The sun was setting and the street deeply shadowed when once again the bell rang over the shop door. This time when Anya looked up she felt a wave of shock flash through her. There in the doorway stood Buffy. Or rather the girl who had stolen Buffy's body.

"Buffy!" Anya exclaimed. "Hello, Buffy. What are you doing here today? Are you here to see Mr. Giles? He's in the backroom. Let me announce you."

Before Faith could stop her, the young woman hurried across the room and opened the door located at the back of the shop. "Mr. Giles," Anya chirped nervously. "Guess who's here? It's Buffy!"

The last was said just seconds before she was pushed aside and Faith entered the room. And stopped.

The room was filled with Scoobies, Watchers, Vampires, Joyce Summers...and Buffy.

"Fuck!" Faith exclaimed as she turned and ran for the front door. Buffy was fast on her heels followed by Spike and Angel. She caught up with Faith just as the other girl opened the front door.
With a tackle, both women landed on the sidewalk, tumbling until they smashed up against the tires of a car parked in front of the shop.

Buffy managed to get on top of Faith and struck her several sharp blows to the head. Faith kicked up and wrapped a strong leg around Buffy, pulling her back and off. Kicking at Buffy's head, she once again tried to run only to be caught in the iron grasp of the blond English vampire.

"You're not going anywhere, bitch!" he growled,

She struggled, but soon realized that it was hopeless. Even if she got away from this one, Buffy and Angel were right there. She was trapped. Once again she had failed. Her hatred of all of them nearly consumed her.

"Willow," Buffy said. "Do you have the Katra device?"

Faith's eyes widened as Willow handed Buffy a box containing a palm-sized green-glowing sphere. Xander stood to the side holding a tranquilizer gun in his hands. "Get ready, Xan," Buffy said. Taking the object out of the box, she nodded to Spike who let go of Faith. Everyone stepped back as Buffy grabbed onto Faith's hand. A swirl of energy surrounded them and they gasped.

It was a little flash of light that caught Spike's attention. Looking around, he saw the glint from the last light of the dying day reflecting off the barrel of a rifle that a man was aiming from the roof of the building across the street. Xander shot the tranq gun at Faith at the same time Collins fired the rifle. Shouting a warning, Spike grabbed Buffy and pushed her down just at the gun went off. The bullet whizzed by and smashed into the doorway of the shop. Everyone scrambled back into the shop with the exception of the two vampires. Spike and Angel sprinted forward in full game face, rapidly leaping up and grabbing onto window frames and anything else that assisted their climb to the roof.

Collins cursed, dropped the rifle and fled. Tearing open the roof door, he entered locking it behind him. Racing down the stairs, he hoped to get back to his car before the two vampires were on him. Who the fuck ever heard of a Slayer having vampire allies? It was his bad luck that he stumbled on the uneven stairs of the old building. Pitching forward he fell tumbling down the steep stairwell.

His neck was broken before he even reached the bottom landing.

***

Smith and Weatherby were turning the corner a block from The Magic Box when they heard the shot fired. Stopping the car, they jumped out and watched in amazement as two men ran across the street faster than possible for humans. Their suspicion as to the men's natures was confirmed as they watched them scramble up the side of the building. The sound of a door being torn from its hinges followed shortly thereafter. Exchanging glances, they got back into their car and pulled up behind a car they recognized as Collins' sedan. Weatherby took his handgun out of the holster and waited for Collins to appear. He never did, but the two vampires soon exited the building and entered the shop across the street.

***

Faith was laid out on the floor of the shop unconscious from the tranquilizer dart Xander had shot into her. Buffy was comforting a softly crying Joyce, reassuring her that everything was okay. Spike went immediately up to the blonde Slayer and asked, "Buffy?"

Wrapping her arms around him, Buffy lifted her face to his for a kiss. Touching her mouth tentatively, Spike was soon kissing her deeply. He had no doubt that this was his Slayer. Angel looked away, unable to watch the passionate way the two lovers kissed. Joyce gave a hitching laugh, wiped tears from her eyes and said, "Okay you two; break if up. This is no way to behave in front of your mother." Buffy blushed and Spike grinned at Joyce as they came up for air.

"What happened with the man that shot at us?" Giles asked. "Dead," Angel answered. Buffy gasped and pulled back from Spike. Staring wide-eyed at Angel she asked, "You killed him?"

"No!" Angel asserted, more than a little hurt that she assumed it had been he that killed the man. Apparently Spike had her convinced that he wouldn't kill anyone, not just her Scoobies.

"Then what happened?" Buffy asked, looking once again at Spike.

"Fell down the stairs and broke his bleedin' neck, mores the pity. I had all kinds of plans for him and that bloody rifle of his."

"Who was he?" Xander asked.

The two vampires shook their heads but Spike added, "I hate to ask you to do this, love, but I think you should look at him. I have a feeling he's probably one of those Council wankers that kidnapped you yesterday."

Buffy shuddered, but nodded her agreement. Leaving the shop, the two vampires and Slayer crossed the street and entered the building. Giles and Joyce watched anxiously and soon a very pale Buffy exited the door, a concerned Spike walking closely at her side.

"It's Collins," she told her Watcher as soon she entered The Magic Box. "He's the one that tried to shoot me in Los Angeles, too. Has a real thing for guns apparently."

Giles sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I'll have to call Quentin Travers and inform him," he said.

"Giles," Buffy began.

"No, Buffy. I'm sorry, but this is Council business. It's their mess and they'll have to clean it up."

"And what about Faith?" she asked heatedly.

"We'll take care of her," a voice said from the shop door. Turning to face the front of the shop, Buffy glared at the man who stood there.

"I don't think so," she said standing protectively in front of the drugged Slayer. "If you think you're going to take her out of here just so you can kill her..."

"No, we have different orders now," Weatherby assured the angry Slayer. Lifting up a small case he continued, "I'm sure Mr. Giles will recognize what I have with me."

Opening the lid of the case he revealed several vials of some kind of drug. Giles flushed and looked guiltily at Buffy. "It's the drug the Council uses for The Cruciamentum." Looking away quickly from Buffy's outraged expression he said to Weatherby, "I take it that the Council intends to keep her under the influence of this drug until she is safely confined in London?"

Weatherby nodded. "I was given this after she escaped our custody." Turning and bowing to Buffy he corrected, "Or I should say after Miss Summers escaped our custody."

"You mean escaped your attempt to murder me," she snapped.

Any further conversation was interrupted when Smith entered the shop. "Collins is dead," he told his companion.

Weatherby looked at the two vampires, instinctively reaching for the stake tucked away in the pocket of his jacket.

"They didn't kill him," Buffy told him coldly. "He fell while running away after trying to shoot me. Again."

Weatherby looked questioningly at Smith who shrugged. "Could have happened that way. Or they could have snapped his neck and tossed him down the stairs."

Buffy bristled at the accusation, but Spike said calmly, "No, mate, you can believe me this. If either of us had caught up to him, he wouldn't have died so cleanly."

"Spike, not helping here," Buffy warned her lover.

"We will accept your explanation," the Englishman assured her. "Now, as to Faith," he began and then hesitated. Weatherby and Smith were well aware of the hostility in the room, especially from the two vampires, one of whom, the one the Slayer had addressed as Spike, stood proprietarily close to her. "You must understand," Weatherby tried to explain, "we were under orders..."

"Yeah mate," the white-haired vampire remarked, "heard that one before. Now where was it? Oh yeah, Nuremberg."

Weatherby flushed angrily, but wisely held his tongue. Once again addressing Giles he said, "If you don't believe that we mean Faith no further harm, I suggest that you call Mr. Travers. He will confirm what I've said."

Giles immediately made for the telephone as everyone stood glaring at the Watchers Council's agents.
Xander suddenly realized he was still holding the tranquilizer gun. He went to put it down when Angel said, "Here give it to me; I'll go put it away. I need to get away from these guys for a couple minutes."

Xander took one look at Angel's face and hastily turned the gun over to him. Angel stalked across the shop and entered the training room. Setting the gun down next to the door to the basement, he removed his coat, walked over to Buffy's punching bag, and began pounding on it. He was having a very hard time containing his demon around those Watchers. They had destroyed whatever chance Faith had for redemption last year and now they had tried to kill her, which because of the Katra spell meant that they very nearly killed Buffy.

Buffy heard the sound of the punching bag being pounded. Turning to Xander with a raised eyebrow he shrugged and said, "I think he's working out a few Watcher related issues." Nodding in understanding, Buffy paid no further attention to the sounds coming from the training room, instead concentrating on Giles' telephone conversation. She didn't notice a popping sound or a thud louder than the others. Nor did she notice the sudden quiet.