Kyle, Liz, Maria, Giles, Xander, Anya, Tara, Willow, Sheriff Valenti, and Dawn stood on the Parker's roof. They'd already briefed the sheriff and Dawn, and the sheriff had agreed to stay here with Dawn. Protesting, Dawn tried to stay, but the sheriff eventually dragged her down the fire escape after he told Kyle, Liz, and Maria to be careful. The scoobies knew about Michael's, Isabel’s, and Max's alien-status but promised not to tell anyone.

"Tara and I have been thinking," Willow said. "You said that when aliens possess people, they can't access the host's memories. We think he may have used a huge amount of power to do access all of Valence's knowledge of spell casting. Which means he had to use his alien powers, and may not be able to use them for awhile."

"So he uses magic," Liz finished.

"Great," Xander said. "So instead of worrying about alien powers, we have to worry about a mage's powers. In what way can this be considered a good thing?"

"Well, we know how to fight a mage," Tara said, smiling.

"Let us worry about Valence," Willow said, meaning her and Tara. "You guys get Oz, Michael, Isabel, and Max out."

"Are you sure?" Giles asked, glancing worriedly between the two girls. "Valence is very powerful. We don't know what he can do."

"That's why we have Anya," Willow answered. "Don't worry, Giles, we can handle it."

Sighing, Giles gave up. "Have you contacted Angel Investigations?"

Willow shook her head. "No." She picked up the phone. "I'm gonna try again."

She called Cordelia's number and listened to it ring.

Someone picked up. "Hello?"

Relieved, Willow said, "Cordy!"

*****

"Willow?" Cordelia sat up. Three pairs of eyes fell on her, but she ignored them. "Where are you? Oz is in trouble. We're trying to find the house-" she paused, listening. "You do? Where? Okay, thanks. We'll hold the fort until you get there."

She hung up and turned to the others. "The Scooby Gang is heading over here through the Ghost Roads. They say Oz and three other people are being held in 799 Pinecrest Lane."

"The Ghost Roads?" Wesley asked, alarmed. "Isn't that where-"

"Where the dead dwell. Right on, ex-Watcher boy," Cordelia quipped.

"We passed up Pinecrest five minutes ago," Angel said, turning the car around in a rich person's drive yard. "What else did Willow say?"

"She said Oz was captured by a big powerful mage and they'd be there to help as soon as possible."

"Excuse me, but will someone fill me in here? Starting with these Ghost Roads y'all keep mentioning?" Gunn asked.

As Angel drove on, Cordy and Wesley told him more about their old lives in Sunnydale, also letting him know more about Willow. He met Willow a few days ago, but he hadn't learned much about her.

When they drove up to 799 Pinecrest Lane, Cordy exclaimed, "That's it! That's the house!"

An iron fence surrounded the estate. At the end of the driveway was a large house. The gate in the fence stood wide open.

"It doesn't look like anyone lives here," Gunn commented.

"Guess we're gonna find out," Angel said, driving forward.

They passed through the gate without Angel running into any invisible barriers. "So the real owners are dead. What other goodies are waiting for us?" Cordelia asked.

They pulled up to the house and got out of the convertible with weapons. Hearing something, Angel said, "I don't think this house is deserted."

An ear-splitting war cry filled the night air only seconds before several figures began falling from the treetops. Their faces were distorted into the visages of vampires.

Then they attacked, and it was an all-out battle.

*****

Isabel paced uneasily. She stood in a large room richly decorated with antique furniture and embroidered carpeting. In all four corners of the room, four figures with glowing eyes stood sentinel, daring her to even try to escape.

The door opened, and Valence Hope stepped inside. Isabel stopped a groan from escaping through her lips. How many times did she have to say no before he would finally get it through his skull?

"Well, my dear Vilandra," he said. Isabel could almost feel his eyes as they traveled up and down her body. She felt like throwing up. It also made her angry. How dare he? The only person she'd ever let look at her like that was A-

"Have you changed your mind yet?" he asked.

"No," Isabel said firmly. "I won't betray my brother or Michael."

"You've said that before," he reminded her. "And you did it anyway."

"I am getting really tired of hearing people say that," Isabel said. "Look, I may have done it before, but that was someone else. I'm different now, and I won't betray my family, no matter what."

Anger filled his expression, and before Isabel knew what was happening, his hand lashed out and she was lying on her side on the floor. Her cheek and hips burned with pain.

"You have no choice," Valence stated. "Either you help us fight Zan and Rath, or you die."

He hauled her up. She saw the desire on his face. Even when he was torturing her, he wanted her.

He grabbed her face and placed his mouth on hers, forcing her mouth open painfully with his disgusting tongue.

She tried to push him away, but couldn’t. So she went for the next best thing. Her knee bent up and found his crouch easily.

Valence cried out and pushed her to the ground. He bent over in pain, and Isabel smiled slightly, victorious.

But not for long. One of the vampires came forward and hauled her back to her feet, holding her there by yanking painfully on her arms. She struggled, but she wasn't any match for the vampire's superior strength.

Valence waved his hand, and instantly Isabel was electrocuted by a shock of pain that ran from her scalp to her toenails.

He still had his powers. But how? She didn't.

She screamed and slumped in the vampires' hold. She couldn't take it. She started passing out.

Valence slapped her awake. Isabel was in too much pain to fight, but she stayed conscious.

"Foolish woman. Kivar was right about you. It's a shame, really, that I'll have to drag you and the others all the way to Antar just to have you killed."

"Not gonna happen," Isabel said resolutely.

"And just how are you going to stop me?" he asked. "You don't know where I hid the Trithium Amplification Generator. And your friends won't make it past the front yard."

"They're here?" Isabel asked, surprised. She could feel some of her strength return. She would get out of there!

He was irritated by her sudden hopes. She could tell. "Yes, but we're not going to stick around and greet them. Kivar wants you and your friends brought to Antar immediately."

Isabel felt a cloth press against her nose and mouth. She started struggling again. She didn't want to suffocate.

She took in a breath and realized there was something in the cloth, but it was too late to do anything about it.

Immediately her sight began to blur. Isabel slumped in the vampires' arms, unconscious.

*****

Lewis handed the alien girl to the other vampires in the room and turned to Valence. "The other aliens are being escorted to the ship now, sir."

Valence smiled. He'd get off this planet at last. "Good. Go and collect your werewolf, Lewis. The rest of your pay is in a warehouse in downtown L. A." He handed Lewis a piece of paper. "This is the address."

Lewis looked at it. When he looked back up, he struggled to stay calm. "It's blank, sir."

"It'll stay blank until the ship leaves the atmosphere, then the address will appear on it. After I've left, you and your men can leave after you've taken care of the Royal Four's friends."

*****

Gunn and Wesley stood back to back, waiting for the vampires that were approaching them from all sides. Wesley launched a crossbow bolt at one of them and it turned to dust. Another one attacked him, knocking him over, while another rushed Gunn with a lead pipe. Gunn brought his axe up just in time and the pipe collided with the axe handle. Gunn struggled to push the pipe away while the vampire worked against his efforts. Finally, Gunn kicked out and knocked the vampire on his back. Another vamp, this one holding a short sword, attacking him from the left. Gunn blocked and parried before connecting with the vamp's neck, dusting him. The vamp he knocked over got up and rushed him, but Gunn beheaded him, too.

Meanwhile, a vampire straddled Wesley and leaned toward his neck. Wesley felt along the ground for a crossbow bolt, but couldn't reach it.

Gunn turned around and saw them. "Wesley!" He kicked the vamp off of the ex-watcher. The vampire rolled to his feet and faced off with Gunn, snarling. Then a crossbow bolt appeared through his chest and he exploded into dust.

Wesley, now holding the crossbow, looked up at Gunn. "Thanks, man," Gunn said, helping Wesley up.

"Not…a problem," Wesley answered. Both of them paused for breath as they looked around.

Cordelia was spraying holy water on a vamp before she leaned in and staked him. Angel took care of the remaining two. Then no more vampires remained.

Cordelia and Angel walked over to them. "Well, that was fun," Cordelia remarked, trying futilely to shake off the dust off her clothes. Giving up, she sighed. "There goes another perfectly good outfit."

"We should get inside," Angel said.

"Right," Wesley agreed, standing up tall. He threw the empty crossbow into the convertible and took out a short sword. He started toward the porch and the other three fell into step behind him.

Suddenly, they heard low growls. They stopped and held their weapons up, on guard. Cordelia groaned and held her crossbow up, too.

Hellhounds crawled up from under and around the house. They snarled and growled at the members of Angel Investigations.

"Hellhounds?" Cordelia asked.

"Whoever this mage is, I am looking forward to seriously whipping his butt," Gunn said.

The hounds sprang at them. Angel swung his sword and two hounds went down. The rest kept coming, though.

Only they attacked Cordelia, Gunn, and Wesley. They tried to ward the off, but there were too many of them. Hellhounds clung to their flesh and clothes. They tried to shake them off, but couldn't.

Angel ran over and helped. The hellhounds ignored him, so it was easy to throw the hounds off. The hounds he threw off lay dazed on the ground.

Eventually, he got all of them off his friends, leaving behind bite marks and wounds from the hounds' teeth and claws on their flesh.

"Everyone all right?" Angel asked them.

"Just peachy," Wesley said, examining a wound and looking around at the unconscious or dead hellhounds.

"Those things have sharp teeth," Gunn commented as he felt a large wound in his leg.

"It's not over," Cordelia said.

Everyone watched as a portal to the Ghost Roads opened. Two large winged demon glided out, releasing ear-piercing cries of battle.

"Oh, shit," Gunn said.

They glided toward them. Cordelia launched a crossbow bolt at the first one and nailed it square in the chest. "Yes!" she cried in triumph.

The flying demon didn't stop. He kept nose-diving toward them.

"Get down!" Wesley said, pushing her over. The first one picked him up by the shoulders and carried him off.

"Wesley!" Angel called. As the demon passed him, Angel embedded his sword in its neck. The demon cried out and released Wesley.

The demon went biserk as it flew higher into the air. It turned and circled back over the house until it stood above them again. Then it went lump and started falling.

Angel grabbed Wesley and Gunn grabbed Cordy and got out of the way. The large birdlike demon fell and squashed several hellhounds.

The other demon bird let out a cry of anguish. Then it dived toward them.

More demons appeared out of the portal. "Take care of them!" Angel told his friends. "I've got the bird."

He watched as the bird descended toward him. He held his sword up, ready for anything.

*****

Kyle had to admit that the Ghost Roads creeped him out. He couldn't make out any of the ghosts' faces. They lined the road and watched him, Maria, Liz, Willow, Tara, Giles, Xander, and Anya pass by. Buddha never mentioned anything like this. If he really was going here after he died, he wasn't looking forward to it.

"There! I see a portal!" Tara announced, pointing. A hundred or so yards away was a portal into their universe. Kyle felt very relieved. He wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible.

As they got closer, they realized the portal opened up into the front yard of a large house. In the yard, four people were fighting things Kyle had never seen before.

"It's the guys!" Willow cried, worried. "We should help them. Shouldn't we?"

"No. We don’t have a lot of time before Valence leaves with Max, Michael, Isabel, and Oz," Liz argued.

"We'll go," Xander volunteered, pointing to him and Anya. "You guys go in that house and try to find them or their space ship."

"Anya?" Giles asked her.

She nodded. "Demons are a lot better than all-powerful sorcerers."

They ran through the portal, falling down the two feet to the ground below.

"Everyone think about the inside of that house," Giles instructed.

They did, and the portal shifted and re-formed inside the house. On the other side, they could see a room lit by a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. Bars lined three sides of the room, letting them know it was some sort of prison cell. The door stood open, and a figure lay on his side half way through the doorway.

"Oz!" Willow cried, rushing forward. She jumped down out of the portal, and everyone followed. When Kyle's feet hit the floor, he let out of breath of relief to be out of that weird other world.

They ran toward Oz with Willow in the lead. Suddenly, she stopped, unable to move any closer. An invisible barrier seemed to block them all from reaching the unconscious werewolf lying on the floor.

"No!" Willow cried, frantic. Kyle recognized the desperate, concerned look on her face. So had Tara, he noticed, and she looked upset. They must have as many relationship problems as he and his friends did.

"What is it?" Liz asked. "Why did you stop?"

"It's-a type of barrier spell," Giles explained. "Tara, Willow, do either of you know how to-"

A figure stepped out of the shadows. His blonde hair appeared to be completely white in the artificial lighting. He walked with the confident swagger and the smile that immediately spoke 'vamp' to Giles, Willow, and Tara.

"If it isn't Rupert Giles," he said, smiling that arrogant smile.

Maria, Liz, Kyle, Willow, and Tara all turned to look at Giles. Giles, however, acted like he didn't notice. Instead, his face got very pale, and his mouth fell open. "No," he finally managed to get out in a barely intelligible whisper.

"Mr. Giles?" Liz spoke up. "Who is he? Do you know him?"

"You mean he's never you about his past? He's never given you any of those 'when I was your age' lectures?" Lewis asked, but continued without waiting for an answer, "The name's Lewis."

"I...I thought you were dead," Giles said, sorrow, grief, and perhaps even guilt seeping into his voice.

"Newsflash, Rupe, I am. I hadn't counted on you showing up this night. I figured the aliens' friends would show up, but certainly not you."

"What have you done with them?" Maria demanded, getting her confidence back just enough to speak. She'd lost it when she saw Giles' face.

"Valence has them now," he answered. "But the werewolf is mine. It's part of the agreement I had with him."

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Willow cried out, her anger rising.

Lewis smirked. "Too late for that."

Tara started chanting. "For all that is good and all that is well, come forth to break this spell. If there is a spell that you find, let it not harm me and mine."

Suddenly, the magical barrier glowed with white light before blinking out. Willow ran forward to Oz.

Lewis growled and his vampiric features slid into place as he prepared to fight her. Willow would be damned if she let him any closer to her or her ex-boyfriend. She held up her hand palm out and concentrated on an image of him taking flying lessons.

Lewis went soaring through the air, colliding with the corridor wall. Before he could charge again, Giles was on him, pushing him back against the wall and taking out a cross.

Everyone else rushed to Oz's body. They sat him up against one of the cell's stone walls. Willow knelt beside him. "Oz," she said, worried.

He stirred, and his eyes slid open. "Willow?" he asked.

"Hey, Oz," Willow said, smiling wide. She embraced him in a tight hug. She'd been so worried.

"Good to see you, too," Oz said, giving her a smile. His gaze slid to the others.

Willow remembered that Tara was there, and suddenly felt guilty. Willow closed her eyes before glancing over at Tara. She was watching Willow.

"Tara, I'm-" Willow said, genuinely apologetic. She'd been so worried about her former boyfriend, she hadn't even considered how her current girlfriend must feel.

Tara smiled at her, reached over, and squeezed her hand. "We'll talk about it later."

"Excuse me," Kyle said. Oz, Willow, and Tara looked at him, Maria, and Liz. "We should be looking for Isabel, Michael, and Max now."

"What happened?" Maria asked Oz.

"Lewis and a bunch of other vamps came to take us out of here. I attacked the first two vamps that opened the cell. Max and Michael were supposed to deal with the others with their powers, but they wouldn't work for some reason. Max said something about a Trithium Amplification Generator, then the vamps managed to knock me out. I guess they took Max and Michael afterwards."

"What about Isabel?" Kyle asked.

"They never brought her down here. I think Valence wanted to talk to her about something. I think they took her to the ship with Max and Michael."

"We've got to get going," Liz said, standing up.

"Well, as soon as Giles takes care of Lewis, we will," Willow promised.

*****

Giles held the cross out at arm's length. He didn't want Lewis to get too close to him. It was hard enough just to see him right now and still keep his rage under control. The shock of seeing Lewis had finally worn off, and Giles' old emotions threatened to resurface. He had to find out where Isabel, Max, and Michael were taken. Then he could get angry.

"Where are they, Lewis?" he asked. "Where did Valence take them?"

Lewis wiped his check of blood as he stood up. Then he didn't move, just watched Giles with his back to the wall. "You never did like to make polite conversation, Riper," he said. Faster than Giles could follow, Lewis used his vampiric strength to kick the nerves on Giles wrist. Giles' grip on the cross instantly loosed, and the wooden object fell to the ground. "I always thought you needed to learn some manners. I wonder if it's too late to teach you some?"

Giles pulled out a stake and got into a fighting stance. "You can try."

A pendant on Lewis' neck began to glow and beep. Lewis looked down at it and smiled. "It's time for me to go. There's something I've gotta do in town." He pointed to his right down the darkening corridor. "That way leads to your friends. You won't get there in time, though. Just like last time, right, Rupe? They're going to leave the planet any minute, and I don't think you've got the resources to follow them. That reminds me of last time, too."

He glanced behind Giles at the interior of the cell. "Pity I can't have that lycanthrope, though. Lots of people would pay big bucks for a live one. See ya later, Rupe."

With that, he was off, racing down the opposite end of the corridor.

Giles watched him go, half tempted to run after him. But three innocent, if not human, beings were still in danger, and he knew he'd never forgive himself if he didn't even try to save them. Like he'd never forgive himself for what happened so many years ago with Lewis.

He turned around to see that the others were getting ready to head off. "It's this way," Giles said, starting to run in the opposite direction that Lewis had taken. "Hurry."

*****

Valence could feel the strain of holding onto this body for so long finally taking physical effect. He'd used very powerful spells to help his home planet's own energy resources keep him in control of this body, but he knew they would wear off very soon, probably in less than an hour. As long as Isabel, Michael, and Max were on the ship and returning to the home planet, it would be safe to go back to his own body several billion miles away, where he would be at Kivar's mercy. He doubted anything would happen to him; he had made sure that his assets were protected long before he took possession of this human body. He just had to make sure Kivar didn't have any doubts about him.

Also, the sooner he got off this miserable little planet, the better.

He barked at two vampires holding Isabel to hurry up. He was so effective that the vampires began to run down the hallway. A minute later, the five vampires escorting Michael and Max appeared at the top of the stairs leading down into the homemade jail. The seven vampires were the only ones still in the mansion; the rest were out in front, holding off the captives' friends.

"Hurry up!" Valence said. "Go faster before I cast a sunlight spell and make you all combust!"

The vampire escort hurried up the stairs, forcing the two alien teens along.

"Having problems, Valence?" Michael asked, contentment in his voice.

In answer, Valence turned on him and raised his hand. Immediately, Michael's windpipe began to squeeze. Michael found it harder and harder to breathe. Valence squeezed his hand into a fist, and the invisible grip on Michael's neck tightened, making him choke.

"Stop! You're going to kill him!" Max started toward Valence, but two of his escort held him back.

Valence opened his palm, and Michael sunk to the ground, coughing as air filled his lungs again. The other three vampires in their escort set him back on his feet.

"Michael, are you all right?" Max asked.

Still coughing, Michael managed to get out, "Yeah."

Both of them stared at Valence and he smiled back, satisfied. "That's right. The TAG doesn't affect my powers. You'd better not forget that where we're going." He gave them both a deadly glare. "And the name's Toren. You'll be using it a lot on the home planet."