Dawn hurried out of the bar as quickly as she could, sprinting down the street and to the nearest bus stop. As waited impatiently, tapping her foot and checking her watch, as the bus slowly pulled up and stopped. She stepped up onto the high stairs on the bus, and frowned. It smelled like cabbage, and many old people. She walked past the driver, dropping her money into the bucket. The driver looked hungrily up at her, licking his lips. She grimaced, and sat as far back as possible. Leaning her head on the grimy window, cold air seeping through a crack, she watched as the scenery began moving faster past her, as the bus started it's steady pace up a hill. People around her were chatting, some were even sleeping, and as Dawn turned to look at the people behind her…
"GODDAMMIT!"

"Watch it!" Charlotte grabbed Ellen around the waist and pulled her from in front of a bus. Ellen stared at the spot she had once been, then looked to Charlotte. She shook loose from Charlotte's grasp and scowled. Charlotte looked at her in disbelief. "I just saved you! You should be more careful." She gawked at the blank expression on Ellen's face and furrowed her brow, "Are you, like, very, VERY stoned?" Ellen merely walked past her, down the side of the street. Charlotte followed reluctantly. "Are we there yet?" Ellen stopped, and turned around.
"Why?"
"Why what why…what?" Charlotte felt a headache coming on, and the source was standing right in front of her. She gritted her teeth and crossed her arms.
"Why did you pull me away from the bus?" she looked at Charlotte with wide eyes. Her face seemed sallow, and dark rings were under her eyes. Charlotte's gaze softened.
"'Cause. I'd be lost. I don't know what's going on. And even though I'm not getting much from you…" she smiled, and tilted her head to the side, "…it's better than being alone." Ellen looked to the ground, and turned quickly. "Let me ask you why." Ellen stopped, her back to Charlotte. "Why are you…different? You seem…sick. Or weak. But in the hospital…when you grabbed me…you were…bigger?" She said this with a question in her voice, but Ellen continued walking. Charlotte kept quiet the rest of the walk, and only studied her surroundings. Ellen had led her down a dark subway, into tunnels and down alleys. Charlotte had never ventured farther than the park, and was slightly unnerved by the quietness of the empty passageways Ellen was bringing her through.
"Stop asking me questions. I can't answer them." Ellen said suddenly, Charlotte raised her eyebrows. "Mark will explain everything."
"Mark? Who's Mar-" Charlotte closed her mouth in mid sentence, remembering the no questions request. Ellen kept walking, as they now entered a very damp and unpleasant smelling tunnel, and as Charlotte stepped down, she found she sunk slightly into some type of sludge. "Ugh…" she kicked it off her shoe and stepped lightly.

"Mark works with me. You'll have much in common."
"Why? Is he a Slayer too?"
"No…he is very odd…and has messy hair like you." Charlotte automatically put a hand to her hair, ruffling it. "Come, we're close."

After pulling the stop signal, Dawn got off the bus, and quickly walked towards another bar. Many people looked at her as she strode past, and kicked down the door of a two story brick building, and she entered into a well lit room, a piano playing and people dancing. She took a look around and spotted a tall man with a hat and jacket on, his back to her. She walked over and spun him around, keeping hold of his coat. A human man looked startled as Dawn looked into his face. She let go immediately, and walked to the bar. A very short bartender with black hair was talking to a man at the counter, his voice strangely familiar, and annoying. He looked weasel-ish, with a pointed nose and watery eyes. Dawn slammed her fist onto the counter.
"Willy!" Willy turned with shock and grasped his chest.
"Uh…I…uh…" Willy froze, then bolted towards the door. Dawn caught him and pinned him to the wall, in a nearby hallway, hidden in shadows. She looked him in the face.
"Where is he? I know you got my letter…where is he?" Willy winced and shook his head.
"I have no clue what you're talking about, kid." Dawn shook him and slammed him harder against the wall. Willy whimpered and cracked, "Alright! Upstairs! Room number eight. But he don't like company!" Dawn was already making her way up the stairs and into a long hallway, doors on each side. She walked to number eight, and knocked. A rustling sound came from inside, and she waited. The door, still attached to the chain lock, opened with a jerk. A red eye appeared between a crack and the door, then the door shut quickly. Dawn took no hesitation in kicking this door down as well, and a tall, green demon stumbled backwards. He landed on a chair, then looked up to Dawn, frowning. Bottles of alcohol littered the ground, and a TV tray with a microwave dinner sat in front of an old television set.
"Can you READ?" he croaked, pointing to the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on his door handle. Dawn kicked the chair from beneath him and pulled him up, throwing him against the wall. The once tall, slender demon now leaned heavily against the wall, his body weight falling into it. His face was thin, and no longer held the smile it used to. He sighed and leaned against the wall. "What do you want?" Dawn looked at him with fire in her eyes.
"You know what I want."
"No, I don't…" he quickly changed his sentence to, "Alright. But you know what I want. Let's swap stories." Dawn looked confused for a second, then let him go. The once joyful and glowing face of Lorne was now grubby, his eyes cold and hard, yet a flicker of concern filled his voice when he said, "You tell me what happened in L.A., you get what you need."