Note: I am so sorry that it's taken me this long to update this story again. I have done some mild rewriting in the story in case some of you want to reread (including making Buffy and Brooke twins and adding a little more background to Bianca and her brother Ford's plan to becoming vampires in 2.07 so there is no confusion going forward with the story). I will eventually begin making outfits when I have enough made for each character.

Day One

Morning - Large Park

There was a gorgeous view over the large park.

The park was filled with people, yet they were all frozen in the familiar fashion of Carmen's immobilization power while she and the other Scoobies were fighting a green, scaly humanoid demon in the middle of broad daylight after tracking it into the middle of the park.

The monster was making gurgling noises and low-pitched roars as it faced it pinned Buffy against a tree by her neck. The monster's face had tentacles coming off of the back of his head as well as the front in place of lips. His teeth were placed vertically between the two center tentacles. His scaly green skin glistened with slime.

This was one of the rare demons that Buffy couldn't fend off with Slayer strength alone, as her feet were kicking at air and she struggled to pry its hand off of her throat.

Nearby a picnic table, Alice and Brooke were rising from the ground, having been flung back by the demon's tentacles.

As Zoey quickly removed her gypsy necklace, allowing her eyes and hands to glow brightly with purple power, she looked around as she noticed that the park's people were starting to unfreeze. "Carmen!"

Carmen noticed as she quickly went to freeze them again. "Got it."

As Carmen established her aura of stillness over the crowd, a surge of her power swept through the park, once again freezing everyone except for the Scoobies and their monstrous foe, who seemed impervious to Carmen's immobilizing power.

Zoey charged forward, her glowing hands crackling with the raw energy of her gypsy powers. She leaped into action, aiming to free Buffy from the demon's grip.

"Buffy! On three!" Zoey shouted, her voice laced with urgency.

Buffy nodded frantically, trying to gather her strength against the force constricting her throat. "One... two... three!"

In unison, Zoey unleashed a burst of energy that lashed out at the demon's arm, while Buffy kicked hard against the tree, propelling herself upward. The combination caught the creature off-guard. With a grunt, it released its hold on Buffy just as Zoey's magic slammed into its side.

The demon staggered, letting out a guttural roar that echoed through the park. Due to Carmen's immobilization powers, none of them were able to react, frozen like statues.

Wyatt raised his hands, calling on the earth beneath their feet. The ground rumbled slightly as he concentrated, pulling rocks and dirt from the park's pathways to form a barrier around the demon.

"Carmen, hold it steady!" Wyatt shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

With a deep breath, Carmen focused her energy, intensifying her power of stillness around the monster. "I got it! Just hurry!"

As the powerful aura manifested around the demon, attempting to freeze it in place, its muscles twitched and contracted against Carmen's magic. It let out another roar, one that reverberated through the park - fierce and primal.

The demon struggled against the growing mound of earth that encased its legs, but Wyatt wasn't finished yet. He summoned a gust of wind that swirled around them, amplifying the pressure on the creature while also disorienting it.

"Now!" Wyatt commanded.

Buffy wasted no time, using her Slayer strength to land a powerful kick at the monster's midsection. It howled in pain and surprise as she followed up with a series of punches, each strike fueled by adrenaline and determination.

Zoey joined in, running in to channel her powers into a concentrated blast combined with her own strikes of punches and kicks that showed the training she had received from Giles over the summer and the assassin knowledge she had gained the previous Halloween, with fighting that could rival even Buffy's. Additional with her powers, it made her a hell of a match.

Alice and Brooke closed in, their red Guardian energy pulsing and shimmering around them as they enveloped the monster between them all.

"Come on!" Alice shouted. "We don't have much time before everyone unfreezes!"

Carmen glanced nervously at the frozen crowd, aware that they could unfreeze any moment.

"Keep it steady!" Brooke ordered. "We need to finish this now!"

Carmen nodded, concentrating harder, feeling the strain of maintaining both the immobilization and keeping the chaos at bay.

The demon roared again, thrashing against Wyatt's earthen prison, Zoey's gypsy power and Carmen's immobilizing magic combined with Alice and Brooke's disintegrating Guardian energy that began to tear him apart. The ground vibrated beneath them, and for a moment, it looked as though it might break free.

But Alice and Brooke weren't about to let that happen. They closed their eyes briefly, feeling the magic within them surge, and opened them with renewed focus, their eyes glowing with red Guardian magic.

"Now!" Alice shouted again.

Alice and Brooke directed their surge of Guardian energy into a concentrated beam aimed straight at the creature's head. The blast struck true, throwing it backward into the earth barrier Wyatt had created.

"Keep pushing!" Brady shouted. "We've got this!"

Brady and Eric joined the fray, bringing their own strength to bear along with knives and Eric's crossbow.

Brady lunged forward, taking advantage of the distraction created by the others. He aimed his knife at the demon's exposed flank, feeling the adrenaline rush through him as he drove it deep into the creature's side. The monster roared in agony, causing the earth to tremble underfoot.

"Nice job, Brady!" Buffy called out, following up with a spinning kick that connected with the demon's jaw, sending it reeling back against Wyatt's makeshift earthen barrier.

"Don't get cocky!" Wyatt warned. "It's still dangerous!"

Eric aimed his crossbow at the demon, expertly loading a bolt infused with his own newfound magical energy.

"This should finish the job!" Eric yelled, just as the demon roared in frustration, still bound by the combined powers of Wyatt, Zoey, Carmen, Alice, and Brooke.

"Hold it steady!" Wyatt urged again, sweat beading on his brow from the effort of maintaining the elemental prison while also channeling air around them to disorient the demon further.

Brady sprinted forward with a determined look. "I'm going in!"

Brady ducked under a tentacle as it lashed out wildly and rolled toward the creature's feet.

Meanwhile, Buffy and Zoey landed blow after blow on the demon's torso, their fists moving like lightning.

"Carmen, keep that immobilization tight!" Buffy called out, throwing her weight into a spinning kick that made the creature stagger.

"I know! Just hold on!" Carmen replied through gritted teeth. The strain was visible on her face, but she powered through as Brady and Eric helped them finish the job.

As Brady repositioned himself, he pulled another knife from his belt with determination coursing through him. He took a deep breath, focusing on the monster within reach, lunging again toward the demon's exposed flank.

The monster thrust a tentacle toward Brooke and Alice, who shielded themselves with their red energy.

With its attention diverted, the creature swiped a tentacle at Zoey and Buffy, but they ducked just in time.

"Keep it busy, Zoey!" Buffy shouted as she rolled to the side and delivered another brutal kick to the demon's leg.

"Busy? I can do that!" Zoey grinned, her powers crackling at her fingertips. She charged forward, gathering her energy into a swirling orb of purple light. "Hey ugly, over here!"

With a fierce battle cry, Zoey hurled the energy blast straight at the demon's face.

The explosion of power threw it back momentarily, giving Brady the perfect opening he needed. He dove in once more, driving the knife deep into the creature's stomach as deeply as he could.

As the monster screamed and reeled back, it gave Eric the perfect opening he needed.

With a deep breath, Eric took aim, channeling a burst of magic through the bolt. He released the shot, watching as it sped toward the demon, glowing with energy.

The bolt struck true, piercing through the demon's scaly hide and exploding with a brilliant flash of light. The creature let out a horrific scream that echoed throughout the park before it began to dissolve into ash under the weight of their combined strength.

"Now!" Brooke commanded, as they all knew that it was the opening they needed to finish him off for good.

As the demon disintegrated into ash, a wave of relief washed over the Scoobies, leaving them breathless and tinged with adrenaline. They stood in a semi-circle, panting but victorious, as the last remnants of the creature scattered on the breeze.

"Did we just take down a demon in broad daylight?" Brady breathed, a grin creeping across his face.

The others chuckled, still catching their breath.

"Yeah, which was badass," Zoey replied, her voice a mix of disbelief and exhilaration. "We just saved a whole park full of frozen people!"

Carmen nodded, her expression a blend of pride and lingering anxiety. "Let's hope none of them remember any of this when they unfreeze."

"Right," Alice agreed, glancing around at the still-frozen crowd. "I guess that's why hypnotism is one of the Guardian powers."

Brooke pursed her lips. "We're going to have to wipe all of their memories before we can leave, aren't we?"

Eric smirked slightly. "Seems like it."

Buffy sighed, shrugging. "Whatever. At least that's the only down side to this round. This time was too close to comfort for exposure and life alike. Not that slaying's ever comfy, but... You know what I mean?"

"We know what you mean," Wyatt answered. "All of you did really well, all things considered."

"Well, I'm just glad that we don't listen to the Council and keep it to just the Slayer and the Guardians doing this job," Brooke admitted. "Because if you guys weren't here to help us with the Hellmouth demons... we'd still be dead, and be dead a thousand times over again."

"But we are here to help," Eric pointed out. "And we did. And we're all fine."

As the group walked through the park, Carmen froze the crowd again with her immobilization power once more so that Alice and Brooke could begin hypnotizing them into forgetting what they saw here today.

Willow and Xander joined them, carrying baskets and blankets for a picnic in the park meant for the Scoobies.

"You guys still on for the picnic even after that debacle?" Willow asked hopefully.

Carmen was tense around the duo knowing that Xander cheated on her sister Cordelia with Willow, and in Cordelia's attempt to escape the scene she walked in on - thinking she was rescuing them from Spike - Cordelia had collapsed through stairs and impaled in the stomach, nearly killed in the process.

Zoey wasn't happy with them either, even with her frenemy history with Cordelia.

The others knew this, glancing at Zoey and Carmen; even if they weren't happy with Willow and Xander, they all knew they didn't blame them.

"Yeah, we're totally on for the picnic," Buffy answered. "Just after Brooke and Alice finish Guardian-hypnotizing all these people."

"What for?" Xander asked.

"Exposure risk," Brooke answered. "Even if Carmen froze them, they could have saw something in the in-between stages."

Willow and Xander nodded in understanding.

Zoey was quick to change the subject, always one to want to involve the new Slayer and Guardian more. "So how come Hope and Faith were a no-show? I thought mucus-y demons were their favorite."

"Couldn't reach them," Alice answered. "Again. Hope's been hanging out a lot with us, but Faith not so much."

Zoey, Buffy, Brooke, Alice and Carmen shared a look, concerned.

"I detect worry," Brady noted.

"A little bit," Carmen answered. "Slaying's a rough gig. Too much alone time isn't healthy. Stuff gets pent up. And like Alice, Brooke and Buffy said, if it wasn't for the help of the rest of us, they would have stayed dead and gotten killed a dozen times more if it wasn't for the rest of us helping them. Hope and Faith don't have that if they're off on their own."

"That's true," Wyatt answered. "Hope tries to open up to us, as much as she can, anyway, but she's hesitant. Faith's too closed off to truly try to."

Eric nodded. "We should try to do more socializing with them. You know, not just Hope and her sometimes-plans, but Faith too."

Alice and Brooke finished with hypnotizing the crowd, walking with the rest of the Scoobies toward a place where they could set up their own picnic.

Carmen finally was able to release the crowd from her power, who all went back to normal like nothing happened, not a negative thought in their minds.

"All's right as rain for now, then, isn't it?" Wyatt asked.

"For now," Brooke answered. "Let's eat."

"Please," Brady agreed. "I'm starving."

They all smiled in relief as they sat down and began to share their picnic.

Buffy and Eric sat together in a couple-y way, as did Brooke and Wyatt, and Alice and Brady. Meanwhile, Zoey and Carmen sat furthest away from Willow and Xander, which didn't go unnoticed, but it wasn't out of spite either.

Xander took a deep breath. "Well, now that hypnotism is done, does this cap us off for the day?"

Buffy raised her eyebrow. "You got plans?"

"I cannot stress enough how much I don't have plans," Xander replied.

Eric glanced between Zoey, Carmen, Xander and Willow, approaching the topic gently, knowing they couldn't avoid it forever. "No luck with Cordelia?"

Zoey hummed. "If by 'luck with Cordelia', you mean that she asked me and Carmen both to slap Xander again and to keep him away from her..."

Xander shook his head. "No, that's not fair." Zoey and Carmen both gave him a look as he continued. "I've left a few messages. 60... 70... but you know what really bugs me?" Xander looked at Willow. "Okay, we kissed. It was a mistake. But I know that was positively the last time we were ever gonna kiss."

"Darn tootin'," Willow agreed.

"And she bursts in, rescuing us, without even knocking?" Xander asked. "I mean, this is really all her fault."

Zoey and Carmen glared at Xander incredulously.

Eric gave Xander a look. "Your logic does not resemble our Earth logic."

"Mine is much more advanced," Xander replied.

Carmen's eyes flashed with anger as she listened to Xander's words. She had been trying to keep her cool, but his attempt to blame Cordelia for walking in on him and Willow was the last straw.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Carmen snapped, her voice rising. "How dare you try to blame Cordelia for this? She's the victim here, not you!"

The others fell silent, watching as Carmen finally unleashed her pent-up frustration.

"My sister was trying to save your life, you idiot!" Carmen continued, her hands clenching into fists. "She thought you were in danger from Spike, and instead of finding you fighting for your lives, she found you two making out behind her back. And then she got seriously injured trying to get away from that betrayal. My sister, who nearly died, because she was so upset by what she saw that she fell through rotting stairs and got impaled."

Xander opened his mouth to speak, but Carmen cut him off.

"Don't you dare act like you're the victim here, Xander," Carmen told him, her words sharp and biting.

Zoey shook her head. "I'm not even friends with Cordelia like I used to be, but she was best friends with me a long time ago. And she's not the bad guy here, Xander. She trusted you. She opened up to you in a way she never has with anyone else and likely never will again. And how do you repay that trust? By betraying her and then villainizing her like she did something wrong. Apparently you have a repeating theme with that with both Chase sisters if the way you villainize Carmen for her relationship with Angel is anything to go by."

Xander stared at Zoey and Carmen, taken aback by their fierce defense of Cordelia. He opened his mouth, but words seemed to fail him momentarily. Instead, he shifted uncomfortably under their intense gazes.

"Look, I didn't mean it like that," Xander finally managed, but his voice lacked conviction. "I just... I thought--"

"You thought what?" Carmen interrupted, her anger simmering just below the surface. "That it was okay to blame her for your own mistakes? To act like she didn't have every right to be upset? Cordelia deserves better than your excuses."

The tension in the air was palpable, and everyone around them was silent, unsure how to navigate the emotional minefield that had just erupted.

Eric exchanged a worried glance with Willow, who looked equally concerned.

Brady stepped in, trying to defuse the situation before it escalated further. "Hey, let's not turn this picnic into a battlefield. We all know it was a messy situation, Xander. No one's saying you're a bad guy for what happened, but you need to own up to your part in this."

Alice nodded in agreement. "We've all made mistakes. But Carmen and Zoey are right, Xander. This isn't about placing blame but rather figuring out how to fix things. Cordelia is hurt - emotionally and physically - and she needs support right now."

Brooke nodded. "You can't brush that off as if it doesn't matter. And you definitely can't make her out to be the bad guy when she did nothing wrong in this situation."

Zoey and Carmen gave Brady, Alice and Brooke a thankful look, which they nodded in response to.

Willow nodded, trying to make amends without driving Zoey and Carmen further away - unlike Xander's approach. "At least tomorrow's Monday, another school day."

"Well, that's good," Eric told her, proud of his sister for looking at the bright side. "You know, focus on school. That's the strong Willow way to heal."

"Actually, I was more thinking Cordelia will be there and I can apologize and beg for forgiveness," Willow admitted.

Eric gave her a small smile of pride and sympathy.

Zoey and Carmen nodded approvingly and appreciatively toward Willow, which caused her to sigh in relief.

Buffy managed a small smile. "That works too."

Wyatt looked between the younger Scoobies, wrapping an arm around Brooke. "If I should impart some wisdom..."

"Give us some of your Wyatt wisdom mixed with some of your Wyatt-humor, please," Brooke replied. "We could all use some of that right now."

Wyatt chuckled, his expression lightening the mood. "Okay, how about this: Remember that time we all thought it would be a great idea to take on that vampire clan without backup?"

The group groaned, already familiar with the moment he was referencing.

"Yes, the classic 'let's go in guns blazing without a plan' scenario," Brady teased.

"Exactly," Wyatt proclaimed. "And what happened? We got our asses handed to us and had to regroup for weeks. The point is, even when things look grim or complicated - like Xander's situation with Cordelia - sometimes you just need to step back, reassess, and remember we're stronger together."

Carmen nodded slowly, her anger dissipating as Wyatt's words sank in. "That's true. We've always relied on each other. Maybe it's time for everyone to realize that."

Zoey smiled. "And how about this? Relationships are like slaying demons. You can't just stab away at the surface and expect it to die. You have to hit it right where it hurts." She gestured for emphasis. "But you've got to be careful not to get too close, or you might end up getting bitten."

The group shared a laugh, and even Xander managed a small smile, feeling the tension lift just a bit.

"Okay, so what you're saying is I should approach Cordelia with caution," Xander replied, a hint of humor in his voice despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Exactly," Eric replied. "And remember that even when you feel like you're fighting against an insurmountable enemy, teamwork - especially with us - always wins."

"And don't forget to apologize," Alice added. "A good apology is like a well-placed stake. It can pierce right through thick skin no matter the armor the opponent wears."

Everyone laughed once again.

Buffy smiled at Zoey, Alice, Eric and Wyatt. "You four might have a future as motivational speaker, you know. And turning relationship advice into slaying-knowledge? That's the icing on the cake."

Zoey chuckled, shaking her head at Buffy. "Yeah, because nothing says 'teamwork' like a motivational speech dotted with metaphors about demons and high school drama."

Brady leaned back, stretching his arms. "Well, if the whole slaying gig doesn't pan out, we could always start a podcast. 'Slayers, Guardians and Snafus: Life Lessons from the Hellmouth.' It has a nice ring to it."

Brooke smirked, playfully nudging Brady. "Don't get too comfortable with your dreams of stardom just yet. You might have to face Cordelia's wrath if you keep messing around."

"True," Brady shrugged, the playful mood restoring his confidence. "But I think I'd rather face a legion of vampiric overlords than admit I was wrong to her."

As laughter echoed in the park, Carmen caught Zoey's eye and exchanged a knowing look. Their earlier confrontation with Xander had stirred emotions; they both felt the need to stand up for their sister and friend, despite their previous feelings toward her.

The afternoon sun warmed the park as the Scoobies settled into a more relaxed vibe, but Carmen sensed the underlying tension still lingered.

∞

Chase Mansion - Cordelia's Bedroom

Cordelia was sitting on her bed with the lights very low. She had a picture of herself and the Scoobies all with their arms around each other, and was cutting each person off with a straight vertical cut. She let the pieces fall into a bowl on a breakfast tray, save for Zoey and Carmen.

In the background her answering machine played back her messages - all from Xander. "Hey, it's Xander. If you get this, call me."

The last part of the picture left in Cordelia's hand was of Xander, and she cut diagonally right through his face.

Machine: "Hi! Xander. I, uh... Well, I'm in if you feel like calling. Bye."

Cordelia's eyes and cheeks were heavy with tears. She sighed, taking a match and striking it. She lit Xander's part of the picture.

Machine: "Hi, Cordelia. Um... If you get the chance, if we could talk, I'm here."

Cordelia dropped the lit piece into the bowl and held the match to the others.

They suddenly all burst into flame. The light of the flame showed just how tired, slagged and haggard Cordelia had become.

Machine: "Hey again! It's me. I'm here. Again."

Cordelia watched as the flames consume the image of Xander.

∞ Slayers and Guardians ∞

Day Two

Morning - Sunnydale High School - Hallway

Zoey and Carmen met up with Alice and Brooke as they made their way down the hallway.

"How's it going?" Alice asked.

"Just got here," Zoey answered.

"We're on for training after school before we hit the Bronze," Brooke answered. "You in?"

"Yeah, maybe," Carmen answered. "I said that I would hang out with Cordelia tonight. She really needs it."

Alice and Brooke frowned in concern.

"You think she'll be okay?" Alice asked.

Zoey sighed heavily. "Honestly? I hope so. But it's not just about her physical wounds; it's what Xander put her through."

Carmen nodded, both of them understanding all too well the emotional scars that could be just as debilitating as a physical injury.

"Do you think she'll forgive him?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know," Carmen sighed. "She can be tough like that. Sometimes it takes a lot for her to let things go. But she's coming today. She just drove in her own car like usual. But I saw her before I left the house."

"How was she?" Alice asked.

Carmen frowned, not sure how to answer. "I don't know. For Cordelia, she looked pretty... scary."

∞

Student Parking Lot

As Cordelia parked her car, she had the top down on her convertible. She stepped out, looking very hot in a brown leather skirt and jacket with matching top, and alligator high heel d'Orsay pumps with matching bag from Prada. She confidently walked into school.

∞

Breezeway

Cordelia walked through the breezeway leading to the quad, not looking quite as confident anymore since the other students were just passing her by. She stopped when she saw Harmony coming her way with some of her friends.

When Harmony saw Cordelia, she stopped, too, for an instant, but then approached her, all smiles. "Cordelia! You look amazing."

Cordelia, confidence restored, exchanged a non-touching hug and kisses on both cheeks.

Harmony smiled. "Oh. You have to meet Anya." She pulled the 'new girl' Anya to the front. "She just moved here, and her dad just bought - what was it - oh. A utility. Or something."

Anya barely gave Harmony a nod, looking at Cordelia. "Nice bag. Prada?"

Cordelia was impressed. "Good call! Most people around here can't tell Prada from Payless."

Harmony drew Cordelia's attention back to her. "God, Cordy, when I heard about... Well, I mean, I couldn't believe it. But it was smart. You know, the injury thing? You take a week off, let everybody forget about the temporary insanity that was Xander Harris."

Cordelia raised her eyebrows. "Xander who?"

"Oh!" Harmony said as she and her group of girls all exchanged a little fake nervous laughter.

"You know what you have to do," a Harmette said. "Start dating. Get back on the horse."

"Oh, absolutely!" Cordelia replied. "I am ready to ride!"

Harmony smiled with vicious sweetness. "Then I have just the stallion. He's so you."

Harmony led Cordelia over to the outside stairs where Jonathon was sitting, nursing a soft drink. He was taken aback by the sudden attention, and looked around to see if they didn't really mean someone else, but there was no one else.

Cordelia realized she had been slammed by her former 'friends'.

Harmony giggled. "I'm pretty sure he won't cheat on you. At least not for a while. Plus, he's got a kill moped."

Harmony laughed, and she and her group walked off, leaving Cordelia humiliated.

Jonathon gave her a sympathetic look, knowing what it was like, and went back to nursing his soda.

∞

Hallway

Cordelia walked down the stairs by the student lounge and turned down the hallway, seeing Xander come out of the cafeteria at the far end.

When Xander saw Cordelia, he stopped.

Cordelia looked for a way to turn this to her advantage, and pulled an old boyfriend out of the crowd. "Hey, John Lee. Do I have something caught in my teeth?"

Cordelia smiled to expose her teeth and angled her head up so he could see. She shifted her head back and forth, and John Lee dutifully followed her movements.

From a distance, it looked to Xander like they were kissing. When he had seen enough, he went back into the cafeteria.

When Cordelia saw that Xander was gone, she stepped back from John Lee. "So... What's new? God, it's been, like, a gazillion years!"

John Lee smiled. "Look, the guys are kinda down on me lately. Coach has cut me back to second string. If anyone saw me hanging with Xander Harris' castoff on top of that... Death, you know, but... maybe..." With a smirk, he made suggestive eyes. "If you wanna go someplace private..."

Cordelia was surprised to find the tables turned, and humiliated to be labeled as Xander's cast off and 'death' to his reputation. "What?"

John Lee smirked. "Think about it."

John Lee walked away.

Cordelia couldn't believe what a social leper she had suddenly become. She started back down the hall, and was startled when Anya bumped into her.

Anya smiled. "Hey."

Cordelia waved her on. "Go ahead. Dazzle me with your oh-so-brilliant insults. Just join the club."

Anya scoffed softly. "Hardly. Uh, actually, I've been looking for you. Ever since we met this morning, I was, like, thank God there's one other person in this town who actually reads W."

Cordelia frowned in confusion. "But Harmony..."

Anya looked around. "Oh, she follows me around. If that girl had an original thought, her head would explode."

Cordelia noticed Anya's pendant. "Is that Gucci?"

Anya looked down at her necklace. "Um... no. It's an actual old thing, sort of a, um... good luck charm my dad gave me."

Cordelia raised her eyebrows. "Too bad I didn't have one of those pre-Xander."

They started walking down the hall.

Anya gave a frustrated sigh. "Can I just say... Men."

Cordelia chuckled bitterly, waving a hand. "Second it."

"Apart from being without class, the guy's obviously blind," Anya told her. "Deserves whatever he gets."

Cordelia shook her head. "I'm not even thinking about him. I am past it. I am living my life."

"Still, I mean..." Anya trailed off. "Don't you kinda wish..."

"I don't wish," Cordelia replied. "I act. Starting now, Xander Harris is gonna get a bellyful of just how over him I am. You know, my sister Carmen and her best friend Zoey are taking me out to the Bronze tonight for some well-deserved fun. Do you wanna join?"

Anya smiled, nodding. "I'd like that, yeah."

∞

Night - The Bronze

(Song:) Tired of Being Alone - The Spies

That night, as promised, Carmen and Zoey had taken Cordelia out for a night to help her have well-deserved fun at the Bronze, including dancing out on the dance floor.

As the music pulsed through the dimly lit Bronze, Cordelia found herself swept up in the rhythm, her worries temporarily forgotten as she danced with Carmen and Zoey. The lights flashed colors across their faces, each beat echoing in perfect sync with her heart. For the first time in days, she felt truly alive.

"You look great out there!" Zoey shouted over the music, grinning widely as she spun around.

Cordelia laughed, feeling the tension of the day melt away. "Who knew a little dancing could do wonders?"

Carmen caught her breath, leaning against a nearby pillar for support. "You needed this! Just let loose. Just not too loose, we don't want you to pull your stitches."

Cordelia nodded, her smile infectious as she twirled back into the fray. But amidst the laughter and camaraderie, a shadow cast itself over her joy - a flash of familiarity that sent a jolt of unease through her.

Xander stood at the edge of the dance floor, flanked by Willow, as the other Scoobies were distanced from them by sharing their own couple moments.

Cordelia's stomach twisted at the sight of Xander and Willow together, which both Carmen and Zoey noticed, their expressions hardening slightly as they glanced over.

"Shouldn't Xander be somewhere sulking?" Zoey asked. "Like under a rock?"

"I don't think he got much time to prepare for that," Carmen replied, rolling her eyes. "He should be on damage control, not lurking."

Zoey turned to Cordelia. "We can go somewhere else if you want."

Cordelia shook her head, straightening up with newfound determination. "No. I'm done letting him make me feel worthless. He's already made me a social leper at school. Harmony and the girls snubbed me with Jonathan of all people, and my ex-boyfriend said that being spotted with Xander Harris's cast-off would be death to his reputation, but that he would be okay with hooking up with me in secret. That's the day I've had today because of what Xander and Willow did. So not only did I almost die for real, but everything I've worked for at school is dead and buried because of them, too. I'm not going to let them run me out of the Bronze, too."

Zoey and Carmen shared a look, nodding.

"Fair enough," Zoey said.

Just then, Anya arrived, joining them with a smile. "Cordelia."

Cordelia smiled brightly, relieved for the distraction. "Anya, hi."

Cordelia and Anya did the no-touching kiss on two cheeks greeting before Cordelia turned to introduce Anya to her sister and her friend.

"Anya, this is my sister Carmen, and my former best friend and former enemy Zoey, who is now basically my frenemy," Cordelia explained. "But she's always been Carmen's best friend."

"Zoey's always been like a close sister to me while Zoey and Cordelia are like those sisters that don't get along until they find common ground," Carmen added.

Anya smiled in amusement at the description, nodding in understanding. "Got it."

Cordelia chuckled. "Anya is new around here, and she's been the only good friend to me today other than you two."

Carmen frowned. "I thought Brooke, Brady, Alice, Eric and Wyatt checked in on you."

"They tried, I ignored them," Cordelia replied.

Zoey was not surprised, looking at Anya. "Nice to meet you, Anya."

Anya waved enthusiastically in return. "I'm really excited to meet you both. I heard all about Carmen Chase and Zoey Francis from Cordelia, and she tells me that you're all involved in some pretty wild stuff."

Carmen and Zoey raised their eyebrows, giving Cordelia looks.

"Wild stuff?" Zoey asked.

Cordelia waved off their concern, knowing better than to expose their witch and gypsy secrets.

Anya shrugged, "Some of the rumors going around school and everything. Cordelia was clearing some of them up. But I'd prefer we focus less on that and more on activities like dancing."

"Exactly," Zoey agreed, perking up. "Who needs to deal with gossip when we can just have fun?"

Carmen smiled. "All the drama can take a backseat for now."

Cordelia nodded gratefully at her sister and friends' support, feeling a rush of warmth envelop her as they continued their lively night of banter, laughter and dance.

Meanwhile, the other Scoobies were watching Zoey and Carmen make sure Cordelia had a night of fun. Buffy, Eric, Brooke, Wyatt, Brady and Alice smiled proudly, while Willow looked incredibly guilty, and Xander looked absolutely glum.

Xander pretended to have fun, forcing himself to laugh, looking over at Cordelia to see if his laughter caught her attention. When it didn't, he looked back at the others and forced out gales of laughter.

The girls exchanged a look while Brady, Wyatt and Eric gave Xander a weird look.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Wyatt asked, bemused.

Xander gave them a look in return. "Excuse me. I need to be both giving and receiving of mirth. Is it too much to ask for a little backup?"

Buffy put a hand on Xander's knee. "I'm here for you, Xand. I'm Support-O-Gal." She took her hand back. "I just... feel a little weird about this us-against-Cordelia thing. She's had a rough time."

"It's true," Willow agreed. "Zoey, Carmen, Brooke, Brady and Alice were right before. Cordelia belongs to the justified camp. She should make us pay. And pay and pay and pay... in fact, there's just not enough pay for what we--"

Eric took Willow by the hand to ease his sister's nerves. "Willow, no one's saying that. You two made a mistake, and we all get that. Zoey and Carmen don't think you're the bad guys for that. They just don't want to be forced in the middle of choosing sides between you two and Cordelia after what she went through."

"Especially after Xander keeps making it seem like it's a competition or like it's Cordelia's fault, when it's not," Brooke agreed.

Brady and Alice nodded in agreement.

Alice looked between Xander and Willow. "Look, if you two want to do a guilt parade or a battle against Cordelia of who can fake happiness and get over each other faster, be our guest. But please just don't let it drag everyone else into it, especially Carmen, since that's her sister, and Zoey is finally starting to have a piece of her old best friend back without the enemy part. Don't make them lose that, or lose us as their best friends in the process."

The others nodded in agreement.

Xander and Willow knew that was fair, nodding.

Brady perked up, trying to cheer everyone up. "Anyway, I'm done with this gloom-aplooza. Starting this minute, I'm gonna grab ahold of that crazy little thing called life and let it do its magical little heal-y thing. What's done is done. Let's be in the moment. Behold the beauty that is now. Who's with me?"

Buffy and Brooke smiled at their brother.

"He's actually making sense," Buffy said. "We're young and free in America. How dare we be spun by love or the lack of same."

"Absolutely," Brooke agreed. "It's self-indulgent. I'm on the joy train."

Alice rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a smile. "I'm in. As long as it doesn't involve karaoke, I'll be right there with you in the moment."

Eric raised an eyebrow, feigning shock. "No karaoke? What kind of party is this?"

Brooke laughed, nudging Alice playfully. "We're saving that for the next time we need to distract ourselves from reality."

Brady smirked, glancing at Xander and Willow, who were still sulking. "I guess that means we won't be seeing you up on stage anytime soon, Xander. You know how much I love to mock your rendition of 'I Will Survive'."

Eric snorted, shaking her head. "Let's not bring that back into the universe."

Xander sighed dramatically. "Fine, I won't sing - I'll just stick to standing in corners and pouting like a sad puppy instead."

"Good plan," Wyatt said, leaning against the wall with a smirk.

Brooke took Wyatt by the hands as she began to drag her warlock boyfriend to the dance floor. "But you, Wyatt, are going to dance with us tonight."

Wyatt chuckled as Brooke pulled him into the thrumming crowd of dancers, his laughter blending with the music. "I always knew you had a secret agenda to make me dance. Just don't make me dance all night."

Brooke flashed him a playful grin. "No promises!"

Wyatt spun Brooke around, making her laughter ring through the air like music as he pulled her closer as they began to dance in the energetic nature of the song.

Brady guided Alice along by her hand as the couple smiled at each other, spinning Alice around, pulling her into his side. "Come on! The night's too young to be spent just sitting around. Let's show these guys how it's done."

"You wouldn't have it any other way," Alice shot back playfully.

Brady swept Alice up in his arms, spinning her around, making her laugh in surprise.

Buffy tugged on Eric's hand as she led her boyfriend to the dance floor. "Come on. We're making this a night to remember."

Eric chuckled, shaking his head as he followed Buffy. "You know, I think I caught a glimpse of my future, and it involves a lot of embarrassing dance moves."

"Perfect! That's exactly what we need," Buffy replied with a playful wink. "Let's make the memories even more ridiculous."

As the music swelled, the Bronze electrified with laughter and movement. The energy shifted, palpable and infectious, pulling everyone into its warm embrace.

Zoey and Carmen were still dancing with Cordelia, who was starting to loosen up amidst the music and laughter, though they noticed their friends dancing, a smile breaking across their faces as they felt the weight of the day's drama start to lift.

Cordelia noticed the other Scoobies, giving her the space she requested but still a present force to be there for her if she wanted them to be. She knew that all she had to do was reach out and ask for help from anyone of them and they would help, but she wasn't ready for that yet. She noticed that the only two missing from the dance floor were Xander and Willow, noting that they were still glumly leaning against the wall.

Willow had felt too guilty to join in on the fun, while Xander had his arms crossed like a sulking child.

"Is he always like this?" Cordelia asked, nodding toward Xander.

"Pretty much," Zoey replied with a smirk. "He'll get bored and start plotting his next move soon enough."

Carmen chuckled. "Or he'll just wallow in self-pity until someone decides to do something else about it. We've already tried. Zoey and I both already went off on him for you, by the way."

Cordelia shook her head, feeling a mix of amusement and annoyance. "Thank you. But I don't even care anymore. Look, you why don't you two go join them?"

Cordelia nodded to the other Scoobies.

Zoey and Carmen glanced at the other Scoobies before glancing at Cordelia, surprised.

"Are you sure?" Zoey asked.

"Yeah," Cordelia answered. "Carmen was right. I can't dance too much without pulling my stitches. And I'm gonna talk more with Anya and then get us some drinks. You won't even notice I'm gone before I'm back. Whatever you guys are worried about, I'm not gonna make you choose between me and your friends again. I did that before, and... I'm not gonna do it this time."

Carmen smiled in relief, while Zoey had an impressed look on her face, nodding.

Cordelia noticed Zoey's look. "What?"

"You're definitely not the Cordelia Chase you used to be," Zoey answered. "That's a good thing, though. It's this thing called evolving."

Cordelia raised an eyebrow at Zoey, a mix of skepticism and amusement in her gaze. "Evolving, huh? Is that how you refer to not being a complete jerk anymore?"

"Pretty much," Zoey replied with a grin. "But hey, it's a process. A slow process, I'll grant you, but a process nonetheless. And look at you! You're on the way to becoming a full-on dance goddess instead of just the Drama Queen of Sunnydale High."

Carmen nudged Zoey playfully. "Okay, enough sass."

Zoey laughed lightly.

Cordelia raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Well, I always knew I was destined for greatness."

Carmen laughed, nudging Cordelia playfully this time. "Just don't let it go to your head too much. We like you better when you're not being a total diva."

"Hey!" Cordelia protested, but her laughter betrayed her amusement. "A little diva is part of the package."

Zoey chuckled, giving Cordelia an encouraging smile. "You've got this. Go enjoy yourself and let loose."

With a determined nod, Cordelia turned and made her way to the bar, waving at Anya as she approached.

Meanwhile, Zoey and Carmen exchanged glances filled with unspoken understanding before heading over to Xander and Willow.

"Hey, guys!" Zoey greeted brightly, her enthusiasm cutting through the somber mood that hung around Xander and Willow like a cloud.

Willow looked up, offering a weak smile. "Oh... hey."

"What's with the wall-sitting?" Carmen asked. "The dance floor isn't gonna bite."

Xander looked up, a little surprised. But before Willow and Xander could respond, Zoey and Carmen were taking them by the hands and leading them to the dance floor where the other Scoobies were dancing. Willow and Xander - too relieved to protest knowing that their friends were still fully supporting them despite the drama - followed willingly to meet up with everyone on the dance floor.

Zoey joined Brady and Alice in their playful spins and twirls. Alice smiled as she and Zoey took each other by the hands and spun each other around.

Carmen and Xander sidled up with Wyatt and Brooke, as the four grinned and danced to the beat.

Eric, pleased to find his sister joining the group, took both Buffy and Willow by the hands and spun them around. Eric's "embarrassing" dance moves were his own funny way of dancing to make the others laugh to brighten up their moods successfully.

What started as a gloomy-filled night for the Scoobies ended as a cheerful night for all.

However, by the bar, after Cordelia was finished talking with Anya, she watched the Scoobies dance as if they had no care in the world. The strong front she had put up for Zoey and Carmen crumbled as she watched them all, and for that moment, she couldn't stay in the Bronze any longer watching Xander and Willow be happy and carefree with their friends after what they did to her.

Instead of coming back like she promised, Cordelia walked toward the exit. As she went, a boy bumped into her, jostling her wound. She put her hand over it as she walked out.

Buffy and Brooke saw this from the dance floor, sharing a look.

∞

Outside

Buffy and Brooke caught up to Cordelia as she walked away from the Bronze.

"Hey, Cordelia, wait a second," Buffy told her.

Cordelia stopped, facing the Summers twins. "Did Xander send you to beg for him? Because if he did--"

Brooke held up her hands harmlessly. "No. We're free agents, I promise. We just wanted to see how you are. You didn't give us the chance to check in earlier."

"Never been better," Cordela replied, starting to go.

Brooke bit her lip. "Cordelia, we know what it's like to be hurt by someone." Cordelia stopped. "Hurt so much that you don't think you're gonna make it. But we told my friends how I felt, and you know what? It got a little better."

For a moment, it looked as if Cordelia might open up.

Suddenly a vampire jumped down behind Buffy and Brooke and swung a punch and kick at their heads. Buffy middle blocked the punch while Brooke conjured her red Guardian energy to shield herself from the kick, enveloping the vampire with the energy to throw him to the ground.

Buffy launched toward the vampire, punching him in the face while he was down, reaching for his shirt, yanking him back up to his feet. She spun him around and let him go, shoving him toward Brooke, making him stumble and lose his footing.

Brooke did two roundhouse kicks that landed squarely on the vampire's chest and back, sending him flying back toward Buffy.

The vampire tried a wide punch to Buffy's head, but she ducked it, rising back up to deliver a spinning back kick to his side. This sent him stumbling backward right at Cordelia.

Buffy's eyes went wide. "Cordelia, look..." Cordelia had no time to react, and got knocked into a pile of garbage. "Out."

Brooke winced. "You okay, Cordy?"

The vampire got back up to his feet, coming at Brooke, jumping into a half spinning crescent kick, which Brooke easily used red Guardian energy to shield herself from.

Buffy rushed forward, ready to engage the vampire directly, but he regained his balance and shrugged off the attack.

Brooke thrust her palm forward, unleashing a wave of red energy that knocked the vampire off his feet and into a nearby wall, pinning the vampire in place and beginning to envelop every part of him, the red glowing energy seeping into his body and beginning to burn him from the inside out.

The vampire roared in pain, struggling against the invisible force that held him captive.

Cordelia watched, heart racing, her earlier feelings of hurt and rejection momentarily forgotten as she gathered her bearings. She pushed herself up from the pile of garbage, realizing the fight was on.

"Cordelia!" Buffy called out, glancing back to check on her. "You good?"

"I - I'm fine!" Cordelia shouted, her adrenaline kicking in. She wiped grime from her face, the remnants of her earlier self-pity replaced by a surge of energy. "Just a little surprise welcoming committee!"

The vampire writhed in agony as Brooke's energy enveloped him tighter, sparks flying around him as the red light blazed brighter, illuminating their surroundings.

"Finish him off!" Buffy urged, ready to step in if needed.

Brooke nodded, focusing her energy into a concentrated blast aimed directly at the vampire's heart. With a swift motion, she released it, and the energy shot through him like a bolt of lightning. The vampire exploded into a cloud of dust, scattering across the alley and leaving only silence behind.

Brooke turned, brushing off her hands with a look of satisfaction. "Now that's how you deal with unwanted guests."

Buffy smiled slightly.

Brooke quickly glanced over at Cordelia, who was still sitting on the ground amidst the garbage, looking dazed. "Hey, Cordelia!" She rushed over to help her up. "You okay?"

Cordelia reluctantly accepted Brooke's hand, still disheveled from her tumble.

Cordelia flicked a few pieces of trash from her dress as Brooke helped her to her feet, though she didn't notice the piece in her hair.

Buffy looked at Cordelia apologetically.

Behind them, they heard the laughter of a group of girls, looking back to ensure that they hadn't seen Brooke and Buffy fight the vampire a moment before, relieved to see that they hadn't.

Harmony and some of her friends walked by, looking Cordelia over, laughing at her as they left.

Humiliated once again, Cordelia finally snapped, and lashed out at the one thing - or two things - that she could trace all her problems back to when they began, even if it wasn't logical or fair. "You know what I've been asking myself a lot this last week? Why me? Why do I get impaled? Why do I get bitten by snakes? Why do I fall for incredible losers? And you know, I think I've finally figured it out, what my problem is? It's..."

∞

Day Three

Morning - Sunnydale High School - Quad

Cordelia and Anya were walking through the school quad together.

Cordelia was complaining about her problems. "Buffy and Brooke Summers. That's when all my troubles started. When they and their brother Brady moved here."

Cordelia winced in pain, holding her side.

Anya frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I just pulled some stitches last night," Cordelia answered. "Know why?" She glared in Buffy and Brooke's direction. "Surprise. It was Buffy and Brooke's fault."

Anya followed Cordelia's gaze, seeing the Scoobies sitting together around the fountain in the quad.

Harmony and her girls walked by Cordelia and Anya.

Harmony looked at Cordelia mockingly. "Oh, hey, it's Garbage Girl. Loved the look last night, Cor. Dumpster chic for the dumped."

Harmony and her girls rudely walked right between Cordelia and Anya, giggling and smiling.

Cordelia looked down in embarrassment.

Anya took her pendant off. "Here. I think you need this more than I do right now."

Cordelia lifted her hair away from her neck and let Anya put the necklace on. "Yeah, I can use some luck." She eyed Buffy and Brooke. "And a stick with pointy, sharp bits. If that Buffy and Brooke... I swear."

Anya shrugged. "They're a pain. But Xander, he's an utter loser. Don't you wish..."

"I never would've looked twice at Xander if Buffy, Brooke and Brady hadn't made him marginally cooler by hanging with him," Cordelia admitted.

Anya raised her eyebrows in intrigue, glancing toward the Scoobies. "Really?"

"Yeah, I swear," Cordelia answered. "Of course, there's Alice and Wyatt, they changed everything too, but they never made my life hell like the Summers. And when it was just Zoey and Carmen and their loser friends, it was just that. I wish Buffy, Brooke and Brady Summers had never come to Sunnydale."

Anya turned back to Cordelia, who gasped to see that her face had suddenly transformed into a demonic visage, wrinkled, veiny and raw. The embodiment of Anyanka, Patron Saint of all women scorned. "Done."

∞∞

Wishverse

Day One

Day - Sunnydale High School - Quad

Suddenly, Cordelia was alone in the school quad.

There were far fewer students at the high school in this wish-verse. The place was, in fact, a rather a mess. Garbage and palm leaves were strewn about the quad.

Cordelia frowned. "Anya?"

Cordelia suddenly noticed that in this wish-verse, she no longer had her injury. Anya's pendant, however, was still around her neck. Slowly, she began to figure it out - that Anya had granted her wish.

Cordelia started to smile. "'I wish Buffy, Brooke and Brady Summers had never come to Sunnydale'. She was, like a good fairy. A scary, veiny... good fairy."

With a wide smile, Cordelia laughed as she walked inside.

∞

Inside - Hallway

Just like outside, there were far fewer students inside the school. Everyone was dressed in dark and drab clothing, even the popular students - the few that remained.

Cordelia was the standout in her bright turquoise dress. She saw Harmony and her friends at her locker, and hesitated.

Harmony closed her locker and saw Cordelia. "Where have you been?!"

Harmony approached Cordelia, and her friends followed. Cordelia gave them a careful smile.

"Ted Chervin just totally went for third with Ginger in front of everybody," Harmony explained.

A Harmette looked scandalized by Cordelia's dress. "Love the dress. It's so daring."

Harmony nodded in agreement.

John Lee walked up to them. "Cordelia."

"Yeah?" Cordelia asked.

John Lee pulled her aside. "Look, every guy on campus has probably asked, but if you're not going to the Winter Brunch with anyone, I'd be honored, and we'd have fun."

Cordelia considered her response. "I'll get back to you."

John Lee smiled hopefully. "Really?"

"Yeah," Cordelia answered.

"Great!" John Lee replied, heading down the hall, a happy man.

Harmony stepped over to her. "Cordy, you reign!"

"I do?" Cordelia asked. "I mean, I do. So what's with the Winter Brunch thing?"

∞

Classroom

The classroom was less than half full, but even so most of the students sat toward the back.

The bell rang, releasing the final period of the day, signaling the end of school.

The teacher hurriedly gathered his things. "Alright. Now, don't forget, tomorrow we have our, uh, monthly memorial, so, uh, there's no class."

The teacher rushed out of the room. The students also made a point of getting out of there quickly.

"What's the rush?" Cordelia asked.

"Oh, you know, my mom hates it when I'm late," Harmony told her.

"Since when?" Cordelia asked. "Aren't we going out tonight?"

Cordelia stood with Harmony and her friends.

"Curfew starts in an hour," Harmony told her.

"Curfew?" Cordelia repeated. "Come on, I'm in a really good mood! Let's go to the Bronze!"

Harmony and her friends all stopped and gave Cordelia a disbelieving look.

"Is that a joke?" Harmony asked.

Cordelia frowned, not sure what their reaction was about. "Oh! The Bronze isn't cool in this reality. I've gotta make these little adjustments."

Harmony and her Harmette exchange a look.

Harmony stepped closer to Cordelia. "Cordy, what's with you?" The others left. "I mean, you wear this come-bite-me outfit, you make jokes about the Bronze, and you're acting a little schizo."

Cordelia pressed her lips together. "You're right. I just... Well, I bumped my head yesterday, and I keep forgetting stuff. Not that I care, but Xander Harris, he's miserable, right? And that Willow freak he hangs with, not even a blip on the radar screen, right?"

Cordelia smiled, hoping to hear good news.

Harmony gave Cordelia a confused look. "Well, yeah. They're dead."

Cordelia's smile faded, not at all sure how she felt about that.

Harmony rolled her eyes and left the room.

∞

Student Parking Lot

Cordelia walked to what was the student parking lot in the real world, but in the wish-world, it was completely empty and full of fallen leaves. "Okay. Not funny." She stopped a passing janitor. "Hey! You! Where did you put my car?"

"Pardon?" the janitor asked.

"My auto!" Cordelia told him. "El convertablo?"

The janitor gave her a look. "You students aren't allowed to drive, and you know it."

"What?!" Cordelia demanded.

"Go on now, miss," the janitor told her. "You better get in before the sun sets."

The janitor hurried off. Cordelia was now very confused. She started on her way home.

∞

As Cordelia was soon to find out, in this Wishverse, without the Summers' presence, the town of Sunnydale had been dominated by vampires, led by the Master and his Order of Aurelius. The leading vampire acolytes - the Master's vampire lieutenants and favorite children - were Zoey, Bianca and Spike because of how powerful and vicious they were, vindictive and sadistic.

And while Eric was not a vampire, he was a powerful witch in his own right, tortured and turned from good to evil, using his witchcraft and his unique powers to enforce the domination of the Master and his vampires.

Willow and Xander - the vampire lovers with a prime lust for the hunt and kill - were soldiers in their war, taking orders from Zoey, Bianca, Eric and Spike if needed be, but enjoying it all the same.

In this dark Wishverse, Vampire Zoey was a terrifying force of chaos and destruction. Her gypsy powers, once a source of strength, connection and guidance, now tormented her endlessly, driving her over the edge of madness. Without a soul to anchor her, the constant barrage of emotions from those around her drove her to increasingly erratic and violent behavior. To cope, she embraced cruelty, finding perverse pleasure in inflicting suffering on others.

Zoey's once warm brown eyes now gleamed with a predatory hunger, ringed by shadows that spoke of sleepless nights filled with prophetic visions. Her precognitive abilities, rather than offering insight, bombarded her with flashes of potential futures - each more horrific than the last. She would often be found muttering cryptic warnings or lashing out at invisible threats. And as a soulless creature, she used this knowledge only for manipulation and destruction. Zoey would taunt her victims with glimpses of hope before viciously snuffing them out.

Her empathic abilities, without the tempering influence of compassion, made her exquisitely attuned to the fear and suffering of her victims. She reveled in their terror, using her psychic connection to draw out their torment, allowing her to feed not just on blood, but on the raw emotions of terror and anguish. She became addicted to the rush, seeking out ever more extreme ways to evoke these feelings in her prey.

Zoey's psychometric abilities let her touch reveal the dark pasts of those she encountered, allowing her to sense their darkest fears and desires. Each touch was a glimpse into their souls, and in this twisted realm where she thrived as a vampire, she had no qualms about exploiting their vulnerabilities. Each victim became a canvas upon which she painted their fears, angling their histories to exploit their weaknesses and draw out their suffering. With every touch, she felt their pain, and with each experience, her laughter echoed louder in the darkness.

And when it became too much for Zoey and her mind to bare, Spike was there. After Zoey's transformation into a vampire, they had found an unlikely but seemingly twisted perfect pair together as they became partners not just in crime or in destruction, but in life, becoming lovers.

In this dark Wishverse, Zoey and Spike's bond was passionate and destructive and as terrifying as it was intense. Their relationship was a twisted dance of violence, desire, and shared madness.

Where once Zoey had been repulsed by Spike's evil nature, as a soulless vampire, she was now drawn to his chaotic energy and ruthless ambition.

Spike found himself drawn to Zoey's chaotic, rebellious energy and raw power. Her gypsy abilities, even in her vampiric state, fascinated him. He reveled in her unpredictability, never knowing if she would greet him with a passionate embrace or a vicious attack. This constant danger thrilled him, reigniting the spark of excitement he had lost after years of vampire existence.

For Zoey, Spike became an anchor in the storm of her fractured psyche. His presence helped quiet the cacophony of emotions and visions that constantly assailed her. When the world became too much, she would lose herself in his cold embrace, finding a twisted form of peace in their chas and destruction, either by hunting in the night, or finding someone closer to home to inflict pain on - such as Spike's brother Wyatt who was captured by the vampires and being tortured into submission, as the vampires hoped that they could break him into becoming an evil warlock like they had with Eric. Spike had always wanted to turn Wyatt evil so they could be alike, so they could be brothers again, and Zoey was more than happy to help Spike with his mission.

Spike found in Zoey a kindred spirit - someone who truly understood the poetry of carnage and reveled in it as he did. Her gypsy powers and prophetic visions gave their hunts a more supernatural edge, allowing them to track and torment their prey with uncanny precision.

Together, they cut a bloody swath through Sunnydale, their laughter ringing out in the night as they indulged their darkest impulses. Spike delighted in unleashing Zoey's more sadistic side, encouraging her to use her empathic abilities to heighten their victims' terror and agony.

Also in this Wishverse, since Zoey had turned into a vampire, she was never able to give Bianca her soul after she turned into a vampire. Instead, Bianca remained as a soulless vampire, feeding on the Guardian powers of Alice, Sofia and the newly awakened Hope when they arrived to Sunnydale, even helping capture Wyatt, Angel and Hope, keeping them as prisoners of war, just as Eric used to be. Wyatt, tortured at the hands of Spike and Zoey with the intent to turn him evil like Eric. Angel, kept as Willow's "puppy" to torment for her mere delight. Hope, kept as a Guardian for the Master and Bianca to play with and feed on to ensure that her Guardian powers, even as a vampire, would grow stronger each day.

A complex blend of calculation and chaos, Bianca's personality was marked by an increasing instability that made her unpredictable and dangerous. Her hunger for power drove her actions, yet she maintained enough cunning to manipulate those around her. Beneath her vampire nature laid a desperate need for control and validation, making her obsessive about those she considered "hers". Her speech patterns fluctuated between sophisticated manipulation and raw emotional outbursts. Bianca often employed cutting sarcasm and intimate knowledge of her victims to inflict psychological damage. When unstable, her words became more fragmented and intense, revealing the chaos beneath her controlled exterior due to her brain damaged by the cancer and the tumors that wrecked havoc on her mind and body and caused her to lose her sanity and forced her to turn into a vampire just to survive in the first place. Yet, as the only vampire known in existence to actually manipulate the red energy reserved for Guardians, Bianca was by far the most powerful of the Master's vampires alongside Zoey herself as well as the most cunning and sadistic, leaving the two of them and Spike to be the three leading acolytes of his order.

And the Wishverse's version of Eric was formerly the analytical-minded trainee hunter and witch in training, with Wyatt as his teacher, before they were both captured by the Master and his acolytes - including their former friends Zoey and Xander, and of course, Eric's very own sister Willow. Like Wyatt, Eric had been tortured into submission to break into becoming evil. However, unlike Wyatt, Eric didn't have a century and a half to build a mental resistance against the likes of gypsy magic from Zoey and Guardian powers from Bianca tearing his mind and emotions apart, nor did he have the power to resist succumbing to the daily torture that his own former best friend Xander and his sister Willow inflicted upon him until his mind shattered.

In this dark Wishverse, Eric's transformation into a formidable and terrifying evil warlock was a gradual and painful process. The once analytical and compassionate young man became a twisted shadow of his former self by the torture and dark magic, turning him into a cold, calculating force of destruction. His keen intellect, once used for research and problem-solving, now served only to devise increasingly cruel, elaborate and inventive ways to torment others. He took a perverse pleasure in outsmarting his victims, leading them into false hope before crushing their spirits utterly. As a witch, he didn't have a need for the hunt like the vampires - he didn't do it to feed or survive. He did it for the sheer pleasure of it.

The warlock's eyes, once warm, kind and inquisitive, now burned with an eerie, unnatural light - a physical manifestation of the dark power coursing through him, now holding a chilling emptiness, occasionally flickering with arcane energy. His voice, previously soft-spoken and thoughtful, now carried an unsettling resonance that terrified those near, and could even send fear through vampires if they crossed him, as they knew the warlock could easily take them out if he had a mind to.

Eric's magical abilities grew exponentially as he embraced the dark arts, fueled by his anger and resentment. His spells became more potent, often laced with malice and a desire to inflict suffering. Where he once used magic to protect and heal, he now reveled in curses and destructive incantations. His movements were deliberate and predatory, each gesture imbued with lethal grace. The air around him crackled with dark magical energy, a constant reminder of the immense power within his body.

His magical abilities had grown exponentially under the tutelage of the Master's rule. Rather than just simple yellow blasts of simple energy, he obtained the power of elemental mimicry, the ability to transform his entire body into any metal or form of element material, which was essential in battle against foes stronger than him or against other magical beings. Anything he touched, Eric could turn the molecules of his body into and make himself essentially invincible.

∞

Night - Street

As soon as night fell, Zoey and Spike went out to play. It was time to hunt, and Spike was encouraging Zoey to use her abilities to the full extent for a game they loved to make the thrill of the chase even more exciting.

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream echoed through the darkened streets of Sunnydale, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. Zoey perked up, her predatory instincts kicking in as she turned to Spike, a wicked grin spreading across her face.

"Sounds like dinner's served," Zoey purred, the thrill of the hunt igniting her senses.

Spike chuckled darkly, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Right you are, love. Let's see just how fast we can catch this one. Don't hold back. It's always more fun when you use your powers for our little games. Makes it more exciting."

Zoey grinned, twirling around, her long dark hair cascading like ink in the night, before plunging herself down the street.

Spike watched her with amusement and admiration, remembering the fierce warrior she once was before her transformation when she once stood with the good ones - the White Hats - now amplified into something much darker and more thrilling. It left him awed and wanting more.

They moved fluidly through the shadows, their steps silent as they navigated the alleyways that they knew so well - their playground of chaos. Zoey's heightened senses drank in the air; she could feel the rush of fear emanating from their quarry even before they laid eyes on them.

Ahead, a young woman stumbled into view, her bag slipping from her shoulder as she turned back to look behind her. Panic danced across her features as she caught sight of Zoey and Spike.

The moment froze, the air thick with tension. Zoey felt the rush of adrenaline she locked eyes with the terrified girl. The thrill of the hunt surged through her veins, intoxicating and primal. Spike, sensing her excitement, nudged her forward, urging her to embrace the chaos.

"Let's give her a show," Spike whispered, his voice laced with dark amusement.

Without hesitation, Zoey lunged forward, chasing the girl effortlessly through the shadows. The girl shrieked, turning to flee down a narrow alleyway, but Spike cut in from the other side, effectively boxing her in.

"Nowhere to run, love," Spike taunted gleefully, watching as panic flickered in the girl's eyes. "This is our playground."

Zoey approached slowly, savoring the anticipation. She could feel the girl's fear washing over her like a wave - sweet and potent.

"It's just a game," Zoey said with mock sweetness as a playful glint flickered in her eyes, stepping closer with a grace that was both alluring and menacing. "We're just here to play."

Spike matched Zoey's wicked grin. "Yeah, just a little game of cat and mouse. And you're the mouse."

Spike feigned a yawn, as if this were all terribly boring, but the gleam in his eyes betrayed him.

The woman's breath quickened; panic surged through her veins as she turned on her heel and bolted down another exit of the alley.

"Faster!" Zoey shouted gleefully, darting after her with supernatural speed, her laughter echoing eerily off of the walls of the narrow passageway.

Spike grinned from ear to ear as he watched Zoey enjoy their game wholeheartedly, chasing after the two girls.

For a moment, Zoey let the girl think that she was getting away, letting her get out of sight, pausing in the chase. This was the best part, where they gave their victim a moment of hope before quickly snatching it away before the kill.

Spike came up behind Zoey, his hands coming up to rest gently on her shoulders, murmuring in her ear. "Come on, pet. Where is she?"

Zoey closed her eyes, focusing on her empathy and precognition powers that would tell her exactly where their victim was going.

The rush of the girl's fear pulsed in Zoey's veins, and with a sharp inhale, she connected to the emotions swirling around her. She could feel the panic coursing through the girl like an electric current, directing her thoughts.

Suddenly, a vision flickered through Zoey's mind: she saw the girl ducking into a darkened doorway, gasping for breath as her heart raced.

With a smirk, Zoey opened her eyes, excitement dancing within their depths.

"She's trying to hide in that old bookstore," Zoey said, her voice laced with dark anticipation. "She thinks it's a safe spot."

Spike chuckled, an eager glint in his eyes, cupping the side of Zoey's head as he kissed her hair. "Good girl. Let's not keep her waiting."

Zoey melted briefly at the contact as they both shared a wicked grin, their expressions lighting up with glee.

They moved as one through the shadows that cloaked the night, stealthily approaching the decrepit building. The vintage sign creaked in the wind; its paint was chipped and faded, a testament to years of neglect. The air was thick with dust and age, carrying scents of old books and something much more sinister.

∞

Bookstore

Zoey pushed open the door gently as they slipped inside silently. As they entered, she felt the girl's fear intensify - a deliciously intoxicating aroma that further fueled her already heightened senses that led her directly toward the girl they were hunting for.

Zoey motioned to Spike that they should split up and surround the girl to trap her. Spike nodded in agreement, slinking off around the store as Zoey approached the girl's hiding spot silently in the shadows.

With this tactic they shared together, they would corner their victim between their bodies and go in for the kill.

As Zoey crept deeper into the bookstore, her heart pulsed with excitement. The dim light flickered overhead, casting eerie shadows across the dusty shelves filled with ancient tomes and forgotten tales. The scent of aged paper and leather bindings hung thick in the air, blending with the rising tension as she neared her prey.

The girl huddled behind a towering shelf, her breath quick and shallow.

Zoey's empathic abilities amplified the girl's fear, drowning her in terror until the girl could barely breathe through her panic attack, fueling her own excitement. She could taste the adrenaline rushing through both their veins - a heady mix of thrill laced with desperation. This was what they thrived on: the hunt, the chase, the inevitable capture.

Zoey whispered a taunt, her voice barely above a breath yet dripping with malice. "You know hiding won't save you, right? Every corner you turn leads you closer to us."

A whimper escaped from behind the shelf, and Zoey felt a surge of satisfaction ripple through her at the sound as the girl's frantic breaths echoed in the stillness, each panicked gasp resonating through the dusty air like a siren call. Zoey relished in the thrill of manipulating the girl's fear and anguish, her emotions, the thrill of the hunt, feeling alive in a way that only came from the chase.

She spotted the girl crouched behind a stack of ancient tomes, trembling and wide-eyed, desperately clutching her bag to her chest as if it could protect her.

Just then, Spike emerged from another aisle, his presence commanding and predatory.

"Found you," Spike said with a mock flourish, his trademark smirk plastered across his face.

The girl bolted upright, her instincts screaming at her to run despite her heightened terror and agony at the hands of Zoey's empathic abilities was beginning to paralyze her in place.

As she turned to run, the girl screamed at seeing Zoey face to face with her, nearly crumbling to the ground. Somehow, the girl knew that Zoey was behind the manipulation of her emotions that paralyzed her to her spot.

Zoey caught the girl before she fell to the ground, laughing mockingly. "What's wrong, sweetie? Paralyzed by fear?"

The girl whimpered, trying to shake off the terror that enveloped her like a suffocating blanket. Zoey leaned in closer, her predatory instincts igniting as she reveled in the rush of fear radiating from the girl.

"You know, it's funny how quickly hope can turn to despair," Zoey mused, her voice low and enticing. "Just a moment ago, you thought you could escape. But now? Well, now you get to experience something far more thrilling."

Spike stepped closer, his eyes glinting with mischief. "What do you say we liven up this little party? I could use a bit of entertainment."

Zoey grinned wickedly at Spike's suggestion. She pressed closer to the girl, who was trembling violently, eyes darting back and forth as if searching for an exit that didn't exist.

"Let's make this fun," Zoey whispered conspiratorially.

The girl struggled but found herself ensnared within Zoey's grip, her body trembling violently as laughter bubbled from Zoey's lips. The sensation of power coursing through her veins was intoxicating; it was like a drug, and she craved more.

"Time to play," Zoey cooed, her voice a sultry whisper that sent chills racing down the girl's spine.

Zoey conjured a flickering ball of purple gypsy energy, the ethereal light swirling ominously in her palm. The colors danced and twisted, reflecting the chaos that brewed inside her - a tempest of dark magic and insatiable hunger.

"Let's see how much your heart can handle," Zoey said, smirking at the girl trembling before her.

The girl's eyes widened, fear etched across her face as she pressed herself against the dusty bookshelf in a futile attempt to escape.

Spike leaned in closer, his interest piqued. "Go on then, love. Show her what you can do." His voice dripped with encouragement; he loved seeing Zoey embrace her darker side.

With a flick of her wrist, Zoey released the ball of energy, letting it hover tantalizingly before the girl's eyes like a promise of pain. The air crackled with anticipation as the girl gasped, realizing she was trapped in a nightmare far worse than anything she could have imagined.

The ball of energy unfurled into four shackles of shimmering light, wrapping around the girl's limbs, entrapping her. the girl gasped, eyes widening in horror as she felt the ethereal binding tighten.

"Now, now," Zoey said playfully, leaning in closer until her breath brushed against the girl's ear. "You're going to have to tell me just how scared you are. And remember, I love a good performance."

Spike stepped back, his arms crossed and a wide grin on his face, enjoying the dark display before him. "There's a good girl, pet. Show her what real fear feels like."

The girl whimpered again, desperately trying to pull away, but the energy binding her was unyielding, crying out as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Please... don't hurt me!"

"Oh, sweetheart," Zoey replied with mock sympathy, stepping back to give the girl space but keeping hold of her power. "It's not about hurting you - yet. It's about the fear. I want to see how hope turns to despair, how your heart beats faster as you realize there's no escape. I want to feel it. Right now, it's all about the anticipation. You see, fear has a flavor all its own, and I want to savor every moment of this."

The girl shook her head frantically, desperation written across her features. "No! Please! You don't have to do this!"

But that only ignited the thrill in Zoey's heart. She could feel the girl's terror pulsating in the air around them - the intoxicating rush of it was almost palpable. It was what she craved most, and now she was ready to indulge in it fully.

"Oh, but I do," Zoey replied, taking a step back with dramatic flair, letting the shackles tighten just enough to elicit a whimper from their captive.

She relished the sound, her own laughter echoing softly against the walls of the bookstore. Spike watched on with a twisted grin of approval.

Zoey focused, channeling her energy into the shackles. The girl gasped as she felt a surge of magic pulse through her, intensifying the binding around her limbs, constricting tighter with every beat of her heart.

"Please! Don't do this!" the girl pleaded, panic rising in her voice.

Spike watched with delight, his amusement evident, stepping closer to Zoey. "This is just getting good, love. She's practically begging for mercy."

Zoey tilted her head, feigning contemplation. "Mercy? Oh, that's such a boring concept. Why would I let go of all this delicious fear?" She leaned closer again, her face inches from the girl's. "Tell me your name."

The girl stammered, her voice trembling. "M-Megan. Please..."

"Megan," Zoey echoed with a mock sweetness, savoring the taste of the name on her tongue. "What a lovely name. It suits you well - especially for someone about to experience something truly unforgettable."

With a flick of her wrist, the shackles pulsed with energy, sending a jolt of magic coursing through Megan's body. The girl gasped, a sound caught between a sob and a scream.

"Now," Zoey said, stepping back to admire her work as the shackles glowed brighter. "Let's see just how loud you can scream."

With that, Zoey pushed her power further, letting the shackles pulse with energy that coursed through Megan. The girl convulsed slightly as a shock of pain shot through her limbs, and she screamed, fighting against the restraints.

"See? That's more like it," Spike said with glee. His excitement rose as he watched Megan's desperate struggle - it was always enjoyable when their prey finally realized how powerless they were.

"Now tell me, Megan," Zoey continued, her voice low and seductive. "What are you most afraid of? I want to hear your deepest fear before we really dive into this game."

Megan's breath hitched in her throat, words failing her as she grappled with the overwhelming pressure of Zoey's gaze. The oppressive weight of her fear coiled tightly around her chest, suffocating and relentless.

"What's the matter, love?" Zoey teased, leaning in closer. "Cat got your tongue?"

Spike smirked, enjoying the show. "Come on, Megan. You can tell us - if you want to live to see another day."

With a trembling voice, Megan finally managed to choke out. "I... I'm afraid of being trapped... of never getting out. Of being alone."

Zoey's eyes sparkled with delight as she processed the girl's confession. "Trapped... how poetic." She leaned back slightly, contemplating the irony. "How fitting for tonight's little game. But I can assure you, you won't be alone for long." She leaned in closer, her voice a sultry whisper. "But you will wish you were."

With a flick of her wrist, Zoey sent the shackles pulsing again, and another wave of energy coursed through Megan's body. The girl writhed against her bindings, screaming and gasping for breath. Zoey could feel the girl's fear radiating from her like heat from an open flame.

"Does it hurt?" Spike called mockingly, his voice laced with amusement. "Are you frightened yet?"

Megan nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her cheeks as Zoey continued to play with her power.

Spike strolled closer to Zoey, taking his place by her side. "As much as I love watching you indulge yourself, Zoey, I am quite famished."

Zoey grinned at Spike. "Don't worry. I've had enough fill of her fear. Time to feed."

Zoey leaned closer to kiss Spike passionately. Spike reached up to cup the back of Zoey's head, twining his fingers in her hair, pulling her closer as they shared a moment that was both tender and terrifying as the energy crackled between them. Their connection intensified, an exhilarating blend of power and desire, and as they pulled apart, Zoey's eyes gleamed with a primal hunger. The taste of blood, fear, and adrenaline hung in the air between them, building an electric connection.

"Let's get our fill," Zoey murmured against his lips, her gaze flickering back to Megan, who was still bound in terror before them.

Megan was trembling violently now, her eyes wide with despair as she braced herself for what was to come.

With a wicked smile, Zoey turned her attention back to Megan. "You might want to close your eyes for this part. It could get a bit... messy."

Spike laughed softly, his dark humor echoing through the dimly lit bookstore. "You know how much I love when they shed a little fear before the meal."

Zoey glanced at Spike, their shared darkness bonding them in a twisted yet unbreakable way. Both of them shifted into their vampire visages, showing the demons inside.

With newfound fervor, she returned her focus to Megan, whose wide eyes were filled with panic as she realized what was coming next.

"Now it's time to taste the fear you created," Spike said, his voice dripping with menace.

Zoey took hold of the magical shackles binding Megan, yanking her closer, pulling her up from the floor and holding her up on her feet, preparing to feed. Spike circled around to stand behind Megan to feed on the other side of her neck as the girl trembled against her bonds and the tight restraint the vampires had on her body.

Megan's body quivered with dread. "Please... don't!"

Zoey paused for a fleeting moment, looking into Megan's terrified eyes. "You really should know by now - pleading won't save you."

With that, Zoey sank her fangs into the soft flesh of Megan's neck. Spike smiled viciously as he sank his fangs into the other side of Megan's neck, reaching over to hold the back of Zoey's head as they fed deeply from either side of their victim.

Megan's scream was muffled by the overwhelming rush of pain and fear that engulfed her as the vampires sank their fangs deeper into her flesh. The world around her faded, reduced to a haze of colors and sounds that echoed in the distance, punctuated only by the rhythmic pulse of her heart. With each beat, she felt her strength draining away, the life force slipping from her body like sand through an hourglass.

As Zoey and Spike drank deeply, they relished the intoxicating sweetness of Megan's terror mingling with the rich taste of her blood. A delicious thrill coursed through them both, heightening their senses and urging them to drink deeper, to savor every last drop. It was a heady combination - the fear intensified every drop they consumed, making each gulp feel like ecstasy.

As they drank, Zoey could feel Megan's pulse beginning to slow, the frantic rhythm gradually tapering off into a feeble flutter. The girl's struggles grew weaker, and with each moment, despair wrapped itself around Megan's heart. It was intoxicating; Zoey felt more powerful than ever as she drank in both blood and fear to the point of Megan's death.

"God, it's like fine wine," Spike murmured, his voice a low growl as he pulled back slightly to glance at Zoey, his eyes glimmering with delight. "You really know how to pick 'em."

Zoey let out a breathy laugh, her fangs slowly pulling free from Megan's neck as they drained the last drop of blood - and life - from her body. "I aim to please."

Spike reveled in the rush that coursed through him, brushing his thumb across Zoey's blood-stained lips. "You did just that. You were exquisite tonight, love."

Zoey beamed in response, licking her lips clean as they both let their faces return to normal.

With every drop they had consumed, Zoey felt herself swell with newfound power, a euphoric high that surged through her like wildfire. The thrill of the hunt echoed in her mind, the taste of Megan's blood still fresh on her tongue, mingling with the residual fear that hung in the air like a dark mist.

"Now that's what I call a meal," Spike said with satisfaction, wiping his mouth clean. He stepped back, admiring their work as he surveyed the lifeless body crumpled on the floor. "Shame we have to leave this lovely feast behind."

Zoey knelt down beside Megan's motionless form, gazing at the pale face that had been so full of life just moments before. A thrill of triumph coursed through her veins.

"We did give her quite the show," Zoey mused, half to herself and half to Spike.

Spike grinned wickedly. "And we'll have to find another soon. This city is ripe for the taking."

Spike offered Zoey a hand.

Zoey took Spike's hand with a grin, standing. "The city's ours. Let's play."

Spike spun Zoey around as the duo laughed, making their way out of the bookstore.

∞

Streets

Likewise, Bianca and Eric were on a hunt of their own - but rather for human victims, they were sent by the Master to hunt down, punish and kill insubordinates of their own vampire army.

The vampire with the Guardian power and the evil warlock had this job well in hand.

As they prowled through the desolate streets of Sunnydale, Bianca's eyes glinted with hunger as the night folded around them. The shadows danced like specters, and the air hummed with a foreboding energy. Eric walked beside her, an unsettling calm accompanying his calculated demeanor.

"Remember, we only strike if we see weakness," Eric instructed, his voice smooth and measured. His dark power thrummed beneath the surface, eager to be unleashed. "The Master doesn't tolerate failure."

Bianca smirked, her fangs gleaming under the moonlight. "Oh, I know how to draw out weakness," she purred, her tone suggestive of the chaos yet to come. "It's not just about blood tonight; it's about sending a message. And the Master loves the two of us because we know exactly the right ways to send a terrifying message. The other acolytes call me the insane genius and you the mastermind for a reason."

Eric flicked his fingers, conjuring small sparks of dark energy that danced playfully in the air between them, a reflection of the malevolence they both embraced, smirking as he relished the anticipation. "You're right. They won't give us any trouble. They know what happens when anyone steps out of line. We'll remind them."

They turned a corner into a narrow alley where flickering gas lamps cast distorted shadows along the crumbling brick walls. A group of rogue vampires loitered against the wall, their postures relaxed but their faces tense with the knowledge that something was amiss.

Bianca's voice dripped with sarcasm as she sauntered toward them, her confidence radiating like a dark halo. "Well, well, look who we've got here. And here we've been looking for all of you for days now, and we find you here having a little party, so close to the Master's blood plant opening. How very bold of you all."

The rogue vampires exchanged wary glances, their bravado faltering under Bianca's piercing gaze.

The leader stepped forward, trying to mask his unease with a forced grin. "We were just... taking a break. Nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Eric chuckled softly, the sound low and menacing as he folded his arms across his chest. "You call it a break; we call it insubordination." He took a step closer, the air around him crackling with barely contained magic. "The Master expects loyalty from all of us. You wouldn't want to disappoint him now, would you?"

The other rogues shifted uncomfortably under Eric's gaze, their bravado faltering.

Bianca unleashed her Guardian energy in shimmering waves of red power around her, crackling with raw energy that electrified the air in both warning and threat.

Eric smirked, echoing her menace by raising his hands slightly and conjuring shadows that twisted around the rogues to bind them, compressing their movements and gripping them tightly, just short of pain.

"What's the matter?" Eric taunted, his voice honeyed with mockery. "Looks like you all might need a reminder of what happens to those who defy the Master. And we're just the messengers tonight."

Bianca took a step forward, her eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure as she surveyed the group. "You think you can just slack off while the rest of us work to keep our positions? You think you're untouchable because you've been here longer? Think again."

Bianca tilted her head, enjoying the shifting expressions of fear and desperation across their faces.

The leader blanched, glancing nervously at his companions as they tried to muster some semblance of bravado. "We didn't mean any harm! It's just--"

"Just what?" Bianca interrupted sharply, stepping closer until she was toe-to-toe with him, glancing back at Eric as she spoke mockingly. "What are we doing, Eric?"

"Just reminding them all of what happens to those who forget the rules," Eric answered.

As the onlookers felt the heavy weight of Eric's dark magic and Bianca's Guardian energy, panic flickered in their eyes.

The leader struggled to maintain his composure, but it was a losing battle. "We just thought that with all the chaos lately--"

Bianca slid closer, her voice soft yet laced with deadly intent. "You thought wrong. This chaos is exactly why you're here - to serve the Master and keep his domain intact. And what do we do to those who defy him?"

The rest of the rogues visibly shrank back, their bravado unable to withstand the pressure and power radiating from the two acolytes which built to a crescendo. Bianca and Eric were prepared to torture all of these vampires in the streets of Sunnydale for all to see, and they knew that there was nothing they could do about it.

Bianca conjured her red Guardian energy, shaping it into tendrils of crackling light that danced ominously in the darkness. The energy swirled around her, creating a beautiful but deadly spectacle as it illuminated the alley with a scarlet glow. "You see, we take care of our own. The Master is a reasonable sort, but he does not tolerate incompetence."

Eric nodded, his focus unwavering as his shadows tightened their grip on the rogues. "And trust me, incompetence is often met with severe consequences." He leaned in closer to the leader, his voice dripping with mock concern. "So tell us, how do you intend to atone for your little lapse in judgment? Because I'm afraid the Master won't simply let this slide."

Bianca unleashed her tendrils of power that crackled through the air like lightning. They surged toward each rogue vampire, striking them each in the chests and piercing their hearts, electrifying them from the inside and making them scream in agony as they recoiled in fear. The shimmering glyphs surrounding Bianca formed into intricate patterns, reflecting her control and dominance.

Bianca spread her arms wide with a wicked grin. "You see, boys, the Master doesn't just want loyalty; he wants strength. He wants us to be a force to be reckoned with. And if you think you can lounge around while the rest of us bear the weight of this operation, you're sorely mistaken."

The leader stammered, eyes darting between Bianca's fierce stare and Eric's ominous presence. "We were just resting! We promise we'll get back to work!"

Eric stepped forward, shadows swirling in his wake. "Promises mean little here, especially when they come from weaklings who think they can hide in the dark."

Bianca smirked, turning to the warlock. "I've had my turn to torture them. Your turn, Eric."

Eric's eyes gleamed with dark excitement as he stepped forward, the shadows thickening around him like a living cloak. The air crackled with his growing power, and the rogue vampires shuddered, knowing they were at his mercy.

"Oh, I do love a good demonstration of power," Eric said, his voice low and filled with menace. "Now, let's see just how much pain you can withstand before it breaks you."

Eric extended his hands, unleashing a surge of dark energy that surged through the alleyway, wrapping around the rogues like a constricting vine.

The energy coiled tightly around them, igniting their bodies with electric sensations that sent shockwaves of pain coursing through their veins. The leader gasped, struggling against the binding force that held him captive.

Bianca watched with delight, her smile widening as she observed Eric's dark magic in action. "Now that's what I call a proper punishment. Show them who's in charge."

The remaining rogues cried out in terror as Eric's shadows twisted and enveloped them, squeezing tighter as they writhed in agony. The street was filled with their screams, echoing off the building walls and mingling with the crackling energy that sparked around Bianca and Eric, a haunting melody that filled the night air.

"Concentrate on the pain," Eric instructed, his voice smooth and taunting. "Let it amplify your fear. It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?"

Bianca stepped closer to the writhing group, her expression that of a predator relishing its prey.

"You thought you could operate outside the Master's rule," Bianca sneered, her energy flickering ominously around her fingertips. "This is what happens to those who forget their place."

The leader struggled against the shadows coiling around him, desperation etched in his features. "We're sorry! We'll do better! Just let us go; we can fix this!"

Eric leaned in, an unsettling smile on his face as he whispered. "Fix this? Oh, sweetie, it's far too late for that." He looked at the rest of the vampires. "Let's make sure you remember this lesson."

With a flick of his wrist, Eric intensified the shadows holding the vampires captive, forcing a wave of pain through their bodies that made them convulse. Bianca stepped forward, her fingers dancing with threads of red energy that pulsed softly in rhythm with their frantic heartbeats.

"Let's make this entertaining, shall we?" Bianca purred. "What do you think would be fitting for your punishment? A little taste of your own medicine?"

Bianca's power surged around her, radiating a vibrant, scarlet hue as she thrust it toward the vampires caught in Eric's shadows. The air thickened with anticipation, a charged atmosphere crackling like static before a storm.

"I think a little taste of fear would do you all good," Bianca declared, her voice dripping with sadistic glee. "You want to lounge around instead of serving your purpose? Let's see how well you handle the same fear you bring to others."

With that, Bianca unleashed her Guardian energy, enveloping the rogue vampires in tendrils of shimmering light that pulsed and twisted around them. Each wretched cry echoed through the alley as the energy seeped into their very essence, amplifying their terror and relishing in their despair. The red energy crackled with intensity as she directed it at each vampire, engulfing their bodies in a rush of heat and pain. Each pulse sent sparks flying, igniting their senses in a fiery display of agony.

The vampires screamed as fiery tendrils lashed at their skin and inside their bodies, a mix of electric agony and sharp burns that felt as though they were being consumed from the inside out. Most of the vampires were even starting to turn to ash as Bianca was on the verge of killing them all and making them explode into dust, right on the precipice of life and death.

"Please!" the leader begged, the bravado completely stripped away.

Bianca leaned closer, her smile widening wickedly as she relished the power she held over them, her voice teasing. "Oh, but this is just the beginning. You wanted to live outside the Master's rules? Let's show you what chaos really feels like."

Eric watched the scene unfold with an amused glint in his eye. He relished the sweet sounds of their despair and anguish, his dark aura wrapping around him like a cloak.

After a moment, Eric released the leader from his shadowy restraints, but left the others restrained where they were. "Get up."

The leader's breath caught as he struggled to overcome the agony that Eric and Bianca put him through, looking between the two in fear.

Bianca smirked, shrugging. "I'd do what he says, if I were you."

The leader hesitantly rose to his feet, hoping that this would be his chance to kill them and escape - though even he knew that was a futile endeavor that would end in his death.

Eric's power of elemental mimicry was a formidable ability that made him a truly terrifying force in battle. With a mere touch, he could transform the very essence of his body to match any element or material he came into contact with. This power granted him near invincibility and adaptability in combat situations - even against vampires and demons.

Eric touched the ground beneath his feet, which ignited the transformation as his body started to turn into solid stone. His skin took on a rough, granite-like texture, his muscles became as hard as bedrock. In this form, vampire claws and fangs would shatter against his impenetrable hide. He could deliver devastating blows, his stone fists crushing vampire blows with ease.

If a vampire managed to land a hit, Eric would simply reform his stone body, the cracks and chips in his rocky exterior smoothing over in an instant.

Bianca bounced on her feet giddily. "I love it when he does this."

With a wicked grin, Eric launched forward, the ground beneath him rumbling as he moved with a terrifying grace despite his stony form. The rogue leader's eyes widened in horror as Eric closed the distance between them in mere seconds.

"You wanted to play outside the Master's rules?" Eric taunted, his voice echoing with a low rumble, like stones grinding against one another. "Let's see just how well you handle a real fight."

Before the leader could react, Eric threw a punch that connected squarely with the rogue's jaw. The impact sent the vampire crashing into the brick wall of the alley, the sound of breaking bones resonating against the crumbling mortar.

Bianca clapped her hands together gleefully, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Now that's what I call a proper welcome! You see? This is why we don't slouch around!"

As Eric stepped back, allowing the leader to stagger to his feet, Bianca advanced with deadly elegance. Instead of using her powers, she used her vampire fighting prowess to overpower the leader as she ran closer.

As Bianca dashed forward, she moved like a predator closing in on its prey, her vampire instincts kicking in as she swiftly closed the distance. The rogue leader, still dazed from Eric's initial blow, barely had time to react as Bianca lunged at him with a fierce intensity.

"You thought you could hide from us?" Bianca taunted, her fangs glinting in the dim light as she aimed for his throat. "Let's see how well you can take what you dish out!"

With one powerful swipe, Bianca caught the rogue by the collar, pulling him close. She could feel her power coursing through her veins, an intoxicating mix of dark energy and bloodlust. Her eyes flashed with excitement as she prepared to deliver a punishing blow.

The leader struggled weakly, trying to break free but found himself ensnared in Bianca's grip.

"Please... I'm sorry!" the leader gasped, desperation leaking into his voice.

Bianca shoved the leader back, spinning around, delivering a powerful kick to the leader's abdomen that sent him sprawling back to the ground. As he gasped for breath, she savored the moment, relishing in the power she exuded over him.

"Pathetic," Bianca sneered, looking down t him with disdain. "You think you could defy the Master and come away unscathed? You were wrong to think you could operate without consequences."

The leader struggled to rise, but Eric - still in his powered up stone form - was quick to snatch him by the collar of his leather jacket, hoisting him up effortlessly.

"Do you hear that?" Eric taunted, his voice gravelly from stone. "That's the sound of your failure echoing through these streets. Streets that will never forget the lesson you're so fortunate to give."

Endowed with strength that far outweighed vampires in this stone form, Eric took the leader's head in one hand and the rest of his body in the other as he started to rip one from the other slowly for everyone to see.

Eric's grip tightened as he held the rogue leader aloft, the air around them crackling with tension. The rogue's eyes widened in terror, realizing too late the severity of his mistake.

"How about a little demonstration of what happens when you oppose the Order?" Eric growled, his voice low and rumbling like distant thunder. He could feel the rogue's heart racing beneath his fingers, thrumming with panic.

Bianca stepped closer, her expression a mix of delight and bloodlust.

"Make it slow," Bianca suggested, watching eagerly as the leader struggled against Eric's unyielding hold. "We want everyone to remember this lesson."

With a swift motion, Eric twisted the leader's head, eliciting a pained gasp. "You wanted chaos?" he hissed. "Let's give you a taste of it."

Suddenly, the air was filled with a sickening crack, followed by a muted thud as Eric ripped the leader in half. The two pieces fell to the ground with a splat, blood pooling and mingling with the alley's grime just as the two halves of the body dissipated into dust.

A triumphant smile spread across Bianca's face as she reveled in the chaos that surrounded them.

"Now that's what I call a message!" Bianca exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she surveyed the carnage.

Eric released the remnants of their unfortunate prey, wiping off the dust from his stony hands as his stone form shifted back into flesh and bone.

Eric surveyed the shattered remains at their feet. "See? That's how we deal with traitors. Let it be a lesson to those who think they can step out of line."

Every other vampire - still restrained by Eric's shadows - were absolutely terrified. They knew better than to cross both Bianca and Eric.

As they basked in their victory, Eric felt the familiar tug of dark energy from within him.

Eric turned to Bianca, his voice low and conspiratorial. "What do you say we get these rogues back to the Bronze before sunup and kill any that still want to make this a fight?"

Bianca grinned. "I doubt any of them will want to make it a fight after that display, but let's do it."

As Bianca and Eric moved with purpose, their shadows enfolding the remaining rogue vampires, they could feel the palpable fear radiating off their captives. The alley was thick with tension as they dragged their prisoners back down the street and toward the Bronze, leaving behind the remnants of chaos in the streets.

"Let this serve as a reminder," Bianca announced, her voice laced with dark satisfaction as she glanced over her shoulder at the shivering rogues. "The Master does not tolerate weakness or insubordination. You think you can lounge about while others fight for your place? You're sadly mistaken."

The rogues exchanged terrified glances, their bravado shattered like glass under the weight of Bianca's gaze.

Eric smirked, enjoying the power he held over their trembling forms. "And trust me - no one gets second chances around here." He clenched his fists, shadows swirling around him ominously. "We are the enforcers of order in this chaos."

"You know," Bianca said, glancing over her shoulder at the trembling rogues still ensnared in Eric's shadows. "They might just need another demonstration once we get back to the Bronze." Her voice dripped with a playful malice that sent shivers down the spines of those who dared to listen.

Eric smirked, his eyes glinting with predatory delight. "Oh, we'll give them a real show. After all, nothing says 'obedience' like a good public execution. The others will be reminded of their place."

The remaining rogues huddled together in fear, exchanging panicked glances as they caught sight of Eric's excited demeanor. They knew they were at the mercy of this sadistic duo and any attempt to fight against them or to flee would only end in their demise.

As Bianca and Eric led the vampires down the street in their shadowy binds, Zoey, Spike, Xander and Willow joined the after their hunts, having caught the end of their show, smiling darkly in amusement as the four vampire acolytes joined the other leaders as they made way to return to the Bronze.

Willow smiled gleefully at her younger brother. "Always have fun beheading some poor soul with that new power, don't you, Eric?"

Eric grinned, brushing his fingers against the remnants of the rogue leader's dust that clung to his skin. "You know me too well, sis. Nothing quite like a little carnage to start the night right."

Bianca stepped forward, her gaze fixed on the anxious rogues trailing behind them. "And we brought some friends to entertain us. Care to demonstrate just how we handle those who forget their place in our little hierarchy?"

Xander chuckled darkly. "Nothing quite compares to the thrill of a good takedown." He glanced back at the trembling rogues, their faces pale as they shuffled in their bindings. "And nothing says loyalty like a little blood on the pavement."

Bianca regarded them with a sadistic smile, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Don't worry, darlings! We're just taking you to meet some friends who are dying to have a word with you." She leaned in close to one of the cowering vampires, her fangs glinting in the dim light. "I promise it'll be a memorable evening."

The remaining vampires shivered at the prospect, their allegiance to the Master suddenly feeling brittle under the weight of their dark promise.

Zoey leaned in closer, a wicked glint lighting up her brown eyes. "You guys should be thanking us, really. You get to witness firsthand how true acolytes deal with insubordination." She chuckled, her voice laced with menace as she surveyed their trembling captives.

Spike chuckled from the side, nudging Zoey playfully. "Look at them quiver! It's a bloody comedy show." His laughter echoed through the night, blending with the shadows as they moved forward.

Zoey felt a rush of satisfaction as she watched the rogues squirm before she noticed movement further away down the street, her eyesight drawn to the bright turquoise ensemble Cordelia was wearing as she darted down the street.

Cordelia could hear sirens and screams as she walked along, becoming fearful as she looked around.

Zoey smiled wickedly. "Look who it is."

As the other acolytes followed her gaze, Eric, Willow and Xander shared Zoey's evil smile.

"What is she even doing out here?" Eric asked. "She of all people should know better with Carmen as her sister."

"Who cares?" Xander retorted. "Now she's dinner."

Bianca and Spike laughed lightly.

"Have fun," Bianca said in a singsong voice.

"Oh, we will," Willow replied.

As Cordelia glanced behind her to try and find a source of a scream as vampires continued feeding in the distance, Xander used his inhuman speed to appear in front of her before she could turn around. Once Cordelia turned to face him, she startled and stopped short.

Xander's eyes roamed over her bright blue dress. "Well, whadaya know? Cordelia Chase."

Cordelia frowned. "What is this? Some kind of sick joke? Harmony told me you were dead."

Xander played her game for a moment. "Now, why would she say something like that? Let's think."

Cordelia swallowed nervously. "Listen to me. I can't find Carmen, Zoey, Wyatt, Eric or even Alice. With the Summers not in town, they're the only ones I can think of that would know what to do."

"I know exactly where Zoey, Eric and Wyatt are," Xander replied. "Carmen and Alice are likely playing their hero game with Giles and Layla all over town."

Cordelia shook her head. "Well, whatever. We have to find Buffy, Brooke and Brady, too. They'll all figure out a way to save us. They were supposed to be here, and as much as it kills me to admit it... things were better when the Summers were around."

Xander frowned. "Buffy and Brooke? The Slayer and Guardian? Brady is their hunter of a brother?"

"No!" Cordelia said sarcastically. "The Summers, the dog-faced kids! Duh! Who do you think I'm talking about?"

As Willow slowly walked up to them, there was a better view of her black leather outfit with the bodice trimmed in red lace. "Bored now. This is the part that's less fun. When there isn't any screaming."

Cordelia looked between Xander and Willow in confusion. "What's up with you two and the leather?"

Willow ignored her, sauntering up by Xander's side. "Play now?"

Xander tilted his head. "It's not that I don't appreciate your appetite, Will, but I thought we agreed it was my turn."

Willow whined, brushing her hand against Xander's chest.

Cordelia looked between them in shock and disgust. "No. No! No way! I wish us into Bizarro Land, and you guys are still together?! I cannot win!"

Xander spoke without looking at her. "Probably not." As he morphed into his vampire visage, he met Cordelia's gaze. "But I'll give you head start."

Realizing that they were both vampires and the danger that she was in, Cordelia gasped in fright. "No!"

Cordelia dropped her bag, beginning to run down the street - unknowingly right toward Zoey, Spike, Bianca and Eric where they had taken their vampire captives to the Bronze and other vampires had taken them inside.

Willow grinned as she watched Cordelia. "I love this part."

Willow kissed Xander passionately with lots of tongue.

Xander turned his attention to the chase. "You love all the parts."

Willow followed at a walk as Xander ran after Cordelia. He leaped up, running over the smashed car, jumping down behind her, grabbing her by the neck, throwing her down to the street.

Cordelia rolled to a stop nearby Zoey, Spike, Eric and Bianca, who all approached.

Willow walked closer. "No fun. She's not even hardly fighting."

Upon seeing Zoey, Eric and Bianca, Cordelia thought she was saved, instantly reaching for Zoey desperately. "Zoey! You have to help me!"

Zoey's expression shifted, a glimmer of amusement dancing in her eyes as she regarded Cordelia. She stepped forward, feigning concern with a mockingly sweet smile. "Oh, sweet Cordelia. You really thought you could run into my arms like that? How adorable."

Cordelia froze mid-reach, realization dawning as she took in the gleeful malice etched on Zoey's face and the sinister expressions of her companions, including Spike. "No... no, not you too."

Cordelia glanced back at Xander, who was chuckling softly as he approached with Willow at his side with a grin.

Cordelia took notice that Bianca in this Wishverse never got her soul back, and everyone but Eric was a vampire. "Eric, please! You have to help me!"

"Help you?" Eric echoed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why would I help you? You see, in this world, it's survival of the fittest. And right now?" He glanced at Spike and Bianca, who stood behind him, grinning with dark anticipation. "You're far from fit."

Spike stepped closer, his eyes glinting with predatory delight. "What's fun about helping? We've got ourselves an excellent little show right here."

"You see, Cordelia," Bianca began, leaning casually against a nearby wall. "It's a new world order here in Sunnydale. We don't take kindly to those who don't keep up with the program."

"Eric, why are you doing this?" Cordelia cried out. "You're not a vampire!"

Eric looked on eagerly, clearly enjoying Cordelia's fear. "No. But I've evolved. Let's say I've embraced my true nature. I had to in order to survive. Just like you'll have to... or die as dinner. Your choice."

With that, Xander lunged toward Cordelia, making her scream as he was ready to go in to feed.

Just then, a van came screeching around the corner, the headlights blinding the vampires and the warlock along with Cordelia, startling them.

"Aw, swell," Spike said sarcastically. "It's the White Hats."

The van screeched to a stop next to Cordelia, preventing Xander from closing in on his meal.

Layla, Giles, Alice and Carmen jumped out of the van.

Without hesitation, with a sweeping motion of her arm, Carmen used her power of telekinesis to throw Zoey, Eric, Xander, Willow, Bianca and Spike away from Cordelia and several feet through the air back to the ground. They each landed badly with impact, each groaning slightly in pain but ready to move instantly.

Zoey, Eric and Bianca were each ready to use their power, but so were Layla, Carmen and Alice. With gypsy power, witch power and Guardian power on each side of this fight, no side was going to win or lose.

Giles had a large cross in hand to ward the vampires off, while Oz was in the driver's seat of the van, having a crossbow trained on the vampires and warlock outside.

Cordelia looked toward her witch of a sister in utter relief. "Carmen!"

Carmen ran closer. "Cordelia, come on."

As Carmen took Cordelia's hands, helping her up, Willow and Xander growled angrily as they watched their prize being stolen from them.

Carmen angrily sent another burst of telekinetic force at Willow and Xander in response, flinging them through the air and sending them crashing to the ground as she led her sister protectively toward the van. Cordelia clung to Carmen's arm the entire way.

Zoey could only look at Layla in amusement as she stared her gypsy mother down. "Hi, Mom." She turned her gaze to Giles and Alice, who were family to them due to Giles and Layla's relationship, making Zoey and Alice basically sisters. "Alice. Giles. Haven't seen you guys in a while. Let me guess. Mom and Alice have been having dreams about me lately just like I've been having about them? We're still a family, aren't we?"

The heartbreak was clear on Layla, Giles and Alice's faces as they struggled not to crack under Zoey's emotional manipulation.

"Don't listen to her," Giles warned. "It's not Zoey. It's just a demon parading around as her."

Zoey's laughter echoed in the street, a chilling sound that sent shivers up Cordelia's spine. "Oh, but I am Zoey. Just... a better version." She stepped forward, her confidence radiating like a dark aura. "And you're all so predictable, aren't you? Always trying to save the helpless little princess."

Alice bristled at the mockery in Zoey's voice despite the pain at losing her, stepping protectively in front of Layla and her father, her hands sparking with red Guardian energy in warning. "You don't know anything about being human anymore, do you? You could have had a soul back. Your aunt Jenny found the ritual to give you your soul back."

Layla looked at Zoey with pain and betrayal, tears in her eyes. "Instead of letting Jenny tell me about the ritual beforehand, and letting us cast it... you killed her. You killed my sister. Your aunt. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Zoey shook her head. "No, it doesn't. But you know what does mean something to me? Just how I killed her. "

Zoey's eyes glinted with malicious glee as she recalled the memory. "Oh, it was exquisite. I caught dear Aunt Jenny working late at the school, hunched over her computer. She thought she was so clever, trying to recreate the soul restoration ritual. But I could smell her fear the moment I entered the room."

Zoey's voice took on a sing-song quality, relishing every detail. "I toyed with her at first, letting her think she could reason with me, appeal to whatever humanity was left. But then I showed her just how wrong she was." Layla flinched, pain etched across her face, but Zoey continued mercilessly. "I broke her fingers first, one by one, so she couldn't type out that pesky spell. Then I took my time, savoring every scream, every plea for mercy. I made sure she felt every bit of pain. I fed on her agony and her terror and then I let her run. The chase is always half the fun. I toyed with her through those dark hallways, letting her think she might escape, before snatching that hope away and draining her dry. The way her voice trembled as she begged and screamed... it was delicious."

Layla flinched at vivid description, but Zoey's cruel smile only widened as she continued on. "The best part was leaving her for you to find, Mom. I had to set it up just right. Spike helped with the intricate details, of course. We know how much you love a good mystery, and I thought it would just break your heart to discover her like that - an empty shell, lifeless in a pool of her own blood. To make sure that you never got any pesky ideas like Aunt Jenny did. So you knew not to try and cast the soul restoration spell alone - if you even have enough power to do it on your own."

Zoey's laughter echoed through the street, a chilling sound that sent ripples of dread coursing through Cordelia and the rest of the group.

Carmen was just as heartbroken to see her best friend turn into a monster, horrified by what she had become.

However, Zoey's speech was just a distraction tactic as Bianca, Eric, Spike, Xander and Willow were about to surge forward and attack the White Hats during their devastating distraction - which, of course, didn't work as Layla, Carmen and Alice were prepared to counter their attack with their powers.

Layla had had enough, lashing out with her gypsy power as she formed purple energy in either hand, a powerful surge of magic that crackled in the air as the energy pulsed violently in her hands.

"How's this for power?" Layla sneered.

With a fierce shout, Layla unleashed her energy, sending a wave of purple light sweeping towards Zoey and her companions. The energy collided with Eric's shadows, causing them to flicker as he struggled to maintain control.

Eric and Bianca's eyes glinted with malice as they prepared to retaliate, but before they could strike back, Alice raised her hands to form a red shield of Guardian energy to block the powered and vampire attacks to protect herself and the other White Hats.

"Now!" Alice shouted.

Carmen raised her hands as she summoned her own telekinetic force. With a determined glare, she directed a blast of her power toward Willow and Xander, who flinched under the weight of the attack. Then, Carmen's telekinetic force sent Bianca and Eric staggering back, breaking their focus.

Alice stepped forward, her Guardian energy flaring brilliantly around her as she joined Carmen and Layla in channeling their powers into one concentrated shot that surged toward the group of vampires and Eric. The combined forces created a blinding beam of light that sliced through the darkness, engulfing the acolytes in a wave of overwhelming power.

"Get ready!" Alice shouted, her voice ringing with authority.

The combined energy flared brighter, illuminating the street in a radiant glow that momentarily stung the eyes of everyone present.

Zoey snarled as she raised her arms to shield herself from the oncoming blast, but it was too late. The energy slammed into her, sending her crashing backward into Spike and Eric, who were still reeling from the earlier attack.

Zoey tilted her head, fury written over her face as she thrust both hands forward, releasing a deadly amount of purple gypsy energy.

"Hold steady!" Eric shouted, launching an unstable burst of dark magic in retaliation. It flickered and sparked, barely holding form against the overwhelming tide of power directed at them.

Bianca steadied herself, her own Guardian powers swirling around her like a tempest. She shouted defiantly into the vortex of power as she pushed back against the energy blast with her own fiery red tendrils.

The clash of powers created an explosion of radiant light, crashing into both the acolytes and the White Hats with a deafening force.

The impact sent everyone sprawling backward, their expressions shifting from confidence to shock and agony, writhing on the ground from the immense pain and power that the explosion. The combined power of the three acolytes and the three White Hats was relentless, pushing everyone further and further back until they collided with brick walls or vehicles, shattering and destroying everything in its path, leaving everyone disoriented and lucky to be alive.

Instantly, Zoey and Spike reached for each other, in agonizing pain as they struggled to recover. Willow whimpered as she leaned into Xander's hold. Eric and Bianca could barely move.

Meanwhile, on the other side, on the ground, Layla, Carmen and Alice were in similar states of injury, having barely survived the battle. Giles, Cordelia and Oz had barely been out of the blast radius just by the van, and they hurriedly dashed over to help Layla, Carmen and Alice up from the ground and into the back of the van. They knew they didn't have much time before the acolytes recovered, but they knew that this was their chance to escape.

As Layla, Carmen and Alice stumbled toward the van, they could hear the groans of the acolytes beginning to rise. The chaotic energy of the battle still crackled in the air, a lingering reminder of the violence that had just unfolded.

"Cordelia, get in!" Carmen urged, glancing over her shoulder as she helped her sister into the back.

Alice and Layla climbed in next, while Giles slammed the door shut behind them and climbed into the passenger seat.

Oz had already started the van, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as he made a hasty getaway that left the tires squealing on the pavement, glancing nervously at the rearview mirror.

Suddenly, a cacophony of snarls and growls echoed through the chaos as Zoey, Spike, Eric, Bianca, Xander and Willow began to stir, their senses sharpening amid the haze of pain. The remnants of the power crackled in the air around them like static electricity, feeding their anger and bloodlust.

"Get up!" Zoey hissed, pulling herself to her feet with a feral grace, wiping blood from her mouth where it had trickled down from the earlier fight. The adrenaline surged through her veins, igniting her fury. "We're not done yet!"

Spike groaned but quickly pushed himself upright alongside her, his eyes flashing with dark glee as he surveyed the destruction that lay before them. "Bloody hell! That was one hell of a show. But let's teach these brats what happens when you poke a bear."

Eric and Bianca stood quickly as well, despite their disheveled appearances.

Xander and Willow exchanged glances, both rising to their feet more slowly, their bodies still reeling from the last blast of combined magic.

"Maybe we should hit the Bronze first," Willow pointed out. "Recover."

"We're not going to be any good ending up dead," Xander agreed.

Bianca sighed, tilting her head. "Fine. But Cordelia needs to die. You heard what she said about the Summers. I know them from LA. Hemery. Brady, Brooke and Buffy. If they come here, it only brings more trouble for the Master, for all of us."

"So we kill her and everyone else who stands in the way," Eric finished. "Let's get it done."

∞

Sunnydale High School - Library

Carmen and Cordelia were sitting in the library apart from the others as Carmen was trying to calm Cordelia down.

Layla, Giles, Alice and Oz stood across the library, giving the sisters some time to talk alone.

"What was she doing wearing that?" Layla asked. "Everyone knows that vampires are attracted to bright colors."

Alice shrugged. "It's Cordelia. It's better to look good than to feel alive."

Giles sighed. "Uh, go and, uh, watch the perimeters in case they follow."

Oz nodded in agreement, walking out of the library.

Alice, Layla and Giles turned their attention to Carmen and Cordelia.

Alice turned to Layla sadly. "Are you okay, after seeing Zoey like that?"

Layla shook her head. "No. I just... I have to remind myself that she's not my daughter anymore. And she's right. Even if I had the soul restoration spell that Jenny recreated, I don't think that I have enough power to cast it on my own."

Giles looked down sadly. "Yes. And it would only solve the problem in Zoey's case, and not everyone else's. The town's overrun."

"Exactly," Layla murmured. "We need a miracle if we're ever going to get out of this town alive. All of us."

Alice sighed, tilting her head. "Well, I already died trying to stop the Master from rising. I was lucky for Eric and Wyatt being able to bring me back before they got captured... and turned into whatever they are now."

"You don't think that Wyatt's turned into what we saw tonight from Eric?" Giles asked with a frown.

"That's what Spike wanted," Layla pointed out. "He always wanted to turn Wyatt dark like that. I think we're just lucky that Wyatt's been around long enough and become strong enough to fight against that for as long as he has. Eric doesn't have that luxury in this case. Which isn't his fault."

"No, it's not," Giles agreed somberly. "Then again, Zoey, Willow and Xander, none of them wanted to be turned. They died in battle trying to help us."

"Before they became what we hunt," Alice finished, gazing off numbly. "It killed me to see Zoey, Eric, Willow and Xander like that. I can't imagine how it was for you, Layla. Or for Carmen."

They looked toward Carmen and Cordelia sadly for a moment.

Layla sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Believe me, Alice... you don't want to."

∞

The Bronze

(Song:) Dedicated to Pain - Plastic

Zoey, Spike, Eric, Bianca, Xander and Willow approached the Bronze, hearing the rock music blaring from inside.

A couple of the vampires standing outside feasted on fresh victims caught out after dark while the six main acolytes walked into the club, looking around the happenings inside.

There were several cages containing the terrified vampires that Bianca and Eric brought back suspended from the ceiling, a few feet from the floor, publicly humiliated in front of every vampire in the club in addition to the torture that Eric and Bianca provided them with as a lesson from the Master himself.

Bianca reached into one of the cages to stroke a rogue vampire's cheek, smiling mockingly. "Learned your lesson yet, pet?"

The acolytes headed toward the back of the club, past the pool tables where a vampire had a wayward biker tied to all four corners.

Willow ran her hand across the biker's chest with a gleeful smile.

Xander looked at the vampire who had the biker tied up. "Slap my hand, dead soul man."

They shook hands while the acolytes continued into the back.

(Song Ends)

A guard vampire held the curtain aside for the acolytes to enter the Master's chamber.

When he saw them come in, the Master rose from his throne as his favored vampires and warlock came to stand before him. "Ah. There they are. Hungry?"

The Master grabbed a girl by the hair, lifting her by it. The girl remained silent with fear, but kept her eyes fixed on the Master.

The Master looked at her disgustedly. "I've lost my appetite for this one. She keeps looking at me. I'm trying to eat, and she looks at me."

Zoey and Spike merely looked amused, their hunger briefly satiated after their game earlier in the night.

Bianca and Eric glanced at Xander and Willow, knowing how sour they were about losing their meal earlier, smirking.

Willow's desire for a kill was evident on her face as she was practically salivating for a bite, consumed with bloodlust.

The Master noticed and turned the girl's head toward Willow. "Go on!"

Willow smiled up at Xander, who gave her a look of approval. She turned back to the Master and morphed into her vampire visage.

The Master shoved the girl over to Willow. She caught her in her arms with her head laid back and bit her hard.

Xander, as always, was impressed with her zest for a fresh drink.

"I remember that lust for the kill," Master remarked, sitting back down on his throne. "Speaking of... Zoey... Spike... you smell of fresh blood. I hope you had a decent game."

"We did, thank you," Zoey answered.

Spike smirked, leaning closer to Zoey. "It's always a fun time to see this one tap into her other... abilities to make the game even more worthwhile."

The Master smirked before moving on. "Bianca. Eric." They both stood at attention. "You did very well with the rogue vampires."

"Yeah, we noticed them strung up in cages already," Eric remarked, a small smirk gracing his lips. "I hope our message was up to our standards."

The Master chuckled darkly, his yellowed eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "You two never fail to impress. I've never had a taste for the flair of dramatics before, but when it comes to the two of you... I make exceptions. The chaos you've sown in this town is promising, but we need to tighten our grip if we are to maintain control." He glanced between his acolytes, taking noticed of their healing wounds. "As I see that all of you have gotten into some manner of business. What's the news on the Rialto?"

"Had a prime kill," Xander replied. "An old crush, actually, till those White Hats showed up."

The Master sighed heavily. "Of course they did. They're the only ones that can truly harm my favorite children with similar powers as yours."

Bianca's eyes glinted with ambition as she exchanged a knowing look with the others. "We're prepared to intensify our efforts, Master. The White Hats are becoming more of a nuisance. We can take care of them... permanently."

Eric nodded in agreement, his voice smooth and calculated. "We've seen their weaknesses, and we've gathered intel on their movements. If you grant us permission, we can orchestrate their downfall before they even realize what's happening."

The Master stroked his chin thoughtfully, a slow smile creeping upon his lips. "You all have proven yourselves useful thus far. But remember, confidence without caution can lead to ruin. I can't have the White Hats take any of my acolytes so close to opening. Not now."

Willow came back to Xander's side, licking her fingers.

"There is one thing," Zoey explained. "The girl kept talking about Buffy, Brooke and Brady Summers and bringing them here. Bianca knows them from LA."

"Buffy's the Slayer," Bianca explained. "Brooke's a Guardian like Alice and Hope. Brady is a former flame of mine, but he's a hunter."

Willow stroked Xander's chest, not intimidated, mocking the names. "Hmm. Buffy. Brooke. Brady. Ooh. Scary."

Xander smirked. "Someone has to talk to their people. Those names are striking fear in nobody's hearts."

The Master stood. "She talked of summoning the Slayer and Guardian and their brother here, now, at this time, and you didn't kill her?"

"The White Hats saved her," Spike explained. "The girl was Carmen Chase's sister, of all people."

The Master considered this, sighing heavily. "The plant begins operation in less than 24 hours." For a moment, he thought of what to do, turning to the gypsy vampire. "Zoey, if we kill Cordelia now, is there still a chance that the Summers still arrive in town?"

"Yes," Zoey answered. "I've seen it, as Cordelia would be telling Carmen, Alice, Layla and Giles about them soon. But the faster we kill her, the less likely that is and less likely my family has of tracking the Summers down."

The Master nodded, stepping closer to the acolytes. "You will find this... Cordelia." He stroked Xander and Willow's cheeks. "You will kill her. Before the others contact the Slayer. Or I'll see you two kissing daylight. Zoey, Eric, Spike and Bianca will accompany you to ensure that Layla, Carmen and Alice don't become a... problem in this little battle again."

Spike smirked slightly. "Rematch. Should be fun."

Bianca nodded in agreement. "Do you want us to kill them too, Master?"

"I would never argue against killing them if you have an opening," the Master answered, backing away. "But as I've said, we're too close to the plant opening, and I don't want to risk losing any of you before the big night." He turned to sit down on his throne once again. "Disengage is a must. Kill if possible."

Eric gave an understanding nod. "In and out. Understood. Consider it done."

∞

Sunnydale High School - Library

Given that Layla, Alice and Carmen were still weak from the fight with the acolytes, Giles had to treat their wounds as they were struggling to recover from the battle.

Alice had accelerated healing as a Guardian although not as fast as a vampire, but Layla and Carmen did not have a supernatural healing ability, leaving them at a severe disadvantage for when the acolytes came after them again.

After Carmen explained this reality's world to Cordelia, Cordelia was hysterical and frantic. "It's all my fault. I wasn't... I made this stupid wish."

"Come on," Giles tried to calm her. "Please..."

"No!" Cordelia cried out. "You have to get Buffy, Brooke and Brady. They change it. It wasn't like this. It was better. I mean, the clothes alone..."

Layla, Alice and Giles shared a confused look as Giles took off his glasses.

"But people were happy," Cordelia continued. "Mostly. And..."

Layla, Alice and Giles looked at Carmen for an explanation.

Carmen sighed, shaking her head. "She thinks that she ended up here because some girl named Anya granted a wish and it turned the world into this... nightmare."

"It's true!" Cordelia insisted. She looked at Alice and Giles in confusion. "Wait. Why are you two here and the Summers not? I mean, Alice was the Guardian that trained Brooke to be one. And Giles was your guys' Watcher."

Alice and Giles shared a look, amazed by what they were hearing.

"H-how do know I'm a Watcher?" Giles asked. "I've never..."

They heard a series of thumps and taps outside.

"What?" Cordelia asked.

Layla looked around carefully. "I thought I heard something."

Giles put on his glasses.

Unlike before, when the acolytes snuck their way into the school and targeting the White Hats, they prowled in the darkness of night and didn't attack until their victims least expected it, drawing on the element of surprise to complete the Master's orders to kill Cordelia without being killed by Layla, Carmen and Alice in the process.

Noticing the book cage from the shadows, Zoey, Eric and Bianca smirked as they combined their powers to ensnare Layla, Carmen and Alice within the confines of purple glowing gypsy magic, shadows, and red Guardian energy tendrils, launching the three women into the cage before they realized what was happening.

Alice, Carmen and Layla crashed into the cage with an audible thud, slammed against bookshelves and weapons which sliced into them from their violent landing, making them scream out in pain, their bodies entangled in a web of energy that crackled ominously around them.

Willow slammed the cage door closed and locked it, waving the key in their faces mockingly.

Eric stepped closer, casting a spell over the cage that rendered the three women powerless from within its confines - and within their magical restraints as the shadows and energy surged around them, binding their arms and legs with an iron grip.

Layla gasped as she felt her powers momentarily suppressed, the familiar sensation of helplessness washed over her, amplifying her fear. Alice and Carmen's fear spiked as they realized the same thing.

"Well, well, well," Zoey's voice dripped with malice as she stepped forward. "Looks like we have some little mice trapped in our lovely little cage."

"It's actually a big cage," Willow pointed out.

"Very pretty big cage," Bianca agreed. "We should get one like it for more insubordinates at the Bronze. But the little cages that hang from the ceiling are so much more fun to treat them like pets."

Willow, Zoey and Bianca's laughter echoed through the library, sending chills down the spines of those who heard it, causing Spike, Eric and Xander to smirk.

Xander came up from behind Cordelia, grabbing her in an iron grip, pinning her against his chest with his hand held over her mouth so that she couldn't move or speak - or scream.

Spike came up from behind Giles, hitting him over the head so hard that he collapsed onto the ground, unable to help any of the women before him - including the woman he loved and his daughter inside the cage.

Alice's panic rose in her voice as she struggled futilely. "Dad! Cordelia!"

"Stop squirming," Bianca purred mockingly as she stepped closer with a predatory grace, her eyes gleaming with malice. "You're only making this more enjoyable."

Layla struggled against the glowing confines, her gypsy power flaring in retaliation, looking at her daughter desperately. "Let us go, Zoey! This isn't you!"

"Oh, but it is me," Zoey replied, a wicked smile spreading across her face. "I've never felt more alive." She turned to Eric and Bianca, who stood by her side with calculating expressions. "Let's teach them what happens to those who dare to defy us."

Giles struggled to push himself up despite the blow to his head, his heart racing as he took in the scene before him. "Zoey... you don't have to do this!"

"Yeah, we do," Eric replied. "Don't worry, Cordelia's the only one with the death notice tonight."

Carmen's eyes widened in shock and desperation as she struggled against her bindings, her heart racing with fear and anger as she tried to fight to break free to save her sister. "Stay away from her!"

"Oh, please," Spike scoffed, rolling his eyes tauntingly. "You think you can take us on now? You're outmatched."

Zoey stepped further up to the cage to meet Carmen's gaze mockingly, giving her former best friend the sweetest of evilest smiles. "I can feel your emotions swirling like a storm, sweet Carmen. You're scared... angry... desperate to protect your sister." She looked pointedly at Cordelia, who remained terrified and pinned in Xander's restraint. "But now you and my little family here have no choice but to sit back and enjoy the show."

Spike grabbed Giles and held him on his knees, forcing his head up to force him to watch.

Xander smirked at Giles while shoving Cordelia forward between the acolytes. "You're a Watcher, right? Watch this."

Unable to resist, Zoey used her empathic power to amplify the fear and anguish within Alice, Layla, Carmen, Giles and Cordelia to paralyze them all within their restraints to further ensure that they were all helpless against the acolytes. She fed on their terror and agony like a drug as she grabbed Cordelia and pulled the trembling girl closer, sinking her fangs into her neck.

Cordelia gasped as Zoey's fangs pierced her skin, a jolt of shock and pain coursing through her body. The world around her faded momentarily, the screams of horror from Alice and Carmen mixing with the overwhelming rush of sensation. Her heart raced, adrenaline pumping as terror took hold.

Zoey drank deeply, savoring the taste of Cordelia's blood mixed with fear. Each gulp heightened her power, igniting a euphoria that surged through her veins like wildfire. She could feel the warmth leaving Cordelia's body, the life force ebbing away as she relished every moment, every drop.

"Delicious," Zoey murmured against Cordelia's neck, her voice dripping with sick delight. "You always were such a treat."

Xander tightened his grip on Cordelia, his predatory grin widening as he watched her face contort in pain and fear tauntingly. "Just think, Cordy. This is what happens when you play with fire."

Willow walked closer, joining the two girls to feed from the other side of Cordelia's neck. "You know, I always wondered what makes you so special. So... sought after." She leaned in closer, her voice dripping with mockery. "But now? Now I see you're just another pawn in this little game."

Willow bared her fangs and sunk them into Cordelia's flesh, joining Zoey as they fed from either side of her neck.

Cordelia felt her strength fading, the warmth of life slipping away with each heartbeat. "Please... don't..."

Bianca's laughter filled the air, an eerie sound that overshadowed Cordelia's pleas or Carmen's desperate screams. "Oh, but it's too late for that. You're exactly where we want you to be."

With that, Bianca took a hold of Cordelia's wrist and sunk her fangs into her skin, feeding from her wrist as Willow and Zoey continued to feed from her neck. Xander and Spike couldn't resist placing their hands on the back of Willow and Zoey's heads, caressing their hair as the three vampire women continued to drain Cordelia dry, all while Spike held Giles in his tight restraint.

Eric smirked as he maintained the magic that kept Alice, Carmen and Layla contained and powerless, enjoying the show while ensuring their audience was helpless to do anything to stop them.

The emotional and mental torture this inflicted Alice, Carmen and Layla having to watch Zoey and other former friends do this to someone they loved - Carmen's sister of all people - was horrific as they all started to cry, unable to break free and save Cordelia as they were forced to watch Zoey, Bianca and Willow suck her dry.

Cordelia's vision began to blur as the overwhelming sensation of her life force being drained took its toll. She could feel the cold grip of death creeping in, an icy tendril wrapping around her heart. The laughter, tears and screams of those around her faded into a dull roar, blending with the frantic beating of her heart as it fought against the inevitable.

"No!" Carmen screamed, her voice hoarse with desperation as she struggled against the constraining magic that held her firm. "Let her go! You can't do this!"

Eric turned his head slightly, a twisted smile flickering across his lips. "Oh, but we can. This is what happens when you wander alone in a world like this. You should have stayed hidden in the safety of your little corners, Carmen."

As they drank, Zoey, Bianca and Willow felt Cordelia's pulse tapering to a feeble flutter. Her struggles grew weaker, and with each moment as they fed until the point of her death.

Zoey smiled, pushing Cordelia's lifeless body aside, letting it fall to the floor.

Carmen cried out in horror, anger and despair, screaming.

The acolytes merely grinned, solidifying the fact that nothing remained of Carmen's childhood friends in the monsters that stood before her - who murdered her sister in front of her.

Layla, Alice and Giles were desolate and furious with their own helplessness, unable to look at Zoey after witnessing something so horrific.

As Cordelia's lifeless body slumped to the floor, a chilling silence fell over the library. The acolytes stood triumphant, their faces still flushed with the rush of their recent kill. Carmen's anguished sobs echoed through the room, a stark contrast to the eerie calm that had settled over the vampires and warlock.

Zoey wiped her mouth, savoring the last traces of Cordelia's blood on her lips. Her eyes gleamed with a predatory satisfaction as she turned to face the cage where Carmen, Layla, and Alice remained trapped.

"Well, that was refreshing," Zoey purred, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Nothing quite like family bonding time, wouldn't you agree, Mom?"

Layla flinched at Zoey's words, her face a mask of pain and revulsion. "You're not my daughter."

Zoey smiled mockingly. "Not anymore." She turned her gaze to Alice and Giles, smirking tauntingly. "It was nice to have a sister and stepdad for a while." She looked at Carmen, her expression one of mock concern and sympathy as she looked at her broken former best friend. "And a best friend. How you doing there, Carmen?"

Carmen sobbed uncontrollably, her whole body shaking as she stared at her sister's lifeless form on the ground. "You... you monsters. How could you do this?"

Bianca laughed, the sound cold and cruel. "Oh, sweetie. This is who we are now. The sooner you accept that, the easier it'll be."

"Your best friends are gone," Willow told her. "Maybe this enough proof of that."

Eric maintained his hold on the magical bindings, his expression one of calculated indifference. "The Master's orders were clear. Cordelia had to die. Luckily the four of you weren't on the list."

"Yet," Xander warned. "That can change very quickly."

"I'd get my affairs in order if I were you," Spike mocked. "It won't be long before you're all following Cordelia to the grave."

Alice raised her gaze to glare at each one, her eyes fierce. "At least we'll be taking you all with us."

The acolytes merely smirked in response as they all started to head out of the building. Willow gave them one last smile as she tossed the key to the cage at the girls inside before following the others out of the room, leaving Layla, Alice and Carmen trapped within their binds inside the cage while Giles was recovering from his attack on the floor. All of them painted heavily as they looked down at Cordelia's body in utter despair.

∞∞

Giles grabbed the key from the floor and used it to unlock the cage.

Finally, when the magical binds wore off, Layla, Alice and Carmen were free to leave the cage.

As soon as they were no longer imprisoned, Carmen rushed over to kneel next to Cordelia, crying over the body of her sister. She felt for a pulse, hoping blindly that she was still alive, even though she knew that she wouldn't find her being anything other than dead.

Oz came running in through the stacks. "They hit me right outside."

"What about Nancy, Larry?" Giles asked.

"They're dead," Oz answered.

The ladies and Giles took the news as well as could be expected as they all looked at Cordelia's body again.

Alice took a deep breath. "Oz, can you help me take them to the incinerator? We have to..."

Oz nodded in agreement, looking at Carmen in sympathy. "God. Carmen, I'm sorry."

Carmen shook her head, closing her eyes.

Layla wrapped her arms around Carmen, holding her tightly as she let her cry in her arms. Even though they weren't biologically related, Layla had always been the best mother figure that Carmen and Cordelia had ever had.

"I'm so sorry, Carmen," Layla murmured, rocking her back and forth. "I'm so sorry."

Carmen's anguished sobs echoed through the library as she clung to Layla, her body shaking with each ragged breath. The reality of Cordelia's death crashed over her in waves, leaving her feeling hollow and broken.

Layla held Carmen tightly, stroking her hair as tears streamed down her own cheeks. The weight of their loss hung heavy in the air, a palpable reminder of the darkness that had consumed their world.

Alice and Oz carefully lifted Cordelia's lifeless body, their movements gentle and respectful.

Just as they were about to go, Giles noticed Anya's pendant around Cordelia's neck. "Wait a moment."

Giles took the pendant off, and Alice and Oz carried Cordelia's body away.

As they carried her away, Carmen's cries intensified, the finality of the moment hitting her anew. Layla attempted to console her to the best of her ability, stroking her hair and whispering softly.

Giles stood by helplessly, his eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and determination. He knew they couldn't afford to wallow in their grief for long - not with the threat still looming over them. For now, he let Layla comfort Carmen as he walked to his office, knowing he had to research the pendant he found around Cordelia's neck.

∞

The Bronze

The Master took a fresh hot demitasse of blood espresso from his machine and sipped it. He blew on it and took another sip.

Behind him, the acolytes reported back from their mission.

The Master turned to face them.

"The deed is done," Xander reported.

"You killed the girl that sought the Slayer, Guardian and hunter?" the Master clarified.

"And trapped Layla, Carmen and Alice in the process," Eric answered. "They were still healing from our earlier fight, so it was too easy."

Bianca smiled. "I felt cheap."

The Master smirked. "Excellent. The opening will commence as scheduled." He took another sip.

Willow slowly approached. "So, you're pleased?"

"Ecstatic," the Master replied.

"Then... can I play with the puppy?" Willow asked hopefully.

"Ooh," the Master said before giving a smile. "Be my guest."

Willow grinned as he handed her the keys to Angel's cage.

The Master looked at Zoey and Spike. "And Wyatt sure needs a lesson or two in becoming a willing acolyte, wouldn't you agree, Spike?"

"I would love nothing more than to make my brother join our ranks, as you know," Spike answered.

"Have at it," the Master offered. "It's always better to have two powerful warlocks on our side. You've done wonderful things for us, Eric, but you know with Wyatt as your former teacher that he could teach you quite a bit more."

Eric smirked. "I know. I'm all for it."

Zoey and Spike shared a smile.

Spike reached for Zoey's hand, pulling her closer. "What do you say, love? You want to help train Wyatt to be a good boy?"

Zoey tilted her head in thought. "I've played a lot of mind games on my own family tonight with your help. Only fitting that I help you play mind games on yours."

Zoey and Spike smiled wickedly.

The Master tossed the keys to Wyatt's cage to Spike. Spike, while still looking at Zoey, caught the keys onehandedly.

Bianca clicked her tongue teasingly, her voice singsong. "And what about our little Guardian? I could use a refill after all the energy I've spent tonight. A replishment of sorts. Especially after earlier's battle in the street."

The Master smirked as he handed Bianca the keys to Hope's cage. "I was waiting for you to ask that. Go on. Drink up. I have. I've never been able to manipulate the Guardian energy before, but controlling the minds of Slayers and Guardians is enough power for me to be impressed. You, I'd rather you to be in top form for tomorrow's opening."

Bianca smiled slyly as she took the keys from the Master, mischief dancing in her eyes.

∞

Day Two

Morning - Sunnydale High School - Library

As the sun began to rise over Sunnydale, casting an eerie orange glow across the deserted streets, the White Hats regrouped in the library. The somber mood was palpable, the weight of their recent losses hanging heavy in the air.

Carmen sat silently in a corner, her eyes red-rimmed and distant. The loss of Cordelia had left a gaping wound in her heart, one that seemed impossible to heal. Layla and Alice kept a watchful eye on her, their own grief mingling with concern for the young witch.

Giles paced back and forth, his brow furrowed in thought. "We need to regroup, to strategize. The acolytes are growing bolder by the day."

Alice nodded, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "Cordelia mentioned something about the Summers siblings. Buffy, Brooke and Brady. Aren't they the Slayer, Guardian and hunter in Cleveland? The Hellmouth there?"

"I believe so," Giles answered.

"Cordy said that they were supposed to be here, and trained by you two," Carmen murmured. "That things would be different if we were all here together. That this isn't the way the world should be."

Giles frowned slightly. "I'm going to keep looking for signs of this pendant in my studies. Alice, can you call around in Cleveland until you get ahold of the Summers' Watcher?"

Alice nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Even if we call them here, this fight's likely gonna end up with everyone dead, but we have to do something."

Alice stood, walking toward the phone on the counter.

Layla sighed, turning to Carmen sadly. "Will you be okay if I helped Rupert sort through his books to find the pendant that Cordelia was wearing?"

Carmen nodded meekly. "I want to find out what's happening. If this isn't our world... maybe there's a world out there where she's still alive. Where Zoey, Eric, Xander and Willow... they're all still good and the people that we love and none of this happened. Angel, Wyatt and Hope would be back with us. Right?"

Layla didn't know the answer, sharing a look with Giles.

Giles looked at Carmen. "That's what we're hoping to find. Just try and get some rest until we find some answers, okay?"

Carmen nodded barely, looking down.

Giles and Layla stood, walking into Giles' office to search through his books.

As Carmen settled in at the table, she could hear Alice on the phone at the counter as she called around.

Alice sounded frustrated while speaking to the Watcher in Cleveland. "Yes, I understand, but it's imperative that I see them. Here. Well, when will you? Yeah, well, you are their Watcher. I'd expect them to at least check in to... Yes, I'm aware that there's a great deal of demonic activity in Cleveland. Well, it happens, you know, that Sunnydale is on a Hellmouth, too. It is so! Just give them the message, if you ever see them again."

Alice hung up, running a hand through her dark hair, sighing heavily.

∞

The Bronze - Angel's Cell

Willow approached Angel's cell in the basement of the Bronze, which was separated from Wyatt and Hope's cells. "Bored now." She walked over to the wall of whips, chains and other instruments of torture. "Daytime's the worst." She ran her hand over the leather. "Cooped up for hours. Can't hunt." She took a pair of iron shears and clinked it along the bars of the cell. "But the Master said I could play. Isn't that fun, Puppy?"

When Angel began to stir inside his cell, he didn't respond, shackled to the wall, forced to lay on the floor.

Willow unlocked the cell door and swung it in. "Aw... Puppy's being all quiet. Come on. Don't be a spoilsport."

Willow straddled Angel, grabbing him by the hair, jerking his head up, making him groan from the rough treatment. Angel seemed constantly short of breath.

"Guess what today is?" Willow mocked. She ran the tip of the shears along his chin and down his throat. "Today the plant opens. It's a big party."

Willow licked Angel from the base of his ear to his forehead and ran her sharp fingernails along his neck.

"You remember I told you about the plant?" Willow asked. "All those people you tried to save? It's gonna be quick for them. Not for you, though. It's gonna be slow for you." She flipped Angel over onto his back and straddled his stomach. He let out a painful moan. "That's right, Puppy. Willow's gonna make you bark."

Angel cried out when Willow ripped open his shirt to reveal several very deep and bloody wounds on his chest. When she touched them, he flinched hard.

Willow faked a pout. "Oh... Maybe I went too hard on you last time."

Behind her, Xander struck a wooden kitchen match with his thumbnail and tossed it onto Angel's chest. Angel cried out in pain as it burned into his flesh.

"Too hard?" Xander asked. "No such thing."

Willow glanced back at Xander. "Watch it with those things. You almost got my hair."

Xander leaned against the open cage doorway. "Sorry. Got carried away." He tossed her the large box of matches.

Willow caught the matches. "Don't you want to?"

"No, thanks, baby," Xander answered. "I just wanna watch you go."

Willow smiled and turned her full attention on Angel. She lit another match.

∞

Hope's Cell

Meanwhile, Hope was shackled in her own cell with Guardian-proofing chains. She had bite marks on her neck and arms, layered over and ver as she was fed on by both Bianca and the Master as they gained power from the Guardian. As she approached her Guardian duties with a reckless abandon even with her naturally reserved personality, she was captured by the acolytes within her first few weeks in Sunnydale. Despite her recklessness, she harbored a genuine desire to help people in anyway she could. Even in her cell, she carried herself with military-like posture left over from her Guardian training, and her sharp, observant eyes missed little. A small scar above her right eyebrow served as a reminder of her first vampire encounter.

She was one of the only ones that could get under Bianca's skin and win a battle of wits with her, so when Bianca returned to Hope's cell, she knew that it wasn't going to be as easy as just feeding from the Guardian and leaving. There would be no fun otherwise. The banter between the two ladies was always too tempting to resist.

Hope's eyes narrowed as Bianca sauntered into her cell, a predatory gleam in the vampire's gaze. Despite her weakened state, Hope straightened her posture, refusing to show any sign of vulnerability.

"Back so soon?" Hope quipped, her voice hoarse but defiant and laced with sarcasm. "And here I thought you'd be busy celebrating your latest atrocity."

Bianca smirked, circling Hope like a shark. "Oh, we're just getting started, sweetheart. The real party begins tonight." She paused, running a finger along Hope's jawline. "But I couldn't resist my favorite meal. You should feel honored."

Hope jerked away from Bianca's touch, her chains rattling. "Honored to be your personal juice box? I'll pass, thanks. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not on the menu."

Bianca laughed, the sound cold and mocking. "Oh, but you are. You always have been. There's no need for hostility, Hope."

"Fuck off," Hope retorted. "How's that for hostility?"

Bianca's eyes gleamed with dark amusement as she leaned in closer to Hope. "You know, for someone in chains, you've got quite the attitude. I've always admired that about you."

Hope met Bianca's gaze unflinchingly. "Yeah, well, someone's got to keep you on your toes. Can't have you getting bored now, can we?"

Bianca chuckled, her fingers tracing the bite marks on Hope's neck. "Oh, trust me. I'm never bored with you around. You're far too... entertaining."

"Glad I could be of service," Hope replied dryly. "Though I have to say, your hospitality leaves something to be desired. At least I can provide some entertainment while you and the Master drain me dry. It's the least I can do."

Bianca's smile widened, revealing her fangs as she leaned in close. "Oh, you provide so much more than that, Hope. Your blood... it's intoxicating. The power that flows through your veins..." She inhaled deeply, savoring Hope's scent. "It's addictive."

Hope tensed, but kept her voice steady. 'Glad to hear I'm not just another Happy Meal on legs. But if you're looking for a fix, I hear they have support groups for that sort of thing."

Bianca grinned. "I think you need to find one for yourself, then. Because I think you're as addicted to me as I am to you by this point."

Hope froze at the insinuation, closing her eyes. She dreaded Bianca's next words, praying beyond hope that she hadn't noticed in the past few times that Bianca hadn't noticed, but Bianca proved to be as perceptive as she always had been.

Bianca smiled as she traced the previous bite marks she left on Hope, running shivers of anticipation through her body. "You used to hate it. But... the last couple of times... you've grown to rather like it, haven't you? The rush of endorphins. The adrenaline. The bond we share."

Bianca's words cut deep, hitting too close to the truth that Hope had been desperately trying to deny. She clenched her jaw, refusing to give Bianca the satisfaction of a response.

But Bianca wasn't deterred. She leaned in closer, her cold breath ghosting over Hope's ear. "I can feel it, you know. The way your heart races when I'm near, the flush of your skin. The way your body responds to my touch. The way you relax when I feed from you."

Hope squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out Bianca's words and the conflicting emotions they stirred within her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Bianca's smile widened, knowing she had struck a nerve. "Oh, I think you do. You can't hide it from me, Hope."

Hope's hands curled into fists, her chains rattling softly. "It's just a physical response. It doesn't mean anything."

"Doesn't it?" Bianca purred, running a finger along Hope's collarbone. "I think it means everything. You like it when I feed from you. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I loved it when I was bled dry. A lot of people do. You don't have to hide that you like it, too. At least when I feed from you."

Hope squeezed her eyes shut, fighting against the conflicting emotions warring inside her, but her voice lacked conviction. "No. You're wrong."

Bianca chuckled softly, her fingers trailing down Hope's arm. "Am I? Then why don't you look me in the eye and tell me that you don't feel it too? This connection between us?"

Hope's breath caught in her throat as Bianca's words hit too close to home. She struggled internally, torn between her duty as a Guardian and the undeniable pull she felt towards Bianca. Her eyes remained shut, afraid that if she opened them, Bianca would see the truth reflected there.

"I..." Hope started, her voice barely above a whisper. She swallowed hard, trying to find her resolve. "I don't..."

But the words died on her lips. She couldn't bring herself to deny it, not when every fiber of her being screamed otherwise.

Bianca's smile widened, knowing she had Hope exactly where she wanted her. "You can't say it, can you? Because deep down, you know it's true."

Hope's eyes flew open, meeting Bianca's gaze with a mix of defiance and vulnerability. "What do you want from me, Bianca? It doesn't matter what I feel. You're a monster. You've killed people. Tortured them."

"And yet, here you are, craving my touch," Bianca murmured, her fingers ghosting along Hope's jawline. "Wanting me despite knowing what I am. What does that say about you?"

When Hope couldn't bring herself to answer, Bianca swung her leg over Hope's waist and straddled her, leaning over her, moving her dark hair away from her neck, exposing her throat. Hope's breath caught as her eyes fell closed, her head falling back slightly out of instinct.

Bianca smiled, her exposed fangs grazing lightly at Hope's skin. "See? You want this. Tell me you want this."

Bianca's words pierced through Hope's defenses, hitting the truth she had been desperately trying to deny. Her body betrayed her, pulse quickening and skin flushing at Bianca's proximity. Hope's resolve crumbled as Bianca's fangs grazed her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

"I..." Hope's voice was barely a whisper, thick with conflicting emotions. "I want this."

The admission hung heavy in the air between them. Hope's eyes fluttered open, meeting Bianca's gaze with a mix of shame, desire, and resignation.

Bianca's smile widened triumphantly. "There it is. Was that so hard to admit?"

Hope swallowed hard, her voice hoarse. "It doesn't change anything. You're still..."

"A monster?" Bianca finished, her tone mocking. "And why should I care? Do you care, right now, when I can give you what you want? What we both want?"

Hope closed her eyes, shaking her head imperceptibly, whispering. "No."

Bianca smiled. "No. There's a good girl. Don't worry, baby. I'll make this as good for you as possible. Like I always do."

Bianca's face morphed into her vampire visage, and she smiled almost sweetly before she sunk her teeth into Hope's skin gently.

Bianca's fangs pierced Hope's skin, eliciting a soft gasp from the Guardian. The initial sharp pain quickly gave way to a rush of pleasure as endorphins flooded Hope's system. Her body relaxed involuntarily, melting into Bianca's embrace as the vampire drank deeply.

Hope's mind swam with conflicting emotions - shame at her weakness, disgust at her own desires, and an overwhelming sense of euphoria that she couldn't deny. Her hands, still bound by the chains, clenched and unclenched as waves of sensation washed over her. Her head fell back, exposing more of her neck as Bianca fed. A low moan escaped Hope's lips, a sound caught between agony and ecstasy.

Bianca drank slowly, savoring the power that flowed through Hope's blood. She could feel the Guardian's life force pulsing through her, invigorating her own supernatural abilities, heightening her senses and power. With each pull, the connection between them intensified, a twisted bond forged in blood and darkness.

As Bianca fed, Hope's resistance wavered. Her mind swam, caught in a haze of confliction emotions. Part of her screamed that this was wrong, that she should be fighting against her. The other part relished in the pleasure of being cared for in the way only Bianca took care of her and looked after her and made her feel this ecstasy, telling her to let go in this feeling and forget everything else for a little while.

Bianca knew not to take too much, parting from Hope before she got too lightheaded, licking lightly at her neck to seal her wounds with saliva, dabbing away the blood with soft pecks of her lips. It was an oddly intimate show of affection that Bianca had always shown with Hope, one of the causes that forged their connection as Bianca always ensured that Hope was well taken care of.

Bianca pulled back slowly, her tongue darting out to seal the wounds on Hope's neck, peppering her neck with kisses not only to clean the blood away but to ease the pain. Her fingers gently caressed Hope's face as she met her gaze, a mix of triumph and something almost tender in her eyes.

"There now," Bianca murmured, her voice uncharacteristically soft, running her fingers through Hope's hair. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Hope's breath came in soft gasps, her body still thrumming with the aftermath of Bianca's bite. She struggled to form coherent thoughts, caught between the lingering euphoria and the crushing weight of shame.

"I..." Hope's voice cracked, her eyes closing as she fought to regain her composure. "This doesn't change anything. You're still a monster."

Bianca chuckled softly, her fingers trailing along Hope's jawline. "Maybe. But I'm a monster you crave, aren't I?"

Hope turned her head away, unable to meet Bianca's gaze. "It's just physical. It doesn't mean anything."

Bianca chuckled softly, leaning her head against Hope's for a moment. "Oh, but it does. I'll let you linger in denial for a little while longer. Not too long, though." She placed a teasing kiss on Hope's forehead that conflicted her even more. "I'll see you soon."

Bianca smirked as she pulled away from Hope, savoring the conflicted emotions swirling in the Guardian's eyes. She knew she had Hope exactly where she wanted her - trapped between desire and duty, craving Bianca's touch even as she fought against it.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Bianca purred, running her fingers through Hope's hair one last time. "I'll be back soon. Maybe next time you'll be more honest with yourself about what you really want."

Hope clenched her jaw, refusing to give Bianca the satisfaction of a response. But her body betrayed her, leaning almost imperceptibly into Bianca's touch before the vampire pulled away completely.

As Bianca sauntered out of the cell, Hope was left alone with her tumultuous thoughts and emotions. The Guardian slumped against the wall, her body still tingling from Bianca's bite, her mind reeling from the conflicting sensations of pleasure and shame.

Hope closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing and calm her racing heart. She hated herself for craving Bianca's touch, for finding pleasure in the vampire's bite. It went against everything she stood for as a Guardian, everything she had been trained to fight against. And yet, she couldn't deny the pull she felt towards Bianca, the twisted connection that had formed between them.

∞

Wyatt's Cell

Within his own cell, Wyatt heard Angel's screams as Willow continued torturing him. He knew that was a sign that Zoey and Spike were on their way to see him, sighing, leaning back against the wall, pulling futilely at his enchanted cuffs.

Wyatt's shackles were heavily enchanted with magical sigils engraved into them, rendering him powerless within the cell and leaving him vulnerable to Spike's torture and Zoey's mind games as they continued to break him down day by day in an attempt to brainwash him to become a evil warlock just like Eric.

Just like Spike always wanted for Wyatt. For him to embrace the darkness inside him instead of running from it. One way or another, Spike was going to see to it that his little brother succumbed to the same evil that corrupted him.

Wyatt tensed as he heard footsteps approaching his cell. The door swung open with an ominous creak, revealing Spike and Zoey standing in the doorway, their expressions a mix of anticipation and dark amusement, matching smirks on their faces.

"Hello there, little brother," Spike drawled, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Miss us?"

Wyatt glared defiantly at them both. "Like a stake to the heart."

Zoey tsked mockingly, stepping into the cell with feline grace. "Come on, Wyatt. Is that any way to greet your favorite sister-in-law?"

"You're not my sister-in-law," Wyatt spat. "You're just the demon wearing her face." He glared at Spike. "Just like you're not my brother. Not anymore."

Spike clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Now, now. No need for hostility. We're here to help you, after all."

Wyatt scoffed. "Help me? By torturing me into submission?"

Spike knelt next to Wyatt. "By releasing the beast that you know is inside of you. You've spent over a hundred years fighting against it, but there is darkness inside, whether or you want to admit it or not. You channel it into becoming a witch hero to the disadvantaged, but I've seen the way you kill. The way you hunt creatures like me. You have a primal bloodlust that can rival any vampire. You just use it to kill the creatures of the night to make yourself feel better about it."

Wyatt glared at Spike, trying and failing to ignore the way his words burrowed into his mind.

Zoey smiled tauntingly as she leaned closer. "I've fought alongside you and I can confirm it. Killing vampires, killing humans... it's all the same to people like us. And one of these days, you're going to realize that, too. That you have just as much monster in you as we do. All we want to do is help you set him free."

Wyatt tensed, his jaw clenching as he fought against the insidious pull of Spike and Zoey's words. He knew they were trying to get inside his head, to twist his thoughts and corrupt his soul. But a small part of him couldn't help but wonder if there was a grain of truth to what they were saying.

"You're wrong," Wyatt growled, his voice low and strained. "I'm nothing like you."

Spike chuckled, the sound dark and knowing. "Oh, but you are, little brother. More than you'd care to admit. I've seen the look in your eyes when you're in the thick of battle. The thrill of the hunt, the rush of power you get from the kill. So many creative ways you've brought enemies to their knees and rendered them to pieces. It's intoxicating, isn't it?"

Zoey circled around Wyatt, her fingers trailing along his shoulders, her touch cold and invasive. "We've all got demons inside us. You just keep yours locked away."

"I almost freed him before, Wyatt," Spike reminded him. "Killed your lover in front of you all those years ago. Back then, you almost lost your mind and nearly went dark and you were on the run from me ever since, because you knew that I could bring that darkness out of you again. Let's keep on trying, shall we?"

Zoey smiled wickedly. "Let's get creative this time."

Wyatt tensed as Spike and Zoey moved closer, their eyes gleaming with dark anticipation. He knew what was coming - another round of physical an psychological torture designed to break his spirit and corrupt his soul, just like what happened to Eric. But he steeled himself, determined not to give in no matter what they threw at him.

Zoey's eyes gleamed with malicious excitement as she focused her empathic abilities on Wyatt. Waves of conflicting emotions washed over him - rage, despair, bloodlust, guilt - amplified tenfold by her power.

Wyatt gasped, his body tensing as he fought against the onslaught of manipulated feelings.

"Stop it," Wyatt growled through gritted teeth.

"Why fight it?" Spike taunted, circling his brother, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders. "You know you want to give in, Wyatt. To feel that rush of power, that freedom from conscience."

Zoey leaned in close, her voice a seductive whisper. "I can feel it in you, Wyatt. That darkness clawing to get out. Why don't you let it?"

"You've been fighting this for so long, little brother," Spike said with mocking concern. "Don't you ever get tired? Wouldn't it be easier to just... let go? Like Eric?"

Wyatt clenched his jaw, refusing to respond. He wouldn't give Spike the satisfaction.

Zoey knelt in front of Wyatt, her cold fingers tracing along his jawline as she continued to weave her empathic abilities on his mind and heart. "We could show you such power, such freedom, just like Eric. All you have to do is embrace who you truly are inside, like he has. He's happy now with all the power in the world, happy with no longer fighting the darkness inside. You could be too."

Wyatt squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block them out. But Zoey's empathic manipulation and Spike's taunting words continued to burrow into his mind, chipping away at his resolve. It made it impossible to escape the turmoil of emotions swirling within him. Rage, despair, and a primal hunger clawed at his insides, threatening to overwhelm him.

"That's it," Spike encouraged, his voice low and tempting. "Feel it, brother. The power that's been locked away for so long."

Zoey's fingers traced along Wyatt's face, her touch both soothing and invasive. "Let it consume you, Wyatt. Embrace the darkness."

Spike smirked, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement. "Everyone has a breaking point, Wyatt. Even you."

Wyatt's breath came in ragged gasps as he fought against their influence. But with each passing moment, he could feel his resolve weakening. His body trembled as he fought against the onslaught of manipulated emotions. His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms.

The darkness inside Wyatt surged, responding to Zoey's empathic prodding and Spike's insidious words.

As Wyatt struggled against Zoey and Spike's psychological manipulation, his resolve began to crumble. The darkness they were trying to coax out of him clawed at his insides, threatening to break free.

"That's it, little brother," Spike purred encouragingly. "Stop fighting what you really are."

Zoey intensified her empathic assault, amplifying Wyatt's rage and bloodlust to nearly unbearable levels. "Let it consume you, Wyatt. Embrace your true nature."

Wyatt's body shook violently as he fought against their influence. His eyes squeezed shut, jaw clenched so tight it ached. But with each passing moment, he could feel his control slipping.

Dark thoughts and violent urges flooded his mind. Memories of past kills flashed before his eyes - the rush of power, the thrill of the hunt. It was all against the forces of evil, but Spike and Zoey were right - a part of Wyatt's deeds were to release his own inner darkness on the creatures of the night; on predators rather than innocents. As Zoey taunted, that line was blurring with each passing moment.

"That's it," Spike encouraged, his voice low and tempting. "Feel it, Wyatt. The power that's been locked away for so long."

For a moment, Wyatt felt himself slipping. The seductive pull of power, the promise of freedom from guilt and conscience, threatened to overwhelm him. His eyes flickered open, a hint of darkness swirling in their depths.

But then suddenly, Zoey was hit with a vision that sent her stumbling away from Wyatt with its force as her ability took her breath away. She gasped as she nearly collapsed, her hands flying to her head in pain as if she could feel everything from past and present.

Spike was on his feet in an instant, rushing to Zoey's side, catching her before she could fall.

As Spike lowered them to the floor to help Zoey sit down, his voice was tender and almost sweet with concern. "Zoey? What is it, love? What do you see?"

In her vision, Zoey was consumed with visions of death and destruction - on both sides. She could see the White Hats and the Summers facing off against the acolytes and their army. Pain, chaos, blood and war raged on both sides, death consuming everyone and everything.

Instead of enjoying that feeling, Zoey found herself tormented by it as the battles raged on in her head unbidden. Through her empathic abilities, it was as if she could sense what everyone was feeling through her vision even now.

Zoey gasped and trembled as the intense vision consumed her. Spike held her protectively, his eyes darting between her pained expression and Wyatt's confused one.

"Zoey, love, talk to me," Spike urged, genuine concern in his voice, stroking her hair back from her face, grounding her to the present so she wasn't lost in the vision. "What do you see?"

Zoey's eyes were unfocused, lost in the horrific scenes playing out in her mind.

"Death... so much death," Zoey whispered hoarsely. "On both sides."

Spike held her close, his brow furrowed with concern. "What do you mean, love? Tell me what you see."

Zoey's breathing was ragged as she struggled to put the chaotic images into words. "The White Hats, the Summers... us. Everyone's dying. I can feel it all. There's so much pain, so much fear, so much rage and despair. It's too much."

Zoey clutched at her head, overwhelmed by the intensity of the emotions flooding through her, her body shaking. For the first time since becoming a vampire, Zoey felt a flicker of her old humanity - horror at the carnage, grief for the lives lost. It was as if her empathic abilities were forcing her to experience the full weight of what she had become and everything she had done by making her see how it would all end - tonight.

Wyatt watched the scene with disbelief and confusion, his brows furrowed as he watched his older brother console the woman he loved. "What do you mean, Zoey?"

Zoey and Spike both looked at Wyatt briefly before meeting each other's gazes.

Zoey gazed off into the distance as if she was seeing into the future once again. "We're all going to die tonight."

∞∞

Sunnydale High School - Library

Alice, Carmen and Oz were in the main area of the school library.

Alice and Carmen were practicing with their powers while Oz was sharpening stakes.

Giles and Layla were researching in Giles's office until they finally found Anya's pendant in the books.

"Here it is!" Giles called. "Layla found it."

Layla walked out of the office with the book. "Look." She set down the book which was opened to a page with a sketch of Anya's pendant. "It's what, um, Cordelia was wearing. It's the symbol of Anyanka."

Giles followed her toward the teens.

Carmen frowned. "I don't think I know her."

"Well, no," Alice agreed. "Anyanka is a sort of Patron Saint of scorned women, if I remember right."

"Yes," Giles agreed.

Alice sat on the table.

"What does she do?" Oz asked.

"Uh, she grants wishes," Giles answered.

Carmen nodded. "Cordelia said she made a wish."

Oz raised an eyebrow. "Well, if it was for a long, healthy life, she should get her money back." Carmen shot him a glare. Oz held up his hands. "Sorry."

Carmen swallowed. "She said something about everything being different. That this... the world wasn't supposed to be like this. It was better. Before."

Oz frowned. "Okay. The entire world sucks because some dead ditz made a wish?" Carmen, Alice, Layla and Giles shot Oz a look. Oz looked around. "I just - I just want it clear."

"She said the, uh, the Summers were supposed to be here," Alice explained. "They were meant to have been here already."

"Certainly would've helped," Layla remarked.

"Yes," Alice agreed. "I tried calling them, but, um..."

Giles sighed. "Look, I'm-I'm-I'm gonna have to... research this Anyanka thing further. Um, I have some more... volumes at home. Alice, Layla..."

Alice nodded in agreement. "I'm coming."

"As am I," Layla agreed. She turned her head to Carmen in concern. "Carmen, you shouldn't be alone right now. Come with us, please."

Alice and Giles looked at Carmen in worry, nodding in agreement.

"There's more than enough room," Alice agreed.

"Okay," Carmen murmured.

"Oz, you get some sleep," Layla told him. "Take care of your family."

Oz nodded in agreement. "Watch your backs."

"You too," Alice told him.

Layla placed a hand on both Alice and Carmen's backs as she and Giles led the girls out of the library.

∞

Night - Street

By the time night fell, Giles drove the girls home in his ancient Citroen. Layla was in the passenger seat while Alice and Carmen were in the backseat.

As they drove by a park, they saw a bunch of people being herded into a stepvan by six vampires.

"Rupert," Layla told him.

Giles stopped the car, and Layla, Alice and Carmen burst out of the car. Giles grabbed his large cross, rushing out to help them.

Alice conjured a wall of her red Guardian energy, gathering Vampires 1, 2 and 3 by her power, throwing the vampires to the ground, flipping them to the grassy terrain.

Carmen levitated herself up, cartwheeling midair to kick Vampire 4 in the head, sending him flipping through the air before telekinetically sending Vampires 5 and 6 flying through the air. Carmen herself spiraled to the ground before she let herself land on the ground.

Layla conjured two wisping whips of purple gypsy power. She launched them at Vampire 1 as he was standing, grabbing him by the whips, turning to throw him into Vampires 2 and 3 as they were standing, knocking them all down.

Giles held the cross up to Vampires 4 and 5 as they were standing, forcing them to back away, yelling to the people in the van. "Run!"

All of the people ran out of the van and escaped to freedom.

Layla used purple gypsy power to levitate herself over the ground with spheres of purple magic glowing around her hands as she shot it downward to incinerate Vampire 2, making him burst into ash.

Vampire 6 came up from behind Giles, slamming the rear van door into his face, knocking him flat on his back.

Alice grabbed Vampire 6 and threw him to the ground nearby the others. As Vampires 6 and 1 tried to organize an attack, Alice waved her arms to create a powerful sphere of red energy, throwing it into the two vampires to burn them alive. The sphere tore through the midsections of the vampires one by one, making them both fall to ash.

Carmen noticed a wooden park bench nearby and telekinetically broke off the top piece, using her power to shoot it toward the heart of Vampire 3.

To her dismay, Vampire 3 ducked the wooden makeshift stake and caught it in his hands, spinning through the air and attempting to throw it right back toward Carmen, nearly impaling her in the face - only for it to be caught by red Guardian energy.

Carmen's eyes went wide with a mixture of shock, fear and relief as she realized that a Guardian had saved her life. For a moment, she thought that Alice had been the one to rescue her, but as she looked over, she realized that Alice had just finished her kills.

Everyone looked toward the newcomers as Buffy, Brooke and Brady arrived to the scene.

Brooke had her hand raised, her eyes and hand dancing with red energy as she prevented the makeshift stake from impaling Carmen, allowing it to drop to the ground. Immediately after, Brooke raised an arm to shoot red Guardian energy into Vampire 3, waving her hands together and sending them apart, causing the vampire to burst into an explosion of ashes, blowing him out of existence.

Before Vampire 4 could react, Buffy grabbed him from behind and kicked him in the leg, kneeing him in the stomach, punching him in the face, making him fall, staking him in the chest. Immediately, he burst into ashes.

Vampire 5 kicked Brady in the back of the leg, trying to restrain him from behind. Brady elbowed him viciously inthe face, making him let go. Vampire 5 tried to punch him twice. Brady raised both hands to block the moves, punching him in the face, kicking him in the chest, spinning to kick him in the head, catching his arm as he tried to punch, twisting it down to make him double over, kneeing him in the face, kicking his legs out from underneath him, making him fall. As Vampire 5 tried to rise, Brady slammed his knee against his head, punching him in the face, kicking him in the stomach, making him double over to the ground, jumping up to wrap his legs around his neck, flipping him to the ground. Finally, Brady delivered a fatal stake to his heart, watching as the vampire burst into ashes.

Alice, Carmen, Layla and Giles looked at the three Summers siblings in disbelief as Alice and Layla helped Giles to his feet.

"Buffy, Brooke and Brady Summers?" Giles asked.

All three Summers siblings were meaner, rougher in this Wishverse, as they had no friends and isolated from everyone but each other, each one bearing physical, emotional and mental scars from their lives as the Slayer, the Guardian and the hunter. They weren't optimisitic, humorous and fun-loving, but fatalistic.

"That's right," Buffy answered.

Brady smirked slightly. "The ones, the only."

Brooke raised her eyebrows, shaking her head. "Wanna tell me what we're doing here?"

∞

Giles Apartment - Living Room

Alice and Giles took Layla, Carmen and the Summers siblings to their apartment so they could explain everything.

Buffy, Brooke and Brady looked around.

Brooke was curious despite herself, but Buffy was indifferent, and Brady was bored out of his mind.

Alice and Carmen were sitting on the couch while Layla was getting them tea.

Layla looked at the Summers siblings. "Would you like anything?"

The Summers siblings shook their heads.

Giles was sitting on the stairs, looking through a book, finally finding something. "Ah, ah, ah! Yes." He looked at the others, standing. "Here." He read from the book. "'In order to defeat Anyanka, one must destroy her power center. This should reverse all the wishes she's granted, rendering her mortal and powerless again' You see? Without her power center, she'd j-just be a-a-an ordinary woman again, and all this would be, um... well, different."

Giles closed the book, taking off his glasses.

Layla, Alice and Carmen showed a flicker of relief, but they were hesitant to get their hopes up.

However, the Summers siblings were unimpressed.

"Great," Brooke said. "What's her power center?"

With a frown, Giles glanced at the book again. "Um, well, um, um..." He looked up, disappointed. "It doesn't say."

Buffy shrugged. "Why don't I just put a stake through her heart?"

"She's not a vampire," Alice told them.

Brady walked toward the kitchen bar, glancing over his shoulder at Alice. "Mm, well, you'd be surprised how many things that'll kill."

Alice glanced over at Brady, their eyes connecting briefly. While Alice frowned in curiosity, Brady smirked slightly, picking up a liquor bottle from the counter, sniffing in intrigue.

"We don't want to kill her, Brady," Layla told him. "We want to reverse whatever effect she's had on this world."

Brady put the bottle back down and turned to face them. "You're taking an awful lot on faith here, guys."

Brooke looked over the group with a frown."Kill the bad fairy... destroy the bad fairy's power center, whatever. And all the troubles go away?"

"Yeah, well, I'm sure it's not that simple, but..." Alice trailed off. "Essentially, yes."

Buffy scoffed. "World is what it is. We fight, we die. Wishing doesn't change that."

Carmen shook her head, looking down. "My best friends just killed my sister in front of me tonight. Layla's daughter. I have to believe in a better world."

A flicker of compassion and sympathy passed over Brooke, Brady and Buffy's faces as they met Carmen's gaze, yet they pushed it down, keeping emotionally distant as their Watcher taught them to be.

"Go ahead," Brooke told her. "We have to live in this one."

Buffy strolled over to the chess table, lifting her right leg uto set her boot on its edge and spit into her hand to literally give it a spit shine.

"Cordelia said she knew that Alice was meant to train Brooke as a Guardian," Carmen explained. "And that Giles was meant to be your Watcher. She said she knew all three of you."

Buffy worked her spin into the leather of her boot. "She was probably just a big fan."

"The Master sent his most vicious disciples to kill her," Giles explained. "Now, she must have posed some threat to him."

Giles put his glasses back on.

The Summers shared a look, suddenly attentive.

"The Master?" Brady repeated.

"Supreme vampire around these parts," Alice answered. "He lives on the outskirts of town in an old club."

Brady gave them a look. "You know where he lives, and no one's ever tried to take him out?"

Layla gave them a look in return. "People have tried. Our own people have been captured in the process, turned and kept prisoner. How do you think my daughter Zoey, Eric, Wyatt, Angel and the other Guardian Hope all ended up taken by their people? Alice herself died in trying to stop the Master before she was brought back to life."

The Summers processed this, realizing just how much these people lost in this battle in trying to stop the Master and his army. Now they were seeing why they called for help to end this war, one way or another.

The three siblings shared a look, knowing that they were in this fight even if they had no stake in it personally. They didn't care for anything except for the thrill of the fight and the duty of the Slayer, Guardian and the hunter.

Brooke nodded. "Well, point the way. We might as well do some good while we're in this town."

Giles, Layla, Alice and Carmen shared a look.

"You can't just walk in there and--" Giles started.

Buffy went to get her weapons. "Look, you wanna stay here and play make-believe, fine. We're not gonna be any help to you anyway. There's only one thing we're good at."

"Tonight is the plant opening," Layla told them. "The Bronze should be empty by now. It might be the only time that we have to free Wyatt, Hope and Angel."

Carmen looked at them hopefully. "We might finally have a chance to end this."

Alice nodded. "We can muster some kind of force."

Brady smirked slightly, tilting his head, putting his crossbow strap over his shoulder. "We don't play well with others."

"You're going to have to play well with us tonight," Alice replied. Brady raised his eyebrows in amusement. Alice tilted her head in response. "The three of you won't survive on your own, just like the three of us won't either."

"All of us still might die," Carmen pointed out. "Are you ready for that?"

Brooke shrugged nonchalantly. "Comes with the job description. Let's roll."

Layla, Carmen and Alice nodded, determined to finish this. Despite their harsh demeanor, Buffy, Brooke and Brady were impressed by their determination to see this through.

Giles sighed worriedly. "For the love of God, please be careful."

Layla turned to Giles, her face etched with worry. "Just finish things with Anyanka. If we're right about her and the wish, then what happens at the Bronze and tonight's opening won't matter, because you'll save us and bring us back to the real world."

Giles looked at Layla in concern. "You know what's going to happen, don't you?"

Layla wasn't as powerful as Zoey as a gypsy in her daughter's vampiric form, which heightened her powers and emotions, so she didn't know exactly what would happen, but she had seen glimpses of what Zoey had seen. She knew enough to know that it was very unlikely for anyone to walk out of tonight's battle alive - on either side.

"Just find the demon's power center, Rupert," Layla told him. "You can save us and bring us back to the real world. The better world."

As the Summers watched them for a moment, a part of them hoped - despite their nihilist outlook and fatalist view - that their was a better world they came from. They walked out of the apartment to head to the Bronze.

Alice and Carmen watched Layla and Giles sadly for a long moment before walking out as well.

Layla placed a kiss on Giles' lips before following the teenagers out of the apartment.

Giles watched them all go in concern.

∞

The Bronze

As Layla predicted, with the opening of the blood factory that night, the Bronze was empty for the first time in ages, leaving it free for Layla, Alice, Carmen and the three Summers siblings to wander the club to see the hanging cages, the ropes dangling from the pool tables, and everything for the most part put away as though the place were just closed for the day.

Everything, that was, except for the dead boy in one of the cages.

Layla turned to look at Buffy, Brooke and Brady. "Wyatt, Angel and Hope are likely in the basement. You can stay up here if you want. We can take you to the factory right after we get them."

The three siblings nodded in agreement.

Carmen, Alice and Layla rushed down the stairs to the basement of the Bronze, their hearts pounding with a mixture of hope and dread. As they reached the bottom, they were met with the sight of three cells, each containing one of their captured loved ones.

Wyatt was slumped against the wall of his cell, his wrists bound by enchanted shackles that nullified his magic. His once vibrant eyes were dull and unfocused, his psyche and body bearing the scars of repeated torture sessions at the hands of Spike and Zoey.

In the next cell, Angel hung from the ceiling by chains, his body covered in burns and lacerations. He barely stirred as they approached, his vampire healing struggling to keep up with the constant abuse.

Hope occupied the final cell, her Guardian powers suppressed by specially designed restraints. Despite her weakened state, she still managed to maintain a defiant posture. While Bianca only fed from Hope and always took care of her, the Master liked to torture Hope as he took her blood.

Carmen's heart shattered at the sight of all three of them, but her breath was stolen especially at the pain she saw Angel in. To see her soulmate in such pain felt like a physical blow. She rushed to his cell, tears welling in her eyes. "Angel!"

Alice hurried to Wyatt's cell, her hands trembling as she worked to unlock the door. "Wyatt, can you hear me? We're here to get you out."

Layla approached Hope's cell, her voice soft but urgent. "Hope, sweetie, we're going to free you. Just hold on."

As the cell doors swung open, the three women rushed to their loved ones' sides.

Carmen gently cupped Angel's face, her tears falling freely now. "Angel, please, look at me. We're here."

Stirring at Carmen's touch, Angel's eyes fluttered open at the sound of her voice, a flicker of recognition passing over his face as he met her gaze. "Carmen?"

"It's me," Carmen whispered.

Angel leaned into her in relief. "Carmen."

Wyatt and Hope were both roused awake by Alice and Layla, becoming alert to what was happening.

Hope chuckled weakly. "About time you guys showed up."

"Yeah, it took a while for the place to clear out," Alice replied. "Sorry about that."

"Yeah, stupid bloody vampires," Wyatt remarked. "No offense, Angel."

Angel shook his head with a groan. "None taken."

Alice, Carmen and Layla used their powers break Wyatt, Angel and Hope free from their chains, holding them standing as they helped them remain standing or get to their feet.

"Come on," Layla said gently. "Let's get you out of here."

As the group emerged from the basement, Brooke's eyes immediately locked onto Wyatt. Despite never having met him before, she felt an inexplicable pull towards the injured warlock. Her usual stoic demeanor faltered for a moment as concern flashed across her face.

"What did they do to you?" Brooke asked, her voice uncharacteristically soft as she approached Wyatt.

Wyatt looked up, meeting Brooke's gaze. For a brief moment, recognition flickered in his eyes, as if he somehow knew her.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Wyatt replied with a weak attempt at humor. He lifted his head weakly, his eyes meeting Brooke's. For a moment, the pain and exhaustion seemed to fade from his face as he gazed at her. "You're... you're the Guardian. Brooke."

With a nod, Brooke found herself reaching out to support Wyatt, taking some of his weight off of Alice. "I've got you," Brooke murmured, surprising herself with the gentleness in her tone.

Alice glanced between Brooke and Wyatt, noticing the connection forming between them. "The vampires have been trying to break him, to turn him dark. Like Eric."

Buffy frowned. "Eric?"

"The warlock on their side," Carmen answered. "He was our friend, a witch, forced to turn dark through magical, psychological and physical torture."

Meanwhile, Brady's eyes were drawn to Alice. He had noticed her earlier and found himself subtly flirting with her and getting under her skin, but now seeing her in action, helping to rescue her friends, he felt an undeniable pull towards her, an unexpected surge of admiration. There was a strength and determination in her that resonated with him.

"You guys actually pulled this off," Brady said, impressed despite himself. "Gotta say, I'm a little surprised."

Alice met his gaze, a hint of a smile on her lips. "We're full of surprises. You might want to stick around and see what else we can do."

Brady raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Is that an invitation?"

Before Alice could respond, Layla interjected, her voice tense. "We need to move. The opening is happening as we speak at the factory."

"Where is the factory?" Buffy asked.

"We'll take you there," Angel told them.

Hope nodded in agreement.

Brooke raised an eyebrow skeptically, looking at Wyatt, Hope and Angel. "You three can barely stand."

"I don't need to stand in order to levitate and kill vampires," Hope replied.

Brooke tilted her head in acknowledgement.

"Believe us when we say that we're ready to die if it means taking a few of them with us," Wyatt said lowly, dangerously.

"Guess that means we're all on the same page then," Brady said. "Let's go."

The group exchanged a look tensely.

∞

Factory

The camera panned from a control panel across the crowd of gathering vampires, past a wooden cage full of humans and the machine waiting in front of it, and over to the Master up on stage. Surrounding the Master were his favored acolytes, Zoey, Bianca and Eric front and center, with Spike, Xander and Willow just behind them.

The Master spoke to his people. "Vampires, come! Behold the technical wonder, which is about to alter the very fabric of our society. Some have argued that such an advancement goes against our nature. They claim that death is our art. I say to them... Well, I don't say anything to them because I kill them. Undeniably we are the world's superior race. Yet we have always been too parochial, too bound by the mindless routine of the predator. Hunt and kill, hunt and kill. Titillating? Yes. Practical? Hardly. Meanwhile, the humans, with their plebeian minds, have brought us a truly demonic concept: mass production!"

The vampires all cheered. "Yeah! Yeah!"

Xander was visibly moved by the proceedings. "We really are living in a golden age."

Willow tilted her head toward Xander, smiling.

Zoey knew that this was the night they all died, looking as if she was just waiting for it all to go down.

Spike's gaze constantly shifted to Zoey, raising his eyebrows.

Zoey, Spike, Bianca and Eric shared a look, clearly having spoken about Zoey's vision before the opening, prepared for whenever the White Hats and the Summers came. They all knew they were going to die, and they were ready to go down swinging.

Eric looked bored by the event and was just waiting for the battle to begin, looking around.

Bianca smirked in anticipation, bouncing on her heels in excitement.

∞

Giles Apartment

Giles had several bags and bowls of various herbs and powders laid out on his chess table. He grabbed a couple of them, going over to his desk with them, where he had a large golden goblet already smoldering. He pulled bits of an herb from a bushel and dropped them into the goblet.

Giles recited the ritual to summon Anyanka. "Oh... Anyanka... I-I beseech thee..." He put on his glasses to read. "Um..." He turned a page. "In the name of all women scorned..." He added more herb to the fire. "Come before me."

Giles looked around his apartment to see where Anyanka might appear. She did so, but in the shadows under the stairs to his loft, where he didn't notice. Slowly she walked into the dim light of the room.

Giles turned to notice her, letting out a nervous breath as he jumped. "Oh!"

Anyanka glared at him as she sneered. "Do you have any idea what I do to a man who uses that spell to summon me?"

Giles gazed at her with a look of foreboding.

∞

Factory

The acolytes stood on the stage behind the Master, waiting for the battle to begin.

The Master smiled to his missions. "Bring on the first!"

At the cage, the vampires shoved a couple of the humans back from the gate, lifting off the crossbar and opened it.

Inside the cage, Oz realized what was about to happen, but couldn't do anything.

Two vampires went into the cage and chose a victim. "You!"

A vampire pointed to and grabbed Harmette. The acolytes looked on as she screamed and was dragged out. "Nooo! No! Please! No! Help me! No! Noooo!"

Some of the men in the cage - including Oz - attempted to resist and help her, but they were easily knocked aside.

Once they had her outside, one of them shocked her with a cattle prod. Her body went limp. The gates to the cage were closed, and the mortals all gathered to watch in horror. The two vampires dragged her to the end of the machine. One of them lifted her into a long stainless steel pan like the ones used for autopsies and laid her down in it.

The Master gestured as he explained. "She's still alive, you see, for the freshness."

The machine was turned on, and the pan moved along the conveyor to the blood draining station. On either side were four arms that extended over Harmette, each with a very large needle on the end. They all plunged into her body and began to suck the blood from it. At one end of the contraption was a tap for sampling the blood, and a glass was filled for the Master to taste.

In the cage, Oz watched in disbelief.

At the back of the factory, Layla, Alice, Carmen, Wyatt, Hope, Angel, Buffy, Brooke and Brady were sneaking into the building, peeking around a corner.

On the machine, Harmette let out her last few muffled sounds and before she died from bloodloss.

On the stage, the acolytes watched with anticipation.

At the back of the factory, Angel looked at the White Hats and the Summers. "You've all got your powers and your weapons. What's the plane for me?"

Buffy held up her stake. "Don't fall on this."

Angel took the stake.

Layla slowly took off her gypsy necklace that restrained her powers, allowing her eyes and hands to glow purple.

On the stage, Zoey sensed when her mother tapped into her power, smirking slightly. "Here we go."

The glass with the blood sample began to be passed through the vampire crowd up to the Master.

Alice, Brooke and Hope let their eyes flicker with red Guardian energy as they began to calmly make their way through the crowd of vampires toward the stage.

On the stage, Bianca smirked as she let a stread of red Guardian energy flicker through her eyes.

The arms of the machine extracted themselves from Harmette, and the pan with her body moved along the conveyor for disposal.

Carmen and Wyatt's fingers flexed at their sides as they followed Layla and the Guardians through the crowd toward the stage, ready to cast magic and use their powers at their command.

On the stage, Eric's own fingers twitched, just as ready to cast any spell that would counteract Carmen and Wyatt's to use at his disposal.

The glass of blood was handed up to the Master.

Buffy and Brady calmly made their way through the crowd.

Xander and Willow tilted their heads as their eyes trailed to the other acolytes.

Angel followed the others through the crowd.

Spike's eyes narrowed at the approaching White Hats and Summers in the crowd, ready for the battle to their deaths, as they all were.

The Master held the glass of blood up to his subjects for a toast. "Welcome to the future."

All of the vampires chanted together. "To the future! To the future! To the future!"

Brady raised his crossbow at the Master and fired.

"Arrow," Zoey warned in a singsong voice.

Without looking, The Master pulled Xander in front of him, and the bolt hit him in the right shoulder.

Brady aimed the crossbow at Zoey, but Zoey used her gypsy magic to fling the crossbow to the floor.

Panic set in among the vampires.

Before they could run and flee the factory, Wyatt raised and twisted his hand, magically closing all of the exits, trapping all of the vampires within the building with them. Immediately after, he conjured two spheres of fire and energy in either of his hands, throwing them at the vampire crowd around them.

The spheres exploded on impact, igniting the vampires caught in their path and sending them screeching into chaos. Flames erupted around the room, illuminating the darkness with a hellish glow. Screams filled the air as panic swept through the crowd of vampires, the smell of singed flesh mixing with the metallic tang of blood.

"Now!" Layla shouted, channeling her gypsy power. Purple energy swirled around her fingers as she conjured a powerful shield over the heroes and the humans still caged, protecting them from any stray attacks while simultaneously trapping the vampires within their own chaos.

Carmen focused on her powers as she lifted debris from around them with telekinesis, sending it flying toward the panicking vampires. Some of the debris were made of wood and on fire, perfect for makeshift stakes and setting vampires aflame, killing vampires by striking through the hearts or setting them ablaze.

"Let's make this quick!" Carmen shouted.

Buffy seized the moment, lunging forward and tackling a nearby vampire who had been dazed by the blast. She quickly staked him before turning her attention to the next target, each movement fluid and practiced.

Alice, Hope and Brooke moved together, the Guardians' powers intertwining as they cast protective spells and shields to shield themselves and their allies from the onslaught while simultaneously taking out the vampires.

"Stay close!" Alice called out, her voice cutting through the chaos as she kept her eyes peeled for any sign of Zoey or Bianca. "We need to clear a path!"

Brooke transformed, springing into action with a fierce determination as she tackled one vampire after another, her movements fluid and precise. Each punch and strike of red energy was delivered with full force.

Brady ran toward a vampire from behind. The vampire tried to punch him. Brady pushed his arm away, spinning to kick him in the back, grabbing his arm, flipping him over his shoulder to the ground in front of him, instantly staking him in the heart, making him explode into ash.

Alice ducked a wide swing from a vampire, levitating herself up with red energy, bringing her foot down to smash the back of his knee.

Angel attacked a vampire by the cage, punching him in the face, shoving him aside. He rushed over to the gate, throwing off the crossbar.

Willow smiled. "Uh-oh. Puppy got out."

Spike tilted his head as he watched Wyatt delve into his own inner darkness by killing the vampires around him. "And it seems little brother Wyatt is releasing his inner beast he's been desperate to keep caged."

Bianca couldn't help but grin as she watched Hope in the crowd. "It's always better to see a Guardian in her true form than as a prisoner in her own making or ours."

Angel threw open the cage's gate and started pulling people out.

Buffy twisted a vampire's arm around, immobilizing him, and did a jumping roundhouse kick to his gut.

The crowd of humans streamed into the fray, screaming in fear as the fire blazed around the factory. Layla, Alice, Brooke and Hope provided a gypsy and Guardian magical energy shield to protect the humans and their allies from the fire while waging war on the vampires.

Oz reached up and broke a piece off of one of the wooden cage bars. He immediately jammed it into the back of a vampire.

Brady kicked a vampire in the stomach, making him fall to his knees and hunch over, rolling over his back to get to another vampire without getting hurt, hitting him in the head with his crossbow, hard enough to make him fall. He fired a bolt from his crossbow into both of the vampire's hearts, killing them both with an explosion of ashes.

As Alice, Wyatt, Carmen, Layla and Hope stared down the acolytes, Zoey, Bianca, Eric, Spike, Xander and Willow smirked, finally deciding it was time to join in the battle, jumping down from the stage.

∞

Giles Apartment

Anyanka slowly approached Giles, who bravely stood his ground.

"Cordelia Chase," Giles spoke firmly. "What did she wish for?"

"I had no idea her wish would be so exciting!" Anyanka admitted. "Brave new world. I hope she likes it."

∞

Factory

The acolytes descended into the fray with predatory grace, each of them ready for the chaos that would ensue.

Zoey led the charge, her eyes gleaming with dark excitement as she unleashed her powers against the roaring flames. With a flick of her wrist, tendrils of purple glowing gypsy energy erupted from the ground, wrapping around several fleeing humans and pulling them back into the melee, their horrified screams echoing through the factory.

"Come on, playtime's just getting started!" Zoey shouted, her laughter ringing out over the chaos.

Bianca followed closely, her fangs extended and hunger evident in her gaze as she targeted a group of humans attempting to flee. She thrust her hands forward, red Guardian energy crackling around her before she unleashed a wave that sent several humans flying back against the wall, their bodies crumpling into lifeless heaps.

"Look at them scatter," Bianca taunted, glancing at Eric with a satisfied smile. "They can't even handle a little fight."

Zoey's gypsy magic swirled violently around her as she summoned shadows to dance at her fingertips, lunging toward Alice and Layla with reckless abandon.

Alice and Layla channeled their Guardian and gypsy powers as they braced for Zoey's impact. They clashed in cacophony of power and strength, their magic colliding in a dazzling display of red and purple light and shadow.

Using her vampire strength and agility, Zoey leaped into the air and flipped over Alice and Layla's heads, landing on the ground behind them. She then cartwheeled over them to flip Alice to the ground, straddling her to the ground, attempting to rip her throat out. Alice prevented the attack with a Guardian shield.

Simultaneously, Layla thrust her arms toward Zoey, sending a lasso of purple gypsy power toward Zoey, which closed in a trap around her daughter, using it to lift her up into the air, sinning around as the gypsy mother spun around and thrust her arms to the side, releasing her daughter of the power so she could throw her into a wall of the factory, making the wall crumble of the weight of Zoey and the strength of power Layla had used to fling her away from Alice to save her life.

As Zoey crashed against the wall, the impact sent a shudder through the building, and she winced at the pain lancing through her body. But she quickly regained her composure, shaking off the disorientation and rising to her feet with a fiery glint in her eyes.

"Is that all you've got, Mom?" Zoey taunted, brushing debris from her clothes.

Layla narrowed her eyes, feeling a surge of protective energy course through her.

"I won't let you hurt anyone else," Layla vowed, stepping forward with renewed determination.

Alice rose slowly, determination etched on her face.

Zoey's eyes narrowed as she looked at Alice, smirking. "Guess you're the new favorite daughter. Congrats, Alice."

Zoey focused her energy once more. The air thickened around them, swirling with dark magic as she conjured tendrils of dark gypsy energy, ready to ensnare Alice and Layla. With a flick of her wrist, the tendrils lunged at Layla and Alice, but Alice reacted instantly, unleashing a barrier of red light that absorbed Zoey's attack. The impact sent shockwaves through the factory, causing the ground to shake beneath them.

"Not today, Zoey!" Alice shouted, channeling her powers into a radiant shield that deflected the dark tendrils back toward Zoey.

Zoey laughed, twisting her body to avoid the impact, but the force of Alice's magic caught her off guard. The tendrils wrapped around her legs instead, yanking her backward and forcing her to stumble.

"Impressive," Zoey hissed, annoyance flickering across her features. She quickly pulled at the dark energy around her, breaking free and lunging forward once more.

Meanwhile, Brady and Buffy fought side by side, taking out vampires left and right. Brady delivered a swift kick to one vampire's jaw while Buffy staked another with a fluid movement.

"Just like old times," Brady remarked with a smirk as he dodged a punch.

"I can't say I miss this," Buffy replied dryly, tossing him a stake.

Brady easily caught the stake and instantly drove it through the heart of the vampire he was fighting.

Buffy ducked another swing from a vampire, stomping on the back of his knee. She grabbed him by his shirt and threw him over the conveyor into the flames. He pulled a section of it over with him as he screamed, landing in the fire as he was set aflame, starting to burn alive, flailing as he started to run through the factory.

Brady punched another vampire in the face. Yet another one tried to grab him by the neck from behind, and Brady spun around and elbowed him in the face. As the second one came at him again, Brady side stepped him and sent him barreling into the first one. Buffy and Brady both grabbed the two vampires and tossed them into the flames to burn them alive.

The chaotic din of the battle roared as more of the acolytes descended into the fray, their eyes glimmering with a predatory hunger.

Carmen saw Eric coming to face her, instantly using her telekinesis to face the evil warlock. With a thrusting motion of her hand, she threw Eric into the hard enough to make the wall shatter as he fell to the ground. Steeling herself, she drew on her telekinetic prowess to send debris flying at Eric. With every thrust of energy, she felt more empowered, more alive, but she knew that Eric was playing with her, letting her think she was winning for the moment for he snatched that hope away from her.

Eric smirked, effortlessly deflecting her debris with a flick of his wrist. "You think you can take me down that easily, Carmen? I've played this game long enough to know when to let my enemies feel brave."

Carmen's resolve hardened as she gathered her energy, summoning even more power through sheer determination. "You don't know anything about me! Not anymore."

Carmen shouted in rage, thrusting her hands forward once more. This time, the air crackled with a stronger force as an explosive wave of energy surged toward Eric.

Eric barely had time to react as the blast hit him head-on, sending him skidding across the ground. Carmen's heart raced at seeing him stagger back, but Eric quickly regained his footing, eyes narrowed in anger.

"Nice trick," Eric sneered, brushing himself off and glaring at her as he conjured a snarl of dark magic. "But it's going to take more than that to bring me down."

Carmen narrowed her eyes, feeling the surge of protective energy pulsing through her. She conjured another wave of debris, a mix of wood and metal fragments swirling around her like a storm. "I'm just getting started."

With a swift motion, Carmen sent the makeshift hurtling toward Eric, but with a hand wave, Eric seemed to slow the attack until the debris reached him at a harmless level. When Eric touched the metal within the debris, he used his elemental mimicry power to transform his entire body into the material, rendering himself practically invincible against Carmen's telekinesis and her debris weapons.

Suddenly, Eric's form shimmered as he morphed into a living blade of metal, shooting toward Carmen with blinding speed. Carmen barely had time to react as he slashed through the air, aiming straight for her heart.

With instinct kicking in, Carmen conjured a barrier of energy just in time to deflect his attack, the impact sending shockwaves through her body. She stumbled back, struggling to keep her footing as Eric shifted back to his warlock form, his eyes gleaming with dark triumph.

"Impressive," Eric taunted, smirking at her. "But you can't protect yourself forever."

Carmen clenched her jaw, refusing to back down, though the fear that Eric had nearly killed her dawned on her. Drawing on every ounce of strength and courage within her, she summoned her telekinetic powers once more. This time, she focused on the ground beneath Eric's feet, feeling the earth shift and tremble as she pulled it up towards him like a wave of force.

Eric looked down in surprise just before the ground erupted beneath him. Carmen's powers surged forth, lifting him off his feet as the earth and debris rose like a geyser, throwing him into the air. The chaotic energy pulsed around her, fueling her resolve as she pushed harder, focusing every ounce of her will into containing him.

Eric struggled to control his balance mid-air, his dark magic flaring as he attempted to regain his footing. But Carmen's telekinetic hold tightened, pulling him back down with an intensity that took him by surprise. He hit the ground hard, the shock sending ripples through the factory floor.

Carmen stood tall, feeling the power coursing through her veins. "You wanted me to show my strength? Fine. Let's see what you can handle!"

Carmen thrust her hands forward once again, this time unleashing a torrent of jagged stone and splintered wood aimed directly at Eric. The fragments flew toward him like arrows, each one imbued with her determination and grief over Cordelia's death.

Eric quickly touched the stone rising from the ground, using his elemental power to turn himself into the stone to protect himself from the barrage of arrow-like weapons, rendering himself impenetrable from the deadly magical constructs. Though, as Carmen's power surged, the earth swallowed him into a makeshift pit before he could react. The adrenaline was coursing through Carmen's veins as she willed the debris to collapse around him, trapping him momentarily.

But Eric wasn't gone yet. With his enhanced strength and endurability, he was able to burst out of the earthly cage with a monstrous roar. He destroyed the cage surrounding him with one leap into the air as he bodily collided with the stony pit around him, shattering it into a shower of debris and chaos around him that rained all around the flaming factory, causing everyone to duck and run for cover or use their powers for shields.

Stone Eric landed on the floor of the factory, his feet crushing into the floor with enough strength to shatter into the ground. He remained unscathed by Carmen's powers, though he was absolutely furious.

"You really think you can trap me?" Eric demanded, his voice dripping with contempt. "I'm more powerful than you ever imagined."

In response, Carmen gritted her teeth and summoned her energy again, channeling it through her body as she prepared for another attack. She felt Brooke's presence nearby, bolstering her strength with a surge of Guardian power that flowed through the air as Brooke joined Carmen's side against the evil warlock.

"Together," Brooke said, determination shining in her eyes as red energy crackled around her hands. "We can take him down."

Carmen nodded, grateful for the support. "Right. On three."

They counted together, and as they reached three, they unleashed their combined powers in a dazzling wave of red and telekinetic energy that surged toward Eric.

"Enough!" Eric roared, flicking his wrist to summon a barrier of dark magic to defend himself

The two forces collided, sending shockwaves rippling through the factory. For a moment, it seemed like the darkness might overwhelm them, but Carmen pushed harder, channeling everything she had into the attack.

With a fierce cry, Brooke added her Guardian energy to Carmen's force, the sheer intensity of their power shattering Eric's barrier like glass. The combined blast struck him squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward into a wall.

Dust and debris filled the air as Eric crashed into the bricks, momentarily stunned from the combined strength of Carmen and Brooke.

Elsewhere in the factory, Wyatt was fighting off other vampires, holding out his hand as he used his aerokinetic power to create a wind funnel to throw a vampire into the fire to set him aflame, killing him instantly. He held out his arms in a wide shrug, gathering all the wind toward him, and with a yell, he thrust his arms forward to release the air toward all the remaining vampires at the back of the factory with such strength that it blew them into the flames, setting them all on fire until it began to kill them all.

Spike came to confront Wyatt, smirking at seeing Wyatt in his full form. "Little brother. Releasing his inner darkness after all these years. Glad to see it make an appearance after all."

Wyatt turned to glare at Spike. "Maybe you'd like to feel some of it."

Spike shrugged carelessly. "After everything Zoey and I did to you, I'd say I'm overdue. Give it your best shot, Wyatt."

Wyatt clenched his fists, feeling the surge of energy coursing through him. "You wanted darkness? I'll show you darkness."

With a fierce battle cry, Wyatt unleashed a torrent of wind, summoning the very elements to his aid. The air around him crackled with power as he conjured a violent gust that spiraled toward Spike. The force sent debris flying in every direction, causing the vampires caught in the onslaught to scatter and stumble.

Spike, however, merely laughed, bracing himself against the incoming storm. "Is that all you've got? I've faced worse!"

As Wyatt concentrated, he transformed the wind into razor-sharp blades of air, shooting them toward Spike like a tempest of fury. Spike sidestepped with supernatural speed, evading each projectile while keeping his eyes fixed on Wyatt.

"You think your little tricks scare me?" Spike taunted. "I've danced with death too many times to count."

But Wyatt wasn't deterred. With a determined glare, magically inflicted as much pain on Spike as he possibly could inside of his own head, making Spike scream as he fell to the ground.

Spike sunk to his knees, holding a hand to his head.

Wyatt took a knee to the ground in front of Spike, his voice a low growl, simmering with pent up energy. "You wanted a taste of what I could do with darkness? Of what you and Zoey did to me? Fine."

Wyatt amplified the pain inside Spike's mind to show him just how much pain he and Zoey had inflicted on him, making him scream again, feeling the pulsing energy of battle coursing through his veins. He had spent too long suppressing his darker urges, but now, with the freedom of chaos around him and the taunting challenge hanging in the air, he felt the beast within stirring to life.

Wyatt extended his hands toward Spike, summoning a torrent of energy that crackled with dark power. Shadows twisted around him as he unleashed a powerful blast aimed directly as his vampire brother, determined to show Spike just how far he had come.

Even through his agony, Spike managed to dive out of the way from the attack, his vampire agility allowing him to avoid the onslaught.

"Is that all you've got?" Spike taunted, ready to retaliate.

But Wyatt wasn't done. As Spike moved in for an attack, Wyatt focused on his power of levitation of himself and others, levitating Spike into the air with ease, dangling him from the ground.

With a touch, Wyatt began to disintegrate Spike's arm into ash.

Spike gasped, feeling the sensation of his flesh unraveling as Wyatt's magic tore through him. He writhed in mid-air, desperate to escape the onslaught. "You think this makes you stronger? You're just proving my point, little brother! The monster inside you is waking up!"

Wyatt's eyes blazed with intensity, the darkness he had fought against for so long now simmering just beneath the surface. "This is who I am! No more hiding. No more running!"

With a furious motion, Wyatt sent Spike crashing to the ground, a cloud of dust and debris erupting around them. Spike landed hard but quickly rolled to his feet, ready to fight back.

Meanwhile, out in the fray, while she was levitating in the air above the fire with red Guardian energy, Hope shot out a burst of red glowing energy out a group of vampires, tearing down defenses and walls, landing on the ground, creating an explosion of flame, debris and power, throwing the vampires around it to the ground, making the vampires surrounding it burst into ashes.

Bianca watched Hope in battle, smiling as she never took her eyes away.

Hope felt the surge of exhilaration course through her as the flames danced around her, a powerful reminder of her Guardian essence. The energy pulsed at her fingertips, a stark contrast to the shackles that had once bound her. With each vampire that fell, she felt more alive, more in control.

"Look at you," Bianca called from the sidelines, admiration lacing her voice as she watched Hope revel in her newfound power. "You were meant for this. Join us fully, and we can rule together."

Hope narrowed her eyes at Bianca, resisting the seductive pull of her words.

"I'll never join you," Hope shouted back over the chaos, determination burning in her chest. "You're nothing but a parasite feeding off pain."

Bianca laughed lightly, unfazed by Hope's defiance. "You can deny it all you want, but deep down, you know there's something beautiful in surrendering to your true nature."

Hope's fierce powers ignited the atmosphere, and as she stood amidst the chaos, she felt her Guardian energy surging stronger than ever before. With every pulse of magic, every strike against the vampires, she embraced the rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins. Each enemy she felled only fueled her determination to protect those she loved.

Bianca levitated herself with red energy toward Hope, red tendrils twisting in the air around the vampire. Before Hope could react, Bianca unleashed a burst of Guardian energy aimed directly at her.

With a fierce resolve, Hope raised her arms, summoning a barrier of red light to deflect Bianca's attack. The clash of their powers sent shockwaves through the room, rattling the windows and causing debris to rain down from above.

"See the beautiful chaos we can create together?" Bianca asked excitedly. "Imagine it if we were on the same side."

"Is that all you've got?" Hope taunted in return, determined to ignore Bianca's seductive pull over her, her voice resonant with confidence. "You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that."

Bianca grinned. "I plan to."

With that, Bianca lunged at Hope with predatory grace, her claws poised to strike. But Hope was ready. She summoned a vortex of red energy around herself, swirling it like a protective shield that flared to life just as Bianca approached.

As the two forces collided, an explosion of fiery light erupted in the air, throwing off sparks and illuminating the dark corners of the factory. The impact sent both of them staggering back, their eyes locked in a fierce battle of wills.

Hope clenched her fists, channeling her Guardian energy through every fiber of her being. With a determined shout, she released a wave of red light that surged toward Bianca like a tidal wave. The force caught the vampire off guard, throwing her across the room and into the wall at the far end of the factory with enough force to shatter the stone.

Instead of being angry, Bianca was more than happy to see Hope in her full powered form. She smiled, tilting her head as she gazed at Hope with a mix of determination and admiration. "There's my girl."

Hope felt her heart race as she watched Bianca struggle to regain her footing after the impact. The vampire's relentless confidence only fueled her determination to fight back, to protect everyone she cared about.

With a fierce battle cry, Hope summoned another wave of energy, this time focused on the surrounding debris. She lifted chunks of stone and wood from the factory floor, hurling them toward Bianca with deadly precision. Each piece flew through the air, imbued with her Guardian magic, making them lethal projectiles aimed at the vampire.

Bianca deftly dodged one piece but was struck by another, the force sending her reeling backward. Yet the glimmer in Bianca's eyes never faded; instead, it ignited a fire within her.

"You're getting stronger!" Bianca teased, licking her lips in excitement. "I could mold that power into something greater!"

"I don't want your kind of power!" Hope shot back, channeling her energy once more.

As Bianca advanced, Hope thrust her hand closer, sending a wave of glowing red energy to throw her back.

∞

Giles Apartment

Giles was still confronting Anyanka. "You're gonna change it back." Anyanka finally got too close. Giles took a couple of steps back. "I'm not afraid of you. Your only power lies in the wishing."

Anyanka made a sudden and hard grab for his neck. "Wrong!"

Anyanka lifted Giles up and slammed him against a wall.

∞

Factory

Zoey felt the air shift around her as she regained her composure. She knew the end was coming as she took in the battle around her as the fire raged on. She knew that the death of everyone in the building was coming sooner rather than later, and everyone else knew it too, but they would all rather die fighting than not fight at all. Her eyes narrowed in fierce determination.

This wasn't just a battle; it was a reckoning.

"Enough playing around!" Zoey shouted, raising her hands to channel the dark magic pulsing through her veins. Shadows and dark purple energy swirled at her fingertips as she unleashed a swarm of energy bolts toward Alice and Layla, each one infused with chaos and destruction.

Alice barely had time to react as she spun around just in time to summon another shield of red energy. The bolts collided against her barrier, sending ripples of energy surging through her arms. She could feel the impact vibrating through her body, but she stood firm, refusing to back down.

"This ends tonight!" Alice yelled back, determination blazing in her eyes as she pushed through the pain and concentrated all her power into a counterattack.

The air crackled with tension as Alice channeled her Guardian energy and Layla channeled her gypsy power, sending a wave of brilliant red and purple light surging toward Zoey. The three forces collided in an explosion of power that illuminated the factory, casting shadows on the walls and creating a chaotic spectacle of light and dark.

Zoey laughed, the sound a mix of exhilaration and madness, reveling in the intensity of the clash. "Finally! Someone who can keep up with me! Looks like you're stronger than I thought, Mom."

As the dust settled, Alice pressed forward, determination fueling her every move. She conjured tendrils of red energy, weaving them into tight spirals that surged toward Zoey like serpents seeking their prey. The onslaught caught Zoey off guard for a moment, forcing her to sidestep the attack with a graceful leap.

Zoey twisted her hands, channeling more dark energy to intensify her assault. Shadows twisted and writhed around her, giving her an otherworldly appearance as she moved with predatory grace.

With a fierce cry, Layla unleashed a torrent of purple power that surged forward like a tidal wave. The ground shook beneath her, and the air crackled with raw power as her gypsy magic collided with Zoey's dark bolts. The two forces met with a dazzling explosion of light and shadow, illuminating the chaotic battleground around them.

Alice focused harder, determination etched into her features as she pushed back against Zoey's onslaught. She could feel the pain from the impact just as Layla could, but they refused to allow it to deter them. Channeling all of their strength, they forged a barrier of radiance that enveloped them completely.

Zoey and Layla both knew how this battle would end - with all three of them killing each other. Alice knew it too. Yet, none of them stopped, continuing to push each other to their limits as they all began to scream, their power tearing each other apart.

As the chaos of energy swirled around them, Alice and Layla felt the intensity of their combined powers pushing against Zoey's dark magic. The pressure mounted, each woman exerting their will to twist the tide of battle in their favor which would only end in the death of all three of them.

"Stay focused!" Alice yelled, her voice straining against the weight of their combined energies. "We can do this together!"

Layla nodded, her own power surging as she reached for her daughter's essence through the chaos. "Zoey, please! You don't have to do this! You can choose another path!"

Zoey smirked, twisting her body with a flourish as she absorbed the essence of their energies into herself, spinning it around her like a storm. "You think you can reach me? I've chosen my path, and it feels too good to turn back now."

As the three of them clashed, light and shadow danced in a chaotic ballet of power. The factory trembled beneath the weight of their collective magic, each explosion sending shockwaves through the air.

Zoey's laughter echoed amidst the chaos, a mix of exhilaration and madness. "You think you can control me? Look at this power!" She summoned a tempest of dark energy that swirled violently around her, threatening to consume everything in its path.

Layla steadied herself, channeling her gypsy magic into a protective shield around herself and Alice that joined Alice's Guardian shield, gripping onto the remnants of her strength, both of them getting weaker as well as Zoey.

"Together, Alice!" Layla shouted, their powers entwined as they prepared for one final push.

Alice nodded fiercely, determination burning in her chest. "We end this now!"

With a synchronized motion, they unleashed a combined force of radiant energy - red-golden light infused with deep indigo shadows - creating an overwhelming wave that surged toward Zoey. The impact was colossal, engulfing all three women and everything around them in a deadly explosion that caused everyone to look over in shock and awe for a brief moment, a moment that felt suspended in time.

As the collision of their powers erupted across the factory, a blinding light engulfed the space, consuming everything in its path. The air crackled with energy as the force resonated through the building, sending tremors beneath their feet and causing debris to rain down from above.

For a heartbeat, it was chaos. Then, silence - a profound, deafening quiet that followed the cataclysmic explosion. The shadows cleared like mist evaporating in sunlight, revealing the aftermath of their battle.

Alice, Layla and Zoey laid motionless in the center, their hair whipped wildly around their face by the residual energy swirling in the air that was consuming them entirely, incinerating them alive.

In Zoey's vampiric form, she crumbled into ash as she hit the ground, and Layla and Alice's bodies were left behind in the carnage.

Despite her battle with Eric, Carmen's heart raced as she pushed through the haze, rushing toward Alice and Layla's bodies laid. She knelt beside them, her pulse quickening at the sight of them lifeless among the wreckage.

"Layla! Alice!" Carmen called out, voice breaking as she reached for them, fear and grief once again flooding her veins. She looked toward the ashy remains of Zoey, breaking down into tears. "Zoey..."

Spike stumbled closer to the ashy remains of his lover, falling to his knees, no longer caring about the fight with his brother or anyone else for that matter. His face was a mask of anguish and anger. "She saw this coming. Zoey. She said we were all going to die."

After a moment of silence, the battle continued to wage on around them.

Finally, Xander and Willow were involved in the fighting, coming face to face with Buffy and Brady.

Willow swung at Buffy, but missed as Buffy ducked te punch. Buffy backhand punched Willow in the face and followed up with a roundhouse kick to her stomach. Willow fell to the ground. Buffy sensed something behind her and turned around in time to backhand punch an incoming vampire.

As Xander lunged in to strike Brady from behind, Brady ducked and spun to face him. Brady grabbed onto Xander's shoulder, yanking his body down to meet his knee, getting him twice in the gut and then in the face. Brady turned to kick the vampire behind him.

Xander took advantage of Carmen's devastation and came up from behind the witch, ready to make the kill.

Angel saw this and ran closer to try and save his soulmate. "Carmen, look out!"

As Carmen looked up, Angel ran past her and uppercut Xander in the face. Xander in turn lunged at Angel with the crossbow bolt that he had pulled from his shoulder, impaling Angel in the chest.

Carmen rose to her feet, feeling as if she had been struck in the heart, fearing the worst. "Angel!"

Angel turned to face Carmen, grabbing a hold of the arrow... which had pierced his heart. "Carmen..."

Carmen's eyes went wide with horror and realization. "No..."

Carmen ran toward Angel as she grabbed the arrow in his chest, starting to cry. As Angel started to disintegrate into ashes within her arms, Carmen clutched the ashes that slipped through her fingers, tears streaming down her face as she felt the weight of loss crashing down upon her. "No! No! Angel, please!" Her voice broke as she sank to her knees, the reality of Angel's absence settling in like a cold fog around her heart.

The chaos of battle faded into a dull roar, the vibrant energy of the factory dimming in contrast to her grief. In that moment, nothing else mattered; all that existed was the void left by Angel's sacrifice.

Wyatt, having dispatched several more vampires in quick succession, turned at Carmen's anguished cry. His heart sank at the sight of his friend crumpled on the floor, surrounded by fading ashes.

"Carmen!" Wyatt shouted, rushing toward her side, fists clenched in anger as he fought off another vampire behind him.

The scene before them was a brutal reminder of the stakes at hand - the darkness that hung over them.

Wyatt held onto Carmen's shoulder. "You have to stay strong. We have to fight. For all of them."

His words echoed in Carmen's mind as she felt the heat of loss wash over her. The people the acolytes used to be - her friends. Cordelia, Layla, Alice, Angel.

Rage surged within Carmen, igniting a fire that drowned out the pain. With a fierce scream, she channeled every ounce of her grief and anger into a powerful surge of magic.

"No!" Carmen shouted, raising her hands high as a wave of brilliant blue energy cascaded outward from her, enveloping the battlefield. The air crackled as her powers flared violently, forcing back every vampire nearby and creating a barrier that shimmered with a brilliant light, catching the attention of every vampire in the factory.

With renewed strength and purpose, Carmen stood tall, her eyes blazing with determination. The energy radiating from her was palpable, a combination of grief and fury that fueled her power.

The vampires faltered as Carmen's magic surged forward, pushing them back with a wall of protective energy. She could feel Wyatt beside her, his own powers flaring to life as he joined her in this newfound strength.

"Together!" Wyatt shouted, his eyes locked onto Carmen's.

They both focused their energies, intertwining their powers into an unstoppable force that surged toward the remaining acolytes and vampires.

In that moment, as the glowing energy enveloped them, Wyatt and Carmen channeled the memories of all they had lost - each friend stolen away by darkness - and unleashed it all in one massive wave. It crashed like a monsoon of water and energy, submerging everything in its path.

The combined force ripped through the factory with devastating power, obliterating the remnants of the acolytes' stronghold. Vampires screamed as they were caught in the rush, their bodies disintegrating before the overwhelming brightness of Carmen and Wyatt's magic.

Spike, still devastated by the loss of Zoey, let himself be swept away in the onslaught, no longer caring if he was wiped away in the carnage.

The walls trembled under the pressure of their unleashed energies, cracking and shattering as if bowing to their will.

Wyatt and Carmen felt a surge of triumph mixed with grief as they witnessed the once-mighty acolytes falling before them. Each explosion marked not just a victory but a tribute to those they had lost.

The memory of Angel's kind gaze fueled Carmen's resolve, anchoring her amidst the storm of emotions that threatened to consume her.

As the power of Carmen and Wyatt radiated through the entire building, putting out the fire but threatening to take out everyone else just the same, Brooke and Hope conjured a red glowing Guardian shield around themselves, Buffy, Brady, Oz and the humans, hoping to save as many people as they could, even as their numbers were dwindling by the moment because of the acolytes, the Master and the vampires. Numbers on either side were decreasing with each passing second.

Xander and Willow stumbled back by the force of Carmen and Wyatt's power, their confidence faltering as the onslaught approached, desperately looking for cover before they could be killed.

Wyatt and Carmen locked eyes, their determination fueling each other's resolve as they faced the growing tide of darkness.

"We end this now!" Wyatt shouted, channeling all his magic into their combined attack.

As the energy surged forward, it shattered the barriers that had once kept them apart - pushing dark magic back into shadows and forcing the other vampires to recoil in terror, most of them being killed in the process, disintegrating into ashes. The brilliance of their unity illuminated the factory like a beacon of hope amidst despair.

Carmen spotted Xander cowering in the corner, glaring at him with rage as she remembered he was the one that killed Angel in front of her. She telekinetically levitating him into the air and sent all of her power into burning him alive with a primal scream.

Xander screamed in agony as he crumbled into ashes in midair, raining to the floor around them.

Before Wyatt and Carmen's power could reach its intended height, an unnatural force swept through the room. Eric and Bianca emerged from the shadows with an aura of malevolence that sent chills down everyone's spines.

Carmen sent telekinetic blasts against Eric, though he countered them with dark magic that twisted reality itself, warping the debris and blasts of energy she hurled at him into harmless shapes on their way to the ground.

But Carmen wasn't backing down; she and Wyatt fought side by side, using their combined powers to direct streams of light and wind directly at Eric and Bianca as the duos faced off.

Bianca conjured a red Guardian energy shield before her and Eric, absorbing all of their magical attacks and deflecting it back on Wyatt and Carmen with ease.

"I'm done playing games!" Carmen shouted, focusing her will and pushing back with all her might against Bianca's shield. The force of their combined power began to turn the air electric, crackling with tension.

Wyatt joined her, unleashing a whirlwind of energy that whirled around them like a tempest even as Eric's dark magic bent around him, countering their efforts.

As the two forces clashed once more, Carmen felt her heart pounding in time with the rhythm of battle. Each pulse was a reminder of everything they had lost - Angel, Cordelia, and now potentially each other if they didn't finish this.

The factory shook violently as they pressed against Bianca's barrier, the clash resonating through the walls.

"You think you can take us both on?" Eric sneered, his eyes flashing with malevolence.

Bianca grinned wickedly. "Oh, darling, you have no idea what we're capable of."

Carmen and Wyatt stood firm as the deflected energy crackled around them, illuminating the darkened factory space. With a fierce determination, they combined their powers once more, fortifying their resolve against the oncoming storm that was Eric and Bianca. With synchronized movements, they thrust their hands forward, unleashing a dual wave of dark blue and light blue energy that surged toward Eric and Bianca like a tsunami. The air hummed with their combined magic, the very fabric of reality bending around them as their powers collided with the vampire duo.

Bianca laughed, her eyes gleaming with wicked delight as she countered their attack with a torrent of her own. "You think this ends well for you? You're just prolonging your suffering."

Combining their powers of red Guardian energy and dark magic shadows, Bianca and Eric ensnared Wyatt and Carmen, levitating them from the ground and pushing them down into the building below with all her power and strength, tearing down the building and making everyone around them fall inside into a pit of destruction into an underground sinkhole with crumbling debris of the entire building all around them.

Bianca then levitated all of the debris that surrounded the sinkhole with Guardian energy, thrusting her hands downward to use her power with such force, speed and strength that she impaled the ground and sent everything around it exploding with red energy, blowing everyone back to the ground as all of the debris went flying into the underground prison to either trap Wyatt and Carmen there or bury them alive. The magical energy and the debris ricocheted and impaled the innocent human bystanders around the destruction to the point of being severely harmed or dead.

Carmen felt a sudden rush of panic as the ground beneath them seemed to shatter and collapse. The force of Eric and Bianca's attack sent shockwaves through the factory, and Carmen's instincts kicked in as she called upon her powers.

With a desperate cry, Wyatt and Carmen conjured a protective barrier around themselves just before the debris could crush them, yet it wasn't enough to stand against Eric and Bianca's combined powers as the world around them crumbled as the ground beneath them gave away and the world above them collapsed on top of them.

The maelstrom of destruction swirled around them as it buried them alive. The dark magic unleashed by Eric and Bianca enveloped them in a vortex of chaos, the crushing force pushing down from above like the weight of the world itself, leaving Wyatt and Carmen to be swallowed by the darkness beneath it all.

In death, they were reunited with the ones they lost.

Anyanka: (voice over) "This is the real world now."

∞

Giles Apartment

Anyanka still had Giles pinned to the wall by his throat. "This is the world we made. Isn't it wonderful?"

∞

Factory

Now, the only ones living to fight in the battle were Buffy, Brooke, Brady and Hope on the White Hats' side.

On the Master's side, the only ones alive were Eric, Bianca, Willow and the Master himself, who was watching from the stage.

Buffy noticed a vampire run up behind her, backhand punching him, sending him flying through the air. As he stood, he swung at Buffy, and she punched his arm away. Taking advantage of the opening, she swung her stake into his chest, and he exploded into ashes. Without a care, Buffy turned back around and started looking for her next victim.

Brady kicked a vampire in the back, making him fall into the machine, which fell with a loud bang. Another vampire tried to punch Brady. Brady ducked. As the vampire tried to kick Brady, Brady horizontally flipped over his leg to make him miss, landing next to the first vampire he kicked into the machine, staking him in the heart to make him burst into ashes. Brady then spun around and kicked the second vampire in the head, shot an arrow from his crossbow into his heart, dusting him as well.

Willow started to make a move toward Brady, but Brady merely grabbed Willow by the arm and pulled her toward a broken piece of the wooden cage at the back of the room that he could use as a stake. Willow shoved free of Brady's hold.

Oz shook free of a vampire and ran to Brady's assistance, grabbing Willow by the waist and shoved her back into the broken piece of the cage as she was distracted by Brady. Willow instantly burst into ashes.

Eric saw the death of his sister Willow. Despite being overrun by darkness and evil, he was filled with devastated and filled with rage at the sight of his sister's death at the hands of vampire hunters and instantly used dark magic to snap the necks of Brady and Oz without hesitation, watching as they both fell dead.

Buffy and Brooke both paused mid-fight as they watched their brother Brady fall dead to the floor, heartbroken and furious.

Buffy and Brooke felt the world tilt beneath their feet as the reality of Brady's death settled over the twins like a suffocating blanket. Their hearts raced, fueled by a surge of grief and fury that ignited deep within their core.

As Brooke fell to her knees, she screamed her older brother's name, releasing a burst of red Guardian energy that radiated like a bomb around her, tearing apart six vampires surrounding her while she didn't move a muscle. "Brady!"

"Brady!" Buffy screamed, the word tearing from her throat with a mix of disbelief and rage.

Buffy and Brooke turned their fury onto Eric, who stood smugly in the chaos, reveling in the aftermath of his twisted victory.

"You'll pay for this," Buffy hissed, her eyes narrowing as she charged toward him, every ounce of her Slayer strength coiling tight within her like a spring ready to snap.

Brooke followed suit, a fierce determination hardening her features. "You think this ends here? You're wrong."

But Eric merely smirked, black veins pulsating beneath his skin as he summoned more dark energy to himself. "Oh, but it does. You Summers were always too predictable."

Despite the fact that Eric and Buffy felt as if they knew each other from another life, their devastation and fury from the loss of their siblings and the fact that they were enemies in this life overshadowed everything else. They glanced at each other, their expressions mirrors of shock and rage, each fighting back the tide of grief that threatened to overwhelm them. Fury ignited within Buffy like a flame, her heart pounding in synchronicity with the chaos surrounding her.

"Didn't see this coming, did you?" Eric taunted, his dark magic crackling around him like a storm ready to unleash its fury. "Your precious little family is crumbling before your eyes."

"Looks like yours did first," Brooke retorted furiously.

Without another word, Brooke launched herself at Eric, channeling her Guardian energy into a powerful strike. The wave of crimson light surged forward as Brooke summoned all her strength, aiming to take him down before he could react.

But Eric anticipated her move and raised a hand, deflecting the attack effortlessly. The energy ricocheted off Eric's shield, blasting into nearby debris. Brooke stumbled back, momentarily stunned by the force of the deflection.

Buffy seized the opportunity, lunging at Eric with lightning speed. Her fist connected with his jaw, the impact resonating through the air. But Eric barely flinched, his dark magic absorbing the blow.

"Is that all you've got?" Eric sneered, his eyes flashing with malice.

Buffy and Brooke exchanged a determined look, silently communicating their next move. As one, they attacked from opposite sides, Buffy unleashing a flurry of punches while Brooke channeled a wave of Guardian energy.

Eric laughed, reveling in the challenge. He twisted his hands, conjuring tendrils of shadow that lashed out at the sisters.

As Buffy and Brooke fought against Eric with all their strength and power, Hope squared off against Bianca. The two Guardians circled each other, their red energy crackling in the air between them.

"It doesn't have to be this way," Hope said, her voice strained.

Bianca laughed coldly. "Oh Hope, always so naive. This is exactly how it's meant to be. Embrace the chaos!"

With that, Bianca unleashed a torrent of crimson energy at Hope. Hope barely managed to deflect it, the force of the blast sending her skidding backwards. She gritted her teeth, summoning her own power to retaliate.

The two Guardians clashed in a dazzling display of red light, their powers colliding and sending shockwaves at the other.

Bianca used the energy to levitate herself, throwing a burst of red energy out from her hand into a group below, into the ground, causing it to explode in bursts of red aura, blasting the people around the explosions to smithereens one burst at a time.

Hope used her Guardian shield to protect herself, though Bianca wasn't trying to kill Hope, which only confused her more. Of course, Hope remembered that Bianca was still intent on "winning" the Guardian over to her side, conflicting her evermore, but she could only resist the vampire's seductive pull over her.

Hope held out her hand, sending constructs of red energy arrows shooting into Bianca, sending her flying from the air and to the ground. Instead of crashing, Bianca used her vampire agility to flip through the air and land on her feet, throwing out her hands to either side of her to release large blasts of red energy from either hand, creating a red energy blast wave that radiated out at the people around her, throwing them to the ground and into the destruction around her, killing them all - every human that the White Hats struggled to protect, they were all dying.

It only fueled Hope's rage, which caused Bianca to smile.

"Come on, Hope," Bianca coaxed enticingly. "Show me your power."

Hope used red energy to levitate herself, and all of the debris behind her, magically throwing them into Bianca, throwing her down. She shot blast after blast of Guardian energy into Bianca, levitating closer each time.

Bianca smiled at seeing this version of Hope, using her own Guardian shield to protect herself, sending it into Hope to force her back for a moment, pushing her down onto her back. "I could think of much more enjoyable things to do with a woman like you on her back. Like when you begged me to feed on you, but..."

The words fed into Hope's anger and shame as she tilted her head in frustration, her eyes glowing red as she glared intensely into Bianca's eyes. She pulled one of her hands back, thrusting it forward to release an insanely powerful blast of Guardian energy, destroying Bianca's shield and sending Bianca flying away onto the ground.

Hope rose to her feet, arms outstretched. She conjured red glowing energy around Bianca, levitating her up into the air making intricate hand movements with small jerks as she started to pull Bianca's limbs apart one by one, breaking her bones, beginning to rip her apart.

Even through the agony, Bianca could only laugh in glee as she began to glow with red energy from the inside out.

Hope's anger surged as she felt the power coursing through her veins, pushing her to the brink of her limits. The energy crackled around them, the air thick with tension and raw magic.

"You think this is a game?" Hope shouted, every word laced with defiance. "You're not invincible!"

As she tightened her grip, Bianca's laughter echoed through the factory, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Hope's spine. "Oh, my dear Guardian, you underestimate me!"

With a flick of her wrist, Bianca summoned her own energy, twisting it into a dark spiral that wove itself around Hope's attack.

The two forces collided, creating an explosion of crimson light that illuminated the battered walls of the factory. Debris rained down around them as they struggled for control, each woman locked in a battle not only with each other but also with their own pasts and desires.

Hope felt the weight of Bianca's power pressing against her heart, drawing on each other's light and darkness both until they consumed each other.

Hope's heart raced as the intensity of their powers collided, a maelstrom of red energy swirling around them in chaotic brilliance. The factory trembled under the weight of their magic, but in the midst of battle, something deep within Hope shifted. She remembered why she fought - not just for herself, but for everyone lost along the way.

Drawing on that memory, she focused harder, pushing back against Bianca's dark energy with all her might.

"No more games!" Hope cried out, her voice steady despite the chaos around her.

Suddenly, an unexpected surge of power coursed through her - the remnants of Faith's spirit, the strength of her sister's loss before she could become a Slayer. In that moment, everything clicked into place: she wasn't fighting alone.

With newfound determination, Hope channeled every ounce of love and anger into a radiant beam of energy that pierced through Bianca's defenses. The light surged forward like a comet, illuminating the dark corners of the factory as it raced toward Bianca.

The vibrant red light surged forward with a primal light surged forward with a primal force that pushed Bianca's dark spiral back, forcing it to unravel in a dazzling explosion of power. Bianca's smirk faltered as Hope's energy enveloped her. The radiant power consumed her, breaking down her defenses and ripping through her darkness.

The clash sent shockwaves through the entire factory, nearly tearing it down from the explosion of Guardian energy as it incinerated Bianca and caused her to burst into an explosion of ashes and red Guardian energy, releasing all of the power that she had stolen from Alice, Sofia and Hope. In the process, it shot out toward Hope and enveloped her in the explosion and took her life with it along with the remaining vampires in the factory aside from the Master himself.

Although not killed in the blast of Guardian energy, the Master, Brooke, Buffy and Eric were all blown back and landed on the floor, along with a few of the human survivors.

Everyone else was dead.

∞

Giles Apartment

As Anyanka pinned Giles to the wall by his throat, Giles was choking.

Just then, Giles noticed the amulet around her neck began to glow green, realizing that it was her power center. He made a grab for it, wresting it from her neck.

This caused Anyanka to let go of him, and Giles backhand punched her in the face, sending her staggering across the room.

∞

Factory

Once they regained their footing from the Guardian explosion that killed both Bianca and Hope and the rest of the vampires, Buffy and Brooke returned to fighting fiercely against Eric's dark magic in revenge for Brady's death. Despite their combined strength, Eric's powers seemed to grow with each passing moment.

Buffy launched a series of rapid punches and kicks, trying to break through Eric's defenses. Meanwhile, Brooke unleashed waves of Guardian energy, the red light illuminating the chaos around them.

Eric deflected their attacks with ease, dark tendrils of magic lashing out to keep the sisters at bay.

"You can't win," Eric taunted. "Your world is crumbling, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

Buffy gritted her teeth, refusing to give up. "We'll see about that."

Buffy feinted left before spinning into a roundhouse kick aimed at Eric's head.

Brooke seized the opportunity, channeling her power into a focused beam of energy.

As Buffy spun around, her foot colliding with Eric's jaw, Brooke released her concentrated beam of energy. The two attacks merged into a single force of destruction, sending Eric staggering backward.

For a moment, triumph flickered in the sisters' eyes as they saw their enemy falter.

But Eric dropped the act and grinned. "You think that's enough to stop me?" His voice dripped with dark amusement as he summoned his power, reshaping the air around him into a barrier that absorbed their combined attack.

"Together," Buffy said through clenched teeth, exchanging a glance with Brooke.

They could almost sense the weight of their family's loss urging them on, igniting the flames of vengeance even deeper within them.

"Together," Brooke echoed, determination hardening her resolve.

With synchronized grace, Buffy and Brooke lunged forward again.

As the Master watched, he finally had enough. He knew that he and Eric were the only ones left on their side, and Buffy and Brooke were the only ones left on their side.

The Master slid down the stair railings from the stage and shoved aside the remaining surviving mortals blocking his way in his determination to get to the trio still fighting.

With both the Master and Eric against the Summers sisters, they wouldn't stand a chance, and they both knew it.

Brooke's eyes widened as she saw the Master approaching. "Buffy."

Buffy spun around to see the lead vampire approaching.

Eric grinned maliciously. "Ready for the end? I sure am."

Buffy and the Master met with swings that middle blocked each other. Buffy tried strike the Master, which he countered with a strike of his own.

Meanwhile, Brooke continued to fight Eric on her own, but without Buffy, her chances dwindled.

∞

Giles Apartment

Giles scrambled to his desk, laying the amulet on it, searching frantically for something to smash it with. He soon had his marble paperweight in his hand.

Anyanka got up from the floor. "You trusting fool! How do you know the other world is any better than this?"

Giles looked at Anyanka with desperation, knowing that by Layla's cryptic warning, everyone was dying tonight or were dead already. "Because it has to be."

∞

Factory

With renewed determination, Brooke focused on Eric, channeling her Guardian energy into a concentrated blast. She could feel the weight of her brother's death pressing on her, fueling her rage and driving her to fight even harder, aiming a powerful burst of red energy straight at his chest.

Eric laughed, raising his hands to deflect the attack. As he pushed back against her energy with dark magic swirling around him, Brooke felt a surge of frustration. For every ounce of power she sent his way, he seemed to absorb it effortlessly, twisting it back against her with cruel laughter echoing in the air.

Brooke yelled fiercely, summoning all her remaining strength. She leaped forward, attempting to tackle Eric with a wave of Guardian magic behind her.

But Eric was ready. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a team of tendrils flying toward Brooke, ensnaring her in a binding grip of dark energy that pulled her off course. Brooke gasped as the tendrils wrapped around her limbs, constricting tightly and rendering her helpless.

Buffy, still grappling with the Master, could feel the tension in the air shift. In a moment of distraction, she broke free from his hold and glanced over at Brooke.

"Brooke!" Buffy shouted, panic rising in her chest.

Summoning every ounce of courage left within her, Buffy unleashed a powerful kick against the Master's torso, sending him staggering backward. She turned to bolt toward Eric and Brooke but knew she wouldn't reach them in time.

"You think you can save her?" Eric cackled, channeling his dark power as he tightened the grip on Brooke. "Too late."

Brooke struggled against the confines of dark magic, utterly helpless and terrified.

With a flick of Eric's wrist, one of the tendrils slithered around Brooke's head and gripped her chin before twisting with the strength of a vampire, before either she or Buffy could even blink, breaking her neck.

The sickening crack of Brooke's neck echoed through the chaos, a sound that reverberated in Buffy's bones. Time seemed to freeze as horror washed over her. The world around them faded into a blur, leaving only the devastation of Brooke's lifeless body hanging limp in the dark tendrils of Eric's power.

Buffy's heart shattered as she watched Brooke's body go limp, the tendrils of dark magic falling away. "Brooke!"

Fury surged through her like a tidal wave, drowning out the grief that threatened to overwhelm her.

With a primal scream, Buffy charged at Eric, every ounce of pain and anguish fueling her assault. She struck with ferocity, fists flying in a blur as she fought against the darkness that had claimed her brother and sister. Each punch reverberated with violent energy, echoing the loss she felt deep within.

Eric, caught off guard by the ferocity of her attack, struggled to deflect each blow. The wildness in Buffy's eyes sent shivers down his spine; he had underestimated the power of grief.

With renewed vigor, Buffy launched herself at Eric, fists flying with supernatural speed and precision. Each blow was fueled by the loss of her brother and sister and the weight of all they had fought for.

Eric laughed coldly, deflecting Buffy's punches with ease.

"Pathetic," Eric sneered. "I thought Guardians were supposed to be the Slayer's protectors and saviors. Not the other way around. Looks like you and your sister both failed in that regard, didn't you?"

The Master smiled at Eric's cruel words which only heightened Buffy's fury and devastation.

With a roar that echoed through the factory, Buffy summoned every last ounce of strength, channeling her grief into a single, desperate blow. She leaped forward, throwing a powerful punch aimed squarely at Eric's heart. The air crackled with energy as her fist connected with a force that should have sent him flying.

But Eric merely absorbed the blow, his dark magic twisting around him like armor. He grinned maniacally, reveling in the moment. "Is this all you've got? Your anger just makes me stronger."

Fueled by a potent cocktail of rage and sorrow, Buffy grit her teeth. "You will pay for what you've done!"

With newfound determination, Buffy pulled back her arm and unleashed a series of rapid punches, each one infused with the memories of her brother and sister, each strike fueled by their sacrifices. And still, Eric remained standing, thrusting his hands forward to unleash a wave of dark energy that caught her off guard.

Buffy felt the tendrils wrap around her wrists, yanking her toward Eric just as she was about to deliver another blow.

Eric chuckled darkly, tightening his grip, restraining Buffy efficiently. "You have nothing left but anger, Slayer. And anger won't save you." He pulled her closer, their faces mere inches apart, his eyes gleaming with malevolence. "Just like everyone else you care about, you'll fade into dust. This is your end."

∞

Giles Apartment

Giles raised the paperweight and started to swing it down with full force at Anyanka's amulet.

Anyanka shouted helplessly. "No!"

∞

Factory

Despite all of Buffy's Slayer strength, she could not break free from Eric's dark magic tendrils. She glared at him with rage as she fought against him to no avail.

Eric smiled wickedly as he glanced over to the Master.

The Master approached Buffy from behind, backhand punching her in the head, snapping her head to the side and grabbing her from behind, taking her head to hold in his hands for the final killing move.

∞

Giles Apartment

Giles swung the paperweight down.

∞

Factory

As Eric watched with a sick delight, the Master gave Buffy's head a hard twist, snapping her neck.

∞

Giles Apartment

Giles swung the paperweight further down.

∞

Factory

In the stillness that followed, the cacophony of battle faded into an eerie silence. Buffy's body went limp in the Master's grasp, her lifeless form crumpling within the restraints of Eric's tendrils, leaving the Master and Eric the only two left standing.

Eric released Buffy's form from his magic, allowing her body to collapse to the ground next to Brooke and Brady's.

∞

Giles Apartment

Giles smashed the paperweight into Anyanka's amulet. It shattered into thousands of pieces and emitted a burst of green light.

∞

Factory

The Master looked down at the Summers with a twisted satisfaction. "Such fire extinguished so easily. And just when it seemed they might be worthy opponents."

Eric chuckled darkly, savoring the moment. "We've triumphed, my lord. With the White Hats and the Summers line extinguished, nothing can stand in our way."

The Master sighed. "Yes, but at the expense of everyone else. Even all the other favorite children. Zoey, Bianca, Spike even..."

Eric nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes. But Zoey warned us this would happen, sir."

"She did," the Master agreed. "She didn't say anything about survivors."

"Because she didn't live to see any," Eric pointed out. "The power between her, Alice and Layla overwhelmed them all."

The Master accepted that with a nod. "Now we begin anew."

Eric smirked in pleased agreement.

The picture faded to white.

∞

The Real World

Day - Sunnydale High School - Quad

Cordelia was making her wish, but she no longer had Anya's pendant around her neck. "I wish Buffy, Brooke and Brady Summers had never come to Sunnydale."

Anya turned back to face Cordelia, but her face was in human form. "Done."

Anya was taken aback when nothing happened, not yet quite aware that she was no longer immortal - and powerless.

Cordelia smiled, completely unaware of what happened in the Wishverse. "That would be cool!" She looked away. "No, wait. I wish Buffy and Brooke Summers had never been born."

Anya frowned, confused and irritated. "Done!"

"And I wish that Xander Harris never again knows the touch of a woman," Cordelia added. She grinned, starting to walk away. "And that Willow wakes up tomorrow covered in monkey hair."

Anya followed Cordelia, trying again to grant her wish to no avail. "Done!"

Across the quad, Zoey, Buffy, Brooke, Brady, Alice, Eric, Carmen, Xander and Willow were sitting and talking together, all smiles and enjoying their friendship, completely unaware of what happened in the Wishverse.

Cordelia walked past them without pausing. "In fact, I wish all men except maybe the dumb and the really agreeable kind disappear off the face of the earth. That would be so cool. Or maybe..."

Wyatt, Giles and Layla walked up to the teenage Scoobies, smiling at them.

Layla wrapped an arm around Zoey, kissing her head. Zoey leaned her head on her mother's shoulder lovingly with a grin. Alice reached up to greet Layla with a kiss on each other's cheeks.

Layla teasingly brushed back Carmen's hair which caused her to grin in return.

Giles made a point of checking his watch to remind the teens to get to class on time. They all just smiled at him and nodded.

Wyatt sat next to Brooke, wrapping an arm around her. Brooke nestled into her boyfriend's hold as she smiled.

Buffy and Eric smiled at each other as they finished up their lunch together, the couple relaxed in each other's arms.

As Brady played with the ends of Alice's hair, she relaxed into his hold with a slight smile.

Xander and Willow were even cheerfully smiling despite their previous night's moping about Cordelia and their cheating debacle.

As the group sat together, enjoying the sunny day and each other's company, a sudden wave of energy rippled through the air. Zoey, Layla, Alice and Brooke simultaneously gasped, their eyes widening as if struck by an invisible force. The world around them seemed to blur and fade, replaced by a cascade of vivid, haunting images.

Zoey's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears as she saw herself as a vampire, cruel and remorseless, tormenting those she loved. She felt the phantom taste of blood on her lips, the rush of dark power coursing through her veins. The memory of her final moments, locked in battle with her mother and Alice, sent a shudder through her body.

Layla's grip on her daughter tightened as she, too, relived the horrors of the Wishverse. She saw the devastation wrought by the Master and the acolytes, the loss of her friends - of her sister Jenny at the hands of Zoey, and the heart-wrenching realization that she had failed to protect her daughter. The pain was overwhelming, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she clutched Zoey tighter.

Alice gasped, feeling the echoes of her own past resurfacing. Memories of betrayal and heartbreak flooded her mind - of being trapped and tormented while her friends fought valiantly yet fell victim to darkness. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to block out the anguish.

Brooke's breath hitched as she felt shadows creeping in around her, memories of battles lost and loved ones sacrificed filling her with dread. She fought against it, desperate not to be consumed by the weight of what had once been.

The others noticed their distress, worry and concern crossing their faces.

"Guys?" Buffy asked. "What do you see? What's wrong?"

"A vision," Zoey answered. "Of a horrible... horrible other world."

Brooke turned to Wyatt, feeling his comforting presence beside her, but even that couldn't quell the shadows creeping into her mind, fear lacing her voice. "Is this... real?"

Wyatt shook his head vigorously, determination written on his face. "It's not real. Tell us what you see."

Layla took a deep breath, trying to ground herself amid the swirling memories. "I saw... us. But not like this. Buffy, Brooke and Brady... they never came to Sunnydale. Cordelia said she made a wish to a demon named Anyanka that they never came to town. The Master had won. We were fighting him, but we lost everything." Her voice wavered as she recalled the haunting images of their failures, of loved ones turned to evil, turned to ashes and friendships and families shattered.

Alice swallowed as she gripped Brady's hand tightly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Zoey, Eric, Xander, Willow and Bianca... they were corrupted by the Master and turned into the most powerful acolytes, alongside Spike. Wyatt, Angel and Hope were prisoners. And the rest of us on the side of good... we were just lost. It was like we were trapped in our worst fears."

Brady looked at Alice in concern as he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "Sounds like a nightmare."

Carmen leaned in closer. "If you're having visions like that, we need to know what they mean. Are they warnings? Signs of something coming?"

Giles looked between Zoey, Layla, Alice and Brooke in concerned urgency. "Focus on the memories. If you can remember any details - anything that could help us - it might be crucial."

"It wasn't of the future," Brooke answered. "It was like a past life. An alternate life."

As Zoey concentrated, more fragments of memory flooded her mind: dark figures lurking in shadows, the sickening laughter of vampires echoing through empty streets, the cries of friends lost to despair, the cries of her victims - including her mother Layla, Alice, Cordelia and her own aunt Jenny. She shuddered as she stood and turned away, feeling sick to her stomach.

Layla and Alice looked at Zoey knowingly in concern, standing.

"Zoey, it wasn't you," Layla told her.

Zoey turned back, her eyes filled with defiance but also tinged with guilt, tears burning in her eyes. "But it felt so real. I saw myself - what I could become. I killed Aunt Jenny. I did to her what Angel did, but worse, because she's my family, and I tortured her first. And all she wanted to do was save me and give me my soul back."

Everyone else looked at Zoey solemnly in shock.

Zoey looked down, forcing herself to go on. "And Mom and Alice... I helped Spike torture Wyatt to try and make him lose his mind and turn dark. I helped do the same thing to Eric. I drained Cordelia in front of Carmen, and Willow and Bianca did too. The darkness was intoxicating. What if it happens again?"

Everyone was reeling over each description, realizing just how real this other world felt to the gypsies and Guardians.

"You're not that person," Alice reassured Zoey, stepping closer to envelop Zoey in a hug. "You've been fighting against that darkness since you found out what you could be, and you've chosen a different path."

Layla wrapped her arms around Zoey and Alice both, holding them tightly as if she could shield them from the world and everything that threatened them, including the darkness that terrified them.

"But what if that choice is taken away?" Zoey whispered, the fear in her voice palpable.

Giles stepped closer, drawing their attention back to him. "We've faced much worse than this before. The key is to remain united - whatever darkness approaches us next, we face it together."

Zoey, Alice and Layla looked at Giles in relief.

Eric nodded fiercely, her resolve hardening. "Exactly! We won't let some twisted version of our lives define who we are now. We've fought side by side too many times to let fear win."

Buffy smiled at Eric. "Exactly. We fight, just like we always do. We fight together. We always have."

"That's the spirt," Xander agreed.

Willow nodded in agreement, her eyes fierce with determination. "We won't let that happened. You're not alone in this, Zoey. You're one of us."

Wyatt stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Zoey's shoulder. "And you're stronger than any darkness that tries to claim you."

Despite Zoey's fear from what she lived through in the Wishverse, she couldn't help but smile at the support around her.

Carmen stood, walking toward Zoey to embrace her best friend. "It's okay. We're going to figure this out together."

Zoey clung to Carmen tightly, closing her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Carmen. All of you."

Carmen shook her head firmly. "It doesn't matter what you did in this other world, Zoey. It wasn't real. I promise."

Eric bit his lip in thought. "Though maybe we should talk more about it. Even if it doesn't matter what we did over there, it might matter if it can happen over here."

"Eric's right," Brooke agreed somberly. "If we know more, then we can prevent that kind of darkness from taking over in this world, in each of us, if we try hard enough."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Brady looked between Zoey, Layla, Brooke and Alice. "You four up to talking about it?"

Zoey closed her eyes, looking down with a nod.

"We are," Alice answered.

Layla and Brooke nodded in agreement.

Willow frowned. "Shouldn't we talk to Bianca and Hope too? If you guys remember..."

"Bianca and Hope would remember too," Brooke finished. "Guardian powers."

Xander raised his eyebrows, tilting his head. "And considering that Bianca's got half a mind already, I can tell you that she's not going to like having another life where she was evil again playing around in her head."

"Not when she's trying to make amends now," Brady agreed, concerned about what this could do to Bianca's fragile mind state.

Buffy looked at Eric and Willow. "Maybe you two should call Bianca up and set up another session of healing her mind soon."

Eric nodded in agreement. "Absolutely."

Willow nodded.

Giles stepped forward, his glasses catching the sunlight as he adjusted them. "We need to create a safe space for these discussions. Perhaps the library? It's familiar and secure."

Layla nodded. "I'd like that. Being in a space where we can all feel safe might help us process... everything."

"Good idea," Wyatt said, his voice steady. "We'll gather everyone. The more who know and the more support, the better."

As they began to move toward the school, Brooke couldn't shake the eerie sense of foreboding that followed them like a shadow. "What if whatever darkness we faced in that other world tries to find its way back here?"

Eric placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Then we'll be ready for it. We've fought too hard to let fear dictate how we live our lives now."

Brooke smiled faintly at his optimism, grateful for his presence beside her.

As the group started to walk inside, Zoey and Carmen's arms were linked.

Carmen looked at Zoey in concern. "I know you and Layla still aren't entirely comfortable around Angel yet, but you defended him against Spike the last time we saw him."

Zoey pursed her lips together at the mention of Spike, still reeling at the thought of being lovers with Spike in the Wishverse while she was a vampire.

"And I know you're dealing with a lot with what you saw over there," Carmen continued. "Especially with your aunt. I don't know if you would want to talk to him or if that would help, but..."

Zoey looked down, biting her lip. "I don't know either. But the things I did over there... a lot of it was just as bad as Angel. What he did to Aunt Jenny was merciful compared to what I did to her, and I hate it. I hate me more than I hate him, and... what am I supposed to do with that?"

Carmen's eyes softened with understanding. She reached for Zoey's hand, squeezing it tightly. "You're not defined by your past or what you saw happen in that other world. You aren't responsible for those actions because they weren't real, and you fought hard to be the person you are now."

Zoey glanced down at their intertwined fingers, feeling the warmth and support radiating from Carmen. For a fleeting moment, she felt a glimmer of hope amidst the doubt that plagued her.

"But what if I can't shake it off? What if it changes everything between us?" Zoey whispered, vulnerability coating her words.

Carmen shook her head adamantly. "It won't change anything. You're still my best friend, and you'll always be a part of our family. We all have our shadows - we just have to face them together."

Layla stepped closer, determination shining in her eyes as she placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You are stronger than any darkness that tries to take root in your heart. You have us - your family - to support you. You're not alone in this fight."

Zoey met her mother's gaze, the warmth of Layla's love washing over her like a balm for her soul. For the first time since seeing those haunting visions, she felt a glimmer of hope.

"You're right," Zoey said softly. "I can't let fear dictate my choices."

The weight of Layla and Carmen's words lingered in the air as they walked toward the school entrance. Each step forward felt like a small victory against the darkness that threatened to take over.

As they reached the entrance of Sunnydale High, a sense of determination settled over the group like a protective cloak. Zoey took a deep breath, encouraging herself to let go of the memories that had haunted her so mercilessly.

∞

Inside - Hallways

The Scoobies stepped into the bustling hallways filled with students, laughter, and the normal chaos of teenage life.

Xander glanced around the bustling hallway, his heart feeling a little lighter as he spotted some friendly faces. "See? Normalcy."

"Look at them," Willow said softly, glancing around at their peers. "They don't know what could be lurking just beneath the surface, what you've all faced."

"Let's keep it that way," Eric replied, his voice serious as he scanned their surroundings. "We need to stay vigilant and alert."

"Especially with everything that's just happened," Buffy added, her brow furrowed in thought. "We can't let our guard down."

Buffy gripped Eric's hand as they led the others to the library.

Alice turned to Brady in concern, glancing at Zoey with worry. "Normalcy won't last long. Especially with everything we've just seen."

Brady took Alice's hand comfortingly, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he reached up to cup her cheek. His voice had a sense of determination and ease. "Maybe it's a reminder of what we're fighting for. We've overcome darkness before. We can do it again."

Alice managed a small smile in return, appreciative and thankful for Brady's support through this. The two of them followed Buffy and Eric to the library with the others in tow.

As they made their way to the library, Wyatt and Brooke fell back slightly, exchanging quiet words between themselves.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Brooke asked.

Wyatt turned to Brooke, pulling her closer by the hand, his expression both concerned but determined as he answered honestly. "I think it'll be a while before anyone's truly okay again, until we get to the bottom of this and process everything that you guys saw from this... other world. But you're not alone, and we can prevent everything that happened over there from happening here."

Brooke looked at Wyatt hopefully, feeling the constant steady presence of the one she loved. "You really think so?"

"I know so," Wyatt answered. "I spent a long time alone fighting the darkest parts of myself and running from it because of my brother trying to draw it out of me. It was a mistake and a curse that I wouldn't wish on anyone. With all of you, it's easier. Better. A family forged together through trials we've endured together."

Brooke started to smile. "We'll get through this, won't we? Like everything else?"

"You know we will," Wyatt murmured.

Brooke sighed heavily in relief as she let Wyatt pull her into his arms, returning the embrace. In that moment, she could forget about everything that she saw in the other world and focus on the safety of being in her soulmate's arms as she always felt.

After a moment, they pulled away and went to join the others in the library and call the others to join them so they could figure out what all of this meant not only for the Scoobies, but for Angel, Bianca, Hope, Cordelia and Oz as well. They all needed to know what it meant and how to deal with it and move on.