A/N So I've played with the timeline for this story. Just wanted to explain it before we go any further.

The events in First Date, Get It Done, Storyteller, and Lies My Parents Told Me happen between the events of Bring on the Night and Showtime.

While Buffy is in LA after the events of Showtime, the events in Potential and The Killer In Me happen.

Then we pick up with Dirty Girls and continue from there.

Connor sat in Buffy's room holding the phone to his ear. He was on hold waiting for Angel to pick up the phone. Buffy had gone out by herself and she'd been so sad. Connor hated to see her that sad. It had been two days since the failed mission at the vineyard. Xander was still in the hospital while Rona had gotten her arm fixed and had come home the day before.

"Connor, is everything ok?" Angel asked.

"No. Everything is not ok." Connor said. "Dad, she needs you."

"Buffy…. Is she…."

"She's not hurt." He heard his dad breathe a sigh of relief. "Pretty much healed from everything, but…. She led some of the girls and her friends and Faith into a trap. Girls died and Rona got her arm broken. Xander lost an eye…."

"Xander lost an eye?"

"There's this man…. He's really strong…. He set the trap and he killed those girls. He hurt Buffy and gouged out Xander's eye. She left here a little while ago, I don't know where she went, but she's just so sad."

"She's taking it hard." Angel sighed. "I've got…. something I need to take care of, but I'll be on my way as soon as I can."

"Cordelia?"

"That's been taken care of."

"What happened?"

"We'll talk about it later, son."

"Ok."

"Do you like Sunnydale so far?"

"It's…. strange. But Buffy likes it. She took me around town a couple of days ago and showed me everything. She bought me coffee. I didn't like it very much, but I didn't tell her that because she loves it. I didn't want to hurt her feelings."

Angel chuckled. "I'm sure she could've handled you not liking coffee."

"Did you know she stays at your old house sometimes?"

"Does she?"

"Yeah. She said sometimes she needs to get away and it's where she feels safest even though all kinds of bad stuff happened there."

"She told you about the bad stuff?"

"Yeah. She likes to tell me stories about you two. Faith was surprised that you guys aren't locked up somewhere getting groiny when I told her about your soul being permanent. I'm pretty sure I understood what she was talking about, but…."

"Faith? When did you meet Faith?"

"A few days ago. Willow used her magic and broke her out of jail before she left LA. Faith's here helping Buffy."

"Is Buffy ok with that?"

"Yeah. She told me they haven't always been friends, but they're getting along pretty good."

"Good. I'm glad she has back up. Do me a favor, Connor. Will you go out and track down Buffy? Remind her that she's strong and she will get through this. Tell her I'll be there soon and not to lost hope."

"Yeah. I can do that."

"I'll see you soon, son."

"Bye, dad." Connor hung up and headed for the door. He could hear the girls downstairs talking and decided he didn't want to wade through them to get outside. So, he headed to the windows and ducked out that way. It took him a while to find her, but when he did she was heading towards the hospital.

"Connor." She looked up at him, not entirely shocked that he was there.

"I came to find you."

"I see that."

"I talked to dad. He wanted me to tell you not to lose hope."

"A little late."

"Buffy, it's bad what happened, but they volunteered to go. You're a good leader." She started to protest, but he held up his hand. "Nothing you say will change my mind."

Buffy sighed and continued walking to the hospital.

Connor stood next to Buffy as she explained to Xander what the doctor had said about his eye. Willow sat on the edge of his bed holding his hand. He looked pale surrounded by medical equipment with his left eye bandaged.

"And that you should expect to see some bruising when you remove the bandages." Buffy finished. "Bruising around the…. Area. The, uh, bone structure and musculature was hit pretty hard."

"Ok." Xander said.

"Um, also they said that the…. the meds may cause you some stomach discomfort, so we're gonna have to be careful with your diet."

"I can't taste anything right now anyway. I keep waiting for my other senses to improve 50%. Yeah, they should kick in any day now."

"Well, we're looking at a possible release as early as tonight. Um, we're just waiting for your labs to get back, and Dr. Kallet said that should be a couple of hours."

"That's great."

"Ok. Um, I think we're all caught up then." Buffy looked at Willow and gestured with the files the red head and Giles had gotten from the police. "Thank you for this. This was, um, really great work."

"Oh. I thought we were gonna….There were gonna be card games." Willow said.

"Oh, no, I just…. I should really get back. I want to get everyone started on this. I think we're really close to something."

"It's ok. It's gotta be done." Xander said. "And I might see you tonight, without depth perception, of course, but…. still." He smiled bravely.

Buffy gave him a small smile back before retreating out of the room. Connor nodded at Xander and followed Buffy. She was quiet the whole way back to the house. Connor really thought that she would be happy that Angel was coming, but she hadn't said anything about it since he'd told her on the way to the hospital. He wished he knew her better so he knew how to cheer her up.

"Hey, who's here?" She called out as they walked through the front door.

Dawn walked into the foyer. "Hey, Buffy. Hi Connor. How's Xander?" Faith, Kennedy, and Amanda came into the dining room from the kitchen.

Buffy put on a brave face, even giving them a bit of a smile. "He's doing really well. He's ready to come home, I think." She put the file down on the table.

"Whatcha got?" Faith asked.

"Info that Giles and Willow were able to pull off the police database. We figured with Caleb's, you know, overt religiosity thing if we wanna learn more about him, let's find out where he's been."

Faith took the pages Buffy offered her and read from them. "'Incidents of violence and vandalism connected to California religious institutions in the last 10 years.' Looks like this gives us a place to start."

"Yeah. I figure we start with California. We don't find anything there, we'll expand the search. But a guy like Caleb didn't just get in the game. He's been playing for a while, and I wanna know where. Whatever it takes." Buffy looked at Connor and Dawn. "You two good to help?"

"Well, I was gonna do lots and lots of homework, but darn the luck, they went and canceled school, so looks like I got the time." Dawn said.

"Good. Connor?"

"I've never really done research before, but I can try." Connor said.

"That's all I'm asking." Buffy sat down and scooted some of the papers to the chair next to her. Connor took the hint and sat down.

"Hey, Buffy," Dawn asked. "How was Xander's mood, you know, exactly? And did you get a chance to talk to the doctor about the meds? Because it seemed like…."

"Hey, pipsqueak," Faith said, noticing Buffy's tense body language. "Why don't you go get some of the stuff you've already gotten from Giles?"

"Or, um, we can talk about this later, maybe." Buffy made a sound of approval, but didn't look at Dawn. "Yeah. I'll be right back."

Buffy turned to Connor. "Try to find anything that looks like Caleb, his church, his ring…."

"His ability to render a Slayer useless in just one punch." Kennedy said. Buffy and Faith both frowned at her. "I didn't…. That was stupid. I don't know why I said that."

"Uh, it's ok." Buffy said. "Um…. You know, I…. I have to go to the school to pick up the rest of my stuff."

"I really didn't mean…."

"It's fine. Really, it's fine. Don't worry about it. Hey, uh…. isn't Anya doing that thing for you guys today?"
"Yeah. We were. We probably should head down there now."

"Ok. I'll be back soon." Kennedy and Amanda headed back downstairs. Buffy looked at Faith. "See that everyone else gets started on this."

"Yeah." Faith said, giving Buffy a concerned look.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Connor asked as Buffy headed for the door.

"No. Stay here and help them. I'll be back." She ducked out of the door before anything else could say anything.

"Don't worry, kid." Faith said. "She'll bounce back. She always does. Just…. Give her some time."

Angel walked into the new Sunnydale High School and wandered through the empty hallways. Sunnydale had emptied with people fleeing from the coming storm. He could feel it in the air telling him to get out. He had left LA just after the sun had gone down. Buffy hadn't been home. The only one he could see or hear in the house had been Giles. Instead of going inside, he'd just left and gone in search of her. Her scent had led him to the school.

He rounded a corner to find broken glass and Buffy lying face down on the ground among the debris. "Buffy!" Angel ran over to her and turned her over. She was still breathing. He brushed away the broken glass and lifted her into his arms. Looking around cautiously, he stepped into the office with the broken window and moved beyond into the principal's office. He swept the things off the desk there and laid her down. She started to come around and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Buffy…."

Her eyes focused on him. "Angel?"

"Hey."

"When…."

"Just now. What happened?"

She looked around for a moment as she sat up. "Uh…. Caleb showed up."

"The man Connor was telling me about?"

"Able to render a Slayer useless in one punch? Yeah. That's him." She shook her head angrily and instantly regretted it. "I should've been more prepared." Buffy looked up at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Connor said you needed me. Do you not want me here?"

She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound so…. Harsh. I'm just angry at myself."

"You shouldn't be."

"Shouldn't I? I got those girls killed. I knew it was a trap and I walked them right in there."

"Buffy, this is a war. There will be casualties."
"That doesn't comfort me."

"Sorry. It's all I've got right now."

"What happened with not-Cordelia?"

"She gave birth to a Power That Was."

"Wow."

"I killed it just after it was born, but…. Cordy's in a coma."

Buffy blinked at him for a moment. "How did you know it was a Power That Was?"

"Research and a little torture."

"The usual way, then." Buffy turned and got off the desk, wavering slightly. Angel reached out and helped her to stand. "Thanks."

"So, what's on the agenda tonight?"

"Uh, I think Caleb accidentally showed me his hand. He kept making big noises about this place, but…. There's no one here guarding it. No Bringers. No Uber-vamps. Nothing. He just came here to talk at me and then…. Throw me through a window and part of a wall."

"To talk at you? About what?"

She looked up him, an idea forming in her eyes. "About the Seal and the Hellmouth."

"What Seal?"

Buffy grabbed his hand and led him down to the basement of the school. She opened the door to the room where the Seal of Danzalthar was once again unburied. "This Seal. It's got some crazy mojo. It opens if you feed it blood."

"Where are the Bringers?"

"Exactly!"

"I'm not following."

"Why did Caleb come here and make all that noise about this place, but there's no one here guarding it? They're all out at that vineyard."

"They're hiding something."

"I'm thinking yes."

"You want to go in again."

"I think I have to."

"Now?"

"No. I need to see what those police files dug up and then gather the troops." She led the way out of the room and back out of the basement. Angel drove them back to her house in silence. It was clear she was thinking hard about the upcoming raid on the vineyard. When they got to the house, she went in first calling, "Hey guys, how's it…. going?"

Giles came out of the dining room. "Buffy. Are you hurt? Angel?"

"Hey." Angel said, giving a small wave.

"Caleb came back looking for seconds." Buffy said.

"My God, is h-he…." Giles started.

"Still able to make me see cartoon birdies all around my head? You betcha. The short lack of consciousness was nice. I feel rested."

"And Angel?"

"Came down to help." Angel said. "Found her at the school."

"How did those police files work out?" Buffy asked. "Were they helpful?"
"Uh…. yes. Very much so, I think. Um…. there's evidence that Caleb may have established a foothold up north."

"That's great. That's…."

"I, um…. I sent Spike to look into it."

"Spike? Is this a mission from which you intend Spike to return alive?"

"Yes. I sent Andrew with him."

"Again I ask the question."

"Buffy, you weren't here. Decisions have to be made in your absence."

"Yeah, well, those are the ones that have been scaring me."

"I did what I thought was right."

"You sent away one of the two people that's been watching my back."

"We're all watching your back."

"Funny…. that's not really what it feels like."

"Buffy…."

"Where did everybody go? Where's Connor?"

"What?"

"Connor. Faith. The girls. Where are they?"

"Um…. Faith thought that the girls could do with some time off their studies. I…. I thought…. She took them to the Bronze. Connor too."

Buffy shook her head as she rolled her eyes. She turned and walked out the front door. Angel looked between her and Giles before rushing out after Buffy. "What was that about?"

"I allowed the Initiative to take the chip out of Spike's head and Giles tried to have him killed."

"Giles did? Are you sure there's not more to that story?"

"Robin Wood, the principal at the high school and my ex-boss…. His mother was the Slayer that Spike killed in the 70s. He and Giles teamed up to kill Spike. Giles thought he was doing what needed to be done because 'Spike's a liability, Buffy. He refuses to see it and so do you. Angel left here because he realized how harmful your relationship with him was. Spike lacks such self-awareness.'" Buffy glanced up at him. "I'd watch your back now that you're here. Giles might try to off you, too."

"Spike is…."

"Oh god! Not you too!"

"Just hear me out, ok? The Spike that I know…. He's not a good person. He's evil."

"He's changed."

"Because he has a soul now?"

"Yes."

"I would have to see it to believe it."

"You will. If he comes back alive from Giles' mission."

"Who's Andrew?"

"Do you remember the guy that tried to sic the hellhounds on the prom?"

"I remember you mentioning it that night."

"Andrew is his little brother. He's a pest, but sometimes he's useful."

"You seem to collect those." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Sorry. Reverted to the Spike discussion."

"Are you just gonna come here and go all Dawson on me every time I have a boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend!?"

She groaned and rolled her eyes. "He's not. But…. He is in my heart."
"That'll end well."

"What was the highlight of our relationship? When you broke up with me or when I killed you? Or when I released your soulless half in a dream and then he proceeded to torment and try to beat me to death in the real world?" He snorted. "You know, we really don't have time for the conversation this conversation is leading to."

"I know. I know! We promised we would sit down and talk once all of this was over."

"And that still stands." She reached over and took his hand, giving it a squeeze.

They made it to the Bronze only to hear the sounds of a fight in the alleyway. The two of them rounded the corner to see Kennedy, Amanda and Faith fighting a group of police officers. Faith grabbed a club and knocked the last one standing into a wall by his throat.

"Faith!" Buffy cried. "What are you doing?"

"Just blowing off steam." Faith looked around at the downed cops. "Well, it started that way. Turned when the cops went evil on us. Hey, Angel."

"Faith." Angel said.

Dawn, Connor, Chao-Ahn, Rona, and the other girls filed out of the club. "Dad!" Connor said, walking over to stand with his father.

"Girls, go home." Buffy snapped. "I need to talk to Faith for a minute."

"Buffy, we weren't…." Dawn started.

"Dawn, you, too. Go." Dawn and the potentials walked away, leaving Angel and Connor with Buffy. Buffy rounded on Faith. "What is this?"

"They needed a break, all right?" Faith said. "They've been running themselves into the ground. Things just got out of hand."

"Taking a break is one thing…. I get blowing off steam…. but they were fighting! And those girls were drunk! What were you thinking?!"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Yeah, what if someone had gotten hurt?"

"They didn't."

"Faith, I need to know that these girls are gonna be safe when I'm not around."

"No one got hurt, B. Look, you don't even know these girls. Maybe you should have a little more confidence in 'em. Let them mess up sometimes, you know, get down and dirty. How the hell else are they gonna learn?"

"Learning from your mistakes is one thing. But you don't throw children into…."

"They're not children."

"That really isn't the point."

"Yeah, what about the vineyard?"

"What?"

"How safe were they when you dragged them off to meet Caleb? How safe was Rona or Amanda or Molly?"

Buffy suddenly punched Faith in the face, knocking her down to the ground. Angel and Connor looked between the two Slayers for a moment. Faith waved them away and they followed Buffy out of the alley.

"Buffy," Connor said as they caught up to the angry blonde a block from the Bronze. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder to stop her. "I was keeping an eye on the girls. And so was Faith. She took their drinks away from them until those cops came into the place. They forced Faith outside and then blocked us from going out to help her. I don't know what exactly happened in the alley, but Faith was defending herself. You shouldn't be mad at her."

Buffy stared at Connor for a long moment, then started walking again. Connor looked at Angel for help and Angel sighed. "Buffy, I get that you're upset…."

"Of course I'm upset!" Buffy snapped.

"It's not like she meant to get jumped by the cops." Angel reached out and stopped her again, fully aware that she might turn and deck him. Thankfully, she didn't. "Buffy, Faith was letting them blow off steam. Something you've had to do before, too."

"The last time I blew off steam with Faith, she killed someone."

"I get that, but you've got to remember that's not who she is anymore. Connor is telling you she was looking out for them tonight and things got out of hand when the cops attacked her. That wasn't her fault. You've got to take a breath and step off the warpath for a minute."

"I can't step off the warpath, Angel. There's an apocalypse coming and the army that I have is not ready for it. The First is a step ahead of us."

"We'll catch up once we go back to that vineyard."

"We're going back?" Connor asked.

"Yes." Buffy said. "We have to. They've got to be hiding something there."

"I thought it was just a trap."

"It was, but Caleb came to the school today and he…."

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. He just wanted to talk and then knock me unconscious. But in all that talking, he slipped up. No one is guarding the Hellmouth. The badness comes from there and that Seal, but he and the Bringers are…."

"At the vineyard!"

"Exactly."

"We've got to go in and hit them hard. They won't expect us to show up again."

"My thinking exactly."

"When did you get so smart?" Angel joked, gently nudging his son.

Connor gave a shrug. "They're throwing a welcome home thing for Xander tonight. I heard Dawn and Kennedy planning it. For the record, I don't like Kennedy."

"Why?"

"She's bossy. And kind of rude. She acts like she's already a Slayer. But we can tell everyone about the plan since they'll all be in one room already."

"Good plan." Buffy reached out a squeezed Connor's upper arm affectionately.

There was a yellow banner painted with WELCOME HOME in big red letters hanging over the fireplace in Buffy's living room. Giles, Dawn, and the potentials were all gathered in the living room while Buffy, Angel, and Connor stood in the dining room. Willow escorted Xander into the house with Faith and Robin Wood behind them.

"Oh, god." Xander said, seeing the banner and the gathering.

"We didn't have time to do more." Kennedy said. "You have to pretend there's a big party here."

Dawn walked up to Xander and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "That's fine." He said. "Parties in this house, I usually end up having to…. rebuild something." He spotted Angel standing with Buffy and Connor in the French doors. "Dead Boy."

"I really hate that name." Angel said.

"Welcome home, Xander." Buffy said. "I wanted you to be here for this. I think you'll be interested in what I found out."

"What did you find out?" Willow asked.

"It's about the cellar. Look, I know that night wasn't fun for any of us, but I figured out some things about that place and I realize now what we have to do. We're going back in." Xander sat down heavily in the large armchair while everyone just stared in bewilderment and shock. "Look, I know what you're thinking, but I had a visit at the school today from Caleb."

"Buffy, why didn't you…." Dawn started.

"I'm fine. I mean, it wasn't fun, but I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I…. I figured something out. He kept making all this noise about the school."

"Is it that seal again?" Robin asked.

"Do we need to try shutting it again?" Willow asked.

"No, that's just it. We've spent all this time worrying about the seal and the Hellmouth. Why isn't Caleb guarding them? Why doesn't he have someone there protecting it? Why is he camped out at the vineyard?"

"The bad guys always go where the power is." Angel said.

"Right! So if the seal was so important to Caleb and the First, they would be there right now. They're protecting the vineyard or something at the vineyard. I say it's their power, and I say it's time we go in and take it away from them."

"Or, in the alternative, how 'bout we don't?" Faith said. "I mean, it's a neat theory, B, but I'm not going back in that place, not without proof, and neither should you and neither should they."

"I'm not saying it's gonna be easy…."

"I think Faith had the floor." Robin interrupted.

"Maybe it ends ok the way you wanna play it, but maybe it doesn't." Faith said. "And right now, I don't think I want you playin' the odds."

"Never known you to shy away from a fight." Angel commented.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Kennedy snapped at Angel.

Connor looked at his dad. "That's the one I was talking about." Angel nodded in agreement with his son's assessment of the potential Slayer.
"Listen," Faith said. "We're fighters here, all of us, but you gotta give me something to fight, something real, not…."

"Windmills." Giles said.

"There is something there." Buffy insisted.

"Maybe. But we can't be sure of that. This is a hell of a lot to ask."

"Too much." Robin said.

Buffy shook her head. "I don't understand this. For 7 years, I've kept us safe by doing this…. Exactly this, making the hard decisions. And now, what? Suddenly you're all acting like you can't trust me?"

"Didn't you say to me today you can't trust us?" Giles said. "Maybe there's something there that should be addressed."

"Is that why you sent Spike away, to ambush me?"

"Oh, come on."

"You know what?" Rona snapped. "I am sick of your deal with this Spike guy. This isn't about him. This is about you. You're being reckless."

"What?" Buffy asked.

"You are! I don't even know you, and I can tell! You are so obsessed with beating Caleb, you are willing to jump into any plan without thinking."

"You need to stand down little girl." Angel growled.

"Angel, you haven't been a part of this." Giles said. "You need to stand down."

"Excuse me?"

"It's ok, Angel." Buffy said, placing her hand on his bicep. "Ignore him." She turned to Rona. "You have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not jumping into any plan without thinking."

"Well, that's how it feels to us." Kennedy said, daring to walk closer to Buffy. "People are dying."

"Kennedy…." Willow started, walking up to her girlfriend.

"Why are you always standing up for her?"

"I'm not."

"What do you mean, you're not?" Buffy asked.

"With everything that's happened," Willow's eyes ticked to Angel for a second. "I…. I'm worried about your judgment."

"This has nothing to do with me being here." Angel growled.

Buffy could tell that both Angel and Connor were getting worked up. She stepped in front of them and addressed the group. "Look, I wish this could be a democracy. I really do. Democracies don't win battles. It's a hard truth, but there has to be a single voice. You need someone to issue orders and be reckless sometimes and not take your feelings into account. You need someone to lead you."

"And it's automatically you?" Anya asked. "You really do think you're better than we are."

"No, I…."

"But we don't know. We don't know if you're actually better. I mean, you came into the world with certain advantages, sure. I mean, that's the legacy. But you didn't earn it. You didn't work for it. You've never had anybody come up to you and say you deserve these things more than anyone else. They were just handed to you. So that doesn't make you better than us. It makes you luckier than us."

"Didn't earn it?" Angel cried. "Are you kidding me? Did she not go face the Master and die at sixteen years old to save the world? Did she not sacrifice herself two years ago to save the world? Has she not faced down apocalypse after apocalypse to keep everyone in this room safe? If that's not earning it, then I don't know what is! From where I'm standing, she has worked for it and earned it." He turned to Buffy. "You deserve these things more than anyone else." He turned to Anya. "There, I said it to her. This doubting her thing you're all doing right now is pure insanity. She is the best there is and that's why she's the leader. That's why she's gotten you all this far."

"But not without a price." Xander said.

"Xander…." Buffy started.

"I'm trying to see your point here, Buff…. but I guess it must be a little bit to my left…. cause I just don't."

"Wasn't it you just a few days ago saying that we need to trust her because she's earned it? See, Anya, Xander even said she's earned it." Connor said. "Or did you not mean any of that, Xander?"

"Look, I'm willing to talk strategy, ok." Buffy said when no one answered Connor. "I'll hear suggestions on how to break this down, but this is the plan. We have to be together on this or we will fail again."

"We are clearly demonstrating that we are not together on this!" Giles yelled.

Buffy's back straightened. "Which is why you have to fall in line! I'm still in charge here."

"Why is that, exactly?" Rona asked.

"Because she's the Slayer." Connor said.

"And isn't Faith a Slayer, too?"

"What?" Faith looked around in surprise. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. So not what I meant. I'm not in charge chick. I think B here needs to just chill out for a little bit, take a siesta or something. But I'm not the one you want."

"Maybe we need a vote to see who wants Faith to have a turn in charge." Kennedy said.

"No." Buffy said.

"No, what?"

"No. You don't get to vote until I've had my chance to pal around, you know, get everybody drunk. See, I didn't get this was a popularity contest. I should have equal time to bake them cookies, braid their hair…."

"Learn their names?" Faith interjected.

"You're just lovin' this, aren't you?" Angel reached out and held Buffy back from Faith.

"You have no idea what I'm feeling."

"Come in here, take everything that I have…. You did it before. Did you tell them that? Did you tell them how you used to kill people for fun? Hey, you guys think that's nifty?"

"Buffy," Angel said, pitching his voice so only she could hear.

"I didn't come here to take anything away from you," Faith said. "But I'm not gonna be your little lapdog, either. I came here to beat the other guy, to do right, however it works. I don't know if I can lead. But the real question is…. Can you follow?"

"So we vote." Robin said.

"I will not watch you just throw away everything that…." Buffy shook her head. "I know I'm right about this. I just need a little time. I can't stay here and watch her lead you into some disaster."

Dawn stood up and walked over to her sister. "Then you can't stay here. Buffy, I love you, but you were right. We have to be together on this. You can't be a part of it. So I need you to leave. I'm sorry, but this is my house, too."

"If she goes, I'm going too." Connor said.

"Ok, bye." Kennedy said.

Angel started forward menacingly, but Buffy and Connor stopped him. They pulled him towards the door. "She's not worth it." Connor said. Angel gave all of them one more glare before following Buffy and Connor.

Faith followed them outside. "Hey. Look, I swear I didn't want it to go this way…."

"Don't." Buffy said.

"I mean it, I…."

"Don't be afraid to lead them. Whether you wanted it or not, their lives are yours. It's only gonna get harder. Protect them, but lead them." Buffy walked off into the night flanked by Angel and Connor.