Disclaimer: Joss & Co. owns all these people, demons, creatures, tax collectors, etc. I'm only playing with them.

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ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS, LOS ANGELES, CA

"Angel Investigations, we help the-" Wesley's greeting was interrupted by the familiar and not entirely welcome voice on the other line.

"Hey, Wes. Is the boss around?"

"Faith," Wesley acknowledged her primly. "I don't suppose there's any point in reminding you that I am, in fact, the boss...never mind, here's Angel."

"Faith?" Angel's surprised and concerned voice made Faith felt suddenly awkward. She had never phoned him before, and momentarily wondered if she was overreacting.

"Angel, hi," she managed to croak out, mentally kicking herself for sounding like a scared little girl.

"Everything okay?" he asked carefully.

"With me? Yeah. I'm cool. Five by...I'm fine. I'm just a little...I had a visitor."

"Who?"

"She said she's my new Watcher, that the Council was going to get me sprung and back to slaying. You know, because..." Faith stopped herself from saying the two words, but they both heard them in the minds and hearts anyway, as they did countless times a day. *Buffy's dead.* There was a long moment of silence before Angel responded.

"Oh. Well, that's...probably should have expected that," he said, his voice curt with barely repressed grief, and Faith closed her eyes. She knew better than anyone how hard this was for him, and here she was bringing him more pain. Another mark on her already blackened soul. Still she plunged forward, unaccountably certain she needed his help badly.

"Yeah. But that's not why I...Angel, I know I've been out of the slaying thing for a while, but this new Watcher chick, I got bad vibes from her. Like she's coming off real Gwendolyn Postal, if you get me." The reminder of the renegade Watcher made Angel's frown deepen.

"Okay," Angel said, his tone grave. "Tell me everything you know about her, Faith. I'll ask Wesley to look into it. If there's something wrong going on..." He left the sentence unfinished, but Faith knew what he was pledging to her. Her reply was simple but sincere.

"Thanks."

"Anytime," he said, and Faith blinked back sudden tears. She knew that he meant it. In a moment his tone was all business. "Tell me about this new Watcher of yours."

Faith took a deep breath and quickly gave him all the information she had about Hortensia Blackman. Then she sighed.

"My guard friend here's looking antsy, Angel. Time's up."

"Okay, I'll be in touch soon."

"Right," she answered, reluctant to hang up the phone. After a moment of silence he spoke again.

"Faith?"

"Yes?"

"You hang in there. Don't worry," he said, knowing she would respond with a lie. They would both be worrying.

"Nah, I never worry. You know me."

"Yes I do," Angel said, and the affection in his voice made Faith feel warm inside in a way she hadn't most of her life. She smiled at his ability to comfort her in spite of herself.

"Bye, Angel," Faith whispered as the line disconnected. Angel hung up the phone with a worried sigh.

"Trouble?" Wes asked softly. Angel turned to him, his darkening expression foretelling a brooding session coming on like the sky before a thunderstorm.

"Not sure, but I'm thinking yeah," Angel answered. "Someone might be after Faith."

"Who?"

"The Council of Watchers."

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SUNNYDALE, CA

As demons went, Jan'esha demons didn't look really intimidating in Xander's opinion. In this case, however, the old adage that looks could be deceiving couldn't have been more true. Their frail blue bodies looked as if a strong gust of wind might blow them over, but they had double the strength of the average vampire and tongues that lashed out like a scorpion's stinger, administering a toxin that effectively paralyzed their opponents, and with enough doses could certainly kill humans. Bad enough on their own, these demons that worshipped Oktep also had magickal enhancements and skills that could also prove deadly. There were only three coming towards them, but Xander knew all about three from his childhood Saturday mornings. Three was a magic number.

"What do we do?" Dawn asked in a whisper, and Xander had the distinct, rather unhappy impression that she was addressing the question to Spike, even though in the midst of the spell he was certainly unable to answer. And Xander needed an answer, as the demons were approaching quickly. He was relieved to see Giles regaining his feet, although he was leaning rather heavily on Dawn's thin shoulders.

"We must protect Spike and Tara at all costs. Once they've completed the spell and Oktep cannot be brought to this dimension, the Jan'esha will be more easily dealt with," Giles answered weakly.

"They'll be weakened?" Xander asked with cautious optimism.

"They'll lose some of their powers, yes," Giles answered, and Xander knew a hedge when he heard it. With no witch or vampire help, they were going to be overmatched by even the small number of Jan'esha approaching them. Xander racked his brain. According to what he could remember from Giles' research, their only weakness was their single-minded zealotry. They were often slow to react to unanticipated situations.

"Surprise," he mused. "They think we're still chained up. They won't be ready for us to attack."

"Quite so, Xander," Giles answered, genuinely pleased with his deduction. They looked around and gathered some of the weapons Spike had brought with him. "We need to dispatch them quickly, before they can alert their brethren. They won't expect us to be free and armed. Dawn, you stay back with-"

"No way! You need me to help you!" the teenager protested, clutching an axe that looked too heavy for her to lift in her trembling hands. "You won't be able to take all three of them by yourselves. Besides, you're still all wobbly, Giles."

"She's right," Xander said through gritted teeth. "I don't like it either, but-we're out of time to discuss this cause here they come!"

The demons did indeed freeze in shock at the strange tableau that met their bulbous eyes when they came round the corner. Xander and Giles didn't wait for them to recover their senses but swung their axes immediately. Xander's blow beheaded the demon to the left; the one to the right suffered decapitation from Giles' strike. Unable to raise her axe high enough, Dawn thought fast and did a move Buffy had taught her long ago, grateful that in this case demon anatomy was not too different from the human variety. The demon fell to his knees, cradling his tender groin as Dawn moved in and brought the axe across at her knees. She wasn't strong enough to take his head off completely, but he was definitely dying. Dawn found herself unable to move away from the demon's twitching face. His eyes locked on her with murderous intent. Xander realized what was about to happen and pulled Dawn away only a moment before the demon would have struck her with his tongue. The two of them collapsed to the floor as the Jan'esha took one more gurgling breath and lay still, his poisonous tongue still laying outside his body.

"Gross," Dawn said, paling at the sight. Giles helped her to her feet and gave her an automatic hug. "I can't believe it. I totally slayed something!"

"Your sister would be so proud," Giles murmured, still holding the girl as if reassuring himself that she really was alive and unharmed.

"You rock, Dawnie. Giles, stay here with Dawn and watch Tara and Spike. I'm going after Anya," Xander said, grabbing his axe and running before Giles could tell him to stay.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Dawn asked.

"He's an impetuous, stupid fool who'll likely get us all killed," Giles snapped, then added lamely at her stricken expression, "but I'm sure he'll be fine. Look, I believe they've nearly finished."

Sure enough, a fine sparkling mist had settled around Spike and Tara, and as it faded they relaxed. Spike looked around him in a bit of a daze, while Tara nearly collapsed, only Giles' quick movement keeping her head from hitting the floor. She looked up and gave him a weak smile.

"We did it. Oktep won't be visiting this dimension anytime soon," she said. Giles nodded, looking at Spike.

"Are you alright?" Giles asked kindly. Spike seemed surprised and for a brief unguarded moment pleased at the Watcher's care, then his old cockiness asserted itself.

"Fine. Don't like messing with magic, is all. Sets my teeth on edge." The vampire stood and brushed himself off, then helped Giles help Tara to her feet. He looked around the room scowling. "Where's Harris?"

"He went to save Anya," Dawn said breathlessly. Spike sighed and shouldered an axe.

"Right then. Dawn, stay here with the witch; she's hurt and needs lookin' after," he said seriously to forestall the teenager's protests. "Watcher, you and I'll go get Harris and his tarty little bride-to-be."

"Let's go then," Giles said. It never occurred to any of them that they had just taken orders from the vampire, but Spike found himself suppressing his own astonishment. Maybe the poof and Willow had been right after all.

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DESTINY, MAINE

"You're a demon?" Lydia asked cautiously. "What sort?"

"Videclaru," Koy answered, and this time Lydia did almost fall over from shock. She eyed him closely, and now she saw it. The faint mottling on the hands and neck that she'd always mistaken for scars. Scales.

"I was told that there were no more Videclaru. The Council-"

"Wiped us out, well almost all of us, yes," Koy said bitterly, his eyes flashing momentarily red. "Do you know why?"

"The Videclaru were responsible for feeding off an entire village. It was a hideous massacre."

"Propaganda and horrid, unforgivable lies, Lyd," Tricia said hotly. "The Videclaru were peacefully co-existing with humanity for millennia. They kept to themselves and the idea that they would feed off humans is ludicrous. They can't injest meat, it makes them violently ill." A vaguely amused look passed between the married couple that told Lydia there was a story there. Tricia continued, "The Council needed an excuse to hunt down and kill innocent beings and make it appear legitimate. They wanted all the Videclaru dead."

"But they brought you to the Academy to train you as a Watcher, Koy," Lydia said slowly, struggling to process all of this new information. "If they knew you were Videclaru...?"

"They didn't know. Not surprising, really. I didn't know until I was fourteen," he said, running his fingers through his short spiky hair. "My real parents hid my sister and me with human parents when they went on the run from the Council's assassination squad. We both grew up not knowing. Then my parents were killed and I found a letter from my real mother explaining everything. When I began to show certain aptitudes, and the Council wanted me, I thought I might be able to find out what happened to my parents."

"Your sister..." Lydia began, still stunned. Trish nodded.

"Tampa. She and her husband Bert are here with us now."

"I made them go into hiding when I left, to make sure she was safe. I did the best I could, but those bastards found her anyway. They almost..." Koy trailed off, overcome.

"Koy, you're saying the Council didn't know...what you are. What happened when they brought you to London?" Lydia saw Koy's expression turn wistful, then darken.

"They must have done some kind of tests...I don't know. I know that they found out pretty fast after I got there. I played dumb about it; it wasn't too hard, considering I had always thought I was human. When they realized what I was and thought I didn't know, they decided to keep me there for some experiments. Eventually they would have killed me, of course. Fortunately I found out what they were planning and escaped. With Trish."

"Koy told me everything. I knew he was a demon, but I loved him. I didn't care what he was, I had to be with him," Tricia said loyally.

"Did you discover what became of your parents?" Lydia asked.

"Hunted and slaughtered, like all the others. I have no reason to believe that Tampa and I aren't the last of our kind, thanks to the Council." Koy's expression remained carefully impassive, but his eyes flashed red again. It was a disconcerting and almost familiar sight, and Lydia repressed a shiver.

"But why? Why would the Council invest so much energy in destroying an innocent race of demons?" Lydia pressed. She knew the Council was capable of atrocities, but there was always a reason.

"Self-preservation, apparently. They believed we would bring about the end of humankind," her husband said calmly, taking in Lydia's shaken expression.

"There was a prophecy, of course," Tricia said wearily. "Vaguely worded enough to allow for that interpretation along with a dozen others...but it was enough for them."

"I've never heard of any such prophecy, I swear," Lydia said fervently, looking at her friend and her husband beseechingly. Tricia put a comforting hand over hers.

"Apparently only the highest levels of the Council were privy to what it contained. My father..." Tricia trailed off, her eyes full of pain, and Lydia felt ill with sudden realization as to why Koy had been so frightened of her arrival. She didn't have to imagine the pain of that kind of betrayal. She knew it first-hand.

"Dear Lord. And mine."

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CONCILLIUM NOCENS, LOCATION UNKNOWN

"Report," Geoffrey said imperiously as his spy warped into view. These spells were taxing but necessary in order to insure that nothing went wrong.

"She's arrived. She's with them now, just as you predicted." Geoffrey nodded in satisfaction. Of course, it hadn't been his prediction exactly, but with it being confirmed correct he had no qualms with taking the credit.

"My dear daughter has finally reunited with her best school chum and her demon husband. Excellent," he sighed. Geoffrey leaned in and eyed the mole speculatively. "You know what must be done?" he said. It wasn't really a question.

"Yes...everything's been set into motion. They suspect nothing."

"Good. How soon?"

"I swear that by this time tomorrow, they'll all be dead."

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DREAMING PLANES, LOCATION UNKNOWN

"I'm no good at this," Buffy moaned. Aldric smiled at her indulgently. They were sitting across from each other in lotus position as he tried to teach the Slayer the finer points of invading dreams. They had both agreed that her friends needed to be warned about what the Dark Council had planned.

"It isn't easy. You're accustomed to being more...active. In order to penetrate another's dreams, you must concentrate on letting yourself go. You must allow yourself to lose this form, this identity. But you must be able to recapture your form once you've entered in order to achieve any influence."

"You know, when you describe it, it only sounds totally impossible," Buffy said with sarcastic cheer. "Even if I can master this, how will I even know when one of my friends is here?"

"It works best if you concentrate on your memories of them, what you love best about them...you should feel something almost like déjà vu when one of them enters the Dreaming Planes. I know this seems strange."

"Ummm, Aldric, no offense, but being the Slayer on a Hellmouth for five years really redefines your definition of strange."

"Yes, quite," he said, blushing a bit. Buffy couldn't help but smile. He was a stranger, but she found his presence very comforting. She was more upset then she was letting on about this current state of affairs. She wasn't really keen on the idea of spending eternity in this strange Daliesque landscape, and while Aldric had pledged to help her, so far he was really short on ideas other than this dream invasion thing. She closed her eyes, calling her friends to mind. She didn't regret what she had done for a second; she would gladly die a thousand deaths to save her sister and the world. She just hoped that things in Sunnydale were manageable without...

"I feel something!" she said excitedly. Aldric nodded encouragement.

"What do you feel?"

"It's like you said. I'm all déjà vu-y. Goosebumps."

"Can you sense a direction?" Buffy closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded.

"Yes, it's coming from...this way!" she said, taking off. The Slayer moved like the wind even in this dimension. Aldric was barely able to keep up with her, and managed only through a major concentration of will. He was exhausted when he finally spotted what they were running toward, and dismay shot through him. He reached out and grabbed Buffy's arm, bringing her to a halt.

"Buffy, wait, you need to know something first."

"What's the problem?" Buffy asked, knowing she was going to hate the answer. She had heard that regretful tone out of Giles countless times; apparently it was something they taught at Watcher school. Aldric pointed towards the woman Buffy had been approaching. The landscape surrounding her was glowing with a strange olive hue.

"You see that green shimmer?" he asked, and upon her nod continued, "I'm afraid that indicates your friend is not sleeping. She's in a coma."

"Oh God. But she'll wake up, right?" Buffy asked immediately. Aldric frowned uncertainly.

"Perhaps, but normally the deeper the hue, the more likely the person is to...Buffy, I don't know what to say."

Buffy sank to her knees, crying out in despair.

"No. Not Willow."

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