The warehouse located three blocks from the Bronze had been empty and abandoned for decades. In recent years though, it had become home to many creatures of the night. It was the ideal place for a vampire to live; sunlight barely penetrated the murky windows and brick walls.

And for one merciless vampire king, it was the perfect place to set up operations. At the moment, Lorenzo was supervising the finishing touches of a solid steel cage towards the center of the room, constructed by one of the local vampires. This didn't do anything to distract him from other pressing matters, however, as Lorenzo was acutely aware of when his mistress, Tessa, came to stand behind him. "Is everything in place?" he asked her without turning.

Tessa nodded eagerly, anxiously awaiting the moment when their devious plan would be carried out. If anything, the five-hundred-year old vampiress lived for excitement. "All our players are in position," she said in a deep husky tone. "It won't be long before the first move to crush the slayers is made. And by the time the night is over, if all goes well, you and I will have two less adversaries to worry about."

Lorenzo smiled at this, turning to look at her. "Well, you'd best get out there then, my love," he said, tracing one finger along her slender face and brushing back a loose strand of copper hair. "If action is what you desire, I see no reason for you to sit around here."

He watched Tessa take a few steps backward before he added, "Just remember to make sure that our Miss Buffy Summers isn't killed right off. I have something interesting in mind that will lead to her eventual demise." With that, Lorenzo looked on as his mistress left, then turned back to examine the cage, a whimsical smile coming to his face...

Upon entering the Bronze, Jenny looked around edgily for Buffy and Angel, growing frantic when she realized they were nowhere to be seen. She began running one hand through her dark hair, swearing that she would begin pulling it out if she didn't see a familiar face soon.

Just then, Jenny spotted Xander and Willow on the dance floor and promptly headed towards them in the hopes that they could help. Thinking it to be too noisy, she asked that they go into the backstage room to talk.

"Do either of you know where Buffy went when she left here?" were the first words Jenny used.

Xander and Willow exchanged concerned looks. "She and Angel never showed," Willow responded. "Odds are that they're at home."

Jenny shook her head. "I just called! Steffi said they were coming here!" she cried. She paused, taking a few calming breaths. "Okay, are you sure they didn't come in? Maybe you missed them."

Much as he hated to dash her hopes, Xander had no choice but to do just that. If they had, we would have noticed... Buffy has a way of standing out in a crowd. I'm sorry, but they're not here."

Jenny sighed, deciding to clue her two young friends in on what was happening. She told them about the tarot reading, then added, "All the worst cards in the deck came up. Everything bad that could happen to Buffy is going to, and odds are it's going to be in the next twenty-four hours. Do you have any idea where she might have gone?"

Willow thought a moment. "Maybe vampire central," she answered, winning perplexed looks from her husband and Jenny. "The library," she explained. "Buffy may have decided to go see Giles instead."

Jenny sighed once more, brushing her dark hair back. "Or maybe she decided to just go home," she said, mostly to herself. "Okay, I'll check there. You guys do the library. And, hopefully, we won't be too late to either warn her or save her..."

***

In a mausoleum in the heart of the graveyard, Buffy and her vampire boyfriend were far from having such worries, even though Angel could sense the electricity in the air building strength. But he couldn't be bothered fretting over it as he and Buffy set at teasing each other.

"You're not going to be happy until we've revisited all our ole meeting places, are you?" Angel asked with a laugh.

Buffy took a step closer, smiling up at him. "I like reminiscing," she told him. "And I'd like to get in as many as I can, at least the ones that are still intact."

Angel flinched slightly, remembering the apartment he had been forced to vacate a year ago due to a fire. It, too, had held quite a few memories for the two of them, but unfortunately, there was no going back there.

For now, Angel chose to humor her, getting a dreamy look in his eyes. "For our second encounter, I had to hide in here for over thirteen hours," he recalled with a laugh. "Waiting for you to figure out where the entrance to the underground tunnels was."

"It was well into the morning hours when I finally showed," Buffy said, completing the thought. "Lucky for both of us, there's no skylight here."

Angel burst out laughing at this, pulling her closer until their lips met. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too, Angel," Buffy murmured back, flinging her arms around his neck and holding him to her in a hug. The nearness of him, the warmth of his body, felt so good, and she never wanted to let go.

But a voice that rose up to her left caused Buffy to pull away. "My, my. Isn't this touching?" Tessa said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Angel looked up with a growl, his demon face turned on. But he froze when he saw who it was and moved to push Buffy behind him protectively. "Tessa?" he asked in disbelief.

"Long time no see, Angelus," she replied, addressing him by his full name. "How long has it been since you ran with my pack? A century?"

"Or two," he replied bitterly, edging towards the exit with his girlfriend in tow. He knew Tessa's reputation for being crafty and vicious, and he knew the best thing to do was flee. "So, let me guess. If you're here in Sunnydale, then Lorenzo can't be far behind."

Tessa grinned, taking a few slow steps towards him. "Correct," she said. "And he's anxious to see you again." She paused, watching his ascent up the mausoleum's granite steps with an amused look. "Oh, please! Give me some credit! You don't think I'll let you get away that easily, do you?"

Angel watched her guardedly for a second, then turned his head slightly. "Buffy, run!" he cried, giving her a shove towards the outside world.

Buffy turned briefly to look after him, seeing that he and Tessa were already engaged in a fight. She would have jumped right back in to help, but that she knew Angel wouldn't have ordered her to flee unless he had good reason. Tears streaming down her face, she did as he asked, praying he'd be safe until she got help...

After she had finished seeing to Cordelia and her injuries, Stefanie had gone to the kitchen for a snack. It wasn't that she was hungry or anything, but more out of habit. She retrieved a bag quickly, lifting it to her mouth to feed. Only a few seconds into it, Stefanie began to cough, a stream of the red liquid pouring out over her chin.

"What's wrong?" Cordelia asked from the doorway, making Stefanie jump. She turned to look at her friend, surprised that Cordy had the strength to stand, let alone walk around.

Stefanie moaned, setting the bag in the sink and wiping at her face. "I don't know," she said. "I don't feel so good all of a sudden." She turned on the faucet, taking a mouthful of water in her hands and using it to rinse out the blood she hadn't swallowed. "Maybe I'm coming down with the vampire equivalent of the flu," she joked.

"There's no such thing. Vampires don't get sick," Cordelia replied, taking a step closer. "Call it one of our many perks."

At first, Stefanie thought she had heard wrong, then, realizing she hadn't, froze for a moment. Finally, a wave of terror washing over her, she turned to look at Cordelia.

Only it wasn't the friend she knew anymore. Stefanie drew a sharp intake of breath, ironic because she had no need for oxygen, at the sight. Because in the matter of a few seconds, Cordelia's pretty face had been altered into a more sinister one. Finding her voice, Stefanie whispered, "You never were attacked! This was a setup to get yourself invited in!"

Cordelia smiled widely, showing her fangs. "Oh, the slashes are real alright. They were my idea in fact. I know you well enough to recognize that'd you never hesitate to help a friend in trouble," she explained.

Stefanie shook her head. "This isn't possible. They had no way of knowing you were a friend of mine!" she protested.

Cordelia shook her head in amusement. "They saw me aid you last night at the Bronze and grabbed me afterwards. They figured I was the perfect candidate to take you out, Steffi." She laughed, delighted with the slayer's reaction to all this. "Two slayers demolished in one night. It'll be worth it."

Through her mounting panic, Stefanie heard Ivory wailing upstairs. Her first instinct was to see that the infant wasn't harmed in any way, so she started towards the kitchen door. Cordelia mirrored her movements by circling farther into the room. "Where's Buffy?" Stefanie asked to distract her friend/enemy.

"Mistress Tessa and another of our kind were sent after her and Angel," Cordelia replied. "You can feel free to say goodbye to both of them before I kill you."

Stefanie averted her eyes briefly, spotting a butcher knife lying on the counter just by the door. With Cordelia already coming in for the kill, Stefanie snatched it up, planting it deep in her former friend's stomach. She threw a quick punch at Cordelia, then turned and ran, knowing it wouldn't take long for her nemesis to recover.

Stefanie darted up the stairs and into the nursery, slamming the door behind her and leaning against it to barricade it. "This isn't happening," she said in a frightened whisper, crying as she felt Cordelia pounding against the door. "Buffy, please be all right..."

As she ran from the cemetery, Buffy kept throwing glances behind her, either to make sure Tessa wasn't following or hoping that Angel was. She had just reached the street, checking once more, when she barreled into someone.

Buffy cried out in shock as she and Venus tumbled to the ground. Upon seeing who it was, Buffy began talking to her in a rush. "Thank God it's you," she exclaimed, thinking that even a singer on drugs was better than no one. "Venus, you have to help me! My boyfriend's back there. He's in trouble."

Venus looked up with an odd smile. "No," she said slowly. "I would say you're the one who's in trouble." With that, Venus grabbed her by the collar, hoisting her to her feet.

Buffy fought her in an effort to get away, but found that Venus was surprisingly strong. In fact, she was too strong by human standards. "What are you?" Buffy asked shakily, too shocked to fight even though her arms were free.

Venus spun Buffy around, pinning her hands behind her back. With her free hand, the singer reached into her jacket pocket for a syringe. Buffy whimpered slightly upon seeing it, expecting it to be some kind of sedative. But then, she saw it was filled with a dark liquid instead.

Venus smiled. "Vampire blood," she explained. "Your boyfriend was right when he said I was an addict... But these doses provide more than your usual high."

Buffy was at a loss for words, and her attention was caught when she saw Tessa approaching. "My master, Lorenzo, found Venus back in the early eighties," Tessa explained, dragging an unconscious Angel behind her. "And found her to be a valuable asset to the family."

"He made a deal with me," Venus picked up. "I would act as an agent and spy for him, and in return, he would give me the ability to live for a few centuries. Call me an artificial member of the undead if you will. I can walk where they can't, in the sunlight, into people's homes of my own free will... And it had the added benefit of no slayer alive sensing what I was until it was too late."

Then, Venus looked at Tessa. "Believe me. I learned some interesting things about our two slayers," she told her elder. "The other, Stefanie, seems to have something wrong with her, some sort of sickness." Nodding towards Buffy and Angel respectively, she added, "And it would appear that these two have had a child together."

Tessa looked back and forth between the renegade vampire at her feet and the frightened slayer. Then, she rushed forward, grabbing Buffy away from Venus and hoisting her off the ground. "I would kill you right now," Tessa said, "but that's not what Lorenzo wishes. For the moment, I guess we'll just have to settle for seeing you put out of commission."

With that, Tessa threw Buffy towards the nearest tree hard. The young blonde slayer let out a yelp as she slammed into it, landing on the ground in a massive amount of pain.

Buffy weakly raised her head to look at Angel, whispering his name in the hopes he might come to, but no such luck. Tessa rolled her over onto her back with one foot, and Buffy closed her eyes when a wave of dizziness and nausea hit her.

Tessa laughed, looking at Venus. "One slayer down, one to go... Let's get out of here," she told the singer, stopping only briefly to pick Angel up and carry him on her shoulders as if he were weightless.

Buffy watched them go, wanting desperately to get up and run after them, but something was preventing her from doing so. All she do now was shed tears, and she eventually felt her world go black...

When Stefanie felt the planks of wood behind her giving way, she knew she had to find another way out. She glanced around the nursery for a weapon of some kind, her gaze finally coming to rest on the crucifix on one wall.

Building up her courage, Stefanie dove for it, holding it tightly in one hand and ignoring how it seared into her flesh. Cordelia had a similiar reaction, only she knew to keep her distance.

Cordelia hissed, a contemptuous look on her face, but she knew that Stefanie couldn't hold her at bay forever. The slayer's face was already contorted in pain. "We have hours until sunrise," Cordy said slowly. "I can wait."

Perhaps it was the noise during the battle with the door that had covered the sound of the one downstairs being broken open. Either way, Jenny considered herself lucky that thus far, Cordelia was unaware that she was present until the last second. "You can, but you won't," Jenny said as she entered the room. And as Cordelia turned, the technopagan threw an open jar of holy water at her.

Cordelia howled, clutching at her smoking wounds. Furious and hurt, she rushed for the open window and dove outside, all the fight gone out of her.

Stefanie dropped the cross with a sob, nursing her burned fingers for a few seconds. Then, she looked up at Jenny. "Thank you," she murmured. "If you hadn't come when you did..." She paused, looking around with wide eyes. "Buffy?!? You didn't find her?!?"

Jenny shook her head. "I was rather hoping that you could," she replied. "If you feel up to it, I need you to help me track her and Angel down."

"Of course. I need to," Stefanie said. She got Ivory from her crib and soothed the bawling infant a moment before handing her to Jenny. "But it's not safe here anymore. What I need you to do is take Ivory to your place, and I'll locate her mom."

Jenny grabbed a flip phone from her purse, handing it to Stefanie. "Call me there as soon as you find out something. In the meantime... Good luck, Steffi."

Although time was fleeting, Stefanie couldn't stop herself from hugging the other woman tightly, seeking a small amount of comfort after her ordeal. Seconds later, she was on her way, praying she wasn't too late to save her dearest friends.

Stefanie arrived at the cemetery shortly after Tessa and Venus had left the scene, using her vampire senses to tell her where Buffy was. Panicked, she kneeled by her friend, calling her name.

Buffy opened her eyes at the sound, appearing weak and disoriented. "Steffi?" she asked.

"I'm here," Stefanie assured her, stroking her forehead. "You're going to be okay... Can you get up?"

Buffy moaned, shutting her eyes briefly as a fresh wave of pain washed over her. "Can't," she whispered. "I can't move." She paused, now looking sad. "Angel..."

At this, Stefanie looked around for the other vampire, but didn't see him. "Where is he, Buffy?"

Buffy had to struggle to get her words out, tears escaping her eyes. "They... They took him!"

"Who's 'they'?" Stefanie pressed, trying to make sense out of this, but Buffy had already passed out again. Stefanie swore in frustration, getting the phone from her purse and dialing 9-1-1. After ordering an ambulance to come for her, she placed calls to Jenny and Giles respectively, telling the latter to meet her at the hospital. Following that, all she could do was sit and wait, and wonder why Angel had been abducted...

When he awoke at last, the first thing that Angel was aware of was that he was in the old warehouse near the dance club. The next was that he was inside a cage of solid steel.

Angel scrambled into a sitting position, looking around with wide, frightened eyes as he recalled the events of the past few hours. He took a moment to rub at the back of his head, which was still sore from where Tessa had slammed it against one side of the mausoleum's crypt.

Standing, Angel moved to test his confines, finding it was constructed too well to escape from. Finally, he turned away, leaning against the bars sadly. "Buffy?" he whispered, mostly to himself.

The last thing he expected was for someone to answer him, but Tessa did just that. "She lives still," the vampiress said with a smile. "Our intention wasn't to kill her, merely injure her... We'll leave her demise up to you."

If looks could kill, Tessa would have been dead from the fierce one Angel gave her. "I'll do nothing of the sort," he growled. "Not even at your bidding."

Lorenzo stepped from the shadows at this, looking equally amused. "Brave words coming from someone who once upon a time showed no mercy to anyone, Angelus," he said. "I remember it as if it were yesterday..."

Angel was sure Lorenzo would have gone on reminiscing if Cordelia hadn't entered at that point, still outraged at the way Jenny had gotten the better of her. Angel fell back to the floor of the cage at this, stunned at his former friend's visage. It was something he hadn't been prepared for.

Lorenzo turned to look at his new fledgling, instantly knowing that Stefanie was still alive as well. In a rage, he rushed at Cordelia, wrapping one hand around her throat. "You failed!" he spat out.

Cordelia moaned. "She had a jar of holy water with her," she explained. "If not for that, Stefanie Marks would be a memory now... It wasn't my fault!"

After a long while, Lorenzo let her go, turning away. "Oh, well, it does not matter, as long as she's the only slayer we have to contend with." Turning his attention back to Angel, he added, "As for you, let's see how well your resistance hold after a few days of being starved, Angelus." He took a few steps closer, stopping just inches from the cage. "Our kind can only go so long without blood. By the time your precious Buffy is brought here..." Lorenzo started to laugh at this, not bothering to complete the thought.

Angel paused, raging inside at the prospect. If they meant to punish him for being what he was, they couldn't have picked a more cruel one to deal out. He wouldn't be able to hold back after a few days, not even for the woman he loved.

Angel leapt forward, reaching through the bars of his prison for Lorenzo's throat, but the vampire king stood just beyond his grasp. After a long while, Angel turned away in a fury, the sound of their laughter cutting into him.

"Good luck, Stefanie. You're our only hope now," he murmured, wrapping both arms around himself and looking around as if to catch the faintest glimpse of the world beyond these walls...

They were in the waiting room of the hospital for what seemed forever, waiting for news of the girl they had come to know and love. During this, Giles did his best to console Stefanie on the night's events thus far.

"I failed," Stefanie said simply. "Buffy and Angel... I should have seen this coming, should have done more. Instead, I let him get taken, let her get seriously injured."

Giles sighed. "You didn't know this would happen," he told her. "Or when it would... That was the problem with this prophecy. None of us knew what to expect!" He paused, taking a deep breath and trying to compose himself. "At least we know a little now. One slayer, Buffy, has fallen, and apparently, Angel and Cordelia are the friends who will be used to defeat you... I know it's hard, Stefanie, but you'll have to be strong to end this."

Stefanie felt the tears begin to flow. "Giles, I can't kill them," she sobbed. "They're my friends!"

Giles sighed again. Being a Watcher had required him to guide his slayers towards their goals, but it didn't tell him how to handle this situation. "Angel at least can be saved," he said, a gentle note creeping into his voice. "Nothing can be done to change who he is... But Cordelia's a vampire. She may look the same to you, but she's pure evil now. Simply put, the Cordelia you know is dead."

Stefanie nodded numbly, knowing that duty prevailed over her personal feelings; it had been refusing to believe that back in the 60s that had cost Steffi her mortality. But it didn't stop it from hurting any less. She looked up at Giles, more words on her lips, but stopped when she became aware a doctor was approaching them.

Stefanie and Giles stood, almost as one. "How is she?" Stefanie asked. "Is she going to be all right?"

The doctor sighed deeply, signaling that the news wasn't good. "Miss Summers suffered a pretty bad concussion and blow to the spinal cord," he said. "And, from what we can determine, someone moved her after she was injured, which made it slightly worse. She's stabilized for now, but she's in a coma... Best case scenario, she may wake up paralyzed from the waist down. Worst case..."

Stefanie's hand flew to her lips, guessing what he was about to say. "She'll die," Stefanie said in little more than a whisper. "Won't she?"

The doctor hesitated a moment, then nodded slowly. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Would you like to see her now?"

Both Giles and Stefanie said yes, and the doctor led them to the room Buffy was stationed in. It was saddening to see the once bright and vivacious slayer looking so silent and vulnerable. Giles broke down at this point, his shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.

Stefanie moved to embrace him, providing as much comfort as she could. Throwing a glance at Buffy, she murmured, "I'm going to get the ones who did this. Find them and wipe them out one by one... Even if I die doing it, anything will be worth knowing you're safe from all this."

Looking up at Giles, Stefanie said, "Stay with her." Then, she turned to leave, ready to vent her rage out on any vampire in her path. Whether she obliterated them all or met her own end, Stefanie wouldn't rest until it was over...

Fin

To Be Concluded in Killer Instincts