See Chapter 1 for info & warnings

Hope you got your things together;

Hope you are quite prepared to die.

Looks like we're in for nasty weather

One eye is taken for an eye.

~Creedence Clearwater Revival "Bad Moon Rising"

Doyle studied the Slayer critically. She was tall, almost statuesque, and pretty in a tomboy-ish sort of way. Still, sitting so close to Cordelia, she looked plain at best. "Save the world?"

Her harsh green eyes turned to him again, and he could feel the same scrutiny he had just used on her. "Well, maybe not the world... Honestly, if it weren't for all the weird crap I saw in Sunnydale, I might not even believe it was true. But library guy swore up and down that it is, and he wasn't wrong about anything else while I was there."

"His name," Cordelia began pointedly, "is Giles, not library guy."

"Whatever. When did you say Angel will be back?"

"We don't really know," Doyle broke in before Cordelia could respond. /I've gotta keep them from slitting each other's throats before he gets here./ "So, uh, can you tell us exactly what's goin' on?"

"Not until Angel gets here." Her expression softened a little. "Nothing personal. I just hate repeating myself."

"Well, judging from your outfit, you have no trouble repeating the rest of the world," Cordellia replied with a smirk.

"Clever." Erin's mouth set into a thin line. "Look, I'm not here to socialize. I know everything I need to about both of you."

"Do you now?" /If I can keep her talking to me, maybe Cordelia will stay quiet for a minute./

"I do. I know that chicky over there is a former cheerleader/rich girl whose family went belly-up. She ran away to L.A. to become a famous actress and ended up here. Big surprise." With a grin, she turned her full attention back to Doyle. "Now nobody down in Sunnyhell knew anything about you. So this is all coming from me. Feel free to break in and correct me if I'm really off." As Erin spoke, she stood and stepped closer to him, circling him slowly as she continued her analysis. "You live on the edge. You don't do it because you like it. It's just all you know how to do anymore, and changing seems like a lot of effort. And where's the guarantee the past won't follow you even if you do change? You have no taste in clothing." Erin drifted back, staring hypnotically into his eyes. "You're a demon-no, half demon."

/Sweet Jesus, how did she know?/ Before he could put the question into words, Cordelia spoke. "What? A demon?"

"Half demon," Doyle corrected softly.

"You mean she's right? And you never said anything?"

"Well, it's just that... and then there's... uh..."

"What he's trying to say," Erin offered, "is that he didn't know how to tell you. And he apparently still doesn't." She cringed and put a hand on Doyle's arm. "Look, I'm sorry. I wouldn't have said it if... I didn't know she didn't know."

Doyle, studiously avoiding Cordelia's accusatory glare, watched as Erin returned to her former seat and crossed her arms over her chest. "You never said what you're here for. Saving the world isn't somethin' you do every day. What's the story?"

"I told you already. I'll tell you when..." Erin let her sentence drift to a close and cocked her head. "He's here."

"How'd you... Never mind." After her revelation, Doyle felt even less like making small talk with the new Slayer. /Pretty or not, she's too obnoxious to be worth the stress./

Angel walked into the room, his tall, broad frame filling the doorway. "Who's your new friend?"

Cringing, Doyle replied, "She's not our friend. She's Buffy's friend."

"Erin Lerner," the Slayer offered with a smile. "I'm the new Slayer."

"New Slayer? Something happened to Faith?" Angel's brow furrowed more with confusion than concern.

"She just never made it out of that coma. It went downhill and they pulled the plug. I could pretend to be sad about it, but really it just gave me a way to use my abilities. I'm happy to be employed, so to speak. Buffy sent me to warn you guys." She looked at Angel. "Well, you, really."

"Warn us about what?" Angel prompted, sitting on the desk facing her.

"Okay, this is going to sound bizarre."

"To a half demon and a vampire?" Doyle asked incredulously.

"Fine. It might sound bizarre to the prom queen over there. Point is, it's weird. Anyway, library guy - Giles," Erin added after a poisonous glare from Cordelia, "got an email from some girl who heard of him through 'channels,' whatever that's supposed to mean. Her name is Avalon and-get this-she's pregnant with a child she claims is the reincarnation of King Arthur."

"Okay," Doyle started with a smirk, "what's the punchline?"

"The punchline is that according to her, the reincarnation of Mordred - you know, the illegitimate son of Arthur who eventually killed him - has already been born and grown up. And he's trying to kill her unborn child." Doyle could see in her face that Erin knew exactly how ludicrous the claim sounded. "All that wouldn't matter to anyone except English teachers interested in discussing the finer points of /The Once and Future King/ with the baby if it weren't for the fact that Avalon claims her baby is fated to save the world from sinking even deeper into the hole of crime and hate it's fallen in. Oh, and she's the reincarnation of Vivianne, the Lady of the Lake. So."