Collateral DamageTeaser

Story by DragonWriter17Written by DragonWriter17, Kye, and Zahir al Daoud (with additional writing by Gelfling21 and CN Winters)Produced and Directed by CN Winters and Susan Carr

Edited by DragonWriter17 and LillySounds by CSR

Art Direction by Robert KidmanArtists – Robert Kidman, CN Winters, Zahir al Daoud, Isis, Mattxxx, and

HumairaVideo "Sic Semper Vi" by Zahir al Daoud

A Week After "Hide-n-Seek"

Fade In:

Sic Semper Vi

 

Cut To:Int.Xander's Apartment – Day

"Vi! Don't go!"

As he spoke those words, Xander jerked awake on his couch. Tears poured down his unshaven face as he frantically glanced about the room, searching for the familiar redhead. When he didn't see her, he dropped his gaze to his hands and forced himself to breathe in and out very slowly.

His efforts to collect himself failed, however, and a sob escaped his throat. He covered his face with his hands and began to cry in earnest – with deep, body-shaking sobs that he thought would never cease.

They did stop, though, and he was finally able to wipe his eyes and face and to breathe normally. He ran a hand through his unkempt hair and sighed heavily. Then he glanced down at the coffee table in front of him.

It was covered with photos, notes, and letters as well as empty beer bottles and junk food wrappers. Also on the table were a box of tissues, a phone, and a universal remote. On the corner was a business card with the Watchers logo on it. Xander picked up the card. It was from Dr. Millenti, the Council psychiatrist. Xander looked away from the card and stared at the wall for a long moment; then he carelessly tossed the card back onto the table.

Xander picked up the remote and turned on the TV and the DVD player. He plopped back against the couch and wearily pressed the play button. As the familiar and somber song began to play, Xander stared lifelessly at the images on the screen.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Buffy's Office – Same Time

"How's Xander doing?" Giles asked gently. He was seated in an armchair across from Buffy and Willow, who sat on the small sofa in the corner of the office.

"He's still camped out in his apartment, watching that memorial service slideshow over and over," Willow answered. "I'm really worried about him."

"We all are," Buffy agreed.

"Has he gone to see Dr. Millenti yet?" Giles asked.

Buffy shook her head sadly. Willow did the same and then said, "A-A-And I'm just as worried about Kennedy…"

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Slayer Gym – Same Time

Kennedy worked the punching bag with severe regularity. Her hair and clothes were soaked with sweat, indicating that she'd been at it for some time.

Voiceover, Willow: "…she's all gung-ho about the Heli-hunt…like she's ready to dish out some vigilante justice…"

Kennedy intensified her attack on the bag until she was a blur of action. She screamed aloud with the last few punches and then suddenly stopped, stepping away from the heavy bag. Panting from the exertion, she let her arms hang limply at her sides.

When she had regained her breath, Kennedy put her hands on her hips and looked out the nearby window. With her thoughts clearly not on the scenery outside, she clenched her jaw repeatedly, with a frightening fierceness in her eyes.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Buffy's Office – Resume

"You don't think that she'd – ?" Giles asked, concerned.

"No, not really," Willow replied instantly. "I'm just scared. I've got two very good friends who could potentially end up in self-destruct zone, and I don't wanna see that happen."

Buffy regarded Willow solemnly. "We'll just have to make sure it doesn't, then."

Both Buffy and Willow gave a determined nod at that notion, but when they looked at Giles, deep worry still lingered in their eyes.

Fade Out

End of Teaser

Act One

Starring:Lacey Chabert as Skye, Michelle Rodriguez as Kadin Van Helsing, Gale Harold

as Jim Pollan, Elijah Wood as Jeff Lindquist, Norika Fujiwara as Mia, Asia Argento as Marie, Laura Pyper as Casey, Tessa Thompson as Chamique,

Alexis Bledel as Denise, Steffani Brass as Shannon, Thora Birch as Tracey, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, and Michael Shanks as Dr. Millenti

Guest Starring:Gary Oldman as Mr. Jason Felix, Mitch Pileggi as James Vance, Brendan Fehr

as Coen Vance and Christy Carlson Romano as Hope Lehane

Fade In:Int.Kennedy's Apartment – Bedroom – Early Morning

A Week Later

Kadin lay on her side facing the edge of the bed. She stirred slightly in her sleep, then rolled over to her other side, unconsciously reaching out for Kennedy. When her hand met only empty space, Kadin's eyes popped open.

She leaned up on her elbow and looked around the room, but Kennedy was nowhere to be seen.

Cut To:Int.Kennedy's Apartment – Living Room – Seconds Later

Kadin padded quietly out of the bedroom and into the living room. She found Kennedy standing beside the window, peering out into the early light of morning, with her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

"Hey…whatcha doin'?" Kadin asked softly.

At Kadin's words, Kennedy jumped slightly. She made the briefest of glances at Kadin before turning away. Hoping she was out of her lover's line of sight, she quickly wiped her eyes and cheeks to remove the tears that had been there.

"Nothing," she said, turning back to face Kadin. "Just watchin' the sun rise." She pasted on a smile.

Not buying Kennedy's façade of togetherness, Kadin walked over and placed a gentle hand on the slayer's arm. "It's okay to be upset, you know," Kadin said soothingly while stroking her arm. "She was your best –"

"I'm not upset!" Kennedy replied abruptly while pulling out of Kadin's touch.

The hunter's face showed at first surprise and then concern. She spoke Kennedy's name and started to reach for her again. But Kennedy took a pointed step back. Hurt filled Kadin's eyes. She pulled her hand back and didn't make another move toward the slayer.

A brief flash of regret showed in Kennedy's eyes before she dropped her gaze to her hands. When she looked back up, she said, "I've got to get ready for work." After a long sigh, she added, "And you've got a plane to catch."

At that, Kennedy left the window and headed for the bedroom.

Cut To:Int.Skye's Dorm Room – Same Time

Skye and Dawn were lying in bed together, embracing, their limbs intertwined as Skye held Dawn tightly to her chest. Dawn was crying. Skye gave her lover the occasional squeeze or kiss on the top of her head, but otherwise, she simply held her and let her cry. When Dawn was finally finished, she separated herself a bit and wiped her eyes.

"Sorry," she said, still sniffling. "I sneak over here to have some quality time with you, and all I do is bawl my eyes out."

Skye gave her a small smile and stroked her cheek. "It's okay, I understand."

"Do you?" Dawn asked softly but sincerely.

"I know how I would feel if I lost you," Skye said simply.

"It's just not fair," Dawn said, beginning to cry anew. "Here I am, can't even die if I wanted to, and Vi…she didn't have a chance. And Xander…poor Xander…it's just not right."

Skye spoke no words but merely pulled Dawn back into her arms.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Slayer Division Offices – A Short Time Later

The first to arrive that morning, Kennedy flipped on the lights in the large office and headed for her workstation. When she got there, she found a large yellow sticky note attached to her monitor.

"Need those evals, pronto!" was scribbled on the note in Faith's handwriting.

Kennedy rolled her eyes and grumbled to herself before snatching the note off and setting it aside. She booted up her computer and logged onto the Council intranet. She accessed her email program and began scanning down the list of messages, deleting any emails that appeared to be spam.

"No, I don't want to buy any hot stocks. No, I don't want to be bigger and better. No, I don't want to watch your awesome –"

Kennedy stopped and re-read the last subject line: "Watch my awesome VI-deo." A worried look came over Kennedy's face. She opened the email.

Instantly, a media file began to load. Within seconds, a video started playing on Kennedy's screen. Her eyes widened in horror as sounds and voices began playing over the speakers in accompaniment to the images she was watching:

Vi teasingly saying, "So, how are you going to show me how glad I am to be alive?" Then Xander replying, "I think I can come up with…" After a pause, a crumpling thud. "Vi? Vi, what's wrong?" Wracking, wet coughs followed by limbs thrashing. "Oh God, oh God, oh God…"

"Bitch!" Kennedy spat before fumbling blindly for the phone, not taking her eyes off the screen.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Meeting Room – Later That Morning

When Buffy came in the room, all of the other primary Council leaders were there: Rowena and Willow on one side, Faith and Kennedy on the other, with Robin and Jim on the end. Buffy had a grim expression on her face as she took her seat.

"Have you all seen the video?" Buffy asked.

Everyone nodded ruefully except for Kennedy, who sat stock-still with her arms crossed tightly. The muscles in her jaw clenched over and over.

"I'm assuming that footage was shot from one of the cameras we found in the sweep after," Buffy said. "But did we ever have any luck tracing the wireless signals for all those cameras Heli had tucked everywhere?"

Robin shook his head. "No. By the time we found the cameras, she had severed her connection with them."

"What about the email itself?" Faith asked. "Can't you trace where it came from?"

"We're working on that now," Willow answered, "but it's tough. Heli really knows what she's doing. She's hidden her tracks through layer after layer of false IP addresses. It's going to take time, and even then, I can't promise anything."

"What about Xander? Has he seen it?" Buffy asked.

"No," Willow said. "He hasn't exactly been in a check-my-email kinda mood lately, thank goodness. I went into the server and got it from his mailbox before it was opened. Of course, that doesn't mean she can't try to re-send to him."

"We should warn him," Buffy said to Willow in softer, gentler voice.

"I did," Rowena answered. "When Ken called Willow at our place, I shot over to Xander's until Willow gave me the all-clear that it was deleted."

"Good," Buffy said, relieved. Then she turned back to Willow for a moment. "We should check on him, though. After the meeting?" Willow nodded.

Buffy turned to Jim Pollan. "Jim, what about the media angle? Do we need to rethink the strategy there?"

"I don't think so," Jim replied. "For the most part, honesty is the best policy. As you know, we've admitted that a bomb went off, that two slayers died (one by poison and one by bomb), and that other Council members were injured, and that the perpetrator of the crime is a slayer herself. We've coordinated with the FBI and released Heli's photo and personal history to the media."

"Plus, we've put up that hefty reward for Heli's capture," Rowena reminded.

"We have not revealed, nor do I recommend that we reveal, the details of the case regarding the 'fun house', the vest bombs, and especially not the highly unethical questioning of Marly prior to her unfortunate…detonation." Jim cast an accusing glare in Willow's direction. She shrank down in her chair.

"Back off, Jim," Rowena told him defensively.

"He's right," Willow replied to Rowena.

"There's no need for nose rubbing here," Rowena replied, although she continued to look across the table at Jim.

Then Jim went on. "Point taken. Anyway, we're getting enough heat as it is for letting a psychotic with super powers get away."

"Agreed. Thanks, Jim." Buffy turned to Faith. "How are the slayers holding up? I mean, we've hired extra counselors, but still…it must be hard. Two of their own, dead at the hands of, well, one of their own."

"They're hanging in there," Faith said. "And the counselors are helping, I think. But that damn video set us back. Half of my slayers are scared to death that they're next on Heli's list and the other half are ready to form a lynching party."

Willow and Buffy glanced over at Kennedy. The younger slayer looked back at them and then around to the rest of the table.

"What?" Kennedy asked.

Buffy turned back to Faith without replying. "Just make sure everyone is going to their counselors. No exceptions." Buffy looked around the table. "Including us." Everyone nodded in agreement except for Kennedy.

"I'm just glad Xander's finally going," Willow said.

"Yeah, me too," Buffy added.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Dr. Millenti's Office – Late Afternoon

Dr. Millenti looked at Xander, seated across from him. Xander looked back at him, but with as much attention as he might give a wall or empty bookcase.

"Mr. Harris, why are you here?"

Xander's reply began a beat later than would seem natural. "Everyone said I should. And…" He stopped.

"And what?"

"I don't know." His face did not change expression.

Millenti continued to study Xander for what seemed like an eternal several seconds. "You should know," he began, "that I have seen people in much the same state you are now. Their whole world seems destroyed, in meaning if not physically. I can recognize the signs. Perhaps it might help you to know others have gone through what you're experiencing. Even more importantly, you should know – and I do mean 'know' – that it can get better. It will get better."

"I know that." Xander's voice might as well have been saying the time.

"Ah, but do you feel it?"

Silence.

"You've experienced the loss of a loved one before, am I right?" Millenti asked.

This time Xander at least blinked. "Don't you already know that?"

"I do, yes. Honestly, I was trying to elicit a response."

"Oh."

"And I succeeded. In a way."

More silence.

"Xander – may I call you Xander?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

"To be perfectly frank, you are not alone. From what records I have, it seems clear you are not close to your biological family, but on the other hand it is also clear you have what amounts to a very loving adopted family right here in Cleveland. I refer to people like Miss Rosenberg, Miss Summers – both Miss Summers I should say – Miss Lehane and Mr. Giles just for starters."

"They…"

"Yes?"

"Nothing."

"I don't think whatever you were going to say was nothing."

"Not important."

"Maybe. Or maybe vital. I respectfully ask that you tell me. Remember – it is my job to make the pain better."

"My pain better? My pain is pretty good right now." For a few moments, Xander said nothing, and neither did Dr. Millenti. Then Xander took a deep breath. "They didn't love her."

"Not the way you did."

He nodded his head.

Millenti said, "Forgive me for saying so, Xander, but no one is in any kind of contest over who loved Violet Joston the most, and if they were, you would win. The point is, all those people I mentioned, and more besides, they love you. Part of love is sharing the pain. Or – putting it still another way – you strove, did you not, to be as supportive as possible to Vi when her sister was killed?"

"Yeah."

"Do you regret that?"

"No."

"Do you imagine she regretted your support? Or welcomed it?"

Xander said nothing. His eyes left Dr. Millenti's face by a fraction of an inch. He seemed to be gazing at something else. Millenti looked behind himself, noting what was on the shelf behind his desk. A photograph of his wife. A small tennis trophy. An icon of the Archangel Michael.

"I'm going to make a suggestion," Millenti continued, turning back to Xander. "Consider this as something of an assignment. A choice you need to make, not this second but by the next time we see each other."

Without looking at the doctor, Xander asked, "What?"

"There's a drug called seroquel. Among other things it is an anti-depressant. Our minds are more than simply chemical reactions in the nervous system, at least that is my belief, but part of our minds is indeed exactly that. Seroquel can help make the chemistry of your mind a little bit more normal, a little less traumatized. Think of it as the mental version of a Band-Aid, something to help your system heal itself."

"You want me to take drugs."

"For the time being I think it might help, yes. But the decision is yours. I'll be honest with you – there are side effects. The biggest is drowsiness. You should only take seroquel before you go to sleep, and with a relatively heavy meal. Sometimes there is dizziness, but not usually with the dosage I have in mind. Again, I don't want you to decide yet. Let me know your decision the next time we see each other. But keep in mind – an anti-depressant only takes the edge off the worst of what you're feeling. It isn't a cure. Nor is it some kind of brainwash. You'll still feel everything you're feeling now, but less severely."

Xander seemed to consider what Millenti was saying. And his eyes kept straying to the icon of the angel behind the doctor's desk.

Cut To:Int.Faith and Robin's Apartment – Bedroom – After Midnight

As Robin slept soundly beside her, Faith lay awake in bed, gazing at the ceiling above her. Her right arm was draped over the pillow above her head; her eyes were wide open and alert, as if she'd never been able to go to sleep to begin with. After a long moment of staring, she blinked and sighed and looked over at Robin. Then she eased back the covers and slipped out of bed, being careful not to wake Robin.

Cut To:Int.Faith and Robin's Apartment – Living Room – Moments Later

Now in her jeans and t-shirt, Faith took her heavy hooded jacket out of the closet and pulled it on over her clothes. After zipping up her jacket, she headed for the front door.

Cut To:Int.Liquor Store – Moments Later

Faith handed over some money to the clerk behind the counter. As he put her purchase into a brown paper bag, she put her wallet back into her coat pocket.

"Are you her?" the clerk asked in a hushed voice as he took the money.

Faith looked around to see they were the only two people in the store. Her face wore an expression of confusion as to why he was whispering when she turned back to face him.

"What?" she asked.

"Are you Faith Lehane, that slayer?" he asked. "Because you sure look like her."

"I get that a lot," Faith replied as she picked up the bag. "Keep the change," she told him as she walked toward the door.

Cut To:Ext.Cleveland Waterfront – Moments Later

Faith made her way quickly down the street to the waterfront. As she grew closer, she slowed her pace and began anxiously scanning her surroundings. Although she saw no one, she put her hood up and tightened it around her face. Satisfied that she was alone, Faith approached her destination.

There, on the shoulder of the road, was the place where Faith had died. In every way, it was an ordinary street with parking spaces and cars, potholes and trashcans. But on that spot was something unusual: a tiny shrine. With more than a little hesitation, Faith drew near.

A small piece of wood had been propped up, and tacked on it were pictures of Faith, along with various icons of the saints. On the ground in front of the board were candles and flowers, some looking like they had been there a while, others looking newly placed.

Faith's brow furrowed in confusion as she took in the sight. She looked at it for the longest time before finally turning away. She glanced around the empty street and then up at the sky, a lost expression on her face.

"Yo, Gabs," she said, looking a little embarrassed as she spoke aloud. "Are ya there?"

She received no answer.

Faith reached into the bag. She held up the bottle in a gesture of offering.

"I know you like orange juice," she said, her eyes hopeful.

Once again, however, she got no reply.

Faith sighed heavily and put the bottle of juice next to the other offerings. Then she just stood there in the dark and stared out at the lake.

Fade Out

A Week Later

Fade In:Int.Hope's Apartment – Morning

Jeff opened his eyes, then blinked himself into wakefulness. He took a deep breath and looked around.

He was on a sofa/futon, still folded up, in the center of a studio apartment. The TV screen opposite him was dark now, while light was streaming in from the windows.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled as Hope entered from the kitchen. Jeff sat up, making some effort to straighten his rumpled clothes.

"You were wasted," Hope noted, handing him a cup of coffee. "I know you need to be at the Council before too long, so I was gonna wake you. Glad I didn't have to."

"Thanks." Jeff sipped the coffee. "Where did you sleep?"

She shrugged. "On the floor."

"Oh, no…you…"

"Hey, it's carpet. I've slept on concrete."

"But you should have woke me!"

At that, she shook her head. "No way." Something about the way she said it stifled Jeff's answer. He sipped, then took a gulp of the coffee. Hope, watching, smiled.

"You hear from the University yet?"

"Nope, not a word."

"You should have heard by now…"

"Let me ask you something."

"What?"

"Vi."

Jeff stopped drinking mid-sip. The nascent smile on his lips vanished. "Yeah?"

"What was she like? I mean, I hardly met her, but everyone is just – I dunno – wrecked."

"Fun," Jeff said after a moment. "A really good heart. Goofy and brave and kind. Kinda lonely, at least that's how she came across to me. Nervous a lot of the time, until she actually had to fight. Then she was like this little redheaded ninja Jedi berserker." He grinned at the image, as did Hope.

"She sounds cool."

"Yeah. She and I, we even went on a date once. Kinda." Hope's eyebrows rose. "Once. And it wasn't really a date. I was just her escort. Truth be told, she was using me a little bit to make Xander jealous. They weren't together then, not yet."

"Maybe it worked, then." She said this quietly.

Jeff nodded. "Maybe."

"Another question?"

"Sure."

"What are you going to do about Heli?"

"That's for the Council to decide."

"Okay, but what do you want to do about her?"

"Me? Personally…" Jeff paused, then continued. "Personally, I'd like to cut off her head with dull knife."

"Wow."

"I wouldn't do it, because – well, I wouldn't. But, that's what I feel. And to be honest, I wasn't even that close to Vi. We were friends, but not close. Xander and Kennedy – they must be in shock."

Her hand reached out and touched his cheek. "So are you. That's why I let ya sleep."

With a smile, he reached up and pressed her hand, closing his eyes in the sensation for a moment. "People will be spreading so many rumors," he said, voice low, "when I come back this early, or late, or whatever."

She chuckled, leaning down and pulling his face into a kiss. "Let 'em."

With that, he put his arms around her waist, and she sat in his lap, straddling him. The kiss didn't last that long, but the embrace – the holding of each other, the leaning against one another, the resting of heads against one another's throat and shoulder – that went on and on.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Meeting Room – Later That Day

Buffy sat at the head of the table. On her right were Willow and Rowena. On her left were Robin and Faith. At the end of the table, Kennedy was somewhat slouched in her chair, as if this was the last place she wanted to be. After officially opening the meeting, Buffy turned the floor over to Willow.

"Okay…I've got good news and bad news," Willow announced.

"Well, give us the good news first," Buffy suggested.

Willow shook her head. "Sorry, I gotta start with the bad." After taking a deep breath, she said, "The bad news is…we think Heli is attempting to hack into the Council mainframe."

Kennedy shot up in chair. "What?!"

"The good news is," Willow interjected quickly, "she hasn't been successful."

"Thank goodness," Buffy said in relief.

Willow nodded then went on. "The additional good news is the more she tries, the better the chance we have of tracking her."

"Good," Faith said, crossing her arms.

"The bad news is…" Willow paused and then continued in a very flustered voice. "…the woman is a freakin' genius! I'm doin' everything I know to do – and you know me, not exactly the slacker hacker here – and I just can't catch her! Every time I think I've got her, she's suddenly three steps ahead of me."

Buffy gave Willow's arm a sympathetic squeeze. "Will, we know you're doing everything you can. Just keep trying." Willow nodded in reply.

Robin leaned forward to address the group. "With Heli still out there, we need to keep the schedule reporting and buddy system in place. We let the front desk know where we are at all times. And unless absolutely necessary, no one ventures off grounds alone."

"Heli managed to nab all of us on grounds," Rowena muttered, scratching absently at the still-healing burns on her arms. Willow leaned over and silently scolded her with her eyes. Rowena did a double-take, then sat on her hand to stop herself.

"Yeah, I know," Buffy said, "but she's not here anymore, so that scenario doesn't seem likely to be repeated. She's out there now, so I think that's where we need to be most careful." Rowena shrugged and nodded in agreement. Buffy then turned to Faith and Kennedy. "Speaking of where Heli is, how's the search coming?"

"Well, we've gotten thousands of tips on the hotline," Faith said, "but none of them have panned out. Profiler seems to think she's hightailed it, that her work here is done. She'll probably just taunt us from afar, like some country with no extradition treaty."

Rowena looked at Faith intently. "And what do you think?"

Faith just shrugged uncertainly. Everyone stopped to ponder the matter for a moment. It was Kennedy who broke the silence.

"I think she's right here in Cleveland," Kennedy said. "Right in front of our faces. Just thumbing her nose at us, daring us to find her." Kennedy looked around the table, meeting each person's eyes. "She's not done with us. Vi and Marly, they were just the beginning and – "

The sound of the door opening stopped Kennedy from going on. Everyone looked to see who was interrupting the meeting. All eyes widened in surprise

when they saw Xander coming into the room. He was wearing fresh clothes and was cleanly shaven. Although he was pale and a bit thin, he appeared to be a little more like his usual self.

"Xander!" Willow exclaimed in surprise.

Buffy was equally shocked and blurted out, "What are you doing here?"

"It's the daily meeting, right?" he said with a small smile. "Well, unless you've changed the invitation list…"

"No, no, of course not," Buffy said. "Are you sure you're up for it, though?"

"I-I-If you're not, that's okay," Willow added instantly. "We don't want you do anything you're not ready for."

Xander shook his head as he walked toward the table. "I'm ready," he told them. "I hit rock bottom after Anya died and stayed there for months and what good did it do? It didn't bring her back. It just made me miserable." His voice was tired, tinged with a mixture of sadness and bitterness. "I can't bring Vi back, so I might as well work." He put a big grin on his face. "'Sides, all those would-be stakes aren't gonna sharpen themselves, are they?"

Everyone forced a chuckle, then Buffy motioned him to a seat. Once he sat down, everyone looked around the room nervously, with no one speaking. Buffy finally turned to Kennedy.

"You were finished with your report, right?" she asked the slayer pointedly.

Kennedy glanced at Xander a moment, then looked back at Buffy. "Yeah. Right. That's all I had."

"Okay, then," Buffy said. "Let's move on to watcher training. Robin, Ro, you've got some cross-Council training coming up next week, don't you?"

Fade Out.

A Week Later

Fade In:Int.Cleveland Airport – International Terminal – Early Morning

As Casey stood watch near the entrance, Willow followed Rowena to the ticket desk. She waited as Rowena checked her luggage and got her boarding pass. Then she slowly walked her girlfriend to the security

entrance. The two indulged in a long, somewhat needy hug. When they pulled apart, they leaned their foreheads together.

"I'll miss you," Rowena said.

"I'll miss you, too," Willow said as they leaned their heads back but stayed in each other's arms. "Four days is too long."

"I wish I didn't have to go. Everyone is still so upset…"

"Yeah." Willow shrugged and sighed. "Still, you know what they say…the devil doesn't take a day off. I guess that means we don't get to either." Willow expression grew serious. "Be. Careful. Okay?"

"I will. You too," Rowena said. Then she glanced at the clock on the wall. "You better get going. I know you've got a busy day: classes this morning, tutoring Kennedy, meetings."

Willow nodded ruefully, then kissed Rowena soundly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

At that, the two separated, and Rowena backed away toward the security line, giving Willow a final wave.

"Say hey to Al for me!" Willow called out.

"I will!"

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Coven Room – Early Afternoon

As Willow watched nearby, Kennedy sat cross-legged on the floor, focusing her attention on a rose floating above a small square cloth in front of her. Sweat was beaded on her forehead, and her eyes were narrowed in intense concentration. Slowly the flower sank a few inches. Then just as slowly it climbed back its former position.

"Good, good!" Willow praised. "Now see if you can pull off one of the petals."

Kennedy grimaced. "It's hard…"

"Believe me, I know," Willow commented. "I may make it look easy, but it's –"

Willow's statement was cut off when the rose suddenly went berserk, shooting up to the ceiling, where it crashed bud-first, sending a small rain of petals down on the two women.

"– not," Willow finished. She picked up the bare rose stem that had just fallen and sighed; then she added it to the stack of similarly deflowered stalks beside her.

Kennedy rolled her eyes, then growled in frustration as she smacked her face into her hands. "I hate this," she grumbled. "It's not like slaying at all." She looked up at Willow. "I don't have to work at that," she complained. "It just comes naturally."

"That's not true, and you know it," Willow chided. "Even though some of your abilities do kick in on their own, you still have to practice and hone your skills. Magic is the same way. Sometimes, you have to just give in and follow your instincts, but at other times, you have to really work hard to get the result you want."

Kennedy looked away thoughtfully, seemingly considering her words. After a long moment of contemplation, she turned back to Willow.

"Got another rose?" she asked the witch.

Willow grinned. "I certainly do."

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Lobby – Afternoon

Kadin came into the lobby, carrying her worn leather duffel bag over her shoulder. She went straight to the front desk.

"Hey," she said, greeting the receptionist. "Do you know where Kennedy is? I've been calling, but she's not answering her cell."

The receptionist pulled out a large appointment book, flipped a page, then settled her finger on a particular spot. "Says here she's in the Coven Room with Willow, Ms. Van Helsing."

For a split second, Kadin froze, then she blinked. "Oh," she said, trying not to sound irked. She gave a sheepish grin. "Guess that explains the no cell phone, huh?"

"Yep," the receptionist agreed. "Is Kennedy expecting you?"

"Actually, no," Kadin replied. "I thought I'd surprise her." She flashed a bright and slightly mischievous smile, which the receptionist returned. Then she headed for the elevators.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Outside The Coven Room – Moments Later

As they came out of the Coven Room, Willow gave Kennedy a sincere pat on the shoulder.

"You're doing very well, Kennedy," she said. "It took me months and months to get where you are now."

"Thanks," Kennedy replied. "I'm really trying."

"It shows," Willow complimented.

At the end of the hallway, Kadin came around the corner. When she saw Willow and Kennedy talking, she stopped and quietly backtracked. She eased her bag to the floor, then peeked around the corner to watch and listen.

Kennedy was looking down at her hands. "You know…Vi always used to nag me about the magic. Said I should stop fighting it and give it try." Kennedy glanced up at Willow for a moment; sadness was in her eyes. She dropped her gaze to her hands again.

Willow reached out and touched Kennedy's arm. "She was right, a-a-and she'd be really proud of you." When Kennedy still didn't look up, Willow pulled the slayer into a warm hug.

Kadin frowned at the embrace and stepped back around the corner. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall.

Kennedy didn't return Willow's hug, but she didn't pull away either, at least not at first. But it wasn't long before she cleared her throat and backed out of Willow's arms, tucking her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

"I gotta go," she mumbled, barely meeting Willow's eyes. "Still got a full day ahead of me."

At that, Kennedy walked away.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Hallway Near Coven Room – Seconds Later

When Kennedy rounded the corner, she immediately ran into Kadin. Startled by the sudden collision, they both jumped. While Kadin seemed to be a bit flustered, Kennedy's face brightened in pleasant surprise.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked with a smile. Then she planted a kiss on Kadin's lips. "I thought you were in Costa Rica."

"Well, I'm supposed to be," Kadin said. "But I, um, I wanted to be here more, so I canceled. I was hoping we could get together."

Kennedy smiled briefly, then frowned. "Today?" she asked with a wince. "'Cause I am so booked. I just got done with Willow, then it's following up on Heli tips until I patrol with Mia tonight."

Kadin took a step back. "Oh. First Willow, then Mia. Must be Bond-With-Your-Exes Day," she said sarcastically. "I should have checked my calendar."

Kennedy saw the disappointment behind her girlfriend's sarcasm. She took a step forward and put her hands on Kadin's hips, then she pulled the hunter close. "Tell you what," she said, "after patrol, it'll be just you and me. No exes allowed. I'll even take tomorrow morning off so I'm all yours."

Kadin couldn't help but smile at that. "All mine, huh?" Her smile became a sexy smirk. "Does that mean I can do anything I want with you?"

"Ohhhh yeeeeaaah," Kennedy eagerly agreed before kissing Kadin once again, this time hungrily, passionately.

When the two finally came up for air, Kennedy reluctantly pulled away. "I gotta go," she apologized as she backed away. "But…hold that thought!" Kennedy turned and ran down the hallway, leaving a grinning Kadin behind.

Fade Out.

Fade In:Int.Watchers Council – Dr. Millenti's Office – Late Afternoon

"So," Dr. Millenti asked, "anything in particular you'd like to mention about the meds?"

Eyes half open, Xander waited before answering. "The…uh…that side effect you mentioned."

"Drowsiness."

Xander nodded in slow motion. "Feel like I'm gonna get my wisdom teeth out."

"That passes. Usually within a week. Although odds are you will sleep longer and deeper."

"S'okay."

Millenti looked at Xander. He sat in the chair before him, leaning back as if exhausted after many hours of hard labor. Although his eyes were open, they seemed held open by an act of will. "Xander…you mentioned dreams before."

"Yeah."

"About Vi?"

Xander waited almost five full seconds before answering. "Yeah."

"Do you feel like talking about those dreams?"

Again, there was a long pause before answering. Then, "She is an angel."

"In your dream?"

Very slightly, Xander nodded.

"You know, that doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility. Especially in light of recent events. It is even possible your dreams are something more than just a dream."

Xander lifted one finger and pointed to his face. "Eye."

"Excuse me?"

"Magic eye."

"I don't understand."

"Psycho bastard poked out my eye. Willow grew me a new one. Didn't know if it'd work, but she tried. Wasn't easy, she said. But it did."

"That's…quite amazing. And quite a testimony to friendship."

"But it had magic." Xander pointed to his face again. In context he clearly was pointing to his eye. "Could see things. The future. Not very much, just a couple of seconds. For a while anyway. Worked less and less."

"So maybe you were able to perceive something, see something, others would not. Dreaming is part of being a slayer, so I understand. A slayer dream is not simply a confusing interplay of unconscious images but a genuine insight into mysteries."

Now Xander shook his head. "Doesn't work anymore."

"Maybe it does."

"No." Xander's voice was hollow beyond words. "Not a lot of miracles to go around. Faith. Just Faith. No one else."

Millenti leaned forward. "I don't claim to know anything for certain, but it seems to me that if you don't know, then it is wrong to call a hope false. From all I've ever heard or read about Vi, she was someone who would become an angel. Wouldn't you agree? Don't you believe it at least possible that your dreams might be a little bit more than dreams? That perhaps, in some mystical sense, Miss Joston – Vi – is still with you? That her love still reaches out to you?"

At that, Xander opened his mouth, but no words came out. He moved his tongue, but there was no sound. Lips moved, but still no voice. Finally, his eyes opened to their normal size. Then, larger.

"Xander?"

From out of Xander's mouth now did come a sound, something like a moan but also a sigh. It had no words. It barely consisted of vowels. The pitch was high, although the volume was low. And it did not end, not soon. Rather, the sound coming out of Xander got deeper in pitch and at the same time louder. He didn't seem to be making the sound, not deliberately. Instead, this sound seemed to be escaping.

And it went on and on and on. Even after his eyes began to water, and the tears began to flow. Xander gasped for breath, but the sound didn't stop, merely changed in timbre and pitch.

Unblinking, Xander had no choice but to let the sound escape – eyes wide, unblinking, and red. Until at last it began to fade, reducing into something like a croaking gasp.

He closed his eyes, and his body half-collapsed forward. Both shoulders slumped, in between shudders. His hands slowly rose up to cover his face.

Dr. Millenti handed him a Kleenex and kept one for himself. His own eyes were moist.

Xander quietly wept, his nearly-silent sobs the only sound in the office, muffled by his hands.

Fade Out.

Fade In:Ext.Cleveland Side Street – Night

Near the end of their patrol shift, Mia and Kennedy walked idly down a small side street off one of the main avenues. The muffled booming of music could be heard coming through the walls of the nightclub they were passing. They scanned the few clusters of people outside, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary, they kept walking.

"Feels good to hang out again," Mia commented. "You and me, I mean."

"Yeah, it does," Kennedy said sincerely. Then her expression changed; she started to add something but didn't.

Mia noticed. "Don't worry," she told her. "I'm not gonna cause any trouble between you and Kadin. You two are together now, and I get that. I may not like it, but I get it. I'll deal." She flashed a small smile, which Kennedy returned.

The two slayers walked on in silence till they reached the end of the block. Just as they started to turn the corner, someone stepped in front of them. They jumped back in surprise and assumed a defensive position.

Then the man spoke. "Kennedy? Are you the slayer named Kennedy?" he asked, pointing at her and moving purposefully toward her.

Kennedy eyed the man warily. "Maybe. Who wants to know?"

"Leonard Lance, Fox 8 News," the man announced, moving even closer.

Before Kennedy could reply, she was suddenly blinded by the bright lights of a video camera being directed at her by the reporter's sidekick. She lifted her hand to shade her eyes.

"Can you tell us what it was like to lose your best friend, Vi Joston, to one of your own fellow slayers?" the reporter asked with complete lack of sensitivity.

Kennedy dropped her hand, her face now tightening into an expression of barely-repressed fury. "What it was like?" she parroted back as she stalked over to Lance. Though fear flashed in his eyes, he held his ground.

"Kennedy…" Mia called out, but the angry slayer ignored her.

She grabbed the reporter by the front of his coat and threw him against the wall, then moved in closer.

Fade Out.

Fade In:Int.Kennedy's Apartment – Later That Night

Kadin looked at her watch for the fiftieth time since Kennedy's shift had been scheduled to end. She glanced at the door and sighed impatiently. Marsha was curled up next to Kadin on the couch; she looked up at the hunter questioningly.

"Don't look at me," Kadin told the little dragon. "I don't know where she is."

Kadin sighed again and reached for Kennedy's phone. This time she dialed the number for the patrol desk. When the slayer on duty answered, she asked, "Hey, this is Kadin. Has Kennedy checked in from her shift? I've tried calling her cell, but it keeps going straight to voice mail."

"Let me check," the slayer replied. "Nope, not yet," she said after a few seconds. "That's not uncommon, though. Sometimes –"

"Thanks," Kadin said, cutting off the slayer's explanation. Then she hung up the phone.

Marsha gave a sad whine and snuggled closer to the hunter. Kadin reached down and petted the dragon. "I know," she told the small beast, "I know."

Cut To:Ext.Cemetery – Same Time

Kennedy sat on the ground with her knees pulled against her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. In front of her was a white headstone tucked among many others.

On top of the headstone was the statue of a young cherub. With her wings spread out behind her, the child-like angel was looking down at her gown, which she had draped to carry what appeared to be a clump of flowers. Carved into the front of the headstone were the following words: "Violet Joston, beloved."

Kennedy stared silently at Vi's name in the stone, tears trickling down her face. Then she dropped her head to her knees.

Fade Out.

End of Act One

Act TwoFade In:Int.Buffy's Apartment – Morning

The Next Day

Buffy yawned and carried her cup of coffee to the living room, where she plopped onto her sofa and turned on the television. After a commercial played, the early news came back on.

With a backdrop that showed a picture of the Council Headquarters, the morning anchor looked into the camera solemnly.

"As speculations continue regarding the recent events at the Watchers Council, particularly the apparent poisoning of Violet 'Vi' Joston, our own Leonard Lance was on the scene with one of those closest to the slayer."

As the anchor turned to the monitor and the pre-recorded video began to play, the now-fully-awake Buffy leaned up and set her coffee cup on the table, never taking her eyes off the screen.

"Can you tell us what it was like to lose your best friend, Vi Joston, to one of your own fellow slayers?" Buffy heard the reporter ask Kennedy.

"What was it like?" she heard an outraged Kennedy say.

"Oh no," Buffy sighed.

Then she saw a furious Kennedy throw the reporter against a wall.

"What the BLEEP do you think it was like, you sick son of a BLEEP?!" the video showed Kennedy yelling.

As the camera was jostled to get a good picture, Buffy saw Kennedy point at the reporter and say, "Stay the BLEEP away from me!"

Then Buffy saw Kennedy whip around and grab the lens of the camera. She heard Kennedy say, "Get the BLEEP out of my face!"

Then the image went wild with an ascending vertical shot of the side of the building, then the roof and sky, then nothing.

As the news program returned to the anchor, Buffy muted the television. Then she groaned and dropped her head into her hands. After a long grrrrr of frustration, she straightened up and picked up her phone. She quickly dialed Jim Pollan's number.

"Please tell me you're on it," she said as soon as he answered.

"If you mean Kennedy killing her chances of ever doing a Barbara Walters interview," Jim replied, "then, yes, I'm on it."

"Thanks," Buffy said, somewhat relieved. "Keep me posted."

"Will do."

Buffy hung up then immediately dialed Faith's number. When the grumpy and drowsy slayer answered, Buffy said, "We need to talk. Now."

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Patrol Check-In – Later That Morning

Still in the same clothes from the night before, Kennedy dragged into slayer headquarters and finally checked in at the patrol desk.

The slayer on duty noted her arrival in the log. Then she gave her a sheepish frown and handed her a piece of paper.

"You're wanted in Ms. Summers' office," she told Kennedy. "Like now."

Kennedy rolled her eyes, groaned, and stuffed the note in her pocket. Then she trudged toward the door.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Buffy's Office – Moments Later

Buffy and Faith were standing together with Kennedy standing opposite them. No one appeared to be in the mood to sit. Buffy had her arms crossed tightly, and she didn't look the least bit happy. Faith was a step closer, clearly in confrontation mode. Kennedy looked at her boots.

"You didn't check in last night after shift," Faith accused.

Kennedy shrugged. "So I didn't check in right away and my report's a few hours late, big deal."

"It is a big deal when you abandon your patrol partner and don't tell anyone where you are!" Buffy interjected. "Mia was worried sick."

"So she ratted on me, huh?"

"No, she didn't," Faith answered. "She was covering for you, and believe me, I've had a chat with her about that already. I didn't realize you were gone till B called and woke me up…after she saw you on the early morning news."

Kennedy's eyes widened, then she shook her head in disgust. "That bastard!"

"Bastard or not," Buffy said, "you didn't have any business shoving him or his camera man."

"Did you hear what he asked me?!"

"Yes, I did," Buffy replied. "But I've got enough trouble dealing with the fallout from one psycho slayer. I don't need the world thinking we've got another one who's going ballistic on reporters!"

Kennedy took a step toward Buffy and pointed angrily at her. "Don't you dare compare me to Heli!" she said through clenched teeth. "I am nothing like her!"

Buffy wisely backed off. "That's not what I meant," she told Kennedy. After a quick pause, she went on. "But…my point still stands. No matter how bad things get, you just can't let your anger get the better of you, and definitely not on film."

"B's right," Faith said. After a sigh, she added in a gentler voice, "Look, Slick, I know times are hard, it's hard on all of us, but – "

Before Faith could finish, Kennedy interrupted. "Okay, fine, I get it. I'll just say 'no comment,' and it won't happen again," she said sullenly. "Can I go now?"

Faith looked at Buffy, who rolled her eyes and reluctantly nodded. By the time Faith turned around, Kennedy was already out the door.

Cut To:Int.Kennedy's Apartment – Living Room – Around Noon

The door swung open, and a very pissed-off slayer stomped into the living room. She slammed the door behind her and threw her jacket onto the coat rack, knocking it completely over. Marsha rose up from her position on the sofa to see what happened.

"Geez, what did that coat rack ever do to you?"

Kennedy looked up sharply at the sound of the other voice. Kadin was standing a few feet in front of her, leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen. Although her tone had been sarcastically teasing, Kadin didn't look amused.

"Not now, Kadin," she sighed angrily.

"You mean you remember my name? That's a relief. At least you're remembering something about me."

"What are you talking about?"

Kadin looked at her pointedly. "Last night. After patrol. Just you and me. Ring any bells?"

A look of realization came over Kennedy's face. She shook her head and dropped her gaze to the floor. When she lifted it, she said simply and without much contrition, "Sorry. Something came up."

"What? Did you need another private lesson from Willow? Did Mia need some special training after hours?"

Kennedy scoffed loudly.

Kadin moved closer. "No, I know what it was…it was yet another hot tip from the Hunt-For-Heli-Hotline, wasn't it? Something you just had to follow up on, right?"

Kennedy's eyes burned with rage as she stared back at the hunter. "Why don't you just back off with all the smart-ass remarks? You have no idea what I'm going through, okay?"

Kadin's brow arched just slightly. "I have no idea?" She dropped her arms to the sides and smiled in disbelief. "Forget who you're talking to? I'm the crazy monster hunter who went on a rampage killing everything furry within a hundred feet all for the sake of avenging my father and you're telling me I have no idea?"

"You know what?" Kennedy sighed, throwing her hands up in the air. "I don't need this." She turned and reached for her jacket.

"Well, I'd really love to hear just what it is you do need," Kadin shot back as she took a step forward. "Because, hell Kennedy, these days? I don't have a clue."

Kennedy turned around swiftly to meet Kadin's eyes with a cold stare. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, I think you know," Kadin answered hotly before softening her tone. "Every time I'm here, I might as well not be. When you're not in meetings, you're training or patrolling or hanging out with your exes, or following dead-ends on Heli." She let out a deep sigh and ran a hand back through her hair. "You're everywhere but around me."

Kennedy shook her head with a snarky smile. "Oh, that's rich coming from you…little Miss 'Can't talk now, got yet another plane to catch to wherever the hell it is that needs my help this time'."

"Don't even go there!" Kadin shouted, pointing a finger at Kennedy. "I turned down three jobs in the last month, and I canceled my trip to Costa Rica, just to spend time with you, to be here for you. But all you care about lately is finding Heli." Kadin crossed her arms and looked away. "Never thought I'd have to be jealous of a psycho," she muttered.

"Everything's a joke to you, isn't it?"

"No, it's not, but I'm trying to make a point."

"And what would that be? To show me how not to be a supportive girlfriend?"

"Well, excuse me if I don't want to help my girlfriend destroy herself over some pointless revenge!"

"Pointless?!" Kennedy said, outraged. "She killed two slayers. Just murdered them…savagely…methodically…for fun!"

"I know," Kadin said in much gentler voice. "And I know how much Vi meant to you, 'the last of the Sunnydale originals'…And if I had a way to bring her back I would, but I don't. You don't. And…this path you're on…it doesn't lead to anything except more pain. Remember? You told me that."

"It's not the same," Kennedy ground out between clenched teeth.

"Why? Because –"

"It just isn't!" Kennedy shouted. "Damn it! Why don't you get this?!" She let out a frustrated roar then clamped it down tight. Her eyes burned with rage as she slowly said, "I just want Heli –"

"What? Dead?" Kadin finished.

Kennedy glared at her before turning away without answering the question. "No," she finally replied softly.

"Kennedy, please," Kadin called out gently. "Don't let this thirst for revenge destroy you. Because, believe me, it will."

"This isn't revenge…it's justice." Kennedy took a deep breath then added in a voice mixed with hurt and anger. "Why doesn't anyone get that?"

Kadin sighed. "It doesn't matter if you wrap it up and put a nice little bow on top. It's still the same."

Kennedy turned back to face her. "Did you watch that video? Did you see how horribly Vi died?"

"Yes, but that –"

"Just save it, okay?" Kennedy said, lifting a hand to silence her. "I don't need any more of your take-the-high-road lecturing."

Kadin's expression grew sullen, and she let out one final sigh. Her gaze dropped away, and she shook her head sadly. Then she met Kennedy's eyes.

"Then I guess you don't need me either," the hunter said.

Kadin brushed past Kennedy and grabbed her duffel bag from the couch. She pulled on her heavy coat over her vest and reached for the doorknob.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Kennedy asked.

Kadin didn't turn back as she replied, "Where I'm needed." She grabbed the door and yanked it open before stepping out and slamming it behind her.

Kennedy stared at the empty spot for a long moment before finally sighing and disappearing into the bedroom.

Cut To:Int.Kennedy's Apartment – About Two Hours Later

Kennedy had her feet propped up on the coffee table as she idly flipped through the channels. Her gaze was locked on the screen, but she clearly wasn't interested. She absently stroked Marsha on the head as the dragon rested her head in her lap.

Kennedy's eyes drifted over to her cell phone resting silently on the cushion beside her. She let out a deep sigh and clicked off the TV. Reaching over, she picked up the cell phone and flipped it open.

The slayer bit her lip and stared down at the buttons. After a long moment, she finally relented and pressed the button for the number one on her speed dial.

"Calling Kadin…" flashed on the screen as she lifted the phone to her ear.

Cut To:Int.Cleveland Airport – Luggage Check-In – Same Time

With her duffel bag now checked and her heavy coat draped over her arm, Kadin took her ticket back from the attendant behind the desk. She smiled politely and nodded.

"Thanks."

As she stepped out of line and away from the crowd, Kadin glanced at her ticket: connection in Miami, arrival time in San Jose, Costa Rica, around midnight. As she tucked her ticket into her inside vest pocket, her cell phone began to vibrate and ring. She reached into the front pocket of her vest and pulled out her phone. She flipped it open and glanced down at the caller ID.

"Kennedy Calling…" showed on the screen.

With a frown and a sigh, she pushed the off button. Then she closed the phone, dropped it back in her pocket, and headed for the line at the security check.

Cut To:Int.Kennedy's Apartment – Same Time

Kennedy was sitting motionless on the couch as she held the phone in a death grip at her ear.

After the fourth ring, there was still no answer.

As the familiar sound of Kadin's voice mail greeting started to drift into her ear, Kennedy sighed and flipped her phone closed.

Fade Out.

Two Days Later

Fade In:Int.Watchers Council – Kitchen – Evening

It was near the end of the supper hour. No one was in line, so Tracey and Andrew were beginning to take the food trays out of the steam table. They pulled out two long trays of lasagna – one with meat and one without – and one tray of Italian spinach. While Tracey set the hot trays on the back

counter to cool, Andrew started putting the leftover salad and garlic bread into plastic containers.

Tracey sidled up next to Andrew. "Third time this month for lasagna," she commented.

"Yeah," Andrew said sadly. "It was one of Vi's favorites." Then a quirky smile came over his face. "I used to call her 'Garfield' because she could eat a whole tray by herself." He chuckled then sobered again.

Tracey's eyes welled up with tears, and she gave her boyfriend a proud smile. Then she wrapped him in a big hug, which he gratefully returned.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Dining Hall – Same Time

Dawn sighed and rubbed her eyes with her fingertips as the noise from the slayers sitting in the dining hall drummed in her aching head. She was about to get up and go to her room when she heard a few sneers from another table as Shannon made her way past Lorinda.

"Shannie-Shannie Mega-Fanny! Gonna go sit with your Watcher?" Lorinda called out in a baby-voice.

The girls at Lorinda's table laughed and snickered as Shannon quietly made her way toward Dawn's table.

Dawn groaned inwardly, her head hurting too much for her to want to speak to anyone.

Shannon set her tray down at the table. "Hey," she greeted Dawn quietly, pulling a chair out.

"Hey yourself," Dawn said with false cheer. She tried a smile, but it was more of a grimace.

"You don't look so good," Shannon said directly. She noticed Dawn's untouched food. "You feel okay?"

"I've got a bad headache. Guess I'm just a little…tired."

"Yeah," Shannon said and sat down. "Me too, I guess."

Dawn looked at her sharply through squinty eyes as the headache worsened. "You are?"

"Yeah. Been – I don't know – tired. Like I don't feel like doing anything. Ever since…"

"Since?" Dawn prompted her.

"Halloween."

The answer was so simple and soft that Dawn blinked at Shannon a few times before it registered. "Since Marly and Vi…?"

"Yeah," Shannon answered. "I really liked Marly. And I really-really liked Vi. Vi was like really cool about…about keeping some people in line." She stole a hard look at Lorinda, who was busily boasting about some escapade or another. "And…and Vi was…was just cool."

"Yes," Dawn said. "She was."

"She saved my life."

Dawn waited a beat before saying firmly, "But not at the cost of her own, Shannon. She died afterwards. It had nothing to do with –"

The look of horror that came over Shannon's face took Dawn by surprise. "Oh…no. No. I – I didn't mean that!" Shannon said. "I know it was after…I know. I – I just…it's just that she was here one minute and the next she – I don't get it! Why do we have to do this stuff? Why do we have to be slayers? What difference does it make anyway?"

Some of the girls at a nearby table glanced at Shannon. She noticed and lowered her voice.

"I mean, there's still gonna be demons and evil and vampires and – and if not, there's gonna be bad people causin' wars and doing crimes…" Shannon's whisper grew bitter. "So it's not like we're gettin' rid of any of it, 'cause it just keeps coming back! And Vi can't come back! And Marly can't come back. Or my watcher – my first watcher – Peter."

Dawn took a deep breath and let it out slowly as Shannon sat sullenly picking at her food. "You're right, Shannon. Vi, Marly, and Peter, can't come back."

Shannon pushed the food around on her plate with her fork and waited. When Dawn was silent for several seconds, she looked up at her.

Dawn smiled at her in spite of the sharp pain in her head. "You know, Shannon…I lost my mother when I was around your age. She died of an aneurysm – a blood clot – in her head. It was just like Marly and Vi – here one minute, gone the next. And she was the only person in the world that I had to go to. Just like Peter. So when I lost her, it was like I lost everything."

Shannon said nothing but continued to look openly at Dawn.

"But I hadn't. I still had my friends, who cared a lot about me – Giles, Willow, Xander…and I still had Buffy."

"And then Buffy died."

"Yes, she did."

"But Buffy came back."

"She did. But if Buffy had never come back…" Dawn swallowed a lump that suddenly rose in her throat. "I still would have been okay, Shannon, because I had – "

"You had people who loved you," Shannon said softly.

"You do, too. You have your family, your – "

"My mother doesn't want me," Shannon said matter-of-factly. "She's got my cousin, Mary-Adele. She lives with us – them – and she's all girly-girl and wears dresses with little bows and collects dolls and stupid stuff. And my father doesn't want me, either. What guy wants a girl who's stronger than both of his teenage sons? Only my grandfather wanted me," she said sadly. "And he's dead, too. My only real friend that I can talk to or really hang with is Norman, and he's all the way in Atlanta."

"So, who do you have then?"

"Nobody."

"There's no one?"

Shannon looked up again, searching Dawn's face. Dawn was smiling at her, gently.

"Sometimes," Dawn said quietly as she rose to her feet, "the people who love us the best are the ones we take most for granted. The ones who are constantly watching out for us every day, who make us keep going when we just don't care, and who talk to us when we're down. Even when they have killer headaches." Dawn grinned in spite of the pain in her head.

Shannon looked down at the table. "Yeah, but those people often have death wishes I'm finding out."

Dawn looked away for a moment and took her seat again.

"I didn't say that the people who love us will always be smart," Dawn answered with a guilty grin. "In fact, there are times we all do pretty stupid things. But again, I have people who love me, like Buffy, and Skye too. They pointed out that I do have people here that need me, including you, and it got me back on track…Shannon?" Shannon still kept her head down. "Shannon, look at me please?" Finally, the young woman raised her head. "I'm not perfect. No one is. And I made you a promise that I didn't end up keeping. I know that. But I can tell you that I'm dealing with what immortality could mean to me. It might really be a blessing and not a curse like I first thought. But I have to get there in my own way. And I'm sorry that the first way I chose ended up hurting you too."

"So…are you there yet? Got it figured out?" Shannon asked.

Dawn grinned. "No, but longing for death isn't an answer. And even though I'm not there yet, at least I'm heading in the right direction…But my point is still the same, you do have someone," she said, tapping her own chest. "I know I don't deserve your trust again, but that's not going to stop me from trying to do everything I can to earn it. We all should be entitled to a few do-overs in our lives, wouldn't you say?"

Dawn began to rise slowly. A slayer at a table behind Dawn and Shannon saw Dawn getting ready to leave.

"Hey, Shannon!" the junior called. "C'mon over here!"

Dawn's smile quirked a bit as she lifted her tray. "See! You've got more friends than you think if you're willing to look. Come by later if you like. I just need to take an aspirin and lie down for a bit."

Shannon looked up. "Got any anchovy pizza?"

"No, but if you come up later, I'll order us one," she half-laughed.

"Later!" Shannon said and got up with her tray to go to the other table. She stopped and turned to watch Dawn make her way slowly out of the dining hall.

"Hey, Shannon, c'mon, we saved a seat for ya!"

Shannon turned and smiled at the group.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Dining Hall – Same Time

When Willow came in the door, she walked straight toward the food line. When she saw Kennedy nearby, though, she made a detour and headed toward the slayer. She found Kennedy slouched in her chair, just aimlessly pushing her food around.

"Hey!" she greeted lightly as she sat down. "What's on the menu tonight?"

"Lasagna," Kennedy said without enthusiasm.

"Oh, goody!" Willow said excitedly. "I hope they got some vege leftover."

Kennedy watched Willow nearly bouncing in her chair. "What's got you so chipper?"

Willow smiled widely. "Ro is coming home tomorrow!"

"Lucky you," Kennedy said blandly.

Willow looked at Kennedy questioningly. "Kadin out of town?"

"You could say that."

"Oh!" Willow said as if a bright idea had just come to her. "You wanna hook up with me tonight? We could keep each other company while our honeys are away."

Kennedy dramatically raised her eyebrow.

"Not like that," Willow chided with a chuckle.

Kennedy gave a brief smirk.

"So, do you wanna?" Willow asked again. "If you're not on duty, that is."

"I think I'll pass. You probably want to torture me with Modern Bride magazines," Kennedy said with a slight grin.

"Nope, Armani catalogs. This is one wedding where I can actually wear a tux!" she said bubbled.

"Well, as if we didn't already know who wore the pants in that relationship," Kennedy chuckled.

"I promise we can find something else. What do you say?" Willow replied.

"I'm off duty till our session tomorrow, but tonight…I've got a date with a stack of Heli reports in my apartment."

Willow frowned at that. "Kennedy…"

Kennedy nodded her head toward the kitchen. "You'd better get to the food line before Andrew closes it down."

Willow glanced at the kitchen then back at Kennedy. "I'll be right back. Stay put."

After Willow left, Kennedy pulled out her phone. She flipped it open and called Kadin's cell number. It rang once, then twice.

"Come on, Kadin," Kennedy grumbled. "Answer the damn phone."

For the umpteenth time over the last two days, Kadin did not pick up. When Kennedy heard Kadin's voice mail kick in, she hung up, growling in frustration.

Just then, Willow returned with her tray.

"What's wrong?" she asked sympathetically. "Fallout from the reporter thing?"

"Heard about that, huh?" Kennedy saw Willow nod ruefully. "No, nothing about that. It's…" She paused and looked down at her hands. "Me and Kadin…we had a fight."

"Oh," was all Willow could say.

Kennedy sighed in exasperation and went on. "We were supposed to get together, and I forgot and came home late, and she bitched about it, and

then she started lecturing me about Heli and revenge, like she's one to talk, and I got pissed, and the next thing I know, she's storming out the door, probably headed off to yet another monster mission across the globe."

Willow leaned back, surprised by the torrent of words. "Oh, well, um, maybe you should call her," she suggested. "You know, try to make –

"I did," Kennedy replied, annoyed. "But does she pick up? Nooooo."

"Where did she go?"

Kennedy shrugged. "Costa Rica, I think. Maybe. At least that's where she had been scheduled to go."

"Well, there ya go," Willow said with a forced smile. "M-M-Maybe she's in the remote rain forest, w-w-where her cell wouldn't work."

Kennedy gave Willow a 'yeah-right' stare.

"Did you leave a message?"

"No. Why should I?" Kennedy shot back petulantly. "She's the one who ran out on me. Why should I leave a message? She should be the one leaving a message."

Willow reached across the table and touched Kennedy's arm gently. "I know I'm not the best person to give advice on this, but…sometimes being together is more important than being right."

An angry glare flashed in Kennedy's eyes, but then it quickly faded. She looked away as if considering the matter. "Well, she thinks I'm some psycho too hell-bent on revenge to see straight."

Willow appeared uncomfortable. "I'm not sure how to say this but…I'm worried about you too, Kennedy."

Kennedy held her hands in front of her. "I'm fine. Okay, that's not true. I'm not fine. Parts of me are a total wreck, but you know what I want? What I really want by doing all of this?"

Willow shook her head.

"I want to look Heli in the eyes. I want to put a pair of cuffs on her, and I want to walk her into an 8x8 cell where she rots for the rest of her awful life. If that's revenge, then yeah, maybe Kadin's right."

"My opinion on this is probably biased, but…that doesn't sound psycho to me. Kadin thinks it does?"

Kennedy looked a bit sheepish. "I didn't tell her that. Truth is I haven't told her much of anything lately…Guess that's my fault, huh?"

Willow shrugged and then made a gesture toward her. "Maybe, but hey! There's nothing that says you can't say it the next time you see her, right?"

Kennedy didn't look very sure about the prospect, but she nodded anyway.

Cut To:Int.Kennedy's Apartment – Later That Night

Kennedy sat on the couch sifting through stacks of reports from the Watchers hotline. There were two messy piles of pages on each side of her. On the coffee table in front of her were several stacks that had apparently started out neat but were now in a disorganized heap. A whiskey glass, empty except for two half-melted ice cubes, sat sweating on a few scattered sheets on the corner of the table.

Kennedy quickly scanned the page she was holding. "Useless!" she said before tossing it on the heap on the coffee table. "Useless!" she said after viewing the next page. She repeated that process until every sheet in her hand had been discarded. "All useless!"

She reached for her whiskey glass. Upon seeing it empty, she threw it at the wall, smashing it into pieces. She then turned her attention to the coffee table. She swept off the stacks of pages, sending them flying all over the living room. She did the same for the piles on the couch before upending it. Then she picked up the coffee table and hurled it across the room, where it collided with her entertainment center, narrowly missing the television, but causing the shelves of CDs and DVDs to crash to the floor.

Her body heaving as she gasped for air, Kennedy took in the sight of her trashed living room. Then she growled and headed for the front door. She snatched her jacket off the coat rack and left her apartment, slamming the door loudly behind her.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Lobby – Moments Later

Kennedy stomped out of the elevator then strode right past the empty reception desk. Just as the door closed behind Kennedy, the night worker

stood up behind the desk, holding the pen she had dropped. She glanced at the door curiously, as if wondering if she had missed something. She gave a quick shrug, hopped back on her stool, and returned to her crossword.

Fade Out.

The Next Day

Fade In:Ext.Cleveland Airport – Tarmac – Late Morning

Kadin squinted against the sun as she stepped off the plane. She shivered in the cold as she went down the steep steps to the tarmac. When she got to the bottom, she pulled on her long coat and headed for the terminal door. As she walked, she reached into the front of her vest and pulled out her cell. She flipped it open, pushed the button to turn it on, and waited.

The following message showed on the screen: "No New Messages."

Kadin closed her phone and put it away.

Cut To:Int.Cleveland Airport – Baggage Claim – Moments Later

Kadin was leaning against the wall near the baggage claim. Her eyes scanned over the crowd of people huddled by the unmoving conveyor belt. She let out a deep breath and reached into her vest pocket to pull out her phone.

She stared down at the silver device with a sense of longing in her eyes. Her thumb brushed over the lid, but there was hesitation in her eyes. When she saw the checked bags begin coming down the conveyor, she stuffed the phone back in her pocket.

As soon as she took a step toward the line, her pocket started to vibrate followed by the melody of the familiar ring.

Cut To:Int.Cleveland Airport – Baggage Claim – Moments Later

While Casey went to park the Council van, Willow walked in the far entrance of the baggage claim area. She went immediately to the monitor where the

incoming flights were listed. She found the information she was looking for, then turned away to find a place to wait.

Across the room, she noticed Kadin standing beside one of the baggage conveyor lines. She tried to wave at her, but Kadin didn't see her. The hunter was reaching for her pocket to pull out her cell phone.

Cut To:Int.Cleveland Airport – Baggage Claim – Moments Later

Once Kadin had her phone out, she rapidly flipped it open and looked at the caller ID: "Kennedy Calling…"

The hunter smiled as she watched the name blink on her screen. She pressed the answer button and put the phone to her ear.

"Hey, I was just gonna call you. Listen, I –"

A deep male voice suddenly cut her off. "Hunter."

Kadin froze in place, her eyes growing deep with concern.

"Coen?"

The male voice chuckled deep and husky on the other end of the line. "I'm so pleased you remember. I wish I could say I'm happy to hear your voice, but you know, there's that little thing about me completely despising you."

Kadin's brow furrowed deeper in confusion. "What have –?"

"Just, shut up and listen," Coen's voice rang through her head. Her phone suddenly beeped, causing her to jump slightly. "Take a look."

Kadin slowly pulled the phone away from her ear and pushed the button to bring up the incoming file. Her eyes grew wide, and her breath caught in the center of her chest when she saw the image appear.

It was Kennedy.

Her forehead was bleeding from a cut near her temple. Her eyes were droopy and glazed as if she'd been knocked out or drugged. Coen was sidled

up next to her, glaring coldly at the camera as he held the slayer tightly by the chin.

Fade Out.

End of Act Two

Act ThreeFade In:Int.Cleveland Airport – Baggage Claim – Resume

"Van Helsing?"

Coen's harsh voice suddenly pulled Kadin out of her stupor. She shook her head and lifted the phone to place it back against her ear.

"Why so quiet, Hunter?" Coen's voice dripped with hatred. "Don't you like my little present?"

"Let her go, Coen. I'm warning you."

Coen laughed hearty and full. "Or what? You'll talk me to death?"

Kadin's face creased in worry. She walked away from the crowd at the luggage line. "What do you want?"

"What we've always wanted," Coen replied icily. "For you to pay for what you did to our family."

"By family, do you mean Serena?" Kadin shot back. "Because, if I remember it right, you were the ones who killed her. Not me."

"Shut up!" Coen screamed into her ear. "If you ever want to see your girlfriend again, I suggest you watch how you speak to me."

Kadin sighed again as she let her eyes drift over the crowd of people. "Okay. Just tell me what you want so we can get this over with."

The other end of the line was quiet for a long moment before Coen slowly answered. "It's simple really. We have your slayer, and the only way she's coming out of this alive is for you to turn yourself over to us."

"Gee, didn't see that one comin'," Kadin muttered.

"It is not our intention to harm the slayer, but we will not hesitate to do so if you force our hand. To earn her safe return, you must do exactly as we say. You are not to involve the police or the Council. In fact, you are not to talk to anyone at all. We have your phone tapped, and we are watching your every move."

Kadin couldn't stop the impulse to take a look around. She turned and scanned the crowd.

"That's right…look around…" she heard Coen's voice say. "You won't see us, though. But we'll be watching."

Kadin's expression became even more alarmed.

"Now, don't think we haven't thought about your slayer's little friends," Coen went on. "We know of the witch and her power, so we have taken the proper precautions to place a block on any magical attempts to locate her. If we get so much as a whiff of Miss Rosenberg or any of her Coven, we will kill your girlfriend."

"So, it's me for her then?" When she received no answer, Kadin assumed that she had guessed right. "Fine. When and where?"

Coen laughed evilly. "Oh, you should know it isn't going to be that easy. I mean, where's the fun in that?" His voice grew cold. "The Greyhound Station. There's a payphone on the corner. Be there in twenty minutes. And Van Helsing? I'd advise you not to be a second late."

When the line went dead in Kadin's ear, she pressed the end-call key and flipped the phone closed. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears as she shoved the phone into her pocket. It was so loud she didn't hear Willow calling her name. The hunter dashed toward the exit.

By the time Willow got to the luggage area, Kadin was already gone. Willow glanced around the room and then at the exit, with a worried and confused look on her face.

Cut To:Int.Cleveland Airport – Baggage Claim – A Short Time Later

When Rowena walked into baggage claim, she found Willow standing near one of the luggage belts, staring off into space, as if she were thinking very deeply about something.

"Hi honey! I'm home!" Rowena announced, drawing Willow out of her reverie.

Willow whipped around in surprise. "Ro!" She pulled her girlfriend into a huge hug. "Gods, I missed you."

"I missed you too," Rowena said.

When the two pulled apart, they kissed warmly and then smiled at one another. After a few moments, Rowena's smile became a smirk as she made a pretend knock on Willow's head.

"Wanna tell me what was going on in that head of yours a minute ago?" Rowena asked. "I could practically hear the wheels turning when I walked up."

Willow turned back to where she had seen Kadin standing. "Just something weird that happened…" Willow turned back to Rowena. "When I came in a little while ago, I saw Kadin from across the room." Willow pointed in the opposite direction toward the exit. "I tried to wave at her, but she didn't see me, so I started making my way over here. I saw her answer her cell phone, and she didn't seem happy at all. Then she looked at her phone and talked some more. Before I could get to her, she dashed out of here like her shoes were on fire." Willow winced at the comment after she said it.

"Speaking from personal experience, I'm sure that was pretty damn quick," Rowena replied.

"I'm sorry," Willow muttered. "Sometimes things just come right out of my mouth before my head catches 'em."

"Don't be sorry." Rowena smiled and took her girlfriend's hand. "My Willow's 'open mouth/insert foot' comments are one of the things I miss when I'm away," she said as they started to walk. "So, who do you think Kadin was talking to?"

Willow shook her head uncertainly. "I hope it wasn't Kennedy."

"What do you mean?"

"Kennedy told me last night that she and Kadin had a fight. If she was talking to Kennedy, it sure didn't look like that conversation went well…at all."

"Maybe you should talk to Kennedy about it," Rowena suggested. "Don't you have another magic session with her today?"

"Yeah, I do, a-a-and I will," Willow said. "I just hope she and Kadin will work things out."

Rowena nervously bit her lip and stopped to face Willow. "Speaking of magic…I told Al about everything here lately, in detail…and about Marly." Willow looked away for a moment. "She wants to see you, Will."

"What for?" Willow asked. "I'm dealing with things."

Rowena began to scratch at her bandaged arm nervously, and Willow carefully took her hand away.

"Sorry, nervous temperature change. I get itchy when I'm warm," Rowena said.

"And the reason you're warm is…?"

"I don't want you to get upset with me, but I told her I'm worried about you. And she's worried too. A-A-And she's just being a friend…and a high priestess at the Council."

"And the point?"

"She thinks maybe, if you agree that is, that the two of you can do a bit of training."

"If I had been the one in that fun house – ?"

"I would have freaked even more," Rowena confessed openly. "And Marly probably would have been dead before that bomb went off because I would have strangled her with my bare hands…but I'm not the high priestess."

Willow looked down in shame, but Rowena cupped her under the chin and raised her head back up to come eye to eye with her. "I love you. You know that. Al loves you. But Al's also concerned…So please, for both of us, humor the woman? Let her visit?"

Willow gave a slight nod, and Rowena pulled the witch's face to hers by the fingertips until their lips met.

"Good, now let's go home because I missed Willow cuddles too," she said as she took Willow by the hand again and began to walk toward the exit, where Casey was waiting.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Kennedy's Cell – Same Time

James Vance led the way down a hallway as two of his followers – Matt Jasper and Sharon Hill – dragged a heavily-chained Kennedy behind him. A third guard, Darius Fillmore, stayed behind at the top of the corridor. When they got to a steel door with a large sliding bolt on it, James opened it and waited. Jasper and Hill took the slayer inside, giving her a nice shove once they passed the threshold. She stumbled forward, then shot a glare at the duo. As James entered, they led her to the far wall, where they locked her chains to a large iron pipe. Kennedy glanced around the windowless, cinder-block room and scoffed loudly.

"Liked my other cell better," she complained to James. "This one doesn't even have a window." Kennedy then rubbed her shoulder. "And your dart left a bruise. I think I'll sue. You Knights allow civil litigation, don't you?"

James did not deign to reply.

"You know, it doesn't matter where you take me," Kennedy told him. "They'll find me."

At that, James allowed himself the slightest smirk. "We werewolves are not ignorant of the magical arts," he boasted. "My casting shall keep your witch at bay."

"You can threaten me all you want, but Kadin won't just turn herself over to you," Kennedy pronounced with confidence. "So this whole plan of yours is going nowhere."

"I think you underestimate your worth to her," James said as he came to stand right in front of Kennedy. "She is already complying with our demands." His face grew stern. "She will present herself for judgment," he announced with confidence. "She knows that she is guilty…she knows that she must pay for her crimes against my people."

"Hello? You and your people already tried her for her 'crimes' and found her not guilty," Kennedy reminded him.

"The Knights who were called to try the hunter failed in their sacred

duty," James said. "I shall rectify that error, achieve justice for my clan, and restore the honor of the Knights."

"Honor?" Kennedy said sarcastically. "You think it's honorable to condemn your own daughter because of who she fell in love with?"

James reacted with such swiftness that even Kennedy was caught off guard. In a split-second, he closed the space between them and struck Kennedy with a vicious backhand, knocking the slayer to the floor.

"Serena was NOT in love with that…monster!" James roared as he stood over Kennedy. "Kadin Van Helsing twisted my daughter, corrupted her, turned her against her own kind! You think I wanted to rule against her? You think I wanted to send my own son, her own brother, against her?"

Kennedy rubbed her cheek, surprised by the strength of James's blow, but said nothing. James stepped back and took a moment to collect himself.

"She was beyond hope," he said sadly. "Irredeemable." James met Kennedy's eyes. "All because of Kadin Van Helsing. And now the hunter will pay for what she's done."

Kennedy jumped to her feet to confront James. She went as far as she could, straining against the chains holding her.

"I swear to God," Kennedy yelled, "if you hurt Kadin, I will bring the entire Council down on you and your clan. There won't be a place on this planet you can hide from us. Hell, I'll hunt you down myself!"

James stared back just as fiercely. Then he chuckled. "Yes, the Council is having such good luck in the manhunt department these days." He turned his back on her and walked a few feet away before turning back around.

Roaring in anger, Kennedy tried uselessly to rush James, but her chains held her firmly in place. James let his eyes trail along the shackles.

"I don't suppose I have to remind you that those chains have been designed to be impervious to a slayer's strength," James told her. "Not that you have your full strength at the moment anyway," James added with a smirk. "The tranquilizer we used should keep you sufficiently weak until all this is over."

Without another word, James and his followers left the cell, slamming the steel door behind them. Kennedy could hear the large bolt sliding into place before it was locked down.

"Sufficiently weak," she said disgustedly, mimicking James's tone. Then she let out a heavy sigh, trudged over to the pipe, sat down, and propped herself against the wall.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Kennedy's Cell – Moments Later

Still leaning against the wall, Kennedy glanced around the room, a bored expression on her face. She stopped when a thought came to her. She looked down at her chains.

"I wonder if…"

Kennedy directed her gaze at the chains. Her eyes narrowed, and her brow furrowed as she concentrated her will on the manacles around her wrists. Nothing happened. She tried again. Same result.

"Come on, damn it," she told herself. "You can float a freakin' rose for goodness' sake! This is no different."

As yet another attempt failed, Kennedy growled in frustration.

Cut To:Ext.The Avenue – Payphone – Same Time

Kadin ran up to the booth just in time to pick up the phone on the third ring. She was hunched over and out of breath as she panted heavily into the phone.

"H-H-Hello?"

"Nineteen minutes and forty-nine seconds. You're getting slack, Hunter. You're not losing that Van Helsing stamina so soon, are you?"

Kadin struggled to catch her breath as she fought to stand up and brace herself against the glass. "Considering the last three places you sent me to were clear across town, I'd say that's an Olympic record."

Coen chuckled. "Glad to see you haven't lost that arrogance."

Kadin's eyes darted around the busy street outside the phone booth as if looking for any sign of Coen. "I'm not arrogant. I just know I'm better than a scum-sucking beast like you. Hell, you make Ted Bundy look like Man of the Year."

Coen growled into the phone. "You still take such liberties with that tongue of yours? Knowing of the consequence?"

Kadin allowed just the smallest of smiles to grace across her lips. "I never heard Serena complain. She loved it when my tongue took such liberties."

Coen let out a full-blown howl into the phone. "For that, I will rip it out myself!" After a pause, he amended, "Or maybe, I'll just take your slayer's tongue instead."

The smile instantly vanished from Kadin's face. "No, please. Don't. I'm sorry. Please."

"That's more like it," Coen said. "Still…a price must be paid. Take off your coat."

"What?"

"Take off your coat!"

Kadin instantly complied.

"And your gloves."

She threw her gloves to the ground.

After a long silence, she heard Coen continue, "There's a small grocery store on the corner of 17th and Hamilton called Grossman's. Be there in fifteen minutes."

The phone line went dead, and Kadin hung up before quickly darting out the door and taking off in a full sprint down the street.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Coven Room – A Short Time Later

Willow paced nervously around the coven room, holding her cell phone to her ear as she called the slayer division.

When the slayer working the desk answered, Willow asked, "Is Kennedy over there? Has anybody seen her today?"

"Let me check. Hang on."

As Willow was put on hold, Xander walked into the room. He gave a small wave and joined his best friend by the small table in the corner.

"Hey, whatcha doin'?" he asked.

"Trying to find Kennedy," she told him. Just then, Willow was taken off hold.

"She's not here," the slayer said, "and nobody's seen her."

"Oh," Willow said, a concerned expression coming over her face. "Thanks anyway."

When Willow hung up, Xander took a step closer. "What's up?"

"I don't know, but I'm worried," Willow said. "Kennedy was supposed to have a magic session with me a half hour ago, and she hasn't shown up. I've called her apartment and her cell, but there's no answer. I left messages, but she hasn't called back."

"What about the front desk?" Xander asked.

"I called them too, but there's nothing on the schedule for her other than my session, so I don't know where she could be." Willow and Xander both exchanged worried looks. "Let's go check out Kennedy's apartment," Willow said suddenly. And the two of them left the room in a hurry.

Cut To:Int.Kennedy's Apartment – Living Room – Moments Later

When Xander and Willow rushed into Kennedy's apartment, they found the living room completely trashed. They stood there with their eyes and mouths wide open.

"Oh my god…" Xander said. "What happened? D-D-Did somebody grab her? Is it Heli?"

"I don't know!" Willow answered, desperation in her voice. "Wait!" she added, suddenly remembering the events from earlier that day. "This morning, I saw Kadin at the airport, s-s-someone called her, and she looked very upset and then ran out. What if this is connected?"

"Oh god…" was all Xander could say.

While Xander started freaking out, Willow began punching in Kadin's number on her cell phone.

Cut To:Ext.Grossman's – Payphone – Same Time

"I'm here," Kadin answered on the first ring. Her cheeks and hands were red and chafed from the cold run without her coat and gloves.

Coen chuckled. "I'm glad to see your motivation hasn't suffered. That's not to say the rest of you won't."

Kadin gripped the phone tightly against her ear. "I want to talk to Kennedy. How do I know you haven't killed her already?"

"You'll just have to trust me," Coen said. "She is a means to an end, nothing more. Collateral damage, as it were, in our little conflict. It's up to you to make sure she doesn't become a casualty." Coen resumed his demanding tone. "A van will be by shortly to pick you up. Remain where you are until it arrives. Do not fight back, or your slayer will die."

Before Kadin had a chance to reply, her cell phone started to ring. Out of habit, she pulled it out and flipped it open to see the caller ID. The screen flashed, "Willow Rosenberg calling…"

Coen's voice cut through any thought she had of pressing the answer button. "Don't answer that!" he commanded. "Not if you want to see your lover again."

Kadin froze with her thumb hovering over the answer button.

"I'm warning you, Hunter. Answer it, and I'll kill your slayer myself."

Kadin looked up sharply and glanced at her surroundings as the rings went on.

"I told you," Coen's voice answered. "We are watching your every move. Now, turn the phone off and throw it into the garbage can on your right." After Kadin made no move to comply, he added in a harsh tone, "Now!"

Kadin looked down at the flashing screen desperately as the phone continued to ring in her hand. She lifted her thumb to press the off button, but at the last second, she hit the silent button instead. Then she tossed the phone into the garbage can as instructed.

"Happy?" she said into the pay phone receiver.

"Oh, so very," Coen answered dryly. "Now, stay put."

Once the line went dead, Kadin slowly placed the phone back on the hook. As the sound of a roaring engine grew closer, she cast one last glance at the garbage can.

Cut To:Int.Kennedy's Apartment – Living Room – Same Time

"Come on, come on…" Willow mumbled as the call to Kadin's phone rang and rang.

After several rings, the call finally kicked to Kadin's voice mail. Willow let out a frustrated sigh and waited for the requisite tone. When it sounded, she spoke into the phone.

"Kadin! We think Kennedy's been kidnapped. We can't find her anywhere. If you know something, call us, please!"

When Willow ended the call, she found Xander still freaking out. He kept repeating "oh god" over and over. Willow grabbed Xander's arms and made him look at her.

"Xander, I need you to be strong, okay?" Willow pleaded. "Help me be strong too. Like before. Can you do that?"

Xander calmed a bit and finally nodded.

"Find Buffy and Rowena," she told him. "Get them to call an emergency meeting. I'm gonna go do a locator spell, so meet me at the coven room when you're done."

Xander nodded again, but then pulled Willow by the hand briskly. "Fine. Just get out of this room. Don't touch anything."

Cut To:Ext.Grossman's – Payphone – Moments Later

Kadin stood by anxiously as she watched the black van approach the curb. It finally came to a stop just in front of her, and the large side door swung open to reveal a smiling Coen Vance.

"Miss me?" he asked smugly as he stepped out, followed by two other clansmen, Nick Stevens and Stanley Moreland.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Kadin answered calmly. Her eyes landed on the werewolf's scarred visage. "How could I not miss such a pretty face?"

Coen just growled low in his throat as he directed Stevens and Moreland to frisk Kadin for weapons and tracer bugs.

The hunter's body moved and jolted with every rough touch, but her eyes never left Coen's. When he stepped back and smiled, she felt her arms roughly pulled backward, and then a pair of handcuffs were ratcheted into place around her wrists.

Not another word was spoken as Coen forced Kadin into the van. Moments later the engine roared to life, and it pulled back out onto the street before disappearing into the heavy traffic.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Meeting Room – A Short Time Later

Buffy sat at her usual place at the head of the table. Sitting in the chairs on her left were Willow, Xander, Rowena, and Dawn. On her right were Faith, Robin, Jeff, and Mia. Andrew sat at the end of the table, working furiously at a computer station.

"So you think Kennedy's been kidnapped?" Buffy asked Willow.

"Yes," Willow said firmly.

"According to the security tapes, she left the Council late last night, alone," Robin said. "She hasn't been seen since. And she's not answering her cell."

"Oh, god, is it Heli?" Mia asked worriedly.

"No," Willow said. "At least we don't think so."

She pressed a few keys on her computer panel, causing a picture to show on the large screen on the wall. The image showing was a copy of the snapshot of Coen holding Kennedy.

"Oh god," Dawn said. Xander refused to look at the screen. He just rocked a bit in his chair.

"Who's that?" Buffy asked.

"Meet Coen Vance of the Knights Argentum," Willow answered.

"What?!" Rowena exclaimed in surprise.

"No freakin' way!" Faith complained loudly.

Robin turned to Willow. "Where did you get that?"

"From the cell phone company's mainframe," Willow replied. "That's what was sent from Kennedy's phone this morning to Kadin's phone." Willow looked over at Rowena. "That's what I saw her looking at in the airport before she rushed off in a hurry."

"How did you do that?" Jeff asked.

"It wasn't easy," Willow said. "I had to cheat a little," she admitted. "And make a deal. I need an expense check to Verizon, by the way," Willow told Buffy.

"Have you done a locator spell on Kennedy?" Mia asked.

"Yes, several times, with several personal items of hers, but it didn't work. Someone is blocking the spell…someone good."

"Are you sure it's not Heli?" Buffy asked.

"Not a hundred percent sure," Willow said, "but it's just not likely to be her. The Knights have their own agenda and their own methods. They don't need Heli."

"And Heli certainly doesn't need them to wreak havoc," Rowena muttered.

"So those werewolves got smart and got all witchy?" Xander asked unexpectedly.

After a brief pause, Willow said, "And technical. While I was hacking in the cell phone system, I found a spy-bot monitoring Kadin's calls. I tried to trace it back, but I couldn't. I just left it in place, thinking we could keep trying. Andrew and a team are working on it now." She pointed at Andrew at the end of the table.

"What about using the cell company's mainframe to get Kennedy's phone's last known location?" Robin asked.

"I've done that, hence the expense check," Willow said. "We just need a team to go there."

"What about doing a locator spell on Kadin?" Jeff suggested. "Presumably the kidnappers are using Kennedy to get Kadin, maybe she's already there."

"About that," Faith interjected. "Last time, these Knights just grabbed Kadin directly. Why bother kidnapping Kennedy at all?"

"To punish Kadin more?" Dawn suggested.

"Or pay back against Kennedy herself for supporting Kadin in her trial," Rowena added.

"We don't need to worry about the 'why' right now," Buffy said, getting the conversation back on track. "What we need is the 'where'." She turned to Willow. "What about that locator spell on Kadin?"

"Can't do it," Willow said, shaking her head. "I don't have a personal object of Kadin's. I searched Kennedy's apartment, but I didn't find anything that I was absolutely sure was something important to Kadin."

"You know Kadin," Faith commented. "She lives out of that duffel bag of hers."

"We can send someone to Kadin's cabin to get something," Buffy said.

"Do we have that kind of time?" Dawn asked. "She doesn't live in the city."

"True," Willow replied.

"What about tracking Kadin's phone then?" Robin asked.

"I've already done that," Willow said. "The phone's not off, but it is stationary. If Kadin's got it, she's not answering. But I did get the last known location for Kadin's phone, so we can send a team there as well."

When it seemed like all relevant information had been shared, Buffy glanced at Willow. "Anything else?"

Willow shook her head.

"Okay, here's the plan," Buffy said, getting to her feet. "Will, I want you and Faith and Dawn to follow up on Kennedy's phone."

"Got it," Willow said.

"Ro, you and Mia and Jeff will do the same for Kadin's phone," Buffy went on.

"Will do," Rowena replied.

"Xander, get everybody armed with silver weapons before they go, then you and I will take Kadin's cabin."

Xander seemed unsure of himself but nodded quickly.

"Andrew – "

"Still on it!" he instantly shot back.

"Right," Buffy said. "Robin – "

"Command center. Gotcha." Then Robin raised his voice to call out to the whole group as they were leaving. "Everybody take cell phones and radios!"

Cut To:Int.Condemned Building – A Short Time Later

After Faith, Chamique, and Casey cleared the area, Willow and Dawn stepped inside. It was a small room in the basement of a condemned building. Except for the heavy door to the interior stairs and a row of small windows near the ceiling that were at ground level outside, the room was solid brick. A thick layer of dust covered the floor. Footprints and scuffmarks could be clearly seen, evidence of recent occupation. But at the moment, no one was there.

"Hey, look at this," Chamique said.

As the group drew near, she pointed to a space on the interior wall near the door where a large pipe came up from the floor and disappeared into the ceiling. A letter "K" had been shakily scratched into the facing of the brick.

"Whatcha got?" Robin asked over the radio.

"Nothin'," Faith replied. "Looks like she was here, but not now. It's a dead end."

"Can we just avoid the phrase 'dead end' when talking about a slayer?" Chamique asked.

"Sorry," Faith winced. "Let's move out, guys."

Cut To:Ext.Grossman's – Same Time

As Mia, Denise, and Marie searched the entire area around and inside the grocery store for any sign of Kennedy or Kadin, Rowena and Jeff focused on locating the phone. Using a GPS device, they moved to the location that Willow had come up with. It was right near the pay phone outside the store.

Rowena and Jeff looked around, thinking they would see the phone. When they didn't, Rowena pulled out her cell and called Kadin's number. Nothing. No ring or anything. Then concentrating past the noise of traffic, they heard a soft buzzing coming from the metal garbage can next to the pay phone. They grabbed the can and dumped it. After a pile of garbage, Kadin's phone tumbled out, still vibrating from Rowena's call.

Rowena ended her call and activated her radio. "Mia, we found Kadin's phone but no Kadin. Any sign of either of them?"

"Afraid not," came Mia's disappointed voice.

"Keep looking," Rowena said, "and start questioning the shop owners and workers. Maybe somebody saw something."

Cut To:Int.Kadin's Cabin – Living Room – Same Time

When Buffy and Xander stepped into Kadin's cabin, they stopped in their tracks. It was starker than they imagined: a plain sofa with a few tables and lamps, a wooden weapons chest on one side, but no pictures or personal knickknacks. Xander walked straight to the chest.

"Bet I know what's in here," he said as he opened it. "Yep. Weapons galore. Guess I'll grab a sampling."

"I'll check the bedroom," Buffy said as she stepped through one of the doorways off the living room. "Oh!" came Buffy's surprised voice from afar. "She's got a game room. It's nice."

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Kennedy's Cell – Same Time

Sharon Hill came walking down the hallway carrying several to-go sacks and drinks from a fast food place. When she arrived, she handed two of the sacks and drinks to Matt Jasper, who sat in a chair next to the door to Kennedy's cell. Hill then left, munching on her fries as she headed back up the corridor. Jasper set one bag and drink aside and started in on his own dinner. Just as he was about to take his first bite, he heard a voice from inside the cell.

"Hey! Bring me my dinner!" Kennedy demanded. "I know you've got it out there. I can smell it."

"Shut up!" Jasper yelled. "You'll get it when I'm damn good and ready."

"Bring me my dinner! Bring me my dinner!" Kennedy started chanting loudly, clanging her chains at the same time.

Jasper growled to himself, put down his burger, and angrily got to his feet. He unlocked the cell and drew the large slide bolt back. After opening the door, he stomped inside.

"Listen, bitch, you better shut up or I'm gonna – UGGHHH!"

Jasper went to his knees. He groaned in pain and reached for the backs of his legs where Kennedy had smacked him with her now-unlocked chains. When Jasper tried to get up, Kennedy dropped the chains and gave him one solid punch to the face. He went out like a light and didn't move.

Kennedy stood over the unconscious werewolf and said a bit smugly, "Sufficiently weak, huh? Never underestimate a slayer!"

Then she quickly left the cell.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Hallway – Moments Later

Kennedy sneaked along the corridor, looking for a way out. Suddenly, Hill and the three other clan members came around the corner and saw her. She looked back the way she came, but she knew it was a dead end. She swore softly to herself; then with a roar, she plowed into the four werewolves.

She fought like a madwoman, and for a time, she actually made headway against them. After a furious exchange, she had Stevens and Moreland down and was trading blows with the Hill and Fillmore.

Then Coen appeared on the scene. His eyes widened in alarm, and he instantly pulled out his tranquilizer gun. He ran closer, waited for an opportunity, then fired.

The dart caught Kennedy in the back. Within seconds, she began to weaken and get woozy. Hill and Fillmore took advantage. They got in blow after blow before she finally sank to the floor unconscious. They each gave her a good kick before they were done. Then they turned to help Stevens and Moreland to their feet.

"What is going on here?" Coen demanded. "Where is Matt? And how the hell did she get out of those chains?"

Hill and Fillmore shuffled their feet. "Uhhh, we don't know," Fillmore said.

Coen shook his head in disgust. "Just get her back to her cell."

Hill ventured a question. "Should we chain her again?"

Coen shook his head. "Don't bother. That dose should hold. It won't be much longer now. Even if she wakes up, she'll be as weak as a kitten."

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Kennedy's Cell – A Short Time Later

About an hour later, Kennedy started waking up. She was on her back on the floor of her cell, lying near the pipe where they had previously chained her. She looked groggily at her arms, but no chains were there.

With several groans of pain, Kennedy struggled to her feet and looked around the cell. She was hunched over a bit as if it hurt to stand up straight. She wobbled noticeably as she tried to walk. She finally just stood her ground and breathed, wincing as she did so.

The sudden bang of the slide bolt on her cell door made her jump, and she nearly stumbled to the floor. She turned and faced the door as it was opened.

Jasper walked in. His cheek had a nasty bruise where Kennedy had struck him. His eyes burned with rage.

Kennedy put on a cocky expression and forced herself to stand up straight. "Oh goody," she said. "Did ya bring my supper this time?"

Jasper didn't answer. Instead, he rushed her, reaching her much faster than Kennedy herself could react in her woozy state. When he got there, he landed a massive roundhouse punch against her jaw, knocking her sideways and to her knees. Kennedy gasped and spit blood out of her mouth, but she still managed to flash an angry glare at Jasper.

The glare didn't last long because Jasper then kicked her hard in her right side. She grunted in pain and rolled away from him onto her other side, clutching her ribs, trying to regain her breath. Jasper grabbed her by her hips to pick her up then flipped her so that she was facing him. He wrapped his left hand around her throat and slammed her against the wall.

Struggling to breathe and with her legs clumsily scrambling for a foothold, she watched him pull back his right arm and make a fist. When he threw the punch, she caught his fist in her left palm. For a second, she held him off, but then her arm began to shake from the effort. A desperate look entered Kennedy's eyes.

Jasper merely smiled, pulled back out of her grip, and punched again. This time, Kennedy could do nothing to prevent it, and the blow landed squarely against her cheek bone, splitting the skin. Jasper hit the slayer again and again until her arms finally went limp at her sides.

As blood streamed down her face, Kennedy's head was lolling from side to side, and she was blinking repeatedly, as if she were trying to remain conscious. Jasper reared back once more.

"Matt!"

Jasper stopped mid-punch when he heard his name called. He looked back to see Coen standing in the middle of the room.

"Enough," Coen told him. "Save some for the hunter."

Jasper nodded in apparent acquiescence, and Coen left the room. Jasper then pressed his body against Kennedy's to hold her against the wall while he roughly gripped her chin and made her look at him.

As the grogginess in her eyes faded a bit, it was replaced by fear – the knowledge that she was completely at Jasper's mercy and that she was incapable of making a single move to defend herself.

Jasper smiled cruelly then let Kennedy drop to the floor. The slayer was so weak that she could not even break her own fall. She hit the floor with a thud, groaned loudly, then rolled onto her back.

As Jasper came to tower over her, she tried uselessly to push herself up on her elbow. The last thing she saw was Jasper's boot crashing into her head. She went down and didn't move again.

Fade Out.

End of Act Three

Act FourFade In:Int.Old Factory – Kadin's Cell – Afternoon

Still handcuffed, Kadin paced the floor anxiously. She stopped her pacing when she heard the cell door open. She moved toward it and saw Coen and the other five clan members enter. When they had filed in around the hunter in a large near-circle, James Vance walked in to complete it.

"Where is Kennedy?!" Kadin demanded, taking a step toward the clan leader. Stevens and Moreland immediately yanked her back.

James held up his hand. "All in good time," he assured her.

At a nod from James, Moreland unlocked the handcuffs and stepped back into the circle. Kadin rubbed her wrists and looked at James questioningly.

James adopted a formal stance and pulled out a parchment scroll. He unrolled it and began to speak. "By my authority as clan leader and as a Patriarch of the Knights Argentum, I call this hearing to order. Kadin Van Helsing, you were tried for your crimes against our brethren and found not guilty. However, having considered the evidence, I find that verdict to be unacceptable. Therefore – "

"Hey, it was your damn trial, you can't just – "

"Silence!" James roared.

Kadin shut up.

"Therefore," James repeated, getting back to where he left off, "I am setting aside that verdict and replacing it with the one rendered here." James turned to Coen on his right.

"For the murder of my brother, Sabin Vance, I find you guilty," Coen stated coldly. He turned to the man on his right.

"For the murder of my brother, Mark Jasper, I find you guilty," said Matt Jasper.

"For the murder of my husband, Rhys Hill, I find you guilty," said Sharon Hill.

"For the murder of my sister, Eliza Fillmore, I find you guilty," said Darius Fillmore.

"For the murder of my brother, Eric Stevens, I find you guilty," said Nick Stevens.

"For the murder of my son, Davis Moreland, I find you guilty," said Stanley Moreland.

"And for the murder of my daughter Serena Vance, I also find you guilty," added James.

Kadin glanced around the circle, looking at the group as if they were crazy. James merely continued in his pronouncements.

"Having been found guilty, you are hereby sentenced to death – execution to take place at nightfall in the traditional manner." James rolled up the parchment and handed it to Coen, who stowed it in his jacket.

Kadin scoffed loudly. "The 'traditional manner'," she muttered to herself. "Death by mauling, yeah that's real traditional." Then she met James's eyes. "I want to see Kennedy," she insisted. "You said you'd let her go if I turned myself in."

James stepped toward Kadin and stared her down. "When justice has been done, when your mutilated body lies still upon the blood-soaked ground, only then will your slayer be released. If you fail to comply, your unfortunate lover will be the recipient of your punishment. Those are the terms."

Kadin went to object but stopped when James backed out of the circle. Coen gazed at his father expectantly. James nodded, and Coen turned back to Kadin, a cruel grin on his face. He and the others began inching toward her. Kadin turned around inside the circle, unsure of what was about to happen. Suddenly, they rushed forward and grabbed her. Keeping their human forms, they attacked her, raining blow after blow upon her.

Fade Out.

Fade In:Int.Old Factory – Kennedy's Cell – A Short Time Later

The large metal door swung open with a creak, and a severely beaten Kadin was suddenly thrown in unceremoniously. Her body hit the concrete with a sickening thud, and she let out a loud groan of pain.

The sound of laughter could be heard on the other side as the door was pulled closed, and then the heavy bolt slid into place.

Coughing and heaving, Kadin struggled to regain her breath. When she finally managed to do so, she rolled over and peered through the dimly lit room to see Kennedy's motionless body lying against the far back wall. The hunter got to her hands and knees and crawled over to where her lover was lying.

"K-K-Kennedy?" Kadin's scratchy voice called out. Tears glistened in her deep gaze as she reached out to brush the blood-matted hair from the slayer's face. "Kennedy? Baby?"

A sudden wave of rage flared up inside her, and she turned to growl towards the door. "Bastards!"

The hunter turned her attention back to her fallen lover. "Kennedy? Baby, please. Wake up," Kadin called out again, but still the slayer didn't move.

Kadin's fingers shot to Kennedy's neck, feeling for a pulse. Finding one she let out a heavy sigh. Her eyes slipped closed, and she hung her head. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

With a final heavy sigh and a long groan of pain, Kadin shifted her battered body so that she could rest her back against the wall. She grimaced in pain as she reached out to pull Kennedy into her lap. She wrapped her arms around the unconscious slayer and held her. After letting out a long, deep breath, she tilted her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.

Fade Out.

Fade In:Int.Watchers Council – Meeting Room – Near Sunset

The same group who had attended the earlier emergency meeting was gathered together once again. They all had their eyes locked on Willow, except for Xander. He was still somewhat agitated, finding it difficult to stay still.

"I've tried to do a locator spell for Kadin using the items Buffy and Xander got at her cabin," Willow reported, "but nothing has worked. Apparently, the block extends to Kadin as well. Or at the very least to the entire the location where they all are."

"Any luck on tracing that spy-bot you found in the cell phone system?" Buffy asked. Willow turned to Andrew for the answer.

"Not yet," Andrew said, shaking his head.

"What about the pay phone?" Robin asked.

"I've followed up on both Kadin's phone and the pay phone at the grocery store where it was found," Andrew said. "When I tracked down the last pay phone call, it came from a throw-away cell phone, impossible to trace to anyone, and it didn't have GPS, so I couldn't determine its exact location."

"By cell phone tower tracking, though, it looked like it was nearby," Willow added.

"Bet the bastard was right there watching Kadin while he called her," Faith speculated.

"The security video at the grocery was a bust too," Robin admitted sadly. "All it showed was a fuzzy image of a dark van and three men forcing Kadin into it and then driving off."

Everyone looked around the room at everyone else, waiting for someone to add a relevant detail or mention a useful strategy. But everyone seemed out of ideas.

As Jeff stared off, deep in thought, Dawn, who was next to him, asked hesitantly, "So what do we do now?"

After several long moments in which no one answered, Jeff finally spoke up. "Why don't we do the locator spell differently?"

"What do you mean?" Dawn replied.

"Well, since Halloween, I've been doing a lot of thinking about locator spells. What if we do this one by combining our efforts, each of us holding one object of Kadin's and one of Kennedy's?" Jeff suggested. "We've got two women and two men this time – a perfect balance – something we didn't have the day Heli kidnapped everybody. Plus, Ken's been training with us. Yeah, she's not an official member of the coven, but…maybe together we can break the block."

"It's worth a shot," Willow said.

"You know what to do, everybody," Buffy told the group. "Get to it!"

At that, everyone rushed from the room.

When Xander seemed at a loss about what to do, Buffy put a hand on his back and said, "Come on, Xan…you're with me."

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Coven Room – Moments Later

Willow, Andrew, Dawn, and Jeff stood in a small circle around a map. In their hands, they each held two objects: one belonging to Kennedy and one belonging to Kadin. With their eyes closed, they concentrated intently. A faint light flashed over the map and then instantly vanished. When Willow looked down to examine the map, she growled in frustration.

"Nothing, damn it!" she exclaimed. She looked around the room as if racking her brain for another option.

"What if we change objects?" Dawn suggested. "For Kadin, at least. We don't really know which of these items is that important to her." She held up the dagger she was holding. "For all we know, she nabbed this dagger off some demon and just nonchalantly dropped it in her weapons chest."

"Good idea," Willow said, pointing at Dawn.

The four of them set aside the objects that they had been holding and started pilfering through the pile of things Buffy and Xander had scavenged from Kadin's cabin. While Jeff and Dawn focused on weapons and clothes, Willow and Andrew turned their attention to the jewelry box.

Willow went through it carefully until in the bottom at the back, she found a soft velvet bag. She opened it and took out what was inside. It was a small oblong medallion of gold on a simple gold chain. Inlaid into the center of the medallion was a silver moon. She looked at it with a hopeful smile.

"Okay, let's try this again," Willow said.

Moments later, Willow, Andrew, Dawn, and Jeff were around the map once again, objects in hand. They closed their eyes and synchronized their minds, then intoned the necessary recitations. Immediately, the light returned, flashing much brighter than before, and with a force that nearly made the four witches take a step back.

"Whoa!" Willow said with her eyes wide.

Cut To:Ext.Watchers Council – Moments Later

While Xander, Buffy, and Rowena stood watch on the curb, Faith was waiting in the driver's seat of one van, with the engine idling and the passenger side doors open and ready. Mia was sitting in the back seat. Behind that van was another with Marie driving and Denise, Chamique, and Casey inside.

Willow, Dawn, and Jeff ran out of the building and dashed for the van. Willow hopped into the passenger seat while Dawn and Jeff jumped into the back.

"We got it, and it's not close, so let's go!" Willow called out.

As soon as the doors were shut, both vans screeched away, leaving Xander, Buffy and Rowena behind.

As he watched the vans disappear into the darkness, Xander was visibly shaking. "I-I-I don't think I can do this anymore," he said softly.

Buffy and Rowena wrapped their arms around Xander and led him inside.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Kennedy's Cell – Same Time

Kadin was fast asleep, her arms wrapped tightly around Kennedy.

With a jolt, the slayer awoke and found herself in an unfamiliar position with unknown arms around her. She immediately shrugged the arms off and pushed away from the body behind her. Kadin was instantly awakened by the rough and sudden movements.

"Ken? Ken, it's me," she said, trying to soothe her lover.

Kennedy was still fighting to get away. Kadin reached out to grab Kennedy's leg, but the slayer only started to freak out even more, clawing at the floor and kicking to get away. Using a momentary gust of strength, Kadin reached out and grabbed Kennedy by the arms, flipping her over and then pinning her down to the floor.

"Kennedy! It's Kadin."

An expression of intense pain and then comprehension passed over Kennedy's face, and she finally started to relax. Still breathing heavily from exertion, she gazed up at the hunter with a relieved look. Kadin let out a relieved sigh of her own and released the slayer's arms. Suddenly, Kennedy's demeanor changed to anger.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" she demanded as she gave the hunter's arm a smack.

"Oww," Kadin protested as she rubbed her arm. Then she moved back to allow Kennedy to sit up. A sudden smile sprang to her lips. "Isn't it obvious? I'm here to rescue you," she said, echoing Kennedy's words from over a year ago.

Kennedy was clearly not amused. She pushed herself away from Kadin and stood up, wavering on her feet quite a bit and holding her arm protectively against her right side.

"That's bull!" Kennedy countered. "You just turned yourself over to them, didn't you? Didn't you?!"

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Kadin retorted as she pulled herself to her feet. "Just let them kill you?"

"No," Kennedy answered instantly. "You fight. You always fight. You never give up."

Kadin didn't reply.

"We can take them," Kennedy said, stepping closer and whispering conspiratorially. "We just need to – "

Kadin scoffed loudly. "Ken, you can barely stand, and I'm not that far behind you in the injury department."

Kennedy shook her head. "Slayer healing – it'll kick in any time now." Then she pinned Kadin with a stare. "We can do this. Just don't let them take you."

Kadin seemed to consider the words, but before she had a chance to reply, the cell door suddenly swung open, and Coen came inside, followed by four of his clansmen, who circled tightly around the couple.

Coen carried a set of heavy shackles with a long chain in his hands. His eyes bore into Kadin. "It's time."

Kadin looked over at the five werewolves and then back at Kennedy. Kennedy's eyes seemed to be pleading with the hunter – this is our chance, do something! A painful and regretful look came over Kadin's expression. Without a word, she turned away from the slayer and walked over to stand in front of Coen. With no sense of defiance, she held out her arms and waited. Coen smiled and started to lock the shackles onto her wrists.

"No!" Kennedy screamed and launched herself towards Coen and Kadin. Two of the clansmen stepped up and grabbed her, easily preventing the injured slayer from reaching them. She struggled in their grasp, but was too weak to break free.

As Coen led Kadin away, the hunter glanced back at Kennedy. The slayer shot an angry glare at Kadin and then looked away, refusing to meet her eyes. Kadin hung her head and turned back around.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Production Hall – Moments Later

Coen and the others led Kadin and Kennedy into one of the main rooms of the factory, where at one time assembly and production lines had been

operational. The rusted and dilapidated machinery had been moved to the perimeter in order to block the other exits and to create a clearing in the center of the room.

On the far side, away from the doorway, was a large metal cage. Waiting beside it was James Vance, armed with a matte-black Glock 9mm handgun. The group headed that way.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Cage in Production Hall – Seconds Later

At a nod from James, the two clansmen holding Kennedy shoved her inside the cage. As they slammed the door shut and locked it, Kennedy hit the far side hard and then fell to the floor.

James turned to Kadin, who was looking at Kennedy with a pained expression.

"The rules are very simple," he instructed. "Accept your fate and don't resist it. If you do that, your slayer lover will live."

Kennedy crawled to the front of the cage and pulled herself up with one arm, keeping the other pressed against her side. "Don't do it, Kadin!" she urged, gripping the bar tightly in her fist. "Fight them!"

James ignored Kennedy's interruption. "If you fight back," he told the hunter, raising his Glock and racking its slide dramatically, "she dies."

Kadin dropped her gaze to the floor for a moment. When she lifted it, she met Kennedy's eyes. Once again, Kennedy seemed to be pleading with her to do something, to fight back, to do anything but give up. Kadin looked away. Then she turned and allowed Coen and the others to lead her from the cage.

Cut To:Ext.Old Factory – Same Time

Two Council vans screeched to a halt in front of the run-down factory. Within seconds, the doors flew open, and the rescue teams hurried out.

"Denise, Marie, and Dawn…you take the east side and circle round, get in any way you can," Faith ordered. "Chamique, Casey, Jeff…you take the west side, same thing. Stay in radio contact, and be on your toes. We know this bunch has a least one witch with 'em."

As the two trios dashed away, Faith turned to those remaining. "Willow, Mia…it's the front door for us." Then they took off as well.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Center of Production Hall – Seconds Later

While James stayed next to Kennedy's cage, Kadin was led to the center of the room where a heavy iron grate was embedded into the concrete floor.

"Kneel!" Coen barked.

Without even giving Kadin time to comply, two clansmen shoved her to the floor and held her in place with firm hands on her shoulders. Coen kneeled beside her, grabbed her right arm, and unlocked the manacle on that wrist. Then he reached down and snapped the heavy cuff around one of the thick bars of the iron grate and locked it tightly. After that, Coen and the others stepped back several yards and formed a circle around her.

Kadin got to her feet. There was just enough slack in the chain on her left wrist to allow her to stand, albeit somewhat hunched over. Her eyes darted from one clan member to another as she maneuvered awkwardly around the grate, afraid to take her eyes off any one of them for more than a second.

As the six executioners started their change, James left Kennedy's cage and moved closer for a better view.

"Time to pay," Coen said, his deep voice already transitioning into something inhuman and savage.

Kadin's eyes widened, and she began to pant in fear, her breath clearly visible in the night's cold air. She reached down and gripped the chain with both hands, tugging frantically but uselessly, as Coen's body began changing right in front of her. Behind him, she saw James shake his head and raise his gun.

Kadin let out a gasp of frustration and let the chain go. She whipped around to those behind her when she heard their loud groans become growls. Over the din, she could hear Kennedy desperately calling her name.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Hallway – Same Time

Faith, Mia, and Willow moved rapidly through the warren of offices and storage rooms at the front of the warehouse.

"Marie, Chamique…anything?" Faith asked into her headset.

"Nope, nada," Chamique answered.

"Nothing but junk so far," Marie added.

"Keep looking," Faith said.

Just then, they heard a howl, followed quickly by several others.

"Come on! This way!" Faith cried as she and Mia and Willow dashed into a long hallway.

When they got to the end, there was a large set of double doors. The howling was coming from behind those doors. When Faith tried to open them, however, she found them locked securely.

"Mia," she said, directing her to stand beside her. Then the two of them simultaneously threw their bodies against one of the doors. It didn't even move an inch. Faith looked around the hallway. "We need something heavy – something we can use as a battering ram."

"Will this do?"

They turned and looked at Willow. She had moved several yards back and was standing with a large ball of magical energy crackling in her palm. Faith and Mia jumped back as Willow hurled the ball at the doors. The magic exploded against the doors, blowing them inward and almost off their hinges.

No sooner than Willow had dropped her arm, the area around the doors began to buzz with power. Suddenly, another ball of energy, just like the first, shot out toward the witch.

"Oh sh – " Willow said worriedly before quickly raising a partial shield. It went up just as the ball exploded against her. The impact knocked her twenty feet down the corridor.

Faith grabbed Mia and pointed at Willow. "See to her! I'm going in!"

As Mia ran to Willow, Faith headed for the busted doors.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Center of Production Hall – Seconds Later

James and Kadin both stared at the newly demolished doors as the werewolves completed their change. Kadin whipped around to look at James.

"You were warned!" James shouted at Kadin. "No outsiders!"

"I didn't, I swear!" Kadin yelled back. "You watched my every move, you know I didn't! Please don't hurt Kennedy!"

"KILL HER!" James screamed at his werewolves, pointing angrily at Kadin. "NOW! "

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Doorway to Production Hall – Seconds Later

"Marie, Chamique! Get in here now! Use a grenade if you have to," Faith yelled over the radio as she climbed through the doors. "Jeff, Dawn! Check for magic booby traps! Willow just got nailed when she hit the doors!"

Without waiting for a response, Faith dashed into the room.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Hallway – Same Time

When Mia got to Willow, the witch was awake and lucid but too weak to get up.

"Back…lash…spell," Willow forced out. "I'm…fine…GO!"

Mia didn't need to be told twice. She raced to follow Faith.

"Stupid!" Willow scolded herself, slamming her hand down on the floor.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Center of Production Hall – Seconds Later

As the snarling werewolves moved in, Kadin looked on with panic in her eyes. Two snapped close to her, and she dodged away, only to be snapped at from the other side. She couldn't help herself from kicking out at them. When they jumped back, she quickly glanced at James. He was grinning.

Suddenly, Kadin heard a yelp from behind her. When she turned, she saw Faith attacking the werewolves on that side of the circle.

"No! Don't!" Kadin cried out.

Faith was too busy fighting to hear her. A wolf from the far side leaped for Kadin. Mia, having just entered the chaos, lifted her crossbow and fired. When she heard a wolf squealing in pain behind her, Kadin turned back around to find it writhing on the floor, a crossbow bolt embedded in its chest. Kadin looked at James.

He had a furious look on his face as he took in the sight of the battle. He lifted his weapon to fire at Kadin, but before he could, Coen raised up on his hind legs to attack the hunter, swiping at her savagely. While Kadin dodged out of the way, James lowered his weapon and repositioned for a better angle, but once again he was unintentionally thwarted by his own son's movements.

Suddenly, Coen's attack was interrupted by Faith, who now grappled with the beast. Kadin stretched her chain to its full length to look around the battling slayer and wolf. She and James locked eyes. After staring at her hatefully for a long moment, the clan leader then stopped and simply smiled. He lifted his gun so that Kadin could see it and then started backing toward Kennedy's cage.

"NOOO!!!" Kadin screamed before going into a frenzy, pulling at her chain with insane desperation.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Cage in Production Hall – Seconds Later

James hurried to the metal cage and faced the slayer inside.

"You son of a bitch!" Kennedy said.

James ignored her insult and raised his gun.

Kennedy stood her ground and stared at James defiantly. "Is this what 'honorable' Knights do? Kill the innocent?"

"Shut up!" James shouted, dropping his aim to point angrily at Kennedy.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Center of Production Hall – Same Time

The muscles in Kadin's neck stood out as she strained to pull her chain free from the grate. Her groaning turned into a cross between a growl and a roar as she made one more huge effort. Unfortunately, the chain remained firmly in place.

Kadin screamed in frustration and changed her tactics. She made a fist with her left hand then placed her right hand under the manacle on her wrist. She bent at the knees and then, in a swift motion, stood up, pulling the manacle away from its chain. She repeated the process again and again until she established a rhythm. Somehow oblivious to the pain, she kept up the frantic pace.

In the last few pulls, Kadin's eyes took on feral glow. With a final roar and an inhuman surge of strength, she broke the manacle from its chain. Without a moment's hesitation, she rushed across the room toward Kennedy's cage.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Cage in Production Hall – Same Time

"If I can't see the hunter dead," James said through clenched teeth, "then I'll see her mourn you!"

When he raised the gun to shoot, a look of fear went through Kennedy's eyes, and she took a step back. James pulled the trigger.

In a split-second, the gun boomed, and the bullet shot out of the barrel, speeding toward Kennedy. She raised her hands in a useless gesture of self-defense.

Just as the bullet was about to strike Kennedy's outstretched hands, a shimmering blue barrier suddenly went up, causing the projectile to ricochet off.

Both Kennedy's and James's eyes grew wide in total surprise. James lowered his gun and looked at it oddly. Kennedy turned her hands over and gazed at them in disbelief. Then, as if remembering James's presence, she dropped

them and faced him once again. Unfortunately, as soon as she dropped her hands, the shield protecting her dissipated.

"What the hell?!" Kennedy complained.

Grimacing through the pain, she raised both her hands in the same gesture she'd used earlier, but the barrier did not reappear. She tried again with the same result, then a third time with no luck. She looked up and found James staring at her, his mouth twisting into a snarling smirk as he raised the gun once more.

Just as James's finger was about to close on the trigger, he gave a loud grunt as Kadin thundered into him with a body tackle. She pushed him back several yards away from Kennedy's cage, near the machinery in the corner of the room.

Cut To:Int.Old Factory – Near Cage in Production Hall – Seconds Later

When Kadin took James to the floor, he lost the gun. It skittered several feet away, well out of reach. When Kadin pushed up off his body, she immediately punched him in the face, once then twice. At the third attempt, James caught her fist in his hand and punched back with his free hand. Her head snapped back, giving him the opportunity to sit up and then flip their positions sideways.

With the sounds of his werewolves howling in pain in the background, James tried to throw his body on Kadin's, but she raised her leg at the last second and kicked him away, knocking him onto his back. Kadin was on him in an instant, reaching for his throat with both hands. James made a strangled sound then grabbed her wrists; with sheer brute strength he pulled her hands off his neck. With a crushing grip, he held her in place an arm's length away. Kadin poured all of her strength first into trying to push forward and then into trying to pull away, but she couldn't budge the older man. A worried look entered her eyes.

Suddenly, James yanked her forward in a cocking motion and then shoved her back with such force that she flew across the room and crashed into some of the factory's old machinery. She hit the metalwork hard, barely missing a sharp pipe about a foot long that was jutting out. She slipped to the floor, a little dazed.

James hopped to his feet effortlessly and rushed over. Kadin was pushing herself up off the floor when he came and stood over her.

"You think I'm some fledgling wolf that will fall to the mighty hunter?" James sneered. "I am so much more!"

By then, Kadin had gotten to her feet in a crouch. She looked up and growled, "So am I." Kadin leaped out of her crouch and attacked.

From that point on, the two went into a flurry of motion: punches and kicks, dodges and blocks, first one gaining the upper hand, then the other, both fighting with pure fury fueling them. During one long exchange in which Kadin was pressing her advantage, James suddenly turned the tables on her and landed several heavy punches to her head. She wobbled and went down.

Before she could recover, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck in a stranglehold. As Kadin clawed at his arms, he began to squeeze. She tried to shake him and then flip him, but nothing worked. She elbowed him in the gut, but still he wouldn't let go. Dangerously close to losing consciousness, she drove him back, intending to slam him against the wall.

When they hit, she heard a sickening sssthunk, then a gasp, then a gurgle. James's arms finally loosened, and she tore herself away, barely managing to stay on her feet. Clutching her throat and sucking in deep breaths, she slowly turned around.

Impaled on the pipe that Kadin herself had narrowly missed earlier, James flailed around uselessly, gurgling out his last breaths – all while the hunter watched, her face showing a mixture of emotions: horror, glee, relief, guilt.

As his head fell forward and his arms went limp, Kadin's eyes were drawn to the pipe itself. It was jutting out from James's abdomen a good three inches. Her brow furrowed, and she reached behind herself to touch her back. When she drew her hand back, it was covered with blood.

She gave a weak scoff and then passed out, hitting the floor facedown.

Fade Out.

Fade In:Int.Watchers Council – Meeting Room – Later

As the group re-gathered to debrief, Xander was conspicuously absent. The others were tired but alert.

"So this clan leader, James," Buffy asked, "he was the werewolf warlock?"

"Yes," Willow answered. "Apparently, he had used magic not only to hide everybody from locator spells, but also to juice himself up physically."

"And to set those magical booby traps," Jeff added.

"Don't I know it?" Willow said, rubbing her aching head. Rowena patted her girlfriend's arm lovingly.

"What about the other werewolves?" Robin asked. "James's allies?"

"Two were killed in the fight, three more were injured, one escaped," Faith said. "Kadin, of course, took care of James himself."

"Do we know which one escaped?" Buffy asked.

"Coen," Faith stated unhappily.

"Great," Buffy said, just as unhappily.

"How are Kennedy and Kadin doing?" Rowena asked.

"They're pretty beat up, but they'll be okay," Willow said. "They're in the infirmary recovering."

Everyone was silent for a bit.

Finally, Buffy rested her palms on the table and pushed herself to her feet. "Well, I think that will do it for now. I'll need your reports tomorrow, though. Anything else?"

Faith raised her hand. "Yeah, we seem to have a serious kidnapping problem around here." Her face was serious, but a mischievous twinkle was in her eyes. "Is there some kind of anti-kidnapping spell out there? You know, somethin' that'll zap any would-be kidnapper into a Smurf or somethin'?"

Everyone looked at Faith like she was crazy. Then they rolled their eyes and got to their feet.

"What?" Faith said, now grinning openly, as she also stood up. "That would be pretty handy, right?" She turned her eyes to an imaginary kidnapper.

"Kidnap me, would ya? Bing!" Then she looked at the floor and made a dramatic stomp. She turned back to the group with a triumphant smile.

Most of the group simply did another eye roll and left. Dawn and Willow, though, had horrified looks on their faces. They turned to each other.

"She stomped a Smurf," Dawn said to Willow. "A cute little blue Smurf."

Willow was unable to speak. Rowena and Jeff tried not to laugh. As Rowena and Jeff led Willow and Dawn away, Willow said, "I hope it wasn't Papa Smurf…"

Andrew leaned over to whisper conspiratorially to Faith. "Personally, I never liked the Smurfs." Then he got an embarrassed look on his face. "They were scary," he admitted before quickly slipping away.

Buffy was left shaking her head.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Infirmary – Same Time

As a nearby pulse monitor beeped softly, Kadin lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her face was still battered, and her left wrist was now encased in a cast. The hunter shifted against the stiff sheets, the heavy dressing on her back causing a jolt of discomfort.

"Kadin?"

At the sound of the familiar voice, Kadin froze. When she looked to the side, she saw the curtain separating her bed from the next being slowly pulled back. A hospital-gown-clad Kennedy peeked through. Though still rather haggard, the slayer looked better than Kadin; the bruises on her face had already begun to fade slightly. She was still favoring her right side, however, and was clearly in some pain.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Kennedy asked hesitantly.

Kadin sighed and shifted again. "No."

Kennedy nodded absently as she took the few steps closer to Kadin's bed, wincing a bit as she did so.

"I guess it's pretty stupid to ask how you're feeling, huh?" Kennedy asked.

"Look that bad, do I?" Kadin replied.

"Well, seeing that you got the crap beat out of you and you have a giant gaping hole in your back and you're in extreme amounts of pain…I'd say you look pretty good."

Kadin snorted in disbelief. "Right. You're looking better, I see."

"Yeah, gotta love that good ol' slayer healin'." Kennedy shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "Not workin' fast enough, though. My ribs hurt like hell. Meds are making it bearable…barely."

Kadin's expression became pained, and she looked away. "I'm sorry," she said in a soft voice. "I'm sorry you got hurt because of me."

"Wasn't your fault. James and the others – they're the ones who caused this."

Kadin shook her head. "No, it's my fault. I set it all in motion…me and my desire for revenge. It cost me Serena, and it nearly cost me myself. You helped me see that – that my rage would consume me until there was nothing left."

Kadin reached out and took Kennedy's hand.

"But this time, I almost lost you. I-I-I couldn't live with myself if I'd let them kill another woman I loved. That's why I'm so scared for you, Ken, with this whole Heli thing. I don't want to see you go where I've been. It's not a fun place to be. So, please…I'm asking as your lover and your friend…just let it go. Let someone else handle it."

"I can't," Kennedy answered in anguish. "I just…can't. All I can do is tell you it's not the same."

The slayer kept her eyes locked with Kadin's for a second longer before pulling out of her lover's grasp and disappearing from the room.

Kadin watched her lover leave, helpless to stop her. She just closed her eyes and dropped her head back onto the pillow.

The only sound in the room was the hunter's ragged breathing and the steady beep of the machine.

Cut To:Int.College Admissions Office – The Next Day

"I'm sorry," the counselor said with a shake of her head. "But the regulations are very clear."

"But…" Hope's answer stopped short. "I did everything the brochure said. And I double-checked with your website. I even called up here and asked folks at this office about requirements!"

"We have specific rules – " the counselor began. She didn't get to finish.

"I asked you what those rules were! And I obeyed every single one you told me about! Why didn't you simply tell me the truth to start with?"

"No one lied to you, Miss Lehane," the counselor answered, lips stiff and eyes half-closed behind thick glasses. "The rules are the rules, and you simply do not meet the qualification requirements for entry this spring term. Your GED scores needed to be turned in by a certain date."

"I did turn them in by the date you told me to!"

"You did not turn them in by the date required."

"But I asked you…"

"We have no discretion in this matter, Miss Lehane. This is simply not allowed."

Hope simply stared at the counselor, at her unflinching expression and also her stillness. The woman was not even breathing hard. Nor was she making the slightest effort to move, to look up regulations or pick up a phone to ask questions or double-check facts. Instead, her hands remained clasped before her, fingers intertwined, and her eyes remained un-engaged.

Not so Hope. She trembled, and when she got up to leave, she did so quickly, but trembling.

The counselor did not even blink as Hope left her office.

Cut To:Int.Hallway Outside Office of Admissions – Continuous

When Hope stepped out into the hallway, she stood very still, forcing herself to remain that way. Her breathing, however, gave her away. She took in air as if running at full speed. And her eyes burned.

"Miss Lehane, isn't it?"

She turned. The voice was a mellow baritone, with a slight accent. It belonged to a middle-aged man with a moustache. He managed to appear diffident and strong at the same time.

"You are Miss Hope Lehane, am I right?"

Hope nodded. "Why?"

"I was actually hoping to meet you sooner or later. Something of a coincidence to actually run into you."

"Really?"

"No, I had you followed."

That made Hope stare at him. He smiled, both amused and apologetic at the same time. Hope turned to face him. "You had me followed?"

"Not really. But I was keeping tabs on you – well, you and everyone else at the Watchers Council. I was hoping to meet you eventually, but this really is just a coincidence."

"I'm not with the Council. My sister is."

"Yes, but you are her sister. And you are in what seems to be a possible romantic relationship with Jeff Lindquist. Seems to be, I emphasize. I try not to leap to too many conclusions."

"Who are you?" she asked this loudly.

"My apologies. Jason Felix, at your service." He handed her his card. It read: Jason Felix, Director, Bureau Nine followed by a phone number. A logo was embossed onto the card. "I'm the Council's competition." He smiled.

"Well," she said after a moment, "good for you. Nice to meetcha and all that. You take care."

"If I may?" Something about the way he said those three words stopped Hope from finishing her turn. Instead, she stopped and listened.

"You seem agitated. And you are in the University's Admissions Office. Being an alumnus here myself, would I be right in assuming the bureaucracy is being its usual self? Namely, it is doing a splendid impression of a certain bodily orifice?"

Hope grinned. "Uh…yeah."

"I thought so. Allow me to help. Please?"

"How? Why?"

"Well, for one thing, I'm an alumnus, and I'm quite wealthy. If there is anything a university won't do for someone who fits that criteria, I've yet to discover it. There is even a certain amount of satisfaction in proving that fact, again and again." He said this with a twinkle in his eye.

"Okay, but then there's my second question."

"Ah yes. Well, it's at least partially true that I'm doing it out of goodwill."

"You said you're the Council's competition."

"While I am a capitalist, Miss Lehane, I am not a cutthroat one. Bureau Nine and the Council will both function much better if our relationship is cordial. Besides, we will likely need one another now and again."

"Uh-huh." Hope's expression revealed her skepticism better than words. Mr. Felix smiled.

"There is of course more to it than that. I…this will sound odd…possibly even pathological."

"I can handle it."

He acknowledged this with a bow. "The fact is my daughter was going to attend college here. I was quite looking forward to smoothing a few of her paths. But things changed. My daughter, she died." Felix's voice caught a little at that. His gaze wavered for a split second. But then he continued, smooth as before. "Allow me a little role-playing on your behalf. I really am quite sane, and there are eminently practical reasons as well as sentimental ones for being of help. If you will permit me?"

"What if I say no?" Hope lifted an eyebrow.

"Your choice will be respected."

She waited several seconds, then nodded. "Okay, let's see what you can do."

"My pleasure," he said as he motioned her back inside the office door as he opened it.

 

Fade to Black

End of Collateral Damage