Elektra clashes with Slayers, drawing Giles's attention. And Dev runs into Connor again.
Tiffany lands a right hook, and Regan goes bumpy. She grabs the larger Slayer, who flips her to the ground. Elektra ducks Rosario's right hook and lands consecutive right kicks to the Slayer's stomach and chin. Elektra blocks Rosa's right hook kick and ducks under her left roundhouse kick, then spins round and sweeps out the Slayer's legs. She dances round her felled opponent. "Not so tough on your own?" Rosario stands and decks Elektra with a leaping right roundhouse kick. She grabs the vampire's corselet with her left hand and lands two right punches to her face. Elektra braces her hands against the wall behind her and pushes Rosario back with her feet. She wipes the blood from her nose and moves towards the Slayer, circling rightward. "That's the way, Regan!," she yells. "Wear her down." Not much of a fighter, Regan keeps her distance, dodging Tiffany's blows and staying on the move, occasionally throwing a punch or a kick of her own.
"Like Spike told you," she replies, ducking a right hook, then trading left crosses before backing away from a right kick. "Slayers gotta breathe. We don't." Elektra leaps over Rosa and grabs the brick wall with her fingers and shoes. She immediately leaps twenty feet across to the other wall, then pushes off and lands a spinning right kick to her opponent's head. As the Slayer stands up, Elektra smiles, reaches her hands above her head and cracks her knuckles.
"Let's go girl," she taunts the Slayer. Rosario hits Elektra in the chest with a leaping right kick. Elektra blocks left and right crosses and nails Rosa in the mouth with a left elbow. She blocks the Slayer's right hook and pops her in the nose with a quick right jab. "It's like the blood wants to leave your body so bad, it isn't even waiting for you to die," she comments about Rosario's bloody lip and nose. More determined than ever, the Slayer slowly closes in, ducking Elektra's left jab and landing a left uppercut and right roundhouse kick. The vampire spins through the air and tumbles to the ground. Rosario takes out her stake and goes for the kill. While still on her back, Elektra grabs the stake with her left hand, grabs Rosario's neck with her right hand and growls. She pushes the Slayer off of her and stands up. "You did not just disrespect me by trying to stake me so quickly." Rosario tries a right hook kick. Elektra grabs her foot with both hands, snarls and hurls her into the wall behind Elektra. Rosario's head hits an exposed water pipe, and she's slow to get up. Elektra decides to aide Regan. She bends down, slides across the ground and trips Tiffany from behind. Regan leaps on top.
Elektra goes in to finish off Rosario. Spike had taught her there was a moment in every fight when victory suddenly seemed inevitable. And that moment is now. She blocks Rosario's left and right hooks, pushing her back into the wall. She ducks under a right hook kick and steps back away from a quick straight right kick. Then Elektra explodes. She lands a right roundhouse kick to the nose, then spins back the other way for a left roundhouse kick to the sternum. She follows that effort up with a left hook kick to the stomach and a straight right kick to the chin. Before the dazed Slayer can fall, Elektra wraps her right hand around her throat and begins to choke. Rosario takes her stake in her right hand and tries to reach up for the vampire's heart, but Elektra knocks the stake to the ground with her free left hand. Now she chokes away with both hands. Rosario turns red and tries to wheeze for breath as she feebly grabs Elektra's wrists with both hands. "I hate it when people take away my meal. Fortunately, you've provided a more-than-adequate substitute."
Regan pins down Tiffany's shoulders and tries to bite her neck. Tiff grabs Regan's hair and is able to keep the vampire's fangs off her neck. Then she puts her hands on Regan's shoulders and pushes her away. As she stands up, Tiffany takes her stake in her right hand and goes for the heart. Regan blocks it with her left hand, reaches her right into her back pocket and pulls out a knife. A six inch blade flips out, and she goes for Tiffany's abdomen. Startled, Tiffany backs up and hits Regan's right forearm with her left hand, knocking the knife off-course. She then lunges forward and stakes Regan in the heart before she can make another stab for the Slayer. Regan gasps and slices into the back of Tiffany's shoulder before disintegrating. She looks forward and to her right, noticing how much trouble Rosario is in. Tiff stealthily hurries over and tries to stake Elektra in the back. Elektra drops Rosa, spins round and grabs the stake with her left hand. "Nice try." She throws a right hook, but Tiffany blocks it and hurls Elektra over her shoulder and to the ground.
"You killed my friend. You bitch-ass Slayers killed my friend!" They both attack, Tiff on her left and Rosa on her right. Elektra leaps up and does a forward flip right in between them. When they turn and try again, Elektra does a split kick, hitting each Slayer simultaneously and knocking them down. Leks returns to her human face. By now, both Slayers are tired and injured, but burning with fury for this pesky vamp. "We ain't so different: Three hot chicks with super powers. Yet you two are so joyless."
"Three hot chicks?," Tiffany asks, looking around. "You brought another friend?"
"Next time we meet, I'll be bringing family." Elektra ducks under Tiffany's right hook kick and lands a right roundhouse kick to her chest. She then fells Rosario with a vicious forward flip kick. Elektra puts her back to the wall. "You girls should have more fun. Especially now that your days are numbered." They scoff at this threat, and attack yet again, Tiffany head-on, Rosario to Elektra's left. Leks leaps over Tiff, does a flip, and leaps six feet up to grab hold of the apartment building's escape ladder. She scampers three floors up before stopping. "We'll see how you handle a double team." She scales the rest of the way to the roof. The Slayers reluctantly let her go.
Back inside the Fisher home, Angel's regaling Keith and David with stories of heroism intermixed with tales of shopping. Spike sulks in the corner, downing another beer. Ruth comes over to try and cheer up her guest. "Would you like something to eat? I'm sorry. You don't eat."
"I don't have to. But I do."
"I thought vampires - "
"I'm a rebel."
"Except for the coat."
"Pardon!"
"The long leather coat. You're wearing one. Your friend Angel is wearing one. I suspect other vampires also wear one. It seems like the sort of thing a creature of the night would wear."
"This coat is special."
"To you, I'm sure it is," she replies condescendingly.
"I killed a very brave warrior to get this coat."
"Oh. Another vampire?"
"No." He doesn't have to say any more. She gets where he's going, and decides to back away. "You know wut I could go for? These onion flower things. It's been a long time since I've had one."
"I think George just bought some onions."
"There's not enough time. You need to soak them in ice water for at least two hours before they're supple enough to be shaped."
"I still don't know what to make of your embalming theory," Angel tells George. "If you're right, vampires should almost never rise from the grave. But they did that all the time in Sunnydale."
"You lived in Sunnydale?"
"Isn't that the town that was swallowed by a gigantic sinkhole?," David asks.
"Sinkhole? Like bloody hell!," Spike interjects.
"Sinkholes occur in areas where the bedrock is limestone," George explains. "Which isn't the case on that part of the California coast."
"It was me!," Spike announces. "Well, my soul and a certain necklace I was wearing."
"Which you wouldn't have been able to wear if it wasn't for me," Angel adds.
"Making you the a glorified courier. How heroic."
"I'm sorry. I don't understand," Ruth says.
"That seems to be the theme of the day," Nate quips.
Gretchen walks into Giles's office on Wednesday morning. "Rosario was nearly killed last night. It was her first close call. She's pretty shaken up."
"That's understandable. At least Tiffany's there, so she doesn't have to go through it alone."
"Tiffany was stabbed. Twelve stitches. She managed to kill the vampire. Seems that more and more of the enemy are arming themselves."
"A sign of desperation."
"You have to wonder, how long before they're packing pistols? No, wait. Some of them already are."
"Gun-toting vampires are seen as weak by their fellow brethren."
"So there's a cultural taboo. Taboos can change. Especially when the alternative to change is extermination."
"We can't have our girls walking the streets in kevlar vests. It would attract too much attention. Furthermore, as long as they employ the element of surprise, the vampires won't have time to aim and fire before our girls are engaging them hand-to-hand."
"The one who attacked Rosario got away. She fought off two Slayers."
"A female vampire. Did they give a description?"
"Tall, white, American teenager. The other vampire called her Lex.' And one more thing: this Lex girl mentioned Spike."
Giles takes off his glasses. "So this is why you're telling me but not Buffy."
"She's busy training the recruits. Besides, I don't think this girl's dangerous enough to warrant Buffy's personal attention."
"What did she say about Spike?"
"Something about Spike being her teacher, or mentor."
"Sire?"
"Can't say. But she vowed revenge on behalf of her family'." Giles mulls this over. "Tiff and Rosa were very curious about who this Spike' character was. I just told them the basics: he killed two Slayers, but he's dead. Nothing regarding Buffy. I feel there's no need to complicate the matter."
"Yes. You're, er, quite right about that. No need whatsoever."
Deb and Dev lie in the back seat of Dev's convertible, with a blanket wrapped around them. The car is parked on a bluff overlooking the ocean. "That makes up for not having any kills tonight," Devlin says.
"Are you comparing our love-making to staking a vampire?"
"I'm not making an equivalence. One's transcendent while the other's well, prosaic."
"What's that? Oh, probably the opposite of transcendent."
"But they're both, well, the absence of either is frustrating."
"Dammit. I can't believe I forgot."
"Forgot what?"
"I'm supposed to visit Judith this weekend."
"Well you'll have to cancel. We need to get these guys before they have a chance to move. Your life is at stake."
"I know. Wait. I know what to do. I'll just see her Thursday."
"Then when will you do your school work?"
"Dev, when will you accept that I'm a B student? You expect me to work like an A student. Which I've never been. That's you, not me."
"It can be you. Nothing's impossible. If the last six months have taught you anything, it's that."
"I'm a seventeen year-old girl shacking up with an older guy and running around all night getting in fights. My grades should be suffering from all that. Not getting better."
"And then there's the fact that I'm a vampire."
"Exactly. I'm a very messed-up girl."
"Who saves lives."
"That's just like you to make things complicated and contradictory."
"You mean like how we're doing good but having way too much fun?"
"Since when was it too much?," she asks as she rolls on top of Dev. "You're not wilting on me?"
"Never."
"Good." They start kissing. "I think this summer, we should hit the road. Drive around the country. Go anywhere vamps need killing."
"Like Bonnie and Clyde."
"Except no killing people. Or robbing banks. So, actually, it will be nothing like Bonnie and Clyde."
"Good. Cause he was impotent. And they both ended up dead."
Keith and David are in the apartment they share. "How's the swelling?," David asks Keith, who has an ice pack on his left eye.
"Going down pretty fast. Remind me to bring a SWAT team next time I come on over to your house."
"Or just a pair of old queens."
"They're not gay, David."
"Oh, please. You saw how they were bickering. Don't tell me they're not a couple."
"They're clearly bi. And I bet the two of them are beyond sex. How long have they been together? After a few decades, people get bored with each other."
"Is that supposed to be some sort of reference to our relationship?"
"No David. We haven't even been together half a decade. And we both agreed to end the threesomes."
"And, having met Angel, you regret that?"
Keith chuckles. "Do you?"
"I asked you first."
"I admit it: I'd tapped that ass."
David smiles and nods. "Maybe we should have a friendly double-date with the two of them sometime."
"A foursome?"
"Personality I'm not crazy about Spike. But if you want him - "
"Please. He's minor league. Now Angel and The Rock . . . "
"That would be a foursome."
"In your dreams."
"No. In yours."
"Ya got that right."
The next morning, Claire is sitting down to breakfast with Ruth, Nate and George. "It was like having Apollo and Dionysus in our living room!"
"Claire, don't you think you're overstating things?," her mother asks.
"Actually, Apollo was seen as the guardian of the dead," George informs them. "He was sometimes identified with the wolf, which connects with Angel's decidedly lupine features when he's excited."
"Apollo is not vampiric," Ruth maintains.
"No, but he definitely resembles Angel in appearance and personality."
"Isn't Apollo the one who's handsome and charming but never gets any?," Nate asks.
"Okay, so he's not entirely like Angel," Claire incorrectly concedes. "But Spike! It's like the Gods decided Angel could get a little boring on his own, and decided to create his exact polar opposite. Fire and ice!"
"Which, when put together, makes a big puddle of water," Nate quips. "Not exactly a dynamic duo."
"Okay, acids and bases."
"Which makes salt and big puddle of water," George adds. "After a tremendous explosion, of course."
"Getting burned to death while leveling a whole town, and coming back," Claire enthuses.
"I think he was taking us for saps when he made up that story," Nate counters.
"Even without that part being true, he's got that irrational, primitive, animal fire that I've always wanted to capture on film."
"According to the lore, vampires can't be photographed," George reports. "Then again, folklore is not always accurate."
"I can't believe we're still discussing this," Nate complains. "Can't we get back to the real, sane world and put this fucking insanity behind us?" He want to go out for a jog and have another chat with his dead wife. Or perhaps his deceased father.
"What insanity?," Anita asks. She just came in through the back door. Anita is Claire's friend from art school. She is slightly shorter than Claire, with medium-length black hair. Anita is bubbly, talkative and highly-sexual. Also, she has a crush on Claire's older brother Nate. She's attracted to the dark, storming, dangerous visage he's been cultivating since his wife committed suicide.
"Yesterday, one of our corpses rose from the dead. We were attacked by vampires," Nate answers with a straight face.
Anita laughs. "Quirky sense of humor ya got there, Nate." She slaps him on the shoulder, then goes to the refrigerator and pours some orange juice.
"And Claire's in love with one of the vampires," Nate adds.
"I am not! I just think he'd make an interesting subject for my art."
"You guys have the wackiest inside jokes. I love this house!"
"If only you were here yesterday," Ruth laments. She wouldn't have minded Anita getting attacked. Between sleeping over, taking their food and washing her clothes in their basement, Anita's become quite the parasite. Claire leaves with Anita out the back door for school.
"So seriously, what did I miss last night?," Anita asks.
"Seriously? Nothing. Ludicrously? Quite a lot." Anita gives Claire a confused look. The Fishers are nuttier than usual this morning.
In the basement of their academy, Giles and Gretchen watch a new Slayer fight one of the vampires they keep in captivity for the purpose of training. A circle of other new Slayers surrounds the two fighters, cheering their girl on. She knocks the vampire on his back and dusts him. Well, she would have dusted him if her staked wasn't dulled. Importing enough vampires to enable every training fight to end in a kill would be logistically unfeasible. Buffy hurls the defeated vampire back into his cage and instructs the Slayer on what she did right and what she did wrong. "I believe I found something on Lex," Giles whispers to Gretchen. They walk away from Buffy so she won't hear. "There's a record of a vampire named Electra, sired about thirty years ago by Drusilla."
"Spike's sire. So he's her brother?," she asks with a laugh.
"I'm not sure it works that way. Electra is known for her trickery and brutality. Word is that she's spent the past few years caring for her sire."
"From what I've read and heard, Dru ain't the kinda gal who can make it on her own."
"Yes. But allied with another powerful vampire, she can be quite formidable."
"Is this Electra powerful?"
"She gave Rosario quite a scare."
"But Spike powerful, or Angelus powerful?"
"Definitely not. But Drusilla and a vampire who could fight off two Slayers is not a combination I would take lightly."
"So we bulk up in Chicago. Send one or two of the new girls there."
"I was thinking of something a little more proactive."
"Add her to Operation Sigma?"
"It's best to eliminate her before she can join forces with this, er, Electra woman. And, knowing Drusilla, she's probably not keeping a low profile. It shouldn't be too hard to track her down."
"If I push my sources."
"If we push OUR sources."
"Of course," Gretchen replies with a smirk.
On Thursday afternoon, Devlin drives his Mustang with the top down and the tinted windows rolled up onto the USC campus. "Have fun with Judith."
"What are you gonna do?"
"I'll be in the library."
"How ya gonna get there?"
"Easy. I'll walk." Devlin opens the door, unfurls his umbrella, and steps out into the sunlight. Debbie breathes a sigh of relief.
"I still get nervous every time you do that. If it slips out of your hand, or there's a strong gust of wind, you're, you're done for."
"I've taken greater risks." He strides down the walkway, getting more than a few odd looks for using an umbrella in the sunshine. Debbie just smiles and shakes her head.
Six hours later, Devlin is in one of the underground levels of the library, reading Livy, when he spots a familiar face walking by. "Hey Connor!," Dev whispers as he stands up. "John Connor." Connor turns around. Dev walks towards him. "It's me. Devlin. You know: Debbie's boyfriend." Connor's eyes narrow. His lips purse. This is the hideous creature whose hands were all over that vivacious, glimmering alabaster goddess.
"How come you're not with her?" A guy can hope.
"She's hanging with friends. You think about Deb at all? Ever imagine being with her? Trust me, she's better than you'll ever know."
"She seemed like a nice girl. Which makes me wonder what she's doing with an asshole like you."
"Speaking truth to power. I like that."
"What power do you have?," Connor scoffs.
"You really don't want me to answer that with a demonstration. You really don't."
"Fine. Then quit wasting my time." Connor turns around to walk away. Devlin grabs his left arm. Connor spins around, angry. "What is your problem?"
"A certain young American woman currently residing in Rome, but that's not important. I used to be like you. The sweet, shy vulnerable guy who waits in the wings for someone to give him a chance."
"You don't know the first thing about me," Connor scoffs.
"I know what you'll missing out on. Because I've missed out on your life. I woke up one day, and I was the same, but completely different. New family. New responsibilities. Like a hidden world had been opened up to me. Sometimes, when I see the decent, hardworking, starry-eyed likes of you, I wonder how my life would have been if that world had remained closed."
"Whatever, freak," a thoroughly wigged-out Connor mumbles before heading for the stairs.
"Thank you. Better freak than ordinary." Connor glances back suspiciously at Dev, who grins and winks at the lad. He likes messing with the normals in a sort of bite-less roles-reversed reenactment of his first encounter with Spike. Perhaps the compulsion is a way of trying to understand what Spike saw in him. Up on the first level, Connor sees Debbie with Judith. He nervously averts his eyes and walks past them.
"Hi," Debbie says with a little wave. Connor turns around. "John Connor, right? It's an easy name to remember." He smiles and gets butterflies in his stomach.
"Ughh, ummm, Debbie, right?," he responds, trying to sound casual.
"How ya been? You were pretty down-in-the-dumps that night we met."
"I'm okay."
"Still single? Cause Judith here could use a date." Judith slaps her friend's shoulder.
"I'm, I'm available." Okay, she's not interested. Not yet. But even joking about setting him up with her friend shows that Debbie thinks Connor's at least cute.
"Are you friends with Brooke?," Judith asks Connor.
"Yeah. Sort of."
"Oh. That's where I've seen you. What's your major?"
"I haven't declared yet."
"Sir, do you have anything to declare?," Devlin asks as he walks up. "Only my genius." He hugs Debbie from behind and kisses her right cheek. "Oscar Wilde." Dev and Connor lock eyes in some sort of impromptu death stare.
"We should probably be heading back," Debbie says to Judith. They hug. Then Deb and Dev leave holding hands. As he watches them, Connor imagines bashing Devlin's brains. These strange thoughts seem to come from somewhere else. Somewhere outside him.
"I gotta, umm, study," he says to Judith. "Nice meeting you, Judith."
"Nice meeting you, John."
"It's Connor."
"You shouldn't toy with the boy," Dev says to Deb. "He's totally hot for you."
"He's sweet. And harmless. How many guys do I meet that I can say that about?"