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Rack and Ruin

Teaser

Story by DragonWriter17 and Susan Carr Written by DragonWriter17 (additional writing by Kye and Chris Cook) Produced and Directed by DragonWriter17 and CN Winters Edited by CN Winters Sound by CSR Art Direction by Chris Cook Artists - Chris Cook, Zahir al-Daoud, Rob, Sarah, Humaira, CN Winters

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Fade In: Int. Council Kitchen – Early Evening

As Andrew herded a team of junior slayers carrying stuffed garbage bags out of the kitchen and into the alley where the dumpster was located, Robin supervised a trio who were cleaning out the dry storage pantry. Nearby, Faith stood watch over another group, who was scrubbing the industrial walk-in refrigerator and freezer. In the freezer, both Shannon and Rita were on their hands and knees wiping down the walls and lower shelves with bleach water.

Shannon made a sound between a groan and a growl. "This is no fair," she complained. "Why do we have to do all the dirty work while she just watches?"

"’Cause we’re on the bottom of the pecking order, that’s why," Rita replied. "Oh, need your car washed? Get a junior slayer. Or how ’bout these five-hundred pound boxes? Oh, let the young’uns do it. We’re like slaves or something."

"Do I hear complaining in here?" Faith asked as she walked toward the two younger slayers.

"Yeah," Shannon said, "this is torture!" "It’s like...cruel and unusual punishment!" Rita added.

"Let me ask you something. Do you like to eat?" Faith inquired.

"Of course, we do," Rita replied.

"Do you want to continue eating," Faith said, "then I suggest you clean like your meal plan depended on it, because it does." Rita and Shannon both swallowed hard and collectively took a step back from Faith. "Not me from me," the slayer continued exasperated. The girls seemed to relax a moment. "Health inspector’s coming tomorrow, and if we don’t pass, we get shut down. We get shut down, you don’t eat. So the logical answer would be…?"

"Clean," Rita and Shannon grumbled and returned to their work.

Faith simply laid a finger on her nose.

Cut to: Int. Council Lobby – Same Time

Becca hobbled through the front entrance and immediately plopped into a nearby chair in the lobby. She sprawled out in the chair and moaned in pain.

"Oh god, my feet are killing me!" she exclaimed.

"I’m sure it’s...nothing...compared to my back," Giles grunted from behind an armload of bags and packages as he struggled through the doorway and into the lobby. "Oh...dear...lord..." he groaned as he set the packages on the floor. Then he too fell into a lobby chair.

As Rowena entered on her way to the exit, she caught sight of the exhausted parents-to-be. She grinned and went over to join them.

"Back from another lengthy expedition, I take it?" she asked.

Giles and Becca didn’t answer; they merely nodded wearily.

Rowena glanced at the packages. "Hmmm...Babies R Us, A Pea in the Pod, Nursery Depot, Baby Universe...boy, you two have really been at it."

Becca leaned up in her chair and looked at Rowena more closely. "Don’t you look nice," she said. "What’s the occasion?" Rowena struck a momentary pose then said with a wide smile, "I have a date. A real date, by the way – not just a take-out pizza in the rec room."

"Should I warn Willow?" Becca teased.

Rowena gave Becca a sarcastic ‘ha-ha’ look and went on. "She’s meeting me at The Palace, and after that, it’s just the two of us for the rest of the night."

"It sounds lovely," Giles said.

"It will be, so unless there’s an apocalypse, don’t call us!" Rowena said in a mock command.

When Giles and Becca grinned and nodded in compliance, Rowena gave them a wave and headed out the door.

Cut to: Int. Kennedy’s Apartment – Same Time

Kennedy and Mia sat on the couch, their supper plates on their laps. The television was on, but neither was really watching. Mia nervously looked over at Kennedy then cast her gaze back at her plate. Seconds later, Kennedy glanced at Mia and then also looked away quickly. After an interminable silence, Mia finally spoke.

"I’m glad we got out of the whole ‘super-clean’ downstairs," Mia commented.

Kennedy forced a smile. "Yeah, me too."

"Lucky us, huh?"

"Yeah, lucky us."

The two slayers returned to their meals, once again eating in awkward silence.

Cut to: Int. The Palace – Dining Room – Later

Rowena sat alone at a table in the palace. She lifted the fine china cup from its saucer and took a sip from her tea. Then she turned around and glanced nervously at the doorway to the foyer where the hostess stood greeting guests.

"Need a little more tea, hon?" the waiter asked, forcing Rowena to turn back around.

Rowena smiled at the server and shook her head. "No thanks, Sammie." Sammie put his hands on his hips. "Where is that girlfriend of yours?"

"I’m not sure," Rowena replied. "She’s usually very punctual."

"That must be one of the things you two have in common."

Rowena laughed. "Yep, sticklers for timeliness."

"Well, I know she wouldn’t stand you up," Sammie said. "Willow thinks the sun rises and sets in those eyes of yours. You know that, right?"

Rowena blushed at the thought. "That’s good ’cause the feeling’s mutual."

"It’s obvious," Sammie said. "I’ll check back with you in a little bit. In the meantime, hang in there. Willow’ll be here before you know it." Sammie gave Rowena a wink of encouragement, then hurried off to the kitchen.

At the table in front of Rowena sat a well- dressed, heavy-set woman who was probably in her late forties or early fifties. She glanced over her shoulder at Rowena. When Rowena met her eyes and smiled, the woman stuck her nose in the air and turned back around. Rowena frowned and shook her head.

The woman stroked the arm of her mink coat, which was draped on the back of her chair. Then she reached up and touched the diamond necklace that lay conspicuously on her chest. She patted it several times and then reached over to touch her companion’s hand.

He was a much younger man, in his late twenties at the most. He was dressed in a very expensive black suit. When the woman touched his hand, he smiled graciously and turned to her, the charm coming off him in waves.

"I simply cannot believe the gall of some people," the woman said, loudly enough for both Rowena and other nearby patrons to hear. "It’s a disgrace, I tell you."

The woman’s companion nodded in whole-hearted agreement, giving her hand a comforting pat. Rowena, however, went crimson in embarrassment and shrank back in her seat, dropping her gaze to the tabletop. She cut her eyes to her left and right, but found no encouraging glances. She gripped her teacup with both hands and stared into it.

"Willow, where are you?" she whispered urgently.

Fade out. End of Teaser

Act One

Guest Stars: Michelle Rodriguez as Kadin VanHelsing, Liv Tyler as Shadow, Jeff Kober as Rack, Steffani Brass as Shannon, Hudson Leick as Jacinta Carter, Jeff Kober as Rack/Luke, Avril Lavigne as Janet, Asia Argento as Marie, Victoria Pratt as Francesca, Michele Merkin as Sable and Alicia Silverstone as Heli

Guest Starring: Elijah Wood as Jeff, Norika Fujiwara as Mia, Lindsay Felton as Skye, Stephanie March as Bonnie, and Felicity Day as Vi

16 hours earlier

Fade In: Int. Kennedy’s Apartment – Early Morning Before Sunrise

The bedroom was dark and calm. The only sound penetrating the darkness was the constant tick of the bedside clock.

Kennedy lay sprawled out on her side of the bed, one arm thrown across her eyes. A sleeping Mia lay peacefully next to her.

The elder slayer let out a deep sigh and turned her body more into her girlfriend, wrapping her arm around the woman’s waist. Mia let out a tiny sigh in her sleep and burrowed deeper into Kennedy’s embrace.

Fade Out

Fade In: Ext. Deserted Beach – Night

The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks slowly lulled Kennedy out of her peaceful slumber. She let out a long moan as she stretched her arms above her head. Her eyes instantly opened when her hands met the cool sand of the beach.

The slayer sat up quickly and looked around. Perplexed, she pulled herself to her feet.

"Well…" she said, glancing around. "Huh."

"Looking for someone?" The sultry voice froze Kennedy in place. She swallowed hard and let out a deep breath.

"Don’t worry," the voice said, now right next to her ear. "You’re not dead."

Kennedy’s eyes slid shut as the woman’s warm breath tickled her ear.

"Kennedy, look at me."

The slayer’s throat suddenly felt very dry, but she forced her eyes back open and looked at her companion’s face. Her eyes met the soft brown gaze of Kadin Van Helsing.

"Hey," the hunter said.

"Umm…hey?" Kennedy answered weakly.

Kadin chuckled and leaned in to place her forehead against the slayer’s. "You should really learn to relax."

Kennedy’s eyebrow shot to her hairline. "Relax? This from ‘Ms. Adreline Rush’. I’m in the middle of a deserted beach, at night, with…" She trailed off to give Kadin the once-over. "...with a very hot and scantily-clad woman. Relax isn’t in the cards right now."

"Hot?" Kadin repeated with a smirk. "Scantily clad?"

Kennedy smiled and averted her eyes with a blush.

"Well, it is your dream," Kadin said matter-of-factly. "So if anyone here is scantily clad, it’s because that’s how you want it."

"What?" Kennedy suddenly looked up. "No, not me. I…I don’t want any scantily-clad anything. I’m not even sure why I’m having this dream ’cause it’s obvious that this is something that I—"

Kadin cut off Kennedy’s babble with a gentle finger over her lips. "Don’t think," she whispered softly. "Just feel."

Kennedy watched wide-eyed as the hunter leaned in and kissed her.

Cut to: Int. Kennedy’s Apartment – Early Morning Before Sunrise

Kennedy moaned in her sleep and nuzzled deeper into Mia’s neck. She pulled the younger woman tighter against her own body and smiled in her sleep. Cut to: Ext. Deserted Beach – Night

Kennedy moaned into the kiss, lifting her hand to wind her fingers through Kadin’s raven hair. The kiss lasted only a moment longer before the hunter broke it and pulled away. Kennedy gave a small whimper of protest at the separation.

"Don’t worry," Kadin chuckled as she took Kennedy by the hand. "The night’s just begun." She turned and started to lead the slayer over to the shoreline, a devious smile plastered on her face.

"Ah, Kadin?" Kennedy said, trying to get the other woman’s attention.

Kadin just continued to walk along in silence, gently pulling Kennedy after her. When they finally reached the shoreline, Kadin stopped and looked out into the waves of the ocean.

"It’s so beautiful," Kadin said as she looked over at Kennedy and smiled. "Don’t cha think?"

"Well, yeah, I guess...if you like that kind of—" Kennedy’s words were cut off when Kadin suddenly shoved her onto the sand. The slayer fell onto her butt and let out an annoyed grunt. "All right, I’m sorry. Geez. It’s beautiful. No need to get violent."

Kadin gave Kennedy her most seductive leer and smirked. "I’m a lover…not a fighter."

Kennedy’s throat constricted. "H…huh?"

Kadin’s smile faded, and she placed her hands behind her back, resting them on her hips. Her wet hair hung down around her face and her bronze skin glowed in the moonlight. The bikini top she wore did nothing to hide the gently rippling muscles of her torso.

Kennedy found herself transfixed by the image before her. "Now that’s beautiful," she whispered.

Kadin stalked purposefully over to Kennedy. She paused when she reached the slayer’s feet. She slowly raked her eyes over the slayer’s body until her gaze came to a penetrating halt on the other woman’s eyes.

"I can’t believe how much I want you."

At those words, Kennedy’s eyes slid shut again, and she moaned. She cleared her throat and began, "Kadin, I—" Her words failed when she felt the woman’s presence even closer than before. She opened her eyes to meet Kadin’s mere inches from her own. The hunter smiled.

Any protest the slayer might have had died in her throat when Kadin’s lips once again met her own. She pulled the hunter to her, and the two women fell back onto the sand, moaning into each other as they kissed. A sudden wave swept up and crashed into their entangled bodies, but they didn’t seem to notice. Eventually, Kadin pulled away and smiled down at Kennedy.

"Well, look at that," she whispered, "you got me all wet."

Kadin smirked and leaned back down to capture the slayer’s lips. Kennedy closed her eyes and lost herself in the fantasy.

Cut to: Int. Kennedy’s Apartment – Early Morning Before Sunrise

Awakened by Kennedy’s moans, Mia slowly blinked her eyes open. When she realized she was wrapped in Kennedy’s arms, she smiled to herself. When Kennedy moaned again, Mia chuckled.

"Kennedy," Mia called softly in a sing-song voice. "Kennedy..." When Kennedy didn’t respond, Mia said more firmly, "Kennedy, wake up!"

Kennedy woke in a jolt, abruptly separating herself from Mia. "What? What is it?" she asked breathlessly.

Mia smirked. "Somebody woke me up. Seems she was having a very naughty dream." Kennedy went wide-eyed and speechless. "Was I in this dream?" Mia asked seductively.

"No!" Kennedy answered, more sharply than she intended. "I mean...no, I wasn’t having a naughty dream."

Mia looked at her girlfriend skeptically.

Kennedy put on her most charming grin. "What do I need naughty dreams for when I’ve my real- life dream girl right here?"

Mia glared for a moment, as if not believing Kennedy’s denial. Eventually, though, she succumbed to Kennedy’s sparkling charm and smiled broadly.

When she saw Mia’s face light up, Kennedy moved closer to her again. "Well, since we’re already awake, what’d’ya say we make up our own naughty dream right now?" Kennedy suggested before nuzzling Mia’s neck.

Once Kennedy had wrapped her arms around her, Mia laughed and returned the embrace. When she rested her chin on Kennedy’s shoulder, however, her face fell, and a sad worry filled her eyes. "Sounds good," she replied flatly.

Cut to: Int. Willow’s Apartment – A Little Later That Morning Willow hurried about the living room, gathering personal items into her small backpack. Rowena, still in her pajamas, looked on unhappily, her arms crossed and her face frowning.

"Can’t you at least have breakfast with me?" Rowena asked with a pout.

"I’m sorry but I’ve got to get the supplies for the coven class," Willow replied apologetically as she looked inside of her pack as if searching for something.

"Well, just make sure to leave my fifty bucks for last night on the nightstand," Rowena shot back bringing Willow to an instant halt and making her look up. Almost immediately as the words left her mouth Rowena groaned and said, "I’m sorry. That was a cheap shot. I..I just miss you. Between researching this Presidium stuff and our regular duties, we haven’t had much time together except for…you know..." The blonde dropped her gaze and began fiddling with the hem of her pajama top.

Willow stopped her rush about the apartment when she heard the disappointment in Rowena’s voice. She set down her pack and crossed the room to stand before her girlfriend. She placed her hands gently on Rowena’s arms until she looked up.

"You’re right. We haven’t had much time together lately, and I’m sorry for making you feel like a call girl," Willow said.

"No," Rowena said quickly. "I know you love me and I know how busy you are – how busy we both are," she corrected. "It’s just a case of foot in mouth disease."

"It was a bit harsh, true. But I think you’re right to an extent. We haven’t had much time for just us so why don’t we go out tonight? Just you and me?"

"Really?" Rowena said hopefully.

"Really," Willow replied. "I can’t do breakfast now but I can do dinner tonight. I can call Sammie at The Palace, get him to save us a special table." Willow took Rowena’s hand planting a kiss on the back of Rowena’s hand.

Rowena smiled widely and pulled Willow into an earnest kiss. "Sounds perfect," the watcher answered.

Willow gave Rowena a long hug, then returned to her pack. Once she had swung it onto her back, she headed for the door. "I’ll make the reservation and call you later with the time. Then I’ll meet you there. Agreed?"

Rowena gave a happy nod. With a final smile to her girlfriend, Willow was out the door.

Cut to: Int. Giles’s Apartment – Later that Morning Giles and Becca sat at the dining table, surrounded by boxes and ribbons and the remains of wrapping paper. Becca had her nose in a baby-names book while Giles finished opening the last of their wedding gifts.

"What about ‘Nadine’?" Becca asked.

Giles looked up, tilted his head in thought for a moment, and then said, "I’ve always preferred the simpler variant ‘Nadia’."

"Nadine is two syllables. Nadia is three. How is Nadia simpler?" Becca rolled her eyes and turned the page.

"What about ‘Glynnis’?" Giles offered as he lifted the latest gift from its box. He frowned at the rectangular item and added it to the pile of similarly-shaped objects. Then he made a note on a pad nearby.

"That’s a joke, right?" Becca pursed her lips and shrugged in a non-committal gesture.

"I had an aunt named Glynnis," he argued.

"Well let’s go with something in the last century at least," she argued. "So, how’d we do?" she asked after a few moments when it was clear that the unwrapping was officially over.

Giles picked up his list and glanced at it while motioning toward the sorted stacks of gifts. "Let’s see...nine books, ten tea-related gifts, seven non-gender-specific baby sleepers in yellow and green, four CDs, two sets of guitar strings, and one...um..." Giles nervously held up a plastic object with a cup-like feature.

"Breast pump," Becca finished for him.

"Yes...right," Giles replied, quickly replacing the object in its box.

Becca chuckled at her husband’s discomfort. "At least we got a few baby gifts," she commented. "We still need to fill in the gaps, though. It’s time to hit the baby superstores," Becca sighed, giving Giles a mock punch in the arm.

Giles forced a smile and sighed, "Yes. Whatever you say, dear."

"Just keep that up, and this’ll be the happiest marriage in the history of mankind," Becca teased as she stood and gave Giles a pinch on his cheek. Giles grinned and pulled Becca into his lap. "It already is," he told her before kissing her soundly.

Cut to: Int. Coven Room – Same Time

Dawn and Skye sat at the small table in the corner, looking sleepy and bored. They straightened when the door opened and Jeff came in. He smiled when he saw them.

"Good, you’re here," he said as he joined them, setting his notebook on the table. "We can get started then."

"How can we get started? Willow’s not even here," Dawn said.

"Oh. Well...actually...she’s not going to be here," Jeff explained. "And Andrew can’t be here. He’s getting ready for the health inspection tomorrow. It’s just us."

"You called the meeting?" Skye asked.

Jeff nodded. "Yeah, I...um...I had something I wanted to talk to you about."

Dawn cut her eyes nervously. Skye crossed her arms and glared. Jeff swallowed noticeably.

"It’s about Willow," he announced.

"Willow?" Dawn and Skye replied simultaneously, a look of surprise and confusion on their faces.

Jeff nodded again. "Yeah. I’m...I’m worried about her. It’s been weeks since we did the counterspell to the Ritual of Sundering, and she’s nowhere near a hundred percent."

"So? She’s getting there," Dawn said defensively.

"I know she is, but in the meantime, we need somebody to take charge, to take point."

"And you think that somebody ought to be you?" Skye asked sarcastically.

"Well...yeah," he replied. "I think you’re jumping the gun, Jeff," Dawn said. "Willow isn’t powerless. She can still lead the coven."

"And what happens when the Presidium shows up? What are we gonna do? Say, ‘Oh, can you wait just a few more weeks until Willow’s up to speed?’ I don’t think so."

Dawn looked at Skye, who returned her worried expression. Then Dawn turned back to Jeff. "What exactly are you proposing?"

"I’m not saying this to brag, but...besides Willow, I’m the strongest one here," Jeff replied. "It makes sense for me to lead. And I’m willing to do it, but I need your support. I think we should beef up our efforts, learn more spells, practice more. We have to be ready, whether Willow is or not."

Dawn and Skye once again exchanged anxious glances. When Skye shrugged and nodded, Dawn turned back to Jeff.

"Okay," she agreed, "but we should talk to Willow about this first, and I think I should be the one to talk to her."

Jeff smiled gladly. "Great! That’s fine. Can you talk to her today?"

"Sure," Dawn answered. "In fact, why don’t I go find her right now? The sooner we get started, the better."

After a quick kiss to her girlfriend, Dawn left the coven room, leaving Jeff and Skye alone. As soon as the door shut, Skye stood up and glared down at Jeff.

"This better not be about you wanting more ‘Dawn time’," she warned, pointing a finger toward Jeff.

Jeff lifted his hands in a defensive gesture. "It’s not," he insisted. "I swear."

"Okay, then," Skye said before sitting down again. "What did you have in mind?"

Jeff smiled and opened his notebook.

Cut to: Int. Slayer Gym – Same Time

Xander entered the gym carrying a briefcase-sized wooden box by its handle. He glanced about the room until he found what he was looking for: a flash of red hair near the punching bag. He smiled and hurried over. Vi was dressed in biker’s shorts and a tank top over a black sports bra. Her fists were wrapped, and she was giving the bag a good pummeling. When she saw Xander approaching, she rolled her eyes and returned to her workout.

"Vi!" Xander said. "Faith said I could find you here."

"Yeah, so?" Vi replied, giving the bag an extra-strong pop, making the chains holding it rattle.

"I, um, I know we haven’t exactly been on speaking terms since, well, you know..."

Vi stopped punching and pinned Xander with a cold stare.

"...since I totally screwed up the wedding-date invite," Xander continued.

Vi nodded in agreement to that and resumed her workout.

"I just wanted to apologize...and to give you this." Xander held up the wooden case. It was beautifully stained in a dark, dark red, and the front was carved with the Council’s coat of arms.

Vi stopped and looked at the case curiously. "What is it?" she asked.

Xander motioned her toward the bench. Then he set the case down and opened it.

In the black-velvet-lined interior, held in place by two silver clips, lay two hand-carved stakes. The tips were sharpened to perfection, and the handles were crossed in leather. Each cap was inlaid with a silver V.

Vi’s mouth dropped open as she stared at the gift. She reached in the box and lifted out one of the stakes for closer inspection. She touched it in awe and wonder.

"Xander," she said, "they’re beautiful. I can’t believe you did this."

Xander shrugged. "I just wanted to say that I’m sorry and I hope we can start over."

"Oh, Xander," Vi said before throwing her arms around him and giving him a big hug. "Of course, we can!"

Xander hugged the slayer back, a look of relief on his face. When they finally separated, he asked, "So...friends again?" The light in Vi’s eyes instantly vanished, although her smile stayed in place. "Friends," she said flatly. "Yeah. Sure."

Xander smiled widely. "Good...’cause I missed you. You know, when we weren’t talking."

"Yeah, me too," Vi replied sincerely.

The two stood in awkward silence for a moment until Xander finally spoke. "I guess I’d better get back to the shop. Catch you later?"

Vi nodded and said, "You bet."

When Xander had gone, Vi dropped her smile and plopped onto the bench beside the wooden case. She replaced the stake in its clip, and then, with a sigh, she closed the box.

Cut to: Int. Council Dining Room – Around Noon

"Mr. Wood, a moment?" Bonnie asked. He nodded, and the pair moved to the corner of the room, out of the way.

"You have something?" Robin asked.

"I have a definite something," Bonnie replied. "Do you remember the court case against Jimmy Volano, a couple of months ago?"

"The extortion case," Robin nodded. "The prosecutors dropped it on a technicality, didn’t they? Something about tampering with evidence?"

"I’ve been doing some research on it," Bonnie explained. "The evidence was cleared later. Apparently, someone in the police lab took a pay-off to raise the tampering allegation, to derail the trial. It’s not direct action, but if the case were reopened, I’m sure there are a lot of cops who would love to crawl all over Mr. Volano’s properties and dig up evidence of something more than intimidation tactics. And I imagine the DA’s office is full of zealous young prosecutors who would love a shot at making their name by bringing down the notorious James Volano."

"Sounds good," Robin nodded. "Is this just idle hope, or can we make it happen?"

"I think we can make it happen." Bonnie paused, thoughtful, then continued. "The state’s case rested largely on the testimony of a witness, Jacinta Carter. She was a bystander, but she saw just enough to hold the case together. Her identity was suppressed during the trial, but I found it after some work, so it’s good odds that Volano knew, too. When the case fell apart, she went into hiding. She knew what it meant to be willing to testify against him, and with the case stalled, it was probably the only way for her to save her life."

"But if the trial can go ahead now—" Robin began.

"It seems that Jacinta isn’t willing to take chances a second time because the police have had no luck tracking her down."

"But you have?"

"In a way," Bonnie smiled thinly. "It turns out there were two witnesses. But...the other one was a Khepri scarabite. Volano doesn’t know, but neither can anything with a carapace and compound eyes testify in a Cleveland court. But the scarabite can help me find Jacinta."

"You?" Robin asked pointedly.

"He knows me," Bonnie said. "And he knows her. He’s willing to take me to her, on two conditions: it has to be me, in person, and it has to be soon. Volano’s operation doesn’t extend just to extorting money from demons. He’s not afraid to hire them either. He’s got some working for him now, a Vorca tracker among them. Kin – the scarabite – wants himself and Jacinta under the Council’s protection within the next two days, or they’re going to leave the city permanently and never contact me or anyone else here again. Meaning you lose your chance to give Volano a court case to keep him busy while you move against him." Bonnie glanced at Robin, shifting uncomfortably.

"You look like you’ve got something else to say," Robin prompted.

"I…agreed to Kin’s terms on your behalf," Bonnie admitted.

"You did what?" Robin exclaimed, barely keeping his voice down.

"I had no choice!" Bonnie insisted. "Look, Volano may not be up in arms about Jacinta, but his people are on her trail anyway – he likes being thorough. She’s very, very scared, and Kin was half-ready to just take her and get the hell out of the city right away. He owes me a lot, from before the Engineer, and even so, I had to literally plead for just this much of a chance. Since he took Jacinta under his wing, they’re..." She smiled to herself briefly, then went on. "They’re close now, and Kin lost a mate years ago, so he’s very protective of her."

"Wait, ‘mate’?" Robin asked. "He’s a scarabite, right, as in…" He made a vague ‘wings’ motion with his hands.

"Yes," Bonnie nodded, without expression, "wings, mandibles, the whole deal."

"Are they even…compatible, with humans?" "Reproductively, no," Bonnie shrugged. "But when has that ever stopped anyone? Look, the bottom line is that I had one chance to secure a resource for the Council, and I took it. If I overstepped my bounds, fine. Take away my bonsai tree or something. Do you want to know what you need to do?"

Robin stared at her for a moment, frowning in thought.

"All right," he said eventually. "Let’s hear it."

Cut to: Int. Council Library – Same Time

Dawn entered the library and looked around the empty room. She was just about to leave when she saw Rowena come out of the far stacks.

"Rowena," Dawn called to get the watcher’s attention.

"Dawn," Rowena replied. "What’s up?"

"Have you seen Willow?" Dawn asked. "I’ve looked all over, but I can’t find her."

"Last time I saw her, she was going to run a bunch of errands. Have you tried to call her?"

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, but she’s not picking up."

"Huh," Rowena replied. Then she waved her hand in dismissal. "Ah, she’s probably in a cell phone hole somewhere. Is there something I can help you with?"

Dawn shook her head. "No, but thanks. It can wait. It’s just some coven stuff I want to ask her about."

"Oh, okay," Rowena said with a shrug and a smile.

"No big. I’ll just catch her later," Dawn said before giving Rowena a wave and left the library.

Cut to: Ext. Lenore’s Chamber Occult Shop – Same Time

Willow came down the sidewalk, slowly and carefully, as she carried two large bags of supplies for the coven’s stores. Trying her best not to drop the bags or lose her balance, Willow fished her keys out of the side pocket of her backpack, which was hanging off her arm.

She hit the button on the electronic key, and with a soft click, the van’s doors were unlocked. She leaned the bags against the side of the van and opened the passenger door. After setting the large bags inside on the passenger seat, she tucked her keys in her pocket and then slammed the door.

"Maybe now I can see who called," Willow mumbled to herself as she reached into her pack for her cell phone.

Suddenly, a figure in black materialized behind her and touched the back of her neck. Her body jerked from the contact as white bolts of energy left the figure’s hand and entered her body. Within seconds, Willow crumpled into unconsciousness, dropping her pack to the sidewalk. The dark figure caught Willow as she fell, then teleported them both away.

Fade Out

End of Act One

Act Two

Fade In: Int. Dark Cell – Early Afternoon

Willow awakened slowly, groggily, pushing herself up from the cold, hard floor. She sat up and glanced about the dark room, a look of confusion on her face. She blinked her eyes several times as if trying to adjust them to the low light. Then she got to her feet.

"What the hell?" she said to herself as she turned around in the room as if trying to figure out where she was.

The sound of a small scuff on the floor came from the corner, and Willow whipped around to face it.

"Who’s there?" she called out to the darkness.

No sound came from the corner. Willow straightened herself into a brave stance.

"I know you’re there, so you might as well show yourself," Willow said. Willow heard scuffing again, and a figure emerged from the shadows of the corner—a female figure. The woman was dressed in tight black leather pants and a black leather halter top. A leather mask covered the upper portion of her face, obscuring her identity. The woman didn’t speak. She simply began circling Willow lazily.

Willow followed the figure as she moved, but at intervals, Willow cut her eyes to different areas of the room as if scanning for an exit. After a few tries, Willow found the door on the other side of the cell. Willow gaped in amazement when she saw that the door was actually open. Willow quickly glanced away from the door and back to the circling figure.

Willow looked her captor’s outfit and smiled. "I think somebody’s got a bad case of Catwoman envy."

The dark figure didn’t respond.

"Aren’t you going to say anything?" she said to the figure. The woman still didn’t speak. "Did I get kidnapped by a mime? ’Cause I have to admit...that would be scary."

When the figure passed her and left an opening for the door, Willow dashed for the exit. Right when she got to it, though, it slammed shut, closed by magic.

The woman sent out a white bolt of magical energy towards Willow. It lashed itself like a whip around Willow’s neck, ensnaring her. Willow grabbed at it, desperately trying to pry it from her neck, but her efforts were useless. The bolt dragged Willow away from the door and past the sorceress. Then, with a hard yank, it slammed her into the wall.

Before Willow could regain her breath from hitting the wall so hard, the whip-like tendril of energy rose, lifting Willow by her neck so that her feet barely touched the floor. Willow was forced to stand on her tiptoes in order to breathe. The sorceress let Willow hang there for a moment. Willow met her captor’s eyes, but still the woman didn’t speak. After a long stare, the woman gave a slight grin.

The magical bolt around Willow’s neck slowly rose. Willow struggled in vain as her feet left the floor. She began to choke. She fought it as long as she could, but finally her eyes fluttered closed and she went limp as her air supply failed. The dark figure instantly released her, and Willow crumpled to the floor.

Willow’s chest heaved as she sucked in air, attempting to regain her breath. As soon as she did, she found herself strung up again as the sorceress repeated the process, strangling Willow until she nearly lost consciousness then releasing her at the last second. After the third time, Willow lay on the floor, gasping for air. "Who...the hell... are you?" Willow managed to ask.

The sorceress gestured in Willow’s direction, and the redhead was tossed across the room and into the sidewall. She fell to the floor with a groan. Before she could even sit up, Willow was picked up and thrown to the opposite side of the room, where she crashed into a table and chairs.

Lying on the floor, Willow moaned in pain. "Never mind...that’s okay..." she joked weakly, "I-I- I don’t really need to know who you are..."

Willow struggled to a sitting position. A gash on her forehead was bleeding profusely, and she held her arm against her side as if her ribs were hurting. She grimaced and took a deep breath. Then a look of resolve came over her face.

"Look, you can tell your boss, Volano, that this kidnapping routine of his isn’t going to work. It didn’t work with Ro, and it’s not going to work with me. My friends will find me and--"

The dark figure gestured again, and the whip-like tendril was back, lashing itself around Willow’s throat, dragging her to her feet and pulling her until she was standing, weak-legged, in front of the sorceress. The figure finally spoke.

"I don’t care about your friends and I don’t work for Volano," she said firmly.

"Who is it then? The Presidium?" Willow asked. "Well, it’s not going to work. We know they’re coming, and we’re going to be ready for--"

The energy lash constricted, cutting off Willow’s courageous words. The sorceress closed in.

"I don’t work for anyone," she said.

She released the magical bolt, dropping Willow, who somehow managed to stay on her feet. She rubbed her bruised neck. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Shadow," the figure replied, pulling off her mask.

Willow looked intently at the raven-haired woman, but her face showed no recognition of her at all. Willow took a step back.

"What do you want from me?" Willow asked.

Shadow struck a thinking pose. "Oh, let’s see...screaming, crying, bleeding, writhing, begging...that sort of thing."

"Why? I don’t even know you." Shadow’s expression turned hard and cold, and she shot over to Willow until she was right in the redhead’s face. "You killed my brother," she said in a deadly voice.

"Y-Y-Your brother...?" Willow replied nervously.

"Yes," Shadow replied.

She stared long and hard into Willow’s eyes. Willow seemed unable to tear her gaze away.

"Remember when you strung him up?" Shadow continued. "Remember when you ripped the life from him?"

"Oh god..." Willow said, with a horrified expression. "Warren..."

Shadow wrapped her hand around Willow’s throat and then shoved her against the wall.

"Can you imagine how it felt...to find him hanging there upside down? Sucked dry, an empty shell?" Shadow said. "I sensed his death a dimension away and came running, but I was too late."

"You’re-You’re Rack’s sister," Willow said as a look of realization slowly cam to her face.

"Not just his sister...his twin...the other half of his soul." A pained expression entered Shadow’s eyes. "He was everything to me, and you took him from me." Her face hardened again. "And now you’re going to pay."

"God, I’m...sorry. I’m so—"

"It’s too late for ‘sorries’...Strawberry," Shadow said menacingly before beginning Willow’s torture anew.

Cut to: Int. Council Library – Same Time

Mia entered the library and glanced around the room. She found Rowena sitting at a long table, looking up at her.

"Mia, hi," Rowena said in greeting as Mia walked over. "Are you looking for Kennedy?"

Mia dropped her gaze to her hands. "No," the slayer replied. "Actually...I was looking for you." "Well, you found me," Rowena said with a grin. "What can I do for you?"

Mia shifted her weight several times and wrung her hands, but she still didn’t meet Rowena’s eyes. The blonde watcher instantly rose from her chair and came to stand beside the slayer. She reached out and touched Mia’s arm.

"Mia, what is it?" Rowena asked in a concerned voice.

"It’s..." Mia started but couldn’t finish. "It’s about me and Kennedy," she finally managed to say as she looked into Rowena’s eyes.

Rowena appeared confused. "Come on, why don’t we sit down, and you can tell me all about it?" Rowena led Mia to the chair next to hers, and they both sat down. "What’s troubling you?"

Mia looked at her left hand and twisted the heart-shaped diamond ring on her middle finger. "It’s Kennedy. I think that she...I think I’m losing her."

"Losing her?"

Mia nodded. "To Kadin."

"Kadin’s not even here," Rowena pointed out.

"She might as well be. She’s in her thoughts, in her dreams."

"Kennedy told you that she’s dreaming about Kadin?"

"Well, no, but it’s obvious that she is," Mia insisted. "She’s probably replaying their night together in Bucharest," she added bitterly.

"Did something happen between them in Bucharest?" Rowena asked gently.

"Yes!" Mia snapped with certainty. Then she continued less confidently, "No...I don’t know!" Mia threw her hands up in frustration.

"Have you asked her?"

"No," Mia admitted, dropping her gaze. "When she came home, I-I was just so glad she was back. I didn’t want to push her away. And then later, I was..."

Rowena frowned as she watched the slayer trail off. "You were afraid of what she would tell you," the watcher speculated.

Mia nodded ruefully. "I wanna know...but I don’t." Rowena smiled compassionately at Mia and gave her hand a squeeze. "There’s really only one solution here, and I think you know what it is."

"Talk to Kennedy," Mia answered.

Rowena nodded. Mia took a deep breath and let that advice sink in. "Besides," Rowena continued, "It might not be as bad as you think. After all, Kennedy is here—with you—not with Kadin. That says something."

That comment got a smile out of Mia, and she rose to her feet. When Rowena joined her, she gave the watcher a hug. "Thanks, Ro," she said before heading for the door.

Rowena waved encouragingly to Mia as she left. But once the slayer had gone, Rowena dropped her hand and sighed, a frown replacing her smile.

Cut to: Int. Dark Cell – Later

Willow floated face-up in the air, her body contorted into an unnatural position, as if she had been bent backwards over some invisible object and her wrists bound to her ankles. Her clothes were ripped and torn in multiple places and stained with her own blood. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and her face was twisted in pain as she breathed in short pants.

Shadow slowly circled her captive. In her hands, she held a metal rod about a yard long; it was dark gray, and its surface had been etched with mystical symbols. Shadow tapped the rod in her palm as she moved around Willow. When she came to a stop in front of Willow, the tapping stopped, and she held the rod firmly in both hands. She met Willow’s eyes.

Then, without warning, the sorceress thrust the rod forward until it made contact with Willow’s stomach. An enormous electrical surge left the rod and entered Willow. Her body began to shake and nearly convulse, and she screamed, unable to prevent herself from doing so. After a few seconds of contact, Shadow pulled the rod away, ending the painful surge. Willow continued to shake afterwards, her scream fading into desperate gasps.

Shadow waved her hand and released Willow from her floating position. Willow fell like a dead weight to the floor. Except for the process of breathing, Willow didn’t move. Shadow sat cross- legged beside Willow and pulled the limp woman into her lap. She pushed Willow’s hair off her forehead and then stroked her face gently.

"So strong," Shadow said, "and yet...essentially powerless."

When Shadow met her eyes, Willow merely glared in response.

"It must be so frustrating for you, wanting that power back so badly, seeing me wield it with such ease before you..." "I...don’t want...the kind of power...you have," Willow croaked.

Shadow laughed. "Oh, please! I know you miss it. I can tell."

Willow shook her head in denial.

"Oh, you’re all calm, cool, and collected on the outside, but I can feel what’s on the inside," Shadow said, placing her hand on Willow’s chest and closing her eyes. "Inside...you’re just shaking...trembling with your desire for it...your need for it." Shadow opened her eyes and smiled seductively. "Want a little taste?" she offered.

Willow’s eyes widened in alarm, and she shook her head insistently. She shoved Shadow to the floor and forced herself to sit up. She turned over to get on her knees so that she could crawl away, but she turned the wrong way and ended up straddling Shadow’s body.

Before Willow could get away, Shadow touched her palm to Willow’s chest, sending a small dose of black magic into the witch’s body. Willow immediately reacted. She closed her eyes and moaned in pleasure, lowering her shoulders and then raising them again in a rocking motion. She began to pant. When she opened her eyes, they were solid black. Shadow pulled her hand away. The smallest hint of a smile crossed Willow’s lips until she saw Shadow beneath her. Then her face fell.

"No," Willow cried, crawling off Shadow. She backed away until she got to the wall. She fell back against it into a sitting position. She clenched her fists tightly and closed her eyes. "No, no," she repeated, shaking her head. She opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. With a final "no," the black in her eyes receded.

Shadow raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Cut to: Int. Council Library – Same Time

Jeff eased the library door open and stuck his head inside. He carefully looked around the room. When it seemed that no one was there, he stepped inside and quietly shut the door. Carrying his notebook, he crept toward the locked rooms on the far side of the library.

"Hi, Jeff!" The voice startled Jeff, and he jumped noticeably, nearly dropping his notebook. He turned toward the speaker. "Holy moly, Rowena!" he said to the blonde watcher as she approached him. "You scared the bejesus outta me!"

"Sorry," she said. "I’m on my way out. Did you need something?"

"Oh...no, not really...I-I-I’m just here to get in a little study time," Jeff replied.

"Okay," Rowena said agreeably. "Just turn out the lights when you’re done."

"No problem," Jeff said, giving Rowena a thumbs-up.

Jeff waited a moment until he was sure that she had gone. Then he made his way quickly to the last doorway on the far side. A sign on the door read, "Restricted Area – Senior Watchers Only."

He twisted the knob, and as he expected, it was locked. He stepped back, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he held his palm out towards the doorknob.

"Resera," he commanded in Latin.

Instantly, he heard a metal pop as the door was unlocked. He turned the knob again, and the door opened easily. He went inside and turned on the light.

It was a small, windowless office containing a small desk and two walls full of shelves. This was the restricted area where the darker, more dangerous books were housed. Jeff put down his notebook, then went to one shelf and quickly scanned its contents. As soon as he found what he was looking for, he pulled the volume from the shelf and set it on the desk next to his notebook. Its title was Visiones Vatium.

Jeff sat down and opened his notebook. He turned to a page on which he had already written some notes. At the top, he had written "Visions of the Seers." He turned to a passage marked in the book and resumed his note-taking.

Cut to: Int. Dark Cell – Later

Willow sat like an abandoned rag doll, leaning against the wall of the cell, her arms limp at her sides. A tired expression was on her face. Shadow sat right next to her, also leaning against the wall.

"I’ve been watching you, for some time now," Shadow said to Willow. "I wanted to get to know you a little first, determine your habits, wait for the perfect opportunity."

Willow didn’t answer or even move, except for a few slow blinks. Shadow turned sideways so that she was facing Willow. "You know what event fascinated me the most?"

"No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me," Willow replied unenthusiastically.

"When that sorcerer...what was his name...Ethan...when Ethan was shot," Shadow answered.

Willow cut her eyes at Shadow, swallowed noticeably, then cut her eyes away again.

"You were so distraught, so convinced that you couldn’t ‘fix it’," Shadow commented.

"Turns out, he didn’t need fixing," Willow said.

"It must be so exasperating—not being able to help your friends, to keep them safe from all the big bad evil in the world."

Willow sighed heavily and rotated her head so that she could look Shadow in the eyes. "Know what?" Willow said. "I liked you better when you were keeping your mouth shut. So until you decide to kill me for good, let’s make this a quiet time. Whadda ya say?" Then she turned her head back so that she was facing front once again.

Shadow’s eyes narrowed, and with the flash of a gesture, the sorceress levitated Willow into the air and slammed her onto her back onto the table in the corner. Willow grunted as she landed. Before she could attempt to rise, the whip-like energy tendril was back, split into four, wrapping itself around her wrists and ankles, lashing her down to the table.

"You’d like that wouldn’t you?" Shadow asked rhetorically. Shadow paused a moment and then continued with false cheer. "You know, I should have picked up one of your little friends and included them in the festivities." Then her face hardened. "Then I could let you know what it feels like to lose someone."

"I do know what it feels like," Willow spat back.

"Is that so?" Shadow asked before moving to stand behind Willow’s head.

Shadow closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and powered up until her hands glowed with red energy. When her eyes flew open, she grabbed Willow’s head with both hands. Willow’s body immediately arched in reaction to the attempted invasion of her mind. She struggled uselessly against her bonds, writhing in agony as Shadow forced her way in. She clenched her jaw tightly as if fighting the urge to scream.

Shadow smiled, seemingly feeding off Willow’s pain. "Oh...that’s right...keep fighting me...you’re making it hurt soooo good!"

Willow bucked her body once, then twice, then let out a piercing scream. Shadow removed her hands from Willow’s head, breaking the connection between them. Willow fell back, panting, upon the table, tears flowing freely down her bruised face. Shadow stumbled backwards, rendered temporarily light-headed by the experience.

"Oh my god," Shadow said with an amazed laugh. "You did lose someone. This is so perfect." Shadow steadied herself and walked around the table to look Willow in the eyes. "You should completely understand my point of view here."

"No!" Willow said hotly. "You’re wrong. I was wrong. I let my rage consume me, and I became everything I hate, everything she would have hated."

"That's where Tara and Rack are different. He wouldn't care."

Shadow looked at Willow thoughtfully for a moment. Willow’s eyes widened in fear as Shadow reached toward her with glowing hands. She squeezed her eyes shut and cringed as the inevitable violation of her mind began. Shadow pulled her hands back, leaving Willow once again gasping on the table. Shadow giggled giddily and put her hand to her heart.

"Another blonde? I should have guessed," Shadow said, walking back to the end of the table. "You got a thing for blondes, doncha? There’s Rowena...Tara...Buffy. Ooops! Wait, wasn’t s’posed to say that, was I?"

Shadow laughed again and waved her hand at Willow, releasing her from her bonds. Willow rolled off the table, nearly falling when her feet hit the floor, but she used the table’s edge to hold herself up.

"You know, I'm thinking there's more to the story here," Shadow said, walking back around the table. "Tara was years ago, but I'm sensing something much more recent...You know, I really think Rowena should join us. In fact, I’ll go invite her...right now!"

"No!" Willow screamed, reaching out toward Shadow, but the sorceress simply blipped away. Willow fell to her knees, crying, "No...please, no..."

Fade Out

End of Act Two

Act Three

Fade In: Int. Dark Cell – Resume

Willow banged on the cell door, screaming in frustration, with tears streaming down her face. After one final bang, she winced in pain and tucked her arm against her ribs as she sank to the floor. She cried a few moments more then angrily shook her head. She roughly wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Get a hold of yourself," she reprimanded herself. "Crying isn’t going to help anyone." She glanced at the door. "Pounding and screaming apparently doesn’t work, either."

Willow struggled back to her feet and stood before the door. She closed her eyes and concentrated. When she opened her eyes, she held her palm towards the door.

"Resera," she commanded in Latin. Nothing happened. "Resera!" she repeated. Again, nothing happened.

Willow touched the door and closed her eyes, moving her hands across the surface. After a few seconds, she shook head and stopped.

"Beautiful," Willow concluded in a mutter.

She left the door and walked to the center of the room.

"Come on, think, think!" she said as she looked around the room. "You had a brain long before you ever had magic, so use it!"

Willow examined every inch of the room, but saw no avenue of escape but a glimmer at the far right corner of the room caught her attention. She walked over and kneeled down.

She picked up a paper clip and examined it in her hand before her eyes looked back at the door.

Cut to: Ext. Street – Late Afternoon

With the sun quickly fading, an unmarked van drove slowly along a dark street and pulled to a halt in front of a nondescript apartment building. The van’s side door opened, and Bonnie and Heli emerged, with Marie following from the driver’s seat. The two slayers kept the agent between them, not bothering to hide the caution with which they regarded her.

"UV light," Bonnie said quietly, holding out a hand to Heli. The slayer pulled a tiny, modified flashlight from her belt and handed it over ungraciously. Bonnie pointed it toward the roof of the building and flicked the switch on and off several times. "Is he there?" Marie asked. Just as she spoke, a blue-green glimmer of light glinted in the darkness of the rooftop.

"Let’s go," Bonnie instructed.

Cut to: Int. Apartment Building – Fourth Floor Corridor – Moments Later

The three women walked quietly down the hall, past broken hall lamps and random graffiti. They arrived at a door – 413 – and waited as Bonnie pressed the doorbell, which gave an unpleasant buzz.

The door opened a fraction, held by a safety chain. Through the slit an insectoid form was barely visible, black chitin with green and blue highlights, a head with mandibles on either side of its mouth-parts, and compound eyes composed of thousands of tiny cells.

"Kin," Bonnie said quietly. "These are slayers, and they’re armed. We can be in the Council in ten minutes."

The door closed, there was a rattle of the chain, then it opened again, fully. The insect resembled a scarab with human proportions – thicker legs and forearms, compared to its torso, though a pair of thin mid-limbs stirred at its waist. Behind it, from above its shoulders down to its knees, it was protected by a dark, thick carapace. Beneath that, their edges just visible from the front, iridescent wings were folded neatly away.

At its side was a worried-looking woman with short blond hair. She regarded the three visitors nervously, shifting a little further behind her armored companion.

"A-are you sure we’ll be safe?" she asked, looking from Bonnie and the slayers to the insectoid.

"The Council’s kept me safe for months," Bonnie offered.

"You risk yourself in meeting us, then," the insectoid said, in a surprisingly genteel voice, with just a hint of clicking buried within it.

"Yeah, I’m sure they’ll give me a medal when we get back," Bonnie replied. "If we’re going, let’s go."

"Do you need to bring anything?" Marie asked Jacinta. "The Council can provide you with what you’ll need," Bonnie said before the woman could reply. "Unless there’s anything here absolutely vital and irreplaceable, it’d be better to just go now and travel light."

"Right," the woman said, "let’s go."

Cut to: Int. Slayer Gym – Same Time

Mia entered the gym hesitantly. She glanced about the room, waving at several of her fellow slayers, until her eyes found Kennedy on the far side. She was draping a towel over her shoulder and heading for the showers. Mia hurried over.

Mia caught up to Kennedy just as she entered the locker room. "Hey," she said as she reached out and touched her girlfriend on the shoulder.

Kennedy turned around and smiled when she saw Mia. "Hey, yourself," she said. "What’s up?"

"I-I-I wanted to see you," Mia said.

Kennedy pulled Mia to her. "Well, if you follow me to the showers, you can see all of me you want," she said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Mia grinned and blushed, but then forced herself to pull out of Kennedy’s embrace. "As inviting as that sounds, what I really want to do is...talk."

Kennedy’s face sobered, and she took a step back. "Sounds serious," she said evenly.

"It is."

Kennedy chuckled nervously. "Should I sit down for this?"

"No," Mia replied lightly. "I mean, I don’t think so."

"Okay, now I’m really worried. So, out with it."

"Okay. I just want to ask you something. And I want you to be straight with me."

Kennedy crossed her arms and nodded. "Shoot." Mia looked at the floor, took a deep breath, then looked back up at Kennedy. "Did you sleep with Kadin when you were in Bucharest?"

Kennedy looked away and sighed, then walked over to Mia and stood in front of her. "No," Kennedy told her emphatically. She held Mia’s gaze for a moment. Then she touched her arms and smiled and said, "Okay?" When Mia returned her smile and nodded, Kennedy gave her a kiss and headed for the showers.

As Mia watched her girlfriend walk away, she frowned unhappily. Then she too turned and walked away.

When Kennedy got to the line of sinks in front of the entrance to the showers, Kennedy turned around to look back at Mia, but she was already gone.

Kennedy put her hands on the sink and leaned against it, dropping her head. She growled in frustration then lifted her head. When she did, her eyes caught her reflection in the mirror above the sink. She glared at herself, long and hard, then stalked off to the showers.

Cut to: Int. Dawn’s Room – Same Time

Dawn and Skye were sitting next to each other on the single bed, leaned against the wall, their laps covered with books and notebooks. Every few minutes, Skye stopped her studying and stared in Dawn’s direction. After about the umpteenth time, Dawn set down her highlighter and turned to face her girlfriend.

"Okay, what is it?" Dawn asked. "You’ve been burning holes in the side of my head for the last half hour."

"That obvious, huh?" Skye replied sheepishly.

"Uh, yeah," Dawn answered with a playful grin on her face. Then she sobered and said, "Is something bothering you? You can tell me, you know."

"Well, there is something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about," Skye admitted. "I just didn’t know how to bring it up."

"How ’bout this? You just blurt it out. Don’t worry about the ‘how’. Just worry about the ‘what’."

"Well, it’s not so much a ‘what’ as it is a ‘who’," Skye said. "Is it a ‘Who’ from ‘Who-ville’?" Dawn asked with a chuckle. When Skye didn’t share her laugh, she cleared her throat and said, "Sorry."

"It’s Jeff," Skye announced in a serious voice. "You do know he’s got the hots for you, right?"

"Um, can we go back to the silent staring ’cause, frankly, I’m—"

"Dawn..." Skye warned.

"Okay, okay," Dawn conceded. "Yes, I know how Jeff feels about me."

When Dawn didn’t elaborate, Skye prompted her. "And..."

"And what?"

"And what about you?" Skye asked, dropping her gaze to her hands. "How do you feel about him?"

"Boy...tough questions," Dawn commented.

"I want the truth, Dawn, even if it’s something you think I don’t want to hear."

"Okay then," Dawn said with forced enthusiasm. Then she paused for a moment before starting again. "I like Jeff a lot, and I have to admit that there has been some strong attraction."

Skye swallowed hard and looked away.

"But nothing has happened between us, and nothing is going to happen between us," Dawn said assuredly as she took Skye’s hand in her own. "I told him flat out: ‘I’m with Skye, and I’m going to stay with Skye, because I love her, and I won’t do anything to hurt her’."

A smile filled Skye’s face. "You said that?"

"Darn tootin’!"

"Well, I kinda said something to him too," Skye admitted with an embarrassed, guilty shrug.

"You did?"

"Yeah and I kinda wish I hadn’t."

"What did you say?"

"Well, I’m not sure of the exact words, but it was sort of like, ‘You may think you love Dawn, but I know I do, and if you try to take what’s mine, you’ll regret it!’ Or something to that effect. Give or take a threat or two." "You threatened him?"

Skye looked Dawn in the eye and said with a grin, "Darn tootin’."

Dawn smiled widely then pulled Skye to her for an earnest and thorough kiss, which Skye eagerly returned. As they pulled away Dawn asked, "So what did he say?"

"What he said wasn’t important but…I don’t want him coming to you and saying I think I own you. I know you’re your own person and all but…I don’t know…I’ve got a lot invested here and I don’t want him using anything against me."

"He won’t. I know how you feel about him and yeah, he’s immature at times but one, he’s a teenage guy and two…he hasn’t been around like I have. He’s had his troubles, no doubt, but after six years of living with life and death situations it gives you the chance to grow up a little quicker…Besides…I kinda like the idea of being yours," Dawn said ending with a smile that Skye returned.

Cut to: Int. Apartment Building – Second Floor Stairwell Landing – Moments Later

The group was moving quietly down when a shape appeared below them, marching up the stairs.

"What’s that?" Jacinta asked. "I-I-Is it one of your—"

"Run," Marie ordered as the shape walked through the dim shaft of light from a grubby window, revealing the details of its hulking, mutilated form. Bonnie grabbed Jacinta by the arm and hauled her back up the stairs, while the insectoid Kin followed slowly, watching the two slayers draw their weapons and stand their ground against the towering demon, slowly advancing on them.

"What the hell is that thing?" Heli hissed. When Marie made an unenthusiastic groan, Heli asked, "You know it?"

"Vutch demon," Marie growled. "Don’t slice, no matter what. Stabs might slow it down, and you can try to mess up its joints, but do not cut any bits off."

"Okay, I’ll distract, you stab," Heli decided. "Watch yourself."

"Come on!" Bonnie insisted, pulling Jacinta back. "Kin!" she cried out as they disappeared onto the floor above.

"I don’t suppose you can breathe fire, by any chance?" Marie asked Kin.

"I cannot," he said.

"Ah, damn."

The two slayers and the insectoid scattered as the Vutch demon leapt the last few steps and charged them, shouldering a chunk out of the corner of the wall as its targets dodged. Marie flipped one of her sais to hold it point-down and leapt at the demon’s legs, scrambling beneath the swing it aimed at her and driving her weapon into its knee as hard as she could. She rolled away, barely avoiding the Vutch demon’s fist as it slammed into the floor, punching a hole in it.

The demon staggered as it tried to put weight on its damaged leg, but then to the slayers’ dismay, it stomped forward, the sai’s metal blade splintering as the joint crushed it.

"It’s going for the stairs," Heli said "Hey! Ugly, over here! C’mon!"

The Vutch gave her a baleful glance, then turned away and moved back towards the stairwell. Both slayers started forward to intercept it, but before they could, Heli was knocked off her feet by a tremendous rush of air from behind her. Kin flew at the Vutch with his wings buzzing, tackled it around its thick waist, and sent both of them tumbling down the stairs and crashing through the window.

Cut to: Ext. Street – Moments Later

As the two slayers emerged from the building, they looked across the street and saw the battle between the Vutch and Kin continuing. The enraged Vutch picked Kin up and hurled him with all its strength into a lamppost, which buckled from the impact. The insectoid fell to the ground, moving feebly. Various cracks and craters in the asphalt testified to the brutality of their duel.

"Check him," Heli ordered. "I’ve got an idea! Keep back!"

She ran for the van and leapt into the driver’s seat, starting it up. Driving up onto the sidewalk, knocking trashcans out of her way, she picked up speed then swerved directly across the street, colliding with the Vutch demon, sending him to the pavement. With a glance in the mirror, she backed the van up quickly, running over the prone demon as it began to rise. Leaving the van on top of the demon, Marie quickly grabbed a steel-tipped stake from the glove compartment and scrambled out, as a shuddering thud on the van’s underside signaled the Vutch’s refusal to remain where it was.

"Nice try," Marie said to Heli, shrugging as she supported the injured insectoid on her shoulder. Marie sprinted back to where her fellow slayer was standing and turned. "I’m not done yet," she said.

The van rocked over onto its side, and the sound of tearing metal came from within it. Heli raised the stake, aimed carefully, and threw it with all her strength.

The stake punched through the van’s lower body, just behind its back wheel, as the Vutch’s claw punched through the side door from within. Before the demon could emerge, the fuel tank punctured and ignited, and the whole vehicle was consumed in flames. Heli watched with some satisfaction as the Vutch crawled from the vehicle, stumbled to the edge of the inferno, and collapsed, lifeless, disintegrating into dust.

"Well…fought," Kin said, speaking with some difficulty.

"Thanks. Radio?" she asked Marie, who handed it over. "HQ, this is Heli. We’re at the site, and we need a fire crew here. And a vehicle."

"Roger that, what’s your status?" came Robin’s voice.

"We’re okay, but we’ve got an injured demon."

"Where’s Bonnie?" Marie asked.

Heli glanced around. "Damn," she said. "HQ, looks like Bonnie might have—"

"I’m here," the agent called, appearing in the building’s doorway. Jacinta followed her nervously, then caught sight of Kin, and rushed to his side.

"What was that?" Robin asked over the radio.

"Never mind," Heli replied.

"Okay. ETA ten minutes," Robin said.

"Thanks. Out." Heli handed the radio back to Marie and glared at Bonnie. "I’m sure when we went over this, the words ‘don’t go out of my sight under any circumstances’ were mentioned."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Bonnie shrugged. "Besides, where would I run to?"

Heli frowned at her, then shook her head. "Okay," she said. "No harm, no foul."

Cut to: Int. Babies R Us Department Store – Early Evening

Giles pushed their nearly-full cart at a snail’s pace as Becca waddled beside. "What about ‘Alice’?" Giles asked.

"’Alice’?" Becca replied unenthusiastically.

"’Alice’ is a right and proper English name," Giles defended.

"Yeah, but it’s so...blah," Becca countered. "Why not ‘Alissa’ or ‘Alyson’?" When Giles didn’t jump on the notion, she continued. "And why are we focusing so much on girl names anyway? It could be a boy."

"Well, i-i-if it’s a boy, then I think we should consider, um, naming him ‘R—"

"Not gonna happen, mister," Becca warned.

Giles pursed his lips in annoyance. "I was going to suggest ‘Rhys’," he informed his wife. After a moment of thought, he stuck out his chin. "I don’t see anything wrong with ‘Rupert’. It’s a perfectly fine name. It means ‘bright and shining’. And unlike its progenitor, ‘Robert’, it is decidedly uncommon."

"Yeah, well, there’s a reason for that," Becca said, giving Giles a playful nudge.

Giles smiled and chuckled, then wrapped his arm around his wife and hugged her warmly.

"All that really matters is that we have a healthy baby and a healthy mother when it’s all said and done."

"That gets my vote," Becca agreed happily as she rested her head against Giles.

Cut to: Int. Council Dining Hall – Same Time

Faith and Robin came into the dining hall, pushing a large cart. On it were multiple coolers filled with ice and drinks as well as boxes and boxes of subs, sandwiches, salads, and chips. The junior slayers at work in the dining hall looked up at the noise.

"Okay, you worker-bees," Faith called out. "Dinner is served!"

As Faith and Robin set out the food and drinks, they were overrun by a mob of starving slayers. After placing the last box on the table, the two adults wriggled their way out of the crowd to a place of safety a few yards away.

"Damn! Are we not feedin’ these girls enough, or what?" Faith asked. Robin laughed. "Yeah, for a minute there, I thought I was gonna lose a limb."

"Say, how did the thing with Bonnie go?"

"Good," Robin replied. "Both the witness and her protector are safe and sound, for the most part. The scarabite was a little beat up, but he’ll be okay. And Bonnie actually came back. I think that last one’s a good sign."

"That’s debatable," the slayer quipped.

Cut to: Int. Dark Cell – Same Time

Willow knelt anxiously in front of the doorknob. She tried desperately to unlock the door with the paperclip by wiggling it around.

"I swear I paid attention in class that day Giles," she muttered to herself. "Now why isn’t it working for me."

Suddenly, Shadow reappeared before her with a Styrofoam cup in her hand. Willow instantly jumped up and picked up the chair that sat behind her. With her good arm she rushed Shadow, roaring as she swung the chair in the sorceress’s direction. Before Willow could bring the chair into contact, Shadow gestured nonchalantly, magically deflecting the intended blow and sending Willow and the chair to the floor.

Willow grimaced, holding her side once again, but she managed to yell at Shadow.

"What have you done to her?!" Willow demanded. Shadow just laughed in response and took a sip from her drink. "Where is she?!" Again, Shadow just laughed. A look of realization came over Willow’s face, and she shook her head. "Rowena’s not even here, is she?"

Shadow grinned. "I could have her here in a snap," the sorceress said, snapping her fingers. "But I got thirsty instead." Shadow held the cup out to Willow as if in invitation. "Cappuccino?" she asked.

Willow let out a deep breath then forced herself to her feet. She straightened and looked her captor in the eyes. "What exactly do you want from me?"

"I thought I made that perfectly clear," Shadow replied. "I want you to suffer." "Fine! Then do it!" Willow spat back. "Make me suffer! Just get it over with! God, when I was evil, at least I was efficient! But then again like sister like brother I guess. All Rack cared about was playtime, no matter who he hurt. Even if the person was his sister."

Shadow barred her teeth and snarled. Suddenly Willow found herself magically yanked across the room to where Shadow stood. The sorceress grasped Willow’s head in her glowing hands. Willow started to scream, but gritted her teeth and forced herself to act through the pain. She stared into Shadow’s eyes then grabbed Shadow’s head with both hands and pushed away.

Shadow broke the connection between herself and Willow and then flung the redhead against the far wall. Shadow thrust her fist against her temple and grimaced in pain. Then she turned furious eyes toward Willow.

"How dare you talk to me like that! You don’t know anything about me!" Shadow shouted. "He taught me everything I know! Everything I am!"

Willow pushed herself up from the floor and leaned against the wall.

"Oh gods, who are you kidding?" Willow asked in a choked voice. "He destroyed you...can’t you see that? He molded you, robbed you of your identity…like he tried to do to me but failed. So maybe it’s not revenge you want from me. Maybe it’s knowledge. Maybe you want to know how I got away."

"No!" Shadow denied in a rage as she rushed to Willow.

Before Willow could even attempt a defense, Shadow shot magical lightning bolts directly from her hands into Willow’s body, sending the witch into violent convulsions.

Cut to: Int. Council Dining Hall – A Little Later

As Andrew got the junior slayers back on their respective tasks, Faith began boxing up the remains of the sandwich supper. Robin came up behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I’m still hungry," Robin stated.

"Well, I think you’re outta luck," Faith replied. "Looks like the slayerettes have scarfed it all up." Robin leaned closer and whispered into her ear, "Not that kind of hungry."

"Ohhh...that kind of hungry, huh?" Faith said, turning around.

"Mmm-hmm," Robin said.

Faith grinned. "In that case, I may have just what you’re looking for."

Faith took Robin’s hand and walked toward the exit. "Yo, Andrew!" she called over her shoulder. "We’ll be back!"

Andrew, surrounded by a gabbing gaggle of slayers, raised his hand in a vain protest. "But—"

Cut to: Int. Council Reception Desk – Same Time

Vi sat at the reception desk, taking her turn at manning the phone. With the lines completely lifeless, she entertained herself by doodling on the notepad. She had written her own name multiple times in different scripts. Then she had written Xander’s name several times. She was just into a complicated and fancy version of Xander’s name when she heard his voice.

"Hey, whatcha doin’?" he asked as he approached the reception desk.

Vi quickly shut the notepad. "Nothing," she said, way too abruptly. "Just working, you know, the usual."

"Mind if I keep you company for a while?" Xander asked. "I brought snacks." He held up a bag containing Twinkies, chips, and sodas.

Vi grinned. "Sure, come on in."

Cut to: Int. Dark Cell – Evening

Shadow stood in the corner, her arms wrapped around her body, her back to Willow, who lay face-down on the floor nearby. Willow’s eyes were closed, and she wasn’t moving. Finally, she blinked a few times and came to, then grimaced as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. She panted repeatedly until the pain subsided, then turned her eyes to Shadow. "It’s not your fault Shadow," she whispered hoarsely, "what he did to you…He was clever. Seductive. I know first hand. He offered you the world and unlimited power, didn’t he? Had to give a little to get a little huh? I get the appeal, I do, but there’s more to life."

Shadow started shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Don’t judge the world by one selfish man, no matter how much you loved him."

"No!" Shadow cried, spinning around to face Willow. "He loved me!"

"He hurt you, he violated you, he made you into something that—"

"You’re wrong!" Shadow said, pointing a finger at Willow as she began to pace in front of her. "He set me free. He-He made me see who I really was. He gave me his power."

"No, he took your uniqueness," Willow countered. "He made you his clone. The question now is do you want to stay a shadow forever?"

"Shut up!" Shadow shrieked, sending a bolt in Willow’s direction.

Willow ducked as the bolt slammed into the wall, leaving a black starburst on the brick.

Cut to: Int. The Palace – Dining Room – Same Time

Rowena looked at hostess station one more time, then opened out her cell phone to try Willow once again. She punched in Willow’s number and waited. It rang twice before Willow’s answer message began playing. Rowena listened dutifully until the requisite beep.

"Hey, honey, it’s me again," Rowena said into her phone. "It’s late, and I’m really worried, and you’re not answering your phone, so I’m going back to the Council. If you get this message, call me. Please."

Rowena closed her phone and stuck it in her purse. Then she got to her feet and waved at her waiter to get his attention. When her Sammie arrived, she put her hand on his arm.

"Sammie, I’m sorry, but I have to go find Willow," she told him. "I don’t know why she’s not here."

"Don’t you worry about it," Sammie assured her, giving her hand a pat. The arrogant rich woman who sat in front of Rowena made a loud harrumph and tossed her head back. "Typical," she said. "A promiscuous and unreliable lot."

Rowena eyes narrowed, and she stomped past Sammie to confront the rude woman at her table.

"That’s it!" Rowena said, pointing at the woman. "I’ve had about as much as I’m going to take from you!"

The older woman put her hand to her chest and grasped her companion’s hand, her mouth opening slightly in an appalled expression, as if she were suddenly the victim.

"Why don’t you take your narrow mind and your wide hips back to wherever the hell it is you live...I think ‘Boy-Toys R Us’ is calling!"

The woman gasped in shock. "Well-well...I never!"

"I can see why!" Rowena stated emphatically before stomping off towards the foyer.

While Sammie giggled openly, the companion tried unsuccessfully to suppress a chuckle. The woman whipped around and sent icy daggers straight into the young man’s eyes until the amusement left his face. Then she stood up, yanked her mink from the chair, and strode towards the exit, her nose in the air.

"Pookie?" the young man called after the woman. "Pookie bear?" When she didn’t answer, he hurried after her.

Cut to: Int. The Palace – Lobby – Seconds Later

As Rowena stopped in the foyer of the lobby to get out her phone, the rude rich woman shoved past her, her companion right on her heels. Rowena looked angrily in the couple’s direction, then gave them a wave of dismissal. She pulled out her phone, opened it, and punched in the number to the Council.

As the telephone rang, the blonde watcher took a deep breath and let it out. When the phone wasn’t answered on the second ring, she rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Come on!" she said to the phone as it rang a third time.

Cut to: Int. Council Reception Desk – Same Time Vi was giggling as Xander made monster sounds while threatening her with a half-eaten Twinkie. He shot his hand forward with the Twinkie, leaving a dollop of white cream filling on her nose. Then he tossed the Twinkie dramatically over his shoulder into the trashcan.

"You have been stunned by my paralyzing venom," Xander said in a growling voice. "Now you are helpless before me."

Xander reached for Vi with both hands, tickling her mercilessly. She squealed with laughter and tried, half-heartedly, to push his hands away. Suddenly, one good goosing sent her flying from her chair with Xander right on top of her. When they fell, Xander bumped faces with Vi, and they both ended up with cream filling on their noses. When Xander leaned up, Vi looked at his nose and burst into laughter.

"What?" he asked, unaware of the addition to his nose.

"Looks like it’s your turn to be paralyzed," Vi said with a smirk and a sexy tone to her voice. She reached up to Xander’s nose and caught the dab of Twinkie filling on the tip of her finger. Then she stuck her finger in her mouth and slowly sucked the sweet cream off.

Xander never moved or took his eyes off Vi. When she popped her finger out of her mouth, Xander’s gaze stayed right on Vi’s lips. He leaned closer, this time looking into her eyes. Vi put her hand on his neck and returned his stare. He leaned down even more. They were both breathing hard, and their lips were nearly touching, when...

Ring, ring!

"Oh crap!" Vi exclaimed as she struggled to get out from underneath Xander and to the ringing phone.

Ring, ring!

Vi finally made it to her feet and leapt for the phone. When she reached for it, the receiver went squirting out of her grasp.

Ring, ring!

"Damn it!" Vi swore as she finally got her hands on the receiver and punched the talk button on the console. "Watchers Council!" she barked into the phone.

Intercut Phone Conversation – Rowena and Vi

"Hey, this is Rowena."

"Hey, Ro," Vi said, trying to catch her breath.

"Who’s this? Vi?" "Uh, yeah," Vi replied.

"Is Willow around?" Rowena asked.

"Willow?" Vi said, looking around the lobby and then at Xander, who shrugged and shook his head. "Nope, we haven’t seen her."

"What about Giles?"

"Yeah, he and Becca just came in from shopping a while ago. They’re upstairs."

"Can you ring them for me? It’s important."

"Sure," Vi said. "What’s up?"

"Willow’s missing," Rowena said in worried voice.

Fade Out

End of Act Three

Act Four

Fade In: Int. Council Meeting Room – Later That Evening

Giles sat at the head of the table, with Rowena and Kennedy and Xander to his right and Faith and Robin to his left. Looks of worry and concern covered all of their faces.

"You don’t think she’s pulling another disappearing act, do ya?" Faith asked. "You know, like she did when Ethan was here?"

Giles shook his head. "No, I’m afraid not, though I wish it were so."

"She wouldn't have stood me up," Rowena added with certainty. "Not tonight."

"We retraced her steps and found the Council van she was driving," Kennedy reported. "It was still parked in front of Lenore’s. The stuff she bought was still inside, but she was nowhere around." "Did you find her keys or-or her phone?" Rowena asked.

"We found her pack in a nearby alley. Her wallet was gone, and there was no sign of her keys," Kennedy said.

"We were able to track the GPS on her phone," Robin pointed out.

"Yeah, but unfortunately, it wasn’t in Willow’s possession anymore. The creep who had it and her wallet swore he just ‘found them on the sidewalk’," Kennedy said.

"Do you believe him?" Robin asked.

Kennedy nodded ruefully. "Yeah, I do."

"So...what happened?" Xander asked frantically. "Did somebody just grab her or what? I mean, do we think the Presidium has her? Or Volano?"

At Volano’s name, Rowena dropped her head sadly and gazed at her fingers, touching her right pinky. She sniffed dramatically and wiped an unshed tear from her eye.

Kennedy reached out and gave Rowena’s hand a squeeze. She gave her a we’ll-get-her-back smile, which Rowena gratefully returned.

"We just don’t know at this point where she is," Giles admitted.

"Well, let’s get to the knowing point, then," Xander said. "Can’t we do a locator spell?"

"Andrew’s on it," Rowena said, clearing her throat. "He’s preparing the coven now."

Cut to: Int. Dark Cell – Same Time

Shadow was back in her corner, squatting, rocking back and forth on her heels. Willow was still sitting up, leaning against the wall, but a halo of black starbursts surrounded her on the stone surface.

"Listen to me..." Willow tried again.

"Stop it," Shadow said weakly. "I told you, it’s..."

Willow watched sadly as Shadow began to cry, her body shaking from the sobs.

"Rack," she wailed, "I wish you were here. I can be strong when you’re here. You’d tell me what to do, and then I wouldn’t hurt anymore. Oh, Rack..." Cut to: Int. Coven Room – Later

As Giles, Rowena, Kennedy, Faith, and Robin waited in the wings, Andrew double-checked the preparations for the locator spell. When he was satisfied, he motioned towards Jeff and Dawn and Skye. They joined him on the floor and sat around a large map of Cleveland.

Before each of them sat a candle, a dish of colored sand, and a personal possession of Willow’s. At Andrew’s nod, they each lit the candle in front of them and picked up their designated object and placed it in their lap. Andrew took up Willow’s laptop, Dawn held Willow’s personal Book of Shadows, Jeff picked up Willow’s doll’s-eye crystal, and Skye took possession of Willow’s photo album. Once settled into place, they each took up a handful of their colored sand. Then they closed their eyes and concentrated.

"Thespia, protector of the night, ruler of darkness, hear our cry," Andrew began.

"We walk in shadow, we walk in blindness, grant us your sight," Dawn continued.

"Aradia, goddess of the lost, guardian of the missing, hear our prayer," Jeff added.

"The woods are dense, the path is murky, bring the light," Skye finished.

Then they all said at once, "We beseech you, show us the way!"

As they spoke the final line, they opened their eyes, scattered their sands upon the map, and joined hands. The sands started to glow and swirl in the air about the map as the sound of rushing wind filled the room. The sands formed a broad funnel, which moved systematically across the map.

When the funnel reached one portion of the diagram, it jerked, as if it had met some invisible barrier. The funnel moved to the other side, and once again met some invisible force of resistance.

"What’s happening?" Dawn shouted over the sound of the wind.

Andrew grimaced and called out, "Something’s blocking us!"

"Don’t stop!" Jeff cried. "We can break through!"

Skye clenched her jaw and groaned in pain. "It’s too strong!" With a loud whoosh, the wind stopped as quickly as it had begun, and the sands instantly dropped to the floor. The four casters fell forward with a gasp as they released their hands in the wake of the spell’s ending.

Giles and the others rushed forward. "Are you all right?" he asked them as he touched Jeff’s shoulder.

"Did it work? What did you find?" Xander asked, as both he and Rowena settled beside Dawn.

"I’m sorry," Dawn said. "We tried, but—"

"Something was blocking us," Jeff explained.

"Something strong," Skye added.

"Or someone," Andrew suggested.

"Like another coven?" Rowena asked.

Andrew shrugged uncertainly.

"Well, it’s clear that somebody’s got Willow, right?" Faith asked. "I mean, she wouldn’t be casting this on her—"

"Hey! Look at the map!" Kennedy said excitedly.

When all eyes took in the map, they saw that the sands had formed an amorphous outline around the area where the barrier had been in place.

"If that’s where the sands couldn’t go, then that must be where Willow is," Kennedy said.

"Okay then," Xander said, "let’s saddle up! The sooner we get to searching, the sooner we find Willow."

Faith and Robin examined the map closely. Then Robin sat back frowning. "That’s about ten square blocks," he reported ruefully as Faith marked off the area with a pen. "Give or take a block or two."

"In other words, too big to search in a hurry," Xander confirmed sadly.

All present let out sighs of disappointment and stood up. Then they furrowed their brows as if racking their brains for other solutions.

Cut to: Int. Dark Cell – Same Time Willow inched closer to the sobbing Shadow. Just as she reached out to touch her, the sorceress whipped around—all crying instantly ceased, all vestiges of her weaker personality vanished away.

Shadow laughed insanely then said, "Guess what? Your friends are trying to find you."

A look of hope entered Willow’s face.

"But I’m blocking them," Shadow announced with glee. "They’ll have to do better than that to find you in time."

"I-I-In time for what?" Willow asked worriedly.

"For my final revenge, of course," Shadow said with a smile as she caressed Willow’s cheek.

Cut to: Int. Coven Room – Resume

"What if we repeat the locator spell on site?" Rowena suggested suddenly to Andrew. "Would you have a better chance of breaking the barrier?"

Andrew looked at the other coven members and then said, "Maybe, but the barrier might be even stronger on site, due to the location of the caster. Still, it’s worth a try."

Jeff glanced nervously about the group as they once again tried to think of possible answers. "There...ummm...there might be another way," he said quietly.

"What’s that, Jeff?" Giles said, not having quite caught Jeff’s words.

"I said, there might be another way," Jeff repeated. When everyone turned their eyes toward him, he fidgeted once or twice then straightened. "There’s this spell I know. It’s not exactly a locator spell per se; it’s more of a get-a-glimpse-of-the-future kind of spell."

"We’re trying to find Willow, not foresee the next PowerBall numbers," Xander said sarcastically.

Jeff ignored Xander’s comment and continued. "I’ve been working on building my Vision: casting the runes, using the Tarot. I think...I think with this spell I can jump a little into the future and see Willow. The cool thing is I’ll be looking at where Willow will be, not where she is, and that might be just what we need to get around the barrier."

"This spell...where did you find it?" Rowena asked suspiciously.

Jeff dropped his head and shuffled his feet. "The Visiones Vatium," he mumbled. "What?!" Giles exclaimed. "That book is in the restricted area, and for good reason! How did you—" Giles shook his head in angry exasperation. "Never mind. Just tell me about the spell. I want to know everything."

Cut to: Int. Coven Room – A Little Later

The discussion of Jeff’s proposed spell having apparently degenerated into an argument, the group was now divided into three camps: those who supported the spell (Jeff, Rowena, and Xander), those who opposed the spell (Giles, Robin, and Faith), and those who were either undecided or just trying to stay out of the way (Kennedy, Andrew, Dawn, and Skye).

"I know we wanna find Willow, but we’re talkin’ about a spell that could potentially kill Jeff," Faith said. "He’s just a kid."

"I can do it," Jeff insisted. "Besides, don’t we send ‘kids’ out every night on patrol?"

"Slayers are different," Faith argued while Robin added at the same time to him, "Jeff, I realize that you want to help out, but this is no time for ill-advised heroics."

"I’m not trying to be a hero! I’m trying to save Willow!" Jeff replied hotly to both of them.

Rowena and Xander nodded in full agreement.

"Absolutely not!" Giles barked. "It’s simply too dangerous. I forbid it!"

"You forbid it?" Rowena countered angrily. "What happened to your big speech about ‘sharing responsibility’ and ‘everyone having an equal voice’?"

"We should vote," Xander said, pointing dramatically as if tapping a tabletop. "Right now."

"Fine," Giles said. "All in favor of casting the spell?"

Jeff, Rowena, and Xander instantly shot up their hands. Kennedy soon joined them.

"All in favor of not casting the spell?" Giles prompted.

Giles, Faith, and Robin raised their hands. Andrew eventually added his to the group.

The voters turned their eyes to Dawn and Skye who had not yet voiced their opinions. The couple looked uneasy. Then Dawn said, "Give us a sec." She took Skye’s hand and led her away for a private conversation.

"Skye, what do we do?" Dawn asked. "I don’t know," Skye replied. "Maybe we should do the spell. Try it at least."

"Once we start it, there’s no turning back. Only Jeff will be able to stop it then."

Skye merely shrugged in a non-committal gesture.

"I know you probably don’t want to hear this," Dawn said, "but I don’t want to see Jeff hurt."

"And you think I do?"

"No," Dawn said in sincere denial. "It’s just that...I’m scared. Scared whichever way it goes."

Skye looked at Jeff and then back at Dawn. "He’s strong, Dawn. If anybody can do it, I think he can. Besides, this is Willow we’re talking about. She’s in really deep trouble. We’re all she’s got and she wouldn’t turn her back on anyone here."

Dawn thought for a moment and then said, "You’re right." When Skye nodded and turned to head back to the group, Dawn grabbed her arm. "Wait!" she said urgently. When Skye came back, Dawn leaned closer and lowered her voice. "What about the...the other part?" Dawn asked with a blush.

Skye grinned. "I’m up for it if you are."

Dawn gave an embarrassed laugh, then she and Skye returned to the group to inform them of their decision.

Cut to: Int. Coven Room – Later

Jeff knelt on one side of a cloth altar while Dawn and Skye knelt on the other. Behind Dawn and Skye, a curtained divider had been strung. In the center of the altar cloth sat a large volume, propped open upon a bookstand. The page pictured a full-page photo of an old marble bust. It was the head of the two-faced Roman god, Janus. Around the bookstand were strewn various coins. A golden cup was on Jeff’s side; a silver cup was on the other side in front of Dawn and Skye.

Xander rushed into the room and handed Jeff a large coin. "I hope it’s okay. It’s the best I could do in a rush."

Jeff looked at the coin. Unlike the others, which lay upon the altar, this one had two small pins, sharpened to points, one protruding from the center of each side.

"It’s perfect," Jeff told Xander before placing it on the altar. Then he took a deep breath and looked across at Dawn and Skye. "You ready?" he asked them. The two young women looked at each other and nodded. Then Skye said with confidence, "We’re ready."

Jeff looked at the others, and everyone except for Rowena and Giles left the room, joining the paramedics on standby outside. Once the two watchers had stepped into the corner behind him, Jeff began.

He picked up the golden cup in front of him and raised it. Dawn and Skye did the same with the silver cup, holding it up together.

Then together the three said, "Janus, god of gates and doorways, we call upon you now."

"God of beginnings," Dawn and Skye said before taking a joint-sip from their cup. They smiled at the potion’s sweetness.

"God of endings," Jeff added. When he took a drink from his cup, he made a sour face.

"God of ecstasy," Dawn and Skye announced and took another drink.

"God of agony," Jeff said as he drank once again.

"God of the past," Dawn and Skye recited. Then they finished off the drink.

"God of the future," Jeff stated before draining his cup.

Dawn and Skye wavered a bit as if they were being affected by their drink; they smiled, seemingly rendered a little high by the potion. They giggled and looked into each other’s eyes. They touched each other’s face and then kissed.

Jeff, on the other hand, appeared to be made ill by his drink. He began to pant and sweat as if he had come down with a fever.

"Janus..." Jeff started. Then he groaned loudly and clutched his stomach.

Giles stepped forward, but Rowena held him back. "The ritual’s begun," she reminded him. "Only Jeff can stop it now." Giles stepped reluctantly back in place.

Jeff forced himself to straighten up. He picked up the coin modified by Xander. He put the coin between the palms of his hands and pressed tightly, linking his fingers together, wincing as the pins sank into his flesh.

On the other side of the altar, Dawn and Skye were kissing deeply, their hands roaming desperately, as they stumbled to their feet and moved behind the privacy screen. Finally breathless, they separated. Skye gave Dawn a hungry look, which Dawn encouraged with a seductive smile. Skye reached out and grabbed the front of Dawn’s shirt in both hands, ripping it open. "Oh, god...!" Dawn said as Skye drove her to the floor.

On the other side of the curtain across the altar, Jeff cried out in a loud voice as his own blood ran down his arms, "Janus, I offer myself! Give me your vision! Let me see into the future! Let me see the one I seek!"

Suddenly, a purple energy wave exploded from the altar and enveloped Jeff. He screamed in agony as the energy churned around him. He clenched his jaw and gritted his teeth, baring down against the pain, the veins in his neck and forehead bulging.

Giles and Rowena ran to Jeff’s side. Due to the purple energy around the young man, they couldn’t touch him. But Giles called out to him, "Jeff! Stop the ritual! Stop it now! It’s killing you!"

"No! No!" Jeff growled in defiance. "It’s working...I can feel it!"

Giles tried to reach out but was repelled by the purple cloud of energy. Rowena pulled Giles’s arm until he stepped a few feet back.

Jeff began to shake, punctuating each shudder with anguished grunt. After a seemingly interminable amount of time, he thrashed and went stiff. Then, with his eyes wide open, he leaned up and let out a torturous scream. The purple energy instantly dispersed. Jeff groaned loudly and fell over, his body still jerking involuntarily.

Giles ran to the door and opened it. "Medics!" he shouted.

Rowena ran to Jeff’s side and put her hand on his back. She leaned down to whisper in his ear. "The medics are coming, hang on."

"I saw it," he croaked. "I saw her."

"What did you see?" Rowena asked as the medics came in with a stretcher.

"The old school...at Peabody...some kind of bomb shelter beneath...that’s where she is. Hurry!" At that, Jeff passed out.

Cut to Int. Dark Cell – Same Time

Shadow paced back and forth before Willow. "You probably think I want to kill you," she said as she completed a pass. "But that’s not true."

Shadow stopped directly in front of Willow and looked down at her. "I told you, I want you to suffer. And there’s really only one way to do that." The sorceress bent down until she was eye-to-eye with Willow. "To give you what you fear the most," she finished.

Shadow zapped up a dose of black magic in her hand. It was roughly the size of a softball—a churning ball of pitch-black energy, barely contained.

Terror filled Willow’s eyes, and she began backing away. But Shadow kept pace with her, never letting the black magic out of the witch’s sight.

"That darkness within you is just dying to come out," Shadow taunted. "And I know that seeing her in control...seeing her hurt the ones you love...that will be the worst torment of all."

"Please," Willow begged, "don’t do this!" Shadow ignored her and moved closer. Shadow showed no signs of listening. She looked at the ball of magic and back at Willow and smiled sadistically. "You have no idea what you’ll be releasing by turning me," Willow warned, "I will kill you. There’ll be less of you left over than there ever was of Rack."

"Then I’ll go knowing I made you pay!" Shadow growled before thrusting the ball of black magic against Willow’s chest.

Willow jerked and fell to the floor as the black energy seeped into her body. "No!" she screamed as she went stiff in an attempt to keep the magic out. Despite her efforts, her eyes began turning black.

Cut to: Int. Council Van – Moments Later

The Willow rescue teams were on their way to the old Peabody school where Jeff had mentioned a hidden bomb shelter.

Xander drove one van. Giles sat shotgun while Rowena and the freshly-dressed Dawn and Skye sat in the back.

Mia was driving the other van. Behind the driver’s seat sat two of Mia’s fellow Black Ops slayers: Francesca and Sable. Behind them were Kennedy and Mia’s second-in-command, Janet.

Kennedy fidgeted in her seat. She repositioned once again, then sighed in frustration as she ran her hand through her hair. Next to her Janet was the picture of calm. Kennedy looked at her in disbelief.

"How do you do it?" Kennedy asked.

"What?" Janet replied.

"Stay so calm," Kennedy said. Janet leaned over and lowered her voice. "Chill pills," she answered matter-of-factly.

"What?!"

"Yep," Janet confirmed. "Got a stash of ’em right here."

Janet looked at the other occupants suspiciously, then pulled a snack-sized storage bag from her pocket. Hiding her actions, she poured about six pills into her palm. With a final glance at the others, she transferred the pills into Kennedy’s hand. Kennedy took one look and then rolled her eyes.

"M & M’s?" Kennedy said.

"Works for me," Janet said with a smile.

Kennedy returned her smile and popped the chocolate candies into her mouth.

Cut to: Int. Dark Cell – Same Time

Willow’s body was thrashing on the floor as Shadow dosed her again and again. When Willow’s hair turned black, her convulsions became writhing, and her screams became moans. She began to giggle in pleasure.

"That’s it," Shadow encouraged her. "Just soak it up."

Willow opened her eyes and saw Shadow smiling at her. "No!" she screamed. Then she slammed the sorceress with a strong magical blast, sending her flying across the room.

As Shadow hit the floor laughing, Willow scrambled into the corner, shaking violently. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, rocking in place. "It’s not me, it’s not me, it’s not me," she chanted to herself.

Cut to: Ext. Condemned School at Peabody – Moments Later

As soon as the vans were parked, the team members poured out, and Mia took charge. "Francesca and Sable, I want you two to take the emergency exit that we saw on the floor plans. If it’s inaccessible for some reason, join us at the main door of the shelter as quickly as you can. Stay in radio contact."

"Janet, you and Kennedy are with me. We’ll go in through the front entrance of the school and make our way to the basement where the shelter’s located and enter via its main door."

Mia turned to Giles, Rowena, and Xander. "You three will follow us, but at a distance. Do not come closer until I give the word. Clear?"

Then Mia addressed the whole group. "This place is condemned for a reason, so everyone be careful. Any questions?" When no one answered, she said, "Okay, let’s go!"

Cut to: Int. Dark Cell – Same Time

Shadow rose to her feet. She wiped the blood away from her nose and laughed again. She sauntered over to the corner where Willow sat.

"That’s some punch you’ve got," she said, wiping her nose again. Then she squatted in front of Willow. "Felt good, didn’t it? Giving me a taste of my own medicine? Giving me what I deserve?"

Willow shook her head.

Shadow reached out and ran her hand through Willow’s still-black hair. "You’re so close, Willow, sooo close..." Shadow told her. "You’re right at the edge," Shadow said as she lifted Willow’s chin and looked into her eyes. "Just one step will take you over."

Willow seemed mesmerized as Shadow pulled her to her feet, steadying her as she led her to the center of the room. Then the sorceress stepped back, leaving Willow standing alone. She called up another dose of black magic—the final dose, the dose that would send Willow into Darkness —and held it out to her. Willow instantly turned away.

"You know you want it," Shadow tempted. "All that power…Come and get it."

Willow’s eyes cut to the glowing ball in Shadow’s hand and then just as quickly cut away. She began to shake, and sweat broke out on her forehead. She gazed longingly at the magic, then clenched her fists tightly and looked away again. Tears poured down her face as her eyes were drawn back to the black magic in Shadow’s grasp. After the slightest hint of a sob, Willow took a halting step in Shadow’s direction.

Shadow smiled. "That’s it," she encouraged. Willow took another step toward Shadow and then another. Shadow’s offering was now within Willow’s reach. Willow leaned forward and slowly lifted her arm...

Boom! went the door as Mia and Janet kicked it in.

Shadow whipped around to face the intruders, pulling the black magic away from Willow’s potential grasp. Willow fell to her knees as her hand met nothing but air.

When Mia and Janet saw the furious Shadow confronting them, with a ball of magical energy in her hand, they didn’t hesitate. Ignoring Willow’s shout not to shoot, they opened fire, pumping multiple rounds into the woman’s chest and torso. The force of the bullets was so great that it blew the sorceress back against the wall. As she slid slowly to the floor, the ball of black magic in her hand dissipated, fading away as she slowly died.

Willow was crying hysterically and crawling frantically towards Shadow when Kennedy entered the room. Kennedy ran to Willow and grabbed her arms, keeping her from moving towards the dead sorceress.

"No!" Willow screamed. "Let me go!"

At that instant, Rowena and Xander and Giles rushed in. They froze when they saw Willow.

"Oh god," Xander said. "Oh god," he repeated.

Rowena pushed past Xander and Giles and ran to Willow, kneeling in front of her. Then Rowena nodded at Kennedy, who released Willow’s arms and backed away. Willow instantly reached out toward Shadow, but Rowena caught her and held her firmly in place. Rowena grasped Willow’s face in both her hands.

"Willow!" Rowena ordered. "Look at me!" When Willow didn’t comply, she repeated the command more firmly. "Look at me!"

With great effort, Willow tore her eyes from Shadow and looked into Rowena’s face. "Rowena?" she asked in a plaintive voice.

"It’s me. I’m here," Rowena assured her, running her hand through Willow’s still black hair.

"Oh god, oh god. I could have saved her," Willow blurted before collapsing into sobs and falling against Rowena’s chest. Rowena wrapped her arms around Willow and stroked her back. "It’s okay," she crooned softly as her own tears fell. "It's okay now. We found you."

Cut to: Int. Giles’s Apartment – Later That Evening

Xander sat slumped in the sofa, a bleak expression on his face. Giles sat in the chair across, rubbing his temples. Xander sat up and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"It was bad enough seeing it when she healed Ethan," Xander said, "but this time..." He stopped and looked at his feet for a moment. Then he raised his eyes and tried again. "Giles, she was one veiny makeover away from going Dark Willow."

Giles frowned and nodded. "Perhaps," he said, "Perhaps not...but the important thing is that she didn’t. She let the black magic drain away, and she..." Giles trailed off, seemingly uncomforted by that thought.

Xander wrung his hands nervously. "What if...I mean...at Ethan’s healing...what if she wasn’t just channeling Jeff’s power?"

Giles started to reply but stopped. Then he just shook his head, a worried look in his eyes.

Cut to: Int. Kennedy’s Apartment – Same Time

Mia and Kennedy sat up in bed, unable to go to sleep, even after their showers. Kennedy stared off into space while Mia looked on worriedly.

"You okay?" she finally asked Kennedy.

"I don’t know," Kennedy replied flatly. "I’ve never seen Willow like that."

Mia reached out and stroked Kennedy’s arm encouragingly.

"I mean, she told me about her addiction, but I just didn’t..."

After a long pause when it was clear Kennedy wasn’t going to continue, Mia said, "Yeah, I can imagine. It totally freaked me out the way Willow went berserk trying to get to that sorceress. I mean, even after she was dead, Willow just—"

Kennedy pinned Mia with an icy stare, sending the Asian slayer backpedaling.

"I’m just saying that, given her past, it would make sense that she would be drawn to her, and—" "The only reason Willow was acting the way she was is because of what that bitch did to her, because of what she forced on her. Willow would never go down that road again, not willingly."

"I hope you’re right," Mia said. "For all our sakes."

"Let’s just go to sleep," Kennedy said wearily as she turned out her light scooted down into bed.

After a sigh, Mia did the same.

Cut to: Int. Willow’s Apartment – Same Time

Now freshly showered, Willow sat in bed, dressed in her pajamas, the blanket pulled over her legs. Her red hair lay damp against her bruised neck. Although her eyes were no longer black, the flesh around them certainly was. In fact, there was little on Willow’s body that wasn’t bruised or battered. What hurt the most, though, was on the inside, if Willow’s eyes were any indication.

Rowena, also dressed for bed, entered from the bathroom and then stood beside her nightstand, looking at Willow.

"Are you sure you don’t want something? Tea? Or milk? Or maybe some toast and jelly?"

Willow smiled weakly and shook her head. "No thanks," she said as she put her hand on her stomach. "I just can’t right now."

"I wish you had stayed at the Infirmary. The doctor said—"

"Please...don’t," Willow said, dropping her gaze to her hands. "I just couldn’t stay there. I need to be here," Willow continued, raising her head to meet Rowena’s eyes. "I need to be home."

Rowena smiled and nodded. "Then home it is."

Rowena turned off the lamp and got into bed. She scooted over to Willow’s side of the bed and took the redhead into her arms. As they snuggled together against the pillows, Rowena kissed Willow on the top of her head and gently stroked her back, murmuring soft words of love until they both fell asleep.

Cut to: Int. Jimmy Volano’s Office – Same Time

"Yeah?" James Volano answered his cell phone. "Yeah, I remember...Who? They— Right." His voice hardened. "Yeah, keep an eye on her. If she goes outside, put a bullet in her brain."

He ended the call and slammed the phone onto his desk, glaring at Angella, who sat opposite him, composed and idly reading what appeared to be a paperback book, except that the pages were covered with arcane symbols which changed as she read.

"A marksman will fail," she said calmly.

"My boys are the best," Volano insisted.

"Nonetheless," Angella went on, closing her book and looking at him, "since the attempt on Mr. Rayne, the Council’s coven has implemented a spell of interesting subtlety over the private areas of its grounds. A slight variable refraction of light, quite simple, yet it renders telescopic sights useless."

"Well how about you get one of your hocus- pocus merchants to go render them un- useless?" Volano asked pointedly. "Or would you prefer they just go and get me locked up in a cell for a while? You don’t think that’d interfere with your ‘Mistress’s’ plans a bit? No humans to do your dirty work, no warehouses to stockpile your junk below, no—"

"You’ve made your point," Angella cut him off. "You wish us to take care of this matter for you."

"Why not?"

"This ‘matter’ is not an isolated incident," Angella said. "By allowing, even facilitating, the Council’s operations against its enemies – even you – we gain a measure of control over their actions. Don’t make the mistake of thinking we operate solely for your benefit. However, rest assured, your personal safety and prosperity will not be neglected as long as we remain allies."

"You’ve got someone inside the Council," Volano said flatly.

Angella raised an eyebrow, curious.

"I know you do," Volano went on. "You know too much about them to be working just from the outside."

"My Mistress has many ways of gathering information," Angella said carefully. "Fine, play it that way," Volano frowned. "Does one of those ‘ways’ involve being able to point a gun between someone’s eyes?"

Angella thought, then nodded slowly.

"Then kill Jacinta Carter," Volano ordered. "The witness, I want her dead. They got themselves involved, them and their occult crap, they can’t go to the cops now."

"No," Angella said calmly.

"Don’t make a habit of saying that to me," Volano warned. "And remember how useful I am to your ‘Mistress’. I don’t have to be useful. Even if your side wants to play rough – well, maybe you can kill me – but you can’t control me. Now how about you explain very carefully why it is I’m going to agree to go on helping you?"

Angella studied him a moment, then shrugged. "There...may be an option," she said slowly. "At this stage we do not wish the Council to have proof of our involvement with you. The Vutch demon attack—"

"You knew about that?" Volano demanded.

"We provided it to you," Angella explained. "We keep track of our resources and the uses to which they are put. The Vutch may suggest a connection between your interests and the Presidium, but it is circumstantial evidence, and that much my Mistress will allow. But to have an agent of ours kill Miss Carter would change that. And this eventuality is, in fact, to our benefit, which is why we allowed it."

Volana started to object, but Angella raised finger stopped him.

"However," she said, continuing, "a possibility suggests itself. We may be able to damage the Council in a way that would not interfere with our aims, but would distract them from their current pursuit of you."

"How?" Volano demanded.

"Simply, to appear as if we are attacking for our motives, not yours. My Mistress has no desire to harm Miss Carter, so an attack against her could only originate from you. However, our antagonism towards the Council in general is known. If that appeared to be the motive guiding our hand, you would not be implicated."

"Yeah?" Volano asked. "‘Damage’ in what sense?"

"The lethal sense," Angella replied. "There are various people whose loss would harm the Council greatly, yet not impede my Mistress’s scheme. If we were to simply…choose one and eliminate her, that would solve your problem. You could achieve much while they bury their dead." Volano frowned in thought, then relaxed and leaned back in his chair.

"All right," he said. "One of their high-ups gets a bullet." He grinned. "See how easy it is when we work together? I’ve said it before, we make a good team."

"Indeed," Angella nodded, returning her attention to her book.

End of Rack and Ruin

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