A/N: Short chapter, I know. I wrote this while I was supposed to be studying for a Chinese exam, so reviews will make me feel better when I fail hinthint lol

Winifred Burkle paused to check and recheck her notes, as she worked on perfecting the technological marvel that lay on the smooth, shiny steel bench. The lab was quiet and empty - it was 3 am and Fred's fellow scientists had gone home hours ago. Fred, however, was utterly engrossed in her work - her entire brain was occupied with solving the problems the sophisticated piece of machinery put forward. Her attention was suddenly diverted as she heard a quiet footstep behind her. She turned, half expecting to see a demon advancing upon her. Satisfied that her foe was imaginary, Fred turned back to her work, to find that it was being tossed from hand to hand by Angel. She gave him a look.

"Haven't I asked you to stop doing that?" she asked, exasperated, as she relieved him of the valuable piece of equipment.

"How's the weapon coming along?" Angel enquired, sidestepping the question.

Fred frowned. "Pretty well, except for one very major problem. The magic won't bind to the circuits. It's already a very powerful weapon, but without the spell, it won't…do what you want it to do," she finished lamely.

"You have a problem with making her human?" Angel asked quietly.

Fred squirmed under Angel's piercing gaze. "It's just…I don't know if we should force her to be something she doesn't want to be."

"Fred. The woman…or whatever she is, is playing games with us. The future of the world might depend on what she's keeping secret. I'm not sacrificing that to keep her happy."

Fred looked aside and nodded once. "I'll try to fix it," she whispered.

"Good. That's good," Angel said uncomfortably. Fred turned her eyes back down to her diagrams and fiddled with a piece of circuitry. After an embarrassing pause, she looked back up at Angel. "W-was there something else you wanted?"

"Actually, yes. How…how are you?"

Fred gave Angel a confused look. "Um…I'm fine, thanks…h-how are you?"

"I meant, about…Illyria, and Wes, and everything."

Fred's blood ran cold. She had been trying, ever since she was magically resurrected, to erase the past few months from her mind. At the mention of Illyria's name, a wave of emotions and feelings assaulted her. Anger, pain, grief…love. She had loved Wesley so much, and now he was gone. As he lay dieing, she was forced to watch, a helpless spirit stranded outside her body. Forced to watch that blue demon bitch assume her face and play her part. Fred gave Wesley her soul, and yet it was Illyria who held him as his gave up the struggle.

"Fred? Are you okay?"

"No!" she wanted to scream. "No, I'm not okay! I'll never be okay!" But she forced a smile, and nodded, while hot tears threatened to stream down her cheeks. She tried to walk away, but tripped over the table and fell into Angel's arms. She couldn't hold on anymore. She cried and cried, Angel holding her tight, until she had no more tears left.

Jessica lay on her bed, her silent grief echoing in her mind. Her recent conversation with Spike had opened up all the old wounds again. She felt the pain of watching her family die, and the confusion and betrayal of her sister's rejection. "I'm a Power!" she thought. "I'm not meant to feel like this…" But still she couldn't stop the flow of memories. Memories of screaming at her mother to wake up. Memories of her tough older sister leaving her sitting in an alleyway. Happier memories, of ascending to become one of the Powers That Be. Jessica still didn't know why they had chosen her. Maybe she had some higher purpose. Maybe this was her purpose, to save the world that she both loved and hated so much.