"Je sais ton amour,

Je sais l'eau versée sur mon corps,
Sentir son cours jour aprčs jour,
J'ai remonté les tourments pour m'approcher encore."

Her lips moved in time with the music as she watched him across the room. He sat cross-legged within the pentagram, eyes closed, perfectly still. He was looking for guidance. She knew that by now. She stood up and risked peeping her eye through a curtain. She withdrew it immediately with a cry, clutching her eye.

"Now, what did I tell you," he said, without moving, as she tried to blink life back into her now blind eye. "You shouldn't try to look out before the sun sets. Or that will happen."

"Still hurt," she said, squinting at him. "But it's at night this town comes alive anyway, and we've got to stay out of his sights."

"He's miles away in California," he said. "It's not him I worry about."

"You mean the Slayer based here?"

"Yes," he said. "And the fact that there are tabs on this city by Watchers and Slayers alike is troubling."

"But we don't have to worry much right?" she asked, tentatively taking her hand from her stinging red eye. "One Slayer is hardly a challenge."

"Yes, but her Watcher was one of the Sunnydale kids. I'd be careful of him." She laughed.

"Darling," said coming to sit down beside the pentagram as he opened his dark eyes. "I've survived this long without being noticed. We've passed through Sunnydale before. I'm not afraid of them."

"Maybe," he said looking at her. "That I don't doubt. You were always a brave one. I'm just concerned."

"I know," she said, reaching forward, as the song on the CD player went into the second chorus.

"Je fais de toi mon essentiel,
Tu me fais naître parmi les hommes,
Je fais de toi mon essentiel,
Celle que j'aimerais plus que personne,
Si tu veux qu'on s'apprenne,
Si tu veux qu'on s'apprenne..."

She sang along with the song until it faded out and he smiled at her.

"You always were good at French if I recall," he said.

"Yeah," she said. "Ah, memories of having a pulse." She stood back up and rubbed at her burnt eye. "Stupid sunlight. Dusk is brighter than you think."

"That eye had better be OK soon," he said. She looked at him.

"Why? Is it soon?" He nodded.

"We will see him again soon, I can feel it."

"OK, sure. So as soon as we have our business here done, does that mean we're driving straight to LA."

"No," he said. She looked surprised.

"How do you mean 'no'?" she asked. "Why are we not going straight to LA?"
"We're not going to go to LA at all," he said. "We can cut him off." She looked down at him as he nipped the candles out with his thumb and forefinger and waited for him to continue. When he didn't she decided to press him further.

"How?" she asked.

"He won't be staying there. He's already leaving. He's heading for Ohio: Cleveland to be precise."

"So we go?"

"Only after we've finished our work here," he said, standing back up. "Viva Las Vegas: always going to attract trouble, and incidentally that's just what we want it for. Are you ready?" he asked. She smiled evilly at him with her true face.

"Ready when I get the go-ahead," she said, picking up her bag, and slinging it over her shoulders. He smiled at her.

"Good girl," he said.

"How long have we got?"

"Can't be long now," he said. "So no time yet, Sweetheart. But you know that as soon as we've pulled this off we've got to get to Cleveland as soon as possible. The Hellmouth will bring us there, and then... both the ritual and the revenge is completed." She smiled and came up close to him.

"You know you even somehow make talking about the Hellmouth sexy," she smiled, and licked her fangs. He laughed slightly.

"Maybe it's just you," he said, and she laughed and kissed him. There was a beeping sound from a watch on the table. The two of them pulled apart and he smiled as he realized what it was, grinning. "Sunset."