To my readers: Once again, thanks for all who read and reviewed. Hopefully you guys will like where my story is going. Read and enjoy.

7:58 am, Friday – 11th Precinct

"Morning, Pez," Danny said, greeting a quickly-moving Sara. "You're in an awfully big hurry."

Damn, he noticed. "Hey, Danny," she replied as she rummaged through some of her desk drawers. "Yeah, I just want to get my day started and hit some of the leads off of that office murder." Liar.

"Well, I'm ready to head out," he replied. "Just went over that info last night and, personally, I'd like to find out why an office supplier would warrant a bullet to the head."

"Then let's get going. Daylight's burning," she said before grabbing the car keys from her desk and heading out.

"Oooookay…" Danny slowly replied, sensing there was something wrong in the air with his partner.

Sara stormed toward the front entrance of the precinct clothed in gray business casual slacks and jacket, her violet blouse underneath complemented by the automatic pistol in its holster. She was a woman on a mission. She knew that Danny was going to be tagging along during the day, but hoped she could get away from him long enough to question the informant that gave them the location info on last night's botched raid. On the way to her car with Danny trailing behind, she passed Jake, who was carrying a report from Forensics on a possible murder covered up as an overdose.

"Morning, Pez," he said.

"Hey, Jake. Can't talk, got to go."

Seeing Danny trail behind her, Jake stopped him and asked, "What's up with Sara?"

"I don't know," he replied. "She's been like that since she got here. I'll try and ask, but you know how she gets."

"Yeah, I know."

Walking outside, Danny got into the the passenger side of the car, Sara saying not a word as she started it up. He knew something was bothering her. That was obvious to anyone. But rarely had he ever seen her this tense and agitated. It had been fifteen minutes on the road when he finally decided to break the silence that was beginning his workday.

"Pez, what's going on?"

"What?" she asked in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, considering the fact that you've been all 'Terminator' this morning, I think that calls for a 'what's-going-on' question."

"Nothing, I just want to hit the ground running, that's all."

"From the looks of it, you're rushing to get a lot done today. And it doesn't look like you got much sleep last night either."

"I'm fine," she argued. "Really."

Danny just looked at Sara, who was starting to squirm a bit under his gaze. "Yeah, whatever," he retorted.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just like I said, Sara," he replied. "Whatever."

"If you got something to say, then say it," she demanded.

"It doesn't matter. You won't listen to it anyway; you're too damn hard-headed."

"Is that a fact?"

"Yeah, it is!" he yelled. "I'm your friend, Sara! Do you even understand that concept? Your friend. And friends are supposed to help each other out. Me and Jake care about you, even though you push us away all the time. We try and help, we try to be there for you, but you just tell us there's no problem and walk off."

"You can't help me, Danny, and neither can Jake."

"Oh, here we go again," he said, exasperated at her pessimism. "The Sara Pezzini 'I-have-to-do-this-on-my-own' attitude. I told you before, Sara: you can't do it alone. You need people to help you. And even then you won't always win. But you keep on trying to handle every problem on your own. And then punish yourself for every failure, for every flaw, like you deserve it. Me? I try and do the best I can to get through the day so I can see my family, but you… you act like the world hinges on your every decision."

It just might, she thought. "We're cops, Danny," she replied. "Life and death depend on our actions. And real people pay the consequences." Danny noticed the sadness in her voice.

"They do... and they do," he said. "But that's why we don't do it alone. It's the brotherhood of the badge, Sara. Remember that? That means we look out for each other, and back each other up. And not just on the street. But I can't do that if I don't have a clue what my partner's going through."

"But what if involving people ends up hurting them?" she asked.

"Shouldn't it be up to them whether or not to take that chance?" he challenged.

Sara wanted to tell him. Deep inside, she wanted to tell one of her oldest and few friends in the world what she was going through. She wanted to tell him about the Witchblade, about Amy, and about everything that had brought her to this point in her life. But upon seeing that they had arrived at their destination, she quickly stuffed those feelings deep down and said, "Look, here we are."

Looking outside his window and back at Sara, Danny replied grimly, "Yeah, I guess so."


8:56am, Friday - 11th Precinct

Michelle had gone up to the Sara's precinct, as was the plan when she woke up in the morning. She was taking a summer class at NYU but luckily didn't have it on Fridays, which meant she had a little time to during the day to devote to Slayer stuff before work. She walked into the lobby of the building and made her way down the hall after the lobby cop directed her. She hoped that she could catch Sara, or at least have someone point her in the right direction.

"Excuse me," she said to the busy front desk clerk.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Is Sara Pezzini here? I was hoping to talk to her."

Jake was passing by carrying a folder with statements and such from his case when he heard a woman toss out Sara's name. Curiosity led him to stop and question her.

"Excuse me," he said, "are you Willow?"

"No," she replied. "Michelle."

"Oh. I'm one of Sara's partners and she got a few calls this morning from someone named Willow. I thought you were her. Anyway, Sara's not here. She left about an hour ago."

"Do you know where she is?" Michelle asked. "I really need to talk to her and she's not picking up her cell."

"Usually when she does that she doesn't want to talk."

"Look, I'm a friend; I just need to talk to her. It's pretty serious."

Jake looked into her pleading eyes and sighed. "There was call about an incident over at this address," he said, taking out a slip of paper and writing the address down. "She'll probably be over there. Look, if she's pissed about something, you're in for a fight."

"I know," Michelle said, taking the slip of paper and walking away. "Thanks."

Jake just looked at the clerk and furrowed his brow.


9:08 am, Friday - Nolan's Soup & Sandwich, across from the 11th Precinct

"Kennedy, what do we do if Sara shows?" Rona asked.

"I haven't thought that far ahead, "Kennedy replied. "Confronting her might be enough."

"And you really think that?"

"No, especially with all of those cops there. Let's just play it out and see what happens. She may not even show up until later, and we're only going to be here a few hours."

As soon as Kennedy spoke, they both observed Michelle running out of the police station. "You think we should follow?" Rona asked.

"No, I want to make sure we catch Sara if she comes by. Michelle can handle herself." And so, the two Slayers waited, hoping they could stop the detective from going on her own personal suicide mission.


9:45 am, Friday - Vanguard Graphics, Inc.

What had followed the office investigation was something completely, unabashedly... similar. Sara and Danny had been called over there to investigate the homicide of the cleaning man to the small office, who had been found with a gunshot wound to the chest. Upon sifting through the man's belongings Sara became livid, but hid it well; in his bag were an ESL book and a set of TOEFL practice exams. She had some doubts earlier about what she was planning on doing, but upon seeing this man she became more resolved. Another innocent had been killed, one who had just been trying to better his lot in life. Now he would never be able to see his dreams come to fruition, all because someone decided his life was unimportant. Amy did the same to others, and Sara felt it was time she paid for her crimes.

It was only moments later that Michelle had come running up to the building. She saw onlookers and police surrounding the cordoned-off area. Approaching the barricade she tried to walk past. She knew one of the cops would stop her. But if she tossed out Sara's name, she thought, they would possibly let her pass and see the woman. As expected, the officer in front of her thrust out his hands out and blocked her.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I need to go up there. I know someone in there."

"Lady, unless it's the stiff or one of the cops you're staying right here."

"It is one of the cops," she protested.

"Who?" he asked,

"Detective Sara Pezzini," she replied. "I really need to talk to her." Seeing Sara and another guy who she presumed to be her partner walking out of the staircase door just thirty feet from her, she yelled out her name.

"Sara! Sara!"

Upon hearing her name being called, Sara turned her head and walked toward the entrance of the building, with Danny in tow. Looking from top of the entrance steps, she saw Michelle near one of the cops at the barricade. She was escorted past the barricade a little with the cop at her side.

"Sara, I need to talk to you," she said.

"Is Giles alright?" she asked, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Yeah, for now. But I just want to talk with you."

"Get her out of here," Sara told the cop before she turned and started to walk away.

"What!" Michelle exclaimed, the cop tugging at her. "Sara, please talk to me; talk to us." The cop had stopped her when Sara stopped.

"Am I alone here?" Sara asked the cop pointedly. "Get rid of her!" Danny was taken aback by her tone. She only got that way when she was really agitated, which turned out to be on more than a few occasions.

"Sara!" the Slayer exclaimed.

"Lady, you heard her," the cop said as he pulled her away and escorted to her to the barricade. "Beat it."

Michelle knew that she could easily take the officer if she wanted to. And Sara knew it too. But she was surrounded by them and knew that while she could overpower them, it would only be a matter of time until one pulled a gun and thus end things in a very undesirable way.

She felt betrayed. She had fought alongside Sara for nearly eleven months, ever since she was discovered as a Slayer. She thought somehow that it meant something, even with the whole GSP effect thing. Angry, she wanted to pound the woman's face repeatedly for her betrayal and her stubbornness, but knew that wasn't an option. Seeing the futility of things, she stormed away.

"What was that about?" Danny asked, curious about the encounter. "And who's Giles?"

"It's nothing, Danny," Sara replied.

"She sure didn't think it was."

"Can we just get back to work?"

"Fine," he said. "Be that way."


12:42 pm, Friday – NYU Downtown Hospital

Willow had been sleeping in the waiting room of the hospital when she woke up. She had been up until 5:00 that morning, hoping for some word on Sara. Alas, drowsiness had gotten the better of her. Fatigue, as well as her desire to be near Giles in case anything happened, kept her there in that waiting room. Kennedy had gone back home and had one of the girls bring by a change of clothes for her. Upon awaking she was able to convince a doctor, who had taken pity on her, to use the locker room facilities reserved for the doctors. Her hair still wet from the shower, she decided to make her way to the cafeteria, hoping that some food would help ease her worry.


1:43 pm, Friday – Applegrove Apartments

They exited the apartment complex; it was their destination after they had questioned the employees at Vanguard. The man had been living with his brother and his brother's wife when he came to the States. Sara and Danny questioned the brief-stricken couple as best they could. The two both worked nights and thought nothing of their relative spending time out after work. But they became worried after his absence went longer than expected. Much to the detectives' chagrin, it was a typical day at work for both of them. After questioning them, Sara and Danny decided they needed a little reprieve.

"Want to get a late lunch?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, I know a place down on 63rd: 'Dillon's Deli'," Sara replied.

"63rd? That's a little out of the way."

"I know, but it looked pretty good and I wanted to check it out."

"Okay, but it better be good," he quipped.

A half-hour later, they arrived at their destination, a small diner that looked like it had seen much better days. Danny looked at the establishment with doubt. He hoped that wherever they were going he would get a half-way decent corned-beef sandwich, and that outcome now seemed in question.

"Hey, Danny. Order me a turkey and Swiss on rye. I'll be inside in a few," Sara said.

"Where're you going?" he asked.

"Just going to see something I thought I might buy for my apartment," she replied. "Fifteen minutes, that's all."

Sara walked into the small electronics store, which neatly hid its other function: the proprietor was a dealer in valuable information. Willy the Snitch had told them he wasn't going to be in that business anymore, particularly after Amy rose to power. Though the Scoobies were doubtful of him sticking to his pledge, regardless they decided to scout out new informants. Sara, Giles, Buffy, and Willow had gone to him in the past eight months and had gotten some pretty good tips on what was the what in New York, particularly if it dealt with Amy. Now Sara was questioning if his services would ever be needed again.

"So how'd it feel selling us out?'" Sara asked impertinently.

"What?" the man said.

"Oh come on, Birdie. You didn't think I'd figure it out, did you?" Sara asked rhetorically.

"What are you talking about?"

"That raid last night? Turns out it was an ambush on me and my crew."

"You're kidding?" he asked. "Sara, I didn't know."

"Why don't I believe you?" She approached him like a lioness ready to pounce on her prey. "You know, I had a hard time trusting you, even after all the good info you gave. Call it 'cop instincts'."

"Sara, I'm telling you: I wasn't in on it, I swear," he said nervously.

"We'll see."

Sara extended the small blade from her gauntlet and held it to Birdie's throat. She then pushed him back against a column of shelves attached to a wall, the contents of which went crashing down. Beads of sweat came over the man.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"The way I see it, you sold us out," she replied. "How much did 'Dona' Vitelli pay you, huh? Five g's? Ten? You've got ten seconds to tell me, or we find out how many nasty things I can do with this." She held the blade close to his left eye.

"10…"

"I didn't do it!"

"9…"

"Please, I swear!"

"8…7…"

"Sara, I'm begging you!"

"6…5…"

"It wasn't me!"

"4…3…"

"Please!"

"2…1…"

"Alright!" he yelled. "Alright. Amy's boy came to me about four months ago and said that he knew I was the one supplying info on their operations. Offered me ten grand to butter you guys up with some decent info and then feed you some bogus stuff. I told him I didn't do that type of work. But then he made me another offer and I had to take it."

Sara stood straight up, taking the blade away from Birdie's throat. She looked at him, a blank stare on her face. "You know, had you held out those ten seconds, I would have bought that you had nothing to do with it."

"What? You mean..."

"I made a guess… and it seems I was right," she replied. "So what did he offer you then, huh?" she asked angrily. "Fifteen? Twenty?"

"Five."

"What?" she asked, flabbergasted that Birdie settled for less.

"He knew I had a criminal record," Birdie said. "And he told me that if I didn't help out, he'd tell everyone in the neighborhood about it. I've got a business barely staying afloat, a mark on my past to boot, and not a lot of skills. What was I supposed to do?"

"You weren't supposed to serve us up to Amy on a silver platter!" she yelled.

"Yeah, like you wouldn't have, huh?" he asked sarcastically. "Easy to say when you don't have a past. You wouldn't have even bothered with me knowing what I did."

"Yes, I would... because I did know."

"What?"

"Did you actually think I wouldn't check up on who was passing us info, Mr. Dugan? I know who you are, and I know what happened. You were trying to get your feet wet in the theatre scene, and the party was supposed to involve people who could make that happen. You were twenty-three and she was eighteen. You both got drunk and ended up in bed. She reported it as a rape later on and you were brought up on charges. Only a couple years later did the truth come out and you were released from prison. An old family friend gave you this place and you slipped through the bureaucratic cracks. Otherwise, by law, the community would have to be informed of you being a sex offender. Unfortunately, the laws don't always catch up with court rulings."

Birdie stood there, shocked at what he heard.

"I didn't do anything because I gave you the benefit of the doubt," Sara said, "but it seems I shouldn't have even bothered."

"My back was against the wall..."

Sara forcefully pushed him back against the store wall again and said, "Now your back's against the wall, and you're going to tell me when and where the drop-off point is."

"They'll kill me if I talk," he said.

"I might if you don't. Besides, I know people who can help you disappear. And when you do, I better not ever catch you around here again or you'll see a side of me worse than this." Her eyes were fierce, piercing through and frightening him to his very core. "Now, you're going to tell me what I want to know… or we'll find out if you can sing soprano."

Birdie went wide-eyed.


2:33 pm, Friday - NYU Downtown Hospital

Willow had been in the hospital food court, dining on what could force herself to eat. It wasn't that the food was bad. Quite the contrary, it was quite tasty. But considering the fact that her former mentor and current colleague was still in critical condition, worry was filling her more than the hospital fare.

She kept thinking about how empty her stomach still felt as she worked her way back to Giles' room, only to see someone standing in there. Walking to the door she opened it, only to be greeted by a sight for her sore and weary eyes.

"Buffy…"

"Hey, Will," she replied somberly.

"How long have you been here?"

"Just a few minutes. What's the word on Giles?"

"He's still critical. The doctors say that it could go either way, considering how long it took us to get him here." Willow's voice cracked at the end. "I wanted to be here for him… and I've been trying to hold it together, especially since Sara left, and…" She started to lightly weep.

Buffy went over and hugged her best friend, saying, "I know, Willow, I know. You're doing great."

"Thanks," she said, wiping her eyes. "Well, we still have to solve this thing with Sara."

"Then let's get home and figure out a plan," she replied. She looked at Giles as he lay in his bed, unconscious with a respirator, IV, feeding tube, and a heart monitor attached to his body. She went over to him and paused, looking at him with a sad gaze. She leaned over, closed her eyes, and planted a kiss on his forehead. As Buffy straightened up, she put her hand on the kissed spot and then turned toward Willow.

"Time to go to work."


2:34 pm, Friday – Outside of Dillon's Deli

Danny had come out of the entrance of the deli with two foam packages and drinks, only to see Sara walking up to him.

"You find what you were looking for?" he asked, handing her one of the packages.

"More or less."