I have to save Dawn.

I shift in the chair in my office, trying to calm down.

Whatever this guy wants with her, he's not going to get it. I don't care how far I have to go or what I need to do, I'll stop him. I've done it before and I'll do it again. I just hope that I don't have to go as far as I did the last time. Jumping off that tower may have been the right thing to do, but it wasn't the most fun thing I've ever done. Dying by mystical energy isn't exactly the most pleasant experience.

All that energy around you, what feels like electricity shocking you in mid-air, not to mention the burning sensation of the energy itself. I remember how it felt like being on fire while being electrocuted and suffocating while being suspended in the air. Not something I really want to experience again any time soon. It's even less fun than drowning to death. And that's before coming back from the dead.

Having to feel all that pain and anger, knowing where I was and that I couldn't go back? It nearly killed me... again. It's why I couldn't just stand back when Dawn was going through her whole self-discovery thing with Faith, and when they both started falling apart when things between them did. I couldn't stand to see them in so much pain. I still can't. But with this guy after Dawn, it has to be about more than that now. At least until he's been dealt with and we all survive.

I don't want to have to do it again. He said that the reason he wanted to find Dawn was for revenge, but it can't be that simple. It just can't be. I've spent the last 12 hours going over everything I could think of that would give him a reason to hurt Dawn out of revenge and I can't find it. There's just no reason for someone that powerful to be after Dawn.

I just don't get it.

Faith appears in the doorway, leaning on the frame.

"You okay B?"

I look up at her.

"Yeah, I'm good."

A bit of a grin appears on her face.

"Well that was convincing."

I can't help but smile back.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah, but then I know you pretty well. I'm sure the girls wouldn't."

"Good thing I don't have to give you a rousing speech then isn't it?"

"Nah... I've had more than enough of your speeches to last me a lifetime."

Okay, I can do this.

"You sure you're up for this?"

It takes me a minute to answer.

I can't let this stop me. Not with what's at stake.

"I have to be."

Then I make my way towards the door and Faith. She throws her arm in my path, blocking me from leaving without touching her.

"Hey..."

I look at her at her words.

"You don't HAVE to be. I'm here for you... WE'RE here for you. This isn't all on you."

"Thanks..."

"I mean it, if you want me to do the big speech, I'll do it."

She's trying to make things easier for me, it's sweet.

I smile at her.

"Thank you for wanting to help me through this. I know you're just trying to be a good friend, but I'll be fine."

She kinda watches me for a while like she doesn't quite believe me.

"You're sure?"

I need her to be on board with this.

I reach out and put my hand on her arm before she can react and stop me. Her eyes meet mine and there's a moment between us. It isn't long until that feeling starts to rise up between us.

"I'm okay..."

The feeling intensifies a little while longer as we keep our eyes on each other. She continues to watch me for a moment and then drops her arm from my path, letting me take my hand off her so the feeling fades.

"All right..."

She steps out of the way and I leave my office. After a few moments, she starts to follow me.

I should be checking in with her.

"Besides, if anyone should be having issues, it's you."

"Me?"

"This guy coming in and looking for Dawn has to be bringing up a lot for you. Especially with how you guys left things."

"I'm good."

Well that was about as convincing as I was.

It's my turn to block her way this time, stopping and facing her.

"Look, I can handle things because I've been dealing with my issues for a couple years. I've had time to work through it. But you? This is still pretty fresh for you isn't it?"

I watch her take a deep breath before saying anything.

"It's not exactly the most comfortable feeling in the world to have your ex thrown in your face like this. I was kinda hoping that there'd be some distance between us for a while but... I can deal."

"Well, if it ever gets too much to deal with, I'm here for you."

There's a long silence between us, eventually causing Faith to smirk at me.

"Thanks B."

She slaps me in the shoulder and then quickly moves past me.

Okay, I guess that's the end of that? I'm not sure that's the best way to go about this. But we don't really have time to deal with it properly. This guy is going to be coming pretty soon and we have to be ready.

I start to follow her down the hallway and into the main dojo. Our class and a few of our local graduates are spread out along the floor, some of them stretching or or squaring off, testing each other's stances and focus. Others are talking or just arriving, some confused about what exactly is going on. Pike is over in the corner, going through the weapons with some of the girls.

I really wish we'd have had to time to give everyone the full download. But with that guy giving us so little time to prepare, there was only so much we could do. Thankfully these girls don't really need to give them a reason. They're trained to fight, trained to be ready for anything. That was the whole point of starting this place. We just have to hope that whatever they're going up against is something that is ready for the same thing.

Faith and I stand apart slightly, firming up our stances as a few of the slayers notice us. She decides to go first in getting their attention.

"Listen up ladies!"

The room almost immediately goes quiet and most of them immediately turn to us while a couple take turns to us from where Pike is.

"We're heading into some pretty bad territory with this one so pay attention or you'll get yourself killed."

Did she really have to go that far? I mean, it's good that she's riling them up but that?

"Buffy's got something to say."

Faith and I look at each other for a moment and I nod at her before turning to the crowd.

"Thank you all for coming. Some of you know why you're here, some of you don't. The short version is, there's a new threat in town. He was first brought to our attention thanks to a very old friend of mine, Pike, who some of you may have met."

I point Pike out and about half the room looks his way. He kinda just halfheartedly waves at everyone.

"By very old, I mean we knew each other a long time ago. We went through a lot together once upon a time and I trust him. But the reason he came to find me after all this time is why we're here. For the past few months, he's been tracking a particularly nasty something across the country. We don't really know what it is yet, but we do know that it's very strong. It's been ripping the heads off of people on a warpath heading here. We know this because it showed up yesterday, right where you're standing."

A few of the girls look at each other or around at the dojo at those last words. Mary, one of our more experienced students who stayed focused on us, speaks up.

"What happened?"

"We barely managed to fend him off. Both Faith and I were here, as was Pike. We fought it to what could laughably be called a stand still. Even with the three of us, we didn't have the strength or the skill to overpower him. He's that strong. He probably could've killed us both if he wanted to."

Faith interjects for just a moment.

"But he didn't want to."

Again Mary asks the question on her mind.

"Why not?"

Oh this is going to be fun.

"Because he wasn't interested in us. But we did have something that he wanted, and he wasn't about to kill us before he got it."

Mary again asks the obvious.

"What did this thing want?"

I take a deep breath before answering.

"My sister."

That has a few of the girls talking or whispering to each other.

Gotta head that off at the pass.

"A lot of you know Dawn, some of you more than others. Some of you even went to school with her. You had classes with her. You also know that she's not here. We don't know for sure why he wants to find Dawn or what he wants her for, but it can't be very good. Someone this powerful doesn't just go after things for the fun of it. Especially when they know that Dawn is my sister. Whoever this guy is, he seems to know a lot about me and my sister. He knows about all of you as well. He'll be prepared, which means we need to be focused and ready. Most of you were at the top of your class, whether it was with us here or in our Cleveland training facility with Giles and the others. Which means we'll be ready too. We won't be..."

The door to the dojo opens suddenly.

"Caught off guard?"

What the hell?

Several of the girls near the door move away from the, whatever he is, as he enters and stops just inside. He's pretty decently dressed in a buttoned up dress shirt and jeans.

He's here... what is he here for?

"What are you doing here?"

I guess I started with the obvious.

"I said I would be back."

Faith steps in at this point.

"You said 24 hours, it's been 12."

"Oh, I know. But I heard about your little get together and thought I should stop by. Say hello to all the trainees."

He looks around at the room full of slayers with a curious and weirdly happy look. It makes several of the girls tense up and a not small portion of them firm up their stances.

"Well aren't you all adorable. It makes me want to pinch all your cheeks."

He reaches out to one of the girls playfully like he's going to do that and she smacks his hand away. It doesn't seem to phase him at all. He just shrugs at her.

I'm not going to let him play mind games with anyone here.

"I asked you a question."

His focus turns back to me.

"Oh, I know. And I already answered it. Twice."

The girls move out of his way as he starts to head in my direction, giving him a path.

Good, they're following their training and their instincts. Flying off the handle and attacking him isn't going to do any good right now. Especially with him being so relaxed in a room full of slayers. Whatever this guy is, he's powerful enough not to care.

"Once just a second ago, and the second time was 12 hours ago."

He gets about 10 feet from me and stops, his eyes clearly on me.

"You know why I'm here."

This guy is tough.

I look at Faith for a moment and she looks back before turning our attention back to him.

He's not going to back down easily.

"And you know that I don't have what you're looking for. I don't know where it is and it doesn't even exist."

"Really? Then who's Dawn?"

What? How did he? Was he listening?

"Who?"

That makes him smile.

"Oh come on, you really think that my incredibly well timed entrance was just a coincidence? I was listening in. You told these girls that I was after Dawn. So who's Dawn?"

Faith does her best to step in again.

"She's no one."

"No one? Really? Then why would I be after her?"

"She's... an ex of mine. I... used to call her, the key to my heart. We were worried that you might find that out and think she's your target."

"Really?"

Gotta back her up on this.

"Yes, really."

"Well that's... disappointing. I don't like to be lied to."

What does he know?

"I'm sorry?"

"I've been going through the town records and I found all kinds of interesting information."

He pulls out a little notepad and opens it up to a particular page.

Who the hell is this guy?

"Buffy Anne Summers, daughter of Joyce and Hank Summers, living at 45 St Clair Road for two years after moving from Sunnydale, California. Where she lived for seven years until it was mysteriously destroyed in what would later be referred to as a sink hole during an earthquake. She lived there until recently with her sister and emergency contact... Dawn Summers."

Oh... crap...

He closes the notepad and turns his focus back to me.

"So... let's try this again. Who's Dawn?"

Okay, let's try a different tactic.

"Well, you've obviously been doing your homework. Why don't you tell us?"

"You told me you didn't have a sister."

I do my best to shrug with a bit of a half grin.

"I'm not big on opening up to random people who show up on my doorstep. I don't even know your name."

He watches me, then Faith, then looking around at the pretty tense slayers around him and then back to me.

"Knowing my name won't change the fact that none of you stand a chance against me."

Eventually, he smiles.

"If any of you even try to take me on, I'll kill you. It doesn't matter how many of you there are, I'll put every last one of you down. I may not even break a sweat."

He seems really convinced of that. I'm not sure whether to take him seriously.

I glance over in Faith's direction and she looks back.

And it doesn't look like Faith's got much of an idea either.

I look at Pike, standing back behind a few of my students but clearly itching to get involved.

I should really nip that in the bud.

I give him a small shake of my head, just noticeable enough that he can see it. That makes him try to calm down.

"Are you going to tell us or not? If it doesn't matter, why not tell us?"

Faith adds her own voice.

"I'd like to know the name of the person who's going to kill me."

He turns his focus to Faith with a smile.

"Wrath."

Wrath?

"That's a name?"

His attention turns to me at the question.

"Says the one named Buffy."

Then back to Faith.

"And Faith..."

Again Faith steps in.

"So... Wrath... I'm guessing you were treated badly as a child?"

I can't help but chuckle at her question.

"I mean he'd have to be. His mother named him Wrath."

Pike decides to chime in.

"It's almost like she wanted him to become a psychopath."

That makes me and Faith smile. He seems unfazed by our jabs at him, turning back to us.

"I was named that because I was born in the fires of creation to destroy everything that gets in my way."

Both of us tense up at his change in tone, a less fun look on his face.

"And I never let anything get in my way."

The rest of the girls seem to sense the change and tense up, some of them even going further to grip their weapons more firmly.

"So... are you going to tell me where to find your sister or do I have to show you why I got my name?"

I guess we're done with the banter part of the standoff.

I shift into a more defensive posture and I see Faith out of the corner of my eye do the same. This guy who calls himself Wrath doesn't change his stance at all.

"I'm not going to let you go after my sister."

"Or my ex."

He looks at Faith, then me.

"Wait... you were serious about that? She dated your sister?"

The clearly amused and relaxed laugh his question gets out of him makes me tense up even more.

I don't see any tension in him at all. He's not hiding any nervousness or fear for us to exploit. He's in a room full of slayers and he's acting like he doesn't have a care in the world. Who the hell is this guy?

Faith speaks up.

"What does it matter to you?"

His laughter eventually slows as he answers the question.

"It doesn't. I just find it pretty hilarious. I mean, the sister of a slayer dated a slayer? She might as well have dated her own sister."

Faith gets even more defensive to the point that she seems more than ready to attack the guy.

Come on Faith, you're better than that.

"Either that or you should've just dated each other."

That sets Faith off and she goes after him. He doesn't seem to miss a step as she throws several punches at him which he's able to dodge easily.

Damn... I guess we're doing this?

Not letting my friend and business partner do this alone, I jump into the fight, attacking him with a few punches of my own, none of which connect. With a quick eye on the girls around them, I can see that most of them are just looking for their opportunity to join the fight.

This would be so much easier if we weren't in such a confined space. They'd have more room to...

Suddenly, a familiar fist hits me and I stumble back a few steps.

Did she just...? Did Faith?

As I shake off the punch, I notice that another girl took the opportunity to join the fight but this guy deflects one of Faith's punches, right into the slayer. It sends her into a couple of the others who were looking for their opportunity. He then grabs Faith by one of her wrists and uses it to throw her into a couple of the others who had moved in looking for an opening.

This isn't going to work. We're in too close to go after him together. We need more space. Time to take this outside.

"Everyone! Strategy Seven!"

The girls quickly scatter, leaving everything behind and heading for the nearest exit. Pike gets the idea and does the same. Wrath, or whatever his name is, notices and stops where he is, as does Faith.

"Running away? I would've expected better from an army of slayers."

Faith grabs his arm while he's distracted.

"We're not running."

I bend my knees before taking off at full speed and run right at him.

"We're just changing the venue."

As I pick up enough speed, I launch myself into him by tackling him with all my strength. The force that I picked up sends both of us flying into the nearest wall of the dojo. We hit the wall hard, so hard that it cracks when we hit it.

Ow! Damn... that's... he's really solid.

Feeling the crash we just had, I pull myself back from him and see that he's mostly unfazed by it. There's a slightly larger than Wrath shaped hole in the wall and he's pretty much enjoying himself.

"This isn't much of a change."

I grab his arm and pulls him off the wall, turning as I use my momentum to throw him towards another wall.

"We're not done yet."

On cue with her words, Faith is charging him and launches herself at his back the way I did at his front. It isn't long until they're crashing against the wall and it makes a slightly bigger hole in the wall. He seems to wince slightly at the impact.

Well, at least we know he's not invincible.

I come at him quickly, but because he's probably expecting another tackle, I don't do that. I throw a punch at his face, but he dodges it, sending my fist into the wall.

Ow, damn...

Unlike before in my office, I was prepared and don't feel it as much, so I pull my fist out quickly. He grabs my wrist as I do and starts to squeeze, but Faith has recovered by this time and drives her forearm into his forearm grabbing my wrist. It makes him grimace but he doesn't let go. Using my other arm, I hit him in the forearm. Again it makes him grimace but doesn't let go. Faith and I look at each other and have the same thought. She and I both hit him in the forearm at the same time. That makes him finally let go.

Not letting up, I turn my hips slightly and hit him in the chest with a side kick. It connects full on and causes a bit more of a crack in the wall. He swats away my foot and I quickly get my footing back.

"I must admit, I'm impressed."

"So glad that we have your approval."

"I've never been one to seek approval."

Faith starts in on him, throwing quite a few punches at him. He mostly deflects them and the ones who do connect barely seems to faze him. The guy who calls himself Wrath pulls himself off the wall and we're forced to give him room.

"Wouldn't it just be easier to tell me what I want to know?"

"Not sure where you're getting your info, but I'm not easy."

I move in and throw my own flurry of punches. Like he did with Faith, he deflects most of them, though a couple connect.

Damn... I think he's letting us hit him. Just to let us know that he can take it.

"Let's take this outside."

"Why? So your little slayerettes can ambush me? No thanks, I'm good where I am."

Is that a sign or a trick? I... can't tell...

Faith doesn't wait to figure it out though, getting in a few kicks and punches so that he's facing the door. With one more kick, she sends him flying out the door the hard way. He crashes through our main door and I have to catch up to see that he's landed just a few feet away outside. She's quickly out there with him and I'm not far behind. The immediate area looks completely empty, the way it's supposed to be. The guy who calls himself Wrath pulls himself back to his feet and wipes off the glass from the door.

I guess we'll find out.

"ATTACK!"

Taking the cue, several of the girls jump off the roof of the dojo with a running start. They're both swinging an axe and a sword respectively. As they come down, he reaches up and grabs both weapons in his bare hands without flinching.

"You know, I tried to be nice."

He pulls back with both weapons in hand, sending the slayers holding them flying behind him as their weapons are torn from their hands. Four more of the girls come out of the woodwork to take him on. Before any of us can react, he throws the sword and ax at two of the charging slayers, killing them instantly.

Oh... god...

The other two slayers who kept charging are run through with each other's own weapons.

"I tried to be respectful and reasonable."

At least 6 new slayers come charging at him and he quickly manages to disarm them, hurt them by breaking their arm or leg somewhere, or slash at them with their own weapons with serious wounds. Pike comes out from behind the nearest corner of the dojo and rushes him before either of us can do anything. Faith says it before I have a chance to.

"Pike, no!"

Wrath knocks the weapon out of his hand easily and then grabs him by the throat, stopping him in his tracks.

I can't let this happen.

"Let him go!"

Faith tries to intervene, rushing our attacker despite everything in front of her.

No...

"FAITH!"

He manages to fend her off for several punches without letting go of Pike, then she goes for a side kick. He grabs her ankle and upends her, sending her down to the ground on her back. I can't even react to that before his foot is on her neck, holding her down. She grabs his ankle and tries to shift him off her but doesn't seem to have the strength. She struggles as he applies pressure.

I... I have to do something. I can't let this happen.

His eyes meet mine and it sends a chill down my spine.

"I'm done with that."

"Please, let them go."

Faith lets out a pained moan and Pike starts to choke for air. Most of the girls come out of hiding to try and help but I raise my hand, making them stop in their tracks.

"Tell me what I want to know."

I can't tell him. He'd... we wouldn't be able to stop him.

My eyes find the girls bleeding on the ground but still alive, then to Pike, then to Faith.

But... if I don't...

"She's..."

Faith obviously knows what I'm thinking.

"Don't... don't do it B."

Her words get extra pressure and she groans in pain. Pike tries to join in.

"She's... right... d-"

His plea gets cut off by his coughs when the hand around his neck tightens.

I can't lose them. I just... I can't...

"She's... not here."

"Buffy... please..."

Faith's plea gets cut off by her yelling in pain as he applies more pressure.

"Where is she?"

I'm... I'm sorry...

"She's... at college."

He watches me for a moment, clearly toying with his two hostages.

"Which one?"

I look at Faith on the ground struggling against the pressure he has on her chest, then at Pike who is really starting to have trouble breathing.

"Please, let them go."

"Not until you tell me where she is."

He applies even more pressure to two of the most important people in my life.

I'm so sorry Dawn.

"Princeton. She's at Princeton."

Again he watches me for a moment. After what feels like forever, he releases his grip on Pike who immediately starts gasping and coughing for air.

"See now, if you had only been honest from the beginning, then this wouldn't have happened."

Then he lifts his foot off of Faith and steps back a few paces away.

"Your friends wouldn't be in so much pain."

Despite the obvious pain in the way Faith moves, she forces herself to crawl and get in between him, the girls and Pike.

"But you had to do it the hard way didn't you? You had to be a hero."

I close the distance between me, Faith, Pike and the girls but don't try and attack the guy who seems to have earned his name.

"I'll be sure to tell her how you tried to save her when we meet."

He starts to leave.

I can't just let him leave like that. He'll know that I lied to him.

"Don't hurt her. She didn't do anything to you. Please..."

He stops leaving for a moment.

"That's up to her."

He turns around and walks away like he hadn't just been in a fight.