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The warehouse located three blocks from the Bronze had been empty and abandoned for decades. In recent years though, it had become home to many creatures of the night. It was the ideal place for a vampire to live; sunlight barely penetrated the murky windows and brick walls.
And for one merciless vampire king, it was the perfect place to set up operations. At the moment, Lorenzo was supervising the finishing touches of a solid steel cage towards the center of the room, constructed by one of the local vampires. This didn't do anything to distract him from other pressing matters, however, as Lorenzo was acutely aware of when his mistress, Tessa, came to stand behind him. "Is everything in place?" he asked her without turning.
Tessa nodded eagerly, anxiously awaiting the moment when their devious plan would be carried out. If anything, the five-hundred-year old vampiress lived for excitement. "All our players are in position," she said in a deep husky tone. "It won't be long before the first move to crush the slayers is made. And by the time the night is over, if all goes well, you and I will have two less adversaries to worry about."
Lorenzo smiled at this, turning to look at her. "Well, you'd best get out there then, my love," he said, tracing one finger along her slender face and brushing back a loose strand of copper hair. "If action is what you desire, I see no reason for you to sit around here."
He watched Tessa take a few steps backward before he added, "Just remember to make sure that our Miss Buffy Summers isn't killed right off. I have something interesting in mind that will lead to her eventual demise." With that, Lorenzo looked on as his mistress left, then turned back to examine the cage, a whimsical smile coming to his face...
Upon entering the Bronze, Jenny looked around edgily for Buffy and Angel, growing frantic when she realized they were nowhere to be seen. She began running one hand through her dark hair, swearing that she would begin pulling it out if she didn't see a familiar face soon.
Just then, Jenny spotted Xander and Willow on the dance floor and promptly headed towards them in the hopes that they could help. Thinking it to be too noisy, she asked that they go into the backstage room to talk.
"Do either of you know where Buffy went when she left here?" were the first words Jenny used.
Xander and Willow exchanged concerned looks. "She and Angel never showed," Willow responded. "Odds are that they're at home."
Jenny shook her head. "I just called! Steffi said they were coming here!" she cried. She paused, taking a few calming breaths. "Okay, are you sure they didn't come in? Maybe you missed them."
Much as he hated to dash her hopes, Xander had no choice but to do just that. If they had, we would have noticed... Buffy has a way of standing out in a crowd. I'm sorry, but they're not here."
Jenny sighed, deciding to clue her two young friends in on what was happening. She told them about the tarot reading, then added, "All the worst cards in the deck came up. Everything bad that could happen to Buffy is going to, and odds are it's going to be in the next twenty-four hours. Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"
Willow thought a moment. "Maybe vampire central," she answered, winning perplexed looks from her husband and Jenny. "The library," she explained. "Buffy may have decided to go see Giles instead."
Jenny sighed once more, brushing her dark hair back. "Or maybe she decided to just go home," she said, mostly to herself. "Okay, I'll check there. You guys do the library. And, hopefully, we won't be too late to either warn her or save her..."
In a mausoleum in the heart of the graveyard, Buffy and her vampire boyfriend were far from having such worries, even though Angel could sense the electricity in the air building strength. But he couldn't be bothered fretting over it as he and Buffy set at teasing each other.
"You're not going to be happy until we've revisited all our ole meeting places, are you?" Angel asked with a laugh.
Buffy took a step closer, smiling up at him. "I like reminiscing," she told him. "And I'd like to get in as many as I can, at least the ones that are still intact."
Angel flinched slightly, remembering the apartment he had been forced to vacate a year ago due to a fire. It, too, had held quite a few memories for the two of them, but unfortunately, there was no going back there.
For now, Angel chose to humor her, getting a dreamy look in his eyes. "For our second encounter, I had to hide in here for over thirteen hours," he recalled with a laugh. "Waiting for you to figure out where the entrance to the underground tunnels was."
"It was well into the morning hours when I finally showed," Buffy said, completing the thought. "Lucky for both of us, there's no skylight here."
Angel burst out laughing at this, pulling her closer until their lips met. "I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too, Angel," Buffy murmured back, flinging her arms around his neck and holding him to her in a hug. The nearness of him, the warmth of his body, felt so good, and she never wanted to let go.
But a voice that rose up to her left caused Buffy to pull away. "My, my. Isn't this touching?" Tessa said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Angel looked up with a growl, his demon face turned on. But he froze when he saw who it was and moved to push Buffy behind him protectively. "Tessa?" he asked in disbelief.
"Long time no see, Angelus," she replied, addressing him by his full name. "How long has it been since you ran with my pack? A century?"
"Or two," he replied bitterly, edging towards the exit with his girlfriend in tow. He knew Tessa's reputation for being crafty and vicious, and he knew the best thing to do was flee. "So, let me guess. If you're here in Sunnydale, then Lorenzo can't be far behind."
Tessa grinned, taking a few slow steps towards him. "Correct," she said. "And he's anxious to see you again." She paused, watching his ascent up the mausoleum's granite steps with an amused look. "Oh, please! Give me some credit! You don't think I'll let you get away that easily, do you?"
Angel watched her guardedly for a second, then turned his head slightly. "Buffy, run!" he cried, giving her a shove towards the outside world.
Buffy turned briefly to look after him, seeing that he and Tessa were already engaged in a fight. She would have jumped right back in to help, but that she knew Angel wouldn't have ordered her to flee unless he had good reason. Tears streaming down her face, she did as he asked, praying he'd be safe until she got help...
After she had finished seeing to Cordelia and her injuries, Stefanie had gone to the kitchen for a snack. It wasn't that she was hungry or anything, but more out of habit. She retrieved a bag quickly, lifting it to her mouth to feed. Only a few seconds into it, Stefanie began to cough, a stream of the red liquid pouring out over her chin.
"What's wrong?" Cordelia asked from the doorway, making Stefanie jump. She turned to look at her friend, surprised that Cordy had the strength to stand, let alone walk around.
Stefanie moaned, setting the bag in the sink and wiping at her face. "I don't know," she said. "I don't feel so good all of a sudden." She turned on the faucet, taking a mouthful of water in her hands and using it to rinse out the blood she hadn't swallowed. "Maybe I'm coming down with the vampire equivalent of the flu," she joked.
"There's no such thing. Vampires don't get sick," Cordelia replied, taking a step closer. "Call it one of our many perks."
At first, Stefanie thought she had heard wrong, then, realizing she hadn't, froze for a moment. Finally, a wave of terror washing over her, she turned to look at Cordelia.
Only it wasn't the friend she knew anymore. Stefanie drew a sharp intake of breath, ironic because she had no need for oxygen, at the sight. Because in the matter of a few seconds, Cordelia's pretty face had been altered into a more sinister one. Finding her voice, Stefanie whispered, "You never were attacked! This was a setup to get yourself invited in!"
Cordelia smiled widely, showing her fangs. "Oh, the slashes are real alright. They were my idea in fact. I know you well enough to recognize that'd you never hesitate to help a friend in trouble," she explained.
Stefanie shook her head. "This isn't possible. They had no way of knowing you were a friend of mine!" she protested.
Cordelia shook her head in amusement. "They saw me aid you last night at the Bronze and grabbed me afterwards. They figured I was the perfect candidate to take you out, Steffi." She laughed, delighted with the slayer's reaction to all this. "Two slayers demolished in one night. It'll be worth it."
Through her mounting panic, Stefanie heard Ivory wailing upstairs. Her first instinct was to see that the infant wasn't harmed in any way, so she started towards the kitchen door. Cordelia mirrored her movements by circling farther into the room. "Where's Buffy?" Stefanie asked to distract her friend/enemy.
"Mistress Tessa and another of our kind were sent after her and Angel," Cordelia replied. "You can feel free to say goodbye to both of them before I kill you."
Stefanie averted her eyes briefly, spotting a butcher knife lying on the counter just by the door. With Cordelia already coming in for the kill, Stefanie snatched it up, planting it deep in her former friend's stomach. She threw a quick punch at Cordelia, then turned and ran, knowing it wouldn't take long for her nemesis to recover.
Stefanie darted up the stairs and into the nursery, slamming the door behind her and leaning against it to barricade it. "This isn't happening," she said in a frightened whisper, crying as she felt Cordelia pounding against the door. "Buffy, please be all right..."