Raemes stopped mid-ritual and looked at the interruption.

"Don't you people ever get tired of this?" Raemes asked.

"Saving innocent lives?" Prue said. "Not really."

"Kill them!" Raemes roared. About a dozen vampires and demons advanced on the group.

"Piper!" Phoebe exclaimed. Piper froze as many vampires as she could, then everyone with a stake took care of them.

"Somebody get Raemes!" Prue yelled and staked a vampire.

Angel went forward and punched Raemes. Raemes roared and punched Angel back, sending him flying across the room.

"I've taken Belthazor's strength." Raemes said in a deeper voice than was his usual. "There's no way you can defeat me."

"Where's Cole?" Phoebe asked.

"The pitiful one?" Raemes asked, then laughed. "Bring the weakling."

Two Grimlocks entered the room from a back entrance, dragging Cole behind them.

"Surprised to see us?" The first Grimlock asked the sisters. The sisters all stared in shock.

"How many times do we have to kill you?" Piper asked.

The second Grimlock locked eyes with Piper and put his hand out. Piper fell to her knees as the life was sucked from her. Xander ran forward and tackled the Grimlock.

"Brave, but stupid." Raemes said as the Grimlock pushed Xander off and began to steal his life.

"How do we kill them?" Buffy asked as Angel went forward to stop them.

"There's a potion." Prue said.

"We'll have to go for good old staking then." Buffy said and ran over.

"Is it possible?" Piper asked.

"I don't know." Prue said. "Where's Phoebe?"

Indeed, Phoebe, Raemes, and Cole had disappeared.

One of the remaining vampires grabbed Willow, but before he could do anything, Prue used her power to send a stake his way.

"Thanks." Willow said.

"All in a day's work." Prue said, then went over to help the others with the Grimlocks.

"Those guys are a handful." Piper said to Willow and Cordelia. "How about we work on the vampires."

"Okay." Cordelia said and went off.

"I would like to know what possessed her." Willow said, then picked a stake up off the ground and went off the stake some herself.

*****

"Hey!" Phoebe yelled. Raemes turned and looked at her.

"What do you want? I'm about to bleed him dry." Raemes said.

"I'm here to stop you." Phoebe said. Raemes smiled.

"Really? Well, come on then." Raemes said.

*****

"Behind you!" Piper yelled. Buffy turned in time and kicked one of the demons away.

One of the vampires grabbed Xander and was about to bite him.

"Xander!" Cordelia yelled and staked the vampire. After it was dust, Xander turned and looked at her. "Well, look what I did!"

Prue used her power to throw one of the Grimlocks against the wall. Buffy went forward and staked him. The Grimlock just yelled out in pain and slid down the wall.

"No dust." Buffy said.

"No vampire." Prue said.

"Slow and painful, just the way I like them to die." Buffy said, then went to help Willow.

*****

Raemes knocked Phoebe into the wall and laughed. Cole struggled and propped himself up on his elbows. He was too weak to even stand.

"Your a witch, right?" Raemes said and grabbed Phoebe by the neck. He lifted her up, her feet dangling. Phoebe grasped at the hand that was choking her. "Go on, use your big, bad power on me."

"Okay." Xander said and smashed a board over Raemes' head.

Raemes dropped Phoebe and looked at Xander.

"Another one who wants to die." Raemes snarled.

"Xander, get out of here!" Phoebe yelled and jumped on Raemes' back.

*****

"Look, I did it again!" Cordelia said as the vampire she staked turned to dust.

"Good for you Cordy." Buffy said as she blocked a punch from a demon, then grabbed his arm and twisted it, sending him to the ground. Then she staked him.

"Ya know, you don't stake everything." Piper said.

"It kills them, doesn't it?" Buffy said.

"True." Piper agreed, then they went after the other evil menaces.

*****

Raemes threw Xander and Phoebe against wall and they crumpled in a heap.

"Pathetic." Raemes said, turning to Cole. "It's sad that these are the people you hope will save you."

"They...will." Cole managed to get out.

"It's sad." Raemes said. "All that hope for nothing."

"I wouldn't say it's for nothing."

Raemes turned and saw Buffy and Prue.

"Yeah, hope isn't lost." Prue agreed.

"Wrong." Raemes said. "I've got the bleeding knife."

He held up the knife and smiled. Prue tilted her head and used her power to pull the knife to her. Prue caught in her hand and looked at Raemes.

"Now, what was it about this knife?" Prue said.

*****

Cordelia staked the last vampire and literally jumped up and down.

"Look at me!" She squealed. Everyone else, covered in sweat and dirt, looked up slowly. Dead demons and vampire dust were everywhere.

"Let's just find the others." Piper said.

*****

"Ready?" Prue asked Buffy.

"Oh yeah." Buffy said.

Prue tossed the knife upward, then used her power to direct it straight into Raemes' heart. Raemes looked down in disbelief and Buffy moved forward like a blur and kicked the knife in further. Thick, black blood oozed from the wound and Raemes fell backward. A light escaped his body and entered Cole. Cole was struck by the light and shook, but then steadied and looked up at Prue and Buffy.

"I feel better." He said and stood up.

The rest of the group burst in, ready for a fight. Cordelia even had her stake raised, but dropped it sadly when she saw there was nothing to stake.

"So, how'd it go?" Piper asked.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Prue said.