"Welcome to my new empire." Kain said, spreading his arms out.

"How did you survive?"

"Oh, my poor child." Kain laughed in a way that sent chills through Raziel's body. "It was all thanks to you. And after you expended so much energy trying to kill me."

Raziel made sure Kain never left his sight as his creator walked around the room. "You seem very sure of yourself. A new name as well. Hart?"

"Amusing, no?"

"I'll succeed in destroying you this time. I swear it."

"So impulsive. Today, this time, you don't succeed through brute force. The more information you have, the more connections you have, the more successful you are. You, Raziel, could have taken advantage of that. Instead you chose to hide away."

"This world is disgusting. I wanted no part of it. I only came out to reclaim what's mine."

"We always did have different views of the perfect world. But in the end, my vision was realized. For you took away my soul, and the children I created after my punishment, were the descendants of today's breed. All too distracted, too into quarreling amongst themselves to seize any kind of power."

"So you're the only one with enough sense to step in."

"Who would oppose me?"

"I would." Angel said, stepping out of the far, shadowy corner.

Kain smiled. "Of course you would. You have more intelligence than the rest of them, but you are just as foolish. Please. Feel free to watch."

Raziel ignored Angel's emergence. "You always have to have the power for yourself. You always traded the honor of the breed for your selfishness."

"And why shouldn't I? I began that way. Having a chain of command, order, but all it did was produce traitors." He glared at Raziel.

"I did not ask for these." Raziel gestured to his wings. "Perhaps the Fates decided it was time for someone else to take control. But you couldn't give up your kingdom."

"If you were in my position, you wouldn't have." Angel saw that the two vampires were engrossed in their long history, and began moving back towards the other end of the room, sticking close to walls. "Before I can move on to greater things, and reclaim my weapon, you must die."

"The Reaver is bonded to me. And it will stay that way."

"Until you no longer exist. Then it will bond with the next being who has a soul, and who frees it from its wooden prison. I hadn't fully understood it's power before, but now I do. With that weapon, and the law behind me, I'll be unstoppable.

"Don't you see? I've been waiting and planning for a thousand years. It took a long time for me to achieve this position in the world. To find the Soul Reaver. To have a duplicate made and planted…I knew the Council of Watchers would come to you, and I arranged for the sword to be sold to the mother of the blonde slayer. I've taken everything into account."

"Why involve the slayers?"

Angel was close to the sword now.

"I was hoping you'd kill each other and save me the trouble. They would have been trouble in the future anyhow. But you held back. As I should have expected. They shall continue to be dealt with so they don't interfere. And that has played out nicely. With minimal effort on my part."

"So the final step in your plan is to kill me. Let's begin."

"You know what strikes me, Raziel? You want to restore the honor of the race; to return them to their former greatness, yet you carry thousands of the many old souls in you needed to do exactly that. Including mine, which I will take back from you. Ironic is it not? In a way, you started the breed towards the pitiful state it is now at."

"You talk too much." Raziel said, seething with anger.

Raziel rushed Kain, and delivered several powerful blows to his face. Kain remained unfazed and retaliated by punching Raziel hard into the face, sending him careening backwards.

"I am not two human females, Raziel. You are out of touch. Shame." Kain held out his palm, and it began to pulsate red. "Magick is a wonderful tool."

Raziel began to clutch at his chest. He began to shake. The pain was intense. It reminded him of the Abyss. Kain was more powerful than he had been, and Raziel wasn't prepared for it. Then he saw light begin to pour into the room, and Kain stopped abruptly, reeling in pain.

Angel stood out of the sun's path, by the side of the window. He had the sword in hand. "Seems like a very sought after item." He said, studying it.

"Give it to me." Raziel said.

"No…I…think I'll hang onto it."

"You have no idea what you're getting involved in."

"I never do. But I despise this firm, so I'm already involved."

"Then we're allies."

"I wouldn't say that. But you are coming with me."

"Why would I do that?"

"I can always shut the curtains and let the fight continue, though it seemed pretty one-sided to me."

Raziel hated to admit weakness, but after a few moments, he spoke.

"I agree to come with you."

"How far do you think this minor victory will take you?" Kain asked Angel. Angel widened the curtains a little bit more, and Kain shifted more into the still dark parts of his office. "I'm sure one of your employees will be by real soon."

***

Lee Mercer waited until both candidates were in the Mayor's Office, and then shut the door.

"What news do you have?" One of them asked.

"The citizens have voted, Mr. Treden." Lee stated.

"And?" Mr. Treden's opponent asked.

"It was hard to discern at first, the ballots were neck and neck, but," He walked close to Treden's opponent, mere inches separated them. In the next second, he was dust. "I'm afraid you lost."

"How did you decide?" Treden asked.

Lee brushed the dust off his suit and stuck the stake inside his jacket. "Mr. Hart is not very fond of vampires." He cleared his throat. "Now, you know what we want."

"Is it possible?"

"The officials in this town know where their salaries come from. They won't question you. It's all arranged. I just hope you remember who gave you this opportunity."

"I do."

"Wolfram and Hart will have no more direct contact with you. From now on, use more discreet communications."

"I won't fail you." Treden said, shifting out of human form to his true, demon one. Muted red, scaly skin; sharp, golden spikes; deep, black eyes; and no visible mouth.

"That's what the last one said. And he…well, you know how he ended up." Lee moved to open the door. "One last suggestion. Don't show that side to the press. It's not flattering."

***

The slayers walked and walked for what seemed like ever; silence being their main topic of conversation. They had left the cemetery, finding everyone waiting for them by their mom's car. Faith had asked Giles if she could talk to him in private, and they had walked away from the car, spoke a few words, and surprising everyone, Faith had given him a quick hug. Then she and Buffy started their walk.

Their communication was all in their contact. Buffy walked alongside Faith, making sure she was as close to her as possible. Their fingers were entwined, and Buffy was resting her head on Faith's shoulder. Faith's one free arm was wrapped around Buffy's waist. The blonde knew that Faith was the one feeling weak, and the one feeling guilt and doubt, but Buffy felt the same way, because she couldn't do anything.

"This is enough." Faith said quietly, speaking for the first time. "Just this. No bad feelings."

"I can't stop."

Faith sighed. "And I wanted to be different. I'm making you miserable. Just like the others."

"No you're not. Wanna know what I thought about all day? You. This. Just being next to you. This makes me happy."

"Remember all that 'feeling each other's emotions' stuff?"

"That's not misery, that's worry. I do that a lot when I care about somebody. Even more when I love 'em."

"How can you -?"

"Stop. Don't. I just do. With whatever you feel you have to go through, whatever happens, that won't change. Never question it."

"B -"

"Ssh. I'm not going anywhere."

They stopped walking, and found themselves standing outside one of the forty-three churches in Sunnydale. Faith looked at Buffy, and the older slayer nodded. They entered, and Buffy hung back near the back of the church. Faith looked back at her, and she smiled in encouragement.

Faith walked to the front left side of the church, pulled back the curtain on a wooden booth, and went inside. She pulled the curtain shut again, and knelt down, taking a deep breath. "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned."

***

The rest of the group had gone back to Joyce's house to crash for awhile. There was something about funerals that made them want to stick close together for awhile. Giles had learned a great deal from Quentin about Raziel and his history, and it gave him something else to focus on besides the day's events. He would see that the creature was killed for her though. He just had to wait for Buffy and Faith to return so he could share his information. He also planned to go back to the gallery in the morning. He felt it was time to continue his life.

Willow, Tara and Xander were engaged in conversation, and were trying to get back into good spirits again. The wiccans had made love just yesterday, and yet it seemed like weeks had passed by. Bad things always had to interrupt the bliss, didn't they? That was the way on the Hellmouth. Xander was asked not to come into work today, and to come back tomorrow. They had given no explanation, and he had found it rather suspicious. But it was Sunnydale's government, so he had a right to his, probably well-founded, suspicions.

Anya sat by herself on the couch, near Joyce, who was so exhausted that she had fallen asleep. Anya wondered how she could do that. They had just come from a mourning ceremony. A place of sadness and black clothes. In all her eleven hundred and twenty years, she had never been to a funeral. It was always do the kill and move on. Like a proper demon should. When she saw all those people weeping and crying, the overall gloominess of the atmosphere, she had become catatonic. She thought about how many men she had killed. Hundreds? No, it was more like thousands.

And they probably all had families who attended their funerals, who loved them, who wept, who would miss them. Taking herself even further, she wondered how many people had taken their own lives because of the grief they felt. And given the way she made taken some of her victims' lives, suicide was a definite possibility. She had never had to witness the aftermath before, and she felt something she hadn't felt for a very long time. Guilt.

Not over Olivia. But over all of the others. All the others she had forced to be buried. She had been full of rage for so many years, had hurt so many people. Even the ones she hadn't killed, she had made sure that they hid in shame from society. Every woman's wish she granted, they had always regretted it afterwards, but she had just brushed them off as foolishly burdened by emotion and guilt. Now she was human, and she was beginning to understand how they felt. And she didn't like it at all.

"Anya? Anya, are you okay?" Xander asked, coming to sit beside her.

"No…I'm very upset."

"Oh. Well -"

"And I don't want to talk about it."

She got up, and walked upstairs, leaving Xander dumbfounded. He wasn't expecting that.

***

"Angel, do you really think it's wise to…" Wesley said, staring down the elevator shaft in the office.

"He went after Buffy. And Faith. I was in no position to kill him, and I don't even know if…" He stopped, suddenly deciding not to continue that thought. "I listened to the conversation, and he's the more the sensible. I went with the only option I had. I have what he wants, and I can keep an eye on him."

"By keeping an eye on him you mean being up here while he's down there, in your home, with this great weapon he wants more than anything in the world?" Cordelia asked, not being able to believe the vampire's absentmindedness.

"I said a few incantations over the sword. There's mystical barriers protecting it."

"Oh. I knew that." Cordelia said, trying to hide the blush that was threatening to show on her face, and go sit down at her desk.

"I'm still not clear on what good keeping him here will do." Wesley said.

"Hart, Kain, whoever he is, wants him dead. If he dies, we'll have a -"

"Real big problem on our hands?" Cordelia asked.

Angel nodded. "But I don't trust Raziel either. Which is why he's here, and the sword's protected. He's smart. Kain seems to hedge on sanity line, but I think Raziel can be reasoned with."

"You wouldn't be being drawn in by his 'vampire honor' crusade, would you?" She asked in a tone between seriousness and sarcasm.

"No, of course not."

"Just checking."

"Do you plan to tell Buffy and Faith that he's here?" Wesley asked.

"I'm on it." Cordelia told them. "Right after my break."

***

Raziel had stared at the sword for awhile. He was so close to it, yet he knew he could not take it. He could smell the magick around it. So he walked around the vampire's home, looking at his collections. He was very impressed with Angel's assortment of axes. But he saw mainly one thing as he looked around. A vampire with a life. As much as one could get anyway, being what he was.

He had to admit to himself now, that Kain had been right. His sire had integrated himself very well into the current world. Raziel was stuck behind, simply because he had values. While not desiring Kain's current status, he could have at least become a part of world, instead of remaining a recluse. He might have been in better position now, if he had.

But he hadn't thought that far ahead, because really, even though he declined the Elder's offer of death and rest, he never expected to have the desire to leave the Sanctuary. He still had the need to continue living though. What being wanted to die? Only the incredibly mad, he reasoned. He had thought the Reaver gone forever, but when he found out it wasn't, he felt like he had purpose again.

His confrontation with Kain, he wouldn't even call it that, had discouraged him somewhat. He had grand visions of armies of souled brethren, all working and coordinating together, for a better world. Not rampant destruction of the humans or their cities. He believed that humans had their place, that vampires were superior, and they had claim to the world. Of course there would be rebellions, but the majority would learn to fall in line. A system where power was held in the hands of many, for the benefit of the entire race, which was a vision that Kain didn’t share.

Yet, he wondered if he could accomplish that. The quarreling vampires might not want to join under his cause. Might even be too far-gone to understand his reasons. And he couldn't force a soul on a soulless creature. They had to be willing. Doubts kept flooding into his mind. Before he could do any of that, he reminded himself, he needed the sword. He needed his abilities. He wasn't ready for Kain, and that was a problem.

He looked up at the elevator as it started to descend. After a few seconds, Angel stepped out.

"You have a soul. A human one. I felt it before." Raziel said. "How is that possible?"

"Curse."

Raziel shook his head. "A soul should not be a curse. My sympathies."

"It has its good qualities." Angel walked over to his fridge, and got out a packet of blood.

He looked at Raziel's longing expression, and the old vampire noticed. "That, is my curse. Feeding off souls for survival."

"Human ones."

"There aren't any more demons with them." Raziel began to study Angel closely. "Except you. Though it isn't the kind of soul a vampire should have."

"Feeding off me would be a mistake. If you did, I'd be just like the others. Soulless and a mindless killer."

"I could kill you if it was necessary."

"I wouldn't bet on that." Angel said, feeling his darker half begin to stir.

Raziel sighed, and looked at the sword again. "I need it. It will sustain me. So I will no longer have to feed."

"Right. Then it'll just give you the power to destroy almost anything you want. You see my problem with that."

"You're wise. Wiser than most of your kind." Raziel sat on the sofa. "Very well. What do you propose?"

"We'll help you destroy Kain, but it's his move. We wait for it, and try to develop a plan of attack."

***

When Faith was finished, Buffy saw that some of the weight had been lifted. She could feel it. Faith came back to the second to last pew, and they just sat there for awhile. Buffy wasn't very religious and neither was Faith (kind of ironic considering they used crosses daily), but there was something extremely peaceful about it. A church, no matter what you believed in, symbolized goodness and positive feelings, which was something they both needed.

Eventually, they left the church to find the sun just about down. And six vampires waiting for them. Caught off guard a little bit, they managed to grab their stakes, and started to slay. Faith tackled the one nearest to her, and she wrestled with him on the ground, punching him repeatedly.

"Why won't they just leave me alone!?" Faith screamed at him.

He didn't answer, and she didn't care either way. She got over top of him, and jammed her stake into his chest. She sprang up, and rushed over to help Buffy. This was helping Faith, however. Battling evil was very cleansing, and it was fitting that it was in front of the church. She knew the high of slaying was temporary, but she planned to make it last.

Neither slayer noticed the figure running out of the church.

***

"Anya? Honey? You coming out of there?" Xander asked, standing outside the bathroom in the upstairs hallway.

Silence. And then -

"You wouldn't understand."

"Maybe if you told me I could attempt to."

"Just go away, Xander."

Xander didn't hear the soft footsteps coming up from behind him.

"Want me to talk to her?" Tara asked quietly.

He jumped. "Tara."

"Oh…uh...s-sorry."

"No, it's all right. I just have a fright disorder. They say it's psychological, but I really don't think so." He took a breath. "I've never seen her like this before. Un-her like."

Tara stepped up to her door and softly knocked. "Anya?"

***

They grabbed the final vampire by both of his arms, and using all of their strength, Buffy and Faith threw him onto the roof of the church. The vampire landed up against a very large cross. It began to scream, its whole body sizzling, smoking, until it eventually burst into millions and millions of dust particles.

"That was so cool." Faith said.

"Who says you can't be creative with slayage? Come on, let's get outta here."

***

"Slow down." Willow said speaking into Joyce's cordless phone. "Cordy, look…"

She sighed, and gave a pleading look to Giles who took the phone from her.

"Cordelia?" He asked.

Buffy and Faith came in then, still very much on the up because of their successful outing. Joyce, who had awoken earlier, instantly slipped into worry mode. "Are you both okay? We thought you'd be back sooner."

"Vamps." Buffy explained.

"Dust all around." Faith said.

"The way it should be." Buffy added.

They sat on opposite sides of Xander on the couch, and he had the remote in hand.

"If you ladies are gonna get frisky, I'll move."

"Xander!" Buffy said, blushing.

"I just know how you get after a slaying, and I'd like to remain the faithful type and leave my fantasies as fantasies. Comprende?"

"Where is Anya anyway?" Faith asked. Xander looked down at his hands. "Oh. Why don't we see what Must See Crap has tonight?"

He gave her the remote, and she flipped through the channels until she ended up on the news. She was about to move on when she recognized the City Hall building. It looked like some sort of conference. The reporter spoke.

"New Mayoral Elect Mark Treden, the first mayor since the end of the Wilkins Dynasty, is the youngest to ever enter office, at the age of thirty-five. Let's listen in now, as he has asked to address the residents of Sunnydale."

The camera switched to the clean cut, brown-haired, youthful new mayor.

"First, I would like to pay my respects to my opponent, who fought a hard campaign. But as he is now left in the dust," The gathers laughed and cheered, "I must shift my focus to the voters of this town, without which, I wouldn't be before you today. And I thank you.

"Now, it has come to attention, and as I'm sure many of you have suspected, Mayor Wilkins' administration was corrupt. Based on files that he had not been able to destroy before his unfortunate end to his term, he used his authority to bend the law, as well as many other numerous acts I can't mention here.

"I promise you that I will purge this government of all remnants of his corruption. It will be handled quickly and efficiently, so I may move Sunnydale into a new age, and transform it into a town that you can be proud to say that you live in.

"Thank you again."

Faith robotically shut off the television. Giles hung up with Cordelia.

"Well he seems committed." Joyce said.

"Buffy, Angel has some news that -" Giles began.

The doorbell sounded, and everyone looked at each other quizzically. Joyce got up, and moved to answer it. Police rushed in, guns pointed. A man walked in behind them, and flashed a badge to the group.

"Buffy Summers and Faith Adams?" He looked directly at them, and they stood, both agreeing silently that a violent outburst wouldn't help things. Krupp nodded to his officers, and they began to handcuff the two slayers.

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford one, one who will be assigned to you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you now?"

They nodded silently, and amid the protests of their friends, were walked from the house.