At Night by Coll

Disclaimer: - None of the characters are mine, except the ones that I make up, all rights to Joss Whedon, a.k.a. - God, and I think you all know the drill.

Spoilers: Starts like, end of First Date, probably includes some spoilers about Get It Done, after that, it's my stuff.

Author’s Note: Kennedy is a kick ass character; I have found a new love in writing her. This will deal with her past and what I want her to be, hopefully you guys enjoy this.

Summary: The First strikes again just as Kennedy's training advances and her past begins to resurface.

Buffy was still calling out, and she actually started crying a little. Faith had begun to push herself up; when she saw what Kennedy had done, her mouth dropped and she rose to her feet.

Kennedy sighed and looked down at Spike, whose eyes were fixed on the stake that stuck out of his chest. He looked back up at her, his eyes wide with horror. Kennedy smiled and imprinted this image in her head.

After a minute, both Spike and Kennedy furrowed their brows and looked down at the stake. "Why aren't you dust?" she asked as she poked him, making sure that he was real, still here.

"That's actually a fair question," Spike muttered as he grabbed the stake and pulled it out from his chest with a scream escaping from his throat. "This is wood, isn't it?"

"Spike," Buffy whispered as she tried to get up, but her leg was still way too damaged to put any support on it. "You're alright...it missed." The potential watched as Buffy wiped away some of the tears that had fallen and sniffed back the ones that still clouded her eyes.

"Must have just been over by an inch," Kennedy observed as she let a stake fall into her hand from her other sleeve. "Not to worry though, I won't miss this time."

Before she could even attempt to stake Spike and before Spike had a chance to defend himself, Kennedy was hit from the side and toppled off of Spike and on to the floor. "What the hell's the matter with you?" Faith asked as she grabbed the stake and sent it clattering across the crypt.

Kennedy tried to push Faith off, but the slayer was just too much for her. Even with all this new strength, she was still a potential. "Something came over me," Kennedy whispered as she took deep breathes and looked around. "The rage...what I had seen, I just wanted it to stop."

"And it came pretty close to stopping too, at that," Spike muttered as he pushed himself to his feet and wiped the blood off that was dripping from his nose. "You lot should get back to the house, you know? Especially if what that one says is true...bout the power bein' transferred to her."

What she said? The power, the energy, being given to her. Kennedy wasn't looking forward to going back and seeing what kind of damage The First had done. "You're coming too, you know?" Faith said as she got off Kennedy before helping her up. "Things are getting bad, and if The First doesn't need you anymore then we do. You help Buffy, me and Kennedy'll go ahead."

Faith grabbed Kennedy by the arm and jerked her towards the exit. "You can take it easy on the girl, you know?" Spike said as he crouched down next to Buffy.

"It's okay..." Kennedy trailed off as Faith led her out of the crypt, leaving Buffy and Spike to have their little I'm glad you're alive moment.

There was way too much going on inside her head to think about anything else. Watching Buffy and Spike, though, there was only one thing going through her mind. Kennedy hoped that she could have one of those moments with Willow before dealing with the end.

"What's up with you, me, and always coming back to this house after it's suffered from a major battle?" Faith asked, trying her hardest to break the awkward silence. Kennedy got what she was doing, changing the subject or getting her to think of something else, but she just wanted to get home and see if Willow was fine.

If that was the case, then they'd have their little moment and then they'd have to deal with the fact that the other potentials are dead, she was some kind of uber-potential, and The First wanted her.

Cedric or any other figment from her past wasn't there physically...or non-physically physically, but she definitely wasn't under her own influence when she attacked everyone and almost killed Spike.

After they left the crypt, Faith got a little better with not having a death grip on Kennedy's arm; even though Kennedy felt that she deserved it after the way she had been in the crypt. "You okay, Ken?" Faith asked as she led the way up the walkway. "This is like the quietest you've been since we've met."

"Yeah, my head's just a little bust right now," Kennedy muttered. "What with the Spike thing and the other potentials being dead and The First coming after me real soon and-"

"I get it," Kennedy nodded as she stopped at the door, taking a deep breath. "Just don't really think that this a good small talk time."

Faith reached for the door and, as she did, it was pulled open. Kennedy gasped and put her hand over her mouth and Faith just stared. "Jesus, Giles." She muttered, and Kennedy couldn't have said it better herself.

The clothes on his body were shredded and hung loose on his bruised and bloodied body. "Did you find Buffy?" he asked weakly as he lowered the cloth that he had pressed against his head wound. Kennedy imagined that the now red cloth was once white.

"Her and Spike are bringing up the rear," Faith answered. "Lots of shit went down."

"Clearly, though...you know what that's like." Faith shrugged as Giles stepped aside, allowing Faith and Kennedy access to the house. Faith stepped in without hesitation. Kennedy, on the other hand, couldn't move.

If she went in there, it would be true: what she knows, or has a really really good guess at. "Kennedy?" she looked up at Giles' voice. His face softened and he held out his hand for her to take.

Looking up at Mr. Giles, watching his soft eyes, Kennedy let her shields down a bit and took his hand. She studied the sight, her hand in his, and when she looked back up at Mr. Giles, he wasn't there.

It was Cedric, smiling down at her, rubbing his thumb over her fingers before gently pulling her inside. "It's not a good sight."

Kennedy's head snapped up...it was Mr. Giles again, and it wasn't The First it was her own mind, flashing back to Cedric. "Never expected it to be." Kennedy commented as she clung to Giles' hand.

The house hadn't been fixed or cleaned very much since the first attack, so the shape of it and the fact that it was trashed wasn't that big of a shock to Kennedy. Giles led her past the living room, at a fast pace.

She managed to peak in, noticing a few bodies that were potentials. Kennedy took a second to close her eyes and just remember the girls and say a prayer or something for them.

Not that she was really very religious or anything, but it seemed like the right thing to do.

"Where is everyone?" she asked Giles as they entered the empty kitchen. "Is there...did anyone other than the potentials...?"

"Just all the girls," Giles told her in a low tone as he released her hand and signaled for her to go downstairs. "For now."

"What do you mean...?" Kennedy began, but she didn't need to finish. The answer was there when she went downstairs. Kennedy noticed someone was lying on the cot, but her eyes automatically scanned the room and found Willow.

As soon as she was down the stairs, Willow was waiting for her and pulled her into a hug. Kennedy held her tightly, breathing in the scent of hair as she closed her eyes and tried to make the world go away.

"On her way," Faith answered. Kennedy opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings for the first time. "She got a little injured."

Faith flashed her eyes to Kennedy quickly. She ignored it, even though she knew damn well what Faith was thinking. That's when she saw the person on the cot.

The pillow under her head was soaked in blood, along with her hair. There were cuts all over her body and her left eye was swelled so badly that if she were to wake up, Kennedy doubted she would be able to see anything out of that eye. Xander was seated next to her, his hand holding on to her smaller hand.

Kennedy blinked back the tears as she pulled back slightly from Willow. All contact wasn't broken, though. Willow grabbed Kennedy's hand and held it in both of hers. "Is Anya...?" Kennedy whispered as she leaned over to Willow's ear.

"Andrew and Dawn are upstairs," Willow said as she squeezed Kennedy's hand. "Dawn's arm is broken, Andrew's in bad shape, and they're taking care of Molly."

This information hit Kennedy and she looked back at Willow with raised eyebrows. It was then that she stopped and noticed how badly hurt Willow was. "M-Molly...she's a-alive?" Kennedy stuttered.

"It was like...as soon as you two left..." Xander said slowly, as if he still wasn't able to believe what had had happened. "They were everywhere, and they weren't even after us. The bringers were focused on the potentials."

If Molly was alive, the last potential other than her, than there was some kind of chance. Granted, Kennedy had no idea what that chance was because she was only guessing that The First's plan involved all of the potentials dying and having their energy flow into her.

"Bringer must have been sloppy with the knife," Faith shrugged. "What are you thinking?"

All eyes on Kennedy, but her eyes were on Willow. "I think The First wants me to get all of the potential's power," she explained. "That was Spike's purpose, to get me and Faith away. I think It wanted me to kill Spike too."

Kennedy shoved her free hand into her coat pocket while she squeezed Willow's. "You know, in all fairness, he was biting me," Kennedy reminded Faith. "Remind me later to thank Buffy about that whole chip thing."

"He bit you?" Willow asked in her concerned tone as she gently pushed back some of Kennedy's hair to see the wound. She found the two small dots that were once openings but now were completely healed and just a scar that reminder Kennedy of what had happened that night.

"I'm okay," she assured Willow. "Apparently when you get the potential energy from like fifteen plus girls into your body, it tends to heal a lot faster."

"So our hope is to keep Molly alive?" Xander asked, still not looking up to face any of them.

"And Faith, I'm guessing," Kennedy offered. "I mean, can you imagine what kind of power I would have, if I were the slayer and I had the powers of all the potentials?"

They all stopped and thought about it all. Kennedy noticed how Willow's grip slipped. She didn't let go, but she wasn't holding on quite as tight anymore. That had to have been it; there was no other way to explain why The First would be doing all of this.

"This is all a little overpowering, now that I think about it." Kennedy thought out loud.

It was getting a little harder to breath and she could feel herself begin to sweat. "Okay, hey maybe you should be lying down, or something," Willow said as Kennedy shifted most of her weight on to Willow for support. "Let's go upstairs."

"What are we supposed to do?" Faith asked as Willow led Kennedy to the stairs. "I mean...this is bullshit just waiting for The First to make It's move. That's just fucking stupid."

"And it's all we have right now," Willow shot back. "All we can do is go with what we know and be there for each other. Right now, we need to get our strength back. Buffy and Spike should be back soon...we can talk and plan more then."

Kennedy was glad for Willow, and she knew it was like the millionth time she's thought it, but it was true. Willow knew what she was, and even though it freaked her out, she never once hesitated.

There was something though, that just kept bothering her about their relationship. A little pang inside that kept telling her things aren't completely alright. "Will?" Kennedy asked quietly.

The witch looked over at Kennedy with raised eyebrows as she led her upstairs. "I was just...you know how I feel about you, what you mean to me," Kennedy started as she held on to Willow a little tighter. "Why are you still putting up with all of my messed up stuff? Why are you bothering with me?"

Willow opened her mouth to reply, but nothing was coming out. Instead, she just led Kennedy upstairs and into their room. "It's better for you to just lie down, rest." She instructed as she left Kennedy in the room and went across the hall into the bathroom.

Even though she didn't need to, Kennedy couldn't think of anything else she wanted to do more. Willow came back with a glass of water in her hands and that's when Kennedy corrected herself. There was one thing she wanted to do more.

"You like to have a glass of water," Kennedy finished. "I know. I wish this were over, you know? If I lie down to rest, I wish that I would never have to get up."

"Kennedy," Willow said quietly. "We'll get through this, you know? We've faced big bads, we've...lost people close to us, but hey, here we are."

Kennedy nodded along as she kicked off her shoes and pulled off her jacket. "Guess the best thing then is just to rest." She said in a low tone as Willow sat down next to her and held out the water.

"You know how I knew the water thing with you?" Kennedy asked. "You didn't know that I don't like water before I rest, did you?"

The intention wasn't to be mean or anything, Kennedy was just getting frustrated. She loved Willow, it was true, but Kennedy wasn't sure why Willow was with her. Why Willow cared, and if the world was going to end, it'd be nice to know where Willow stood where it concerned their relationship.

"Is everything okay?" Willow asked hesitantly. "You've been a little weird in the past, well, few minutes."

"You didn't answer my question," Kennedy reminded Willow quietly as she pushed herself back on the bed and stretched out. "From before, on the stairs. You just kind of dodged around it."

Defeated, Willow reached over and placed the water on the nightstand. "I know how you feel, Kennedy, and I know why you're bringing this up now," Willow started. "Being under this pressure, it makes things a lot clearer, you know? I like you, a lot more than like, but I'll admit I was hesitant at first. It seemed too soon, but your faith in me and the way you make me feel...I'm grateful for you in my life and I'm falling for you."

Willow stretched out next to Kennedy, her one arm resting over Kennedy's stomach as she propped her head up on her other arm. She smiled back at Kennedy, drawing little circles with her fingers on Kennedy's waist.

Kennedy wrapped her arms around Willow as well, turning slightly so that she was facing Willow. "We'll get there," Willow said with a nod. "I'm sorry about everything that's been happening to you."

"You don't even know the half of it," Kennedy scoffed. "A lot went on with Spike tonight, Willow. Something took me over, showed me what he did to my family, and I went crazy. I wanted him dead and I wanted to kill anything that stood in my way."

"It's over right now," Willow told her as she played with a couple of strands of Kennedy's hair. "Try not to think about it and just...rest."

Willow leaned forward and kissed Kennedy on the forehead, letting herself linger there for a little before moving down and kissing Kennedy's lips. Kennedy returned the pressure, keeping her eyes open for just a little bit to make sure that this was real.

"Mm, I don't think we should start that if you're gonna rest." Willow said saucily after pulling away and smiling at Kennedy.

"You know," Kennedy said as she scooted closer to Willow and looked at her girlfriend with smoldering eyes. "I don't really need rest, and I can think of something a little better to do than resting."

"Is this because of the whole world ending thing or the fact that you and Spike were in a fight and you have some pent up energy you need to...work out," Willow asked playfully.

Kennedy smiled, "I know about that whole hungry and horny thing. Some of the girls gave me a hard time about it before."

Willow's hands were traveling up and down Kennedy's waist, and it was getting to be a little bit too much for Kennedy to handle. She leaned forward and covered Willow's mouth with her own.

"You know, if this isn't going to go very far," Kennedy said as she pulled away slightly, letting her lips hover over Willow's. "Maybe we should stop now."

The mood was definitely altered for a second. Willow raised her eyebrows and looked like she was going to say something, but instead she just leaned forward and kissed Kennedy back.

Kennedy moved her eyes up and looked at Willow, who just stared back with raised eyebrows. "Yeah," she answered slowly. "You were there, right?" Kennedy smiled at this as she turned on to her side and faced Willow who was already turned towards Kennedy.

It was incredible, what had happened between them, and the only feeling that could be better was the after part of it all. Lying with Willow, tangled up in the covers, kissing her every now and again, playing with her hair, and laughing a little due to the fact that Kennedy was a ticklish girl and Willow knew this.

"I was there," Kennedy whispered huskily before kissing Willow. "It's just...before I had this dream. We had just...you know, but then I asked you if it was a dream and you said no. Then I woke up, saw Cedric, and found out about Spike..."

"Well, this is real," Willow said firmly as she scooted a bit closer, letting her one hand rest on the small of Kennedy's back. "I mean, I'm pretty sure it's real. What I'm feeling right now...I can't see it being fake."

It was real, and Kennedy knew it. She smiled and took in a deep breath, making sure to look around the room and remember the little things. A few candles lit the room, even though it was now day and light shone brightly through the window.

Their clothes, while thrown all about the room in a haphazard manner, were still on their respective sides of the room; Willow's over on her side, Kennedy's on hers. The way that they were so comfortable with each other right now that the silence that they shared wasn't awkward at all.

In fact, they were still talking. Kennedy was sharing all of her thoughts and observations to Willow every time their eyes locked. This had been the most content and happiest time Kennedy has had in a long time.

That's when reality set in. Kennedy realized the end was still coming, and it was coming fast. Willow must have realized this because her hold on Kennedy switched from playful flirting to supportive. "Hey, what's the matter?" she whispered.

Kennedy shook her head, trying to shake back the tears that were now clouding her eyes; but she wasn't going to let them spill. Kennedy hated to cry. "I just don't want to leave this place, ever," she told Willow quietly. "But I know that if I stay, It's going to come for me."

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying so hard not to cry. Kennedy jumped back a bit when Willow had leaned forward and kissed her, but after her eyes snapped open, she kissed back. The kiss, while sweet, was intense.

It was almost like Willow's way of keeping Kennedy with her. The harder she kissed, the deeper it was, the less Kennedy would let her mind wander to the bad things that were coming.

They finally broke apart, mostly because Kennedy couldn't catch her breath. "Sorry." Willow whispered, breathless her own self.

"No," Kennedy said. "Believe me you can kiss me like that any time you want. Never thought you had that kind of thing in you."

"Oh, no," Kennedy laughed. "Those are completely different circumstances. People, when they make love, they let go more, you know? What I meant was I wouldn't expect it from you at any other time, but now that I know..."

"Looks like you know a lot about this stuff." Willow teased with a devilish smile on her face as she pinched Kennedy's side causing her to yelp and jump before pinching Willow back. Unfortunately, Willow wasn't as ticklish, so she didn't jump just smiled.

"Is there something you wanna ask me, Will?" Kennedy asked with raised eyebrows.

She knew this conversation would come up eventually. Willow always expressed how much she admired Kennedy's confidence when it came to women, and Kennedy knew that she had been dying to ask about Kennedy's past relationships and her experience.

"It's just...you know most of my past," she whispered, getting a little throaty with good reason too. "Just, kinda wondering if you're all talk or something."

"Well, you should know first hand if I'm all talk, shouldn't you?" Kennedy shot back.

Willow smiled and began to turn a few shades of red. Kennedy liked embarrassing Willow, or shocking her with her own upfront-ness about everything, especially her sexuality. "You wanna know how many girlfriends I've had then..." Kennedy said, saving Willow the trouble of tripping over her words and not being able to ask what she wanted to know.

Knowing that she would do this too, Willow nodded and just watched Kennedy. It seemed as though she was mentally preparing herself for the truth...boy was she going to be surprised.

"Well...I've had a lot of girlfriends," Kennedy confessed. "But...only two of those relationships were really serious. The longest one lasted eighteen months."

Willow eased up a bit on the tension, but Kennedy thought the whole lots of girlfriends thing might have been going to far. "You know when the worst time to have this conversation is?" Kennedy asked as she laughed nervously.

"Sorry," Willow apologized. "I figured, I guess, that you had experience, but all of those girls? I mean, I'm not implying anything because I don't want you to think that I think you're a slut or something...which I totally don't...the slut thing, you know?

"I think it's sexy when you do that," Kennedy told her with a big smile. "The way your eyebrows raise in the center and your voice gets all fast and urgent...I can almost see your brain tripping and catching up with itself when you do that."

While she went on about Willow, Kennedy managed to snake her arm around Willow's waist and she rested her head on Willow's shoulder. Kennedy could feel Willow's smile against the top of her head as she hugged Kennedy close to her body.

"Yeah, well, that's a popular theory," she whispered. "And you're avoiding the question."

"Not avoiding, just getting sidetracked," Kennedy corrected as she closed her eyes and tried to absorb Willow. "Besides, I have nothing to hide from you. I've only been with four women...including you."

The news hit Willow hard, but Kennedy couldn't tell if it was, "Oh, wow, you're not as slutty as I thought." Or, "Oh, wow, that's a lot...how old are you again?" Kennedy snuck a peek up at Willow, to try and see what kind of reaction Willow had to that news. "Hey you awake up there?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, yes, awake...and sorry," she stammered in reply. "Just, a little shocking. Four? You're like experienced and stuff. Not, that I'm thinking negative things about you, because I'm thinking good things about you. I'm just wondering, again, why you like me."

With a heavy sigh, Kennedy propped her head up so she was face to face with Willow. "You're just fishing for compliments now, aren't you?" Kennedy asked playfully, causing Willow to blush and look away. "What I don't get is why you're so self-conscious. You're freakin' hot, Willow, and older and cooler and I don't get why you're with me."

"What?" Willow exclaimed. "You know, you're pretty...hot too. You, though, you're experienced, and in the game longer and have three girlfriends on me."

"One," Kennedy corrected. "I've been with three women over you...or, two now. Technically the one is you, so I guess that doesn't really count-"

"Okay, getting that," Willow interrupted with a laugh. "I'm starting to think that we're a lot alike, though. We're both a little self- conscious when it comes to each other, I guess."

Kennedy tightened her hold on Willow. "I'm okay with that if you are," She whispered with a smile. "Insert kissing here." Willow obliged, leaning forward and touching her lips to Kennedy's.

As the kiss grew more intense, Kennedy's hands began to get more curious and she predicted if things were going to continue this way there was going to be a repeat performance of what happened the night before.

"I don't remember setting that..." Willow said as she grabbed the clock. "Hmm, six in the morning, that's a lovely time."

"It is," Kennedy began, but quickly stopped and got quieter as she continued. "Was, training time. Guess I better get a move on, you know, especially since Buffy will definitely notice if I'm not there on time."

A yawn escaped from her throat and she began to push herself, but Willow pulled her back down and close to her body. "Well, Buffy's going to have to deal with that," Willow said. "I let her have the last cookie the other day, so she owes me. Plus, you've heard the rumors of my resolve face."

Kennedy kissed Willow quickly before muttering, "Yeah, but...Big Bad a comin', Will. Buffy might decide to pay you back for the cookie thing later."

"I don't," Kennedy replied as she grabbed her shirt from off the floor and pulled it on. "But now I know that it's okay to leave, cause I know I've got my anchor."

After she got changed and watched as Willow hugged herself and pouted the whole time, Kennedy climbed on the bed and straddled Willow before taking her face into her own hands. "Hey, no pouting. I'll be sure to glare at Buffy a lot, okay?" she told Willow as she kissed her, but Willow still wasn't smiling. "Give me a smile, please?"

The edges of Willow's mouth began to curl due to Kennedy's pouting and, after a second, Willow smiled. "Have fun..." she told Kennedy. "I'll come down and watch in a little bit. Watch you get all sweaty and stuff."

"Can't wait," Kennedy replied as she pushed herself up and walked out of the room, stopping at the door to say. "I love you, you know?"

Willow just smiled, and Kennedy got that she still wasn't ready to say anything back. She wasn't worried, though. Kennedy knew how Willow was feeling now, and she also knew that Willow wasn't the type of girl to just sleep around, even if it was an end of the world scenario.

Kennedy had to admit, though, she respected that. While she could always get grabby with Willow, Kennedy respected the whole time thing. Slow was good, and it's how Kennedy worked in the past. Even being with Willow was a big step.

After reaching the foot of the stairs, Kennedy stopped and cocked her head to the end of the hall, towards Buffy's room. She changed course and, instead of going downstairs, Kennedy headed towards the thing that was pulling her to the end of the hall.

Her hand wrapped around the doorknob before turning it and pushing it open. This is where they put Molly. When Kennedy saw Anya, she thought no on could look worse than her, but Kennedy's mouth hung open and she stood corrected. Molly looked anything but alive.

If she didn't know any better, Kennedy would have assumed that Kennedy was dead. Despite the sudden shock of seeing her, Kennedy gently shut the door and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hang in there, Molly," Kennedy whispered, hanging her head in respect. "Me and you, we've been in this from the beginning. I mean...you have seniority over me, you knew Mr. Giles first."

The girl stood tall, even though Kennedy had a few years on her, Annabelle always managed to look down on her and Molly. "I was the first one to meet Mr. Giles, and you know that," Annabelle told Kennedy. "You were never good with getting the facts straight. You maybe strong, Kennedy, but your knowledge of slayers and the history-"

"Fine, I get that," Kennedy interrupted as she held her hand up. "Stop shoving the fact that you are better than me in my face, okay?"

"Why bother?" Annabelle asked before her shifting her appearance and changing into Chloe. "You never stopped shoving it in my face."

Kennedy sighed. "I thought you said you don't really worry about that stuff." She replied defensively as she rose to her feet.

"Hey, you're the one getting worked up about all this stuff," Chloe shot back. "I'm just trying to remind you that you're not really one to talk about acting better than people."

"Well, with The First talking like I'm the second coming, how am I supposed to act?" Kennedy asked as she turned away from Chloe and looked down at Molly. "I should have been there. Should have...I dunno, known better than to fall for one of the traps."

"Two traps, technically speaking," Vi said, and sure enough, when Kennedy looked up Vi was standing there. "Remember when you ran away the first time? The First was all talking to you and you found out about Spike...did you hurt his arm, at least, before you tried to stake him?"

"How do you know all of this?" Kennedy asked as she knitted her eyebrows together. This was all getting to be too much for her head. She was only nineteen, how could so much be happening to her?

Vi shrugged. "You get all these answers when you die...you find stuff out, you know," she replied. "Like what happens to the potential energy. It had to go somewhere; at least that's what I figured. When I died, I figured it out."

Now it was Amanda, her voice changed mid sentence and Vi's body stretched out within the blink of an eye. "Was it a rush, Kennedy?" Amanda asked as she folded her arms over her chest. "Like that rush we talked about, when you stake a vamp, is that what it felt like when my energy went inside of you? Do you feel us?"

"You're the dead one," Kennedy told her defensively. "You're all knowing, you tell me if I felt it. If that's how I've been remembering you guys. As just the people who gave me their energies."

"No," Amanda said quietly. "You don't think that way. That's what makes you different."

Kennedy gasped when Amanda changed. She couldn't take it anymore, having them come back to her. Especially Rona, who was right next to her in the power level; and right there in the room with her. "It's why Buffy choose you to lead us, it has to be." Rona continued.

"No, I'm not special," Kennedy shook her head. "I'm not, I was just the oldest...and Buffy most likely felt bad for me because she knew that I wouldn't be the next one."

"If that is the case, she's as stupid as I thought she was," Rona replied with raised eyebrows. "We should have known better, Kennedy. You know how superior she thinks she is, all those damn speeches...She was just threatened by you."

None of this was making sense. Kennedy couldn't be that special, she just had all the potential energy, that's all; and the only reason she'll probably be the next slayer is because all the others were dead. "Buffy's the...well, not the slayer, but she has the strength, the training."

"And how do you think she's gonna feel when Faith dies and you get all the slayer powers along with our potential?" Rona asked as she sat down next to Molly. "This is your destiny, you know. Just like it was ours to die and give our strength to you. We'll go away, and so will The First, if you just take the last step and accept who you are."

"How can I do that?" Kennedy asked. She had to admit, not seeing dead people was a nice idea, and right now she was so desperate she'd be willing to do anything.

Rona smiled as she looked Molly over. "It's easy," she replied. "Apparently, the bringers took care of most of the work. All you have to do is send Molly to be with us."

"Whoa...you're asking me to kill Molly?" Kennedy repeated with raised eyebrows. She looked from Rona to Molly and back again. There was something else going on, something bigger, yet Kennedy had no idea why she was considering it at the moment.

"Kill is such an ugly word," Rona said quietly. "You're not going to kill her...you're going to set her free, Kennedy. She's meant to be with us, Molly should be there right now."

"She's my friend," Kennedy whispered. "She listened when I was talking about Cedric on the way here...Molly's the only person that's alive right now that I've known the longest. I can't do that-"

"You'd be doing her a freakin' favor, Kennedy," Rona yelled. "Use your bleeding heart and help her. Molly's in pain, suffering. She can't wake up, can't die...Molly needs to be set free."

There was no way she could let this happen. Kennedy looked down at the bed. A knife suddenly was at the spot on the bed where Kennedy was seated, but she shook her head knowing that she couldn't let this happen.

"I...no, I can't," Kennedy said as she reached down and grabbed the knife. "There is no way I can let Molly suffer."

With determination in her eyes and in her tone, Kennedy gripped the knife hard. Her knuckles turned white and she clenched her jaw as she raised the knife and paused. Rona kept nodding towards Molly, and Kennedy looked that way.

Her face softened and Kennedy smiled through the sadness that she was feeling because of the fact that while she wanted Molly to be alive killing her was the right thing to do. Kennedy's grip didn't soften, though.

Kennedy's hand was swift as she swung the blade down and shoved it into Molly's abdomen. Molly didn't make any sounds though, what with her being in a coma. It was over quick and Kennedy gasped when she felt the energy flowed through her.

Her hand was still clutching the knife, and the blood from Molly was coming out fast. Kennedy closed her eyes and turned her head slightly away as she pulled the knife out of Molly with one quick yank.

The blade was drenched, and Kennedy let it clatter to the floor as she backed against the wall, horrified at the sight, at what she had done, but completely unable to look away. She shook her head, feeling the tears surface and letting them fall freely.

Defeated, unable to hide her emotions anymore, Kennedy sunk to the floor and cried. "I'm sorry," she sobbed quietly. "It should be me...not you..."

It was Molly's voice, but Kennedy knew it wasn't her. Molly was on the bed, her lifeless eyes pointed in Kennedy's direction, staring at her and chilling Kennedy to the core. She looked away and up at the healthier, more alive version of Molly.

"You did good, Kennedy," she said as she lowered herself on to the bed. "Did what you were told. I know it was hard for you...me and you, we were the first potentials here. We had some kind of a connection, right?"

"You're not her, stop pretending," Kennedy whispered. Her crying had stopped, but a few stray tears rolled down her eyes every now and again. "You weren't any of them...I should have known."

Molly sighed as she leaned back on her hands and glanced down at her own body. "You didn't want to know, Kennedy. That's what makes it so easy sometimes," she told her. "You know-"

"Stop!" Kennedy yelled out. "Stop looking like her. Don't look like any of them, okay? Look like Cedric or Buffy or Spike, but not them."

"I think I'm getting my point across clearer as them though," Molly replied as she looked back at Kennedy. "I mean, would you have listened to Cedric if he told you to kill Molly?"

Kennedy broke eye contact with Molly and looked down towards the floor. On the way, she caught a glimpse at her hands that were wrapped around her knees as she hugged herself tightly. There was blood all over her.

Her eyes drifted up to the Molly's before looking down where she dropped the knife. Ignoring The First, Kennedy pushed herself up, grabbed the knife, and ran into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

While taking in deep breathes, Kennedy turned on the faucet and let the warm water run over the blade. "Come on, come on," she whispered as she grabbed a nearby cloth and scrubbed at the bloody blade furiously.

"Shit." Kennedy muttered as she put the blade aside and got to work on scrubbing her hands clean. The blade wasn't completely clean, but it would do. If anyone found it, they most likely wouldn't know what had happened.

Grabbing the sort of dirty cloth, Kennedy scrubbed at her hands. After a while, it seemed as though the blood just would not go away. The harder and faster she scrubbed, the more the blood would be there.

"Shakespeare would love to see this," Cedric said as Kennedy looked into the mirror to see him watching her from behind. "Don't you just make the cutest little Lady Macbeth? You know why the blood won't go away?"

She received a hearty laugh in reply as Cedric stepped forward and reached down into the sink, letting his big, strong hand hover over hers. "That," he agreed. "And the fact that you're scraping your skin off because you're scrubbing so hard."

A sigh escaped from her throat as she leaned on the sink, staring down and watching the water wash away the blood that was on the sides of the basin. "What did you make me do?" Kennedy asked.

There was disgust in her tone, though, as well as etched on her face. Kennedy sounded like a child. As if she hadn't been dealing with death and killing things and slayers since she was eight.

The way she was acting was complete bullshit, and Kennedy still had no idea how to make it all stop.

"What you were born to do," he answered. "Cedric was right when he told you that you had the potential, that you were different. He, also, was the only one who truly knew how to harness it...until I came along.

"I tried to get him to tell me, but he was strong, refused to give you up. Therefore...I had someone suck the information from his brain then my followers killed him. After that, things couldn't have gone better even if I planned them...which I did, but that's beside the point."

"I was supposed to have all of their energy in me?" Kennedy asked, horrified at the thought that while she was born to live, all the other potentials in the world were born to die. "And what about the girls? That's what they deserved?"

"No one knew it was going to happen like this, Kennedy," Cedric told her. "It was the slayer. Buffy exists when she shouldn't...That's why I'm doing this. The girl who is always next in line to be the slayer always has been like you. If another potential died, the girl would receive their energy. The only reason you noticed it was because I was killing them all."

"And I was born to have all this power," Kennedy pressed. "Just so you could use me for evil. Was I meant to be evil?"

"You're power can be evil, but it can be good," Cedric answered. "Evil's the only way it's known though. Even Cedric didn't know how to harness your power for good. It's been meant to be evil, to be given to me.

"The slayer's power is routed in darkness, Kennedy. The whole thing with Faith is what made you different. No one knew what to do with her, and you were meant to be the next; that is why you are so special."

Despite how much she wanted to believe otherwise, Kennedy couldn't see The First tricking her about this. It wanted her power, and if The First wanted it that had to have meant that It did It's homework about her power and knew how powerful it was.

Kennedy didn't want to believe it though. She didn't want to be evil, but she had just taken that first step. Kennedy had killed Molly...how could she turn back from that and be who she was...there was just no way.

"This is hard for you, I can understand that Kennedy," he whispered to her. "But it'll happen at night..."

Kennedy looked up just in time to see a flash behind her, and then Cedric was gone. Kennedy remained still as her head tried to process this information. It was happening tonight...she had to warn the others.

She turned and grabbed the doorknob, pausing slightly when she saw her bloody hands, and opened the door. Kennedy gasped and stepped back. They were all in there, gathered around Molly's body, their heads snapped up in her direction.

"Kennedy..." Willow choked out. Her green eyes were glazed over with tears as they traveled down to Kennedy's hands.

On top of everything, Willow's disappointment, her sadness...it was way too much for Kennedy right now. She looked away from Willow and over towards Buffy, who had just uncrossed her arms and crossed the room.

In less than a second, Buffy had wrapped her arms around Kennedy's neck, pulling her closer. Something wasn't right about all this, they saw Molly's body right? "I'm so sorry, Kennedy," Buffy whispered. "I'm sure you tried to help her when you knew she had..."

Buffy and the others, they didn't know what Kennedy had done. Buffy released her as Willow came over and hugged Kennedy. She went to hug back, but then she remembered her hands were still a little bloody. "Are you okay? How are you feeling...I mean, the power?" Buffy asked from where she stood.

Willow pulled away, but she remained close and had her arm protectively around Kennedy's waist. "Don't really feel that different," she answered honestly. "Just...there's like this buzz thing, and this little pain."

"Willow, why don't you take Kennedy away," Giles suggested. "She's been through so much already, she doesn't need to see this anymore."

Willow obliged, not taking Kennedy's hand because she knew about the blood too, but gently pushing her out of the room. As she left, Kennedy's eyes would not leave Molly's body.

Noticing this, Faith stepped in her line of view. Kennedy looked up at the dark slayer, and when Faith's eyes looked back...Kennedy knew that Faith knew something. Maybe it was what she did, maybe it wasn't.

After leaving the room, Kennedy began to figure that maybe Mr. Giles made Willow take her out of the room because he was thinking the same thing; and...he could also figure that not having Willow there was good too, what with the whole their together thing.

Either way, they ended up in the kitchen. Willow grabbed a few paper towels before turning on the faucet and waiting for the hot water. "I'm sorry you had to see that," Willow said quickly and quietly, as if she had been waiting to get it out for a while before just blurting it. "You'd think with all the death we've all seen...it would get easier or something."

"It never gets easier." Kennedy stated as Willow grabbed her hands and began to gently wash away the dried blood on her hands. She'd look up at Kennedy every now and again, not really sure what to do or say to respond to that.

That's cause it was the truth. Kennedy had been dealing with death all of her life, so had Willow and Buffy and the others. There was nothing more to say as the words sunk deep into both of them.

"Hey, Willow, Buffy and co. need you upstairs," Faith said. "I got newbie watch."

Kennedy looked up and Willow turned. By the way Faith was standing, she seemed pretty comfortable, like she'd been there a while. Willow hesitated, looking from Kennedy to Faith and back again.

With nothing else to do, Willow forced a smile on for Kennedy and handed her the wet paper towel. Kennedy watched Willow leave; and, as she passed Faith, her gaze stuck with the slayer. Faith just stood there though. Kennedy didn't know if she was trying to be intimidating or just waiting for Willow to be out of earshot, but Kennedy was getting nervous.

"You know...I'm not really a newbie anymore," Kennedy opened awkwardly. "Guess that nickname doesn't really apply anymore."

"It does if we're using it in the right context," Faith shot back as she crossed the kitchen and pushed herself on to the counter, letting her legs kick the sides of the kitchen island. "You're new to the killin' game, Special K. Hell of a job you did on that potential, though."

A lump formed in her throat, and despite her efforts Kennedy couldn't get it down. When Kennedy found her tongue and realized that she could conjure up words, she tried to speak, but Faith beat her to it, "Wait, wait, wait...don't tell me. It was The First, right? Who'd you see, Ken?"

"All of them," Kennedy choked out. "I didn't think it was The First, though. I mean...I didn't know what I was thinking. They told me that was Molly was hurt and that she belonged with them and I..."

Faith just nodded along, not pushing at all but not letting Kennedy hold back on the details. It's what Kennedy liked about Faith. The girl was real, not afraid to tell anyone the truth, and that was something Kennedy admired.

"I get that..." Faith told her after a second. "They don't though. I didn't tell them about what you did, Kennedy."

Well, that was new and interesting. Kennedy furrowed her brow and looked back at Faith with a quizzical look. "Why...?" was all she could get out through the shock.

"Cause they'll find out soon enough," Faith responded. "And...I know what it's like. Being out of control for a little, but it turns out to be enough to kill someone. None of them know what its like."

Kennedy nodded along with Faith, before stopping. A beat, "Well...maybe Willow, and Spike...if Anya was awake-"

"OK, I think it's been said that a lot of Buffy's people are killers," Kennedy interrupted. "I'm different though, Faith. The First was Cedric after I...and, well he told me stuff. Said that my power was at it's peak and that It needed my power. The First said it'd happen at night..."

The realization that they only had a day, at the least, to prepare for battle settled in and weighed Kennedy down. After killing Molly, Kennedy remembered thinking this was the beginning of the end; as it turned out, she was right.

Although The First didn't specify which night it was going to happen on, whatever the hell it might be that was happening. "So...we got a day," Faith observed. "Gotta tell Buffy. We lost most of our 'army.' Our resources are low, but we just have to keep an eye on you, Special K.

"This is our big plan?" Kennedy asked with doubt. "Keep an eye on me? I could go psycho, see dead people, and start fighting all of you."

Both Faith and Kennedy snapped their heads to the doorway. Spike had let his hand drop from his mouth and he breathed smoke out from his cigarette. His presence screamed cautious, probably still a little wary from the Kennedy thing, which she got.

She was a little over it though. Kennedy knew she'd never forgive Spike for what he did to her family, but there were more important things going on. Kennedy had killed someone she was close to, and that was just the beginning. The fight was here, so she could find a way to put their stuff aside...for now.

Spike, getting the hint, reached into his duster and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and handed one to Faith. "About long enough to know we got ourselves a new member in the club," he replied before looking over at Kennedy for the first time. "Not to worry though, secrets safe with me."

"So...what do you want to do about this whole thing since you think I'm right?" Kennedy asked. "We have to assume that The First's thing is going down tonight, then plan from there."

"We'll talk to Red, see if she can get the magic thing working...we'll probably need a barrier spell or something," Faith started, running their options through to them as she lit the cigarette. "I think it's safe to say training and the use of weapons is not something we need to worry about. What we need is honesty, trust. B has been spouting off a lot of shit, but she's right when she says we can face this together."

"Right," Spike agreed, looking Kennedy over. "Trust is good. We all gotta have each other's backs because this battle...either way it ends, a lot of us aren't going to make it."

Great, Kennedy thought. What a nice motivational tool. Kennedy just nodded at Spike in response, however. It was to indicate that she trusted him...when it came to battle, anyway. The way he smirked back at her told Kennedy that he got it.

Him and Faith began to ramble off more ideas, battle strategies, and Kennedy sighed as she stretched her arms out in front of her. She was still tired...it was only six thirty in the morning, after all; and with the night she had...

Kennedy closed her eyes and rolled her neck around, stretching out her muscles. When she opened her eyes, there was a third person in the room. She didn't say anything to Cedric...just, looked back at him.

He did the same, all with a smirk on his face. Kennedy knew what it meant, his manner and attitude, The First knew that they were planning and It didn't care. In fact, It was confident. Cedric's smile grew brighter as he raised his eyebrows at Kennedy.

Kennedy nodded back before looking at Faith and Spike briefly and smiling secretly to herself.

Buffy had gone over some strategies, going on the hunch that there would be massive amounts of bringers and vampires on hand. Buffy and Faith had trained for a couple hours with Kennedy, making sure she was ready to fight if she needed to.

Saying that she was ready was an understatement. The energy that she had now that she was the last potential slayer was intense. She took on both slayers, full force, and actually held her own while Xander sat on the cot with Anya, who hadn't really shown any progress. The two slayers continued training after Spike showed up and, not really wanting Kennedy to face off against Spike, decided it'd be best of Kennedy just relax and mentally prepare for the battle.

Kennedy had gone upstairs after that. Willow was researching a few spells before getting herself together. Kennedy took some time, sat down with her, Dawn, Mr. Giles, and Andrew and helped out. Faith was right though, none of them knew anything. Willow would occasionally look up at Kennedy and smile.

After deciding that these looks were becoming a little too hard to bear, Kennedy pushed herself away from the table and went upstairs. She stopped at the top, looking down at the hallway towards Buffy's room where Molly's body still lay. She was about to head down that way, but someone grabbed her arm.

Kennedy jumped and grabbed a hold of the railing to keep her from tripping. She turned to see Willow who had her hands up, just in case Kennedy did fall. "Sorry, sorry...didn't mean to scare you or something," Willow apologized "You just left so quickly and you've been oddly quiet and I'm worried."

"Guess it's just...the whole Molly thing, and the fact that all of this is most likely going to happen tonight," Kennedy replied as she lowered herself down on to the step. "Look...if we don't get through this...I just want you to know that meeting you and getting to be with you was...well, I don't really have that many great moments in my life but, this is at the top."

"I don't wanna do this," Willow confessed as she sat down and rested her head on Kennedy's lap. "I don't wanna say any goodbyes because we will get through this. We'll be alright."

This wasn't helping, Willow being all confident and strong for her. If anything it made things harder. Kennedy was fighting her own battle inside her head. "You don't know that," Kennedy replied in a low tone as her hands absently played with Willow's hair. "A lot can go wrong, Will. The magic we've been looking up...it seems like heavy stuff. It could take you over, and we could lose you."

"I think we both know that there's a lot of 'what ifs' when it comes to this battle," Willow admitted before sitting up and looking at Kennedy. "But we'll win. We always do and we always will. There's love and trust between us, nothing can stop that."

"Let's hope so..." Kennedy trailed off as she looked away from Willow, not able to look at her anymore. "You should really be downstairs...getting yourself ready. I just, I think I need to be alone."

"No, I know you will," Willow told her. "It's just...you shouldn't be alone. The First..."

It was agreed earlier on that Kennedy should always be near someone, or in sight. She figured though that if The First wanted to get to her it would find a way. "Well, can I have some alone time to take a shower?" she asked Willow with a seductive smile. "Unless if you're the one that's going to be watching me."

"As tempting as that is," Willow replied as she got all flustered. "You're right, I should be getting ready. Just...be quick. There's this one spell I wanna try and I need your help with it."

Kennedy nodded as Willow turned to head down the stairs. They held on to each other's hands as long as they could before letting their hands slip apart. Willow disappeared into the dining room and Kennedy watched downstairs carefully before rising to her feet and heading to her previous destination.

The whole thing was very nerve racking. Kennedy kept looking over her shoulder, afraid that someone would come walking by and suspecting something. Was there something to suspect, though, Kennedy thought to herself.

The First had been talking to her all day, even though she only remembered It saying stuff to her after she had killed Molly. Deep down though, she knew something was off, that she was actually being controlled instead of manipulated.

Either way, she lingered outside of Buffy's room before opening the door and taking in the surroundings. The curtains were open, the sunset was shining into the room, and a sheet that had some blood soaking through it covered Molly's body.

Kennedy nodded before closing the door behind her and facing her watcher. "You haven't really been leaving me with much of a choice." She responded quietly.

"This is crucial, Kennedy," Cedric scolded her, due to the lack of enthusiasm. "Everything that I have trained you for, that I have been working for happens tonight. If anything messes this up-"

He eyed her anyway. "I know when something isn't right with you, little one, and you know it," he lectured in a father-ly way as he circled her. "It's the witch, isn't it? Is she telling you things? Trying to get you to turn against the one person who has always been there for you?"

"I'm focused, okay?" Kennedy shot back. "Just...I know my part. I know what I have to do...It's hard though. Even you have to understand that."

The watcher sighed as he stopped circling her and stood behind her. His shadow covered her and Kennedy turned her head slightly as he leaned over her. "I'm sorry I lost my temper," he whispered. "She's just not good enough for my slayer. We'll just put it behind us and focus on the task at hand. Remember to..."

"Focus, got it," Kennedy filled in with an annoyed tone. "You've only told me about a million times how important focus is."

"I only tell you things over and over because they are very important, Kennedy," Cedric responded to her complaints. "Now, I need you to know that you're ready for this because after the first step...you cannot turn back."

After all her years of training, Kennedy knew she was read, she did. Something was stopping her though, making her hesitate to continue. This didn't go unnoticed by Cedric either. "Kennedy? I must know if you are ready to continue." He pressed on.

"Yes, I'm fine," Kennedy replied quickly, as if coming back to her senses. "Can we just get this over with?"

Cedric rounded her and held his hands behind his back as he leaned over her slightly. "That's my girl," he said proudly. "Now, when the bringers attacked the last time...they left something here, Kennedy. A bowl, you have to find it, it should be here."

"What's it for? Why do you need it?" Kennedy asked as she quickly scanned the room.

"I thought I taught you better than that," Cedric replied. "You are to do what you're told, Kennedy, not question."

"Right, sorry..." Kennedy apologized quietly as she went over to the dresser and began looking through the drawers. Nothing. She moved over to the nightstand, looked around. A whole big mess of nothing. "Okay...maybe you can give me a little more direction than a bowl in a room."

She looked back at her watcher who was lost in thought. His brow was furrowed and his hand stroked his chin, it was a clear sign that he was deep in thought. "They should have left it near the body. You have to look-"

A sharp pounding at the door snapped both their heads in that direction. "Kennedy! Open the damn door!" Faith yelled before she banged on the door again. It wasn't going to hold back a slayer, but maybe Kennedy could help. She ran up and held her back against the wall.

Faith kept pounding, but Kennedy helped give the door some strength. Long enough so that Cedric could tell her what to do because sunset was almost over. It was almost night now. Kennedy looked at Cedric, her face twisting with determination with each pounding at the door. "What do I have to do?"

"Go to the seal of Danzalthar," Cedric told her urgently. "Find the bowl, bring it with you."

Before Cedric could answer, there was now another pounding on the door followed by Spike shouting, "Kennedy...open the bloody door!"

"You'll know when the time is right." Cedric answered before disappearing. Kennedy winced in pain as the door, even with her strength added, began to give. She had to do something, once Faith and Spike got the door down Kennedy would be in serious trouble.

If they caught her...she couldn't let that happen. Kennedy couldn't let Cedric down; she had already done that once when he was killed. That's when she caught a glimpse of it, the bowl that Cedric needed. It was under the bed, pushed behind a few things.

Kennedy moved forward, just a step, but it was enough for the door to give way to Spike's hand punching through it. Kennedy gritted her teeth and pushed her self back against the door. She heard a thud on the other side and Spike's hand was pushed out.

This was it, her opportunity. Kennedy looked from the bowl and up to the window before grabbing the bowl in one swift move. She ran forward to the window and, with a running leap, jumped out.

The idea seemed good at the moment, but when Kennedy landed on her back, when she could feel the tiny shards of glass that had embedded themselves into her skin, that's when she knew there should have been a little more planning.

This isn't the time for this, Kennedy thought to herself as she pushed herself off of the ground. Gritting through the pain, she reached down and grabbed the bowl and headed for the backyard gate.

Kennedy didn't make it that far, however. She was tackled to the ground and the bowl she had scattered a few feet ahead of her and was buried under a bush. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Buffy asked as she pulled Kennedy up to her feet and held her arm firmly.

Kennedy and Buffy looked up to the window. Faith and Spike made it through the door. "Get some rope, Faith," Buffy shouted back. "And no one takes their eyes off of Kennedy."

With a hard jerk, Buffy yanked Kennedy forward. "Having some chats with dead people, Kennedy?" Buffy asked harshly, like an interrogator. "Been going behind our backs? Making plans with The First?"

Buffy pushed Kennedy through the kitchen door, not really expecting her to answer. Kennedy locked her jaw, getting the point across that she wasn't going to talk. She wasn't even really that sure why exactly she was doing this, but she was and she just went with it.

After entering the house through the kitchen, Buffy pulled Kennedy through towards the dining room. She was heading for the living room, but on the way she grabbed one of the dining room chairs and plopped it down in the middle of the living room before plopping Kennedy down on to it.

Faith was waiting there, rope in hand. Buffy held Kennedy's hands down while Faith, not at all in a gentle way, tied her wrists to the arms of the chair. "So, junior, who were you talking to?" Faith asked when she finished tying the last knot.

Kennedy made a feeble attempt to try and break the ropes, but she didn't have that much strength. Instead she looked back at them, realizing for the first time that everyone was now gathered in the room...staring at her.

"How'd you hear me?" she asked back quietly, trying to avoid making any kind of eye contact with Willow.

Faith and Buffy stood in front of her, both with their arms crossed over their chests and staring down at Kennedy like she was a child. Kennedy mentally rolled her eyes. This was definitely going to be a 'good cop, bad cop' thing, the fun part for Kennedy (fun meaning a complete lack of fun, in Kennedy's head) was going to be guessing which one it would be before either answered her question.

The slayers, they were like twins: Buffy, supposedly, being the good one; and it was all because of the hair. Faith, the dark slayer, was the bad one. Hell, she was a convicted murder, but apparently doing time had changed something.

"Lucky enough, we got a vampire in the house fully equipped with vampire hearing," Faith answered calmly. "I'm guessing you were talking to your watcher, right?"

Kennedy answered with silence prompting an outburst from Buffy, as well as an end to her fun of guessing, "What the hell do you think you were doing? Are you so weak minded that you don't understand that someone, who you know damn well is dead, is talking to you?"

"Buffy." Willow scolded, followed by a few others who protested to Buffy's harsh words. It hurt...she had to admit that. Buffy was angry, mad that she was so helpless when it came to this situation, Kennedy got that, but she had no idea what this was like.

"B, take it easy on her," Faith said as she yanked Buffy back a couple steps from Kennedy. "She's being manipulated by The First. I maybe a little new to this whole big bad scene, but from what I understand she's not the first one to be going through this."

"We're dealing with the end here," Buffy shot back. "We don't have time to coddle her, Okay? If she knows something about The First, if it's been making plans with her, then we don't have time to put up with this shit. We need to know what she knows."

"Buffy, you really need to calm down," Giles argued. "I know you're going through a lot, we all are, but getting angry isn't helping any..."

Buffy wasn't going to just take this though. Kennedy's been pissed off to the point where she couldn't turn back anymore, and she knew the look in Buffy's eyes when she saw it. The rage and fire, Buffy had had enough of the whole situation. "Oh, funny you should chime in, Willow." Buffy implied to Willow harshly.

"This isn't about that." Willow replied in quiet anger at what Buffy was saying.

"This isn't about anything," Faith cut in. "We are getting way off track here, okay?"

"No, we're perfectly on track," Buffy countered. "Everyone is all about protecting Kennedy...not even bothering to look at the big picture. She is part of The First's plan. Doesn't anybody understand that this is the last battle? If we don't win we don't get another chance."

"Well, we're all getting that loud and clear." Xander muttered from his respective corner of the room.

"Listen to them slayer," Spike said quietly. "We just gotta take a step back. Being under the control of The First, seein' people you've loved in the past talking to you, makin' you do things, it's just..."

"Horrible," Andrew filled in with an ominous tone. "Like watching 'Jason X,' or an episode of 'Birds of Prey,' or something."

It was times like that when Andrew could bring the group together. Granted, they were brought together for an awkward beat followed by a rolling of the eyes. "This is way too big for waiting and being nice about things. We need to know what Kennedy knows about The First now," Buffy stated through gritted teeth before turning to Kennedy. "Screw that, we should have known about this a long time ago. I let you in to my house, accepted you, trained you, and gave you the power that you have. I think I should know-"

Her scream echoed through the room, stopping the petty bickering and all of the bullshit that was floating in the air. "You can't even begin to understand what we've been through, what I've been through," she shouted, mainly aimed towards Buffy but Kennedy figured the others could hear it as well. "Cedric was everything to me...he was the only one that never gave up on me, never left me. Then, one day, we got into a fight and I left. If I hadn't left...maybe that day wouldn't have been his last..."

"Kennedy..." Willow said gently, but Kennedy looked over at her and she backed off, getting that Kennedy needed to say some things.

"I never had enough time to grieve..." Kennedy started again, not with as much force as before, but still enough to get everyone to still listen. "When I saw him...I knew he was dead, but it didn't matter. You have no clue what it's like to have this thing haunting you. The First can be very convincing. It knows everything about you and the person who it's being. When it happens to you, you do know it's The First and that they're dead; but...something deep down makes you believe.

"You have done a lot for me, Buffy. You have let me into your house, accepted me, trained me, but you most certainly have not given me my power. The other potentials did, and believe me there's a lot. More than I even knew about...but Cedric knew, and so does The First. I get that this the end, as does everyone else because you say it so much and we can't help but here because it's so annoying...

"But don't even begin to assume that you know what it feels like. What Spike felt like, what Andrew felt like and, from what I've heard, what Angel felt like. You're not holier than thou in this sense, Buffy. So stop."

Well, that shut them up. Kennedy just wished she'd figured out how to do that sooner. Listening to Buffy's speeches just plain sucked.

Even though Kennedy knew the words had hit Buffy, she wasn't ready to back down. "Fine, I get that I can't understand what you're going through," Buffy responded quietly. "But that doesn't mean this isn't important. That we don't need the information that I know you have."

"If I wanted to tell you...I can't," Kennedy told Buffy. "It's like I have my own trigger...except I know that I've been talking to The First and that it has plans involving me."

The group accepted her answer, except for Buffy who was still looking skeptically at her. "That's an interesting choice of words," Buffy observed. "'If' you wanted to tell us? You don't...want to tell us?"

"I don't know what I want anymore," Kennedy admitted honestly. "My mind is so...muddled. Like there's a battle going on..."

She wanted to continue, to try and make them explain, Kennedy did owe them that, but she couldn't. Something caught her eye. Everyone was gathered around her, but through them...she saw the sunset's last light.

Kennedy was still in her body, still conscious of everything, but unable to control anything that was happening. The trigger had been activated, she knew it, but there was something more she needed. Kennedy wasn't sure what it was; she just knew that she needed an extra push.

Instead of doing anything, though, Kennedy just sat there. Her eyes were fixed at the lack of light, where the sunset used to be and she couldn't move. Kennedy couldn't do anything but listen and be aware.

About time, she thought to herself...wondering when someone was going to notice that she was just staring. Buffy walked forward, bending down in front of her and waving her hand in Kennedy's face.

"Possibly," Giles said. "Perhaps it's, um, part of her trigger. Maybe she's supposed to stay like this until she receives her orders."

"So...can we like tell her to do funny things and she does them?" Andrew asked before shoving his hands in his pockets and looking down at the ground.

Everyone went on about their ideas, what may have happened to her, yada, yada, yada; Buffy, on the other hand, kept her eyes on Kennedy. Her brain was working overtime, Kennedy could tell. "Will?" Buffy asked, still not taking her eyes off of Kennedy. "Remember that spell you did? To, you know, get into my head and get me out of that state.

"Oh...I'm not so sure about that, Buffy," Willow said as she watched Kennedy. "That takes a lot of...magic and it's dangerous. There were a lot of risks when I did it with you-"

"And that worked out fine," Buffy interrupted as she straightened and faced Willow, softening her tone before continuing. "Listen, we don't have a lot of time, we have no idea when this trigger is going to kick in. Giles, am I right?"

The watcher removed his glasses and wiped them with his shirt and tripped over his words a few times before attempting to answer. "It does, um...s-sound well in theory, Buffy," he stammered. "However Willow is right...the spell she performed before was, well, still is, dangerous."

"I dunno, Red," Faith piped up. "B's right, we need some info. Plus, if we're gonna invade junior's mind, you know, I think she'd want Willow to do it."

"We are runnin out of time," Spike agreed. "Any piece of information we can find or know where to look for it, we should take it."

Things were tense, and Kennedy could feel it. While the idea of having her mind invaded didn't really sit well with her, what was she going to do about it? Not move at them? Besides, Faith, Buffy, and Spike had a point. Kennedy couldn't tell them what The First's plan for her was, so if they could find it in her head...she'd be all for it and vote if she could move.

"Everyone has been making valid points, Willow," Giles said after a moment. "This is war, we have to be more ruthless and make more sacrifices."

This was tough on Willow, and Kennedy tried to convey some type of emotion through her eyes, but nothing happened. At least she thought nothing happened. Willow looked at Kennedy and sighed, "I'll try. I just...need to be alone, though. I can't be interrupted."

Willow shook her head in response. "No...the room's already equipped with candles and myself and Kennedy, which are the prime ingredients."

"Well...good luck, Red." Faith offered as she began to file out of the living room, followed closely by the others. Buffy was the last one to leave and looked at Kennedy and then to Willow before closing off the living room.

The ambiance was set in a matter of minutes. Candlelight flickered and cast shadows over the walls as the light from the moon provided some extra light. It was still dark though, and Willow had moved one of the chairs and moved it so that it was facing Kennedy.

"Hey. Hi...not sure if you can hear me," Willow said awkwardly as she lowered herself into her seat and folded her hands in her lap. "I'm, um, sorry for what I'm about to do, but they are right; and...I wanna help you because I care about you a lot. More than I thought I would so...please don't hate me."

Willow's face grew serious and she stared straight forward, looking deep into Kennedy's eyes, deeper than she had ever looked before. Kennedy just stared back, mainly because she couldn't look anywhere else and also because something else was pulling at her.

Maybe it was Willow's spell, but Kennedy was being drug into something. It wasn't a bad experience or anything, just she wasn't sure when this spell thing would start working and she kind of wanted this over with.

Then, there was a flash. Kennedy's vision was blinded and when she could see again the living room was no more. She wasn't tied to a chair either. She was standing outside of her house in Boston.

Kennedy gasped and jumped when Willow appeared at her side. "This your house?" Willow asked, ignoring Kennedy's shock.

She got over it though; realizing that the spell worked and now her and Willow were exploring her mind. It was true, this was Kennedy's house, she just wasn't sure why they were here.

"No, you said your house had wings," Willow reminded her as she looked up to the top of the house; Kennedy followed her suit as Willow continued. "You forgot to mention that your house was a mansion and took up the size of Rhode Island."

"It's not normally the first words out of my mouth when I meet people," Kennedy admitted as she took a couple steps forward before quickly stopping and tensing when the door opened. "Can anyone...?"

"See us?" Willow filled in. "No, these are your memories. You can't alter them."

Kennedy looked back to Willow when her father stepped out of the house. The sun had just set and the house was casting a shadow over them all, making it seem like night already. Her father was dressed in a gray suit with a white shirt and a deep blue tie. His brown hair was combed back, the way Cedric did it, and his brown eyes scanned the driveway.

They swept right by her, as if she wasn't even there. "Are you ready?" he called back into the house as he dug out his keys from his pocket and checked his watch. "Jillian? We're going to be late."

"Yeah," Kennedy answered, not able to take her eyes off of him. "This is the first time I've seen him since I left. Guess this really doesn't count though, since this is my head."

Willow was about to say something, but a tall blonde stepped out of the house. She was hugging herself tightly in a long, fur coat. "It's not my fault that I'm running late," Jillian told her dad. "Kennedy wouldn't leave Chelsea alone. What have I told you about talking to your daughter?"

"She's going through something, Jill," he shot back. "You know Kennedy is still having trouble adjusting to this new life. Her and her mother were very close."

"Well, if her brother can get used to this new arrangement, I don't see why she can't." Jillian commented as Kennedy's father held the car door open for her and she slid into the passenger seat.

His eyes swooped the driveway again before walking around the car and entering. "That's your step-mom then, I guess." Willow said quietly, awkwardly. Kennedy merely nodded as the car pulled out of the driveway.

"Why the hell am I here?" Kennedy asked as she turned and walked away from the house.

"The First," Kennedy answered as she looked over at her girlfriend. "Are you ready to go through my head though? It's not pretty."

Willow was the first to break the gaze and she gasped when she looked forward. "Oh...hey!" she gasped.

Kennedy looked at what Willow saw and clapped her hand over her mouth. It was Kennedy in bed with...well someone who wasn't Willow. It was Kennedy's first girlfriend, Jean Gallagher. They weren't...in the middle of what had just taken place, but it was recently over and they were very...cuddle-ly.

"Sorry, Will," Kennedy apologized as her eyes remained fixed on herself and Jean and her hand reached for Willow's. "We might wanna go though. Things aren't going to be pretty in a second."

Willow turned her head slightly to Kennedy, but her eyes were still fixed on the bed. "What like, things are going to start up again between-"

Jean was her first everything. Looking at her now, remembering, Kennedy realized how beautiful she was. Especially in the cloak of night that covered the entire room. Back then, Kennedy thought she loved her, and at the time she was sure that what she felt was love, but Kennedy was only fifteen and she didn't know any better.

Kennedy watched through the darkness of the room as Jean smiled down at her before kissing her briefly and then sighing. "Kennedy...there's something we need to talk about," Jean whispered.

Her other self sat herself up on her elbows and furrowed her brow at Jean. Kennedy watched, not really sure if she was able to witness what was about to happen again. "You're great and everything, really," Jean said as she stroked Kennedy's cheek. "But we can't see each other anymore. I'm sorry."

Kennedy watched as her mouth dropped and her eyes showed the pain that she was feeling. Like her heart was being ripped out. "Kennedy..." Willow whispered as she squeezed Kennedy's hand.

Then...Willow jumped back, not letting go of Kennedy's hand, as Jean got this look in her eye and reached her hand forward. It went deep into Kennedy's chest before Jean pulled it out, along with Kennedy's heart.

Everything was normal after that though, and un-bloody and gruesome. Jean pushed herself away from Kennedy and went to get out of bed when Willow yanked on her hand and pulled her out the door that was behind them.

"Told you it wasn't pretty." Kennedy shrugged as she looked back at Willow, blinking back the tears that were trying to push their way out.

Knowing that Willow really had nothing to say and trying to save her the trouble of trying to think of something, Kennedy just walked forward letting her hand slip away from Willow's.

The witch was persistent though. She caught Kennedy's hand again and forced her to look at her. "Look, I know what it's like to feel like someone's ripping your heart out. I've been there," Willow sympathized. "But...the last time I did this, with Buffy, there was a pattern, a loop, and it was all because of guilt. Is there a theme behind what we're seeing, Kennedy? Do you recognize any connection?"

Her brow furrowed before she turned away from Willow and looked straight ahead. Kennedy's face was bathed with light and she squinted against it. The intensity grew brighter as she held her free hand up, blocking the light from her eyes.

The light was gone suddenly. Kennedy looked around. She was in complete darkness. The weird thing was when she looked back at Willow, she could see her and vice versa. "Who said...?" Willow trailed off as she turned where she stood.

Willow followed suit and saw the speaker. It was Cedric and he had stepped in front of the light that was shining on them. His face, his entire body, was covered in shadows. "You weren't meant for the light, Kennedy," Cedric spoke.

Letting her memory be her guide, Kennedy looked to her left where she saw herself standing. "The power that you hold, the potential, is rooted in darkness, you must understand this." he told her.

The other Kennedy, who was sixteen at the time...from what she remembered at least. Kennedy remembered though. He always talked about her stealth and how she was just better in the dark, meant to be there.

Before she knew what The First wanted with her, Kennedy thought that when Cedric told her these things, he was talking about her advantage over the nasties in the dark. Now she knew better. Cedric, the whole time, knew where her power lied and he never told her. He made her believe something else.

"He did it to protect you, Kennedy," Willow argued. "He was your watcher, your Giles, and he was just protecting you."

Kennedy turned and looked back at Willow with a questioning look. "How did you-?"

"You were thinking," Willow answered as she gestured to where they were. "This is your head...where the thinking takes place so..."

"My power...what I was meant to be, it's all for evil, Will," Kennedy broke down, letting everything come out. "It's all for The First."

"No, hey," Willow said as she stood so that she was facing Kennedy. "You don't know that for sure."

"That's just the thing, Will, I do." Kennedy replied as she brushed past Willow and headed for the scene behind her. It was simple enough, no real relevance. Not any that Kennedy saw right away.

Cedric and Kennedy were sparring. Both able to hold their own because Cedric was well trained, not like most stiff watchers. Out of the corner of her eye, Kennedy watched as Willow glanced from Kennedy to the sparring Kennedy; her gaze, however, stopped on the sparring Kennedy.

"Hey, like watching me get all sweaty, huh?" Kennedy teased as she nudged Willow. She didn't answer, she just watched as the sparring Kennedy froze and just stared blankly ahead. Cedric, not noticing this at all, kicked her in the face, hard, sending her flying back a good foot and landing on her back.

That's when Kennedy remembered, "That was the first time. I didn't know it then, but it was the first time I remember getting more powerful. It was the first time that another potential's energy went through me."

"So, it was like, literally, being kicked in the face." Willow offered gently as she watched Cedric run over to the sparring Kennedy.

Kennedy wasn't paying attention anymore, though. She was focused on the door that was behind Willow. She wrapped her hand around the knob and instantly retracted it. It was sticky and when she looked down at her hand there was blood.

Willow had reached down and grabbed Kennedy's hand. "Hey...you're hurt." Willow said with worry laced in her tone. She wasn't though. Kennedy's eyes widened as she looked at the door and back at Willow.

The door swung open on it's own, revealing the bloody room. Both Kennedy and Willow heard a scream come from one of the other rooms. "Was that you?" Willow asked quietly.

Her eyes, just like Kennedy's, were glued to the scene before them. Before Kennedy could answer, she (well, her from a few months ago when she found her watcher) wandered into the room.

She was covered in blood and crumpled to her knees in the middle of the living room floor. "Kennedy...why are you seeing this?" Willow asked as the light disappeared from the room and darkness surrounded the other Kennedy. "There has to be a reason."

Willow furrowed her brow, watching as all of these memories came together to fit the puzzle that showed her the answer. Night was the connection, it fit with all the memories; and, it's what Kennedy saw before she spaced.

"You're right," Willow said as she grabbed Kennedy's hand. "It's night, that's what the memories have in common...it's your trigger."

"Getting that," Kennedy replied. "Just didn't think The First's plan was to use my trigger to get me in a trance where I relive, in my head, why night is my trigger."

"Well...come on," Willow told Kennedy as she yanked on her hand. "We'll get out of here...be awake and figure out how to disarm the trigger. I mean...I know things happening at night is a little broad, but I think we can-"

Willow was jerked stop when Kennedy stopped walking with her, yet wouldn't let go of Willow's hand. "Kennedy?" Willow asked, but something was wrong with Kennedy. She just stood there like something had hit her or something. Like she was realizing something or waking up.

"It's started." Kennedy said in a deep voice as her eyes grew white and the memory world surrounding her and Willow faded away.

The trance was broken and Willow was thrown out of Kennedy's head, and out of the chair she had been sitting in. She was gone now; Kennedy, and Willow knew it. The way she looked in her head: white eyes, general evil-ness had now manifested itself into the real Kennedy.

"Buffy! Faith!" Willow called as she pushed herself off of the floor. "Or...someone else who's strong."

Kennedy was at full power now, pulling at her wrists, trying to break the ropes that held her down. The door top the living room flew open, Buffy and Faith ran in while the others filed in from the kitchen. Xander had come over to help her up while Buffy and Faith held Kennedy still.

Kennedy's left arm broke free, flinging Buffy away from her. Okay...someone's been eating their spinach," Faith muttered as she grabbed Kennedy's other arm and tried to restrain her. "Spike...a little hel-?"

Faith was cut off by the being thrown off Kennedy and straight into Spike, who had been on his way to go and help them. Kennedy pushed herself up off the chair and ran to the kitchen, pushing aside Giles, Dawn, and Andrew in the process.

They all fell to the ground as Willow watched Kennedy run out of the back of the house. Her eyes were froze there, even when Xander forced her to stand. When she got to her feet, Willow's knees gave out and she ended up sinking on to the arm of the chair.

Okay, now that hurt," Faith commented as she pushed herself up off of Spike. "Looks like super potential just crossed over to the dark side."

Xander moved across the room to help Dawn up. As he did, he looked over to Andrew and warned, "You remember what happens when you say 'Star Wars,' right?"

"I get smacked?" Andrew asked as he straightened up and smoothed out his ruffled shirt. Xander nodded as he shifted his weight to support Dawn as he helped her off the floor. She was freaked, her eyes glued to the path that Kennedy used to run out of the house.

"This is it, isn't it?" Dawn asked quietly, losing all growth and maturity she had gained in the last year or so as she transformed back into a scared, little girl. "The end of the world. The real end."

The realization sank in a bit, weighing the entire group down. As Xander put a reassuring arm around Dawn, Willow's eyes, that were clouded with unshed tears, wouldn't leave the spot they were fixed on. Faith balled up her fists and swallowed down the rage that was building up inside of her. The dark slayer was still tough, but, like Willow, Faith was terrified of losing control again and letting the power she possessed corrupt her.

Spike flexed his jaw and the muscles in his neck were jumping as Giles removed hi glasses and pinched his brow. Buffy, who had her arms crossed over her chest, let them drop down to her sides. Her guard, the defense shield she had been putting up, was crumbling. Buffy wasn't hard and all business right now, this time she was different. She reached out and took Willow's hand in her own and smiled through the tears that were fighting their way out.

"It's not the end yet," Buffy stated to all of them, but keeping her eyes on Willow and offering her support. "It's just crunch time and we'll do what we always do in this situation. We'll deal and we'll end up standing over The First in victory."

"So...it's time for action?" Faith asked hopefully. "We actually get to kick some ass?"

Buffy nodded as she smiled at Faith. "This is it," she answered. "We're gearing up and we're going after Kennedy...we'll get her back and we'll win."

This was the motivation that the group needed. The kind of speeches Buffy should have been giving instead of the depressing war speeches about running out of time and people not doing their parts. The negative was slowly disappearing as it did in the past when the big fight was approaching and the Scoobies were ready for it.

Then, Andrew slowly raised his hand. "Um," he started with a little fear in his tone that he might get pummeled after asking what he was about to ask. "How do we know where Kennedy went?"

"Willow," Buffy answered without any trace of doubt in her tone as she turned to face Willow. "She's been inside Kennedy's head for the past hour and a half...there had to have been something she stumbled upon."

"Wow...hour and a half, huh?" Willow marveled as she looked down at her watch briefly before back at the group. "Damn...it seemed shorter, or-Well, never mind that. See, there's a problem with your whole...theory."

"What is it, Will?" Buffy asked as her arms instinctively crossed over her chest.

Willow sighed and stumbled a bit before admitting, "Buffy, when I...in Kennedy's head, I just saw her trigger and what caused it. Why The First wanted her...nothing about a plan or anything or where she may have gone."

"And we're back to the negative," Buffy muttered as she plopped down next to Willow. "But...it's okay. It's gonna be okay, we can figure this out."

"We got no way of finding junior, B," Faith reminded Buffy. "I mean, we got the weapons, we got Red's mojo flowin', but we're lacking location and our best shot at winning this is stopping Kennedy from getting to The First."

Buffy cocked her head towards Willow, who just tensed suddenly. "You don't have any other plans in mind, do you Faith?" Willow asked with caution. Slowly, one by one, they all got what she was thinking.

"I know we're all getting tight and shit now, B, but don't ever answer for me." Faith warned.

Giles stepped forward just as Faith took a step up, her knuckles white because of the fist she was making. "Buffy, remember what happened with Dawn?" he reminded her. "What you ended up sacrificing? That's how this all started. If we could prevent something from happening by taking Kennedy-"

"Kennedy will not die," Buffy stated. "Not only because of Willow, but because she is the last potential. Has anyone forgotten that? If she dies, the slayer line is gone. Kennedy is the next slayer and she's gonna live to see that day."

No one heard him; except for Willow who looked his way. "What?" she asked him quietly, but Buffy and the gang heard her.

He pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on and walked into the kitchen and looked out the open door. "There's a trail," he called back to them. "We can load up, get ourselves together and I can lead us to Kennedy. Save the girl wonder."

No one answered him though. He walked back into the living room, ready to suggest they get their asses in gear, but he froze in the door way. Spike's eyes fixed on what everyone else's eyes were fixed on: Angel, standing in the front doorway.

"Hey, who's he?" Andrew asked, completely breaking the deafening silence. "His hair's cool and pointy."

"Angel." Buffy whispered, not answering Andrew's question but saying it to herself so that maybe she could believe it.

Andrew nodded and made an "Oh." sound before he shoved his hands in his pocket and rested against the table, looking bored. Buffy released Willow's hand, slowly walked forward, and hesitantly wrapped her arms around Angel.

"What are you doing here?" She asked into his shoulder, a part of her never wanting to let him go.

They had to separate though, both of them knew it, only Angel was the stronger one and pulled away slowly. "Faith had told me why she was leaving," he answered with a brief look to the other slayer. "When we got Cordy back, she got a vision. The First. Figured I should come down here and help."

"Wes and Conner are unloading the car...getting loaded up for the fight," he answered, not taking his eyes off Buffy. "They're my strongest fighters, the ones that can help the most in this battle. The others had to stay and watch the hotel."

Buffy's brow furrowed and she looked back at Angel with questioning eyes. She didn't even have to ask the question he knew she was thinking because he answered for her, "Connor...he's my son, Buffy. A lots happened."

"Yeah..." she trailed off as if she hadn't heard that Angel had a son while turning her head slightly towards Spike's direction. "Things have changed."

Angel, for the first time since he arrived, took his eyes off Buffy and looked at Spike. The only two vampires with souls in the world stared each other down, Buffy looking helplessly between them.

"We can catch up after we stop this, though," Angel said as he looked away from Spike. "We got a First to fight...you have anything planned?"

"A lots been going on," Buffy admitted. "There's a lot of detail...long story and stuff."

"The First is erasing the slayer line," Willow told him, a twinge of sadness getting into her tone when she continued. "The only potential slayer left, Kennedy, is now evil and all part of The First's plan."

Buffy nodded, "Or not long. I'm just really bad when it comes to simple things and not being able to see how simple they are."

She didn't answer, not only because she was so upset but also because the huge lump in her throat was blocking all speech. "The First has been manipulating her," Giles answered, sensing Willow's hesitation. "Appearing as her watcher and somehow implanted a trigger of sorts."

"At night," Willow elaborated. "Everything significant that's happened to her in the past, it's all been at night. Saying that set her off."

Angel furrowed his brow. "Her name was Kennedy...right?" Angel asked and continued after Willow nodded in confirmation, her mind buzzing due to Angel's sudden interest in Kennedy. "You didn't remember anything, Spike?"

The other souled vampire eyed Angel and sighed, muttering some English thing under his breath. "We know about Spike and Kennedy," Buffy filled in for him. "What do you know?"

"I knew her watcher," Angel told them. "Heard about his great power...researched it a bit. There was always something missing though, about why and how The First, or anyone, could harness the power that Cedric kept hidden."

Everyone turned to see Wesley and Connor in the doorway. Wesley's appearance took everyone that knew him by surprise, except for Faith who had seen him. He was different now, not the same bumbling Brit that they all remembered. He was rough and fearless and looking like a man who had nothing left to lose. Connor, who Buffy could definitely tell was Angel's son, had an ax slung on the back of his shoulders, sulking like his father and looking pissed and annoyed.

It was him that voiced the lack of enthusiasm for research. "I thought you said we'd be getting into fighting, not any of that research or witchcraft crap that we've used before."

"Connor," Angel warned very fatherly before turning to Willow. "I need to see what you've all been working on. There maybe something there, something that I can't remember. Wes?"

The ex-watcher nodded before turning to Willow. "Let's see what we can make of everything you have," Wesley said as he dropped the sword he was carrying on to the ground and headed for the dining room with Willow. "How do you know so much about the girl anyway? As I understand it, there's many potentials...what made her different from the rest?"

"The fact that she was." Willow answered as she grabbed the few helpful texts that they had and handed them to Wesley.

"We can all load up," Angel told the rest of them. "That is...if we know how to find her. I smell blood, is it hers?"

"Figured that one out already, mate," Spike announced proudly, rubbing it in Angel's face. "Look who decided to get in the game."

Ignoring Spike, Angel looked over at the weapons chest. "Is everything where I still remember it?" he asked Buffy who stepped aside and let Angel load everyone up.

Angel nodded his head at Andrew, indicating him to move aside. "So, who are you?" Angel asked as he grabbed a bag and threw a bunch of stakes inside.

"I'm Andrew, you probably remember me from the flying monkeys at the school play," the former evil nerd said proudly as he extended his hand; instead of a handshake though, Angel placed a bottle of holy water in the boy's hand. "Why do you guys always give me holy water?"

"I just look at you and see holy water," Angel replied in a serious tone before squinting his eyes at Andrew. "Flying monkeys?"

The vampire looked over to Buffy for confirmation after Andrew nodded proudly. Angel's face still had confusion all over it as Buffy said, "He's Tucker's brother."

"Hell hounds." Angel nodded with a snap of the fingers, finally placing Andrew in his head.

Angel grabbed a crossbow and held it out for Xander, but he didn't take it. Buffy looked over at him and saw that his mind was somewhere else. "Xand?" she asked quietly as she took the crossbow from Angel and pulled Xander off to the side. "You okay?"

"Maybe you should think a little in the basement," Buffy suggested, knowing fully what was on his mind and troubling him. "I'm sure it's gonna take Willow and Wes a little time to do some last minute research."

Instead of answering, Xander offered his thanks in a smile and quietly exited the room. His descent into the basement was a slow one, mostly because Xander was afraid at what he might find.

Anya had been hurt badly in that last fight. Xander had tried to help one of the potentials and, while his back was turned, a bringer was ready to make its move. That's when Anya stepped in and took the blow that was meant for him.

There was no change. She was still sleeping, still looked the same as she did before. "Hey, Ahn." Xander said quietly, his voice cracking a bit.

After deciding he didn't want to completely break down, Xander settled with just sitting by her and holding her hand. He hung his head and looked down at the blood soaked pillow and towel underneath her head before turning away.

"This is all my fault..." Xander choked out as the tears pushed their way through.

It was Anya; dressed in pure white and looking even more beautiful than the first time he met her...formally, without the demon bumpiness. No, Xander reminded himself. It's not her, which means...Xander quickly dropped her hand and placed two fingers on her neck, trying to get some kind of life from her, but he felt nothing but cold.

Not only did he just lose her, but now The First was here to taunt him. "I mean, you didn't hit me with the sharp knives, which are very sharp. As sharp as they look."

"Why are you haunting me?" he shot back at the apparition. "Don't you have a world to end?"

Anya sighed. "Is that what you think I am?" she asked, her tone expressing how offended she was. "Xander...it's me. Really. I mean, you know, not really really but not The First. I'm an Anya ghost."

His eyes showed hope, but this was the end. The only people he could trust were himself and...almost everyone upstairs. Xander would always have issues with Angel and Wesley, and now Connor. Anything that came from Angel is something to be suspicious of.

"Putting aside the fact that I still don't believe you," Xander started off. "Why are you here? You're dead...shouldn't you be doing dead people things?"

"I guess it's the whole unfinished business thing," Anya shrugged as she moved and sat down next to Xander. "I jus-"

"You know what I never got?" Xander interrupted. "Things that aren't corporeal can sit. Like, they can go through other stuff, but they can sit on chairs...what's that about?"

"Xander! Focus!" Anya scolded as she furrowed her brow, trying to remember where she left off. "Oh, right, unfinished business. We never had our goodbye, Xander. I guess since I died saving your life, they let me do this. I just want to say goodbye and-oh my God! Look at how bloody I am!"

Xander sighed and smiled. Anya stopped mortifying over her body to look back and smile. For that moment, Xander let down his shields and let himself believe that she was Anya and that they were saying goodbye.

"I have to go soon, Xander," she whispered. "We should start saying how much we loved each other and our last words and such."

Anya waited for him to say goodbye, that he would miss her, and that he could never love anyone the way that he loved her. All the things he had told her in the past. "I've told you how I felt a long time ago, Ahn, and my feelings have never changed," he told her quietly, not bothering to hold back the tears that were now running silently down his face. "I love you."

"It's okay." Xander replied as he took Anya's lifeless hand in his own and squeezed.

"You'll walk away from this, Xander, one way or another." Anya whispered as her hand went up to touch his cheek. When her fingers were inches away, she disappeared.

"I think we've found something." Wesley announced as he and Willow came back into the living room, along with a nice big book that Wes was toting. He immediately crossed over to where Angel was gearing up and showed him something in the book.

Angel's brow furrowed and he muttered something that resembled a hmm. Okay, might have to broaden that a bit," Buffy told him after the two men stood and stared at the book for a couple minutes. "Good 'hmm' or bad 'hmm?'"

"Enlightened 'hmm,'" Angel answered as he moved the book Giles' way. "The bowl of the Supreme?"

Giles was interested once Angel spoke the name. Buffy could tell what with the taking off of his glasses and also hmm-ing. "No, it can't be possible," Giles stated after reading a bit. "There are detailed, reliable accounts of the bowl's destruction."

"Apparently they weren't as reliable," Wesley stated. "The First needs this bowl. It could harness the potential's energy and become corporeal."

"Does The First have the bowl?" Faith asked. "I mean...if It doesn't have the bowl then it can't channel Kennedy's energy."

Willow added, "More importantly, if It did have the bowl, how would It channel Kennedy's energy?"

"Her blood," Wesley answered grimly. "The First cuts Kennedy, she bleeds into the bowl, and then pours the blood on The First. It will feed off of Kennedy's power, and with her having all of the potential's energies that will be a great amount of power."

There was an awkward silence as Wesley consulted the book. Buffy put a reassuring hand on Willow's shoulder before Wesley answered, "No...it's not supposed to anyway. Just enough to fill the bowl. There's something missing though."

"Her power," Angel suggested. "I mean, all the potential energy in the world in one girl, but that's not really that powerful. She's not as strong as the slayer, so why would The First want to use her?"

"Kennedy's the next in line," Giles thought, making the connection in his head as he voiced his thoughts. "She will be the next slayer, possessing not only her potential power but the power of the slayer. She would be immensely strong, and a great power to harness."

"Um, hello?" Faith said, raising her hand up into the air. "Slayer...standing right here. Wouldn't that plan kinda involve me being dead?"

"Let's not jinx this whole thing, Faith," Buffy told her. "What Giles says makes sense, though. We've lost Kennedy to The First, but if It's whole plan revolves around Kennedy becoming the slayer, we've got to keep Faith alive."

"The bringers and whatever else is following The First is gonna be gunnin' for her, Buffy," Angel reminded her. "We gotta think of something. I mean, that might not be The First's plan at all, we can't stay here."

"Angel's right, we have to still try and get Kennedy," Wesley agreed. "The First could always decide to kill her and erase the slayer line all together."

"So, we go," Willow told them, getting a little anxious because she was thinking about Kennedy. "Follow her...blood."

There was a murmur of nods and agreement from the group, but they all stood. This was going to be their last fight, one way or another. Each of them knowing that not everyone was going to make it, wondering if they would be that person.

"Spike and Angel lead the way." Buffy simply said as she grabbed a sword from the weapons chest and looked them all over. Xander came up from the basement as everyone gathered their weapons, and spirits, and were ready to head out.

Tears were still visible as he looked over what was happening. "Let's get this thing," he choked out. "For Anya."

The army of eleven was finally ready, and one by one they exited the house, Spike and Angel leading the way as they tracked Kennedy's blood. The air was crisp, colder than it should be for the time of year.

As Buffy followed Spike and Angel, who both kept looking the other over, she turned around slightly and found Dawn's hand. She pulled her sister up with her, throwing her arm over Dawn's shoulders and hugging her close.

"I just wanted to say that I know about the spell and how you thought you were a potential," Buffy said quickly, trying to get her thoughts out to Dawn before she had any time to interrupt. "You will always be a potential to me, Dawn. I love you and know that I have never been disappointed in you. Never."

Dawn smiled at Buffy as tears clouded her eyes. Not really sure what to say, she kept the smile on her face and hugged Buffy back.

Suddenly, though, Dawn's smile faded and her eyes became fixed on something. "Buffy..." Dawn muttered as Buffy, along with the others, began to follow the young girl's gaze.

After dropping to her knees, Buffy reached forward and grabbed the bowl of the Supreme out from under the bush. "Looks like we're two up on The First."

"We still have to go, though," Willow pressed on. "Like Wesley said, The First could kill her."

"Don't worry, Wil," Buffy told her as she tossed the bowl over to Angel. "We won't let anything happen to her."

"Maybe some of us should stay behind? Find a way of destroying the bowl?" Wesley asked the group.

"No," Buffy told them. "If The First finds out we destroyed the bowl, Kennedy's as good as dead. We bring it with us, offer a trade."

"It's not going to destroy her as long as the bowl is intact," Buffy thought. "We've got the upper hand."

A pack of bringers had just appeared at the gate, turning their eyeless heads towards Angel, sensing that he had the bowl. "Well, I guess The First knows we have the bowl." Buffy quipped before taking a knife she had tucked in her belt and lobbing it at the pack of bringers, hitting one in the chest and sending it flying into the others.

Angel grabbed Faith by the arm and jerked her into the background. "They probably have orders to kill you too," he told her when she tried to break free and join the fight. "I know you can hold your own, but we can't take chances."

A couple of bringers attacked Angel, who had vamped out and broke one's neck instantly. Wesley and Conner were fairing okay, and Angel was suddenly glad he brought them along. He looked over to Buffy who had her sword and shoved it through a bringer that Spike was holding still for her.

The small battle was over quickly enough. Six or seven bringers spread over their eleven was an easy thing to handle. However, the six was just the first wave. The windows of the kitchen shattered and the doors were kicked open and bringers upon bringers poured out of Buffy's house.

"Oh shit." Faith muttered as two bringers jumped down on her. Angel peeled one of them off as the other was sent flying back by some unseen force. He looked up briefly and saw Willow, her fists now balled and glowing with white energy while her eyes blackened.

Angel kicked away two bringers and brought Faith to her feet, still trying to keep her behind him. He sliced his sword through the bringers that just didn't seem to stop coming. Buffy and Spike were doing well, keeping Xander, Dawn and Andrew behind them who only fought, and succeeded in winning, when one got through Buffy and Spike.

Wesley, Conner, and Giles were doing okay; or so Angel thought. Through the corner of his eye, Angel saw Giles take a blade to the shoulder and his cry echoed through the night. "Giles!" Buffy called out as Angel threw his sword at the bringer and knocked him away.

Buffy rushed over, stabbing and breaking the necks of a couple bringers that got in her way. She fell to her knees beside Giles and pulled out the knife. The bringers were lessening, but still getting in some good hits.

While Angel was fighting and looking over at Buffy, he got a knife in his stomach, but he swallowed the pain and removed the knife before making use of it on the bringer he was fighting.

Faith snapped a couple of necks and ran over to help Xander, Dawn and Andrew who were having trouble with one bringer, particularly. Conner finished with the bringers he and Wesley were fighting and stood by, watching Buffy crouch over Giles.

Wesley removed a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Buffy who pressed the cloth against Giles' wound.

Other than Giles, everyone seemed okay, save for bumps, bruises, and cuts. The ex-watcher was down, grimacing in pain as Buffy tried desperately to stop the bleeding. "Giles, please, you have to stay with me." She pleaded.

Everyone crowded around them, but Willow was the only one who crouched down with Buffy. Still black in the eyes, she motioned for Buffy to move the now bloody handkerchief and placed her hand inches over Giles' wound.

Muttering some Latin, they all watched as the wound closed, just about enough to stop the bleeding. Giles coughed and looked up at Willow, moving her hand away from his sore shoulder. "That's quite enough, thank you," he told her quietly, trying to calm her down before she went off the deep end. "Save your strength, we'll need it in a bit."

"Now that's what I came for," Conner said as he nodded his head and rested his ax on his shoulder. "Are we gonna go get that girl and fight some more?"

"Is that all you think about?" Dawn fired his way, her voice slightly shrill as she spoke.

Conner brooded and kicked the dirt at his feet as Buffy and Willow helped Giles to his feet. "Are you okay?" Buffy asked, concern still etched in her face.

"I'll be fine, Buffy," he assured her as he motioned Angel and Spike. "We should continue to follow the trail. Before any more of the bringers come and attack. We have to find Kennedy."

The group pressed on, stepping around the bringer's bodies and out the back of their house. Angel and Spike were hot on the trail, rarely stopping or losing the scent of Kennedy's blood.

"Do you smell that?" Angel asked Spike in a hushed tone, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear. "The power she has?"

Spike nodded in confirmation. He knew he had to swallow his pride and put up with Angel, but it was still going to be hard. Now that he had a soul, he only understood why he had to do that, it didn't make it any easier. "The girl's already as strong as a slayer," Spike responded. "And she can kick ass, I've seen it. Cedric trained her well."

"Couldn't have that," Angel muttered. "I mean, you know, you being in the fight is good."

"Are we done with this little group hug session, mate?" Spike asked Angel. "It's creepin' me out a bit."

"I think we're done." Angel agreed as he took in a sharp breath through his nose and pointed to his right. Spike shook his head that way and pressed on as Buffy came up in between them.

"You guys do realize where we're heading, don't you?" she asked, looking between the both of them.

Both Spike and Angel furrowed their brows and looked closer at their surroundings, not really wanting to admit that they didn't know where they were going. "This is on the way to the school," she told them with a roll of her eyes. "To the Hellmouth. Kennedy's probably at the seal of Danzalthar, that's where everything's been taking place."

"We should still stick to the trail," Spike told her. "We can't assume, this is important."

As they got closer, they soon realized the school, the Hellmouth, was where the battle was going to take place. Angel, who was walking slightly ahead of Spike and Buffy, stopped suddenly and held his hand out.

He pressed on cautiously, moving slowly around the bush that was concealing their group. Angel raised his sword as he peeked his head out from cover to get a closer look at the school. "We got bringers." Angel said as he hid behind the bush again.

"So, what now?" Faith asked. "We go up to them and explain nicely that we just wanna make a trade?"

"Maybe a dozen." Angel answered. "Probably a few vampires lurking around too. This type of thing tends to draw vampires to the Hellmouth."

Okay, this is it guys," Buffy told them. "We go in, hard and fast. Willow, keep up those barriers and throwing back the bringers, but keep an eye on Faith and Angel. Angel, don't let anything happen to that bowl. We head for the seal, the basement. Once we get there, The First will probably be waiting so everyone be careful. Anything you don't recognize, kill it.

Kennedy winced at the harshness of the words. Cedric's voiced had started out slow, calm, but ended in a deafening yell. She had let him down, again. Kennedy felt bad enough, but now she had to listen to how bad she let him down.

"I thought I gave you a rather simple job, Kennedy, I thought you were ready to handle it," he lectured. "I guess I was wrong. I put my trust and faith in you, again, and you still let me down."

"I told you I was sorry and I was in a rush," Kennedy told Cedric. "Did you want them to catch me? To keep me from you?"

"Yes, well, you're no use to me without the bowl," Cedric shot back as he ran his hands through his hair, and then he stopped and looked at Kennedy who was pouting. "I'm terribly sorry, Kennedy. It's just...the bowl is extremely important, as well as you; but without the other, both you and the bowl cannot be used. I'm glad you're here, really, and you have done well so far, but you can understand my disappointment, yes?"

Kennedy merely looked back at Cedric, her silence acting as her confirmation. "I imagine your 'friends' will be here soon to rescue you," Cedric continued, using air quotes when he mentioned Buffy and the others. "Hopefully, they're not daft enough to not notice the bowl, or realize how I plan to use you. Are you ready, by the way, you won't let me down again?"

"Good," Cedric smiled. "Because they're all here, and with a few extras...Oh, some of my favorite people are here. Well, they should be here soon...and what power they have with them. They're going to make a trade..."

Cedric smiled at her innocence, how well he had manipulated her into believing that Cedric really was there with her. "They want you back, little one," he told her. "They'll try to take you away from me..."

"Good...everything's coming together quite nicely," Cedric said as he turned towards the door and watched as Buffy kicked it down and ran inside, followed by her, he laughingly used the phrase, 'army.' "And we will see my victory."

"Beg to differ," Buffy greeted. "See, the way I'm seeing things is we got a little advantage over you."

The First let out a hardy laugh as he stepped behind Kennedy and let his hands hover over her shoulders. "Do you now?" he retorted.

With a quick look to Angel from Buffy, the bowl was revealed and The First's smile fell a bit. "I'm sorry," Buffy said innocently. "Did...did you need this to complete your apocalypse?"

Cedric stepped aside so that he was now standing next to Kennedy. He motioned to one of the bringers, who were standing on the sidelines, awaiting instructions, to come over. It obeyed as it took out it's knife and held it to Kennedy's throat.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cedric said with an evil grin. "Did you need this to keep your sacred line in check?"

"Don't worry, Wil," Buffy said, not taking her eyes off The First but at the same time not worrying about Willow's magics getting fired up. "It won't do anything to her. You need Kennedy just as much as we do."

"This is true..." Cedric said as he stroked his chin and feigned shock. "Goodness, me...why didn't I think of this before?!?! Oh, that's right. Even if I do kill her, I still win."

Buffy's breath caught in her throat, as well as everyone else's, but she recovered quickly. "Something's telling me, though, that you'd rather be corporeal as opposed to just having to watch all the other corporeal things wreak havoc on the demon earth."

The First just nodded along. "Well...looks like we're at a standstill," he said as he furrowed his brow. "But...what with me being a soulless, original evil thing, I think that we'll just end this right..."

Cedric motioned to the bringer, and it obliged by pressing it's knife a little harder on to Kennedy's neck. The whole time, Kennedy's face remained serious and emotionless. She stared straight ahead, not even wincing when blood started to drip from the small cut that the bringer was causing on her neck.

"Now..." Cedric finished as he watched the cut get deeper with every centimeter the knife slid across her neck.

Then, without warning, the bringer was thrown away from Kennedy and slammed against the wall. The First reeled, turning on Willow with a rage in Cedric's eyes that no one had seen before. "Remember what happened last time, witch," he sneered. "You better back off."

There was a standoff now...it was intense. Buffy felt like she was in some kind of old western movie or something. She knew what she had to do. Without looking at Giles or Faith or anyone else that would hate her for doing this, Buffy walked over and took the bowl from Angel.

They locked eyes briefly before he dropped the hand that held the bowl. "B, do you really think It's going to give up Kennedy?" Faith protested as she ran forward and stood between Buffy and The First.

"If we don't give It the bowl The First'll kill Kennedy," Buffy reminded her. "We all know what happens when Kennedy dies, and It doesn't care...

"Yeah, but that might not last that long, B," Faith shot back in a hushed tone as well. "And we're not even sure if The First needs to kill me."

"Oh, no I do," Cedric piped up, getting Buffy and Faith's attention. "But...if you give me the bowl you still have an advantage. Faith's a good fighter, strong, has the attitude and confidence..."

"And you're just telling us all of this because..." Faith trailed off, not buying this for a second. "Listen, morphy, I'm tired of your games. I think we do hold a lot of power and you're just playing it cool."

"We don't have time to argue, Faith, to think," Buffy said as she pushed the dark slayer aside and set the bowl down in front of Kennedy. "We have to react."

Kennedy slowly bent down and grabbed the bowl. As she rose, Cedric smiled, which turned into a menacing, evil laugh that only The First could have. "Well, I think you've reacted very well to my...manipulations," Cedric told Buffy with a laugh as a bringer launched itself forward, knife drawn, and landed on top of Faith with a heavy thud.

Faith cried out in pain and was still screaming when the bringer pushed itself off of her, revealing a knife that was sticking out of Faith's stomach. Buffy's mouth dropped as everyone rushed past her to try and help Faith.

Angel pulled the knife out and threw it into the bringer that had stabbed Faith. The screaming had stopped, and Buffy watched Faith from where she stood. The dark slayer was shivering, some blood forming at the corner of her lips.

Her eyes began to glaze over as she scanned the room, looking from Cedric to Kennedy to Angel and the others before stopping and looking at Buffy, whose face was still frozen with shock. "Stomach again, B," Faith choked out before violently coughing up more blood. "You...y- you've got...a battle...t-to win..."

Those that could breath didn't, the unshed tears were frozen in place, and the blood that was pouring from Faith had kept coming, but it meant nothing. She was dead.

Kennedy made the first movement that was made. The girl dropped to her knees, catching her breath, marveling at the new power that flowed through her blood. There was a new glow about her. Anyone of them could see it in Kennedy's eyes, but her face remained emotionless still.

The First moved back towards Kennedy who had risen to her feet and held the bowl in her one hand and a knife that she had grabbed off the floor in her other. "Can I just say, Buffy," Cedric said as he smiled and watched Kennedy run the knife down her arm and held it over the bowl, letting her blood pour into the bowl, filling it.

When it was over, Kennedy was snapped out of her trance, remembering everything she had done and that this was all her fault.

The bowl had been nearly full with Kennedy's blood when Buffy ran forward. At the same time, Willow began to mutter incantations and sent invisible waves of force in Kennedy's direction. They were trying to knock her down, or stop the bleeding ritual, but The First was prepared.

There were already barriers up, strong ones. Willow couldn't break through them and Buffy couldn't punch her way through. The whole time, Cedric laughed as his plan came together. All any of them could do was watch.

Some of the bringers that were hanging around began to step forward, but The First ordered them back, "Any one of you touches them before they get to see the show...I'll kill you all with my bare hands."

"Kill them by going through their heads?" Buffy quipped as she and Angel, who decided to step up, tried to punch a hole through The First's barrier.

"Not for long..." Cedric told her, his voice getting low and almost coming out as a growl.

The bowl was full, and Kennedy had looked over to Cedric, awaiting instructions. He waved his hands and sent Angel and Buffy flying back on to their backs. "Pour your blood on me." He had said as he kneeled on the ground due to the fact that Cedric was way taller than her.

Despite her better judgments, Kennedy wasn't in control right now and obliged. The first drop of blood from the bowl hit the top of Cedric's head and trickled down the side. That's when Willow had punched through the barrier that had been set up.

The hole was small, but enough for someone to get through. Buffy began to push herself up, but a bringer came by and kicked her in the face. Angel responded by jumping to his feet and snapping the bringer's neck that had kicked Buffy.

He morphed into game face as he lunged forward, ready to dive through the hole and stop Kennedy from pouring all the blood on to Cedric. He didn't get very far though. Another bringer came forward, shoving a knife into Angel's shoulder as he was tackled to the ground.

The rest of the bringers remained, only moving when Buffy or Angel headed for the breach in the barrier. "Forget this." Spike muttered as he walked up to one of the bringers and snapped it's neck before turning and stabbing one in the stomach with his sword.

The others followed suit. Conner took his ax and lopped off the head of a nearby bringer as Wesley shot an arrow into another's head. Willow kept muttering her spell, making the breach bigger.

As the gang killed the bringers, who were mostly still standing around save for a few who were fighting back, a group of vampires rushed into the basement and began to attack. The rest of the bringers that were standing gave up and fought back as well.

The gang had taken care of most of the bringers while they just stood around, but when the vampires showed up they were getting beat.

Gathering all the strength she could, Willow took a few steps forward towards the breach. A bringer headed her way, but Buffy was right behind her and tackled the bringer to the ground. Mustering up all the strength she could possibly find inside of herself, Willow merely looked at the assailants lunging forward to her and, midair, they flew back leaving her path wide open.

The last drops of Kennedy's blood dripped on to Cedric's head, which was now covered in blood that dripped down his entire body. Cedric, The First, rose to his knees when Kennedy dropped the bowl. It clattered to the ground, breaking into several huge chunks when Kennedy blinked a few times, coming out of The First's control but remembering everything.

The First turned, still in the form of her former, dead watcher and smiled down at Kennedy. "Thanks, little one." He whispered as he pulled his fist back and connected with Kennedy's jaw. The force behind him, the power, sent her flying back into the basement wall. Kennedy feel forward on to the ground, leaving behind a Kennedy shaped dent on the wall.

Kennedy looked down at the fight, Faith's body lying amongst the action. That's when Kennedy remembered that Faith was dead, and that she was the slayer. She pushed herself to her feet and walked over to Cedric, who was now trying to push his way through a barrier that Willow had set up.

The bringers were dwindling and dust was wafting through the basement, all the vamps and bringers being picked off by the strong fighters on Buffy's army, but Willow wasn't going to be able to hold The First forever. Small drops of blood were already sliding down from Willow's nose.

"You cannot defeat me, witch," Cedric screamed as his hand pushed through the barrier. "With the girl's blood, and me being corporeal, no one can touch me."

That's when Kennedy tapped him on the shoulder. Cedric stopped immediately, turning with wide, horrified eyes at Kennedy who just smiled before punching him in the nose. The First stumbled back a bit, clutching his nose as he looked back at Kennedy with a confused _expression.

Cedric wasn't hurt, just phased and working things out in his head. "I don't understand..." he whispered more to himself then anyone else.

"Well, I'm the slayer now," Kennedy explained as she came forward and swung her foot up and connecting with Cedric's stomach. "And you're corporeal, which means that we can get physical...and not in the dirty way because I'm seeing some-"

"No! You stupid girl!" he shouted. "I'm supposed to be corporeal, finally, but I'm not supposed to feel anything. I can't be hurt, no one is supposed to touch me!"

His cries echoed through the basement. The battles stopped. The bringers and vampires that were left looked on, their weird, ugly faces actually showing shock and confusion, as well as those of the Scooby army.

"Something's...not right, you tricked me," Cedric stammered as he looked around at everyone in the basement before his eyes lit up and his jaw dropped. "It wasn't all of it."

The First reeled on to Kennedy, who slowly backed up every time Cedric took a step forward. "You're not...there was another potential slayer...It wasn't enough power."

Kennedy furrowed her brow. "All the potentials are dead," she reminded him, even though she wasn't really sure why she was helping him with his realization. "I mean, hello? Power surging through me here."

Cedric coked his head, his eyes growing wide as he turned back to the group, a little below them. "It's her." He whispered.

Confused, Kennedy followed his gaze, her jaw dropping slightly when she realized what The First was thinking. Slowly, one by one, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Andrew, Angel, Spike, Giles, Wesley, and Conner were all looking at Dawn...who stared back blankly t them.

Okay, what?" she asked, annoyed, as her hand went up and smoothed her hair down. "Am I all gross and cut up?"

"Dawnie..." Buffy trailed off, realizing that her sister was a potential slayer.

"Wow, that spell was like a two-for-one-fer thing." Willow muttered, her eyes still back and tiny sparks of magic shooting from her hands.

"When we did the spell, to find Amanda, the potential in Sunnydale, the cloud, which was supposed to lead to the potential," Willow explained. "Well, it went through Dawn and, we...we thought Dawn was a potential. Then, when Amanda and...whoa."

Buffy wasn't able to take her eyes off of Dawn. Amidst all the fighting and the end of the world crap, she was truly, genuinely proud of Dawn. "How did I miss this?" Cedric asked as he balled his fists in rage.

"That means," Angel growled quietly as he turned his vamped out face on to Cedric, The First. "It can be killed."

Everyone turned away from Dawn and looked back up at the ultimate evil that suddenly wasn't that ultimate anymore. Cedric looked a little worried, but he tried his best to hide it. "While I can now be killed," he started off. "Don't think for a bloody second that it's going to be an easy task. I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve."

Almost as if on cue, the ground beneath them began to shake. The First smiled as his bringers and vampires scattered, running away from the shaking that grew more violent with every second that passed.

"Bloody hell!" Spike cried out as a falling piece of ceiling just barely missed crushing him. He ran forward, pushing Dawn over to a corner as Andrew ran over with them. Buffy grabbed Willow and pulled her back, getting hit by a small chunk in the process.

Angel took care of Wesley and Conner before they all looked forward. Kennedy went to run forward, but Cedric grabbed her arm. She turned quickly, punching him in the jaw, but he wasn't fazed and his grip actually tightened. "Willow!" she cried out, but Buffy had too good of a hold on Willow.

She was going to make sure that Willow didn't do something stupid and run forward. More debris fell, some being stopped by little barriers Willow had set up around the group, but something was wrong with it all.

That's when Buffy realized that the school wasn't crumbling to the ground...it was being pulled up. In a flash, Sunnydale High wasn't over their heads anymore. It was thrown away, revealing a cloudy, cold sky above them.

Lightning cracked down into the basement, one particular bolt hitting the seal of Danzalthar that separated Kennedy and Cedric from Buffy and the gang. It illuminated instantly, it's glow throwing Kennedy and The First back against the wall.

"What's going on?" Kennedy shouted to him as she pushed herself to her feet and held her hand over her eyes, blocking out the blinding light.

Cedric appeared at her side. "I'm opening the seal," he shouted back. "It's the deadliest opening to the Hellmouth, filled with the nastiest creatures. I may be able to die, and you may end up killing me, but once this seal is completely opened, you cannot close it."

The new slayer turned and looked up at Cedric before saying, "Stop looking like Cedric."

"I'm sorry," he replied, mocking Kennedy and getting a kick out of it. "Does it bother you? Does it make your heart ache?"

"No," Kennedy shot back, her tone and face emitting confidence. "It's just I wanna see what you really look like before I totally kick your ass."

"Well, I like Cedric's body better." The First told her as it punched her in the face.

Stumbling back a couple steps, Kennedy grabbed her chin and smiled back at Cedric. "I'm so glad you did that," she told him. "Let's give these new powers of mine a test drive."

The First obliged, lunging forward and pounding down on Kennedy with Cedric's fists. It hurt, there was pain because The First, despite it's new found mortality and corporeal-ness, was still strong.

However, Kennedy wasn't just any slayer. Dawn's potential energy may not have gotten filtered into, but she still had loads of other potential energy in her, along with her new slayer abilities. She just let Cedric keep pounding her, letting him think that he had the upper hand over her, but she'd show him. The pain she was feeling was just pain, it was physical and her new powers let her look beyond that. The whole mind over matter thing.

The First kicked her to the ground. Kennedy landed on to her back with a thud as Cedric picked up a nearby knife and straddled Kennedy. "So, this is the slayer that I trained you to be, Kennedy," he observed as he ran the knife along her throat, which was still a little sore form where the bringer had cut her.

"You didn't train me to be shit," she muttered back, trying very hard not to make any sudden movements that would involve her neck being sliced. "Cedric trained me, and where ever he is now, he knows that he did a good job."

"Did a good job?" The First scoffed. "I've got you at my mercy, little one. What ever made you think that you could possibly defeat The First?"

Kennedy turned her head and looked through the glowing seal. Through the light, she saw her friends, her new family. People that were willing to sacrifice, and some that already had, their lives to make sure that Kennedy lived on and became the slayer.

Through the light, she saw Willow. The witch's eyes were still black but, for a moment, Kennedy could swear she saw something else. A glimmer of the green eyes she had fallen in love with. Willow was her anchor, her strength, and that was all Kennedy needed to grab Cedric's wrist and stop the knife from cutting into her.

"My friends." Kennedy answered before kicking her legs up and wrapping them around his neck. The sudden shock of this attack caused Cedric to drop the knife in his hand and grab on to Kennedy's ankles.

Using her signature move, Kennedy threw her legs down and Cedric's weight was no longer on top of her. Kennedy kicked herself up and twirled the knife around in her hands. "The potentials, Cedric," Kennedy continued on as she kicked Cedric in the stomach when he tried to push himself up. "Faith...everyone that died to get me here, they're the ones that made me KNOW that I can defeat you.

"And they're the ones I'm gonna defeat you for." Kennedy finished as she punched Cedric's head with the handle of the knife still in her fist. The First cried out in pain as Kennedy continued to pound on him.

Blood spurted up, spraying her face as she continued to punch him in the face repeatedly. The rage she was feeling, along with this power high, was too great to let anything get in the way of it. With every punch in the face, every kick in the stomach, Kennedy let out all the shit that had happened to her in the past. It was her motivation.

She choked on a sob when Cedric looked up at her, bloody and bruised like when she had found him the day he died. It wasn't him though, the thing that took his face killed him and that's why Kennedy wouldn't stop hitting him. Eventually, she had to. The threshold for pain was high, but she had been beating The First for a good five minutes and her fist hurt.

The First was now a beaten, bruised, and bloody. Kennedy was breathing heavily and rose above him, her shadow towering over him. She wiped her hand over her forehead, trying to wipe away the sweat but instead leaving small traces of blood behind from where her fist had been cut and bruised. "Are we all clear on how this is going to work out, Cedric?" Kennedy asked before shoving the knife into Cedric's throat.

Cedric's cry rang throughout the basement and traveled on for miles. It rang in everyone's ears as they all grabbed their heads and tried to shut out the screaming. Kennedy remained standing, watching as Cedric morphed into something bigger that was still crouched down and beaten.

Almost like It exploded, The First lost all form, briefly transforming into a huge demon with horns growing out of It's head and pure, white eyes, before turning into a mist that wafted into the wind that was still blowing around.

The First was gone, but the fight was long from over. The seal still glowed with activity, and Kennedy watched as some of the metal slowly moved aside. "What do we do?" Kennedy shouted over the wind as she reached forward, ready to let her hand touch the light, but then she retracted it because of her instinct.

She didn't want to be stuck on this side, though. Kennedy wanted to be over there, with Willow and the people who gave her enough strength to kill The First...or, at least It's corporeal form. Kennedy still wasn't sure what that meant demon/vampire wise, exactly.

The other group had formed around the other side, not too sure if they should go through the light. "We have to close the seal!" Wesley shouted. "Well, first we have to figure out how to close the seal!"

"Why don't we just try closing it by hand?" Conner asked in annoyed tone as he walked towards the seal. The moment a part of the light touched his body, though, some kind of energy passed through him and Conner crumbled into ashes.

The group looked on, horrified and shocked, as Angel instinctively ran forward. He nearly touched the light, but Buffy pulled him back and stopped. "Angel, you can't!" she cried out over the wind as she pulled him away some more.

"When looking through the texts in L.A., there was a small passage about the ultimate seal to the Hellmouth," Wesley informed them. "The deadliest, and it said the blood that opened it the blood that will stop it. No one was even sure this opening existed, though. This maybe the ultimate door to the Hellmouth."

"The blood that opened it is dead, though." Andrew told them, a twinge of sadness in his voice.

"Not necessarily," Willow thought. "Jonathan's blood activated the seal...it wasn't physically opened till..."

A hushed, knowing silence fell over the Sunnydale gang. Wesley, and Angel despite his grief, looked confused as Spike stepped out from behind and walked towards the light. "Spike," Buffy said as she went past Angel and grabbed Spike's arm. "You ca-"

While she understood that this was the sacrifice Spike had to make, that although there was never any chance of them spending eternity together, the time she did share with him meant something to her and this was going to be a hard thing to let happen.

"Buffy...I..." Spike began as he breathed in, but before he could stop, Buffy put her fingers on Spike's lips.

The energy ate him up quickly, but after Spike's body was burned and crumbled into ashes on the floor the seal had stopped glowing. The metal that was moving aside snapped shut.

The battle was done, and it felt like a giant weight had been lifted from all of their shoulders. Kennedy stepped forward, cautiously, and on to the seal. She stopped, looking herself over before looking up and smiling...not a full on smile, but a relieved smile.

"Hey, I'd say the seal's closed..." she trailed off quietly as she went to step off the seal.

That wasn't going to happen anytime soon though. The ground began to shake again, but it was different. The shaking was coming from the seal. It threw Kennedy forward and she fell into Buffy, Angel, and Willow.

They tried to untangle from each other, but before they could accomplish anything, a light was sent from the seal, passing over the area like a ripple. It knocked everyone off their feet, but it didn't seem to do that much damage.

Okay, have you learned nothing about jinxing?" Willow asked as she propped herself up using her elbows and looking over at Kennedy who shrugged innocently.

"It wasn't worthless," Giles interrupted as everyone tried to regain their composure. He looked over to Wesley for confirmation. "If I'm correct, the seal most likely has some pent up energy it needed to let out. All the evil was trying to get out while it opened..."

"No, you'd be right, actually," Wesley agreed. "Pent up energy and what not, you're right...the seal is closed."

Everyone turned towards the door. Xander stood there, with the vampires and bringers that had fled earlier. It wasn't really Xander, though. Buffy, Dawn, Willow, and Giles' faces fell. They were horrified and saddened by what they were seeing.

"Did I miss anything while I died?" he asked with an evil grin as the vampires and bringers rushed past him and began attacking.

The first wave was flown back and when Kennedy looked back at Willow, she had the magic mojo working. Kennedy pushed herself up, along with Buffy and Angel, and began to stab and cut the things that were on the ground.

That left the odds fairly more even. "The First maybe gone, but that doesn't mean you destroyed all the evil in the world, children," Xander said as he appeared before Kennedy after she had just dusted a vampire. "How cool would it be if my first kill was a slayer?"

"Never gonna happen." Kennedy told him as she raised her fists and got into her fighting stance, but Buffy came up and stepped in between them, her back towards Kennedy. She took the hint, and ran off to help some of the others.

"No, no, stop," he told her as he waved his hands around. "I've heard it before when you try to get through to evil things...'There must be some good left in you' or 'Some part that still remembers who you are,' not gonna work this time, Buff. It's funny...Anya said I'd walk away from this, one way or another. Who would've thought-"

"If you let me finish," Buffy retorted before shoving a stake through Xander's heart. "I was going to tell you that I love you, but I'm sorry."

Kennedy's eyes were fixed on Buffy. There was some kind of new connection there, between the two of them. Buffy clutched the stake in her hand, looking around for something to kill but finding nothing. She didn't notice, on some level, that Angel had walked up behind her. His hand lingered around hers as a comfort gesture. Angel kept his distance, waiting for Buffy to make the move, not wanting to push.

She obliged; not by taking his hand, but by leaning her head against his shoulder and silently sobbing into his shoulder. Buffy had lost a lot of people this night: Anya, Faith, Spike, and Xander.

Kennedy, too, looked around. Her first instinct was to look for Willow, who she soon found kneeling near Dawn. Kennedy ran over and dropped down to her knees as well, pulling Willow away from Dawn and into her embrace. Kennedy snuck a peak at the girl, the one who because she lived saved them all from a very powerful corporeal evil.

There were two bite marks on the side of her neck. Kennedy turned away and closed her eyes, afraid that she wouldn't be able to comfort Willow if she needed comfort herself. The fact was, she was the slayer now. Kennedy had to be strong and swallow her emotions and be there for other people, and right now Willow needed Kennedy.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Wesley helping Andrew to his feet. Kennedy had to give it to the nerd, she thought he'd never make it out alive, but he made it even though he was clutching his neck.

As Kennedy watched, Buffy let out a loud sob as she broke away from Angel and ran towards Giles, who was laying a couple feet away from Willow and Kennedy. Buffy leaned over him, checking his pulse and everything else you do when you find someone lying on the ground.

From what Kennedy saw, there was a lot of blood, and it didn't look good for Mr. Giles. Buffy was crying over him, and Kennedy watched as his hand rose to her cheek. Buffy grabbed it, holding it for dear life before Giles' hand went limp.

Angel had gathered her up in his arms again, and she couldn't stop crying. Kennedy's heart broke for her before Willow choked out, "Oh, God." Kennedy turned Willow's head away from Giles, forcing her to look at Kennedy, and nothing else.

"Shh, I'm here, Wil," Kennedy whispered as she leaned her forehead against Willow's. "Everything's okay, baby, you're not alone."

But Willow couldn't say anything back to Kennedy. She was way too overcome with grief to do anything but cling to Kennedy.

The new slayer looked around one last time. The big battle was over, the biggest any of them had every faced, but they hadn't defeated evil...not really. Evil was always out there, always lingering in people and all over the world.

Kennedy was there too, though. The new chosen one that was picked to fight the evil things left in the world; and, god dammit, she was going to be the best slayer.

Sunnydale was a wreck...the earthquakes caused by The First had done a number on the whole town, and became the official excuse for what had happened. Everyone did that thing where they block certain things out very well here.

Everyone had forgotten everything, except for the six that were left standing after the battle was over. Today was the day that they had finished burying the bodies of all those that had fallen, and built the graves of those that had turned to dust.

Angel and Wesley stayed in Sunnydale the whole time, and they called down a few others that apparently worked for Angel in L.A. That was a little tense...there was some tension between Buffy, Angel, and some girl who went to school with Buffy and Willow, Cordelia.

They had come down to pay their respects to Conner, Angel's son. Everyone stayed for a while after they buried their friends, including the potentials that weren't buried due to the near apocalypse.

Kennedy looked up with raised eyebrows at Faith. "Hey," she greeted back. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Well, see, funny thing," Faith said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "We can like walk around and stuff, but we only make ourselves seen for really important things."

"Which is this?" Kennedy asked before her face grew more serious and she furrowed her brow. "You're not..."

"The First?" Faith finished. "No, it's me. Just, I had to see how you were treatin' my powers, Special K."

Kennedy hugged herself tightly before she looked away from Faith and down at her grave. "Guess I did okay with the whole ultimate battle thing," Kennedy shrugged in response. "I mean, you were dead...didn't you catch the show?"

She smirked before following Kennedy's gaze. "Yeah, I saw," she answered. "You went buck on The First, man."

"There might have been some pent up..." Kennedy started. "Actually, there was definitely some pent up shit from my past that I had to work out. Didn't help that The First kept up the whole Cedric façade."

"Eh, at least you got past it," Faith said as she went to clap Kennedy on the shoulder, but went through her instead. "Wicked...I always wanted to be able to go through people."

"That's why you're here," Kennedy spoke up suddenly. "Just to see how things are with your powers?"

"Not completely," Faith answered. "That battle was rough on everyone, junior, lots of people died. I know, I still see them. Just wanted to make sure things were okay...and...stuff."

"Well, yeah, I mean," Faith stammered. "Look, Kennedy, we've been through a lot, you and me, and that's not something I'm gonna forget. Well, can't forget, I'm dead I remember everything. I just thought I owed you a goodbye or something."

"The way I figure it, I'm the one that should be owing you," Kennedy corrected as she motioned to herself. "I mean, you helped make me an uberslayer, you know?"

Faith nodded and smiled at her unintentional handiwork. It made Kennedy smiled too, and she was glad that Faith had come back to pay her lest respects. "So...guess this is me sayin' goodbye then," Faith said as she clapped her hands together. "Bye."

"Well you're lucky that you can't touch me cause I wouldn't stand for that shit," Faith said as she backed away from Kennedy. "Sides you know you just wanna cop a feel."

Kennedy smiled as she looked back down at Faith's grave. There was so much she wanted to say, but when she looked back up Faith was gone.

A deep sigh escaped from her throat as she wiped away a tear that was sliding down her cheek. After all that happened, Kennedy hadn't really cried, and she felt weird starting now. Not only because she hated to cry, but because she still had to be strong. So many more people needed her to be strong.

That's when a pair of arms snaked around her waist, hugging her tightly, as Willow's head rested on Kennedy's shoulder. "Hey," Willow whispered. "Be strong about what?"

"Mm, hey," Kennedy replied as she stepped back into Willow's embrace, letting her hands rest over Willow's. "Just...strong about you guys. I'm the slayer now, you know."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to be the only strong one." Willow told her.

Kennedy just remained silent, being content with Willow's arms holding on to her and not thinking about anything else. "I have to protect you all now." Kennedy said suddenly, not really sure why she said it, but she threw it out there and Willow picked it up.

"Not alone though," Willow shot back. "You know, you're never alone. Not anymore."

"No, not anymore..." Kennedy agreed, although her tone suggested that she was lost in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Willow asked, sensing Kennedy's brain churning with thought.

Hesitated silence was all Willow received as an answer before Kennedy admitted, "Faith."

Willow nodded against Kennedy's head, letting her know it was alright for her to go on. "I was just thinking about what she'd say if she were here," Kennedy told Willow. "What she'd think about me as the slayer. If I'd do a good job."

"Hey, you're gonna do a great job," Willow encouraged her as she squeezed Kennedy. "You're super strong and...you're good with a crossbow. Oh, hey, you're super hot."

Kennedy smiled, not really feeling appropriate laughing at a time like this, but Willow could always make her smile. "What would I do without you?" she asked as she closed her eyes and willed her and Willow to disappear to a place where they could stay this way forever.

"Thought you'd never say that," Kennedy said as she turned in Willow's embrace and wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling the witch's lips to her own. Kennedy let the kiss linger, deepening it for a moment and enjoying the feeling of having Willow's tongue caressing her own.

"You've been here so long," Willow told her after they had parted and stood for a while, just enjoying the feel of each other. "You okay?"

"You know," Kennedy said as she pulled away from Willow, while still holding her hand, and began to walk away from the graves. "For the first time in my life...I'm okay. Really okay."

Main What's New Fiction by Author Fiction by Pairing eBooks

Subject Index Submissions Gallery Forums Links Awards Contact Us

If you find problems on these pages please email your host.

At Night

By Coll

BuffyWXOCA@aol.com