Elektra makes quite an impression Vi, Rona, and by extension, Buffy. Meanwhile, Harmony tries, with Dev's help, to gain the trust of Debbie and her friends.

Buffy walks out to join Giles and Gretchen, who sit in the courtyard at the Slayer School, sipping afternoon tea. "You had bad news?"

"Yes. Buffy, we've reviewed the evidence Robin has sent us, and we've determined that there were no W.G.D. in Cleveland."

"W.G.D.?"

"Weapons of Global Destruction," Gretchen explains.

"There was no apocalypse to prevent," Giles adds. "Rona and Vi and the Scythe were sent in vain."

"No they weren't. There are a lot of demons — evil demons — who are dead because they went to Cleveland. You can't tell me the word would be better off with all those vampires and demons still alive."

"It's a question of resource allocation, Buffy," Giles responds. "We could have continued staffing the Hellmouth with two less-experienced Slayers and used Rona and Vi to handle the "Samauri Vampire" in Tokyo who's given our Japanese Slayers quite a bit of grief.

"Before we send the Veterans, we were treading water in Cleveland. Now we're making a difference. We're rolling back, rolling up, I don't know, just plain rolling over the evil."

"Buffy has a point," Gretchen concedes, trying to use her skills as a professional diplomat to bridge the gap between Buffy and Giles. "We've made the Hellmouth a less-than-inviting place for demons, and that's a huge accomplishment. They've worked really hard. I think we should give Rona and Vi a weekend to kick back and play hard in Manhattan before flying them out to Japan. That's where we need their experience now." Slayers who had not suffered the trauma of fighting uber-vamps had trouble dealing with elite warrior vampires, and often fled rather than risk their lives. The other ninety-nine percent of vampires they eagerly dusted. But a single representative of that one percent could send even two or three rookies dashing for home. In these situations, it was essential to have at least one Sunnydale veteran who could inspire the newbies to stand and fight.

"Tokyo's nowhere near crisis mode," Buffy retorts. "Not a single Slayer has died there."

"Buffy, it's only a matter of time."

"Why not send Chao-Ahn?"

"She's very busy in Taiwan."

"We have other Veterans."

"Who are all deployed in the field. Buffy, we're stretched very thin as it is."

"What about Matilda? She should be healed up in a couple days."

"A week at the earliest." Devlin and his friends had put one-quarter of Buffy's elite forces in the hospital, for which she hated him (and Debbie) with a fiery passion.

"We have Bonnie and Caroline ready to take the field on Saturday," Gretchen points out. "They can go to London. Ruth and Sarah can shift to Boston. And Laura and Francine can move to Cleveland."

"Taking out Rona and Vi only gives the vampires a chance to regroup," Buffy counters. "I say we let them finish the job."

"Buffy, there is no finish," Giles retorts with a sigh. "You'll never have a demon-free Hellmouth."

"I'm just talking about mopping up the pockets of resistance that remain. Vi told me Tuesday night she doesn't want to let them get away."

"Before we make any decisions, let's talk to Robin, and see what the situation is on the ground," Gretchen suggests.

"Fair enough," Buffy concedes.

"It's what, 10:15 in the evening over there?," Giles asks, accepting Gretchen's compromise. She smiles at Rupert, having saved him the indignity of getting directly overruled by Buffy yet again. Dawn comes running out.

"I think the new girl from Finland just got her nose broken by the new girl from the Ivory Coast. Don't worry. It wasn't anything personal. And it's not my fault. I told them to wear boxing gloves. But you know how Slayers are."

Debbie finds Devlin on the floor in their training room, looking over a large map of the San Diego harbor. "They're doing the market wrap-up on CNBC."

"I'm sure they're being irrationally exuberant."

"You mean like my friends? Diego and Theo are starting to get pretty cocky about their Slaying abilities. I don't need to tell you how much Mel and Danielle believe in their boyfriends' invincibility. All of a sudden, we're not the only power couple." Each of the vampire-human couples has learned how to quickly dispatch a single vampire without much trouble. Deb worries what will happen when they're faced with two, and the vampire member of the couple can only fight one at a time.

"We'll have to steal a boat. No. Maybe two boats."

"What are you talking about?" Devlin starts to giggle.

"I've got it! A Trojan Horse. This will involve putting your friends in danger."

"I put them in danger by bringing them along."

"No. Danger without us there to protect them."

"What!?"

"For only a few minutes. But it's a party. I doubt they'd dig in right away."

"You are not using my friends as bait. Again. Without me being around to save them if something goes wrong."

"It's up to Harmony. She knows how these vampires operate."

"No. Hell no! My friends' lives are not being put in the hands of that blonde bimbo."

"She's smarter than she looks, you know. At least she is when you give her some responsibility. Plus, she has a healthy sense of self-preservation."

"If any of my friends get so much as a scratch because of her - "

"Precisely, Deb. She fears you." Debbie smiles. Slayers love hearing that vampires fear them. "And she knows better than to incur your wrath by endangering your friends. The girl's got enough to worry about, moonlighting on Angel and all."

"Harmony?," Angel asks as she yawns. "Late night?"

"No. Just, couldn't sleep. This whole non-nocturnal thing sometimes gets to me."

"Just type up the dictation on these cassettes and have them on my desk by five."

"No problem. Boss." She starts tapping away at her computer. It was tough working for two demanding bosses.

While the spectators at this high school basketball game buy snacks in the lobby during halftime, Elektra looks for a snack of her own. Before the game started, she spotted the Slayers entering with a black man whom everyone greeted as Principal Wood. He didn't look like a Watcher. He also seemed too young to be a principal. For a few minutes, she amusingly imagines that he's the black Slayer's older boyfriend. They came out of the gym to keep an eye on the crowd and try to spot any vampires. Elektra feels a sharp thrill as she waits to be uncovered. But there are hundreds of people, making it hard to pick out one vampire unless they clearly stick out. Elektra's dressed rather conservatively by her standards. Luckily, belly shirts and navel piercings are considered mainstream, and she's ditched the leather pants for jeans. Meanwhile, the hunted vampire still plays the hunter. She flirts, though less conspicuously than usual. After a few minutes, the Slayers tire of this needle-in-a-haystack search, and begin talking to a few boys. Elektra realizes that vampires and Slayers can be a lot alike. But soon she also gets bored. Elektra stands twenty feet away from them, begging to get noticed. Her eyes meet Vi's. Nothing. Oh well. She walks up to Robin. "Hi Principal Wood," she says with a smile. He doesn't recognize the student. Then again, there are two thousand at this school, and it's hard to stand out.

But Elektra is willing to try. Late in the fourth quarter, she sneaks into the home team's locker room, takes off her clothes and lies in wait. She watches the sweaty young men undress, working up a bigger appetite than she'll be able to fill. Finally, a strapping, six-foot-three-inch white boy puts on his street clothes and walks towards the wash room area in back to comb his hair in front of the mirror. "Too bad you lost," Elektra says. He turns to his left and is stunned to see a beautiful young woman standing in front of him, completely naked. He struggles to vocalize words as she slowly walks towards him and he inches back towards the wall. "Don't be afraid. Do I look like I wanna hurt you?" She put right hand to his neck and feels his pulse as she stands two feet away. He hyperventilates while his heart rate, already high after a hard-fought game, climbs even higher. Elektra takes a step back to give him a full panoramic view of her in all her glory. He'd known of girls being a little aggressive, but this was off the charts. Heck, his teammates were still in the room.

"Okay, I lied. I am going to hurt you." Elektra goes bumpy, leaps at the poor boy and bites the left side of his neck while pinning his arms against the wall. He yelps and screams, and one of his players rushes back to see what the fuss is all about. Elektra hears him approach and turns around to see a six-foot-seven-inch skinny black guy. He sees a naked white chick with blood running down her deformed face, and his friend slumped on the ground behind her.

"Holy shit!"

"Nothing holy about it." She rushes him, leaps up and bites the right side of his neck while wrapping her arms around him.

"What the fuck!" He struggles, but can't pry the crazy naked white chick loose. "Help!!" Ten players, the coach, the assistant coach and the team manager all rush back. Elektra lets goes of her second victim, and he tumbles to the ground.

"I have company," she says with a smile. Elektra knew that humans find the vampire face hideous, so she flaunts her body, which is anything-but-hideous, to provide aesthetic contrast. To her, this was performance art: flesh that draws men to her, and the teeth that do them in.

"There's no girls in the locker room," an assistant finally says with the understatement of someone completely overwhelmed by what's before him.

"We need a doctor!," the head coach yells as he rushes towards the hallway outside. "We need a doctor in here!" Wood sees him. He had been casually to some parents about his and their high school basketball experiences. The moment he sees the coach's eyes, he knows what's happened. He's seen that look too many times.

"Rona! Vi! Get over here!!" They were standing outside about forty feet away waiting for the players come out so they can chat with them, maybe set up a date for later. Instantaneously they rush to the call. Wood enters the locker room. The moment the door swings open, Elektra disappears without a trace, snaking her way past several players without them even noticing. Two seconds later, Vi and Rona barge in at top speed, startling several half-dressed players. Vi manages a small smile, then follows Rona in the direction a couple shaken players are pointing. They zoom to the rear exit with shocking speed. The breeze they create actually ruffles the player's clothes. Meanwhile, Wood attends to the two victims. The white kid looks worse off, and Wood tries to comfort him.

"Just hang in there, Trent. You're gonna be all right."

As Rona checks the ceiling and any nooks and crannies where a vampire could hide, Vi rushes outside, where Elektra is waiting. The nude vampire turns around. "Is it short for Vivian, or Violet?," she asks from twenty feet away. Vi hesitates for a moment, then bashes the metal door with her left fist, creating a dent. Rona rushes to the noise. "You're staring," Elektra notes with a big smile. "Either you're bi, and I'm flattered, or you're afraid to lose me, and I'm flattered."

"Vi, what's up?," Rona asks as she rushes out. "Oh my God."

"What's the matter, Rona? You've never seen a naked vampire before?"

"Actually, no." Vi shakes her head in agreement.

"That's one thing you and Buffy don't have in common." Leks licks the blood from her lips. It had been a good snack — three pints from her first victim, two from her second — and she was going to need the fuel. Lex walks towards the Slayers, who take out their stakes and expect an easy killing. She returns to her human face. "The name of the game is tag. You're it." The Slayers slowly approach her, Vi to her left and Rona to her right. "What are you afraid of? Clearly, I've got nothing to hide." When the Slayers are within six feet, Elektra takes off with an incredibly burst of speed, quite literally streaking through the parking lot. Rona and Vi give chase as the awestruck fans filing towards their cars watch these women zip by at incredible speed. Elektra heads west, through a park that contains the high school's playing fields, over the fences surrounding the football field, then under an elevated section of I-71. She's heading towards the Hellmouth. The Slayers fear an ambush and increase speed to try and catch the vampire before she gets to her friends. Elektra slows down slightly, allowing the Slayers to inch closer. Vi gets within a step. Then she slows down, and Rona gets so close she can almost grab Elektra's flowing hair. At that moment, Elektra turns on the jets and starts to pull away. When she's put a good fifty yards between her and the Slayers, she turns north, heading away from the Hellmouth. Rona and Vi stop to catch their breath.

"It was the clothes," Vi jokes. "They held us back."

"Do what you want, but I ain't slaying naked," Rona jokes back. They're both making light of the situation to conceal their disappointment. No vampire's ever outrun them.

"What the hell was that?," the head coach asks Principal Wood, who stands outside with the coaches and players as the two injured students are loaded into ambulances.

"A crazed student, probably on drugs. We'll make sure she gets the help she needs."

"Did you see her face?," the assistant coach asks.

"She had a face?," one of the players responds, speaking for most of them, who were staring at other parts of Elektra's anatomy. The ambulances drive off, and Wood takes out his phone to call Rona.

"Hey Robin. She got away. Hey, can you come pick us up? You're going to the hospital? No, we'll meet you there."

"Wait a minute."

"What is it?," Rona asks Vi.

"That way's north."

"Uh-huh."

"The naked vampire headed north."

"So?"

"What's north of the Hellmouth?"

"Downtown."

"Exactly."

Rona laughs. "At least she won't go unnoticed."

Elektra races down the streets at upwards of forty miles-an-hour, outrunning cars and shocking the few pedestrians. She enters her hotel, dashes to the stairs and whirls her way up to the twelfth floor, where she runs into the hallway and finally stops at her room. All the time, she held her key card in her left hand. A man four doors down spots the naked teenager. "I got locked out," she says with an innocent smile, as if this were one of those commercials. Once she gets into her room, Elektra starts jumping up-and-down and woo-hooing. Sneaking in the locker room, shocking those boys, and outrunning those Slayers was such a rush.

"They'll be okay," Wood reports when Rona and Vi arrive at the hospital.

"I'm sorry we let her go," Vi offers.

"She can run but she can't hide. You'll find her." He can tell that these Slayers, so accustomed to success, take even the smallest failure hard. "I found her clothes in the shower. They look new. Her jacket's Prada."

"So?," Vi asks.

"What kind of vampire throws away expensive threads?"

"What kind of vampire owns expensive threads?," Vi inquires.

"Certainly not any I've met," Rona replies with contempt for the vamps they've known.

"Just so you know, Trent and Rondell are in stable condition." The Slayers look shocked.

"Can we see them?," Vi asks.

"I guess. But they won't tell you anything you don't already know."

"By the way, what'd you tell the paramedics?," Rona wonders.

"They slipped in the shower."

"And cut themselves on what, exactly?"

"Fortunately, no one's asked." The Slayers walk away.

"Trent," Vi says, looking bummed. "I like Trent. I was going to ask him out."

"And I was gonna ask out Rondell." They pause.

"Why couldn't I get the chance to save him?" Now that would have scored Vi some major points.

"I feel like I've let him down," Rona adds. Then something unsettling occurs to Vi. Out of twelve players, she picks these two.

"It's weird how this vampire and us have the same taste in men. No pun intended." They both shudder.

"Worse than weird. Downright creepy." It is a most disturbing coincidence. They enter the room where the boys are lying on beds, Trent to their left and Rondell to their right. They each move towards their chosen boy.

"Hey Vi," Trent says in a weak voice. (He remembered her name!) "What are you doing here?"

"I heard from Robin that you were hurt, and I wanted to see if you were okay."

"I know you think we'll think you're crazy. But we won't," Rona assures Rondell. "We know that weird stuff goes on around here."

"It's embarrassing," Rondell replies, speaking for Trent as well. "This girl just overpowered me. She was so strong. I couldn't fight her off. Guess that makes me a real wimp, getting beat up by a girl."

"Some girls are stronger that others," Rona answers with a smirk. Vi looks at her and also smiles.

"It's not your fault," she tells Trent, revelling in the gender role reversal. "There was nothing you could do. Just tell me what you remember, so we can track her down and make sure she doesn't do this sorta thing again."

"Her face changed. She had these big teeth. Then she bit me, and I felt this cold sensation."

"From the blood loss."

"Yeah. I guess. Am I crazy?"

"No. Everyone saw what you saw, and none of you are crazy. Weird things happen."

"I know. But not like this."

"What the hell do I tell my mom?," Rondell wonders. "I got bit by a dog?" He chuckles. "My mom worked so hard to move out of the ghetto, get me in a nicer neighborhood where I'd be safe."

"No one's ever completely safe," Rona replies in an ominous moment of candor. "But Principal Wood and the cops are gonna catch her. Don't worry about that. Just get well." She puts her right hand on his chest. He grabs it and smiles. Vi takes Trent's left hand in her left hand.

"You did play a good game," she jokes.

"Thanks. Look, this might not be the right moment, but ya wanna do something sometime?"

"I'd love to. Here's my number. Call anytime." Rona gives Rondell her number.

"Aren't we shameless," Rona says in the hallway.

"Why? Because we're hitting on the vics?"

"They are vulnerable right now."

"Rona, we would've hit on them if they weren't attacked. It's not like we're taking advantage of the situation."

"I suppose. Damn, I can't believe we let her get away."

"You didn't let her get away," Wood remarks. "She had a head start."

"Actually - ," Vi begins before electing not to mention how Elektra toyed with them.

"She was heading towards downtown," Rona reports.

"Good. No, wait, bad. There's plenty of possible victims around there on a Saturday night. But the police should have gotten a few sightings by now. It's not every day a naked girl runs through the streets." He pauses. "I suppose that could be the headline tomorrow," he jokes before calling the cops and working his contacts.

Devlin stands at the J Street Pier in Chula Vista, at the south end of San Diego harbor, at 10:50 Thursday night. "There she is. The Excalibur, also known as The Castle."

"Wonder why," Theo replies sarcastically. The two hundred by one hundred foot barge has four towers at the corners and crenellated parapets running along the sides.

"Built thirty years ago from four surplus navy landing craft as a party barge. Went out of business more than twenty years ago. Last legitimately used to store furniture."

"We don't need a history lesson," Cynthia tells Devlin.

"I like to provide context. I think it's helpful to know why there's a giant castle in the water, and how vampires got to use it."

"How do we break in?," Danielle asks.

"You won't have to." He looks at Harmony.

"They don't just live there," she explains. "They throw parties for vampire groupies who like to get bit."

"That's why there haven't been any bodies," Devlin points out.

"Who the fuck would want to get bit?," Cynthia asks.

"You're about to find out. But lose the outrage. You're going to be playing a vampire lover."

"Like hell I am! No offense," she says to her vampire-loving friends.

"We don't love them in general," Diego offers in his defense.

"Can you hurry up?," Harmony requests. "They'll be sending the boat any minute." Luiz, Paul and Sidney wish their human mates luck. The humans are understandably reluctant to leave them.

"You're sending us in there alone?," Theo asks.

"No. We'll have Deb," Cynthia assures him. But her best friend doesn't look so sure. "What!?"

"I'm the Slayer. They'd recognize me. Cynth, you're only gonna be alone for a few minutes."

"Fifteen actually," Dev reports. The humans are horrified.

"You'll be fine," Harmony, who they don't trust, tries to assure them. "I've come here the last two nights, and they spend a really long time seducing the humans they like."

"Seducing? You didn't say anything about THAT!," Sidney says to Dev.

"You'll be jealous?," Diego asks with a smile. "Even if nothing happened?" So much for her casual assertions that their relationship meant nothing emotionally to her.

"Time to go," Devlin asserts. "Stay alive, and stand near the exits so you can let us in." The humans still look petrified. Debbie walks over to her friends.

"I thought it was insane, too. But Dev's had other insane plans, and they've always worked. I trust him. And so should you."

"You're not the one going in there all helpless," Danielle notes.

"Dev would never let anything happen to you."

"Why not?," Melanie asks. "You're the one he cares about."

"And if I lose one of you, he loses me. Dev knows that." There's a long pause.

"Fifteen minutes?," Diego asks.

"And then we storm the castle." There's another long pause. "There's no other way we can get you in. And I don't know if the five of us can do it alone."

"What the hell," Theo responds. "What's the worst that can happen? Oh. Right."

"I'm in," Cynthia declares. Debbie smiles at her best friend and gives her a hug before running off with the vampires.

"It's real simple," Harmony tells the humans. "Just pretend you find vampires sexy. Most of you don't even have to pretend." Danielle, Melanie and Diego get angry.

"Don't take offense," Cynthia suggests. "She's just jealous. Isn't that why you're here?" Harmony feels genuinely wounded. Normally, she'd want to attack and probably kill Cynthia for such a slight. Alas, she can't, because Cynthia is right, and Harmony doesn't want to lose access to Devlin and the exciting little world he's created.

Giles is awoken at 3:30 Sunday morning by the phone. He picks it up and puts it to his left ear. "Hello. No, Robin. It's okay. So long as this is important. Oh my. That would be important. Naked? My goodness."

"I know we are but you don't have to tell him," Gretchen whispers in Rupert's right ear. He turns on the lamp to the left of the bed and sits up. She can tell it's something serious.

"Now what did she look like?. Interesting. That sounds a lot like the vampire who created trouble for us in Denver. A name? I can't remember at the moment."

"Elektra," Gretchen whispers.

"Actually, let me put you on with Gretchen." She's a little embarrassed.

"Oh. Hi Robin. The girl's name is Elektra. Her human name was Alexa Adler. She's from New York. About a quarter century old. Tall. Long brown hair. Your classic underage femme fatale with a few tricks up her sleeve. Naked? She is provocative, and very good at making a clean getaway. She knew their names? Well, they've probably become pretty famous. Or infamous, if you're a demon. You think you've tracked her down? Good. But be careful. She uses weapons. Knives. Maybe also razor blades. We're not sure. Play it safe. Try a crossbow first." She hands the phone back to Rupert.

"Tell Rona and Vi good luck. And godspeed." He hangs up.

"Why didn't you tell him to call me on my cell phone so I could pretend I was at home?"

"It didn't occur to me. Are you ashamed of our relationship?"

"No! God no. I just don't know how much I want to publicize it. People might start thinking my meteoric rise in your organization wasn't because of my professional talents."

"Gretchen, everyone in my organization is already aware of your talents."

"Not all of them, I hope," Devlin's kid sister replies with a naughty smirk.

"You talked to Giles AND Gretchen?," Vi asks.

"I guess they were working late."

"On a Saturday night?" The two Slayers giggle.

"I thought he had a thing for her," Rona says to Vi.

"Wait a minute. You think they're dating?" Robin, who hasn't been to Rome in three months, thought Gretchen had a thing for him. He was flattered, but thought she was too old. Devlin's younger sister is ten years his senior.

"Enough gossip," Vi declares. "Time to kick ass."

"Time to politely ask questions," Robin corrects her. They step out of the car and are greeted by a police officer.

"We got reports of a streaker in the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel," he explains.

"Anyone provide a description?," Robin asks.

"Just that it's a woman. And that she was moving too fast for them to notice anything else. The Slayers nod. The four of them enter. The cop flashes his badge and requests the hotel manager. Wood starts asking questions. The manager assumes he's a plainclothes officer.

"In the past few days, has a tall teenage girl checked in here by herself?"

"Is there a criminal in our hotel?," he asks with concern.

"Just someone we want to question," the cop says.

"I can check our security videos. But that will take time."

"Someone with the name of Elektra?," Wood asks. "Or Alexa," he recalls. "Possibly Alexa Adler. She could have used a pseudonym." The manager goes to the computer.

"Alexa Adler. Checked in last night at 9:57 P.M. Paid for three nights up front. In cash."

"You didn't think that was unusual?"

"I wasn't the one who checked her in."

"What's the room number?"

"1208." He gets out a master key card and takes them up. Strangely, the uniformed officer doesn't come along, but two teenage girls with back packs do. When they get to the door, Robin talks the manager into giving them the card and waiting by the elevator. Rona and Vi open their bags, take out crossbows and load them. They each put a stake in their right pocket. Robin puts the key in, and opens the door. Elektra has the tv on with the volume up, and she's glancing out the window at the city below. She turns and sees the Slayers, who immediately fire. Elektra leaps to her left and falls down behind her bed. The arrows bounce off the window, leaving tiny dents in the glass. The Slayers rush over and trap her. Elektra reaches her right arm up, grabs her purse from off the bed and swings it up at Rona's chin, knocking her back. The vampire stands up, spins round and nails Vi in the right side of her head with the purse. "Hi Principal Wood," Elektra says, repeating what she told him a few hours ago when he had no idea who she was. This is the first time he's seen Elektra since then, and he instantly regrets not identifying her as a vampire before she had a chance to hurt Trent and Rondell. As the Slayers recover their balance, Elektra swings her purse for the window, shattering it and leaping out. Rona tries to grab her. Vi rushes to the window and tries to stake her just as she jumps. Rona grabs Vi to keep her from falling out.

"Wooooooo!!!!," Elektra screams as she plummets to earth, landing on the roof of an Escalade, shattering the windows. She winces from the impact and leaps across the street, racing to safety as the Slayers and their Watcher watch helplessly. The manager, who heard the noise, bursts in.

"What happened!!?," he asks about the open window and the strewn pieces of glass.

"What does it look like happened?," Vi asks. "She jumped."

"Oh my God." He walks over to the window. "Who are you?," he asks the girls, turning around to find them gone.

"Sorry about the window," Wood tells the manager. "On the plus side, if she stayed the night, there's a chance she would've killed some of your guests." He exits, leaving the man appalled and dumbfounded. He looks out the window again and sees the smashed car.

"Hey. Where's the body?"