"Van Helsing?"

Coen's harsh voice suddenly pulled Kadin out of her stupor. She shook her head and lifted the phone to place it back against her ear.

"Why so quiet, Hunter?" Coen's voice dripped with hatred. "Don't you like my little present?"

"Let her go, Coen. I'm warning you."

Coen laughed hearty and full. "Or what? You'll talk me to death?"

Kadin's face creased in worry. She walked away from the crowd at the luggage line. "What do you want?"

"What we've always wanted," Coen replied icily. "For you to pay for what you did to our family."

"By family, do you mean Serena?" Kadin shot back. "Because, if I remember it right, you were the ones who killed her. Not me."

"Shut up!" Coen screamed into her ear. "If you ever want to see your girlfriend again, I suggest you watch how you speak to me."

Kadin sighed again as she let her eyes drift over the crowd of people. "Okay. Just tell me what you want so we can get this over with."

The other end of the line was quiet for a long moment before Coen slowly answered. "It's simple really. We have your slayer, and the only way she's coming out of this alive is for you to turn yourself over to us."

"Gee, didn't see that one comin'," Kadin muttered.

"It is not our intention to harm the slayer, but we will not hesitate to do so if you force our hand. To earn her safe return, you must do exactly as we say. You are not to involve the police or the Council. In fact, you are not to talk to anyone at all. We have your phone tapped, and we are watching your every move."

Kadin couldn't stop the impulse to take a look around. She turned and scanned the crowd.

"That's right…look around…" she heard Coen's voice say. "You won't see us, though. But we'll be watching."

Kadin's expression became even more alarmed.

"Now, don't think we haven't thought about your slayer's little friends," Coen went on. "We know of the witch and her power, so we have taken the proper precautions to place a block on any magical attempts to locate her. If we get so much as a whiff of Miss Rosenberg or any of her Coven, we will kill your girlfriend."

"So, it's me for her then?" When she received no answer, Kadin assumed that she had guessed right. "Fine. When and where?"

Coen laughed evilly. "Oh, you should know it isn't going to be that easy. I mean, where's the fun in that?" His voice grew cold. "The Greyhound Station. There's a payphone on the corner. Be there in twenty minutes. And Van Helsing? I'd advise you not to be a second late."

When the line went dead in Kadin's ear, she pressed the end-call key and flipped the phone closed. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears as she shoved the phone into her pocket. It was so loud she didn't hear Willow calling her name. The hunter dashed toward the exit.

By the time Willow got to the luggage area, Kadin was already gone. Willow glanced around the room and then at the exit, with a worried and confused look on her face.

When Rowena walked into baggage claim, she found Willow standing near one of the luggage belts, staring off into space, as if she were thinking very deeply about something.

"Hi honey! I'm home!" Rowena announced, drawing Willow out of her reverie.

Willow whipped around in surprise. "Ro!" She pulled her girlfriend into a huge hug. "Gods, I missed you."

"I missed you too," Rowena said.

When the two pulled apart, they kissed warmly and then smiled at one another. After a few moments, Rowena's smile became a smirk as she made a pretend knock on Willow's head.

"Wanna tell me what was going on in that head of yours a minute ago?" Rowena asked. "I could practically hear the wheels turning when I walked up."

Willow turned back to where she had seen Kadin standing. "Just something weird that happened…" Willow turned back to Rowena. "When I came in a little while ago, I saw Kadin from across the room." Willow pointed in the opposite direction toward the exit. "I tried to wave at her, but she didn't see me, so I started making my way over here. I saw her answer her cell phone, and she didn't seem happy at all. Then she looked at her phone and talked some more. Before I could get to her, she dashed out of here like her shoes were on fire." Willow winced at the comment after she said it.

"Speaking from personal experience, I'm sure that was pretty damn quick," Rowena replied.

"I'm sorry," Willow muttered. "Sometimes things just come right out of my mouth before my head catches 'em."

"Don't be sorry." Rowena smiled and took her girlfriend's hand. "My Willow's 'open mouth/insert foot' comments are one of the things I miss when I'm away," she said as they started to walk. "So, who do you think Kadin was talking to?"

Willow shook her head uncertainly. "I hope it wasn't Kennedy."

"What do you mean?"

"Kennedy told me last night that she and Kadin had a fight. If she was talking to Kennedy, it sure didn't look like that conversation went well…at all."

"Maybe you should talk to Kennedy about it," Rowena suggested. "Don't you have another magic session with her today?"

"Yeah, I do, a-a-and I will," Willow said. "I just hope she and Kadin will work things out."

Rowena nervously bit her lip and stopped to face Willow. "Speaking of magic…I told Al about everything here lately, in detail…and about Marly." Willow looked away for a moment. "She wants to see you, Will."

"What for?" Willow asked. "I'm dealing with things."

Rowena began to scratch at her bandaged arm nervously, and Willow carefully took her hand away.

"Sorry, nervous temperature change. I get itchy when I'm warm," Rowena said.

"And the reason you're warm is…?"

"I don't want you to get upset with me, but I told her I'm worried about you. And she's worried too. A-A-And she's just being a friend…and a high priestess at the Council."

"And the point?"

"She thinks maybe, if you agree that is, that the two of you can do a bit of training."

"If I had been the one in that fun house – ?"

"I would have freaked even more," Rowena confessed openly. "And Marly probably would have been dead before that bomb went off because I would have strangled her with my bare hands…but I'm not the high priestess."

Willow looked down in shame, but Rowena cupped her under the chin and raised her head back up to come eye to eye with her. "I love you. You know that. Al loves you. But Al's also concerned…So please, for both of us, humor the woman? Let her visit?"

Willow gave a slight nod, and Rowena pulled the witch's face to hers by the fingertips until their lips met.

"Good, now let's go home because I missed Willow cuddles too," she said as she took Willow by the hand again and began to walk toward the exit, where Casey was waiting.

James Vance led the way down a hallway as two of his followers – Matt Jasper and Sharon Hill – dragged a heavily-chained Kennedy behind him. A third guard, Darius Fillmore, stayed behind at the top of the corridor. When they got to a steel door with a large sliding bolt on it, James opened it and waited. Jasper and Hill took the slayer inside, giving her a nice shove once they passed the threshold. She stumbled forward, then shot a glare at the duo. As James entered, they led her to the far wall, where they locked her chains to a large iron pipe. Kennedy glanced around the windowless, cinder-block room and scoffed loudly.

"Liked my other cell better," she complained to James. "This one doesn't even have a window." Kennedy then rubbed her shoulder. "And your dart left a bruise. I think I'll sue. You Knights allow civil litigation, don't you?"

James did not deign to reply.

"You know, it doesn't matter where you take me," Kennedy told him. "They'll find me."

At that, James allowed himself the slightest smirk. "We werewolves are not ignorant of the magical arts," he boasted. "My casting shall keep your witch at bay."

"You can threaten me all you want, but Kadin won't just turn herself over to you," Kennedy pronounced with confidence. "So this whole plan of yours is going nowhere."

"I think you underestimate your worth to her," James said as he came to stand right in front of Kennedy. "She is already complying with our demands." His face grew stern. "She will present herself for judgment," he announced with confidence. "She knows that she is guilty…she knows that she must pay for her crimes against my people."

"Hello? You and your people already tried her for her 'crimes' and found her not guilty," Kennedy reminded him.

"The Knights who were called to try the hunter failed in their sacred duty," James said. "I shall rectify that error, achieve justice for my clan, and restore the honor of the Knights."

"Honor?" Kennedy said sarcastically. "You think it's honorable to condemn your own daughter because of who she fell in love with?"

James reacted with such swiftness that even Kennedy was caught off guard. In a split-second, he closed the space between them and struck Kennedy with a vicious backhand, knocking the slayer to the floor.

"Serena was NOT in love with that…monster!" James roared as he stood over Kennedy. "Kadin Van Helsing twisted my daughter, corrupted her, turned her against her own kind! You think I wanted to rule against her? You think I wanted to send my own son, her own brother, against her?"

Kennedy rubbed her cheek, surprised by the strength of James's blow, but said nothing. James stepped back and took a moment to collect himself.

"She was beyond hope," he said sadly. "Irredeemable." James met Kennedy's eyes. "All because of Kadin Van Helsing. And now the hunter will pay for what she's done."

Kennedy jumped to her feet to confront James. She went as far as she could, straining against the chains holding her.

"I swear to God," Kennedy yelled, "if you hurt Kadin, I will bring the entire Council down on you and your clan. There won't be a place on this planet you can hide from us. Hell, I'll hunt you down myself!"

James stared back just as fiercely. Then he chuckled. "Yes, the Council is having such good luck in the manhunt department these days." He turned his back on her and walked a few feet away before turning back around.

Roaring in anger, Kennedy tried uselessly to rush James, but her chains held her firmly in place. James let his eyes trail along the shackles.

"I don't suppose I have to remind you that those chains have been designed to be impervious to a slayer's strength," James told her. "Not that you have your full strength at the moment anyway," James added with a smirk. "The tranquilizer we used should keep you sufficiently weak until all this is over."

Without another word, James and his followers left the cell, slamming the steel door behind them. Kennedy could hear the large bolt sliding into place before it was locked down.

"Sufficiently weak," she said disgustedly, mimicking James's tone. Then she let out a heavy sigh, trudged over to the pipe, sat down, and propped herself against the wall.

Still leaning against the wall, Kennedy glanced around the room, a bored expression on her face. She stopped when a thought came to her. She looked down at her chains.

"I wonder if…"

Kennedy directed her gaze at the chains. Her eyes narrowed, and her brow furrowed as she concentrated her will on the manacles around her wrists. Nothing happened. She tried again. Same result.

"Come on, damn it," she told herself. "You can float a freakin' rose for goodness' sake! This is no different."

As yet another attempt failed, Kennedy growled in frustration.

Kadin ran up to the booth just in time to pick up the phone on the third ring. She was hunched over and out of breath as she panted heavily into the phone.

"H-H-Hello?"

"Nineteen minutes and forty-nine seconds. You're getting slack, Hunter. You're not losing that Van Helsing stamina so soon, are you?"

Kadin struggled to catch her breath as she fought to stand up and brace herself against the glass. "Considering the last three places you sent me to were clear across town, I'd say that's an Olympic record."

Coen chuckled. "Glad to see you haven't lost that arrogance."

Kadin's eyes darted around the busy street outside the phone booth as if looking for any sign of Coen. "I'm not arrogant. I just know I'm better than a scum-sucking beast like you. Hell, you make Ted Bundy look like Man of the Year."

Coen growled into the phone. "You still take such liberties with that tongue of yours? Knowing of the consequence?"

Kadin allowed just the smallest of smiles to grace across her lips. "I never heard Serena complain. She loved it when my tongue took such liberties."

Coen let out a full-blown howl into the phone. "For that, I will rip it out myself!" After a pause, he amended, "Or maybe, I'll just take your slayer's tongue instead."

The smile instantly vanished from Kadin's face. "No, please. Don't. I'm sorry. Please."

"That's more like it," Coen said. "Still…a price must be paid. Take off your coat."

"What?"

"Take off your coat!"

Kadin instantly complied.

"And your gloves."

She threw her gloves to the ground.

After a long silence, she heard Coen continue, "There's a small grocery store on the corner of 17th and Hamilton called Grossman's. Be there in fifteen minutes."

The phone line went dead, and Kadin hung up before quickly darting out the door and taking off in a full sprint down the street.

Willow paced nervously around the coven room, holding her cell phone to her ear as she called the slayer division.

When the slayer working the desk answered, Willow asked, "Is Kennedy over there? Has anybody seen her today?"

"Let me check. Hang on."

As Willow was put on hold, Xander walked into the room. He gave a small wave and joined his best friend by the small table in the corner.

"Hey, whatcha doin'?" he asked.

"Trying to find Kennedy," she told him. Just then, Willow was taken off hold.

"She's not here," the slayer said, "and nobody's seen her."

"Oh," Willow said, a concerned expression coming over her face. "Thanks anyway."

When Willow hung up, Xander took a step closer. "What's up?"

"I don't know, but I'm worried," Willow said. "Kennedy was supposed to have a magic session with me a half hour ago, and she hasn't shown up. I've called her apartment and her cell, but there's no answer. I left messages, but she hasn't called back."

"What about the front desk?" Xander asked.

"I called them too, but there's nothing on the schedule for her other than my session, so I don't know where she could be." Willow and Xander both exchanged worried looks. "Let's go check out Kennedy's apartment," Willow said suddenly. And the two of them left the room in a hurry.

When Xander and Willow rushed into Kennedy's apartment, they found the living room completely trashed. They stood there with their eyes and mouths wide open.

"Oh my god…" Xander said. "What happened? D-D-Did somebody grab her? Is it Heli?"

"I don't know!" Willow answered, desperation in her voice. "Wait!" she added, suddenly remembering the events from earlier that day. "This morning, I saw Kadin at the airport, s-s-someone called her, and she looked very upset and then ran out. What if this is connected?"

"Oh god…" was all Xander could say.

While Xander started freaking out, Willow began punching in Kadin's number on her cell phone.

"I'm here," Kadin answered on the first ring. Her cheeks and hands were red and chafed from the cold run without her coat and gloves.

Coen chuckled. "I'm glad to see your motivation hasn't suffered. That's not to say the rest of you won't."

Kadin gripped the phone tightly against her ear. "I want to talk to Kennedy. How do I know you haven't killed her already?"

"You'll just have to trust me," Coen said. "She is a means to an end, nothing more. Collateral damage, as it were, in our little conflict. It's up to you to make sure she doesn't become a casualty." Coen resumed his demanding tone. "A van will be by shortly to pick you up. Remain where you are until it arrives. Do not fight back, or your slayer will die."

Before Kadin had a chance to reply, her cell phone started to ring. Out of habit, she pulled it out and flipped it open to see the caller ID. The screen flashed, "Willow Rosenberg calling…"

Coen's voice cut through any thought she had of pressing the answer button. "Don't answer that!" he commanded. "Not if you want to see your lover again."

Kadin froze with her thumb hovering over the answer button.

"I'm warning you, Hunter. Answer it, and I'll kill your slayer myself."

Kadin looked up sharply and glanced at her surroundings as the rings went on.

"I told you," Coen's voice answered. "We are watching your every move. Now, turn the phone off and throw it into the garbage can on your right." After Kadin made no move to comply, he added in a harsh tone, "Now!"

Kadin looked down at the flashing screen desperately as the phone continued to ring in her hand. She lifted her thumb to press the off button, but at the last second, she hit the silent button instead. Then she tossed the phone into the garbage can as instructed.

"Happy?" she said into the pay phone receiver.

"Oh, so very," Coen answered dryly. "Now, stay put."

Once the line went dead, Kadin slowly placed the phone back on the hook. As the sound of a roaring engine grew closer, she cast one last glance at the garbage can.

"Come on, come on…" Willow mumbled as the call to Kadin's phone rang and rang.

After several rings, the call finally kicked to Kadin's voice mail. Willow let out a frustrated sigh and waited for the requisite tone. When it sounded, she spoke into the phone.

"Kadin! We think Kennedy's been kidnapped. We can't find her anywhere. If you know something, call us, please!"

When Willow ended the call, she found Xander still freaking out. He kept repeating "oh god" over and over. Willow grabbed Xander's arms and made him look at her.

"Xander, I need you to be strong, okay?" Willow pleaded. "Help me be strong too. Like before. Can you do that?"

Xander calmed a bit and finally nodded.

"Find Buffy and Rowena," she told him. "Get them to call an emergency meeting. I'm gonna go do a locator spell, so meet me at the coven room when you're done."

Xander nodded again, but then pulled Willow by the hand briskly. "Fine. Just get out of this room. Don't touch anything."

Kadin stood by anxiously as she watched the black van approach the curb. It finally came to a stop just in front of her, and the large side door swung open to reveal a smiling Coen Vance.

"Miss me?" he asked smugly as he stepped out, followed by two other clansmen, Nick Stevens and Stanley Moreland.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Kadin answered calmly. Her eyes landed on the werewolf's scarred visage. "How could I not miss such a pretty face?"

Coen just growled low in his throat as he directed Stevens and Moreland to frisk Kadin for weapons and tracer bugs.

The hunter's body moved and jolted with every rough touch, but her eyes never left Coen's. When he stepped back and smiled, she felt her arms roughly pulled backward, and then a pair of handcuffs were ratcheted into place around her wrists.

Not another word was spoken as Coen forced Kadin into the van. Moments later the engine roared to life, and it pulled back out onto the street before disappearing into the heavy traffic.

Buffy sat at her usual place at the head of the table. Sitting in the chairs on her left were Willow, Xander, Rowena, and Dawn. On her right were Faith, Robin, Jeff, and Mia. Andrew sat at the end of the table, working furiously at a computer station.

"So you think Kennedy's been kidnapped?" Buffy asked Willow.

"Yes," Willow said firmly.

"According to the security tapes, she left the Council late last night, alone," Robin said. "She hasn't been seen since. And she's not answering her cell."

"Oh, god, is it Heli?" Mia asked worriedly.

"No," Willow said. "At least we don't think so."

She pressed a few keys on her computer panel, causing a picture to show on the large screen on the wall. The image showing was a copy of the snapshot of Coen holding Kennedy.

"Oh god," Dawn said. Xander refused to look at the screen. He just rocked a bit in his chair.

"Who's that?" Buffy asked.

"Meet Coen Vance of the Knights Argentum," Willow answered.

"What?!" Rowena exclaimed in surprise.

"No freakin' way!" Faith complained loudly.

Robin turned to Willow. "Where did you get that?"

"From the cell phone company's mainframe," Willow replied. "That's what was sent from Kennedy's phone this morning to Kadin's phone." Willow looked over at Rowena. "That's what I saw her looking at in the airport before she rushed off in a hurry."

"How did you do that?" Jeff asked.

"It wasn't easy," Willow said. "I had to cheat a little," she admitted. "And make a deal. I need an expense check to Verizon, by the way," Willow told Buffy.

"Have you done a locator spell on Kennedy?" Mia asked.

"Yes, several times, with several personal items of hers, but it didn't work. Someone is blocking the spell…someone good."

"Are you sure it's not Heli?" Buffy asked.

"Not a hundred percent sure," Willow said, "but it's just not likely to be her. The Knights have their own agenda and their own methods. They don't need Heli."

"And Heli certainly doesn't need them to wreak havoc," Rowena muttered.

"So those werewolves got smart and got all witchy?" Xander asked unexpectedly.

After a brief pause, Willow said, "And technical. While I was hacking in the cell phone system, I found a spy-bot monitoring Kadin's calls. I tried to trace it back, but I couldn't. I just left it in place, thinking we could keep trying. Andrew and a team are working on it now." She pointed at Andrew at the end of the table.

"What about using the cell company's mainframe to get Kennedy's phone's last known location?" Robin asked.

"I've done that, hence the expense check," Willow said. "We just need a team to go there."

"What about doing a locator spell on Kadin?" Jeff suggested. "Presumably the kidnappers are using Kennedy to get Kadin, maybe she's already there."

"About that," Faith interjected. "Last time, these Knights just grabbed Kadin directly. Why bother kidnapping Kennedy at all?"

"To punish Kadin more?" Dawn suggested.

"Or pay back against Kennedy herself for supporting Kadin in her trial," Rowena added.

"We don't need to worry about the 'why' right now," Buffy said, getting the conversation back on track. "What we need is the 'where'." She turned to Willow. "What about that locator spell on Kadin?"

"Can't do it," Willow said, shaking her head. "I don't have a personal object of Kadin's. I searched Kennedy's apartment, but I didn't find anything that I was absolutely sure was something important to Kadin."

"You know Kadin," Faith commented. "She lives out of that duffel bag of hers."

"We can send someone to Kadin's cabin to get something," Buffy said.

"Do we have that kind of time?" Dawn asked. "She doesn't live in the city."

"True," Willow replied.

"What about tracking Kadin's phone then?" Robin asked.

"I've already done that," Willow said. "The phone's not off, but it is stationary. If Kadin's got it, she's not answering. But I did get the last known location for Kadin's phone, so we can send a team there as well."

When it seemed like all relevant information had been shared, Buffy glanced at Willow. "Anything else?"

Willow shook her head.

"Okay, here's the plan," Buffy said, getting to her feet. "Will, I want you and Faith and Dawn to follow up on Kennedy's phone."

"Got it," Willow said.

"Ro, you and Mia and Jeff will do the same for Kadin's phone," Buffy went on.

"Will do," Rowena replied.

"Xander, get everybody armed with silver weapons before they go, then you and I will take Kadin's cabin."

Xander seemed unsure of himself but nodded quickly.

"Andrew – "

"Still on it!" he instantly shot back.

"Right," Buffy said. "Robin – "

"Command center. Gotcha." Then Robin raised his voice to call out to the whole group as they were leaving. "Everybody take cell phones and radios!"

After Faith, Chamique, and Casey cleared the area, Willow and Dawn stepped inside. It was a small room in the basement of a condemned building. Except for the heavy door to the interior stairs and a row of small windows near the ceiling that were at ground level outside, the room was solid brick. A thick layer of dust covered the floor. Footprints and scuffmarks could be clearly seen, evidence of recent occupation. But at the moment, no one was there.

"Hey, look at this," Chamique said.

As the group drew near, she pointed to a space on the interior wall near the door where a large pipe came up from the floor and disappeared into the ceiling. A letter "K" had been shakily scratched into the facing of the brick.

"Whatcha got?" Robin asked over the radio.

"Nothin'," Faith replied. "Looks like she was here, but not now. It's a dead end."

"Can we just avoid the phrase 'dead end' when talking about a slayer?" Chamique asked.

"Sorry," Faith winced. "Let's move out, guys."

As Mia, Denise, and Marie searched the entire area around and inside the grocery store for any sign of Kennedy or Kadin, Rowena and Jeff focused on locating the phone. Using a GPS device, they moved to the location that Willow had come up with. It was right near the pay phone outside the store.

Rowena and Jeff looked around, thinking they would see the phone. When they didn't, Rowena pulled out her cell and called Kadin's number. Nothing. No ring or anything. Then concentrating past the noise of traffic, they heard a soft buzzing coming from the metal garbage can next to the pay phone. They grabbed the can and dumped it. After a pile of garbage, Kadin's phone tumbled out, still vibrating from Rowena's call.

Rowena ended her call and activated her radio. "Mia, we found Kadin's phone but no Kadin. Any sign of either of them?"

"Afraid not," came Mia's disappointed voice.

"Keep looking," Rowena said, "and start questioning the shop owners and workers. Maybe somebody saw something."

When Buffy and Xander stepped into Kadin's cabin, they stopped in their tracks. It was starker than they imagined: a plain sofa with a few tables and lamps, a wooden weapons chest on one side, but no pictures or personal knickknacks. Xander walked straight to the chest.

"Bet I know what's in here," he said as he opened it. "Yep. Weapons galore. Guess I'll grab a sampling."

"I'll check the bedroom," Buffy said as she stepped through one of the doorways off the living room. "Oh!" came Buffy's surprised voice from afar. "She's got a game room. It's nice."

Sharon Hill came walking down the hallway carrying several to-go sacks and drinks from a fast food place. When she arrived, she handed two of the sacks and drinks to Matt Jasper, who sat in a chair next to the door to Kennedy's cell. Hill then left, munching on her fries as she headed back up the corridor. Jasper set one bag and drink aside and started in on his own dinner. Just as he was about to take his first bite, he heard a voice from inside the cell.

"Hey! Bring me my dinner!" Kennedy demanded. "I know you've got it out there. I can smell it."

"Shut up!" Jasper yelled. "You'll get it when I'm damn good and ready."

"Bring me my dinner! Bring me my dinner!" Kennedy started chanting loudly, clanging her chains at the same time.

Jasper growled to himself, put down his burger, and angrily got to his feet. He unlocked the cell and drew the large slide bolt back. After opening the door, he stomped inside.

"Listen, bitch, you better shut up or I'm gonna – UGGHHH!"

Jasper went to his knees. He groaned in pain and reached for the backs of his legs where Kennedy had smacked him with her now-unlocked chains. When Jasper tried to get up, Kennedy dropped the chains and gave him one solid punch to the face. He went out like a light and didn't move.

Kennedy stood over the unconscious werewolf and said a bit smugly, "Sufficiently weak, huh? Never underestimate a slayer!"

Then she quickly left the cell.

Kennedy sneaked along the corridor, looking for a way out. Suddenly, Hill and the three other clan members came around the corner and saw her. She looked back the way she came, but she knew it was a dead end. She swore softly to herself; then with a roar, she plowed into the four werewolves.

She fought like a madwoman, and for a time, she actually made headway against them. After a furious exchange, she had Stevens and Moreland down and was trading blows with the Hill and Fillmore.

Then Coen appeared on the scene. His eyes widened in alarm, and he instantly pulled out his tranquilizer gun. He ran closer, waited for an opportunity, then fired.

The dart caught Kennedy in the back. Within seconds, she began to weaken and get woozy. Hill and Fillmore took advantage. They got in blow after blow before she finally sank to the floor unconscious. They each gave her a good kick before they were done. Then they turned to help Stevens and Moreland to their feet.

"What is going on here?" Coen demanded. "Where is Matt? And how the hell did she get out of those chains?"

Hill and Fillmore shuffled their feet. "Uhhh, we don't know," Fillmore said.

Coen shook his head in disgust. "Just get her back to her cell."

Hill ventured a question. "Should we chain her again?"

Coen shook his head. "Don't bother. That dose should hold. It won't be much longer now. Even if she wakes up, she'll be as weak as a kitten."

About an hour later, Kennedy started waking up. She was on her back on the floor of her cell, lying near the pipe where they had previously chained her. She looked groggily at her arms, but no chains were there.

With several groans of pain, Kennedy struggled to her feet and looked around the cell. She was hunched over a bit as if it hurt to stand up straight. She wobbled noticeably as she tried to walk. She finally just stood her ground and breathed, wincing as she did so.

The sudden bang of the slide bolt on her cell door made her jump, and she nearly stumbled to the floor. She turned and faced the door as it was opened.

Jasper walked in. His cheek had a nasty bruise where Kennedy had struck him. His eyes burned with rage.

Kennedy put on a cocky expression and forced herself to stand up straight. "Oh goody," she said. "Did ya bring my supper this time?"

Jasper didn't answer. Instead, he rushed her, reaching her much faster than Kennedy herself could react in her woozy state. When he got there, he landed a massive roundhouse punch against her jaw, knocking her sideways and to her knees. Kennedy gasped and spit blood out of her mouth, but she still managed to flash an angry glare at Jasper.

The glare didn't last long because Jasper then kicked her hard in her right side. She grunted in pain and rolled away from him onto her other side, clutching her ribs, trying to regain her breath. Jasper grabbed her by her hips to pick her up then flipped her so that she was facing him. He wrapped his left hand around her throat and slammed her against the wall.

Struggling to breathe and with her legs clumsily scrambling for a foothold, she watched him pull back his right arm and make a fist. When he threw the punch, she caught his fist in her left palm. For a second, she held him off, but then her arm began to shake from the effort. A desperate look entered Kennedy's eyes.

Jasper merely smiled, pulled back out of her grip, and punched again. This time, Kennedy could do nothing to prevent it, and the blow landed squarely against her cheek bone, splitting the skin. Jasper hit the slayer again and again until her arms finally went limp at her sides.

As blood streamed down her face, Kennedy's head was lolling from side to side, and she was blinking repeatedly, as if she were trying to remain conscious. Jasper reared back once more.

"Matt!"

Jasper stopped mid-punch when he heard his name called. He looked back to see Coen standing in the middle of the room.

"Enough," Coen told him. "Save some for the hunter."

Jasper nodded in apparent acquiescence, and Coen left the room. Jasper then pressed his body against Kennedy's to hold her against the wall while he roughly gripped her chin and made her look at him.

As the grogginess in her eyes faded a bit, it was replaced by fear – the knowledge that she was completely at Jasper's mercy and that she was incapable of making a single move to defend herself.

Jasper smiled cruelly then let Kennedy drop to the floor. The slayer was so weak that she could not even break her own fall. She hit the floor with a thud, groaned loudly, then rolled onto her back.

As Jasper came to tower over her, she tried uselessly to push herself up on her elbow. The last thing she saw was Jasper's boot crashing into her head. She went down and didn't move again.