Chapter 31: What's My Line Pt. 1

In the school lounge a guidance counselor sits behind a table from which a sign hangs -"VOCATIONAL APTITUDE TESTS."

Willow grabs a test and a number 2 pencil from the table and moves to Buffy and Xander, who sit filling out their forms.

"'Are you a people person or do you prefer keeping your own company?' What if I'm a people person who keeps his own company by default?" Xander asks.

Buffy shakes her head, "So - mark none of the above."

Xander sighs, "There is no box for "none of the above." That would introduce too many variables into their mushroom head, number-crunching little world."

"I'm sensing bitterness." Willow says.

Xander nods, "It's just - these people can't tell from one multiple choice test what we're supposed to do for the rest of our lives. It's ridiculous."

"I'm kind of curious to find out what sort of career I could have." Willow said.

Xander sighs, "And suck all the spontaneity out of being young and stupid? I'd rather live in the dark."

Willow shakes her head, "We won't be young forever."

"I'll always be stupid." Xander says. "Okay, let's not all rush to disagree…"

"You're not stupid." Buffy says looking up. "Do I like shrubs?"

"That's between you and your God." Xander says.

Buffy looks to Willow, "What'd you put?"

Willow smiles, "I came down on the side of shrubs."

"Go shrubs. Okay." Buffy says as she puts the pencil down. "I shouldn't even be bothering with this. It's all moot-ville for me. No matter what my aptitude test says - I already know my deal."

"Yep. High risk, sub-minimom wage…" Xander says.

Buffy holds up the pencil, "Pointy wooden things and magic."

"So why are you even taking the test?" Willow asks.

Buffy sighs, "It's Principal Snyder's "hoop" of the week. He's not happy unless I'm jumping. Believe me, I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"You're not even a teensy weensy bit curious about what kind of career you could have had? I mean, if you weren't already the Charmed Slayer and all." Willow says.

"Do the words "sealed" and "fate" ring any bells for you, Will? Why go there?" Buffy says.

Willow looks stung by Buffy's tone.

"You know, with that kind of attitude you could have had a bright future as an employee of the DMV." Xander says.

Buffy sighs, "I'm sorry. It's just - unless hell freezes over and every vamp in San Francisco and demon puts in for early retirement - I'd say my future is pretty much a non-issue."

That night dead leaves scrape and tumble across the ground, riding a stiff wind across the cemetery. A storm threatens.

Buffy hears a tink tink sound. She looks past a Mausoleum and moves towards it.

The tinking sound grows louder as she nears the mausoleum. She finds the solid iron door ajar. Torchlight flickers hellishly through the narrow margin. Buffy looks inside.

She sees a torch is set in the ground, illuminating the work of a dark figure - who finally breaks the lock of a vault door embedded in the far wall. The thief opens the vault and grabs something from it - then he makes for the exit.

Buffy waits for the thief to hit the exit, "Does "rest in peace" have no sanctity to you people?" She tackles him.

The thief hits the ground hard and a red velvet bag that obviously contains something heavy falls from his hands.

"Oh, I forgot - you're not a people." Buffy said as she powers up a fireball.

Suddenly another vampire appears behind her. He advances and she wheels, knocking him back with a vicious jumping kick.

Buffy throws the fireball in her hand and the vampire dusts. "One down -" She spins - ready to take on the thief, but he's gone. And so is the red velvet bag he stole from the vault. "One gone…"

Later that evening Buffy makes her way quietly into her room trying to not wake Prue, Piper or Phoebe.

Angel wanders restlessly, looking at her stuff. He does not notice as Buffy watches from the open door.

"Does my cousins know your waiting for me?" Buffy says.

Angel spins around, "Buffy - you scared me."

"Now you know what it feels like, stealth-guy." Buffy says smiling. "So. Just dropping by for some quality time with Mr. Gordo?"

"Excuse me?" Angel asks.

Buffy smiles, "The pig."

Angel looks down. Sees he's still holding the stuffed toy. "Oh, I, no-" He puts the toy down - feeling dorky.

"What's up?" Buffy asks.

Angel shakes his head, "Nothing."

Buffy sighs, "You don't have "nothing" face. You have "something" face."

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. I had a bad feeling." Angel confesses.

"Oh surprise. Angel comes with bad news." Buffy says. Angel reacts to her snipe as Buffy relents. "Sorry… I've been cranky miss all day. It's not you."

Phoebe walks up to the door, "Can you two keep it down. Some of us are trying to sleep. Hey Angel."

Buffy looks back, "Sorry Pheebs."

Phoebe closes the door to Buffy's room as she makes her way back down the hall to her room.

Angel sighs, "What is it, then?"

"We're having this thing at school-" Buffy says.

Angel nods, "Career week?"

"How did you know?" Buffy asks.

Angel smiles, "I lurk. Besides I heard your cousins talking about it earlier. Their excited to see the results."

"Oh, right. So you know, then. It's this whole week of "what's my line?" Only I don't get to play. Sometimes I just want…" Buffy says before she stops herself.

"You want - what? It's okay." Angel says.

"The Cliffnotes versions? I want a normal life. Like I had before." Buffy says.

"Before me." Angel says.

Buffy regards herself in her mirror. "It's not that. It's just… This career business has me contemplating the el weirdo that I am. Let's face it - instead of a job I have a calling. Okay? No chess club or football games for me. I spend my free time in grave yards and dark alleys…"

Angel nods, "Is that what you want? Football games?"

Buffy shrugs, "Maybe. Maybe not. But, you know what? - I'm never going to get the chance to find out. I'm stuck in this deal."

Angel reacts - he can't hide his hurt as he moves to go. "I don't want you to feel stuck-"

Buffy realizes how she sounded and she stops him. "Angel - I don't mean you. You, Prue, Piper and Phoebe are the few freaky thing in my freaky world that makes sense to me. I just get messed sometimes - wish we could be like regular kids."

Angel nods, relenting. "I'll never be a kid."

"Okay then. Just a regular kid and her cradle-robbing, creature-of-the-night boyfriend." Buffy says.

Angel's eyes travel to the mirror - he notices something. "Was this part of your normal life?" He reaches past her, plucks a photo from the mirror's frame.

Buffy looks at the photo and sees: A younger Buffy figure skating. Performing a perfect arabesque. She softens, takes the photo from him. "My Dorothy Hamill phase. My room in L.A. was this major shrine – Dorothy posters, Dorothy dolls. I even got the Dorothy haircut." She looks up embarrassed. "Thereby securing a place for myself in the Geek Hall of Fame."

"You wanted to be like her." Angel says.

Buffy nods, "I wanted to be her. My parents used to fight a lot. Skating was an escape. I felt safe…"

Angel replaces the photograph in the mirror frame. "When was the last time you put on your skates?"

Buffy thinks. "Like, a couple hundred demons ago."

"There's a rink out on Bunker road. It's closed on Tuesdays." Angel says.

Buffy smiles, "Tomorrow's Tuesday."

Angel nods, "I know."

The next day at the school Buffy opens her locker, stows her backpack inside, Willow dogging her.

"Just the two of you?" Willow asks. "Alone?"

Buffy nods, "Unless some unforeseen evil pops up. But I'm in full see-no-evil mode. Piper will drop me off and then I will flame back after." She closes her locker, and she and Willow head down the hall.

"Angel, ice-skating…" Angel says.

Buffy nods, "I know. Two worlds collide."

Xander catches up to them. Severely disturbed. "Wouldn't you two say you know me about as well as anyone? Maybe even better than I know myself?"

"What's this about?" Willow asks.

"When you look at me, do you think prison guard?" Xander asks point blank.

Buffy and Willow look him over appraisingly.

"Crossing guard, maybe. But prison guard?" Buffy says shaking her head.

"They just put up the assignments for the career fair. And according to my test results, I can look forward to being gainfully employed in the growing field of corrections." Xander says.

Buffy smiles, "At least you'll be on the right side of the bars.

"Laugh now, missy. They assigned you to the booth for 'law enforcement professionals.'" Xander says.

Buffy frowns, "As in police?"

Xander nods, "As in polyester, donuts, and brutality."

Buffy rolls her eyes, "Uggh."

"But, donuts…" Willow says cheerfully.

"I'll jump off that bridge when I come to it. First I have to deal with Giles-" Buffy says. Giles is entering the library up ahead, a foot-tall stack of books teetering under his chin. "He's on this Tony Robbins hyper-efficiency kick. He wants me to check in with him now every day after homeroom." She heads into the library.

Giles struggles, trying to set the books down on a library table. They tilt, about to topple- when Buffy catches them. "Oh, Buffy. Thank you." She helps ease them down for a safe landing. "I've been indexing the Watcher Diaries covering the past two centuries. You'd be amazed at how numbingly long-winded some of these watchers were."

"Color me stunned." Buffy says.

Giles opens his notebook. "I trust last night's patrol was fruitful."

"Semi. I caught one out of two vamps after they stole something from this jumbo mausoleum at the cemetery-" Buffy says.

Giles frowns, "They were stealing?"

Buffy nods, "Yep. They had tools, torches, the whole nine yards… What does that mean? The whole nine yards… nine yards of what? Now that's gonna bug me all day." Giles paces, visibly disturbed. "Giles, you're in pace mode. What gives?"

"The vampire who escaped - did you see what he took?" Giles asks.

Buffy shakes her head, "No - but let me take a wild guess. Some old thing?"

"I'm serious, Buffy." Giles says.

Buffy sighs, "So am I. I bet it was downright crusty."

Giles is losing patience with her. "So you made no effort to find out what was taken?"

Buffy looks at Giles, surprised by his tone. "Have a cow, Giles. I thought it was just everyday vamp hijinks. I didn't think this was something I might have to look up in my Book."

Giles sighs, "Well it wasn't. It could be very serious. If you'd made more of an effort to be thorough in your observations-"

"If you don't like the way I'm doing my job - why don't you find someone else? Oh right. "There can be only one." Long as I'm alive, there isn't anyone else. Well, there you go! I don't have to be the Slayer. I could be dead!" Buffy says.

Giles frowns, "That's not terrible funny. You'll notice I don't laugh."

"Wouldn't be much of a change, anyway." Buffy says. "I mean, either way I'm bored, constricted, I never get to shop and my hair and fingernails continue to grow so really, what's the dif?"

Giles sighs, "Must we be introspective now? Our only concern at this moment should be to discover what was stolen from that mausoleum last night."

A Short time later Giles tries to keep pace with Buffy, who moves at a brisk clip through the cemetery. She carries a flashlight.

"Buffy. Please. Slow down." Giles says.

"If I had it down to where I could carry passengers while flaming. We would be there already." Buffy says. "You're the one slowing us down."

"You're behaving in a terrible immature manner-" Giles says.

"Bingo. You know why? I am immature! I'm a teen! I've yet to mature!" Buffy says.

Giles frowns, "I was simply offering a little constructive criticism-"

"You were harsh. You act like I picked this gig. But I'm the picked. Too bad if I want a normal job." Buffy says.

"What you have is more than a… gig. It's a sacred duty." Giles says. Buffy gives him a 'been there, heard that' look. Giles scrambles - trying to calm her. "Which shouldn't prevent you from eventually procuring a more… mundane form of employment if you like. Such as I have."

Buffy sighs, "It's one thing being a Watcher and a librarian. They go together – like chicken and… another chicken. Two chickens. Or something. You know what I'm saying - you can spend all your time with a bunch of books and no one blinks. But what can I do? Carve stakes for a nursery?"

Giles sighs, "Point taken. I suppose I've never really thought about. Seriously though you can do anything you want though. Look at your cousins, the Charmed Ones. They still manage to hold down lives and fill their Charmed responsibilities. You can too, Buffy."

Buffy looks back at Giles and nods, "Your right I guess. According to Xander they placed me in law enforcement."

"That would be a job that would be suited to being the Slayer. But don't limit yourself, Buffy. Prue works at Buckland's right? Phoebe is going to college, correct? And Piper owns P4. Which aren't you part owner of?" Giles says.

Buffy shakes her head, "Officially not till I turn 21, because of the liquor license. Unofficially, yes." They walk up to the Mausoleum. "This is the place." She pulls open the heavy iron door, enters, Giles following her in.

Buffy clicks on her flashlight, guiding the beam through the dusty gloom. She leads Giles to the open vault door.

"May I?" Giles asks.

"Be my guest." Buffy says handing him the flashlight.

Giles shines the flashlight into the empty vault. "It's a reliquary, used to house items of religious significance. Most commonly, a finger or some other body part from a saint."

"Note to self: Religion - freaky." Buffy says.

Giles turns, paints the wall with the flashlight beam-which now falls across letters carved in the granite above the doorway: du Lac. "Du Lac… Oh dear."

Buffy reacts to his tone. "I hate when you say that. So I'm assuming big bad. Question is Slayer or Power of Three?"

"Josephus du Lac is buried here." Giles says.

"Was he a saint?" Buffy asks.

Giles shakes his head. "Hardly. He belonged to a sect of priests who were excommunicated by the Vatican at the turn of the century."

"Excommunicated and sent to Sunnydale. Must have been big with the sinning." Buffy says.

Giles nods, "Remember the book that was stolen from the library by a vampire a few weeks back? It was written by du Lac and his cohorts - Damn it. In all the excitement, I let it slip my mind -"

Buffy frowns, "I'm guessing it wasn't a Taste of the Vatican Cookbook."

Giles shakes his head, "The book is said to contain rituals and spells that reap unspeakable evil. However, it was written in archaic Latin - so nobody but the sect members could read it."

Buffy nods, "Then everything's cool. The sect is gone. Worm food like old du Lac, right?"

"I don't like it, Buffy. First the book is taken from the library. Now vampires steal something from du Lac's tomb…" Giles says.

"You think they've figured out how to read the book?" Buffy asks.

"I don't know. But something's coming, Buffy. And I guarantee, whatever it is - it's not good. I don't know if your cousins will be needed but it could having them available for this." Giles says as he moves off purposefully, Buffy following.

Back at the library Buffy, Willow, and Xander sit around the table.

"So Giles is sure that the vampire who stole his book is connected to the one you slayed last night? Or is it "slew?"" Willow asks.

"Both are correct." Giles emerges from the stacks with a yellowed periodical. "And yes. I'm sure."

Prue, Piper and Phoebe walk in through the doors. "What's the sitch, Giles?" Phoebe asks.

Giles sets the magazine down before them. It's a National Geographic, circa 1921. He motions for the sisters to join them, "du Lac was both a theologian and a mathematician. This article describes an invention of his, which he called the du Lac Cross."

"Why go to all the trouble of inventing something and then give a weak name like that? I'd have gone with "Cross-o-matic!" or "The Amazing Mr. Cross!"" Xander says.

Giles indicates a yellowing photo of the stolen crucifix. Prue peruses the accompanying article. "The cross was more than a symbol. It was also used to understand certain mystical texts - to decipher hidden meanings and so forth."

"You're saying these vampires went to all that trouble for your basic decoder ring?" Buffy asks.

Giles regards her for a moment, "Actually, I guess I am."

"According to this, du Lac destroyed every one of the crosses - except the one buried with him." Prue says.

"Why destroy his own work?" Buffy asks.

Giles shrugs, "I suppose he feared what might happen if the cross fell into the wrong hands."

"A fear we'll soon get to experience for ourselves, up close and personal." Xander says.

Piper nods, "Unless we preempt their plans."

"How?" Willow asks.

Piper looks to Prue, "Phoebe and I will go back to the Manor start looking for any reference to this du Lac in the Books."

Giles nods, "And we'll be trying to learn what was in the book before they do." He regards the group with grim purpose. "Which means we can expect to be here late tonight."

Willow smiles, "Goody! Research party!"

"Will, you need a life in the worst way." Xander says.

Piper looks to Buffy, "You still want me to drop you off?"

Buffy nods, "Please?"

Prue frowns, "Seriously your still not considering going out with Angel tonight?"

Buffy sighs, "Prue I doubt seriously were going to stop whatever tonight. Besides I will have my cell on me. Call and I will flame back."

Prue frowns, "Alright, but only because Angel will be waiting for you."

Later at the skating rink Buffy skates around the rink. She is alone on the ice, which seems to glow from the moonlight filtering in from the high-grimy windows. She breathes in the cool air - takes off again.

She picks up speed. Remembering the movement. And the rush. Her blowing hair frames a smile. She spins into a tight pirouette. She pivots, skating backward, getting up her nerve and picking up speed - then launching into an triple salchow.

Buffy lands hard, the momentum carrying her a good ten feet before she comes to a stop. She catches her breath - when she sees a shadow move across the ice in front of her. She looks around hopefully – "Angel?"

Only it's not Angel. It's Octarus. And his giant hands are already around her neck. He is about to lift her up when she flames out. She flames back in several feet away.

"Buffy!" Angel says.

Octarus turns at the interruption, just in time to meet Angel's fist. Octarus releases his grip on Buffy, and she falls to the ground in a gasping heap.

Octarus slams a ham sized fist into Ange's face - sending him sprawling. Angel immediately gets up to defend himself, but finds he is trapped in an alcove.

"Angel duck!" Buffy yells as she powers up a fireball. She throws it at Octarus as Angel ducks down. Octarus turns as the fireball engulfs him, vanquishing him. A ring drops to the floor at Angel's feet.

"And the hellmouth presents - 'Dead Guys On Ice'. Not exactly the evening we were aiming for…" Buffy says.

Angel picks up the ring and looks at it, "You're in danger. You know what the ring means?"

"I just killed a Superbowl champ?" Buffy asks.

Angel shakes his head, "I'm serious. You should go home and wait until you hear from me. Are you okay?"

"What about you? That cut -" Buffy says.

Angel shakes his head, "Forget about me. You're hurt."

Buffy's shaken - but she puts on her brave face. "Hey. No biggy. I've been slammed by bigger sides of beef than that -"

Angel shakes his head, "No you haven't."

Buffy falters. He's right. "No. I haven't."

"This is bad, Buffy. We have to get you someplace safe." Angel says.

Buffy is rightfully alarmed by the suggestion. "You mean - hide?"

"Let's just get you out of here." Angel says. He starts to move but Buffy stops him - indicates his bloody cut.

"Wait. Your eye is all… Let me -" Buffy says as she moves toward him - about to use the arm of her sweatshirt to wipe the blood off. But he pulls away. "Come on. Don't be a baby. I won't hurt you."

Angel shakes his head, "It's not that. I - you shouldn't have to touch me when I'm like this."

Buffy is at a loss. "Like - what?"

Angel reacts - is she kidding? "You know. When I'm…"

"Oh." Buffy says in understanding. She approaches him again. Very deliberately this time. Her hands go to his face. He looks away, but does not pull back. The gentleness of her touch holds him fast.

Buffy turns his face back to hers. Tenderly runs her fingers along his transformed features. Angel is overwhelmed. Nobody has ever touched him like this. "I didn't even notice." She draws him close. Gaze steady. Until her lips touch his…

They melt into a heart-stopping kiss.

Later that evening in the library Giles and Prue are studying the ring.

"This guy was hard core, Giles, Prue. And Angel was power-freaked by the ring." Buffy says.

"I'm afraid he was not overreacting. The ring is worn only by members of the Order Of Taraka."

Piper looks up, "Hang on a second. I remember seeing them in the Book. She flips through and finds the page. "They are a society of demon assassins dating back to King Solomon…"

"And didn't they beat the Elks last year in the Sunnydale Adult Bowling League Championship?" Xander says.

Piper rolls her eyes

Giles shakes his head ignoring Xander, "Their credo is to sow discord and kill the unwary."

"Bowling is a vicious game –" Xander says.

"That's enough, Xander -" Giles says.

Willow, Xander, Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Buffy glance at each other, reacting to Giles' tone. Buffy, especially, knows to worry. "I'm sorry but this is no time for jokes. I need to think."

Phoebe shakes her head, "These assassins. Why would they be after Buffy?

"'Cause she's the scourge of the underworld?" Willow asks.

Phoebe shakes her head, "So? So are Prue, Piper and I. And their not coming after us."

Giles sighs, "I don't know. But I think the best thing to do is to find a secure location. Someplace out of the way where you can go until we decide on the best course of action -"

Buffy stands, she's officially freaked. "Okay. You and Angel have both told me to head for the hills. What's the deal?"

Giles sighs, "I - this is an extraordinary circumstance…"

Prue looks to Buffy, "Giles your scaring her."

Piper nods, "They're that bad aren't that. They wouldn't be in the Book of Shadows otherwise right?"

Giles sighs, "They might be yes. They're a breed apart. Unlike vampires – they have no earthly desire except to collect their bounty. To find their target and eliminate it - And you are the target. You can kill as many of them as you like. It won't make any difference - because where there is one, there will be another. And another. They won't stop coming until the job is done."

Prue frowns, "So even the Power of Three would be a stalling tactic?"

Giles nods, "Afraid so."

Piper sighs, "That's why their in the book. By themselves they probably a standard vanquish. But where you vanquish one…"

"The worst of it is, they are masters of deceit. Vampires are bound by the Night, but these predators can be anywhere, anytime. They can appear as normal as the next person. Just another face in the crowd. You might not ever know when one of them is near - not until the moment of your death." Giles says.

Later Buffy moves flanked by Piper and Prue upstream through the Career Fair gauntlet, against the teeming mass of people.

"It'll be alright, Buffy." Piper says. "We'll find a way to stop them."

Buffy looks to her cousin, she is definitely wigged. She runs past them suddenly and as she gets out of sight of everyone she flames out.

Later that night Giles, Piper and Willow sit at the library table, poring over volume upon volume.

"I wish there was more we could do." Willow says.

Giles looks up, his eyes reflecting fatigue and concern. "We're doing all we can. The only course of action is to decipher the contents of the stolen book -"

Willow shakes her head, "I've never seen Buffy like that." She looks to Piper, "You said she just took off."

"Talked to Phoebe, she didn't go home." Xander says. "And her cell is turned off."

Giles sighs, "Perhaps my words of caution were a bit too alarming -"

"You think?" Piper says. "But they had to be said. Buffy needs to know what she's up against."

"I wish we knew where she was." Willow says.

"So do I." Piper says. "Did you try Prue, Xander?"

Xander nods, "So far nshe hasn't seen her. Of course with that new power of hers she could disappear before Prue sees her."

"True she could have flamed anywheres." Piper says.

Outside the Manor Buffy moves along the sidewalk. She looks tired and cold - like she has been walking a long time. She stops and looks up at the Manor. She sees Phoebe in the window.

No place feels safe. Not even here. Buffy moves on before Phoebe spots her.

Buffy arrives at Angel's apartment door sometime later and knocks. "Angel?" No answer. She tries the door. It's locked. She forces the lock and opens the door. "Hey…" She clicks on a standing lamp. Looks around. She approaches the unmade bed pushed up against the wall and sits down. Her exhaustion and fear finally catching up with her. She lies down and curls up - small and alone in the bed. She turns her head against his pillow. She shuts her eyes.

The next morning in the Giles' office. Giles, bleary-eyed and rumpled from a sleepless night of urgent study, talks on the phone while he pages through a book. "Xander? …No, neither Phoebe or I still have heard from Buffy. Why don't you go relieve Piper and Prue at the Manor so they can get out on the streets again. I don't know, get Cordelia to drive you." He hangs up.

He picks up the book he's looking at and rushes into the main room of the library

Giles moves to the table where Phoebe and Willow are asleep. Giles moves to Willow, gently shakes her.

Willow wakes with a start, crying out, "Don't warn the tadpoles!"

This wakes Phoebe as she looks around, "What?"

Giles is startled by her outburst. "My goodness. Are you alright?"

"Giles? What are you doing here?" Willow asks.

"You're in the library, Willow. You and Phoebe fell asleep." Giles says.

"Oh… I…" Willow says.

"Any word?" Phoebe asks.

Giles looks to Phoebe, "No. I sent Xander over to the Manor so Piper and Prue can get out and search again."

"Good thinking. That gets someone at the Manor and both of them on the street." Phoebe says. "It's times like this I wish I had a car."

Giles nods and looks to Willow, "Don't warn the tadpoles?"

Willow looks rather embarrassed, "I - I have frog fear. I'm sorry, I conked out -"

Giles shakes his head, "Please. You've gone quite beyond the call of duty. And, fortunately, I think I've finally found something -"

"You did?" Phoebe asks.

Giles nods as he indicates the book, "I had to go back to the Lutheran Index. But I found a description of the missing du Lac Manuscript. It's a ritual, Willow, Phoebe. I haven't managed to decipher the exact details - but I believe the purpose is to restore a weak and sickly vampire to full health."

"A vampire like - Drusilla?" Willow asks.

"Exactly." Giles says.

"What does that have to do with the Order of Taraka? The assassins?" Phoebe asks.

"I would imagine Spike called them here to get Buffy out of the way. I'm sure he wants nothing to come between him and his plans to revive his lady love." Giles said.

Willow nods, "So this is good. We know what the deal is."

Giles shakes his head, "I wish I could agree. But all we know is the goal of the ritual. We don't know where it will take place or when. We don't know what it entails -"

Phoebe nods, "Sounds like something the Power of Three can handle then. That's good that way Prue, Piper and I can try and conserver out energies for finding Buffy."

"Still it's bad." Willow says.

Giles shakes his head, "No. No. We just have more work to do." He tries to smile encouragingly.

"Then - why are you all pinched?" Willow asks.

At the Manor Xander knocks on the door.

"I can't even believe you. You drag me out of bed for a ride? What am I, mass transportation?" Cordelia asks.

"That's what a lot of the guys say. But it's just locker room talk. I never pay it any mind." Xander says.

"Great. So now I'm your taxi and your punching bag -" Cordelia says.

Xander knocks again, "I like to think of you more as my witless foil - but have it your way."

Cordy looks at him.

Prue opens the door, "Xander any word?"

Xander shakes his head, "None. Giles sent us over to take over so you and Piper can hit the streets again."

30 minutes later after Prue and Piper have left Mister Pfister knocks on the door. Cordelia opens it as Pfister tips his hat - holds up the bag that reads QUINTESSENCE SKIN CARE. "Good day. I am Norman Pfister with Quintessence Skin Care and Cosmetics. I was wondering if I could interest you in some free samples?"

"Free?" Cordelia says and she steps aside to let him in.

In Angel's Apartment Buffy is still curled up on Angel's bed - arms tightly wrapped around the pillow. A sound. Something moves in the apartment. Loud enough to rouse Buffy from her dream. Her eyes flutter - then snap open just in time for her to dodge the short axe that slams into the pillow just inches from her neck. Buffy leaps from the bed - comes face to face with Kendra.

"You must be number two -" Buffy says. Kendra replies with a swing of the axe, which Buffy leaps to avoid. "Thanks for the wake-up. But I'll stick with my clock radio."

Kendra brings the axe down again, but Buffy catches her arm mid-flight. To Buffy's distress - she can't wrench the axe from Kendra. They are locked in a dead-even struggle. Like an arm wrestling match between perfect twins. A split second as they meet eyes - a twinge of recognition. Then Buffy takes advantage of the moment - sweeps Kendra's legs out from under her. Kendra hits the ground hard, but uses her legs to pin Buffy's legs and bring her down too. Now Buffy and Kendra roll on the floor - the axe still in Kendra's grip. They keep trading the upper hand. One moment Buffy is on top - the next it seems Kendra will prevail. They smash into Angel's table, his bookshelf, his dresser… Buffy's getting fed up.

"Come on. Don't make me do the chick fight thing -" Buffy says.

Kendra doesn't know what to make of this comment. "Chick… fight?"

"You know –" Buffy says as she violently jerks Kendra by the hair - distracting her as she digs her nails into the hand that holds the axe.

Kendra cries out - drops the axe. Buffy grabs it and straddles Kendra, pinning her. Buffy draws the axe back - the intent clear. "Cliched - but effective."

Buffy is about to bring the axe down as Kendra speaks up, "Who are you?"

"What do you mean who am I? You attacked me. Who the hell are you?" Buffy says.

Kendra glares at Buffy. Proud and defiant, "I am Kendra, the Vampire Slayer."

Buffy takes this in. Come again?