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So far, it was proving to be a slow night at Sunnydale Medical, as not many people were being admitted tonight. For the moment, there was a sense of peace and calm in the air.
Except for the two visitors in Room 423. For Xander and Willow, the evening was looking pretty bleak and boring. It would have been better if Buffy was awake and being her usual chatty and witty self, but that, unfortunately, wasn't to be an option. All Willow could find to do was read aloud to her silent friend from a Rolling Stone magazine. Meanwhile, Xander sat at a bureau on the opposite side of the room, playing a game of solitaire.
After a long while, Willow's eyes began to water, and she leaned back with a sigh, suddenly aware of how exhausted she had become. Stretching her arms over her head, she asked her husband if he could go for a cup of coffee.
Xander threw an equally weary glance at Willow, just as she collapsed onto the bed, her head and shoulders strewn across Buffy's stomach. With a yawn, he got up, heading for the hallway in a sort of daze.
Had Xander not been so drowsy, he might have noticed when a familiar girl passed him, going the way he had just come. But, at one moment when he was rubbing at his eyes, he missed Cordelia entirely. He had just dug the correct amount of change from his pocket, ready to put it in the slot of the coffee vending machine, when he heard his wife scream from down the hall, followed by a loud crash.
Panicked, Xander dropped the coins he was holding, hurrying back to the room he had left Willow and Buffy in. Much to his horror, he found it to be in total disarray. Buffy was gone from her place on the bed, and the window leading out to the fire escape had been shattered.
Xander looked around for Willow, finding her slumped against the wall to one side of the bed. He went to her, holding her in his arms to comfort her, and listening as she stuttered Cordelia's name.
"We have to go after her!" Willow cried, tears streaming down her face. "Buffy needs our help!"
Xander threw a glance at the broken window over her shoulder. "It's too late," he whispered. "Cordy's long gone. Buffy's fate is now officially in Stefanie's hands, so it would be a good time to start praying for both of them." Then, noticing a team of nurses at the door, Xander went to answer the questions they must have, leaving Willow momentarily to her pleading...
She awoke with a substantial amount of aches and pains, her powers as depleted as they had been before Venus' attempted assault on her from healing her somewhat. Looking around, Stefanie spotted Angel staring at her in quiet concern and realized she was once again near the cage he was imprisoned in.
Stefanie tried to get up, but quickly found that her hands and feet had been bound with pieces of rope. Instead, she worked to inch herself closer to the cage, but didn't make much progress in that respect either.
Only then did she become aware that Lorenzo was watching her struggles with an amused look. Stefanie threw him a fierce one in turn. "I never figured you as being a coward," she said. "Honestly, do you really fear me so much as to see me restrained?"
Lorenzo took a few steps closer so she could see him better, stopping between her and the cage. "Afraid of a little slayer like you? I think not," he replied. "Everyone in your race is the same, Stefanie. You fight bravely, valiantly enough... But in the end, you all die young."
Stefanie threw a quick glance at Angel, then back at the vampire king. "There are exceptions to every rule, Lorenzo," she spat out, baiting him. "As you'll soon see."
Lorenzo smirked, taking another step towards her. "And just how do you plan to show me? Not even you could be that resourceful in your current predicament."
Stefanie merely gave a strange secretive smile. "Come closer and I'll tell you."
Her calm demeanor made Lorenzo slightly afraid. She was hiding something; of that, he was certain. "I'm comfortable where I am. Just say what you need to say."
Stefanie paused momentarily, worried because she knew her plan wouldn't work unless he was within striking distance. Switching tactics, she threw a glance back towards what remained of Tessa. "I'm surprised your mistress was so easy to kill. You'd think a five hundred year old would be fast enough to avoid such an ambush."
"You caught her off guard," Lorenzo said after a moment of silence. "Tessa never did have a very good attention span... And don't think it's of any consequence to me. Cordelia will make a fine new mistress for me."
Stefanie's secretive smile returned as she heard Angel send her a telepathic message. "Are you sure about that?" she goaded him. "Cordelia may be a flirt, but she doen't settle for just anyone... She wants Angel, not you!"
Enraged, Lorenzo marched towards Stefanie, squatting down and grabbing her by the throat, growling at her. "No one refuses me!" he snarled.
Stefanie couldn't stop an amused, self-satisfied smile from rising to her lips. "So, the great vampire king does have a weakness," she said softly. "And one that will cost you... I win." With that, Stefanie bent her legs towards her chest, then kicked out at him, sending Lorenzo flailing back towards the cage.
He regained his senses a second later, but by then, it was too late. In shock, Lorenzo looked down at the stake that protuded from his chest, wielded by Angel of all people. Then the vampire king collapsed to the floor, screaming as his six hundred years of life drained away.
Stefanie didn't stop to watch Lorenzo's demise. She rolled to her right so she was on her stomach, then worked with her hands and legs to get over to Angel's prison. It took a few minutes, but the end result was worth it.
She sat up once the ropes binding her had been removed, her body aching all over. Rubbing at the back of her neck, Stefanie looked at Angel. "How long has Cordelia been gone?"
Angel threw a quick worried glance around the factory. "Too long. She could be back any minute... What about you? You're not strong enough to fight her."
Stefanie closed her eyes momentarily, the tension getting to her. "There's got to be a way," she whispered. "We just need to think."
Angel paused. "If you can find your crossbow, it could be used to finish her without any hassle," he stated quietly.
Stefanie shook her head. "Angel, I can't..." she started.
"Then I will," he interrupted. "Just go!"
Stefanie nodded painfully, turning and taking a few steps towards the place she had lost her weapon. But when she saw Cordelia enter from the corner of her eye, she knew it was too late. She froze, waiting until her former friend became aware that her side had lost.
Cordelia let loose a loud howl upon seeing Lorenzo was gone, looking at Stefanie with a fire burning in her yellow eyes. "You surprise me, Steffi," she said bitterly. "That a weakling like you could bring down three of the most powerful vampires alive... But guess what. The rules have changed now." Cordelia set Buffy upright, holding the comatose slayer so she would remain in a standing position. "Now Angel's going to be without a meal. But I'm not." With that, Cordelia bared her fangs, sinking them into Buffy's throat.
"No!" Stefanie screamed, crossing the distance between them as fast as she could. She tackled Cordelia, sending the vain vampiress toppling to the floor and freeing Buffy from her clutches.
Stefanie had Cordelia pinned to the ground a moment later, staring down at her in fury. "You just killed whatever sympathy I had for you," Steffi hissed. "Big mistake, Cordy."
Cordelia smiled. "Yeah, your mistake." With that, the evil vampiress rolled sharply to the right, catching Stefanie off guard. Their positions were reversed in a second; the slayer was the one who was pinned down now.
"They say the blood of a slayer can make any vampire all-powerful... I think feeding off two will make me a force to be reckoned with," Cordelia said. With that, she lowered her head towards Stefanie's neck.
The slayer let out a cry as she felt the sharp piercing pain at her throat, tears stinging her blue eyes. And just before she passed out again, Stefanie had a split-second to realize that Cordelia had suddenly gone into convulsions...