To all my readers: Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my stories. You guys have been an inspiration. Your reviews, both encouraging and critical, help make future chapters better. And just in case you were wondering, I have a good idea where this story is going. Please read and enjoy.

11:19 pm, Thursday – NYU Downtown Hospital

"We need help!" Sara yelled after opening the door to the van.

The EMTs near the emergency room entrance rushed to the van with a gurney, ready to take the unconscious figure. Sara, Kennedy, and Rona went alongside him as the van sped toward home base. They weren't in the mood to be asked how a middle-aged man ended up shot around a gaggle of women. Rushing through the emergency room, one of the EMTs yelled for a doctor.

"What's he got?" she asked.

"GSW to the chest," he replied. "His friends just brought him in. Pulse is low and we haven't done a BP check yet."

"Get him in ER number four. Snatch Dr. Kensington along the way and tell him I'll be there."

Sara, Rona, and Kennedy walked alongside the gurney toward the emergency room. One of the EMTs called out to another doctor in the hallway going over a chart.

"Dr. Kensington! Dr. Prakesh says she'll be along soon. She's putting him in ER number 4."

Closing his chart he said, "I'll get scrubbed up."

The three women followed the gurney to the ER doors where the doctor stopped them. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait here."

Dr. Prakesh soon came up and saw their anxious faces. Trying to quickly comfort them before going to her task she said, "We'll do the best we can to save your friend." And with that, she entered into the ER.

Rona held her hands over her mouth in anxiety as Kennedy looked on in worry, breathing heavily. Sara looked through the window; she put her hands on them as if by sheer will she could phase through it. Seeing the red streaks on the window from her bloodstained hands, she looked down in shock and quickly went over to the sink and scrubbed the blood off vigorously. Seeing how fast and how hard she was scrubbing, Kennedy went over to her and put her hand on her shoulder.

"He'll pull through, Sara. I know he will. He's strong."

Sara looked at Kennedy with pain in her eyes. The words from the young Slayer were comforting, if only a little.


11:47 pm, Thursday- Vitelli Residence

Sean stepped though the double-door entrance of the house. He had a very unpleasant task set before him: to tell Amy that the trap against Sara and the Slayers was an unmitigated failure. He warily approached the doors to her office room. One of the guards let him in, where he saw Amy sitting in a chair listen to music, opera from what he could tell, blaring from her stereo. Hesitantly, he spoke up.

"Ms. Vitelli…"

"Oh, I like this part," she interrupted. Sean stood there waiting. After the moment passed, Amy spoke again.

"You know, one thing I will miss about old Genovese… his love of opera. I wasn't into it when we met, but after seeing Verdi's Il Travatore I was hooked."

"Ms. Vitelli…"

Turning down the stereo with her remote she interrupted him again. "The trap failed," she said, preempting Sean.

"Yes," he affirmed ashamedly.

"And Krag?"

"Dead."

"Well, it seems Markov's band of thugs wasn't as good as he claimed," Amy said calmly. "The bright side is that we don't have to pay Krag the rest of his fee."

"What should we do?" he asked.

Turning her back to Sean, she said, "We're going to go through with tomorrow night as planned, and we're gong to keep a level head about things. Despite tonight's failure, Detective Pezzini won't have the whole precinct on us. She's got too many secrets to keep." Facing Sean again, she said, "Make sure everything is arranged for tomorrow night."

"Yes, Ms. Vitelli," he said before turning to go about his task.

"Oh, Sean," Amy said, interrupting his stride. "Two things: one, find Markov and have him brought here. I have the distinct feeling he lied to us about the quality of his mercenaries. And two…" Reaching out her hand, she telekinetically lifted Sean off of the ground and slammed him against a wall. Sean had expected something like this; he was just waiting for when.

"Next time you hire someone, you better make damn sure he's worth it," she said in a sinister voice. Her eyes were black with anger. "I don't need any surprises to ruin my plans. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ms. Vitelli," Sean replied quickly. She then dropped him onto the floor.

"Good. You have your assignments. I suggest you go about them."

Again his only reply was, "Yes, Ms. Vitelli," before leaving her presence.


1:27 am, Friday- NYU Downtown Hospital

Willow had come rushing with Tina, who had stayed with her instead of going home, to the hospital when she got the news. Her mentor, friend, and father-figure, laying in an ER from a gunshot wound. She had to force herself not to listen to the part of her that desired bloody vengeance against Amy for this offense. Tina even told Kennedy that she saw Willow's eyes go black for a few moments. Kennedy knew that though Willow's Slayer spell filled her with such 'light-sided" power, deep inside she would always have to bear the burden of her affair with darkness.

"What's the news?" Willow inquired.

"We haven't heard anything yet," Kennedy replied. "They've been in there for a while now."

"Has anyone told Buffy?" Rona asked.

"Buffy!" Willow exclaimed. "I completely forgot to call her!" Taking out her cell phone, she said, "I'll be near the food court. I can't use it in the ER."

"I'll come too," said Rona. "I need something to drink. I just wish they had something stronger than soda." She looked at Sara, Kennedy and Tina and asked, "You guys coming?"

"Nah," said Kennedy. "I'll just stay here, see if the doctor tells us anything."

"Me too," Sara agreed.

"I'm staying with them," Tina replied. "Where's the restroom?"

Rona pointed to the door and then left with Willow toward the food court, leaving Sara and Kennedy standing by the room. A few minutes later, Dr. Prakesh came out of the ER and went up to the two women. They awaited her news anxiously.

"So what's the verdict, doc?" Kennedy asked.

"Your friend is still unconscious," she replied. "We were able to extract the bullet from the left side of his chest. It nicked a rib and punctured the left lung. Luckily, the puncture was quite small, toward the top edge of it. No other major organs were hit, but he lost a lot of blood. He's in critical condition, but hopefully he'll pull through. We're just glad you got him here when you did."

It wasn't the answer either of them was expecting, but it was still better than nothing. "Anything else?" Kennedy asked.

"There is one other thing," the doctor replied. "The mugger you said you were running away from didn't hit him directly."

"What do you mean?" Kennedy inquired.

"The bullet must have ricocheted off of something," she replied. "Most of the time bullets break up, but once in a while they stay intact. From the looks of things, it most likely bounced off metal."

Sara's face went white. Kennedy immediately looked at her, knowing what she was thinking.

"Doctor, could you excuse us? My friend isn't taking all of this very well," Kennedy said quickly.

"Of course."

Seeing the doctor walk away, Kennedy quickly went over to Sara and said sincerely, "Sara, it wasn't your fault."

"I did this. I did this. It's my fault. I did this," she continuously repeated in a daze of words and emotions.

"No!" Kennedy exclaimed. Grabbing the woman's shoulders, she said, "Sara, listen to me: you didn't do this. You're not to blame."

"I did it. I put Giles in there… all because of this damn thing on my wrist. People get hurt because of me. People die. And now Giles is going to… all because of me." She lowered her head in sorrow and grief.

"Giles is not going to die, Sara! I told you he's strong," Kennedy reiterated. "Besides, the one to blame is Amy. It was her lackey that did it and she's going to pay for it."

Sara raised her head and looked into Kennedy's eyes, saying in a menacing tone, "Yeah, she is." She then quickly walked away toward the exit of the hospital, with Kennedy trailing behind.

"Wait! Sara, what are you doing?"

"What I should have done a long time ago," she replied angrily.

"And what's that?" Kennedy asked.

"I'm going after Amy. I'm finishing this once and for all."

"Woah, bad idea!" She stepped in front of the detective and stopped her saying, "Pez, we can't just go after her like this. It's too dangerous."

"And we were so safe beforehand, right?" Sara said sarcastically.

"This is stupid and you know it. You can't do this."

"Watch me."

"Giles is my friend, too. But we'll get to the bottom of this and make Amy pay for it. I know we will."

"By what, huh?" Sara asked. "By having planning sessions and meetings and raids on some of her vampire lackeys? No, I'm going to find her and put my sword through her chest." She tried to walk past Kennedy, but the young Slayer moved in her path, resolving to make another attempt at reasoning with the enraged detective. Looking into her eyes, Kennedy continued.

"Would Giles want you doing this? Would Giles want you going out, possibly getting yourself killed to get revenge? I know he wouldn't, and you do too. So, why don't we just calm down and try to be there for him, okay?"

Relaxing for a moment and letting out a deep breath, Sara said, "Yeah… okay."

"Good. Now let's just…"

Kennedy's words were cut off by a metal-gloved punch to the jaw that spun her around. She was then put in a sleeper hold and struggled to break free.

"Sorry I got to do this to you, kid."

Kennedy quickly succumbed to the maneuver and passed out. Sara dragged her over to a chair nearby and sat her down. Walking away, it was then that Tina came out of the restroom. Seeing Kennedy passed out in the chair and Sara stomping away, she ran after the cop.

"Sara, where are you going?"

"To take care of Amy," she replied without stopping.

"Wait, you can't just…"

Sara turned around quickly, extending the Witchblade's sword and holding the end to Tina's throat. "Don't make me kill you, Tina."

Tina stood still, mindful of the blade at her throat and scared of what could happen if she moved. Sara looked at the fear in the girl's eyes and retracted the blade. She quickly turned and left the hospital. Soon, Willow and Rona came back, only to find Tina tossing a cup of water at Kennedy's face.

"Wha... who...?" the passed out Slayer said.

"Tina!" Willow exclaimed.

"She was passed out," the girl started to explain.

"How?" Willow asked.

"Sara," Kennedy replied. "She knocked me out after she told me she was going after Amy."

"What!" Willow exclaimed.

"She said she's planning on finishing this."

"Okay, this is bad. This is really bad," Rona said. "What does she think she's doing?"

Willow knew fully well what Sara was planning. Even she herself had thought about it in detail, and summed it all up in one word.

"Revenge."