May 2000

"No, absolutely not!" Darwin snapped.

Quinten leveled his gaze. "If you don't allow us to vote on the matter you'll leave us with no choice, but to exterminate the creature."

Darwin glared at him. "If you call her a creature one more time, so help me God, I will—"

"I accept the vote."

Darwin whirled around, staring at Emily with a mix of horror and confusion. But she wasn't looking at him. Her gaze was focused on the men and women sitting at the table, staring at her as though she were an exhibit at a zoo they never expected to be capable of speech.

Slowly, awkwardly, she rose to her feet. The guards surrounding her tensed and raised their weapons, but backed off at a raised hand by Quinten.

"I will accept the outcome of the vote whatever it may be," Emily told them, determined.

"What are you doing?" Darwin asked, breathlessly.

She ignored the question, watching Quinten, the obvious leader of the group. "However, I do have one request that must be fulfilled regardless of what's decided. In exchange for the services I provided the night of the attack."

More looks were exchanged amongst the Watchers. Clearly they weren't certain whether to be insulted that a vampire was requesting demands from them or relieved at the apparent cooperation.

Finally, Madelyn said, "What is your request?"

"For you to have Isabel Rio's body moved from wherever it's being kept to South America so she can be laid to rest with her family."

All Darwin could do was stare at her in wonder. It was as if he'd completely forgotten how to speak. Emotions surged within him, too many to pick from leaving him stuck dumb.

Quinten eyed Emily suspiciously. "Your word you will abide by our decision even if it means death?"

Emily met his gaze resolved. "Give me your word and you shall have mine."

Darwin snapped himself out of his stupor. "Emily, don't do this. Please."

Quinten glanced around the table. "As long as there are no objections, I fail to see a reason why we can't accommodate your request." No one objected—except for Darwin, but evidentially his opinion did not matter.

"This is madness!" Darwin grabbed Emily by the shoulders and forced her to acknowledge him. "I won't let you senselessly throw your life away."

"It's alright."

"Stop saying that! Just because you're ready to die doesn't mean I'm ready to let you go!"

She stared up at him, face set in determination. "I meant what I said before. And this is my decision to make." Her face softened a bit. "Besides, like I told K'Shahl, humans will always surprise you."

Darwin stared down at her. She was radiating strength and courage as brilliant as the sun in a cloudless sky. She'd never been more beautiful.

"You're barking mad," he told her. "You're aware of this, yes?"

She didn't answer him. She merely smiled.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Holtz?" came Quinten's impatient voice from behind him. It was all he could do not to tell the old git to bugger off.

"Cast your bloody vote," he said instead.

"Then let us finally put an end to this."

Darwin turned around and took a step back, leaving Emily standing exposed to the men and women that would either condemn or save her.

"Ladies and Gentleman," Quinten began, puffing himself up in his chair. "For the execution of this vampire, vote 'aye'. To allow this creature to live, but fall under the Rite of the Forgotten, vote 'nay'."

Not surprising, Quinten began the vote with a very resounding, "Aye."

One by one the Watchers cast their vote. The first two after Quinten were "ayes" making Darwin's heart stop beating for a few seconds.

But when it came to Madelyn's vote, she looked Emily right in the eye and said, "nay". After that came more "nays". Hope reared its meddlesome face. It honestly looked like there was a chance they could both walk out of this place in one piece.

Shockingly, the vote was split completely down the middle leaving one man the sole decider. He was much younger than the majority of his colleagues. He was also the only person who had not spoken one word since the meeting began.

"Glenn," Quinten gently urged, as if the man didn't know it was his turn to speak.

Darwin watched silently as the final Watcher sat there staring down at his hands on the table top before him; there was a slight tremor to the fingers that matched Darwin's own.

"When the fight began that night," the man began, still looking down. "I took my wife and my son and hid in one of the offices. One of those things found us and…and set fire to the place. It wanted to watch us burn."

He sucked in a breath and forced his gaze up, eyes locking on Emily. "You appeared out of thin air, you know? It wasn't hard to figure out you weren't human with the way you moved and fought. But I… even though you were clearly battling the demon for our sake, I just couldn't comprehend it. That's why I attacked you.

"You could have just killed me so you could focus on the demon. But you didn't—you put yourself in more harm deflecting my attacks and still managing to keep the creature at bay until you could kill it.

"But that's not even the most incredible part. My wife had escaped the burning room, but our son had not. I tried to go back inside, but the flames were too great and… and I was so afraid. You didn't even hesitate. Even though the fire could have just as easily taken your life as my own, you rushed inside and brought my son to me. You even helped us—me; the man who'd about took your head off as soon as I'd have gotten the chance—find a safe place to hide. You wouldn't even let me thank you properly."

Emily said nothing, her face devoid of all emotion. Darwin was holding his breath.

The man glanced around him at the others. "This girl is far more human than any of us could ever dream to be. And if this vote truly is about whether or not she possesses a threat to us and not to save face as Mr. Holtz suggests, then what other choice is there really?

"I vote nay."

Miraculously, Darwin did not jump in the air and cheer his joy to the world. Though it was a great feat indeed. He glanced over at Emily, but she kept up her poker face.

In the mean time, Quentin was looking rather purplish in the face. "Very well, then," he said brusquely. "It's been decided. The vampire will be set free."

He met Darwin's eyes. "Understand, Mr. Holtz—once you leave this building, you leave everything behind. Not just the events from that night, but all that has lead up to this point. Your family name will be erased from record, as will the lives of the two Slayers under your care. You can never speak of these persons or events so long as you shall live. The both of you," he added sourly, allow his eyes to glance ever so briefly to Emily then back to Darwin.

Not a problem there.

They were given a half hour to gather what few belongings they possessed and change their clothes to something a bit more appropriate and less bloody and tattered. A taxi would be summoned to take them to the airport where they were required to leave the country—the destination didn't matter so long as they were gone tonight.

Emily was unchained so she could clothe herself, but remained under constant guard. Normally Darwin would have protested such a violation of her privacy, but they were being allowed to live and he felt now was not the time to push his luck.

"Oye."

Darwin turned at the sound of the familiar voice. His friend the Enforcer was waiting at the end of the hallway near the elevators.

"Good to see ya survived, mate," he said, clapping Darwin roughly against the shoulder.

"Same to you." Then he noticed the bag hanging off the man's shoulder. "You've been sacked?"

He shrugged. "More like 'relocated'—somethin' about me not takin' orders and clobberin' me superiors." The smirk on his face told Darwin he didn't much care about his firing.

"And, um… Mindy? Has there been any change?"

The Enforcer winced and shook his head. "She's got a grandmum in Brittany. They're flying her down here to make the final decision."

Darwin's mouth went dry. He could still remember seeing that poor child's blank expression, the lifelessness of her body in his arms.

"I took the shot, mate," the Enforcer told him.

"Under my order."

"I would've taken that shot no matter what you said, mate. That's the truth."

No, it wasn't, but Darwin appreciated the sentiment regardless. "I don't even know your proper name," he suddenly realized.

He smirked. "Tannin. Miles Tannin. Look me up if you ever find yourself in another scrap. I get the feelin' you'd be loads of fun to get into trouble with."

A deep pang of sadness spread through Darwin's chest. Only those in that meeting room would ever know what happened that night—in a few moments, Miles Tannin won't even remember Darwin ever existed. A shame, really. In another life they might have been great allies.

Somehow he managed to put on a brave face and smiled at Miles. "Of course." He held out a hand. "I look forward to seeing you again."

They shook hands then Miles moved past them down the hall. From beside him, Emily placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. He gave her a thin smile then proceeded toward the elevators, their less than patient entourage following closely behind.

Philip was in the lobby when Darwin and Emily stepped off. He had a quite a shiner across his jaw from when Miles clocked him. It brought a bit of a smile to Darwin's face.

"Come to say goodbye, Philip? How very charitable of you."

His former mentor shook his head disdainfully. "You're not even the least bit shameful of your actions? Even after receiving the most embarrassing punishment possible?"

Darwin shrugged. "Well, like you always told me, it won't matter because nobody will ever remember my actions or me."

Philip met Darwin's eyes with a hard gaze. "I will certainly be glad to be rid of my memories of you, even at the expense of losing a lifelong friendship with your father."

Even after all the betrayal and anger he felt toward the man before him, Darwin would be lying if he said that comment did not sting a bit. "Goodbye, Philip."

Philip brushed past him and boarded the elevator without so much as a second glance back.

The instant the main doors closed behind the two, there was a slight shaking of the earth below and a strange puff of air from above. Darwin looked up in time to see what looked like a clear ripple erupt from the top of the building and vanish into the sky.

"Well, that's it then," he mused, looking back down at Emily. "We've been officially Forgotten."

"You're the second Watcher that's been Forgotten because of me," Emily pointed out, a smirk on her face.

He frowned. "I was wondering about that. If Zikomo was Forgotten, how is it people still know of him?"

"At first everyone did forget him. It wasn't until his granddaughter, Seiko, returned to the shrine years later that she remembered him. The spell couldn't get past the kekkai. As for myself… I really don't know. Perhaps the spell doesn't work on supernatural creatures." She glanced back at the building. "What do you suppose they'll do now?"

"Regroup. Change locations. Scramble like mad to get the Slayer back under their thumbs."

"Can they do that?"

"Perhaps. That is, if they're willing to finally change their archaic ways which I sincerely doubt." He shook his head at the thought then pointed at the bag across her shoulder. "I still can't believe they let you keep that."

She touched the strap fondly. "They have no use for a broken sword."

"And you do?"

"I know a slaough demon in Austria that works miracles with black-smithing. I almost wish it had been inside the building when the Ad Finem Ultimum was cast. If it had vanished, we would have known without a doubt it was the true Kusanagi no Tsurugi."

"I've been meaning to ask: how did you know to vacate the building three minutes before the deadline?"

Emily chewed on her lip and self-consciously brushed a strain of hair behind her ear—had she been human, her cheeks probably would have been red. "I, um, I didn't. I sort of… got thrown out a window on the fifth floor. I blacked out just as the light appeared."

Darwin sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. "It's because you don't fight defensively. And I know you do that by choice—no Watcher in his right mind would train you not to defend your own body during a battle. It's something we're going to have to work on."

An awkward silence fell between them now. Darwin supposed he probably shouldn't assume they were going to stay together after all this happened. Really, there wasn't a valid reason other than it was what he wanted.

"So, where do we go from here?" he asked quietly, nervous about her answer.

"I'm going back to LA," Emily told him simply. "I'm going to kill Eve."

His face flushed. It took a few attempts before he could talk again. "But I thought you—you don't know what'll happen to you if you…"

"I don't. But I can't just let her do what she wants. Eve is obsessed with power—she'll never stop until she conquers or destroys everything around her.

"Besides… I can't explain it, but it feels like this is how it's meant to be. Like this fight was preordained. This is the only way I'll ever be free of her, however it ends."

In spite of everything he felt Darwin had to agree with that. "I'm coming with you."

She shook her head. "No, it's too dangerous."

Darwin extended a sardonic hand out to her. "Hello, Pot, my name is Kettle—I think we're going to get along quite swimmingly."

She sighed breathlessly. "This is different. I don't know what will happen to me when it's all over. If I turn into a normal vampire then I'll lose my soul. I don't want to be one to end your life."

"My life? In case you weren't paying attention back there, I've got nothing left, not even a name. Forgive me if I want to cling to the only thing I've left in this world for as long as humanly possible."

Emily seemed to consider this for a moment. "If you stay with me, then there's one thing you must promise me." He nodded for her to continue. "If I lose myself, promise me you'll make sure I never hurt anyone."

Darwin laughed, surprising Emily for the very first time. "You know Isabel made me promise the very same thing? Though she was far less polite than you were—I believe the phrase 'or I'll eat your face first' may have escaped her lips."

"And? Did you promise her?"

"I did. The same way I'm promising you now. If I can't help bring you back to yourself, I will do everything in my power to ensure you are not a danger to anyone. Even if it means ending your life with my own hands."

She smiled warmly up at him. "I'll hold you to your word."

He smiled back for a moment then turned serious once more. "I understand you'll have to meet the final confrontation alone, but Eve isn't the only thing you'll be facing. Are you certain you're ready?"

Her eyes flickered downward. "Vincent is dead. All that's left is a demon that believes he's my lover."

Neither of them believed the lie, but Darwin wasn't crass enough to call her on it. "There is also that small bit about an army. It was pretty large at last check and I imagine it probably hasn't shrunk while we've been gone."

The corner of her mouth rose. "I've been thinking about that, actually. You've inspired me with that water pistol."

He frowned at her and her smirk grew into a conspiratory smile. "How difficult do you think it would be to steal a water tanker truck?" she asked almost innocently.

It didn't take him long to follow her train of thought. "Probably not as difficult as it'll be to convince a priest to bless it."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh, so it's up to me then, is it?"

Her shoulders moved up. "You want to come along."

"Oh goodie, another apocalypse. Yay." He clapped his hands together with pseudo enthusiasm. "Where to first, then? Austria to get the sword repaired?"

Emily shook her head. "No, this sword won't help much. They're much too fast, especially Vincent. I almost wish I could bring a gun into the fight—that might even the odds a little."

Darwin tapped a finger to his lips thoughtfully. "I think we might be able to come up with something. Unconventionally speaking, of course."

She laughed and for the first time it sounded genuine. "Since when has any of this been conventional?"

Taking up his meager belongings, he and Emily began the long walk down the path toward the waiting taxi out by the front gate.

"I do have one small request," he told her. "In the highly unlikely scenario that we survive this whole ordeal."

"Name it."

"I'm dying to meet this girl that has the Council's knickers in such a twist. She definitely sounds like my kind of Slayer."