After Angel's departure, Buffy took a few restless moments to decide what to do. Eventually, she decided to continue paging through the book of baby names she had bought to pass the time.

At last, she heard the front door open. Buffy set the book aside, leaning forward for a better look to the hallway. "Angel?" she called, crossing her arms over her stomach.

Cordelia entered instead, a pouty expression on her face. She walked over to the recliner, slumping down in it. Then, realizing Buffy was staring, she blurted out, "I want to be a slayer!"

Buffy stared at her with wide eyes, curious as to what had brought this on. "Didn't know you were into fighting monsters," she said with a laugh.

Cordelia sat up straight. "Not for that... Why is it you slayers get all the cute guys?"

Buffy was even more confused at this. "Cordy, are you going to keep me in suspense, or are you going to get to the point?" she asked.

Cordelia sighed. "Okay, here's the scoop. Very gorgeous guy comes into the Bronze tonight. I'm ready to make a move on him when he makes a beeline for Stefanie of all people. The next thing I know, the two of them are dancing," she said, recalling how something similar had happened when she first laid eyes on Angel.

Buffy's eyes lit up. "I didn't know Stefanie was seeing someone," she mused out loud.

Cordelia rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Hello! Buffy, we're supposed to be talking about me!"

Buffy paused. "Look, Cordelia, what do you want me to do about it? I can't very well approach Stefanie and ask her to ditch this guy so you can date him... That's your style."

Cordelia nodded thoughtfully. "That's true," she said, a dreamy look in her eyes.

Rather than continue the conversation, Buffy stood and went for the kitchen to make a peanut butter and tomato sandwich for herself. As she was laying the tomato slices on the bread, she said to herself, "Why do your cravings get so weird when you're pregnant?"

Stefanie was the next to arrive at home, after a ten-minute wait. Both Buffy and Cordelia were on her abruptly, their words running together as they began talking at the same time.

Nevertheless, Stefanie was able to glean a few words, such as "introduce" from Cordy and "mystery guy" from Buffy, and it was enough to help her discern what had gotten them so riled.

"Boy, the gossip train runs pretty fast through Sunnydale," Stefanie said, heading towards the living room to sit down. Buffy and Cordelia trailed after her, eager to hear what she had to say.

Stefanie would have preferred to be alone with her memories, but soon found it was impossible the way her two friends were staring at her. With a sigh, she leaned forward and said, "His name's Rhys, okay!?!"

Buffy shook her head. "Not okay... Where did you meet this guy? How long have you known him? When did you plan on filling me in?" Her questions spilled out in a rush, barely giving Stefanie a moment to answer.

Finally, Buffy finished, and Stefanie opened her mouth to speak. Then, Cordelia cut in, saying, "I want to know everything about him, including where he lives, whether or not he has a twin brother..."

Buffy looked at Cordelia. "Don't overwhelm the girl. Let her talk," Buffy interrupted, looking back at Stefanie in expectation.

Stefanie gave an exasperated sigh, having a sinking feeling that this would be a very long discussion. But, she thought, the sooner I start, the sooner I can get some private time...

Giles had been all too eager to help his friend out, even though it took twenty minutes of arguing with Jenny before she'd let him go back to his library. Despite the amount of pain he'd been in earlier, the worst Giles suffered from was a fractured rib. As long as he didn't make any sudden movements, it was okay.

At the moment, he and Angel sat at the desk in the center of the room, poring over numerous volumes that might explain how Rhys had been able to return to the land of the living. The search seemed to go on forever, and they had yet to make a breakthrough.

Finally, Giles looked up from the book in front of him, rubbing at his exhausted eyes. He gently closed the volume and set it aside, reaching for the next one when Angel rushed over excitedly.

"I think I found something," the vampire said, setting his book down and pointing to a drawing that matched the design on his victim's face. "It's pretty vague though." Angel pulled up a chair, sitting next to Giles. "All this covers are the basics of a certain myth, telling how crows are rumored to guide the spirits of those who die to the afterlife," he said.

"And there was a crow nearby the day that this Rhys fellow originally died, you said," Giles murmured, deep in thought. "Does it say anything else?"

Angel shook his head. "There's nothing about the dead coming back, but it's obvious this crow has to be connected somehow... There's only one way to find out, and that's to meet up with Rhys again."

Giles paused. "I'm not sure that would be so wise, considering he has a vendetta against you..."

Angel interrupted, knowing that such a meeting was inevitable. "Sooner or later, he's going to figure out I'm still alive... And if he wants to find Darla and Thierry that badly, he's going to have to come through me to do so. No one else will be willing to offer their current whereabouts."

Giles sighed, looking at Angel in concern. "What about Buffy?" he asked. "Have you given any thought to how she'll react, especially if you don't survive this? She and the baby need you right now."

"If I don't pull through this," Angel said quietly, "I want you to promise that you'll take care of her... I can't spend the next few days worrying that Rhys will come after me. I have to get this resolved, one way or the other."

With that, Angel threw a quick glance at the clock, finding that it was a little after midnight; there was still plenty of time for a second encounter before sunrise. He stood, heading briskly for the doors before Giles could stop him.

Then, as an afterthought, Angel turned back and said, "Promise me, if anything happens, that you'll see her through it. And tell her how much I love her."

Angel waited for Giles' consent, which came after a long, tense moment. With that done, he moved to leave, determined to end this night on a positive note...

A closed down garage on the outskirts of Sunnydale had seemed a good place to set up camp. Rhys returned there shortly after his encounter with Stefanie for a moment of rest. And to wait and see if his feathery friend could gather any information on the two vampires he had yet to take vengeance on.

Rhys sat in a dusty old chair in the corner of the room, staring out into space. The crow, he knew, was out flying over the city, and he was able to view its entire search through its eyes. Finding Angel had been easy that way, but the other two were proving more elusive. He was beginning to doubt that they were even in Sunnydale.

Eventually, with a sigh, Rhys gave up on the secondhand observation, his thoughts going to Lysette and how much he had loved her. He could still see her and Toby, clear as day, but it brought with it a dull ache.

Rhys didn't know how long he remained in his reverie, but it was interrupted by the last person he wanted or expected to see. By the time he was aware of Angel's presence, the vampire had already taken the liberty of emptying the shotgun.

Rhys stood, half in awe and half in rage. "You can't be here!" he cried, confusion clouding his mind. "I killed you!"

Angel threw the gun aside, taking a step closer. "Well, it appears that neither one of us did as good a job as we thought," he said calmly. After a pause, he added, "I'm not here to fight. I want to help..."

Rhys sneered. "Where was your will to help years ago when you killed my wife?!?" he shouted angrily. "When you and your friends stole my reasons for living?!?"

Angel averted his eyes, a hurt look on his face. "I can't alter what I did," he whispered. "But I can atone for it..."

Rhys took two steps forward, eyes burning with barely controlled fury. At any other time, he would have consented to be reasonable, but with this creature, he knew it just wasn't possible. Without letting Angel finish, Rhys drew a sharp dagger from his belt and lunged forward to attack.

The vampire was caught slightly off guard, but flung himself backward in time to avoid having his throat cut. When he got up a second later, it was with a growl, his demonic features activated.

"Now, that's the face I remember," Rhys said tightly, holding the knife in readiness should Angel get any closer. "Only this time, I'm hardly the helpless mortal I was then."

Angel, although he could easily have disarmed Rhys in a split-second, held back, wanting answers more than anything. "Who are you?" he asked.

Rhys gave another cruel smile. His words were short and simple, but confusing nonetheless. "I'm you," he said cryptically, going in for the kill...

Less than half a mile from the garage, Buffy and Stefanie were on their way to prevent a disaster. Both were worried sick since Giles had called to tell them what was happening, even though he suspected that Angel would hate him for it later. The news had certainly thrown Buffy into a frenzy, and Stefanie was worrying about her girlfriend's health as well.

Right now, Angel's presence screamed to her senses loud and clear, and Stefanie knew they were getting close. She told Buffy so, then added, "We're not too late."

"Thank God," Buffy whispered, hands resting on her swollen stomach. "How much further?"

Stefanie glanced around, focusing on the garage as it came into sight. She parked across the street and exited the car, putting on the same visage Angel wore as she rushed inside.

The sight that greeted her nearly froze Stefanie in her tracksBut Rhys' back was to her, and she could only see that he and Angel were in a scuffle, dagger in plain sight. Without thinking, Stefanie launched herself across the room, grabbing Rhys from behind and pulling him off her friend, tossing him in the direction of the entrance.

Stefanie and Rhys faced each other seconds later, neither showing signs that they recognized the other. Rhys, because she looked the exact opposite of the lonely girl at the Bronze. Stefanie, because she could barely see past her rage at her friend being attacked like this.

Rhys scanned the girl before him for a weakness, then was startled when she suddenly softened, staring at him in what looked like shock. He seized the opportunity, grabbing her and jabbing the knife into her shoulder.

A loud growl escapped Stefanie's throat, but her instinct to fight was gone. She started to transform back, intending to let him see who she was, but Rhys had already flung her aside and was starting towards Angel once more.

But, by this time, Buffy had arrived on the scene. She was kneeling beside her boyfriend, checking him for injuries when she became aware Rhys was approaching. Frantic, she clutched Angel in her arms. "Leave him alone," she pleaded.

Rhys stopped, struck by how ironic this scene was. Not eighty-four years ago, Lysette had been holding him in a similar fashion, begging that his life be spared. "Tell me," he said to Buffy, "why I should bother having mercy on him when he couldn't extend the same courtesy to my family and I."

Angel looked up with a face that was all too human, choosing to speak for himself. "I was a different person then," he said in a weary voice. "Savage. Uncaring... But the ironic part is, I got my humanity back just six days after we met, Rhys." He paused, looking at Buffy and seeing the understanding in her eyes. "I've regretted every single life I took since that day. You have no idea what it's like yo have that much blood on your hands."

Rhys took a moment to weigh the sincerity of his enemy's words. While this was going on, Buffy looked up to regard the other girl in the room. "Are you okay, Stefanie?" she asked.

Startled, Rhys turned, getting a better glimpse at the young woman who he had confronted moments ago. Much to his horror, it was the same person he had shared a few dances with earlier this evening.

"I'm fine," Stefanie answered, her eyes never leaving him. The two of them stared at each other a long moment, a secret and painful understanding passing between them.

Buffy helped Angel stand, resisting the urge to laugh when she heard his voice in her mind. *I have to stop getting rescued like this. It's not doing my image any good,* Angel said telepathically.

*Oh, you love it,* Buffy argued.

Meanwhile, Rhys looked back and forth between Stefanie and her two friends, eventually deciding that for her, he would give Angel a chance. Upon realizing this, Buffy suggested that they go back to her house to talk. "It's definitely safer than this place," she gave as a valid reason. "Too many bloodsuckers out tonight."

And so, the four of them set out, each one determined to get some answers while the night was still relatively young...

"I'm only one of many people that a crow has brought back," Rhys began when they had settled in the living room of Buffy's house. "Unquiet spirits who die violently and are in a great deal of pain due to the circumstances... In other words, when a spirit can't rest, the crow can return them to the land of the living long enough for them to get even with the ones who killed them."

Buffy sat up, entranced by this story. "So why just you?" she asked. "Why not the rest of your family?"

Rhys gave a faint smile. "Not all of us can be obliged," he said. "Or even attended to right away. If we were, I'd have been brought back years ago." He paused a moment, looking at Stefanie to see how she was taking this, but her attention was elsewhere.

He glanced back at Buffy, taking a sip of the coffee she had brewed for him, then made a face, apparently not liking the flavor. "Unfortunately, all of the ones before me have been murdered by mere mortals. Gang members, cultists, rapists, that sort. So vampires are new territory for my kind... If I'm to go up against Darla and Thierry, I'd like to know how to handle it."

Buffy and Angel exchanged nervous looks, unsure how to break the news. Finally, he leaned forward, clearing his throat. "It's just Thierry," he said softly. "Darla's been dead for four years..."

Buffy cut in. "Two years, actually," she argued. To Rhys, she added, "Angel did her in the first time around, and I got to be next in line."

Rhys shook his head. "You lost me," he admitted.

"Sorry," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm getting way ahead of myself... Basically, when you kill a vampire, they turn to dust. Well, we found out the hard way that when their remains are mixed with a vial of blood, you get instant resurrection, which is exactly what happened in Darla's case... Man, was she a pain in the neck! No pun intended, of course."

Rhys was surprised by this, recalling how fond Angel and Darla had been of each other once upon a time. It was truly proof that his old enemy had changed between then and now. "It's quite ironic that two out of three are out of my hands," he said. "Unless Darla could be revived a second time."

Buffy paused. "Don't even joke about that," she said in a deadpan voice.

"In the meantime, how is it you killed her?" Rhys asked. "You hardly seem the type of person who can fight something that strong."

Buffy looked at Stefanie for a brief second, then back at Rhys. "Appearances can be deciving. Both Steffi and I are a rare breed. We hunt vampires for a living." Noticing that Rhys was staring at her in disbelief, she added, "Well, when we're not on maternity leave."

Buffy saw him looking from her to Angel and back again, and answered his question before he voiced it. "I know what you're thinking. How can a slayer and a vampire be a healthy couple? Well, let's just say it takes a heck of a lot of trust between the two."

Again, Rhys' gaze drifted to the silent girl in the corner. He directed his next query to her, saying, "And you're a combination of the two, am I right?"

It took a while for Stefanie to realize she was being addressed, leaving Rhys to repeat himself. She nodded absently, speaking for the first time since their arrival here. "There are times I wish I weren't though. You could say I was forced into both roles."

Rhys gave this a moment of thought. "So, slayers are basically chosen by random? They can't be just anyone?"

"You got that right," Buffy answered, looking at Stefanie. It didn't take a genius to guess that Rhys was her friend's mystery guy, and Buffy wondered just how the other girl was handling it. But she merely made a mental note to ask Stefanie in private later.

"Well, on the matter of this vengeance gig, what's our plan?" Buffy added. "Besides find Thierry and annihilate him... Do you know where he'd be, Angel?"

Angel sat up straight, thinking a moment. "I can't be sure because he moves around a lot, but the last I heard, he was down in Las Vegas. That was two weeks ago."

Buffy perked up. "Cool, we're going to Nevada!" she exclaimed. "When do we leave?"

Angel threw her an amused glance. "Don't you have a college class on Monday?" he reminded.

She shrugged. "I've made a career out of skipping classes... Besides, I've never been to Vegas. Could be fun. What do you say, Stef?"

Stefanie remained silent a moment, throwing a longing glance at Rhys which he failed to catch. It hurt to know that she couldn't have the kind of romance she wanted with him, but she would take every moment she could get. "Sure," she said.

"And then, I could also invite my friends, Willow and Xander, along," Buffy noted. "And maybe Cordelia..."

Angel stopped her before she flew completely off the handle. "Buffy, this is a battle we're going into, not a vacation," he said with a laugh. "If it means that much to you, I'd love to have you along, but leave your friends out of it... Promise?"

She crossed her fingers behind her back, gazing up at Angel with an innocent smile. "I promise," she said, lying through her teeth...

It wasn't long after this that Buffy retreated to the cellar to sleep, insisting that Angel join her (she had a cot and an air mattress set up down there). Stefanie and Rhys were left facing each other on the sofa, both not sure what to say.

"So what happens when you finish what you came back for?" Stefanie asked finally, partly guessing what the answer was. "You die again, right?"

Rhys gave her a sad smile. "I'm already dead," he said gently, reaching out to touch her face. "Stefanie, I..."

She bit her lip to keep from crying. "Don't," she said abruptly. "Don't say anything." She paused, eyes cast downward a moment. "Why did you approach me in the Bronze anyway? Why didn't you just keep your distance?"

He took a deep breath. "Because you were so sad. I can sense that emotion stronger than all others, being what I am... It's coming off of you in waves now," he said.

Stefanie glanced up at him again. "Then I guess I'm doing a poor job of hiding it," she said with a slight sob. Then, changing the subject, she said, "What else can you do? What are some of your other powers?"

"Similar to yours. I can absorb a person's memories with a single touch, but only when I desire it, and I have rapid healing abilities," Rhys answered. "That's about it."

She nodded, then became aware of a flutter of wings at the open window. Glancing over, she was surprised to see the crow perched there, looking at them. "Does he follow you everywhere?" she couldn't help but ask.

Rhys smiled faintly. "Comes in pretty handy as a spirit guide," he joked.

Stefanie's eyes wandered the room a moment before focusing back on him. I think I could use one myself right about now, she thought. To tell me how to survive a bittersweet fling...