Fred and Harmony were walking around. To both of them it felt like they were alone, in the part of the world that had died because everybody was inside, not yet willing to come back outside. Fred couldn't blame them. She wanted to be inside right now. She also wanted to be out here, searching for Wes, because she loved him and if anything happened to him…she couldn't go there. Wes would be okay. She couldn't imagine living a life where Wes was harmed, just like he admitted he couldn't live without her. He told her that if she had been taken over by Illyria, then he wouldn't know what to do. Fred understood. He loved her, and she loved him.

The problem now was Connor. With him now being affected by Illyria, it added extra stress onto Fred. She was really still trying to cope with what Angel did to her because it was a lot to take in. Day by day she was feeling better, sure, but it wasn't like she was 100% yet. She doubted she'd ever be 100% better. She was trying, though.

Now Wes was taken, and on top of all her other worries she needed to worry about him. No, she didn't need to worry about him; she had to because worrying about him was inevitable.

He made a trade. He told Connor to take him and let her go. Why would he ever do that? Who in their right mind would do that? Fred felt guilty; as if it was her fault he was taken. It was her idea to get close to Connor anyway, so it was her fault. They could all be safe right now had she not gone to take Connor's blood. She wouldn't be out here with Harmony, who was walking alongside Fred talking about something or other, but Fred wasn't really paying attention. She wasn't being rude on purpose; it was just that she had a lot on her mind. She decided maybe she should try and listen.

"…why does he have to be such a jerk, you know? I am nothing but willing and thankful and appreciative to him, and all he does is throw me away. And I don't even like him that much. What's to like? Sure, he has just the cutest blond hair and oh my God, that body-"

"Harmony, do we have to talk about Spike?" Fred asked.

Harmony looked offended. "We're having girl talk. We haven't had any since that one night at the bar place and we're supposed to be friends. This is what friends do, they vent to one another."

"Harm, it's nothing personal, I just have a lot on my mind with Wes and all."

"Ohhh, that's right. How is the relationship between you and Wesley anyway? Every time I walk near you guys it's like you guys are so wrapped in each other's heads that you don't even notice me."

"We're…we're great, I think. I mean, we love each other and everything, so that's good. I just hope everything works out okay."

"We'll save him, Fred. Or Angel and Gunn will save him. Someone will save him. What do you think the deal is with that Connor guy?"

Fred shook her head. "I have no idea."

"Like, it's weird. I think that-"

"Harm, look," Fred stopped her. She held her harm out and stopped Harmony from walking any further. Fred pointed ahead straight at what looked like a person walking towards them.

"What is she doing? I thought everyone was staying inside."

"I thought so too," Fred told her. They weren't sure what to do about the stranger walking their way, so they decided to walk towards them. The stranger had long blond hair and, from this distance, clearly wasn't Connor/Illyria, so they figured they'd be safe to talk to the person.

As they neared the person, they could clearly see she was a distress. Her hair was messy and tangled and she was crying. She looked weak so Fred ran up to her and tried to help her stand up.

"What are you doing out here?" Fred asked her. "Everyone's supposed to stay inside."

"I…I need to check on them," the woman gasped, tears still falling. "My kids…please, I need to go."

"I'm Fred," Fred spoke, trying to calm her down. "What's your name?"

"I…my name is Anne. I need to go to the shelter. Please, Fred, will you take me?"

Fred knew who Anne was just by hearing about her from the others, although never officially meeting her. She also knew about the shelter and about the teens, and she knew there was absolutely no way they survived. That added an extra pang of guilt to her system, but she tried to stay strong.

"You should go back inside, Anne," Fred advised. "It's not safe out here."

"Please, Fred. I need to see." She tried to wipe her tears away.

Fred sighed. "I can't. Listen, I'll take you to Wolfram & Hart and you can talk to the others. I'm friends with Angel and Gunn and Wes."

Anne agreed, and Harmony and Fred escorted her to the Wolfram & Hart building.

Angel was kneeling by Faith, asking her questions about if she was okay and how she felt. He was also thanking her for coming in here and rescuing Wes from Connor after Wes already thanked her.

Gunn and Wes were across the room, looking back and forth and talking. They were both concerned and confused and thankful.

"Did that psycho Connor hurt you?" Gunn asked Wes.

"No, I'm fine. I'm just worried about Faith."

"Well, she looks fine." Wesley frowned at Gunn. "I mean she looks good, she looks healthy and without the being dead thing. I didn't mean fine like fine. Not that she's not fine, because she is. What am I even sayin' right now?"

Wes chuckled. "It's okay. Gunn, I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

"Angel. He's hiding something from us about Connor."

"Gee, you think?" Gunn replied with plenty of sarcasm.

"I think it's much more serious than any of us thought before. The Illyria inside Connor brings out his memories and talks about events like he was there, like he knew exactly what he was talking about. How would that be possible if we never met him?"

"So then what do we do?"

"We can't talk to Angel about this. He's clearly made up his mind about not telling us. We need to do our own research."

"Where would we even start?" Gunn was a little confused. If they just full-on confronted Angel, he would tell them the truth, right? Why did they have to go behind his back and research?

"I think Connor, the original Connor, was some sort of super being."

"Whoa," Gunn took it in with shock. "Why would you think that?"

"He's only partly infected by Illyria, Gunn. That means he wouldn't have Illyria's strength and fighting skills, or at least not all of them. And yet he was strong enough to kill a Slayer."

He thought about it and realized Wes was probably right. He'd seen Faith fight, and there was no way something would bring Faith down without a good fight.

"So what do you think happened to Faith?" Gunn asked. "Why is she alive?"

"I have absolutely no idea. She just came back without anything happening to her. That's something else I'll definitely have to research about."

While they kept talking, Angel was across the room speaking with Faith. With his super-hearing, if he was paying attention he could have heard the conversation Wes and Gunn were having about Connor. Since all his attention was on Faith, though, he wasn't listening to Wes and Gunn.

"Faith, why are you even here?" Angel asked with worry in his voice.

"Don't worry, I'll be leaving soon. I was just sent to figure out the story, why so many people died."

"Well, I'm thankful you came. Wes could've been the one to…I mean…he could've…well…" Angel trailed off.

"Just say it, Angel," Faith stated. "I died. If I didn't come here, Wes maybe could've been the one to die. Would he have come back to life?"

"I have no idea."

"Angel, something's not right," Faith spoke. She had a look in her eyes, one Angel only saw a few times before. She looked worried. "Ever since I came back or whatever, I'm not feeling like myself. Like, I know I'm me, but it's like I feel the movements of someone else. And in my head I see him."

"Who?"

"Who do you think? Your crazy son. It's like I see him walking some street or something. Or he's running and going crazy. He's screaming and stuff but I don't know what's going on. Almost like he's trying to fight something, but not something physical." She thought for a moment. "He's fighting something emotional, in his head. Angel, what's going on?"

"I have a lot to explain to you. For now, I'm worried about you seeing him in your head, though. That can't be good. Faith, I need you to promise me something."

"What now?" Faith commented but was joking a little bit.

"You can't mention Connor around any of them. I mean Gunn, Wes, Fred, or Lorne. They don't remember him."

She shook her head. "What did you do?"

Wes and Gunn walked over and Angel didn't answer Faith's question, not yet. He'd have to later, though. They both were looking at Faith with worry. Everyone hoped she was okay and wished that they knew what was going on.

"We should get goin' back," Gunn suggested. "If Fred's back she's gotta be worried sick about Wes. Plus, the others might be interested about what went on here."

Angel agreed. They needed to get back and Wolfram & Hart before anything even more drastic went on.

Night arrived when Fred, Harmony, and Anne made their way into Wolfram & Hart. They found Lorne still in the lobby, and Spike nowhere to be seen. Since it was night, Fred figured he left to go looking for Connor/Illyria. Harmony was relieved that Spike was gone, so she wouldn't have to see him.

"Oh my God," Lorne said, rushing up to them. "Who is this?"

"Lorne, this is Anne," Fred said and glanced at Anne. She expected her to be at least a little freaked out about Lorne and his appearance, but she barely took a second look at Lorne, as if seeing a Pylean demon was an everyday occurrence. "We found her while we were walking around."

"Thank you for bringing me here," Anne told Fred. "I really do need to go to the shelter, though. I have people I need to check on."

The pure worry and hope and despair in Anne's eyes saddened Fred.

"Look, Anne, you shouldn't go back outside. There's kind of an emergency going on." Fred was trying to talk her out of going to the shelter.

"I know, but I just, I need to check. My…my life's work." Anne sobbed and put her hands over her face to cover her eyes so they wouldn't see the tears. She tried to compose herself and keep talking. "I don't care if they're not okay, I need to see. I need to know."

Fred shook her head, but knew there would probably be no talking Anne out of this. If she wanted to check on her shelter, she had every right to, and who was Fred to stop her? Still, she couldn't just send her out alone with Connor/Illyria out there who could kill anyone. She supposed she could escort her, but she didn't really know where the shelter was and she wouldn't be much protection against Connor/Illyria. Fred also had one more reason for not wanting to go, and she felt selfish thinking it. She wanted to wait here until Wes came back. Other than her, Harm or Lorne could bring Anne, but Harmony probably wouldn't want to and Lorne wasn't much protection. If someone was to bring Anne, it'd have to be someone willing and strong.

"Where's Spike?" Fred asked Lorne.

At the mention of his name Harmony snorted and walked away.

"He's upstairs. Fredikins, we have a visitor."

"Who is it?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but trust me; he seems like the captain of worry and stress. He said he has info on Connor though." He looked at Anne. "Anne, honey, come on, let's go upstairs. Do you want something to eat or something to drink?"

She nodded. "That-that would be nice. Is Gunn here?"

"No," Lorne answered, "but he should be back shortly."

Fred's heart sank. They weren't back yet. Was that good or bad? She would just have to wait and see.

"So, long story short, her hair was less with the red and more with the black. She had all these totally new evil mojo powers that put us all in danger, really." Buffy and Oz were "catching up" although from Oz's perspective, it was more just Buffy talking about the past and him listening, trying to keep up. Oz was glad to listen to the stories, but it freaked him out when she talked about Willow when she went dark and tried to destroy the world. "Lucky enough," Buffy continued, "Xander was genius enough to come up with a way to stop Will from destroying the world."

Oz frowned. "Xander and genius in the same sentence?"

"Yeah, I shocked myself there," Buffy joked. Buffy then went on to tell him all about her battle with the First and how Sunnydale came to be destroyed and how all the potentials became Slayers. "And then we came here. That's where our story ends for now."

"Hm," Oz took it all in. "So then what's going on with the world now?"

"W-well, we're, uh, we're working on finding that out right now, actually."

"How?"

"Look, Oz, I can't answer all these questions right now. You'll just have to wait until Faith comes back."

He wasn't sure what she meant about Faith, but he decided to just stay quiet. He came here wondering what was going on with the world, and now he was figuring it out, although he still didn't know what happened. He'd learn soon, though, whenever Faith came back from wherever she was.

"And Willow and Kennedy?" Oz asked.

"I don't think they're too serious," Buffy admitted. "I mean, they care for each other, sure, but I don't know how far it goes."

Oz nodded. He stood up and looked around, back at the hallway. "I'm gonna go look for her," he said. Buffy told him where her room was and he walked away.

When he neared the room, he took a deep breath. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about this, about being here. He still cared for Willow and wanted, if nothing else, to be friends with her. They used to have a relationship, a friendship, so they could go back to that, couldn't they? At least for a while, while Oz was here. He could tell Kennedy might have issues with that, though.

He knocked on their door.

Willow opened it. "Oh, Oz, hi. Did you need something?"

"I just wanted to talk to you. Buffy told me pretty much all the events of the last few years."

"Yeah, we've been through a lot. It hasn't been all bad, though."

He didn't know how to respond. They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds.

"It-it's really good to see you," Willow told him finally. "I'm glad you're okay. I've been wondering about all the people I knew who could've lived or died and I just, I'm happy you're alive. It scares me to think about all those people who died."

"Yeah, it's pretty freaky."

Willow gave a small smile.

Oz had a good feeling inside. He missed this. Not just Willow, he missed Buffy and he actually kind of wished Xander was here as well. He missed the old Scooby Gang.

Angel, Gunn, Wes, and Faith walked in to Wolfram & Hart. Faith was walking fine, moving fine as if she hadn't just been killed. It was simply amazing. Angel was constantly wondering what happened to her and how she was here right now.

Fred was the only one still remaining in the lobby, waiting for Angel, Gunn, and hopefully Wes. It was welcome surprise when she saw Faith come in first. She wondered what the Slayer was doing here and how she got in L.A. in the first place. She was also wondering why-

All her thoughts dropped when Wes walked in behind Faith and Fred thought to herself, Thank God. She didn't wait for him to see her, instead she ran up to him as quickly as she could and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back and squeezed her tightly. Fred was surprised when she started to feel her own tears running down her cheeks. Wesley was okay, he was alive, and Fred wouldn't have to be alone and worry and wonder and she could stay here as long as she needed to with him.

"You fool," Fred said after pulling slightly away but keeping her arms around Wes's neck. "What are you doing, taking my place? You shouldn't have done that."

"I had to. You needed to be safe."

Fred kissed Wes almost shockingly. She stayed kissing him and they remained kissing for a long amount of time. When they pulled apart, she hugged him again.

"I love you," she said. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine. He didn't do anything to me. Not more than a little scratch, anyway. I love you too. I'm happy I'm back."

Angel, Gunn, and Faith were off to the side.

"When did that happen?" Faith asked, pointing at the two.

"Not too long ago," Angel told her. "We should leave them alone. I think we need to talk about everything that went on today, Faith."

"Sure, why not," she shrugged. "I did kind of die today, right? I guess we have something to talk about."

They rode the elevator back up onto their floor and Gunn went off to search for Spike or Lorne to tell them Wes was okay. Angel and Faith went the other way, to his office. They happened to find Spike sitting at Angel's desk. When they walked in, he stood up immediately and walked over to them.

"Listen, Angel, we've got to go to Lorne's office. You won't believe who showed up." He glanced at Faith. "Oh. You're here. When the hell did that happen?"

"Nice to see you too," Faith sarcastically remarked. "You know, I heard you were alive. What's wrong? Too afraid of Buffy to call and tell her? Why are guys always such jerky wimps?" Angel turned to her. "Except for you, of course," she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." Spike looked back at Angel. "Drogyn's here. I left him with Lorne to come wait for you."

Angel frowned. "What? He's here? Why?"

"He says he's got information on Connor. We need to go talk to him, and now."

Angel turned to Faith. If Drogyn was here and had information on Connor, he definitely needed to go talk to him and figure out if there was a way to save his son. At the same time, Faith was here and impossibly coming back to life, plus she kind of saw a vision of Connor, or something. He needed to talk to her and tell her not to mention Connor in front of anyone, or at least not anything about Connor's past.

"Spike, go wait with him for me. I need to talk with Faith for just a few minutes."

"Angel, this is serious. He could-"

"I know. Just go. I need to talk to Faith."

Spike looked a little angry, but he shook his head and walked off anyway. Being alone, Angel and Faith sat down at his desk.

"So what are you doing here again?" Angel questioned her, knowing there was no time to waste.

"Well, the short answer is that Buffy and Willow sent me here to find out if you were really evil. I'm supposed to hear what went on to make part of the world die."

"Yeah," Angel said. "I guess I need to explain that."

So, Angel began explaining, but started by telling Faith about Connor. He told her about the memory spell and how they all came to work at Wolfram & Hart. Then he told her about Fred and Illyria and about what he had to do to save her.

"Well," Faith said at the end of everything he told her. "Sounds like you've had quite a lot going on around here. They really don't remember Connor?"

"No, they don't. At this point, with him being partially taken over by Illyria, I might have to lift the memory spell, though. It'd probably make things easier to explain."

"Sure, but how would everyone react? What if it hurts them too much to know the real truth?" Faith seemed truly, generally concerned.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted. Then, he turned the conversation to Faith. "So are you okay? You don't feel any different?"

"Not really. The only weird thing is what I told you about before, about me seeing Connor and kind of…feeling him, I guess. I guess the thing he was fighting was Illyria. I only saw him the once, though, so maybe it's not that big a deal."

"I'm worried about you. You know what happened isn't normal."

"Whatever, why worry about it? Right now I just-"

Faith stopped in mid-sentence. She started coughing heavily and put a hand on her forehead as if to hold her head up. She closed her eyes tightly and began to shake.

"Faith?" Angel called. He stood up and rushed around the desk. "Faith, are you alright?"

As quickly as it started, whatever was happening stopped and Faith sat straight up. She jumped up and got into a fighting stance and faced the door to Angel's office. "He's coming," she said sternly.

Wes and Fred also left the lobby and came up, although they went straight to Wes's office. There, he told her what happened and she told him she was glad he was okay. And then they kissed again, because Fred realized how much she wanted to be close to Wesley and wanted to be near him and never wanted to be pulled apart from him. Wes felt the same way.

"What are you talking about?" Angel yelled. "Faith, what's going on?"

"I don't know what it was, but I saw him, Angel. He's coming up here."

"Who?"

Suddenly the doors to his office opened and Connor hurried in, but not in his new usual wanting-to-fight way. Angel saw why. His eyes, surprisingly, were brown. He won over Illyria, for the moment, and he was rushing to Angel. When he saw Faith, he stopped walking and stood there, staring, his mouth open a little, taking the shock in.

"Faith," Connor, the actually Connor, whispered. She was alive. But wasn't he partly to blame for her death?