A/N When Xander and Blaine are locked up in the she mantis' cages, Blaine tells Xander he saw her kill another boy after getting him to fertilize her eggs. Who was that boy and if she went to all the trouble of inflatrating the High School, but only to chose just Blaine and Xander from the class she taught, where did he come from?

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"It's the final nail, Buffy." Willow said sadly. "Even after getting myself to call him Alex instead of Xander and then learning he's a Wolfblood, instead of a normal human, some part of me still hoped he'd see me and love me back. But he's said several times in the last few weeks that he loves Cordelia and she's like his co-alpha and I guess that means mate too. They run around as wolves in the woods and are naked when they change, so of course something would have happened, it's natural. He was completely unconcerned about taking off his clothes in the library to prove he could change. Part of him is an animal, not human, so it's doubly natural behavior. I just held on to a small bit of hope and now it's gone. Whether he's Xander or Alex, a human or a Wolfblood, he's not interested in me." She wiped her eyes. "So, you said the best way to get over a guy, is to find a new guy. Any advice on who?"

"Johnathan's not an option?"

"No more than I am for Alex."

"Okay, how about that guy Fitz in your computer class? Willow level smart and into computers too. Maybe he just needs a Willow smile to catch his interest."

"A Willow smile?"

"You have a smile that covers your whole face, Willow. When you smile you look alive, when you're gloomy, I wonder if there's an actual rain cloud hovering over you. Try smiling at him and talking computers, see if there's the potential for sparkage,"

"Anyone causing sparkage for you?"

"Actually, yes. Owen Thurman. I think he's cute and he's deep, he reads poetry."

"He can brood for a long time too. I think I clocked him at forty minutes once. Okay, so potential guy opportunities for both of us."

"That's it. Come on, wash your face, never let them see you cry, it makes boys so uncomfortable."

After cleaning up the two girls returned to the classroom in time to hear Alex tell them they had an address.

"There is a recent rental on the same block Buffy said she ran into Captain Hook on." Alex told them. "A two bedroom with an actual basement, basements usually not being a thing in California, but apparently the lady who rented it specified a basement to the real estate agent. What do you want to bet it's so she can stash teenagers for mating purposes?"

"It's a possibility." Giles agreed. "There's a concern, my research shows she uses pheromones to attract her mates. Since males are the most likely to be susceptible to her pheromones -."

"This is a girls only mission." Buffy decided. "To be on the safe side."

"I agree." Cordelia said. "You boys can watch in case she gets passed us, but Buffy, Aura and I will be going in. If we can prove she's actually the shifter."

"I think I should go too." Willow told them. "I did some research of my own just now on the computer. Mantis' are susceptible to bat sonar, I suggest we record some from the computer and I play the tape of it and than while she's disoriented, you three attack her. Cordelia and Aura in wolf form and Buffy with a sword. While you guys are attacking her, I can try to help any boys she's got in there."

"That sounds like a good plan actually." Buffy admitted. "We just need something to record the bat sonar."

"I have a dictaphone." Giles offered. "It's a bit old fashioned, but it should work. I'll go get it."

Once they had the recording the teens piled into Alex and Jesse's cars and drove over and parked a block from the house.

"Be very careful." Alex advised. "Giles wasn't sure, but it's possible she has exceptional eyesight. And if she can scare vampires, that may mean she's stronger than them, so surprise is your best option for killing her." The girls nodded and Cordelia and Aura removed their clothes as casually as Alex had in the library and transformed. Aura was a dainty brown wolf with a cream belly and Cordelia was a lighter grey than Alex and some what larger than Aura. Both padded on extremely silent feet after Buffy, with Willow between them.

Buffy approached the house by herself and peered through a window in the basement. Confirmation, two teenage boys in cages, she signaled the others forward and around to the front of the house where she could see a woman walk into the living room. She moved to the door and kicked it in, sword at the ready as Willow triggered the dictaphone. The woman grabbed her head and shifted. Neither Buffy or the two Wolfblood girls hesitated, they leaped forward and attacked.

They just over looked one thing, the fact that the she mantis might not have been alone. A smaller, teen sized mantis appeared and attacked them.