The Night In QuestionTeaser

Story by Faith730 and CN WintersWritten by Faith 730 and CN Winters

Produced and Directed by CN Winters and Faith730Edited by DragonWriter17

Sound by CSRArt Direction by Robert Kidman

Artists – Robert Kidman, CN Winters, Zahir al Daoud, Sway and Humaira 

Same Night as "Roses Are Red"

Fade In:Ext.House Near Council – Night

Three people carrying automatic weapons moved in military fashion going to all corners of the house as three sets of legs walked up a cemented walkway to the front door.

Marissa, the black ops leader dressed in full uniform, cocked her weapon as Vi and Jeff stood on either side of her. She began to point it at the door, but Jeff gently pushed it down.

"Why don’t we just try knocking first? I heard that usually works," he replied.

Marissa took a begrudging step back as Vi knocked on the door. After a few moments Dr. Miller’s head appeared in the window, and he quickly opened the door.

"Oh god, what’s happened?" he asked upon seeing them there.

"We’d like you to come back to the Council sir and answer a few questions," Vi said politely.

"Oh, okay, I’ll get my coat," he replied.

"Quickly and where we can see you," Marissa added.

Dr. Miller stopped moving and looked to Jeff and Vi, who only shrugged.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Lounge – Same Time

Rowena slowly walked into the lounge to see Robin sitting in one of the chairs – cell phone in his hand and his head hung low looking at it.

"No luck yet?" she asked softly.

He shook his head without looking up.

"No," he answered and then finally raised his head. "How are things on your front?"

"Quiet, for now. I’ve got the black ops, Vi and Jeff going to collect Dr. Miller to bring him back here for…testing. Willow and Jeff did the magic mojo earlier, so that’s finished."

"How’s Dawn and Ken?" he asked.

"Will’s at Dawn’s right now. And Ken…I think her ego is more bruised than her face," she said with a slight grin, "but it’s a close call there. She looks pretty rough. Icalled Kadin to see if she would watch over Ken tonight since she won’t go stay in the infirmary. Faith did one hell of a number on her, but Ken says Faith probably looks worse."

"No argument there. She didn’t look good when I saw her last," Robin replied. "But not just her face. It was more than that…and I’ve been sitting here, kicking myself that I didn’t see it sooner."

Rowena said nothing for a moment. "Why do you think she left, Robin? Honestly, was it because of me?"

Robin took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. "Not exactly. Faith’s…Faith puts on this act – carefree, nothing gets to her. I think it’s closer to the truth to say she’s really a perfectionist. If she can’t do something right, she’d rather not do it at all. It’s odd…"

"What do you mean it’s odd?" Rowena asked.

"Before she left, she ran down this list of stuff that…I really thought she’d put behind her, but I was too blind to see it, I guess. Like the ordeal on Vor…"

"What about it?"

Robin closed his cell phone and leaned back in the chair. "She never mentioned it to me all that much. She was back, and that was all that mattered she’d always say but…then all of a sudden here it comes, out of the blue. Truth is, maybe it wasn’t out of the blue. Maybe perfectionist Faith saw her capture as a weakness, but she never acknowledged it."

Rowena ran her fingers through her hair.

"With Faith gone, things have gone from bad to worse," Rowena sighed. "Actually I take that back – they’ve gone from worse to worst." Rowena rose. "If you get a hold of her, will you call up to Will’s place? I might be elsewhere but leave a message please."

"No problem," Robin answered. As she began to walk away, he called out, "Hey Ro?" She turned around. "When she gets back…what are you going to do to her?"

"Beheading is out of the question," she answered. "But really, let’s just get her back first. I need to talk to her face to face, okay?"

Robin waved his cell phone. "I’ll keep working on it."

With a short nod, Rowena left the room.

Fade To:Ext.Highway – Same Time

The wind whipped through Faith’s exposed hair as she sped down the darkened highway on her motorcycle.

Faith slowed the bike and pulled into a gas station with a small convenience store. She parked her bike next to one of the pumps, pulled out the key, and headed for the door of the tiny store as she took off her helmet.

Cut To:Int.Gas Station – Seconds Later

Inside the small store the attendant, identified as Ernie by his name tag, sat with his feet up on the counter reading a magazine not suitable for young children. He looked up as the bells above the door gave a quick jingle.

Faith walked in and strolled right up the counter. She pulled out an envelope of money and said, "Give me a pack of Parliaments, filtered."

Ernie quickly put down his magazine down on his chair and got the cigarettes. He returned to the counter and took the five dollar bill she had set down.

As he reached the register, Ernie glanced over to Faith. "Jesus Christ! What happened to your face?"

Faith ignored his question and avoided eye contact.

Ernie continued as he turned to get the cigarettes. "Are you in a gang or something?" Faith remained silent, and he placed the pack next to the register. "You know, I’m not one to criticize, but maybe you shouldn’t be smoking right now." He opened the register, placed in the five, and extracted some coins. "You look terrible, and it’s a filthy habit."

"Yeah Ernie, well so is reading Penthouse," she replied, taking the Parliaments off the counter. "Keep the change," she added, walking out without as much as a glance back at him.

Cut To:Ext.Gas Station – Seconds later

Outside the store, Faith pulled the plastic packaging off her newly purchased Parliaments and plied a cigarette out with her thumb and index finger. She flipped open her lighter and carefully lit the tip. She took a long drag and exhaled slowly as she walked back to her bike.

She passed a man on the way in and stopped him.

"Can you tell me where I am?" she asked.

"Ontario," he answered.

"Canada?" she asked, confused.

"No, Indiana," he replied. He examined her a bit closer. "Do you feel okay? You don’t look too good, and if you’re not sure where—"

Faith held up a hand and continued to walk. "I’m fine. Thanks."

Faith’s pocket suddenly buzzed as her phone began to vibrate. She reached into her coat and retrieved the cell, glancing down at the screen which read, "Robin calling…"

Quickly Faith turned off the phone and dropped it, the cigarettes, and the white envelope of money into the bag which rested securely on the back of her bike.

High above her the sky gave a low rumble as several droplets of water found their way to the ground. Faith looked up at the ominous overcast night and sighed, "Great, just what I need."

She took another drag of her cigarette, before snuffing it on the pavement. She mounted the bike, put on her helmet, and started the engine.

Cut To:Ext.Highway – Moments Later

The headlights of Faith’s Sabre streaked through the night air as the sky poured buckets of rain upon the long stretch of highway. In the distance a flash of lightning stretched from the sky to the ground, followed seconds later by a loud boom.

Faith brought the bike to a fast stop and looked up at the sky. "Screw this." She quickly wheeled around and tore back toward the direction she came.

Another bolt of lightning plunged to the earth, this time only a second out of ear shot. Faith tightened her grip on the throttle and kicked up her speed to over 90 mph.

Ahead of her the gas station lights became increasingly visible. She closed to within half a mile when a final bolt of lightning came crashing down. The blue stream of energy stopped just centimeters above the small of Faith’s back. She glanced back curiously as the lightning spread outwards leaving a trail

of blue energy in its wake. The energy seemed to hang over her defying the laws of physics until her whole body, and the motorcycle, were engulfed.

Before the boom had finished echoing through the night air, Faith and her motorcycle vanished from the dark rainy highway, leaving a trail of flames on the ground in front of the gas station.

Cut To:Ext.Deserted City Street – Seconds Later

A brilliant flash of light erupted into the night air seemingly out of nowhere. Faith’s motorcycle roared out of the illumination and sped onto the street. The light disappeared behind her as she tried to stop the speeding bike. The motorcycle did not respond fast enough and collided with a large sign that stood at the end of the street, throwing Faith off in the process. She landed on a patch of grass and rolled to a stop.

The motorcycle skidded to a halt a few feet away from her. Faith slowly sat up with a moan and did a quick body check. "Good thing I brought the helmet." She mumbled as she stood up. Faith took off the helmet and held it for inspection; it was cracked. "Beautiful," she said sarcastically before tossing it over her shoulder.

Faith moved towards her bike. She cringed as she saw a series of scratches along the side. Hastily Faith pulled the bike upright and after a quick sweep started it up. The engine roared to life without any hesitation.

Faith mounted the motorcycle and steered it back onto the street. Once back in the lane she stopped and looked around. "Wait a second. What happened to the highway?"

Several feet away the sign that Faith’s bike had plowed through rested on the side.

The sign read, "Welcome to Sunnydale."

Fade Out.

 

End of Teaser

Act OneStarring:

Elijah Wood as Jeff, Lacey Chabert as Skye, Thora Birch as Tracey, Robert Picardo as Dr. Miller

 Guest starring:

Michelle Rodriguez as Kadin Van Helsing, Harry Groener as Major Richard Wilkins, Larry Bagby as Larry Blaisdell, Elizabeth Anne Allen as Amy Madison,

Sarah Michelle Geller as Buffy Summers, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase and Seth Green as Daniel (Oz) Osborne.

 Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Lobby – Later That Night

Xander watched as Vi walked in with Jeff, who was escorting Dr. Miller. He slowly stood up from the receptionist station and made his way around, moving toward Vi.

"I’d like to talk to you," Xander said to Vi softly.

"Sorry. Now’s not a good time. I’m on duty."

"Well, I’ll stick around until you get off. Just tell me where to meet you."

Vi didn’t answer. She merely motioned Dr. Miller to follow her and began to walk down the hall.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Hallway – Same Time

Xander followed behind her. "Please say something," Xander commented.

"What’s there to say?" Vi asked him.

"‘I’m sorry’ for starters," he replied.

"You want me to apologize for you tying me up and trying to kill me?"

"No," Xander answered quickly. "Me apologizing to you…for tying you up but not trying to kill you. I never intended to hurt you," he added.

"My arm tells a different story," Vi remarked.

"About that," Xander began. "Let me explain." He didn’t finish, though, because Vi held up the hand on her good arm.

"Look, Willow explained it all. It’s cool," she told him.

"Really? So you’re okay with everything?" he asked.

"No," she replied honestly. "I’m not okay. All I’m saying is I understand… sorta. Now if you don’t mind, I do have work to do tonight, Xander."

Without saying more, Vi pushed her way around Xander and continued down the hall with Dr. Miller and the group in tow. With a look of sadness on his face, Xander just stood and watched her leave.

Fade In:Ext.Sunnydale – Deserted City Street – 3:47 a.m.

Faith eased her motorcycle to a stop behind a derelict car on a dark deserted city street. The features of the area were barely recognizable, visible only by intermittent rays of moonlight that poked through the clouds above. She dismounted and stepped onto the curb, squinting as she moved along.

"Oww!" Faith cried as her foot collided with a large piece of debris lying on of the sidewalk. She reached into her jacket and pulled out her Zippo lighter. Wasting no time, she flipped open the lighter and knelt down.

The light revealed a massive chunk of welded metal in the shape of an S. The front surface contained the remains of a destroyed neon light. Faith stood up and lifted the lighter high over her head, illuminating a large marquee with several similar letters that spelled out, "un Cinema."

"What the hell?" Faith whispered as she gazed up at the dilapidated sign. She turned and scanned the street, stopping as she spotted the glow of several pairs of yellow eyes.

Before her stood five vampires interrupted in the act of stalking. Both the slayer and the demons froze. Faith reached her left hand into her jacket pocket and slowly slid out a stake. She dropped the lighter and charged forward.

Faith rushed through the darkness with her stake raised and immediately dusted the closest vampire. Quickly she crouched and swept the legs out from under the second, staking him as he landed on the pavement. The third managed to connect a blow before Faith grabbed him by the shirt and plunged the pointed wood through his heart.

The remaining two vampires stood at a distance, as if unsure about what they had just seen. They hesitated for only a moment before charging. Faith dropped back to dodge the first but could not avoid the second. She fell to the ground pinned bellow the weight of the demon. He held her stake arm down against the street and moved his fangs toward her neck.

"You’re lucky." Faith grunted from below the beast. "If I hadn’t just been struck by lightning, you’d be dead by now." She moved her hand along the pavement until she found her lighter. She flipped it open and held the flame to the vampire’s chest. He retreated back, as his shirt erupted in flames.

Faith rolled to her feet and found herself face to face with the last vampire. He stopped his attack as the flames from the burning demon lit Faith’s face. "YOU!"

For the first time Faith got a good look at the demon’s face. He had bright green hair and several facial piercings.

"I don’t believe we’ve met," Faith replied.

The blazing vampire dropped into a pile of ash, and the street was dark once more. Faith raised her stake, but was blindsided as a ball of red energy flew out of nowhere and struck her in the side. She flew across the street and collided with theater’s front wall, before falling to the ground unconscious.

The vampire looked up and down the road before making a hasty retreat down the street. He rounded a corner and disappeared from sight through a side alley.

Xander raced through the street with a crossbow raised in Faith’s direction. He knelt down next to her and lifted a flashlight to her face.

"BRING THE CHAINS!" he yelled as he steadied the crossbow on her chest.

Willow and Oz approached from the direction the red blast had come.

"She looks pretty beat up," Oz asked as he dropped a set of shackles at Faith’s feet. "Are you sure it’s her?"

Xander pulled down the collar on the right side of Faith’s jacket revealing a tribal tattoo on her upper arm.

"Pretty damn."

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Dr. Miller’s Office – Same Time

Rowena walked inside, and Jeff met her.

"He checks out as human with the spell I did. Plus, he’s got a reflection," he told her. "He says he doesn’t know anything," he added.

Rowena nodded and made her way over, and Dr. Miller stood up to meet her.

"Miss Allister, I’m going to tell you the same thing I told them. I don’t know why Skye registered as human. I’m just as baffled by all of this as you are."

"For everyone’s safety here, Dr. Miller, would you be opposed to spending the night in lock-up until we can put together something to verify what you’ve told us?"

Dr. Miller looked undecided. "Yes," he finally answered, "but I’m telling you: I’ve done nothing wrong."

"Then you have nothing to fear," Rowena told him. "I just need to make sure the Council stays secure. Everyone here has already undergone testing. The Council Coven is working on locating a truth spell – no adverse effects to you – but it will prove that you had nothing to do with Skye’s irregular examination you performed."

"I will," he answered. "Just find something soon."

"We’re working on it as we speak," she told him. "We’ve found some other demon detection spells, but no truth spells as of yet. Once we do, we’ll be asking you a series of questions."

Still looking slightly confused, Dr. Miller nodded.

Vi appeared in the doorway. "Ro? Kadin’s at the front."

"Thank you. I’ll be right there," she told her before turning to Marissa. "Please escort Dr. Miller to lock-up and post a guard there in case he needs anything during the night. He should be treated as a guest and not a captive, understood?"

"Yes, ma’am," she answered as she motioned Dr. Miller to follow her.

"Ready?" Rowena asked Jeff, who then nodded.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Lobby – Moments Later

Rowena and Jeff walked to the door where a slayer stood guard.

"You may come in," Rowena told Kadin. "Follow me," she added.

Once at the large mirror by the entrance, Rowena stopped and saw Kadin’s reflection.

"That checks out," she sighed. "Jeff?" she said, motioning to Kadin with her hands.

"Please put your palms flat," Jeff instructed Kadin.

Kadin looked confused. "What the hell is going on here?" she asked.

"It’s not personal, Kadin." Rowena explained. "We’ve had a spot of trouble here tonight. Ken will fill you in on all of it, I’m sure. Until that time, we need to make sure everyone who enters is human."

Kadin nodded and extended her hands. Jeff put something on her hands and then took them in his, giving a chant under his breath. He opened her hands to look at her palms and then nodded to Rowena.

"She’s clean," he told her.

"Good, good," Rowena answered. "Well, more like, thank god," she sighed.

"Wanna tell me what’s up? And why does Ken need a babysitter? And why couldn’t I call her? And does she even know I’m here? Lots of ‘and’s’ I know."

"First, Kennedy doesn’t know you’re here," Rowena said as she motioned Kadin to follow her upstairs.

Cut to:Int.Watchers Council Hallway – Same Time

"And if I had mentioned it," Rowena went on, "I’m sure she would have brushed it off, but anyway...she and Faith came to blows tonight and, from the looks of her face, Ken took her fair share of them. I don’t want her spending the night alone. She won’t go to the infirmary where they can observe her, so you’ll be doing that job tonight."

"Is she…okay?" Kadin asked.

Rowena tossed her head back and forth. "She’s looked better, but nothing is broken. With slayer healing she should be fine in a few days."

With a look of uncertainty, Kadin nodded. They finished walking the rest of the distance, and Rowena knocked on Kennedy’s door.

"Ken? It’s Ro, I just wanted to check on you. There’s someone here to see you too," she called out.

Kennedy opened her door swiftly. "It better not be Faith because I’m in no mood…" The words died off as she saw the shocked look on Kadin’s face. "Oh great," Kennedy added. "Let her see me at my worst – is that the plan?" she asked Rowena.

"No," Rowena replied. "Since you won’t let us look after you, I thought you might let her. Or more to the point, I’m ordering you to if it comes to that," she added. Kennedy rolled her eyes and Rowena sighed. "But I don’t want to order. I don’t want to threaten. And the truth is: I’m worried about you. So give me one less thing to worry about tonight, and please let Kadin stay with you. Okay?"

Kadin made a here-I-am gesture with her hands, and Kennedy gave the smallest of grins and opened the door wider, letting Kadin inside.

"Thank you," Rowena said to Kennedy before starting on her way down the hall.

Cut to:Int.Kennedy’s Apartment – Same Time

Kennedy closed the door.

"So…" Kadin began nervously. "Faith did all that, huh?" she asked as she pointed to Kennedy’s face.

Kennedy gave a nod. "She probably looks worse though…Okay, I hope she looks worse…Pretty shallow, isn’t it?"

Kadin shrugged. "Just slayer ego…Want me to go kick her ass?" she asked and put her fists up. "Give ‘er a nice, ‘how’d ya do’," she added as she made a jabbing motion.

Kennedy began to grin but then grabbed her lip. "I think Ro made a mistake bringing you."

"You don’t want me here?" Kadin asked, sounding a bit wounded by the comment.

"You make me smile," Kennedy said sincerely. She paused a beat and then added, "and it hurts to smile right now."

"Okay then," Kadin replied. "From here on out, no smiling; no merriment of any kind."

Kennedy began to grin again and instinctively grabbed her lip. "Damn it Kadin," she said as she clutched her lip trying not to smile and laugh at the same time.

Kadin began to grin herself and tried to suppress a chuckle.

"Isn’t it weird that when you know you’re not allowed to laugh that’s when the impulse gets the strongest?"

"You’re not helping," Kennedy said behind her fingers that held her lips from moving.

"How 'bout I just get some ice?" Kadin asked as she already made her way to the kitchen.

"Excellent idea," Kennedy called out.

Cut To:

Int.Sunnydale – Cluttered Garage – The Next Morning

Faith stirred slowly with a groan as the daylight poured through a row of small windows that lined the face of the large garage door across from her. Supported only the chains that locked her arms to the ceiling, she groggily dragged her feet across the floor. She slowly opened and closed her eyes several times attempting to gain focus.

The shackles holding Faith’s wrists clanged loudly, rousing her from her stupor. She looked up at the chains with uncertainty and then peered around the room. She was positioned against the back wall of a large square workshop. Benches with various weapons and tools covered the desks that lined the walls. She reached her arms forward but found she had only six inches leeway in any given direction.

Faith took the chains in her hand and slowly pulled down gauging the strength of the ceiling.

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you," called a voice from a small sunlit doorway on the wall to her left.

Faith looked up to see Xander approaching with a crossbow centered on her heart. He stepped within five feet, then stopped and pointed at the ceiling above the slayer’s head. His face was unshaved and gritty.

"We specially designed that just for you, given your unique abilities." His voice was harsh and bitter. "If you pull too hard, a whole bunch of hurt is going to come right down on your head." He took a walkie-talkie out of his pocket and spoke into it. "She’s awake."

Faith looked up and noticed that the ceiling above her was sunken in, most likely weighted from above. She turned back to Xander. "What the hell is this?"

"It’s a garage," he replied curtly.

Faith took in her surroundings for a moment and then rubbed the back of her head, where a large bump had formed.

"I knew it. You guys were just waiting for the ex-con to screw up," she spat. "So what now? Back to prison?"

"If I had my way, you wouldn’t step out of here alive," Xander replied, closing in. He gripped the crossbow tightly in his right hand. "Prison is too good for you."

"Xander, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Faith said, raising her voice. "Is this supposed to teach me some kind of lesson? You think I wanted to lose Skye or duke it out with Ken?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, but the question went unheard as she rambled.

"That I wanted to leave and end up…" She stopped as an expression of confusion stretched across her face. "What did you just say?" When Xander didn’t repeat the question, Faith added, "Something’s wrong."

"EVERYTHING’S WRONG!" Xander yelled. "You never should have come back here." Xander raised the crossbow to Faith’s eye level.

"Xander," Giles called from the side doorway. Xander held his ground for several seconds before retreating back towards the door, his weapon still fixed on Faith. Giles moved in behind him, followed by Willow and Oz.

Faith looked curiously at their clothing. They all wore tattered shirts and pants that looked as if they hadn't been washed for several weeks. Faith looked toward Giles.

"Giles, what’s going on? This isn’t right. I never thought that you would ever…"

"Enough!" Giles roared. He stepped toward her, passing Xander. "You’re not allowed to speak of me or anything else. To me, you’re nothing. No better than demons we kill."

Faith stared back in awe at his outburst. She leaned back against the wall and surveyed the room. Giles backed off a few paces and allowed Willow to step forward. She held a roll of paper in her right hand and spoke with contempt.

"What are you planning in Sacramento?" Willow asked.

Faith looked up. "Sacramento? What the hell are you talking about?"

Oz eyed Faith curiously and sniffed the air. Willow’s eyes flared black as she said, "Excrucio."

Faith let out a scream of intense pain as red light flared from her eyes. Her knees buckled and she fell, caught only by the chains holding her wrists. She swung idly for several seconds before steadying her feet. She straightened herself and looked up at Willow, pure venom on her face.

Willow moved closer, stepping within several feet of Faith. She raised her voice a little and repeated, "What are you planning in Sacramento?"

Faith eyed her angrily and yelled, "I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!"

"EXCRUCIO! " Willow bellowed again.

Faith screamed and fell once more. She dangled unmoving from her chains.

"Is she out?" Xander asked from the back of the room.

Willow knelt down and looked at Faith’s face. "Yes, looks like it." She stood up and turned to Giles. "When she wakes up, I’ll try not to—"

Before Willow could finish her sentence, Faith ripped her restraints from the ceiling and ducked past the falling debris. She swung the chains around Willow neck and took position in the corner of the room, holding Willow in front of her tightly with the chains.

Xander and Oz surged forward but stopped when Faith strengthened her grip on the chains and Willow gagged.

Faith shouted, "STOP OR SHE’S DEAD." Willow pulled against Faith’s grip, but was unable to loosen it.

"Excr…" Willow began before Faith put a hand over her mouth.

"I think we’ve heard enough from you already, Red," Faith said as Willow struggled.

For several seconds the group seemed in a standoff. Giles, Xander, and Oz all held their positions, while Faith eyed each one in turn as if trying to figure out what they were thinking.

The tension was broken as the large garage door to the workshop opened. Cordelia stepped into the garage and took in the scene. Quickly she drew a Colt 44 from a holster attached to her hip. She looked down at the pile of debris and pointed the gun at Faith, who was still well hidden behind Willow. Cordelia shot a sideward glance to Xander. "I told you that wouldn’t hold her."

"Not really the time, Cordy," Xander replied without looking at her.

Faith eyed Cordelia with an expression of complete bewilderment.

"You’re dead," she muttered.

Cordelia stepped forward, aiming her gun for Faith’s head. "Excuse me? Is that a threat?"

"More like a fact." Faith loosened her grip on Willow slightly. "What year is this?"

"It’ll be your last year unless you let Willow go," Xander said, moving forward.

Faith regained her tight grip on Willow’s throat. Oz stepped forward and put his hand on Xander’s shoulder. "Xander don’t." He looked up at Faith. "It’s 2006. You’re in Sunnydale."

"That’s not possible," Faith said. "Sunnydale is a crater. It imploded when we closed the hellmouth."

"We?" Giles asked skeptically.

Faith turned to him. "All of us. You, me, Buffy…"

"You don’t get to say that name!" Xander bellowed. The room was once again tense.

Oz met Faith’s eye and held the glance for a moment before turning to Cordelia. "Cordelia, lower the gun." Cordelia looked at him uncertainly, but lowered the weapon. He placed his hand on Xander’s wrist. "Xander man, put it away."

"Oz, are you crazy?" Xander exclaimed. "You know who she is."

"I know who you think she is. And it is but…it’s not," Oz replied.

Cordelia rolled her eyes. "In non-geek speak please? What are you saying?"

"Put it down and I’ll explain," he said to Xander, who still held the crossbow firmly. Oz implored, "Trust me."

Xander slowly lowered the weapon to his side but did not set it down.

Oz turned back to Faith.

"We’re not going to shoot, so please…let Willow go." Faith held her ground, glancing at Xander’s crossbow. Oz continued, "I know you don’t belong here. If you let Willow go, we’ll help you get back."

Faith took this in for a moment and then let the chains fall from Willow’s neck. Willow slipped out of Faith’s grip and moved quickly to Oz’s arms. He looked at her and said, "This isn’t—"

"I know," Willow said, cutting him off. She massaged her neck slowly and stared at Faith. After several seconds Willow spoke, "This is my fault." She took a step toward Faith. "Where’s Buffy?"

"She’s in Europe," Faith answered after eyeing Willow for several seconds.

Xander and Cordelia exchanged looks. Giles turned to Willow with an expression of astonishment. "What did you do to her?"

"This isn’t the Faith you think it is," she answered. "We – me and Oz – we did a spell. We were trying to change the past. But something must have gone wrong."

"How?" Giles demanded. "What spell?"

"We called on Eyrishon," the witch said barely loud enough to be heard.

"WILLOW!" Giles bellowed. "You of all people should understand the possible consequences of a spell involving Eyrishon. You could have been killed. Or you could have made our situation here much…"

"Worse?" Willow yelled back. "More so than it is now? Giles, they are planning something out there in Sacramento, and unless we do something now, we will probably never be able to stop it." She pointed to Faith. "This isn’t exactly what I was expecting, but..."

"Excuse me?" Faith said, half annoyed and half offended.

"But what?" Giles countered, ignoring Faith. "We have no idea of her allegiances or history in Sunnydale."

"She let me go," Willow argued. "She could have killed me, but she didn’t."

"Guys?" Faith attempted to interject as she watched the pair.

"She just took you hostage, and you’re using that as an excuse to tell me she’s not crazy?"

"HEY!" Faith said, finally losing her patience. "As fun as it is for me to listen to you to argue about whether or not I’m evil slash crazy, I’d really love an explanation on why I’m chained up in this smelly ass garage in a town that no longer exists."

Giles and Willow exchanged a look. After several seconds Willow spoke. "You’re from another dimension. Oz and I called on Eyrishon to—"

"Actually, before you go any further, could someone take these off?" she said as she held up her still shackled wrists.

Giles reached into his pocket and fished out a key. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "I would prefer not to at the moment."

"Giles," Faith warned, "that wasn’t a request." His stance stiffened. Faith sighed, "Fine. You want proof I’m not going to kill you? Here." Faith reached into the inside pocket of her jacket and retrieved an identification card with a photograph. "There you go," she said as she handed the business card to Giles. "Faith Lehane of the Watchers Council, at your service. I’ve got my Ohio driver license, some credit cards, and about two grand in cash in here too, all of which I’d like to keep thank you very much. "

Giles examined the card. "Executive Director of the Slayer Division? The Watchers Council has never had a slayer division."

"We’re under new management," Faith replied with a hint of sarcasm.

He eyed her skeptically. "And you’re the current slayer."

Faith paused for a moment and then replied, "Yes…since Buffy retired. I command all the slayers."

"What do you mean all the slayers?" Cordelia asked skeptically.

"Well, there’s like thousands of us scattered all over the world. They come to Cleveland to train and then are sent back to their homelands. There’re

currently 22,968 of us that we know about." She looked around to see the confusion on their faces. "Oh…right. Yeah, Buffy had this idea to use the power of some scythe to call all the potential slayers into activation."

"You’re telling me that Buffy called all the slayers?" Willow asked.

"No," Faith answered. "You did. Buffy just had the idea for the spell."

Giles stepped back and rolled his eyes.

"This is ridiculous. Do you honestly expect me to believe this?"

Faith watched him for a moment and then slowly extended the wallet out to him where her photographs were held.

"Here, these might do a better job of convincing you."

Giles sighed before glancing down at the glossy surface of the picture. Once the image registered, he quickly eyed Faith.

"Is this real?"

Faith nodded. "Yes." She paused. "We usually get along pretty well." She allowed him a moment to examine the picture. "The nice looking lady to your right is Rebecca Giles, well, we call her Becca for short."

The watcher carried a look of complete bewilderment as he stared at the photo.

"The baby?" he asked.

Faith suppressed a small smile. "Your daughter, Elizabeth."

As if hit by a ton of bricks, Giles took a step back and leaned against the wall behind him for support. He studied the picture intently and then turned to the next photo.

"What about the boy? Is he my son?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"No." She paused until the Giles looked up from the photo, the disappointment visible on his face. "His name is Norman," she said, understanding that Giles would probably catch the reference.

As expected, comprehension drew across Giles’s face.

"Norman Hansen?" he asked tentatively. Faith nodded. "Your son." Upon hearing this, the others all looked at Faith but said nothing.

"Doesn’t look a thing like me, huh?" Faith remarked as she leaned over to look at the photo and smile. "He’s a good kid. The folks who adopted him did a good job – helluva lot better than I ever woulda done," she added with a slight tone of sadness in her voice.

Giles turned to see another photo of Robin, Faith, Rowena, Willow, Vi, and Xander. "Who are these two?" he asked, pointing to Rowena and Vi.

"The red-head’s Xander’s honey, Vi, and the blonde she’s…Willow’s girlfriend, Rowena Allister. She’s in charge of the Watchers Division since you retired to be with your family," she answered.

"You have a girlfriend?" Xander asked Willow.

Faith grinned at Oz and said, "Every guy’s fantasy might become your reality someday." He gave him a wink.

Willow snatched the photo away from Giles so that she, Oz, and Xander could see it.

"This is impossible," Willow mumbled.

"I have to say this. You’ve both got excellent taste in women," Oz remarked as he looked at the photo and then at Xander and Willow.

Faith didn’t say more. Instead, she held up her shackled wrists once more. Giles walked over and took one last look at the photo before gently handing the wallet back to her. He moved toward Faith, opened the restraints, and pulled them off her arms. Faith rubbed her wrists and turned to Willow.

"Now that my portion of show-and-tell is finished, you guys tell me what I’m doing here."

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard – Seconds Later

Giles led the way through the small side door of the garage. Faith, followed by Willow, Oz and Xander, exited quickly behind him.

"We converted the old garbage dump when the town went under," Willow said with a hint of pride.

Faith paused as she caught her first glimpse of the massive junkyard that stretched before her. The piles of trash had been pushed against the outer edge of the yard to create a wall roughly 20 feet high on all sides, save for a small opening that served as the entrance. To Faith it looked like a veritable fortress of trash.

At the back of the yard stood the garage where Faith had been kept. Along the west wall Faith noticed two converted office buildings. A row of weapons racks stood in front of the right building, giving Faith the impression they used it as a makeshift armory.

Along the east wall stood an old trailer next to which were parked several vehicles in varying states of disassembly. Faith looked on as a man behind a visor cut a piece of metal off an old car frame. Several other workers scurried about conducting varying tasks to other vehicles.

"Who are they?" Faith asked, turning to Willow.

Willow frowned. "The survivors of Sunnydale. When the town went under, we brought everyone back here. This was all supposed to be temporary until we could find some place better, but now it’s home, our best chance at survival."

"Faith?" Giles called from one of the entrances on the left of the converted building. "This way."

Faith took one last look at the workers and then followed Giles and the others into the building.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Hallway Outside Dawn’s Room – 6:00 a.m.

Rowena gently knocked on the door.

Cut To:Int.Dawn’s Room – Same Time

Willow’s eyes opened quickly, and she looked down to see Dawn asleep on her lap as they both occupied the sofa. Willow gently put a throw pillow under Dawn’s head and slid out from under her before going to the door.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Hallway Outside Dawn’s Room – Same Time

Willow opened the door to see Rowena there, and she put a finger over her lips as she moved to go outside, but not before looking over her shoulder to see Dawn still sleeping.

"You didn’t come home last night," Rowena said as Willow slipped out and closed the door behind her. "I fell asleep on the sofa waiting."

"I’m sorry," Willow apologized.

"I’m not complaining," Rowena said quickly. "I was just worried."

"I’m okay," Willow replied.

"Dawn?" Rowena asked.

"Not so okay. She cried most of the night. Actually, she fell asleep on my lap crying. Talk about your déjà vu – felt like junior year all over again. I didn’t want to wake her by moving, so I ended up asleep there too." Willow yawned. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Around 6. Andrew and Tracey think they’ve got a lead on that truth spell, but they’ll need you to check it out when you’re ready."

Willow nodded. "Give me ten minutes?" Rowena nodded. "Hey, any news on Faith?" she asked optimistically.

"None," Rowena said, disappointed. "I had Kadin come stay with Ken last night to keep tabs on her."

"I thought the point was for her to get rest," Willow teased.

"Well, Ken was more in the fighter mode last night than the lover mode, but still I didn’t want her there alone." Willow smiled and Rowena asked, "What?"

"You," Willow continued. "Being Ms. Mother Hen and all organized."

"Yeah, too bad I didn’t do it sooner, eh?"

"Aww," Willow sighed and wrapped her arms around Rowena. She kissed her lightly on the cheek and then spoke gently into her ear. "This isn’t your fault. You hear me," Willow told her. "It could have easily happened to Giles."

"Yeah but it happened on my watch, not his," Rowena answered as she pulled away.

"Rowena, Dawn couldn’t even tell, and she got a lot closer to Skye, if you catch my drift."

"You mean they…after Skye got back?"

"Yep," Willow answered. "And Dawn’s kicking herself for not knowing. I’m not sure what it is about Summers’ women and vampires – I mean Buffy, Joyce, and now Dawn…" A contemplative look came over Rowena’s face as Willow spoke. "What is it?" Willow asked.

"So...she wasn’t cold?" Rowena asked. "Skye, I mean."

"Not that Dawn noticed. Why?"

"Then maybe Dr. Miller is telling the truth," Rowena answered. "Maybe Skye did appear human." Rowena appeared to shake the thought from her mind. "Anyway, can you meet Andrew and Tracey in the library?"

"Sure," Willow replied. "Just let me tell Dawn where I’ll be."

Rowena nodded.

Cut To:Int.Sunnydale – Barracks – Moments Later

Faith sat on the end of a tiny cot in a small barracks room. A series of similar beds lined the side of the back wall. Giles paced the length the room, his hand hovering over his shirt pocket, while Willow and Oz looked through a large volume of text that rested on a desk across from the cots. Xander held position in the far corner of the room, his crossbow still in hand.

"Here it is," Willow said as she crossed the room and dropped the book on Faith’s cot. "Seven years ago Anyanka did this spell and pulled a vampire version of me from another dimension, while trying to get her amulet back."

"I remember that," Faith said. "So you did the same spell?"

"Not exactly," Willow replied. "I had to alter it a tiny bit."

"Alter it?" Faith asked. "How?"

Willow exchanged a look with Oz before explaining. "The original spell requires a representation of whatever you are trying to retrieve."

"What were you trying to retrieve?" Giles asked.

Taking a deep breath, Willow glanced down at the book and quietly muttered, "Faith’s knife."

"My what?" Faith asked immediately.

Willow raised her voice. "Your knife. The one that you used to kill Buffy."

Faith stood up. "Excuse me?"

Xander, now very interested, stepped towards Faith. "You killed Buffy on your rooftop with a knife that the mayor gave you."

"That’s not how it happened," Faith replied defensively. "We did fight on the roof, but I didn’t have the knife. Buffy did. She tried to kill me."

"This is ridiculous!" Xander shouted in frustration. "Why would Buffy try to kill you? She wasn’t the murderer. You were!" He stepped forward and raised his voice. "You killed Buffy, Wesley, and who knows how many others. Why the hell should we believe anything you say?" Xander began to pace. "For all we know, this could be the real Faith, and she’s setting us up. She just had those pictures made and—"

"You’re right, Xander. I am a murderer," Faith responded, getting right up in his face, cutting him off. "You don’t want to believe we’re on the same side? Fine. Whatever. I’ll try not to lose sleep. But believe this." She lifted up her shirt and revealed a large scar, which ran up the middle of her abdomen. "I lost that fight." The room was silent.

Faith lowered her shirt and turned away from Xander. "Now if you don’t mind...enough of this BS and tell me why you wanted the knife?"

Willow hesitated before answering, "We thought that if we took it before you—or the other you—could use it to kill Buffy, then everything would change and she would still be alive."

"But we couldn’t do it," Oz said. "It’s been too long. Neither of us could remember what it looked like well enough to draw it."

"So I changed the spell," Willow continued. "Rather than focusing on the knife itself, we concentrated on a time and place we knew the knife would be."

"The night before Graduation?" Xander asked, joining the conversation, this time in a less threatening way.

"Before that," Willow replied. "A few weeks earlier, the night I was kidnapped. That was the last time either of us had seen it. Well at least until after Buffy was already…"

"…dead." Giles finished for her with a sigh. "I trust I don’t need to remind you of the risks you took in attempting this spell. You should have consulted with me."

"We considered it," Willow answered, avoiding the watcher’s eye. "We thought you would tell us not to do it."

Giles raised his voice, "You’re right, I would have." He paused then said, "At least until we could be sure it could be done correctly."

"Giles?" Willow asked.

"A spell like that would require an incredible amount of magical ability. It would not be possible to account for all the negative variables." Giles took the book from Willow’s hands. "With the resources we possess, we must remain within the confines of the original spell." The watcher paused, "You’ll do it again." He snatched a piece of paper and pencil from the desk and thrust them into Faith’s hands. "Draw it."

"You think I’m going to remember it better than you can?" Faith answered angrily. "It’s been seven years, and the last time I saw it isn’t exactly a night I care to remember." She dropped the pencil and paper on the bed. "And I still don’t understand how this spell has anything to do with me. Sure, it was my knife, but I didn’t even have it that night. I left it in the school cafeteria."

"But don’t you see?" Willow answered. "That’s why you’re the one that was brought here." Faith stared at her blankly. Willow continued, "You’re from a world where Buffy is still alive. We were trying to bring the slayer back; the spell just…sent us the wrong one."

"Okay…" Faith said, looking up. "So how do I get back?"

Willow hesitated, "That’s going to be a problem."

"Why’s that?" the slayer demanded, stepping towards Willow.

Willow flinched but managed to say, "The spell can’t be reversed."

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard – Moments Later

Faith barged through the barracks door and marched into the large junkyard heading towards the exit. She breezed past a group of unrecognizable workers, who sat in a circle whittling stakes, all of whom looked up in fright as she passed them.

"Faith!" Willow called from behind her. "Where are you going?"

"I’m getting the hell out of here!" Faith yelled back.

"You can’t!" Willow shouted, running after her.

"Watch me."

"Where are you going to go?" Willow called. "That’s not your world out there."

Faith stopped and turned to Willow. "So what, now you’re concerned about my well being? A minute ago you seemed pretty content in torturing me for information."

"I don’t know if you’ve noticed but we’re not exactly equipped to face what we’re up against," Willow countered. "We can barely feed and clothe ourselves, let alone fight a war. We need your help."

"You just stranded me here. Why the hell should I help you?" Faith asked, hostility apparent in her voice.

"Because you’re a slayer," Willow answered simply.

"I’m no good to you. I’m no good to anyone anymore," Faith replied angrily. "Now tell me how to get back to town so that I can get my bike and get out of here."

Willow sighed. "That’s going to be difficult."

Cut To:Ext.

Sunnydale – Junkyard Trailer – Moments Later

Faith let out a loud shout of frustration as she stared at the partially disassembled frame of her former Honda Shadow Sabre. Willow stood behind her several steps. Faith rubbed her temples. "This just gets better and better."

"I’m sorry, Faith. We didn’t know who you were when we took it," Willow apologized. "We take apart anything left on the streets. The parts are more valuable since any gasoline we find goes straight to power the generator."

Faith ignored Willow and stepped up to the bike. She peered around the remains and asked, "There was a bag with this. What happened to it?"

"I…I don’t know," Willow answered. "I didn’t bring the bike in."

"Who did?" Faith demanded.

"That would be me," called a grizzly Robin as he removed a welding visor and stepped into view from behind the remains of a large pickup truck. "I don’t believe we’ve met."

Choosing not to answer, Faith instead stared wide-eyed at Robin. After several uncomfortable seconds Willow broke the silence.

"Uh…Robin, we think that this Faith came from another reality."

"I know," he answered, holding the slayer’s gaze. "I just talked to Cordelia. I asked for my Colt back, but she said she wanted to keep it because Giles, and I quote, ‘let the psycho slayer on the loose.’" He looked at Faith, but she didn’t react to the statement. "Come to think of it, she was a little sketchy on the details."

Willow grinned tentatively. "Well, no psychos here." She eyed Faith, who was still staring at Robin. "I hope…"

Robin turned to Willow. "Willow, just so you know...while I was by the garage, I saw Amy messing around with that spell stuff you keep under the workbench."

"Oh…crap. I told her not to…I’ll be back." She moved to leave but stopped. Turning to Robin, she mouthed, "Keep her here."

Robin nodded and directed his attention back to Faith, who was staring at his left leg. "So I guess it’s just you and…Is there something wrong with my leg?"

"What?" Faith asked, coming out of her daze. "I…Sorry."

"Come on," Robin said after a moment. "I’ll take you to your stuff. It’s just inside the trailer."

Cut To:Int.Sunnydale – Junkyard Trailer – Seconds Later

Robin stepped through the doorway of the trailer with Faith on his heels. The interior was a cramped mess of various tools and car parts. Robin moved to a table in the back of the trailer and pulled Faith’s bag out of the mess of clutter. She watched him wordlessly.

"So…" Robin said as he handed her the bag and watched with curiosity as she quickly set it down and began rummaging through it. "…you into boxing?"

Faith looked up with an expression of disbelief. "What?" Robin gestured to her face. Her eyes flashed with understanding before she turned back to her attention back to her search. "I got into a fight with Kennedy."

"The president?" Robin asked, his lips curled in a slight smile.

"No, not the president," Faith replied as she emptied the contents of the bag onto the floor, pushing aside clothing in haste. "Where is it?" she called out in frustration. She looked up at Robin, "What did you do with the envelope?"

"What do you think?" he replied coolly. "That was close to ten thousand dollars. You think we’re going to leave that in your bag just in case you want it back?"

Faith jumped up and pushed Robin into the side of the trailer, restraining him with one arm. "I do want it back, so tell me who you gave it to." Robin made no effort to escape her grasp and instead stared directly into the slayer’s eyes. "GOD DAMMIT ROBIN!" She raised her other arm as if to strike him. "TELL ME!"

Robin didn’t flinch. He held her stare for several seconds and then calmly replied, "No."

As Faith looked into his eyes, a pained expression crept across her face. She blinked and released Robin. He watched as she kicked the workbench in frustration, breaking a door in the process.

After several seconds Faith knelt down and replaced all her possessions into the bag.

Robin stepped forward tentatively. "You don’t have to leave, Faith."

Faith zipped the bag and stood up. Without wasting any more time, she swung the bag over her shoulder and moved towards the door.

"Hey, wait a minute," Robin called following after her.

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard Trailer – Seconds Later

Faith rushed past the remains of her motorcycle and headed towards the exit of the junkyard. Robin exited the trailer, chasing after her. "Faith, you can’t leave. We need you."

"You know what, Robin? I’m pretty sure you don’t get to decide what I do right now," Faith said as she walked on. "Because of Willow, I may never get back home, so excuse me if I’m not going out of my way to help with your problem."

"What do you care about getting home?" Robin shouted after her as he sprinted to catch up. "You were running, weren’t you?" Faith stopped and spun around. "That’s what the money was for. Who were you running from, Faith?" She did not respond. "What could have been so bad about your world that it had the Executive Director of the Slayer Division running for the hills?"

Faith took a deep breath. "That’s a pretty elaborate question for someone who’s ‘sketchy’ on the details."

"So I lied," Robin replied. "But then so did you. Why were you running?"

"That’s none of your business," she said as she resumed walking.

Robin kept pace. "You’re the slayer. If you run, there’s no one left. Not in our world or yours."

"Trust me: you’re all better off without me." Faith shook her head. "And besides, you don’t know anything about it."

"Maybe you’re right," he replied, "but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s your duty to—"

"Don’t talk to me about duty," Faith countered. "This isn’t something I signed up for. You think this job is easy. It’s so…pointless. No matter how much good you do, it never makes up for the mistakes. It’s never enough."

Robin shook his head. "If that’s what you think, then they’ve already won."

"Well, maybe I don’t want to play anymore. This isn’t a game, Robin. People die. Friends die." She gripped the strap of her bag and sped up her pace. "I’ve had enough of it."

"So...you can stop caring, just like that?" he countered.

When she didn’t respond, Robin reached out and grabbed her arm. Faith turned and quickly pulled out of his grip.

He sighed. "I may not be able to stop you, but please just listen. We need you. You’re our best shot at survival."

"It’s not my problem," she said curtly.

"You’re the slayer, Faith. No matter what dimension you’re in," he responded. "It’s definitely your problem."

"I’m sorry," she answered. "I can’t help you." With that, she turned and continued towards the exit.

"At least let me explain what we’re fighting!" he shouted desperately. Faith continued without looking back.

Cut To:Ext.Watchers Council – Meeting Room – Same Time

"So what are we fighting?" Rowena asked the coven members gathered around the table.

"Usually when it walks like a duck, as the old saying goes, it’s a duck…" Jeff began. "Only this time, it’s not a duck."

"Meaning?" Rowena asked.

"Dr. Miller checked out, thanks to the spell that Andrew and Tracey found," he said, giving them a nod. "He’s not lying about Skye’s vitals. And we’ve got about 10 witnesses who watched Skye vamp out in the lobby. Truth is, I don’t know what it means."

"Thank you, by the way," Rowena added to Andrew and Tracey before turning back to Jeff. "So no leads, no hunches?" Everyone looked around at each other, unsure of what to say. "Give me something guys," Rowena implored.

"I’m thinking glamour," Willow said.

"Okay, but who the hell would have that kind of power to perform that type of magic, and why don’t we know about them?" Rowena asked.

"Interesting choice of words," Willow replied. "I don’t think this is a magic that’s readily found in Cleveland or in our particular coven."

"You think it’s dark magic," Rowena said, more of a statement than a question.

"I’m willing to give odds that yes that’s true…to a point."

"Except?" Rowena asked.

"Except dark is too light a word. I think we’re talking black as midnight, well more like 3 a.m., magic – magic from Hell itself. It wasn’t even…Let’s say it’s something so dark that I don’t ever remember reading it, or, absorbing it, as the case may be."

"So Skye had a glamour that can’t be found at the coven here. Is that correct?"

"It appear so, yes," Willow asked.

Rowena nodded. "Call Al. Ask her if—"

"Already got a call in," Willow answered. "When she calls back, I’ll have her research it in Devon. They have extensive collections on black magic there."

Rowena nodded. "Okay, well if everyone would excuse us, I’d like a private word with Miss Rosenberg."

"Uh oh," Andrew said in a normal tone before lowering his voice to Tracey. "Why do I feel trouble in paradise coming on?"

After everyone filed from the room, Willow turned to Rowena.

"Miss Rosenberg?" she asked. "Oh god, what did I do?"

Rowena closed her eyes briefly. "Nothing," she answered. "I’m just trying to maintain some sense of…I don’t know. Everything is so screwed up right now, Will, just…I’m trying to maintain the working relationship here, and what I’m about to ask…"

"Ask me what, Rowe— Miss Allister?"

Rowena held up her hands. "Okay, let’s drop the sirnames. I only did it for their benefit. Look…I think we should have the same texts here that Althenea has in Devon. And I know, you have a history with dark and black magic, but it’s vital to the coven here. As high priestess, you must understand how important it is that we have all the knowledge we can on everything magical. If the end of the world comes, I don’t want to be on hold with Al, waiting on answers. That’s all. There. I said it." Rowena looked nervously over to Willow, waiting for a response.

"You think I can’t handle it?"

"No, I believe you can," Rowena replied honestly. "I just don’t know if YOU think you can handle it. It means we’d have a lot of dangerous stuff here, so…what do you say?"

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard Entrance – Same Time

Faith stepped up to the entrance of the junkyard and came face to face with two guards in tattered clothing. They stood in front of a large metal gate that blocked the entrance; each had a sword in hand. Faith eyed them and said, "Step aside."

The guards shifted nervously in place, but held their ground. Faith, now short on patience, sighed and said, "Move or I’ll move you."

"We can’t," the taller of the two replied. "We’ve got orders to keep you here."

"Whose orders?" she demanded. Neither guard chose to answer. "This is ridiculous," Faith said.

Quickly she grabbed the arm of the taller guard and bent it sideways forcing him to drop the sword. She kicked the second in the hand as he raised his weapon, knocking it to the ground. Having disarmed them both, Faith brushed past the two guards and kicked the gate open.

"Freeze," Xander said from behind her. Faith turned to see him steadying a crossbow on her. "I’m not going to let you leave this camp."

Faith dropped her bag to the ground.

"You gonna shoot me, Xander?" She spread out her arms. "Go right ahead. Because that’s the only way you’re gonna stop me."

"I’m not kidding, Faith," Xander warned. "I’m not going to let you leave here and cause any more problems. I have no problem killing you."

Faith eyed him curiously, then reached down and picked up her bag. She turned away from Xander and began walking.

"Faith!" Xander yelled. "Come back." He steadied the crossbow as she kept walking. "Last chance," he called calmly.

Faith ignored him, continuing on her way. Xander gripped the side of his weapon and pulled the trigger. The arrow sprang from the bow and zipped through the air towards Faith’s back.

A split second before contact, Faith spun around and caught the arrow. She examined the projectile, and then snapped it in two, dropping the pieces to the dirt.

"Next time borrow Robin’s Colt. Bullets are much harder to catch." She continued on her way.

Xander took a few steps forward. "I knew you hadn’t changed. You’re walking right back to the other side." Faith’s expression tightened as she walked. Xander continued, "There’s no coming back this time, Faith. I’ll kill you before I let you hurt anyone else." He stepped back into the junkyard, but stopped and called after her. "You’re beyond redemption. You deserve everything you get."

Without hesitation Faith continued walking as the late morning sun shined on her back.

Fade Out.

End of Act One

Act TwoFade In:Ext.Sunnydale – Main Street – 3:15 p.m.

Faith slowly paced the desolate street, taking in every detail of her dilapidated surroundings. Graffiti coated the faces of most of the buildings, and not one window or door had been left intact.

To Faith it looked like a ghost town, or something out of a 1950’s B movie about an alien invasion. A sudden noise from behind her broke the eerie silence that filled the street. She instantly moved off the road and down a side alley. She watched intently as two men, both in their late twenties, entered the street. As they moved closer to her position, Faith backed down the alley, stopping at a fire escape ladder.

She gently stepped on the lowest rung and pushed down with her foot, checking its stability. Convinced of its safety, Faith moved up the ladder as quietly as possible, reaching the top just as the two men entered the alley.

For several seconds Faith watched from above as they swept both ends of the alley. She backed away from the edge and quickly moved across the roof.

Cut To:Int.Sunnydale – Destroyed Apartment – Fifteen Minutes Later

Faith moved through the wreckage of her former apartment. All valuables and furniture had long since been stolen, leaving an empty room of broken glass, dust, and cobwebs. She stepped to the large semi-circular window that

overlooked the small roof of the adjacent Sun Cinema. The slayer paused for a moment and then stepped through the window, landing carefully on the roof below.

Her eyes immediately darted to the ledge that looked out over the street. She approached the spot and cautiously glanced over the side. A shudder coursed through her body, and she quickly retreated back into the middle of the roof, tripping over a stray piece of concrete in the process. Faith landed hard on her back, smacking her head on the hard concrete of the roof. She rubbed the back of her head and groaned in pain.

Slowly Faith rolled forward into a sitting position. She glanced up at the ledge one more time and whispered, "Quite a ride."

Cut To:Int.Dr. Wagner’s Office – Same Time

The door of Dr. Wagner’s office burst open forcefully, and she looked up to see five members of the Council’s black ops unit rush inside, guns pointed.

Behind them came Rowena, who walked straight up to Wagner’s desk.

"We need to talk," the watcher said calmly.

"And how is Skye doing this days? Dusty, I assume?" she replied with a grin.

Rowena picked up a paperweight on the edge of the desk and hurled it at Wagner with all her strength. The projectile moved toward Wagner’s head, but she held up a hand, making it stop in mid-air before it fell on her desk. Wagner grabbed Rowena by the lapel of her jacket and pulled her across the desk in one single heave to hold her directly in front of her.

The black ops steadied their weapons sights as Rowena’s eyes went wide.

"Listen little girl," Wagner threatened Rowena. "You are inconsequential, but even I have rules I have to follow. So I’m going to let you leave here with your life." With that, Wagner punched Rowena in the stomach, making her hunch over. In the process, Wagner’s head was exposed.

Marissa fired a single shot that connected with Wagner’s forehead. The doctor’s head shot back as a result, but she quickly raised it to face the black ops squad. Without warning, the hole in her head seemed to reseal itself. Still holding onto Rowena, she raised the watcher back up to face her.

"Tell them to quit shooting me. It’s only annoying," Wagner said as she picked Rowena up and tossed her back over the desk to end up at Marissa’s feet.

Slowly Rowena got to her feet, still holding her stomach. "What the hell are you?" she asked.

"More fury than you can possibly imagine. Now leave here if you want to continue to live…a while longer anyway."

Marissa motioned the troops back out the door and tried to collect Rowena, who tugged away from the hold the slayer had on her jacket.

"This isn’t over," Rowena told Wagner.

"You’re right," she answered as she took her seat again. "But I’ll be the one to finish it – and on my terms, not yours."

"Let it go," Marissa whispered to Rowena.

Frustrated, the watcher turned and left. Only then did Marissa follow, keeping an eye on Wagner the entire time.

Once the room was vacant, Wagner sighed and went back to her paperwork nonchalantly.

Cut To:Int.Sunnydale – Barracks – 7:00 p.m.

Robin stepped into the crowded barracks room with a sigh.

"Larry’s last group just got back. None of the patrols in town saw her. But if she doesn’t want to be found, I doubt she will be." He stepped forward, joining the circle where Giles, Willow, Oz, Xander, and Cordelia were already standing.

"We can’t worry about her now," Giles said. "We need to be thinking about mounting an offensive."

"I don’t see how that will be possible," Xander added. "We don’t have the forces, let alone the weapons. If we go in now, without any idea of what we’re facing, that could be it."

"There has to be something we’re not considering," Robin contributed. "Willow, you said in Faith’s reality Buffy was still alive. That would mean that they must have found a way to kill the mayor. Did she say anything about that?"

"We never got that far," Willow said with a frown. "I’d guess they found a way to stop the ascension. How else could they have killed him?"

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard Entrance – Same Time

"It’s not going to close, Jim," the shorter guard said to the taller, as they pulled the bent frame of the junkyard’s front gate together. "She kicked it too hard."

Jim let go of the gate. "Maybe we can weld it until we can find a better fix. I’ll going to the auto trailer. Here, give me a hand so we can finish before chow." He turned to walk away but stopped when his comrade did not follow. "Pete?" Jim called behind him.

Jim turned to see Pete staring in horror through the opening of the gate. He stepped forward, concern in his voice, "Pete?" He reached the gate and stopped. Before him stood roughly thirty vampires. "Sound the alarm!"

Pete didn’t move. Jim grabbed his arm and yelled again. "PETE! THE ALARM!"

Pete shook off his confusion and nodded before sprinting off towards the barracks. Jim grabbed the sword that leaned against the gate and quickly used it to wedge the two pieces of the frame together. He finished just as the vampires reached the gate.

Pete fell backwards onto the ground as the gang of vampires pushed against the barrier. He watched with terror as the demons moved forward with great force, causing the makeshift lock to bend with strain.

Cut To:Int.Sunnydale – Barracks – Same Time

"Okay, so we leave the state," Cordelia suggested, "Abandon the hellmouth and go convince someone of what’s going on here. We can go to England and talk to the Council. They have to accept some responsibility here."

"We’ve been over this, Cordy." Xander sighed. "They won’t help."

"They haven’t contacted me in several months. They believe that my claims about the situation are…exaggerated," Giles replied bitterly. "We’re on our own in that respect."

"Well what if we—" Oz’s words were cut off when a loud bell sounded just outside the barracks.

"Go!" Giles yelled as they all raced for the door.

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard – Seconds Later

Robin reached the large bell outside the barracks where Pete now stood. "What is it?"

"Vampires," Pete panted. "A lot of them. They’re at the gate."

"Go rally the others," Robin said. "And make sure everyone has a weapon." Pete nodded and ran to the armory.

Giles approached from behind Robin. "What is it?" he asked.

Robin frowned as he looked at the front gate. "Vampires…and we’re outnumbered."

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard Entrance – Same Time

Xander reached the front gate and helped Jim to his feet.

"Get a weapon," he commanded, pushing the guard away from the entrance.

Willow, Oz, Cordelia, and several others who had arrived from the yard took up position behind Xander. They all took several steps back as the vampires further bent the gate’s frame.

"Any ideas?" Xander asked.

The gate fell forward before anyone had time to answer, sending Jim’s sword flying to the ground. The vampires rushed through the entrance, heading straight for the group of humans.

Xander immediately dropped to his knees and ducked the outstretched arms of the lead vampire. He thrust a stake into the demon’s chest, dusting him instantly. Reaching to the ground, he picked up Jim’s lost sword and used it to quickly decapitate a second vampire.

Behind him a vampire charged at Willow, who shouted, "Extermino! " The attacker burst into flames and disintegrated into a pile of ash. With little time to celebrate, Willow lunged forward as a second demon advanced. She raised her stake, but the vampire wisely grabbed her wrist and applied enough force to cause her to drop the stake. He reached down with his other hand and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground.

Willow pulled against his grasp with all her might. She managed to loosen his hold just enough to allow her to squeak out, "Lucidus." A blinding flash of light shot from her eyes, distracting the vampire enough for her to slip from his grip. She used the opportunity to retrieve her fallen stake from the ground and quickly shoved the sharpened wood into his chest. He dusted in front of her as she clutched her throat coughing.

Several feet away, Oz and Robin, each with a stake in hand, stood back to back as four demons circled around them. "High low?" Oz suggested.

"Do it," Robin answered without looked back to Oz. "Go."

Simultaneously Robin and Oz went into action. Robin raised his right leg and connected a wheel kick to the head of the vampire directly in front of him. He continued in a circle kicking each vampire similarly in the face.

At the same time Oz ducked low using his feet to sweep out the legs of the vampires in the same order that Robin had kicked them. Within seconds all four vampires were on their backs. After staking the demons, Robin smiled. "I can’t believe that worked."

The smile soon fell from his face as he looked into the fray. While they had taken out a large number of vampires, there were still more pouring in through the gate. Robin watched as Giles staked a vampire only to

immediately face another. He saw Xander taking a beating from two vampires at once. And he cringed as he viewed several fellow fighters lying on the ground, either unconscious or worse.

Robin moved to help Xander but stopped as he saw Cordelia in mid-battle with a large male vampire near the front gate. She kicked the demon in the groin and managed to stake him before another grabbed her from behind.

"NO!" Robin yelled as the vampire sunk his teeth into her neck.

Robin ran through the chaotic battle towards Cordelia. He managed to get within five feet before he was blindsided by one of the many vampires who were clustered around the gate. The demon shoved Robin to the ground and bared his teeth menacingly. Robin jumped to his feet and tackled the demon. He punched him several times in the face before looking back to see the vampire attacking Cordelia turn to dust.

Faith reached through the ash and caught Cordelia, who now barely clung to consciousness. Robin staked the demon beneath him and sprinted to Cordelia. He knelt down next to her, examining her wound.

Faith pulled the Colt 44 from Cordelia’s hip holster and looked to Robin.

"Get her out of here!" she ordered.

She stood up and took a few seconds to survey the fray before she raised the gun on a group of five vampires who were closing in on Xander. She took aim and emptied the clip into the group, hitting two attackers in the back and the other three in the chest.

The vampires quickly turned on her. Xander glanced up to Faith, and then using his sword, he dispatched one of the invaders. Faith dropped the gun and with blinding speed staked three of the remaining four. Xander decapitated the last and shot one last look at Faith before returning to the fray.

Faith followed him, taking out another two vampires who had been closing in behind Willow.

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Darkened Hill – Same Time

A stone-faced Faith stood in shadow across from the junkyard, watching as a moon-lit battle raged on before her. Deep bags hung below her eyes, giving her an almost demonic presence. She looked on as an alternate version of herself single-handedly battled four vampires.

"See? I told you," said a male voice to her right. "She looks just like you. And she’s strong too."

The dark slayer turned to see a bright-green haired vampire standing next to her. She turned back to the battle.

"You’re right. And here I thought you were lying." She reached into her black denim jacket. "I guess I owe you an apology." With a quick motion she swung a stake into his chest.

As he dusted, she turned her attention back to the fight where the tide of the battle was turning. Across the street the humans now had the upper hand and were staking the vampires with deadly efficiency. Soon all but three aggressors remained.

Faith backed further into the shadows and disappeared from sight.

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard Entrance – Same Time

Back in the junkyard, Faith turned as a female vampire rushed at the gate. She rotated the stake in her hand and flung it towards the demon, striking her in the back. The vampire fell into a pile of dust several feet from the junkyard entrance. Faith surveyed the area.

"I think that’s all of them."

"I thought you weren’t coming back," Xander said as he checked the pulse of an unconscious girl.

Faith hesitated and then shrugged. "I’m not a big fan of massacres."

"That’s not the way I heard it," Xander spat as he lifted the girl into his arms. He turned to move, paused, and then faced Faith. "For what it’s worth, thank

you. You made the right choice." Without another word, he walked off towards the barracks.

Faith watched Xander leave as Giles approached her from behind.

"I hope this means you’re here to stay," the former watcher said as he held a cloth to a gash on his forehead. "After this attack we need you more now than ever. It won’t be long before another larger wave of vampires arrives here."

"I don’t know," Faith answered after several seconds. "But I’m willing to hear you out."

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Meeting Room – Same Time

Rowena stormed inside the room to find Willow and Robin looking at a host of books that surrounded them. She ripped the jacket from her body and threw it across the room.

"Sweetie?" Willow said as Rowena raced over to the table where the coffee and other beverages sat.

The watcher cleared the table in one swipe before picking it up and letting out a frustrated scream before dropping it again.

Willow looked to Robin, who was already looking back at her, both of them unsure of what to say.

"Rowena, what’s wrong?" Willow tried again.

Rowena stood still, her palms flat against the now vacant table.

"Load me up," was all she said.

Willow tentatively began to walk over. "Load you up?"

"Whatever magicks you’ve got or can find," Rowena said without looking over. "I’m gonna meet that bitch again, and I’m gonna show her who’s inconsequential. And I’m gonna put my foot so far up her ass she’s gonna have to push my shoe down just so she can friggin’ eat!"

"I’m assuming we’re talking about Dr. Wagner?" Willow asked. Rowena just nodded. "So this is a bad time to ask how the meeting went, I take it?"

Rowena turned her angry eyes toward Willow, but upon seeing the uncertainty and fear on Willows’ face, Rowena’s expression softened.

"I’ll give you guys a few moments," Robin said as he got up from the table. "Call me at my place when you’re ready."

"Wait," Rowena called out, still trying to compose herself. "Have you heard anything yet from—?"

"Not yet," he answered. "I’m still trying." With that, he left the room.

Rowena closed her eyes and took a calming breath before blowing it out slowly. She began to speak but still didn’t open her eyes.

"I was crazy to take this job. Maybe she’s right. Maybe I am inconsequential to all of this." Rowena gave a melancholy chuckle as she looked at Willow. "I wonder if it’s too late to hitch a ride with Faith."

"Don’t say that," Willow began. "I know this job means everything to you, and you are not inconsequential. You’re tired a-and you’re frustrated a-and things will get better. They will."

Willow closed the distance between them, and she pulled Rowena into her arms. The watcher nuzzled into Willow’s neck and wrapped her arms around her. Soon, Rowena’s lips began to seek out the witch’s flesh and to nibble on her neck and her earlobe.

"Ro?" Willow asked, pulling back slightly to try to see the watchers’ face.

Rowena’s lips met Willow’s in a passionate kiss as her hands began to cup Willow’s backside. As the kisses continued, Rowena maneuvered Willow to sit on the top of the empty table. She broke away long enough to start to undo the buttons on Willow’s shirt.

Gently, Willow took Rowena’s hands in hers.

"What are you doing?" Willow asked, concerned.

"I need to forget everything, just for a little while," was all Rowena said as she rested her forehead on Willow’s.

Willow took a steadying breath before she reached over and

grabbed Rowena’s coat. She smiled as she tossed it over the video camera in the corner.

"Go lock the door," Willow replied.

Rowena smiled before giving her another passionate kiss.

Cut To:Int.Sunnydale – Junkyard Trailer – Moments later

Giles closed the door of the trailer as Faith leaned against a small cluttered workbench. He moved to a table opposite Faith and began to speak.

"Based on the pictures you gave me, I’m forced to assume that this world is far different from your own."

"Yes," Faith answered quickly.

"Then I’ll begin where our timelines coincide," Giles continued as he lit a candle and placed it down on the table in front of him. "You came to Sunnydale in the fall of 1998 after the slayer Kendra was killed. In April of 1999 we discovered that you were working with Mayor Wilkins in his quest for ascension. On May 19th you faced Buffy on the roof of your apartment building. Is all of that correct?"

"Yes."

"Then from this point our worlds differ. On…the night in question, this world’s version of you killed Buffy. The following day the mayor ascended as the demon Olvikan."

"Wait," Faith interrupted, stepping away from the workbench. "Is Richard Wilkins still alive?"

"Yes," Giles answered as a look of concern crept along his face. "Within hours he destroyed Sunnydale and then moved down the state. He’s currently in hiding in Sacramento with…you."

Faith took a moment to absorb this information. "What about the military? They have helicopters with guns…and…and nuclear missiles. They wouldn’t just let a giant snake destroy towns along the California coast."

Giles took a deep breath. "We believe that at present we are the only ones who know of his ascension. All damage to the town was attributed to a

sudden flood of vampires. The outside world believes there’s been some type of nuclear disaster here – it keeps the general public away."

Faith leaned back against the workbench as Giles went on. "The military was only briefly involved after the mayor’s vampires discovered an army research facility below the UC Sunnydale campus. The leader of the facility was found to be conducting experiments on demon prisoners. The military believed this to be the explanation for the sudden vampire activity. They closed down all operations and left Sunnydale for dead."

Faith placed her hands to her temples and closed her eyes. "Talk about your what-ifs," she said to herself. She took a moment and then asked, "You said he’s in Sacramento. Why?"

Giles crossed his arms. "We don’t know. I was hoping you would be able to provide some insight."

"He never told me all his plans," Faith said simply. "All I knew was what was supposed to go down on graduation day."

"What did happen? In your timeline, that is?"

"I never did get all the details. I didn’t want to know, to tell you the truth," Faith replied. Giles looked on intently and she continued, "I was unconscious at the time…but…I do know that whatever Buffy did, it involved blowing up the high school. Wilkins was inside at the time."

Giles mulled this over for a moment.

"What about strategy? Based on your prior relationship, what can you tell me about the mayor’s tendencies? Does he have any discernable weaknesses? And if so, how can they be exploited?"

Faith stood up once more. "Whoa, hold on there, G. It’s been a long time. I need…just give me some time to think about all this." She moved to the door. "I’ll get back to you."

"Faith," Giles called as she reached the door. "I trust I don’t have to remind you that time is of the essence."

She nodded and walked out the door.

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard Entrance – Moments Later

The junkyard that only minutes earlier was the sight of a large battle was now serenely quiet. Faith walked to the entrance and retrieved her bag from where she had dropped it next to the dilapidated front gate. She quickly pulled out her open pack of Parliaments and lit a cigarette.

Faith sat down, leaning her back against the gate, and looked up to the sky. She took a long drag of the cigarette and closed her eyes.

Voiceover, Mayor Wilkins: "Faith? What are you doing here? I thought you’d be home by now…"

Cut To:Flashback – Sunnydale – Mayor Wilkins’ Office – April 1999

Faith stood in the doorway of Mayor Wilkins’ office. She smiled cautiously and stepped forward. "Yeah I was just on my way out…"

"…but?" He asked, leaning forward in his chair. Then he stood up. "Here, have a seat." He walked over and guided the slayer into a large comfortable chair opposite his desk. He stood beside her chair giving her a look of full and undivided attention. "Are you having trouble with the assignment I gave you? I know it may seem dull, but it’s crucial to my plans after the ascension."

"No, that’s fine. I’m almost done actually," she responded uncomfortably. "I…I’m a little unsure about the plan. You said you were going to turn into this badass demon…"

"Language, Faith," he scolded.

"Sorry," she replied nervously. "So you turn into this demon thing and then what? I mean, what good is being a demon…" She paused. "How can we…what will you do?"

The mayor chuckled. "There is nothing to worry about, Faith. I’ve had a hundred years to think of plenty of useful things to do once I’ve ascended."

"But what about plans? I mean, what happens after graduation, after..."

He cut her off once more. "I will let you know in time. Right now, I just want to concentrate on the ascension. But trust me, there’s nothing to worry about…"

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard Gate – Resume

Voiceover, Mayor Wilkins: "I’ve taken care of everything."

Faith snuffed out the remainder of her cigarette and opened her bag once more. After several seconds she retrieved her cell phone from the bottom of the bag and turned it on. The phone quickly beeped twice and displayed the message, "New Voicemail."

Faith stared at the screen for several seconds before pressing the call button and placing the phone to her ear. The phone rang three times before the operator’s voice connected, "The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and dial again."

Faith dropped the phone into her bag and put her hands to her head with a deep sigh.

Cut To:Int.Sunnydale – Barracks – The Next Morning

Faith stood in the doorway on the crowded barracks room. A majority of the cots were now occupied by those injured during the fight. She scanned the room before spotting Robin, who was sitting in a small folding chair in the corner of the room next to one of the injured.

Faith’s face fell as she saw him lean forward and kiss the injured girl’s forehead. He then sat back and placed his hand on hers. Faith squinted and soon realized that the hand belonged to Cordelia. She glanced between the two several times, pain visible on her face.

"Faith?" Willow called from behind her. "Are you okay?"

The slayer turned quickly. "I…yeah, I’m fine."

Willow stepped forward and glanced in the direction Faith had been looking. She spotted Cordelia and spoke. "Don’t worry, she’s going to be fine, thanks to you."

Faith looked back at Robin. "How long have they been together?"

"Robin and Cordy?" Willow scratched her head, "Um, I think almost three years now." Willow, sensing the awkwardness of the conversation, said, "If

you’re looking for Giles, I saw him heading for the garage. He asked me to tell everyone to meet him there in ten minutes."

"Okay, thanks," Faith said as she took one last look at Robin and Cordelia before turning to leave.

Cut To:Int.Sunnydale – Garage – 10 Minutes Later

Giles looked up as Willow, Oz, and Robin entered the garage. Robin closed the door, and the trio moved towards a table in the center of the room where Giles was unrolling a large sheet of paper. Xander stood next to him on the left, and Faith leaned against the back wall seemingly lost in thought.

"These are the construction blueprints for the mansion in Sacramento," Giles began. "I secured them early this morning."

"Are you sure these are authentic?" Xander questioned.

"My contact took great personal risk to bring us this information. I’m sure it’s accurate," Giles replied.

"Besides," Willow added, "this is our only shot. It has to be right."

Giles nodded and continued. "I’ve studied the plans extensively, and I believe that the mansion is accessible to a small team. While the grounds are surrounded by a ten-foot wall, the perimeter is patrolled only once every hour, or so I’m told." He traced the outline with his finger. "The only overt access appears to be the front gate, and that will be too well guarded. There is, however, a gap in the camera network near the back of the estate, where we should be able to get a team over the wall without being discovered." He paused and pointed to the exact location on the blueprints. "Now, Faith has informed me that in her timeline the mayor was killed in an explosion. I propose something similar."

"How large of an explosion are we talking?" Xander interrupted.

"Large enough to destroy the building," the watcher replied simply. "Do we have enough materials?"

"I think so." Xander nodded. "I’ll get a team on gathering supplies. I’m sure I can cook something up, but we’re going to have to get the stuff inside if we want to blow the whole thing."

"I think Amy and I may be able to enhance the explosion," Willow added. "Maybe even find a way to trigger it magically."

Giles nodded his approval.

"Okay, say we get over the wall, how do we get inside the building?" Oz asked, looking at the plans. "It looks like they have cameras at every entrance."

"This is where it gets complicated," Giles answered. "We need to find a way to disable the security first so that our team can get in."

"That’s simple," Robin answered, looking over to Faith. "We have the ultimate double agent. Faith should be able to walk right into the place from the front gate. She gets in, makes her way to the security room… here." He pointed to a spot on the map. "And messes with their system. By the time they realize we’re in, we should be in place to plant the explosives."

"I concur," Giles said, nodding at Robin. "Xander, start gathering what materials you need. Robin, put together a team for infiltration. And Willow, talk to Amy and see what you can do. Oz, you’re on weapons. The team will need to be well armed in case they’re discovered." He looked up from the plans. "Let’s get to work."

The group stepped back from the table and made for the door. Xander had stepped halfway out when Faith called from behind them at her place against the wall.

"It’s not going to work."

Xander stopped, causing a bottleneck at the door. "What?"

Faith looked up. "The plan isn’t going to work."

"Why not?" Willow asked skeptically.

"Because..." Faith continued, stepping forward, "...(A) It took you all of five minutes to think of it. (B) Those blueprints you got were planted. And (C) they know I’m here." The group stared at her blankly, and she went on. "They only sent about thirty vampires."

"That was plenty," Xander countered. "We barely fought them all off."

"And yet you’re all still alive. If the mayor wanted you dead, he would have sent a hundred vampires to make sure the job got done. I know because

that’s what I would have done," Faith replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But how can you be sure the mayor knows you’re here?" Oz asked.

"Because I was recognized right after I got here," she replied, getting frustrated. "Just before Willow introduced my face to that wall, I was fighting a group of vampires. In the middle of the battle, one of them stopped when he realized who I was. You attacked me, and I never got a chance to stake him. Then, not a day later, thirty vampires show up on your doorstep. You can’t tell me that’s a coincidence."

No one answered, so Faith went on. "My guess is that the vamp got back to Wilkins. Then he sent his troops to see if it was true. Enough to look like he was attacking for real, but not enough to take down a slayer. None of them made it back, so he’s got his answer. And even if some of them did, I’m sure he sent, well, me to observer what happened."

"But how do you know the plans are a fake?" Oz asked.

She walked over to the table where Giles had laid out the plans and examined them.

"Back when I was still working with Wilkins, he asked me to design a security system. Not the technical stuff, of course, but just a general layout. And this is nothing like my design. My gym locker has more security than this place." She examined the plans. "No, these were made to get me inside there and nothing more."

"You designed a security system for the mayor?!" Giles fumed. "When I asked you last night if you knew of his plans, you said you didn’t."

"I don’t know what he’s planning," she responded calmly. "And you never said anything about a mansion. You only said he was in Sacramento. That could have meant the sewers for all I knew."

"But why?" Giles asked, his tone a bit calmer. "Why make the fake plans? Why go to all that trouble?"

Faith looked up at the watcher. They locked eyes, and she said, "If you suddenly found out that another Buffy was captured by the enemy, what would you do? You’d be pretty damn curious, wouldn’t you?"

"So then what do we do?" Robin asked from the far side of the room. "How do we get in?"

Faith glanced back down at the plans. "I walk right in the front door."

Fade Out.

End of Act Two

Act ThreeFade In:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard Entrance – 11:00 p.m.

The newly-welded junkyard front gate gave a soft creek as a light breeze moved along the wall beside the entrance. Robin stepped up to the gate and peered through the bars into the dark night. The road opposite the camp was silent and still.

Robin jumped when he spotted a dark figure appear out of the darkness and race toward the gate. He quickly stepped back and glanced down to his pocket where he kept his stake. He retrieved the weapon and looked up in time to see nothing. Whatever had been there was now gone.

Robin once more stepped forward, the stake still firmly clutched in his right hand. He stopped within a foot of the gate and peered out into the darkness. All trace of the figure had vanished from the quiet street. Robin blinked twice before turning away from the gate. He had stepped less than five feet away when the figure emerged from the darkness once more.

Robin turned to see it jump ten feet in the air and vault over the top of the gate. Wasting no time, Robin took off towards the barracks. He stopped at the warning bell when the figure caught up to him.

"Whoa, it’s just me," Faith said as she grabbed his arm.

"What the hell are you doing?" Robin asked in a loud whisper as he dropped his defensive stance. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"Sorry," Faith said, walking back towards the garage. "I was doing some drills. What are you even doing out here? Shouldn’t you be asleep?"

Robin followed her. "I could say the same about you." When Faith didn’t respond, Robin continued. "Why are you doing drills now?"

"Because the yard is empty," she answered simply. With that, she sprinted towards the front gate and vaulted over once more.

"Faith, we’re leaving tomorrow at dawn," Robin called after her, concern in his voice. "You should get some sleep. You’re going to need it."

"I’ll be fine," Faith said from the other side of the gate. Immediately, she dropped to the ground and began a series of one-armed push-ups.

"You know there’s a thing called over-preparing," he said, looking down at her through the bars. "A casual observer might think you were worried about something."

"Don’t analyze me, Robin," the slayer said as she finished the push-ups.

"I didn’t realize I was," he replied. "Why were you running?"

"Stop asking me that," Faith sighed as she sat down against the outside of the gate. She reached into her jacket and retrieved her Parliaments.

Robin paused for a moment, as Faith lit a cigarette, and then made a flying leap towards the gate. His jump brought him well short of the top. He held on for several seconds before his grip gave and he fell to the ground, landing squarely on his butt.

"You all right there, Ace?" Faith asked as a smile spread across her face.

"I’m good," Robin said as he jumped up quickly. "You make it look too easy." He limped back up to the gate and sat down with his back to the gate. Together they sat for several moments without speaking. Finally Robin broke the silence. "So how do you know me?"

Faith flinched and then took a long drag of the cigarette. "What makes you think I know you?"

"Well, the hour-long stare you gave me when you first saw me was a bit of a tip-off," Robin answered. "That and you keep calling me Ace. That sounds suspiciously like a nickname you’ve used before."

Faith paused for several seconds before taking particular interest in the gravel beneath their feet. She took another drag of her cigarette. "We’re friends."

"Really?" Robin asked, turning to look at her. "We’re friends?"

"Yup," Faith answered quickly, keeping her back to him. "We’re just friends."

"Right." He paused as an uncomfortable silence fell over the conversation. "Well, since we’re friends, I’m sure you know that I’m here if you need to talk…about anything."

"Why do you do that?" Faith asked suddenly.

"Do what?"

"Try to help me so much." She turned to face him. "From the moment I first met you, here and in my world, you’ve always had my back. Everyone else…they tense up when I’m around. Even my friends don’t trust me that much. But not you. You’ve always cared…and I can’t figure out why."

He met her eyes. "Maybe I’m just a trusting person."

"So...what? You always trust murderers?"

"You’re not a murderer, Faith," he replied quickly.

"Then you really don’t know me," she said.

She eyed him curiously, but he continued. "Just because you’ve killed before doesn’t mean you’d kill again. All anyone has to do is look into your eyes and see that. And as for wanting to help...I know better than anyone that a slayer’s life is dangerous. So I’ll do whatever I can to help you. I don’t want to see you killed. I don’t want to see anyone killed." He paused. "Whatever’s on you mind, you can talk to me. Maybe I can help you work through it." He waited, allowing her time to contemplate his offer. After several seconds she stood up and walked into the darkness across the street. Robin sighed, "Or not." With that, he rose slowly and started off toward the barracks.

Before he stepped five feet, Faith was back over the top of the gate. She avoided eye contact and took his seat against the bars. Robin took a tentative step forward and softly asked, "Faith, what happened?"

"I screwed up, okay?" Faith replied as she worked another cigarette out of the pack. Robin moved closer and took the Parliaments from Faith’s hand.

She looked up at him for a second before continuing. "I was gonna get fired because I let a vampire go."

"What?" Robin looked at her skeptically. "Let me get this straight. You split because you were going to be fired for letting one vampire get away?"

"Well, when you say it like that…and it wasn’t just any vampire," Faith corrected. "She was a friend. Not as close as some of the others, but still, she was part of the team."

"So you let emotion cloud your judgment?"

"Exactly," she answered.

"Believe it or not, slayers are human. They do have emotions," he teased her. "I doubt that’s the first time it’s happened. And I doubt no one would have fired you for that."

"You don’t know my boss." She paused as Robin sat down next to her. "But it wasn’t just that…not really. Oh hell, not at all, actually."

"Then what was it?" Robin asked.

"I can’t screw up. Not in this line of work. I don’t get to make mistakes."

"Faith, you can’t expect yourself to be perfect."

"I have to be," she insisted. "Giles and Willow still gave me a chance. They knew my past…that I wasn’t a good slayer. Hell, the first time I made a command decision, I got a bunch of potentials killed." Robin’s brow furrowed at this comment, but he remained silent. Faith went on. "But they still gave me the job. I had to show them that I could do it…that…that I could be as good as Buffy. But then I let Skye get away."

"Skye is the vampire?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I see a big problem with your logic," he replied. "You’re not Buffy, and this isn’t your world. Nothing that happened before now can make any difference on what happens tomorrow."

She sighed. "You still don’t get it. Tomorrow we’re going to war. And if I couldn’t kill a friend, how am I supposed to kill my own fa…" She trailed off.

"Your own what?" Robin asked. "Father?

"Yeah," she whispered. "I think of Richard Wilkins as my father."

"Faith that’s…" He stopped, searching for the right word.

"Messed up. I know," she said, finishing the sentence for him. "But if you met my family, you’d understand. He was the first one to ever treat me like a person or…like I meant something…at least until…I got to Cleveland. That group back home is like my family, Robin – you, everyone there. I just couldn’t go back and have them…not love me anymore. I can make up ten thousand reasons why I booked out of there but…that’s the bottom line. I lost Wilkins. I didn’t want to lose them too. So instead of going through that pain again, I left. I guess I thought it would hurt less if I was the one to walk away instead of being the one left behind."

Robin seemed unsure of what to say. "You see the destruction he’s done to this town. Wilkins is evil, Faith."

"Yeah, but when the world deals you a handful of crap, you learn to overlook little things like that when you think someone loves you." She looked over to Robin. "I know what he is. I know I was picked to stop demons just like him. But I don’t think I can do it – not anymore than I could pull the trigger on Skye."

Robin contemplated this for a moment. "You’re right, Faith." She looked down dejectedly. Robin continued, "You're a slayer. You were chosen. And if The Powers That Be didn’t think you could handle this job, they would have picked someone else. Your problem isn’t that you can’t do the job. And it’s certainly not the sins of your past." He paused as she looked into his eyes. "It’s that you let yourself think that those things matter. Nothing anyone else thinks about you can change who and what you are. At least, not unless you let it. If you want to succeed, you have to bury doubt, because if you don’t, you won’t win. Not in this world or your own. You can’t. You have a decision to make. What is more important, your life or your job? Are you willing to make sacrifices for doing what you know is necessary?"

Robin went silent. He watched as Faith contemplated his advice. They sat for several moments until Faith slowly stood up. She dusted the dirt off her pants and moved towards the barracks.

"Where are you going?" Robin asked from his place against the gate.

"To bed," she replied. "I need to sleep before our busy day tomorrow."

Robin smiled to himself and whispered, "Good."

He stood up and followed her.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Slayer Rec Room – Same Time

Xander walked into the slayer rec room to see Vi chatting with Lori, facing away from him.

"So what’s it like when you lose your powers?" Vi asked. "I’m not trying to be rude or anything," she added.

"Good thing is I’m off patrol. Bad thing is I have more paperwork to do," she said with a slight smile. She looked over Vi’s shoulder and noticed Xander. Without saying anything, she nodded for Vi to look behind her. "I’m gonna grab another drink," she said excusing herself.

Vi looked over her shoulder to see Xander slowly approaching. Once he was within a few feet from her, he stopped.

"Now can we talk?" he asked. "You’re not on duty."

Vi scooted down the sofa and gave it a pat for him to sit down.

"Okay, talk," she said, dropping any pretense.

"What’s your problem with me now?" Xander asked. "You’ve been avoiding me like the black death, yet you said Will explained everything so…out with it."

"I just…" Vi trailed off for a moment. "Did you believe it? Did you really think I was a murderer?"

"Not for a second," Xander answered. "But I didn’t know what I was facing, so I had to play along. I saw this thing attack Dawn, and for some reason it was targeting you, so I…I did what it said. Correction: I did what Willow told me to do."

"So it’s her fault then?"

"No, it’s nobody’s fault," Xander sighed. "She said you were tied into that spirit, fury, whatever the hell it was, and by telling you it might tip our hand. So I had to…hurt you. I had to make you scared. Otherwise it might not have worked. But if you ask me if it was something I wanted to do, no, it wasn’t. It was something I had to do."

Vi seemed to be lost in her thoughts for a moment.

"What is it?" Xander said. "Start sharing some of these thoughts out loud if you would."

Vi took a breath and turned to face him. "Okay. I guess what makes me the most angry is you went to Willow."

"What do you mean?" Xander asked.

"When something bad happened, you ran to her. Why didn’t you come to me?"

"I told you. You were the focus of this angry energy," Xander explained. "I didn’t want it near you. I did it because I wanted to protect you – big bad slayer that you are. Plus, Willow’s all the with magic and the smarts."

"And I’m not smart?" Vi asked. "All brawn and no brains?"

"That’s not what I meant. You are smart, Vi. Hell, you’re the smartest woman I’ve ever dated. But this was an area that Willow’s good at – mystical stuff, research, and all that. Plus, I knew if she didn’t have an answer then chances were she’d tell Ro and Dawn and they would find an answer. Heck, I bet if you put all three of their brains together you’d probably be able to build an Einstein."

"Is that the truth?" Vi asked.

"Yeah, but picking a body would be tough. It would have to be someone with a really, really big head."

Vi tried not to smile. "No, I meant—"

"I know what you meant," Xander said sincerely, putting a hand on her knee. "Yes, it’s the truth, and might I add, I’ve never lied to you…Okay, I pretended recently, but I didn’t lie. Honestly, truly…I was doing it for both our sakes. I never meant to hurt you…Really, it was the furthest thing from my mind.

And I would have explained all this that night myself, but everything kinda went to hell in a hand basket if you remember."

Vi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I remember."

"So," Xander said, opening his arms. "Can I take care of my girl? Get you some clean gauze for the cut I put on your arm? A tall glass of Dr. Pepper? Maybe make some chicken noodle soup?"

Vi finally began to grin, and she leaned into Xander’s embrace, and he wrapped his arms around her as he released a sigh of contentment.

Cut To:Int.Sunnydale – Faith’s Apartment – Night

Faith slowly moved through the darkened apartment. The room was pitch black save for a faint stream of moonlight that shined through the half-circle window. She stepped towards the frame and slowly ran her fingers over the glass, which was now perfectly intact.

"You’re back," said a voice from behind her.

Faith didn’t turn. "Someone fixed the glass."

"Yeah," Buffy said, stepping into the moonlight. "Someone did."

Faith turned to face her. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I had nothing to do with it," Buffy replied. "I don’t run the show. I just go where they tell me." She paused as she glanced around the apartment. "You know this really was a nice place." She moved a few shards of broken glass around with her shoe. "But you should probably sweep up the broken glass." She moved around the room, eyeing the walls. "And these walls could use a new coat of paint. Something bright I think."

"You a decorator now, B?" Faith asked.

"I like to think of myself as a consultant," she answered with a grin as she continued pacing around the apartment. "And trust me, Faith. This place is definitely fixable."

"Well, as much as I enjoy home improvement tips, why don’t you give me some real advice? You know the score. How do I beat him?"

Buffy turned to face Faith. "You already know. You have everything you need. But I shouldn’t say anymore about that. That’s not why they asked me here."

Faith contemplated this for a moment before she spoke. "Then why?"

Buffy didn’t answer. She moved to the window and looked up to the sky.

Faith watched her for a moment and then asked, "What’s it like, B? After I mean?"

"It’s time, Faith," Buffy replied.

"What?"

"You have to get up."

Cut To:Int.Sunnydale – Barracks – Sunrise

Faith blinked several times as Willow came into focus before her. She rolled off her cot and rubbed her eyes.

"It’s time," the witch said from the doorway of the barracks. "Xander got us a ride. Everyone’s waiting outside."

"Okay," Faith replied. "I’ll be right out."

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Junkyard – Moments Later

"Where’s the team, Xander?" Faith called as she exited the barracks. She had changed her clothing and was now wearing tight black leather pants and a dark blue denim jacket. Stopping at the warning bell, she spotted a dilapidated red van parked in the center of the junkyard.

Xander popped out from behind the back of the van and said, "Team’s in here."

Faith approached his position and asked, "Where did you get the wheels?"

"An old friend of mine, Chase. I gave him two hundred for it." He replied as he opened the back door to reveal Oz, Willow, Robin, Giles, Larry, Amy, and one other twenty-something boy whom she vaguely recognized, all crammed in the back.

Faith turned to Xander and said, "Good thing I’m not claustrophobic."

"Could we please leave now?" Giles pleaded as he sat awkwardly between Larry and Robin.

"Once sec, Giles," Faith said, examining a pile of supplies next to Willow. "Where’s my stuff?"

"Over here, Faith," Robin called as held up a crossbow and a bag that looked to be filled with something heavy.

"Is that the…?"

"Yeah," Xander replied. "Will and I made all the modifications. Once you get in, the timer will start, and you’ll have exactly one hour till the bomb goes off."

Faith nodded. "Then let’s do this."

Cut To:Ext.Watchers Council – Rooftop – Morning

Willow stood waiting as the helicopter came to a stop. When the doors opened, she went over to meet it.

Althenea stepped out with a smile, and the two women embraced.

"I brought the items you asked for. Not the originals since the coven refused to part with them but bound copies," she yelled over the slowing propellers. "And something extra," she said, pitching a thumb over her shoulder.

"Hey Will," Buffy called out.

"You made it," Willow said excitedly.

"Of course," Buffy replied. "But tell me, how’s she doing?"

Willow shook her head. "Not so good, but let’s get inside first before we say more."

Cut To:Ext.Sacramento – Mansion Gate Security Booth – Noon

"Hey Phil?" called a yellow-skinned demon in a gray security uniform, with a name tag that read "Ted." He sat leaning back in a swiveling office chair, while examining a folded newspaper.

"What is it?" asked his partner, also a demon, who sat in a similar chair, reading a book titled, "Earn Millions Today: The Key to the Perfect Pyramid Scheme."

"Have you ever tried these newspaper puzzles?" the yellow demon asked.

Phil looked up. "What, the jumbles?"

"No, it’s called sudoku," Ted replied. "You have to figure out where all the numbers go without repeating them in the rows, columns, or squares."

Phil scratched one of the short red horns that protruded from his forehead. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Before Ted could respond, a short buzzer sounded on the security grid in front of them. Phil put down the book and looked up at a small monitor above the grid.

On the black and white screen, the guards watched as Faith looked up at the security camera. She stepped towards the gate and buzzed the intercom. "Hey idiots. Open the gate!"

"Let her in," Ted said. "I don’t want to piss her off again. I still haven’t grown back all my tentacles from the ‘FedEx incident.’"

"Hold on," Phil said. "Do you remember her leaving this morning?" He examined the monitor for several seconds before picking up a phone attached to the control grid.

Cut To:Ext.Sacramento – Mansion Gate – Same Time

Faith stood with her arms crossed at the entrance to the Wilkins estate. Both her bag and the crossbow hung over her right shoulder.

She peered through the heavy black metal at the rolling lawns of the beautifully kept grounds. The mansion, which stood approximately one hundred yards from the gate, sported one main block with two flanking wings on either side. The exterior walls featured a brick finish, covered completely with white terra cotta tiles. Located just in front of the home was a spectacular marble and gold fountain.

Faith allowed herself a moment of awe as she stared at the breathtaking estate.

"Why couldn’t the hellmouth have been out here?" Faith mumbled to herself. She took another few seconds before moving to the intercom. "Hey, why am I still waiting here? Open the damn gate."

Faith looked on as a yellow-skinned demon emerged from the security booth. He looked extremely nervous.

"I’m so sorry, ma’am. We’re having some problems with the gate, it shouldn’t be long."

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Gate Security Booth – Same Time

Phil, the red-horned demon, held the security phone to his ear as he focused his gaze on a small computer screen.

"She has a crossbow and a bag with her," he said into the receiver. He listened to the voice on the other end for several seconds and then spoke again. "Yes ma’am, I’ve already initiated the scan."

The computer beeped several times and then flashed a message several times. "Okay, I’ve got the results." He squinted at the screen. "She’s carrying a type-two explosive device. It is not armed. What would you like me to do?"

Cut To:Ext.

Sacramento – Mansion Gate – Same Time

Faith peered at the yellow-skinned demon, who was now leaning against the stone wall that supported the gate.

"…so you have to fill the numbers into each row, column, and square. But you can’t repeat any. So you see why it’s so hard."

Faith stared at him with a vacant expression on her face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Before either could speak again, the gate began to retract outward.

"Finally," Faith said as she stepped through the entrance. She quickly checked a beat-up-looking watch that wrapped around her wrist before breezing past the yellow-skinned demon on her way to the mansion.

"Excuse me, Miss Lehane?" said a red-horned demon who exited the security booth. "You know that weapons aren’t allowed on the premises."

"Says who?" Faith demanded.

"Well…you ma’am."

"Oh. Right," Faith said as she removed the crossbow. "I was just testing you." She tossed the weapon to the yellow-skinned demon, who proceeded to fumble it to the ground. Faith flinched.

"Something wrong, ma’am?" Red-horn asked.

Faith looked up. "What? No…I just realized that I left my keys…somewhere. Do you have a spare set I could borrow?"

"All the locks are controlled from the security booth per your security design, ma’am," the demon answered. "We’ll just buzz you in when you reach the door."

"Good…Then I’ll be going." She turned towards the mansion. "Carry on."

She moved away quickly with a look that bordered somewhere between embarrassment and relief. As she passed the fountain, Faith took out a small handheld radio. She raised it to her mouth and spoke, "So far, so good. Make sure everyone is in position."

Faith stowed the radio as she reached the front steps. Slowly she moved past a row of marble columns with a look of disappointment on her face. "I can’t believe I have to blow this place up."

As she reached the door, it opened automatically for her.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Foyer – Seconds Later

Faith stepped through the doorway into the immaculate foyer. As the door closed behind her, four vampires stepped out into the room and took position at the four corners of the entryway. She continued past one of the demons as she walked towards the nearest door on the left side of the room. The vampire followed her with his bright yellow eyes, but did not move.

Faith went through the door, closing it behind her.

The two guards closest to the door exchanged glances. The vampire that Faith had walked past gave a shrug to the other and then moved back to his original position.

He turned quickly as the door opened and Faith stepped into the foyer once more. She closed the door and looked around the room, obviously confused.

All four vampires watched as she silently counted the doors. Faith, acknowledging the oddity of her behavior, quickly said, "It was out of toilet paper."

She quickly moved towards the second to last door on the right side of the room and stepped through it.

Cut To:Int.Dawn’s Apartment – Same Time

Dawn walked over to the knock on her door and opened it slowly. Her jaw dropped when she saw Buffy standing there.

"Hey," the blonde slayer said casually.

"If you’re here to start making comparisons—"

"I’m here to see how my sister’s doing," Buffy replied. "No snarky vamp comments, I swear."

Dawn opened the door wider and let her inside. Buffy took in the apartment and nodded as she crossed the threshold.

"Much cleaner than I expected."

"And what did you expect exactly?" Dawn asked.

"I don’t know – tennis shoes on the dining table, clothes in various places, plates with fur on the coffee table over there. Major improvement over your room back home."

"I was kid back then," Dawn answered. "Things are different now." She took a seat on the sofa and motioned Buffy to follow her, which the slayer did.

"I know you’re not a kid anymore, Dawn. I really do, but I’m still worried about you. You’re my sister, so I have the sisterly right to always worry."

"Did you have it out with Willow?" Dawn asked.

"No, should I have?" she retorted.

"She’s been kinda worried. We talked last night, and she’s feeling pretty crappy now too. Like she went back on her word to watch over me and…and Skye. Or what used to be Skye. I really don’t know anything right now, it’s all kind of a jumbled mess."

"I get that," Buffy answered. "But I’m not mad at Willow, or anybody for that matter."

"Not even me? Someone who should have known she was sleeping with a vampire?"

"Will gave me the 411," Buffy told her. "Skye even fooled a medical doctor. How, we don’t know yet apparently but…this isn’t your fault, okay? None of it."

Dawn began to tear up. "We save all kinds of people, but I couldn’t save her. I should’ve made her stay that night. I should have gone with her. I just…should have done something. And now she’s gone and…I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I mean, do I just forget about her?"

"No," Buffy answered. "No one expects you to. You’ve got to move at your own pace with this, Dawnie."

"There’s just so many things that don’t make sense, and I want answers. I want to know what happened. Why she decided to pick undead over dead? And why didn’t she turn me? She had the chance, and she never took it. Why?"

"I don’t know," Buffy answered. "And the truth is you might not ever know. But if we can find answers, we will."

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart," Buffy said making an ‘x’ with her pinkie over her chest before she pulled Dawn next to her.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Basement – Moments Later

Faith quietly crept through a deserted hallway in the dingy mansion basement. She slowed as she reached a corner and carefully peered around.

The hallway dead-ended at a door, which was guarded by two rather large-looking vampires. Faith opened her bag and pulled out a wooden stake. She dropped the bag on the floor, palmed the stake, and rounded the corner.

Faith reached a metal door, which featured a large sign that read "Security." She stopped and looked up at the two demons. "Out of the way, boys. I’ve got business."

Neither vampire moved a muscle. Faith took a step forward and slowly repeated her command, "Get out of the way."

Again, they didn’t budge. Faith watched for a moment before grabbing her chest. She cried out in pain and fell to the floor in a fit of spasms. After several seconds her body went limp.

The guards stood their ground, not even looking down at Faith’s unmoving form.

From the floor Faith opened an eye and peered up at the guards. A look of disappointment spread across her face, and she stood up. With a sigh Faith said, "You know I’ve been waiting for like five years to try that, and you two just ruined it." She rotated the stake in her hand. "Oh well. Your loss."

She lifted her leg and connected a fierce sidekick to the right guard’s knee. He immediately fell to the ground howling in pain. The left guard sprang into action and directed a punch toward Faith. She grabbed his arm and extended it upwards, opening a clear target for her stake. She rammed the weapon into his heart and turned, quickly dispatching the second guard before he could regain his footing.

Faith took a moment to dust off her jacket before pocketing the stake. Then she retrieved her bag from the floor and opened the door.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Security Room – Same Time

Faith stepped into the pitch-black room, closing the door behind her. She moved several feet before smacking her foot into something hard. "GOD DAMMIT! Why do I keep doing that?"

Suddenly the lights went on. Faith looked down to see the object that she had walked into. It appeared to be a large black boot. She followed it up until she found herself face to face with yet another tall bulky vampire. Faith sighed as she looked around the room, which seemed to be filled with similar looking demons. "What did they do, turn a profession wrestling team?"

The demon in front of her stepped aside to reveal a very sleep-deprived version of Faith.

Faith stared at the deep circles that hung under her counterpart’s eyes.

Despite her unpleasant appearance, Dark Faith smiled and said, "You just walked into the wrong room."

Faith waited several seconds and frowned. "Is that all you got? You’ve been waiting for me all morning, and

that was the best you could come up with? I mean, that’s not even a little bit intimidatin…"

Faith was unable to finish her sentence as her evil incarnation landed a furious right cross to the side of her head.

Faith went down to the ground and raised a hand to her cheek. "Okay, that was better."

"Get her out of here," the dark slayer commanded through gritted teeth. Several vampires quickly stepped up and lifted Faith off the ground.

"Where should we take her, ma’am?" the largest vampire asked.

Faith pulled out of his grip violently, "I want to see the boss."

"Excuse me?" her counterpart asked.

"You heard me," Faith said with a hint of hostility. "I want to see Richard Wilkins."

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Coven Room – Same Time

"Just put those ones over there," Willow directed to a young slayer carrying a stack of bound papers.

Althenea ran her hand up Willow’s back to rest on her shoulder.

"You look like you could use some rest," she said gently.

Willow rubbed her eyes. "It’s been a bit of a roller coaster the last few hours, well, days by now."

"Why don’t I look after this? You go catch a few winks, and we’ll talk after you get up."

"I can’t right now," Willow sighed. "I’ve got—"

"To get some sleep. That’s what you need. And if the watcher commander in chief complains, she’ll just have to deal with me," Althenea said with a smile.

"Ro won’t care," Willow replied.

"Exactly, so go," Althenea said, shooing her way.

Willow smiled and finally nodded as she walked from the room.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Foyer – Moments Later

The four vampires stationed in the foyer all tensed as Faith, flanked by ten other vampires, entered the room. They stopped at a large seal depicting a serpent that was painted in the center of the entryway.

Dark Faith entered the room behind them and continued past the seal toward a set of Victorian style rosewood double doors that stood opposite the foyers front door. She quickly opened the door and disappeared from sight.

Faith crossed her arms and peered around the room. Her eyes moved over the guards until she spotted the one that held her backpack. She watched him for several seconds before directing her attention to her wrist. Casually checking the time, Faith let out an impatient sigh.

Soon Dark Faith returned through the double doors and said, "Bring her in."

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mayor Wilkins’ Office – Seconds Later

A look of awe spread across Faith’s face as she entered the enormous room, followed closely by her vampire entourage. The red carpeted floor stretched out before her about fifty feet to the opposite wall where a large expensive oak desk was located. Above her the ceiling extended all the way to the mansion’s roof, creating a space large enough to hold a forty-foot tall demon. The room was mostly empty save for a few apothecary cabinets that lined the walls on either side.

"Where is he?" Faith asked as her eyes scanned the empty space in the center of the room.

"Well now...that’s an awfully impatient tone for someone in your position," Richard Wilkins called from his place at a cabinet directly to Faith’s right. He lifted a large brown volume up to its place on the top shelf of the apothecary and turned to face her.

Faith blinked several times as she eyed her former boss. He appeared exactly as he did the last time she had seen him. He wore a brown suit with an open collared striped shirt.

"So," he said as he closed the cabinet, "I am a bit curious as to how you were able to impersonate my Faith so well." He stepped within three feet of her and examined her face. "The resemblance is striking."

Faith looked up at him with an expression of confusion. "I thought you’d be a snake."

The mayor chuckled. "As you may well imagine, demon form has its drawbacks." He glanced over Faith’s left shoulder to the corner of the room where a bald monk in crimson robes stood. "Well, I’m not one for wasting time, so let’s find out exactly what you are."

The vampire positioned directly behind Faith quickly grabbed her shoulder and held her arms tightly against her back. Faith issued no resistance as the monk approached with a vile of clear liquid. He drew a dagger from his waist and eyed Faith’s wrist.

"If you wanted my blood, you could’ve just asked," Faith said, making eye contact with Wilkins.

He studied her eyes for several seconds before nodding to the vampire holding Faith. The demon released her hands and took a step back.

Faith turned her attention to the monk and extended her left palm. With a quick slash he sliced into the soft skin of Faith’s hand. She recoiled instantly and examined her damaged skin.

The monk held the knife over the vial and allowed several droplets of blood to mix with the clear liquid. He returned the dagger to its place on his belt and slowly swirled the substance in the vial.

Faith, more interested in her hand, turned to the vampire behind her and ripped off his left sleeve. Using her undamaged hand, she slowly wrapped the shirt sleeve around her left palm.

With several loud pops, the contents of the monk’s vial began to heat up and bubble. Crying out in pain, the monk released the container as it grew too hot to hold, spilling the now green liquid to the floor.

The mayor let out a disappointed sigh as he looked down at the mess, which seemed to be eating away at the carpet. He retrieved a Blackberry from his coat pocket and began scrolling through a list of carpet-cleaning companies. Without looking up, he asked, "Well, who is she?"

The monk glanced from the liquid to Faith and slowly replied, "Slayer." With that, the entire room went eerily silent as all eyes focused on Faith.

Wilkins stopped scrolling the list and turned his attention to Faith, looking directly into her eyes. He glanced at Dark Faith, who held a positively irritated expression from her place by the door as she commanded, "Everyone out!"

The monk and the vampires slowly moved towards the exit, all taking one last look as they left. Dark Faith closed the door behind them and moved to the mayor’s side.

Faith finished wrapping her hand and calmly said, "I’m from another reality." The mayor eyed her curiously as she continued. "I’m not sure how it all works, but Buffy’s old crew did a spell that brought me here." She made eye contact with the mayor. "But I want a second chance with you."

Fade Out.

End of Act Three

Act Four Fade In:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Foyer – Same Time

"Did she just say she wants to stay? Here?" said one of the ten demons that now clustered around the double doors that led to the former mayor’s office.

The closest one, who had his ear pressed to the keyhole, shushed him and replied, "Quiet. The boss is talking."

Cut To:Int.

Sacramento – Mayor Wilkins’ Office – Same Time

"Well, I must admit this is not what I was expecting at all." Wilkins pocketed his Blackberry and continued. "So you say you want to stay here?"

Faith nodded but didn’t speak.

Wilkins nodded to Dark Faith. "My Faith informs me that you helped the slayer’s former band of freedom fighters to defeat thirty vampires."

"That was before I knew you were still alive," Faith responded. "In my reality you were killed a long time ago. Since then I’ve spent eight months in a coma, two years in jail, and another three years taking orders from a couple of incompetent blondes." She crossed her arms. "I’ve had enough. I’m done playing by the rules. I’m done feeling sorry for who I am. And I’m done with all this sacred duty crap." She paused, taking a second to catch Wilkins’ eye. "I just want to come home."

"Well," Dark Faith said, "been practicing that speech for a while?"

Faith turned to her. "I went over it a few times on the car ride up. It was a six-hour drive here. I had to find some way to shut out Giles and the junkyard gang."

Dark Faith took a threatening step forward.

"Do you think we were born yesterday? You may look and sound like me, but you’re not. And whatever your little plan is, it won’t work. I designed the security in this place myself, and your little glamour or whatever the hell Willow cooked up isn’t going to fool us."

"You don’t wanna trust your own guy’s magic...fine. You can trust my fist on your face."

"Girls…" Wilkins warned. "Don’t make me separate you two."

Both Faith’s held their defensive stance while the former mayor continued. "You make a compelling argument. But at this point I’m going to need a little more than just your word."

"There’s a bomb in my back pack," Faith replied.

"We already know that," her counterpart responded, her tone still hostile. "It showed up on our scanners. But it doesn’t matter. Our security system is magically enhanced. If it was armed, the moment it got inside the mansion, it would have triggered the alarm system."

"Well, here’s something you don’t know," Faith replied, "Willow set it up so that it wouldn’t set off the alarm. The clock started ticking the moment I stepped through the front gate. And unless you do something, in about…" She checked her watch. "…thirty-eight minutes, this whole place is going to be a crater."

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Red Van – Same Time

Willow’s eyes went wide. "I don’t believe it," she muttered.

"I do. She’s not sticking to the plan," Xander answered. Robin sat silently with a look of frustration and disappointment. "Just perfect," Xander added.

"Shh," Giles chastised them as he tried to listen in.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Foyer – Same Time

The vampire holding Faith’s bag quickly looked down at it and gulped. He placed it gently on the floor and lifted the flap, revealing a large explosive device with a timer counting down from 37:46.

The whole group took several slow steps back before increasing their pace. Within seconds the foyer was completely empty except for Faith’s bag.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mayor Wilkins’ Office – Same Time

Wilkins took a moment to ponder Faith’s statement before turning to Dark Faith. "Get it." The dark slayer nodded and left the room.

"So…" Faith began. "How’s Blinky?"

He looked unsure but responded, "Excellent. He doesn’t look a day over fifteen. I was actually thinking about getting him a playmate."

"Another dragonet?"

"I was thinking of a clownfish," he replied. "I’ve always loved their coloring and the…"

"It’s here," Dark Faith called from the doorway. She walked further into the room and set the bomb at Faith’s feet. She turned to Wilkins, "Want me to call Murray to disarm it?"

"I’ll do it," Faith answered.

"No way!" her counterpart responded. "You’ll probably set it off."

"Did I take a bunch of stupid pills in this dimension? First, it’s the non-witty comebacks and now this. Really, why would I tell you about it if I was just going to set it off anyway?"

"Disarm it," Wilkins commanded Faith, causing Dark Faith to frown.

She wasted no time. She pulled the bomb out of the bag and began moving her fingers through a cluster of wires that protruded from behind the timer. She found a yellow wire and ripped it out of clock. The timer immediately stopped.

Faith stood up and smiled triumphantly. "See. Told you I could do it."

The former mayor smiled back at her.

"Yes you did." He glanced at the other Faith. "Faith, I want you to show our guest around. I believe she’s earned it."

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Hallway – Same Time

"Miss Allister?" Jackson, the record clerk, called out making her turn around. "There’s someone in the library to see you."

"Who?" Rowena asked.

"I was told not to say anything," he answered.

Before Rowena could ask another question, he darted away. She let out a deep sigh and walked two doors down from where Jackson had emerged seconds before to see Giles sitting there.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Library – Same Time

"I heard you’ve been having a bad day," he said casually. "Willow called and asked me to give a rah-rah speech. Her words, not mine."

Rowena smiled and began to shake her head as she walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

"I appreciate the gesture, but really, I know you’ve got your family at home."

"Actually, my family is at Becca’s Books right now. One member is tending the cash register while the other one is hell on wheels in her walker," Giles replied with a grin.

"Just like her old man, eh?" Rowena teased.

"I’m not that bad…anymore," he said, adding the last word softer than the others. "Besides, I can use a little grown-up interaction. I can only play patty cake so many times before my mind turns to Jello."

"Well, there’re lots of grownup issues going on here to enjoy. No shortage, I can tell you that."

"And I think I have precisely what you need," he remarked.

He rose from the table and walked over to the library shelf that sat against the wall.

As his hand reached up for three volumes to pull down, Rowena said, "I’m not sure how the protocol of brell demons is going to..." She trailed off as she watched Giles reach behind the books and pull out a bottle of scotch.

"You were saying," Giles remarked, giving the bottle a small shake.

"What the hell. Set me up," Rowena said as she walked over toward him.

He turned to the concessions table to find it vacant and did a double take to the floor where all the cups now lay, still not picked up. He looked back at Rowena with questioning eyes although he said nothing.

"Yeah, I, uh, I had a little tantrum earlier. Here," she said, quickly picking up two unbroken glasses and putting them on the table.

Giles unscrewed the cap and began to pour.

"If you ever need rum for your cola someday, be sure to check out the Specbet demon volumes," he told her.

Rowena just smiled and shook her head as she took her glass.

"Cheers," she said, holding it up and clinking her glass against his.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Hallway – Moments Later

"All this room you could open a hotel," Faith said as she walked beside the alternate version of herself, through a light green hall in the right wing of the mansion. The other Faith ignored her. "What? Not that talkative? Well, you’ll get used to me."

With that, Dark Faith grabbed Faith’s arm and shoved her face-first into the wall with such force that it left a crater in the plaster. She held Faith in that position and said, "I don’t have to get used to anyone. You’re not staying here. This is my house, and no matter how much sympathy you get from the boss, that in no way translates to me. I’ll humor him, for now, but eventually he’ll see it my way. And if not, I’m sure you’ll agree that a place like this can be very dangerous. Accidents are bound to happen. You want to get out of this alive, you stay out of my way." She loosened her grip and continued walking.

Faith removed her face from the wall and followed after her with a look of pure hatred upon her face. They reached a door at the end of the hall with a numeric keypad. Dark Faith punched in a number code and opened the door. Faith walked inside the room.

"You wait here," she commanded before slamming the door in Faith’s face.

"Ma’am. Yes, ma’am," Faith said to the closed door.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Weapons Workshop – Seconds Later

"Good, you got it," Dark Faith said as she approached a short brown-skinned demon with large round spectacles and a name tag that read "Murray."

"What is it?" the demon asked as he examined the bomb that had once resided in Faith’s backpack. He poked the timer several times with his finger, before picking it up and shaking it several times. "It looks like an alarm clock."

"It’s a bomb."

Murray dropped the device on his crowded workbench and slid his chair back. "And you were going to let me sit here and fiddle with it?"

She ignored him. "I need you figure why the alarms didn’t go off when it came inside the mansion."

He rolled his chair back to the desk and looked down at the bomb. "Was it armed?"

"Yes."

He moved to a small cabinet and took out several jars of herbs. "I’ll run some tests," he said hopefully. "See if there’s anything magical at work here."

"Good," she replied as she headed to the door. "Call me if you find anything."

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Hallway – Seconds Later

Dark Faith exited the workshop to find an empty hallway. She looked up and down both sides but saw no one. "Crap!"

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council – Library – Same Time

Giles was grinning at Rowena when he looked over his shoulder and his expression turned into a full-fledged smile. He rose and Rowena turned around to see Buffy enter the room.

"Hey Giles. Ro," she said with a nod.

"How’s Dawn?" Giles asked.

"As well as can be expected," Buffy answered before she turned to Rowena. "How are you holding up?"

Rowena paused and looked between the two of them. "When did you get here?" she asked Buffy. "And why don’t you seem shocked?" she added to Giles.

"Buffy and I met in the lobby earlier. About five minutes after Willow called, Buffy called me to say she had landed here at the Council. I was just on my way out the door, actually, so it’s luck that I caught her call."

"Huh?" Rowena answered.

"I came with Al," Buffy explained. "She dropped me off with the delivery, which by the way is being all locked up safe in the coven room as we speak. I guess Al did some funky magic password-y stuff so no one but her can get into it, or Willow when she eventually wakes up."

Rowena threw her hands in the air.

"See?" she told Giles excitedly. "This is exactly what I mean. Buffy’s been here what? An hour, maybe two? And I’m just finding it out now?"

"It’s not a big deal," Buffy told her.

"It is a big deal, a very big deal," Rowena said. "He’s not even a member of the Council, and he knows more about who’s here in the building than I do! Good lord of mercy!"

Giles took Rowena by both arms. 

"Calm down, Dear," he told her. "You’re blowing every small detail out of proportion right now. Buffy was cleared, as was I, when we entered the building. You’ve done your job, making sure security is in place. Now you need to let others do their jobs. You’re being far too critical of yourself at the moment, so take a step back…and if need be…have more scotch." He spoke the words dryly but then began to crack a small grin, which, in turn, made Rowena smile.

Cut To:

Int.Sacramento – Faith’s Office – Same Time

With a loud crack the numeric lock of the office’s door broke apart allowing the door to swing open. Faith hurried in and quietly closed the door behind her before taking a look around the room.

On first glace it appeared very much like a martial arts studio. One of the four walls was covered completely by a series of mirror panels that stood opposite a wall of weapons. To the left of the weapons on the wall opposite the entrance was a sliding glass door that opened to a third floor balcony. The final wall was left empty except for a space in the corner where a small desk, with a computer sat.

Faith moved toward the wall of weapons and examined them with an expression of deep longing. The collection ranged from daggers to crossbows, all of which looked extremely expensive. She moved down a line of broadswords running her fingers over the shimmering steel. As she reached the end of the line, she stepped back and admired the collection a final time before turning to the desk.

Faith sat down and quickly activated the computer. She paused as the screen asked for a password. After several seconds Faith smiled and said, "Bullwhip." The computer whirled with approval and brought her to a files page.

She spent several moments searching the computer until she found what she wanted. She had just enough time to print and pocket the pages just as the door began to open. Faith quickly rushed to the wall of weapons.

"So I see you’re making yourself right at home," Dark Faith chided. She closed the door and stepped toward the wall of weapons in almost a protective gesture.

"I was just admiring your collection," Faith said, edging her way to the door. "It’s very impressive. Must have cost a fortune."

"I wouldn’t know," she replied. "They were all gifts of appreciation…for all my hard work."

Faith tensed. "I’ll bet.

The dark slayer continued, "One for every person I’ve killed."

With that, Faith stopped completely. She glanced down at her watch and then eyed the weapons on the wall. "You know, I used to think I couldn’t get

any lower. No wonder I tried to get Angel to kill me." She paused, regretting her words. "It’s not too late, you know. You could change this. You don’t have to hate the world…and yourself. I mean, I turned my life around."

"What life? The one you claim to be trying to escape from?" Dark Faith responded. "Have you seen this place? It’s paradise. Why the hell would I want to give this all up?"

"Because it’s going to destroy you," Faith replied. "You have to deal with the guilt someday."

"I don’t feel guilty!"

"Yeah okay and the circles under your eyes are the result of hours of joy and happiness. Just look at yourself. When was the last time you slept?" Dark Faith didn’t answer. Faith went on. "Look, I got out early, but there’s always a chance that you could turn it around. Go be a slayer or volunteer at a soup kitchen, just do something because this place will only make you sink deeper. And then I can’t even help you."

"That’s a touching speech," Dark Faith said, wiping a fake tear from her eye. "Really. You should be a motivational speaker."

"See!" Faith exclaimed. "Even your insults suck. Can’t you see the problem here?"

Before Dark Faith could respond, the sound of a cellular phone pierced the room’s awkward silence. Dark Faith reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Weapons Workshop – Same Time

"Hey Faith, it’s me. You know? Murray," he said as he held a small cordless phone to his ear. "I don’t think this thing you gave me is a bomb." He fiddled with a dial on the side of the device as the voice on the phone spoke to him.

"Yeah, I’m pretty sure," he replied. "There’s no trigger or explosives. All the magic tests came back negative. I looks like someone duct taped a car battery to an old clock radio." He stopped and turned the dial, causing the sound of loud percussion instruments to fill the room. "And here’s the worse part. It only picks up salsa stations." He paused but got no reply. "Faith?"

Cut To:Int.

Sacramento – Faith’s Office – Same Time

Dark Faith stared at Faith with the phone still in her hand. "Where’s the bomb?"

Faith stared back. "You know I can’t tell you that."

"I thought as much. But I can take a guess," Dark Faith replied. "You never could get around the alarm. Which means the bomb’s not in the mansion. It’s somewhere else on the grounds." She flipped open her phone and managed to dial two numbers before the phone rocketed out of her hand.

Dark Faith turned to the wall behind her to see her phone pinned to the wall by a hunting dagger. She faced Faith and said, "Impressive."

"I think it’s more impressive that I avoided your hand," Faith quipped. "Now the way I see it, you’ve got two options. Either you help me take down Wilkins or we fi—"

Faith ducked quickly as the hunting dagger came flying back at her head. The weapon missed her by mere centimeters and went crashing into one of the mirrors behind her. The resulting collision shattered the glass, covering the floor with pointed shards. "Right, so option two it is."

Faith shot up quickly and sidestepped a charging Dark Faith, tripping her in the process. The dark slayer tumbled to the ground with a loud grunt. Faith moved to a defensive stance as Dark Faith rolled to her feet, an angry expression on her face.

They stood opposite each other beside the wall of mirrors until Dark Faith gave a quick glance to the wall of weapons to her left. Quickly, she darted toward the wall. Faith sped after her, grabbing her right wrist before she could grip the handle of a long double-edged sword. She twisted the arm backwards in Dark Faith’s back and pushed her into the wall.

Dark Faith forced her head against the bridge of Faith’s nose and pulled her arm free. The force of the attack sent Faith reeling back to the center of the room. Seizing the opportunity, Dark Faith pulled the sword off the wall and closed in on Faith.

"You know the difference between the two of us?"

"There’s just one?" Faith said as she regained her footing and eyed her opponent’s sword.

"You’re not willing to kill," the dark slayer answered, ignoring Faith’s question. She took a step forward and raised the sword to the height of Faith’s chest. "I on the other hand…" She took a quick swipe at Faith.

Faith leaned back, allowing the sword to pass in front of her. Dark Faith made several more swipes but all to the same effect.

"Yeah, well, about killin’ me? You gotta hit me first," Faith said as Dark Faith missed once more. "One of those minor details."

"You know what I do all day?" Dark Faith said as she readied herself for another swipe. "I train for fights just like this." With that, she swung the sword down at Faith’s head.

Faith reacted instantly, stepping forward. She grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands, using all her strength to stop its momentum.

"You know what I do all day?" she asked sarcastically as she kicked Dark Faith hard in the chest, ripping the sword from her hands in the process. "I train against other slayers."

Dark Faith recovered quickly, kicking the sword out of Faith’s hand. She sprang forward and tackled a surprised Faith to the ground, punching her several times in the face.

Cut To:Ext.Sacramento – Sunlit Street – Same Time

"Where are we, Larry? Is everyone in position?" Xander called into a handheld radio as he circled to the back of the large red van, which was now parked a quarter mile down the street from the Wilkins estate. Behind him Oz and Robin leaned a large piece of sheet metal against the passenger side door of the vehicle.

"Pete and I are in position. So far we’ve seen a few patrols go by. About ten demons total. When should we attack?" asked Larry’s voice.

"Wait for my signal. We don’t want to give ourselves away too soon. Xander out." Xander replied as he swung open the back door of the van. He looked

inside where Amy, Willow, and Giles sat in a circle. "Everything ready? We need to set up the van."

Willow looked up to him, her eyes a glossy black.

"We’re good," she said as she passed him a black bag.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Faith’s Office – Same Time

With a loud crash Faith went flying onto the metal barrier of Dark Faith’s third floor balcony. She barely had time to stand before her counterpart advanced with a left cross. Faith ducked out of the way and kicked Dark Faith hard in the chest.

Dark Faith fell backwards from the strength of the kick and leaned against the railing for support. She quickly stood up charged. The two slayers traded blows for several seconds until Dark Faith gained the upper hand and pushed Faith against the edge of the balcony, holding her tightly by the throat.

"WHERE’S THE BOMB?!" Dark Faith bellowed.

Faith smiled. "Even if I told you, you wouldn’t have enough time to stop it. Your boss is going down."

Dark Faith looked over Faith’s shoulder at the ground bellow.

"Tell me or you’ll be the one going down."

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Gate Security Booth – Same Time

"I give up!" Ted said as he slammed his newspaper onto the security desk. "This stupid thing is not possible."

Fred peered over the top of his book and looked down at the puzzle.

"There’s a five in the top right box in the third grid," he said as he leaned in and pointed out the square with a long red claw.

Before Ted could respond, a low beeping sounded from behind the console in front of them. Both demons looked down at the security station.

"Is someone at the gate?" Ted asked.

"No," Fred replied. "And there are no problems with the grid. I don’t think it’s coming from the console. It’s something else."

Both demons rose from their chairs and began sweeping the small room looking for the source of the beeping. Ted scratched his head and looked down at the desk. He noticed Faith’s crossbow and knelt down. As he closed in on the weapon, the beeping became increasingly more audible.

"Hey Fred?" he asked. "Do crossbows usually beep?"

Cut To:Ext.Sacramento – Faith’s Office Balcony – Same Time

Dark Faith tightened her grip. "Last chance."

Faith looked angrily into her opponent’s eyes and spat, "Go to hell."

Before Dark Faith could respond, a loud explosion rocked the building. She turned to see flames rising from a pile of burning rubble where the security booth and gate used to be.

Faith, taking advantage of the distraction, grabbed Dark Faith’s hand and pried it from her throat. She punched the dark slayer squarely in the jaw and took a step away from the railing.

Dark Faith regrouped quickly and once again charged Faith.

Faith was ready for the attack and ducked out of the way, at the same time sweeping the dark slayer’s legs.

Dark Faith went flying forward over the railing, falling to a concrete slab three floors below.

Faith stood up and backed away from the edge of the balcony. She clutched her ailing throat and said, "You were due."

Without another word Faith entered the office and headed for the door.

Cut To:Ext.

Sacramento – Mansion Driveway – Same Time

The red van, driven by Oz, hurtled through the remains of the front gate and came to a stop on the right side of the massive fountain. The large piece of sheet metal was now secured tightly to the back door of the van.

Xander hopped out of the passenger side door, with a backpack over his shoulder and sprinted towards the front door. He removed two small charges from the bag and began placing them just above each side of the front door.

Behind him Oz pulled the van around the side of the fountain and positioned the vehicle so that the sheet metal caught the afternoon sun.

Quickly Oz and Robin exited the van each with a sword in hand. They took up a defensive position around the van as a group of demons approached. Robin reached for a radio on his belt.

"We’re in position. Attack."

Cut To:Ext.Sacramento – Mansion Wall – Same Time

Larry and Pete jumped down from their place on the wall, each with a crossbow in hand. They were quickly met by a patrol of demons. Larry fired his crossbow, hitting the lead demon in the chest. He hurried to reload the weapon as Pete took aim at a second demon.

Cut To:Ext.Sacramento – Mansion Driveway – Moments Later

"Xander, how much longer?" Robin yelled as he ducked under the club-like arm of a large gray demon. He thrust his sword into the demon’s gut and kicked the creature away.

"Just a few more seconds!" Xander yelled as he began setting the timer on the second bomb. His fingers raced over the buttons of the explosive as he programmed a twenty-second delay.

"It’s set! Everyone back in the—"

Xander was unable to finish the sentence as an orange-skinned demon hit him from behind, knocking him into the door. Xander’s forehead slammed into the hard wood surface, and he fell to the ground with a groan.

The orange demon stepped forward and took position over Xander, grabbing him by the shirt. Above them the timer ticked down to fifteen seconds, as the demon raised his huge fist.

Suddenly, the demon’s eyes went blank, and his grip on Xander’s shirt loosened. The creature fell sideways onto the marble steps, a large arrow sticking out of his back.

Larry lowered his crossbow and rushed over to help Xander to his feet. They raced away from the door as the time reached five.

"Everyone down!" Xander yelled as they rounded the side of the truck.

The second explosion collapsed the frame around the door and created a large hole in the front face of the mansion. The light reflecting off the sheet metal shined through the hole dusting several vampires who were congregating at the back of the foyer.

"Get the van ready to go," Xander commanded to Oz as Robin finished off the last of the demons. He clutched the backpack on his shoulder. "I’ll be right back."

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Foyer – Seconds Later

Xander climbed over the rubble of the former front door just as Faith entered the foyer through a side hallway. Xander removed a backpack from his shoulder and tossed it to her. Faith quickly opened the bag and looked inside at what looked like a bunch of sock balls covered in tar. She looked up at Xander, a confused expression on her face.

"Sticky bombs. A little trick from Saving Private Ryan," he explained. "They should stick to him."

Faith nodded, and Xander turned to leave. "Hey wait. Take this," she called after him as she pulled the printed pages from her back pocket. "Make sure Giles gets this." Xander took the paper. "And Xander…don’t wait too long to blow it." Xander hesitated for a moment before nodding. He turned and exited through the hole.

Faith shouldered the backpack and moved towards Richard Wilkins’ office.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mayor Wilkins’ Office – Seconds Later

Slowly Faith pushed open the door to her former boss’s office. She quietly closed it behind her and turned to find Wilkins at his desk.

"You’re under attack," she said simply.

He stood up and rounded the desk. "So I gathered."

"Shouldn’t you be a giant snake by now?" Faith said sarcastically.

"In due time," he answered as he moved towards her. "And I don’t appreciate you using that tone. This is my house after all." He moved within three feet of her. "Now where’s Faith?"

"I’m right here."

"You know who I mean," he replied bitterly.

Faith took a moment before answering. "She’s dead."

Wilkins’ eyes flared in anger. He raised his arm and quickly moved to strike. Faith caught his wrist and held it high above her head creating an open target to his chest. She landed a powerful sidekick that forced him back several feet.

"I’m sorry," Faith said as she removed Robin’s Colt from her waistband and pointed it at Wilkins’ chest.

He stood up slowly and straightened his shirt, tucking it in where it had come away from his pants. He let out a loud chuckle.

"You know, you really had me fooled. I don’t know how you did it." His face hardened. "But I’ll find out. After you’re dead, of course."

"I didn’t trick you, Richard," Faith replied. "This isn’t something I ever wanted to do." The gun dropped slightly.

"Then why?"

"Because…you saw what was happening to me. You loved me…but you didn’t stop it. You could have…but you didn’t. Power meant more in the end, more than I ever did." She steadied the gun once more.

He contemplated this for a moment and looked right into her eyes.

"I would have let you stay."

Faith held his gaze for several seconds. "I know...but some things are worth more than power." Without another word Faith emptied the clip into Wilkins chest. He backpedaled several steps from the force of the shots, but quickly found his footing.

Faith watched with mild surprise as the bullets fell from his chest and the wounds healed themselves.

Wilkins smiled as his face began to morph. Faith took a step back as the former mayor’s body expanded outward in horrific fashion. When the process concluded, she looked up in awe at the sight before her. The demon’s head grazed the ceiling and its tail whipped about the room knocking over bookcases and cabinets.

With lightning speed Wilkins shot towards Faith. She quickly rolled out of the way and ran behind the demon towards the back wall.

Cut To:Ext.Sacramento – City Street – Same Time

Giles moved toward the front gate of the mansion as the modified red van sped off the former mayor’s property. Giles hurried to the driver’s side window, where Oz sat, and said, "Where are we?"

Xander popped into view just over Oz’s shoulder and said, "Bombs are in. Blow it now."

From the back, Willow and Amy held hands together and chanted.

"No!" Robin called from the passenger seat. "Faith is still in there."

"Yeah and so is the giant snake demon," Xander replied. "If we blow it now, we know we’ve got him."

"You can’t just forfeit a person’s life," Robin countered, his voice growing angry.

"She knew the risks." Xander turned to Giles. "Blow it now or risk him getting out."

"We wait," Giles said quickly. "I’m sorry, but I refuse to lose another slayer to this war."

Cut To:Int.

Sacramento – Mayor Wilkins’ Office – Same Time

Faith barely dove to safety as the former mayor’s jaw came crashing down on her former location, flattening his mahogany desk. She jumped to her feet and tried to catch her breath as she looked around the room for some form of escape.

Wilkins shook off the attack and found Faith’s location in the corner of the room. He quickly brought his tail down on her position. Faith was unable to dodge the attack, which swept her into the crushed remains of the mahogany desk.

Faith cried out in pain as she rolled off the pile, revealing a large piece of wood cutting into her right leg. She backed up against the wall and pulled the wood out. She looked up to find her former boss holding position above her.

Slowly and with much difficulty, Faith stood up. She gripped the wood tightly and waited.

Wilkins closed in, cutting off any means of escape. He opened his jaw one more time and shot down at Faith.

With no time to spare the bloody and bruised slayer moved out of the way and plunged the piece of wood into the snake’s neck. Using it as leverage, Faith pulled herself onto Wilkins’ back and held on tightly as he whipped around the room trying to dislodge her.

Faith wrapped her legs around the demon’s neck and reached into the backpack Xander had given her. Quickly she began sticking the bombs to the back of his neck as he continued his attempts to throw her off.

Cut To:Int.Sacramento – Mansion Foyer – Same Time

Slowly Dark Faith climbed over the pile of plaster, brick, and terra cotta that had been the front wall of the beautiful Sacramento home. She made her way over the wreckage and moved toward the large rosewood double doors that opened into Richard Wilkins’ office.

As Dark Faith reached the entrance, she was knocked backwards as both doors shot open, impacted from the other side. The dark slayer fell to her back and watched as her counterpart soared through the air and landed in the rubble of the former front wall.

Both slayers instantly rose to their feet in defensive stances. Faith glanced to the opening in the wall behind her. She took one last look at Dark Faith before limping through the hole.

Dark Faith moved to follow, but stopped as Wilkins plowed through the doorframe of his office. She looked up in confusion and uttered a faint, "Boss?" before Wilkins snapped his enormous jaws around her, swallowing the slayer in one bite.

Faith continued to run for all she was worth.

Cut To:Ext.Sacramento – City Street – Same Time

Across the street Giles looked on as Faith made her way towards his position.

"NOW!" Giles yelled as Faith continued to run toward the dilapidated front gate.

Willow and Amy ceased their chanting and looked out just in time to see the mansion explode in a bloom of fire and smoke. They both exited the van to get a closer look.

Suddenly, Xander and Robin dove aside as a large chunk of concrete flew across the grounds and landed where the two had been standing.

Everyone else took several steps back as smaller pieces of debris flew in around them.

"Is everyone okay?" Giles called over the scene.

"Just dandy," Faith replied as she plopped down next to the van and began examining the gash on her leg. "I’m getting too old for this."

Robin moved to her position. "Here, we’ve got some medical supplies in the van." He opened the side door and retrieved a small box. "You look terrible."

"Thanks. Let’s see how good you look after taking on a giant demon snake."

"Are you sure we got him?" Xander asked, approaching Faith.

"I’d say so," Oz called as he looked down at a large chunk of steaming snake meat. "He’s cooked."

"It’s over," Willow said, moving to Oz’s side. "We won."

With that they each turned to look upon the wreckage. For several seconds they stood motionless, as if transfixed by the flames.

Finally Robin spoke, "We should probably go before the police come and arrest us all."

"Right. Let’s go," Giles replied as he ushered the group to toward the van.

Cut To:Ext.Sunnydale – Barracks – Later That Night

Faith hobbled through the barracks entrance using Robin’s shoulder for support. They reached a free cot near the door, and Faith sat down, pulling her injured leg onto the bed. Robin moved to a cabinet and retrieved some medical supplies. He set them down on the bed and cast a sideways glance toward a bed at the end of the room.

"Go ahead," Faith said, watching his eyes. "I got this. See how she is."

Robin hesitated for a moment before rising. He walked the length of the room and took a seat next to Cordelia’s bed.

Faith watched him for a moment then turned her attention to her leg. She removed a thin blood-soaked bandage and began to clean the wound. She winced in pain as she dabbed it with an alcohol swap.

"Here, let me help you," Robin said as he returned to the bed.

Faith looked up at him and then over at Cordelia. "How is she?"

"She’s sleeping," he replied as he opened a new swab and turned his attention to her leg. "This is really deep. Are you sure you don’t want us to find you a doctor? We could make it to L.A. in less than two hours."

Faith shook her head. "No, it’s fine. I heal fast – benefits of slayerness. As long as the bandage is tight, I’ll be fine."

Robin nodded and began to unroll some gauze. Faith leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. For several minutes neither of them spoke.

"I want to thank you, Faith," Robin said finally as he finished treating her leg. "I’m reasonably sure we would all be dead if you hadn’t agreed to help."

Faith smiled. "Kind of hard to refuse. What with all the pep talks." She caught his eye for a second before looking down quickly.

Robin picked up on the awkwardness and changed the subject. "So what’s on tap now? What are you going to do?"

Faith rolled her legs off the side of the bed. "Right now I’m going to find Giles." She stood up, putting very little weight on her right leg. "There’s a lot that needs to be done."

"What was on those pages?" Robin asked, standing up.

"Names," Faith answered. "The mayor was planning some serious sh…" She caught herself. "He made a list of targets, most of ’em politicians, who he was gonna make vampires. I’m guessing he wanted to make a foot hole. Take over the government, starting with California."

"Did the list say who he got to?"

"No. Which is why we’ve got a lot to do." She moved towards the door just as Willow came in.

"Faith," Willow said, stopping abruptly. "I was just looking for you." She took a small step backwards. "I was just talking with Giles, and we wanted to thank you for all you help."

Faith peered at her. "Well, you’re welcome." She paused. "Now why do you look like you’re about to wet yourself?"

"I uh…" Willow took another step back. "I wasn’t completely honest with you before…when I said I couldn’t undo the spell."

Faith took a step forward. "Are you saying you could’ve sent me home three days ago?"

Willow looked positively petrified. "Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Yes," the terrified witch squeaked out. "It’s just that we were desperate. You were our best shot at beating Wilkins and proving to the Council that we’re not crazy and now that you’ve helped we finally have some hope that we’ll make it out of this and—"

"Willow, stop talking!" Faith said quite audibly over the witch’s rant. She spoke very slowly. "When can you send me back?"

A tentative smile worked its way across Willow’s face. "How about right now?"

Faith grinned. "Get your stuff set. I’m gonna talk to Giles first."

"So you’re not gonna kill me?" she asked.

Faith sighed. "No, but if you stall any longer I might."

"Oh, right," she said before she scurried away. Faith simply smiled.

Cut To:Int.Sunnydale – Garage – Moments Later

"Okay, you’ll stand here," Willow said as she finished drawing a pentagram on the floor with a red sand-like substance, as Faith, Robin, Oz, and Giles looked on. Willow placed a candle around each point of the pentagram and continued. "I’ll say the enchantment, and Eyrishon will be forced to break the spell."

"It’s just that simple?" Faith asked skeptically.

"We built in a fail-safe into the spell," Oz answered. "In case something went wrong and we needed to undo it."

Willow glanced over to Giles, who seemed to be biting his tongue. "There were so many possibilities we needed a fallback."

Faith looked down at the pentagram. "Okay, so here’s a question. If this breaks the spell, what happens to all the stuff I brought through…like my bike or my bag or…"

"The money?" Robin asked.

Faith smiled. "Yeah, that too."

Willow scratched her head. "I guess it will be sent back with you."

"Boy is Chase gonna be pissed when that money disappears," Xander called from the doorway.

Faith looked up as Xander stepped into the room. "Come to make sure I don’t change my mind?"

Xander hesitated. "I just…I wanted to say good luck…and to apologize for never really trusting you."

Faith grinned. "And…"

Xander considered his words before matching her grin. "…and to make sure you didn’t change your mind."

Faith clapped him on the shoulder. "Well Xanman, at least you’re honest." She stepped towards Willow and Oz. "Willow, it’s been great, but next time keep me out of your spells."

Willow nodded her expression very uncomfortably. Faith turned to Oz. "Oz, nice seeing you again. As always, I enjoy our great sentence-long conversations."

"Likewise," Oz replied.

Faith moved toward Giles, who held out the photograph she had given him. The slayer took it and handed him a folded piece of paper. Giles opened the paper and looked down at it, very confused.

"It’s just an address?"

Faith smiled. "For a bookshop in Cleveland. The owner’s name is Rebecca Montague. Look her up."

Giles looked up to Faith with a smile. "Thank you." He leaned forward and pulled her into an embrace.

After a moment Faith pulled away and turned to face Robin. She looked up at him then paused.

"What? Don’t I get a hug?" Robin teased.

Faith smiled and embraced him. "Take care of yourself, Ace. And your lady too."

"You too, Faith," he responded as they broke apart. "And say hi to me for me."

"Will do," she replied as she backed into the pentagram. She turned to Willow. "So now what?"

Willow took a step forward and began. "Permissum alica exsisto infractus." A swirl of blue light surrounded Faith.

Cut To:Ext.Highway – Night

With a loud crack and a blinding flash of light Faith, followed by the disassembled remains of her Shadow Saber, appeared on the barren highway just in front of the gas station Faith had visited three nights before.

Faith’s bag hung securely over her right shoulder as she examined the wreckage of her former bike, which was now spread out in pieces covering the right lane. She quickly began to clear the road, pulling the larger pieces to the shoulder.

Once the road was clear, Faith limped toward the gas station. As she approached, she reached into her bag and retrieved a mostly full, somewhat squashed pack of Parliaments. Faith stopped and leaned against the concrete wall that made up the side of the convenience store. She quickly maneuvered the least crushed cigarette out of the package and raised it to her lips.

Before it reached her mouth, Faith stopped. She pulled the cigarette away and examined it for a moment. Taking a deep breath, Faith crumpled both the cigarette and the pack, tossing them into a nearby garbage can.

Without hesitation Faith reached back into her bag and retrieved her cell phone. As she turned it on, she had a voice message pop up that said, "You have one hundred and fifty two messages."

Faith began to chuckle and hit the button.

"Faith," Robin’s voice came over the speakerphone. "Call me when you get this."

The phone beeped, and Faith pressed the button again. "It’s me again," Robin’s voice said. "Give me a call tonight when you stop."

After the next beep, Rowena’s voice came up.

"Faith, Robin told me what happened. Please call when you get this. Doesn’t matter what time. If I don’t answer at home, page the Council. I’ve…I’ve

broken protocol and put your time away down as vacation so…try to get back in the next seven days, okay? I hope we see you soon."

The next message came from Willow.

"Hey Faith, you promised me we’d go see Underworld: Evolution since my girlfriend won’t go a-and I refuse to listen to Andrew recite every line of dialog since he’s seen it a dozen times already. Don’t forget, I’m gonna hold you to it and I refuse to wait for the DVD version…But seriously, call me, o-or call Robin, just…call someone, okay? We’re all worried about you."

Faith’s grin became wider, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. She sniffed dramatically and pressed a couple more buttons on her phone.

She quickly scrolled through her phonebook till she reached Robin’s number. She clicked the name and took a deep breath as the call connected.

Cut To:Int.Robin’s Apartment – Night

As the phone rang, Robin picked it up and, without saying hello, simply said, "Faith?"

Cut To:Ext.Highway – Night

"Hey Ace," she said softly as a grin tugged at her lips. "Tell the gang…I’m comin’ home."

Fade Out

    

 

End of The Night In Question