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After escorting Buffy to the nearest sewer access point and watching her descend into the depths, Angel and Giles went about surveying the above ground areas. The two of them had just reached the cemetery, strolling along the perimeter, when Angel suddenly stopped in his tracks, his gaze going towards the dark graveyard.
Giles halted as well, turning to look at his centuries-old friend. "What is it?" he asked. "Do you sense something?"
Angel paused a moment, eyes searching, then said, "I think our sorcerer friend is in there... Or at least, someone is. Towards the other end of the cemetery. Powerful, just like Serena said. And..." Angel cut off, appearing at a loss for words.
"And what?" Giles pressed, making a move towards the short stone wall.
Angel shook his head. "Nothing," he responded, dismissing the mild tremor he'd felt in the ground. Moving after Giles, he added, "The sooner we eliminate this guy, the better." The Watcher nodded in agreement, carefully climbing over the wall and waiting for Angel to do the same. Then, the two men moved off into the graveyard, with the vampire leading the way.
The first sign they received that they were getting close was the orange light that flickered off the tombstones, signalling a campfire of all things. Cautiously, Giles and Angel edged closer, soon reaching a clearing.
Their quarry stood before the small fire as if trying to keep warm, his back to them. However, there was something in his posture that Giles had to admit he recognized all too well. For a moment, the Watcher stood where he was in silence, making a small gesture to Angel to keep back.
Their enemy spoke first. "I knew you or the Slayer would find me eventually, Rupert," he said in a thick English accent. "How long has it been since we saw each other last? Three years or so?" A pause, then, "I would have dropped in to visit sooner, but life kept me busy."
"Life?" Giles asked skeptically. "Surely, you mean pranks... I know you, Rayne. Never happy unless you're causing some form of havoc or other."
Ethan turned to face his old "friend", with a smirk on his face. "And now, I have all eternity at my disposal. It's much better than what we did in the old days, Ripper," he said, deliberately calling Giles by the nickname the Watcher hated.
Giles, however, kept his expression hard and cold. "What happened to you, Ethan?" he asked evenly. "How long have you been like this?"
Ethan kicked a bit of dirt onto the fire, but not enough to put it out. "Oh, for about four months now... I was touring England when this enchanting little blonde approached me in a bar one night. Much to my good fortune, she saw one or two things in me that she liked. A pity she didn't see fit to stick around afterwards though... After she left me, I decided it was time I came back to pay a visit to you and dear Buffy. Catch up on old times and all that."
If Giles was angry, he did a good job of keeping it concealed, Angel thought, his admiration for the Watcher raising a notch. The vampire had resigned himself to simply watching the exchange unless Giles told him otherwise. Leaning against a tree, Angel let out a sigh, then abruptly tensed. There it was again, that tremor he had felt earlier. Only this one lasted a second or two longer and seemed slightly stronger...
"What do you want, Ethan?" Giles was asking. "To open our local portal to hell? Let loose a few demons and put an end to this world?"
Ethan cocked his head to one side. "Oh, and I thought you knew me better than that, Ripper," he responded, sounding slightly disappointed. "You should know by now that I'm more subtle than that... No, what I'm here to do is to take away the one thing you cherish most. Which is your precious Slayer. Went underground searching for me not too long ago, didn't she?"
Giles froze, then silently cursed himself for allowing Buffy to go down there alone. "If you so much as go near her, I'll kill you myself, Ethan," he threatened.
"Still fixed on this guardian role, are you?" Ethan replied accordingly with a slight laugh. "It really doesn't become you at..." Ethan broke off suddenly as a third tremor shook the ground, this one strong enough to be felt by him as well as Angel.
By now, Angel was starting to worry about what was stirring beneath his feet, throwing nervous glances at the trees and particularly the branches that were weak and could break off easily. "We've got to get out of here," he told Giles.
Startled, the Watcher turned to look at Angel. "What is it? What's happening?" he asked, not liking the look of panic he saw in his friend's eyes.
"Don't ask, just run," Angel said abruptly, taking Giles by one arm and starting to do just that. Quickly, Giles threw a glance back towards Ethan, or at least, the spot where his arch-rival had been seconds ago. There was no sign of him now.
They were close to clearing the cemetery when the fourth tremor came, only this one didn't stop like the previous ones. Instead, it continued to grow in strength, and the ground was soon shaking much too violently for Giles to maintain his footing. Upon realizing this, Angel stopped and went to his friend's side, helping him the rest of the way to the wall. Once there, the two men crouched against the stone surface, silently waiting for the quake to pass and silently praying for the safety of their loved ones...
The Bronze had been half deserted by the time Jenny arrived in answer to Stefanie's summons. She stepped in cautiously, noting that the door was half torn off its hinges, and surveyed the scene with wide eyes. There were bodies scattered everywhere, with only a handful of vampires left milling about. Jenny watched them warily for a second, noticing that they were all gathered near the basement stairs. So, they might not know that Stefanie was down there, but they were starting to get a clear idea of it.
Slowly, Jenny removed a water pistol filled with holy water from her purse, aimed, and let loose a stream of the liquid on the nearest bloodsucker. The screaming attracted the attention of the rest, and they all looked at Jenny, who was pulling out a crucifix as well. "Away from the stairs, and no one else will get hurt," she said fiercely, circling towards the basement entrance when the vampires began to back away.
Jenny backed down the steps carefully, never taking her eyes off her enemies. Finally, she reached the basement, falling back into the center of the room and calling out Stefanie's name. Upon hearing a door behind her opening, Jenny whipped around, holding out the cross just in case.
The younger girl let out a sigh of relief, tears running down her face. "Oh, Jenny, I'm sorry..." she started.
"Save it for later," the older woman said hastily. "Right now, we've got to get out of here." Jenny reached out for Stefanie's hand, prepared to lead her out. "Come on." Stefanie hesitated for a split second, then took a step towards Jenny, one arm outstretched. However, that was as far as she got.
One second, Jenny could hear the vampires at the top of the staircase growling softly. Next thing she knew, they had all fallen completely silent, making her turn to look up at them. However, only one remained standing there, and Jenny could see it looking around in fright, as if sensing something she couldn't.
Stefanie seemed to realize the same thing, for she stopped in her tracks, eyes wide with fear as they searched for whatever was causing the sudden tension. Nervous, she lay one hand on the doorframe next to her, startled when she found it was vibrating ever so slightly and realizing in that one instant what was coming.
"Oh, God!" Stefanie managed to get out, reaching out for her friend. "Jenny, get back!" Surprised, Jenny turned to look at her, at the very second that the rumbling intensified. Frantic, Stefanie reached out and pulled her under the cover of the doorway, as the ground, the very world, shook violently around them.
And the last thing Stefanie remembered, just before being knocked off her feet and hitting her head on the doorframe and passing out, was that the stairs and half of the basement ceiling had collapsed, undoubtly sealing her and Jenny in...