In his attempt to eat Betta George, telepathic fish extraordinaire, the vamp Gunn left behind to guard the fish has accidentally released George from his bonds. As George thanks him sarcastically, he heads for the door, only to be grabbed by his tail. He tries to distract the vampire with illusions, to no avail. He yells out telepathically for help…

WESLEY
Wesley wakes up in a peaceful white void, sitting comfortably in an armchair. As his eyes adjust, he sees who’s sitting on a chair opposite him. It’s Fred, and she’s smiling. They did it. They’re together again in Heaven. And they have all the time in the world.

They could see the countryside. They could do all the horse-drawn carriage dates they want. They could even kill monsters if they felt like it, just like old times. Whatever it is, they can do it now, together, for eternity.

They’ll always come back to their apartment. It’ll be wonderful.

Except it’s a lie. The Senior Partners, speaking through the image of Fred, ask him what gave them away. Wesley says all of it. Their love was not a cliché. And Fred would care about her friends. ‘Fred’ maintains the illusion, telling him he signed a contract: he’s still theirs. She drapes herself over him, strips down to nothing and offers herself to him. They can bring her back, properly, providing he works for them. Keep an eye on Angel. Keep him safe in Hell.

Wesley knows they can’t be trusted. But as ‘Fred’ transforms into a serpent running up his arms, he knows he has no choice. Suddenly, he’s in the form of his past life: as a Watcher. ‘Fred’ tells him to pass a message onto Angel: behave himself – and he can keep the office. Wesley asks what’s so important. ‘Fred’ opens a door and Wesley stares in shock: Los Angeles is in Hell. As he walks out towards the signs of battle, the Senior Partners whisper amongst themselves: they have him and Wesley Wyndam-Pryce is the reason they’re going to win…

KATE
Connor struggles in the demon’s grip, debating his next move. It’s made for him as a blonde woman, Kate Lockley, stands in front of him, her rifle still smoking from shooting the demon.

She grabs a hold of Connor and drags him to a car. He tells her that he has done this sort of thing before. He did grow up in a Hell dimension after all. Kate takes it on the nose and they speed off.

She’s been off the force for a while, but now she has a new job. It’s self-employed: she helps people who fall through the cracks and occasionally kills something that comes from below. Connor is surprised she hasn’t been mentioned by one of his dads, although he doesn’t name either.

They arrive at her base and she shoots a spider demon. Her colleague whom she had been working with is gone. Never mind: she has a weapons cache. She tells Connor to sit down – he looks woozy. It’s the memories floating through his head, like a dam has burst.

He admits he has no idea what to do now.

Kate tells him a story. She can’t remember the exact wording, but she tells Connor that a man wiser than her once told her that in the greater scheme of things, nothing we do actually matters. And if that’s true then all that matters is what we do. Because that’s all there is. She grabs more weapons, tells Connor to take care and leaves.

“All that mattes is what we do.” Connor thinks on Kate’s words. Whoever told her that must have been full of himself, he reckons…

Betta George is stunned as the vampire breaks the illusions. He roars in defiance at the telepath: he is nothing compared to what Gunn puts them through! Intrigued, Betta George sifts through the vampire’s memories and see’s him battling the girls they rescued from Kr’Ph. He doesn’t understand why the vampires are fighting the girls.

What do they gain from it?

He asks again. Why are the girls here? And what’s a Slayer?