Resurrect

by LilBit

Copyright © 2008

Epallen@tampabay.rr.com

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: All the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the property of Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy, Inc.
Distribution: The Mystic Muse http://mysticmuse.net.
Feedback: Of course. Please!
Spoilers: Post-Chosen.
Author's Notes: This is the tenth and final story in the series.  The other stories, in order, are: The Sacrifice, Alterations with Time, Parallel, Life Changes Everything, Stones in the Road, Misdirection, The Devil on My Shoulder, Scorpion Veil and The Mind's Eye.
Pairing: Willow/Kennedy

Serena Papillon walked down the dark corridor. Ever since she could remember, she awoke in the middle of the night needing to 'relieve' herself. A small bladder was the diagnosis given to her by her family doctor back in Cortez del Villar, a little village two hours north of Sao Paulo, Brazil. As she made her way to the bathroom, Serena wondered how long it would be before she got comfortable with her new routine. She had lived at the slayer's training facility for just over two months. She'd only been a slayer just shy of three. Despite her time at the Sao Paulo compound, she still had bouts of uncertainty and loneliness during her late night runs. It was the tile floor she told herself. At her home back in her village, the floor was made of fine aged, teak wood. It would creak as she moved, letting her know the structure acknowledged her presence, that she was welcome in it. But the slayer house had tile floors. Beautiful as they were, rich earthy Portuguese tumbled stone tiles, they made no noise when walked upon with bare feet. And they had a coldness about them. The soles of the girl's feet seemed to absorb the chill. The place seemed as if it didn't recognize her as being there, didn't want her there. To Serena, it was like she didn't even exist in those thin hours of the night when she alone walked the darkened halls. However, as with every other night, when the feeling crept upon her, the slayer told herself to 'grow up.' The house was just a house and her late night jaunts meant nothing more than that she needed to pee.

As she sat relieving herself, Serena thought back on the previous day's events. The building swarmed with activity. All the South American slayers were at the facility for a 'conference.' It was the first of its kind. The higher ups in the Watcher's Council for that region had thought it a good idea, especially since demon activity was at an all time low. The echelon personnel thought it would do the slayers good to meet each other and share fighting techniques, information about demons and stories. The meeting was to last only two days and, so far, it was a success.

Heading back to her room, Serena hoped she would have no trouble falling asleep. She knew tomorrow would be as busy as the last and she wanted to be alert and ready. The girl, a mere nineteen years old, had no doubt there were things she could learn from the older, more experienced slayers.

Serena was just turning the last corner to her room when she saw the piercing, brilliant white light. Its intensity was so immense that it burned her eyes instantly. It enveloped her and filled every inch of space as soon as it appeared.

The slayer never heard the thunderous explosion that accompanied the light. Like the poor souls living at the base of Mount St. Helens when the volcano exploded, Serena was too close to the epicenter of the blast. For those inside the slayer facility, and for everything and everyone within a hundred yard radius there from, the end was instantaneously.

The last scene Serena Papillon, vampire slayer, saw before she was vaporized by the explosion was the beautiful white light. Her last thought was that she was being visited by God.

"I swear, Kennedy Prescott, you are getting kinkier by the year." Willow tried to sound serious but she was laughing too much. "You may be getting close to Blue Velvet kink…and that's saying a lot."

"I don't get what you're saying. This is not kinky." Kennedy said plainly acting as if Willow wasn't snickering. "I'm merely trying to expand our artistic boundaries…This is performance art."

Willow snorted loudly as she laughed even harder. "Nice try. You want to rub down my chest with honey and stick Apple Jacks cereal to it so you can lick them off and eat them. That's not art…that's breakfast."

Kennedy had the jar of honey in one hand and the cereal box in the other. They had been in the room since Kennedy brought Willow an eclectic breakfast in bed earlier in the morning. She gave Willow a most devilish smirk. "Breakfast to you is art to me." The slayer put the items down on the floor next to the bed then turned to her wife. "Your loss. I was going to make a nice smiley face. Guess what I was gonna use for the eyes?" Kennedy raised an eyebrow as she ogled Willow's nipples.

The witch playfully smacked her slayer on the shoulder. "I rest my case…You just proved the depth of you depravity…Dennis Hopper move over."

The slayer started to laugh along with Willow. "Hey, can you fault me for trying? We've had the house to ourselves for the last two days. By the way, remind me to get Dawn a really big thank you present for taking Sammie to her place this weekend. I almost forgot what it was like not having a kid around."

Willow snuggled closer to her slayer. "I know what you mean. Watch whatever we want on tv. Eat whenever we want. Actually be able to go to a nice restaurant and not worry about food being thrown on the floor." Willow hesitated for a second. "And of course there's the uncensored girl-on-girl action." She blushed slightly.

Kennedy got a big smile. "Hell, yeah. We hadn't done it in the living room in a long time…or the kitchen…or…right, that's when we finally made it to the bed." The brunette slid her hand between Willow's legs. "That's why I want to take advantage of our 'alone' time. Who knows how long it'll be before we get to act this non-parental way again."

Willow's body reacted automatically to Kennedy's touch. Her senses had been on auto-pilot the last forty-eight hours. It had been a wonderfully intimate and romantic weekend for the two of them. They were able to act like new lovers again, being spontaneous and over-exuberant with their expressions of affection. In fact, Willow had to admit their weekend romp had left her a tad sore, but in a delightfully satisfying way. They hadn't gotten much sleep last night, and yet, the redhead felt surprisingly wide awake when she awoke at 7am to Kennedy's attempt at breakfast for her. The one thing they hadn't been able to undo was waking up early in the morning. Even with Samantha gone, and with her the 6:30am need to watch the Disney Channel, the couple still couldn't 'sleep in.' That was fine with them, though, because they were able to 'occupy' their waking moments.

The witch's eyes closed slowly, feeling the caress of a bronzed hand on her hot skin. They had explored their bodies and brought each other to the heights of passion for hours into the night. That would have been special enough for any mere mortal couple. But Willow and Kennedy were different in that regard. They were a witch and slayer, people who lived many days on the verge of battle with evil, on the precipice of death. They recognized the frailty of life and acted accordingly because of it. They touched more, talked more and loved more because they knew how easily it could all be taken away.

Instead of slowing Kennedy, that insatiable brunette with a touch capable of turning a saint to transgression of the flesh, Willow let her body be swept away. She shifted so she was lying on her back, her cue to the slayer that she wanted the woman above her. There was something tangible about feeling the weight of Kennedy's body on top of her as the slayer brought her to the edge. The connectedness planted an extra degree of pleasure for the redhead.

Willow needed no foreplay. Her body was still captured in the mood from their previous encounters. It didn't take Kennedy long before she had her redhead at the door to her release. The two lovers were a synchronized unison of actions. Long ago had they learned what to do, how to touch and when to act upon the other. Kennedy was an expert on Willow's flesh. She knew where to kiss her wife, how to stroke her, when to slow down and speed up. When it came to making love to her wife, in her own way, Kennedy was as much of a maestro as Pavarotti ever was.

It didn't take long before Willow felt her orgasm start to ripple through her body. It started in slow shivers and then grew rapidly, her entire frame raking with tremors. Her thoughts were on the intense feeling. She felt her heart pound and heard her ragged breath. Willow was lost in the moment of her release, only feeling the pleasure and Kennedy's hot skin upon hers.

Willow didn't even hear the phone ringing until she heard Kennedy groan in disapproval.

The witch gathered her bearing quickly as Kennedy moved across her midsection to answer the phone. The slayer glanced at the Caller ID screen. Willow knew that her wife was looking to see if the call was from Dawn. As much as Kennedy acted like she was having the time of her life without Samantha, Willow knew the woman really missed the child greatly. The slayer was also slightly leery of getting the "Sam's hurt and I had to take her to the emergency room" call.

Kennedy quickly glanced at the ID screen. "Faith," she said perturbed. Willow heard a hint of relief. Kennedy hit the answer button and put the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Faith. As usual, you have the most impeccable timing. What's got you calling this early? Just get back from church and had to share the good news?" Kennedy prepared herself for a wise-ass retort from her best friend.

"Turn on your tv…any network. They're all covering it."

"Wha…?"

Despite the cryptic comment, Kennedy motioned for Willow to get the tv remote and turn on the flat screen tv against the wall opposite their bed. The slayer sat up with her back against the headboard.

Kennedy spoke as she waited for the tv to show her whatever it was Faith wanted her to see. "What the hell's up?" she said into the receiver as she turned to the tv. The older slayer's tone had let Kennedy know immediately that something serious had happened. She saw what it was at the same time Faith answered her.

"The Sao Paulo house…It's gone…The whole place was blown up…They're saying there're a lot of people dead." The words were flat as if Faith was too stunned to put context to her statement.

"Oh…my…God."

Kennedy turned to Willow. The witch had moved to the end of the bed. She was sitting there, legs off the end, her hands to her mouth. She was motionless, her eyes glued to the devastation she saw before her. "Oh, my God," she said again, the words just barely escaping from her lips.

Kennedy looked back to the television and watched as the reporter on the scene described the destruction, the death and chaos surrounding the blast that occurred in the middle of the night. He referenced the location of the blast several times. He mentioned a "private girl's school" and several other establishments known to have been in the area. The scene was filled with disoriented, wounded people walking around, emergency crews everywhere, sounds of sirens and screaming and crying in the background. It was total pandemonium.

Words escaped the slayer. Kennedy instinctively got out of bed and stood, her vision polarized on the tv. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, what she was hearing…"Tons of explosives…Maybe hundreds dead…"

"Kennedy!"

Kennedy came out of her bubble and put the phone back to her ear.

"Jesus, Faith. What the hell happened? How could something like that happen?" Slayer facilities were well protected. Kennedy didn't understand how they couldn't have known about a plan to cause that much devastation.

"The news guys are saying it could be a terrorist attack…Al-Qaeda or some home grown extremists."

Kennedy shook her head. "Demons aren't enough? Now we gotta watch out for the fucking terrorists?"

The slayer was silent. Theirs was a duty of fighting evil, true evil, the type born of the underworld. Evil of the human variety was generally left for the Man-made institutions of enforcement. Slayers didn't fear death from the "bad guys." Their deaths weren't from car accidents or old age; even diseases had an uphill battle to take the life from a slayer. Seeing the news now, however, Kennedy thought slayers had a new enemy.

"Hey, Kid, don't jump to conclusions. I said the tv people are using the word terrorists. Sao Paulo ain't the only news this morning, just the biggest…I gotta call from Giles a little while ago…"

While Kennedy talked to Faith, Willow stared at the television. Her shock and dismay were so profound that Kennedy's voice soon became but a hum in the background, incomprehensible just like the view on the small screen.

Willow concentrated on the footage of the destroyed city area, trying to find some marker that would bring back familiarity to her. She knew, from the news reporter statements that the area that had taken the explosion included the slayer compound. But nothing she saw on the tv looked like the area. She'd been to the building hundreds of times while they lived in Sao Paulo. A part of her wanted to believe that the reporters were mistaken as to the location. She wanted to believe that her friends and the other people she had never gotten the privilege to meet weren't dead but safe in their facility looking upon the news with as much horror as she.

But Willow knew her hope was just that, hope for the impossible. The news cast had shown aerial footage of the location of the explosion. The slayer facility had been obliterated. Everyone who was in the building at the time was gone. Surely, many other residents in surrounding buildings met the same fate. Her only solace now was the hope that some of the inhabitants of the obliterated houses weren't there that night. For the slayers, she urgently hoped some last minute caper had demanded them to leave the comfort of their beds in order to keep the world safe. Willow knew that whether her hope had teeth would be answered by the Council, which by that time she suspected had to have been determining the extent of slayer death.

"Will? Babe? You ok?"

Willow heard her name through the fog of numbness. She slowly turned her head toward the sound. She saw Kennedy standing next to her, staring at her, a look of both concern and profound sadness.

"Kennedy, how could this happen?" The witch's words were full of confusion. "Who was there?…Do we know…" Willow couldn't continue. The idea of contemplating who might be dead was too overwhelming for her.

"No one knows anything yet, really. Faith talked to Giles and the Council found out about it from an informant for the Council. There was a meeting of all the Central and South American slayers at the compound…"

"What?" Willow interrupted.

"A slayer meeting, like the ones we've had in Cleveland."

"And this happened at the same time?"

Kennedy could tell Willow knew where this was leading. They'd been dealing with demons and the underworld long enough to know that coincidences like this just didn't happen.

Pointing to the tv, "This isn't the only thing. Faith told me the other installations got hit too, just not this bad." Kennedy leaned forward and put her hand on her wife's shoulder. "Florence, Morocco, Beijing. It looks like all of them…even London."

Willow's eyes widened as Kennedy's words sunk in. "What about here? What about Cleveland?…Boston?…Buffy?…" The newest development was too much for Willow.

"Buffy's fine. No one was hit…The U.S. facilities are ok. Giles checked already. It's just every place else."

The shock was starting to wear off and now Willow wanted information. "Only overseas? What did Faith tell you? Does Giles know anything about who's dea…" Willow couldn't say the word – 'dead' was not a word Willow voluntarily used in her vocabulary. She'd seen too much of, came too close to and caused her fair of it let 'death' keep a permanent place in her language.

Kennedy sat down next to Willow. "They're scrambling, Wil. Giles and the rest of the Council are about as clueless as we are right now. They're trying to track down all the non-US slayers…The main priority is to find out how many slayers survived…how many were killed."

"What happened at the other places?" Willow wondered the severity of their breach considering the scene that was still playing itself out on national tv.

"From what Giles told her, Faith said the other places weren't big like Sao Paulo. There was a huge fire at one and the smaller facilities, they think, might have been overrun by demons. They don't now any specifics…Giles wasn't even sure if those facts are legit…It's one big blur right now."

Willow stared at the floor, unable to speak. She closed her eyes. She could feel her muscles tense and she felt nauseas. It was the same feeling she got when rode a roller coaster. Willow hated roller coasters. The witch didn't need any more scenes on the television or words from Kennedy to know…

…Evil was back.

Willow's next concern was how long before it came after her slayer and the rest of the U.S. contingency. Given everything she'd been through in her life, the redhead knew there was no way that the rest of the slayers wouldn't be targeted.

It was then Willow realized she and Kennedy were still naked. Like a zombie, the redhead stood up. Without looking at Kennedy, she walked over to their dresser.

"We better get dressed."

Kennedy went and stood behind her wife. She out her hands on Willow's shoulders, lightly, yet with a supportive touch.

"Everything's gonna be fine, Willow." Kennedy had to believe it was so.

Willow looked up and saw her and Kennedy in the mirror. She tried to appear like she knew Kennedy was right. The corner of her mouth turned up ever so slightly.

Willow tried to smile to let Kennedy knew she believed her. The witch tried but failed. She failed because this time something in her gut told her all might not be fine. Somehow she felt another apocalypse was brewing.

Their safe and happy life was gone, the last few months of carefree existence shattered by one early morning phone call.

Before Kennedy answered Faith's call, she and Willow had been immersed in the couple's recaptured closeness. After the episode with Amy, the couple once again reconnected.

However, their closeness was not directed only towards each other. For sure, they touched more and shared a greater part of their thoughts and concerns. As with other 'close calls,' Willow and Kennedy embraced the precarious nature of their lives. They saw how close to losing it all they had come and compensated for it.

Their last foray with the enemy had taken on an entirely new facet. Samantha had been brought into the mix. At first, the couple thought their precious daughter was the prey. Even when it became known that Amy was attempting to destroy Willow by way of her family, the main target for that goal was still their sweet child.

Neither slayer nor witch had ever been so personally frightened and enraged at the same time. The idea that Samantha might get hurt, or worse, made them want to hold the child and never let her go. They skirted the fact that it was their magickal actions several years earlier in New Hampshire had led to this. Had their selfishness, their desire to have a child like "regular" people, bring them to this point? They had defied nature. Was the Great Mystery exacting its quid pro quo? That was the place from which their fright was born.

At the same time, however, the couple had been consumed by an all encompassing desire to obliterate whoever was responsible for endangering their child. When they identified their foe as Amy, the need for swift and brutal justice had to be quelled from their every thought. The process was easier for Willow. She had been to the pit of blind vengeance. She knew firsthand how swimming in that cesspool of hate transformed the soul. As much as she wanted Amy punished, with the ultimate penalty, the witch knew that her rage had to be tempered and controlled by her compassion, the very thing that made her better than the woman trying to hurt her daughter.

Kennedy, though, had a much harder time with her rage. She was, by nature, a woman who acted swiftly upon her feelings. It was one thing that Willow loved about the woman. Kennedy wore her emotions not on her shirt sleeve, but all over her, like a shroud. Her passion for life, her family and her destiny were molded by that trait. Her reaction to the news that Amy was responsible for the actions against Sammie was one of erupted viciousness. Kennedy became like a shark smelling blood in the water. She wanted to kill Amy; not a clean, quick death. She wanted the woman to die an agonizing death.

That instant reaction in the slayer was met strongly by Willow. If not for the redhead, there was no doubt Kennedy would have tried to carry out her plan. It was Willow who was able to soothe the emotional fire in the slayer, to make her see that she couldn't let the slayer in her become a murderer. Kennedy finally saw the truth in Willow's words and turned her rage for revenge into rage for justice. In the end, she got both. Amy's death, though not by her hands, satisfied some inner need for more than the Council's handling of retribution.

The experience of having Samantha's life in danger had an immeasurable effect on Willow and Kennedy. After the episode, the couple kept their child close and lathered her in affection. They spoiled her to a great degree, giving her gifts and letting her have her way for several weeks. They were just so happy that Sammie was safe and out of harm's way.

Of course, the indulgence didn't continue. It was soon replaced with an acceptance that she was no longer in danger. Whatever guilt the couple might have harbored for her foray into the world of evil intentions had subsided. Gifts were replaced with actions. They spent more quality time with Samantha. The key focus for Kennedy and Willow became family. They had spent the last few months acting like the perfect American family, loving parents with an adoring child.

As winter gave way to spring, the Prescott/Rosenberg family underwent a similar transformation. The anxiety over the 'Amy incident' melted away like the last snowfall. Inner guilt gave way to a blossoming of parental peace. By May, though the event had not been forgotten, it had been put behind all of them. Samantha no longer had bad dreams nor was she scared about "monsters" or "the bad lady." Kennedy and Willow likewise slept sounder at night. They weren't apprehensive when Sammie went to her activity classes or attended a friend's birthday party.

Though the focus during this time was on family, both women also occupied their time with other important matters. Kennedy didn't have the luxury of time off. Though Amy's plan had been stopped, there were other demons and horribleness waiting for her attention. She and Lee Gagno patrolled their area as before, thwarting evil plans and catching and destroying the ones responsible.

For reasons unknown to Kennedy, as soon as Amy died, demon activity increased to the level it was at the end of the year. The part of the increased activity that pleased Kennedy was that she and Lee were once again facing the usual demon issues. Gone were the brain-washed zombie vamps programmed by Amy to kill her. Now she merely had to defend the innocents from the undead and unearthly who wanted to take over the world. Kennedy welcomed the return to 'normalcy.'

There was a slight change, however, in the relationship between Kennedy and Lee. The younger slayer always knew she was second-in-command, that Kennedy was the boss and she took her orders from the brunette. Despite that, Lee had never felt that Kennedy didn't trust her abilities. Lee knew she was a good slayer and felt that Kennedy knew that also. The fact that one of them had to be in charge didn't mean to her that one was inferior as a slayer.

The situation with Amy, however, changed her perception. Kennedy didn't come to her right away when she and Willow decided to go after Amy. In fact, she wasn't included in that mission at all. She had been relegated, along with Giles, to keep Sammie safe. That's not to say that Lee had an issue with making sure Samantha was not harmed. She loved the girl like an aunt and would never want her in danger. But still, Lee couldn't understand why Kennedy didn't even discuss the matter with her. They had developed lots of plans, gone on many missions to fight the most despicable type of nonhuman filth there was. But this time, when it was personal, Kennedy didn't include her. Lee thought she and Kennedy were closer than that.

Of course, Lee didn't comprehend the base instinct of a mother's need to protect her young. To Lee, defeating Amy was safer and more certain of being accomplished with two slayers. She didn't see what was really occurring – Willow's and Kennedy's primal reaction to the threat to their daughter. Kennedy didn't think of letting Lee in because the responsibility to protect Samantha was hers and Willow's. It wasn't that Kennedy thought any less of Lee; but when it came to Sammie's safety, a mother's protective need trumped a slayer's duty.

Lee never told Kennedy of her feelings on the subject matter. She continued to do her part in the fight against evil. But, the usual banter and slayer discussions eased. Lee stopped asking Kennedy's advice on her relationship with her girlfriend Paulette. It was only when Kennedy questioned her that Lee gave her information. The younger slayer knew why she held back from Kennedy. She was hurt. Her Midwest upbringing led her to value her trait of dependability the most. She felt Kennedy misjudged her, lost some modicum of respect for her as a slayer and a friend.

Kennedy was not oblivious to the change. Small as it was, the brunette felt the shift also. At first, she assumed that Lee might be having problems with Paulette. She knew how easily relationship issues could bleed into the work arena. She gave Lee space to see if it was a passing matter. When it persisted, Kennedy tried to get Lee to tell her what was wrong. She always got the same reply – "Nothing's wrong, Kennedy." Kennedy knew Lee well enough to know that she wasn't the type to "spill her guts." Lee was of the salt-of-the-earth kind of people, individuals raised to mind their manners, go to church and not complain about their lot in life. The younger slayer lived the life given to her, without consternation. Kennedy assumed that the best she could do was to let the younger slayer know she was there whenever the woman wanted a friend to lean on. She never confronted Lee because she thought it would push the woman farther away.

By May, the slayers had accepted the small distancing in their relationship. They were still as effective in battle; their symmetry in slaying was never impinged. The saddest aspect of the whole situation was that the change between the slayers was based initially on a misunderstanding by one. It continued due to a false assumption by the other.

Though Kennedy had become less involved in Lee's life, she had become more so in Dawn's. Both she and Willow had a rebirth, of sorts, of their friendship with Buffy's sister.

After the incident with Amy, Dawn was called away on another investigatory mission for the Council. She'd been personally recommended by Giles. Dawn went back to Italy to help translate some old papyrus scrolls found deep within the catacombs of a fifteenth century monastery. The writings on the scrolls were definitely not Italian or Latin or any other language known to regular anthropological linguists. The archeologist who made the find was an associate to the Council, a fact only known by him and a few people in the Council. It was little known that the Watcher's Council had people embedded throughout the world in a variety of professions. These individuals kept on the lookout for otherworldly events or happenings. Many of the so called "miracles" investigated by the Roman Catholic Church were simultaneously scrutinized by members of the Council working undercover.

Dawn was able to be of assistance and within a month finished her assignment. Upon her return, she felt a need to spend more time with family. She visited Buffy and Xander a few times. She also spent more time at Willow's and Kennedy's house, spending the weekend at times. Dawn adored Sammie and she quickly became the little girl's favorite aunty.

It was during these visits that Willow and Kennedy noticed a certain change in Dawn. It wasn't exactly melancholy but she didn't seem to have the usual 'exuberance' they had come to know and expect in the woman. Dawn was quieter and introspective. When she did engage, she was more prone to discussions of the meaning of life and everyone's place in the world.

Willow had seen this side of Dawn before, if not to the degree exhibited now. It was after Joyce Summers died. Dawn had turned inside herself, the feeling of loneliness unable to be vocalized to Buffy who at that time was having her own heap of problems. Dawn was mature enough now not to turn to petty activities as a call for attention. Gone were the days of shoplifting. Although, in some respects, acting out may have made it easier for Buffy's sister.

But Dawn was Buffy's sister and shared more of her sister's character than she cared to admit. During the time spent together, Willow saw Dawn try to cope with her feelings on her own. Like Buffy, Dawn kept her personal life's shortcomings to herself. It took not so subtle pressing by Willow pressed to get her to talk.

Dawn was in Middleton for the weekend. Kennedy was at the gym training with Lee and Samantha was taking an unexpected nap. Willow and Dawn were in the sunroom talking about nothing in particular when Willow questioned her about her dating life.

"Sooo, Dawnie, got any cute guys on the hook?" Willow really didn't mean to be nosy. She was just trying to start any conversation to get Dawn to talk.

"I've given up, Willow. Nothing works out. There must be something wrong with me."

"Dawnie, there is nothing wrong with you. You're great. If the guys you've dated can't see that…then they're just knuckleheads."

"No. They aren't…weren't. That's the thing…Ok, one or two were butt wads, but overall, I have pretty good taste in guys. But nothing lasts. How can it always be the guy's fault?" Then Dawn mumbled under her breath, "Maybe I'm no different than Buffy."

Willow was intrigued by that last comment. Everyone knew about Buffy's long and difficult experience with men, demon and non-demon alike. Before she met Jimmy, the blonde's love life was no better than a train wreck. Even Buffy's relationship with Jimmy had had its numerous tenuous moments.

"Dawn, you're a different person than Buff. Her situation was completely different…I mean really, a slayer dating vampires? Besides, everyone goes through what you're going through."

Dawn snorted. "You didn't."

Willow went to talk but then hesitated. Dawn was right in one way. The redhead hadn't gone through the dating nightmare that she and the other Scoobies had. The redhead didn't have a slew of boyfriends or girlfriends. Mostly, that was due to the fact that she was considered a brainy geek in school, not something desired by most. When she finally blossomed, her connections were few but real. Her dalliance with Xander was hardly worth mentioning in terms of mature relationships even though she had pined for him since a little girl. Oz was her first love and her first broken heart. Then there was Tara. They had clicked from the start. Her troubles with the blond witch had nothing to do with the dating scene. They were self imposed. It was because of Tara that Willow knew true grief and despair. After Tara came Kennedy. Willow hadn't contemplated having another relationship before she met her slayer. She was still too raw from the loss of Tara.

Willow understood her relationship experience was limited and filled with exceptional people. From that perspective, what Dawn said was correct, but that didn't mean the redhead didn't understand the hardships with trying to connect with another human being. It certainly didn't mean that she didn't know sorrow or doubt.

"You're right. I've been very lucky. I didn't do much of the dating thing. But that doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. Ever think you're too good for those guys? That they don't get how smart and kind and special you are?"

Dawn shook her head. "Yeah, well, I'd rather be plain ol' Dawn and not be by myself."

"You don't mean that. You wouldn't be with some guy just for that would you? I know it's not the same thing, but you're not alone, Dawn. You have me and Kennedy and Sammie…and I'm sure Buffy would say she's definitely there too."

Softly, "I wish I had what you and Kennedy have. You two seem to connect on so many levels. I've never had that…ever. I thought I did once. But never that spark."

That statement took Willow by surprise. Dawn had never showed so much acknowledgment to her and Kennedy's relationship. She knew Dawn had grown very fond of Kennedy over the years, but she never knew Dawn grasped just how strong the two were together. It pleased Willow to see how much the woman recognized the quality of their life.

The other reason Willow was startled by the statement was because she was certain that Dawn had been in love before. Not just the 'first time' kind of love but an honest and deep love. The witch was saddened that Dawn knew the difference and that she hadn't found that profound love yet.

"Oh, Sweetie, you will. You're too good of a person not to. If I could use my magick and find the guy for you, I would."

In a tone half sarcastic, "Maybe no guy is right for me. Remember back in Sunnydale when Xander decided he was turning gay because of all the bad dates? Maybe he was onto something."

Willow laughed. "I don't think it works like that. It certainly didn't for Xander. If bad dates were all it took, the entire world would be gay…at least New Jersey. I can't imagine anyone has a good date there."

Dawn saw that Willow was getting concerned. She tried to lighten the conversation. "What? You don't want me turning gay? I could very easily be gay. I like Angelina Jolie better than Julia Roberts. I drink Miller Lite…when I drink beer. I…"

Willow was laughing now. "Ok…ok…You can be gay. Just stop with the stereotypes." Willow put her arm around Dawn's shoulder. "I know you're going through a tough time. And I'm here whenever you want to talk. But you know what, Dawnie?…There's someone out there right now who doesn't even know how lucky they're going to be when they finally find you. And for the record, I don't care who it is as long as you're happy." Willow stopped for a moment then added, "That's not true. If your true love's a demon…we've got problems."

The conversation that night lifted Dawn's spirits. She still felt alone and lonely but had some hope. Willow and Dawn spent other times talking and being friends. Their relationship changed over time. Dawn was no longer Buffy's bratty little sister. Willow came to see her as her own woman, with attributes and shortcomings like every other person. Willow stopped measuring Dawn by 'Dawn the teenager' standards. The two had become close as mature women.

Dawn's relationship with Kennedy also deepened during those several months after Amy's defeat. It was due in large part to Willow's gentle nudging of the slayer to help Dawn have more faith and trust in herself. Of all of Kennedy's traits, a strong self image was the foremost. Willow also told Kennedy about Dawn's sense of solitude and inability to really connect with any of her past romances. This was a place very familiar to Kennedy and the slayer knew she could give another perspective.

Kennedy, Willow and Dawn had a discussion about that very subject one night over a bottle of wine. They were once again discussing relationships and were in the middle of their talk when Samantha woke up and came downstairs. Knowing she merely needed a little 'Mommy' time, Willow took the girl back to her room.

While Willow was gone, Kennedy and Dawn continued to talk.

"Being married…being with someone, twenty-four, seven…it takes getting used to. It's way different than when you're dating them. You're on your good behavior then."

Dawn took a sip of wine. "It's gotta be worth it though…right?"

Kennedy smiled softly. "Yeah. It is. I can't see myself without Wil. I wouldn't want to be."

Dawn sat there for a while and thought. "It must be nice…to be that close to someone…to want to be with 'em all the time."

Kennedy chuckled. "Hold on, I wouldn't go that far…" The slayer laughed. "Just kidding. Until I met Willow, I never wanted to be around someone all the time. Too much commitment." Kennedy looked at Dawn who didn't seem surprised.

"When you first came to the house with Giles…Well, let's just say it seemed kind of obvious you were a player."

"Hey, I was never that bad. I wasn't some hound just looking for a quickie." Then more seriously, "But now I realize that I never wanted anything really deep before Wil. Back then, being ready to be the next slayer was everything to me. I trained hard and played hard. I don't think I treated my girlfriends badly…In fact, I always showed then a good time. But I never wanted any of them more than I wanted to be a slayer."

Now Dawn was intrigued. "But you wanted Willow?"

Kennedy shook her head slowly. "Not wanted…needed. Sounds hokey I know, but from the first moment I saw her, something went haywire in me. I can't describe it. She was everything I never thought I would ever want."

"It happened that fast?"

"Yes…well, no. I mean Willow got my attention right away. I think I tried to pretend it wasn't love for a little while…but you know Buffy's line, 'Once you fall for Willow…'"

"That's nice, Kennedy. I know this isn't very grown up of me, but I'm kind of jealous of you…of what you have with Willow."

"Dawn, everyone has their own way of falling in love. Just ask Willow…or Buffy. All I know is that you shouldn't settle for less. And you shouldn't be scared to take a chance…That's what I really learned with Wil. Nobody else made me want to take the leap."

At that moment, Willow came down the stairs and entered the living room again. Dawn and Kennedy stared at her.

Willow got self conscious. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something stuck to my face?" she said as she wiped her hand over her cheek.

Kennedy and Dawn started to laugh.

Motioning Willow to join her on the couch, Kennedy said warmly, "Nothing on your face. I was just telling Dawn how much of a pain in the butt you are."

Dawn watched as Willow sat down next to her wife and gave her a sweet kiss. The slayer and witch embraced. Dawn could see the love. She longed for that connection. More than anything else, Dawn wanted her life to change.

The sister of Buffy, the vampire slayer, had no idea how much her life was about to change.

The Great Mystery, all that was and ever will be. The Mystery knows not of Good and Evil. That is a concept created by thinking beings longing to understand their existence. All belong to the Mystery, without labels, without judgment. The truth of the Universe, one of the names given to the Unknowable Mystery, is that it is unbiased to its makeup. Being is being, energy is energy; there is no good or bad to it. There are no motives, just actions.

Unthinkable to Man is the concept that Good and Evil are not opposing forces, just opposite actions, energy acting according to its nature much like the killer shark and the gentle panda. It is beyond the grasp of the human mind to accept that the 'fight' between Good and Evil is really not a fight at all. To the Mystery, the ebb and flow of dominance between the two forces is merely the shifting of energy, power. It is the changing of one form to another with the result being the continuity of the Universe. Regardless of the shift, the energy remains as does the Great Mystery.

In this regard, the total dominion of Good or Evil is not an apocalyptic event. That provincial viewpoint is yet another mortal created hypothesis. The infinite dance, the timeless interaction of the energy Man calls Good and Evil affects not the Universe, only those creatures that live within it, the ones that base their existence on a particular caliber of the elements.

And so, the eternal struggle for the First to command control over the world is, in this light, an expected force. It exists and exerts because it is energy, ever present. It may wane, but like the pendulum, its power will always flow back for dominion.

The battle against the First at Sunnydale is one example of the recession and change of energy, Evil drifting away like the turning of the tide. Evil did not cease to exist; it merely succumbed to the dominion of Good. Energy was not lost; it only changed form, and the pendulum swept outward.

But as with the tides, the forces within the Mystery began to shift again. The First began to strengthen. Potential energy changing into kinetic. It was only a matter of time before Evil was positioned to take dominion again, to push against the forces that had beaten it down.

To the Great Mystery, no confrontation exists for all energy is its child.

For those mortal souls who exist by the concepts of Good and Evil, however, the conflict determines their very existence. The outcome for them is life on Earth or eternal damnation in a place of unimaginable suffering. For them, the First must be metered, the flow of energy stifled and brought back into the Light.

The disaster at Sao Paulo was a sign the First was on the march again. And once more, the protectors of the innocent, the survivors of Sunnydale and those who came after them, would know the First's wrath.

Deep violet eyes studied the liquid in the bowl. They were enraptured by the view wading on the surface. The scene played out as it had in Sao Paulo. A building, the slayer compound. It looked so serene in the quiet night. Then the explosion; the bright light, the intensity of the eruption so strong that even the liquid in the bowl rippled.

The figure, a woman by earthly standards, let out an approving "Yessss."

She waved a hand over the bowl and the scene in the liquid changed. It was now a view of a horrendous blaze engulfing a wooden structure, another slayer compound, tucked within the rolling hills of the northern China's grazing land. Another wave and another scene. In actuality, a collage of scenes, showing hundreds of Kauron demons, a breed akin to Bringers, ambushing and murdering slayers in Italy, France and other countries. The slayers in each battle looked out-powered and defeated.

On and on the floating pictures appeared, each one making lavender eyes widen slightly bigger in delight.

Finally, the horror show ended.

The woman straightened her stance. Eyes closed and she and took in a deep breath. She held it and then slowly released as she brought her thin arms up in front of her, palms facing down to the underworld.

"First blood…to strike out the eyes of the outliers." The voice was as twisted as her face angelic.

The figure lowered her arms and leaned over the bowl again. The reflection in the liquid beaming up to violet orbs this time was of Samantha sleeping in her bed.

The woman made the same movements as before and as her arms outstretched stated, "Of quiet surge…to possess the instrument and own the future."

One last time, the woman gazed into the bowl. Fixated eyes once more viewed a scene. This one was of a girl, no more than sixteen years old, with jet black hair and dark, bronzed skin. The girl was in the back of a moving truck, locked in the trailer with others of like Mexican heritage. They were crammed into the dark, stale aired space. The girl was languid, frail and visibly in need of medical care. Her expression shouted the fact that she was scared. But of what? Her deep brown eyes showed fear of being caught illegally within the United States, of being sent back to a place she feared worse than death.

The frightened girl jostled around in the cramp quarters, knocking into others who said nothing but pushed her back despite their knowledge of her delicate situation. Her only active motion was to periodically place her hand on her swollen belly. She was in the swarm of illegal aliens solely for the future of her unborn child. In her mind, she pictured the sunlit, bustling expanse of an Oregonian city. There she knew her child could be born and cared for regardless of her fate. She did not know, however, that the truck carrying the illegals had left California's Route 5, the pathway to her perceived destination, and was barreling toward San Francisco Bay.

The woman leaning over the bowl closed her eyes one last time. She drew several deep breaths and took three steps away from the table on which the bowl sat. She turned, almost methodically, as if her every move was memorized. She blindly walked over to the stone wall of her retreat, a cave-like area. A slow and monotone chant started. It grew in intensity until the woman bolted her eyes open.

In front of her now the wall began to take on a malleable quality. It was as if the wall were made of a sinewy-like substance instead of rock. Small hands reached out and into the surface. They separated the space like curtains, and exposed a scene.

The woman stared out into the day time. Off in the far distance was the Golden Gate Bridge, shrouded in mist. As she stared, the view began to change, her gaze like a telescope pulling in the landscape. The more she looked, the more detail appeared. Streets and buildings went zooming by. The view became myopic, like following a surgical camera down a patient's larynx.

Finally, the roving gaze found the highway, and then a nondescript truck…'the' truck. The view fixated on the moving vehicle.

The woman's eyes turned black and she stepped into that visual plane, becoming a part of the scene but not of the reality. She moved her arms and head as if being showered by the scene. Her form started to change. It folded and churned into thousands of shapes. From human to demon, the thing that was once a woman changed and mutated. The object molded and melded upon itself until finally it returned to the form that had stepped into the ethereal scene of the truck. In a seamless move, she stepped out of that dimensional plane.

The form that stood motionless, breathing deeply, was once again the beautiful, young woman with deep lavender eyes. She had long, wavy flowing black hair and a slender figure. Her appearance by any standard of the centuries was one of total exquisiteness. This was the form chosen. Of an eternity of shapes and bodies and beings, this earthly transformation would be used to bring the pendulum of forces to the ultimate of extreme.

Mesmerizing violet eyes burst into cold black.

They looked back to where she just came. The view of the trailer still there, but the scene was motionless as if stuck on pause. The woman glared with those coal black eyes. She knew the unborn child was inside that moving steel box. She could feel it.

"Birth and death…One future ended to bring all futures to life." The words were spoken not to the teenage girl in the truck but to her unborn child.

The woman tilted her head back so that she was looking up to the heavens.

"The time has come for the bidding of the damned to be done. Ours will triumph and rule the world."

The First was on the war path again.

Giles felt like his stomach was in his mouth. It had been many years since he'd had such a sickening feeling. In fact, the last time was when he discovered the First's plan before the Sunnydale battle.

The Brit had just finished his call with Faith. He'd already talked to Buffy about the horrible turn of events in Brazil and elsewhere.

Giles found out about the catastrophe while he was at the Council's headquarters just outside of London. He was there to have a semi-annual meeting on, of all things, slayer distribution throughout the world. The gatherings were done in order to make sure that demon activity didn't increase too much in an area without slayer intervention of some manner. Usually, it took merely a few months to a year of slayer presence to make a part of the world a "demon light" zone.

The Council members were in the middle of their meeting when they received a call from a Sao Paulo government official. She was one of the people the Council planted numerous years ago to help keep it informed of world events that might be underworld related. The Council assistant who took the call immediately interrupted the meeting with the devastating news.

Instantly, Giles and others began to contact other slayer installations while they gathered more information on the Sao Paulo explosion. Within an hour, they knew that no U.S. installation was attacked but that several of the non-U.S. facilities had been destroyed. The Brazilian facility had been hit with the most force. Several of the others were made to look like a fire erupted or a gas line blew. The information also began to dribble in that some other facilities had not been directly targeted but the slayers at those places were. When Giles called Buffy, no one knew for certain how many slayers were dead.

Though Giles' initial calls were with the other higher echelon Council members, his first personal call was to Buffy. He had to call the blonde directly to tell her what had happened. When he phoned Buffy, she was still in bed. While he waited for Jimmy to wake her, the Englishman noted to himself how glad he was that his former charge had gotten to the point in her life where she could 'sleep in.' No longer was Buffy the guard for the innocents of the world. Giles recalled how much of Buffy's life had been spent getting anything but enough sleep. There had been times when the blonde slayer didn't sleep at all for days on end. That he now had to wait for the woman to take his call gave him some satisfaction.

After his conversation with Buffy, Giles called Faith. It didn't seem strange to him that the second person he informed was the slayer who once made his life a living Hell. The Faith of old, the one that couldn't and wouldn't take responsibility, had died in Sunnydale. Ever since she returned to Sunnydale to fight the First, Faith was an exemplary slayer. Though she didn't like partnering, when she had to in New York she worked well with the other slayer. She and Miguel had a very well run operation, notwithstanding the span of time that Faith almost called it quits with the man and slaying.

Giles called Faith because she needed to be informed about the events. He knew she and Miguel had the closest relations to the Brazilian facility. They had many friends and other connections in Sao Paulo. He didn't want her to find out about the destruction from the TV news.

As suspected, Faith and Miguel were both stunned and beyond angry when they were told about the explosion. All Faith kept saying was "How could someone get past all the security?" Giles didn't have an answer for her. "Giles, you were involved in setting that up, how could it happen?" Still, no answer.

When Giles finished with Faith, he told her he was going to call Kennedy and Willow. Faith insisted that she call the couple. "We had a lot of friends down there, Giles…Let me tell 'em." Giles understood what Faith was saying without directly requesting of him. This was very personal for those who had lived with those people. "Of course, Faith. Please know that you have my deepest sympathy. I know you were close to many down there. Hopefully, there are some that weren't in the house…We're doing everything we can to find out."

His calls done, Giles requested to be informed about the latest status report. It had been confirmed that every non-U.S. slayer had been targeted in some way. They hadn't found any survivors yet, but there were many slayers that weren't accounted for and that meant that there was hope they were still alive.

As the day wore on, the Englishman became numb. Report after report gave new insight to the onslaught on the worldwide slayer network. At one point, Andrew asked Giles whether he needed to lie down and rest. "Giles, you look really bad. Are you gonna pass out?" Andrew had no clue how hard Giles had taken the day's events. The reinvigorated Watcher's Council, the new slayer network, these were all, to a large extent, Giles' children. He had been a part of the old ways, the Council that had existed for centuries, the one that treated the slayer as a charge instead of an equal partner. He had changed all that. Giles has seen the worst the Council could do and he made it into something that brought out its best. But now, his hard work, his sweat and time and life had been destroyed in a few hours.

A part of the Englishman longed for those days when his only responsibility was an obstinate blonde slayer. Making Buffy into the slayer she became was the shining accomplishment in Giles' watcher career. To be certain, Buffy came to him with an attitude and resolve never seen before in a slayer. Her need for the friendships with Willow and Xander was something that Giles had tried to quell in the beginning. But then he realized that it made her a better slayer. That's when his transformation as a watcher started. He helped Buffy grow as a slayer and she helped him grow as a watcher and man.

Giles' life now was anything but a growing experience on a personal level. He was too busy coordinating, planning, dealing with finances and keeping the entire operation running smoothly to ponder whether his job was actually benefiting him as a person.

As he thought about his 'job' now, he got a strong sense in his gut that he was going to be taking a new direction. He was still the boss, but of what? He'd been having some yearnings to get back into the action after going to help Willow and Kennedy when Samantha was targeted. He was sure that he would now have to get closer to the action because so there was so much less insulation than before. Was he ready to fight? Could he survive at this stage? Was there still that hunger for truth and goodness to prevail that could carry him through whatever might be ahead? Times were different; he was different. Fighting evil forces directly took on a new perspective for the man.

Giles had no doubt that some form of evil had conducted the obliteration that was on every television station. He realized that every slayer the Council knew or would confirm was dead had met that fate at the hand of the supreme malevolence.

The Brit also understood that only the U.S. slayers had gone untouched. That was no coincidence. It was only a matter of time that they too would be subject to an attack. Giles had been in the game too long to label the day's events as a onetime event or even an attack to take over part of the world. To Giles, this had the stench of Evil at its most rotten core. The dread of an all out assault on the remaining slayers was so real the Englishman could feel it in his bones. How it would be accomplished, though, and when was still unknown.

There was some time, however, to put the pieces together. That would be accomplished primarily by the many superbly qualified people who worked for the Watcher's Council and its covert allies. Giles had another pressing matter. He had to go to the United States and help, in whatever way he could, to make sure that the U.S. contingency stayed alive.

Just like he had done before, Giles was going to leave England to be with his American brood. This time he wouldn't be bringing with him any potentials. This time it would be Andrew that accompanied him. As irritating as the man could still be, Andrew had become highly efficient in computers and was well informed and articulate in many of the Council's operational components.

Giles had to inform the Scoobies of his and Andrew's trip. It would take a day or so to coordinate. He wasted no time. He contacted Andrew and told him the news. "This is a bloody, awful mess, Andrew. Get packed. We're going to Cleveland."

Giles was about to return to the action. Whether he would survive as he'd done in the past was another matter altogether.

"Jesus Christ! We gotta do something, Mick. I can't stand doing nothing." Faith was ranting and pacing around their New York apartment. She'd finished her call with Kennedy a few hours earlier. Faith hated not being proactive. The idea of sitting in front of the television or waiting for the phone to ring to get information irritated her. If nothing else, Faith was hands-on when it came to fact gathering. She always took to the streets instead of waiting for the snitches to track her down.

Miguel sat in his chair, watching Faith scramble around the place. He'd seen this side of the slayer many times. He knew best to let her vent. During his time with Faith, the Brazilian came to understand that the woman was like a lion in captivity. As much as she tried to play by the rules, there were times when she just had to exert her base animal nature. In the context of the Sao Paulo explosion that meant that Faith had the building urge to seek retribution. People she knew had been killed and the slayer wanted to hunt down the murderers and crush the very life out of them. Walking around her New York apartment would get her no closer to that goal.

"Faith, there's nothing we can do. We have to let the Council do its job. They'll let us know as soon as they have any information. You know they will."

Faith gave Miguel a look of disappointment. "Friends died Mickey…and all you can say is we can't do a thing?"

"You want us to get on a plane right now and go to Sao Paulo? How would that help, Faith?" The man's voice got deeper. "I would do that in a second if I thought it would do some good. But we have to be ready in case there are attacks here. Have you thought of that? That you and the rest of slayers here could be under target right now?" Miguel wanted as much as Faith to be of use in this horrible time. However, running off to Brazil was out of the question. There was too much uncertainty and danger for Faith and him to act without thinking.

Miguel's comment didn't sit well with the slayer. "Whoever did this will come after us when they want to. So just because something or someone might have a bug up its ass to knock us off here in the U.S. doesn't mean I'm gonna piss my pants and hide out."

Miguel rubbed his forehead in frustration. "This isn't about hiding out. And it's not about being scared because of what's happened. You have to face the fact that you, Kennedy, Buffy and the others might be attacked. At the very least, all of you may need to go to Europe to fight whatever killed the other slayers. So it makes sense to stay here until we get more information from Giles. We need to know what the plan is, Faith…for everyone."

Faith, by the end of Miguel's discussion, had stopped pacing. She was leaning against the wall by the door. She said nothing for several moments.

"Shit! Fine. I'll chill and wait. But if Giles doesn't call with a plan real soon…"

Miguel chuckled. He appreciated the small allowance the slayer made. "…Your ability to make concessions overwhelms me."

Faith knew the comment was meant to lighten the tone of conversation. It worked. Miguel's ways always worked on her.

The road for Faith and Miguel had not been an easy one. The slayer did not trust easily, had abandonment issues and was otherwise an extremely independent personality. It was difficult for Miguel to break through her tough skin of utter self-reliance. But he did. Unfortunately, the Brazilian's stubbornness and ego proved to be just as much of a barrier for them. They battled through miscommunication, infantile behavior and outright stupidity.

Their breakup when Miguel was sick proved to be the turning point for them. With help from Willow and Kennedy, the two head strong personalities finally came to understand that they were best when together. They realized what Kennedy and Willow had learned, that relationships were hard work and they were well worth the effort required.

In the initial time after Miguel's return from Brazil, though, that lesson wasn't at the surface yet. For several weeks, they both walked on egg shells. But eventually, the bond between them won out and they started to talk…and to listen. By the time of the fateful call from Giles, Miguel and Faith were a smooth running couple.

The news of the assault on the slayer network had Faith riled up. She and Miguel spent that morning and well into the afternoon talking and making phone calls to Brazilian friends and contacts. Generally, they did anything they could think of to make the hardship more bearable. They kept their minds and their time occupied.

Just before 3pm, Faith was trying yet another time to reach any of the Sao Paulo slayers. She kept hoping that her cell calls would be answered.

Out of nowhere, there was a knock on their door.

Neither had heard a sound before the knock.

Miguel and Faith froze immediately and fixated on the door. Faith gave Miguel a look that he knew meant, "Who the hell could that be?" Faith stared at the Brazilian. He shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, "I don't know. I didn't hear anyone."

The couple's anxious looks expressed their concern without words. Was this the start of the attacks on the U.S. slayers? Were they about to be blown up or torched…or worse?

Neither moved an inch while the clogs in their minds spun looking for a plan of action.

Knock, knock. This time harder.

Faith creased her brows and gave Miguel a confused look. She thought it odd that their alleged murderer would be so well mannered as to repeatedly knock before entering.

"Faith McAllister?"

The voice was of a young boy.

"What the fuck?" Faith mumbled to herself softly. No strangers came to their apartment. It was in an area of town that didn't get much traffic. She kept it under the radar as much as possible. Nothing was in her name; Miguel's 'business' was the contracted lessor.

"Maybe a trap?" questioned Miguel.

Faith shook her head. Even though nothing made sense, the slayer had a gut feeling the voice wasn't dangerous.

Faith went to the door and slowly unlocked it. Though she didn't feel a demon stood on the other side, she wasn't so foolish as to not take any precautions.

The door carefully opened slightly. Faith stayed behind it as a barrier. She leaned her head around and looked out into the doorway.

There stood a boy, a dark brown haired, brown eyed boy. He didn't look more than fifteen. He didn't wait for Faith to talk.

"Faith McAllister? Are you Faith?" There was no sinister tone, just anticipation.

"Who wants to know? Who sent you here?" Faith was starting to think that a snitch had important information for her but couldn't make contact personally.

In a defiant tone, "No one sent me. And I asked you first. Are you Faith?"

The slayer smiled at the nerve this kid had. She knew then and there he was no part of an ambush to kill her and Miguel.

"Ok, kid. Yeah, I'm Faith. Now, who the hell are you and how'd you find me here?"

The boy got a small smile and nodded. "I'm Johnny…Your brother."

"She's dead?"

"Yeah. Six months ago…Drank herself to death."

Faith was sitting on the couch next to Miguel. The boy, Johnny, who had knocked on her door, was sitting on a chair opposite them, drinking a Coke. He had just finished explaining to them that he was Faith's half brother and how he found her.

John "Johnny" Scapanco had just turned fourteen. He was the offspring of a drunken binge by Faith's mother. Though the woman had known the identity of Faith's father, the same couldn't be said about Johnny's. He could have been one of several blurred, nameless men. The boy was born a couple years after Faith ran away from home.

Alcohol and drug addiction landed Faith's mother in jail several times before Johnny was seven. Each occasion, he became a ward of the State of Massachusetts. Every release from incarceration was followed by a stint at a halfway house. After each stay, the woman would make a plea to Child Services that she had "learned her lesson and cleaned up her act." "I love my son…I'll be a good mother." Due to lack of proper funding and the inability or lack of effort to supervise its wards, the State always gave the child back.

Each promise of a reformed life quickly broke like a china dish thrown to the floor. Within weeks, Johnny's mother would be drinking, drugging and doing whatever was asked of her by the lowliest of men. Her life spiraled down, each year getting worse and worse. Johnny was forced to go along for the ride.

Finally, the woman sunk too low even for the system's standards. She was sent to prison for a term of ten years. Johnny's mother didn't have any family in Massachusetts and the one relative she did have in New Hampshire refused to take the boy. Child Services didn't know about Faith at the time. So Johnny was placed in foster care. He went from family to family. Occasionally he pleaded to see his mother and was allowed. Each time he regretted his decision.

A few months after Johnny turned thirteen, his foster parents at the time informed him that his mother was gravely ill. She had asked to see him in the correctional facility's medical ward where she had been for nearly two weeks. As it would turn out, that hospital room would be the last place she ever stayed.

The time mother and son spent together was short. It was not filled with tear-jerking emotion. Johnny's mother didn't ask for forgiveness for being a terrible and absent mother. She didn't tell him that he'd grow up to be successful and happy. The only thing the woman said was "You have a half sister…Faith McAllister…last I knew she was in New York." The remainder of their last time together was empty. Johnny was escorted out soon thereafter. His mother died three days later from alcohol induced liver disease.

Johnny didn't go to a funeral; there was none. The woman had asked to be cremated. Her ashes were kept at the county morgue as unclaimed property.

Johnny's life after the death of his mother went on as before it. He was still in foster care. However, the boy could think of nothing else except that he had a sister. Johnny had no idea why his mother had never mentioned Faith before. As far as he had been told, he was an only child.

He informed his Child Services' counselor what his mother told him and asked her to investigate further. The only information she could find out was that his mother had also told the prison nurse about "Faith McAllister" and the fact that the girl showed up once at a halfway house she was in prior to her incarceration. The nurse said that the girl didn't talk to Johnny's mother. In fact, the woman said she didn't realize it was her daughter until after the girl left. She had an inkling that the girl was someone she knew but wasn't sure until she checked the check-in log that every visitor had to sign. For whatever reason, the girl had used her real name, Faith McAllister. The "address" section of the sign in sheet referenced only "N.Y."

From that moment on, Johnny was obsessed with finding his sister. He convinced his counselor to get the police to help him. There was one officer on the force that felt particularly bad for the kid. Officer Gibbons spent some of the State's resources and gathered the information on Faith's California prison stint. Though Angel and his shady law firm had wiped Faith's escape from the prison system records, the fact that she had gone to prison was still there. Her records merely showed that she had "done the time" and paid her debt to society.

Because of the cop, Johnny had Faith's social security number, something her mother made sure she had in order to collect welfare benefits. He also knew that she was last located in New York. Besides the statement from his mother, Johnny had linked his half sister with a corporation. It was some sort of import/export company established in Brazil with a branch in the Big Apple. Officer Gibbons told him that he had checked on the company and found out it had closed down. The information was a few years old, but at least it was somewhere to start.

When Johnny asked his counselor to try to find Faith, he was told that wouldn't be done. "It's a dead end and your sister is a convicted felon. We couldn't let you go in her custody. When you're eighteen, you can find her if you want." The boy didn't ask again. He also knew there was no way he would stay in foster care. He had reasons for wanting out; reasons he never told anyone for fear of retribution.

As Faith had done when she faced the reality of her life at fifteen, Johnny ran away from his foster home. He took all his belongings and the $254.67 he had saved and left the life that he never asked for and never wanted. The boy took a Greyhound bus to New York City and headed for the address of the Brazilian company. When he got to the building, he wondered if he should go further. It was not a nice area. However, he was determined. So he entered and walked to the apartment. He knocked on the door and held his breath.

Faith didn't know how to take the news. The last thing she ever would have thought about was having a sibling. She studied Johnny as he told his story. She noticed a mannerism here and there that her mother had. He didn't really look like her, but she relegated that to looking like his unknown father.

The lack of a father's identity did strike Faith as especially cruel. Sure, she wasn't in much better shape. Her father had left town and her life about as soon as he found out her mother was pregnant. But at least she had the name of the sorry bastard. She carried it around as her own last name; another trick her mother played to get state assistance. Poor Johnny didn't even have that.

When Faith was told her mother was dead, she felt a loss though she didn't understand why. She never knew her mother recognized her that day she went to the half way house. For a brief second she wondered what she would have done if she had. She literally hadn't thought about her mother for a couple of years. Miguel and the Scoobies were her family; that's all she needed.

But now in front of her was her only relative…her half brother. It was obvious he wanted something from her. It was then that Faith remembered how her day had started. The bombing in Sao Paulo, the attacks at the other slayer facilities came crushing back. Her sisters-in-arms had been hunted and killed. She was certain something evil had begun another war. She and Miguel were very likely going to be in the midst of another apocalypse. A little brother that she didn't even know didn't fit into that picture. The slayer couldn't afford to give the boy false hope.

"Look, Johnny, this has come out of nowhere. You look like a nice kid, but I don't know what you think I can do."

The teenager didn't hesitate. "Let me stay here…with you."

Faith answered trying not to hurt his feelings. "I don't think that'll work. You're supposed to be in Boston. Your foster parents'll be looking for you."

In a bitter tone, "I don't care. I'm not going back there."

"Hey, Johnny, don't be like that. I'm sure they're worried about you."

Just as bitterly, "No, they aren't. But I don't if they are. I hate them and I'm not going back there. Just let me stay here…We can get to know each other."

Miguel, for the first time, spoke up. He knew Faith was concerned about putting anyone in the middle of their latest 'concern.' This was no time to take on such an important matter. "Johnny, we don't want you to think we don't get how important this is to you. You and Faith have lots to talk about. But…staying here isn't the right way to do it. Let us call your foster parents."

The discussion went on for several more volleys, Faith insisting that Johnny should go back to Boston and the teenager getting more adamant with each response that he would never return. Faith had had enough.

"You can't stay here. I'm calling the cops." The slayer got up from the couch and went into the kitchen, picking up the phone.

Johnny jumped up, a scared look plastered across his face. He yelled, "I'm never going back to those fuckers!" He started to run to the front door.

Faith grabbed his sweatshirt as he went by. He stopped short and fell on the floor. As Faith let go of his shirt, it lifted up uncovering his torso.

Faith's stunned expression didn't come close to matching the horror running through her head.

The boy's chest was peppered with scars…healed over cigarette burns.

Faith put down the phone and looked at her brother.

In a protective tone, "You ain't going anywhere."

"This is a bloody awful mess, Andrew. Get packed. We're going to Cleveland."

"Aye, aye, captain. I'll try to put together everything we need. But it's short notice and I might not be able to get the equipment ready…."

Giles closed his eyes in frustration and shook his head slowly. "Andrew, enough. This is not a Star Trek episode. Real people have died."

Andrew lowered his head and stared at the floor. "Sorry, Giles. I didn't mean to…I'm just..This thing has…"

Giles immediately realized he had come down too hard on the man. Or all his technical talents, Andrew was and remained rather inept in any type of pressurized social situation. The man never said the right thing or acted reasonably.

"No, I apologize, Andrew. I misspoke. This has been an upsetting day for us all."

As easy as that, Andrew grew a smile on his face, like a scolded child who'd just been praised by a parent to show he was nonetheless loved.

"It's ok, Giles. I'll get our gear ready and make the arrangements to Cleveland."

"Thank you. I'll see to the Council members and fill them in on our plans. We need to make sure that we can stay in contact with them to get information as it comes in. We also have to be able to conduct whatever research we might need with the Council's mainframe. Can you see to that?"

"You bet, Chief. We'll have our laptops and complete access to all the databases and facilities…the ones that are left, I mean."

"Good. Why don't we meet back here in, say…three hours and determine what else needs to be done before we leave."

The two men agreed and went their separate ways, Giles to oversee the Council and leave directions during his absence, and Andrew to tend to his errands as Giles right hand man.

In some ways, Andrew's life was the epitome of the existence of true salvation. He had gone from a nerdish, solitary boy who allowed himself to be overshadowed by a criminal to a man working side-by-side with the purveyors of righteousness.

Andrew, during his school years, was not the son his father had hoped for. It was obvious from an early age that the boy was not athletic. He didn't care to play baseball; he didn't have a passion for football like his dad. Extensive television viewing due to a two parent working household left Andrew fascinated and engrossed with science fiction. Star Wars and Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Battleship Galactica and Babylon 5, these were the babysitters for the young Andrew.

As he grew older, his interests expanded into science fiction in general and then into the supernatural, the magickal. Ever the enthusiast, Andrew acquired comic books, figurines; he attended conventions when possible and covered himself with these subject matters.

However, to most of the 'regular' world, meaning the other kids his age at school, Andrew was a nerd, a reject. He was the type of boy picked on by the school's bully. And so Andrew grew even more shy and awkward around people. Despite his inert intelligence for some subjects, most saw him as rather dumb.

In high school, Andrew's problems didn't end however with his lack of social acumen. He had always felt 'confused' about his sexuality. He was surrounded by societal cues to be interested in girls. There were times, however, when he felt attracted to the male persuasion. In his early teens, he went to see Lethal Weapon nine times, not for the action but to watch Mel Gibson.

Andrew tried to make himself act like the other boys in his classes. He forced himself to stare at girls' chests and make sexual innuendos the way his classmates did. There were times when he convinced himself that he was attracted to a girl. But the moment would pass quickly. The teenager was too scared to discuss his confusion with anyone. Instead, Andrew hid his uncertainty inside and kept the persona of the misfit. It sent others away. Only his friend Jonathan got to see at least part of the real Andrew.

In fact, it was Jonathan that made school life bearable for Andrew. The two shared the same thirst for science fiction and some of the relative same awkwardness when it came to social matters. Though it was obvious to Andrew that Jonathan didn't possess the same sexual issues, they got along almost like brothers in all other regards. Their lives would have developed into the typical "geek" adulthood had it not been for their association with Warren.

It was because of their initial naivety that Andrew and Jonathan got pulled into the domineering world of Warren. He could be just as nerdy as they were, but he also was a leader to their sidekick mentality. Andrew and Jonathan let an initial understanding of their likenesses overshadow obvious glaring differences. As it turned out, Warren was not satisfied to be a part of the world's family; he wanted to rule it.

As the group got deeper and deeper into the realities surrounding science fiction, as they developed their skills with mechanical devises and magick, Andrew and Jonathan grew closer to the blackness inside Warren. To them, being part of a group, even if it only involved one other person, was preferable to their solitary existence. Someone wanted them for what they could do. It was enough to give a blind eye to the weaknesses and perversions of their leader.

At a certain level, Andrew knew Warren was a bad seed. However, that 'confusion' arose again in the young man. Andrew found himself drawn to Warren, even when he saw the mean and horrible things his cohort could say and do. The small amount of innocence that remained in Andrew kept telling himself that Warren wouldn't go over the edge, that he wasn't so filled with badness as to stop before total ruination. Andrew kept the hope alive that Warren would see how much he admired…and cared for him.

Of course, that desire never came to fruition. Warren let Jonathan and Andrew sit in jail after their attempted robbery of the bank money reserve truck. Warren never came to save Andrew. It was when they were making their retreat after Buffy let them go that Andrew came to the realization that Warren didn't care what became of him or Jonathan.

The hole left in his soul made Andrew an easy target for The First. Killing Jonathan was the stake through the last piece of innocence he had left in his heart. When he was brought to Buffy's house as a hostage, Andrew was resigned to the fact that he would be killed and that he probably deserved it.

The odd outcome for Andrew was that the Scoobies, the people that he'd fought and tried to defeat, became his saviors. Over time, they came to use his knowledge, though trust wasn't earned until much later. It began with the final battle. The Scoobies saw the change in the man. They let Andrew use his skills to assist in the defeat of The First. He worked with the Scoobies, albeit like a scared little girl much of the time, and gave the support he could.

After the destruction of Sunnydale, Andrew allowed the Scoobies to determine his fate. To his amazement, Giles didn't banish him but took him in and gave him a position of worth with the new Watcher's Council. As time went by, Andrew proved to be an asset to the Council. He had a head for computers and electronics. He was knowledgeable enough in the area of magick and the supernatural to handle problems of an integrated nature without expending other Council personnel resources.

Andrew became a liaison for Giles with the other Council outposts and management. He worked his way up the ladder and, by the time of the attack against the slayer network, was trusted by the upper echelon of individuals at the Council. He knew of slayer meetings, security matters, the mechanical and technical workings of the Council. Andrew had become in many ways another set of eyes and hands for Giles. Professionally, Andrew had accomplished more than he thought he ever would.

However, there was always a part of Andrew that still felt like the outsider. He knew he was never a Scooby and never would be. His lack of social skills persisted and, other than a few brief attempts at being suave, he remained awkward and shy. His sexual confusion had ended. His attraction to the male physique showed itself in full bloom while in Europe. However, his ineptitude with relationships wasn't due to his trying to 'like girls.' The man was a complete disaster when it came to dating. He never knew what to say, how to act or where to go. He accepted the fact that he was not good around other people. He was fine in his work, around machines or other objects. People unnerved him. Andrew realized he wasn't like the other Scoobies. They had all moved on, matured and found their mates. Sometimes, during those infrequent low moments, Andrew felt he was stuck as the confused, lost kid from high school.

Willow sat in the cushioned chair in the spare bedroom, their 'study/office.' She was reading a treatise on rare stones and gems. "Where the heck are you?" the redhead mumbled as she skimmed through the pages. In her free hand was the brooch that Kennedy and her mother gave the witch for a birthday present. Willow was trying to discover the identity of the center stone in the piece. It was a needed distraction from the almost incessant worry she'd been experiencing the last thirty-six hours.

Since being informed about the slayer attacks, Willow had begun to get increasingly anxious about the safety of her wife. She constantly watched reports about the Sao Paulo 'terrorist attacks', as the television news reporters were calling it, in an effort to learn any little fact that might help her and the Council to find out who did the damage. When she wasn't mesmerized in front of the TV, she was calling Buffy or Giles for the latest update.

During this whole time, Kennedy kept tabs on her wife's actions and behavior. The slayer soon realized how upset Willow really was, and she understood that her attitude wasn't due only because of what had happened. 'She's worried about me.' Kennedy didn't need Willow to tell the slayer her fears. They were obvious in every move the witch made.

Kennedy knew she had to get Willow's mind preoccupied with some other action. It had to be a legitimate concern, for she knew the redhead would see through a lame attempt to have her do 'busy work.' That's when Kennedy decided that Willow needed to take inventory of her magick supplies. The reason was simple – "Wil, you have to make sure you have everything you may need…just in case." Kennedy knew that Willow understood what she was saying. Willow was to stock up on her essential products in the event of an attack. It may have given credence to Willow's alarm, but it also gave her a real outlet for her attention.

So Willow got to work and reviewed, counted and organized her supplies. As it turned out, she had a healthy stock of items. During her inventory, Willow's mind wandered on the subject of her slayer's safety. It wasn't just Kennedy's that was at issue either. If there was an attack, Samantha would also be in harm's way. It went without saying that the witch too would be in danger since there was no way that she wouldn't fight whoever tried to injure Kennedy.

Contemplating ways to protect the entire family got Willow to think about the brooch. In their battle against Amy, the brooch had saved their lives. Kennedy had used it to ricochet Amy's spell back against her. Willow had seen how the center stone in the brooch seemingly soaked up the power from the spell and spit it back. It captured the energy and wasn't affected by it. Willow didn't know what the center stone was but she knew she had to find out.

After she was satisfied that she had all the magick supplies necessary, Willow told Kennedy she was going to try to solve the mystery of the brooch's rock. "I'm going to Nancy Drew this stone. It may be useful to us." Kennedy was pleased that her wife had stopped with the obsessive concern about her safety. "Sounds like a good idea, babe. But you really need to update your references…Nancy Drew?" Willow snickered. "You had Scarlett O'Hara; I had Nancy Drew."

Willow spent the rest of the day researching the stone. She had perused the internet and was still reading through her hardbound books by nightfall. The brooch stayed in her hand the entire time. With each hopeful find, she compared the stone to the entry in the treatise or online. In the end, none of them matched. There was always some feature or fact that positively ruled the suspected type out.

By mid evening, Willow was again starting to be troubled. Her head was filled with a thousand different thoughts. Some dealt with the stone and the possible reasons why she had been unable to find its identity. Others were about the possibility of another attack and how her family would protect themselves. Still other thoughts floated around concerning her own ability to fight for her family's well being. Willow had been through so many 'end of the world' scenarios that she wondered if she was running up against the odds. Was it possible to continue to defeat Evil?

At some point, Willow ceased her search for the stone's identity and began thinking about the life she led, the life her family had. Willow had been involved with fighting evil for so long she had a tough time remembering when she didn't. Those innocent times when she and Xander were kids seemed like a fairy tale now. The life that she really knew was filled with horrible creatures bent on destruction, harrowing moments of near death and the after affects of making it out alive. Despite all the good times, and there were too many to count, Willow still felt a sense of sadness. She wondered how amazing her life with Kennedy and Samantha would be if they didn't have demons in the crosshairs. The witch tried to imagine how it would be without having the duty to fight the demons of the world. She knew they wouldn't be on alert as they were now. They would be a regular couple like everyone else. Willow thought how nice it would be if their only problem was dealing with homophobic, narrow-minded jerks.

When Kennedy came to get the redhead for a conference call with Giles and Andrew, Willow was still thinking about a life without the fear. "Hey, brainiac, unlock the secret of the mystery stone?…No matter. Giles is on the phone."

Willow commented how the slayer's remark sounded like the title to a Nancy Drew story and added, "No breakthroughs."

Kennedy saw the look of worry in the form of a furrowed brow. She went over to her wife and took her by the hand. She helped her out of the chair and gave her a hug. "Looks like that brain of yours is working overtime…That means too many thoughts bumping into each other. The cure? A good night's sleep after we're done with the call. You need to listen to Doctor Prescott."

Kennedy's light take on the moment brought Willow out of her funk. It had been a long day of research and her slayer was right. She had been thinking too much. She nodded to Kennedy and followed as the slayer led her out of the room. As the witch turned out the light, "I sure hope Giles has some good news."

"We'll be getting into Cleveland at three…that is if there are no delays. Andrew has all the equipment we could bring without the authorities getting suspicious. He's taken care of getting all of you access to all the databases you need. Andrew, why don't you tell them what you did?"

Giles and Andrew were in a Council limo on their way to London Heathrow Airport. They were on a conference call with Buffy, Faith and Kennedy. Willow and Jimmy were also part of the call. Giles had spent the last ten minutes updating them on the latest information on the slayer facility attacks. He told them that at least two slayers had not been killed and there were seven that still had not been accounted for. The two that had survived were under maximum security by the Council. Giles didn't want to move them outside of Europe. He figured that as far as the attacker knew, all slayers had died. He wanted to keep them safe until the Council could decide what was best to do with them.

The Brit informed the callers that the attacks had been precise and well organized. Their enemy had had pinpoint information. "We don't know how they got as much detail to our operations as they did. It's very possible they had inside help."

That statement was met with surprise and anger by the Scoobies. No one could believe that someone involved with the Watcher's Council could ever assist Evil to extinguish them. The fact that their own had died due to the betrayal of one of them sickened them. Giles let it be known that the Council leaders were working very hard and as covert as possible to find out if they had a traitor in their midst.

Andrew took over the call from Giles and explained what actions he'd taken. Willow was very thorough in her questioning about the access and the security surrounding it. "If this was an inside job then how do we know that the person isn't still helping? We need to know that everything we do is secure and only done with people on a need to know basis." Andrew assured Willow and the rest that what he'd done was very limited but completely protected.

Giles returned to the conversation after Andrew's piece was done. "I have discussed the matter with the other elders in the Council and, at this point in time, we are of the opinion that all of you should stay where you are…at least until Andrew and I get into Cleveland. But, we need to keep in contact, so you have to contact Central Command every hour. Use the security code Andrew will give each of you. There will be a verbal cue you have to go through also. The voice recognition will let us know that you have not been compromised and that the contact made is really from you."

The call lasted until Giles' limousine drove into Heathrow's entrance. He started to give his last instructions. "Remember, everyone, it is imperative that you use the utmost of precaution until we know what exactly has happened and who our enemy is. The American slayers are basically the end of the slayer line. For every slayer that was taken from us, there is no potential getting powers to take her place. I'm not returning to ask for your help in protecting a group of scared girls. This is for your very survival…and that of everyone else we love."

There was a long silence.

"What about Xander, Giles?" The voice was Buffy's.

The Englishman hesitated then answered. "He has to be told, Buffy. He and Jessica have to make their own decision about their involvement."

Giles heard an audible sigh from the blonde. "He's not going to be happy, Giles. This is the last thing he and Jessie need to deal with."

"I can talk to him when I get there, Buffy." Giles was ready to take on this obligation.

"No. I'll do it," Buffy responded quickly. "He never woulda been involved with things that go bump in the night if it wasn't for me in the first place."

The call was over soon after. Everyone knew what to do.

The first challenge was for Buffy to break the news about the potential impending trouble to Xander. She didn't look forward to the meeting. Poor Xander and Jessica had been having a tough time.

For Buffy and Xander, the last few months had been turmoil, for Xander because of Jessica's latest pregnancy. For Buffy, the turmoil wasn't an overt expression as much as an inward dialogue she'd been having. Either way, she knew life was going to get even more difficult for the both of them.

The explosion in Sao Paulo and the attacks on the other slayer installations were horrible news for everyone involved in the slayer network. For all but one of the Scoobies, it was just as upsetting. The one person who didn't know about the episode was Xander. Until Buffy knocked on his door after the conference call with Giles, Xander had no idea that the world's slayers were under attack again. The Scooby's attention was, and had been for the past five months, concentrated on his wife and the state of her latest pregnancy.

Before the beginning of the year, life was running smoothly for the Harris family. The boys, Joey and Nate, were growing bigger by the minute. They were happy and healthy. Joey was in elementary school and already proving to be the class clown. Nate was more like his mother, quiet yet demanding of himself. Xander's construction consulting firm was doing nicely. Jessica had reduced her work schedule to part-time to spend more time at home. Between the both of their incomes, the Harris family enjoyed a comfortable middle class existence. They had good friends and relatives that they enjoyed seeing. Holidays were spent with Jessica's family and whatever Scoobies might be in town. They even made a few trips to visit Willow and her clan a few times.

Life was especially good at that time because Xander had made the decision to lessen his involvement with the Council. His friendship with Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies and slayers remained just as strong. However, he stopped being a part of most 'catastrophes' as they popped up. He did not go out on any patrols and assisted in research or logistical matters only when necessary.

It wasn't that Xander was scared to face demons now. But, the man realized that he was responsible for the well being of his family. He had a wife and two wonderful boys who depended on him being home at the end of every day. He couldn't afford to be reckless the way he had been in his youth. Being severely injured, paralyzed, or worse, would have devastating consequences for his family. Xander saw his decision to back away from his slayer network involvement like a guy deciding not to ride a motorcycle any longer because of the increased danger of an accident. To Xander, his obligation to his family outweighed whatever self-gratification he got from going after demons.

Xander's decision was made easier by the fact that he wasn't a critical component to the slayer network. It wasn't like the old days when it was only Buffy thwarting the forces of evil. Back then, he knew that what he did made a significant difference to Buffy and the world. He'd saved Buffy from death on one occasion by doing CPR. He'd help crumble demon plans and protected innocents.

Now, however, there were enough slayers to get the job done. Slayers patrolled in pairs whenever possible and the new Watcher's Council that Giles put together was far superior to its predecessor in meeting the needs of its slayers. All in all, Xander still had talent that was useful to the network on occasion, but for the most part, he was able to move on and focus on other parts of his life. That meant his family.

What seemed surprising to Xander was how well being a family man suited him. He was an only child and his childhood and family could be called anything but normal. Alcoholism, verbally abusive parents, Xander saw it all. He had such a negative view on marriage and family that for a long time, he didn't even want marriage or children. But then he met Jessica. At the time, he still harbored doubts at his ability to raise a child because of the way he was raised. But he didn't let those thoughts interfere with his marriage. He promised himself that he would do the best he could. Xander turned out to be a very good father. There were times that he thought he was good precisely because of his upbringing.

When the news came in early January that Jessica was pregnant again, with twins, Xander was thrilled. He was going to be the proud daddy to four children, a fact that he never thought would be a reality. He and Jessica kept the news of the pregnancy to themselves. Like the other times, Jessica wanted to get past the crucial three month period before she went out blabbing the truth to everyone they knew.

This pregnancy, unlike the others, was difficult from the beginning. Jessica had two episodes of bleeding and was put on special medication. She had severe morning sickness. Xander's trademark "eggs on a biscuit" were quickly banned from the house; so was any food with mustard. There were a few weeks when Jessica felt like all she lived on were saltine crackers.

Unfortunately, the pregnancy didn't get any easier. On several occasions, Xander and Jessica made trips to the emergency room because of pains or high blood pressure. But it was not all rough times. When he and Jessica found out they were going to have girls, they got downright giddy.

After the news of the pregnancy came out, relatives and friends were happy and offered to help in any way possible. In the first conversation Buffy had with Xander after being told, she let him know that she expected her friend to take care of his wife and make sure her soon-to-be nieces were fine. "Xan, don't worry one bit about me or the other slayers. You are not going to be bothered with stupid Council stuff."

Xander appreciated Buffy's comments. Though he didn't want to feel like he'd fallen off the edge of the earth because of this, he was more relaxed knowing that he wouldn't be unexpectedly called to help with research or some other Council matter. He did still talk to Buffy and Willow and was able to keep up to date in some slayer matters.

However, Xander didn't know about the latest attack because he had been spending his time in the hospital with Jessica. She had passed out at home. After emergency treatment, she was diagnosed with anemia and blood pressure issues. Again, she was given medication. She was also directed to bed rest. Xander, for the next two days, divided his time between being with his wife at the hospital to dropping off and picking up his children at his sister-in-law's house. He hadn't watched TV or read a newspaper the entire time. Jessica had been home for only a couple hours on the day Buffy told him the news.

Buffy's appearance at this door was preceded by a short phone call. "Hey, Xander. Is Jess home yet?" Xander had kept Buffy informed of Jessica's condition and status. "She is. That's really good news. Ummm…I have to talk to you…Something's happened…and you need to know about it." Buffy knew that she sounded ominous. However, she didn't want to try to explain the events of the last forty-eight hours over the phone. She needed to see Xander and tell him face-to-face that their lives were most likely on the verge of going over the deep end again.

When Xander opened the door, he could tell just by Buffy's expression that things were bad.

Reverting to his sense of the comedic in times of doom, he joked, "Geez, Buff, you look like you just found out the First was back."

When the slayer's look didn't change, Xander's stomach tied into knots.

"Oh, crap." It was only words the man could think to say.

Buffy hated having to break the news to Xander. Of all the Scoobies, the blonde was the most aware of Xander's shift in his priorities. She lived closest to him and saw him more than anyone else. Buffy knew that the man had always been ready to give his all to the cause even though he possessed no powers or special gift. His best attribute was his keen insight into the rest of their problems. Buffy was so pleased that Xander had finally found his niche in the world. He wasn't a sidekick to any slayer. He was his own boss, and loving every minute of it.

That's why pulling him back into the slayer fray bothered Buffy so much. Xander was going to be part of the network again, taking orders and hoping that neither he nor his family got hurt. Buffy knew that Xander had to be told. He had been, and still was in some respects, intricately involved with the slayer network. He knew how it worked and understood many of the slayers' weaknesses. There was a good chance that the impending threat upon the U.S. slayers would come to his doorstep in some form. Though she hoped that he wouldn't be part of any attack, Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies agreed that Xander had to be told about the threat. He had helped defeat the First one time; he had earned the right to control his involvement in possibly fighting it again.

The several hours that Buffy spent at Xander's house telling him and Jessica about the events were difficult for the slayer. But, they also allowed her get her thoughts focused on something other than her own recent issues. Buffy's life, though outwardly stable, was undergoing some internal examination.

To most anyone looking in, Buffy Summers had it all. She was beautiful, had a wonderful fiancé, a nice home and a satisfying job. Buffy had lived through the tumultuous and deadly times of being the lone slayer to emerge as 'the' mentor to the newest slew of potentials turned slayers. They looked to her for her wisdom and her skills. These things Buffy gladly shared with her fellow slayers. She would do anything to make certain others didn't repeat some of the hardships she had faced.

Buffy was also a big sister figure to many of the girls. Being away from home, they needed both a friend and someone who would make them buckle down when necessary. There was no one better for that than the legendary "Buffy Summers." There were also two slayers who got their powers at quite a young age, younger even than Buffy. Once the legacy was explained to the parents, both families reluctantly allowed the girls to go to Slayer Central. Though vampire slayers, these girls were still just that…girls, barely teenagers. Buffy graciously took the role of 'big sis' for the two. A part of Buffy enjoyed the added responsibility. She didn't realize how much she missed having a little sister around.

Despite the fulfillment she had in that area of her life, there were many other aspects of her life she was trying to decipher. Though she liked training and getting the new slayers ready to combat evil, Buffy had begun to feel bored almost with the process. She was proud when her trainees graduated to full fledged, completely capable slayers. The end product gave her delight; the means to get there was what she was questioning. She taught the girls the same courses, gave them the same information. Even the demon battles for the slayers' field practice were becoming contrived.

By the time of the slayer attacks, Buffy wondered how her professional life had gotten to be so rote, lacking in the spontaneity that once ruled her existence. It wasn't that the woman wanted to go back to those days when sometimes she didn't know whether she'd live to see the next sun rise. Buffy didn't want the drama that was her Sunnydale years. But, she also didn't want to feel like she was an automaton, cruising through life without any real adventures or danger. The last real thrill she'd had was when Faith went off the deep end and nearly quit as a slayer. During her stay in New York to help Kennedy find and save Faith, Buffy felt truly alive again. She faced a Moor D'naar demon and almost died. Buffy, the last of the lone slayers, had not been so connected to her destiny for some time.

It had been her choice to ease back from her slaying duties. The blonde had been fighting evil for so long, and most of that time she was alone. Once all the potentials became slayers, Buffy saw it as a chance to lead as close to a normal life as possible. So she turned in her fighting mindset to one of tutoring and mentoring.

What Buffy finally began to wonder and then realize was that a part of her wanted the action and the danger. She felt more alive and useful when she was actively engaged in fighting to protect the innocents of the world. Buffy, the vampire slayer, was realizing she didn't like being an arm chair quarterback. She wanted to be out on the field combating alongside the other slayers.

Of course, Buffy wasn't sure how to approach this subject with Jimmy or Giles. As for Giles, she knew her former Watcher wanted her to, in effect, retire from the actual day-to-day patrolling and warring. To Giles, Buffy had sacrificed so much for Humanity that she deserved nothing less than total retirement and relaxation. The fact that she wanted to teach the newly infused slayers was an acquiescence begrudgingly given by Giles. Of course he knew that she would be a great teacher. She had years of experience and would be able to tell the new slayers the very real hard dangers that waited for them. It wasn't until he was certain that Buffy would be able to teach what she wanted and how she wanted that Giles gave his approval.

Actually, Giles had hoped Buffy would have wanted to see the world or live in Rome or Paris for a long while. The Brit couldn't explain how much he yearned for Buffy to be happy and content in a life with the least amount of worry about demons and monsters.

Telling Giles now that she wanted to get more involved in the fray would be difficult, that was one thing of which Buffy was certain.

As much as Buffy knew that talking to Giles would be a challenge, talking with Jimmy was at a whole other level. Jimmy, every few months since their engagement, would ask Buffy about setting a date for their wedding. In the beginning, he said it more as a joke; he knew Buffy was in no hurry to go down the aisle. However, in the last six months, Buffy noticed that his tone, when asking the same question, had taken on a different quality. Jimmy wasn't kidding any longer. Though he never gave ultimatums, Buffy was starting to feel like Jimmy was getting tired of her non-committal responses.

How she answered Jimmy's question of setting a wedding date was also bothering Buffy lately. She always had a reason why she couldn't pick a day or even take the time to think about it. Whether it was her mentoring, a rogue demon, helping Faith or Willow with a crisis, Buffy was never without a retort to the question from Jimmy.

When Buffy got honest with herself, she knew why she responded as she did. The slayer was scared to change. She knew 'settling down' would take her that much farther away from who she had been for so long, Buffy the vampire slayer. Slayers were single; they were always ready for the fight. They weren't supposed to be the stay in on Friday night and do laundry type of women. And that's what Buffy felt like her life ran the chance of becoming.

Buffy also had the inkling that, if they got married, Jimmy would ask her to curtail her slayer duties even more. On many occasion he had mentioned to Buffy about getting her Master's Degree or searching for a 'career' that would give her autonomy outside of her slayer trappings.

Marriage to Buffy meant the shrinking of her slayer identity. That was something that had been with her for so long she didn't know who she might be without it. She certainly wasn't ready to do away with it altogether. The greater the pull she got from Jimmy to be more than a slayer, the more Buffy felt like she needed to be a slayer.

The confusion faced by the blonde had nothing to do with her feelings for Jimmy. Buffy loved the man and wanted to be with him. She also knew that he loved her. Her devotion to the man is what kept her in the relationship and her issues to herself. She didn't want Jimmy to think for one second that she had second thoughts about him. It was just that Buffy wasn't sure she wanted to go to the next 'phase' in their relationship. They were doing very well just as they were. She had her identity and she felt like she had the reins to direct her life as she wanted.

Of course, Buffy understood that her recent desire to get 'back in the saddle' as a slayer would add some strain to their relationship. How much and what the consequence would be was unknown to the blonde.

Buffy stared at Xander while she stood outside his front door. "I'm afraid 'Oh crap' is right, Xan." She could see it plain on her friend's face that Xander understood she was going to give him rough news.

Xander opened the door all the way and gestured Buffy to enter. "Come on in, Buff. My life's not so complicated that I can't add a little apocalypse to the mix."

Buffy walked in and smiled at the man's instinctive attempt to lighten what was sure to be a very hard conversation. It was the thing she loved most about Xander.

For the next several hours she talked with Xander and then with Xander and Jessie about the events of the last few days and the danger that the U.S. slayers would most likely be facing soon. She told the Harris' that they needed to know what was happening because of the potential magnitude of the events to come. Buffy couldn't say for sure that they, along with their two boys, would not be targets. "Giles is on his way here. We're going to put together a game plan. You can be part of it…if you want to be."

In the end, Buffy knew it was Xander's and Jessica's decision whether they would come back fully into the fold.

After some discussion, Xander told Buffy in no uncertain terms, "If the First is really back…or if something just as bad is…the safest place this family can be is with you and the other slayers. We're in."

Buffy breathed a silent breath of relief. Though Xander had had little involvement with the slayer network for a while, Buffy knew that it was the only place that he and his family could be truly protected in the event evil showed its ugly head again.

How ugly things would get was beyond their imagination.

Willow's tongue grazed lightly over taut skin. It worked its way slowly up the torso to the underside of a breast. She followed the contour of the flesh, dipping into the valley between the peaks. Eyelids fluttered open momentarily, allowing green eyes to absorb the perfectly bronzed skin of her slayer. It was a brief cessation then the witch's tongue continued its journey to the crest of the left breast. It circled the hard, erect nipple unhurried and deliberate.

When she'd caused enough pleasure, Willow took her attention lower. She kissed softly down the center of the slayer's stomach. Eyes were closed but the witch knew the feel of her slayer's body. It had a unique quality to it, so supple, so strong.

When she reached the belly ring, Willow flicked it with her tongue. She suckled it and tugged gently. Then she caressed the area, licking then kissing.

Willow's thoughts concentrated on her actions, her saliva mingling with the moisture from her slayer's aroused skin. She felt the trembles with every pass of her tongue. The witch got lost in the moment. Everything around her, everything about her disappeared except for the sensation of her connection.

In the midst of the experience, Willow's tongue no longer teased the belly ring. The strokes of her tongue continued to please but on skin devoid of adornment. It was not noticed by the witch who was captured in the sensation being delivered.

Willow finished her assault and began to kiss and brush her lips on flesh making her way upward once again. The skin this time had a different feel. Yet it was somehow familiar, like a faded recollection of a long lost hidden memory. Eyes barely opened to give a hazy view of cream colored skin. A faint hint of perfume lingered for a second in the witch's mind, a scent also from a past remembrance.

Another kiss against flesh and the feel and smell of her slayer was back. The brief lapse of senses was already forgotten.

Willow maintained her seduction and inch by inch conquered her slayer. She kissed the spot where the scar from the Truxdeiro's blade had long ago faded. Up the slayer's neck she traveled, across the jaw line, touching her lips as softly as possible against bronzed skin.

Emerald eyes opened, filled with desire. Returning the emotion were dark brown eyes gazing upon her, waiting for more. Willow closed her eyes and leaned in. Her mouth found her slayer's and Willow kissed the woman with intensity. The redhead's actions were a symbol of the love she had for her wife. It exemplified their union, their completeness. At that moment, Willow felt one with Kennedy and the Universe. She was where she belonged; the type of security an unborn must feel in the mother's womb.

The kiss ended and Willow retreated from the contact just enough to take in a slow deep breath through her open mouth. A satisfied smile grew and she opened her eyes again.

Looking back at her were soft blue eyes, ones that the redhead had gazed into thousands of times in years past. There was comfort in those eyes, like the feeling a child got from a warm hug after a skinned knee.

A blink and the chocolate eyes of her slayer returned. The transformation brought no alarm or discern. Willow had known safety and love from both.

"Willow?"

The voice was gentle and one heard last on a fateful day in Sunnydale.

Willow shifted from her slayer and turned her head to the direction of the voice. A feeling of warmth filled her at the sight.

"Willow." Her name was spoken tenderly and with love.

"Tara?" Willow responded not with a questioning tone for the blonde witch's presence but with anticipation as if the redhead knew she was there for a reason.

Tara was standing beside Willow; the blonde witch looked as she had before she took the bullet that ended her life.

"You have to leave, Willow. It's not safe here." The words felt like Tara had never stopped talking to the redhead.

Willow turned away and looked at her slayer. The feeling of Tara's presence was gone, replaced by the love for her wife.

In the background, the voice of the blonde witch faded into the distance. "There's not much time….I love youuuuuu…."

Willow, still staring at her slayer, leaned in and whispered in her ear. "What should I do?"

The response was sent as a thought to Willow, not spoken. Timidly, [Don't leave me.]

Willow awoke suddenly. Green eyes quickly darted around. The witch was in a daze momentarily. All she saw were shadows against gray darkness.

It took a few moments for Willow to realize she was in bed; it was nighttime and she'd had a dream. She was on her right side and Kennedy was spooned behind her with her arm across the witch's middle. She could feel the warmth from her slayer's body against her back.

Willow spent the next few minutes trying to recount her dream. This was no time to analyze; she tried merely to calm her senses to reality. 'Just a dream' she told herself. Despite the uniqueness of the event, the witch soon found exhaustion overtaking her waking state. She nuzzled back against Kennedy, took the slayer's hand in her own and held it tightly to her chest. Sleep came quickly.

There were no other dreams for the redhead for the remainder of that night.

"Mommy?"

Willow awoke to the sound of her daughter's voice. The girl was standing next to the bed, favorite stuffed animal in tow. As on so many other occasions, Willow moved over and let the child crawl into bed. Kennedy, also awakened by Sammie's entrance into their bedroom, likewise shifted to give more room for her wife.

It was early morning, almost time for the witch and slayer to get up. The day's light had just begun to fill the room.

Samantha nestled against her mother and hid her face in the nook of the witch's arm.

"Are you ok, Sam?" A mother's natural inquiry to her child.

"Bad dream."

Willow pulled her child closer. She thought it odd they both had an eventful slumber.

"Do you want Fruit Loops or Cocoa Puffs?" Kennedy was in the middle of an important topic with her daughter, the breakfast cereal of choice.

"Loops! They're the best!"

As directed, Kennedy poured cereal for the both of them.

Willow entered the room, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"I was wondering when you were gonna get up…Trouble sleeping?" she said jokingly.

Willow rolled her eyes as if to mock her slayer's sarcasm. "Coffee. I need coffee." The witch walked over to the coffeemaker and poured herself a mug. She took a long drink. "Aahhh, much better." She went and sat next to Samantha.

"Hey, Sweetie, feeling ok?"

"Uh, huh." The child was engrossed in picking out and eating all the green Fruit Loops.

"Wanna tell me what your bad dream was about?"

Sammie stopped eating. She let go of her spoon. It clanked against the side of the bowl.

Kennedy saw Sammie's reaction. "What's this? Bad dreams? You can tell us."

Samantha looked at her parents. Hesitating, "I got scared."

"What made you scared," Willow asked apprehensively.

"Lots of bad monsters…They were being mean to people."

The witch and slayer shared a glance. Kennedy's voice lowered. "How were they being mean?"

"Hurting people…really bad."

Willow touched her child's arm. "Do you remember what the monsters looked like?"

The child nodded.

"Have you seen those monsters before?"

Samantha slowly moved her head from side to side. "But they were lots and they were really ugly and mean."

Both mothers could see that Sammie was getting upset. Kennedy grabbed her daughter's spoon.

"Ok, we're done, Sam. We don't need to talk about it anymore. Remember, those bad monsters can't hurt you…so…we better get back to eating our cereal before it gets soggy." Kennedy glanced at Willow for confirmation.

"That's right, Sweetie. There's nothing here to hurt you." Willow gave Kennedy a look that let the slayer know they would be discussing what just transpired as soon as practical.

As Willow sat there drinking her coffee, she pondered if there was a connection between her having her Tara dream and Samantha's monster dream. As the witch well knew, coincidences rarely happened when dealing with demons and the afterlife.

The witch was still thinking about her dream. It was somewhat murky now and she didn't remember many of the details. She hadn't really thought about Tara for some time. Of course, she always remembered her on the blonde's birthday, the day she died and when she thought about her time in Sunnydale. But Willow had not had seriously thought about Tara for years. Her life was Kennedy and Samantha and it took up all her time.

Willow though wasn't upset by the dream. She wasn't alarmed about how she felt in the dream about Tara. Willow knew dreams were just the subconscious's way of letting off steam. If playing the banjo in a dream could mean acknowledging enjoyable times with friends then who knew what seeing Tara really signified. It could have been as innocent as the blonde witch representing a calming way to view upsetting news.

It wasn't so much Tara being in her dream that kept Willow intrigued. It was what the blonde witch said. Her words were one thing Willow clearly remembered from the dream. The fact that Tara stated that it wasn't "safe" and Willow should leave took on a more noteworthy importance because of what happened to Samantha and the Sao Paulo incident. Willow started to believe that maybe they were all interrelated.

When she and Kennedy finally got to talk without Sammie present, they quickly went to the heart of the matter.

"Do you think it was really a dream or another premonition?" Kennedy already had a feeling as to the correct answer.

Willow got a serious look. "With the slayer attacks happening two days ago…I think it affected Sam and made her have a premonition. Add to it the dream I had last night and we've got ourselves a good dose of foreshadowing."

"What dream?" This was the first Kennedy had heard about Willow's dream.

"It was kinduv weird. You and I were…" Willow got slightly embarrassed, "…ummm, you know…and then Tara showed up."

"Tara?" Kennedy couldn't remember the last time she had to deal with Willow having dreams concerning Tara. That was something that ended rather soon after the Truxdeiro incident. "She was watching us have sex?"

"No, no, nothing like that." It wasn't a sexual dream to Willow in terms of Tara. Even the intimacy with Kennedy had a different quality. Willow knew the dream wasn't meant to imbue erotic feelings. She didn't think Kennedy's reaction was unusual however. Tara hadn't been in a dream of hers for many years.

Willow didn't want Kennedy to get false ideas so she explained. "It wasn't anything like what it sounds. Tara was there and she told me…" Willow told Kennedy as much about the dream as she remembered. She had no issues with telling her wife everything she could remember. The witch didn't recall the switching of bodies, or the change in eyes, only that Tara showed up. But, Willow knew there was nothing threatening to Kennedy about the dream. In fact, Willow felt a stronger sense of protection for her slayer as a result of it.

When the redhead was done, she waited for Kennedy's response. When there was none, "You think my subconscious was telling me we need to be careful? It is possible that whatever hit the other slayers is going to try to do something to the rest of you." Willow examined Kennedy's face. She couldn't tell what the woman was thinking. "I'm kind of scared about what may happen…and…Ken?"

Kennedy didn't hear Willow. She'd been thinking about what she'd just been told. Tara had told Willow she wasn't safe and needed to leave, that 'she' needed to leave, not all of them The slayer couldn't help but wonder why, after all these years, would Willow's mind conjure up Tara as the messenger? And why would the slayer have to ask her wife not to leave her? It seemed ridiculous to Kennedy that she was giving the incident that much thought. Willow hadn't dreamt about Tara; the woman merely showed up in a dream as a symbol for some feeling or expression. Since the redhead had been preoccupied about the possible return of the First, it made sense that someone from her past during that time, such as Tara, might manifest in a dream. 'That's all it was…a blast from the past,' she told herself.

"Kennedy," the witch said louder.

The slayer finally engaged. "Sorry, Wil. What did you say?"

"I said I think my dream was just my brain's way of telling me the slayer attacks have me more worried than I want to admit…I don't want you to get hurt."

Kennedy nodded. "I'm with you on that point. We've all had to deal with a lot these last two days. I'm sure some of what that genius brain of yours is doing is overreaction. But Giles gets in to Cleveland today. We'll talk to him and see what he thinks."

Willow put her arms around her slayer's neck. "That is a very good idea. See, this is why I married you…You always know how to keep me from getting all wiggy and panicky." Willow gave her wife a chaste kiss and embraced her.

Kennedy held her wife and squeezed gently. Willow was right; the slayer did know how to calm her witch. Kennedy rested her chin on Willow's shoulder. She wondered how things would play out given the newest information from their daughter.

A small part of the slayer, however, wondered if Willow was happy to see Tara.

The woman with the angelic face stared into a mirror. She scrutinized every inch of her reflection. Her hand reached out and grazed over the looking glass as if trying to feel her features.

It had been centuries since the woman was able to do something as trivial as stand before a mirror. In truth, it had been hundreds of years since she lived among the breathing. Her last memory, before her re-awakening, was of being de-molecularized, vaporized in layman's terms, by some unknown protector for God. It had been a rough day. She'd already mortally died by fire, the chosen method for those accused of witchery.

The woman glared at her image. She had been non-existent for so long it took her by surprise every time she saw her face. Her new state of consciousness was only several months old. She didn't exist and then she did. At first, the woman wasn't sure what had happened to her. She finally deduced that she had been revived somehow, brought back to the land of the living. By whom and why remained a mystery for many more days.

Her real consciousness came one day while she sat in the cold, damp room where she had gained 'life.' It was dark with no windows or doors. It seemed more like a dungeon than a room. She knew not where she was; she hadn't the power or curiosity to wonder.

There came a thin, winding stream of mist down from out of the blackness that was the space above her. It swirled about the area around her, slithering like a snake. It wrapped around her, tight close turns enveloping her. The tip of the substance glided across her face where it split into several thread-like fingers. The new strands waffled into her nostrils and eyes and ears and mouth. Down the mist-like threads went. It filled her being until a radiating gleam of light burst forth through those orifices and out her finger tips and toes.

When the light receded, her rebirth was complete. The woman with the angelic face was no longer in a haze. She was no more the victim of an unknowing mind.

The woman had been filled with the First. She was the present personification of the First; energy incarnate. If Jesus was God's flesh on earth then the woman with the penetrating lavender eyes was Evil's. Who the woman had been was unimportant now; her name irrelevant, for she was the First in flesh and bone. She had all the knowledge, all the desire and now the ability to push for dominion once again.

Her goal was already known, her target decided. The manner of domination this time, however, would not be left to the whims of a mortal holy man like last time. It would not be left to men at all. The First knew that, this time, victory would come at the hands of an angelic face with piercing violet eyes. The forces of Good would bend and brake to one of their own kind, a female.

To gain the compass and the passage to the mirror into the future, the woman with the angelic face knew the redheaded witch and her slayer had to be destroyed. The plan started with finding weaknesses and strengths. It began using the proxy Amy. She watched as Amy tried to take her revenge. The beautiful woman saw everything. Amy needed occhi dell'ombra, a shadow eye, to keep tabs on Willow's daughter. The beautiful woman, however, was able to 'see' people with her mind. It was her 'expertise' when a mystic. It wasn't total power and it had certain limitations, but overall she'd had overwhelming supernatural strength.

The woman with the angelic face had watched Amy try and fail. But it gave her new insight to the fight she'd have to wage to conquer her enemies and, in the end, the world. Thereafter, to get to the goal, she started the campaign to dwindle the numbers of slayers that could assist in the final confrontation. Her strategy was to narrow the numbers and then decimate the remaining in a way they would never envision. Only then would she gain access to the child Samantha, only then could she sacrifice a life which had not yet taken breath on its own.

Seeds had been planted to disrupt the witch and slayer. The woman knew to attack the witch where most vulnerable, her deep seated desire to be through with demons and other creatures of the night. The woman felt Willow's yearning for a simpler, safer life, like that of younger years. As for the witch's slayer, her hard, confident exterior masked something less solid. The First corporeal saw its fissure and she knew how to strike. The witch's need would be fostered through a lost love; her weakness exposed by it. In the end, the slayer would be defeated by her own insecurities. Then the world would be for the First's taking.

The slayer attacks were the first step. Willow's dream was the second.

The next move was but hours away.

Giles and Andrew arrived at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport just after 2pm. They were supposed to arrive several hours earlier but a harsh Spring storm in Atlanta, Georgia caused a backlog of flights across the entire eastern seaboard. A bit of good fortune allowed them to get to Slayer Central by 4pm.

Buffy and Jimmy were waiting for the two men when they arrived. The first piece of business was to get organize the equipment they brought. Jimmy assisted Andrew in setting up his paraphernalia in the main library. Within the hour, Giles and Andrew were sitting with Buffy, Jimmy and the other Cleveland slayers. There were five slayers besides Buffy. Three, Beth, Nancy and Robin, had received their powers within the last year. They were a few months away from getting their permanent assignments. The other two slayers, Rita and Shane, had been stationed at Cleveland for some time. They were there when the Kamous demons and the people in the long, indigo blue gowns showed up. Buffy helped to train all the girls and assisted them to oversee the Hellmouth activities there.

Besides those slayers, Faith was in New York, Kennedy and Lee in Middleton and Dakota and Isabella, who had been in Cleveland during the Kamous incident, were in New Mexico. There were no other U.S. slayers. Those from the original Sunnydale crew had been killed by vampires or other demons. The other slayers that had gone through training at Cleveland since Willow's spell had also perished at the hands of the undead. Despite the fact that there was more than one slayer now fighting the forces of evil, slaying was still a very dangerous occupation with a short life expectancy for those girls who didn't pay attention or thought they could go it alone.

Once settled in, Giles wasted no time in bringing everyone up to speed. He immediately called for a teleconference with all slayers involved. Andrew quickly got the meeting set up. He called each slayer and told them the time and gave them a secure dial in number for the call.

While Andrew and Jimmy were busy getting the necessary systems and databases running, Giles and Buffy drove to Xander's house. The Englishman wanted to personally talk to the Scooby and his wife about their decision to stay within the circle of the slayers. He told them that everyone at the Council was doing everything in their power to find out who had orchestrated the attacks and what the next move might be. Giles suggested to Xander that he and his family keep the communication lines open in case emergency contact was needed. "You should also try to stay inside as much as possible until we get a better understanding of who's doing this. Public settings are too unsecured. Unfortunately, that's all the advice I can give you at this point in time. If you have a security system, keep it on at all times."

After an hour and a half, Giles was ready to go back to Slayer Central. He said goodbye to Xander and Jessica. Nate and Joey grabbed his legs and tried to roughhouse like Roman gladiators. Giles responded by ruffling their hair. "Ah, my young soldiers, now I must leave; but I assure you that we will have our battle in the Parthenon another day." Giles was proud of Xander's sons. He was proud of Xander for raising such fine, albeit rambunctious, boys.

As Giles got to the doorway, he looked apologetically at Xander and his wife. "I regret that this meeting couldn't have been about how wonderful it is to see all of you again. I know that you have been having a bit of a tough go at it lately. Trust me when I say that I will do everything in my power to bring the least amount of stress to you, Jessica." Then looking at her protruding belly, "You've got my next set of nieces in there…I'm looking forward to meeting them." Buffy and Giles left, Buffy telling Xander that she would call him when the slayer meeting was over.

Back at Slayer Central, Rita was busy checking on security around the facility. She and the other slayers constantly patrolled the property's perimeter, and had since the Sao Paulo attacks. Buffy and Jimmy decided that they had to be certain no one was placing explosives or any other deadly devices in their vicinity. Buffy was taking no chances. They wouldn't be blown or burned up like others had been. All the slayers also took turns keeping watch from different positions on the rooftop of the house. Andrew and Jimmy had, in addition, beefed up the video and audio security in Slayer Central. That was something that the other U.S. slayer locations were likewise told to do.

Andrew's work included much more than just the security matter. He was coordinating the teleconference and integrating the computer system in Slayer Central with all the other locations in the United States and overseas. The end game was for Cleveland to be a virtual Watcher Council headquarters with real time access and communication capabilities. In this regard, Andrew was even more the "wiz kid" than Willow. Willow may have been heads and shoulders above him in the magick realm, but he was her superior when it came to the technological intricacies of the Council's inner workings.

As proficient as the man-child was, he still couldn't do the entire job himself in order to get it done in the time frame needed. So, while Buffy was with Giles, Jimmy supported Andrew. Andrew didn't mind the help from Jimmy, even though he was used to doing things himself. In fact, he rather liked Jimmy. The man didn't have a history with Andrew. He only knew second hand about his less than noble actions while with Jonathan and Warren. There was little pre-judgment or underlying anger when he went into a Star Wars comparison. Also, Jimmy wasn't uneasy around him the way so many others at the Council seemed. Unlike during his high school days, Andrew now was aware enough to notice the way some people kept extra distance from him or tried to cut conversations short. Andrew had matured enough to understand that his inadequacy in the area of social skills made some people ill at ease around him. But Jimmy wasn't like that. Andrew didn't know if Buffy's boyfriend didn't care how strange he was or had known worse cases than he.

When Giles and Buffy walked into Slayer Central, everything had been uploaded, downloaded, interfaced and merged in order to connect all the slayers. The meeting was set for 8pm. No one had known about the meeting until Giles arrival in Cleveland. The Englishman knew that they had to be as unarranged as possible. Too much advanced planning could be to their detriment, especially if someone was watching them or tracking their moves in some way. Therefore, at precisely three minutes to 8pm, Andrew initiated the automated surveillance program and hardware. All the Cleveland slayers entered the main library and took their seats. Phone connections were opened for the incoming calls from the other participants in New York, Massachusetts and New Mexico.

The teleconference had been ongoing for over an hour. Giles initially recounted what the Council's Head of Slayer Liaison informed him of the latest information known about the unaccounted for slayers. Giles had called the Council member a half hour prior to the slayer conference call. The Englishman didn't want to involve the London office on the call in view of the possible traitor from inside. In fact, the London office did not even know that Giles had put together the slayer call.

Giles told the slayers that, as feared, the last three slayers, all stationed in China, had been found near their homes. All were dead. They had been gutted and quartered. That meant of all the non-U.S. slayers, only two survived. The two young women, one French and the other Italian, were eighteen and nineteen, respectively. They had been at the Florence, Italy installation but decided to 'sneak out' literally minutes before that building came under attack. The French girl, Yvette, missed her boyfriend terribly and had convinced the other slayer, Sophia, to go with her to see him in Paris. They hadn't seen the news reports about Sao Paulo until that morning. The women instantly called the Council to find out what happened. It was then they were given the horrifying news about the depth of the attacks and their outcome.

The surviving slayers were being sequestered by Council members until their orders were finalized. Giles told his colleague to keep the women were they were for right now. He hedged that whoever did the attacks thought all the slayers had been killed. He suspected that if it wasn't made known that two survived, they would be safe for now. Giles knew he could easily have them sent to America if needed. He was more concerned with not putting them in the path of certain death. The Brit was still the head of the Council and he knew that, above all else, he had to make sure that the slayer line continued. It was critical that at least one slayer survive. Keeping Yvette and Sophia safe was something like an insurance policy. However, it was one that, if the American contingency would fall without them, he would not hesitate to cash in.

Giles then detailed what he and the Council knew about the attacks in general. Assaults had been coordinated in time. All happened within minutes of each other. There had also been a disarming of surveillance equipment in such a manner as to escape notice. There was a loop inserted into each facility's network to make it appear as if the system was functioning properly. Though it was possible that such a maneuver could be done remotely, it was more likely done with direct access. The records that existed, the Council's equivalent of an airplane's little black box, showed that the switch was done very shortly before the attacks. "Some one had to know exactly what they were looking for and how to disarm it."

As to the Sao Paulo explosion, the story was much of the same. The devices that were planted around the perimeter of the house were done within a matter of minutes. Again, the security system records confirmed that. Each facility had automatic upload and transfer of data to Council HQ. This allowed the upper echelon of Council management to perform quality control without having to make in-person inspections. The last information available showed that there was what appeared to be a momentary glitch in the ground sensors twenty minutes before the explosion. Giles noted, "It is obvious that even the mere glitch was, in itself, an infiltration of the system. Even with a dozen demons working, it would take more than a second to plant all that explosive material."

Lastly, Giles told those on the call that the recent attacks had to have been masterminded by one being. "There was too much, too spread out in synchronized time to be various groups acting together. This was planned like a key battle of a war. There has to be a main general. The scope of the attacks and the ferociousness of them lead us to conclude that this is bigger than any demon looking to control. It's bigger than someone even like Glory could do." Giles' voiced lowered and he cleared his throat as he often did when he had bad news. "I dare say, we are certain that there's only force strong enough to accomplish something of this magnitude…the First. The First is back and is trying to wipe out the slayer line again…It almost succeeded on the other side of the pond. We must prepare ourselves for attack."

Miguel asked a question. "I understand what you're saying, Giles. So are we better spread out or all in one place?"

"Good question, Miguel. I know you must all be wondering that very same thing. I have discussed the matter with the Council members and I, personally, have been straining with this issue. The slayers in Sao Paulo were obliterated precisely because they were in the same location. But then, some of the other facilities weren't destroyed but the slayers overrun. The slayers who were on their own…died. This is a very tough decision."

Kennedy, who was listening in with Willow, Dawn and Lee on speaker phone, spoke up.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I think there's strength in numbers. We know what to watch out for now. If we join forces, we'll probably be able to figure out who the First has doing its dirty work this time. We'll be able to fight together, cover each other's back. We beat the First once already using this same strategy. I say…if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

There was a birth of voices affirming Kennedy's sentiment.

Giles inwardly was proud. He had planned to direct everyone meet in Cleveland. It was good to know that his slayers were already on the same page. He saw that overriding camaraderie and loyalty.

"Well said, Kennedy. Since we are all in agreement, your assignment is to be in Cleveland by tomorrow night. You all need to let Andrew know of your flight arrang…"

Giles' abruptly stopped talking when he heard the line go dead. The only noise was a buzzing sound. "Hello? Is anyone on the line?"

Just then, everyone in the main library of Slayer Central heard the crashing of window glass and doors being torn off their hinges.

Everyone jumped from their chairs and bolted out of the room toward the commotion. Buffy was the first to see the scene out in the main foyer.

Streaming through the broken front door and windows was a mob of demons. They were tall and sinewy with almost translucent gray skin. The creatures had bald heads with visible webbed veins under the skin and spiked teeth. At the end of their long arms were oversized hands with sharp talon-like fingernails. The creatures were snarling and…heading straight for Buffy and the rest. Buffy shouted the obvious.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

"LEE! GET DOWN!" Kennedy charged the demon as she shouted to fellow slayer. The translucent gray, hairless creature was charging toward Lee. Kennedy knew that the only chance for the woman not to be severely injured was if she could get to the demon first.

When Kennedy saw Lee automatically start to crouch after her command, she lunged at the creature and crashed into it in mid air. Both went hurdling to the floor and slid into a wall. When they stopped, the slayer was on top of the demon which was digging its pick-like fingernails into Kennedy's arms in an attempt to get itself free. Despite the agonizing pain, the slayer held on tightly to her spike.

"Aaarrrrgggghhh!" Kennedy screamed as the razor sharp nails dug into her flesh. The slayer jerked her body away from the demon. Kennedy could feel and hear the flesh ripping apart as her attacker's nails dislodged from her forearms.

The slayer bolted to her feet, the blood flowing from the wounds to her extremities. She knew she had but a moment to go for the kill. The demon was dazed and thrashing its legs about.

Kennedy rushed back at the creature and kicked it fiercely in the face. The demon latched its hands to its features, seeped in ooze flowing from its eye sockets. Kennedy wasted no time. She reached down and grabbed the demon around the neck so that the top of its head was directly in front of her. Then in one fluid forceful motion she plunged the spike through the pinkish circular spot on the demon's skull. She heard the bone shatter as the spike entered deep into glutinous material within.

There was a shriek from the creature and then it went limp.

Wasting no time, the slayer got up and turned to the noise behind her. She saw Lee fighting a demon like the one she just killed and another one heading for Willow, Dawn and Samantha. There was a barrier spell around Sammie and Dawn who was holding the child tightly. Sam was crying and, although frightened, reaching out for her mother. Willow was in front of the barrier, protecting her daughter and Dawn as she shot bolts of fire at the demon. Kennedy saw out of the corner of her eye that several more demons were entering through the smashed in door to the training facility.

In a flash, the slayer was running to help her wife. As Kennedy tackled the demon being hit by Willow's shots she wondered how they had they had been caught off guard and attacked so easily.

Dakota and Isabella stood back to back. They were in the middle of the old abandoned country dance bar used occasionally by Isabella for her workouts. Dakota held a spike in her hand; the other slayer had lost her weapon early in the ambush. There were seven of the demons with the translucent skin circling them.

"This is why I like Albuquerque better. Hardly any life threatening surprise attacks happen there." Isabella's voice betrayed her as she tried to sound like she wasn't terrified.

The slayers had already battled four of the demons. Though the creatures' skin appeared paper thin, it was in reality as strong as reinforced steel. That lessoned was quickly learned after numerous jabs to the heart, torso and limbs. Isabella had managed to decapitate one, thanks to broken piece of glass pane that was in the right place at the right time. That was the only method of killing the demons either slayer had discovered. Stabbing them in the eye only made them angrier.

The two slayers stood there scrutinizing their swarming enemies, trying to think of a plan as the demons came closer and closer. Their clothes had tears from the swipes of the demons' nails. Blood soaked the material. Dakota listed to one side, the effect of a puncture hole to her rib cage.

"We've got to get to the door," Isabella stated. She decided that escape was their only chance. They were too outnumbered and the demons too indestructible to win.

"No!" Dakota said defiantly. "We've got to hold our ground. We run and they'll pick us off like weaklings in a herd." She lowered her voice as the demons drew closer. "They have to have a weakness. We just haven't found it yet."

Just then, the creatures hesitated for a moment, looked at each other quickly and sprang at the slayers.

"SHIT!" Isabella yelled as the slayers stiffened for another attack. "I sure hope the others are having a better time than we are."

Isabella and Dakota engaged the demons, punching and kicking and using every slayer fighting skill they knew. They worked together to keep the creatures from attacking all at once. By playing offense, the women were able to escape further serious injury while at the same time sending several of the demons into a stunned state. By happenstance, Dakota jabbed one demon on the top of its head with her spike. The demon writhed in pain and fell over dead.

"THAT'S IT! Spike 'em on the top of their heads!" she yelled instructions blindly to Isabella. As Dakota turned to make sure her slayer partner had heard her, she saw a demon drilling its long nail into the side of Isabella's neck.

"Nooo!…" Dakota ran to Isabella and jumped on the demon knocking him away from the other slayer.

Dakota frantically picked up Isabella off the floor. She held her by the arms and starting running with her. She didn't know if she was trying to escape or get them some space to make another stand. They made it to the large window with the busted out glass before the demons were on them again. Both slayers knew escape was no longer an option in any regard.

In a sure tone, "Remember, Issy, we're slayers…go for the top of the head."

The battled raged on.

"Johh, stay here! Do not, under any circumstances, open this door."

With that said, Miguel shut the door. Johnny heard him rush away. For a moment, there was silence; then all hell broke loose. He didn't know how long he'd been in the secret room, or more rightly put closet. But from the horrific sounds he'd heard, he wasn't about to defy Miguel's orders.

Faith had warning of the ambush about twenty seconds before it happened. Her attackers gained access by the fire escape, a direct view to most of the apartment. A rat that frequented the metal balcony squealed and scurried away. It was loud enough to catch Faith's attention. She glanced in that direction and saw several 'shadows.' Just then, the connection with Giles and the others went dead. Faith instantly knew something was wrong.

She told Miguel to take her brother from the spare bedroom and place him in the "safe place." The man had only taken a few steps toward the room when the hairless, veined demons came charging in. Faith was able to keep them at bay while Miguel took care of Johnny.

There were five demons that attacked Faith and Miguel. When the Brazilian returned from the back room, Faith already had one creature lying on the floor dead. She had cut off its head with a large kitchen knife.

Faith and Miguel battled the others. Miguel was no match for the talon like nails of the creatures and he quickly had several gashes on his left leg. Faith had taken a few blows to the arm and back but had managed to avoid serious injury.

No matter what she tried, she could not kill another demon. During a brief confrontation with one creature, she lost the knife; it knocked out of her hand and slid under the couch. She couldn't get to another knife. She tried to stab the demons with her spike but found their skin impenetrable.

Miguel had only been able to ward off a demon long enough to call to Faith for directions.

"Under the couch! The knife!…Get the knife!" she shouted as she dodged another swipe at her body by a demon.

Miguel rushed toward the couch. He leg tackled a demon low and sent him sailing in the air. Then he slid on his stomach to the couch and plunged his arm underneath, searching for the item. He smiled when he felt it. The next moment, Miguel was jumping up gripping the knife in his hand. He immediately ran to Faith who had two demons attacking her.

As Miguel got about five feet away, an injured demon who'd been lying on the floor threw out its arm and caught Miguel's ankle in mid stride. The man fell forward hard; at the same time Faith had pushed one of the demons making him fall towards Miguel. The creature's head impacted with the kitchen knife still grasped in Miguel's hand. The blade slid forcefully into the top of the skull. In an instant, the demon was dead.

Faith saw the entire episode unfold. She grabbed the other demon near her and hauled him into the air.

She looked at Miguel and grinned. "A fucking soft spot…like a baby."

Faith ran to the kitchen utensil drawer to get another knife.

Buffy felt more remorse than anger as she stood over the dead body. She was alone in the front living room where they'd placed the body not so much earlier. It wasn't the first time the blonde had found herself in this scenario; she knew that unfortunately it probably wouldn't be the last. However, each time it happened, each time she faced a dead slayer, it felt like she lost a piece of herself. Death was a part of a slayer's life, even more so than any regular person walking the streets. An early death, though not as certain as when there was only one slayer, was still a good possibility. That risk fell upon them this day as Buffy stood over the body of Robin. Though the teenager had been a slayer for ten months and had been trained, in part, by Buffy, she nonetheless succumbed during battle.

Buffy heard footsteps walk up beside her.

"She was brave. She took on five of those creatures…even though she knew she was bleeding to death." It was Jimmy's voice.

"She should have tried to save herself…Slayers never think to do that, do they?"

Jimmy placed his arm around the blonde's waist. "No. That's what makes them slayers."

"It's started, Jimmy…Robin won't be the last to die…I've been through this before." Jimmy had never heard Buffy sound so dejected.

Pulling Buffy tighter, "And you survived the last time…so did the slayer line. It'll be the same this time, too."

Buffy turned to her boyfriend and gave him a sad smile. "It has to be."

The fight that the Cleveland contingency encountered was the fiercest of the attacks on the slayers that evening. As soon as the slayers and the rest realized they were being attacked, Slayer Central turned into an all out battleground. There were three dozen demons at one point by Giles' count. The slayers split the enemy by staking out several areas of the house to make a stand. Buffy and Nancy took the front of the ground floor. Jimmy fought with them. Rita and Robin took the training rooms along with Giles. Shane, Beth and Andrew went to the kitchen and study area. As soon as a group of slayers left, they were followed by a larger group of the demons.

Even though the Cleveland group didn't know it at the time, they discovered the vulnerability of the translucent creatures much like Kennedy, Faith and Dakota had – by luck. It was Shane who found the key to the monsters' demise. She had been struggling with a demon and found herself wrapped up with one like a wrestler. There was broken furniture surrounding them. Trying to get free form the slashing fingernails of her foe, Shane latched on to anything she could find. First, a slat from a wooden rocking chair; next a broken piece of a coffee table top. She hit the creature as hard as she could with every object but still the demon beat her. As she thrashed about, Shane reached out another time. This time it felt like she had the leg of table in her grasp. As before, she swung down with the object as hard as she could. It hit the demon squarely on the top of his head. The beast's eyes rolled back as a loud shrill filled the air. The demon jerked and then fell over dead.

Shane quickly got up and saw that the wooden object was still lodged in the creature's skull. She pulled it out. The leg end had a metal bolt jutting out the side that went into the demon's skull. It didn't more than a second for Shane to register that she'd just found out the way to kill the demons. As she would retell it to the others, her discovery came too late for Robin. As Shane ran into the room where she knew Robin was fighting, she saw five demons beating and slashing at Robin. The teenager was bleeding it seemed from everywhere. Her clothes were stained deep crimson. The youngest of the slayers, Robin was known as being the least proficient at multiple enemy engagement. There had been times when the others even joked about it to her. Shane saw that there was an exit behind Robin; one that the slayer could have gotten to at some point in her fight. But she had stayed and taken on the band of demons.

Shane ran to her, wielding the wooden table leg weapon as she did. The elder slayer killed the demons despite several close calls. But her efforts were too late. As Robin lay on the ground, Shane could see that death would come soon. Robin tried to talk, blood dribbling out the corner of her mouth. Faintly and through exerted breath, "F-five…ag-gainst wu…one." Shane held the slayer's hand. She gave her a comforting smile. "You did great, Robin."

Robin died before any other words were said.

The other battles in the Cleveland house were just as brutal though no other lives were lost. Rita and Nancy had the worst wounds, gashes to the leg. The other slayers had only minor wounds which on a slayer's body would heal by morning. The non-slayers faired much like Rita. All three had wounds that necessitated immediate medical care. Having learned a lesson from the battle in Sunnydale, Giles had required someone in each facility to take several emergency care classes. In Slayer Central, that was Shane.

The rooms were the fights occurred were damaged, some badly, but the security system and the electronic equipment brought by Giles and Andrew remained intact. Of course, the first reaction they had as soon as their fight was over was to try to contact the other slayers to determine if they too had been attacked. Buffy's main worry was for her sister. Giles wasn't able to get anyone on his cell phone for over thirty minutes. Finally, he got through to Isabella. She told him she and Dakota had been ambushed but that they had defeated the demons and were safe. Five minutes later, Buffy got a call from Dawn. The two were so relieved to hear the other's voice. Again, the story unfolded the same. Buffy told the others that the Massachusetts gang was relatively unhurt. It was another fifteen minutes before Giles got through to Faith and Miguel. The stories swapped were like the others.

With each call, Giles and Buffy learned that the same type of demon had struck. Oddly enough, there hadn't been the overwhelming numbers of demons attacking the slayers as the non-American slayers had encountered. And they were a different kind of demon altogether. Only one slayer had lost her life in the fray. For Giles that was one too many. But he knew that he couldn't dwell on the pain and sorrow. They were all in real danger now. He knew he had to get them in the same place. Strength in numbers, Giles had to put his faith and fate in that.

He told Dakota and Isabella during that first phone call to be on high alert for the remainder of the evening and to take the first flight in the morning to Cleveland. When he spoke to Kennedy after Dawn finished with Buffy, he gave the same order. "Screw waiting, Giles. Tell Dakota to go to Sheardley Airport. She knows where it is. Tell her there'll be a chartered flight ready for her and Isabella by the time they get there. When you talk to Faith, tell her to go to JFK. She and Miguel will have one waiting for them, too. If you want the other two slayers here, too, I can get an international flight set up almost as fast. We should be able to get to Cleveland by 4am."

Giles started to question Kennedy but was stopped. "Think about it, Giles. You've already said someone connected with the Council is probably in on this. Can we take the chance that getting the slayers to Cleveland won't be compromised? We've got to keep this as on the QT as possible…Besides, private jets I can handle. Remember, I'm the rich brat. Let me use my money…and my family's discrete connections to good use."

True to her word, Kennedy had private flights to Cleveland arranged for every slayer. Within fourteen hours, Slayer Central would be filled with expected and some unexpected guests. The time to band together against the forces of Evil was upon them.

It was May 28^th and, within a week, the truth behind the First would be revealed and the world forever changed.

The first to arrive at Slayer Central after the late night attacks was the Harris family. As soon as Buffy had finished talking to Dawn and Willow, she got an uneasy feeling about Xander. She immediately called his house. Buffy was so relieved when her good friend answered the phone. She was less relived when she heard a touch of anxiety in his voice. Upon questioning, Xander told her that they had not been visited by any demons that night. But that wasn't the end of the conversation. "I did hear something outside. I went and looked but didn't see anything. I really can't say if it was something…coulda been a stray cat." Then in an unconvincing tone, "A really noisy cat that didn't at all sound like a cat." Buffy didn't need to hear anymore. "Pack up the family…I'm coming to get you." In less than an hour, the entire Harris family was at Slayer Central.

The next to arrive was the Massachusetts gang. As promised by Kennedy, she, Willow, Samantha, Dawn and Lee got to the house just before 4am. Lee was without Paulette, her girlfriend. Paulette wanted to come but Lee insisted that she stay. When Kennedy went to their apartment to pick up Lee, she and Paulette were having a contentious argument. It was the first time that Kennedy had ever seen the two women shout at each other. Kennedy watched as Lee kept telling Paulette that it was too dangerous for her to go on the trip. The slayer continued to say this was for slayers only. Of course, Paulette wouldn't accept that answer because she knew Willow and even Samantha were going to Cleveland. Lee finally said firmly, "I love you, but you can't come with us. That's final. You'll be safe here." And Lee walked out the door.

Kennedy was left standing there with a sobbing Paulette. It didn't take a genius to know what Lee had done and why. Though she didn't agree with how Lee had handled the situation, Kennedy could understand her reasoning. Kennedy couldn't leave Paulette without trying to explain Lee's actions. She told the woman that Lee had acted as she did because she knew how much danger was ahead of them. "She can't imagine you being in the middle of this and getting hurt…or worse. That's what's got her in knots. Don't you see? Lee needs to be able to focus on one thing…being a slayer and going after the bad guy. She can't do that if you're there. She'll be worried about you every second. She'd have to make sure nothing gets near you. That will put her, you and the rest of us in danger."

When questioned how Kennedy could allow Willow and Sam be part of the trip, the slayer hesitated briefly. "Willow is one of the most powerful witches in the world and some of that has rubbed off on Sam. It's not that I don't try to protect them, but Wil and I are a team. We've done this before together. Hell, Wil's killed demons on her own before. It's totally different than you and Lee."

In the end, Kennedy made Paulette understand that Lee was only acting out of the truest love for her. To keep her safe, Lee had to leave her in Massachusetts. When it truly sank in, Paulette ran to the waiting car. As Willow, Kennedy and Samantha looked on, she kissed Lee urgently. With tears running down her cheeks, Paulette made Lee promise to call her every chance she got. "I love you, Paulie," Lee said as she kissed her partner one last time. "I love you, too. You come back to me." Lee gave a warm smile. "I will."

The next influx consisted of Faith and Miguel…and Johnny. The background story for Faith's appearance was just as dramatic and their arrival much more surprising for the Cleveland crew. When Faith walked into Slayer Central with a young teenage boy, everyone was stunned. When the lad was introduced as Faith's younger brother, they were shocked. Faith gave no more explanation that morning other than "It's a long story." Miguel offered no input either. The fact that the boy was in Cleveland had actually been a bone of contention between the slayer and Miguel.

After surviving the demon attack, Miguel and Faith had to quickly explain to Johnny what had happened and why he was placed in the hidden safe place. They tried to pass off that there had been an attempted robbery but the boy saw right through that lie. "What I heard wasn't human and it wasn't any animal found in New York." Had Faith and Miguel not been in the middle of an obvious demon crisis, they may have given it another shot at a fake story. However, it was Faith who decided that there wasn't enough time for charades. "Ok, no bullshit. Demons are real and me and Mickey here fight them. That's what just happened." It took several more minutes to get the boy to accept what was said to him. It wasn't long after that that Giles contacted Faith and told her she and Miguel needed to get to Cleveland.

When Faith told Miguel that she wanted to take her brother with them, the Brazilian strongly disagreed. "Faith, he just met you. He has no idea what this is all about. He probably doesn't really believe us. We can't put him in this kind of danger and we don't have the time to look after him like a baby. He'd be safer and better off with Child Services…or maybe we can get someone in Boston…" Faith cut him off. "I'm not backing down on this, Mick. He won't do foster care again. You heard him. He'll run. And who knows, he might be a target now cuz he was here for the attack." Back and forth they discussed, sometimes on the verge of arguing. Every reasonable statement Miguel gave for making Johnny stay was countered by one from Faith. Faith had the last and winning point, "He's my brother, Mick…my only blood…I just found him. I won't abandon him like my mom did." Miguel knew the fight was lost.

Slowly, Slayer Central filled with the world's remaining vampire slayers. Dakota and Isabella arrived next and by midday Yvette and Sophia got there. Because of the attacks, everyone was initially on edge. No one was able to sleep that night, except the children and Jessie, and she only because of an insistent husband. The earlier arrival slayers spent their time that night and early morning getting briefed by Giles, understanding the layout of the house and patrolling the grounds. They caught cat naps when necessary. Xander and Jessie stayed with their boys and Samantha when Willow was asked by Giles to assist Andrew with some computer analysis. The redhead was finally able to get a few hours of sleep, as demanded by Kennedy, during that mid-morning. Luckily for the two European slayers, they were able to sleep on the plane and were well rested when they got into Cleveland. The atmosphere those initial hours was one of controlled frenzy.

Room assignments were made as people arrived. All had rooms on the second floor of the house, the main 'dorm' section. Giles wanted everyone close in proximity. He knew it would be easier to defend themselves against another attack if they were together. No one had a room to themselves. Kennedy, Willow and Samantha were in a room at the end of the hall, next to the stairs. Next to them were Xander, Jessie, Nate and Joey. Across the hall Faith, Miguel and Johnny shared a room. To their right were Buffy and Jimmy. Dawn and Lee were in the room next to Xander's. Down the hall the room assignments went – Beth and Rita, then Nancy and Shane. Isabella and Dakota had the room across from Giles and Andrew. Next to the men were Yvette and Sophia at the other end of the hall. The second story of Slayer Central was a fortress of slayer strength.

During that first night, one of the first priorities was to reinforce security. Andrew, Jimmy and Xander placed additional security cameras and sensors on the third floor and at the ingresses and egresses to it so that the gang could monitor any activity there. Though there was usually a lot of activity on the first floor, Buffy suggested to Giles that the guys place additional security there also and on the outside perimeter of the house. The Scoobies wanted to be certain that they would be alerted to any movement in or around the facility.

It was obvious to the core Scoobies that they could not rely on technology to keep them safe. Willow noted that they were probably safe from another attack until at least the following night. "We've got all day to decide how we need to improve security." A consensus was easily reached. Beginning the following night, Slayer Central would not rely solely on electronic advances for their safety. The group elected to institute a nighttime 'live' patrol of Slayer Central. Slayers were to be put in pairs and two pairs at a time would guard the compound in three hours shifts. That would leave enough time for the slayers to rest. During the day, the slayers could assist in researching, and identifying their enemy and plan. When on duty, each slayer would be required to make hourly contact, via walkie talkie, with home base, meaning Giles, Andrew or Jimmy – whoever was on call for that shift. The enemy had shown itself to be quick and devastating in its attacks. No one wanted to chance losing a slayer and not find out for several hours when it might be too late. The plan for security was in place by noon.

For Giles, his duties included leaving Slayer Central temporarily that afternoon. Despite the haste during the activities since the arrival of Xander, the Englishman didn't forget the tragedy that had befallen during the attack—the death of Robin. Her body remained where it had been placed after the fight. But it had to be moved. Robin's family had to be notified of their daughter's death. This was not something that would be handled by Giles. Robin's family had met with Council personnel from Boston. Giles never met the parents. Now, he wished he had. Though Giles was not going to Robin's home town of Virginia, he was going to a secured location with Robin's body to give it the appropriate personnel so that the matter could be handled. As much as Giles wanted to be able to tell Robin's parents how brave and wonderful their daughter had been, he knew that his place was at Slayer Central, trying to prevent the entire world from falling to Evil.

Giles was back by 2pm. It was the first time that a lull came over the house. Everyone had settled in, the security plans were in place and all who needed rest had gotten it. Lunch was made and eaten. In an odd way, there was a sense of relaxation. People started to watch television. The kids played and old friends and new began to catch up on life.

It didn't take long before the personalities of those at Slayer Central came to the surface. This was the first time anyone had really met Yvette and Sophia. Xander has expected that they'd be the stereotypical sophisticated Europeans…and they were. That's not to say that they weren't good slayers. However, they dressed as fashionable as any runway model. Sophia was part Italian and part Spanish, Yvette was all French, Parisian French. Their physical attractiveness was emphasized by classic European looks. They were well mannered but did immediately question Giles about the need for respectable wine and fresh fruit for their sustenance. They cringed when they saw all the frozen food in the freezer.

Some of the other inhabitants of the house took the slayers' comments as a 'thumbing of the nose' at their American lifestyle. It took the older, more world traveled slayers to explain that they hadn't been insulted. Trying to ease the cultural riff tension, Xander commented, "Hey, at least they speak English…Hell, they probably speak five languages. Giles won't have to make flash cards this time." The Scoobies laughed, though the statement's humor was lost on those who weren't in Sunnydale when the Chinese potential Chao-Ahn was there.

As chic as Yvette and Sophia were, Dakota and Isabella were just as down to earth. The most exotic thing about Isabella was her name. They were both from the Southwest, Dakota from Texas and Isabella from Idaho. Becoming slayers was the biggest thing that ever happened to either by a long shot. Before going to Cleveland, Dakota hadn't been more than twenty miles away from her home town. Isabella grew up on a farm where corn was the cash crop. Both women knew hard labor and how to do without. Spare time was cherished. Dakota could dance the two-step and Texas swing and Isabella knew how to run a combine through thirty acres of corn.

The two slayers quickly became friends when they met at Slayer Central. They had so much in common. Both carried with them a deep sense of love for their country and its beautiful land. They were no nonsense, although Isabella was the more leveled headed of the two. Dakota had the tendency to get a "wild hair up her ass" as Isabella would say.

The two slayers shared a bond, one that ran deep like sisters. They often joked how they were closer than Oprah and Gail. There were some Council personnel who rumored that the women were lovers. But they weren't. Neither was gay. Each had boyfriends, but the relationships never lasted. Neither Dakota nor Isabella ever got to a level of trust with any of them to confide about their status as slayers. That was a subject of much discussion between the two.

The closeness shared by Isabella and Dakota was somewhat like that seen between Rita and Shane. Those two women had been in Cleveland since they arrived for slayer training. They got their powers a few years after Willow's spell was performed in Sunnydale. They were stationed in Cleveland to protect the world from the Hellmouth there. Despite their longevity, they still took a back seat to Buffy. They were the ground generals to Buffy's Joint-Chiefs-of-Staff position.

The bond between Rita and Shane came about as a result of their being slayers. Except for that one commonality, the two slayers were as different as night and day. Shane was suburban Atlanta, Top 40 and of Welsh descent. Rita was Chicago, hip hop and of Jewish and African-American lineage. Shane was straight and Rita "tested the boundaries" of her sexuality. Though Shane was no virgin, she didn't rush into relationships. Rita had been involved with men and women. She acted on the moment; emotional commitment wasn't a necessity. There had been a brief time when Rita thought about pursuing Shane, but it became obvious very quickly that Shane wasn't the 'experimental' type. The slayers had become good enough friends that Rita decided to forego that one experience.

The two women got along because they fed off each other, making jokes and egging the other on every chance they got. They were a deadlier version of Felix and Oscar of the Odd Couple. Many people who met them thought that they had an intense rivalry. In some respects, they did. However, it manifested itself in each woman's desire to better herself in the eyes of the other. As sarcastic and biting they could be with each other, they never let it get in the way of their friendship or their slayer obligations.

As for Beth and Nancy, the newest slayers, they were still trying to adapt to their destiny. Both were busy learning what they could while at Slayer Central. They respected Rita and Shane and revered Buffy. Quiet most of the time, the two teenagers tried not to get in trouble or killed by demons. They were respectful and did what was asked of them. The death of their companion, Robin, in the surprise attack shook them. Since the fight, they had been unusually closed-mouthed. It became so noticeable to Jimmy, who taught several of their courses, that he informed Buffy she needed to talk to the girls. She did and by the time the last of the slayers arrived at the house, the girls were at least outwardly acting like themselves.

With everyone settled in and getting to know one another, the real work began. By the afternoon, Buffy called a meeting of the slayers and other Council personnel. Xander and Jessica stayed with the kids in the rec room to keep them occupied. The group started to discuss how the attacks could have occurred. It became clear that not one person among them had known where the others were when they had the conference call. It was only the cell numbers that Giles knew, not the location of the participants. In fact, Dakota told the group that she and Isabella had moved to a new place only an hour before the time for the call.

"How could some one have known where we all were?" asked Dawn.

"Yeah, me and Shane weren't supposed to be at the old bar. It was a last minute thing. We were on assignment and Sheila from the Council in Flagstaff called us and told us to get back to our base. We were on the way to our safe house when we got the call about the phone conference. We knew we didn't have time to make it to the house. I'd stopped at that abandoned old place a couple times. It was the only place we could stop. "

Faith, leaning against the wall, pulled her hands out of her pockets and stood up straight. "What I wanna know is how the hell could a shit load of the same frickin' demons be at four places and attack all at the same time?"

"They must have been watching us for some time." Giles concluded that there was no way this was a spur of the moment endeavor. "It wouldn't be difficult to keep track of our whereabouts in that case."

"But Giles," Buffy interjected. "That may explain how the demons were there…but how could they know when to attack. The call was just between us and it's not like it was on the news. There's no way that those demons could have known we were having a teleconference. Those demons could do one thing…and that was fight, not espionage."

Rita piped in. "Maybe those things have some sort of power…I mean we don't even know what they are."

"They're Hanchun Ki demons…the mule horse of fighting demons…a cross breed if you will." Andrew spoke as he and Willow entered the room. "They are interdimensional demons who work subservient to a master figure." Andrew was carrying a book as he and Willow walked farther into the room. Andrew stopped while Willow went to sit on the arm of the couch where Kennedy was sitting.

Andrew continued. "Willow and I have been trying to figure out what attacked all of us and why. Since the same demons did all the fighting, we knew it had to be one that either could keep a low profile with other demons or be able to appear wherever it needed to be quickly."

Willow took over. "Turns out our Edward Scissorhands wannabees are neither."

The rest of the room stared at Willow confused.

"What Willow means is that these nasties can't transfer location on their own. They're like tanks. They have a lot of firepower but you gotta put them where you want to them to be." Andrew scanned the faces expecting to see understanding. All he got was more blank stares.

Willow tried again. "What Andrew is trying to say is that those demons were planted here. They were summoned by something and specifically placed in the locations where the slayers were. They aren't very mobile. It had to be done literally after the time Giles told everybody about the phone call conference." Now she got a few nods. Kennedy nudged her and smiled.

Buffy shook her head. "Ok, so these guys with the bad manicures have a master. How the heck could whoever that was know what we were doing? We didn't even know where we were going to be."

Andrew went to talk but then ceased. He looked at Willow and bowed his head to her. "You go ahead, Willow. You figured it out."

Willow stood up. "You're not going to like this, but…our ring leader can get into our heads…well, not literally…though kinda. I mean…whoever is behind this can read thoughts."

"Wait a minute," Lee said. "I thought the First was doing this?"

Giles cleared his throat. "Yes, you're quite right, Lee. We are certain that the First is behind this. However, it doesn't have form, no body. It has to work through a corporeal being."

"Like Linda Blair in The Omen," quipped Kennedy.

Giles rolled his eyes. "I would venture to say less theatrically dramatic, but yes."

Buffy took charge of the conversation again. "So what you're saying Wil is that we're looking for a person who can read minds? Are you sure?"

"Yes, Buff. Like you said none of us knew where everyone else was. Some of us weren't even sure where we were going to make our call from. The only way to coordinate four separate attacks would have been to be able to call up the demons as soon as someone in each group knew where they were going to be. We all knew when the call would take place. The only way to know where would be to steal that knowledge once it became a fact. Once it was in our head, it could be picked out."

"You mean to tell me some son of a bitch has been trolling my brain?" Rita got to the point of what was bothering her. "That is creepy."

"I'm with you on that one, Rita" Faith mumbled.

"It is creepy but I don't know at this point if all our minds have been staked out or just some."

Dawn spoke. "Willow, wouldn't you have known if someone was trying to get into your head?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I can't say for sure, but my hunch is that those of us who have had experience with this sort of thing probably weren't being brain scanned."

"Like who?" Rita wondered.

"Well, there are some of us here who have passed thoughts to one another or have done a mind connect. Me, Kennedy and Buffy have. But just one different person in the group would be enough to get the place and time for the attacks."

"Great! That means the rest of us are homing devices." Shane was also not happy with the way things were going.

"Don't worry," Andrew responded calmly. "Willow and I think we found a couple of spells that will keep it from happening again."

Giles then stood up. "That's good then. I think we should adjourn this meeting now. We've already discussed the patrol plans for this evening." Giles could see that the meeting had gone on long enough. There had been some hard news for the slayers to absorb.

Giles and Willow decided to perform the spells while Andrew did research on who the First might be using as his surrogate being. "Willow and I will need to see everyone except for Kennedy and Buffy."

Everyone who was sitting got out of their seats and started to exit the room. Giles felt like they were beginning to get a handle on the crisis. They were starting to gel and act like a unit. The storm had ended and they were preparing for the next. The Englishman sensed that things would run smoother from now on.

As the slayers followed Giles out of the room, they were met by Xander who had a disconcerted look.

"What's the matter, Xander" Giles asked.

"It's Jess. Something's wrong. I think she might need to go to the emergency room."

Giles' optimism sank. As he ran to the rec room behind Xander, he fleetingly thought 'I'm never having another good thought.'

Arminda de Montajo felt weaker with each passing day. She had not expected to be this sick. She thought once she got to 'America' her strength would come back from the sheer knowledge that she was free of the brutality of her homeland. Her present situation was not what she envisioned it would be.

The truck that brought her and the other illegal immigrants into the country was supposed to go to Oregon. She had been told that she would work at a mountain side resort that didn't ask questions about its employees. Despite the state of her pregnancy, Arminda kept hope that the employer would still take her on. The baby wasn't due for another six weeks. The teenager told herself she would work up until its birth. Then she hoped that she'd be able to make daycare arrangements for the child while she worked. Such was the pipedream of a sixteen year old girl.

Arminda never made it to Oregon because, in the middle of the night, the truck stopped outside of San Francisco. The driver of the truck opened the back cargo door and demanded everyone to "Get out!" The driver drove away leaving twenty-four, non-English speaking illegal aliens standing in the parking lot to a run down, closed motel. The teenager had no idea where she was. Quickly, many of the aliens began to run. They didn't know where they were running to but it was better than standing still. Arminda couldn't run. She felt queasy and had no energy. For her and several other of the illegals, the only option was to find a place at the motel to rest for the night. An older woman helped Arminda and they found a room that had a broken lock. The other people broke into two rooms. Arminda and the woman went inside to sleep until daybreak.

In the morning, everyone was gone except for Arminda and her roommate. The teenager felt too sick to get up out of the bed. She didn't know if it was morning sickness or the other malady that had been making her feel under the weather. The older woman stayed for only an hour and then said she had to leave. She told Arminda that she felt uneasy. Arminda assumed that the woman meant that she was frightened that the authorities would find them and send them back to Mexico. The woman made sure that the water still worked in the bathroom sink. She gave Arminda the last piece of food she had, two stale tortillas. "I cannot stay…May God watch over you," the woman said as she left. Arminda de Montajo was alone. It was not the first time.

The girl known as Arminda had been born to peasants in the small Mexican town of Veijeo. Both parents were heroine addicts and could not and did not want to care for a child. So they left the newborn at the steps of an orphanage in the neighboring town of Bandita when she was two days old. Though the child would never know it, her parents died during a drug buy gone bad when she was three. The child got her name from the nuns at the orphanage. Her last name she acquired from the name of the patron saint for the town Parish.

Arminda was sickly as a child and never outgrew her frailty. She made no real friends because she couldn't play like the rest of the orphans. Because of her medical history, she was never adopted. She spent her young life watching other children leave the facility in the arms of welcoming new parents. Day after day, year after year, Arminda existed at the orphanage. She often wondered if she would ever be loved. The nuns that ran the facility treated her unkindly and the girl never felt like any one of them truly cared for her. They practiced corporal punishment, slapping her wrists, striking her with a switch for transgressions against God. They had never seriously beaten her but Arminda knew they were capable of it under the right circumstance. The sisters often scolded her and told that she had to strive to be perfect to be worthy in the Lord's eyes. One would never have believed the institution was operating in the Twenty-First century; the tactics used were akin to those read about in books like Oliver Twist.

When Arminda was fifteen, her life changed forever. A craftsman and his seventeen year old son came to town. They had left an even poorer town and were making their way to Mexico City. As they went from town to town, the father and son did odd jobs or traded food and shelter, if need be, for their labor. They had been hired by the Mother Superior to fix a leak in the garage roof and replace some of the roof tiles.

From the first sight of the boy, Arminda was in love. He was the most handsome boy she had ever seen. She awkwardly gawked at him the initial day he and his father arrived to do their work. The boy, Pedro, took notice of the petite creature. He talked to her briefly during his lunch break. Arminda hung on his every word. At the end of their talk, Pedro promised the frail and innocent girl that he would return that night. She was to meet him at the shed behind the barn.

The rest of the story of Arminda and Pedro played out like a storybook tragedy. Arminda had one glorious week with Pedro. She lost her virginity on a warm, starry night amidst a field of night blooming jasmine. The frail, unwanted teenager now felt like she had been saved. Even her fragile health seemed to improve. All the girl wanted from life was to spend it with Pedro.

Arminda waited for her Pedro to arrive for work that next morning after their 'first time.' But neither Pedro nor his father came. So many thoughts went through her head about his absence – his father had discovered their romance, Pedro had been injured or was sick. A thousand reasons entered her mind except for the one she was eventually told by one of the nuns. The work was done and the father and son had moved on.

The truth hit Arminda like a raging bull. She was devastated. After deluding herself that Pedro had gone unwillingly, she eventually accepted the reality. She had been used. Pedro never loved her; he never wanted her, only her body.

Arminda acknowledged the accuracy of that fact the same day that she realized she was pregnant. She tried to keep the pregnancy a secret from the nuns. The girl knew she would be made to give the child up for adoption. Though her child had been conceived out of deception by the father, it had been created out of love by Arminda. The teenager thought this would be her only chance in life to have someone to love and who would love her back. Even as she began to feel ill, she still refused to go to the sisters for help. For six months, she kept the pregnancy from others. She learned to hide her pregnancy as best she could; she wore loose fitting clothes.

Eventually, the nuns did find out about her condition. Their attitude to her changed for the worse. Two nuns beat her for being a "whore" and a "sinner" before Jesus. She was told she had been marked as damaged and was "stained" for any respectable man. Arminda was told that the moment her child was born it would be taken from her and given to a family deserving of the gift from God. Feeling trapped and without options, Arminda struggled for a way out of her predicament. Being pushed to her limit, she did the only thing she could do, something she would never have contemplated any other time in her short life. She stole money from the offering the following Sunday after church and ran away.

She made it to the main road just out of town and hitch-hiked a ride to Meheras, a large city sixty miles north. She used some of her money and took a bus to Mexico City. Arminda hoped to find an answer in the faceless big city. There she spent several days wandering the streets trying to figure out what to do. Then she met a man who said he could help her. The man told her he could get her in to the United States and find her a job. She was to leave in a few weeks and in the meantime work for the man at his ranch. It would cost her all the money she possessed.

Less than two weeks into her stay, the man found out Arminda was pregnant. As much as he wanted to discard her, he could not. The man was a runner for someone higher up the illegal servant trade ladder. There was an entire underground cottage industry of what amounted to slave labor. Unwitting, desperate people from Mexico would be tricked into thinking they were being smuggled into the United States to do menial level jobs. Unbeknownst to them, the employment they got turned out to be more in the nature of indentured servitude. Most of the illegal aliens that were forced into this system got stuck for life. They could not go to the authorities for fear of being deported. They could not run because they knew they would be hunted down and brought back to face dire consequences. They were as trapped as any slave had ever been. And it all happened in the country where freedom and opportunity were the shining symbols of its greatness.

So even though she was over six months pregnant and getting sick, the man put Arminda in the back of the truck for the trip to the United States. He had a quota to meet. The girl was worth money to the man and he didn't care what happened to her once he got his cash.

Arminda de Montajo stayed in that motel room for two more days. She had not the strength to flee the area. She prayed that someone would appear and help her.

In the early afternoon of that third day, Arminda was awoken by a sound. She opened her eyes and stared around the room as she lay on her back on the bed. Her sight quickly found the light from the opened motel door. She strained to see, her vision still foggy from sleep.

Within moments, her eyes adjusted and she saw a figure in the doorway. She thought it had to be the older woman come back for her. Arminda smiled.

"Are you alright, my dear?"

The voice was not of the older woman. But it was soft and soothing.

"I was driving by and saw the door open. I've never seen any door open to one of these rooms before. Something didn't seem right so I stopped. Are you ill?" That same calming tone.

Arminda had no idea what the woman was saying but the words made her feel at ease.

The woman walked into the room and got close enough for Arminda to see. The woman was beautiful, and she had the prettiest lavender colored eyes.

Arminda tried to sit up. The woman saw her condition and started to talk again. This time Arminda responded. "No hablo Ingles."

The woman with the angelic face tilted her head slightly and gave Arminda an understanding look. She spoke back in Spanish.

"Déjeme ayudarle mi niño querido." Translated, "Let me help you, my dear child."

Arminda knew her prayers had been answered.

Fifteen minutes later, Arminda de Montajo was in the front passenger seat of a nondescript four door sedan. The woman who came to her rescue, who said her name was Cybil, drove the car out of the parking lot. Arminda looked back at her room as they drove away. She said goodbye to the past.

In a ditch twenty yards from the end of the motel, out of view from the passing car, lay the lifeless body of the older woman who had originally stayed with Arminda. The body had been brutalized and sliced to shreds as if with razor-sharp knives.

"Whoa, guys. I can do stitches and bandage up a nasty cut, but this is way out of my comfort zone." Shane was in the hallway talking to Giles and Xander. Buffy was also there. Shane had just come from examining Jessica who was resting on the bed in her and Xander's room.

"I understand, Shane. I kinduv panicked." Xander knew he had put the slayer in a tough spot when he insisted she see his wife. "You're the only one here who has any real medical background."

Shane looked at Giles. "Jessie doesn't seem to be in any immediate stress, but she should see an OB doctor…I don't know what to look for."

Xander took a few steps towards his room then turned to the group. "We need to get her to Doctor Figarello, her OB. If we take her to the emergency room, they'll call Figarello in."

Giles pressed his fingers across his forehead. "I agree she needs medical attention…" Giles hesitated. "But…it's already getting late in the afternoon. If you leave now, you may not be done until after dark. That could be very dangerous…for the both of you."

"I don't care about that, Giles. Jess needs a doctor. If it takes until the middle of the night to make sure she's ok, that's what I need to do." Xander only wanted to make sure his wife and unborn daughters were fine.

"Please don't think I don't understand your situation, Xander. But you have to consider the reality that we may be being watched and if you leave, you could be placing yourself and Jessica in real danger."

Xander stood his ground. "Too bad. Jessie needs to see a doctor and I'm taking her."

"I could go with them. Make sure nothing happens," Buffy offered.

"Me, too," added Shane.

Giles knew that was an option but he hoped for a better solution.

"Oh, wait. I just thought of something." Shane looked at the others. She looked directly at Buffy. "Ali," she said simply.

Buffy thought a second then nodded in understanding. They both turned to Giles. "Yeah, Giles," Buffy commented. "You know Ali. We could get her to come here.

As soon as the name was said, Giles knew they had the solution. Ali Porter was a physician that worked at a local private hospital. What no one knew except for a few select persons was that she also catered to the Council and slayers in Cleveland. She was the doctor that the slayers went to when they were injured seriously enough that even Shane couldn't help them. In fact, it was Ali that had trained Shane in some of her EMT knowledge. Dr. Porter tended to all of the slayers medical concerns, including gynecological.

"Well done, Shane," Giles said in a praising tone. "Dr. Porter has been to this facility numerous times. She's part of the organization and she has experience in this area." The Englishman turned to Xander and put his hand on the Scooby's shoulder. "Never fear, Xander. I will get Dr. Porter here in record time and Jessica will be under the finest of care." He could see the tenseness fall form Xander's posture.

"Ok, Giles. Just get her here."

Twenty-five minutes later there was a knock on the door of Slayer Central. Dawn answered it. She knew it was the doctor who Giles had called to examine Jessie. Dawn opened the door. She was surprised at who she saw.

"Umm, hi. You must be Dr. Porter."

"Hello. Yes, I am."

"Please, come in. They're expecting you. It's really great that you could make it on such short notice." Dawn closed the door as the doctor walked in.

"It's no problem. I hope I can help." Ali Porter stood just inside the door for a few moments, Dawn not saying a word. "Where do I go?"

"Oh, sorry." Dawn realized she'd been staring. "Right, you wouldn't know…Umm, follow me." She took the doctor up to the second floor room where Jessie was resting. The bedroom door was opened. Xander, Giles and Willow were also there.

Dawn walked in and motioned for Porter to follow her. "Hey, everyone. Dr. Porter's here."

Giles took the few steps to the doctor and shook her hand. "Ali, so good to see you. Thank you for being so responsive to our request. How's you father?" The doctor's father was a retired Watcher.

"Nice to see you, Giles. Dad's fine. Fishing every chance he can get. So, where is our patient?" Ali looked around Giles to see Jessie in the bad and Xander sitting on the edge next to his wife.

"Here she is, Doc," Xander stated.

Walking over, "Please, call me Ali."

Willow cleared her throat. "Err, I think it's time some of us skedaddle out of here." She looked at Jess. "I know you're going to be fine. You just let the doctor do her thing and listen to what she says." Willow started to walk out of the room with Giles ahead of her. When she noticed Dawn hadn't moved, she grabbed her arm. "Come on, Dawnie. I could use your help with those spells Andrew and I were talking about at the meeting."

Dawn took her attention away from Ali Porter. "Oh, right…Ok We're outta here." She closed the door behind her.

Dr. Porter stared at Jessie. "Either you're having twins, or that's the biggest gas bubble I've ever seen."

Jess and Xander started laughing.

"How old is she? When did she get hired by the Council?" Dawn peppered Giles with questions about Dr. Ali Porter. They were in the front room study. They'd been there for about a half hour. Willow wasn't with them. She was reading up on the spells she and Andrew determined might assist in jamming any further attempts by their unknown assailant to read thoughts. Willow, Giles and Dawn were supposed to help Willow with 'inoculating' everyone but the witch wasn't certain the research was strong enough. She wanted to take another review of Andrew's results. Giles and Dawn were waiting for her to return. During that time, Dawn discreetly talked to Giles about Dr. Porter.

"I'm not certain how old Ali is. I believe she's in her late twenties. From my experience with women, age is not something one should ask about…even if one is the head of the Council."

From the moment Dawn opened the door to allow the good doctor in the house, she was intrigued. Dr. Ali Porter was nothing like she thought she would be. First, Dawn thought 'she' would be a 'he.' She realized how ingrained sexism was when even she assumed the doctor would be male. Gender was not the biggest surprise to Dawn. Porter looked no older than she was. Since the Council was involved with this physician, Dawn assumed the person would be much older.

There was something else that caught Dawn's attention about the doctor, but she wasn't sure what it was. To be sure, Dr. Porter was attractive. She was African-American with skin color like Halle Berry. In the short span of time Dawn spent with her, she noticed the woman had a beautiful smile. But, that wasn't what captured Dawn's intrigue really. From their first interaction, the woman had a sense of sureness about her. Dawn got the instant feeling that Ali Porter was a woman who knew who she was and was proud of that. To Dawn, she gave off a 'vibe' of confidence. For reasons unknown, Dawn had a strange curiosity to know more about this woman.

Dawn heard Giles mention Ali's name and came out of her thoughts. The doctor was standing in the doorway to the study with Xander and Willow next to her.

Dawn responded to Giles. "Uh, what, Giles?"

Giles motioned to Ali. "I said 'There's Ali.' If you want to know something, you can ask her yourself."

Dawn could feel her face blush with embarrassment. Sputtering, "Giles! I didn't…I mean…I wasn't…" She glanced away and then at Ali. "I only said you look young to…be a doctor…I mean, the doctors I know are old…umm, I meant to say…" Dawn was digging herself in a hole and she knew it.

Ali chuckled. "No need to explain. I get that a lot. But I assure you, I am a doctor…a real one with all the diplomas."

Embarrassed even more, Dawn quickly changed the subject. "Sooo, is Jessie ok?"

Ali smiled reassuringly. "She should be just fine." She turned looked at Xander. "After Xander told me what Jessie's been going through with the pregnancy…and with all the horrible things happening the last few days…She got stressed out. But Xander assures me that he will keep her stress level down and make her rest."

Xander put his hands in his pants' pocket. "Jess's blood pressure got a little out of hand…but Ali gave her a shot and upped her meds. We just need to keep her resting as much as possible and as relaxed as possible."

Willow listened. She could relate to the tough time Jessie was having with this pregnancy. She recalled the scary moments she'd had with Samantha's birth and how tensed she had been. She was grateful that Jessica was fine and so was the pregnancy. The redhead liked the fact that Xander and Jessica had access to a doctor in this arduous time. "Xander, we will all do everything we can to make sure Jessie's bothered as little as possible."

Ali looked at her watch. "Well, I really should be getting back to the hospital. My shift starts in an hour."

Giles stood attentively. "Quite right. It'll be dark soon and you shouldn't be out and about around here once the sun sets. Please, let me walk you to the door."

They all said to good-bye to Ali as she went with Giles. As she passed Dawn, Ali leaned in and said quietly, "If you want to know anything about me…all you have to do is ask." She was out the door before Dawn could respond.

"Well, Ali seems nice doesn't she?" Willow said out loud. "Buffy had mentioned her before but I never met her until today."

"She's great," responded Xander. "Really knows her stuff…She had Jess examined and diagnosed in no time. Gave her some exercises to do to help manage her anxiety…and very cute on top of everything."

"Xander!" Willow moaned. "I can't believe you said that. You have a sick pregnant wife upstairs and…"

Xander held his hands up in defense. "Hey, Ms. Focus On The Family, chill. I didn't mean it like I was oogling at her. I meant she's smart and pretty. She'd be a good catch for some other guy…who doesn't have a beautiful, intelligent, and radiantly pregnant wife." Xander stopped talking. He knew when his explanations wouldn't help the situation. "Help me out here, Dawnie. You know what I mean."

Dawn saw him and Willow staring at her. "What? How am I supposed to know if she'd be a good catch?"

Just then, Rita walked in the room. "Who's a good catch?"

They all turned in Rita's direction. Xander jumped in. He was looking for anyone to help take the spotlight off of him. "Dr. Porter. We were talking about Dr. Porter."

Rita smirked. "Are you kidding? Totally a catch. A doctor and sexy."

Dawn was starting to fell uneasy with the conversation. "Do you want something, Rita?"

"Oh, yeah, almost forgot. Dinner's gonna be ready in about fifteen minutes. Buffy wanted me to tell everyone. Main dining hall…be there." As quickly as Rita entered, she was gone.

Xander started to walk out of the room. "I'm going to go let Jess know about dinner. Ali said she doesn't have to stay in bed, but I don't know if she's up for a table full of hungry slayers."

Willow and Dawn were right behind Xander.

"Hey, Wil, did you figure out the spells?" Dawn remembered what their original plan had been before the episode with Jessica occurred.

Willow creased her brows. "No good. They won't work. I rechecked Andrew's info and he overlooked a few things." Then softer, "He's been off today. I don't know what's wrong."

Dawn sighed. "He never was good in a crisis. Maybe his nerves have got to him."

The witch contemplated Dawn's statement and then nodded in agreement. "Probably right. All I know is I thought we figured out a way to keep everyone's mind shut…but now we're at square one again."

Dawn put her arm around Willow's shoulder. "I know you'll figure it out. You just need a good supper and a good night's sleep." They walked out of the room.

The witch let Dawn know she was going to get Samantha and Kennedy. They were supposed to be playing with Xander's boys in the rec room.

Without Willow to distract her, Dawn's mind quickly went back to the discourse about Ali Porter. As Dawn walked to the dining room, Rita's words about Ali Porter rung in her ears. She knew they were true.

Dinner that first night at Slayer Central was just what the group needed. It gave a calming and soothing atmosphere to the end of a day that had been hectic and tension filled for most of it. It also helped them to ready for the first night of patrolling. During the slayer meeting, Kennedy had made the suggestion that slayers who were used to patrolling together be teamed up. This meant that she and Lee would form one couple, Yvette and Sophia another and Dakota and Isabella a third. Rita suggested that she and Shane split and each team with Nancy and Beth. Rita didn't want the two youngest, most inexperienced slayers to be on their own. The other slayers agreed. That left Buffy and Faith as a team. Kennedy looked at Faith as Shane confirmed that the two oldest slayers would pair. Faith never looked up. She kept leaning against the wall as she shoved her hands in her pockets.

All inhabitants of the house appeared for the meal which was prepared by Sophia and Yvette. As each person sat down, their problems of the day were left behind if only during dinner time.

Though some of the day had been spent trying to relax, much of it was filled with people assimilating to their new surroundings. Giles spent a good amount of time taking the foreign slayers around the Slayer compound. He had Beth and Nancy go with him to give the "lay of the land." When Beth and Nancy were done with that, they helped with the weapons inventory and the daily chores.

Yvette and Sophia offered to make dinner. They were strangers to the house and country and, for most of the day, felt of limited use. However, they did know they could cook. "Every decent Frenchman knows how to cook…It's in our blood." Sophia said something similar but with an Italian accent. They headed for the kitchen as soon as the slayer meeting was over.

The meeting that was held was the brain child of Buffy. As soon as the last slayer arrived at the house, Buffy felt the rush of being a leader again. She saw herself taking charge in where people should room, where the surveillance cameras would best be situated and how they should allocate their resources to find their enemy. In fact, her attitude quickly caught the attention of Jimmy. At one point he told her that "maybe you should consult with Giles or Rita or some of the other slayers."

Buffy questioned Jimmy on his comment. "I'm just saying, Buff, this isn't like Sunnydale. You're not the only slayer." Buffy's answer reminded him that he wasn't at Sunnydale and she wasn't the only slayer then either. "This is what I'm good at, Jim. I can bring us all together so we find and defeat this thing. I'm still the slayer with the most experience."

Jimmy knew he couldn't make Buffy see that she was crowning herself the lead slayer. It wasn't that he thought that she couldn't handle it. In fact, Jimmy was convinced that Buffy had a unique ability to lead, to do the hard work and make the tough decisions for the greater good. However, he also knew that Buffy had been growing 'antsy' of late. At first he thought it the time of year, spring had begun to give way to summer weather. Then he thought it might be him and their relationship. He had asked for Buffy to set a date for their marriage only a month before. It was obvious to him that his blonde slayer was in no hurry for marriage.

Jimmy came to realize that Buffy missed the action. He saw how pumped up Buffy had been when she returned from her stint in New York with Kennedy in their aid to Faith. On Buffy's first night home, they made love more intensely than in quite some time. After her return, Jimmy noticed that Buffy seemed less interested her life with him than she did with her life as a slayer. With this latest series of events, the man wondered if Buffy would push too hard to get back that slayer feeling she had.

Though Buffy kept herself busy for most of the day, some of the other slayers took time to recover from the past twenty-four hours. Rita and Shane talked with Dakota and Isabella. They met with Kennedy when she wasn't watching the kids or taking care of her slayer duties at the house. Because Willow spent a good portion of the day researching with Andrew before the slayer meeting, Kennedy was charged with keeping an eye on Samantha. She was assisted by Xander and Jessica who, until her episode of queasiness that prompted the medical call, occupied the kids' attention in the rec room.

Faith's brother also spent much of the time in the rec room watching television. That he was there was cause for a discussion between Miguel and Faith. After arriving at Slayer Central, Faith quickly offered her assistance to Giles. She wanted to make certain that she did her part in shoring up the houses security deficiencies. As soon as she gave her brother the basic layout of the house, she said, "Listen, I gotta go do some stuff. You gonna be able to find something to do?" Johnny politely nodded and Faith was off. Sporadically during the day, she'd ask Miguel or Jimmy to look in on him. When it came time for Buffy's slayer meeting, she asked Xander to keep him occupied.

Miguel, unbeknownst to Faith, tried to spend as much time with John as he could. Despite the issues he had to address, Miguel sat and talked with the boy when able. By the time Jessie's emergency was over and dinner was almost ready, the Brazilian had had enough of Faith's disappearing act. He confronted her about her lack of time with her brother. The slayer refused to acknowledge that she was abandoning Johnny. "Jesus, Mick. He knows I've got work to do. He said her understood." Miguel was not persuaded. "Faith, you insisted on bringing your brother here and then you ignore him. You can't pass off your responsibility to look after him to everyone else. They're not babysitters."

That remark incurred a raised tone response. "What the hell are you talking about? Nobody's babysitting John. He's not some invalid. He gets the danger we're in and that we all have work to do. You act as if I don't give a shit about him." To this Miguel responded plainly, "I don't think you know what you're feeling…guilt…overwhelmed…scared. All I know is you're assuming a lot of things about a kid you hardly know. You haven't sat down with him to make sure he's not terrified about what he's seen. How do you know he's not agreeing just out of fear that you'll send him back? You've taken on this responsibility, Faith. You can't go on and act like it's life as usual. He's your brother. He needs you."

Faith stormed out of the room. She later returned for dinner with her brother beside her. Miguel knew she hadn't talked with the boy but at least she had made the effort to find him.

As frustrating Faith thought her day had been it was nothing compared to Willow. She knew Kennedy was busy with the slayers and Samantha. It had been decided between the children's parents that until they were satisfied there was no danger, the children would have adult supervision at all times. That meant that Xander, Jess, Willow and Kennedy had to adjust their schedules to include watching the kids. When Willow wasn't doing that, she was with Giles discussing how to research the identity of their enemy. She also got together with Andrew to carry out some of that research. For several hours, she and the Sci-Fi Boy Wonder ran algorithms Willow created through the Council's database on demons. She had carefully crafted exact search criteria to find, or at least narrow, the identity of their foe.

After returning from seeing Kennedy for a few moments, Willow approached Andrew for an update. When told that nothing had hit yet, Willow got discouraged. "This isn't right. We should be getting some information back." She went behind Andrew and looked over his shoulder at the computer screen. She watched as the data and the searches scrolled before her eyes. She studied each passing line trying to will it to find an answer.

Then something caught her eye. She concentrated on the screen. She saw it again. "Andrew? What's that term there in matrix line twenty-three?" Andrew examined the screen. "See, right there," Willow said as she pointed to the screen. "That's not one of the parameters, Andrew."

Andrew paused the program while Willow got her notes. As she thought, when she compared her written equation with that inputted by Andrew into the system, there was a mistake. The witch shook her head. That one mistake had cost them several hours of wasted time. Trying not to sound angry, "You input a wrong search term, Andrew. We're going to have to start all over. Here are my notes again. You need to go back and check every one of my search strings. This has to be exact."

Andrew apologized several times. "Sorry, Willow. I thought I put it in right. Guess I was a little tired. I'll get it right this time." In fact he did and they were able to identify the demons that attacked, a fact they let everyone know about during the slayer meeting. The witch was frustrated again when she realized barrier spells wouldn't work to keep further mind-searching by their unknown assailant. Andrew had misinterpreted a passage out of a treatise from the Council database. This time it was Dawn who found the mistake. She was reviewing the information for Willow and was supposed to help with the spells. However, the paragraph was in an old Aramaic-like language and Dawn discovered that Andrew wasn't as knowledgeable in its translation as she was.

Once again, Willow was at stage one concerning a solution to the mind-probing issue. By the dinner was ready, Willow wanted nothing more than to find Kennedy and Samantha, have a good meal and good conversation with her friends. She knew she had to let her mind take a break from the disruptions of the day.

By the time everyone sat down for dinner, Slayer Central was due for some genuine relaxation. All were there, even Jessica. Nate, Sammie and Joe had their own table. Xander made a sign that he taped to the side of the table that read, "KIDS ONLY! NO GROWN-UPS ALLOWED." He also made party hats for them to wear. The man was trying the best he could to make it as easy and fun for the children who had already had their share of scary moments.

The food was delicious. There were pastas and meats, fresh vegetables sautéed in light sauces. Everything tasted and looked wonderful. The slayers, being slayers, ate their fair share. They talked about nothing important while eating fresh bread and drinking wine and a lovely non-alcohol punch made by Sophia. "It's much better with wine in it," she commented. Giles had asked that there be a non-alcoholic beverage choice. He specifically reminded the slayers of the upcoming patrols and cautioned them to their alcohol intake.

Before long, dinner was over. Xander said good night to all and took Jessie and the boys to their room. Kennedy had told Willow that she was going to talk to Faith, so the redhead searched out Buffy. "Geez, we haven't had the chance to catch up yet." Buffy agreed and said they and Sammie should go to Willow's room for some of their old fashioned "girl time." "Once Sammie's asleep we can gossip like we used to." Willow heard the excitement in Buffy's voice. She agreed and they left. Miguel and Giles had Council work to do. Andrew and Jimmy took Faith's brother to the game room to play video games. The other slayers weren't tired, so they went into the living room to watch television.

During the meal, Kennedy had tried to talk to Faith. They hadn't been able to say more than five words to each other since they got to the house. Kennedy thought Faith was attempting to side step a discussion. So after dinner, Kennedy volunteered her and Faith to clear the table. Beth and Nancy were given the chore of cleaning the dishes. As the two brunette slayers did their chore, Kennedy made light conversation. After a short time, she got to the point. "So, are you ever going to tell me how you got a brother and why he's here?"

Faith stopped what she was doing. "I guess I should be glad you waited as long as you did before being nosey."

Kennedy huffed. "You think this is being nosey? You walked in here with a kid brother, Faith. Did you think people weren't going to notice?"

Faith took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Don't be a smart ass. I had no choice to bring him…He just ended up at the apartment…" Faith told Kennedy the story of her brother's appearance and how she came to bring him with her and Miguel to Cleveland. She referenced the disagreement she and the Brazilian had about whether he should have come. When done Kennedy stared in disbelief.

"Wow, your mom died and left him all alone. Geez, that must have been hard on him. Then all this demon crap on top. That kid must be freaking out."

With a shake of the head, "Nah, I don't think so. He seems to doing fine," Faith said.

"Where is he now?"

"I think I saw him go with Andrew."

Kennedy looked at Faith. "You don't know where he is?"

"Yeah, I do," the older said defensively. "He's with Andrew."

Kennedy softened her tone. "Have you made sure your brother's ok?"

Faith put her hands on her hips. Angrily, "Oh, what? I'm gonna have to take shit from you too on this? I showed him around when we got here and I told him I had a lot to do and that I'd hang out with him when I had the chance. Johnny's not a little kid. He's street smart…like I was his age."

Seeing the emotion caused by her comment, Kennedy took on a less questioning tone. "Faith, I'm sure you're doing what you can. I'm just saying that he may not be as cool with the demon stuff as he let's you think he is. You've had lots of years with this kind of life. He hasn't. He might be trying to win your approval and show he's tough. I know when Sammie…" Faith interrupted.

"I don't need your lessons on parenting. Just because I ain't never had a kid doesn't mean I'm an idiot."

"I never said that, Faith."

"I've been busy. Christ, we've all been busy around here. John's had company. Mick and everyone else are keeping an eye on him. When I get a breather, I'll talk to him."

Kennedy could see that Faith did not want to continue this topic. It was also painfully obvious to her that Faith had no idea how distant she was being to her brother. Faith was acting like Faith – carry out her duty alone; expect others to do the same. The older slayer had never had to deal with this type of responsibility before. As of right now, she was delegating that job to others. Kennedy felt sorry for Johnny and Faith. Both were going to have to go through some tough times.

Not wanting to upset Faith any further, Kennedy changed the subject. "Ok. Let's talk about something else." Sarcastically, "Sooo, you're patrolling with Buf tonight."

Faith squinted gave her a look of daggers. "Are you deliberately trying to get me to beat the shit out of you?"

Kennedy wanted to laugh but she knew that the subject of Buffy was a sore spot for Faith. Kennedy knew there was little she could do for them. This was something that the two had to work out for themselves.

After the blow-up between the two older slayers in New York, they had a luke-warm relationship at best. Faith designed herself to believing that Buffy would always see her as one step away from being a complete fuck-up. Deep down, she would forever be the Faith from the early Sunnydale times in Buffy's eyes, second rate and undependable. As much as she had left her past behind, Buffy would always be the face that reminded her of it.

"Look on the bright side, Faith. It's only three hours."

Grumbling, "That's three fucking hours out of my life I'll never get back."

While Faith was lamenting her discern for Buffy to Kennedy, Buffy was in Willow's room having a great time. Buffy watched Willow help Sam with her bath and then put her to bed. The women were quiet and made small talk until Willow was certain her daughter was asleep. After that, Buffy and Willow began to talk about recent events in their lives and quickly fell into the routine like they had when they were college roommates. Buffy confided that she missed being fully involved as a slayer. "Gee, Buff, never woulda guessed with the way you worked that slayer meeting in right away." Buffy could tell the redhead was teasing her.

Willow listened to her friend and heard more than just Buffy catching her up on the blonde's life. Willow knew Buffy too well to let her words slide by as just rambling. Willow could tell that Buffy was struggling with her place in life. She saw the pain in the blonde's face as she talked about Jimmy and his repeated requests to set a date for marriage. Buffy was an independent person; this Willow knew from experience. The blonde was also so ingrained with being a slayer, 'the slayer', that Willow didn't know if her friend would be able to make the sacrifices necessary to 'have it all.' The most she could do for now was let Buffy uncork her feelings and let them out, even if they were to her and not Jimmy.

Buffy and Willow continued to talk and at one point Buffy glanced around the room. On the bureau, she saw a picture of Kennedy, Willow and Samantha that looked like it was taken in their back yard. Next to that was the brooch Kennedy gave Willow for her birthday and on the other side of the picture the Han tome. Buffy smirked.

"You've got it all figured out, Wils. You have a family full of special powers and you deal with demons…and yet I bet anyone would want to have what you've got…even Paris Hilton."

Willow laughed. "Uh, I don't know about that. Demons trying to kill you or having everyone on the internet see you have sex. I'm not so sure which one is worse."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Don't tell me you watched that?"

Willow got embarrassed with what Buffy thought she implied. "Oh, god no. No way…I don't do stuff like that." Then mumbling, "Besides, it was with a guy."

Buffy raised one brow. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. But I guess you're right. Paris Hilton couldn't handle our lives for even one day."

"Damn straight," Willow completely agreed.

The two friends then started to talk about the present situation and some of the troubling facts so far. Buffy noted how it was strange that the demons that attacked the European slayers were a different type than the ones that went after them. Willow told Buffy how she and Kennedy were questioning why there were so fewer demons that attacked them than had attacked the others. It seemed that there were just enough demons to stage a good fight but without the forgone conclusion that slayers would die. "And why no bombs or fires like there had been before?"

Willow and Buffy talked about these and other questions they had until there was a knock on the door. It opened and Kennedy walked in closing the door behind her.

"Hey, Buffy. I don't mean to butt in. Faith and I finished up and she wanted to find her brother and Miguel."

The blonde glanced at the clock on the wall. "No, that's ok. I should be going anyway. I should find Jimmy. He was going to play video games with Andrew and Faith's brother. I'm sure he's either killed Andrew by now or has gone insane." Buffy got up and walked to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Wils. And I'm sure I'll see you, Kennedy, later. We've both got our patrols at three."

Kenendy nodded. "You bet." She found it telling that Buffy didn't bother to mention Faith at all.

Buffy left and Kennedy turned to Willow. "I didn't mess things up, did I?"

"Of course not. When Buff and I start talking, we lose track of time. You didn't ruin anything."

Kennedy smiled. Seductively, "Good. Because I want you in a good mood. I've got five hours before I have to patrol and I thought we could think of something constructive to do."

Willow saw that devilish smile on her slayer's face. "Kennedy Prescott, what are you up to?"

Kennedy walked over to her wife and gave her a hug. "This is our first real time alone…" Willow tilted her head toward their daughter in the bed sleeping. Kennedy started again, "Like I said, this is the first time where we're kind of alone…in a sense…and I thought we could sneak into the bathroom…"

Willow shook her head. Teasingly, "You never cease to surprise me. You would have sex in a hurricane if you thought the house wouldn't cave in on you."

"Is that a yes?"

"With a sleeping child right here, our friends all around us…and who knows what waiting to pounce and squish us dead like bugs…What do you think the answer is?"

"Sounds like a yes to me."

"You are incorrigible."

"That doesn't sound like a yes. I'm starting to lose hope here. So no shower?"

"Oh, there's going to be a shower. It's just going to be me by myself while you sit and read or watch tv and cool your jets."

Willow turned and walked into the connecting bathroom. Kennedy watched her the entire time. As soon as the slayer heard the shower running, she got a devilish smile on her face.

It was going to be a memorable night at Slayer Central.

Willow stood under the streaming shower, the steamy hot water pelting her smooth skin. The witch just stood there. She didn't lather up, wash her hair or even move her head from under the water's flow. She let the pelts flow through her hair and on her body, washing away the day's dirt and tension. It felt good to relax and not act or react. Willow was taking a few solitary moments for herself.

The witch didn't hear the door to the bathroom open, nor did she hear the shower door slide open slightly.

"Are you decent?" she heard in a joking tone. Willow cracked a small smile. It was Kennedy. Willow didn't open her eyes or move. She listened as her slayer got into the shower and closed the door.

As Willow stood there facing in the direction of the shower head, Kennedy got close behind her. The slayer nuzzled against her, bronzed skin contrasting against alabaster. As the spray of the hot water enveloped Kennedy, she reached her arms out and grazed by Willow's sides. Willow finally opened her eyes and looked down to see one of Kennedy's hands grabbing the bar of soap that rested in the soap cradle on the shower wall. The slayer's other hand lightly touched across the witch's stomach. Willow felt Kennedy lean back a bit and both hands were gone.

The slayer took the soap and lathered her hands with suds. She began to wash Willow's back. She gingerly circled the witch's shoulders and down the middle of her back, one hand leading the way with the soap and the other following obediently. Kennedy continued to wash, lowering her area of concern. Finally, she discreetly let the bar of soap fall to the floor. When Kennedy got to the small of the witch's back, she circled to the outside and slid her hands around Willow's waist. As she began to rub her wife's stomach, Kennedy leaned in and softly kissed the nape of Willow's neck.

Willow took her head out from the stream of the water. "What do you think you're doing?"

Nonchalantly, "My taxes."

"Kennedy," Willow said stammering slightly on the last syllable. "I thought I told you to watch tv."

"I'd rather watch you." Hands continued to caress Willow's stomach.

Willow turned around, and wiped the water from her face. "This isn't home, Kenn. Sammie's right outside the door and if you by chance forgot, we're in the middle of another end of the world scenario. Fooling around in the shower maybe shouldn't be a high priority right now."

Kennedy could hear the tension coming back in Willow's voice. She hated when her wife got this way. The slayer wanted nothing more than for her sweet witch to feel at ease and not on edge. The slayer knew the key to 'fixing' her witch's problem…persistence. Kennedy took Willow in another hug. She pulled their bodies close.

"First, nothing is going to happen tonight. We've got this place under guard better than Fort Knox. We've fixed the security breaches that the other places had. We're safe. Look me in the eyes and tell me honestly that you don't feel safe."

Willow thought for a second and then nodded in agreement like she'd been caught in a fib.

Kennedy proceeded. "Second, I haven't been alone with you for more than two seconds today, not to mention the last twenty-four hours. I miss you. I miss doing this to you." Kennedy gave Willow a kiss. It lingered as the slayer grazed her lips across the witch's as she was done. Softly, "This is right precisely because we don't know what's going to happen in the future."

Willow's resolve melted. It always washed away when her slayer got that way. Truth be told, the witch's reluctance wasn't because she didn't have the desire. One of the ways that Kennedy had 'rubbed off' on her wife was the ease into which Willow could get aroused by Kennedy. She had never considered herself a primal sexual being, but the longer she was with Kennedy the closer the witch became to accepting her base urges. With Kennedy's hands tantalizing her skin and her words soothing her heart, Willow couldn't fight the charms of her wife.

"This is never a fair fight. You know that, don't you? You with the touchy-feely hands and those dreamy eyes and the perfect words." Willow put her arms around her slayer's waist. She was happily defeated.

Kennedy knew she had brought her witch around. She was determined to make sure that Willow got the peace of mind and body she deserved. She put her hand behind Willow's neck and drew her in for a deep kiss. As her hand slid down between Willow's legs, she whispered in the witch's ear, "And third…don't worry about Sam waking up, Red. I'll be quiet…but thorough."

Faith walked along the perimeter of the front yard. Buffy was doing the same except on the other side of the front property. Though neither said it, they were both comfortable with the distance between them. They weren't even half way through their patrol session. The camaraderie expelled by the earlier shifts of slayers did not extend to Buffy and Faith.

The previous two shifts of patrolling went along quite uneventful. Yvette and Sophia used much of their time guarding the area and discussing the unusual habits of Americans. They found it strange that wine was not a staple at every meal. They found commercials for feminine products and erectile dysfunction tasteless. They didn't understand the obsession with breasts by American men. That phenomenon they experienced first hand when Xander and Johnny made comments about a Victoria's Secret commercial on the television.

Isabella and Dakota had a likewise quiet patrol. They helped their time pass by continually paging Andrew on their remotes. They'd make some obvious error about Star Wars and then listen as he wailed on and on about the correct facts to their statement.

The first two teams handed off the patrol to Rita, Shane, Nancy and Beth. Like the first patrol, the second was calm. The only excitement was when the more experienced slayers convinced the younger ones that demons loved to hide under cars. They had planned their little trick to see how long it would take for either newbie slayer to realize they were being put on. Beth won that race but it took her seven rounds of looking under every car in the driveway and garage before it dawned on her she was being played. Rita and Shane laughed to themselves each time they saw their younger slayer partner with her head on the ground looking for demons and butt sticking in the air.

When 3am rolled around, Kennedy and Lee and Faith and Buffy were on duty. The women split up. Kennedy and Lee were responsible for the back part of the property and Buffy and Faith were to patrol the front.

When the patrol first started, Buffy made small talk with Faith, making sure they knew what their responsibility was. Faith didn't talk much and mainly tried to keep to her own area. Buffy could easily tell that Faith still harbored ill feelings about the New York incident. Frankly, the blonde thought Faith was being childish. The woman had for all intent and purposes turned her back on being a slayer. She had given up her duty. It took hard work and a lot of strong words to the brunette to get her to come to her senses. Buffy knew it wasn't her fault that Faith kept falling back into her old patterns. However, Faith had returned to the fold and for that Buffy wanted to give their relationship, whatever it was, another chance. That was the reason she hadn't questioned Faith about her brother's presence. It was the reason why she wasn't telling Faith she was being juvenile with her present behavior.

The two made their hourly call to Jimmy, the security hub person in charge, Buffy called quickly and then decided to try to have a conversation with her patrol partner.

"Your brother seems like a nice kid."

"Yeah."

"He looks kind of like you. You can see you're related."

"Yeah."

"It must have been weird finding out you had a half brother."

"Yeah."

Buffy pursed her lips in disgust. She was trying to be nice but all she got in return was disdain from Faith.

"You know, I'm just trying to be nice here, Faith. We do have to patrol together."

Smartly, "That was someone else's decision…not mine."

Pointedly, "Oh, so now we're back to you hating my guts."

"Leave it alone, B."

Buffy stopped while Faith kept walking. "No, I won't. When are you going to get over what happened in New York? I'm trying to…at least I'm trying."

Faith stopped in her tracks and stared at Buffy. Sternly, "Trying my ass…You just don't get it do ya, B? You judge everyone by some standard you made up…and think you can do and say whatever you want and we'll all keep kissing your ass…Who the hell are you to judge anyone?…You're so hungry for the glory days, you couldn't wait to play Commander Buffy when we all got here.'

Buffy was stunned. "What is your problem, Faith? I wasn't jumping down your throat. I was being civil. You should try it sometime."

Coldly, "You should try being honest sometime. You weren't being 'nice.' You were being patronizing…chumming up to the slayer who you think is less of a slayer than you…but then again, we all are to you, huh, B? You were 'the' slayer, 'the one in a generation'…You will always hang that over our heads."

Buffy had had enough of Faith's nonsense. "Whatever. You make no sense. You want to be angry with me? Fine, go ahead. But I know that I tried to be friends again. You're the one who gave up…like usual."

Faith chuckled. "See? You did it again. Friends like you I don't need." The brunette turned her back on Buffy. "And I certainly don't need to patrol with someone who doesn't trust me."

The thought of going to Faith and attempting to talk to her never crossed Buffy's mind. She watched Faith storm away. "Wonderful. How many nights am I going to have to endure this pleasantness?"

"You were a little sparse tonight. Where were you?"

"On the phone with Paulie."

Kennedy and Lee talked as they patrolled. Kennedy was in good spirits after her rendezvous with Willow. They were just twenty minutes form the end of the night patrol.

Kennedy grinned. "And how many times does that make?…fifty?"

"Nooo," replied Lee quickly. From the tone, Kennedy could tell Lee was slightly embarrassed. "It was only about…ten."

Kennedy laughed. "Oh, yeah, ten's so much less pussy-whipped than fifty…not!"

Lee kicked the ground with her shoe. "Hey, leave me alone. Paulie's worried. What am I supposed to do?"

The older slayer patted her partner on the back. "Just what you're doing my friend. If a few dozen phone calls are all it takes to keep Paulette happy, then more power to you."

"Hey, I said it was only ten," Lee said jokingly. She understood that Kennedy was being supportive.

Despite the levity of this conversation, the slayers had been all business for most of the night. They dutifully made their rounds and called in at their designated times. They searched ever inch of the back property, including the woods which surrounded three sides of the place. It had been decided that each team would investigate one section of the side woods. Kennedy and Lee were now on their way to pass through their side section for the last time before the end of their patrol.

The slayers ceased their conversation and studied the area before them. It was almost a full moon, but there were low level clouds blocking some of the moon's light. Kennedy and Lee walked slowly and deliberately, searching out any unusual noise or view. They moved methodically using their slayer hearing as a high power receiver.

Suddenly, Kennedy stopped and raised her hand for Lee to do the same. Both women tilted their heads like they were attempting to hear something.

There was a noise.

The slayers glanced at each other.

The noise repeated.

Kennedy listened intently while she quickly scanned the area. She motioned for Lee to follow her as she turned toward the sound. They took very light steps.

The noise got slightly louder as they took their few steps. Kennedy thought it was a crumpling or crinkling sound. It was definitely coming from just inside the line of trees marking the side wooded area of the property. As the slayers got closer, they both noticed a shadow cast form the moonlight that did manage to pierce through the night. They could tell it wasn't from a tree. It moved in sync with the noise they heard.

Lee caught Kennedy's attention and motioned to her phone. It was meant to ask Kennedy if they should call for back-up. Before either could have another thought on the matter, the shadow moved significantly. Believing that they might be able to catch their enemy or at least one of the minions to the enemy, Kennedy killed the idea with a shake of her head. She then headed for the shadow with Lee right behind her.

The two slayers were upon the spot in a second. Kennedy saw a form in the darkness and grabbed it into the moonlight. Lee had drawn her knife and was in fighting stance. As they were almost set to attack, they got a good look at their foe.

It was Buffy…with a half eaten Almond Joy in her hand.

Surprised, Lee and Kennedy took a second to absorb what they saw. Lee lowered her knife and Kenney let go of Buffy's arm.

"Jesus Christ, Buffy, what the hell are you doing here?" The area was not on Buffy's patrol route.

Buffy looked startled and embarrassed.

"Where's Faith? Why aren't you two patrolling together?" Lee asked the blonde.

Kennedy had a feeling she knew the answer without Buffy uttering a word.

"Faith decided she wanted to patrol on her own." Buffy could tell that response wasn't accepted enthusiastically.

Lee looked at the candy in Buffy's hand and then back at the blonde.

Buffy glanced at the candy bar and gave a half hearted laugh. "I…uh…got…hungry."

Kennedy knew that was not the truth. Willow had long ago told her that when Buffy was nervous or wrestling with something, she ate junk food. The otherwise salad eating, balanced diet guru Buffy became a closeted junk food chunky when she was having problems. Kennedy knew that since Buffy wasn't with Faith, there had to have been some kind of fight. She didn't want to open that can of worms right there, so she backed Buffy's story and told the blonde "You probably should try to catch up with Faith. There's only a few minutes left to our patrol anyways."

"Yeah, I should go. I'm sure Faith is waiting for me at our starting point." She gave Kennedy a grateful nod and left.

After a few moments, Lee turned to Kennedy. "What was that all about?"

Kennedy just shook her head. "The First trying to kill all the slayers and end the world may be the least of our problems."

Samantha gazed out the open window. The little girl was standing up on the bed. She had a clear view to the outside. It was a grassy field with a quaint pale yellow house in the background. As she looked, a movement caught her eye. She saw her mother, the witch, standing beneath a large oak tree. The girl smiled at the sight of her. To Sam, Willow was one of the two most beautiful women she'd ever seen, the other of course being her slayer mother. Samantha's grin grew larger the longer she stared at Willow. Like all children her age, she thought her "Mommy" perfect in every way.

Then the child saw Willow turn as if being called by someone. Though far away from where her mother was, Samantha was able somehow to see her face clearly. She saw Willow say "I'm here" as a wide jubilant smile crossed the witch's face. Sam continued to watch, though her feeling of happiness got an edge of concern.

After a few moments, another woman came into Samantha's view. This woman walked up to Willow and embraced her. The woman was not Kennedy. This woman had long blonde hair and blue eyes. Samantha noticed that the two women acted like they knew each other very well. To Samantha's surprise, the blonde kissed Willow…and Willow kissed her back. Samantha felt an instant betrayal by her mother. The child called out to Willow. She yelled at her mother to stop. Neither woman heard her.

Samantha jumped off the bed and ran to the window. She climbed on a chair so she could reach the window. She tried to open the window pane but it was stuck. The child kept trying to get her mother's attention, but the witch was engrossed with the blonde haired woman.

Just when she thought she'd lost all contact, Samantha heard her mother speak. "Tara, we'll never be apart." She yelled for her mother to stop but Willow never heard her. Samantha watched as Willow and the other woman walked away toward the house, hand in hand.

Samantha tried to cry out but she couldn't. No voice came from her throat. She searched around and at the corner of her eye she caught glimpse of another form. This was her mother, the slayer. Once again the girl tried to call out to her "Momma." But as with Willow, Kennedy didn't respond. Samantha looked on as her mother stood there with a glowing orb emanating a beam of light on her chest. Upon closer inspection, Samantha saw that there was a necklace around Kennedy's neck. It was glowing like a full moon. Somehow, despite the brightness of the light, the child knew that the object around her mother's neck was the brooch given to Willow as a birthday present.

As the stone on the brooch glowed, Kennedy began to wince in pain. Samantha could do nothing but stare. She watched as her mother became enveloped in the glow emanating from the piece hanging from the chain around her neck.

In one last scene, Samantha saw Willow walk disappear with Tara as Kennedy was absorbed into the light. Both scenes slowly vanished into thin air.

Samantha whimpered and wined as she rolled around in the twisted sheets. Her eyes were open even though she didn't think she had been awake. It took her several moments to realize she had been awake in some manner. Sam glanced around and took in her surroundings. Finally, she knew where she was and sat up in the bed in her room at Slayer Central. It was the bed she was sharing with her mothers. However, neither was there next to her. It was dark in the room but she could see Willow standing by the dresser, looking in the mirror.

Scared, Samantha called out. "Mommy?" she said, her tone frightened as much as it was also relieved to have her mother present. She got no response from Willow. She spoke out again but still the same nonresponse. It was then that Samantha got very scared.

Willow was sitting in an empty movie theater. The place was dark except for the beam of light streaming from the hidden projector in some nondescript room behind her. The beam flooded the movie screen and the scenes began to emerge one by one. Willow watched, all alone in the theater. What she saw was a silent movie, a horror movie, complete with Hollywood style vampires and werewolves.

As Willow watched, the movie changed, the characters were no longer made-up fantasy but the people from her own life. She saw Kennedy and Buffy fighting real demons. She saw Samantha gripped in fear as horrifying creatures tried to harm her, to kill her. For Willow, her fear was not based on some fictional depiction of horror but on the realization that her life was scarier than any horror movie ever made. She sat like a stone viewing the summation of her existence, disheartened by the knowledge that she lived a life of fear always bubbling just under the surface. Seeing the film, the witch acknowledged that she was watching her future.

The thoughts trampled through her head. She was bound to fear and death, married to it as she was married to her slayer. She would never truly have peace of mind; she would never know life without the possibility of destruction.

The movie ended and Willow sat there, not wanting to engage in her life. She wanted peace.

A voice floated in on the darkness. It was one known well by the witch. The voice came again, louder but just as calming.

"Willow? Are you there?"

Willow turned around when she heard the soft sound of shoes walking behind her. The lights in the theater dimmed on and grew brighter with every step taken by the visitor. Willow was able to see everything. She smiled.

"Tara." Willow looked at her former love. She was always amazed at how serene the blonde witch could make her feel just be being near.

Tara got close to Willow. She got a concerned look. "Oh, baby, you're scared…you're so scared. You shouldn't be. I'm here now. It'll all be ok." Tara reached out and caressed Willow's cheek. "This isn't your life, baby. You weren't meant for all this pain and darkness."

Willow put her hand upon Tara's. She felt a wave of warmth flow over her. Willow remembered how soft Tara's skin felt.

Then the witch thought about Kennedy and Samantha.

"This is my life, Tara. I have a family."

Soothingly, "I was your family…I still am your family."

Willow took Tara's hand in her own. She stared into her blue eyes. A feeling of guilt welled up inside Willow. "You were…but you died." There remained a grain of feeling that she had caused her lover's death.

"There are no boundaries that can separate a love like ours. You merely have to will it so." Willow went to speak but Tara placed her finger to the witch's lips. "No demons, no fear…just serenity and love."

Tara freed her hand from Willow's and walked past the woman toward the screen. She never looked back but kept moving forward to the screen. Willow watched as Tara became a part of the scene before her. The gray that had covered the screen turned to a soft glowing white.

Willow remained fixated on the movie screen. She wanted the blonde witch to return, to explain her words.

Willow wanted to be near Tara again.

The witch's head started to pound as she gazed at the screen. She felt as if a hammer was striking at her…thump, thump, thum, thum…mumm, mumm…

…momm…Mom…Mommy…"Mommy?"

Willow was startled by the sound of her child calling. For a second, she had no idea where she was. The first thing she saw was herself; she was standing in front of a mirror. She did not know why she wasn't in bed or how she got where she was. She quickly turned to respond to her daughter.

"Sam?"

"Mommy." One word but it was said with desperation.

"I'm here, Sweety." Willow went to the bed and comforted her daughter. She got under the covers and hugged Sammie. "It's late. We should both get back to sleep."

"Are you leaving?" Samantha sounded almost heartbroken.

For a moment, Willow wondered if Samantha somehow knew of Tara's visit. Then she decided that the girl must have had a bad dream. Too tired and confused to deal with it, she embraced her daughter again.

"Of course not, Sam." She pulled the covers up and they both rested their heads on the pillows.

Willow stayed awake until she heard the rhythmic sound of Sam's breathing evidencing she was sleeping. The witch wouldn't have been able to fall asleep in any regard. She thought about her and Kennedy's intimate time in the shower, how she felt so safe and relaxed because of her slayer. She had found peace during that brief time. But then came the dream with Tara or whatever it was afterwards. Frankly, Willow wondered what actually had happened. She didn't understand why Tara came to her again. She felt a small amount of shame for how she felt when the blonde was near her. Why did she respond that way to Tara? What was the blonde witch really trying to tell her? Why did she feel like this was something Kennedy wouldn't understand?

Willow eventually fell back to sleep, but she didn't slumber soundly. When Kennedy slid into bed at 6am, the witch partially awoke. She was in that semi-conscious state, aware but not awake. When Kennedy snuggled up behind Willow and placed her arm around her wife's waist, the witch felt peaceful. Then Tara's face came to her. Willow's subconscious teetered for a moment and then let her evening's episode go.

By 9am, Slayer Central was a haven of activity. Most had had breakfast and Giles requested that several slayers and Xander go to the grocery store for additional supplies. Miguel asked Xander if he would let Faith's brother tag along. "He needs to get out of the house." Of course the Scooby agreed and by nine-thirty, a van full of assorted slayers and family members were on their way to the local Giant Eagle Food Mart. They also planned on making a stop at Walmart for other necessities.

A few hours apart did nothing to narrow the distance between Faith and Buffy. After being caught eating junk food by Lee and Kennedy, Buffy returned to the slayer's team rendezvous position. Faith was already there smoking a cigarette as she sat on the front porch steps. Neither said a word and about five minutes later Kennedy and Lee arrived. The 3am patrol was the last for the night and, not having encountered any demons, the slayers hadn't any reporting to do. So they disbursed. All but Faith went into the house. As Kennedy entered, she glanced back at Faith. The older brunette gave her a look that Kennedy knew meant to leave Faith alone. The slayers went their separate ways. Each knew they only needed a couple hours of rest, if that.

Jimmy became quickly aware of the trouble Buffy encountered with Faith. As soon as she saw him after her patrol was over, she gave him a blow-by-blow account of the night's events. It wasn't the first time the man had listened to the plight of the rocky relationship of the two oldest slayers.

During the morning hours, Buffy spent time with Jimmy and Miguel developing a plan of covert interrogation. They all knew that daylight was a safe time and they wanted to take advantage of it. There were many sources in Cleveland and the surrounding areas that could have some information about the latest threat against the slayers. The time spent together by Buffy and Jimmy was good. Buffy overcame some of her frustration with the Faith episode. The couple shared a closeness that had evaded them for some time.

Miguel was assisting Jimmy and Buffy because Faith, instead of going in the house after her patrol, decided to do her own reconnaissance. She took it upon herself to leave just after daybreak. She only told Miguel of her plans after her return around 10am. She attempted to rationalize her disappearance. "I lived here for quite a while right after the Sunnydale implosion. I made connections back then and kept them up as best I could. I was just touching base and seeing what my connections knew."

There was a part of Miguel that saw Faith's actions as not so much a need to solve the mystery of their demon enemy but the desire to run away if only for a short time. The Brazilian feared that Faith might be thinking of bowing out on her responsibility to her brother. Miguel hoped that his slayer was taking this time to realize how much her brother needed her to be with him.

Upon her return, Faith didn't speak a word to Buffy. Thought not outright ignoring her, Faith made it a point to stay out of Buffy's path. It was obvious that last night's talk was still fresh in her mind.

Buffy noticed quickly, after Faith came back, that she was being given the 'cold shoulder.' For her part, Buffy decided she was not going to try to mend fences. She saw her place during this time as the one who had to keep order. Whether Faith took that as a 'need' to feel superior was something Buffy couldn't control. Faith was going to be 'Faith' and the best thing Buffy could do was not make things worse by calling her on her ridiculous notion.

By lunch time, everyone was back in the house. Feeding the crew went easily and efficiently. Giles worked with the Cleveland slayers to prepare a plan for surveillance and interrogation of the local demon spots. He was going to have Buffy lead the crew but Jimmy requested that Giles get Rita or Shane. He told the Brit that he and Buffy had their own locations that needed to be investigated. When Giles heard about Faith's solo journey earlier in the morning, he felt like chastising her. Instead, he held his opinion to himself, but did not seek her assistance in the upcoming mission. He decided a few hours at the house dealing with her own problems would be better spent. Ultimately, Giles sent Rita and Shane with the remaining others except for the two youngest and Kennedy. He couldn't find Kennedy and assumed she was helping Willow and Andrew in their research. Shortly after lunch, the slayers left for their mission.

When Buffy found out that she was left behind, she was going to confront Giles. However, Jimmy stopped her and told her that he had asked for her to stay behind. As soon as he saw that look of anger begin to build on the slayer's face, Jimmy stated that he had another recon job in mind. "You know this place better than anyone, Buff. I'm sure we can get to a few demons that no one else would be able to make talk. These demons respect your position. Besides, they know you're a lot tougher than the others if they try to withhold info."

Soon, Buffy and Jimmy were 'visiting' some of the out of the way areas of the Cleveland underworld. The only information they got, however, was that there was a general demon 'uneasiness' taking place. As far as they were told, no specific demon or creature had surfaced to take control or even just to make its presence known. They did find out that the presence of the beasts that attacked them was known by the demon world. It wasn't known beforehand though; the creatures weren't hanging out at local joints before their attacks. But, there was a disturbance in the dimensional plane that instinctively made demons aware of the cosmic occurrence. It was akin to seismic rumblings in the belly of the earth foreshadowing the eruption of the earth's surface. Jimmy and Buffy knew that the actions had to be the work of the First, in whatever form it had found to do its bidding. Nothing but the First could cause such a shift in the universal fabric of existence.

When they had finished with several contacts, Jimmy told Buffy there was one more place they had to go. The spot turned out to be not another demon haven but…a coffee shop, Starbucks to be precise. Buffy was completely confused by the move and almost didn't go in. "We need to let Giles know what we found out." But Jimmy insisted. After some thought, Buffy gave in.

Once inside, Jimmy got Buffy her most recent obsession, a caramel iced cappuccino, light on the whipped cream and heavy on the caramel. They sat at a table at the back of the shop, away from the other patrons each getting their fill of overpriced and over-merchandised coffee. For several minutes they merely sat there. Jimmy watched Buffy drink her obsession; with each sip, he watched the stress leave her face. If there was one thing that Buffy's fiancé had learned about the woman he loved it was that she often carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. Buffy Summers was the most beautiful, most complicated, and strongest woman he'd ever met. She was a chief in every sense of the word. Jimmy saw a woman who was born to lead and meant for greatness. Even though there were other slayers, Buffy was still 'the one.' He saw her strength bloom in a crisis, her need to protect intensify the more severe the situation. Jimmy knew that Buffy was the one to count on during an apocalypse.

With her sense of duty came also the unpleasantness that such a strong will caused in others. Jimmy understood that Buffy had been the mark for comments of overreaching, of being bossy beyond reasonableness. He thought those sprang from attitudes of people too soft to command the spotlight and take the heat the way Buffy had. If Buffy was always out front, leading others into battle, it was because that is what others expected of her.

Because of the stress that his blonde slayer took on, Jimmy decided one of his necessary 'jobs' was to help alleviate that emotion when he saw it raising its ugly head. He loved Buffy too much to let her linger with any more added pressure than was absolutely necessary. It didn't take much to ease his slayer's mind Jimmy soon learned. A trip to the mall for a new pair of shoes, a nice quiet, intimate dinner, or a shot of liquid adrenaline, caramel flavored of course – these were just some of the little things he did to balance the emotional tug-of-war Buffy faced in trying times.

So that is how Buffy and Jimmy spent several hours that afternoon. Their conversation in the beginning was more of a pep talk by Jimmy. He told Buffy that she shouldn't let Faith upset her. "Frankly, I think she's jealous of you. You've never had the problems she had. Faith hides from them; you tough things out Buf;…and that's what being a slayer is all about. Faith knows she'll never be like you…No matter what she does, she knows you still came before her…When she went to the dark side, you were still there fighting the bad guys. When she went to jail, it was still you doing the job. Whatever she needs to do to get over her issues with you, she has to do. You've done nothing but be you."

The man's talk was just what Buffy needed to heal her pride and mind. Jimmy did exactly what he had to do at that moment; he was the supportive boyfriend defending his woman with unquestioning loyalty.

For the remainder of their time, Buffy let Jimmy take her away from the slayer world. They made idle chit chat. It was enough for Buffy to rebound and reinvigorate for the ride back to the real world they faced.

While Buffy was away, Faith was having her own diagnosis and treatment from Miguel. Upon Faith's return, the Brazilian saw that his woman was emotionally charged and in less than a good mood. She was cranky to him and he saw that she veered away from Buffy. Faith even gave short attention to Kennedy who seemed eager to talk to her.

Miguel had seen this side of Faith many times before. The brunette didn't wear her emotions on her sleeve. She hid them and replaced them usually with either anger or sexual overtones. Since they were in a house with many other people and children, Miguel knew that his oft used device of engaging Faith in a robust bout of sexual relief was probably not the way to go. So instead he settled for releasing her pent up tension in a more attainable manner.

Miguel found Faith watching tv. He could tell she really wasn't paying attention to the program. She appeared to be looking at nothing. "Faith. Let's go to the training room. You look like you could use to hit the hell out of something." At first, the slayer declined. But a smile and sarcastic "You can pretend the bag is Buffy" was all it took. Now, Miguel liked and respected Buffy. However, he knew Faith needed some down time and getting in a good workout was the best medicine for that. As they went to the gym, Miguel took a quick side trip and found John. He told him to wait fifteen minutes and then come to the gym. Miguel was going to try to help Faith with several of her issues.

As suspected, the workout met its intended goal. With every punch, Faith let some of her anger and frustration out. The harder she hit, the more the tension lifted. During her training she told Miguel about Buffy's comments during their patrol and how she knew Buffy will always look down on her. Miguel let her vent. He was not a man of many words when it came to the subject of Faith and Buffy. He understood that the two slayers had a long and complicated past. He also knew that Faith would find the answers in her own time. That's how the slayer did things. If she wanted advice, she asked. Usually, she merely needed a sounding board. That's what Miguel did for her. He let Faith rant about Buffy and nodded and agreed when requested.

As directed, Johnny showed up at the gym. Faith was in the middle of a series of kicks, punches and foot work. The half brother marveled at the expertise and fluidity exhibited by the person he had only known for a couple days. Faith's physical prowess amazed him. He had never seen anyone with so much raw power and finesse.

When she was done, Faith noticed that her brother was watching her. She quickly eyed Miguel and knew instantly that the man had told the boy to come there. Faith didn't know what to do. She knew she hadn't spent much time with her brother. She also knew that this time was meant for her, to decompress from the issues that gnawed at her. Then she looked at Johnny again. She saw the wonderment in his eyes, that stunned disbelief she'd seen in others when they saw the power of a slayer.

"Betcha never seen that before, huh, Johnny?" Faith smiled at her brother.

"Hell no! That was soooo wicked cool. Where'd you learn to do that?…Can you show me?…"

Both Faith and Miguel laughed. She glanced at Miguel. "Umm, it kinda comes with the whole slayer thing, right Mick?" The Brazilian nodded. Faith saw a slight disappointment in the boy. She added, "But, I guess I can show you a couple moves." The light came back to the teenager's eyes.

"That would be so awesome."

Johnny went over to Faith and soon, the slayer and her brother were busy enjoying themselves. Miguel watched the two siblings connect. He saw Faith open up to the lad, even if it was only to show him a few karate moves. It was a start and Miguel knew that was a lot for the slayer.

Everyone tried to stay busy that day at Slayer Central. The slayers had their training, Xander and Jessie watched the kids as much as possible. Although they were willing to take care of Samantha so that Willow and Kennedy could focus on the mission at hand, the two saw the Rosenberg/Prescott gang only sporadically until the early afternoon when Willow asked her long time friend to watch the girl for a while. "Gonna go smooching with the wife?" he chided. Willow's answer was terse and sullen, "Not quite."

Dawn was prepared to assist Willow and Giles in the ongoing investigation into the identity of the newest incarnation of the First. Willow had also said the night before that she wanted to work some more on trying to solve the possible "mind-connecting" barrier spell matter. However, Willow wasn't at her laptop and Giles had to help Andrew with some of the security equipment. Dawn settled for watching tv with Lee who spent some of the time on her cell phone with Paulette.

Mid-afternoon, while Dawn happened to be walking through the front main foyer of the house, the doorbell rang. Being so close, she went to the front door to see who was there. She looked through glass on the door.

It was Dr. Ali Porter.

Dawn smiled; then opened the door.

"Dr. Porter," she said genuinely happy to see the god doctor.

"Please, Dawn, call me Ali."

"Right, Ali." Then something came to Dawn. Seriously, "Is there something wrong with Jessie again? Did they call you? Nobody's said…"

Porter laughed at the speed of Dawn's questions. Quick to ease the new found worry, "No. No one called me. I came by to check up on Jessie. I finished my shift and wanted to see how she was doing."

Dawn was relieved. "That's a relief. There's enough tension around here. We certainly can do without a stressed out pregnant woman on top of it all."

She had Porter come into the house and lead the doctor to where Jessica and Xander were. Dawn left to allow Dr. Porter to talk with her patient. After that was done, the doctor found Dawn reading a book in the library.

"There you are. I thought I was going to have to leave a trail of crumbs to find my way around here. I've been here a couple of times before but I didn't realize how big this place was."

Dawn instantly put down her book when she Ali. "I figured you'd be a while so I thought I'd make myself useful."

Porter walked over to Dawn and stretched to see the cover of the book. "Inter-transdimensional Demons and Enchantments…Hmm…Now that sounds like light reading," she said jokingly. "You didn't strike me as the People magazine type."

Dawn blushed slightly at the complimentary tone. "Oh, I have my People moments..but not when we're in the middle of a potential apocalypse."

"Yes, don't you hate those? World-ending demons always come around during the most inopportune times…how rude." Then Ali Porter took another glance at the book. "The title is intriguing. My father used to dabble in the magicks…nothing big; just enough to make a good impression at my birthday parties when I was a kid. It was one of the few things I remember him doing with me." It was said with a hint of a nostalgic tone. Dawn felt as if she'd been allowed a glimpse at a private moment.

"It actually is interesting…in a bookish, Harry Potter kind of way," Dawn replied.

"I'd love to hear more about it."

"Sure, anytime. I mean when you aren't busy. I guess you have to go to work…or see a patient…"

Ali Porter sat at the other end of the couch where Dawn was. "No. I'm free. In fact, I finished a seventy-two hour on-call shift. I have the next three days off." Porter sat there and stared at Dawn.

After a few moments of silence, "You're serious? You want me to tell you about this book?" Dawn felt a rush of giddiness realizing the doctor wanted to stay.

"Definitely. But I have one thing I need to ask you first?"

For some reason, that statement made Dawn nervous. "What is it?" she responded hesitantly.

"It is possible that I could get a cup of coffee? Like I said, I've been on call and…anyway, I want to make sure I'm wide awake for our discussion."

Dawn had a fleeting twinge of deflated expectation at the ordinary nature of the question. She smiled and stood up. "Follow me. We're heading for the kitchen. We've always got a fresh pot made…Slayers and watchers…incredible how much coffee they consume."

Dawn and Ali Porter spent the afternoon talking. Buffy's sister did indeed discuss the main points of the book she was reviewing. She also talked about several other tomes on the subject matter. She was surprised at how much Porter already knew and how quickly she assimilated new information. The two women talked about other things as well. Porter, of course, knew about "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." However, instead of asking about the blonde, Ali questioned Dawn on what is was like being the younger sister to the 'The Slayer." Ali Porter was quite open and willing to talk about her father's prior position with the Council. She exposed her childhood to some degree. Dawn got the impression that Ali's father spent most of his time dedicated to the Watcher's Council and not to being with his daughter.

Dawn found it very easy to talk to Ali. It was as if they had been friends for years. In fact, Dawn thought how nice it was that she was actually making a new friend. That wasn't an everyday occurrence for those in the Scooby gang. The doctor had a way of making Dawn open up and share information. Dawn mentioned that she rarely talked so much about herself. "Are you sure you're not a psychiatrist?" Ali laughed and replied that a good bedside manner was critical in her line of work. "I doubt you got this way by becoming a doctor. I'm sure it was always there." Dawn thought she saw Porter blush slightly.

The two women had a pleasant time. They talked with others in the house. Dawn got the sense that Ali was also enjoying being there. She wondered briefly why the doctor didn't have some other place to go.

At one point, they were sitting at the kitchen table. Dawn was telling Ali a story from the Sunnydale days. As she described the event, the strange time when the entire Scooby gang starting singing, Dawn saw the intrigue and astonishment in Porter's face. Without notice, Ali placed her hand on top of Dawn's. "Dawn, it is amazing what you went through." Porter didn't move her hand. Dawn didn't pull her own hand away. She looked down at them, the stark contrast of the colors of their skin.

Willow then walked into the kitchen and when Dawn heard the footsteps she quickly slid her hand out form under Ali's.

Dawn got up from her chair. She said hello to Willow but saw that the witch was pre-occupied in her thoughts. Dawn said hello once again and finally got Willow's attention. After saying a quick "Hi" and getting a cup of coffee, Willow was gone.

Dawn and Ali left the kitchen and went to the living room where many of the others had gathered. She saw Ali hide a yawn. She knew the doctor had to be tired but she was having such a fine day that she didn't want to say anything to make it end. Dawn enjoyed talking to Ali. She felt like she was accomplishing something, even if it was in the context other than the present apocalyptic scene.

As they sat down, Dawn mentioned to Ali that Willow wasn't usually that short. "Wil's great. She's one of the best people I know. She's been running into road blocks with her research and I think it's frustrating her."

What Dawn didn't know was that Willow's attitude and the sparsity of her and Kennedy's appearance that day had nothing to do with the evil that lurked around them and everything to do with the dreams that the witch and daughter had had the previous night.

It was the noise from the hallway that woke up Samantha. She heard the chattering of Xander's boys as they walked down the hall toward the stairwell. Xander's rather loud "Guys, be quiet; people are sleeping" is what woke up Kennedy and Willow.

Willow instantly remembered her dream with Tara. This one, unlike the other she'd had, was very clear to her. Just as quickly, she recalled Samantha's fright during the night. As Kennedy went into the bathroom to take a shower, she went to her daughter, who had already taken the tv remote off the bedside table and tuned on the television to the Little Einsteins show.

"Sammie?" The girl didn't respond. Again, "Sam?" The child finally looked at her mother hastily and then back at the cartoon. Willow could tell the girl was upset. The thought flashed once more through Willow's mind that somehow Samantha knew about her dream. 'That's impossible,' she told herself.

"Samantha…I'm talking to you." Now, it was an issue of respecting her mother.

Sammie, after a few more moments, turned to her mother. "What? I'm watching Little Einsteins."

Willow felt slightly better believing that her daughter's attitude was merely the usual neglect given in favor of her favorite show. "Sammie, I just wanted to know how you feel this morning. Whether you slept ok after…you know…after you got scared last night."

Samantha lowered her eyes and hunched over a bit from her sitting position on the bed. She crossed her arms and held them close to her body. In an angry tone, "I don't wanna talk…You left me."

Willow was totally confused by her daughter's statement. One thing was for sure, the child didn't know about the witch's dream. However, Willow had no idea what Sammie's statement meant.

"Sam, what are you talking about?"

Still avoiding eye contact with her mother, "You left me…and Momma…and you wouldn't talk to me…and you kissed another girl!" That was said just as Kennedy walked back into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her torso.

"Who kissed a girl?" Kennedy asked as she put on fresh clothes. She assumed Sam was talking about one of Xander's boys.

Samantha looked at Kennedy and almost spoke, but then she glanced at Willow and lowered her head again in response.

Kennedy caught Willow's attention. "What's got her in such a lovely mood this morning?" This wasn't the first time that the slayer had seen her daughter in a sour frame of mind. The girl was becoming her own individual, complete with good and bad habits. Plus being a toddler, she was prone to tantrum-like episodes.

"I think she had a bad dream." That was Willow's only reasonable guess.

Kennedy chuckled. "Couldn't be too bad if there was girl kissing in it."

"Mommy kissed another girl," Samantha blurted out.

Kennedy's eyes turned to Willow who stared at Samantha and then her wife. "I did not. You had a dream, Sam. It wasn't real."

Kennedy was amused. "Oh, really? Mommy kissed another girl? Was it someone on tv?…or in one of your Disney movies?" Kennedy was having fun watching Willow react.

"No," Samantha replied sharply. "The girl with the long hair…The one in Mommy's picture book."

Kennedy's whimsical smile stopped. She knew Samantha meant Tara. The child had browsed through Willow's photo album of her Sunnydale days many times. The album was a collection of photos Kennedy gathered and gave to Willow for her initial birthday while they were in Brazil.

The slayer turned to Willow. Seriously, "Why would she dream you kissed Tara? She's only ever seen a photo of her." Samantha had never been told about Tara except that she used to be a friend to several of the Scoobies.

"I don't know." Willow was feeling uncomfortable with what she'd just heard.

"Mommy went away…She left and she wouldn't talk to me…I was all alone." Samantha spoke like she was on the verge of crying or shouting. "And then…I said 'Mommy!", an-and she didn't do nothing…She looked at the mirror." The girl pointed to the mirror across the room.

Kennedy was very confused now. "Wait. What does the mirror have to do with this?" The slayer thought for a moment. "You saw Mommy at the mirror?" Sam nodded. "Last night?…after you say she left with Tara?" Another nod. "You were awake, Sam?"

Samantha thought for a second. "Uh huh," she said though unsure. She was having trouble recalling what occurred the previous night. She wasn't able to communicate properly that she thought she was awake.

Kennedy turned to Willow. "She was awake?" Kennedy continued to stare at Willow. "Did she have a dream…or was this one of her 'visions?"

Willow didn't respond. She was processing what her daughter said. It appeared to her that both of them had some sort of dream or mental perception about Tara. They were separate but it somehow occurred at the same time.

"I don't know, Kenn. It had to be a dream. Maybe it upset her enough to wake herself up…then she saw me at the mirror."

"What were you doing at the mirror?" Kennedy was baffled.

The dream with Tara rushed back into Willow's mind. The witch realized that the strange events occurring couldn't be merely coincidental. With the First lurking 'out there' somewhere and her past suspicion of mind reading, there had to be a connection between the two. Willow felt a shiver run down her spine with the thought that the First might be using her daughter to get to the slayers. She knew she would have to tell Kennedy about the dream. The witch also knew that she couldn't white-wash what she remembered of it. If these events were related then the only way to find a solution was for all of them to be fully informed. That meant telling Kennedy the specific details of her dream with Tara.

Willow walked over to the bed and sat down. She closed her eyes for a moment and then took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She looked over at Kennedy. "I think the First is using me and Sam somehow…Last night I had another dream with Tara in it. I must have gotten up while I was sleeping because I woke up when I heard Sam call me…When I woke up I was staring into the mirror."

Kennedy didn't know how to respond. 'Another dream..with Tara?' she thought. There was gut reaction of hurt and to her surprise, jealousy. The slayer rubbed her eyes with both hands. "What was she doing in your dream?"

Willow proceeded to tell Kennedy everything she could recall about the dream. As she spoke she watched her wife become less engaged the more she got into Tara's role in it.

When done, Willow let Kennedy absorb what she was told. After an awkward silence, "Kenn, I'm trying to figure out what all this means. It doesn't seem possible that Sam and I could both have dreams with Tara in them and it not have to do with the First. Maybe whoever did the mind reading did this too. Maybe it has something to do with getting at you."

For Kennedy, the past came back to her. There had been a time when Tara, though not even alive, seemed to be everywhere in Sunnydale. She was still Willow's love. Her spirit was carried around by the Scoobies. Dawn had made a point back then, when it became obvious Kennedy was interested in the redhead,

of talking about Tara around Kennedy. The potential lived her days at Sunnydale with Tara looming over her. At times, though she would never show it, Kennedy felt squeezed by the blonde's memory.

But that had been a long time ago. Her years with Willow had vanished that feeling from her life. Her relationship with the redhead was solid and deep. The subsequent years since she and Willow joined as a coupe had been captioned by devotion. Tara was a merely a person from Willow's past, not someone of whom to be feared or jealous.

So why was there a knot in the slayer's stomach? Why was Kennedy nervous because her wife had had two dreams of the woman who was once her true love? Why, after all these years, would the slayer be bothered by a few dreams?

'Why after all these years?' That phrase kept swirling in the slayer's head. But it wasn't directed at her reaction. The slayer was contemplating the question from Willow's perspective. Why, after all the good years they had spent together, was Willow's subconscious dredging up Tara? Why was she running away with Tara…to escape her life with the slayer?

'But it's the First's surrogate doing this' Kennedy thought, playing devil's advocate. Kennedy sat on that assumption. What if the person or demon puppeted by the First was the one planting these scenarios in her wife and child's mind? How could that be Willow's responsibility?

The answer came without hesitation to the slayer. 'Because the First works off the things that a person holds deep in their heart.' Tara could be used because Willow could be affected by her presence. After all these years, Tara still held a gentle place in Willow's heart.

Kennedy looked at Samantha and smiled. "Hey, kiddo, I'm pretty sure you haven't brushed your teeth yet. Why don't you go in the bathroom and do that and clean up." She picked out some clothes from Samantha's suitcase. "You can take off your jammies and put these on while you're at it."

"But…" Samantha started to respond.

"No but, Sam. I said go do it."

Willow understood what Kennedy was trying to do. "Sammie, you heard your Mom. Go in the bathroom and shut the door." The child reluctantly went.

Kennedy waited for the door to close. "What's going on here, Willow?"

"What do you mean?"

"Two dreams about Tara in a few days?"

Willow was surprised by the tone of Kennedy's voice. "Didn't you just hear what I said? I think the First's right hand…person is doing this."

"Why Tara?"

"I don't know."

"Why…after all these years would she start popping up in your dreams?"

Willow was getting frustrated about her wife's emphasis on Tara instead of the source of them. "Stop saying it like I'm the one making it happen. And it isn't just me…It happened to Sam, too."

The slayer hadn't figured out an explanation for her daughter's sighting of Tara, but that didn't stop her form fixating on Willow's end of it. "I'm not talking about Sam right now. Even if the First's henchman did this, why Tara?"

Agitated, "Why are you focusing on her?"

"I'm not supposed to be concerned when my wife dreams about her former girlfriend?"

"Tara's been dead for years. How can you say something like that to me?"

Kennedy was getting more upset by the second. She had spent her life since becoming a slayer protecting innocents and those she loved. She was devoted to her family and her life as a slayer. She knew it was a dangerous destiny, but also more rewarding than any 'regular' person could ever imagine. She was happy in her role and she thought Willow was also. Kennedy never imagined that Willow harbored doubts about her present life or a desire to go back to her former one. That was what troubled Kennedy the most. The dreams to her meant that Willow still had doubts about living her life with a slayer, with the ever present possibility of death and destruction.

"Who does the First choose when he wants to get to someone?" Kennedy knew Willow knew the answer to this question intimately.

Willow was silent. She had experienced the First's cruelty in this matter personally. To herself, 'Someone you love.' The First wormed its way into a person's soul by appearing as someone close and trusted to its victim. The witch didn't know how she could explainTara's presence without it seeming to make a comment on her relationship with Kennedy.

Kennedy saw the look that came over Willow's face. She knew that Willow understood her concern. That Willow said nothing hurt the slayer a little more.

The witch could not bear to see her slayer believing that she was loved any less than unconditionally. Tara had meant the world to her at one time, but not any longer, not for many years.

"Baby…I know what you're thinking…but it isn't like that. I love you. I don't know why Tara's here. It's us…and Sam. We're a family. This is what I want. It's all I want."

Kennedy was confused. She believed every word Willow said. But, there were the dreams. "Maybe deep down, you're not sure."

"But I am…Why can't you accept that? With all the crazy things happening, why can't you see that this is part of it?"

In the middle of their discussion, the two women heard the bathroom door open. Samantha came out wearing the clothes Kennedy had given her. The girl looked distressed.

"No fighting," Samantha said, her voice scared.

"We're not fighting, Sweetie. Me and Momma are just having a discussion." Willow didn't want to get her daughter any more upset.

"I heard you." Sam looked at Kennedy. "You yelled at Mommy."

Kennedy shook her head in resignation and turned to Willow. "Great. You're the one dreaming of Tara but I'm the bad guy." Kennedy turned around and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Willow asked still thinking Kennedy was acting improperly about the situation.

"I don't want to deal with this right now."

"What about breakfast?"

"You take Sam. I'm not hungry." Kennedy went out the door.

Willow decided not to go after Kennedy. 'Maybe she needs some time alone,' she told herself. Willow got dressed and she and Samantha went and ate breakfast with some of the other house guests. Afterwards, she tried to find Kennedy but was called by Giles for some assistance. Once that was done, she spent time with Samantha. The child was still disturbed by her 'dream.' Willow did the best she could to assure the child that she was not leaving her or Kennedy. "It was a dream, Sam. Even though it seemed real, it wasn't." When told "Momma's mad at you," Willow agreed. "I know. I didn't do a very good job making sure Momma knows I love her."

While Willow was with Samantha, Kennedy was attempting to find some explanation to the recent events. She walked around the neighborhood for some time and eventually went back to Slayer Central. She sought out Faith who wasn't in the mood to talk. For a while in the afternoon, Kennedy sat on her bed in their room. It was there that Willow eventually found her.

A couple times during the day, Willow had set out to find her wife. She was consumed with how open-ended she and Kennedy had left their talk earlier. The witch asked Xander to watch Samantha while she searched for Kennedy again. Her thoughts were so focused on Kennedy that she had no time for his sense of humor. She was even short with Dawn. Willow interrupted Dawn and Dr. Porter. The witch wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings and she didn't even say hello right away. In fact, she slightly recalled them sitting on a couch and Dawn standing up quickly to introduce the doctor again to her. It wasn't until Willow had left them and was half way up the stairs to the second floor that she realized how unlike herself she had been. She vowed to act nicer next time she saw Dr. Porter.

Willow found Kennedy in their bedroom. "How long have you been here?" Willow had checked their room several times during the day.

"Twenty minutes or so." Kennedy's response wasn't warm, but it wasn't defiant either.

"Kenn, about this morning…" The slayer didn't let Willow finish.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Willow knew from that response that they indeed needed to talk. "We need to, baby. This is no time for there to be a problem between us."

Sarcastically, "I'm not the one having dreams of wanting to get away from my life."

Willow's frustration was back. ""How can a couple of dreams make you so upset? After all the time we've been together…and a couple of thoughts implanted by the 'thing' we're after makes you certain I hate my life?"

Kennedy accepted that her behavior might be viewed as excessive. But what bothered her was that they were in the middle of a probable apocalypse and her wife was unconsciously wishing she were not there. When she needed the strength from Willow the most, she discovered it wavering.

"I'm not sure now what you really want deep down. Scary times bring emotions to the surface. I don't need to tell you that. We've all been through it. The point is, Tara wouldn't have been stuck in your head…you wouldn't have had those dreams…if subconsciously those feelings weren't in you. I know this is a dangerous life we have, but I thought you felt it was worth it. Maybe a part of you, that you don't want to admit to, wishes you could somehow have your life back with Tara."

Willow stood there and listened in disbelief. She couldn't find a soft way to say how wrong Kennedy had gotten it. So, she just said it. "You're wrong. This isn't about me. This is about that creature that we're looking for making us doubt ourselves. This is probably a way to try to get us apart so that it'll be easier for it or him or the First to get at you and the others. Why can't you see that?"

"Because of what Sammie saw."

Willow didn't understand. "She had a dream, just like me."

Kennedy got off the bed. "I don't think so. She said she was awake looking at you in the mirror."

"That was after she woke up. She had to be asleep. She said I was in a yard."

Kennedy got very serious. "Maybe you were. Maybe she did see you in a yard."

Willow was getting tired of the mystery. "Kenne, I have no idea what you're saying."

The slayer had thought about her daughter's episode and how it related to Willow's experiences. She had trouble making sense of it until she took her child's actions on face value. She explained to Willow.

"I don't think Sam was asleep…or dreaming. I think she had a vision. That's her power. She's had them of you before."

Skeptically, "But Tara was in it. Sam has premonitions."

Monotone, "I know."

Kennedy was making no sense to Willow. "So it couldn't be, just for that reason. Tara's dead."

"Dead has a different meaning in our line of work."

Willow stared at the slayer. She studied her face and how solemn she was being. Then, Willow understood Kennedy's comment.

"You think Tara's going to be brought back to life?" The very concept was absurd to Willow. "You can't be serious?"

Kennedy folded her arms. "I am."

Willow stared, mouth gaping open, at her wife. "It's impossible."

"Samantha was 'impossible', but we still had her…Bringing Buffy back from the dead was impossible, but you did it…Changing the past is impossible, but you've done that, too. I don't believe in impossible anymore, Wil. I think somehow Tara comes back."

There was some truth to Kennedy's words. Miracles had been performed. But Willow saw a fact that Kennedy wasn't recognizing. "I'm not saying that could happen…but even if it could, it doesn't change anything. You and Sam are my life. Period."

A polite smile appeared on the corner of Kennedy's mouth. How she wanted to believe that. But she had also been witness to the actualization of Samantha's visions.

Willow could tell that Kennedy had reservations. The witch needed somehow to convince her that she wasn't going anywhere. It came to her.

"Giles! We need to talk to Giles about this. He can explain why it's impossible for Tara to come back. He'll let you know why you don't have to worry. "

Kennedy wasn't sure about brining another individual into their private matters. But, this did involve the overall plan to get the slayers. Most importantly, a big part of the slayer wanted to be proven wrong, to be told that her wife's ex-lover, the woman that had been adored by all, could not be brought back to life.

After a minute or so of thought, "Ok." The slayer hoped she would be proved incorrect.

Willow smiled in victory. She only hoped that Giles would agree with her assessment. The witch desperately didn't want to have to contemplate Tara's actual return to life…to her life.

Giles fidgeted in his seat. He removed his glasses as he was known to do when faced with a challenging question. He had sat motionless and listened intently as Willow explained the dreams she had had of Tara and Samantha's 'vision.' He then heard Kennedy give him her thoughts on the meaning of those events.

The couple had been there for almost a half hour. After deciding that they would seek out Giles advice, Willow found Xander and asked him if he could watch over Sammie for a while longer. Of course the Scooby gracefully agreed. Willow and Kennedy then went directly to the study that Giles had taken over as his main office.

Part of Giles' discomfort with what he was told hinged on the intimate nature of the subject matter. Surely he understood the potential seriousness that the information might hold for all involved with the latest 'threat.' Any analysis and opinion would necessarily affect everyone in the house, and the planet for that matter. However, his meeting with Willow and Kennedy had such a personal aspect to it. He knew that there had to be quite a quandary between the two women for them to seek out his view. Kennedy Prescott was, if nothing else, a woman predisposed to sorting out her own interpersonal issues. The woman didn't like to expose her relationship matters for public scrutiny. Giles always saw Kennedy as an individual who never thought she wasn't on top and fully informed of every issue in her life. The fact that she allowed Giles to know about such a delicate topic let the Brit know how serious the matter was.

Giles' immediate reaction was to tell the two women that he needed to "think on the matter." When he saw both sit down on chairs, Giles realized they expected nothing less than his own brainstorming right there and then an answer. The Englishman asked several follow-up questions which were answered as fully as possible by the intended questionee. Giles spent a good amount of time pondering, rubbing his forehead and the many other little quirks he did when contemplating the possible fate of the world. Finally, he directed his attention to Kennedy.

"Kennedy. I have thought about this from different angles and I believe that Willow is correct in her assessment." From the corner of his eye, Giles saw Willow let out a deep breath and smile. "What I think occurred was what Willow described…she has been manipulated by whatever being is out there trying to harm the slayers."

Willow looked to her wife. She held out her hand and rested it on Kennedy's which was on the arm of her chair. "See, baby, I knew you didn't have anything to worry about."

Giles lifted his hand. "That's not what I said, Willow. Your manipulation is very serious and could be very dangerous to Kennedy and the others."

""I don't understand what you're saying, Giles," Kennedy said.

Giles stood up straight in his chair. "From what Willow has said…and knowing the depths at which evil will go to acquire its goal…and what has already transpired…It is consistent with past events that Willow is being targeted. Sleep time affords the best chance at infiltrating her, if I can use those words. During sleep, the mind's separation between the conscious and subconscious…the real and surreal is at its thinnest. Willow's mind has the least defense when she sleeps. So, if one wanted to gain the most influence over her…that is when one would implant a stray thought or dream seed. That's what I meant when I said this was serious for Willow. We need to find a way to keep anyone or anything from infiltrating your mind." Giles glanced to Willow.

Kennedy focused on what Giles said. "But what about Samantha's vision? She saw Tara back…alive. Are you saying that was a dream, too?"

To that question, Giles was not so certain. "I would lean to the conclusion that it was. Samantha is so young. Children that age, by their nature, experience many events that they think are real. You have said to me before that Samantha wakes up at night. Her dream could have done that…and that's when she saw Willow by the mirror."

Kennedy stared at Giles' expression. "But you're not sure it was a dream…and that means you think it could have been a vision. So if it was, how does that not mean that Tara comes back?"

Willow turned her head back to Giles. She'd been turning from person to person, as if watching a volley in tennis. She needed Giles to answer her wife in the clearest of terms.

"Because I don't think Tara can be brought back to life," Giles stated carefully. The Brit saw Willow ease back into her chair slightly. "What you say so easily, Kennedy, is the most extraordinary magickal feat known to all existence. The expertise alone is unknown and unattainable by virtually every living being on this planet."

"But Willow's done it."

Giles knew that fact would be brought up quickly. "I am sure Willow has explained to you the process by which Buffy was resurrected. Buffy died by magickal means. Even her accounts with you fall into that realm. As improbable as it is, that type of resurrection is on a different plane than one where death was caused by natural or man-made events, like Tara's. Additionally, there is the time factor. Every person and thing in the universe is merely the essence of the universe itself. We are all part of one and when we pass, our essence assimilates back into that state. It's like liquid that reaches its boiling point and gasifies, as an example. The structure expands infinitely and becomes an indivisible part thereof. The longer the span of time between the death and the attempted resurrection, the more difficult it would be to gather up, for lack of a better way to say it, the essence in order to form the corporeal being."

"Willow told me that Dawn almost brought her mom back…and she was gone for a while…and, nothing against Dawn, but I'm sure she didn't know squat back then about magick."

Giles nodded recalling Buffy's recount of that event. "You are quite right. But that was still quite a significantly shorter period of time…and as I told Willow and Buffy later, the resurrections I've known about and studied were failures. If a 'being' was able to be brought to life, it was always in a deformed manner…That is why it has been off limits in all but the blackest of magicks. Anyone found attempting it has been dealt with heavily."

Thinking for a minute, Kennedy leaned forward in her chair. "Are you telling me that there isn't anyone who could bring Tara back?…or even try to do it?"

Shaking his head, "Given the circumstances of Tara's death, the length of time and just the sheer enormity of the task, I'd say no. In fact, in all my studies, I dare say that throughout history, there would have been maybe one or two mystics…not even mere mortals…with the mastery of witchcraft to have been able to attempt it."

"Then what do you think Sammie saw?" Kennedy still needed a plausible explanation.

"Frankly, it could have been the First as Tara. Please remember that what Samantha sees is one moment in time. You don't know what came before or after that scene. It could be that it was a set-up to kill the First or that is was the way we find out who our mystery antagonist is…It could have been a dream as I said. It may even have been a past premonition. Samantha is a mere child and we do not know the full extent of her abilities. Though she has never had a past event experience before, that does not negate the possibility that she has that capability."

Kennedy looked at Willow and stared into her eyes. Everything Giles said was reasonable and made sense. Softly, "Wil. I…I'm so sorry…for…"

Willow tightened her grip on Kennedy's hand. "Don't. You don't have to say a word." Kennedy saw those forgiving emerald eyes and felt shame for ever doubting her witch.

It wasn't much longer before Kennedy and Willow ended their meeting with Giles. Willow thanked her former mentor for all his help. "You're quite welcome, Willow. It's nice to know that I can still be of assistance in your life…But remember what I said. We must work extra hard to find a barrier spell to any further mind reading. You and I will get Andrew tomorrow and start on that immediately."

As they began to leave, Giles gestured to Kennedy to remain. She looked at her watch and saw that it was after supper time. "Wil, we missed supper. You wanna grab some food and we'll take it back to our room? We still need to get Sammie." Willow told Kennedy that she'd get something for them to eat and meet her back upstairs.

Giles didn't ask Kennedy to sit back down. He walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Kennedy, I wanted to talk to you for a moment. I've said that Tara is gone and I believe that is how it will stay. However, even if it were possible…again, I do not think it is…but if it were…it wouldn't change how Willow's feels about you. I see how she looks at you…Willow loves you, Kennedy. You and Samantha are everything to her. Nothing could change that." As much as Giles had liked and admired Tara, her time in their lives was in the past. His maturity had given him the insight to know that the young love Willow had for Tara was a shadow of the tested and enduring love she had for her slayer.

Graciously, "Thank you, Giles." It was all Kennedy needed to say for the sentiment she knew he was trying to show.

While Kennedy and Willow were meeting with Giles, the rest of the slayer household was getting ready for supper. Faith, Johnny and Miguel had finished their workout. Faith felt great. She let her pent up anger out and truly enjoyed being with her brother. In fact, she spent the rest of the evening with him, answering questions, with the help of Miguel, about slayers and the Watcher's Council. Buffy and Jimmy connected with Andrew after they returned from their afternoon out. Buffy got updated on his research findings and she was also briefed on the afternoon surveillance by the security equipment. There was a business-like atmosphere to the slayer's work but not the frenzied pace of previous days.

The younger slayers, Beth and Nancy, continued with their quiet ways. It wasn't until Shane talked to them that she discovered how bothered they were with their fellow slayer Robins' death. As much as the death itself, they were uneasy about the ease with which the others had seemed to forget her existence. "It's like you guys don't even care she died. It's only been a couple days and everyone's joking around again." Shane sat down with the slayers and they talked about Robin's death. Shane explained why the slayers were acting as they were, not because of a void of feeling but because they couldn't afford to feel the way they wanted. "We're being attacked by something we don't know. We have to place all our energy on keeping the rest of us from not getting killed or else the whole world is lost. If we thought about Robin too much, we'd lose our edge, our ability to do what we have to do as slayers…We care…We care deeply…We just can't let it show right now."

When it came time for supper, Dawn was still in the living room with Dr. Porter.

"I should go," said the doctor.

"Do you want to stay? Sophia and Yvette are incredible cooks. I swear they should cater every apocalypse. Of course, they've got Andrew and Isabella doing most of the work. Those two women should be world class chefs and not slayers."

Porter laughed. She thought for a second. "If it wouldn't be an imposition…"

"Definitely not. Besides, maybe you can steer the table conversation away from Star wars. Andrew's skating on thin ice with everyone here."

Supper was another uneventful scene. Everyone except for Willow, Kennedy and Giles were there. Faith asked Dawn where the couple was and was intrigued when told by Xander that they were with Giles. Faith recalled that Kennedy had tried to talk to her earlier in the day. She made it a point to find out what the younger slayer wanted of her.

During the meal, Lee sat next to Dawn who was across from Ali Porter. Though not certain, Lee thought she saw a lingering look by Porter to Dawn. Knowing that she had her own set of issues, meaning Paulie, to deal with, Lee decided to keep her nose out of everyone's business.

After supper was over, Ali Porter told Dawn it was time for her to leave. "Getting near dusk and I know Giles wouldn't want me hanging around." Dawn and Ali walked to the front door. Dawn opened it and kept her hand on the doorknob.

Hesitantly, "Ali?…"

"Yes?"

Dawn went to speak and then changer her mind. She smiled. "Is Ali short for something?"

Porter chuckled. "Afraid not. You see, I was a bit of a disappointment to my father."

Dawn raised her eye brows. "He's disappointed in a daughter who grew up to be a doctor?"

Laughing, "No. He thought I was going to be a boy. My father has an obsessive admiration for Mohammed Ali. He thinks Ali is not only the greatest boxer who ever lived but also a great man for his religious convictions at a time when believing that way wasn't very popular. He was going to name his son, Ali. When I came along…well, Ah-LEE turned into AA-lee. He got his obsession fed and I was spared his second choice."

"Which was?" Dawn was curious.

"Miles Davis!" The women laughed. "Thank you for dinner. It was very good. You were right. Sophia and Yvette should be chefs."

"You're welcome. Thank you for putting up with a table full of hungry slyers…I wonder why you want to hang out here around all this craziness?" This was the question Dawn had wanted to ask earlier.

Ali looked off to the side like she was thinking She smiled and walked out the door. Turning her head just enough to see Dawn, "Because of you." Dr. Porter kept walking leaving Dawn standing there at the open door.

"Hey, didn't you forget something?" Willow said jokingly as Kennedy walked into their bedroom.

Kennedy closed the door and sat on the bed next to Willow. "I went to get Sam and Xander said that Sam and the boys had been asleep for an hour. He said we should let the kids sleep. Who was I to disagree?"

It took all of half a second for Willow to fetter out Kennedy's ulterior motive for leaving Samantha at Xander's. She could hear it in the slayer's voice.

"You are an open book, Kennedy Prescott…Last night…and tonight too?" It wasn't said with a tone on disapproval.

"What can I say? You don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"What does that mean? I never understood…" Kennedy kissed Willow before the witch had a chance to finish. The connection transformed from a kiss meant to stop her wife from talking to one with a more heated message.

Kennedy quickly had her hand up Willow's blouse. She massaged her fingers over her wife's lacey bra. The slayer kissed Willow's chin and down the side of her neck, the whole while pressing her body against the witch's side. Kennedy's mouth moved to a delicate earlobe; she flicked it with her tongue and gently suckled it. Lips ever so lightly grazed over the ear causing tingles to shoot through the redhead's body.

Barely audible, "I love you so much."

Willow knew this Kennedy's further attempt at atonement. The witch placed both hands to the sides of Kennedy's head and pulled her back so she could see the slayer's face. Willow gazed at the deep brown eyes staring back at her. She kissed Kennedy, tenderly. "I love you…always."

Their relationship centered, the two women hurriedly got into a feral mood. Emotional, uncertain times were the ideal catalyst for intense sexual outpourings. Kennedy undressed Willow, followed quickly by the disrobing of her own clothes. The women didn't bother to get under the sheets. The night's session was too immediate, too wanting to spare those precious seconds. Kennedy and Willow regaled in their full naked forms. They kissed and pressed, suckled and stroked. Hands searched as bodies moved rhythmically. Saliva intermingled with sweat as each woman turned her partner into a heart-pounding, writhing mass of flesh. First Willow and then Kennedy, each rose to that exquisite state of total arousal only to be shoved over into the abyss with that critical stroke or lick. Their falls were complete; their bodies spent and motionless like a marathoner crippled with exhaustion at the finish line.

The couple's love-making was short in duration but intense to its core. It was several minutes before Kennedy got up to turn off the lights. Willow made her way under the covers and held them open for Kennedy's return. The two women held each other. They were together; they felt safe.

Kennedy had several hours before her patrol started. All she wanted was to spend them sleeping next to the woman she loved and dreaming of their life yet to come.

By the time of her patrol, Kennedy would have yet another dream to decipher…though this one was not of Willow's making.

Lavender eyes scrutinized the frail body on the examination table. The only thing keeping the pregnant girl from the cold, hard surface of the metal slab was the three inch foam pad covered by a waterproof vinyl sheet. The body was naked, saved from the chilly temperature of the room only by a full length heat lamp hanging precariously above her. The protruding belly of the girl was directly under one of the heat receptacles and the stomach's apex had a halo image of the amber light circling it. There was no motion from the teenager, though she was not dead. She lay in the quintessential comatose state, induced by the blackest of magicks.

Arminda de Montajo had become nothing more than an extension of her womb, a vessel for the unborn child inside. All pretense of a 'living' being' had been sapped from her by the ancient words spoken by her captor. Arminda de Montajo never knew what was in store for her. She was taken from the motel to her present prison, a dark and murky place hidden inside the side of a rolling hillside. She never even saw the whole of her soon-to-be crypt. As soon as she entered the place, the woman with the lavender eyes, the woman who Arminda thought was her savior, touched the girl's arm which instantly left her unconscious. Not so many hours earlier, Arminda de Montajo had hope; now she had nothing. A life that had begun in the embrace of anonymity and desolation had ended as such.

The beautiful woman smiled at her handiwork. She knew she was getting close to realizing her goal. She could visualize her triumph and ascension to the universal forces that beckoned to be one. In a few days, she knew the balance would shift, the energy of All That Was would find a new center and governance would be hers.

The woman got a satisfying grin. She'd come a long way from the past she now remembered. Slowly, since her 'rebirth,' she had come to recall and reunite with the memories of her existence.

She was called Zareen, named in honor of the golden wheat meadow that was the place of her birth. She was born to peasants, the lot of all beings in the Middle Ages except for clergy and royalty. Even as a small child she was astute, so much so that her adoring mother kept her at a distance from the armed guardmen whose job it was to ferret out heretics.

On her tenth birthday, Zareen told her mother of the 'angel' she encountered while bringing the family eggs to market for sale. The young girl, wide-eyed with excitement, retold how the angel had bestowed upon her powers given from God himself. She offered her lavender eyes, before a plain brown, as evidence of her being blessed. Zareen learned the lesson of heartbreak that very next day when her father sent her away to distant relatives out of fear of retribution if her wild story was discovered by nobility. Zareen's mother could do nothing but sob for the lost of her cherished daughter.

Zareen's exile proved the turning point for her. She no more spoke of her 'transformation.' The years saw the blossoming of her beauty and her abilities. Her growing talents she kept hidden like a sinful act. The now young woman soon realized her gift to see into other people's souls. She knew their thoughts and fears and joys. Before long, she discovered she could affect those thoughts, lead and change the paths of beings. At first, the skill was used very sparingly and only for dire reasons. She stopped an old woman from being stoned, kept a hungry beggar from stealing from a merciless merchant, and turned a cold father's heart to love.

With time, however, her need increased to affect life around her. In part, it was due to curiosity, in part to growing self-importance. Her desire grew in proportion to her beauty. A chance meeting with a gypsy sealed Zareen's fate. For it was then that the beautiful woman with the lavender eyes was introduced to the real magicks. The attraction was instant, the addiction overwhelming. Zareen plunged into the bottomless waters of witchcraft. The part of her that she had always kept hidden, the part that she had been told was unnatural, was completely at home. Zareen felt like she had found her sanctuary.

Immersed in the ways of the craft, the young woman went form a fledgling purveyor of magick to a full fledged witch. She soon came to realize that her childhood 'angel' had been a witch anointing her mere mortal status with the essence of a higher power. Realizing this was her destiny, Zareen privately studied and practiced her trade. She mastered spells and incantations. She developed the art of shape-shifting. Knowing her path to be dangerous, she moved from place to place, never staying so long as to bring attention to herself or her activities.

As so often happens, however, Zareen's accomplishments became known even if the actual woman performing them was not. As her powers grew, so did the legend. Her heretical ways became known throughout the land. Every Kingdom had a bounty on the traitor's head. The Church cried out for the destruction of the "Heretic." The first to expose the identity of the evil doer was promised a title and land. The thrill of the danger did nothing but spur even bolder and greater mystical feats by the young woman with the lavender eyes.

It wasn't until Zareen learned about the death of her mother, though, that her full potential and threat to the world came to force. Zareen's only sweet memory of her 'other' life was her mother. The powerful witch returned to her home land. She knelt next to her mother's grave, marked by nothing but a large stone with a cross chiseled in it. No one knew she, the Heretic, was there. She vowed to tell no one. She cared not to see the face of her father, the one who had shoved her away. Zareen was there only for her mother, the woman who had rocked her and listened with acceptance to her story of the 'angel'.

Zareen spread her body over the grave. By the time she had received the news, her mother had been gone for over two years. But Zareen felt so close to the woman. She had a yearning in her heart to be with her once again. The powerful witch had performed so many acts that were considered impossible, and yet, she was unable to see her mother just one more time.

It was after many hours of brooding and wrestling with her past and present that Zareen got the idea to bring her mother back from the dead. She gave no thought to her mother's soul being with God. All Zareen could see was that she was a most powerful witch and had the tools to bring her beloved mother to life.

At once, Zareen studied and planned. She bent men's thoughts and their wills to get them to do what she needed for her most complicated spell ever. She combed the land for ingredients and read every tome she could find. Zareen did everything in her power to gain the knowledge necessary. It was almost a year before she was back by her mother's grave.

She had gained all the knowledge there was to learn, and yet, Zareen knew it was not enough. She could feel it in her bones. Something was missing. That lost piece came to her in a dream. As special as she was, she was not blessed enough. To play God, Zareen realized she had to be God…or at least god-like. This task was something that Zareen knew was against the forces of the universe. It was not something that she could ask for and she knew she would be given no more power voluntarily. The witch did the unthinkable. In a lone setting, with the power of her craft to propel her, Zareen stole power form the Black Magicks and the Rulers of the Dark. With a spectacular jolt to her body, Zareen had betrayed the gods to gain the power of a god.

The day she brought her mother from the grave was Zareen's last day on earth. Her greatest act was one that couldn't go unnoticed. She was captured that night as she celebrated in the glory of her strength. She wasn't taken to a cell; there would be no trial. In the cold air of the night, she and her resurrected mother were brought to the town's square. The Holy men were summoned and they rejected the very being of both mother and daughter. "Monsters!", "Devils!" "Satan!" – - the women were charged and convicted of the most heinous of acts against God and His Kingdom.

Zareen watched as the Clergy's punishment was handed down on her mother. She saw the child-like innocence and fear from her mother's face. Zareen had brought her mother out of the light and back into the blackness of Mankind. She realized her mother no longer knew of this world. As the flames encased her mother, Zareen knew she had gone too far.

When the flames came for her, the young woman with the lavender eyes didn't resist. She welcomed her penance.

Zareen's punishment did not end with her mortal death. Her powers had been stolen, used improperly, for matters of insignificant import to the universe. The witch had thought herself equal to the gods from which she took her power. Zareen had caused an imbalance and had to pay…the ultimate price. Her mortal body and soul having been extinguished, her immortal essence was likewise vanquished. To exist no more.

…that is until the First had other plans.

The woman once known as Zareen looked down upon her captive. The child inside the woman was only one half of the path to her end. The unborn's origins were linked to the masterful plan. This special child was the blank slate; the metaphoric and mystical 'new beginning' for the shift of power. The other half, the doorway to the future, was still protected by her mothers, the slayer and witch. It would take both children for success. She had one child. The unborn stood ready for the plucking. The other, Samantha, would be hers in a few days. Timing was everything, the positioning of the planets, the stroke of midnight summoning the birth date for Samantha. They were all as critical as the precise moment of these innocents' deaths and the incantation, by the woman with the lavender eyes, to bring their rebirth into her essence.

Her time with Amanda Lopez proved successful and draining. Though brought to life with the essence of the First, the beautiful woman retained some of her human frailty. Her focus could now be taken from the child in the belly of the flesh before her. It would henceforth be shifted to coaxing the other child to her and to defeating the child's protective forces. She would continue to weaken and confuse the witch. The slayer mother would be targeted like the rest. Those core slayers that survived to the final hour would then be used in her spell and discarded. The woman once known as Zareen had a plan and at the fall of the next sun, the next part would be put into action.

A brisk, cold wind awakened Kennedy's senses. The first sensation was a chill upon her face. The second, the hush of the wind gliding by her. Moments later, the slayer sensed a gradual increase of light; a hue appeared on closed lids. Kennedy intuitively sensed that something wonderful was about to occur. Just as she felt a stream of warm light hit her face, Kennedy opened her eyes.

The slayer experienced the dawn of a new day. The sun's beacon of light had barely erupted from behind its curtain. The magnificent streaks of orange and yellow and pure white flew like streamers from the core of that yellow source of life. Kennedy gazed at the sun's beams as they wove around and through the clouds. The result was an epicenter of bright light transforming into a watercolor mixture of soft blues and lilacs and pinks.

It was a glorious sunrise.

Kennedy shifted her weight. It was at that moment that she felt the confinement. At that second, brown eyes 'saw' the whole of her sunrise landscape. Kennedy looked out to the sun coming into full view as it left the shadows of a spectacular mountain foreground. But there was not one peak but an entire range of majestic mountains in her view.

Another shift and Kennedy focused on her own status. She was enveloped in a heavy canvass and nylon sleeping bag, her body cocooned all snug except for her head. But there was more to the slayer's location. As she looked up, she saw thick, braided lines from each end of her sleeping compartment hanging taut from heavy gauge steel clips connected to large titanium eye hooks imbedded in stone. There was rock surface everywhere she looked on one side. It was then that Kennedy realized where she was.

Kennedy Prescott was hanging from a mountain climber's cradle, a sling-like apparatus that advanced climbers used when they had to sleep during a climb that had no flat land. But Kennedy was not supported by a ledge or even a minor jutting out of rock. She was supported only by the technology of hooks and screws. The reason for her amazing view of the sunrise was because Kennedy hung from the mountainside as if viewing from a hammock. She felt such a sense of awe because she was closer to the divine creation.

There was no fear or doubt in the slayer's thoughts. She felt as safe as if she were standing with both feet on the ground.

Kennedy allowed the graceful quality of the moment fill her as she cherished the wondrous site before her. The song "America The Beautiful" finally made perfect sense to her, for no one could look upon her sunrise and not be forever moved. In that still, succinct period of time, Kennedy felt completely at peace.

Then came a noise.

Kennedy looked down in the direction of the sound. She saw below her and to the west another sleeping pod, with another person awaking. She saw movement and then a face turned up to her. It was Sophia.

Another noise.

When Kennedy followed this one, it took her again below her. Another sleeping bag, another person waking to the new day. In a few seconds, Kennedy could see it was Shane.

One by one, the brunette discovered more slayers, all situated like herself. The last two to call her attention were Buffy and Faith. They were in their separate sleepers directly behind Kennedy.

No one really moved; no one spoke. The slayers fixated on the horizon.

Without warning, a tremble shattered the church-like atmosphere. The rock side from which all slayers dangled shook. The slings swayed slightly. There was movement as each slayer worked their arms up to the sleepers' zippers and drew them back enough to allow their arms to be free. The slayers called to each other, to reassure themselves that there was no need to panic.

The mountainside shook again.

This time, pieces of rock dislodged from above them and plummeted down upon the slayers. Some pieces were small, others large enough that the slayers had to fend them off with their arms. Now, the slayers' speech was laced with worry and urgency. Voices raised and calls for escape were shouted.

The slayers didn't have a chance to regroup from the second event because a third and a fourth followed immediately. These seismic occurrences shook the slayers to their core. Rocks and boulders were cascading down. But worse, the hooks that held the slayers to the stone began to loosen…all but Kennedy's. The brunette watched as the other slayers' life lines lost their grip. She saw each slayer frantically try to tear open their bags and grab for safety. Kennedy desperately wrangled out of her pod and held onto it as she tried to grasp a hand of any slayer she could possibly reach. She used all her slayer strength. She couldn't reach anyone.

As Kennedy stretched out, she had in her view each of the other women, the sum total of all slayers on the face of the earth. Kennedy alone was secure to the stone wall. With one last jolt of the mountain, Kennedy saw every hook on each of the others' apparatus slide out of the rock. Each of her sister slayers fixated on Kennedy as they fell from their perches.

"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kennedy screamed.

The next instant, all was still. Each terrified slayer, still staring at Kennedy, was motionless in air as if put on pause. Kennedy, too, was still, one hand firmly grasping the ropes anchored to the rock, the other hand outstretched, face grimacing with despair. Everything stopped, even the day. There was total silence…and then everything went black.

Kennedy awoke panting heavily. The slayer sat up in bed. She was shaking. Her dream was more than vivid. It was as if she had been there. Kennedy couldn't get her heart to stop pounding. She sat there, hands to her chest.

"K-nhm?" she heard a mumbled, sleepy voice whisper.

Kennedy turned to Willow and then glanced at the clock. It glowed 2:43am. Her patrol started soon. "Go back to sleep," she said, not certain if Willow was still awake. The witch moved slightly. Without an opportunity to internalize, Kennedy said the only thing she could to her wife. "It's time for my patrol." The witch let out a noise and quickly dozed back to sleep.

Kennedy didn't move, still dazed by her dream. 'What the fuck was that?' she thought.

It was late afternoon and the demeanor at Slayer Central was a mixture of unabashed tension and willful eagerness. Everyone in the house knew of Kennedy's dream, some from her directly and others second hand. One thing was for sure, no one had the impression that Kennedy's dream was of no significance. A slayer dream was always a vision, of sorts, of things to come. The visual posed by the brunette's dream left little doubt that terrible times were soon to befall the slayers. In what form exactly they would take was unknown, but that didn't stop the members of Slayer Central from examining the worst of possibilities. It had been, as Faith so accurately put it, a "fucked up, shitty-ass day."

No one knew about Kennedy's dream until hours after her patrol. The slayer understood the importance of the nightly slayer rounds. She also knew that if she spoke a word of her slayer dream to any one of the three other slayers patrolling with her, their watch would have been completely compromised. Given that she didn't know if the unknown antagonist was still trying to read minds, Kennedy didn't want to say anything that could cause a breach of security and possible avenue for attack against them. So she said nothing. She spent the whole three hour patrol churning the dream over and over in her mind, trying to make some sense of it. Her reflective attitude didn't go unnoticed. Lee asked her on more than one occasion if she were alright. Though she longed to share her burden, Kennedy remained silent. "Just thinking," was all she responded.

When the shift was over, Kennedy wanted nothing other than to go to her room. Willow would be the first to whom she told her story. Her witch was her confidante, her sounding board for all things good and bad. Willow would help her put context and texture to her terrible nightmare. The brunette wasn't deterred from her destination even by Faith attempts to catch up on past events. "Hey, K, I heard you and Red had a little tiff yesterday. What idiotic thing did you do now?" Any other time, Kennedy would have cherished the time to hang out and joke with her friend. But not this morning. "Sorry, Faith. I'm not in the mood. We'll talk later."

Willow didn't find out about Kennedy's dream for another few hours. Back in her room, the slayer knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. But Willow was sleeping so soundly when she arrived that Kennedy didn't want to wake her. Instead, the slayer sat in the chair by the desk. No tv; no book to read. Kennedy sat there and waited for Willow to wake up. She spent her time reliving the tortured faces on her fellow slayers as they hung suspended in air, seemingly waiting for time to begin and their own lives to end. The time it took for Willow to wake felt like years to the brunette.

At the first sight of Kennedy, Willow sensed something bad had happened. She was grateful when told Samantha was fine. Upon learning the reason for Kennedy's concerned look, however, Willow felt her stomach tie in knots. Slayer and witch, partners in life, took the next hour discussing the dream and the possible meanings. Willow, of course, tried to place a less bleak outcome to it. In the end, they knew they had to tell others. They didn't want to cause unnecessary pandemonium, so they decided to tell the Scoobies initially.

The meeting with the Sunnydale contingency was quick and to the point. The Scoobies immediately set out duties for themselves and the others. Giles was to inform the rest of the household of Kennedy's dream and the course of action to be taken. That course consisted of extra security measures, heightened research by Willow, Dawn and Andrew into a barrier spell to protect further mind-connects by their enemy. Weapons were to be double-checked and the slayers put on high alert.

Kennedy was not spared having to relive the image of her falling comrades. The other slayers, during brief moments of inactivity, sought her out and asked her to retell her dream to them. Each slayer wanted to hear the story for herself, to get first hand the description of what could be her impending mortality. Despite the various explanations given for the dream – Kennedy being forced to slay on her own, or Kennedy being taken away without help from the others, the slayers seemed to focus on their own plight. As Dakota told her, "Slayer dreams aren't rocket science…The ones I've heard about were pretty accurate." Even Buffy had reserved feelings about Kennedy's experience. She remembered her own dreams in Sunnydale and the accuracy of them.

The anxiety that infiltrated Slayer Central settled into the thoughts of more than just the slayers. Giles, of course, was very concerned about what Kennedy's dream truly signified. He was consumed with the possibility that the slayer line might end or, at the least, be almost obliterated. He agonized over the proper way to insulate those women from what looked like an inevitable battle to the end. Once he had given assignments, Giles went to his office to study the plans and operations. He made many calls to headquarters for updated information on the unknown assailant.

Buffy was in charge of rechecking equipment and keeping the younger slayers and the foreign delegation abreast of information and tactics. She had practically ignored Jimmy since she heard of the slayer dream. The change of attitude was not unfamiliar to the man. He had had months of Buffy's hot and cold demeanor toward him. Just when he thought that the blonde had set her priorities and realized the importance of their relationship, Buffy would emerse herself in slayer activity of some kind. To Jimmy, it seemed as if Buffy always pushed him away at the moment they were the closest. The man genuinely didn't know if he would ever come first in Buffy's life. He felt quite certain slaying would be the one thing that squarely held her loyalty.

Jimmy relegated his time with Miguel and Johnny. They were given the task of checking the security equipment, adding further protection and generally reviewing electronic matters. It was a slow and complicated process. Johnny was with them, not because Faith had handed him off to others to entertain, but because she busy talking to Kennedy and trying to lessen the slayer's guilt over the dream.

Soon after everyone knew of the dream, Kennedy became uncomfortable with the fact that it appeared she was the only slayer 'saved' in the dream. She didn't know why she didn't also fall off the mountainside. She likewise was dismayed that she wasn't able to keep any of the others from falling. It wasn't long before Kennedy started to wonder whether she was destined to be the last slayer standing. Was she going to watch her fellow slayers, her friends, die before her eyes? Was the reason they fell because she failed as a slayer? Why wasn't she able to save any of them? The more she recalled her dream the greater recollection she had – the pounding heart, the feeling of impending doom. Kennedy even remembered a sensation, not of burning but of intense heat, on her chest. Her physical awareness was heightened to a degree she never felt in real life.

It was that feeling of foreboding and regret that confronted Faith when she found Kennedy. The older slayer comforted her friend, albeit in her own particular style.

"K, first thing is no more Discovery Channel in this house."

Kennedy had no idea what Faith was talking about. She stared blankly at her friend.

"Beth had on some nature show yesterday and there was a part that had a couple of guys climbing a mountain. I'm sure that's where you got that 'wonderful' imagery of yours."

Kennedy tried to laugh but couldn't. "It doesn't change the point of the message. Something happens to all of you and I don't stop it."

Faith pulled out a cigarette and lit up. She took a deep drag and let it out in a thin stream of smoke. "Yeah, that part blows…You're a real disappointment Prescott."

Kennedy looked at her in shock.

Faith smacked the back of Kennedy's head with her hand. "Will you lighten up? You have no proof that squat happens to us. So some bullshit dream has us suspended in air. The endings to that could be a hundred different things. Maybe we find out slayers can fly. For Christ's sake, you woke up before you saw what happened. Don't kill yourself over something that wasn't real. Besides, we have been in so many tight spots before, do you really think we won't be able to get out of this one? I for one have no plans on going anywhere."

Kennedy appreciated her friend's words. It was true that no one actually died in the dream. As dreary as the event seemed, she had to make herself believe that all would be fine. There had to be a way to stop the implication of the dream from coming true. The two friends had been talking for some time before Kennedy finally began to feel a lightening of her spirits. She knew it was due to her unconventional friend.

"You may be a pain in my ass, Faith, but occasionally it pays to have you around."

Faith chuckled and took another puff of her cigarette. "Yeah, I am wonderful aren't I? I know you secretly want to be me."

While the two brunette slayers were talking, Willow was busy trying to find a spell to stay off any more mind connects. She, Andrew and Dawn were in the process of attempting to create a very strong spell and also one that would notify them if a breach was attempted. Andrew had also been working on some other matters when he wasn't assisting Willow. The man in addition had his own nightly patrol duties. The affect of all his work was that he'd hardly gotten any sleep in the last two days. Sensing his waning stamina, Willow invoked the help of Dawn. Together, the three of them toiled and were eventually able to perfect a barrier spell for Slayer Central personnel that they hoped would be impenetrable to attack.

By shear willpower, Willow dredged through every source she could find and created a spell that she hoped would prevent their enemy from infiltrating their minds. Willow's skepticism was only due to her lack of knowledge as to their antagonist. She had no definite information as to the strength and capabilities of the unknown assailant. Was this enemy as strong as Glory? How much of the First's power did this person or thing possess? In large part, Willow knew they were flying blind, but they had to do the best they could. The witch tried to think of every possibility she could while developing her spell. The result was the strongest barrier mind incantation that she'd ever created. Though she disliked manipulating the mind, in any manner, the redhead knew this spell was a necessity.

The strain of the day took its biggest toll on Jessica. Once Kennedy's dream became known to all and the activity of the house accelerated, Xander and Jessica were left with the job of watching over the children. There was far too much work to be done for Willow or Kennedy to have to spend all their time with Samantha. Jessica had initially discussed with Xander about sending the kids to another place. "We could take them to my sister's or maybe to Kennedy's dad's house. He must have a lot of security. We could keep them safe there, Xander."

Xander sympathized and identified with his wife's concerns. The idea of leaving Slayer Central was very attractive. But the Scooby also had his past experiences for guidance. He recognized the susceptibility to harm, and even death, outside the protection of slayers. Mortal law enforcement was no match for the brutality of the otherworld. Thesimmortals' ability to locate targets was a feat unknown to human resources. On their own, without the slayers and Willow to protect them, Xander knew they would be like fish in a barrel. If they were players in the First's plan, then the safest place for them to be was in the epicenter of the battlefield. As backwards as that seemed, Xander knew that the children's best chance for survival was to stay where they were. It took a while for Jessica to see that was true but she did.

Acknowledging that they had to stay at Slayer Central did not ease Jessie's anxiety though. She worried about the meaning of Kennedy's dream and what it meant for her and her family. She got so worked up that she began to have physical problems again. She felt so ill that Xander forced her to lie down. Her condition got more precarious and Xander felt it necessary to cal Dr. Porter. Though it was getting late, Xander knew he had no option. It was either get the doctor to the house or chance a visit to the hospital without any clue as to when they would return to Slayer Central.

Ali Porter appeared at Slayer Central just after 6pm. She instantly sensed the tension in the air. Dawn took time from her work with Willow and Andrew to accompany the doctor to Xander's room where the man had sent his wife for rest. With all the commotion and uncertainty sitting over Slayer Central, Dawn felt a pleasant feeling that Porter was there. She didn't understand why, with all the strain on everyone in the place, seeing the good doctor made her feel better and more hopeful. It was obvious to Dawn that she had emotions which needed examination; however, this was not the time.

The day sped along and it was soon nearing dark. Dr, Porter was still treating Jessica. Her presence was a matter of discussion. Giles didn't want her to be at the house much longer. "We can't be certain this night will be as quiet as the others. Dr. Porter shouldn't be in the middle of this, for her own safety." Xander understood Giles' concern but there was no way he would let the doctor leave before his wife was properly and fully cared for. "Sorry, Giles, but she doesn't leave until Jessie's ok. You better have a Plan B." It was Dawn that made Giles see the reality of her visit. "We have to make her stay. It'll be dark soon and we can't just let her go by herself…and we can't afford to let any of the slayers go with her. We have no choice, Giles. Ali has to stay here tonight." Without asking the doctor if their decision comported with her wishes, the mini band of Scoobies had decided that there would be one more person in Slayer Central that night.

When Dr. Porter finally finished her time with Jessica, she was met at the door by Dawn. "How's Jessie?" The woman's health was Dawn's first priority.

"Well, she's better now. I told Xander she has to get more rest. She's doing too much. I've upped her dosages and hopefully that'll keep her BP down." Then smiling, "If this keeps up, I may have to start charging this place."

Dawn smiled back then got serious again. "Ali, I don't know if you kept track of the time, but it's getting really close to sunset." The doctor looked at her watch confirming to Dawn that she hadn't.

"Oh, it is late. I guess I should go."

"About that…I talked to Giles and we think it's not safe for you to go now. It's too late and too dangerous for you to leave by yourself."

Porter got an expression of concern. "I can take care of myself. I'm pretty sure I can find me way home."

"I know you can, but it's not that simple," Dawn said. "Something happened today that…well, it wasn't so good…it could be dangerous for you. That's why we think you should stay."

Ali Porter crinkled her brows. "Wait. You sound like you expect something bad to happen…and you want me to stay for that?"

Dawn understood the inconsistency in her statement. "Ali. I'm going to be honest with you because you deserve to know. Kennedy had a slayer dream and we think that whoever is after the slayers may try to do something…maybe tonight. There could be demons outside right now for all we know. I…" Dawn hesitated, "…We…don't you to get hurt. I know this sounds weird but you're safer here with us."

Ali Porter didn't speak for several moments. She fixated on Dawn's eyes. She saw the apprehension in them. Unbeknownst to Dawn, Ali Porter had several reasons for her time spent at Slayer Central. At first, the reason had to do with her father. He had been not so much as a distant father as an absent one. Much of her 'quality' time with the man was quick conversations over the phone. Ali never doubted that her father loved her, just her place in the pecking order. The Council always came first; slayers overrode any activity or occasion. Porter grew up, not hating slayers and the Watcher's Council, but with a fascination as to their grip on those dedicated to them. She wanted to understand the mystique. So, she spent as much time involved with the organization as she could without losing herself into it. As much as she admired her father's dedication, she didn't want to lose her identity to it. Her time at Slayer Central started out as more research into the aura of the mission.

But then there was Dawn. She was something not expected by the doctor. Ali Porter had always known at some level she was gay. Her teenage years cemented her sexuality. Her father knew and, after an initial period of adjustment, was fine with it. She'd had her share of relationships and lived with a woman for a year and a half. But, like her father, the draw of work, both medical and slayer, kept her busy…too busy. Her partner ultimately couldn't handle the times alone and left her. Ali Porter had gotten to a point in her life where she wanted to focus on her career and the place that the Council played in it. She dated superficially, acknowledging her physical desires but also her need to remain unattached. She never let herself get intrigued with another woman. Her life was too planned for that. Until the day she met Dawn.

There was something about Buffy Summers' sister that made her feel like she had to learn more. As much as knew and admired Buffy, she was drawn to Dawn. Ali thought her beautiful, her eyes and long silky hair. But more than any physical appearance, Ali saw a strong woman, but one struggling for identity. She could see it in the way Dawn held herself, how she talked, how she talked to Ali. It didn't take long for Ali to see that Dawn had had heartbreak in her past. Porter also knew of Dawn's 'beginnings' and wondered how anyone could come out of that as seemingly normal as Dawn was.

Those were the reasons Ali Porter looked forward to coming to Slayer Central. She didn't like the fact that is was a sick woman who brought her there, but she was nonetheless appreciative of the time she could spend at the house.

All of this went into Ali's thought process when Dawn requested her to stay the night. It would have been a lie if she said that the prospect of seeing slayers in action wasn't tantalizing. But more than anything else, Ali wanted more time with Dawn. She knew she had been forward with her, especially at their last good-bye. Porter wanted to see if she had gone too far or too fast with her approach. Her answer at that point was an easy one.

"Alright, I'll stay." It was a good outcome for both.

The time past and it was getting dark. The first slayer patrol was to start in less than a half hour. Everyone got a quick bite to eat and Slayer Central was calm for the first time all day. It had been decided that all the slayers be on guard which meant no sleep for any of them that night. Everyone, but Giles and Andrew, was on the first floor in the main meeting room.

Kennedy was sitting by Willow who had Samantha in her lap. The child hadn't seen much of her mothers that day. As the group talked Samantha got very still as she laid back against Willow. The witch thought her daughter fell asleep. Sammie moved after a little while and got off her mother's lap. The child stood in front of Kennedy. "Pick me up, Momma," she said quietly. Kennedy did, wanting the chance to hold her child after a day of being without her.

Kennedy kissed Sam on the top of the head. "How are you doing, kiddo?" she said as she gave her daughter a hug.

Samantha put her tiny arms around Kennedy's neck. She placed her mouth close to her mother's ear. "They're here…You gotta get the pretty pin."

Kennedy didn't understand her daughter. She pulled her daughter back enough to see her face. "What, Sam?"

"The monsters are here…You have to get the pretty pin."

Just then Andrew came rushing into the room. "THEY GOT IN!…SOMEHOW…I…I DON'T!…DEMONS!…THEY'RE ALMOST AT THE HOUSE!"

The battle had begun.

"Where the fuck are they, Andrew?" Faith shouted at the befuddled man-boy. She was standing, shocked like everyone else. At that moment, Faith didn't care whether her demand made Andrew even more panicky and confused. He had rushed into the room and announced that they were under imminent attack. Faith knew more specifics were essential if they wanted to assert a defense.

Andrew looked like he'd already met the demons. His hair was disheveled and he had blood shot eyes. His clothes seemed as if he'd slept in them.

"P-Pass the front gate," he said stammering. "…nearing the g-garage…I th-think they're s-s-spreading out."

Kennedy, who was standing beside Willow, ran to the large oak chest resting next to the large barrister bookcase. As she opened it, she talked quickly. "They're surrounding the house…We can't let them get in." Kennedy reached in and took out several machetes, spikes and long blades. She threw the weapons randomly to the slayers. "We need to get the kids to a safe place."

Buffy spoke up. "The old bomb shelter…in the basement. It's the safest and quickest to get to."

Giles knew that it wasn't only the children who needed safety. "We need to engage the enemy outside to give us time to get everyone there who needs to be in the shelter."

Kennedy looked at Willow. They had the same expression. They were terrified at the thought that Samantha or any of the other children could be in danger. Plus, there were those in the house who should not and could not fight the enemy. They had to get to the shelter, too. However, it was useless to send them there unprotected. Kennedy realized what she had to do. The brunette didn't wait for Giles to continue. She spoke over the clamoring voices in the room.

"Xander…you need to take your family." Kennedy next looked at Faith and then to Dawn. "Dawn, you and Ali take Johnny and go with Xander." Faith nodded in agreement. Kennedy turned to Willow. "You have to take Samantha and go with them…You can protect them…if you have to." Willow went to speak but Kennedy stopped her. "There's no time, Wil. Let us slayers fight the demons. You need to protect Sammie and the others."

At the same time Kennedy was speaking, Johnny also tried to protest but Faith took him by the arm. "You're going to the shelter. I'm not letting one hair on your head get hurt." Her tone was strong but full of conviction.

Buffy headed for the door with broadsword in hand. "Come on folks. We aren't going to an ice cream social…We've got to get moving."

Willow knew it was useless trying to argue with Kennedy. Besides, the witch knew her wife was right. Willow wouldn't leave Samantha in this time of terror even though part of her wanted to stay and make sure her slayer was safe. The welfare of Samantha would always win out.

Willow picked up her daughter. "I'll go," she said, staring at Kennedy with a distraught look. That expression told Kennedy that Willow was overwhelmed with concern for the slayer's well-being. She hugged her slayer and the two kissed hurriedly. Kennedy embraced her daughter and gave her kiss on the forehead. "Don't get hurt," Willow said to Kennedy. The slayer cracked a smile. "Who me? I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Everybody out!" Buffy shouted. She motioned the slayers and the men to leave as Kennedy and Faith were gathering the non-combatants. Above the commotion, the voice of Andrew could be heard. "Don't I get to go to the shelter?" To which a likewise audible response was heard form Faith, "You're fighting like the rest of us, Skywalker. Now move your ass."

Kennedy grabbed Lee by the arm as she passed. "I need you to go with Willow and the rest."

Lee looked stunned. "But I've got to figh…" Kennedy cut her off.

Seriously, "I need a slayer I can trust to make sure nothing gets in that shelter. If we can't hold them off…Willow won't be able to do this alone…You've got to protect them…I need you to do this, Lee."

Lee saw that Kennedy was practically pleading to her. Though she wasn't a mother, Lee shuddered at the thought of any of the children being prey for the demons that were heading towards them. As much as she wanted to be in the fight, she knew that this job was important also. Her boss had spoken and she would respect the request given.

Lee nodded and followed the group going to the shelter. As she and Kennedy left the room, Kennedy nudged her with the butt end of her machete. Grateful, "I won't forget this." Within seconds, Willow and the rest were out of her sight and Kennedy was running to catch up with the other slayers.

"Holy shit! Those are some very ugly demons…and big." Rita shouted as she and the others ran onto the porch.

"There must be several dozen," Giles added as he quickly assessed the situation.

The demons were charging down the front yard. They were spread out like a line of soldiers. As they ran, members on the ends peeled off and ran along the edge of the property toward the sides of the house. It was clear they were going to the back of the building.

"Ok, we have to keep these Rover Red Rover goons from breaking through our line of defense.' Buffy slid into giving orders on their plan of attack. "Some of us need to cover the back." She turned to her left. "Dakota and…Yvette. Go around to the west." Buffy turned her head to the other side. "Fa…" Buffy watched Faith and Miguel already running around the side of the house. "I shoulda known."

Kennedy came running up behind Buffy. She looked out at the demons racing closer to them. "We gonna dance or fight," she said sarcastically.

Out of nowhere, Rita started to rush toward the hoard of demons. "Let's fight, god damn it!" she screamed as a battle cry to her peers.

The others on the porch began to yell as they followed suit and stormed the coming onslaught of demons.

The conflict was on.

The battle against the demons was fierce. Slayers and non-slayers fought the beasts without letting up. The initial confrontation occurred in the front lawn, not even ten yards from the front door of the house. Swords cut though the air, machetes struck with menacing speed. The demons kept trying to advance to the house, the band of Slayer Central fighters did everything in their power to force the engagement farther away.

The early advantage went to the force of evil. When the slayers and others ran outside to meet their enemy, they expected the same demons that had attacked them before. They were mistaken. Their newest antagonists were completely different. Big and thick in structure, these creatures looked as old as the mountains. They had human characteristics, bodies and faces mostly human-like. Their skin was grey, however, and it looked as if it might slide of their bones. There was an eerily familiar quality to them. It didn't take long find out what that was.

Soon after the first blow was unleashed, Giles was struck by one of the demons. He had a large gash on his right shoulder. It bled quite freely. At the sight of the blood, Giles' combatant hesitated and its eyes took on a reddish hazy glow. The demon jerked its head and opened its mouth to reveal a set of fangs. There were no other traditional signs of vampirism, just those long protruding fangs.

Giles instantly yelled out, "THEY'RE VAMPIRES!"

To his luck, Giles was battling near Isabella when he shouted. The slayer distracted her demon long enough for her to see the danger Giles was in. She managed to get away from her combatant and rushed the demon looming over Giles. She took her sword and, with a mighty swing, aimed for its neck. With any other vampire, the cut would have been swift and done within a second. But this was different. The blade did indeed hit its mark. However, the sword went in only about half way and then stopped as if stuck in tar. Isabella had to lead the blade quite forcibly through the rest of the demon's neck. The head did fall, but there was not the instant 'dusting' expected upon the demise of a vampire. This 'death' was much slower. The demon's eyes stayed red on its detached head. Isabella would later describe it as being like the enemy in the Terminator movie, a metal head with glowing eyes. Giles' vamp finally did vanish. It silently exploded, leaving a stale powdery substance floating in the air.

Once the slayers knew that they were fighting some form of vampire, the advantage was no longer to the demons. Though formidable, the Slayer Central fighters managed to kill several awhile keeping the others from entering the house. The achievement was not without its price. The demons were able to seriously injure Giles and Jimmy who received a crushing blow to his leg that sent him to the ground in agonizing pain. If it weren't for Kennedy, he would have been killed. Kennedy crashed into the demon just as it was readying to crush Jimmy's skull. The slayer killed the demon with a stake to the heart.

It was miraculous that Andrew wasn't instantly killed. The man spent his time literally running. He was a moving target for any demon trying to engage him. He wouldn't fight in a frontal attack like the others. He'd run from a vampire and hide, only coming out when another vampire passed by so close he could hit it over the head. Of course that led to another demon tying to kill him and his inevitable scramble away. Though cowardly, it proved effective and Andrew was able to disable several demons long enough for a slayer to kill them.

The fighting on the front yard was matched by the battle in the back of the house. The four slayers were fighting off their share of demons that were trying to get into the house. Faith and Miguel defended the entranceway into the basement while Dakota and Yvette shielded the deck entrance. Like the others, the four combatants took heavy injuries. All four had severe cuts; Miguel's was the worse. Dakota broke an arm. But they all fought on. Their resolve was endless. "And you thought Cleveland wasn't exciting," Faith quipped to Miguel in the middle of a heated onslaught.

At one point in the fighting, Lee joined the back yard contingency. She rushed in and stopped a vampire from tearing Yvette's leg off. "Merci, I am very fond of zat leg."

The fight went on. Every time it seemed like a demon would break the slayer line of defense and make it to the house, there was a surge by the resistance that kept them at bay. It appeared that, slowly, the demons were being beaten and dusted. Victory would eventually come if the slayer group could withstand the punishment to their bodies.

Then the event happened that, though in the back of everyone's mind, they all feared. A slayer's life fell to the insurgent demons. It happened as all other slayer deaths, quickly.

Sophia was battling a vamp near the corner of the house. The demon had been pushing her back closer and closer to the porch. They traded blow for blow until the slayer tripped over a pile of rocks that was near a gutter downspout. She fell backwards and hit her head hard on one of the large stones. It was enough to make her black out for a couple seconds. That was just enough time for the vamp to make its attack. It threw itself on top of the slayer and mercilessly twisted her head until the neck snapped.

The demon wasted no time and jumped onto the porch and rushed to the nearest window. It smashed the window pane glass and hurled itself inside.

At the sound of the breaking glass, Kennedy, who was fighting a vamp of her own, turned to see the vampire inside the house. "ONE GOT INSIDE!' she yelled. The brunette didn't hesitate. With one swing of her long sword, she struck her opponent. The blow almost cut the demon in half. The slayer then grabbed a broken tree branch from the ground beside her and plunged it into the vamp's chest. Kennedy didn't wait to see the vamp dust into oblivion. She immediately raced into the house.

"What do you think's happening?" Jessie's voice was full of fear. She was clinging to Xander, both holding a son close to them as they sat on a cot.

The group had been on the shelter for almost an hour. Some of the time had been spent calming the children and the adults. For the remainder of the time, the adults were listening as best they could to the noise outside their sanctuary and discussing their present state.

"I hear fighting…but it's not close…must be outside." Dawn was standing on a chair trying to hear any sound that came from the air vent system located on the ceiling.

"How could this happen? How did demons breach the security?" Willow said out loud but to no one in particular. She was still holding Samantha, pacing around the small room. She hadn't let the child down since she left for the shelter. The witch couldn't bear to imagine what her wife and the others were going through. The thought of Kennedy being hurt…or worse, made Willow want to scream. But she knew she had to be strong and level headed.

"I thought there was a barrier around the house?" Xander questioned.

"There was supposed to be one," Willow replied defensively.

"Wil, I didn't mean anyth…" Xander stopped talking when Jessie touched his arm. She understood that Willow didn't snap at him out of anger, just worry.

Apologetically, "I sorry, Xander. I'm a little edgy right now."

"We all are, Willow," Ali Porter said trying to give support. It was true. Everyone in that room was on pins and needles wondering how their loved ones and friends were handling the assault by the demons. Lee had led them to the shelter and then shut the door leaving her outside to stand guard. The thickness of the door prevented them from communicating in any way with Lee.

"Edgy, huh? Betcha you could use some espresso right about now," Xander joked trying to ease the tension. Jessie elbowed him and shook her head. The man mouthed 'Sorry' as he winced.

"There was a barrier…I thought…Something went wrong," Willow said. "The barrier spell I did was to keep everyone from having their thoughts read. That didn't happen. My spell worked. The demons didn't attack because of that. This night must have been targeted. It's the security we had that failed."

"Wait. The noise is getting quieter." Dawn spoke with a tone of optimism in her voice. Ali Porter stood close beside Dawn. She held onto Dawn's leg to keep her from falling from the chair.

"They must be winning. The demons must be getting beaten," Ali said. "It was lucky that we were in the living room with that box full of weapons."

Dawn strained to hear but the sounds were softening. She went to step off the chair and stumbled. She fell into Ali Porter who caught her in a way that they were facing each other, their faces mere inches apart. They two women stood there momentarily, eyes in direct line.

Dawn glanced down and stepped to the side. She cleared her throat. "Not so lucky," she responded. "There's a weapons chest in all of the main rooms of the house. Makes it easier to defend if there's a surprise attack."

"We'll find out tonight how true that theory is." Ali smiled nervously at Dawn.

Dawn saw how genuinely frightened Porter was. "I'm sorry that you have to be in the middle of this."

"It's all my fault," Jessie said overhearing the comment by Dawn.

Ali went to Jessica and crouched down beside her. "None of this is anyone's fault. Hell, I probably would have walked right into those monsters if I'd left. Now, you need to take a couple deep breaths." Ali looked at Nate and Joey. "I think your mommy needs some hugs to feel better." The boys quickly complied.

Just then there was a loud "THUD" against the door. Everyone jumped with surprise and fright. On instinct, they all moved to the wall farthest away from the door. Everyone, including the children, stared at it, waiting for the next event.

Another loud banging noise against the door.

Willow got to the front of the group and let Samantha down. She moved the child behind her, using herself as a shield for the girl and the others. No one spoke. Their fate rested with whatever or whoever was on the other side of that door. Friend or foe? Victory or defeat?

One final loud "THUMP"…The door's locking mechanism clanked…The steel handle began to move…

Kennedy chased the demon as it tore through the house. It destroyed everything that came in its path. Furniture, electronics; if it moved, it got flung out of the way. Kennedy saw the vamp scanning each room as it hurled its way through. The brunette and the lone vampire weren't the only ones in the house for long. As soon as Kennedy shouted about the infiltration of the house, other vamps made an additional push to get to the house. It worked. Jimmy and Giles proved too injured to hold off their opponents. Within a minute of the original breach into Slayer Central, more demons had rushed the place. It didn't take much more time for the slayer crew to realize that the battle was no longer in the front yard. They all ran to take the fight in the house and give support to Kennedy. The main goal was still to stop any demon from getting to the shelter.

The mêlée inside Slayer Central continued in its ferocity. Kennedy engaged her demon in the second floor hallway. They crashed against the walls, leaving large cracks and chunks of plaster board spilling to the floor. Each time they got close to a door, the vamp pushed Kennedy away from it long enough to pound open the door and examine inside. Time after time, Kennedy got back her balance and re-engaged. She could tell that the vamp was after something.

They approached the door to the slayer's room. At once, the demon got more agitated and wild. It didn't wait until it could distract Kennedy. The vamp pummeled the door while Kennedy was striking it from behind. The momentum sent both fighters spilling into the room. The demon pushed Kennedy away with a mighty blow of an arm. Kennedy sailed through the air and landed on the couple's bed.

The demon just stood there, head tilted slightly upward, eyes closed, as if it were trying to hone in on its hearing or smell. Then it abruptly shook its head and screamed. It looked defiantly at Kennedy, hatred in its red glowing eyes.

Kennedy fixated on the demon. Attack seemed imminent. That's when a light on the desk caught the slayer's attention. With a quick glance, Kennedy saw the brooch that was sitting on the table next to Willow's Han Nurrabi tome.

The brooch pulsated a soft, white glow. Its throbbing was not as fast as a heartbeat or even the ticking of a clock. It was barely noticeable, but it was definitely reacting.

Kennedy remembered the words of Samantha. She knew that brooch held the answer to her predicament. She had to get to that pin and figure out how it would assist her in defeating her foe.

Kennedy had no time. As she discovered the new activity of the pin, the vampire made its attack. Both demon and slayer lunged. Kennedy flew under the trajectory of the vamp and she landed on the floor and rolled to a standing position next to the desk. She quickly grabbed the brooch in her hand. She could feel the heat of the stone against her skin. It was an empowering sense. Kennedy felt a jolt run through her body. She stared at the brooch. It was that center stone, that indescribable unknown mineral that was pulsating the white glow.

The slayer didn't have time to examine the brooch for long for the demon had gotten up and was making another attack. It dove at Kennedy. Like in slow motion, Kennedy saw the vamp's eyes when it first saw the brooch in her hand. A look of shock and confusion came over it.

The vamp landed on top of Kennedy and they both crashed to the floor. Kennedy momentarily thought her chance for success had been lost; she was pinned under the creature that sought to destroy her.

But almost as soon as the demon was on her, it began to scream. The thing wrangled and twisted like a wild animal caught in a trap. Underneath the demon, Kennedy saw smoke and noticed the distinct smell of burning rotting flesh. That's when Kennedy realized her hand with the brooch was pressed up against the vamp. It was burning a hole through the torso of the creature.

The vamp was able to get off of Kennedy. But, the slayer had the key to victory now. She went after the vamp and grabbed it, plunging the brooch into its chest. The demon continued to flay but the slayer held on strong. Within seconds, Kennedy's hand had gone all the way through the vamp's body. She pulled her arm back and watched. The demon howled and squirmed. Its red eyes began to pulsate in the rhythm of the stone. Suddenly, the eyes burst and the vamp's body followed. It was a quiet explosion that sent Kennedy against the wall.

Dazed for a moment, Kennedy got up and saw that the vamp was gone. She then heard the noise from the fighting going on in the rest of the house. The slayer didn't vacillate. She squeezed the brooch harder and ran out of the room.

The door handle slowly lowered until a final 'click' was audible, signifying that the door had no impediment to being opened.

The door swung open with a gust of air washing over the room and those huddled at the far end. Willow was the first to see Lee out in the hallway, sitting unconscious against the wall. There was a blood stain higher up on the wallpaper. Its path down the wall indicated that Lee must have hit her head and injured it, causing a trial of blood as her body slid down the wall.

Lee, however, was only a momentary focus for Willow and the others. In front of them stood two demons, large and like nothing they'd seen before. It wouldn't be until later that they found out the demons were the same unique vampires that had fought the slayers.

The terror in the room was palpable.

The vamps took a step inside the room and started to peruse the contents. The larger demon was in front of the other and in the center. It seemed as if that creature was the leader. The head vamp intensely scanned the room. As it did, something very noticeable occurred.

The eyes of the demon, a glowing red when the creatures entered the room, changed into a soft, lavender color.

In that instant, the fear that Willow and the others had seemed to lift. It was replaced by a sense of comfort. They all stared at the beautiful lavender eyed vampire.

The creature walked further into the room and, one by one, examined each individual. It went quickly past Xander and his family; then on to Dawn and Ali Porter. The demon acted as if those people were more like furniture, uninterested in their very presence.

Then the creature looked at Willow. Its expression changed. The eyes focused harder on Willow's face and tilted side to side as if trying to get a reading on the witch.

Despite her feeling of calm, Willow knew the demon's actions were off. There was a part of her that knew this demon was not there for peace. She fought her feelings of submissiveness and kept close attention to the demon. The harder she looked at the demon, the more Willow was certain she saw something behind those eyes. Willow got a sense of a kindred spirit, albeit on a different path. At one point, she almost thought she saw a scene to match those eyes.

Willow's concentration was broken when the demon scanned down and saw Samantha still hiding behind her mother. The thing stepped to the left to gain a better vantage point to see the child.

The first noise the demon made was when it saw Samantha in full. The vamp gasped, much like any human would who saw a startling event. In that second, the rest of the room's inhabitants meant nothing; it was as if they weren't there. The demon fixated on Samantha. Those purple eyes looked upon her as a true believer would gaze upon the Virgin Mary. Even movement by Xander's boys did not disturb the demon. Nothing mattered except for Sam.

Willow had kept motionless, gripping Sammie in protection, until the demon made a gesture with its hand. The creature reached out a bit as if wanting to touch the girl. Willow moved Sammie away from the hand and took a step closer to the demon.

"You're not touching her," Willow said defiantly.

The demon glanced up to meet Willow's stark expression. It gave an evil smile and held up four long, ancient looking fingers.

A crashing sound shattered the silence and Kennedy, Faith and Buffy came running into the room. Faith had a machete in her hand and she wielded it around above her head giving a striking blow to the subordinate vamp. As she did that, Kennedy and Buffy lunged for the main demon. The creature's reaction was amazingly quick and it was able to turn and see its attackers in enough time to move out of the way of a direct hit. Kennedy caught the vamp by its shoulder twirling it around and off balance. Kennedy got ready to attack again.

The demon righted itself and spotted the glowing mass in Kennedy's hand. The stone was very bright and pulsating like a hummingbird's wings. Lavender eyes looked at the glow with total confusion. The head turned away as if unable to look any longer. The creature saw that Kennedy was preparing to advance again.

In less than a heartbeat, the lavender eyes disappeared, replaced by ones of glowing red just as Kennedy slammed her fist with the stone into the demon's body. Like the others Kennedy had killed in this fashion, the vamp soon exploded, leaving a cloud of stale smelling dust.

The others from the outside battle were at the door of the shelter moments later.

Faith saw the hoard of slayers stream in. "Just like the cops. Show up after the hard stuff's done." She chuckled.

Buffy ran to Dawn and Giles questioned generally how everyone was. Everyone was talking, ecstatic that the demons had been beaten and those in the shelter were unhurt.

Kennedy went up to Willow and smiled. She bent down and picked up Samantha. They all hugged and kissed. After they had had a chance to accept that all were well, Kennedy put her daughter down and stared at her wife.

"Told you I'd be back," Kennedy said smugly.

Willow glanced at her watch. Chiding, "You said it'd be a couple minutes."

Kennedy rolled her eyes. "It's always something with you," she said laughing.

Within minutes, the Slayer Central members filtered out of the shelter. They had won the battle but not without casualties and not without severe injuries. Though the fight was over, the night had just begun, as had the recovery and questions.

The figure stood still as the stale air in the cavernous room, lavender eyes lifeless. Then the body shuddered and took in a deep breath. Eyes once glazed now shone with intensity. Zareen's consciousness was back in her place, the pregnant Arminda lying a mere few feet away.

The woman with the beautiful eyes wasn't in her usual state of calm. She was confused and dismayed by what she had experienced during her projection to Slayer Central. That she had been there at all was proof of her obsession and confidence in herself and her mission.

The battle in Cleveland took place due to Zareen's mystical powers, enhanced by the influx of the First into her soul. She had, through her mental acuity, summoned up the powerful and massive vampires that attacked Slayer Central. These vampires were not ones from modern day. Zareen called forth those from another dimensional existence; vampires whose immortal lives had lasted so long as to change their very structure. Much like the earth's composition changed over the millennium so too did these creatures of the night. They remained vampires but their connection to the underworld grew to be a part of them more than living upon earth's surface and feeding off the veins of Man. They were not so much the protectors of the underworld's ruling class as they were ready warriors in its royal court.

All it took was the right words by Zareen, known to her only because of her oneness with the First. The power to master those creatures was not something she had during her mortal life, though strong she was. It was through the First's assimilation with her that she was able to catapult the ethereal beads of existence of these monsters and plant them in the spot of the Hellmouth in Cleveland. It was not necessary for the mouth to open. These vampires grew from the specks of dust projected by Zareen to that location. Like a flower seed washed with spring water, the demons sprouted, the mission of attacking Slayer Central embedded in their core.

Zareen of course was unable to join her band of mercenary demons in the actual sense. She was chained to her spot on the hillside as much as if she were shackled with heavy steel. She had to stay in her stone room, watching over the unborn. It demanded her constant presence. Though in the same room, Zareen could not interfere in any manner with the tiny mortal in the belly of the woman she had all but killed. The upcoming ritual demanded that the anointed child be pure and untainted. ..innocent in every manner. As a result, Zareen had never 'searched' into the unborn's mind or soul. She hadn't touched the mother's belly or in any manner mind connected with her for information on the child. Zareen had done nothing more than cast the spell on Arminda that turned her from human to extended womb, alive only in the sense of suspended existence for the sake of nourishing the child. Zareen knew nothing of the innocent unborn other than it was the chosen one. She didn't even know the sex of the child.

This lack of knowing gnawed on the mind of the woman who once thought herself the most powerful and all knowing of witches. Her pride got the better of her. If she couldn't inquire as to the unborn then she could at least satisfy her curiousness through the other chosen child. Upon conjuring her vampires, Zareen decided to take a trip of sorts to see Samantha.

Not being able to be there physically, Zareen in effect astral projected herself into the body and mind of one of the summoned vampires. She chose the one that had the strongest presence. She kept hidden for most of the fight, willing it to battle the slayers and search for the seer child. Once she knew the demon had found the hiding spot of the girl, she readied herself to emerge. In that small room in the basement of the house, Zareen could feel the child's presence. She emerged from her shell and took over the being of the vamp. To the outward appearance, the only change was the eyes of the vampire.

Zareen carefully scanned the room for Samantha. The others were meaningless to her, mere ants on the ground…all that is except for Willow. Lavender eyes sized up the redheaded witch. Zareen knew that Willow was powerful and would be a barrier to the girl. But Zareen wasn't intimidated by the small woman. In fact, seeing Willow in person, in some respect, made Zareen even more confident of her plan, so much so that she engaged the redhead. Willow's declaration that she couldn't have Samantha was met with a disrespectful show of four fingers, the number of days before Zareen defeated Willow and had Samantha. All was looking well.

Then came a wave of confusion. It started when the witch's slayer broke into the room. A sense of a penetrating force cut through the air. It instantly touched her and began to spread. That's when Zareen saw the source of the power. it was the object on Kennedy's hand. It seemed to be overpowering Zareen's will. Lavender eyes couldn't look at the thing, to do so was like the blinding effect of staring directly into the sun. Zareen began to feel a pain in the body of the vampire, her body.

In that instant, Zareen knew that the object in Kennedy's hand was her enemy. She knew not what it was. Its power was nothing she'd ever experienced in her mortal days. Her mind couldn't tell her the origin of the thing. However, there was some sense of cosmic familiarity. What Zareen did know with certainty was she had to leave that spot immediately. She did; she disconnected her psychic connection just as Kennedy was coming in for the kill. She left the demon to meet its end.

Back in the safety of her cave room, Zareen wanted to know the outcome of her demon battle. She tried to mind connect as she had in the past, not with Willow or Samantha, for they were too in tune during waking hours to chance detection. Like before, Zareen went for the younger, more vulnerable persons in the lot. This time, she tried to connect with slayer Nancy. Just before she made the last link to the mind connection spell, Zareen stopped. She got the sensation as if she was walking into a trap, that sirens would go off if she made that one final surge to the young slayer. Zareen thought of Willow in that moment. 'You've done something' she thought to herself. It was then that Zareen realized that Willow would be more of a formidable foe than she previously anticipated.

The beautiful woman with the lavender eyes knew she could not connect with those at Cleveland any longer. She would not give the slightest advantage to them. Surprise and confusion were her greatest weapons at this time. She knew that this band of misfits would be at her feet within the time for the ritual. There were too many clues left to them regarding her whereabouts and there was at least one reason for them to search her out. She was confident Samantha's connection to her appearance would be deduced and a plan to find and kill her would soon follow.

In the meantime, Zareen needed to find another way to track the progress of the Slayer coalition. It was time to summon her aged vampires once again.

The scene at Slayer Central, once the battle ended and those in the shelter freed, was one of controlled frenzy and chaos. Children were crying, injured people being carried to a makeshift triage. The level of noise was almost deafening at times, with people shouting, the rumble of broken furniture and sundries being moved around. There were directions being yelled and shouts of pain. In those hours after the battle, everyone was doing ten things at once, a hectic mass of bodies tending to the hurt and frightened while deciphering what had occurred and why.

The children took some time to stop crying. Xander's youngest, in particular, sobbed for quite some time, refusing to let go of his mother. The parents of the kids, despite all the other activities they had to do, gave their foremost attention to the little ones. Kennedy and Willow swapped being with Samantha and assisting Xander and Jessie. Even Faith spent considerable time with her brother to make sure he was not in shock from the ordeal. Luckily for Faith, Johnny was the strong teenager his sister thought he was and helped her with cleaning up the mess made from the battle. Eventually, the children calmed and were taken into one of the first floor rooms cleared enough to be used. Blankets and sleeping bags were brought down as well as chairs and salvageable couches from other rooms. Everyone agreed that for the remainder of the night, all would stay together in three main rooms on the first floor.

In the midst of the mayhem, the main concern initially was for the health of those injured on the battle. All that fought the vampires got injured in some way. Most of the slayers incurred hard bruises, cuts and scrapes. Many of the wounds were more than shallow cuts. Kennedy had a severe bruise on her back from when the vampire threw her into the wall in her bedroom. However, most of the injuries of this nature were not life threatening to the slayers. They were ones which, with a few days of soreness and healing, would be gone.

While Rita and Andrew helped clean up those slayers' wounds, Ali Porter, Dawn and Shane dealt with the severely wounded, the non-slayers. Giles, Jimmy and Miguel had injuries that required immediate attention. Porter's presence at the house turned out to be a fortuitous blessing. Giles' gash to the right shoulder required stitches inside to reconnect muscle tissue along with the regular stitching of outer epidermis, some eighty stitches in all. He was lucky enough not to lose so much blood that a transfusion was needed, although Porter would have been prepared for that too.

Jimmy's left leg was a different injury altogether. It had been broken in several places. Fortunately, the femur was intact. Porter and Shane set the leg while Dawn rushed from kitchen to make shift triage room with supplies and medicines. Giles' early on edict that every building housing slayers was to have an ample array and amount of medical supplies proved invaluable that night. Despite the medical attention given by Porter, Jimmy's leg was still in severe shape. Hope was not lost though because Willow gave over some of her healing powers to him, as she would also do for Miguel and Lee later on that night. Between Porter's medical magick and Willow's literal magick, Jimmy's leg was set well enough that night that its loss or complications were not envisioned.

The pace of the evening continued for hours. Isabella tended to Dakota's broken arm. Porter and Dawn gave additional attention to Yvette's leg. She had the tendons along her right leg pulled off the bone by one of the vampires. The two women made her a splint which she would have to wear for a several days even with her slayer healing powers. The younger slayers, Nancy and Beth, despite their nonstop activity, were back to a state of silence. This was their first real major battle and they were trying to cope with the carnage they saw and carried out.

Buffy took it upon herself to move the body of Sophia. It always seemed to come down to the original slayer to be the one to handle their dead. In a solemn manner, Buffy took Sophia's body to the old bomb shelter. They would deal with her remains once the sun came up. For now, Buffy laid her body on the cot, covered it with a sheet and said a prayer for her soul. A younger Buffy might have had a flickering thought that Sophia somehow could have lived had she been faster or stronger or more in tune with the enemy. The Buffy that now stood before the fallen slayer knew better. Eventually, all slayers die, no matter how good they were.

During the commotion and activity, discussions started to break out as to what had happened and how. More than one slayer thought that there was a barrier around the property. The only time Nancy really talked was to ask Willow, "Didn't your barrier spell go around the house?"

Willow's response was fueled by the emotions she was carrying due to the night's events. After hearing the comments which she felt directed to her, Willow barked, "That's not what my spell did. I couldn't do everything else I had to do…'and'…put a barrier around the property. It's too much space. I couldn't hold something that big up constantly. I was concerned about keeping people out of our heads…OK?…It wasn't my responsibility…Securing the perimeter was…" Willow stopped just as she was about to say "Giles and Andrew." Willow realized her spell worked. There had been no invasion due to a mind connect. The breach in security was due to a failure in someone else's area. That it turned out to involve Giles was disconcerting to Willow.

By this time, Giles had received his medical attention and was helping out with the other chores needed as best he could. He and Andrew heard Willow's comments and saw several others look at them. Everyone knew who was running the outside security.

Giles spoke up immediately. "I assure you all, we did have security in place. There was a barrier for the perimeter of the property."

Jessie, who had been ordered to sit down by Porter due to anxiety pains, questioned the Brit. "So how did those creatures get in if there was a fence up the whole time."

Andrew, who until now tried to be useful while staying out of the way, cleared his throat. "Well, it wasn't up the whole time exactly" He got numerous stares. "Willow's right, a spell that big takes a lot of power…and a lot more to sustain it. We…Giles, Willow and I decided that the spell would go up at night time…and that we enhance security interior to that with all the monitors and motion sensors."

"Then why the hell didn't the sirens go off," Xander asked forcefully.

Andrew turned his eyes down to the floor. He shifted his feet for a few seconds. Quietly, "The barrier didn't go up…I fell asleep."

"What!" Faith shouted.

Like a child being punished, Andrew looked defenseless. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…I've been really busy…I've hardly slept…"

Faith butted in. "None of us have, you puke. That's no excuse." They were harsh words.

Andrew lifted his view up. "Giles was supposed to take over for me…He didn't show up on time…Why not get made at him? Huh? If he'da showed up, I wouldn't have stayed sleeping."

The blame game had reared its ugly head. Not wanting to be the one tagged as the reason for one dead slayer and numerous injured, Andrew struck out.

Yvette was the one who asked the next obvious question. Directed at Giles, "Where were you, Giles?"

Giles scratched his forehead and took off his glasses. He winced at the pain it caused to his arm. "I was researching…I must have lost track of time. But we shouldn't be having this discussion now. This is doing none of us any good."

"Giles is right," said Buffy. She had seen enough infighting in her day to know it came to no good. As she steered the discussions to more urgent matters, she did note to herself that Giles had never been so lax in his responsibilities before.

All during this time there was one slayer who had no involvement--Lee. Her lack of activity was due to the fact that she was still unconscious. Ali Porter examined her as soon as Kennedy brought her from the basement. The amount of blood on Lee's skull had Porter initially worried about massive head trauma. As it turned out, Lee had a large laceration on the back of her head. Wounds in that area were notorious for bleeding profusely even when they were not life threatening. Such was Lee's cut. The wound was stitched but Lee's unconscious state continued. Either Shane or Dawn always had an eye on the slayer in the event she woke up or went into convulsions. She did neither.

Kennedy tried to stay with Lee as much as she could. She felt responsible for the woman's present state. She had asked Lee to defend the shelter. At that moment, Kennedy almost wished that Paulette had come with them to Cleveland. She knew Lee would never stay unconscious if her worrying girlfriend was there. It took quite some time, but Lee did wake up. She had a massive headache that Willow helped to ease with her healing magicks. Kennedy was so happy so see Lee open her eyes. "Hey, I asked you to look after them, not get yourself killed," she said jokingly. "If Paulie were here to see this, she'd kill me." With Lee's snide reply, Kennedy knew her friend would be fine. Later that night Lee would apologize to Kennedy for "Letting you down…They got past me." Kennedy would have none of it. She let Lee know that the vamps weren't anything known to them. "The fact that you made it out alive with two after your ass shows how good a slayer you are."

While the cleaning continued and some order was beginning to appear, Buffy took control of Slayer Central. She got Andrew and Rita to check the status of the security system. She didn't bother Kennedy or Faith because they were always busy with their loved ones. Buffy watched Faith take her brother under her wing. She also saw the woman tend to Miguel. The Brazilian was the other non-slayer who suffered quite harsh wounds. He had two deep cuts on his side. Faith stayed with the man until Dr. Porter told her he was not in danger. Like Giles, Miguel's prize from the battle was sixty-six stitches and a regimen of antibiotics for the next several weeks. For those whose injuries would last weeks, that being the mere mortals of the crew, pain killers were handed out and added to the course of treatment.

Buffy didn't have to watch Faith to see loved ones worried for their mates. The blonde had dealt with her own worry that night. Jimmy was probably the worst of the injured. Porter had been apprehensive for some time that he could lose sensation in the leg. The breaks were bad enough and it was a stroke of luck that the femur hadn't also been broken. It was touch and go for a while on whether the man would have to be taken to a hospital for serious medical attention to his leg. With Willow's help, it wasn't necessary. That didn't stop Buffy from worrying though.

Even with all the things she was doing that night, Buffy's concern for Jimmy was foremost. In the span of a few hours, Buffy went from not wanting to think about her relationship with Jimmy because of the demon situation to being able to think of nothing else. Buffy had been faced with the uncertainty of her fiancé's well being. The thoughts of what would happen of he died ran through her head. The blonde found it difficult at times to concentrate on the other activities she knew crucial to that night. But still, she'd come back to her thoughts about the man with whom she'd spent so many years. Being without him made the rest seem unimportant. It wasn't until she saw him smile and chide her back into "being bossy" did Buffy's concern lighten and her other responsibilities come to the forefront in her mind again.

The well being of all the members of Slayer Central owed a debt of gratitude to the good Dr. Porter that night. She worked steadily and intensively for hours, never taking a break, never faltering. She didn't stop until every one of her patients was given the utmost of care she had to give. She praised the assistance by Shane and Dawn. The three worked side by side, making sure no one suffered any further. There were times when Dawn almost acted like an extension of Porter, holding a compress on a wound, wiping sweat off a forehead, prepping medicines.

After the triage was done, Dawn and the others started on the next crisis. Porter kept a watch on Jessie and monitored her fragile condition. Dawn checked in with Buffy and Lee and talked to Jimmy for a while.

At one point, Dawn lost track of Ali. She thought that the woman had gone in the kitchen for more supplies and went to help her. She didn't make it because in the hallway she heard a faint sound coming form the bathroom. Dawn went to the closed door and listened.

"Ali?"

Silence.

"Ali? Are you in there?"

"Yes."

Dawn could hear choppy breathing. "Are you ok? Can I come in?" Something was wrong.

When she got no answer, Dawn opened the door. Ali Porter was sitting on the edge of the tub, hands gripping the rim. The woman was trembling.

"Oh my god, Ali." Dawn didn't need the doctor to explain her ailment. She went over to Porter, knelt down next to her and embraced her. "I know…It's a hard thing to go through." Ali threw her arms around Dawn and lowered her head onto Dawn's shoulder.

Quietly, "I've never seen anything like that before…I've treated slayers…but not…and those creatures…What they did…" Ali Porter stammered the words out. As long as she'd known about slayers and even treated them for certain ailments, she had never seen such destruction and devastation in such a small span of time. Until tonight, she'd never seen the empty eyes of a dead slayer look at her. Her position at the hospital didn't take her into the mine fields of the emergency room with any frequency. Though she'd seen her share of accidents and blood and gore, she had never experienced the personal fear and anguish she felt that night. It all came at her out of nowhere and when it was over she had no time to assimilate the events. She had to heal those injured. This was the first opportunity for the magnitude of the night to sink in.

Dawn wanted to ease the doctor's fears. She knew too well the terror caused to those not accustomed with the craziness and horror of it all. "Ali, you were so brave…If it wasn't for you…I don't know what we would have done." Dawn held on, comforting best as she could. "Shh…Shh," she whispered, feeling the trembling body against hers. There was a connection of souls, two women interrelating at the most basic of human emotion. They clung to that feeling.

Ali slowly moved her head from Dawn's shoulder. She kept it close to Dawn, needing the human contact, feeling Dawn's lips brush her words of comfort against her cheek as she moved. Dawn didn't stop or retreat when Ali's lips rested next her hers. Dawn was as captured by the intensity as the woman still quivering in her arms.

"Shh…you're safe now." Dawn's words were uttered as a promise, spoken in a hush the moment before their lips joined.

It was well into the early hours of the deep night before any semblance of order fell over Slayer Central. But that's not to say that those inside were quelling the fears produced by the attack. Jessie in particular had reached a conclusion.

"Xander, we need to take the kids and leave. It's too dangerous to stay here…even with all the slayers." Xander hated the thought of his children being caught in the middle of a war between Good and Evil. Until the battle, he didn't know if his family was part of the target. After seeing what happened in the shelter, he now knew they were not. He and Jessie discussed how the vampires didn't take one iota of interest in either of them or their boys. "That vamp only looked at Willow and Sammie," he said in a low voice. Jessie made her stand. "We're not part of this, Xan…We have to think about the boys. We can't let them get hurt."

Xander knew his wife was right. He would never forgive himself if his decision to stay injured his boys or his wife. He knew that Jessie too was in a situation she shouldn't be in. Her pregnancy had been difficult enough so far. The added stress of the last few days had exacerbated her medical problems. What if she had major issues? What if the twins were compromised? Xander couldn't and wouldn't let that happen.

But Xander was also a Scooby with a streak of loyalty running through his blood. He couldn't just leave his friends to face possible death. And there was Samantha to think about. Though his children were not targeted, the little girl was. She was almost like his child in many ways. The thought of her getting hurt or worse while he ran away ate at his sense of right and decency.

Jessie saw the conflicted emotion in her husband. That he was so ready and willing to put his life on the line for those he loved was the main reason Jessie fell in love with him. But this time, she knew circumstances were different. As much as she didn't want to leave, she couldn't look at it as abandonment. She was a mother protecting her flesh and blood; any parent would understand the urgency of that. Jessie knew that Xander would carry guilt with him if they left. He would see it as letting his fellow Scoobies down. So, she went to the one person she knew would understand and who could make Xander depart without remorse. In a moment of lull, Jessie found Willow and broached the subject. Willow's response was exactly as she thought it would be.

"Get out of here as soon as you can. You and Xander take the boys and leave…Go as far away as you can." Willow wanted to leave with Samantha and Kennedy as much as Jessie did. But the witch knew her circumstance was far different than Xander's. Willow didn't want any of her friends getting hurt or involved any more than necessary. She saw as plain as day what occurred in the shelter. She too knew that Xander and his family were not part of the plan that was being played against them. She wanted nothing more than to keep away those without reason to be there.

Willow and Jessie talked to Kennedy and Giles and they all agreed it would be best for Xander and his family to leave in the morning. When it finally became known to everyone that they would leave the group, Dr. Porter told Xander he had done the right thing. "Jessie's condition is too fragile for this. Those babies in there need to be away from this."

Though no one thought another attack would occur that night, leaving the place then was not wise or practical. There were too many wounded, the place in too much chaos and there hadn't been time to develop a strategy. All knew that they couldn't stay at Slayer Central. The security system and every monitoring device they added had been broken or disabled in some way. Fixing it would take more time than they could afford.

The topic of what to do and where to go fell in line with Willow's and Kennedy's discussion of what they had learned from the fight. They now knew that Samantha was a key part in this latest push by Evil. Slayer and witch were angered and upset beyond belief that their daughter was caught up in this. It was bad enough for Willow that her wife was in danger. Now so was her daughter. Willow felt her world shrinking in around her. Those she most loved were in the greatest of danger.

They also discussed the actions of the vampire with the lavender eyes. "That thing just stared at Sammie, Ken…It was so scary." Willow talked softly so that Samantha didn't hear them. She didn't want the child to become upset again. "Then it raised its hand. I thought it was going to hurt her…or me…But what was weird is that it didn't try to hit us. It just held up its hand." Willow thought about what she saw. Then it came to her. "Oh, no. That vamp wasn't trying to hit us. I think it was telling me something. It didn't raise its hand…It put up four fingers. " Then Willow's eyes got large. "Four days, Kennedy. It was telling me four days. Sammie's birthday's in four days!"

This new discovery brought more anxiety to the young mothers. They went over the sequence of events time and again, each time coming back to the conclusion that the vampire had given a four day warning. What was supposed to happen to Samantha? When and where? The uncertainty twisted their emotions into a knot. Their anxiety could not be dealt with alone. They brought their suspicions to the rest of the lot. More time was spent by the Slayer Central crew trying to figure out where they went from here knowing what they did now.

Rita showed the most optimism. "Look, Kenne killed that main vamp, so maybe the four day thing isn't right now."

Willow wasn't convinced. "That last vamp wasn't like the other. Its eyes changed, but not like it meant to do it. It seemed as if those eyes belonged to someone else. That vamp was taken over by something."

"You mean as if someone was piloting the vampire…using it to see Samantha and you, Willow." Giles, though still in considerable pain, had joined the discussion. He had his own theory. "As if our enemy couldn't be here so it projected into the vamp to check up on how its solder's did."

"Exactly!" Willow agreed. "I felt it, Giles. I felt like someone else was in the room. I almost had the sense of a different place…like I could see the location."

"But the stone killed it," Buffy countered.

"Only the real vamp…not whoever took it over. I felt it leave…run back to its home," the witch responded firmly.

Kennedy dug into her pocket and took out the brooch. "Whoever took off left because of this." She stared at the center stone. "There's power in this stone, Wil. The other vamps weren't fast enough but that last one, it knew not to get close to it."

Everyone stared at the pin in Kennedy's hand.

"What the hell is it?" Rita wondered.

"It's the key to our success," Giles said smiling. "We need to find out what that stone is and why Kennedy and Willow ended up with it."

After more discussion, it became apparent that the enemy with the lavender eyes was still out there and in four days it had a plan which involved Samantha and probably the slayers. Kennedy was beyond description with her anger and concern for her daughter. Willow was just as upset. They knew more about their enemy except the crucial element…an identity. But they were getting a broader picture of their predicament. The question now was what to do next.

"We need to find this piece of underworld refuse and kill the living shit out of it. I will do anything to keep Sammie safe. No one's going do as much as look at her the wrong way. We have to find this thing. That's priority one. We've got four days to do it." To Kennedy, they had to cut off the head of the beast to kill the rest of any dastardly plan involving her daughter.

"The kid's right. We need to go on the offensive…Fuck sitting around waiting to be picked off like rats. I say we make the first move." Faith was behind her friend one hundred percent.

"And where would that be? How do we know where to go?" Buffy was all for going on the offensive but there had to be a place for them to go to.

Kennedy and Faith looked at each other. Kennedy knew she and Faith were on the same track. Kennedy turned to her wife. "Wil, you said you almost saw a place when the vamp turned into lavender eyes. If you brought that memory back, could you focus on it? See if you can see where this thing calls home?"

After a brief pause, Willow cracked a confident smile.

With all the power used by Willow that night, it was a miracle that she had any left over to peruse her memory. The energy to place the mind barrier spells in place, to do healing medication on many of the injured and just the emotional toll of the night would have immobilized most witches. Willow however, despite the fatigue that was settling in, had the strongest of reasons to dip into her well of power just once more. What she found in her memory might be the difference between life and death for not only her daughter and wife but also the entire world.

Thirty-seven minutes later, at four minutes before 4am, Willow came out of her self imposed trance. She looked haggard, her last bit of energy spent.

"Well?" The anticipation in Kennedy's voice was staggering.

Willow looked at her wife with puzzlement. "I saw the…Golden Gate Bridge."

"You mean like in San Francisco?" Buffy asked.

"No, like in Boise," Faith mocked. "You know of any other Golden Gate Bridge?"

Kennedy stood up. "It's settled then. We head to San Fran tomorrow as soon as everyone can travel."

The room was abuzz with noise.

Buffy went over to Giles. "Ever notice that these apocalypses always make us leave town?"

Giles shook his head. "I for one refuse to go by RV or bus this time. I'm bloody too old for that."

Kennedy laughed. "Don't worry about the mode of transportation, Giles. This trip will be courtesy of Prescott International Conglomerates. A couple of phone calls and we'll have a private jet waiting at the airport to take us to gay ol' San Fran."

With some more discussion, the plan was set. The next few hours were to be spent mending, resting and revitalizing.

Rest didn't come easy for most at Slayer Central and not at all for some. Everyone stayed in three rooms, the ones least damaged in the battle. Rita and Shane, along with Beth and Nancy, gathered all the sleeping bags, blankets, air mattresses and pillows they could find. The children stayed near their parents; it would have been impossible to pry them away. Jessie slept on the queen sofa bed with her sons. It was the most comfortable spot for her condition.

Despite the general consensus that there was no further threat for the night, no one was taking chances. All of the slayers stayed awake. Even with the injuries they suffered, those brave women could only think of protecting the others. Unlike earlier in the evening, each slayer had a weapon at the ready. Kennedy was never more than ten feet away from her family.

In a surprise attitude for Faith, she too found herself keeping very close to her brother and Miguel. Instead of giving in to her natural need to satisfy herself that no danger lurked outside, Faith stayed firmly planted in the room where her loved ones were. She kept checking on her brother to see if and when he fell asleep. For several hours, before the sun came up, Faith pondered on what she should do with her brother. The slayer, who prided herself on her tough emotional shell, had a strong sensation of needing to protect him and how she would falter inside if she failed in that regard. Faith actually felt a pain in her heart at the thought of this teenager, who she'd only met a few days earlier, coming in harm's way. In a brief moment of contemplation, Faith wondered if this was how parents felt. She didn't know how she could have such a strong emotional attachment to someone she hardly knew, but she did.

The rest of the night was a mixture of sleep, healing and, inescapable due to the events, discussion of blame. Yvette mourned for her slain friend enough so that Buffy and Rita stayed with her for a while. Buffy's nursing way, when not given to Yvette, was turned to Jimmy. The other slayers, in their own way, were mourning, healing and trying to keep the calm that had come over the house.

Willow, though told by Kennedy to sleep, spent her time gaining strength in another manner. The witch knew that a few hours of fitful sleep would do little to recharge her well of magickal power. What she did, as soon as Samantha fell asleep, was a variation on her healing powers. She was not wounded but she was, in effect, an empty vessel that needing filling. Willow spent time, sitting in a chair next to her sleeping daughter, connecting with the Mother Earth. She assimilated power from the original source of all life. It was better than any full night's sleep could have given her. When she was done, Willow realized that she had touched into the power source rather easily. It was as if she became a part of existence for that brief time. She harkened back to her days with Tuzi White Fox at the Grand Canyon. The Indian woman had told Willow that she would develop her skills as needed. The more time passed and her abilities grew, the more Willow realized how profoundly wise Tuzi was.

Not all time spent was as enlightening as Willow's. Andrew kept to himself, sleeping on the floor away from the others. He heard the whispers; he felt the glares. He even thought he heard the word 'traitor' bantered about. He had good reason too.

Isabella and Dakota were not too tired to broach the matter that had been on everyone's mind in the beginning. Giles had made it clear that someone was assisting their enemy; some one from inside the organization. Could it be Andrew? The man had made many lapses in recent days. They knew of his past. The two slayers vowed to keep an eye on the man-boy's actions.

Giles, like the slayers, got no sleep. He spent time on his Blackberry, his most recent trip into modern technology, calling headquarters and informing them of the attack. He also queried them on the attackers. There was something about the vampires that brought back some memory. He was determined to identify the precise name of their demon aggressors.

As soon as the sun rose and light began to filter into the house, the inhabitants of Slayer Central likewise rose. In the light of day, the devastation to the property and building was shocking. "Good thing we don't have neighbors near us," joked Rita. "Hell, Faith's place is messier than this," Kennedy retorted, trying to lighten the tension felt by those witnessing the destruction. "You think this is covered by homeowner's insurance?"

The new day brought an odd pattern of activity. Parents fed their children who clamored to watch tv in true child style. They may have been in terror the night before but this was a new day and SpongeBob Squarepants could do wonders to help a child forget. In the midst of this, slayers and others fed themselves and checked on the wounded. As soon as Willow ate, she made the rounds to give additional healing time for Jimmy, Miguel and Giles. Ali Porter also visited all her patients to see their progress. Though the plan was to leave Slayer Central, it couldn't happen until all contingencies were covered and everyone was in traveling condition.

Late morning Giles called a meeting for slayers and non-slayer combatants. He had been scarcely available since sun rise. He spent much time in the main study room despite its tattered condition.

"Well now, ladies…and gentlemen," he spoke. "I have identified our intruders."

"How the hell did you do that, Giles? Take a drive to the local vampire library?" Faith laughed.

"No, actually I spent some time last night and most of this morning working with headquarters to find out who our attackers were." Giles saw many sets of eyes staring at him waiting for more information. "I may have a sore shoulder but it didn't prevent me from using my Blackberry to contact London and have them do research for us."

"Do you think that was a good idea? You said yourself, there's someone working on the inside against us. It could be someone in London." Dakota had become very obsessed with the traitor angle of their state of affairs. She glanced at Isabella who caught the glance and understood Dakota's concern.

"Yes, I know what I said and I do indeed still hedge to the proposition that our main antagonist is being assisted from within the organization. However, our main priority at this time has to be learning more about our attackers in the event we have to face them again."

"You…or I could have done the research, Giles. Your phone has all the connections we need," Willow noted. Then she realized she may have embarrassed Giles due to his lack of complete familiarity with the newest piece of technology that he was forced to learn. "But…I'm sure it was faster this way."

While Giles talked about the information received from HQ, Dakota and Isabella had a whispered conversation.

"Why the hell did he call? Willow said he didn't have to." Dakota shook her head slightly confused by Giles' action. He was the one who had told them they all needed to very careful with any communications outside of the house. Isabella leaned in close to her friend. "I'm not too sure how 'ready' Giles is for this. He seems kinda lost…like he's been behind a desk for too long and forgot what to do in real battle."

"Ladies, please." Giles directed his comment at the two slayers who he noticed weren't paying attention to him. The women stopped talking and Giles continued. "As I said, these vampires are very old…not hundreds of years but thousands…or more. They have transitioned away from being mere vampires. They have assimilated a part of the First's aura in a way. Much like the way a bone can become rock and part of the earth itself. As a result, they have lost most of the natural associations with vampirism. But as we've experienced, they still possess impress killing skills. But like vampires, they can be killed."

"What else do we need to know about these glass 'n snail bumpies?" Buffy had never had much use for the etiology of demons. She just wanted to know how to kill them.

Giles rolled his eyes. "It's Glassensnell…I said Glassensnell vampires, Buffy. The reason for this meeting is to inform all of you with as much as we know about our adversaries. The main thing to know about these demons is that they have a connection to the First and by proxy to our enemy that took over that vampire in the shelter. There must be a signal or clue of some sort to inform us where the creature with the lavender eyes is. We didn't know to use these vampires to obtain a location but we do now. If we meet them again, we must certainly try to capture one and see what information it has to give."

"You want us to let one of those things live? After seeing what they can do?" Willow was surprised at Giles' suggestion. "Can't we just go to San Francisco and wait for an invitation?"

"We can't afford to wait," Giles replied. "It is risky I know, but we have to get a step ahead of whatever was in that basement with you."

In the end, they agreed that, if attacked again, they would attempt to hold one of the demons hostage for interrogation. As the crew split once the meeting ended, Faith asked Kennedy where Xander was. "He's in the game room." Faith thanked Kennedy and headed in that direction.

Though most had calmed since the night's events, there was one who was still in a state of nervousness. That was Dawn. Her kiss with Ali Porter lasted mere moments but it caused utter confusion. Dawn's time since the kiss had been spent trying to put it out of her mind. 'It was the situation,' she told herself. But try as she might, Dawn kept coming back to one sure fact – she wanted that kiss. Dawn couldn't reject the truth that it was an amazing moment, unlike anything she'd experienced before. That deep, primal reaction to Ali took Dawn by surprise. She knew she found Ali quite intriguing and she would even have admitted to herself to have been somewhat engrossed in making a new friend. But what she felt upon their lips meeting didn't have the texture of mere friendship. It was that reaction that threw Dawn for a loop. During their connection Dawn had a physical reaction, a sexual response. In fact, it was Dawn who ended the kiss, but not because she didn't want it. It was because she wanted it too much. That new desire baffled Dawn. Her confusion wasn't based in any negative feeling toward same sex attraction. It was just that she thought she knew who she was, what she waned. The kiss had thrown that assumption out the window.

Since the kiss, Dawn had tried to avoid Ali as best she could. She couldn't look into the doctor's beautiful brown eyes without feeling like the whole world knew what happened. It took Porter to make the initial contact. Ali merely told Dawn that what happened wasn't important right then and that they had to concentrate on getting everyone better and out of the house. "Whatever it meant, Dawn, will get sorted out in due time." That was enough to calm Dawn's emotions for the time being. 'Ignore until that's absolutely impossible to do,' she told herself. It was a technique used often by her older sister.

Eventually, it came time to discuss the actual separation of the people at Slayer Central. It was common knowledge that Xander and his family were leaving. Kennedy wanted to have a security detail take them to a safe location. Xander politely declined the gesture. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't want anymore people involved in this than necessary. I can handle this…We know no one's after us, so it's probably best to keep this within the Scooby family."

Much to Johnny's surprise, Faith told him he was also going with Xander. She had already talked to the Scooby and asked for his help. The boy became quite upset. "No way! I'm staying with you. I can help fight. I can help you get those guys." His resistance became so blunt that Faith had to take him into another room. She told him the reason for her decision very succinctly.

"I can't let you get hurt, John. You're my brother. You're the only blood family I have."

""But I can fight, Faith. I really can. And I wanna stay with you"

Faith smiled. "I know you do. But I need to know we're gonna be able to hang out after all this is done, not just for the next few days. I want you with me and Miguel. No more foster homes or being on the streets. The only way I know that'll happen is to keep you away from this right now. Please Johnny, you gotta trust me on this one."

It took a little more prodding by Faith but her brother finally reluctantly gave in and agreed to go with Xander.

There was also the suggestion that Miguel, Giles and Jimmy stay behind. That topic was interjected by Buffy. Truth was Buffy really did want Jimmy to stay behind. She dreaded what might happen to him. The thought of losing him tore at her heart. "You guys got pretty hurt and you can't heal like slayers. If we meet those vamps again, you're in a position to get really hurt…or worse. Besides, there's Sophia. We have to make sure her body's taken care of and her family told about what happened."

The response from the men was unanimous. "No. We're going with you to San Francisco," said Jimmy. "We may be banged up but we're in good shape. Willow's magick made things a lot better. Besides, we've got four days and if Willow does her healing thing a few more times, we'll be almost as good as new. You need all the help you can get." Jimmy was as forceful as he'd ever been to Buffy. "If you think you can get rid of me this easily, you're sadly mistaken." The last statement was said in jest.

"I'll stay behind," Andrew chirped. When they all stared at him, he added, "What? It's a crime not to want to be torn in two by a bunch of nasty, smelly vampires?"

Faith threw a torn pillow at him. "Hey weeny boy, toughen up. Shit, you were the only one fighting that didn't get hurt. We should put you on the front line and make you go after these things alone." That caused Andrew's face to turn white. "Christ, Andrew. I was only joking." Faith never did have much confidence or use for the man.

Buffy kept arguing that the men should stay. "You're hurt and still need medical attention. We wouldn't be able to get what you need." Back and forth they went discussing the pros and cons until Dr. Porter spoke up.

"I'll go, too. I can take care of the medical end for them…and for anyone else if there's another fight."

This new development put Dawn in a fix. She had assumed that Ali would leave and go back to her life when they left Slayer Central. She wanted that not only for Ali's personal safety but for her own emotional state. With Ali gone, she could focus on stopping the creature with the lavender eyes.

"But Ali, it's too dangerous. We can't let you do this," Dawn said strongly.

"It's up to me, Dawn. From what saw last night, you need all the support you can get. I can help…I want to. I know my father would say this was the right thing to do."

Dawn couldn't talk Ali out of her decision and neither could Giles. Ultimately, they agreed that she would go with them.

By early afternoon all arrangements were finalized. Kennedy had a private jet waiting for them at Cleveland Airport. Arrangements had been made for the Council to send someone to the house to take Sophia's body and handle notifying the family. Additionally, a set of 'cleaners' from the Council were to be sent to Slayer Central and clear all signs of the altercation.

Everyone stood on the front porch. Xander and his lot were about to leave in his mini van. His boys couldn't understand why Samantha wasn't going with them. They wanted their playmate. "I wish she could go with you guys," said Kennedy. The one real tragedy was that Willow and Kennedy knew that Samantha had to stay with them. She was at the heart of the enemy's plan. There was no option of sending her away to a secret hide out. Kennedy and Willow had to keep their child with them, to protect her as only parents could. They would have to bring the lamb into the lion's den. Their sacred duty was to protect her at all costs while at the same time defeating the very evil that sought to destroy her.

Embraces and heartfelt good-byes were in abundance. Xander promised to contact Willow to let her know their location. He made her also agree to keep in contact so he knew how they were all doing. The view of Xander's van driving away down the street was bittersweet. Their safety was assured, but those left at Slayer Central had an unspoken doubt as to whether they'd live to see them again. No one moved or spoke until the van disappeared from view.

"Alrighty then. Enough of the warm and fuzzy good-byes. We've got a plane to catch." Kennedy turned and headed for the garage. "Let's move out…and Andrew?" She waited for him to look at her. "You 're going in Faith's car." Kennedy knew that would get a rise out of Faith. It did. She heard her friend mumble "Buttwad. 'll get you back for this."

Several minutes later, everyone was in vehicles and heading out of the driveway. Every person looked back at Slayer Central at some point. They knew they were heading into the unknown, hoping once again to defeat the enemies that tried to threaten and destroy them.

None of them could have guessed how their day would end.

Zareen wandered around her make shift hide away. She had been in that rocky enclosure since bringing Arminda to it. Prior to confiscating the pregnant teenager, Zareen had never left the place. She had been resurrected with the force of evil in that room. It was her birth place out of nothingness; she would soon be 'born again' in it to the Universal power. As much as she owed her existence to the protectiveness of that stone enclosure, Zareen longed for her ascension from it, to the time when her human physical form would cease and her essence would flow from the room to take its place in the overflow of dominance by the energetic flow of evil into the Universe.

That total freedom and mastery would not occur for another few days and, in the meantime, the woman with the beautiful lavender eyes had a situation to solve. It had always been Zareen's plan to bait the witch, slayer and child into traveling to her. That the other slayers would come was a foregone conclusion and one that had its benefits. Zareen already had a way to deaden their strength. Whether it was done to one or many made no difference to her.

The method to pull her targets to her, the cheese in the maze to make them search her out, was to be done through Willow's dreams. Zareen had planned to carefully interfere with the redhead's dreams to leave clues to her whereabouts. There was no way that the doers of good would ignore the signs. They would come for her and fall into her trap.

But now, Zareen's planned had to be changed. She did not anticipate the power in the witch mother. The barrier spell built by Willow and conjured onto the Slayer Central characters stifled Zareen's plans. No longer could she enter the minds of those she sought to kill. No longer could she subvert the slumber of the witch. Zareen wanted them to come to her, but on her terms, in the shadow of her identity, knowing of the threat but not of she doing it. If she continued as before, Zareen was certain that the witch would discover her identity and then the advantage belonging to the lavender eyed witch would be lost.

There was another ingredient added to the mix that caused restraint on Zareen's part. It was the power source held by the slayer mother. This was an unknown entity but one that carried with it the aura of great threat to Zareen's plans. She had to find out what Kennedy held in her hand and how it could jeopardize the empowering of evil.

Because Zareen couldn't 'approach' her prey any longer, she also lost the ability to know where they were. Had they made a connection to her location? Were they traveling to find her? She had to know. The triumph of evil in the Universe depended on it. Though confident, the beautiful witch was not stupid or naive. Zareen had to be prepared. Her initial act upon returning from her 'trip' to Slayer Central was to summon the help of the underworld in Cleveland. Not so much the mainstream underworld as a part of the fringe of that society. The layer of demon culture lost to even its own kind. Through her mind power, the beautiful witch reached out to a faye, a creature of wispy existence able to flow between time and space. It took but a few words and praises planted in the faye's head to make it do her bidding willingly. The demon was given the task of locating the Slayer Central inhabitants and determining their next move. It was to be discreet in its actions. For this information, the little speck of a thing was promised great power in its small part of the dimensional world.

The job was accomplished quite easily and before long Zareen knew that many of the inhabitants had left the house and were taking a plane to San Francisco. Those that didn't go were of no concern to her. Zareen was impressed with Willow's ability for she knew it had to have been the redhead that made a connection to her, enough to head them in the right direction.

Knowing that her prey was heading for her den, Zareen decided to meet them with force. She would confront the slayers and reduce the threat to her ritual as much as possible. She prepared to attack after the plane landed.

In order to do so, Zareen knew she needed an army. To get her soldiers of death, she summoned more Glassensnell vampires. Zareen stood in her cave and uttered the words known only to the most evil. She watched as the ground in front of her in her cavernous room began to shift and then move, instantly becoming a churning whirlpool of dirt and dust. Down the ground sank, the bottom swirling like water going down a drain. It deepened until the center had no bottom in sight; it was an endless black doorway to the belly of the earth.

As the ground churned, a foul smelling steam started to ripple its way out of the blackhole. It was followed by the emergence of a Glassensnell vampire, ripped from the very bowels of hell to do the bidding of the one anointed by its very master. One after another appeared until the room was filled with the horrific creatures.

When she had enough, Zareen flicked her fingers at the crevasse before her and, in a flash, it was gone, the earth in her room no different than it had been not so many minutes before.

Zareen smiled upon her army. "This should do nicely," she said confidently.

Willow glanced at Kennedy looking out the plane window. She stared at her slayer's leg briskly moving up and down, the 'jimmy leg' as Faith called it. The witch knew that it wasn't a nervous habit. The twitching only happened when her wife was frustrated and losing patience. They had been sitting in the plane waiting for it to take off for some time. Willow rested her hand on Kennedy's knee which instantly made the leg stop.

"Kenn, relax. I'm sure nobody's doing this on purpose."

Kennedy started to drum her fingers on the seat arm rest instead. "You know, I expect commercial flying to be one big cluster fu…" she glanced at Samantha sitting next to Willow. "…cluster mess," she reworded. "But this is a private jet. Why the hell does my dad pay so much for this thing if it doesn't even assure us that we go when we want to go?" Kennedy had come to the conclusion that flying in the United States, regardless of the manner, was useless. "Christ, I bet you they'd make Air Force One wait."

Willow cracked a small smile. She knew how much Kennedy hated delays, especially when combined with aircraft. "Baby, it's a storm…in Atlanta, causing the backup here…I don't think the airport people down in Georgia conjured up a bunch of lightening and thunder just to piss you off."

"I'm so sure about that," Kennedy snidely replied. She stopped tapping and took Willow's hand in hers. "At least I get to sit next to you…" Kennedy leaned against Willow and noticed a large book in the witch's lap. "You and your witch's bible that is."

Sitting in Willow's lap was the Han Nurrabi Chronicle. It was one of the things Willow insisted on taking with her, "My trusty fix all, know all book," she liked to refer to it as. Each person, before leaving Slayer Central, had time to pack a bag. Willow's included her treasured tome.

"I need this book. It may help in finding out who lavender eyes is. And I'm still trying to see if it can help me out with that stone in the brooch." Upon saying that, Kennedy reached into the pocket of her t-shirt and pulled out the brooch.

Kennedy examined the pin as she had done many times since the fight. "We definitely gotta find out more on this guy. Seems to be our best weapon so far. Although, I kinda feel bad because this was supposed to be yours to wear. Just a pretty little family heirloom for my beautiful wife."

Kennedy and Willow talked some more while they waited to be cleared for take off. The conversation and distraction was welcomed by the witch. It gave her a chance to rest her mind from thoughts that had crept up on her during the day.

It was true that Willow didn't get much free time after the attack. Most was spent healing, discussing, looking after Sam and re-energizing her internal magickal coffer. She was occasionally able to take a cat nap and she even took one on the plane while they waited. They lasted no more than twenty or so minutes. It wasn't because she was awakened by someone but rather because her dreams woke her. Each bit of slumber Willow attempted immediately had her dreaming of the possible horrors that might befall her daughter. One time it was the Glassensnell vampires tearing into her flesh, in another it was some unidentifiable form with lavender eyes sucking the life from the child. Each time, Willow awoke just as her daughter began to scream.

The witch's last dream vignette wasn't gruesome but just as disconcerting. That dream had Tara in it. As before, Tara was telling Willow that her life didn't have to be so violent. "It could have been so different, Willow. You wouldn't have ever had to see someone you love in so much pain." It all seemed so real, even for dream. When Willow awoke from the last rest, she felt a tug at her soul. It was as if Tara had not merely been in a dram but had been pulling at her to take action.

Willow didn't like the feeling she had. With everything happening, a subconscious conflict between her life as it was and some fantasy wish for a different one was not what she needed. To make matters worse, Willow didn't tell Kennedy about her episodes. She knew that if she mentioned Tara's presence, Kennedy would react negatively as she had before.

The plane eventually took off, headed for San Francisco, California. It was after 6pm by the time they left Cleveland Airport. The time in the air was not wasted. Willow and Ali tended to the injured. The others got much needed rest. Kennedy hung out with Faith and Miguel for a while. Whatever research could be done from the plane was. When Willow wasn't healing with her magick, she was reading through the Han Nurrabi book. She searched for any information on creatures with lavender eyes or ones that could mind sync. Buffy stayed with Jimmy and Faith stayed with Miguel, each woman caring for the man she loved. The division between the two oldest slayers had not mended. Neither spoke to the other as friends normally did. If they had to discuss a matter they did; if they had to work on a project together they did. However, their contact was just that, done as a necessity. Though their antagonism for each other wasn't showing up in quarrels and fights, it was still there.

About an hour and a half into the flight, Ali found Dawn alone. Buffy's sister had actively tried to keep from having to talk to the good doctor. Dawn talked to Buffy and Jimmy. She sat with the other slayers who were watching an in-flight movie. She even sat next to Giles and Andrew and helped them for a short time.

Ali, after finishing her doctor duties, sat in her seat and watched Dawn. She knew the woman was trying to avoid her. She finally saw Dawn go to the back galley of the plane. Ali Porter knew this was her opportunity.

"Hey," Ali said as she walked up behind Dawn. She was pouring a cup of coffee. The voice startled Dawn and she spilled some coffee.

Dawn turned around.

"Sorry," Ali said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Dawn shook her head nervously. "You didn't…really."

"Ali smirked. "Oh, must be nerves then."

"No. I'm not nervous."

Ali snorted amused at the comment. "You are, Dawn. You've been avoiding me all day. You probably would have sat outside on the wing if they'd let you."

Dawn felt bad. Ali was right. She had been avoiding the woman. Apologetically, "I didn't mean to…It's just…You said before that…" Ali saw the woman struggling.

"I know what I said."

Dawn felt frustrated. She didn't know how to explain how she felt to Ali. "Ali, this is all new to me…and I'm not even sure what 'this' is…Everything's so crazy…"

Ali Porter listened to Dawn struggle with her feelings. What Dawn didn't realize was that with every stuttered syllable, each readjusted stance, Ali Porter was becoming more engrossed with her. Ali saw a woman desperately wanting to throw away convention, to toss out all doubts about who she thought she was. Ali had seen that sparring before, in herself. It wasn't about sexuality with her, but about her place in her father's life. She remembered the confusion she had wanting to be the dutiful daughter while, at the same time, needing more than that from her father. In the end, Ali accepted the uniqueness of the family into which she'd been born. She dispelled notions of a typical father/daughter relationship. She challenged her father but not in conventional ways. Her involvement with the Council and her independent nature were all things to make the man take notice. She didn't slink into the shadows, only acknowledging she was 'loved.' Ali took the harder road, the one that earned her more than her just father's love, the one that got his respect.

As Ali listened to Dawn, she sensed that Dawn wanted more from life than what she'd gotten so far. It only took a kiss for Dawn to see new possibilities, roads untraveled. Was she strong enough to accept the challenge? Would she push against convention and strive for something that could make her so much more alive?

In the midst of Dawn's dialogue, Ali took her hands in her own. She looked seriously into conflicted brown eyes. "What's happening around you may be crazy, Dawn…but that doesn't mean what you're going through is because of it. I know you're confused…and scared. Don't shut out your feelings…listen to them."

While Dawn and Ali were talking, they were unaware that they could be seen by some in the plane. They were standing far enough to one side of the galley that anyone in the back part of the plane could see them. In fact, Lee noticed the two women. She had closed her eyes to rest but couldn't stop thinking about Paulette. Earlier in the day, while they were still at the airport, she called her girlfriend. Lee told her about the impending trip to California. She also told her about the skirmish at Slayer Central. She did not, however, tell Paulie that she'd been injured and unconscious. Lee knew that had she made that disclosure, Paulette would have been distraught with worry. In strict Midwestern style, Lee kept the worse news to herself to spare the one she loved.

Not being able to sleep, Lee glanced around the cabin and that's when she saw Dawn and Ali. Something struck her right away. The two women seemed to be awfully close to each other. That's when she remembered the evening when Ali stayed for dinner. She recalled noticing a certain flirtatious conduct between the two.

Not wanting to assume facts not proven, Lee leaned to the side so she was peering out into the isle. She whispered, "Kenn…Kenn." The slayer who was two rows ahead peeked her head above the seat and looked at Lee. "Lee? What's up?" The younger slayer motioned Kennedy to come back to her row which the slayer did.

"Don't be obvious…but look behind you…at Dawn and Ali."

Kennedy did. After a few moments, she saw Ali hold Dawn's hands. The slayer creased her brows. The two women looked as if they were more than friends. Then Kennedy got a small smile. "What's up with them?"

Lee shrugged her shoulders. "I thought maybe you knew. They seem a little chummy, don't they? I thought I saw them acting like that at dinner a few nights ago."

Kennedy was very curious as to what was going on between Dawn and Dr. Porter. However, she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Dawn had never told her about any 'girl crushes' and, frankly, Kennedy assumed Dawn was quite straight, despite her open-mindedness. In any event, Kennedy wasn't about to ruin an obvious private moment for Dawn. The slayer had seen her share of women "scared off' from exploring an 'alternative' relationship due to exposure. It had happened to a girl she had pursued when a teenager. So, Kennedy and Lee kept there discovery between themselves. Since she wasn't positive what she had seen, Kennedy didn't even tell Willow.

By the time Kennedy went back to her regular seat, Buffy was in it. Sammie was spread out in a reclined seat across from Willow and the witch and Buffy were deep in conversation.

"Oh, didn't mean to interrupt," said the brunette slayer.

"You're not, baby. I was just telling Buffy that I think I found something." Willow pointed to her open book.

"That's great. What is it?"

"There is a passage here that has a passing reference to the 'one with eyes.' It doesn't give a name and it's talking about someone farther back in time. But it got my attention for some reason…like it was a clue."

"Your instincts are always dead on, Wils. If it seems relevant to you, then I betcha it is," declared Buffy. The blonde went to talk some more but was interrupted by a scream.

It was from Samantha. She wok up from her nap and was crying.

Kennedy ran to her and sat in the next seat. Sammie threw her arms around her mother and buried her head against Kennedy's chest.

"Sammie, what's wrong?" Kennedy asked worriedly. By this time, Willow was standing next to both of them.

"Are you alright, Sweetie?" Willow echoed her wife's concern.

Samantha wiped her eyes as the crying stopped. She looked at both her mothers. "The bad monsters were back. They hurt you," she said pointing to Kennedy, "…and…and…and they hurt lots of others." The child looked so frightened.

The screams from Samantha didn't rouse just her mothers. Everyone else on the plane ceased their activity and went over to where she was. They stood listening to the girl.

"Who were the monsters, Sam?" Kennedy asked.

"The ones from before."

"You mean at Cleveland? The ones that made you go in the basement?" Samantha nodded.

Kennedy turned and looked at Willow and Buffy.

"Could you tell where we were?" asked Willow. She wanted to know if Sam had any insight as to when and where the fight occurred.

Samantha shook her head. "A new place." The girl thought for a moment. "They were lots and they were fighting really hard…and…I…" Samantha stopped for a second as if trying to recapture her vision. "…I saw…a bridge…a red one."

"The Golden Gate Bridge," Giles said immediately.

"Do you know when the fight happens?" Kennedy said soothingly, not trying to upset her daughter more.

Samantha looked around at the gathering. She glanced at everyone staring at her. She stopped when she got to Andrew. She pointed to his t-shirt with the picture of Spock and the words "Be free and prosper" below it. "Uncle Andie had that shirt on."

That statement made everyone's eyes widen.

"Shit! It's today. She saw a fight that's gonna happen today." Rita's spoken comment was what the rest were thinking.

"Well, we can't land in San Francisco now. That would be walking right into the fight." Shane scanned the crowd for agreement.

Buffy turned to Giles. "She's right, Giles. Whoever's doing this is expecting us to land in California. They're probably going to ambush us somehow. Now that we know, we can't go."

Faith chimed in. "B's right." Faith didn't care that she was agreeing with Buffy. This was about their safety. "We land as soon as we can and we've taken away their advantage. This could give us the edge."

For Giles the decision was easy. "I agree, absolutely. Now we need to get this plane to land."

Kennedy stood up and let Willow sit next to their daughter. "Don't worry, I'll talk to the pilot. I'll tell him we've changed plans and to get us on the ground asap. No problem, I've done this before."

By the time that Willow had Samantha calmed, Kennedy was back from the cockpit. "Pilot doing your bidding, Ms. Trump? Or should we just call you The Kennedy?" Faith said jokingly.

Kennedy took the ribbing in stride. "Ha…Ha…Faith, you can call me 'The stick it it up your ass'." She waited until Faith started laughing. Speaking for all to hear, "We're set. Gonna land in Colorado Springs in a half our."

There wasn't much time for discussion because the pilot soon announced the initial descent and everyone had to take their seats and fasten their safety belts. Those with a window seat stared at the scene from twenty thousand feet. Slowly, the clouds gave way to earth. There was one thing that no one could miss as they took in the view.

"Fuck," Faith muttered. She had one of those window seats and she commented on the sight before her eyes, almost surrounding everywhere she could see.

Mountains.

As the plane descended, the Rocky Mountain range was in full view. The area seemed to be enveloped by the massive peaks of one of the Nation's greatest beauties. The rock formations were everywhere.

The plane landed and the passengers exited in silence. Kennedy's slayer dream was feeling all too real. They walked from the plane to the airport terminal doorway, everyone holding the sum total of their belongings they took from Slayer Central.

Faith was the last to enter the building. She examined the skyline of ridges that seemed to creeping in on them. Following those in front, sarcastically, "Sure, slayer dreams are all bullshit."

"This is more palatable than a school bus, but perhaps next time we could do with several limousines? I must so, though, we were most fortunate to get these," Giles commented while sitting in the front seat of the van, several bags in his lap.

"Hey, at least you don't have an elbow poking you in the ribs," Rita said irritated. "And who the hell keeps nudging my leg?"

"Sorry." The apology was squeaked out by Andrew. "I swear I didn't mean to." The man was sitting in the bench seat behind the one in which Rita sat.

"Forget the footsies, what is that smell?…Andrew?" Shane looked accusingly at Andrew. There was a smattering of "Ew!" and "Gross!" from the others in the van.

The man shook his head emphatically. "Don't look at me. That's one thing I didn't do."

Giles wondered how, after all these years, he still found himself in such juvenile situations. "Please, everyone, let's try to be civil…And I believe that odor is the exhaust from this vehicle."

"I'm gonna kill Kennedy," Faith muttered as she drove the van. It was the younger slayer's idea that Faith drive one vehicle and she the other. Of course, it was also Kennedy who divvied up the passengers per van. "I hope she's having as much fun as we are, " Faith said gritting her teeth.

In the other vehicle, things were running more smoothly. The van was packed like sardines as was the other, but the atmosphere was friendlier. Kennedy was driving and Buffy was in the other front seat giving directions. Willow was in the bench seat behind Kennedy with Samantha in her lap. Among the others in the vehicle were Dakota and Isabella who sat themselves in the seats farthest to the back of the vehicle.

"We stay on this road until exit 351…then go east…" Buffy eyed the map in her hands and crinkled her nose. She turned the map one hundred and eighty degrees. "…or west, maybe." The blonde looked up and at the road signs. "Are we on Interstate 25?"

Kennedy gripped the steering wheel tighter. She knew it was a bad idea to have Buffy as the navigator. The woman still couldn't drive or read maps to save her life. "Buff, just hold the map…like this…" Kennedy put the map facing upright in Buffy's hands. "I can see what I need to get us to a hotel."

After arriving at the airport in Colorado Springs, Kennedy rented two large vans. It was late and the selection was thin. 'At least no run down school bus,' she thought. The last escape in which she was involved was when Sunnydale imploded. The dash away was by school bus that barely made it to safety.

Before leaving the rental office, while the bags were loaded by several of the slayers, the main Scooby group discussed their next move. It was decided that they needed to find a place to stay for the night. Many were getting tired and the injured and Samantha needed a restful night's sleep. Plus, they hadn't eaten and all were very hungry. The woman at the rental desk helped them with a hotel location. Because of the uncertainty of whether or not the demons knew where they were, another decision was that they would stay away from downtown or well attended hotels. "If the demons come after us, we don't want a lot of innocent people to get in the line of fire. We have to go somewhere on the outside of town…a small establishment where we can be grouped close together." Giles recommendation was accepted by all.

Soon Kennedy was leading the way, with Faith following her, to the area of town about which the rental woman told them. It was an older section of town with mom and pop motels and restaurants, not too busy with tourists or locals.

As she drove, Kennedy began to notice something about the surrounding landscape. "It is me or are there a lot of churches around here?"

Willow looked out the window. "You're probably right. I read somewhere that Colorado Springs is where something like over a hundred evangelical Christian groups are located. I'm pretty sure this is where that Ted Haggard guy's church is."

Willow's comment got Lee's attention. "You mean the mega church leader who complained about gays and then got caught screwing a gay prostitute and taking amphetamines?"

"The one and only," Willow said sarcastically.

"Frickin' hypocrites…every last one of them," Kennedy sputtered.

"I grew up in that kind of atmosphere. I agree totally." Lee said it with a tone of resentment.

"Well, we're only passing through so who cares. Let 'em be narrow minded. We'll be out of here tomorrow." Buffy could tell Kennedy was getting angry. Intolerance for gays and lesbians was a trigger for Kennedy. Just talking about the subject matter got her in a huff.

The discussion in the front of the van went unnoticed by the two slayers in the back. Dakota and Isabella were engrossed in their own topic. It centered around the discovery of the flight to San Francisco.

"How the hell did lavender eyes find out we left the house? And more importantly, how did it find out we were going to San Francisco?" Dakota was a little more than suspicious.

"Where was Andrew? I know Giles told HQ we were going. Maybe Andrew overheard. We don't know for sure he isn't the leak. Or it could be someone in HQ. Giles may be giving away all our info and not even know it." Isabella was just as concerned as Dakota.

"One thing we know, it's a waste of time trying to get them to believe us." Dakota glanced at the Scoobies at the front of the van.

Dakota and Isabella tried to broach the subject with Buffy while they were waiting at the Cleveland Airport. Isabella mentioned to Buffy that is was strange Andrew was making so many mistakes and that he was the only one not to get injured in the attack. Buffy understood immediately the meaning of Isabella's assertions. In no uncertain terms, Buffy rejected the implication of Andrew's rebellion. "No way. Andrew's one of us. He's not capable of doing something like that now." That ended the discussion.

Dakota now leaned in and whispered to Isabella. "They won't ever admit that Andrew might be the traitor. They're the ones that got him when he was a bad guy and turned him good. If they're wrong about Andrew now, it means they failed. They refuse to see the signs." The women continued their conversation until Kennedy pulled into the parking lot of a small one story motel.

"We're hooome," Kennedy quipped. She parked the van in a space in front of the "Front Desk" sign. Faith pulled in next to her. Within a minute, everyone was out of the vans and stretching their legs. "Wait here while I get us some rooms." Kennedy walked to the registration office.

"Why does the kid get to be in charge?' Faith asked still plotting her revenge against the other brunette.

"Well, if your family owns its own bank and credit card, then by all means…" Willow had long ago accepted Kennedy's ease with money. The woman knew how to handle financial transactions.

Several minutes later Kennedy was back with numerous keys in her hands. She started to throw them at people. "We're doubling up. The rooms have either two double beds or one queen bed. Hope no one snores..and if you do…" Kennedy looked at her key, "stay away from Room 9. That's ours." She glanced at Willow and Sammie.

The room assignments were done quickly and easily. Faith was with Miguel; Buffy with Jimmy. Giles resigned himself to the fact that he'd have to share a room with Andrew. He almost wished Xander was with them so he could pawn the man-boy off on him. Dakota and Isabella were in a room as was Rita and Shane. Beth and Nancy and Lee and Yvette were also pairs. The last to buddy up were Dawn and Ali. Willow and Kennedy watched Dawn's nervous reaction as she handed Ali the spare room key. Kennedy eyed Lee who also saw the interaction.

"Great. We've got a place to stay for the night. But how about dinner? I am starving." Buffy's sentiment was echoed by the others, most loudly by the slayers.

"I saw a quaint little diner a few miles back. It's open 24 hours." Giles had made a mental note of the place.

"Perfect," chimed Buffy.

"Alright, everyone back in the vans…just like before." Kennedy said looking at Faith and smiling deviously.

Low, so no one could hear, "I am so gonna get your ass, Prescott." Faith smirked at her friend.

Ten minutes later, the two vans drove into the parking lot of Dwayne's Diner. There was a neon "Open 24 Hours" sign in the window next to the entrance. It was to the right of a poster promoting a Christian seminar sponsored by the icon of evangelical groups Focus on the Family. As the group walked in to the establishment, each saw the large cross hanging on the wall behind the cash register.

Kennedy whispered in Willow's ear. "This should be fun."

**

"Sam…Sammie…Samantha." It took the uttering of her full first name before Samantha looked at her mother. Willow pointed to the seat. "You need to sit down, right now." Willow was engaged in that ever so common parental activity of getting a child to behave in a restaurant. At Samantha's age, it was more challenging than fun.

The child eventually listened and sat next to Willow. Kennedy reached over and pushed her glass of chocolate milk to her. "Listen to Mommy, Sam…and drink your milk."

Sammie took the glass and sucked on the straw. For the first few seconds all seemed conquered. Then Kennedy noticed that Sam had switched to blowing in her straw thereby causing milk bubbles to overflow the side of the glass.

"Sam!" Kennedy said firmly but quietly. "Stop goofing off."

Samantha rolled her eyes and let go of the straw. "Yes, Momma."

The meal at Dwayne's Diner, for the most part, went much more smoothly for the others. The gang spread out over several tables and quickly ordered dinner. Even the injured in the group favored food over rest at that point. They all wanted to get a full stomach so they could get through the rest of the night. There was light conversation, everyone aware that no mention of demons or vampires was allowed. The food was good and the service friendly. There were several other patrons that came and went. Being out-of-towners, the local smiles came with curious glances.

There was one booth that had two men sitting init. They got to the diner about five minutes after the slayer crowd. They sat diagonal from Kennedy and Willow. Kennedy observed that the two men paid attention to the interaction between her, Willow and Sammie. At one point Kennedy was certain she heard one of them say "dikes." The men were tall, one with a beard and the other a mustache. One had a beer belly. Both wore cowboy hats which they respectfully took off when they sat down. Kennedy saw the boots and imprints of chewing tobacco tins on the back pockets of their jeans. The bearded one had a rebel flag as a belt buckle. 'Cowboy rednecks' she thought. She tried not to be bothered by the men but it always seemed that they were staring at her or Willow.

In a rash decision, Kennedy gave the men something to really squawk at. She not so discreetly leaned over and gave Willow a kiss on the neck. Willow turned to her wife and smiled and then glanced around the diner nervously. She saw the two men glaring and gave Kennedy a look. Softly, "Kenn, this is not the time to make a political statement."

Kennedy behaved for the rest of the time. Dinner was soon over, everyone's belly full and all were relaxed after the long and often uncomfortable ride. Kennedy paid for the meals and the groupl headed to the parking lot. They stood for a while discussing the plans for the evening. Willow and Giles, with the help of Andrew and Dawn, had determined to the best they could that they were not followed by demons. Willow had had no violations of her mind barrier spell and there were no signs that demons were in the area. "It appears as if we've given our enemy the slip for now," stated Giles happily. "Of course, we cannot be lax. We must keep watch tonight." Willow offered to put a barrier around the hotel. "It'll be a lot easier. The motel is smaller than Slayer Central…plus it's only for a few hours. I should be able to get one to stick until morning."

The discussion ended with Dakota and Isabella volunteering to do the patrol. They were still suspicious of Andrew and wanted to make sure he didn't tip off their enemy for another surprise attack. "Ok then," Buffy said. "It's all settled. We go back to the motel and get some sleep. Dee and Issie will post guard. First thing in the morning, we're outta here…" Buffy looked at Kennedy. "See, surrounded by mountains and we stayed away from them all." Kennedy's slayer dream was still on everyone's mind. "Way to go, B," Faith chided. "Jinx the whole thing now." Jimmy touched Buffy's arm to let her know to disregard the comment.

By this time, the two men from the diner had finished their meals and left the diner. They were walking to a red Ford F-150 with a gun rack on the back window and a "Bush/Cheney '04" sticker on the bumper. As they passed the group, one of them said "Fucking dikes, you're going to Hell."

Kennedy became furious instantly. Willow grabbed her shoulder. "Let it go, Kenne." It didn't work. Kennedy brushed by Willow and walked up to the two men.

"One of you assholes say something?" The men stopped and glared at the small woman before them.

"Yeah, I did," the bearded one said. "It's disgusting the way you think you can go around flaunting your sins."

"And exactly what sin are you talking about?"

The man started to walk away shaking his head in disgust. "Fucking dike," he muttered.

"Hey! I asked you a question." Kennedy's hands were clenched in a fist. She was ready to confront the men. Before she could say another word or take another step, Giles was there forcibly leading Kennedy back to the others.

"Kennedy we can't afford to make a scene…no matter how much they deserve it."

The mustached man laughed. "You with the lesbos old man…must mean you're a fag."

Giles kept walking with Kennedy. He turned his head to the men. "I assure you, sir, the only thing I am right now is someone who doesn't want to see you get the beating of a lifetime." Giles brought Kennedy back to Willow while the men continued in their verbal barrage as they walked to their truck. The vehicle squealed its tires, and as they passed by the group, the mustached one yelled "God hates fags!"

Kennedy flipped them the middle finger as she shouted, "God hates your bigoted ass." She saw Willow staring at her disapprovingly.

"Well, that was fun," Willow stated with a sigh of relief. "Kenne, you know there are people like that everywhere. You can't let them get to you."

"Yeah, K. Plus, did you get a good look at those two? They probably haven't gotten laid in years…just blowing off steam cuz they can't any from no one…except maybe the cows." Faith's unique perspective was enough to bring things into focus. The trouble was over even before it had a chance to get started. They piled into the vans and headed back to the motel.

On the way, Kennedy commented that she was thankful to be gay. "I never wanted to screw a guy…and those two certainly didn't advance the cause. I don't get the appeal." Kennedy remained silent for a while and then looked in the rearview mirror. "No offense, Jimmy." She heard "None taken" shouted back. The other members in the car added their own comments, mostly being along the lines of either "Don't knock til you've tried it" or "I'm with Kenn. Guys are gross." The discussion ended with everyone laughing.

Despite the light hearted nature of the talk, there was a deep seated feeling held by Kennedy. She had always known she was gay. Puberty brought on her attraction to women, and women only. Men were too gruff, too unrefined in their physicality and their behavior. The brunette swooned over the thought of silky soft skin. There was nothing about a woman's body she didn't like. It wasn't that she hated or even disliked the male race. She merely didn't want to be physical with one of them. The thought of a penis entering her body gave her the willies – "Pussy's the only way to go" a drunk Kennedy once so indelicately stated to Faith. Kennedy even once told Willow jokingly, in part, that having sex with a man would be one of the worse things she could ever do.

The vans finally got back to the motel. It was late but not too late. There was another discussion about security. "As far as I can tell, we are safe…at least for tonight." Willow felt good that she was able to make that statement. She had actually started to relax with the prospect that they could all have a 'normal' night's rest. She certainly wanted that for her daughter. The air of safety quickly affected the others. The entire group seemed to take a collective deep breath and exhale. There was more laughter and smiles irrespective of the time of night. Beth and Nancy went to Lee and Yvette's room to watch television before turning in for the night. Dawn visited with Rita and Shane while Ali and Giles went over medical supplies and other medical concerns.

As for the others, the disappearance of the threat of evil spurned a mood of a different type. For the couples, Buffy and Jimmy, Faith and Miguel and Kennedy and Willow, the need to be close emerged. The attacks, the fight, the escape had left them with little time to acknowledge how grateful all were that their loved ones were with them. But now, the time was ripe.

The gang from Slayer Central had survived their evening in Colorado Springs. No mountainside episodes, no fights with bigoted 'Christian' folk, no demons on their tails. There was a feeling that the rest of the night would be like any other they'd had before the world turned upside down.

There was hope. Hope for their ultimate triumph, hope for the future of the world.

Hope that for one more night they could be with the ones they loved.

"Did you notice how Dawn was acting at the diner? I saw a couple times when she looked at Ali and then turned away real quick when she thought someone was looking at her. What is with her?" Kennedy posed her questions to Willow as she sat upright on the motel bed, back against the headboard. Willow was sitting on the old love seat/sofa in the room. Samantha was lying beside her with her head on her mother's lap. They were watching the television. Once in their room, Willow and Kennedy had expected Sammie to go to bed immediately. However, the girl was so overtired that she couldn't sleep. She wanted to watch tv and whined when she was initially told "no". Then Kennedy thought it might help to calm her and make her fall asleep. As a result, the three were watching a Simpson's rerun that Willow found on one of the local stations.

Stroking her daughter's hair, Willow got a concerned look. "I sure hope Dawn knows what she's doing. She's been in such a funk lately about relationships…I hope this isn't some weird way of her trying to get back at all the crappy guys she's dated. Ali's really nice. I wouldn't want to see her get hurt."

Kennedy huffed slightly. "It wouldn't be the first time a gay girl was used as the 'lesbian experiment.' Besides, how do we know Ali would even care if that's what it was? We both know that some gay women get off on that…the challenge of the straight girl. Hell, we've all had straight girl crushes."

Willow shook her head. "Excuse me, speak for yourself. No such thing here. All my…" She looked down and saw Sammie was still watching tv, "…crushes were for gay women. Ok, there have only been two, but still."

Kennedy chuckled. Sometimes she forgot how Willow came into her 'lesbianism.' The redhead didn't meet Tara until college and there had been no gay experience before that. Willow didn't count the bizarre experience she had with her vampire self. Though filled with lesbian overtones, it was just too creepy to consider. There had only been Tara and then Kennedy. Willow never did get into the lesbian dating scene or agonize through high school as a gay teenager. The innocence in that regard was one thing Kennedy loved about Willow. The witch hadn't been jaded or damaged as so many other gay people had been.

The conversation stopped and Kennedy sat there admiring her family. Within ten feet were the two people that meant everything to her. They were the sun around which she revolved. Kennedy knew she was lucky to have such an authentic and amazing woman as Willow for her life's partner. As cocky as she could be about her own self-worth, Kennedy often became very humbled when she thought about her wife. In those quiet times, often in the late hours when the whole world was asleep, Kennedy would watch her witch slumber and wonder how it was that she had been graced by Willow's love.

Kennedy's gratitude for her wife was only matched by her pride in her daughter. Each day she saw Samantha develop and grow. Day by day she watched as the child transformed into her own person. She had Willow's beauty, both physical and inner. She was kind and gentle, curious and smart. Before Samantha was born, Kennedy had never thought she would be a gloating mother, but she was and unashamed of it.

Kennedy smiled. Even in the midst of their latest challenge, she was content. She had the life she wanted. It wasn't perfect, but it was perfect for her.

Kennedy moved off the bed. "I'm gonna take a shower. Maybe Miss Wide Awake will be sleepy by the time I get out."

"I wonder how John's doing? I wish we knew where they were." Faith had already showered and was wearing one of Miguel's clean t-shirts. She was next to the barely opened window smoking a cigarette. She took a deep puff and blew the smoke out the window crack.

"I'm sure Xander is taking good care of him. We'll find out tomorrow where they are." Miguel had also washed and was lying on the bed with his pants on. "We agreed to wait twenty-four hours before making contact. Xander's supposed to call Willow in the morning. She knows you want to talk to your brother."

Faith snubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray. She ran her fingers through her hair. "What the fuck has happened to me, Mick? All I think about is Johnny and whether he's ok…even though I know he is. But out of nowhere I'll think 'what if the demons followed them?'…But they didn't and I know that. Christ, if I could just talk to him then all this shit would stop."

Miguel laughed which caused him to wince and hold his side where his wounds were.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?" Faith said half seriously.

"You. You don't really believe that one phone call is going to keep you from worrying about John, do you? Sorry to tell you, Faith, but it won't ever end now. "

Miguel didn't have to explain any further. Faith understood. She was part of something bigger now. It wasn't just her and Miguel any longer. Even though she worried about the Brazilian, she knew he could handle himself in any situation. But Johnny was a different matter. He was just a boy, one still so unaware of the complexity and dangerous nature of her life. By taking him in, Faith had become responsible for his well being. He was now in the world of demons and apocalypses, and it was because of her. Faith had never felt so protective before in her life. It was a new and unfamiliar feeling, but somewhere deep down inside, it felt right.

"Aaagghhh! Fuck! I gotta get my mind off it." Faith stood up and wrung out her arms and jumped up and down a few times. Each time, her shirt lifted up exposing her naked form underneath.

Miguel looked on then smirked. "I can help you with that." He raised an eyebrow. Faith stared at him and quickly noticed a bulge slowly forming in his pants.

Faith stopped fidgeting and gave the man a devilish glare. "I'd take you up on that invitation in your pants…but you're injured, remember? Fucking isn't exactly on the doc's list of therapy."

Miguel touched the bandage on his side and thought for a few seconds. "What's that saying? When there's a will, there's a way?"

Faith's smile grew. She walked toward the bed taking off the t-shirt. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"Grey's Anatomy."

"No, Nip 'N Tuck."

"See if Torchwood's on."

"Does the tv get HBO?"

The scene in Lee and Yvette's room had turned into a giant slumber party. At first, only Beth and Nancy were there. It didn't take long before Rita and Shane joined them. Even Andrew, Ali and Dawn eventually knocked on the door. It seemed that sleep wasn't easy for anyone. The day, as exhausting as it was, had hot-wired the slayers. They needed to let off some steam but couldn't do it by fighting demons. So they decided to act silly, drink soda and eat snacks from the motel vending machines while watching trashy tv.

They talked incessantly, nothing was off limits. Bad habits, sexual experience, favorite foods and music were just a sampling of the wide range of topics discussed. Some were more forthcoming on certain matters than others. Rita had no qualms about talking about her bisexuality. Young Beth and Nancy listened intently though they were closed mouthed when questioned about their own experience level. Yvette shared a lovely tale about a dalliance she had in a field of poppies with a dashing young Frenchman.

On the subject of television, Shane had to practically smother Andrew with a pillow to stop him from ranting on about the magnificence of Star Trek. On and on they talked and laughed. Ali and Dawn sat next to each other often, several times their arms touching unexpectedly. Lee noticed each one. Though unseen by the others, the tension between the two women was evident to Lee. She made a mental note to tell Paulette during her next call home.

"Look! An old vampire movie," Shane shouted as she flipped through the channels. "Oh, we gotta watch this." The heckling began immediately.

"Vamps aren't that slow!"

"Please, my mother could stake that pathetic example of a bumpy."

"Didn't anyone in this movie ever see a real vamp?"

The good time continued.

"Do you want something to drink? Need another pillow?" Buffy stood at the foot of the bed, hands on her sides, questioning Jimmy as he lay on the bed.

"I'm fine, Buff. Stop doting like a mother hen."

"I'm not acting like a mother hen."

Jimmy gave Buffy a look of disbelief. "Please, you've been all over-protective ever since the fight. I'm better, Buffy. You can stop worrying." Deep down, the man loved Buffy's overly concerned attention.

Buffy lowered her arms. The man was right; she had been overcome with concern about his well being. Though they had been through fights together before, the latest one was different. The severity of his wounds took her off guard. For the first time, Buffy had to seriously acknowledge that Jimmy could die. That he survived did not make her thoughts disappear. Each time she saw the man, every time she held his hand or gave him a kiss, the realization of how close she came to losing him flooded her consciousness.

What Buffy, the vampire slayer, realized was that Jimmy meant the world to her. He was her rock, the anchor that kept her from drifting out to sea. Her destiny of slaying for the good of the planet had only been possible for all these years because of his steadying presence. He kept her sane in a world of demonic insanity. Buffy knew she loved Jimmy. The last twenty-four hours had shown to the blonde that she 'needed' him.

Buffy went to the side of the bed and sat on its edge. "I'll make a deal. I'll stop worrying when you stop getting hurt." She said it softly and full of love. She searched Jimmy's eyes to see if he comprehended the underlying sentiment to the silly bargain.

He did. In that tender moment, Jimmy felt, probably for the first time in his relationship with Buffy, that he was the center of Buffy's life. Blue eyes told him that he meant more than her destiny, more than any hallowed position of 'the slayer.'

"Deal" he replied, his answer solidifying that they were bound for life.

Buffy leaned in and threw her arms around his neck. They fell back onto the bed and she slid on top of him. Buffy's leg moved over the injured appendage and Jimmy flinched and grabbed Buffy's leg to stop it from causing further pain.

"Umm, hate to spoil the moment, but not quite one hundred percent." When Buffy tried to move off him, Jimmy held her still. "Hey, I didn't mean to stop what you were doing."

Buffy brushed the hair from her face. "I don't want to hurt you. We can just snuggle."

Jimmy gave Buffy a sour look. "Are you kidding? Snuggle instead of sex? What planet are you from? I'm a guy, Buff. I'd let my leg fall off before I said no to sex." Then pretending to be serious, "I'll put up with the pain if that's what I need to do."

Buffy laughed. "That is so giving of you."

"Yes, I am a terribly wonderful man."

Buffy leaned in and gave Jimmy a kiss. Gentle at first, it soon turned into a deep, sensual connection. She grazed her lips over his. "I love you." The man could feel each word on his lips. He placed his hands on the side of Buffy's head and drew her in for another kiss. It was the first time Jimmy heard the words without there being any qualifying tone behind them.

"I swear Paulie, I think Dawn's got a thing going with the doctor. They just left…very chummy." Lee was making her last call of the night to Paulette. Though Lee made the calls to comfort Paulie, they actually had the same affect on her. Lee missed Paulie terribly. She knew she was right to have left the woman behind, but that didn't mean she liked being separated from her partner. Hearing Paulette's voice, her laughter made the uncertainty of the situation bearable. Lee lived for the next phone call. "…I'll call you in the morning. I love you." Lee knew what she would dream of that night.

"So we talk to Faith, right?"

"Right. As soon as we can get her alone…at breakfast."

Dakota and Isabella patrolled the motel parking lot. They'd been discussing their suspicions of Andrew and their concerns about Giles' slip ups.

Dakota stared at the room the two men shared. "I swear if he's the reason we're in this shit…I'll kill him myself."

Faith arched her back and head backwards. She gripped the headboard with both hands. Miguel's hands clenched at her thighs, holding her straddled across his face. They were both naked, a sheen of sweat on Faith's skin. Miguel rocked Faith's body, his mouth working off the motion. The tension built until finally it shot through her body. She stiffened then jerked as the waves coursed over her.

"Fuuuuck!" she moaned. It was the ultimate expression of satisfaction for the slayer. When done, Faith took a few moments to compose herself and then unsaddled from her position on Miguel. She rolled onto her back and grabbed a cigarette from the nightstand. Once lit, she took a deep drag and exhaled slowly. She turned to Miguel who was still breathing heavily.

"Three times is always a charm."

Faith lay still for another minute or two and then put out her cigarette. She rolled over onto her knees.

"Ready to see if three's your favorite number?"

Miguel laughed as Faith slid down his body.

Dawn and Ali walked into their room. Ali turned on the light and engaged the inside locks.

"That was fun," said Dawn.

"I didn't know how crazy Rita is…That girl has some funny stories."

"You don't know the half of it. I think she does it just to see if she can shock people."

Dawn sat on one of the two double beds in the room. "It's getting really late…We probably have to get up early…" Dawn's voice was nervous.

Ali didn't move. She wanted so badly to kiss Dawn. She thought they'd had a few 'moments' while in Lee's room, times when Ali was sure Dawn was returning a desire to be close. Now, Dawn seemed at a distance.

"Dawn…"

Dawn got off the bed and walked over to Ali. "Ali, I…I…don't…" She was struggling for words. "Everything's so mixed up…can we just…"

Before she could say another word, Ali quickly leaned in and kissed her. Ali closed her eyes and when done put her forehead to Dawn's. After a moment, she backed up a step.

"I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for…but Dawn?…I don't want to just be your friend."

With that said, Ali went into the bathroom and shut the door.

Dawn stood unable to move. She was so conflicted. Part of her wanted to let loose and experience something new. She was pretty sure her feelings for Ali were real. Part of her didn't want to use Ali if it was merely to get her out of the doldrums of her love life. Having sex was separate from the reason for sex. Could she cross the line? She thought herself enlightened in the arena of sexuality. And what would it mean if she did? Despite her strong belief in the equality of all sexual choices, it still nagged her as to what sleeping with Ali would signify. More importantly, was now the right time to be making decisions of this magnitude?

By the time Ali came out of the bathroom, the lights were off…and Dawn was in bed, her back to Ali's bed. As far as Ali could tell, she was sleeping.

Dawn had given her answer.

Ali's heart sank. She so wanted Dawn to take the leap, to be bold and act with her impulses. The good doctor got into bed. She would spend some time thinking about the chance that was missed.

Buffy was on top of Jimmy, sitting up straddling him. She had angled her body so as not to put pressure on his leg. The blonde was riding him hard. Jimmy's hands were on Buffy's waist, helping her to rock back and forth.

Jimmy could feel his orgasm nearing. "Oh…Bu…ah…I'm g-gonna…" Jimmy started to separate from Buffy. She grabbed his hands.

"No," she said emphatically. "I want you inside me."

"Sure?"

"Yes."

The two maintained their motion until both reached their release.

"She's asleep."

Willow checked on Sam, still with her head in Willow's lap, when Kennedy spoke. The child was asleep.

"Finally." Willow began to pick up Samantha.

"Leave her on the love seat. It's plenty big enough for her to stretch out…here's a pillow for her. The blanket is over there." Kennedy saw how comfortable Sammie looked and figured it made sense to let the child be.

Willow agreed and soon Samantha was tucked in and snoring.

"I'm going to take a quick shower," the redhead stated as she went into the bathroom.

When Willow came out in her towel, the tv was off, the only light was from the bathroom. Kennedy was in bed.

"Coming to bed," Kennedy said quietly as not to wake Samantha. She held back the sheets and tapped on the space on the bed next to her.

Willow smirked as she walked to the bed. "Are you having impure thoughts?"

Kennedy raised her eyebrows. "Should I?" she asked.

"Our daughter is right there."

Kennedy took Willow's hand and, with the towel dropping to the floor, pulled her into bed. She drew the covers over them. She embraced her wife and kissed her softly on the neck.

"I love you so much, Willow." The slayer's tone turned serious. "I just want to be close. I wasn't really even thinking about fooling around…I need you."

Willow heard the naked sincerity in her slayer's words. Kennedy was being vulnerable. It was a side of the woman only known to her.

Willow put her arms around her slayer and held her tightly. "I'll never let you go."

Within a short time, Kennedy had rolled over and Willow was spooning her, an alabaster arm draped over the slayer's torso. Kennedy held the witch's hand close to her heart. Willow's body pressed against her wife's in perfect contour. Neither was asleep, each feeling the safety from the other's presence. So intimate, so effortless.

Before long, Willow took her hand from Kennedy's and canvassed down the slayer's body. Willow caressed the toned skin as she went. The hand meandered along the slayer's stomach and then traveled up to her hip, pressing as it moved. It was there but a short time before it slid down the thigh and then in between Kennedy's legs. The brunette said nothing as Willow began to stroke her, simultaneously kissing the nape of her neck. Willow's fingers searched and pressed. Kennedy's breathing increased as she felt Willow press her body harder against her. There were no moans, no wild gyrations. Kennedy let the sensation build inside, the pressure building like steam in a teapot.

When her release hit, Kennedy squelched the sounds her voice wanted to make. She grabbed Willow's hand and pressed it harder inside her. She internalized the experience, allowing only a sudden slight jerk to her form as the outward sign of the explosion that occurred within. Her orgasm was like liquid in a blender, calm from the outside but all turmoil inside.

After the sensation ebbed, Willow kissed her slayer once more at the base of her neck. "Sleep," she said lovingly. This was the witch's gift to the slayer. A release of tension and a small show of her love for the slayer.

Sleep came easily for most that night.

Willow sat on the steps of the library, enjoying the warm breeze on her face. This was one of her favorite places at the UC Sunnydale campus. It took a minute for Willow to comprehend that she was at a location that no longer existed on any map. She looked around. The place was void of people except for her.

"There you are, silly."

Willow heard a voice she instantly recognized. She turned and saw Tara walking out from behind the footpath.

"This is certainly an interesting place to meet," the blonde witch said as she sat next to Willow. "But then again, you always did love books. I can see picking this out of your memories. We had some fun times here."

"Tara?" Willow was confused. Her situation didn't feel like a dream but she knew it had to be.

"Of course it's me, baby.," Tara playfully replied.

"But this is a dream. Why are you acting like this is real?" The other times Willow had dreamt about Tara never had such a conscious feel about them.

"How do you know this isn't real…or at least real for you right now?"

Willow got very bewildered. "Are you saying this isn't a dream? What is it then?" There was a hint of frustration in the witch's voice.

"You of all people, Willow, should know that things aren't that simple. Life…death…real…dream."

"Ok, let's start this way. Where are we?"

"In a place that makes you comfortable…You chose it, not me."

"I am sleeping or is this some freaky alternate dimensional thing?"

Tara laughed. "I guess the answer would have to be…both."

Willow thought for a second then got a serious look. "Are you in my mind or…" Willow didn't finish because she saw Tara shaking her head.

"No, baby. I'm not a figment of your psyche. You may have willed me here but I'm not just a thought in your pretty little sleepy head."

Willow listened intently to Tara. She didn't notice that she didn't feel uneasy with the blonde's pet name calling and compliments. Wanting to prove the truth of what she was told, Willow reached out to touch Tara. Her hand went through the blonde like passing through smoke. Sadness flushed over Willow.

"Just because I'm not a figment of your imagination doesn't mean I'm in a physical mortal form."

"Why are we here, Tara?" Willow needed some clarification to the unusual setting.

Tara looked tenderly at Willow. "You're scared. You don't know how your life ended up with this constant fear. Your emotions are so strong, Willow. The energy you give off is really mind-boggling sometimes."

Willow creased her brows. "What you mean? How could my feelings do anything? They're just that, my feelings."

Tara smiled. "Everything is energy, baby. No matter how small or big, it's all energy. It's out there affecting the universe."

The redhead shook her head in disbelief. "Wait. You're telling me that every time anyone does anything, even think, there's some energy force going through the universe?"

"No, not like that. But, like the way walking in sand leaves footprints, beings leave behind prints of their existence. The vast majority of the time, it's so infinitesimal that there's is no dimensional effect. However, once in a while, someone comes along with such connection to the source of it all that…" Tara merely looked at Willow.

Willow sat there, taking in Tara's words. Was she being told that she was so powerful a witch that her emotions could be felt in the dimensional folds of reality?

"Tara, I don't…How could I be so…"

"You are, baby. I always knew you were destined to be an incredibly powerful witch. Your struggles lately have resonated in more than your own head. You've been so filled with doubt that you've unknowingly willed me here."

"Doubt?" Willow didn't like to hear that word.

"Why do you think you've been having dreams about me? Deep down you're having issues with all the fear and war in your life. I'm a safe haven for you. We were happy. And even though we had to deal with evil, it was never on the scale that you face now." Then Tara tilted her head a bit. "If I hadn't died, we'd have had a great life…full of love and joy…without the demons and fear."

Willow stared into Tara's eyes. She searched the blonde's face for a clue as to how the blonde could have made that statement.

Tara smirked. "You're wondering how I know. You only see the reality you're living right now. But there are an infinite number of realities. A change of events here or there and we could have been living on a farm, with a cute little house and a pesky cat for a pet. We would have kept our distance from the danger and the horror."

Willow stopped Tara. She held up her hand. "But that's not our life, Tara. It's not mine. You did die. I moved on and now I have Kennedy and Sam. I love them. They are my life."

Tara looked down and the loving look turned to sadness. "I know you do, Willow. Part of you loves them regardless of the life you have to lead, the danger you and your daughter face every day…the fear you have of losing Kennedy each time she has to battle the evil in the world." Tara's voice got softer. "But a part of you, the part you don't want to face…the part that brought me back into your thoughts…feels differently. It's strong enough on a primal level to make the universe take notice."

"No. That's wrong. I love Kennedy and my daughter. I love them. I would never leave them or do anything to hurt them even if somehow it made me feel safer."

"It's not just about you, baby. The fear you have covers Kennedy and Samantha also. The danger lingers for you and them. Your struggle isn't just so you can be out of the shadow of evil but so that your family can too. You don't want your family to succumb to the treachery and heinous acts of the dark side."

Willow was becoming uneasy with Tara's words. It was as if the woman was looking into her soul. There had been times when Willow wanted to discard the entire notion of the Scoobies and fighting evil. She wanted to run away with Kennedy and Samantha so they could live a normal life. But she knew that was impossible. Her wife was a slayer; she was a powerful witch. There was no way she could outrun her life.

"I do want to keep my family safe from harm. But no matter how much my psyche may think I want out because I can't give that to them, it's wrong. There may be lots of realities but I only know one. And I don't want to change it."

Willow woke up suddenly. She felt next to her but no one was there. Then she heard a noise in the bathroom. A few seconds later Kennedy came out of the room. She blew a kiss to the witch and pointed to the couch where a sleeping Samantha still lay.

Kennedy tip-toed to the bed and sat down slowly. Quietly, "Sam's snoring. Can you hear it? It's early. I'm hoping she zonks out for at least another hour. You can sleep in too. I didn't mean to wake you. I was going to see if they had coffee at the front desk. Want some if they do?"

Willow was dazed. She nodded politely to Kennedy not really knowing what the brunette said. Then she got a peck on the cheek from the slayer and watched her leave the room.

Willow sat there, her 'talk' with Tara swimming in her head. She had to talk to someone but knew it shouldn't be Kennedy initially. The witch knew to whom she could turn.

"Buffy."

Dawn came out of the bathroom. She walked past Ali who was putting some things in her bag. Neither woman spoke. Dawn didn't have to hear Ali tell her how disappointed she was. She could see it in the doctor's body language. She knew Ali saw her action the previous night as a rebuff. However, despite all evidence to support that conclusion, Dawn was seeped in regret. She hardly slept, spending most of the night battling with herself over her cowardly behavior. She had choked, acted badly, which deeply hurt Ali. She felt too ashamed in the light of early morning to try to excuse her immaturity. Being subject to Porter's cold shoulder now, Dawn wasn't sure if she'd ever have a chance to apologize for the awful way she handled her advance.

Ali Porter finished packing her bag. She picked it up and walked to the door. "If anyone's looking for me, I have see Giles and then check on Jim and Miguel."

That quickly, Ali left the room.

"Xander, I'm just glad you called this early. We were all going a little bonkers wondering how you guys were doing. I still can't believe where you are…utter genius."

Willow was having a phone conversation with Xander. The man had called her cell phone not too long after Kennedy went for coffee. As soon as she answered the call, she got dressed and, with cell phone to her ear, walked next door to Faith's room to let the slayer know about the call. Faith and Willow were back in her room within a minute.

"I'm so glad everyone is safe. Please, when you tell Jessie what happened and where we are, make sure she doesn't get too upset about it. She's had enough tension during this pregnancy." Willow saw that Faith was chomping at the bit to talk to her brother. "Ok, Xan, I'll call you sometime tonight to let you know where we are. Faith is anxious to talk to John, so I'll say good-bye and hand her the phone. Say his to Jess and the boys for us." Willow handed the cell phone to Faith.

"Hey Xander, how's the kid behaving?" There was a slight wait and then. "John! Hey, how's it going? Xander says you stepped up to the plate…been helping out a lot…."

Willow allowed Faith to converse with her brother. It was heartwarming for Willow to see Faith so engaged with her brother. The redhead was getting ready to help Samantha get dressed when Kennedy came back into the room.

"Christ. You think getting a cup of coffee would be easy. I swear, the only non-coffee drinker in the world works at this place. He didn't know how to work a coffee maker…." Kennedy finally realized that Faith was talking to her brother. "Xander called?" she questioned and got a nod form the witch. "Where are they?"

Willow got a big smirk. "In the last place on earth anyone would ever expect to find Xander."

Kennedy looked at her baffled.

"His folk's place. They're in California. He drove to Indiana and they took a flight from there. He says his folks are already driving him nuts and it's a toss up between them and the vamp demons."

After discussing Xander's location for a few more minutes, Kennedy told Willow that she'd already seen Giles and Buffy. "We're going to get everyone and go for breakfast and then we need to make sure we're all know about what we're doing."

By this time, Faith was done with her call. She saw Willow and Kennedy stare at her. "What? I was making sure he wasn't being a pain in the ass."

"Faith, your brother's a good kid," Willow said.

The older slayer frowned. "I was talking about Xander. Hell, I know John's got his act together." They all laughed. "Listen, thanks for getting me, Red, but I gotta go get my stuff together and make sure Andrew isn't harassing Mick with his idiot sci-fi crap."

Kennedy told Faith about going out for breakfast as she left.

"I'm glad John got with the program," Kennedy told Willow. "Faith would have been unbearable if he was causing trouble for Xander."

Willow had gotten over the joy of hearing form Xander. Her mind was once again on the strange experience form the night. She knew she would tell Kennedy about it but first wanted to air it out to Buffy, a more neutral recipient.

"Ken? Can you take Sam? I want to go see Buffy."

Kennedy looked at her daughter who was watching cartoons. "I gotta feeling we could both leave and that kid wouldn't know until the show's over." She chuckled. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll get our things together and get Miss Mickey Mouse Clubhouse over there to put on some regular clothes."

Willow was relived. She left to find Buffy.

Hey, Faith…You gotta minute? Isabella and me wanna talk to you about something?" Dakota asked Faith.

Faith was standing next to Dakota and Isabella in the motel parking lot.

"Something happen during patrol?" Faith asked.

"No," replied Isabella. "That went fine." She glanced at Dakota. "No, we need to talk to you about something a lot more important…who the informer might be."

Faith's interest immediately peaked. "I'm all ears, ladies. Let's go for a walk."

Zareen stood at the side of the body of Arminda de Montajo. She stared at the protruding belly. Two from the demon army she summoned up stood behind her against a wall, as if at attention. The rest of the Glassensnell vampires had retreated to some black crevasse in the hidden mountainside cave.

It had been a frustrating night.

After she found out the travel plans of the Cleveland crew, Zareen conjured her army and waited. She made contact with a nearby underworld being, one that was paid handsomely for information. It was a contact that she had set up previously in an effort to carry out her mission. The demon was to undercover and tell Zareen about the flight plan, airport and arrival time of the group. Once she knew this information, Zareen planned to carry out a surprise attack. She decided that, because of the unknown power which emerged at Slayer Central, she would not take chances with the slayers. She wanted as many killed as possible and doing it upon their arrival was as good a time as any.

However, Zareen's snitch never came back with the information. She waited and waited until finally the being came to her abode. It was the only creature that knew where she was, the only one that dared to know.

The information given to Zareen made her frenzied. The plane was not to land in San Francisco or even Oakland. The flight plan had been changed. The plan had diverted and was to land in Colorado. The lackey stated its delay in getting back to the cave was mostly due to the time it took to find out at which airport the plane landed.

By the time Zareen found out that her ambush had been thwarted, it was nearly sunrise. Time was getting short; new elements had been brought into play and this latest twist was cause for concern.

Lavender eyes scanned the pregnant body. Triumph was within that flesh. Zareen had a strong feeling that she could no longer wait for her prey to come to her for its total defeat. She would need to take the battle once again to them. But to do that, she needed to know where they were. She had not the time to summon or conjure a contact for Colorado. Contact had to be made and made quickly. Zareen concluded that she had to risk the obvious. She had to mentally connect to one of them.

"Ahh, which is the least risky target?" she said as if asking her henchmen's response. After a moment's thought, she decided.

"I don't know what to say, Wils. You have to give me some time to think this through." Buffy and Willow and were sitting on the edge of Buffy's bed. Jimmy wasn't there. He'd left to talk to Giles.

Buffy stared at nothing for the longest time, the story she'd just heard about Willow's strange experience involving Tara dumbfounded her. She wished she could have given Willow the relief she wanted, a simple "Oh, this is what that means" moment. But she couldn't. Buffy had no idea what it was that Willow may have encountered.

"Did it feel like it was really Tara? I mean…could it have been the First?"

Willow shrugged her shoulders. "I just don't know, Buff. I wasn't awake…but it wasn't a dream. It wasn't anything like the other dreams I've had lately with Tara. This one felt like we were talking right now even though we were at UC Sunnydale. But then, it couldn't be now…unless the library was just a set…like in a movie."

Buffy put her arm around Willow. She could see her best friend was fraught with uncertainty.

"She said the universe knew what I was feeling. Me…plain 'ol Willow. That doesn't make sense."

Buffy disagreed with Willow's assessment of her importance. "Well, I kinda have to agree with Tara on that. You're like one of the most powerful witches in the world, Wil. You are so connected emotionally with everything. I can see how, if you're really upset, that might send out a lot of vibes."

"But what did she mean by 'the universe' felt it?"

"Maybe it means the Powers-That-Be. Who really knows what the right name is for the big guys who run the game?"

Willow closed her eyes and rubbed them. Shaking her head, "I guess." She turned to Buffy. Seriously, "The thing that really bothers me, is how Tara kept saying I didn't want my life and that if it had been different, it would be better for everyone. The way she talked about all the danger for Kennedy and Samantha…almost like she wasn't talking generalities…like she was trying to give me a warning…or tell me that I should do something to change that."

The two women sat there, contemplating the meaning of ambiguous statements. Then Buffy had a thought.

"What if it was a warning? Maybe you really didn't call for Tara as much as she was sent to you. Maybe the bigwigs sent her to intervene…to give you a warning or give you the heads up about something that might happen to Ken and Sam."

Willow stared at Buffy. "Oh great, another mystery I need to solve." Willow turned her head up as if looking at the heavens. "Heeeellloooo…Doesn't anyone up there remember I don't work well under pressure?"

"Shit. What the hell do I do now, Mick?" Faith stood against the wall in her room talking to Miguel about her conversation with Dakota and Isabella.

"What did you tell them?" The Brazilian was told that the two slayers thought Andrew was the traitor and Giles was too old to handle the action any longer.

"I didn't blow them off like Buffy did. But…as much as I think Andrew's a pain in the ass, I'm not sure he could pull this off. The guy's a basketcase usually when things get rough. Then again, I can't just ignore Dee and Issie. They have some very valid points. I've got a harder time with what they've said about Giles. Sure, the guy's old…but he's not decrepit…Fuck, he's middle – age."

"Trust your instincts, Faith. You're pretty good at…how do you say it?…smelling out the bullshit. Keep an eye and ear on things…If Dee and Iss are right, you'll know soon enough."

Faith knew Miguel was right. She wouldn't prejudge or assume anything. She would let the facts take her to a conclusion. She pushed off the wall.

"Enough of this. I'm hungry. Let's go get some breakfast." They headed to the door. Faith stopped short.

"Shit. This means that little turd has to be in my van so I can keep an eye on him." She shook her head as she and Miguel left the room. "Being the dependable one blows."

It took some time to get everyone together but the Cleveland contingency finally went to Dwayne's Diner for breakfast. The gang acted as they had the night before. Light conversation and no talk of demons. Lee quickly told Kennedy about the actions of Dawn and Ali in her room. Kennedy of course mentioned it to Willow. Willow attempted to speak to Dawn but got the brush-off. It was obvious that something had gone wrong between Dawn and Ali. Unfortunately, this was no time to discuss it with Dawn. At one point, Willow mentioned in passing to Buffy that Dawn seemed low and that maybe she could use some sister-to-sister time.

The meal didn't take long and soon the group was in the parking lot ready to leave.

"Look, it's those guy's again." Rita was pointing to the Ford truck that the men were in the night before.

Heads scanned the area to see where the men were.

"Over there…by that horse trailer," stated Shane. There were five men standing around a truck pulling a horse trailer. There were two horses in the trailer and it seemed as if the men were discussing the horses. Two of the five were the cowboys from the previous night's encounter.

Not wanting to wait for trouble to stir up again, Giles cleared his throat. "Well then, we seem to have finished our business. Hurry up. Back in the vans. We still have to take care of the bags. We have a long way to go today and we need all the driving time we can get."

There was mumbling in the crowd and several 'evil eye' stares to the men. Finally, Buffy got the girls' attention off the men. "Giles is right. We need to go."

They started to get back in the vans.

"We'll be right back," said Nancy. She and Beth headed back to the diner. "Gotta go pee. Can't wait to get back to the motel. Sorry."

Rita rolled her eyes. "Hurry up then. You two have bladders the size of golf balls."

Everyone got seated and soon they saw Nancy and Beth come out of the diner. They all watched as the two snuck up next to the cowboys' Ford truck. Beth disappeared as Nancy looked at the men by the horse trailer. A few moments later, Beth reappeared and the girls quickly but discreetly went to their van and got in.

They had smiles as wide as their faces.

"What did you two do?" asked Rita authoritatively.

"Just a little payback," Nancy said as Beth held up a knife form the diner.

"Seems Mr. Cowboy there has a flat tire now." Beth stated proudly.

Faith slapped the steering wheel chuckling. "Hell yeah. You two have some balls. There may be hope for you yet."

Zareen put her energy inward. She focused her mind to search out the slayer. Her power traveled as if on a supernatural superhighway. The ethereal dimensions flashed by, a fast speed train aiming for its station. It took much of her energy. And it took time to scan across the country until she found her target.

All she had to do was make contact for just a moment, just long enough to scan the psyche to find the stored information of where the group was and where they were going.

Searching…searching…searching…

Found.

Zareen's mind was at the doorstep of the slayer's. One more bump and she'd be in. One more moment and she'd know where to send her henchmen.

She took the leap. "Ahhh…There you are…scampering away."

"Put on your safety belt, Aunty Buffy. We're on the street. That's a safety violation." Samantha rebuked the blonde.

"Huh? Oh yeah." Buffy engaged her seat belt.

Willow smiled at Sam and turned to Buffy. "Kid show…they teach all about driving and swimming safety…pretty annoying after about ten minutes…"

Willow couldn't continue because Yvette grabbed her head and shouted to Willow. "Ahhhggg! Willow! I theenk zee barrier spell zust got broken!"

Kennedy pulled over as quickly as she could. The people in that van hurriedly got out. Willow placed her hands on Yvette's head and chanted some words. Yvette was instantly fine.

"What just happened, Willow?" Kennedy asked.

In a cold, flat voice, "Lavender eyes found us."