"We have to try and find that key."

"But how?" Xander asked Hope as they walked up the path to Giles front door.

She shook her head. "I really don't know. But if that key gets into the wrong hands, which I know it has, then we're in deep shit."

"You're telling me."

Hope swung open the door to Giles apartment and strode inside. "Giles! Are you home?"

"If he's not do you think he'll answer you?"

Hope slapped Xander firmly across the arm. "Shut up. I'm not in the mood. Giles!"

"Hope?" Giles entered the dining room from his study, his eyes lighting up when he saw his board in one piece. "Thank god you're alright."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I thought the council might have caught up with you."

Hope shook her head. "Xander caught me just in time."

Giles narrowed his eyes as he took in the bruised face of his young Australian. He touched his hand to her cheek, turning her head to one side and studied the blue-purple mass. "What happened?"

"I found her lying under a desk, that's what." Xander informed, taking a seat at the table.

"Under a desk?"

Hope nodded and pushed Giles hand away. "It's nothing, really. You know how easily I bruise now. I'm still not use to it."

"What, being like a normal person for once?" Xander put in, slipping his feet on top of the well polished wood.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I wish people wouldn't fuss. But, one thing I do regret is that I didn't get the key."

Giles motioned for Hope to sit down, which she did and he joined the two of them at his table, pushing Xanders dusty feet from it. "Does your professor friend still have it?"

Hope shook her head. "That's the bad thing. He doesn't. At least we knew who had it before. Now we don't have a clue."

"Hence the bruise." Xander explained, pointing to her cheek.

"Thankyou Xander. Hence the bruise." Hope repeated, turning back to the Englishman. "I was so close. I had it in my hand…but…Oh…" Hope let out an annoyed sigh and pushed back her black hair off her face. "I couldn't stop them. These men, they were dressed in armour, very medieval, and they just took it. I have no idea who they were, if they were even demons."

Giles smiled kindly Hope. "It's not your fault. It just looks like we'd better get some research done. Try and find out who these characters are."

"More homework? Why?" Xander moaned, sliding down in his chair.

"I understand you're pain Xander." Hope smiled, patting her friend lightly on the hand. "But it never ends."

Miranda looked up at her friend who was seated across from her at the desk he had been trapped under just hours ago. His elbows leant on it's large wooden surface as he held his head up and listened to Mirandas read aloud from the large, leather bound book in front of her.

"…In every generation there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, demons and forces of darkness." Miranda looked up to see if Declan was listening. She saw that he was and she continued. "This one girl will have the skill and strength to hunt vampires…"

"A vampire slayer." Declan interrupted, moving to an upright position.

Miranda nodded. "Uh huh. Been going on since the beginning of time apparently. I got hold of this book hidden in some deep crevice of the library. I guess when people read it they thought it was something like a fairytale."

"Or a nightmare. One girl in every generation?"

"Yep. It's pretty unbelievable. So much so, do you think this girl, Hope, could have a mental problem?"

Declan shook his head in disbelief. "She didn't seem at all unstable, and was very calm when those guys attacked us. Though she didn't seem to have any abnormal strength. She couldn't fight them off."

"Like the other slayer."

"Yes…like the other slayer…" Declans voice trailed off as his eyes stared off to some distant place before lighting up again and returning his gaze to Mirandas. "The other slayer."

Miranda nodded, knowing what her friend was getting at. "Two."

"Two. But…"

"To every generation there is a chosen ONE." Miranda repeated, slamming the book shut quickly so that dust flew up into her face. "Declan, maybe Peggy was right?"

"I don't think she's crazy Miranda. She was an excellent student, quiet, but her grades were top of the class. As a person she seems quite normal."

"Why did she leave then?"

Declan shrugged. "All of a sudden her grades dropped. I had no idea why. I tried to talk to her about it, but she was never a very open person. She was disturbed about something, I'm guessing now it was just because she found out she was having a baby. Accidents like that can shake you up a bit and I guess her work disintegrated because of it. It's common."

"So no over powering strength or anything strange?"

Declan shook his head. "Not from where I was sitting."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"See if you can find any more about this box. About the robbery at the museum. Might give us a clue who took it and why."

Miranda nodded as she took it all in. "What then?"

Declan shook his head. "I have no idea. If you come up with something then we'll go from there."