Andrew responded first. "Wait…how are we supposed to do that within thirty hours? Do you have one of those teleporters from Star Trek to help us go around the world to where those Circle members live? If so, I hope it's one of the teleporters from Next Generation, because the original series ones were…" Andrew realized that he was babbling and immediately stopped talking. Again, Whistler looked annoyed.

"No, Andrew, that won't be necessary. You see, the remaining Circle members all happen to be here in Rome."

This time, it was Dawn who responded.

"Wait a minute…you've just told us that all the members of the Circle are in Los Angeles, except for a few who just happen to be here where we are. That seems just too coincidental to me."

"I can explain that. The Senior Partners aren't stupid. They use the Circle to keep an eye on people who they see as a threat. For a while, they believed their only potential threat was Angel. Then about a year ago, you guys delivered a crushing defeat to the First, an achievement not to be sneezed at. And guess what: you're now on the Senior Partner's watch list. Hence, the reason they currently have four members of the Circle here in Rome."

Buffy turned and looked at Whistler. "Well, who are they? Not so big with the guessing, you know."

"In a minute, Buffy. There's something else I need to confess to you first."

Buffy stared. "Go on."

"You weren't the only ones that the Powers sent me to. I was also told that I needed to go to London to inform Rupert Giles about the situation. As it turned out, another slayer, I forget her name…Hope?"

"Faith." Faith had not been back to the States since Sunnydale; she was still wanted by the law there. Giles had mentioned in a phone call a few days earlier that Faith was staying with him for a brief while.

"Right. As it turned out, Faith happened to be staying with him at the time. I told Giles exactly what I'm telling you now, and he decided to bring her in on it."

Buffy felt a little frustrated. Giles could have at least called her and let her know Whistler was coming; at least her nose would have still been intact.

"You mean to tell us that Faith and Giles are coming here?" asked Dawn.

"Correct. They should be arriving sometime this morning."

Buffy was sorely tempted to throttle Whistler, but she remained calm…after all, he was only doing what the Powers supposedly told him to do.

"Okay," she said slowly. "They'll be helpful. Now, who are the four members of the Circle that we need to whack?"

"Well, for starters, there's the CEO of the Rome branch of Wolfram and Hart. I assume you know where to find her."

"You mean that annoying creepy Italian lady with the large boobs?" The Immortal had introduced them to each other at the club a few months back. Buffy had a feeling that the Immortal had hopes for a three-way. Dawn and Andrew had met her later, and found her to be friendly enough, although Dawn had had to elbow Andrew more than once to remind him to keep his eyes off of her cleavage.

Whistler suppressed a snicker and continued, "Yeah, I suppose that's one way of describing her. However, she's also a vampire."

Buffy, Andrew, and Dawn all looked shocked.

"Really?" asked Buffy. "She didn't seem so…vampy. You know, not so big with the bloodsucking and all."

"She's a CEO. She does have to worry about public relations to an extent."

"Okay, who's next?"

"Another member of the Circle is a demon by the name D'Sulok. Other than walking on two legs, he closely resembles a lizard of sorts, with his long tale and scaly skin. He's about seven feet tall. Do not underestimate him; he's very strong, and his skin serves as a tough armor. He lives in a mansion near the Colosseum.

"Next you've got a demon that wears the form of a human. He is known as the Black Hat. He dresses in jeans and plaid shirts, and his trademark is the black cowboy hat he wears. Be careful when you go after him; he has great skill with range weapons, and he maintains an entourage of vampire bodyguards. He does various jobs for the Senior Partners, usually involving hunting and assassination. You will find him in an office building a few blocks away from this apartment."

Whistler stopped and looked at them, his face taking on a solemn appearance. The others looked at him in anticipation. He continued.

"The fourth member is usually very hard to find; he has hundreds of people and demons who do most of his dirty work for him. However, finding him will not be so hard for you. To the partners, he is the most valuable of the four; he is the only member of the Circle that is directly in contact with you." Whistler turned and looked directly at Buffy. She appeared confused. Then, slowly, a look of realization crept onto her face.

"Of course," she replied, anger starting to form in her voice. "The Immortal."