"You’re the Groosalug?" Cordelia gaped at the square-jawed, sapphire-eyed muscle man stood in front of the now closed door. Finally things were looking up.

"I am," the powerhouse dropped to one knee. "You are beneficent to look upon me with such softness in your eyes to ignore the flaws of my polluted birth."

"The what now?" Cordelia asked.

"The odd bulging of my limbs," Cordy gulped when the man executed a double biceps pose before lifting up his leather shirt to show his six-pack. Charles didn’t have those goodies. "As I matured these defects became more apparent.  The Covenant soon determined there could be no mistake.  There was cow's blood in my veins."

Cordy shook her head. "So?  Heck, I'm all cow! "

Groo’s eyes widened.  "No, no! You are beyond cow. You are of prophecy."

"I bet you say that to all the girls," Cordelia muttered.

"For my people to be part cow is to be less than whole.  There was nothing I could do to prove my worth.  I was - incapable even of performing husbandly duties with any of the females of my tribe."

Cordelia gaped, this goodness was aN eunuch?  "You mean you are..."

"Anatomically equipped to mate only with a human."

Cordelia breathed again.  "Good to know."

"I was cast from my village." Groo continued.  "Cut off from my life givers.  Forced to make my way on my own. I sought to end my suffering. I foolishly entered every contest of skill and daring that I could in an attempt to snuff out my pathetic life. But even at this I failed."

"You did?" Cordelia breathed.

Groo nodded.  "I won every match. I vanquished every flame beast. I defeated every drokken. It seemed nothing could stop me. The Covenant had no choice but to bestow upon me the name groosalug.  The brave, the undefeated."

"Wow." Was it her or was it hot in here?

* * *

Faith looked around the trees. "We're lost." God, she hated the country-side.

"Nonsense," Giles replied.  "I've been following the sun. "

"Which sun?" Xander asked. "There're two of them.  Alternate dimension?  Faith’s right, we’re lost," Xander groaned. Giles halted and held up a hand for silence. "You're having a Blair witch moment?"

"Something's hunting us," Faith said for her Watcher.

"Okay," Xander joined them in a circle, Lorne cowering in the centre. "Palace guards?"

"I don't know," Giles tersely replied.

"Oh crap," Faith groaned as screaming figures started dropping from the surrounding trees. In a few moments they were surrounded by a group of humans carrying crude weapons. "I’m not usually this unpopular until people have gotten a chance to really know me!"

* * *

"And that, my princess, is my story in full. When the Covenant summoned me I was vanquishing the Mogfan beast that bedevils the scum pits of Ur."

Cordelia continued after a beat:  "Uh, that's a great story.  And you are a great groosalug.  But I'm not your princess. The truth is, I've got somebody, somebody back home."

"Is he a warrior to challenge the Groosalug?"

"Oh he’s a great warrior," Cordelia smiled. "Maybe not enough to challenge you, but he’s my warrior."

* * *

The human rebels are gathered around a fire in the woods.  Giles, Xander, Faith and Lorne are all tied to stakes to one side of it.

"I know how we send a message to the princess. We storm the palace!" One rebel yelled.

Their leader shook his head.  "That'd be suicide.  Our entire number would be wiped out in minutes."

The first rebel nodded.  "That'd be a message."

Giles cleared his throat. "Excuse me.  I couldn't help overhearing."

Faith groaned, here her pops went again, blundering them into trouble.  "Giles!"

"It's all right Faith, I believe we can help these brave men."

Their leader snarled.  "Shut up, reconnaissance-cow-scum."

Giles reddened.  "Now see here, I've told you already.  We're not reconnaissance cows."

"We tracked you coming from the palace.  Don't lie," the rebel leader warned.

"I'm not lying.  And if it's a message you want sent to the princess, then I know we can help."

Xander groaned.  "Shut up, Giles."

"How?" demanded the leader.

"Well, we just happen to be close personal friends with the princess," Giles blithely explained.

Xander closed his eyes.  Faith groaned. "This can’t end well."

"They know the princess?" One rebel laughed.

Giles smirked.  "I can prove it. In my wallet, the leather holder in the back of my leg coverings." The leader strode over and pulled out Giles's wallet. "That's it."

The leader flipped open the wallet, revealing a photo of the gang at the last Christmas party.  "It's true.  They know the princess."

"Now," Giles continued, "if your organization would just draw up some sort of list of demands we would be more than happy to present it directly to her majesty."

"Lets do it," the leader decided.  "Have Sasha write up a list of demands."

Giles smirked at them.  "There, you see?"

The leader smiled. "Shove the list in their mouths, put their severed heads on sticks and display them outside the princess' window."

* * *

The groosalug and Cordy lounged on the throne steps as Cordy wrote up her proclamations. "And this one will free the slaves and outlaw polyester.  I know it hasn't actually been invented here yet, but I'm a forward thinking monarch."

"Your wisdom knows no bounds," the Groosalug replied.

Cordy’s smile slipped as Silas and two other priests enter.  "Get out cow," Silas ordered.

Head bowed, Groo hurriedly left. Outraged, Cordy stood before Silas. "Hey.  You can't call him that.  He is groosalug, the brave and undefeated."

Silas smiled coldly.  "He is that only because I say he is."

Cordy glared at the head priest.  "Yeah?  Well, the way of things is going to change around here."

"Is that right?" Silas smirked.

Cordy picked and held up a rolled parchment. "I've got proclamations!" She gasped when Silas knocked the parchment out of her hand. "Hey!" Cordy protested.  "Who's wearing the tiara around here, pal?!"

Silas’ smirk widened.  "The Powers have seen fit to place their gift in you."

Cordy nodded.  "You got that right."

"But let us be clear." Silas continued.  "You have no authority here."

"But I am the princess." Cordy protested.

"The princess, like the groosalug, is a tool of the Covenant, nothing more. - You will do what we tell you to do.  If we tell you to mate, then you shall mate."

Cordy glared at the priest.   "You can't force us to..."

A backhand slap knocked her to the ground. "Remember your place, cow bitch!"

* * *

Faith glared at Giles as she joined the others in kneeling, their hands bound behind their backs, their heads clamped into stocks. "I swear-."

The leader interrupted her. "For the crime of collaboration you are sentenced to death."

"No!" Giles protested. "We're not collaborators, we're not even from around here!"

"On my count of three," instructed the leader.

"Idiot," Faith shot Giles a disgusted look.

Just as the executioner was about to strike a black-fletched arrow slammed into his chest. The man fell back with a scream, dropping the axe. Faith looked up to see mounted guards charging down from the surrounding hills. "Imperial guards!" the leader shouted.

The rebels scrambled to face the attacking guards.  Faith joined the others in hurrying to her feet, the stocks clamped around their necks swinging ponderously. "This is our chance to escape!" Giles cried.

"There they are!  Kill the otherworlders!" A galloping guard cried.

"I really had about enough of this world." Faith growled as the ropes binding her wrists finally snapped. "Next time I take a vacation, I’m staying earthside!"

* * *

Sasha flung his sword after the last of the fleeing guards, the blade shuddering as it impaled the demon, toppling him from his saddle. Sasha walked over to the corpse of their leader, dragged the sword out of his corpse, and strode to where Faith and the others were stood.
"They did not come for us.  They came for you.  Why?"

Giles let out an impatient sigh. "Because they know we will try to rescue the princess."

"Rescue her from what?" asked the rebel.

"From mating with the groosalug," Giles replied.

"I’m not that bothered," Xander muttered.

"That will fulfil their prophecies and consolidate their power," another rebel commented.

Xander groaned. "Okay, I’m in."

"You're fighters.  We are on the same side. You may go."

"Let’s hustle," Faith muttered.

"As Spencer Davis said ‘Keep On Runnin’," agreed Lorne.

"Do you always make weird music references?" Xander queried.

"As the boss said ‘No Retreat, No Surrender," Lorne replied.

Faith shook her head. "That’d be a yes then."

Giles stopped and turned back to the camp. "These people have a cause worth fighting for.  Isn't that what we do?"

"What about Cordelia?" Faith queried.

"If we're going be getting her out of that castle we're going need help," Giles replied.

"The question should be do we really want to rescue her?" Xander sighed when both she and Giles glared at him. "Okay, okay."

"We still want to storm the castle gates," argued one of the rebels.

Another nodded.  "Yes! We have to show them!"

"We can't defeat them!" disagreed a slightly more realistic third. "They have the power, they have the wealth, we have no plan!"

"I say we storm the gates!" snapped another.

Giles interrupted.  "If you do they'll cut you down.  You can not wage a frontal attack against a stronger opponent. This kind of battle can only be won by being sneaky!  You create a diversion by striking at several different points at once.  While they are looking ahead, you come from behind."

"And kill their leader," Faith added. "Chop him up into little bits."

"Sometimes you scare me," Xander muttered.

"It's a good plan!" shouted one of the rebels.

"I agree," nodded their apparent leader before turning to Giles. "You shall lead us!"

Giles looked towards her. "Why do people keep putting me in charge of things?"

"I blame in-breeding," Faith replied with a shake of her head.

* * *

"It's not my duty to question authority," the Groosalug argued.

Cordy shook her head.   "Hold on there.  You're groosalug, the brave and undefeated champion, if it's not your duty to fight evil than I don't know what is."

"I fight who I'm told. I'm not a real champion!" Groosalug admitted.

"Then it is time you stopped working for Monk-boy and became one," Cordy replied.  "If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from my friends it’s that true champions fight for what they believe in."

Groo shook his head.  "I am unworthy of lifting your burden, highness."

Cordy smiled.  "Nonsense, you're way worthy. What burden is that again?"

Groo reddened.  "When you receive me - on the night we are wed."

Cordy gulped.  "I like you Groo, I really do. With all the muscles and such, but I’ve got somebody. Although I wonder if you do it in another dimension, is it really cheating?"

"It is foretold in the ancient prophecies that one will come who is of prophecy.  She will mate with the groosalug whose demon blood shall take on the prophecy."

"What is this prophecy anyway?" Cordy queried

Groo shrugged. "Only those of the priestly orders know."

Cordy shook her head. "It doesn’t matter, I can’t do this. I have Gunn."

* * *

"The groosalug is our most formidable opponent." Giles decided.  "We have to get him out of the castle.  If challenged to fight he has to accept?"

One of the rebels nodded. "Yes.  A champion of the realm he can not refuse, but no man can defeat the groosalug."

"How about a woman?" Faith smirked.

Giles smiled. "My thought exactly. Once he’s out of the castle we'll create diversions here, here and here.  Then a few of us will scale their back wall here where their defences are weakest."

Xander shook his head. "We’re splitting up too much," his daughter’s boy-friend objected.

"I'm leading this charge." Giles retorted before turning to one of the rebels. "Tell me about the killing device."

"It sends a signal to the collar on every slave in the land."

"What kind of signal?" Faith asked.

"Blows their heads off," replied Lorne. Everyone looked at the demon who shrugged. "Hey, why do you think I left this place?"

* * *

The full moon bathed Giles in light as he sat in front of a fire, leaning on an unsheathed sword. "The guys you send to create those diversions are gonna die," Xander argued.

"Quite probably," Giles looked towards Xander, eyes bleak, "you remember your Halloween possession. In warfare if you try not to get anybody killed you wind up getting everybody killed.  Get ready to move out."

"And me?" Faith queried.

Giles turned to his daughter, heart heavy. "Go to the village.  Call out the groosalug - and kill him."

"Kill their undefeated champion." Faith grinned tightly. "No problem."

"I’ll go with you," Lorne volunteered. "I know how to prepare the challenge torch."

* * *

Cordy stood as the door opened and Silas entered, followed by a couple more priests.
"Good.  I see we're progressing towards mating.  Let's get on with it."

"Huh?" Cordelia thought quickly. "What about the wedding?"

Silas shook his head. "I tire of waiting.  Do it!"

Cordy crossed her arms and gave the priest her vaunted ‘Queen C’ glare.  "With you guys standing around?  I don't think so!"

Silas stepped closer.  "Then I'll encourage you."

Another priest rushed in.  "My lord!  There is something in the village you will want to see."

"What is it?" Silas pursed his lips before striding over to the window and peering out. "A challenge has been issued." Silas turned to Groosaluug.  "You have been challenged.  You must fight."

Cordy shook her head.  "What?  No!  No fighting.  You can’t fight my friends!"

"Silence!" Silas pointed to Groo. "Out!"

The moment the groosaluug had left, Silas spun to face her. "Cow-bitch!" His back-hand knocked her back to the floor. "When the Groosaluug returns you will mate. You will mate on your friends’ corpses if I deem it!"

* * *

Giles watched from the shadows as some of the guards ran off, then moved deeper into the bushes where the rest of the rebels were waiting, motioning to the assembled warriors, several of which hurried off. A few moments later voices ring out again.
"Rebels at the south gate!"  A few more guards run off.  "Rebels at the north wall!"

Giles crouched down next to one of the rebels and looked at him.  The rebel looked from Giles to the guards left in front of the gate, then rose and charged "Death to the state! Death to the state!" Two more rebels follow him to engage the remaining guards as Giles looked down to the ground.  Then signalled for the others to follow him.

* * *

Xander threw a grappling hook up over the wall and started up it.  Just to his left, two rebels charged the gate with a battering ram. Xander winced as one of the rebels fighting the guards let out a scream as a sword sliced across his stomach.

* * *

The groosalug arrived at the village square in a chariot, took off his gloves, walked up on the podium and held his hand into the flames of the torch.

"This guy," Faith muttered. "He doesn't feel pain?"

"Oh, he feels it, but he's the groosalug."  Lorne replied. "He overcomes all things. Good luck."

Groo turned to her.  "You will die, barbarian!"

"Look," Faith forced a smile, "I thought I was fighting some demon. Now you’re human, we’re on the-, owwww!" She winced as Groo smacked a right into her face. She ducked the follow-up left. "’Kay, no more trying reason."

* * *

Silas strode down a rush-torch illuminated corridor.  A priest hurried up behind him.
"My lord, rebels have breached the castle!"

"It's Silas!  Stop him!" Giles roared before leading the rebels towards the head priest only to be intercepted by some palace guards

* * *

Faith ducked another left and blocked a thrust kick on her shoulder. This guy was good, but she was the gal who’d kicked the Master, Kakitosis, Penn, and Angelus’ asses, she could handle him. She winced as she caught a right to the hip, she thought.

Blocking an incoming left on the outside of her forearm, she stepped into the hybrid and caught him with a palm-strike to the chest. The hybrid stumbled backwards before attempting a spin-kick she ducked under before grabbing his grounded ankle and pulling. The moment the demon hit the ground on his back, he started back up only to catch her heel kick firmly on the jaw. His eyes crossed as he slumped to the sandy ground.

Faith smirked. "Winner and still champion."

* * *

Heart pounding, Cordy paced in the priest's chambers, a dark red cloak worn over her princess outfit.  She glared as Silas approached. She punched the demon in the face only to gasp when he grabbed her by the throat. ""This is all your fault! You think you can destroy our way of life?  Think again!  I will kill every cow in the world before I allow that to happen." With his free hand Silas pulled the cloth off a device. "Everyone of you." With a mad cackle the priest shoved her into a bookcase. Silas' hand hovered over the killing device.  Giles, followed by Xander, and a bunch of rebels charged in. "You're a little late."

Eyes fixed on Silas, Giles lowered his sword, handed it to another rebel and held out his hand. "You don't have to do this."

Silas cackled again. "I don't have to - but I'm going to." Cordy straightened. "And you and your filthy cow-princess can go straight..." Her sword sliced Silas’ head from his shoulders.

"Your cow-princess is tired of hearing you yak, padre," Cordy said as the decapitated corpse dropped to the ground.

"Nice going," Xander complimented.

"Yeah great," Cordy slumped against the wall. "Can we go home now?"

* * *

Lorne couldn’t help but smile as he strode Sunnydale’s streets, sticking carefully to the shadows. After years of searching, he had somewhere to call home, more than that, he had people who accepted him. And such fine people too, there was a spirit about them, embodied in their young leader, and marshalled superbly by the older Watcher.

He stopped at his new home and started unlocking the door, swinging it open, he stepped inside, smile broadening at the singing he heard. His mouth opened in a flamboyant greeting.

And then he saw the singer.

"Oh," tears shone in his eyes, "that poor child." He had to find the Slayer and fast. "Oh," his breath caught, "that poor girl."

"Ah," as usual Holland Manners hid his disgruntlement with his rather shoddy employees with a smile, "I assume you’ve all been making plans as just how to deal with the Slayer?" When silence was his only reply, he sighed. Such lack of initiative. It made him worry about the younger generation. Although of course it also made his position a good deal more secure. He pressed a button on his desk and the outer door swung open. "Ladies, gentlemen," his smile widened into something more genuine. "Meet Toth."

* * *

"Jesus!" Faith snarled as she leapt out of her chair at the banging at the front door, exchanging a frustrated look with Giles. They’d been back in their own dimension less than an hour and already trouble was a commin’ a knockin’. "This better be apocalypse-worthy," she snarled as she waved Giles back down and hurried to the front door. She flung it open to find Lorne stood there. "What’s up Hal Jordan?" she queried.

"Hal Jordan?" the demon stared distractedly at her. Probably blown away by her hotness. She found it crossed species, demons and humans found her irresistible.

"Perils of having a geek boy-friend," Faith’s eyes narrowed at the demon’s sudden flinch. She opened her mouth to ask why but before she had chance the demon was hurrying past her and into the lounge. "Rude much?" she muttered before following the demon.

"As I told you," Faith’s eyes followed the demon as it paced the floor, a nervous energy surrounding it, "I can read auras. Bo Diddley might have sung ‘You can’t Judge A Book By Its Cover’ but when it comes to me and auras, I really can."

"Quite," Giles shot her a bemused glance. She shrugged, like she knew what the hell was going on. Giles’ eyes returned to the demon. "Please tell us what you’ve discovered."

"Oh boy," Lorne licked his lips and looked towards her. Suddenly Faith’s heart chilled as premonition struck. No, she shook her head, it couldn’t be. "Her boy-friend’s not human, he’s some sort of dimensional k-."

"You’re lying!" Before she knew it, she had her hand wrapped around Lorne’s throat, squeezing as she shook him. "Tell me you’re lying!" She screamed, the demon strangely blurred.

"Faith, please." After a second, she became aware of Giles tugging at her biceps. "I’m afraid he’s probably right."

Shocked, she released her grip, allowing the demon to slide to the ground. "You definitely," Lorne coughed, "kill the," the green-skinned demon coughed again, "messenger," another cough, "around here."

Faith ignored the demon to stare open-mouthed at the Englishman, head shaking in desperate denial. "My own theory was that it h…had to be one of the people you most cared about. I’d narrowed it down to three people. Your father-figure, myself, your best friend, Cordelia, or your lover, Xander. I’m sorry darling."

"No," she fell against the Watcher, painful sobs engulfing her. "It can’t be. Not him."

"I’m sorry," she felt Giles’ arm around her shoulder, his hand tousling her hair. "I’m sorry. Lorne," the Watcher’s tone changed too imperceptibly for anyone other than her to notice, "I’d appreciate if you didn’t mention it to anyone. Not even Xander."

"Of course," the demon patted her on the back. "If you need anyone to talk to, you know where I am."

* * *

Giles kept his eyes on his listless looking Slayer as she dragged herself around one of Sunnydale’s graveyards, the others, even Xander, hanging back, sensing her air of negativity. Which was fortunate, Xander’s one attempt at conversation had nearly ended with the bewildered youth’s decapitation.

Giles sighed. He’d thought patrol might have perhaps lifted his Slayer out of her depression. "Giles," he glanced towards Wesley, "should Faith be patrolling in this condition?"

"Condition?"

"She’s clearly ill, unusual for a Slayer, but not unheard of. Perhaps we should patrol without her tonight?" Wesley suggested.

"She’ll be fine," Giles curtly replied.

"Are you sure?" Wesley pressed. "She doesn’t-."

"I said," he growled, "she’ll be fine!" Wesley flinched at his tone. Giles forced his ragged nerves under control to begin an apology that he really couldn’t be bothered giving. "I know you’re -."

"Slayer!" Suddenly a green-faced, black-cloaked demon appeared in front of Faith and pointed a rod at her.

"Faith!" He and Wesley started forward at the same moment, the curvy brunette either frozen to the spot or wanting her pain to end, the others following behind. He hit Faith square in the back, knocking the both of them to the ground.

As they crashed to the ground a bolt of light hit Wesley full in the chest, carrying his fellow Watcher over a near-by gravestone to land in front of a thick bush. The demon growled something before disappearing into the darkness. The others ran over to Wesley, discreetly leaving it to him to help Faith up. "Are you al-, are you uninjured?" Faith nodded with a surliness that was worryingly reminiscent of the troubled teen he’d adopted over five years ago. Giles looked around. "Obviously every one’s shaken up," he saw Gunn and Xander helping Wesley up, "we might as well call it a night."

* * *

Wesley groaned as he awoke and looked around his still lightening surroundings. A cold rage built up inside him as he recalled what had happened. "T..they just left me?" he growled in disbelief. He’d taken some sort of energy blast for that wilful girl and her bastard of a guardian and those drones the Slayer called friends had just left him.

"Bitch," he growled again. Then smiled. Oh yes, payback was going to be such a bitch.

* * *

Wesley groaned as he rolled out of bed. He shivered, remembering the previous night’s frightening events. And that fall had been so painful, he shuddered, his mother had always said he was of a delicate constitution. No, he wrapped himself back in his quilt, Sunnydale was definitely too rugged for him.

* * *

Giles stared distractedly at the book before him, the words blurring as he flicked through its pages. He knew he should be searching for information on this Toth, but he had larger concerns. Giles sighed and shook his head. He’d met Xander on the way out and dissuaded the young man from trying to visit, saying Faith was ill.

And what to do about the young man?

It was far from his fault, and yet the father inside him screamed violence every time the boy spoke. Shaking his head, he tried to focus again. When he failed, he slammed the book down with enough force to bring Cordelia scurrying in. "That book cost $300 off Dem-Bay!" the receptionist squealed. "And it’s no Gucci handbag!"

Giles shot the striking brunette a glare, but was too weary, too soul-sick to put any real heat behind it. "Has Wesley turned up yet?"

"No," the former cheerleader had a look of wonder on her face, "I actually beat one of you two in. Does this mean I get a raise?"

"No," Giles wearily shook his head, he really didn’t have the energy to deal with the cheerleader’s eccentricities, "it means you get on the phone and find out where he is."

"Do you think Groo would have gotten work with Gunn and Xander’s company?" Cordy sighed. "Oh my two men all sweaty and -."

Giles shuddered. "Phone, now, Cordelia."

* * *

Wesley whistled as he strode down Sunndyale’s main street, his hands in his pockets, a wide grin stretching his face. Noting the roadside flower vendor deep in conversation with a passing costumer, he discreetly lifted a pre-packed bunch of twelve roses and continued on his way.

Stopping outside his destination, he leaned against the wall and waited.

A few minutes later, and the building door swung open. "Hey," he straightened and pulled the flowers out from under his jacket, offering them to the blonde hurrying down the steps, "want to go for lunch?"

Kate stared dazedly at him. "What about-."

"Rupert?" he smiled. "You’re not going out anymore. And to be honest, I’ve struggled with my feelings for long enough."

"Your-."

"There’s a very fancy Italian, just around the corner," Wesley continued.

Kate’s cheeks coloured. "W…Wesley-." The policewoman took a breath. "My place is just around the corner."

* * *

"Well that’s strange!"

Giles fought back the weary sigh that always seemed to follow a pronouncement by Cordelia. Instead he looked up at the receptionist stood in the doorway. "Please, expand."

Oh please let it be Angelus’ return riding Pegasus, anything to take his mind off Faith’s heartbreak. "I’ve just spoken to Wesley," Cordy giggled, "oh it’s-." He cleared his throat impatiently. For a wonder the former cheerleader re-discovered the point and stuck to it. "I originally rang him at home, but he didn’t answer. But then I tried his cell, and not only did he have it on, I could hear a woman giggling in the background."

Giles gaped, mouth opening and closing akin to his pet goldfish of some forty years previously. "A woman?"

"I know," Cordelia nodded. "I didn’t think he knew any, much less what to do with one!"

"Quite." Giles stared dazedly at the cheerleader. Things were unravelling faster than he’d expected.

"Have you found anything on this Tooth?"

"Toth," he wearily corrected. "Ancient demon, very strong, last survivor of the Tothic Clan. It also says that for a demon he's unusually sophisticated."

"You mean he knows how much to pay for a good pair of pumps?"

"Not quite," Giles felt as if his head would explode. "Unlike most demons, he
does not fight barehanded. He uses tools, devices. He's also supposed to be very
focused."

"Devices, what like that thing he had last night?"

"Precisely," he nodded. "I’m endeavouring to identify it, but at present-," he smiled. "Ah here it is!"

"Really let me look!" Cordelia snatched the book he’d been perusing off his desk before he had chance to react. "Wow! Ugly looking thing, I thought you said he was sophisticated?"

"Cordy," Giles tried his sternest tone.

As usual the cheerleader wasn’t home. Or at least wasn’t listening. "The rod’s called a ferula-gemina. It splits one person in half, distilling personality traits into two separate bodies. As near as I can tell, Toth was attempting to split the slayer into two different entities." Cordelia looked at him. "I don’t get it."

"One would have all the qualities inherent in Faith, and the other one with everything that belongs to the slayer alone ... the, uh, the-the strength, the, uh, speed, the heritage. Then Toth would kill the weaker half, the Slayer half dying immediately afterwards." Giles gasped as he realised something. "And when it hit Wes, I think it separated him into his strongest points and his weakest."

"So which one’s the real Wes?" Cordelia asked.

"No, no," he shook his head as he stood and began to pace, "you don’t understand, both halves are actually Wesley. And if they’re not rejoined together he’ll die. Call the others, we need to find him and this woman before something drastic happens."

"Okay," Cordy nodded. Five minutes later, the cheerleader was back, a troubled look on her face. "They’re all on their way in, except," Giles raised an eyebrow at the cheerleader’s uncharacteristic reticence, "Kate, a fellow cop answered her desk phone, apparently they saw her leave with an educated-looking man."

"Kate? Wes?" Giles slumped into his seat.

* * *

Wesley whimpered as the door crashed open. "I’m going to bloody kill him!" He trembled as he stuck his head under the pillow, the sound of thudding feet on the stairs as Giles charged through the house.

Suddenly the bedroom door swung open and there stood his fellow Watcher, eyes blazing manically. "You, you!" For once Giles’ eloquence seemed to fail him, instead the older man started forward with fists clenched.

"No, no, no," Wesley whimpered.

Suddenly Gunn and Groo were dragging the swearing Englishman back. "Are you sure the beam did not also hit Mr. Giles, Princess?" Groo asked.

"Will you stop with the calling my girl ‘Princess’?" growled Gunn.

"I’m sure," Cordelia glanced at Faith, when the blank-eyed Slayer failed to speak, she continued, "this is the Wesley who hasn’t performed intimately with Kate."

"Say what?" Faith blinked. "Wes has been sticking it to the cop?"

"Lovely turn of phrase, my girl-friend."

Faith shot Xander an almost wounded look before continuing. "What’s going on?"

Wesley listened in growing confusion as Cordelia explained what her and Giles had discovered. "We need to get to Kate’s now," Xander denied.

"Oh no," he shivered. "Things are too rough outside, it would be-."

"Get up!" He gasped as Giles grabbed him by the scruff of his vest and yanked him to his feet. "The quicker you get dressed, the less likely I am to stove your bloody face in."

"Uh, if what Cordy said is right, this Wes didn-."

"Shut up, Xander!"

"Shutting up, sir."

* * *

Wesley looked up at the insistent knocking. "I know you’re in there, Wesley!"

"Oh no," Kate threw her hand up to her mouth, pulling the bed sheets around her.

"Relax luv." Wesley as he strutted over to the door, pulling his pants on as he did so. Unfastening the chain, he swung the door open.

And caught a right to the jaw. "You bastar-," Giles’ curse turned to a grunt when he head-butted him in the face, leaping forward to crash into the other man and knock him to the ground, him on top.

"I am so not in the mood for this!" Before he had chance to throw another punch, the Slayer grabbed his shoulder and flung him back into the cop’s apartment.

"You lousy coward!" Wesley jumped up the moment he hit the ground. "Hide behind your Slayer will you-." His tirade trailed off when he noticed a very familiar figure cowering in the background. "What is going on here?"

"I will not miss again, slayer!" a voice thundered.

* * *

Faith grinned sourly as she spun around to see Toth stood at the end of the corridor. This she could deal with. "Cordy, explanations!" She yelled before launching herself towards the demon.

Her shoulder crashed into its chest, knocking Toth onto his ass while she landed like a cat beside it, arm-sweeping its legs from underneath it as it struggled to get up. The moment Toth hit the ground she was charging it. "Shit!" She swore when the demon grabbed her ankles and threw her face first into the corridor wall.

By the time she’d spun around to face Toth, he’d made it to his feet. Faith grunted as the demon caught her with a right, snapping her head back, and opening a cut on her bottom lip. Ignoring the coppery taste in her mouth, she ducked a follow-up left hook before planting a maliciously hard kick between the demon’s legs. His eyes crossed and he started to double up, allowing Faith to grab his head and twist.

A crack rang out as Toth’s head twisted around. "I’ve just taken out the trash," she scowled before allowing the demon’s limp corpse to fall to the ground.

Her elation faded as she turned to see Xander watching her. If only every problem could be solved so easily. Swallowing her pain down deep into the place she kept all her heartbreak, she strode back to her friends. "Everything explained?"

Giles shot both of the Wes’ murderous glares before nodding. "Willow was just about to-."

"Let the spell be ended." Suddenly the two Wes were replaced by one. Willow beamed. "Done!"

* * *

Wesley’s palms were clammy and his heart thumping enough to make his chest ache as he stood outside the door. He’d raised his fist to knock four times only for his hand to fall uselessly down. After another sigh, he shook his head and turned to leave.

"Wait."

His heart jumped slightly at the voice and turned back to see his former ‘partner’ stood peering through the door crack. "K…Kate," he stuttered, mouth predictably failing to work, "I…I was going to apologise -."

"Don’t," the door opened a little more. "Not unless you really regret what happened." His cheeks coloured as he remembered how she’d felt to touch, her scent, the sounds she’d made. But he didn’t speak. "Do you want to come in?"

Wesley looked down at his feet. "Giles-."

"Rupert and I are over," there was a note of undeniable sadness in the cop’s voice, "we’re the past. Unless you regret what happened between us?" Wesley forced his head up and shook it. "Well then," satisfaction replaced sorrow in the cop’s voice, "are you coming in?"

After a second he stepped towards the police woman, a smile tugging at his lips.

* * *

"Hello, Faith." Giles’ heart tore in half as he strode into his adopted daughter’s darkened bedroom to find her sat on her chair, eyes down, knees tucked under her chin, and arms wrapped around her legs.

When the distraught beauty didn’t answer, he started to talk. "I’ve been giving Xander’s situation some thought. From all I’ve been able to delve up about the Key, it appears all your memories of him will be true." Faith started at that. When she didn’t speak, he continued. "He’ll have been put here in Sunnydale from birth, unaware of his destiny, awaiting your arrival. Everything you think he’s said and done, he really has. Every risk he’s taken, every demon he’s endured, he’s done it. And he’s done it for you."

"I should have known."

Giles forced himself to ignore the desolation in the young beauty’s voice. "Should have known what, Faith?"

"That someone as kind and caring like Xander," Faith slowly raised her head, the pain written clear in her luminous eyes, "couldn’t love a messed-up skank like me. He’d have to be a fake."

"Now you listen here," Giles decided molly-coddling would only take him so far. "You are not a messed-up skank. Far from it. You’re a beautiful, loving hero. As for Xander not loving you." Faith started as his hardening tone, but he continued regardless. "I don’t want to hear such rubbish again. It doesn’t only demean you, it demeans all our efforts, it demeans Jonathan, Jesse, Amy, and Jenny’s," a husky note of longing entered his voice, "sacrifices. Don’t try and tell me we all made the mistake of believing in a messed-up skank as you put it. Because that’s what we do, we believe and love you, Kate, Wesley, Gunn, Willow, Tara, Cordelia, myself, and," he paused, "Xander. We all love you."

"I love him," the tears the Slayer had been holding in streaked down her face as she shook and wept, wailing her pain. "I love him!"

"I know dear, I know." Giles wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl, one hand stroking her mane, "I know. Just let it out."

"Hey Lockley, you and your wall of weird," Kate looked up wearily from her desk, ready for her daily dose of baiting from the cavemen she worked with. "You heard this one? Apparently there’s a limb factory somewhere in Sunnydale?"

Kate stared at the speaker, a portly, crumply detective in his mid forties who mistakenly thought of himself as the office wit. "You mean artificial joints?" she queried for want of anything else to see.

"No," the man’s sagging jowls bounced as he chuckled. "Actual body parts from living, breathing people. It’s some sort of urban legend one of my informants tried to pass off to me. Says his cousin was telling him about his lawyer only having one eye for years, bailed him out last week, two eyes."

Kate pulse raced despite her scepticism. "Well you don’t want to be bothered with urban legends, give the details to me."

* * *

Kate took a breath as she entered the lobby of Watcher Investigations, having not returned since starting her relationship with Wesley. Her brow furrowed as her ears picked up snippets of an argument – ‘need to know’, ‘key’, Xander’, ‘others’, nothing that made any sense but the discussion’s participants were definitely getting heated. Stopping at the inner office’s door, she raised her hand to knock.

Before she had chance to, the door swung open. "Ya listening in cop?" Kate backed off, disquieted by the almost molten rage she saw in the beautiful brunette’s eyes. "That how ya get yar breaks? Snooping?" Faith began to advance on her, the swing in her hips even more predatory than normal. "How about ya tell me how long you’ve been snoopin’?"

"I..I," a cold clammy fear twisted her chest, recognising the way the Slayer was looking at her was very much akin to the way she looked at a vampire or demon that had really pissed her off. Before she knew it she was backing off. "I…I need to see Giles-."

"Yeah?" Faith snorted. "G don’t need to see a back-stabbing bit-."

"That’s enough, Faith." Kate breathed again when Giles came out of the office, stepping between her and the advancing Bostonian.

Hurt filled the young woman’s liquid eyes, almost enough pain to make her feel sorry for the beauty. Except said young woman was about to rip her head off. "Oh yeah," Faith spat. "Take her side against me!" Giles’ mouth opened. "Don’t forget she’s doin’ your bud on the side!"

"Faith!" Giles stepped after the brunette as she raced off before sighing, shoulders slumping as he turned to her, a worn look on his face. "I c…can o…only apologise for Faith’s behaviour. She’s been under considerable stress over the past week."

"It’s alright, Rupert," Kate smiled weakly. No bones broken, at least not this time. "Faith’s problems, is it anything I can help with?"

"I..I don’t think this is a situation anyone can help with," her former-lover forced his shoulders to straighten, the smile that accompanied it also strained. "Now, I’m sure you didn’t drop into see how we were going on. What do you want?"

The probably unintended barb in Giles’ words almost made her wince. "Yes," she nodded, her tone unintentionally turning brisk\professional, "of course. I have a possible case for you." Giles raised an eyebrow. "There appears to be a body part factory in town-."

"Oh we can’t let them get a foothold," Giles’ lips tugged up in a momentary half-smile at his pun before sobering. "There are certain demons that can regenerate dead tissue, but re-grow body parts?" he shook his head. "I don’t believe there are any with the power to do it across species."

"No, not re-grow limbs," Kate shook her head. "Transplant them from one person to another."

"T…that’s monstrous," Giles gasped. "What exactly is your information?"

"Well, a fellow detective told me a story about a lawyer supposedly getting an eye back," Kate paused. "It sounds ridiculous, but the lawyer works for Wolfram & Hart."

Giles groaned. "You think there might be credence to this?" Kate nodded. "Perhaps it doesn’t just stop at aiding their own employees. Perhaps they’re out-sourcing their services to anyone who can pay," Giles shuddered. "Monstrous." The Englishman paused. "However, your evidence is coincidental to say the least. The aforementioned lawyer could have had a recently cured eye condition that necessitated a patch until it was cured."

"You don’t really believe that!" Kate protested.

"No, given the W&H connection, not really." Giles shook his head. "However there are a number of unanswered not to mention disturbing questions. Where do they find the donors? What happens to the donors after the procedures are carried out? Where are these procedures carried out?"

"The only person we know who might know the answers is the lawyer," Kate pointed out.

Giles chuckled dourly. "I hope you’re not suggesting kidnapping him?"

"No," Kate sighed in frustration. "Of course not. But there has to be some way of tracking this limb-factory down."

"If it even exists," Giles mused. The Watcher smiled as he looked over his shoulder to where a terry-robed Lorne was coming downstairs. "Of course, I have the solution. You’ll have to sing for Lorne."

"Oh no," Kate shook her head, eyes widening with horror. "I don’t sing."

"It’s hardly the West End or Broadway, my dear," the Englishman murmured before

taking a hold of her arm and pulling her towards the demon. "I think we’ll go and see Lorne."

* * *

"You want to sing for me?" Lorne clapped his hands together. "Of course, it’s been too long since I did a reading. Of course," he pouted, "my last reading didn’-." His voice trailed off at Giles’ hard stare from behind the pensive-faced detective. "All I’ll want from you dear, is one of those lovely smiles and a few verses of a song." He picked up his sea-breeze and strode over to the reception table. "Please, Rupert, come with me."

"What song?"

He smiled at Kate’s question, oh the many times he’d been asked that beauty. "The song isn’t important," he replied as he sat, "the emotion behind it is." He directed his gaze towards the police officer as she began to sing Air Supply’s ‘All Out Of Love’. Eyes still fixed on the singing police officer, he spoke to his companion. "You do realise he’ll have to be told."

Unsurprisingly, the Englishman stiffened. "That’s up to Faith. She’s my primary concern."

"As you wish treacle," he smiled, unfazed by the man’s hard tone, "but he has a right to know. And you’re a good man, you know that."

Giles glowered at him before grimacing and changing the subject. "Have you seen anything that might help us?"

"Yes," Lorne replied as he rose. "That was beautiful, darling, beautiful, I thought I was listening to a 30s cocktail singer." The demon passed the cop a piece of paper. "Find what links the six names on that paper and you’ll be one step closer to what you want."

"Is that i-." Kate’s eyes widened. "Wait, I recognise three of those names as being ex-cons."

"Well," Lorne smiled. "You’ve got your starting point."

* * *

Kate sighed as she pulled away from her computer, rubbing at her eyes. "All six of these names are parolees, all clients of the same parole officer, all who haven’t turned up in the last three months."

"That’s three coincidences, two more than I’m willing to swallow," Giles was grim-faced as he pulled out his cell. "I’ll phone the others, tell them to meet us at the office."

Kate bit back a groan when Wesley pulled her to one side upon her and Giles’ arrival at the office. "Why didn’t you contact me before your ex-, before Giles?"

Kate winced at the hurt in her boy-friend’s voice. "It’s nothing to do with you and I," she hastily reassured her lover. "Giles has the Slayer, that’s all." Her tone hardened at Wesley’s distrustful look. "You can either accept it or you can’t, but it’s the truth. He’s our leader."

* * *

"Giles, can I have a word?"

Giles hid a wince at Xander’s voice behind him. Forcing himself, he turned around to face the young man. "Of course," he managed a nod, "can we step inside my office please."

The boy smiled weakly. "Sure." Once he’d closed the door behind the pair of them, the teen spoke. "Do you know what I’ve done wrong?"

Giles once again had to hide a wince at the hurt on the boy’s face. "I know," good lord, he paused, this was a terrible situation, one without any right answers. "I know Faith needs you to be patient with her, and give her some space." Giles paused. "And you, being the young man you are, will do that, understand?"

"Understand," the youth mumbled.

"Bloody hell," he muttered as the bemused and hurt-looking youth stumbled back out into the reception area. Lorne was right, Xander at least deserved to know.

But that was for another time, there was more urgent business at hand. Following the youth out into the reception area, he shook his head at his almost scared charge before directing his gaze towards their group. "Thank you all for coming," he began, "it appears that Kate has discovered another Wolfram & Hart operation, a ‘chop shop’ for humans."

"Chop shop?" Gunn spoke up, "what do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said, as unlikely as that may sound," Giles replied. "Apparently the law firm are running a business transplanting healthy body parts from people onto the well-paying clients and best-performing staff."

"Ohhhh goddess," whispered a pale-faced Tara. "That’s hideous."

"It is rather," he agreed. "However it is unconfirmed although very likely at the moment."

"Well Faith," Cordelia purred. "Maybe you should look into those butt implants you so obviously need." When Faith didn’t respond, Giles saw Cordelia’s eyes flicker and watched as the cheerleader attempted to lean in and whisper something only for Faith to pull away.

Not wanting anyone else to notice, Giles hurried on. "However the evidence is somewhat overwhelming although circumstantial. As a result, we need to find more evidence."

"How are they doing this?" Wesley glared at him, probably something to do with Kate coming to him rather than aid. Well, he had too many problems of his own to be bothered with giving out relationship advice. And it wasn’t as if he was a Don Juan anyhow. "Snatching runaways off the street?"

"No, well not that we’re aware of." Although that did give Wolfram & Hart a whole other avenue for collecting body-parts. The dregs of society with no-one to care that they’d gone. "All the possible victims we’re currently aware of are parolees who disappeared while under the care of the same parole officer."

"Parolees take a powder all the time," objected Gunn.

"Nevertheless," Giles continued. "I think it best we run a few checks, then perhaps confront the man. Willow?"

The witch started at his voice and stared blankly at him. He smiled and looked meaningfully towards the computer. "Oh right, do you want me to check him out?"

"That would be the next step," he agreed.

"Right," the red-haired Wicca hurried over to the computer and turned it on before looking towards him. "I’ll need everything you’ve got on this parole officer."

"Of course," he looked towards Kate. "Detective?" He melted into the background as the detective began to talk.

"Okay!" Willow let out an excited squeal. "I’ve just finished checking the officer’s bank records and I’ve found he’s made nine deposits of five thousand into an account opened six months ago. An account separate from the one his salary is paid into."

"A deposit per person?" suggested Kate.

"That would be my guess," Giles scowled. "This bears further investigation."

* * *

"Mr. Archer! Mr. Gary Archer?"

Archer scowled as the insistent thumping on his apartment door forced his attention away from the wrestling. "Who is it?" he demanded as he rose, strode across his apartment, and swung the door open.

"Rupert Giles," the bespectacled middle-aged man replied. "Private Investigator."

"You’re English?" he grunted.

The Englishman smiled. "Well yes, that doesn’t preclude me from being a private investigator you know. The world’s most famous detective was after all an Englishman."

Archer’s eyes narrowed. "Who’s that then?"

"Why Sherlock Holmes of course," the man stepped over the threshold. "What a lovely place you have here," the private investigator looked around his spacious apartment. "Must be quite a stretch on a parole officer’s salary."

"Yeah." Archer reached behind the door for his baseball bat leaning there.

"Naughty, naughty." Archer’s head snapped around when his wrist was grabbed in time to see a brunette bombshell grinning at him. He only had half a second to ogle the teen temptress before her fist was crashing into his jaw.

* * *

"Faith!" Giles gasped as he spun back to the doorway and to his daughter stood over the crumpled parole officer. "You’ve knocked him out? I hadn’t even started questioning him yet."

"Yeah, next time I’ll let him brain you with this," Faith raised the baseball bat.

"Ah, well done," Giles looked around. "Faith close the door." He strode over to the coffee table, picking up the can of beer before tipping it over the unconscious man.

"Wasting beer, where is an officer of the court when you need one?" Faith asked.

Giles waited until the parole officer had begun to splutter to consciousness before speaking. "Faith," Giles kept his gaze firmly on the parole officer, "break the bat." The parole officer gasped when Faith wordlessly took the bat between her hands and pulled up the bat splintering with a resounding crack.

The parole officer let out a shocked gurgle. "How did she do that?"

"That shouldn’t be your main concern," Giles warned. "Your concern would be what she’d do if you didn’t answer my questions and I left the room for say a minute. The longest sixty seconds of your life I shouldn’t wonder."

"I’m like a regular attack dog," mused Faith. "Woof. Woof."

"What do you want?" gasped Archer.

Faith smiled. "Smarter than the average parole officer."

"I want you to tell me where you took," Giles paused to pull out his note with the names of the missing six on and read them out.

"Wolfram & Hart would kill me," Archer pleaded. Faith cleared her throat meaningfully. Archer gulped. "Wait, here’s the address."

* * *

"This the place?" Gunn queried as they pulled up outside a dreary-looking travel agent’s.

"That’s what Archer said," Giles retorted. "let’s check."

The four of them, Xander, Gunn, Giles, and Faith, all climbed out of Giles’ jalopy. Giles strode briskly to the car’s trunk and opened it. Hers, Gunn’s, and Xander’s eyes all widened when Giles reached in, grabbed a handful of Archer’s hair and yanked him out. "Is this the place?" The parole officer grunted and nodded. "Thank you." Giles shoved the bound and gagged man back into the trunk and slammed it shut. "It would appear this is the place."

Gunn gulped. "Not arguing with you English."

Giles beamed. "So glad to have you on board, Charles. I’m thinking security will be top drawer.  Window sensors, motion detectors, cellular backup, guards, obviously."

"I’ve got that covered," Faith grunted as she tore a trash can out of the pavement and flung it through the shop window. "See?"

* * *

"Oh very subtle," Xander muttered as glass shattered and half a dozen men charged out. He blocked a haymaker from one of the men on his forearm before stepping in and butting the man in the face. Wincing as pain raced through his head, butting was never like the films it always hurt, Xander nonetheless followed up with an uppercut to the jaw that had his opponent slumping to the ground.

Xander looked around to see his friends had dealt with the other five and were already moving into the shop. Xander stepped over the crumpled guard and followed the others into the darkened shop to find Faith stood in the shop’s centre, a thoughtful look on her face. "It’s hollow here," the Slayer husked. "Trapdoor underneath."

Even as Faith stepped off, Xander started towards, hoping for an excuse to speak to her, to get a clue to whatever he’d done wrong, and maybe then start to fix it. But then Giles was flinging the trapdoor off, and Xander found himself following the others down into the dimly-lit basement.

"What is this?" Xander stopped dead as he reached the bottom to find a room lined with glass cells, each holding partially maimed naked person.

"Save the ones you can," Xander shuddered as he glanced towards Giles’ etched in granite face. "Turn the life-supports off on those you can’t. And then we’re setting this place on fire. They’re not using it again."

* * *

"We have to do something about W&H, G," Faith paced the lounge floor, agitated beyond measure. "I mean I knew they were evil, but that was some sick shit!"

"Faith," Giles licked his lips. "We have to tell him."

Faith glanced towards her Watcher, brow furrowing in confusion. "Tell who," suddenly it hit her. "No way," she shook her head. "No way." If she told him it would be even more real.

"Faith," Giles sighed. "He has to know. He deserves to know."

* * *

"We need to talk."

"Hey Faith!" Xander jumped up from the Batman graphic novel he’d been perusing, he felt very Dark Knight right about now, and turned to his girl-friend, excited that she’d finally come to see him. His smile faded as he spied his girl’s forbidding guardian stood behind her, a grim expression on his face. "Hey, G-Man," he shuffled from foot to foot. No matter how many demons he faced, an annoyed or irritated looking Giles still scared the bejesus out of him. "Do you want to take a seat?"

"Thanks," Faith nodded uncertainly at him before moving over to the room’s two seats. Xander sat on the edge of his bed, opposite his two guests.

After a long silence, Giles spoke. "We’re here to see you about a very grave matter," the Watcher paused to squeeze Faith’s hand. "It’s a matter we’ve struggled with, but as it concerns you and Faith the most, you deserve to know."

Xander’s brow creased. Giles couldn’t be cryptic if he trie-. Xander gaped as the penny dropped, shocked eyes moving from the Watcher to his girl-friend before stopping there. "W….what does the Council say?"

"We of course haven’t informed them," Giles stared at him. "Informed them about what exactly?"

"Faith being, um," Xander licked his lips, "we used birth control, but I suppose it was inevitable, the amount of-, um." His voice trailed off, cheeks reddening.

"You think I’m pregnant," Faith let out a hysterical laugh.

"Oh goodness," Giles shook his head. "If there’s a way to complicate matters you’ll find it. Faith isn’t pregnant."

"Okay," Xander breathed again. He’d never doubt Durex as long as he lived. "In that case, what’s the problem?"

Giles looked towards Faith, the Slayer shuddered and stared up beseechingly at her father. "Y…you tell him."

Xander stiffened at the pain in Faith’s voice. Every part of him wanted to go to her and hold her in his arms, but some dark instinct told him she’d only recoil. "Giles," he forced a firm note into his suddenly trembling voice. "What is it?"

"Very well," Giles licked his lips. "Some time, that is to say, a few months ago, I discovered a prophecy about Faith." Xander groaned inwardly, experience had taught him such things never went well. "It claimed that one of Faith’s companions wasn’t human but a sort of dimensional key hidden here to be close to the Slayer."

"Okay," Xander nodded, glad to have an answer. "So I’m assuming you’ve narrowed down the list of suspects? Any idea who it is?"

Faith made some sort of choked gasp, what little colour she had remaining draining from her face. And then it hit Xander. "N….no," he shook his head. "I…I’m human."

"I’m afraid not son," Giles looked immeasurably sad and weary, face creased with the sort of pain that never really goes, "Lorne heard you sing-."

"No, no, no," Xander shook his head, heart tightening.

Despite his denials, Giles was remorseless. "You were put here specifically for Faith to protect."

"It’s wrong," Xander shook his head, hurt crushing his chest. All the pain, humiliation, and neglect he’d suffered had been some part of a master-plan. "I’m human." Suddenly he was curled up in a ball, tears pouring down his face as he shivered, a great chill engulfing him.

"Oh bloody hell."

"Hey," he felt Faith’s hand on his shoulder, "it don’t change how I feel ‘bout ya. I thought it did, but seeing ya now, like this, I realise it don’t. You and me are forever babe."

"Is he?"

Giles sighed as Faith’s worried voice trailed off before she’d completed her enquiry. "He’s still sitting in his chair, Faith." He reached out to squeeze one of Faith’s shoulders as they slumped. "Don’t blame yourself, dear. This isn’t your fault, you’re both victims in this."

"I’m gonna talk to him," Faith stepped through the door and gently closed it behind her.

* * *

"Ahhhhh! Ahhh!"

"Come now, Rayne," Holland sighed as he inspected his surroundings. He was in one of their base’s basement cells, their dull dreadfulness a stark contrast to the upper floors’ gleaming luxury. It was a place he didn’t particularly enjoy visiting, what with the uncomfortable furnishings, drab décor, and the smells, the awful stench of pain and terror. Some of his colleagues were invigorated by such things, sometimes would even eat their lunches down here while they took in the sights, but he found it a distraction, a necessary evil.

"Ahhh! Ahh!" He turned to the man strapped in the steel chair, his arms and legs secured, and his neck collared to the chair. The once-arrogantly aloof Englishman’s eyes had been bludgeoned shut, his nose splattered across his face, a chisel across the bridge would have that effect apparently, and several of his teeth littered the floor, ripped out of his mouth through his demonic torturer’s spindly fingers.

"Now, this unpleasantness need not continue." Holland glanced at the drip attached to the chaos mage’s left arm. It was unlikely that the Englishman had the strength left to summons magic, but it didn’t do to take risks. Satisfied the drip still had plenty of fluid in it, he continued. "All you need is to answer my questions. After all, it’s not as if you haven’t bedevilled the Slayer yourself in the past."

The mage’s bleary eyes momentarily focussed on him. "You have no idea what Rupert-."

"Means to you?" Holland smiled. "You forget who I work for. Of course I know about your unrequited affection." Holland looked towards the torturer, eyes hardening. "Snap a finger."

"Ahhhhh!" The man scream as the demon casually grabbed a digit and yanked it back, bone splintering like a matchstick.

"Let’s not labour under any illusions, Rayne," Holland continued with the prisoner’s sobs had died down to sniffles. "You’re not a hero. You’re a weak and petty man who never bothered to grow up. Pretending different will only cause me annoyance and you an immense amount of pain." He nodded at the torturer. "Hurt him."

The man spoke once his screaming had finished, voice harsh from his screams. "W…what do you want to know?"

"This Slayer, she’s not like the others, they’re sheep, no, ants nibbling at W&H, but she’s different. There’s a dangerous quality to her." Holland paused, formulating the question. "You’ve had dealings with her, why is this?"

"There’s two reasons, oh god," Rayne’s body arched as pain shot through him. "Faith didn’t go through the traditional Council Potential System-."

"I know this," Holland looked towards the torturer.

"But you don’t understand what it means!" Rayne screamed. Holland gestured the demon back. After a terrified look at the demon Rayne continued, his voice marginally more controlled. "Because she didn’t come through the Council Potential System, she’s experienced life, its good and its bad, so she understands how precious it can be, to really fight for it in those moments when those with less understanding might give up. More than that, her childhood has made her extremely resourceful and resilient. The second reason is rather more simple, no Slayer has had such a resourceful team around her."

Ah, Holland nodded, the first reason didn’t help him, but the second, there was potential there. "Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Rayne," he looked towards the torturer. "You might as well finish him off," Holland started towards the door. "We need the space for other guests."

* * *

"Hey." Xander looked up but didn’t answer. Faith squared her shoulders before walking over and squatting in front of her man. As bad as this had been for her, it had to be even worse for Xander. It wasn’t her after all who wasn’t real.

Nope, just the most important man in her life. Faith licked her lips before continuing. "The others are worried about ya-."

Xander’s head snapped up, eyes widening in horror. "You didn’t -."

"Course not," she hastily reassured. They’d have to be told at some time of course, she’d accepted that. So, she was gonna get heat for dating a dimensional key, she’d dated worse. "They’re your buds, they’re gonna worry, you being you won’t change that."

"This thing that’s after me," Xander took a breath, "does Giles know what it is?" Faith slowly shook her head. Xander forced another breath. "But this using my blood opening this dimension up to hell is bad. So I’m thinking, the only way this whatever doesn’t get my blood to use is to make sure I’m dead before it gets here. It’s not like I’m really-."

"Don’t you dare!" Angry now, Faith grabbed her man’s shoulders and shook him. "I don’t care what no stinkin’ prophecy says, you’re real to me, damn it!" Her lips quivered. "Don’t just think of ya, ya selfish bastard!" Her chest tightened as she began to shake, the strength leaving her legs. "What’ll ya killin’ yarself to Red? Or Gunn? Or me!"

Suddenly she was sobbing, entire body shaking. And then Xander’s arms were around her, clumsily holding her. "Ignore me," her boyfriend chuckled weakly, "you know me, I never think anything through."

* * *

"Hello Lillah," Lindsey greeted as he fell in beside the leggy lawyer. "Any idea what this meeting is about?"

"I thought you were the one with your ear to the ground." Lillah’s smile was all poison. "Well I say close to the ground, what I really meant was in the sewer."

"Most of the things I meet down there have already been on intimate terms with you," Lindsey fired back as he entered the office. His breath was sucked away by the monster stood beside Holland Manners.

The creature was six foot six and thick with it, wide shoulders, and tree trunk limbs accompanied by a v-shaped back and barrel chest, all encased in an oily, leathery skin that seemed to blur when you tried to focus on it. Two dull red eyes stared out either side of the creature’s crocodile-like snout, its mouth crammed full of sharp yellow teeth. The knuckles on the back of the creature’s claws were studded, jutting dangerously out of the back of its hands while a huge curved tusk jutted imperiously out of its forehead. And the stench, Lindsey’s nose wrinkled, the entire room stunk of rotting corpses.

"This is a Dark Crown," Lillah hissed beside him at the mention of the feared demonic assassin cult. Manners smiled beatifically. "And Tarragon has very kindly agreed to aid us in solving our Slayer problem."

"Um, sir," the comment came from Gavin Park. "He certainly looks formidable, but the Slayer has seen off plenty of threats, both from this firm and other sources. Why will he succeed?"

"You see," Holland’s smile widened. "The Dark Crown won’t be hunting the Slayer, it’ll be hunting her friends."

* * *

"That was a great film!"

"Yeah, great." Seeing Cordy’s eyes narrow, Gunn opened his mouth to make an excuse.

Before he could speak, their third wheel was waxing lyrical. "These films are a most wondrous magic, does each screen have his own magician?"

"If you call a projectionist a magician sure," Gunn muttered as he led his girl-friend and her apparently adopted pet towards his pick-up. And yes, of course Groo just had to sit up in front with them.

"What’s up with you?" Cordy demanded. "You’re packing more attitude than Shaft!"

"I happen to like Shaft," Gunn defended as he paused as he began to rummage through his pockets for his keys. "I’m," at the last second he chickened out of complaining about Groo, "worried about Xander."

"Oh that?" Cordy sniffed. "Faith will have realised she can do waaaaay better than that loser, so he’s sulking." Cordy looked towards Groo. "Want me to set you up with her?"

"You are most kind, oh regal one." Gunn shook his head as the pan-dimensional warrior bowed at the waist. "But once one has been in the presence of such perfection as yourself, even a mighty and beautiful warrior such as Faith fades in comparison."

"I’m glad you noticed," Cordelia beamed then glowered at him. "I’m glad somebody noticed."

Gunn ignored his girl-friend’s glare to return to the original point. "I don’t know, hon," Gunn shook his head doubtfully. "She seems awfully worried about him if they’ve broken up."

"Soft heart and a guilty conscience," Cordy shook her head. "Faith’s too soft for her own good."

"Under all that leather you mean?"

Gunn immediately regretted his words when Cordy’s always impressive chest puffed out an extra couple of inches and her brown orbs narrowed to dangerous slits. "And why have you been taking note of what Faith wears?"

Gunn’s jaw dropped at the injustice of it all. He happens to occasionally notice what the bodaciously –bodied Slayer wore, especially when it was often so impossibly tight, and he was in the wrong, but Cordelia could of course have her puppy trailing her every step. Finally he gathered the courage or stupidity to respond.

"Fair Cordelia! Behind me!" Suddenly Groo was jumping onto the back of the pick-up. A beast bounding out of nowhere to crash into the hybrid, sending him crashing into the back of the pick-up’s cab.

Gunn had the briefest half-second to consider the stupidity of acting and then he was climbing onto the side of his pick-up. The demon turned in its advance on the stunned hybrid, its eyes flashing maliciously before leaping at him.

"Ooof!" Gunn hit the ground with a grunt, tarmac not softening the impact in the slightest.

"Here," Cordelia ran over and started to help him up. Or more correctly yank him up "Help Groo!"

Gunn shook his head as he charged forward. Groo this, Groo that. He was getting real sick of the damn hybrid.

The bloody-faced dimension hopper was kicking the demon off as Gunn arrived. Gunn ducked under a backfist before cracking a right into the beast’s back, wincing as pain shot up his hand. "Damn thing’s-, whoa!" He gasped as the creature grabbed him by his pants crotch and shirt collar, lifted him overhead, and threw him onto the hybrid, knocking them both to the ground.

And then the beast was gone. "What was that?"

Gunn winced at his girl-friend’s strident demand as he disentangled himself from the hybrid. "I have no idea."

* * *

"No! No!" Tara shook her head. "Gently, you have to do it gently, just stroke, don’t poke it." Tara shook her head as she watched her girl-friend commit assault on her prized home-made vegetable soup with a wooden spoon. She turned away from the hideous sight of Willow ruining her mom’s recipe to edge towards the window, a strange scratching-like sound drawing her attention.

"Aaaaah!" She screamed as the window exploded inwards, shock causing her to fall on her ass, a terrifying monster leaping through to glare at her.

"Gaaaarrrrrr!" The monster recoiled when Willow threw the pan’s contents into its face, steam coming up around it.

"I knew your vegetable soup would be good for something!" Willow commented as she helped her up, and pushed her towards the doorway.

Tara glared at her girl-friend as they charged down the corridor. "So not funny."

* * *

"You seem tense tonight, darling?"

"Tense?" Wesley smiled at his girl-friend, hating the fact he’d made her so concerned, but loving the fact she worried about him. "Not exactly, more distracted. There’s something up with Giles, I just wish," he shook his head as his voice trailed off.

"You think he has a problem that he won’t share with you, because of me?"

"No, no," Wesley shook his head as he stared at the blonde clad only in his shirt. "I felt he was concealing something, pulling away before this." Wesley grimaced, ever since his ‘separation’ at the hands of Toth, his old feelings of inferiority had become accompanied by a cold rage. "Bloody hell," he shook his head, taking a calming breath, "but I’m tired of him and Faith deciding my opinions don’t have any weight. I might not be as experienced, but I know the odd thing about demonology."

"I’m sure it’s-." Kate’s ocean-blue eyes widened. "Wesley, down!" Wes reacted instinctively to his girl-friend’s sudden urgent tone. Even as he hit the ground, Kate dived at the bed, lunging under their pillow to pull out the snub-nosed .32 she insisted leaving there. Wesley looked over his shoulder in time to see three shots slam into some demon drawn up from hell’s depths, knocking the beast out of the window it had just leapt through. Kate looked down at him. "We need to get to the others."

"Okay," he reached to throw Kate her pants.

"Now’s not the time to be a proper Englishman," Kate instead grabbed her coat. "We don’t have time for that."

"Oh, good point," he conceded. "Let’s go."

* * *

"What’s the commotion?" Faith queried as she strode down the steps to find the others gathering in the office lobby, including, her eyes hardened, Wes and the cop-bitch in not quite all their clothes.

Giles cleared his throat. "It appears-."

"Is Xander alright?" Willow queried.

Giles shot the red-head an irritated glare at the interruption, but concern for her childhood friend overrode the wicca’s usual shyness. "Oh," Cordelia airly interrupted. "He’ll have probably have smashed a ceremonial Babylon 5 plate. And that’s world-ending, not at all like breaking a heel on a pump!"

Cordelia flinched at the glare Faith sent her way before looking towards Willow, eyes softening. "He’ll be fine," she said, words ringing hollowly in her own ears.

"Yes, now," Giles cast her a look before continuing to speak. "This demon sounds like a -."

"Dark Crown?" Wesley interrupted. When everyone turned to the younger Englishman, he continued. "A demonic assassin. The question is why would he attack us rather than Faith?"

Giles opened his mouth to reply, for a panic-stricken moment Faith wondered if this had somethin’ to do with Xan being the key, and then a crash from upstairs made her forget all about the Dark Crown.

* * *

Xander wearily rose, unable to put much effort into even walking to the toilet. He spun around, lethargy forgotten when the window behind him shattered. His eyes widened as a monster crashed through to land on the ground.

"Um," Xander stared at the monster, "this is way beyond office hours-."

Suddenly the monster was on him, swinging spiked fists, he ducked a right, then the beast had his left around Xander’s throat. Xander gasped as the creature slammed him into the room’s wardrobe, wood splintering under the unforgiving impact. The monster’s free hand slapped him across the face, the blow drawing blood, and then he was flung to the ground, the beast kicking him in the side en-route.

Xander wheezed painfully when the demon grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, realising something vitally important.

Despite how lousy everything had suddenly gotten, he didn’t want to die.

* * *

"Faith-."

Faith ignored her Watcher’s cautionary voice to race upstairs, heart pounding with what she might find. Had that crash she’d heard been Xan doin’ something even dumber than was normal, like offin’ himself? For once, she really, really hoped it was a demonic attack.

Heart pounding, and sweat slicking on her forehead and cheeks, she powered across the landing, cursing the building for its size, her friends in hot but distant pursuit. An adrenalin-fuelled kick tore open the door to Xan’s room, and then she was striding inside.

A cold fury mixed with no little relief engulfed her when she found the demon the others were talking about standing over her crumpled boy-friend. "Hey asshole," she cracked her neck as she stalked over to the demon, "you’ve made your way up the card, wanna try the main event?"

The demon had only half-turned towards her when she hit it, one hundred and ten pounds of super-powered bad intentions crashing an overhand right into the demon’s jaw. The monster flew into the devastated wardrobe and then she was on it, hitting it with all her rage and power, kick, punch, butt, punch, punch until the demon was rocking and rolling under the onslaught.

Suddenly a left caught her with enough force to draw blood from her lower lip and knock her back a step. The demon growled before charging her. Faith stood her ground until the last second then lunged to meet the snarling monster, wrapping her arms around its leathery waist, leaning back at the waist until her back was parallel with the ground and releasing. The demon howled as it flew through the air, crashing into the far wall.

Faith strode towards the creature, the anger bubbling inside her tempering into a hard weapon. The demon shook itself as it disentangled from the wrecked shelves where Xander’s much unlamented country CDs had been stacked and stood before flinging a right that she blocked on her shoulder before leap thrust-kicking the demon in the mid-section. The demon grunted before stumbling into the wall, and then she had it by its shoulder and crotch, lifting it above her head before bringing it down onto her knee, its back snapping with a resounding crack. Then she was up and after a contemptuous glare down at her crippled adversary, bringing her heel down on its neck, crushing its throat. The demon already forgotten, she started over to Xander.

"So, I guess she won’t be needing the axe I brought her," Gunn commented.

"Please, everyone," Giles turned to the group crowded in the doorway, "give us some time."

Faith cradled her battered boy-friend in her arms. "How ya doin’ baby?"

"I’ve decided," Xander winced as pain shot through him, "life’s too precious to just give up on it."

"That’s good baby," she mumbled, voice husky with pain. "’Cause I’m kinda keen on havin’ ya around for a while myself."

"Faith, Xander." Faith looked up to find the room empty of everyone bar her, Giles, and Xand. "This monster was clearly targeting the others for no other reason except they were your friends. As such, they deserve to know the truth."

Faith opened her mouth to protest. "Let’s tell them." Shocked, Faith looked over her shoulder, her head shaking. "He’s right," Xander sighed resignedly. "they have a right to know."

Faith licked her lips. "G, tell ‘em we’ll be down in a minute."

Scott Levy groaned as he pulled a cold beer out and took a long sup. Nothing beat a cold beer. He eyed up the coffin-shaped crate stood on the room’s table, eyes filling with curiosity as he heard an indistinguishable noise coming from the box. He grimaced as his eyes focussed on the label on the box’s side warning ‘Danger – Hazardous material – Do not open’.  He took a backwards step when the box began to shake. Taking a breath, he reached for a crowbar and began to pry the box open. He gasped when steam and light erupted from it. "Holy God."

* * *

"Wait." Giles took a breath as he peered down at their companions massed in the office’s lobby, Faith and Xander stood on the stairs behind him. "There’s something we need to tell you. If you’d take a seat."

Kate glanced at her watch. "Giles, I need to go home and change, my shift starts-."

"This is rather important."

The blonde cop started at his tone before nodding. "I can spare a few minutes."

"Thank you," Giles looked towards Xander and Faith, "come on."

Once their companions had sat, Giles started to talk, explaining about the prophecy. "Why wasn’t I informed!"

Giles rolled his eyes, impatient with Wes’ growing assertiveness and insistence that he question every decision. "Because while I was reasonably sure I wasn’t the afore-mentioned key, I couldn’t risk informing anyone else bar Faith herself in case they were the key. So I continued with my research, but wasn’t getting any further until-."

"Oh boy," Cordy gasped, wide brown eyes zeroing in on a suddenly uncomfortable-looking Xander. "It’s you isn’t it?" The former cheerleader’s eyes moved to Faith. "You haven’t had an argument or broken up, you’ve found out he’s the Key!" Xander seemed to collapse in on himself. "So he’s the Key?" the cheerleader sniffed. "So what? Human or inter-dimensional key, he’s still a dork. Our dork."

"Damn straight," agreed Gunn. "A friend’s a friend."

"I’ve still got my yellow crayon!" Willow reddened when everyone looked towards her. "Long story, I’ll explain later."

Giles hid a smile. She might be blunt and tactless, but Cordelia was one other thing, loyal. "Giles, what is this threat the dimensional key is being hidden from?"

"Ah," Giles grimaced at Wes’ query, "I’ve been unable to find out who that is. I’d appreciate your help in that matter."

"Of course," the Watcher nodded. "I’ll get started immediately."

"Is that all?" Kate queried. "Only I’m late for work as it is."

* * *

Kate’s head was still swimming as she entered the police station. Xander, a living breathing young man she’d fought beside and laughed with for the last two years, wasn’t even human, and being pursued by some sort of ungodly monster that could well end life as they knew it.

Kate smiled grimly to herself. It was a terrifying prospect, but as Cordelia had pointed out in her own inimitable manner they were family, and the best families stuck together whether it was blood or something else that bonded them together.

"Lockley!" Her captain’s gruff voice broke into her reverie. "In my office, now!"

"I’m sorry I’m late," Kate apologised as she entered the office.

"Don’t bother with an excuse," the captain waved her quiet, "I’ve heard them all." Not this one, Kate thought silently. "And anyway it’s not about that. I’ve got another one of the weird cases you seem to like," the senior officer sniffed disdainfully, "here’s the details."

"Thank you sir." Kate hid a grimace as she took the details off her superior. This sort of case wasn’t what made careers, what with the unsatisfactory conclusions, and zero chance of convictions. However Kate comforted herself that she was helping people that otherwise wouldn’t get any help at all.

And after all wasn’t that what being a police officer was being about?

* * *

"We should be researching this damn prophecy," Faith protested.

"I’ve done nothing but research it for months, Faith," Giles replied as they pulled up outside the ice factory. "I’ve got a couple of books on order that might help, until they come we need to keep busy." Giles looked towards the looming building. "Jericho Ice Factory."

"’Kay," Faith climbed out of the car. "Xan, you come with me. G, keep the engine running."

Faith eased the door open, creeping inside the darkened factory. "Oh gross," Xander whispered.

"That’s the word," Faith agreed as she crouched beside the charred corpse.  Fighting back a shudder, Faith reached into the man’s wallet and pulled out a business card. "Scott Levy – Private Security." 

"Look at this box," Xander peered into a box on the table, "it’s half full of ice."

"Yeah," Faith rose and strode into the walk-in cooler. Faith spun around as someone raced past on the other side of the plastic strips hanging in the doorway.  "Xander!"

* * *

"I see him!" Xander dived for the intruder, a guy with a trio of ridges in the middle of his forehead. Tackling the man around the waist, he wrestled him to the ground only to be flung off.

The ‘man’ was half-way to his feet when Faith grabbed him in a chokehold from behind, her knee in his back holding him down. "Captain Inferno I presume? Try any of that burning shit with me," Faith’s voice trailed off as her gypsy-brown eyes narrowed, focussing in on a burn on the intruder’s forearm. "Only you didn’t burn him, did you?  Who are you? Better open your mouth before I put my foot through it."

Finally the demon spoke. "I am called Tay. I’m not from your dimension."

Xander snorted. "Captain Inferno? Captain Obvious more like."

"I was sent by my people to stop it.  That is my cause here."

"Stop what?" Faith demanded.

"The bringer of chaos," Tay replied.

Xander felt a chilly tremor run through him as Faith continued her interrogation. The bringer of chaos? Could this monster be the thing chasing him?

To judge from the urgency in Faith’s ebony orbs the thought had also occurred to her.  "What is it?  Demon?"

"More than a mere demon.  It is a vessel of pure rage.  It has almost destroyed my world and now it is loose in yours," Tay retorted.

That did not seem promising. "How can I kill it?" Faith demanded, voice hoarse with worry.

"You won’t be able to.  It’s stronger than one man.  If you and your people wish to live – stay away." Suddenly Tay broke from Faith’s slackening grip and charged for the exit.

* * *

"He said his name was Tay.  Seemed pretty shook up.  Said this thing brings chaos and destruction to his world."

"Could it be-," Cordelia looked towards Xander, "you know?"

"Yeah," Faith grimaced. "Thought of that. Don’t know, but we really need to find this thing and fast."

"Our first step will be finding out what Tay is. From there, we should be able to postulate what he’s hunting," Giles commented.

"Postulate?" Faith snorted. "Poncy Englishman."

Giles half-smiled. "In-bred colonial."

"Check out if there’s being any killings by incineration, there might be a trail," Xander suggested.

"Excellent idea," Giles praised. "I’ll-," Giles glanced towards Wesley, "Wesley will call Kate to check. Her surrogate father looked back towards her as she rose. "Where are you going?"

"Me, X, and Gunn are heading to the victim’s office.  He’s in private security.  I’d like to know who hired him."

"Cordelia," the cheerleader looked up as he entered the inner office, Willow, Tara, and Wesley busy in the outer office, "there are times you infuriate the bloody hell out of me with your tactlessness and bloody-mindedness." Giles stopped, a hard ball lodged firmly in his throat. "But then, there are times like today you remind me of the girl inside, the loving, loyal, and brave girl, and I thank god that my girl had the good taste to find herself such a wonderful best friend. Thank you for what you said today, it meant the world to Faith and Xander."

* * *

Xander tried the door to the address on the business card. "Locked," he reported.

Faith pursed her lips. "Let’s try the back."

"’Kay," Gunn agreed before pursing his lips. "This is why you brought me, to break and enter? Is this a black thing?"

Faith glared at the African-American. "Wise ass." Once they reached the back of the house Faith pulled out a grappling hook and shot it up the building before starting up the building. "Keep an eye out," she instructed.

"Great view from the ground!" Xander hissed up.

"Ass!" Faith whispered.

"Exactly," Gunn agreed.

Head shaking, Faith leapt from the rope and onto a fire escape before climbing up it to the roof. Minutes later she was inside the deceased gumshoe’s office.   In a locked drawer she found a shipping order from Jericho Ice stuck in an envelope with a bunch of twenties.  After putting the invoice in her pocket, she shoved the money in her wallet. Hell, it would buy a great meal for her and X, and it wasn’t like Levy needed it, Xan on the other hand needed all the TLC she could get him. She looked up at a sound and threw herself over the desk, looking up to see smoke wafting up from the newly singed desk and a muscular woman dressed in skin-tight black pvc with a black tattoo crossing her left eye.
 

"What are you doing here?"

Faith rose.  "I could ask you the same question."

"Working for them is that it?  How much do they pay you to hunt us?" the woman hissed.

Faith rose, eyes chilling.  "I work for myself and I’m here because I’m looking for his killer.  Hard to forget, huh?  Burnt to crispy critter.  Know anyone who does that kind of thing?"

The woman charged her, Faith danced away from the woman’s combusting hands only to catch an elbow to the throat that flung her into the wall. Faith’s eyes widened as the woman shot a fireball at her, instinctively cart wheeling across the room out of harm’s way. Faith pulled out her cell as the woman raced out. "Guys, follow the bitch coming out of the building, but for fuck’s sake stay out of her way. She’s dangerous and not just in a dresses like a s&m domme way."

* * *

"Aha!"

Cordy’s head snapped up from the book-scattered desk at Giles’ shout to glare at the Watcher. "That better be an ‘Aha!’ of triumph.  I was having a perfectly good dream about me and Jason Priestley. Oh he’s so dreamy."

"Oh yes," Giles sniffed, "I’m a member of JP4ever.com."

"Really?"

"Cordelia," Giles sighed wearily, "I’m not even a member of several very interesting on-line wicca and demonology communities, I hardly think I’d be a member of some godawful fan-community for a faded teen idol."

"Then why," Cordelia sniffed, "did you wake me?"

The Watcher beamed. "I think I’ve located them.  The Vigories of Oden Tal."

"The what of whatee?" Cordelia asked.

"Of Oden Tal.  The men are called Vigories.  They have four distinct ridges on their foreheads, are said to be fierce warriors, and their women live enslaved to them."

"Way to go, Giles!  Faith said this Tay guy could be the key.  Any way to find them here in town?"

Giles scanned the book.  "Ah, it says that the men are herbivores.  They eat a thick stew made from rotting plants and flowers, and they need to consume half their body weight a day."

"Whoa. - So, we’re looking like – for the biggest compost heap in LA?"

* * *

Gunn glanced left and right as they crept through a museum’s shadowy corridors. "Didn’t Faith say to follow but not to intercept?"

"What sort of man would I be if I blindly followed my girl-friend’s orders?" his friend queried.

"Given your girl-friend, a wise one," he replied.

"Yeah," Xander half-smiled. "Good point." The Sunnydaler paused outside a door, sucking in his breath before easing the door out.

The woman in the centre of the room spun to face them, her hands resting imperiously on her hips. "You are with the wench from before?"

"Wench?" Gunn snorted. "You ever called Faith a wench, Xander?"

"I’m still breathing aren’t I?" Xander replied before directing his gaze at the alien. "Who’s Tay?  What does he want?"

The alien sniffed.  "I don’t have time for this."

"If you didn’t kill the guy in the ice company, who did?  Somebody like you?" Gunn queried,

"Why do you think I would speak to and not hurt you?" the demon sniffed.

"Call us old-fashioned, but we can’t allow tourists to go around torching locals," Xander replied.

The alien looked over her shoulder at the row of windows then back at them.  "Leave – now!  I’m warning you."

"Why?"  Gunn demanded. "What’s going to happen?"

A circular distortion formed in the air, a bright white light flashing.in its centre. A naked girl fell out of the portal. "Whoa!" Gunn’s eyes widened. "I’ve gotta get me one of them!" Xander looked towards the African-American. "For Groo, get him off Cordy’s back."

"Aah," Xander grabbed a wall-hanging and flung it over the naked girl as the alien woman helped her up. "What are you running from?"

"It is not your concern.  You’re not one of us."

"Will you stop sniff-," Xander broke off when the door opened and Tay and stepped in, accompanied by more of his kind. "No, but I think I’ll stick around anyway."

Tay looked imperiously around. "The traitor it and the other are ours.  If you know what’s good for you, you won’t..."

Xander shut Tay up with a right to the face. "Do that?"

Two of the other men grabbed the naked girl and dragged her out of the back while Xander, Gunn, and the strange woman fought the others. Xander ducked a right cross before crashing a left into the demon’s stomach, a backhand sent him falling to the ground. He was half-way to his feet when a knee to the face sent him onto his back. "Xander are you hurt!" Gunn rushed over to help him up. "Wait, can you -."

"Yes!" he snapped as he wiped blood away from his mouth, "I can be hurt. When you risk your life, I’m risking my life too."

"Okay, okay," Gunn raised his hands, "just asking." He looked towards the strange woman. "They got her.  What’ll happen to her?"

"She will be unmade," the imperious woman sniffed.

* * *

Faith stared at the woman who’d grudgingly introduced herself as Jhiera  "You should dress your wound." She paused for a second. "Want to tell me what’s going on?"

"The girl is a runaway.  I was trying to help her escape from our homeland.  If your friends hadn’t distracted..."

"Hey!" Faith scowled. "If my boys hadn’t helped you, you’d both be with them right now."

Jhiera sniffed.  "Perhaps."

"Why was the girl running away?" Giles queried.

"She was going to be unmade." Jhiera replied.

"They were going to kill her?" Gunn asked.

"In a fashion.  You wouldn’t understand."

"Try us," Giles demanded in his ‘no bullshit’ tone.

Jhiera cast the unflinching Watcher a hard glance before nodding. "In Oden Tal what you call personality, our passions and impulses sit in an area of the body we call the Ko."

"And your pursuers they want to take this from you?" Faith queried.

Jhiera turned back around to face her.  "From the women..  When the females come of age, Ko controls our physical and sexual power. It even signals when we are aroused and have met desirable mates.  But when it’s removed..."

Faith felt sick to her stomach.  "You’re more easily controlled."

Jhiera nodded. "We marry who they command, happily serving without question."

"But you escaped," Giles prompted.

Jhiera nodded.  "I was the first.  I am Jhiera of Oden Tal.  My family rules the dimension."
"I’m guessing the royal family isn’t loving the - portal-jumping, refugee-saving duties you’ve assigned yourself," Xander commented.

Jhiera nodded.  "They tell people I’m dead.  But the women know.  Here we have a name.  We have a chance to become, but it is difficult.  When the Ko first matures the girls can’t manage our physical energy.  We come to your world in a fever."

Faith’s eyes widened.  "That’s why you need the ice."

"Yes.  When I first arrived I thought I would die from the heat under my skin.  And your men.  Some respond to the Ko involuntarily.  They tried to force themselves until I found the frozen water.  As long as I could stay cool...  The worst of it passed in a few months time.  Then I started to learn to control my power."

"What about Levy?"  Xander asked. "Who burned him?"

Jhiera seemed unmoved. "He tried to touch one of my girls.  It was his own fault."

Faith’s eyes narrowed.  "From what you’re saying he probably didn’t mean to hurt her."

Jhiera shrugged.  "And the girl couldn’t help killing him!  It was an accident."

Giles shook his head. "What about the other four men who died the same way in the last year?  I imagine your girls killed them, too?"

Jhiera reared back from the Watcher. "How do you know about this?  Have you been..."

Giles appeared unmoved.  "No, we haven’t been following you.  But you incinerate a few people someone is going to start asking questions.  We understand what you’re trying to do and of course will help you any way we can.  But you can’t go around heedlessly hurting men."

Jhiera preened.  "I am the daughter to a King, sir.  A king who promised happiness and a better life for everyone.  I didn’t denounce him and escape for my good alone.  I did it to see his promise come true for all the women of Oden Tal.  If a few have to die to protect my people..."

Faith stepped towards the woman. "They are my people who are dying; and it’s my promise to protect them."

"Then tell them to stay out of my way." Jhiera sniffed before striding towards the door. "And you, too.  I don’t need your help." 

"Friendly little thing," mused Giles

"Ain’t she just?" Faith looked towards the Englishman. ""Where’s Wes and Cordy?"

* * *

Cordelia looked around the darkened warehouse filled with flowers. "I’m not sure about coming out here all by ourselves.  Maybe we should have waited for Faith."

Wesley whispered back. "It makes sense, Giles discovered that Tay and his people are herbivores, therefore they need an excess of plants to survive."

"I wonder how we find where they keep the compost?"

"I’d say we follow our noses," Wesley tartly replied.

"Wait!" Cordy hissed. "I hear something." The Watcher joined her in creeping to the Flower Mart’s dimly lit back room. "Now I’m sure we shouldn’t have come here.  It smells like flower poop!"

"Hush," Wesley dragged them behind some boxes as Tay and his people walked into the warehouse.

For a heart-stopping second Cordy thought Tay had seen them when he looked around before returning his gaze to his friends. "The portal will open soon, and only for a short while.  When the proper coordinates align we must move to the entry point immediately.   You will escort the slave there, ensure its quick return and rejoin us.  We have a lot of work to do in this dimension."

"We’ve recovered two this month.  We should..."

"It means nothing!" Tay snapped. "This won’t stop until we find Jhiera."

"This food source will only keep us supplied for a few more days," commented one of the Vigories.  "At that point we must relocate."

Wesley shook his head as he held his cell to his ear. "Still no answer."

Cordy shook her head as she hissed her reply. "She never turns that damn thing on!" She sighed. "So, what now?"

Wesley grimaced.  "I suppose we head back and try to find Faith."

"Sounds real good." Cordy nodded. "But quietly." Wesley nodded before starting forward, Cordy yanked him back as one of the Vigories walked in. "No, hide.  Hide.  Hide."

"Sir!  I believe we’ve found them."

"Where?" Tay demanded.

"A worker at an ice plant tells me he recently started shipping two tons of ice a week," the Vigory handed over a piece of paper, "to this address."

Tay smirked. "Gather the men.  They need to be prepared to capture the princess and cut them all quickly."

"We need to get to the others now," Wesley muttered.

* * *

"Can’t anyone answer a damn phone!"

"What’s up?" Xander queried as Cordelia and Wesley ran in.

"What’s up is that those creepy demons said that they found what they were looking for, and they seemed *very* interested in cutting someone they called the princess, which I can only imagine is not a happy thing!"

Faith nodded. "Well, you’d be right on that one.  We gotta find her first."

Cordy replied.  "The demon guy said something about a lot of ice being delivered somewhere.  No one said where."

"I’m sure you did everything possible Princess," Groo commented to Gunn’s muffled groans.

Faith looked towards Wesley. "Ice?"

"Just so," Wesley nodded.

Faith pulled a paper out of her pocket. "I’ve got a shipping order. We’re heading out."

"Shouldn’t we have a plan," Wesley commented as they headed to the entrance. "There are rather a lot of them."

Faith shook her head.  "Here’s the plan: we go in, I start hitting people hard in the face – see where it takes us."

"The usual then," Giles airily replied.

Night had fallen by the time they pulled up outside a new age looking spa.  Faith looked around. "Wes, Cor, you stay here, run in when the demons get here. Gunn, Groo, G, and Xan with me." The Watcher nodded.

The door swung open as they reached the spa’s entrance. "Welcome, earth-sister."

Faith ignored the salutation to get straight to the point. "I need to see Jhiera.  Now!"

The spa’s owner smiled. "I’m sorry, no Jhiera here, but I already see I can help you.  First let’s talk about the clothes vibe."

"If his next words are take them off, I will kill him," Xander growled.

Faith grabbed the man by the lapels and lifted him off the floor.  "Jhiera’s in trouble.  There are men coming for her."

The dude’s eyes bulged. "And which dimension are you from, sister?"

Faith smirked.  "You don’t want to know."

The guy motioned with his head; and Faith walked off, the others following behind.   "What are you doing here?" Jhiera rose to confront them as they entered a room filled with babes in ice baths. "I thought I made it clear..."

"They’re coming," Faith interrupted.

Jhiera sniffed.  "I know all about it.  We’re leaving in the morning."

"Not soon enough." Giles shook his head,. "They’re on their way now and will be here soon."

Cordy raced into the room followed by Wesley:  "Now.  That would be now."

"Damn," Faith looked towards her companions.  "Help get the girls out." 

Giles looked towards the spa guy. "Go out and stall them for as long as you can."

Xander looked towards Jhiera. "We’re going to help you whether you like it or not."

"Why do you care?" spat the other-dimensional princess.

"Because," Xander’s eyes met Faith’s, "that’s what we do."

Suddenly the doors crashed open. "Gang, it’s on! Groo, Gunn, and Xan with me!" Faith yelled. "The rest get the girls out to the van!"

Faith leapt into the air, spin back-fisting the first Vigory back out through the door again. Upon landing she stepped outside another alien’s straight right before crumpling it with an heel side-kick to the knee and elbow to the cheek Another leapt at her but she leaned back at the waist, allowing the Vigory to fly over her and into a brutal clothesline from Groo.

And then it was over, except… "Where’s Jhiera?"

"She ran out on us?" Xander sniffed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Come on," Faith snapped, "out the back."

* * *

"Hold it.  Hold it still.  Time to go home."

Xander pulled up short when he found Jhiera being held down by two of Tay’s thugs and Tay standing behind her with a pair of pliers. "I know she’s irritating," Xander grimaced as he noticed the two Watchers and Cordy lying unconscious on the ground, "lord knows, but you don’t want to do this."

"You have no idea what I want to do!" Tay sneered.

"Do you want to die?" Suddenly Faith was behind the demon, her arm wrapped around its neck. Her eyes turned to the Vigroies holding Jhiera.  "Unless you want to see your leader dead, you let her go." The Vigories released Jhiera, the woman stared imperiously at her. "I never want to see you again. Get your girls and go. Go.  GO!"

Jhiera hurried over to the truck her companions had been loaded into and driving off.   Faith waited until the alien was well under way then pushed Tay towards the other Vigories. "I don’t want you bringing your war here again."

"I have no choice!"  Tay retorted. "If this enemy persists our whole society crumbles."

"I don’t care. If your war persists on my turf you’re going to have another enemy!"

"You don’t understand our ways, human."

Faith flashed the demon her shit-eating grin before lunging forward, grabbing Tay by the throat and hefting him into the air. "No, I don’t. And like I said, I don’t care. I see you again, I’ll make you a full head shorter. Now, if I were you, I’d grab the next portal out of here.  Got it?"

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