her in. She gave him a small smile and nodded out to where Angel was. "He's really taking this hard."

"I'm hoping you helped."

Jenny laughed. "If someone had told me this before, I would have laughed."

"What?" Giles asked.

"That I would be trying to help the vampire who hurt my clan and you the vampires that tormented you for two years."

"Life is full of strange twists, Jenny," Giles pointed out. "We should know that by now."

"Any weirder and Angel will have a child," Jenny remarked.

"Well, let's not be ridiculous..."Giles paused before giving Jenny a sympathetic look. "Are you all right? With what happened the other week that is."

Jenny sighed and brushed back her hair. "Getting there, I guess. It's funny. I've considered myself Jenny Calendar for so long but losing my heritage still hurts. It's not easy to let go of your past."

"Even when you want to," Giles sighed. "I once did something in my own youth I wasn't proud of and it led to quite a bit of trouble. I carry the reminder of that with me, in more ways than one." He rubbed at his chin. "It can be hard dealing with such guilt."

Jenny studied him. "Just what did you do, Giles? What happened that you regret so badly?"

"It wasn't just me," Giles told her. "Ethan was involved and he goes through much the same guilt. We did some things that...well, let's just say the last one forced us both to reconsider our plans for the future. Nothing like a near-death experience to change your attitude to life."

Jenny appraised him. "Wow. You really do have a hidden past, huh?"

"Takes one to know one my dear," Giles smirked.

*****

Holtz's Mansion
1810 Hours PST

Holtz tapped his fingers on the table as he looked over the papers before him. "Where are the others?"

"Katya's been locked in her room since she got back," Ulric stated. The priest was sitting at the table across from Holtz, his fingers laced before him. "The others should be here soon." He carefully gazed at Holtz. "I'm curious, Daniel. Have you given any thought to what you're going to do after?"

"Sometimes, I wonder if there'll ever be an 'after,'" Holtz remarked.

"There's always an after, Daniel. It's just never where we expect it to be."

Holtz looked up at him. "And just what will my 'after' be, Father?"

Ulric gently smiled. "Hopefully, something that will allow you to be happy." He was silent for a moment before speaking. "About Katya…About what she said…"

"You heard," Holtz said darkly.

Ulric nodded. "I did."

Holtz looked back at the papers. "Here to tell me to forgive her, to avoid any tension amongst the ranks?"

"Beyond the fact that avoiding tension is fairly impossible amongst our ranks, I do know not to ask something of someone if he or she isn't ready for it."

Holtz frowned at him. "But she told everyone what she said? I cannot have her undermining my authority by making such statements."

Ulric held up a hand. "She didn't tell anyone but me."

"Why would she bother telling " Holtz stopped as he realized what Ulric was hinting at.

"She confessed, didn't she?"

"I couldn't comment," Ulric said, his fingers wrapping around his cross. "But she wishes to repair your friendship, yes, friendship," he said to Holtz's stare. "Before the gap becomes insurmountable. She respects you, Holtz. And you understand her in ways we never can."

Holtz was silent as Wesley entered the room, followed by Gunn. "Got the stuff," Gunn announced. "Went a bit better than I thought it would."

"Good to hear," Wesley said as he glanced over the list with its checks next to what Gunn had gotten. He was perusing it as Kate and Justine entered the room, followed quickly by Andrea and Jarod. "Lilah will be with us in a minute," Jarod said. "She's putting a bandage on her finger."

"What does it say that we stocked up on first aid materials before we got food?" Wesley asked.

"I think it says that we have a good jump on any injuries," Holtz pointed out.

Wesley frowned at him. "Holtz, I was asking a rhetorical question."

Holtz raised an eyebrow. "Asking a question without actually expecting an answer for it? You've been hanging around Americans too long, Wesley, it's killing your sense of English."

"Pray you never go to Australia then," Wesley said as the group began to go through the sheafs of paper before them.

"Studying," Justine groaned. "We've been slaying vamps to get here and now all we do is study."

"It's not that bad, Justine," Wesley said. "Of course, keep in mind, I was once a stuffy academic."

Kate stared at him. "Was?"

"What did you find out?" Holtz asked without preamble.

"This town is unbelievable," Kate said, shuffling through her papers. "I already talked with Wesley to put some pieces together. About two years ago, there was this thing..."

"The Harvest," Wesley stated. "A major vampire ceremony which raised a long-trapped vampire named the Master to the surface."

"Basically, Sunnydale becomes the vamp hangout for Southern California," Kate continued.

"All you can eat, there were times were the number of dead, missing or turned would hit the triple digits in a month."

"So how come we can wander around here without being munched on?" Gunn asked.

"From what we gathered," Justine said. "About a month ago, right before Christmas, there was a major battle. I'm talking major. No one's quite sure what happened or who was responsible. We saw some reports talking about CIA ops teams, others Marines or commandos, one patrolman swore he saw guys in armor wandering about."

"Damn," Wesley muttered. "That gives some validity to Giles' claims about the Order being involved."

Kate continued. "And one report mentions that the commander of the unit was a guy they called St. Wolf."

"Steve St. Wolf?" Lilah burst out in shock, her eyes wide. "Wait a minute, that can't be right!"

"Why not?" Gunn asked. "Who is the dude?"

"Big time demon hunter," Lilah said. "Cost Wolfram & Hart quite a few clients. But he was supposed to have been beheaded back in 1993!"

"Apparantly, he got better," Justine said with a shrug. "Whatever happened, the Master was destroyed and the vamp population in this town made a severe dip."

"I don't like this town," Gunn muttered. "Never mind the vamps and crap, the human population is throwing me. Has anyone else noticed this place ain't exactly a haven for the brothers?"

"Well, consider the high death count," Lilah pointed out.

Gunn sniffed. "How about that, finally a sure sign we're smarter than white folk."

Holtz rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe the incredibly high crime rate you have in this nation. In my day..."

"Oh, God, can we STOP with the 'in my day' shit already?" Justine exploded. "Calendar check, Holtz! Your day came and went a long time ago! We don't need to hear about this anymore!"

"Speaking as someone who was actually alive in your time, Holtz," Katya added. "I might as well point out that there was crime and decadence and corruption in England long before America was even a nation. And there was less order as well."

"And now we've got airplanes, computers and other technologies to help us out," Kate pointed out. "So there."

"Ah, yes, of course," Holtz dryly said. "You have machines that can allow you to cross oceans in hours, devices that can unleash explosions that level buildings and even a device that can wipe out a city in less than a second."

"Hey, setting off nukes is not an everyday thing!" Justine bit out.

"Creating a weapon with no intention of ever using it? Really, Justine, you were a soldier, does that sound logical to you?" Justine was silent as Holtz rolled his eyes. "So, in two hundred years, it appears the best progress humanity has made is that we can destroy ourselves in half the time it would have taken 'in my day.' Thank Heavens for progress."

"Okay, what'd I miss?" Lilah asked as she entered the room, a bandage around one finger.

"Holtz was sharing his views on nuclear arms," Jarod filled her in.

"Oh, good, I timed it perfectly," Lilah said as she took a seat at the table. "So, now what?"

"Now, we have to figure out a new battle plan," Wesley said. "Thankfully, Gunn got us some more magical supplies so we'll be ready to fight again."

"Yeah, it's a good shop," Gunn had to admit. "That Madison lady is okay."

"Madison?" Jarod asked. He quickly ruffled through some papers before him before coming to one in particular. "Catherine Madison?"

"Yeah, you know her?" Gunn asked in surprise.

"She and her daughter, Amy moved here a few weeks ago," Jarod said. "And apparently, Amy is the witch who was with Buffy."

"The one who claimed to be shacking with those two vamps?" Justine asked.

As Jarod nodded, Wesley stepped back in surprise. "Really? How odd. She struck me as a moral person."

"We are not always what we seem, Wesley," Holtz stated. "This group is the walking personification of that idea."

"No shit, Sherlock Van Winkle," Gunn jibed.

"Charles, your insults might have more impact if I had the slightest idea who you're comparing me to," Holtz chided. He sighed. "A witch with a mother working at a magic shop. Lord, it's like taking coals to Newcastle!"

Most of the people in the room stared at him in confusion. "What's Newcastle?" Lilah asked.

"What are coals?" Andrea chimed in.

Holtz rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "I am very, very old," he sighed.

"I still say I should have been getting us some more firepower," Gunn said. "We go in without the right heat and we're chilled in no time flat."

Holtz frowned. "Am I to understand that if we go in lacking the proper weaponry, we'll die?"

"And they say America and England are two countries separated by the same language," Wesley dryly observed.

"As someone who's had to learn the British, American and Australian forms of English, I take offense to that," Andrea spoke up.

Holtz arched an eyebrow. "Andrea, just how many languages can you speak?"

"Hmmm," Andrea muttered. "If I can do a quick pretend as a linguist, maybe we'll find out."

"Why do I bother..." Holtz sighed.

"I never could get close to Giles," Wesley murmured. "Probably the Welsh strain in him."

"What's with the Welsh?" Gunn asked.

Katya sniffed. "Imagine the Scottish without the sex appeal and the Irish without the laughs and you've got the basic idea."

"Is he nuts?" Lilah asked.

Wesley frowned. "Not that I'm aware of..."

"Is he loaded? With cash?"

"Not overly so..."

"Oh, then he's nuts," Lilah shrugged. "If you've got money, you're eccentric. You don't, you're just nuts."

Wesley glared at her. "Lilah, Giles is the son of Edwin Giles."

"So? Who the hell is Edwin Giles?"

"I think who the hell Edwin Giles is would be the late patriarch of the Giles family," Holtz said in a perfectly dry tone.

Lilah looked around. "Do I make a joke about stating the obvious or do any of you want it?"

Andrea and Gunn both shook their heads.

Wesley sighed. "Lilah, the Giles family is descended, at least in legend, from one of King Arthur's surviving Knights of the Round Table. Rupert's father was the Earl of Leicester. Since he died, technically, the title now belongs to Giles."

There was a silence as everyone got the point. "Wait a minute," Gunn asked. "If he's one of these noble type dudes, what the hell is he doing working in a high school library?"

"It's a Watcher thing," Wesley shrugged.

"Et tu, Wesley?" Holtz muttered, shaking his head.

"What is the problem you English guys have with us?" Kate asked.

"Old saying, Kate," Wesley told her. "If God had meant Americans and English to be close, He would never have put an ocean between them."

"Wonderful insight, Wesley," Holtz said. "Now, any further information on this group?"

"We got some more info on the other two vamps," Kate said. "Xander Harris, average student, sounds like the class goofball before he was turned. Willow Rosenberg, honor student when she was alive, great aptitude for computers, high IQ."

Gunn sniffed. "Great. Redheaded vamp's the brains of the outfit."

Kate glared at him. "You got a problem with smart girls, Gunn?"

"Hey, don't get me wrong, I like the ladies," Gunn defensively said. "But me, I like the nice, full-figured kind, the kind I can really rock with. I'll take that over the simple smart and cute bunch anytime."

"Such charm," Holtz remarked. "No wonder that one woman from Vegas was so attracted to you."

A wistful look came over Gunn's face. "Ah, yeah. Anya was something. Great ride in the sack but glad she's sticking in Vegas. I couldn't deal with her all the time."

"Entertaining as it is to watch this slide toward pig mentality," Kate announced. "Our info on this Slayer lady is interesting. Buffy Summers, lived in L.A., expelled from high school for burning down the gym. This, incidentally, was after her mother died. It's sketchy from there, mostly her in Cleveland of all places, before coming here a few weeks back, enrolling in Sunnydale High and is now under the guardianship of one Rupert Giles."

"A Watcher *and* a Slayer working with vampires," Wesley sighed. "It just doesn't make sense.."

"Life is full of things that don't make sense, Wes," Jarod pointed out. "How do bumblebees fly?"

"How come there are more people in law school than there are actual lawyers?" Lilah added.

"Why are there no purple M&M's?" Andrea chimed in.

"Why has Susan Lucci only lost the Emmy once in the last decade? I mean, honestly, give someone else a chance already!" Kate finished.

Holtz rubbed at his face. "I almost feel sorry for Giles having to live among these people."

"You didn't kill the Limey?" Gunn asked.

"We ran into opposition I would not have thought we'd face," Holtz stated.

"You mean they threatened us with something even you wouldn't have put on you," Wesley clarified.

"What?" Andrea asked. "Magic?"

"Gypsy curse," Wesley answered.

Katya picked that moment to enter the room, cursing under her breath. "At least someone knows what we're dealing with," Holtz remarked.

Katya sobered up as she faced the group. "We have a problem."

"Oh, a new problem!" Andrea yelled. "Oh, for joy, I can't wait to find out what this is!"

"I take it this is an example of the famous American sarcasm," Holtz stated.

"Yes, and it's soon going to be followed by an example of the equally famous American suicide attempt," Andrea sighed.

"Go ahead, I won't stop you," Katya said. She rubbed at her face and took a breath before taking a seat at the table. "There's another Immortal with this group," she stated. "Her name is Ceirdwyn. She's a little over 2000 years old, from a Scottish tribe and she's had a lot of experience in the battlefield."

"You know of her?" Holtz asked.

Katya sighed again. "She was my teacher."

Andrea's eyes widened. "Wow, everyone's past is popping up here!"

"Let's hope ours isn't among them," Jarod stated.

"At the risk of sounding insensitive..." Lilah began.

"A risk I'm sure you're willing to take," Holtz remarked.

"Isn't that part of why you recruited me?"

"Is that sarcasm or a cross-examination?"

"With her, the emphasis would be on 'cross,'" Kate observed.

"Does this mean you're going to chop off the head of the woman who trained you?"

"Lilah..."

"It's a fair question, Katya," Wesley interrupted. He shrugged. "Tactless, but fair."

"I'm hoping it won't come to a fight," Katya said. She shrugged. "But if it does...I'll do what must be done."

"If you don't mind my asking..." Kate started.

"If I did, it would be too late now, wouldn't it?" Katya sighed.

"Why didn't you fight her then?" Kate asked.

"We don't fight on Holy Ground," Katya explained. "It's our most sacred rule."

"Now, is it really a rule or more of a guideline?" Lilah asked.

Everyone stared at her.

"Sorry, old habits," Lilah shrugged.

"So, are you Catholic or Protestant?" Andrea asked.

"Andrea, to me, it doesn't matter," Katya answered. "That's the first lesson you learn as an Immortal. Holy ground is holy ground. It doesn't even matter what God it is. Hell, I've even slept in peace in the Acropolis in Athens."

Andrea frowned and held up a hand. "Wait. Does that mean the Greek Gods are real?"

"While it makes me wonder, I don't know for sure," Katya admitted.

Andrea made an expression of mock shock. "You mean there's something you *don't* know?"

"As much as I might the fact that you're enjoying this far too much, I don't," Katya muttered.

"So how good's this teacher of yours?" Jarod asked.

"Well, the last I heard, she was working for MI-6," Katya stated.

"MI-6?" Wesley asked, his eyes wide. "Your teacher used to be MI-6?"

"It's not as impressive as it sounds," Katya answered with a dismissive wave.

Wesley's eyes widened. "Not impressive? MI-6 is a highly trained and competent British intelligence unit! The only way you could get more impressive was if you were SAS!"

Katya let a sly smile come to her lips and Wesley jaw dropped. "Wait a moment," he choked. "You couldn't-----"

"Who dares, wins," Katya stated, looking thoughtful. "Always thought it sounded good. I just needed a place to have it put down."

Holtz rubbed at his beard as he gave Katya a strong look. "Have you tried to explain to your teacher that we are willing to fight until our dying breath?"

"I don't think that will mean that much to her, Holtz," Katya matter-of-factly replied. "Her tribe felt the same way."

"And what happened to them?"

"They stopped breathing."

"Who killed them?" Jarod asked.

Katya made a show of looking in thought. "I think it was someone called...oh yes, CEASER!" Katya threw up her hands. "I just can't believe Ceirdwyn believes these vampires are worth saving."

"Could be something there," Andrea put in.

"Well, keep in mind this is also the woman who thought the Rolling Stones were going to be just a flash in the pan," Katya added.

"This does add a new wrinkle to things," Holtz had to admit. "But it makes little difference. We shall still kill these vampires. And if anyone gets in our way...we shall deal with them as well."

"Holtz, I think this situation is more complex than we believed," Wesley pointed out. "The Order, JP Withers, this St. Wolf person. We may be outnumbered."

"So were the British at the Battle of Agnicourt," Holtz pointed out. "They prevailed. So can we. So, once more unto the breach."

"Did you help him come up with that?" Justine asked.

"Good God, woman, I'm not THAT old!" Holtz exploded.

Andrea held up a hand. "Wait a minute, Holtz. You're still planning on killing the vamps no matter what?"

"Indeed, Andrea," Holtz explained.

"How does killing them make us better?" Andrea demanded.

"They are demons, Andrea," Holtz reminded her. "Soulless, merciless creatures of pure evil. We are human and have far more holiness and right to life than they do. That gives us the right to kill them."

"Two wrongs don't make a right, Holtz," Andrea pressed.

"Of course they do," Holtz replied. "Someone hits you, you hit them back. He took away my life, I'll take away his unlife. That sounds right to me."

"Wow, must be nice to always be on the moral high ground," Jarod snorted. "I'm going to have to try and move there someday."

"That's the good thing about morals, my young friend," Holtz stated. "They're not absolute."

"I think a priest might disagree with you but I get your point," Jarod muttered.

"Jarod, those who protect the demons are to be counted as on their side," Ulric announced.

"In which case, they are traitors in the eyes of God and should be dealt with."

Andrea rolled her eyes. "Whatever happened to 'let he who is without sin cast the first stone?'"

"Compared to who we face, Andrea, we are all saints," Ulric pressed.

"Now there's something I never thought I'd be called for any number of reasons," Lilah put in.

Ulric gazed to her. "My child, you were a lawyer, not a soulless demon."

Kate snorted. "There's a difference?" She saw everyone staring at her. "Oh, come on, you were dying to say it!"

"Holtz, these people really haven't done anything to try and attack us," Andrea spoke up.

"They've only defended themselves from us and haven't used very lethal measures...."

"Andrea, please don't confuse the issue with facts," Holtz briskly interrupted. "They simply get in the way of decisions."

"Hitler said much the same."

"Hitler was insane."

Andrea cocked an eyebrow at him.

Gunn shook his head, his ususal grim demeanor deepening. "Come on, Parker. These suckers deserve to get staked and you know it."

Andrea narrowed her eyes at Gunn. "You're not even going to consider giving these vampires a break?"

"Halle Berry will win an Oscar before you see me working with a vamp," the black youth replied.

"What Andrea's trying to say is that there is more to all of this than we had thought," Jarod broke in. "She just wants to make sure we have everything considered before we act rashly."

"I've always been transparent to you, Jarod," Andrea observed. "You could always see right through me."

"I hope not," Jarod said. "I'm quite happy with what I see before me."

"Oh, God, gag me," Lilah groaned.

"The line forms behind me," Kate spoke up.

"Sorry, I'm not into *that* type of stuff," Andrea said with perfect innocence, causing both Lilah and Kate to gag. She sobered as she looked over the group. "What if they're right? What if we're not doing justice by killing these vamps?"

"I don't deal with what if's, Andrea," Holtz said. "I deal with what is."

"Okay, fine," Andrea pressed. "What *is* the reason they got their souls back? Or better yet, *how* did they get their souls back?"

"Probably the same way Angelus did," Katya shrugged.

"Oh, right, like Gypsies just go around throwing curses on anyone at random."

"You'd be surprised how far 'an eye for an eye' goes, Andrea."

"Thank you, Miss Old Testament," Kate muttered.

"I'm not THAT old!" Katya barked back.

"Getting on topic," Justine stated. "Any idea how we're going to find these guys?"

"Well, if they fancy themselves vampire hunters, doesn't it make sense they'd congregate where vampires are?" Lilah asked.

"As ever, Lilah, your ability to grasp the most elementary of principles never ceases to amaze me," Holtz remarked.

Lilah was non plussed by his sarcasm. "Maybe I should have been a private investigator."

"I cannot see any of us in that kind of work," Holtz said.

"Hey!" Andrea barked out. "For your information------"

Jarod swiftly clamped a hand over her mouth and looked pleadingly at Holtz. "Please, don't get her started..."

"Has anyone any plans on how to deal with these people?" Kate asked.

"Well, I've got a couple of ideas but they all pretty much end up with me in a cell and becoming someone's bitch." She immediately turned and held up a finger to the others. "DON'T!"

Holtz rose from his seat. "Sundown is coming soon," he announced. "Everyone get ready to go, weapons check in half an hour, I'll have assignments by then." Not even considering the possibility of debate, he turned on his heel and began walking off.

"Born two centuries later and that man would have ended World War II before America even got into it," Wesley remarked as he rose from his chair, the others following suit. They began breaking off to their own rooms, except for Lilah. She paused, looking in the direction Holtz had walked to. Taking a deep breath, she began to follow him. "Ah, Holtz?" she called out.

He slowly turned to face her, Lilah feeling quite nervous at his look. "Um, you okay? You look really grim."

"I always look grim."

"True, but you're really outgrimming yourself here."

Holtz regarded her with a bemused expression. "I think that's what I like about you, Lilah,"

he stated. "You make me laugh."

Lilah frowned. "You didn't laugh, Holtz."

"Draw from that what you will."

"Listen, Holtz," Lilah carefully said. "About the wife comment..." She swallowed. "Look, I'm just not used to being up front and honest with people and tact was not something Wolfram & Hart did a lot so I tend to talk before I think and it sort of came up like that here."

Holtz stared at her for a long moment. "I suppose in some quarters, that could be construed as an apology."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

"Don't tell the others?"

"Not a word."

With a nod, Lilah turned and walked the other way, passing right by Katya, who was approaching Holtz. Katya gave Lilah a quick nod and then faced Holtz. She bit her lip before speaking. "I'm sorry," she said.

Holtz turned away. "It's not important."

"Yes, it is." Holtz turned back to face her, seeing the pain in her face. "I caused you pain with my comment, Daniel. I know I did. I hurt you and I am sorry. I know how I would have felt if someone had said something like that about Elena. I hurt you and I am very sorry for that."

Holtz was silent for a long moment as he regarded her carefully. "I've just realized," he said.

"You are the first woman in nearly two hundred years to call me by my first name. It is...an interesting sensation."

"If it got a reaction out of you, it must be," Katya smiled.

Holtz crossed his arms as he looked at her. "So...what are you going to do when you see your teacher again?"

"Fight her," Katya said with only a brief hesitation.

"Can you kill her?" Holtz asked bluntly.

Katya's face tightened. "If I have to."

"No."

Katya blinked. "What?"

Holtz looked at her with the greatest expression of sympathy Katya had ever seen on him.

"You've lost your daughter. You've lost your grand-daughter. I won't have you killing a woman who was like a second mother to you. I've heard you talk about her. Not by name but by the way she talks about you. You've lost enough for one woman, Katya. You don't need to add one more to the list."

Katya was surprised to feel a light sheen of tears come to her eyes. "Thank you," she asked softly. She nodded and walked off to the same direction Lilah was, failing to notice how the ex- lawyer was rubbing at the finger with the bite mark as it strangely itched....

*****

Part eight: In which a night of hunting, transformations and discoveries occurs...

Holtz's Mansion
Sunnydale, CA
January 18, 1999 - 1904 Hours PST

The feeling of upcoming battle was high in the small room that Holtz's group had turned into a training area and weapons depot. Katya was standing by the table, carefully polishing her sword. She was aware of the people approaching from behind but kept at her work. "Always make sure your sword is in good shape," she stated out loud. "That's one lesson I learned well." Jarod, Parker, Kate and Justine all stared at her. "So there may be a chance we'll run into your teacher tonight," Jarod stated. "What will you do if that happens?"

"What I have to," Katya said, staring down at her blade. "What she taught me to do."

"Does that mean kill her?" Kate asked.

"It might," Katya flatly replied.

Kate shook her head. "Listen, Katya, I don't like the idea of you planning to murder this woman."

"It's not murder, Kate, it's the Game," the red-haired Immortal replied as she turned around and hefted her sword. "It's the type of world I live in. I don't expect you to understand it."

"Hey, I can," Lilah stated as she walked in from the kitchen area, chewing on a sandwich.

"Moral ambiguity is a lot more prevalent than you cops would ever know."

Kate glared at her. "I don't think I need a lecture from a woman who sold her soul for a law firm."

"Hey, I never sold my soul!" Lilah shot back. "I just...prostituted it for a six-figure income."

Kate glared at her, then at Katya. "It's not right, Katya. I don't think it's worth it."

"Is anything worth it?" Justine told her secret lover. "We all die in the end." She glanced at Katya. "Well, most of us, anyway." She shrugged. "I sometimes wonder if anything we truly do matters or if life is just meaningless."

"Life isn't meaningless, Justine," Katya said. "Death is meaningless. Life is only meaningless if you make it that way. Try to avoid that and you should be okay."

"Thank you, fucking Dr. Laura," Justine snorted.

Katya sighed. "Justine, I've been alive for 600 years." Her face tightened. "And the thing that made the last forty worthwhile was taken from me. So, I hunt demons and that gives it new meaning. A man I once knew said something that's always stayed with me: Don't seek out death, it will find you eventually. Seek out life instead." She shrugged. "Good advice then, good advice now."

Justine rolled her eyes. "And what Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm idiot was lame enough to come up with *that* shit?"

Katya looked upward and made a show of remembering. "Actually, I think his name was...Washington. Yes, George Washington."

Justine stared with wide eyes, her jaw agape. "You...him..." she croaked.

Katya smiled. "The history books do him no justice at all. He *was* this country back then."

"Oh, God, don't start," Lilah groaned. "You remind me too much of this Matt guy I had a one-night stand with in Boston a few years back." She took another bite out of her sandwich, chewing and swallowing it before she became aware of the others staring at her. "What?"

Kate pointed at the sandwich, particularly at the piece of raw hamburger poking out one end. "Lilah...since when do you eat meat?"

Lilah gave another chew of her meat and for the first time seemed to taste what it was. She frowned and looked at it. "Okay, this is odd," she muttered.

"Are you okay?" Wesley said with concern from his spot at a nearby table.

"Yeah," Lilah said, even while sounding uncertain. "I just...just was very hungry."

"Damn, girl, your time of the month or something?" Gunn asked as he came up behind her.

"Shut up," Lilah muttered as she tossed the sandwich into a nearby bin and brushed her hands off. Like the others, she was dressed in dark clothing, pants and a light shirt, neither of which were to the standards she was used to. She waved at her finger, still bothered by the odd itching on it. "So, what's the agenda this evening?"

"We break into teams," Holtz announced as he entered the room. "We spread out and hopefully will cover more ground and take care of our business." He pointed toward Jarod and Andrea. "You two take the southern end, near those two smaller cemeteries."

"On our own for patrol," Jarod said, shaking his head. "I tell you, Holtz, you're going to be the death of us."

"You knew the chances of that when you signed on," Holtz pointed out.

"Hey, death is always intimidating!" Andrea remarked.

"Not to me," Katya put in. "I've died enough times to lose the fear." She paused and looked to Holtz. "You do know if they die, it'll complicate matters."

"Not everyone lives forever, Katya," Holtz told her. He looked over at Kate and Justine.

"Kate and Justine, you have the area near that club of theirs, what was it called?"

"The Bronze," Kate supplied.

Gunn snorted. "The Rust is more like it," he muttered.

Justine frowned. "We have to check out a nightclub that used to be vamp central? Goddamn, Holtz, don't you have any better places for us?"

"I get tired of having to repeat myself but once again, God's last name is not 'damn' or 'dammit!'" Ulric suddenly spoke up with annoyance.

"Sorry, Father," Justine said. "It's a Marine thing. Force of habit."

"In your case, I understand," the priest told her.

Justine seemed puzzled. "You do?"

"I served in the Navy during the Gulf War."

Justine blinked with surprise. "Oh."

Kate frowned at her lover. "Is something wrong?"

Justine shrugged at her. "Padre never struck me as a squid type."

"Do I even----" Holtz began.

"No," Wesley answered.

"Thank you." Holtz looked to the others. "The rest of you with me, we'll make our way through the park. From what I gather, that may be the best place to run into some of them."

"Are you sure this is the best strategy?" Wesley frowned. "Wouldn't it make more sense for us all to be together?"

"The main group will still have strength," Hotlz replied. "Hopefully, we will be able to get the job done tonight."

"I appreciate that," Ulric stated as he touched at his collar.

Katya glanced at him. "You appreciate Holtz?"

"He deals with God's laws," Ulric answered. "He knows what must be done to destroy evil and is willing to do it, making the sacrifices needed to ensure victory."

Andrea raised an eyebrow. "So he goes around, going through anyone to destroy vampires and his devotion and dedication to duty makes it all right?" She sniffed. "Funny, isn't that how the Crusades started?"

Ulric looked at her with a hard expression. "We are on a crusade, Andrea. One that we dare not lose or else invite disaster. I pray you understand which of us is right before it's too late."

Andrea let her gaze flow over the group. "You know, between the two Brits and the Finnish guy, we're turning into the Foreign Legion." She chuckled before realizing everyone was staring at her and rolled her eyes. "There are *some* things I haven't done!"

"Sorry," Wesley said. "But frankly, trying to keep track of your past occupations is like trying to hunt down Lady Chatterley’s virtue. No offense."

"That's okay," Andrea replied with a shrug. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Holtz sighed. "I would almost prefer the Legion to this..."

Holtz gave Katya a look. "What about your teacher?"

"If it comes down to it, I can handle it," the Immortal said flatly.

Holtz frowned. "I thought I had said you didn't have to."

"I seriously doubt I'll be able to keep to that order," Katya stated. She shook her head. "After all she's done, after all the good she's been involved with, to stand with those..things! I may have to kill her for it."

Holtz raised an eyebrow. "You don't forgive easily, do you?"

"Only at funerals," Katya answered.

Andrea studied Katya carefully. "Um, Katya, I hope I'm not being too forward...but were you and Ceirdwyn just...friends?"

Katya rolled her eyes. "We weren't lovers, Andrea."

"Good," Holtz put in. "Lovers betray you. With enemies, you know where you stand."

"Damn, and I thought I was bitter," Lilah remarked.

"Welcome to reality," Holtz said.

"I know about reality, Holtz," Katya said. "Unlike most of you, I've had to struggle to survive."

"Hey, I've struggled!" Kate yelled. "You want to know how hard it is to be a cop in a predominately male precinct? I've had to go through a ton of shit to get them to treat me as an equal."

Katya sighed. "Kate, when I was mortal, women had no rights, no rights to have rights, no education, no chance to move beyond their station. So don't talk to me about struggle."

Kate stared at her. "You really know how to knock the knees out of a good rant, don't you?"

The tiniest of smiles came to Katya's face. "When you made a mistake, you got suspended. When I made a mistake, I was burned at the stake."

"Hey, I have an idea on what to do!" Andrea piped up.

Holtz looked at her, then sighed. "Oh, why not? Let's hear it."

"Well, what if we make some calls, disguising our voices and make each of these people think that it's one of the others calling them and gather them in one place to attack!"

Everyone stared at her for a long moment, then at Jarod. "In her defense," the man stated while holding up a finger. "Andrea has never actually seen a full episode of 'I Love Lucy.'"

"What was wrong with..." a downcast Andrea began.

"It's okay, hon, we'll talk about it later," Jarod said, putting his arm around her.

"Let's hope she doesn't suggest a three-hour tour," Wesley muttered. As everyone stared at him, he let out a tired sigh. "We do have television in England, you know."

"Does this Giles guy know that?" Andrea asked with a smile.

"I think it better not to press him on it," Wesley said.

"Ooooh, yeah, let's not piss off the librarian," Kate said in a mocking tone. "We might get on his bad side and he'll mark our books late!" She chuckled before seeing the hard look on Wesley's face.

"Kate," the former Watcher said. "Rupert Giles did not earn the nickname of 'the Ripper' for being a boy scout in his youth. Underneath that scholarly exterior is a very dark side."

"And you want to stop him."

"Well, he has his, I have mine."

Kate laughed. "You? A dark side? Please!" The laugh faded away as Wesley let a very dangerous expression come over his face. He held up one hand and whispered, a crackle of energy flickering between two fingers. "Don't press me, Kate," he said in a low voice. "Please, don't."

Behind the ex-cop, Lilah smirked. Unlike the others, she had seen Wesley when his defenses were down and knew just how nasty and hard the man could be. *Careful, Lilah. Let him know he gave you the best sex you've ever had and you'll never hear the end of it.* Out loud, she said, "I can't get how you can figure out those spells, Wesley. All that Latin..."

"This is French, Lilah," Wesley said, pointing at the note. "You don't speak French?"

Lilah scoffed. "I'm an American. I don't have to know how to speak other languages."

Holtz rolled his eyes. "Good God and I thought England in my time was self-centered"

"What do you mean, in *your* time?" Justine quipped.

Wesley snorted. "Look at your attitude..."

"I'm a Marine," Justine pointed out.

"Can't top that, English," Kate said and Justine made a mental note to thank her for that later on.

"I was military once myself," Ulric reminded them.

"No offense, Father," Justine began. "But I was Marines. You were Navy reserve. Sort of hard to equate the two, you know?"

"Oh, that's quite all right," Ulric replied with an absent wave of his hand. "After all, it's not like we did anything important like, oh, say, provide the softening up for the Marines to land at Guadalcanal?"

Justine stared at him for a long moment before smiling. "I knew I liked you for a reason. I just need to figure out what that is."

"Thank you," Ulric said, bowing his head.

"But did you ever see an actual battle?" Justine pressed.

"I voluntarily went on duty for Desert Storm."

"I said battle, not a simple bitch-slapping of Saddam."

"Point."

"God, spare me the helpings from the jarhead," Lilah groaned.

Gunn shot a glare at Lilah. "Hey, Li, been meaning to ask. For someone who didn't come from money, you sure have a haughty attitude. Why are you so uppity?"

Lilah frowned. "Well, there's an old family legend that my great-grandmother was actually Russian royalty forced out by the Revolution but it's never been confirmed."

"Why don't you ask Miss Living History here?" Gunn said, nodding towards Katya.

Katya tapped a finger to her chin as she appeared to be in thought. "Great-grandmother's time....hmmmm....no, no, sorry, I was in America and Western Europe for that period."

Lilah groaned. "I swear, this keeps up, we're gonna need a shrink."

"Well-----"

"You don't count!" Lilah yelled at Andrea.

Holtz shot Andrea a look. "Andrea, can you exercise enough self-control to get through the night with some semblance of professionalism?"

Andrea made a show of looking hurt. "You wound me, Holtz."

"Not yet..."

"Be my guest," Katya remarked.

"So, we meet these guys, then what do we do?" Lilah said. "Shooting won't work that much for the vampires."

"In that case, hit them with an object not dissimilar to your level of tact," Holtz remarked.

"Huh?"

"Blunt."

Lilah shook her head. "With all we've got on our side, isn't a gun rather mundane?"

"Lilah's right," Jarod said. "Snide, but right."

"I prefer to keep it simple," Holtz said.

"Stupid," Lilah finished. She chuckled but quickly sobered under the glare Holtz gave her.

"Wes, help!"

"Twentieth century saying," Wesley explained to the other Briton. "What passes for American proverbs. They call is the KISS principle: Keep It Simple Stupid. K-I-S-S."

Holtz frowned. "They come up with proverbs based on their musical groups?"

"I still don't like this town," Gunn said.

"Why, because you're the only black person I've seen in it?" Holtz asked.

"Holtz!" Andrea yelled.

"What?" the Briton seemed confused. "It's the truth."

"Don't bother, Holtz," Katya said. "We're in the only country on Earth where people look at you cross-eyed for stating the obvious."

"And here I thought Americans had mastered the art of being blunt to an art form," Holtz dryly noted.

"How many Americans have you met to appreciate that art?" Andrea needled.

"Andrea!"

"Seriously, Jarod. How many times have you ragged me about the three weeks I spent as a curator at the Smithsonian?"

"I had to say something," Holtz muttered. "Back to the vampires, then..."

"Save that one redhead for me," Justine said. "I swear, I'm gonna flay her alive."

"Justine..." Wesley began.

"Oh, like she wouldn't do it herself!"

"Justine, don't sink to her level. Don't become her." Wesley looked away and thus missed the look Justine and Kate shared.

"Well, I still want to take her down," Justine said. "A fellow redhead and all. I don't know, blame it on my subconscious."

"I think the subconscious gets a bad rap," Ulric stated. "It receives more blame for things than God."

"I want a piece of that Ceirdwyn," Kate said.

"Why?" Katya frowned.

"She's a cop and she's working with scum like vampires," Kate sniffed. "I take that very personally."

"You aren't going to take her head, Kate," Katya warned.

"Why not?"

Katya's eyes were cold. "Would you let me kill *your* mother?" She paused before glancing down. "If anyone is to do it...it will be me."

Kate stepped back a bit. "Your family tree is way out there, Katya."

"Are we going here or what?" Lilah asked, pushing a clip into her revolver.

"Firearms a standard at Wolfram & Hart?" Wesley dryly asked.

"Please," Lilah sniffed. "I live in L.A. The ice cream truck guys have guns."

"She's got a point," Gunn admitted.

Wesley sniffed. "Of course, you agree with her."

"Hey, I prefer stakes myself," the black man said. "Hell, killed my first vamp when I was twelve."

Everyone stared at him in amazement. "Are you serious, Charles?" Holtz asked, actually sounding concerned.

"Hell, some people would think vamp hunting would ruin my childhood," Gunn said as he slid some stakes into the special holder built into his jacket. "Me, I didn't have a childhood to ruin."

Holtz, Wesley and Katya all looked at the young man with new respect, Ulric right with them. "Keep that mood in mind, Charles, we may need it if we meet some of those human allies of Angel's."

"I still can't believe you're like this, Ulric!" Jarod called out. "Isn't the Bible specific on no killing?"

"Yes, actually, it's very specific on no killing," Ulric said. "But it's a little fuzzy around the area of shooting them in the kneecaps."

Andrea rubbed her head. "Come on, Jarod, let's just get out of here already. I need to clear my head."

"Be careful," Holtz said. "And keep your cross with you at all times."

Andrea seemed mildly surprised. "Wow. I didn't think you could do caring for us even it is misplaced."

"Caution is never misplaced, Andrea," Holtz replied. "It is simply occasionally unneeded."

"Man has a line for everything," Jarod remarked.

"I'm British," Holtz said with a small hint of a smirk. "We're taught to be prepared for every contingency."

"I thought that was the Boy Scouts," Jarod said.

"Actually, it's the Green Berets," Andrea told her lover.

Justine stared at her. "You were a Green Beret?" she asked, actually sounding impressed.

Andrea smirked. "I've done time in all the armed forces."

"Makes it hell during the Army/Navy Game," Jarod quipped.

Holtz closed his eyes. "Fifty states in this Union and I had to wake up in one of confusion."

Katya sniffed. "Trust me, not being around for everything in between 1754 and 1999 has its advantages."

"We gonna talk all night or we gonna hunt?" Gunn sniped.

"We hunt," Holtz said, leading the way toward the door of the mansion.

"Hi ho de merio," Andrea softly sang.

A bit behind her, Lilah shook her head. "I can't take this woman much longer. She's so flip and irresponsible-----" She gasped as Jarod grabbed her by the arm and pulled her aside. The look on the man's face was more intense than Andrea had ever seen him.

"Lilah," he said in a low tone. "I know Andrea better than anyone and trust me, she has so much responsibility, it's not funny. You talk about pain and guilt? Trust me, Andrea's got more than you can ever hope for. I've lost count of how many times she's woken up in the middle of the night crying over some plan of hers that ended in deaths or an innocent life she couldn't save. Of the life of her own she lost and how there's so much of this world she still doesn't know about. So don't give her a hard time, Lilah. She's had more than enough of that."

He backed away, Lilah staring right at him. She finally shook her head. "God, you two deserve each other."

"Damn right," Jarod said as he marched after his companion, Lilah staring at her before following.

As they followed the rest of the group out, Kate leaned in toward Justine. "What do you think?" she whispered.

"Do a quick run, double back, go upstairs and fuck like minxes," the redhead replied.

"Got it."

*****

Home of Rupert Giles
1938 Hours PST

"Thanks for coming over," Giles sighed as he walked into the living room. "I needed a break from the teenage hormones currently filling my abode."

"I'm used to that," Jenny said as she accepted the cup of coffee Giles was handing to her. She sipped at it and sighed. "Ah, coffee. The elixir of thought."

"Carpe caffeine," Giles quipped as he sat on his chair across from her.

"Shut up," the Gypsy said as she placed her cup down and crossed her legs. "Will the others be okay on patrol?"

"I'm assuming they can handle it," Giles stated. "Larry and Oz do have a modicum of professionalism about them and unlike another couple I could mention, manage to keep their personal affairs out of the main context."

"I heard that!" Xander called out as he entered the room.

Giles sighed and looked at Jenny. "I'm sadly learning just how sharp a vampire's hearing truly is." He glanced up to Xander as the young man sat on the sofa. "Where's Willow?"

"Oh, she's up there looking at some photographs to pick out what she'll wear."

Giles looked at him, then to Jenny. "Cover me, I'm going in." He looked back at Xander.

"Dare I ask why?"

Xander raised an eyebrow at him. "Vampire, G-Man. No reflection, remember? She had photos taken of herself in her favorite outfits so she just goes through those and decides what she's in the mood to wear."

Giles stared at him before shaking his head. "It's frightening how much sense that makes..."

"Course, Willow..."

"Looks good in nothing at all, yes, it's frightening how quickly I've gotten used to you," Giles groaned.

Xander took on a wistful expression. "Ah, I sometimes miss the way Willow was once. How she'd dress up to the nines. Or the negative nines as the case may be."

Giles sighed again, rubbing his head as he tried to cope with Xander's revelations. "God, what I wouldn't give for a dash of sanity right now."

The doorbell rang and Jenny and Giles shared a surprised look. "How do you keep doing that?" Jenny muttered as she rose to her feet and walked to the door. She opened it and was surprised to see the woman on the other side. "Oh, hello, Catherine."

"Hi," Catherine Madison said as she entered. She wore a light gray dress, her dark hair pinned behind her. She entered the living room and nodded at Giles. "Mr. Giles, it's good to see you."

"Mrs. Madison," Giles said. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I thought I'd drop by and see how Amy is doing," the witch explained. "Haven't had a chance to talk to her today with all this craziness going around."

"I'll go get her," Xander said as he jumped up from his seat and headed to the door.

"Hopefully, I won't need the jaws of life to pry her and Willow apart."

"Thank you so much for that image," Catherine dryly said as he left. She sighed and sat down on a waiting chair.

Xander quickly knocked on the bedroom door and then opened it. To his somewhat surprise, Amy and Willow were both dressed, Willow having gone through some of her wardrobe to pick out a tight dark red bustier and leather pants that clung well to her. Amy was wearing jeans and a light blouse, unbuttoned to show off her dark bra. "Hey, Amy," Xander said. "Your mom's here."

"See?" Amy said as she looked at Willow. "Sometimes bringing a bra over pays off. She'll know if I don't have one and I'll never hear the end of it."

"I just don't see the bother in them," Willow sniffed as she brushed back her hair.

"Ah, now, Will, don't be like that," Xander smirked. "Never underestimate the power an alluring strip tease has for a guy."

Willow smiled at him and spoke up. "So...any chances of getting together with Buffy this week?"

Xander shook his head. "Nope. So far, she's been re-Buff-ing my attempts."

"Weak, hon.."

"We all have our off days."

"Although I'm just glad it's his humor that's off," Amy said with a grin.

Xander appeared offended. "Amy, my humor is part of who I am, part of my style..."

"The other part of your style is so very, very on," Amy clarified. She let her tongue touch her lips. "That's what I'm glad about."

Xander actually looked touched. "That's sweet."

"I have my talents."

"You sure do," Willow leered.

Amy returned it and shuffled a bit, letting her tight red shirt cling closer to her. "Man, Willow, sometimes I wish I'd seen your wardrobe back when."

"I'll break out the videos," Willow replied. As Amy stared at her, she chuckled. "Hey, I had to do something. It's not like I'll ever pose for a calendar."

*****

"So, how bad is this situation?" Catherine asked as she accepted the tea Giles handed to her.

"Rather difficult," Giles admitted. "This Holtz has a serious vendetta against Angel and for all we know, has no qualms about taking out anyone who gets in his way."

"Sounds bad," Catherine said. "And one of them was a Watcher?"

Giles nodded. "Yes, Wesley is a former Watcher hunting vampires and I'm a current Watcher who works with vampires." He paused to ponder that. "I'm debating which of us drew a finer fate."

Jenny glanced at him. "Are you being ironic?"

"I was shooting for dry wit, actually."

Jenny glanced behind her, then lowered her voice. "Shooting blanks, you mean." At the odd looks from Catherine and Giles, she motioned toward the direction of the bedroom and the other two adults nodded at her wanting to avoid the vampires overhearing that remark.

"Well, I suppose this means the magic lessons are on hold," Catherine stated. "A shame, I thought Willow was showing promise."

"I am impressed by how well Amy is doing for one so young," Jenny stated. "She has so much potential."

"That she does," Catherine said with a touch of pride. "And unlike Willow, she can use hers fully."

Jenny frowned. "What do you mean, unlike Willow?"

Catherine sighed and rubbed at her face. "I didn't want to say anything to her about it..."

She bit her lip before elaborating. "Well, I sense that there was once a massive amount of magical power within Willow that was just waiting to be tapped. Part of that is still there, under the surface, and she can use that. However, it's not as much as it might have been due to..."

"The demon," Jenny and Giles stated.

Catherine nodded. "Exactly. It's a block of sorts on her abilities. It keeps her from using them as much as she might have. It'll always be there, I'm afraid. No matter how much she trains and tries, I don't think she'll ever reach near the level of that doppelganger of hers."

"Damn," Jenny muttered, rubbing her chin.

"I don't know, maybe it's for the best," Catherine said with a shrug. "She has a soul but she still has that demon inside her. A demon in the body of such magical power can still cause damage. Trust me, people get addicted to magic on their own. No need to bring a demon into it."

"What about the Bacchi powers?" Giles asked. "Will that help any?"

"I don't know," Catherine said. "That might be part of it, the powers of another vampire who turned out to be Immortal? She's a virtual smorgasbord of mystical energy."

"Amy would say it was energy other than mystical," Jenny muttered.

Catherine threw up her hands. "God, who doesn't she talk to about her relationships!"

"You always told me to try to be more open to people my own age," Amy announced as she entered the room, still buttoning up her shirt. Behind her, Willow was licking her fingers and absently wiping them on the tight red bustier she wore that went well with her leather pants. Catherine rolled her eyes. "God, why did I ever decide a town on the mouth of Hell would be a good place to settle down?"

*****

"All right, what's the stitch?" Buffy asked as she entered the room. By this point, Oz, Larry, Arthur and Ceirdwyn had all arrived and with the exception of Angel, the entire group was gathered in the living room.

"Ease down," Larry said. "Did we pull you away from Angel?"

"No," Buffy said.

"Well, why the hell not?"

"Don't start!"

"As a matter of fact, I saw Angel on the way over," Ceirdwyn announced. "He was headed for a quick stop at the butcher's."

"He was walking in plain sight?" Giles frowned. "That's not terribly stealthy of him."

"I think this Holtz thing is making him lose his edge," the Immortal stated.

Giles sighed. "All right, do we have anything close to a plan for tonight?"

"I guess just regular patrols," Buffy offered. "The vamp population isn't going to take a break just cause we will."

"I think it best if we do it in groups or at least pairings," Arthur stated. "Going it alone would be too troublesome if any of us run into this group."

"You're right there," Angel announced as he entered the room, causing several people to start in fright. "God, you scare the hell out of me when you do that!" Willow yelled.

"Ah, if only that were true..." Xander softly said.

"Brood alert!" Buffy called out.

"Sorry," Angel said.

"Oh, like you're one to talk about brooding," Amy said with a smirk at Buffy.

Angel looked away, still feeling guilty. "I hate this. I really do. There are times it feels like the whole thing is one cosmic mistake.

"Well, one learns from one's mistakes, Angel," Arthur pointed out.

"In which case, I should be a PhD by now," Angel remarked. He saw Arthur smiling at him.

"What?"

"Angel, if you should have a degree, then I would have probably been your professor."

"Now there is one frightening image," Larry muttered.

"Anyone have any ideas on dealing with these guys?" Buffy asked.

"I could try and seduce some of the women," Willow offered.

"Willow, rewind," Buffy told the vampire. "They were ready to kill you an hour ago. I don't think you can sweet-talk them into bedding with a vamp."

"Don't knock it till you've tried it, Buffy," Amy grinned at Buffy's glare.

Angel shook his head. "It really says something that I've seen more action going on around me in the last month than I did in the century beforehand."

"Yeah, we do get frisky," Larry admitted. "Especially if Oz and I happen to catch a Streisand movie on TV."

Angel frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Larry stared at him and shook his head. "You are so not gay."

"Maybe we should throw Arthur at Holtz," Xander remarked.

"You think Arthur can outfight him?" Giles asked.

"Fight, nothing. Get them within twenty feet of each other and the battle of politeness will keep them occupied for hours."

"I may have to see that," Giles remarked.

"Make it five."

Amy looked over to Larry and Oz. "Any chance I can patrol with you guys? I could use a break from the wiseasses."

"Hey, you love our asses!" Willow exclaimed.

Buffy looked at Ceirdwyn pleadingly. "Shoot me. Please."

Buffy, you're Immortal," Ceirdwyn pointed out. "I'm licensed to carry a gun."

"I know. Shoot me. Please. Or at least get that Gunn guy to come over and do it."

"It's funny," Angel muttered. "I've just realized how few black people I've actually met in my time. Axel has sort of been a standard for me."

Buffy took a moment to ponder that one. "Now there's a terrifying notion." Shaking her head, she crossed her arms. "Okay, me and Angel will go on patrol ourselves on the north side."

Giles narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't suppose I can talk you out of that?"

Buffy raised her eyebrows at him. "I'm sorry, have we been introduced?"

Catherine chuckled. "I sometimes wish things were more exciting at the shop. Not too many customers today, only one of them was a man. And frankly, he looked more like a refugee from a rap video than a magician."

Xander slowly looked at her. "Um...He wouldn't be a black guy in his early twenties with a bald head, scar and a perpetual scowl, would he?"

Catherine was surprised. "Yes, how did you know?"

Xander's groan was echoed by Amy and Willow. "Gunn," Xander said. "It has to be that Gunn guy."

"Who?" Catherine asked.

"One of Holtz's people," Xander answered. "And it sounds like he's stocking up for that Wesley dude."

"You sold magical supplies to these guys?" Buffy exploded.

"I didn't know who they were!" Catherine defended herself.

"That was still very foolish to simply give away such a plethora of magical items to someone you didn't know," Giles chided

"Hello?" Catherine demanded. "That's how I make my living. I'd like to see you try it."

"Please," Giles snorted. "Like I would be foolish enough to sell dangerous magic to a psychopath."

"Okay, any more threats or dangers I should be on the watch for?" Buffy asked.

Giles made a show of thinking about it. "Well, Arthur is considering getting a job as a teacher."

"Oh, God. In fact, o celestial pantheon."

"I'll try to keep you out of his class," Giles said with a smile.

Buffy grinned. "You're a prince, Giles."

"Earl, technically..."

"So *that's* why you're so stuffy and repressed?"

"Hopefully, we can have this all settled before the school luncheon next week," Giles remarked.

"I'm not going," Arthur announced.

Giles started. "But you were going to speak on the history of medieval legends!"

Arthur shook his head emphatically. "I don't care. Xander told me that I would have to wear a monkey suit for that. Now I understand this is a different time and all, Giles, but asking me to dress up like an ape is simply too much."

Giles stared at him before focusing on Xander. The teenaged vampire threw up his hands. "Hey, it's not my fault no one's sat down and had a really long talk with him about slang!"

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Just be glad the Genie's on vacation with the King of the Dijin and isn't here to make use of the one-liner."

"Well, give me time and I'll make do," Ceirdwyn said.

"Ceirdwyn..."

"Karen while we're in public, Arthur."

"Very well. I must say you don't act like English women did in my time. No offense."

Ceirdwyn chuckled. "At least I outgrew the phase where I painted my face blue."

Arthur smirked. "It just evolved into wearing makeup."

Ceirdwyn glared at him. "Getting used to the 20th century doesn't require hanging around with teenagers, Arthur!" She sighed and brushed back her hair. "All this talk of the past is getting me down." She frowned. "I wonder if it's possible to have a mid-eternity crisis?"

"You mean you don't know by now?" Buffy teased.

"Try not to let it get you down," Jenny told the Scottish Immortal.

"What, you don't have any regrets?"

Jenny shrugged. "No, no regrets. There may have been moments when the universe acted inconveniently."

"You a philosopher?"

"Depends on who the philosophee is."

Catherine looked toward her daughter. "Amy, maybe it'd be better if you came home tonight."

"Aw, Mom..."

"Amy," Catherine quickly said. "I mean it. I'll feel much better if you're at home with all this. I'll have wards and such placed around the place, Willow and Xander can be over as well."

"You sure?" Willow asked.

"I'll have a soundproofing spell up as well," Catherine flatly added.

"I knew I had forgotten something," Giles sighed deeply.

"If we're going, then let's go already," Larry said. "If there's one thing we all know is that in this town, you don't have to wait long for trouble."

*****

Sunnydale Motor Lodge
2009 Hours PST

The room was mostly silent, the occupants not needing to talk. They were all dressed in dark suits, their faces flat and implacable, showing no emotion at all. That was, save for the woman who was clearly the leader, a slight smile around the lollipop in her mouth, her short blond hair a contrast to her dark outfit. She watched as the group of men rifled through the two large suitcases laid out on the beds. Inside were slews of weapons, from small automatics to sub-machine guns, all in excellent shape and ready to be used.

As she watched the men place the weapons in their coats, preparing to move, the woman pulled the lollipop out of her mouth and nodded. "All right, then," she announced. "Time we earned our keep at last." She glanced at the man beside her. "You sure they're here?"

The man nodded. "I saw them myself. I've already had Taylor on the town, keeping an eye out for them. He'll call the minute he sees them and let us know where they are."

"Best be on our way," the woman said. "Remember, playing tag is done with. When you see Jarod and Parker...shoot to kill."

*****

Outside the Bronze
2018 Hours PST

Kenny Sanders took a deep inhale of his cigarette. It was already looking like a rough night at the Bronze and that meant a rough night for a bartender. It had been only a few weeks since the club had reopened. After spending two years as the center of vampire activity in Sunnydale, it had taken quite a while to clean it up and refurnish it for humans. It had also taken a while for people to get used to going out at night again. But, it was beginning to pick up and would probably be quite the sizeable crowd by midnight.

The college sophomore blew out a cloud of smoke and took a breath of the night air. He was dressed in dark jeans and a black shirt, his dark hair nicely combed, not too bad looking. Working as a bartender meant paying the bills and he was able to make it work around his class schedule. Plus, it gave him a chance to meet quite a few good-looking women.

He took another drag on his cigarette, glancing at his watch to see how much time he had left on his break. He looked up as a clattering sound caught his attention. He stepped forward, peering down the alleyway, trying to see if there was something in the darkness. "Hello?" he called out. "Anyone there?"

Something whipped out of the darkness, wrapping itself around Kenny's throat. He choked as he grabbed at it, feeling what appeared to be some sort of tentacle around his neck. Before he could try to wiggle free, another tentacle flew out of the darkness and into his mouth. Kenny gasped in agony as it felt like something was being sucked out of him. His body slumped, his eyes going wide as the tentacle emerged, seeming to hold what looked like a glowing ball of energy. In a flash both tentacles were gone into the shadows and what sounded like a swallowing sound went out.

Kenny never heard it. He never saw it. He slumped onto the ground, his breathing even, his pulse and heartbeat steady. His eyes were open but were dulled, blank and lifeless. Physically, he was still alive. But something inside him was worse than dead. Something stolen by the being who was now planning his next victim...

*****

Sunnydale Park
2027 Hours PST

"Witches, demons, vampires, a gateway to Hell," Gunn remarked. "I always knew the suburbs were whacked." The black youth was right behind Holtz and Wesley, the two Britons taking the lead as they walked down the pathways. Katya was behind Gunn, a hand on her sword as she held a crossbow in her other hand. Behind her was Lilah, who was rubbing her hand on her sweater, trying to figure out why she suddenly itched so badly. Ulric took up the rear, his cross visible around his neck, a bottle of holy water in his hand.

"Well, they say the same about the main city," Wesley pointed out.

"While you say it for everybody, right?"

"And this is why we're friends. We know each other so well."

Holtz shook his head. "It still amazes me how these creatures could have been ruling this town only a month ago and no one outside it could know. Given how your media seems hell-bent on digging up whatever information they can, no matter how small or worthless, I would think someone would have reported on that."

"Maybe somebody did," Katya said. "But, they might not have been believed by the higher-ups when they tried to write the story."

"Katya's right," Lilah said. "Some guy writes about a town where vampires are the big power and what's the only paper that you're going to see it in? The same crazy tabloids that say the government has a gateway to other planets in a mountain in Colorado."

"Yeah," Gunn agreed. "Or a time machine in the Nevada desert."

"Or the secret organization looking over aliens on Earth," Wesley added.

"Well, let's not be ridiculous," Holtz muttered.

Wesley glanced about, trying to find any signs of trouble. "I do rather hope we see Giles about. I want to show him the price of his hypocrisy."

"A Watcher working with vampires and he doesn't seem to see how horrible that is," Holtz stated. "Amazing."

"Well, you know what they say, Holtz," Wesley sighed. "Everyone lives in glass houses. Some just have bigger stones to throw."

"You sure we shouldn't have brought more people with us?" Gunn asked.

"Yes, I do worry about Kate and Justine alone," Wesley said.

"Try not to worry, Wesley," Ulric stated. "Worry is the darkroom in which negatives develop."

Wesley raised an eyebrow. "Wow. That's good. You should put that on the billboard outside a church."

"Wesley, I consider Kate and Justine among the more professional people here," Holtz stated.

"Kate was a police officer, Justine a Marine. They are level-headed, collected professionals and I am confident they are able to handle any task at hand."

*****

Justine uttered a long moan, muffled slightly by the cushions, as she felt Kate's mouth kissing down her naked back...

*****

Wesley sighed. "Holtz, you could be just a tad less strict on them simply because they're American."

Holtz gave him a dark look. "Wesley, it took me the better part of a day to wrap my head around the idea that a bunch of colonies could humble the British Empire. And from what I've seen, this country has shown a great deal of immaturity and internal bickering to become something to take seriously."

"Well, I do feel the need to point out that if it wasn't for this country, it's quite likely German would be the official language at Parliament," Katya put in. "And as someone who, unlike all of you, actually saw the country grow over the last two hundred years, I'd advise giving them that wee bit of slack."

"You're putting that much faith in them, Katya?" Holtz pressed. "They're ill-mannered, ill- prepared, they do not appear able to seriously comprehend a situation------"

"Holtz," Katya broke in. "Let me speak from personal experience." She stepped right up to him, looking him in the eye and lowering her voice. "Never. Ever. Underestimate Americans. In 1775, we saw them as uncouth, inferior commoners who couldn't possibly put up more than two months of resistance. They ended up beating us and soundly to boot. They truly have potential, Holtz. They may be arrogant and ill-mannered and not serious but push them to the wall and they will fight, Holtz. They will fight and they will win. Always."

Holtz seemed impressed as he returned her gaze. "You respect them."

"I've lived among them and as one of them," Katya answered. "Trust me, they deserve it."

"Thanks for the vote of approval," Lilah remarked.

"As for Jarod and Andrea," Holtz went on. "They have survived on their own for some time. I believe they are able to handle any trouble that comes their way."

Katya's head shot up, her eyes darting about. "I hope that extends to us," she said as she unsheathed her sword and stopped. The rest of the group came to a halt, recognizing the look on Katya's face. They followed her gaze over to where a group of figures came into view on the other side of the path. The one in the lead removed her sword and held it ready at her side as she stared right at Katya. "Katya."

"Ceirdwyn," the redhead returned, her hand tightening around her sword.

"This is your teacher?" Wesley asked with a bit of surprise. "I was expecting someone...older."

"She's 2000 years old, Wesley," Katya said, her gaze never leaving her teacher's.

"I meant...older looking...that is....never mind."

Larry glanced at Oz. "I see the babbling apple doesn't fall far from the Watcher tree." He looked back over at Gunn. "Nice outfit. John Singleton know you wandered off his set?"

Gunn snarled and quickly reached into his coat, yanking out a dagger. He threw it in a downward arc, intending to give Larry a wound in the leg. On instinct, Larry leaped up and backward, the dagger burrowing into the ground. Gunn blinked in disbelief. "Damn, who knew a white boy could jump like that?"

Larry landed on his feet, looking at the dagger. He picked it up, brushed off the blade, then handed it toward Gunn. "Here you go." The black youth took it, somewhat surprised at it being offered so readily. "Hope it didn't get messed up too bad."

"The lad is quite polite for an American," Holtz remarked.

"Listen, I don't suppose you could simply turn and leave, do you?" Larry asked.

"My quarrel is not with you, young man," Holtz said. "I simply want to kill Angelus."

"Angel," Oz piped up. "His name's Angel."

Wesley snorted. "He has a whole other name for his alter ego? Good lord, how pompous."

"You know how it is with superheroes," Larry shrugged.

"Oh, please!" Gunn groaned. "Guy ain't Bruce Wayne!"

"I was thinking more Lamont Cranston," Larry said. "The whole vanishing into shadows thing, really."

Katya ignored him, her gaze steady on her teacher. "No holy ground here, Ceirdwyn," she stated. "No reason not to fight."

"Katya," Holtz said with a frown. "I thought I had said..."

"Stay out of this, Holtz," the red-haired Immortal bit back. "This is an Immortal affair. I will handle this how I see fit."

Ceirdwyn stepped forward, her blade held up as she stared at Katya. "I don't want to do this, Katya. I truly don't."

"Then step aside," Katya bit out.

"I'm afraid the lady has reasons not to do that," Arthur stated as he stepped forward, his face tight. "And I would hope you do not intend to press us on this or it could go badly for you."

Holtz turned his head toward him. "And who, sir, may you be?"

Arthur tightly smiled. "Someone who knows what it's like to be a man out of his time."

Before Holtz could reply, Lilah gasped as she sucked on her bandaged finger. "God, it's like it's burning!" she hissed, removing the finger and waving her hand. "What the hell did that Jody kid do to me?"

"Jody?" Oz asked with confusion. "Did you say Jody?"

Lilah nodded. "Yeah, little bastard bit me on the finger."

"Bit you?" Oz's eyes widened as he realized what Lilah was saying. "Oh, shit."

"What?" Larry said, confused by the look on Oz's face. "What is it?"

Oz looked at him. "Jody bit her."

Larry's own eyes went wide as he looked at Lilah. "Oh, shit. Lady, run and run now----"

It was at that moment that the clouds above parted and for the first time that evening the full moon shown right on the group.

It started with an itching as Lilah's entire skin suddenly felt tingling. She gasped and bent over as a massive pain came over her, the burning sensation spreading over her body. She stared at her hand, her eyes widening as she saw hair start to form over it. Her own eyes were starting to change, her vision blurring as color seeped away.

"Lilah?" Wesley asked with concern. "Lilah, what's------" He yelped as Lilah threw her head up, her face beginning to transform. A matte of dark fur was now covering her features as her nose grew and the rest of her face began to recede. As the group watched in utter fascination, the lawyer bent over, her body shifting in shape, her fingers starting to reform, nails growing longer. There was a tearing as her clothing began to rip, her body growing a bit as her arms became another two legs. In moments, what had once been a rather attractive looking woman was a dark-haired wolf, its fangs gleaming in the moonlight. It let out a long growl as it saw the humans, then bolted away with incredible speed.

"Well," said Holtz, breaking the long silence. "That was unexpected."

Arthur turned to Ceirdwyn and shook his head. "The man is positively unflappable."

Larry glanced at Oz. "You missing any ancestors who just went poof and did a Rip Van Winkle?"

"What the hell was that?" Gunn demanded.

"Charles," Ulric said. "Language."

"Oh, yeah, sorry. What the fuck was that?"

Ulric sighed and rubbed his head. "No saint ever had to put up with this..."

Wesley stared at Hotlz. "What do we do now?"

"Deal with them, then Lilah," Holtz decided.

Katya looked at Ceirdwyn. "Get out of my way."

A smile came to the Scot's face. "When was the last time you ever heard of a Celt taking orders?"

Arthur swallowed. "At the risk of sounding arrogant and reinforcing the British stereotype, I hereby order you to leave this town at once."

"And we should listen to you, why?" Ulric asked.

"Your British companions will," Arthur said. "After all, I"m older than any of them."

Katya raised an eyebrow. "I hardly think that's possible, considering you're not Immortal."

"I was born nearly a thousand years before you, my lady."

"Really," Holtz said. "And just who are you that you have lived this long without the benefit of Katya's...gift?"

Arthur reached down and unsheathed his sword. He hefted it up, letting them all see the light glow it gave off in the moonlight. "Rex Artorius. Or, as some of you may know me better...Arthur Pendragon."

Holtz's group stared at him with various expressions of disbelief. The greatest were on the faces of Wesley, Katya and even Holtz appeared thrown. "My God," Wesley whispered, his eyes fixed on the blade. "Excalibur."

"What's a theme restaurant got to do with..." Gunn broke off as it hit him what Wesley meant.

"Oh, you gotta be shitting me."

"You're..." Katya swallowed. "You're...him?"

"I am," Arthur said. "And may I say that I do not appreciate my fellow countrymen threatening those I call friends."

Hotlz set his jaw. "While I'm still capable of suspending my disbelief, can someone explain how this happened?"

"Hey!" Larry snapped. "You're a time traveler in the company of an Immortal, a priest and a magician hunting two souled vampires and just saw one of your group turn into a werewolf! You are in no position to be a doubting Thomas!"

Holtz glared at him. "We are still capable of dealing with you."

"It is your choice, sir," Arthur said. "You can fight it out with us, an encounter that would probably go badly for you. Or you can attempt to stop your female companion before she cuts her teeth as a wolf. Which, in her case, can be quite literal."

Holtz stared at him for a long moment. He then glanced at Wesley who gave a small nod. "She could be dangerous," he said. "More so than ever."

Holtz stared right at Arthur before backing away. "Let's go," he announced as the group began to move, Katya throwing Ceirdwyn a final look before following him. "Holtz," she hissed. "Was that really...Could it have been...?"

"A worry for another time," the man gravely responded. "For now, we have to find Lilah."

"Damn, always knew that bitch would get us into trouble," Gunn sighed.

"Gunn..."

"Actually, Padre, right now, bitch is what she is."

"True."

As they watched the small group run off, Ceirdwyn turned to Arthur. "I think we'd better follow. Keeping the peace is my job, after all."

Arthur nodded. "It will be difficult to get near them but it is a large town and the wolf has a good start. We split up, we can hopefully corral her before she causes too much damage."

Larry glanced over at Oz. "You okay?" he asked his boyfriend.

The guitarist nodded. "Yeah. Just feels funny."

"What?"

"That somehow, this all feels oddly ironic."

*****

Our Lady of Peace Cemetery
2041 Hours PST

Buffy kicked at a rock, watching as it flew across the pathway and buried itself into a tree.

"Nice aim," Angel said as he walked next to her. "Too bad Sunnydale doesn't have a soccer team."

"I'm tense," the Slayer remarked.

"I noticed."

They were silent for a few more steps before Buffy glanced at him. "How are you holding up?"

"Oh, fine," Angel said. "I've got a guy who wants to kill me, for good reason, actually, drudging up all my past guilt and he's got a bunch of guys helping him which dredges up some past pain for Giles and Ceirdwyn. It's been an experience."

"If you're going on a brood bit, I'm leaving you here," Buffy threatened. "Listen, Angel, you can't keep torturing yourself like this. Trust me, I know about that, it gets you nowhere. Look on the bright side."

"Which is?"

"Well, I'm out of the house and away from Willow and Xander."

Angel stared at her.

"Oh, you meant bright side for you..." Buffy said.

A yell caught their attention, the two instantly looking toward her, their faces becoming professional. They took off in a run, dashing toward the source of the sound, Buffy ahead of the vampire. They paused as they saw a blonde-haired girl surrounded by a pair of vampires. The girl dodged a strike by one vampire, allowing her face to be seen. "Oh, shit, Harmony," Buffy whispered. "We'd better get down there before she------"

Harmony spun about, her foot lashing out to hit one vampire in the chin, knocking him back. In the same motion, she spun about to throw a fist into the other vampire, sending him sprawling back.

"Finishes kicking their asses?" Angel finished, as amazed as Buffy at the sight. The Slayer took a few steps forward, staring at the incredible skill her classmate showed. It was rough, no doubt. She remembered Harmony had mentioned she had taken some self-defense classes to handle the rough stuff in Sunnydale. But this was something more than just skill. In fact, something about it seemed so...familiar...

Struck by a burst of inspiration, Buffy pulled a stake from her coat, balanced it and threw it forward. "Harmony!" she yelled out as the stake whirled through the air.

The blonde-haired teen glanced up and saw the stake coming at her. Her movements were as automatic as they were flawless. Catching the stake with her hand, she immediately turned and jammed it into the heart of the vampire on her left. As he turned into dust, Harmony spun around, kicked the second vampire in the gut and then buried the stake into its back.

Harmony stood there, staring at the stake in her hand as she realized just what she had just done. "Whoa....Whoa...Wait a minute, how did I...What did I..." She looked up to see Buffy walking up to her, a small smile on her face. "Buffy? How...What's going on?"

"Harmony, this may be a weird question," the Slayer stated. "But have you been feeling...odd lately? Like weird dreams or sudden bursts of strength?"

Harmony frowned. "Um, yeah. It started around Christmas. How did you-----?"

Buffy reached out and hooked a hand around Harmony's arm. "Harm...I think we need to have a little talk..."

*****

St. Francis Cemetery
2058 Hours PST

Xander hummed lightly to himself as he walked down the pathways of the quiet cemetery. He held the bag of blood underneath one arm, careful to make sure it was secure. It had been tough to find a butcher who was willing to give anything for the two vampires. But between Giles' pleas, Buffy's threats and some old-fashioned cash, Willow, Xander and Angel now had a steady supply of blood for themselves.

It had been harder than Xander thought to get used to animal blood. It just didn't have the same taste as human blood did, the taste that Xander and Willow were used to. At first, drinking it had brought back that overwhelming guilt over their vampire pasts and the pain they had caused. But with Angel's help, they had gotten somewhat used to it, realizing they had to go on. Xander supposed it was risky to get some blood himself with Holtz's group on the loose. But Catherine's place hadn't been as well-stocked as he had hoped and an emergency run was needed. He hoped he could cut through the cemetery and be back at Catherine's house before Willow and Amy even knew he was gone.

It was when he heard the whistling of an arrow that Xander realized tempting fate wasn't smart, vampire or not.

He dodged to the side, feeling it graze at his coat as he tried to hold onto the blood. He got to his feet, his head lifting in time to see Jarod and Andrea move out of the shadows, coming at him.

Jarod held a machete in one hand, spinning it in his hands as he thrust it out at Xander. The young vampire caught him by the wrist, clenching and twisting. Jarod yelled as he let go of the machete, Xander reaching a hand toward his throat.

"Hey, vamp-boy!" Xander looked to the side to see Andrea, having dropped her crossbow, her hands tugging at the bottom of her shirt. She yanked it up, revealing her bare breasts. "Red got a set like these?"

Xander stared at the topless Pretender and was thus more than open to the kick to the groin Jarod gave him, knocking him back. Jarod turned to Andrea, lifting his eyebrow as she pulled her shirt back down. "A genius who can assume any identity and the best you could come up with was the Mardi Gras method?"

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?"

"Man, Will's gonna be so jealous..." Xander groaned as he started to get up. Andrea marched forward and hit him with a snap kick to the jaw, sending him right back down. She looked to Jarod. "You want it?"

Jarod sighed. "I guess so. I still don't like it."

"I know," Andrea said. "Killing's never easy."

"Depends on how you look at it, love," a clipped voice cut through the air. Jarod and Andrea spun around to see a half-dozen figures in dark suits standing before them. In the lead was a woman with short blond-hair and a smirk around the lollipop in her mouth. She took it out and smiled at them. "I've never had much of a problem with it."

"Bridget?" Jarod asked in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Doing what you should have done a long, long time ago, Jarod," Bridget said. "Taking care of our rogue Pretender."

"How did you find us?" Jarod asked.

"Always knew you were overrated, Jarod," Bridget said. "You spent years trying to track her down to no avail. We found you in only a few months."

Andrea sniffed. "Really? I thought Lyle would be around for this."

"Well, he was offered," Bridget said with a shrug. "But odd as it may sound, even old Lyle has some standards. And killing his own sister tops them."

Andrea stared at her. "What?"

"Your pop's decided to cut the cord, love," Bridget said as she put the lollipop back in her mouth and reached under her coat. "He doesn't want you back anymore. He wants you gone. So, ta-ta." With that, she pulled out her gun, undoing the safety and cocking it one motion. The men behind her raised their own weapons and without hesitation, fired.

Jarod spun around, trying to place himself between Andrea and the bullets. He caught three rounds right in the back, knocking him forward. Andrea twisted as he fell and was hit by several bullets to her chest. The two collapsed, both gasping in pain at the mortal wounds.

A snarling filled the air and the gunmen turned to see Xander rushing at them. Two of them fired into his chest but it didn't even slow him down. He twisted one man's arm, hearing him scream as his arm was broken. Xander turned and punched another gunman, sending him flying back. Bridget threw a kick at his crotch but Xander grabbed her foot. Bridget froze in shock as she took in his demonic visage. Xander snarled and twisted and Bridget shrieked in agony as her bone ripped through her skin.

Andrea crawled forward, a hand on her belly, every move agony. She moved to Jarod, collapsing onto him. She reached out a bloody hand and brushed his hair with her fingers. His breathing was labored, the blood pouring out of his wounds, just as Andrea's was pouring out of hers. She let her hand caress his cheek as he looked up at her. "Andrea..." he whispered. "I'm cold..."

"Shhh, shhh," she whispered, feeling her own blood on her lips. "It's okay...it's okay." She knew her tears were visible but she didn't care. "You're going home, baby," she whispered.

"You're finally going home."

"Love you..."

"I love you," Andrea choked as she leaned down and kissed him one more time. She felt him choke through it and broke away as he spat out another trickle of blood, then went still. Andrea could feel the darkness closing in on her as she slumped onto Jarod's body. Her last thought was that it would be nice to see her mother again...

Xander threw two Sweepers off of him, sending both flying several feet away. Another Sweeper was helping Bridget up, the woman crying out as she tried to balance on her good foot.

"Go," she hissed. "They're dead, let's bloody go!" The Sweepers had no problem following her commands and quickly scurried off.

Xander watched them go, then turned toward Jarod and Andrea. He didn't even bother to hope. He could hear their hearts still and felt their bodies grow cold. "Damn," he muttered. He shook his head, realizing there was nothing he could do and quickly headed to the library, leaving the dead bodies of Jarod and Andrea behind.

*****

Part nine: In which a new addition is made and new discoveries abound.

Sunnydale High School Library
January 18th, 1999 - 2128 Hours PST

Giles looked up. At first, he was tense but then relaxed when he saw Cierdwyn, Oz and Larry enter the library. "Where's Arthur?" he asked.

"On a little wolf-hunt," Larry said. At Giles' deep frown, he shook his head. "Long story. We'd be with him but Buffy called and asked us to come in ASAP."

"She called us as well," Giles stated. "I must confess to some surprise at it. She usually tends to be a bit more self-reliant rather than coming to us for aid."

Ceridwyn tensed as she felt the Buzz wash over her. "We may get out answer soon," she said as she turned toward the door. It burst open as Buffy marched in, followed by Angel and...

"Ms. Kendall?" Giles frowned deeply as he took in Harmony.

"Hi, Mr. Giles," the blonde teenager said, giving him a light wave. "Um, I'm sorry for dropping in like this but------"

"Okay, shelve the cordials," Buffy said as she turned to Giles. "Hey, Jeeves, you know how you've had the Council going nuts trying to find the Slayer that was called when I died?"

"Um, yes."

Buffy hiked a thumb toward Harmony. "Tell them to call off the search."

Giles stared at Harmony dully before his jaw dropped open. "Good Lord," he choked.

"Are...are you certain?"

Buffy nodded as she walked forward. "She's been showing off the strength for a while, she's had the dreams, I saw her dust two vamps by herself--I think we've got a winner."

"Harmony?" Larry drawled slack-jawed, his eyes wide. Even Oz appeared thrown by this revelation.

"Harmony is...?"

"It would appear so," Giles said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Well, Ms. Kendall...Harmony...I believe it is time I tried to explain------"

"I'm really a Slayer?" Harmony asked, sounding as stunned as everyone else by this discovery.

Giles gave Buffy a hard glare. "You already told her?"

"To spare her that boring lecture you Watchers give? Yep," Buffy said with a grin.

Giles fought mightily to resist the urge to roll his eyes. *Lord, here we go again...*

*****

The sound of heels clicking on the floor echoed through the hallway as Willow paced from one end to the other. Her arms were crossed in front of her, her face pensive and tense as she kept marching. Leaning against the wall, Amy watched her vampire lover with a worried expression.

"Willow, you have to calm down."

"How can I?" Willow said. "Dammit, I can't believe Xander would do this! Just run off without a word to either of us!"

"I'm sure he'll be okay," Amy said, trying to soothe the vampire.

"I'm scared for him, Amy," Willow whispered. "He's on his own, there are those fanatics hunting us. It...I just don't want to lose him."

Amy stared at her carefully. "You really love him, don't you?"

Willow started as she glanced back at the witch. "I'm sorry, Amy, but..."

Amy shook her head. "Hey, Willow, relax. I know. I've seen the connection you two have. I know I can't come between that and I don't want to." Amy sighed as she stepped forward and put a hand on Willow's arm. "Listen, you guys have been so good to me and taken me in and all. And I care for you two as well. For him. Not like you do, I know I can't reach that but..." She moved in to hug Willow. "I'm scared for him too."

Willow hugged back, barely holding back her tears, then straightened as she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey," Xander said as he hustled up toward them. "Sorry I'm late, I-----" He let out a yelp as the two practically tackled him, hugging him tight. "Okay, what'd I do? Tell me so I can do it more often!"

*****

"I'm a Slayer," Harmony whispered, her voice lined with disbelief. "I'M a SLAYER!"

"I somehow doubt previous Chosen Ones have taken it with quite that enthusiasm," Giles muttered. Harmony sat at the table, a goofy grin on her face, still not quite believing this was happening to her. It was a feeling shared by most of the people around the table.

"I can't believe this," Larry muttered. "I just can't believe it's Harmony."

"Ditto," Oz said.

"Two Slayers," Jenny muttered. "It's utterly unbelievable."

"Funny how those two words just lose their meaning when you meet your own double," Buffy remarked. While she tried to hide it under a glib remark, she was as amazed as everyone at the idea that she was no longer the sole Slayer.

Harmony wiped at her face. "This is just so unreal."

"Oh, Harm, you ain't even heard the half of it," Buffy said.

"Hey, all, what's up?" Xander said as he, Willow and Amy entered the library. Harmony took one look at them and immediately leapt out of her chair with a scream. "Oh my God, what the hell are they doing here?!" she shrieked.

"OW!" Larry and Oz yelled, grabbing their ears at her cry.

Willow blinked in surprise at the new arrival. "Harmony? What are you-----"

"Stay back! Stay the Hell back, I----" Harmony broke off as it hit her. "I can kill you two now," she muttered, a wicked smile breaking over her face. "I can kill you."

Buffy quickly moved, grabbing Harmony's arm and yanking her back. "Hate to say it, but you actually can't."

Harmony blinked at her. "Okay, I'm new to all this but I was under the wacky impression that being a Slayer meant you kill vampires."

"Not the souled ones," Buffy told her.

Harmony blinked at her. "Huh?"

Giles coughed to get the new Slayer's attention. "Harmony, this situation is somewhat complicated but suffice to say, for now, Willow and Xander have souls."

"They what?" Harmony demanded. "What is this shit? Just give me a stake and let me take care of this!"

Xander blinked. "Whoa. Since when have you gotten a pair?"

"Since I became a Slayer, asshole," Harmony shot back.

Xander and Willow both stared in surprise and utter disbelief. They glanced at the others in the room and saw confirming nods. "No way," Willow whispered. "No damn way..."

"No," Xander said. "No, no, no. Harmony? Of all the people in this town, HARMONY KENDALL is now a SLAYER?!"

"Which just goes to prove that the fates have a sense of humor," Larry spoke up.

"And extremely poor taste," Willow retorted.

Harmony glanced at Buffy: "Okay, I'm looking at *that* outfit and wondering about the irony of *her* making a statement about poor taste."

"Oooooh, them's fighting words," Amy said. Her laugh ended when she saw Harmony once more move toward Xander and Willow.

Buffy quickly moved forward to block her path. "Okay, Harm, listen to me. Just listen, okay?" She took a deep breath to begin her explanation. "Look, a few weeks back, Willow and Xander were given back their souls through a curse. They're the people they once were."

"Aside from their wardrobe," Harmony muttered, glaring at the two vampires. "After all the nightmares you two have given me, I'm going to enjoy this. Maybe I should give you a taste of your own medicine! Flog you a little. Flogging can give you pain for a while, right?"

"Hours, if you do it right," Angel said before realizing it.

Harmony glanced at him. "They did you too?"

A combination of laughs and groans echoed through the library, Buffy on the groan side. "Did you *have* to say it like that?"

Harmony glanced at Angel, giving him a once-over. "Nice coat. You trying to go John Woo?"

"Who?" the vampire frowned.

"No, Woo," Harmony told him. "Big action director?"

"Never heard of him," Angel answered.

"That's our Angel," Xander spoke up. "Still stuck in the '90's. The 1890's."

"So, who's this Woo guy?"

"Dude, he's the director of all these cool-ass Hong Kong flicks," Xander explained. "Hell, if it weren't for you being ultraviolently challenged, your moves would get you into who knows how many action films."

"Thank you so much for the observation."

"If we may turn this conversation back to subjects worthy of our short time here on Earth..." Giles spoke up.

Willow cleared her throat and looked at Harmony. "Harmony...listen, please. I know you have good reason to hate us but you don't know what we've been through. The pain, the guilt, the nightmares-----"

"Cancel my subscription because I don't need your issues!" Harmony interrupted. "After all you've done to this town, all the deaths, all the pain, all the evil, you two so deserve to die "

"I know that!" Willow screamed. "We both know that! God, I wanted to, Harmony!"

Harmony blinked, the obvious pain in Willow's face cutting through her own anger. "What?"

Xander stepped forward, clearing his throat. "Harmony, just try...Just try to imagine that one minute, everything is fine, everything is normal, you're normal. The next thing you know, you're waking up in some circle surrounded by people you've never met, dressed in odd clothes and..."

He choked before continuing. "And then you remember. You remember killing your parents, your best friend, you remember murders and rapes and tortures and..."

Seeing the man she loved becoming emotional, Willow stepped in. "And you realize how much you've changed. How you're no longer who you were and you can't go back." She blinked back tears as she went on. "I wanted to die then, Harmony. I begged someone to kill me and God knows, I still sometimes wish for it. We don't need you telling us about the evil we did, Harmony. We know all about it. More than you can..." She dissolved into tears, Xander quickly holding her as he felt his own tears come to his eyes.

Harmony stared at them in wonder. For over two years, she had seen Xander and Willow as nothing more than vicious, sadistic, murderous creatures. Even before they had been turned, they had been barely worthy of Harmony's full attention. Now, she saw them as two people dealing with a pain she could barely contemplate. And she was amazed at how she felt sorry for them. She became aware of Buffy standing next to her, the elder Slayer looking Harmony in the eye. "A vampire killed my mom," she said. "Giles lost his dad. Jenny...she's lost something too. In a way, you got lucky, Harmony. And compared to them," she nodded at Xander and Willow who were beginning to compose themselves. "We all have."

Harmony looked over her shoulder at Giles. "Mr. Giles, you've been in this town. You know what they've done-----"

"No, I know what the vampires did," Giles stated. "There is a difference, Harmony. I was hesitant at first to believe it but yes, there is one. Believe me when I say that living with the guilt over one's past actions is something I know about. And achieving redemption...is something worth living for."

"Believe him," Angel said.

Harmony frowned at him. "Oh, yeah, I missed you during intros. Who are you?"

"Name's Angel," the man said. "And I know the kind of pain Xander and Willow are going through..." He paused. "Because I went through it a hundred years ago."

Harmony stared at him before getting it. "You...you're a..."

Angel nodded. "I am. Trust me, in my time, those two together couldn't hold a candle to me on a bad day."

"Then...how...?"

"My clan cursed him with a soul," Jenny said.

Harmony stared at her. "Your clan?"

"I am..." Jenny paused. "I was...a member of a gypsy clan. A hundred years ago, Angel killed the beloved daughter of a clan patriarch and so, to pay him back, the clan cursed him with a soul, causing him to relive the pain he had dealt to so many others."

"Course, they forgot to mention how said curse came with a 'make whoopee, lose the soul' clause," Larry interjected.

Harmony held up her hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." She took a deep breath. "Can someone explain this all to me? How did they get souls?"

"Oh, God, who wants to take this?" Buffy groaned.

"How about Giles?" Willow said. "He knows all about boring explanations."

"Yes, but I didn't actually go there and have my arse kicked by my double," Giles dryly responded.

"HEY!" Xander and Willow yelled.

Amy chuckled. "Still wish I'd met mine. Would have liked to seen me as a blonde again."

Harmony frowned. "Who are you?"

"Oh, yeah, we haven't really met," Amy said, coming forward and shaking Harmony's hand. "I'm Amy Madison. My mom and I just moved here. She runs that magic shop downtown."

"Oh, is that helpful?" Harmony asked, honestly curious.

"It does when you consider we're witches," Amy shrugged.

Harmony blinked. "Witches? As in...actual witches? Tricks and all?"

Amy nodded. "Good ones too. Like I managed to make a Star of David so it wouldn't burn Willow."

"That's not the only tricks she's got," Willow said with a small smile.

"Yeah, she even taught us a few new ones," Xander added.

Harmony stared at them, then at Amy, then at the vampires before she got it. "Oh, God. You three are...You're..."

"Harm, this is not the time to slip back into the old bitch mode, okay?" Xander said.

"I'm not," Harmony assured him. "I just thought Oz and Larry were the only gay guys here."

"We're not gay!" Xander, Willow and Amy all piped up.

Harmony shook her head. "Okay, what the hell is going on?"

Giles took a deep breath as he stepped forward. "Well, Ms. Kendall, first of all, even for one who has been in this town quite a while, what I am about to say may be rather hard to accept." He removed his glasses and rubbed them with his handkerchief, trying to gather his thoughts. "Are you at all familiar with the concept of parallel universes?"

"Yeah, I've heard that geek Jonathan boring me with enough comic book stories," Harmony said. "Why?"

Buffy reluctantly decided to enter the discussion. "Here's the deal, Harmony. When I was first called as a Slayer, I had been one for about a week before my mom ended up being killed by a vampire."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Harmony said.

Buffy tried to wave it off as she continued. "Anyway, I sort of closed myself down, left for Cleveland and I was there until the Council sent me over here and I don't think I need to tell you what was going on."

"No," Harmony agreed. "So...what's this got to do with anything?"

"Well, when I came, I broke out Angel from the prison where Willow and Xander had been torturing him and went to fight the Master. At which point, for reasons still unclear, we all suddenly found ourselves in another reality."

Harmony blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Another reality," Buffy repeated. "One where my mom was alive, I came to Sunnydale just before the Harvest, ended up killing the Master, Willow and Xander were still human, and we were all fighting vampires and demons together."

Harmony was naturally taken aback at that. "Human?" she asked in utter disbelief, glancing at Willow and Xander. "You two as a human couple?"

"Actually, no," Larry piped up. "That version of Xander was with Cordelia and that Willow was with Oz."

Harmony's eyes widened. "Xander and Cordy? Willow and...Oz?!" She couldn't hold back a laugh. "Oh my god..."

"Yeah, it was odd to us too," Xander admitted. "So, there was this big fight and in the end, me and Willow were cursed with souls, came back here, killed the Master and here we are."

Harmony rubbed her head. "Wow," she whispered. "Um, was there a...me there?"

Xander frowned. "Well, from what they said, it sounds like you were at the height of your flighty blonde bimbo arc."

"Ow," Harmony winced. She glanced over at Angel. "How about you? You there?"

"Yeah," Angel said. "That me...sort of lost his soul and went on a murderous tear."

"Ah," Harmony said, not knowing what else to say to something like that.

"What she said," Oz piped in.

"Stop trying to kiss the new Slayer's butt with the long-winded speeches," Larry teased.

Harmony gave Oz a once over. "I don't know. He's cute. I might not mind him kissing my butt."

"Um," Larry began. "You know..."

Harmony waved her hand. "A girl can dream." She glanced at Willow and Amy. "I meant me."

"Spoilsport," the witch and vampire said.

Harmony snorted. "I've just found out I'm a Slayer. My sports have been spoiled big time tonight."

"She's got a point," Buffy agreed. "I should know."

Harmony glanced back at the vampires, her expression a little softer. "So...you're trying to tell me you're good now?"

"If you give me a chance, I can show you how good I can be," Willow offered with a smirk.

"Willow and Harmony..." Xander stared off for a few seconds before shaking himself. "I think I need a cold shower."

"I thought vampires didn't have body heat," Buffy frowned.

"We don't. But cold water works on some parts of the anatomy..."

"Okay, WAY too much info about vamps to start with!" Harmony said. She closed her eyes as she processed it all. "For two years, I couldn't do anything while you terrorized me. Now, I find out I can kill you but I really can't because you've both got souls."

"Fortune favors the ironist," Giles quipped.

"Hey, Harmony, like I said, a month ago, we would've begged you to kill us."

"Uh, Willow?" Buffy said. "You *did* beg me to kill you. I had a stake in hand, remember?"

"Nitpicker."

Harmony glanced at Xander, still seeming uncertain about this. "Ah...you don't still hold a grudge about that thing in eighth grade, do you?"

Xander made a show of thinking about it just enough to make Harmony nervous before smiling and shaking his head. "I've got a hell of a lot to be forgiven for, Harm. I think I can let that one slide."

Buffy glanced at him. "I'm sorta surprised. If you guys hated her so much, why didn't you just kill her?"

"Considered it," Willow admitted. "Actually, we thought a lot about turning her."

"Yeah," Xander agreed. "The thought of her without a reflection was kinda funny..."

"Slayer now, hello!"

"I mean, funny in an ironic sort of way, not ha-ha..." Xander paused, then shrugged. "Well, actually, yeah, kinda both..."

"Say, wait a minute," Harmony said as a thought struck her. "To be a Slayer..." She glanced at Buffy. "How'd you die?"

"Ah, Master snapped my neck," Buffy said without thinking. She stopped and closed her eyes in pain as Harmony stared at her.

"Now...wait..." the other blonde began. "I can buy you needing CPR to come back or something but..."

Buffy opened her eyes and looked at her. "Okay, Harm, here's the big one." She took a large breath and then exhaled. "I'm Immortal. I die, I come back to life."

Harmony's eyes widened yet again. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, she is," Willow chimed in. "And so's Karen over there."

"Karen?" Harmony said, glancing toward the brunette cop.

"Yeah, the one trying to make it with King Arthur," Xander said.

"Xander!" Ceridwyn yelled as Harmony gaped. "King Arthur?" she said. "You're telling me you guys know King Arthur?!"

"Yep," Larry said. "Sort of weirded us out too."

Harmony looked around the library, taking in the group. "Okay...I know Oz and Larry, Giles is the Watcher, Ms. Calendar is..."

"Magical aide," Jenny announced.

"I'm a policewoman besides being Buffy's Immortal teacher," Ceridwyn quickly explained.

"Teacher...?" Harmony shook her head. "No, no, wait till later to explain it to me." She looked back at the group. "So...this is the whole team?"

"Well, there's one other person but he's out of town and be SO grateful for that," Buffy said.

"Who?"

"The guy who gave me, Oz and Giles Amazon-equal empowerments," Larry offered.

*She blinks one more time, she's gonna need some eye drops* Buffy thought at Harmony's reaction. "Amazons?" Harmony said. "As in the Greek Goddess Artemis kind?" She shrugged at the surprised looks she received from the group. "I had to do a report on it last year."

"Yeah, pretty much," Amy said. "Artemis herself made me an Amazon."

Harmony looked at her, then at Willow, then muttered under her breath. "Well, that explains it..." She looked back to Larry. "So, who's this empowerment guy of yours?"

Buffy groaned. "Giles, get the brandy."

"Why?" the Watcher asked.

"Cause she's going to need it when she hears this," Buffy replied.

"I don't think it can be that-----" Harmony began.

"The Genie from the tale of Aladdin's lamp."

Harmony stared at her, then at Giles. "Make it a double, please."

Jenny slowly shook her head, brushing back her hair as she did. "Well, this introduces a new wrinkle into things. As if we didn't have enough with Holtz's group in town."

"Who?" Harmony asked.

"Well," Larry began. "It seemed this vampire hunter whose family Angel killed about two hundred years ago came through time and now has a vampire hunting squad comprised of an ex-Watcher, an ex-cop, an ex-marine, an Immortal student of Ceridwyn's, two we don't know that much about, a priest and a lawyer who turned into a werewolf."

Harmony took a moment before nodding. "It is so scary that I can actually accept all that."

"Because you live on a Hellmouth, right?" Willow said.

"No, because I don't see her," Harmony pointed toward Ceirdwyn, "arresting you all for doing drugs."

"That works too," Buffy said.

A thought suddenly struck Harmony. "Wait a minute! I just became a Slayer and now I'm being thrown into this major fight? Don't I get a break-in period?"

"Yep," Buffy told her. "Sucks, don't it?"

Xander coughed as he stepped forward. "Well, as it turns out, we've got two less of that gang to worry about."

"What do you mean?" Giles asked.

"I was heading back and two of them jumped me," the young vampire explained. "Jarod and Parker. We fought briefly, then some guys in suits show up with a blonde woman and the next thing I know, they're opening up on them."

"They're dead?" Buffy said, rocked by the news. Enemies or not, she still felt bad at having the two killed.

"Yeah," Xander said with his own touch of sadness. "I can't help feeling a little guilty about it."

"Don't," Ceirdwyn piped up. "They're not dead."

Xander peered at her. "Um, Ceirdwyn, no offense, but I've seen plenty of dead people. Hell, I've helped plenty of them along. I know when someone's shuffled off this mortal coil."

A small smile came to Ceirdwyn's face. "In this case, the shuffling was interrupted."

Everyone stared at her but Xander was the first to get it. "You mean..." At her nod, he began to laugh loudly. "Oh, God...Oh, God...!"

"What's so funny?" Ceirdwyn asked.

Xander wiped at his eyes. "Oh, come on, Ceirdwyn! I've seen what you go through teaching Buffy! Now Katya has *those* two?"

The Immortal thought about it for a moment and started laughing herself.

"Wait a minute!" Buffy yelled. "How come I didn't know this?"

"You're young," her teacher informed her. "It takes a few decades before you can sense a pre-Immortal."

"You're saying you knew about them?" Giles asked.

"Katya pretty much told me when we met," the Immortal replied. "This does put things in a new light."

Harmony put her head in her hands. "Souled vampires, witches, lesbians, Amazons, genies, Immortals...How do you people put up with this shit?"

"The same question I ask myself constantly," Giles remarked. "Lord only knows how my other self deals with it."

"Nights of red-hot Cinemax sex with a certain gypsy?"

"Oh do shut up, Xander!" Giles and Jenny both barked.

Harmony stared at them and then shook her head. "I don't want to know. I don't even want to know..." She looked back up at the group. "So...what happens now?"

Giles glanced at his watch. "It's rather late now. I'd say it'd be better if we all get some rest and try to discuss this more tomorrow." He glanced over to Buffy. "Will you be coming to my home again?"

Buffy sighed. "No offense, but I'd prefer some time away from the Debauchery Trio."

"Ooh, that's a good nickname..." Willow remarked.

"You can stay at my place," Harmony offered.

Buffy glanced at her. "What?"

Harmony nodded. "Sure. My house is big enough, my parents are out of town and these guys don't know about me. It'll be a great place to hang for tonight."

Buffy thought about it, then nodded. "Okay, I'm game. Lead on."

"Ooooh, slumber party!" Willow cried out. "Can we-----"

Harmony spun to face her. "Hell no!" Seeing the hurt look on Willow's face, Harmony quickly amended herself. "Look...I can accept the soul thing but....it's just too soon, okay? Maybe sometime...but not now. Not just yet. Okay?"

Willow seemed hurt but Xander nodded. "I get it, Harmony. We understand."

The blonde turned toward Buffy. "Shall we?"

"Are you certain you'll be all right?" Giles called out.

Larry looked at him with a bemused expression on his face. "Giles. They're both Slayers."

Giles took a moment to blink. "Oh. Yes. That'll take some getting used to, sorry."

"You and me both, Jeeves," Buffy sighed as she followed Harmony out. "You and me both."

*****

Harmony had been in the cemetery for reasons she hadn't understood. Something had drawn her there, a feeling that she somehow belonged there, that she had to go. Obviously, it had been the dreams of a Slayer, the same ones Buffy had had. She had driven there and had taken Buffy and Angel to the school via her Porsche. She and Buffy were now riding in what Buffy had already nicknamed "the Slayermobile."

"It's just so strange," Harmony sighed. "Being a Slayer now..."

Buffy gave her a pat on the back. "Don't worry. We'll break you in quickly."

Harmony gave her a look.

"I mean in training."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Hey, don't let first impressions bug you," Buffy told her. "We respect the barrier between thought and expression."

"Willow and Xander don't."

"We all have our demons to bear," Buffy sighed. "Literally in their cases."

Harmony peered at Buffy with a tiny smirk. "So...what's he like?"

Buffy frowned. "Who?"

"Long, dark and handsome, of course!"

Buffy groaned. "We're *not* a couple."

"Really?" Harmony asked with surprise and a bit of hope. "Wow. Maybe I could try..."

Buffy bit her lip. "I...don't think he'd work out for you."

"Why not?" Harmony pressed. "He's got it all! Good looks, sexy voice, brooding attitude that gets you warm, what else could you ask for?"

"A pulse?" Buffy dryly asked.

"Oh, well," Harmony pouted. "I like the Irish type, anyway."

Buffy quickly looked away and spoke. "So, any other Slayer issues you want to know about?"

"I'm wondering if...well, if I should tell my parents. They're going to want to know why I spend my nights out and hanging with you guys."

Buffy shrugged. "It's your choice." She looked away sadly. "One I didn't have."

"What about the...other you?" Harmony asked, still not believing she actually asked that question.

Buffy sighed. "She tried to keep it secret from her mom for a while but she finally had to come clean. I think it helped her a lot, gave her someone to connect to." She looked at her fellow Slayer. "I really don't think I could have taken lying to my mom all the time. Although...I wish I'd gotten that chance."

Harmony saw the pain still lingering in Buffy's eyes and realized how truly lucky she herself was. "I...I'm sorry. I can't imagine what that must have been like for you."

"It was...it was hard," Buffy admitted. "But...I've managed to deal with it. And she's helped with that."

Harmony stared at her. "What?"

"Long story," Buffy answered with a wave of her hand. "Let's just say it was a great Christmas present."

Harmony sighed. "I'm going to need another drink..." She paused before looking back at her fellow Slayer. "Is it me or did Oz and Larry take the whole thing the most calmly?"

"Hey, you've known those two longer than I have," Buffy pointed out. "They're generally laid-back."

"Laid-back?" Harmony scoffed. "Those two could form their own chapter of the apathy nation."

"I still wonder how they got that way..." Buffy mused.

"Well, in Oz's case, it's obvious." Off Buffy's look, she rolled her eyes. "Hello? Musician?"

"Point," Buffy agreed. She tapped her fingers on the door before speaking. "So, what's Willow's excuse?"

Harmony broke out laughing, so much so that Buffy was worried she might not be able to see the road before her. "What? What is it?"

Harmony tried to sober to answer. "Well, Oz has been a guitar man his whole life. But Willow? Come *on*. That can't be the reason for how she is."

Buffy frowned. "Wait...Willow has musical talent? Willow?"

Harmony nodded. "I guess you haven't seen it yet. Keep in mind, she's not in Oz's class. I mean, how much can you possibly learn in one summer at band camp?"

*****

"So this Lilah is now a werewolf?" Giles asked.

Larry nodded. "Yep. Fur, fangs, the works."

"Where is she now?"

"She rushed off and Holtz's group went after her," Ceridwyn explained. "Arthur's been trying to track her down as well, he said he'd call if he located her."

"That could be difficult," Giles remarked. "It's a bigger town than it seems and has plenty of places to hide."

"Well, at least it will get them off our backs for a while," Angel said. "Any distraction would be a good one."

"Hey, we've got another Slayer," Larry pointed out. "I think that helps us even the odds a bit."

"It's ironic, really," Giles said. "A few months ago, I was praying for a Slayer to come here. Now, I have to deal with two."

"Well, you know what they say about being careful what you wish for..." Jenny stated.

"Oh, yes, let's do bring that up again..." Giles sighed. "I must say I'm more confident with Harmony than I might have been not long ago."

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked.

"Well, to be frank, before the Harvest, Harmony was a rather airheaded young woman who placed the library on roughly the same status as a leper colony. However, she has changed severely in the past few years."

"I'll say," Larry chimed in. "The idea of her even being capable of fighting would have been ridiculous when I first met her. Now..." He shook his head. "Harmony as a Slayer. Unreal."

"Sadly, Larry, as we all well know, this is as real as it gets."

Larry glanced at him. "You've been reading those philosophy books again, haven't you?"

Angel glanced at the clock, then at Xander and Willow. "I think we'd better find some shelter," he told them. "With our track record, something else could be going down tonight and we don't want to get caught up in it."

"My place?" Amy spoke up.

"Sure," Angel shrugged. "Your mom have an extra bed?"

"Well, if she doesn't..." Willow started but a glare from Angel silenced her.

Ceridwyn sighed and moved to the door. "I'm going to try and track down Arthur, see how he's doing with the hunt. I think protecting the citizens from a werewolf falls under my police duties."

"Let us know if you need a hand," Giles told her as the Immortal nodded and left. The Watcher turned and moved to his office with a tired look on his face. Jenny frowned as she peered after him, then moved to follow. She pushed her head into the doorway, watching as Giles poured himself a cup of tea from the pot he had brewing on the small heater. "Can I come in or is this a bad time?"

"No, no, please, come in," Giles said. He took a seat at his desk and shook his head. "I'm simply trying to absorb all this."

"It is a lot to take in," Jenny agreed as she took a seat across from him.

"Two Slayers." The Briton moved his cup to his lips and took a deep sip of tea. "I hope I'm up for it."

"I'm sure you'll succeed," Jenny reassuringly informed him. "It's what you were trained for."

"For one Slayer, yes," Giles told her. "But two at once? I can't find a single case in Watcher history for a cast like that." He sighed. "And under these circumstances, it just becomes more difficult."

Jenny reached over and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder. "You can do it, Rupert. I know you can."

Giles smiled at her. "Thank you. Confidence in my skills is something in such short supply around here..." He shook his head. "Incredible. With all the Potentials in the world, a new Slayer happens to drop in right on our doorstep."

Jenny frowned. "Potentials? What potentials?"

Giles started as he realized what he had just let slip. He glanced out the door, making sure that the vampires were out of the room and Larry and Oz were out of earshot. Then, he leaned toward Jenny. "The other Buffy didn't mention this so maybe the other me didn't tell her. But the Council, with the aid of some magicks, has long kept an eye on girls who might become Slayers. The majority of them have their own Watcher, each with the chance to be Chosen when the current Slayer dies."

Jenny absorbed this information. "And none of these girls got it but Harmony did?"

"Which, needless to say, is going to give the Council fits."

Jenny smiled. "You know, if you Brits would just accept how you don't know everything, you wouldn't be so shocked all the time."

*****

Harmony Kendall's Home
2306 Hours PST

"Somehow, someway, I just know Willow and Xander think we're reenacting some skanky porno flick," Buffy drawled. She and Harmony were in the new Slayer's room, Harmony offering her bed to Buffy while she slept in her absent parent's room. Harmony was dressed in a set of pink pajamas, her blonde hair brushed back from her face. She and Buffy were roughly the same size so Buffy had little trouble fitting into Harm's proffered pajamas, which were blue. The two sat on the bed together, discussing the events of the evening. "I still can't believe the libido those two have," Buffy went on.

"Well, Xander's easy, he's a guy," Harmony quipped. "As for Willow, I suspect her mother was holding her back a bit so the demon must have used that to send her off."

Buffy nodded. "Might also explain the dress sense."

"Is it tough?" Harmony asked. "Hanging with them and Amy?"

"They grow on you," Buffy answered. "Sort of like Ebola..."

"What were they like?" Harmony suddenly asked. "I mean, the versions in this other world?"

Buffy frowned. "Well, I never knew what Xander and Willow were like before they were turned so I can't wholly judge," she began. "I can tell you that seeing our Willow freaked that one out a bit."

"Cause of the vampire thing?"

"No, cause of the leather-clad-bisexual-nympho thing."

"Ah."

"That Xander was a lot like ours, only even more sarcastic."

"And...Cordelia?" Harmony asked, curious to hear about her former friend still being alive.

"Had some attitude," Buffy said. "But she was a tough fighter and I could tell she and that Xander loved each other."

"Amy?"

"That version was a blonde." Buffy smiled. "So, looks like she had some taste." As Harmony laughed, Buffy went on. "Believe it or not, she was hooked up with a faery named Robin Goodfellow."

Harmony's eyes widened. "Puck?"

Buffy glanced around. "Funny, I just know his ears are burning right now..." she muttered.

She looked back to Harmony. "Oh and that world's Giles and Jenny were a couple too."

"Wow," Harmony had to say. "That's just...weird."

"That's at least one constant through both worlds," Buffy observed.

"How about you?" Harmony asked. "Any romance on that end?"

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I knew that was coming..." she muttered. "Yeah, I was hooked up with the leader of the team, this real hunk of a soldier and demon fighter who was also Immortal."

"Really? Any chance..."

"His version here was beheaded," Buffy told her. "Which is the one death we can't come back from."

"Ah," Harmony said again. She shook her head. "Just when I thought the night couldn't get odder..."

"I know," Buffy agreed. "I thought spending two years in Cleveland was bad enough. At least here I don't have to worry about the winters."

Harmony was silent for a long moment as Buffy stared at her. "Are you okay?"

Harmony bit her lip and seemed to shake a little. "It...it's just starting to hit me. I'm a Slayer, I've got a duty, a destiny...It's just so hard to take in..."

Buffy nodded. "I know the feeling."

"I mean, a couple of years ago, I thought a disaster for me would be losing my credit card. Now, I've got demons and vampires to worry about."

"I *know* the feeling," Buffy assured her. She sat back a little, studying the other girl. "I know it's tough, Harm. But you've managed to survive this long in this hellhole without any powers. I know you can handle this."

Harmony smiled at her. "Thanks, Buffy." She looked down before looking the Slayer in the eyes again. "I...I've never really had any real friends before. Even the group I hung out with were just people in the same social class as me. We never connected. I guess I never realized how lonely I was."

Buffy peered at her. "If this is the prelude to a come-on, I am so out of here..."

Harmony laughed. "Seriously, Buffy. I know this must sound really weird but...knowing that there's somebody out there like me...it feels really good, you know?"

Buffy looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she softly agreed. She smiled at her blonde friend. "What the Hell? I've always wanted a sister."

The laughter of the two Slayers filled the small room.

TBC