Summary- Angel loses his soul due to the contract with Wolfram and Hart. Lilah warns Wesley, and he, Fred and Knox escape from Angelus. Gunn has been possessed by the panther in the White Room. Robin Wood is offered a job at Barrington High, near Sunnydale, and the others decide that a new Watcher's Council is needed. Oz is sent to deal with Gunn. They decide that Lindsey may know how to destroy the contracts, and resolve to contact him. Drusilla visits Angelus, and he rejects her. A military group appears, and Buffy blackmails their general into meeting her. Angry and lonely Drusilla finds Connor and takes him to the warlock who originally altered his memories. Spike appears out of a portal intended to produce a Tarok-Han as a human, but exhibits superhuman strength in escaping from the disappointed cultists. The warlock requires an object from Connor's old life, and Drusilla goes to the Hyperion to get it. Buffy meets the general, who tells her that they are trying to create supersoldiers to fight Suvolte Demons (As You Were), who are becoming inexplicably smarter. Riley Finn is dead, and his wife Sam has gone on a vengeance mission against them. She says that someone may be controlling them, and takes him back to Willow. AI follow Drusilla, and try and fail to prevent her from restoring Connor. He runs away, and Drusilla follows him and tells him how Angelus abandoned her. They find themselves in harmony. Spike's reaction to his resurrection is to get very drunk, and is picked up by a Wolfram and Hart lawyer, and taken to see Angelus. Giles comes to LA to ask Wesley to be part of the new Council. He refuses, but tells him what has happened with Angelus and Drusilla. Drusilla has restored Connor's memories, but not their memories of him. Giles calls the new Watcher's Council, and is told that Buffy and Willow have gone to Belize in a helicopter with weapons, spell ingredients and the troll hammer. Lindsey arrives in LA. Connor and Drusilla launch an attack against Wolfram and Hart. Drusilla senses and rescues Spike, and Connor and Angelus fight. He nearly kills Angelus, but in the end Drusilla saves him by throwing Angelus out of the window. He takes his contract and one other thing, after having a conversation with the First. Angelus has the Order of Taraka sent after them both, and tells them to find Sahjhan. Lindsey tells them that the contracts are spells in physical form, and decides to call Gwen to retrieve them. Angelus finds and releases Sahjhan, then convinces him to try to kill Connor. Wesley and Fred go to collect Cordelia from hospital, but find that she has been taken by the thing Drusilla awoke (Connor). Gwen arrives and agrees to help them, and removes LISA. Angelus is contacted by the Order f Taraka, and he tells them to kill all his enemies, not just Dru and Connor, then leaves in a helicopter. In Belize, Buffy, Willow and Sam arrive at the lair of the creature controlling the Suvoltes, where it is sending them away by plane. Willow is telepathically attacked by the creature, and Buffy and Sam attack at once. Professor Walsh intends to find Buffy and Willow's power sources, and tap them. A person called the Master appears in Barrington. Buffy encounters Angelus in Belize. They fight, and he saves the Suvolte controller and flies away. Willow's magic doesn't seem to work on him. A Tarakan assassin attacks the Hyperion, killing the Slayer Giles brought. Spike appears at the Hyperion. Buffy calls and informs them about Angelus, saying she is returning home. Spike tells them that he has a place where they will be safer from the Tarakans, Drusilla's lair, and they agree to join him. Gunn, completely possessed, warns Angelus that he had better strike soon or he will be replaced.
Barrington High-Halloween Night
(Dawn walks in, dressed normally, and looks around.)
Dawn: Okay, maybe I should have worn a costume.
Jared: Well it could have been worse. I mean you could have done what she did, and gone as a cross between a hooker and a motorcycle chick.
Dawn: No that's Faith. She always dresses like that.
Jared: She doesn't look like a student.
Dawn: No she knows Ro- the principal.
Jared: Really? Does she come with the job?
Dawn: Hey, I'm standing right here.
Jared: Sorry. Oh. I'll uh, just go get you a drink.
(A guy dressed as Death comes up to her.)
Guy: Hi, are you Dawn?
Dawn: Yeah. (She pauses, then decides if he can't be bothered to take off his hood so she can see him, she can't be bothered to talk to him and tries to walk past. He moves to block her path.)
Guy: You're taller than I expected. They said you kinda hid in the Slayer's shadow.
(Rona sees him blocking her, and assumes he's just being pushy. She comes up behind him and puts a hand on his shoulder)
Rona: Hey, you wanna back off there a lit- (Without looking at her he elbows her in the stomach and backhands her in the face when she doubles over. She falls unconscious.)
Guy: Imitations. There're only two real Slayers. (He shrugs off the robes. Underneath he is wearing the traditional black leather trench coat of the powerful, humanoid, and usually evil.)
The Master: Destiny is a bit like, well, death. In the end it will always find you, and use you until there's nothing left, and spit you out. And only when it's done with you can you be free.
Faith: Hey! You said there were two real Slayers. Wanna face one?
The Master: Faith. I've been looking forward to this.
(They move towards each other. Amanda runs toward them, and Jared sticks out his arm and she runs into it. It hits her along the collarbone and knocks her to the floor. He puts a foot over her throat and changes into a demon with long fangs, spines running along the bones of its face, and green eyes with golden flecks.)
Jared: Sorry Amanda. But the Master asked me to make sure he isn't interrupted. My parents may have been too cowardly to pick a side when the First came, but I am not. (Pauses) What? Come on, you really thought I was geeky enough to go into the Hellmouth to look for meteor remains or somethin?
Watcher's Headquarter's-Halloween Night
(Windows shatter and creatures identical to those Willow summoned against Buffy and Dawn in "Grave" come in. A Slayer looks out the window and sees a horde of them coming in.)
Slayer: Uh, red alert?
(They start fighting them, killing them easily, but there are a huge number. A man walks through them to the door. He tries to open it, finds it locked, and taps it with his hand. It collapses into dust. He walks into the room and looks around. Another Slayer jumps onto a table and leaps at him. She knocks into an invisible barrier and falls. She grabs a sword and starts pounding on it. He looks annoyed and points at her.
Man: Excudo! (A ball of light flies into her and she is flung right through a wall.)
Xander: And so it begins.
(He walks through the fight into the hall. He shuts his eyes and looks around.
Man: Ah. (He raises his hand, and the Scythe flies into it.)
Kennedy: Block the doors! He's after the Scythe! (As many of the Slayers as possible block the exits. He looks at them warily, then spies an injured Slayer on the floor. He walks over to her and puts a hand in her blood. His eyes glow red, he stands, and disappears. The creatures burst into dust.
Andrew: Hey, did you see that?
Xander: No, because we're all completely blind. Of course we saw it. There's a witch-guy in town, and Willow's still-
Willow: Got sucky timing?
Xander: Okay, most of the problem solved.
Willow: Not really.
Xander: Well come on. I mean, you're the not-so-wicked Witch of the Western Hemisphere. This guy can't be more powerful right?
Willow: Not normally no, but I'm not juiced up on Slayer blood and demon magic. Without a power source I'm not sure I can take him. And he just stole ours. Sucking out other people's life force is not a good idea when there's another guy with links to dark powers like that around.
Andrew: Well maybe he's not evil, he's sort of a rogue mage fighting the forces of darkness at any cost.
Willow: If so, then the demon underlord Saligan is a lot nicer than the books make out, 'cause most of that guy's power is coming from him.
Xander: Where's Buffy?
Willow: She's going to the school. There's something else there.
Andrew: You can sense a disturbance in the Force caused by their use of the dark side? I never knew you could do that!
Willow: No, but I can sense things with that amount of power. I'm going to go help her.
Xander: What about that guy? He's got the Scythe.
Willow: He's shielding. If he tries to use its power I'll sense it, but until then I can't find him.
Barrington High-Halloween Night
(The Master ducks Faith's swing and kicks her in the chest. She blocks his next blow and hits him across the face. They manage to block each other's attacks for a moment then one of hers slips through. She takes advantage of his distraction to hit him three more times across the face. Her blows seem to anger more than hurt him, and he grabs her and throws her into a wall. He glares at her, and spits out a mouthful of blood.)
The Master: I like what you can do.
(He rushes forward. She tries to sidestep him, but he steps with her and kicks her in the knee. She stumbles and he slams her into the wall again.)
The Master: How does it feel Faith?
(He tries to kick her again and she grabs his foot. He jumps into the air and kicks her with his other foot, making her let go. He falls, rolls and jumps up again. She charges at him. He grabs her just before she connects, spins around and lets go so that her own momentum sends her back into a table. Wood runs at him. Jared reaches out, then stops as he realises it's someone with the power to have him expelled. He hits the Master with one of those poles used for closing skylights twice before he grabs and snaps it in two. He grabs him by the neck, then looks slightly surprised.
The Master: You smell of her.
(Wood knees him in the groin. His hand tightens around his neck and he pulls him closer)
The Master: You think that can stop me? After what I've suffered this is nothing!
(He throws him at Faith, who ducks under him and angrily punches him in the face. He hits her across the face with the broken end of the skylight pole, stunning her slightly. She punches at him again, but her anger and the blow to her head make her overextend, and he grabs her arm in both hands and twists until it pops out of her shoulder. He pulls her head close to his, and hisses something in her ear. She sweeps her legs under her trying to knock him over, and he dodges by jumping through the air and smashing her into a wall. The tiles crack and they slide to the ground. He smashes her head against it repeatedly, and when he lets go her face is white and red with blood and plaster. He stands, trembling with adrenaline or rage.)
The Master: Should've taken our side when you had the chance. (He lets out a long, shuddering breath and takes a step towards Dawn. The door flies open and Buffy runs in. They look at each other for a short while, then he shrugs, and, jumping through the window, runs into the night. Jared follows him before anyone has time to get to him. Wood runs over and checks on Faith.)
Buffy: Well, this just gets better and better.
Wood: I think we'd better call the hospital.
Dawn: I think me an Xander should open some kind of reform club. Serial demon daters anonymous
(There's a slight sound in the corridor. They all turn to stare at it. Willow walks in.)
Willow: We have a proble- oh. Okay, I'm a little late. Something's gone wrong at HQ too.
Teacher: Mr. Wood, who are all these people?
Wood: I have no idea. Has anyone called an ambulance yet?
Teacher #2: They're coming. You seemed to know her.
Wood: We've met once. Students, I think you'd all better go home.
Watcher's Headquarter's-Halloween Night
Buffy: So we have the question of what he came for.
Amanda: I think it was Slayers.
Buffy: Why go to a Halloween party then? I mean there were only three there, and he just sent zombie things after the rest.
Amanda: He said there were only two Slayers, Buffy and Faith I'm guessin, and he told Jared, who incidentally I've vaguely known since I was seven and never had any idea he was a demon, but anyway, he told him to keep him from being interrupted. I think he's got a yen for some solo Slayer beating.
Buffy: He attacked Faith in a room full of people, and he couldn't of known how many were Slayers. Anyway, you said Robin got to him.
Amanda: Yeah I think so. I mean, I didn't exactly have a ringside seat, what with the lying down on the floor with a foot over my throat, but you can ask Dawn. But I think he thinks it's like this. We're all Slayers, but he said we were imitations. That means he's not really interested in us. He wanted to fight Faith because she a "true" Slayer, but he's not quite so bothered about it being totally fair. I mean, he had a weapon for a little while, and she had an ally. But you're like, THE Slayer. I mean, if someone says the Slayer, they're talking about you.
Buffy: Thanks.
Amanda: It's not a compliment. My point is, he wants to make you fight him under, like, controlled circumstances. That's why he was after Dawn, because if he's got her he thinks he can blackmail you into going duellist on him. Though I'm not sure what he meant about Faith missing her chance to be on their side.
Buffy: Well, she sort of used to be evil. I guess that guy was telling her that if she decides to ditch us for the evil guys with bad complexions there isn't a place for her anymore. Willow what do you think about the one-on-one thing?
Willow: It does make a kind of sense. I mean if someone wants a reputation, the best way to get it is to go toe-to-toe with the God Slayer.
Buffy: Do they really call me that? Cause I didn't actually kill Glory.
Willow: No, but you fought, no-one really knows what happened, and she was never seen again, so everyone assumes you did it. I think I've found him.
Amanda: The Master guy?
Willow: No, the one who came here for the Scythe. He fits the description perfectly, and I haven't found anyone else who does.
Xander: What, the description of: Dark hair, doesn't see much sun, sneers a lot, forty something, likes making extra work for the house's most unpaid repairman?
Willow: Uses blood magic a lot, powerful, ally of the demon underlord Saligan-
Buffy: What's a demon underlord? Doesn't sound that scary.
Willow: Well, demon overlords are known to rule entire dimensions. An underlord can still call a pretty large part of a Hell dimension its own. They're incredibly powerful. Anyway, this guy's sold his soul to him in exchange for longevity and power.
Xander: Longevity? Why not immortality?
Willow: Kind of like the difference between paying all at once and monthly payments. According to this file on the Demons, Demons, Demons Website, he won't age each year as long as he can sacrifice three babies on an altar to Saligan, and he's been doing this since the eighteenth century.
Rona: (Holding a cloth to her head) He's a demon?
Willow: No, but they include notorious worshippers of them. Anyway he's kind of a mercenary. Oh my God! There's a link here on how to go about hiring him, with a list of his prices! Ewww. I didn't even know there was a spell for that.
Buffy: So he's a nasty character. He must be working for the other guy, the Master. Any word on him?
Willow: No, I mean it's not much of a description. But I think I've found what kind of demon Jared is. K'klathjon. Uh, it's a kind of click they make with their tongue, followed by a normal K. Pretty nasty. They can naturally shift into human form at will, and they tend to rise to places of prominence. Okay, this is creepy. Apparently three documented ones have been Senators. They're practically impossible to kill completely. To kill their bodies you have to remove the brain, or alternatively just chop them into so many pieces they can't move anymore, and they'll die of starvation as long as you keep the pieces apart. Sounds a bit like the Judge. Then, their spirits take refuge in their hearts, and they can possess human forms for up to a week afterward. Then they'll use them to… okay, I'm gonna stop reading this now. It's just getting gross.
Buffy: Can you find them?
Willow: No luck. He's shielding pretty hard.
Buffy: Okay, I'm gonna go out, check the spots… I have no idea where most of the spots are. Well I'll see what I can do. At least three Slayers should stay with Dawn at all times. He beat Faith, I don't want to take any chances.
Barrington High-Night
Wood: We believe the attack to have been the work of a gang member on PCP. I'm sure that the police will find him soon.
Reporter: Mr. Wood, do you truly believe that one man, even on drugs could have done this? Other people we've interviewed describe him throwing a young woman more than ten feet. Can you give us any explanation for that?
Wood: (Fervently missing the deliberate blindness cultivated over a hundred years of Sunnydalian life) It's quite simple. The other people you interviewed were mostly students, and students, we must admit, do have a tendency to exaggerate matters.
Reporter: I see. Actually we received those reports from teachers as well. The students were suggesting twenty or thirty feet. They all also agree that you attacked him. Is that true?
Wood: It is.
Reporter: I see. Tell me, would you consider telling us about that? It would make interesting material for one of our articles. A sort of have-a-go hero. So, was it in defence of the beautiful and mysterious woman who was attacked?
Wood: No comment.
Reporter: Fine. I hope you enjoy tomorrow's paper.
Wood: Was that a threat?
Reporter: I just think you might be interested in what it says about the event. The school, your governance of it. The people have a right to know the truth, Mr. Wood. Goodnight.
Thank you for the reviews. More would be good. Okay, I admit I have a problem. Please feed my addiction.
