Kennedy's eyes quickly focused on the image appearing on the pages before her.

The woman in black was staring in astonishment at the newly-transformed werewolf, but the she-wolf only looked back at her with glowing feral eyes and exposed canines. They were spared only a brief moment before the pack surrounding them and began to advance, but the she-wolf struck first.

Howling in pure rage, the beast leapt at the nearest werewolf, sinking her teeth into his throat. The dark-clad woman watched in horror as the she-wolf began to kill the group around them.

With a quick shift, the woman flipped the first attacking wolf over her shoulder, sending it to the ground with a heavy thud. She planted her boot on its back and snapped its neck. At that precise moment, three of the other wolves pounced on the woman's back, shredding through her leather duster and tearing into her flesh with their claws. She let out a horrible scream, attracting the attention of the she-wolf.

The beast looked up from the throat of her second victim, blood dripping like red honey from her mouth. She let out a roar and leapt the distance to land on the other wolves. Then she flung them violently away from the woman. The she-wolf stared down in concern as the woman slowly began to stir.

The brunette blinked her eyes and slowly wet her lips, but as soon as her gaze landed on the beast directly in her face, she jolted up and flinched away.

The she-wolf seemed almost saddened by the woman's reaction, but she only looked back into the woman’s dark eyes, her own glowing a deep yellow. The woman stared back intently before slowly and hesitantly reaching out a hand towards the beast.

Her hand inched its way ever closer to the werewolf's face until her fingers came into contact with the coarse fur lining her face. It was almost as if the beast purred in contentment at the woman's touch. The moment was abruptly broken when the last remaining werewolves suddenly reappeared, rapidly advancing towards the she-wolf's back.

"Yo! Slick!"

Kennedy's head suddenly flew up from the table. "What? What'sa matter?"

Faith leaned over the table, taking a quick look at the book open in front of the other woman before meeting her eyes. "Okay. I think that’s enough reading in that book. If it puts ya to sleep, I say it goes in the ‘useless’ stack."

She reached out to close the book, but Kennedy's hand suddenly flew up and gripped her wrist. "Don't."

The elder slayer threw her hands in the air and took a few steps back. "Okay. Sorry." She stole another quick glance at the book and shook her head. "Hey, you wanna stare at the watcher babble some more, be my guest."

Kennedy looked down at the book in surprise, her eyes focusing intently on row after row of scribbled writing. "Wait. No, this is...this is wrong." She flipped through the sheets frantically, but they were all the same—pages and pages of writing, but no pictures.

"What the hell’s wrong with you?" Faith asked, realizing that something was up.

The other slayer looked deep in thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Nothing," she replied flatly. "You're right. Definitely belongs in the ‘useless’ category." She flipped the book closed and tossed it on a nearby stack. Then she lifted her jacket from the back of the chair. "I gotta go." She quickly walked past her fellow slayer and headed towards the door.

"Hey, where you goin'?"

"Hunting," Kennedy replied without looking back.

Faith looked at the book left behind before picking it up herself.

Rowena was heading towards the library when Kennedy came breezing by her.

"Hey," she called as the slayer bumped her shoulder, causing her tea to spill out onto the floor.

Kennedy paused and looked back. "Sorry." She turned to continue her journey, but the watcher once again called after her.

"Where are you going now?" Rowena asked as she pulled out a napkin and sopped up the spilled tea.

The young slayer paused. She turned her head to the side slightly and cut her eyes back at Rowena as if deciding whether or not to explain. After a moment’s consideration, she turned around and walked back to Rowena.

"Now that you're head watcher," Kennedy said in a low voice, "I'm supposed to come to you with anything I think is slayage related, right?"

Rowena looked at Kennedy intently. "If you really feel that it’s important, yes. But I trust your judgment as a slayer."

Kennedy gave her a pained expression. "That's just it, I'm not sure."

"Not sure it’s important or you don’t trust your judgment?"

Kennedy shrugged. "Hell, maybe both. I don’t know."

"Would you like to talk about it?" Rowena offered. "Perhaps over some tea? Looks like I’m in need of a fresh cup anyway."

Kennedy stared thoughtfully at the wall for several seconds before slowly nodding.

Rowena smiled and motioned for the slayer to follow her. "Let's go back to my place."

A slight smile appeared on the slayer's lips. "Hmm...what would Willow think?"

Rowena snorted as she reached down and picked up her tea. "Right now, since you and I are both living in the same dog house, I doubt she'd care."

The redhead didn't look up from her work as she lifted the mug to her lips and took a sip of her tea. She clicked on her mouse a few times as she studied the screen of her laptop. A light knock on her door interrupted her silent research.

"Come in," she answered, still not drawing her eyes away from the images before her.

Faith casually strolled into the living room and plopped down onto a nearby comfy chair. "Whatcha doin'?"

Willow peered over the rim of her mug with a slightly raised brow. "Researching."

Faith looked over the top of Willow's laptop curiously. "About what?"

The redhead placed her mug on the table next to her and then closed her computer screen. "Is something on your mind, Faith?"

At first the slayer just shook her head, but after a moment she let out a deep sigh and nodded. "Maybe."

Willow raised her brow and gave a light smile. "And does this 'maybe' have a name?"

Faith smiled. "You and your witchy intuition."

Willow smiled. "It's a talent I'm quite fond of."

The slayer grinned before leaning back into her chair. "It's Slick. I think something’s up with her."

"You mean besides the fact that Kadin was kidnapped by werewolves and is being forced to stand trial for murder?"

"Well, there's that." Faith smiled. "But, no, I think it's more. I went to the library to check on her and found her asleep. When I woke her up, she seemed...upset about something."

"Like, what kinda something?"

"I'm not sure," Faith sighed, scrunching her brow. "But I think it must have been something...slayer related."

"S-slayer related?" Willow repeated. "You mean like...a slayer dream?"

Faith just nodded. "I think so."

"Huh," Willow stated. Then she shrugged and reached down to reopen her laptop.

"I'm supposed to be filling you in on the plan, remember?" Faith interjected.

"I’m listening," the witch said defensively.

Rowena and Kennedy sat next to each other, a teacup in front of each of them. The watcher stared down into the dark liquid, a look of deep concentration on her face.

"Are you certain?" she asked, finally looking up at the slayer.

Kennedy nodded. "It was Kadin. I didn’t get a good look at her in the dream, but I just know that’s who it was…ya know?"

Rowena nodded first and then sighed and sat back in her chair.

"Well, it certainly has all the earmarks of a slayer dream, which means you’ve been given this information for a reason. But why and what does it mean?"

Kennedy shrugged uncertainly and let out a sigh of her own.

"That’s your department. It’s what you brainy watcher types do best."

Then she pushed her chair back and stood up. She reached down and lifted her jacket around her shoulders.

"Where are you going?" Rowena asked as the slayer passed by on the way to the door. Kennedy didn't stop until she reached the exit. She jerked the door open then paused. "To do what I do best," she threw over her shoulder. "You got my cell number. Call me if you find anything."

Rowena let out a deep breath as the sound of the door closing echoed in her ears. She sat at the table in silence for a few moments before finally saying softly, "You'll be the first to know."

Kadin adjusted her clothing for the umpteenth time that day and then paced the barely-lit room, her boots thudding loudly on the cement floor. Suddenly, she stopped and tilted her head as if listening.

At that moment, the only door to the room swung open, and a bright strip of light filtered in. Kadin shielded her eyes as the outline of a woman stepped in. Then the overhead lights in the room came on, and the hunter squinted her eyes against the harsh light. When her eyes had adjusted, Kadin was able to make out the woman’s features. She was an elegant woman dressed in a dark and expensive suit. Her blonde hair stood out against the darkness of her suit. The black-framed glasses resting lightly on her nose gave her the look of a woman who didn't play around.

She walked over to the table and chairs, the only pieces of furniture in the room. Placing her briefcase on the top, she paused and looked over at the hunter. She gave Kadin the once-over before raising a perfectly sculpted brow. "Ms. Van Helsing, my name is Elana Velmont, and I have been appointed your legal council in this matter."

"Legal council?" Kadin repeated as she took the few steps over to the table, closing the distance between them.

"Yes," the blonde nodded. "The Knights are not a barbaric order. They know and respect the laws of your land and your people. They have decided to follow the American tradition of a trial by jury."

Kadin snorted. "You mean a trial by fury." After a beat, she continued. "Something tells me these people aren't too concerned with respecting my anything. So you'll forgive me if I'm not impressed."

Elana cleared her throat as she took a seat in the nearest chair. She snapped open the clasps on her briefcase and pulled out a folder.

"I assure you, Ms. Van Helsing, I am not here to impress you. I am only here to defend you to the best of my ability."

"Oh, and I’ll bet your ‘ability’ is gonna be top notch on this one," Kadin said with heavy sarcasm.

"Are you impugning my legal skills already?" Elana challenged.

"Damn right!" Kadin shot back. "You work for them, not me. For all I know, you are one of them. Oh, I’m sure you’re gonna go through all the motions and make it look like a fair trial, but we both know whose side you’re really on."

Elana leaned across the table and pinned Kadin with a hard stare.

"I can assure you that I have no stake whatsoever in the outcome of this trial one way or the other."

Kadin gave a half smile as she pulled the other chair out and took a seat directly across from the lawyer. "Well, that's not very comforting. Aren’t you supposed to say something like, 'My only concern is for your good name to be cleared, and I will stop at nothing to make sure that you come out of this with all your appendages intact and with the use of most of your bodily functions?"

Elana's tough exterior wavered slightly, and a small smile graced her features. "Your reputation precedes you, and I can honestly say that you do not disappoint. Your charm does not falter, even in the worst of situations."

Kadin's smile grew to a playful grin as she leaned forward. "You callin' me charming?"

"Don’t flatter yourself," Elana replied curtly as she leaned back in her chair. "Now, I believe there is quite another pressing matter at hand?"

"Oh, right," Kadin answered, pretending to become serious. "The trial stuff. Lay it on me, lawyer lady."

Elana smiled and shook her head as she opened the folder before her. "All right. I’ve gone over all the details, and it’s regarding a person from your past. A young lady named..." She looked over the papers in front of her before lifting her eyes back to the hunter's. "Serena?"

Kadin's smile suddenly faded, and she looked back at the lawyer with cold eyes. "What's she got to do with this?"

Elana looked back over the papers, flipping forward and back. "Apparently... everything."

"Well, she's...that's not something I'd like to discuss."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," Elana replied. Kadin still said nothing. "Look," she said, taking off her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Your past is your business, but unfortunately, the situation you are currently in calls for a bit of share time. Now, you can either help me help you, or I can go right now and leave you at their mercy—a place I'm sure you'd rather not find yourself."

Kadin remained silent, folding her arms tightly as she looked across the table at the other woman.

"I'm only trying to help you, Ms. Van Helsing. It’s them or me – and I’m pretty sure you know where they all stand on this matter."

For a few moments the hunter said nothing but then muttered, "Kadin."

"Excuse me?" Elana asked, surprised by the hunter's sudden break in silence.

"My name, it's Kadin. So quit with all this 'Ms.' crap."

Another light smile tugged at the lawyer's lips, but she fought off a full- blown grin. "Well, Kadin. What do you say? Will you allow me to possibly save your life?"

"I hate to break it to you," Kadin stated bluntly. "But the last woman that saved my life? Didn't end so well."

"Right," Elana added under her breath as she put her glasses back on. "I think we should start by reviewing the events that transpired..." She looked down and started to flip through the papers when the sudden slap of Kadin's hand on the folder nearly made her jump out of her seat. She looked up at the hunter with a shocked glare.

Kadin just shook her head. "What I got to tell you...you ain't gonna find in there."

Elana nodded in understanding. Then she reached into her briefcase and pulled out a pad and pen. "Okay then. Perhaps you should start from the beginning?"

Kadin simled faintly as she leaned back and folded her hands on the table. "Funny thing...beginnings. They always seem to lead to an end."

Elana studied the other woman's change in demeanor. "Yes, but isn’t it also true that every ending is just another beginning?"

Kadin's smile faded away as she looked over at the lawyer with a blank expression. "Not if you're dead."

Bonnie opened the door and held it wide.

"I feel like I’m back in the saddle again," she said smile as she motioned for someone to step inside.

Giles and Becca, carrying Elizabeth, entered the house and began to look around.

"It’s been some time since anyone’s been here, so it is a bit dusty but just ignore that," Bonnie told them. "A little paint and polish and you could have a beautiful home."

"The living room is huge," Becca remarked as she walked deeper inside and disappeared around the corner.

"It is," Bonnie called out. "And that fireplace is a wood burner…I’m telling you this is the best bet. It’s perfect for at least five more little Gileses," she added with her smile back in place.

"What’s the catch?" Giles asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

"No catch," Bonnie answered.

Giles gave a small grin. "The home looks to be quite large ,and the price is quite affordable."

"That’s because the sellers are motivated," Bonnie asked.

Giles sighed heavily.

"The last five homes we’ve seen have belonged to a motivated sicoo demon with large unpaid gambling debts, a woman who locked her child in a cage for twelve years and a murder/suicide to name a few."

"Well, you have to realize I deal with a unique market, Mr. Giles," Bonnie replied.

"All the more reason we should perhaps find another agent. Becca?" Giles called out as he began to start to look for her.

"No, no," Bonnie said, following on his heels, "I can do this. We can do this. This is doable," she said quickly. "In fact, this home would be perfect. It’s not far from the downtown area, so you’re still close to the Council if need be. It’s a nice neighborhood, good schools…really, this could be the place."

"You still never answered my question. What’s wrong with it?" Giles asked again.

"Nothing major," she said. "But if I told you I’m sure you’d make too much out of it."

Giles looked at Bonnie for a moment and then without turning away from her, he yelled, "Becca? We’re leaving now."

Becca rounded the corner. "You’ve got to check out this kitchen," she told him in an excited tone.

"We’re not checking out anything more," he answered. "Except a new agent... I told you this was a bad idea."

"No," Bonnie and Becca both whined.

"I like this one," Becca added.

"See? She likes this one," Bonnie added as she gestured to Becca.

"Fine," Giles began. "If you won’t tell me what’s wrong with the house, tell her," he said, pointing to his wife.

"Oh no," Becca sighed. "Not again."

"It’s not that bad," Bonnie insisted. Becca waited for Bonnie to continue and reluctantly she did, "Well, you see, the last residents just thought that the house was haunted. No bleeding Amityville walls or anything," Bonnie went on. "Just odd things..."

"I told you," Giles said to Becca and took Elizabeth from her, making sure to put the blanket over her head and face.

"That’s it?" Becca asked Bonnie.

Bonnie nodded.

"What do you mean, that’s it?" Giles asked Becca. "We don’t know what we’re getting into by living here."

"That’s true of any house, Rupert. Some people have bad plumbing and we just have a ghost problem. Big deal?"

"What about Elizabeth?" Giles asked.

"What about Willow?" Becca retorted. Giles appeared obviously confused. "She’s a high priestess," Becca continued. "Can’t she come in and do a blessing or something? Because, let’s face it, it’s gonna be pretty hard to find a house like this for the money."

"Exactly!" Bonnie said.

Giles pointed a finger at Bonnie. "You stay out of this," he told her before turning to Becca. "And what if Willow doesn’t succeed?"

Becca thought a moment. "Then we move back to your apartment at the council and we hire a normal real estate agent," she answered. She quickly turned to Bonnie. "No offense."

"Heck, if it closes this deal, none taken," Bonnie answered casually. "What do you say Mr. Giles? Mrs. Giles obviously likes it."

Becca looked at him hopefully. After a few seconds he let out another heavy sigh and said, "Fine. Where do we sign?"

Bonnie and Becca both smiled at each other.

Kennedy looked up at the large building. She scanned the old structure for a few moments before taking a step up to the broken and dilapidated door. She checked every corner before her eyes landed dead center. With a quick kick, the slayer planted a heavy boot in the middle, sending the wood flying inward into a hundred broken pieces.

Kennedy smiled as she stepped into the doorway and raked her eyes over the room. A lone chair sat broken and abandoned in the corner, and the only sign of life was the sound of rats scurrying throughout the darkness. "Doesn't look like anybody's home," she quipped.

A sudden sound ringing caused her to step back out of the doorway. She reached into her jacket and pulled out her cell phone. She flipped it open and placed it to her ear. "Yeah?"

"Kennedy?" Rowena replied at the sound of the slayer's voice. "I think I found something." The watcher looked down at the open book on the table before her. "And I think you're gonna want to see this."

Kennedy walked back down the alleyway. "Oh yeah?" she said, glancing back over her shoulder at the deserted building. "Why's that?"

"Because," Rowena replied as she slowly sat down in her chair and studied the pages of the book intently. "Either I'm reading this way wrong..." She paused as she flipped to the next page. "Or according to this...Kadin was in love with a werewolf."

"A...werewolf?" Elana said, looking more than a little confused.

Kadin just nodded. "Yes. Serena was a werewolf."

"And yet...you still loved her?"

Kadin gave her lawyer an amused smile. "You give me too much credit." Her smile faded, and the hunter stared down at her folded hands. "Back then, I would’ve cut out my own heart rather than give it to any bea...werewolf."

"I must admit, I am rather confused." Elana dropped her pen to the table and removed her glasses once again. "If you knew what this woman was...how could you still love her?"

"Because I didn't." Kadin looked back up to meet the lawyer's eyes. "I didn't know she was a werewolf till the day that she was supposed to turn me over to the Knights."

"You mean...she had been sent to make you fall for her, to gain your trust before she handed you over to be brutally tortured and killed?"

"Well, when you put it that way..." Kadin mumbled, before speaking up with a nod. "Yeah."

"Well, I'm not so sure the death of this Serena was so horrible after all."

The sound of a clattering chair and the sudden look that Elana received as Kadin nearly leapt at her over the table was enough to stop even the bravest of hearts.

"Don't ever say that again," Kadin breathed out through clenched teeth as she pointed at the other woman and stared at her with cold, dark eyes.

"I'm...I apologize," Elana barely managed to say between deep breaths. "I didn't know that your feelings were still so raw." She looked back into the hunter's eyes, trying to mask her fear, but failing miserably.

The deadly glare on Kadin's face suddenly faded, and she pulled back across the table. She reached down to pick up her chair and took her seat again. "Well, yeah, I guess they are." After a pause, she added, "But that's no reason to jump at you. So...I'm sorry."

The lawyer nodded. "Apology accepted."

Kadin nodded back in recognition before staring back down at her hands. "It wasn't like that. Like how you said, I mean. Serena really wasn't like that." The hunter slowly lifted her eyes back to the other woman's. "She didn't want to do it—well, at first she did, but that changed." Kadin's eyes suddenly grew saddened. "She fell in love with me."

Elana's heart nearly broke at the look she was receiving. "Go on."

The hunter nodded. "The day that she was supposed to turn me over, she came to me, told me all about the Knights and their plans. Then she told me she loved me...and I believed her."

"What happened?" Elana asked carefully.

"We were gonna run away together." Kadin smiled at the fond memory. "She always talked about living in Rio. She loved the beach." The smile once again faded. "But somehow, it got back to those bastards. They were waiting for us that night. It was a quarter moon..." Kadin looked out into the darkness behind the lawyer. "Not that they needed the full moon to change," she added. Then she stared off once again. "I'll always remember that moon."

Elana let the silence hang in the air for a few tense moments before clearing her throat. "I know we barely know each other, but...for what it’s worth, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Elana just shook her head. "For everything."

Kadin just sat motionless at the table. "So am I."

Kennedy looked down at the book before her. "Where'd you get this?"

"It was one of the watchers’ journals that Giles managed to save from the Old Council. You know, when The First tried to destroy it all. It’s from several years go, written by a watcher stationed in rural England."

Kennedy nodded and shifted in her chair as she studied the neatly written words on the page. She nodded as she pointed to a small photo of a young woman. "That's her. That's the woman from my dream."

Rowena peered down over the slayer's shoulder. "You're sure that's her? The one that turned into a werewolf?"

Kennedy stared at the picture. "That's her. I'd remember that face anywhere."

Rowena took a seat next to her at the table and pulled the journal closer to herself. "I thought it was a long shot, but I decided to go through what was salvaged from the Old Council in hopes of finding something about a species of werewolf that was known for its more human tendencies, and it appears there are such werewolves who choose to lead normal, civil lives as opposed to those who choose to give in to their more...animal instincts."

"We already know not all werewolves are savage, blood thirsty beasts," Kennedy commented. "But I still don't get what this random watcher's journal has to do with Kadin. How does this watcher's observation of this she-wolf have anything to do with why Kadin was kidnapped?"

Rowena's eyes scanned the page, searching over each word. "She was in love with her."

Kennedy's eyebrow shot to her hairline. "Excuse me?"

Rowena looked up at the other woman. "Don't look so surprised. I explained this to you on the phone."

Kennedy nodded. "Yeah, but I didn't think you were serious. I mean, Kadin in love with a werewolf? You'd have a better chance of convincing me of life on Mars."

Rowena just stared back at the slayer with a serious expression. "I'm not confused, Kennedy. I'm telling you what the entry says...and watchers' journal entries must be clear, concise, and always truthful. Watcher rule number one."

"To hell with your rules," Kennedy teased with a light smile before firmly shaking her head. "I don't believe it. I won't."

Rowena let out a long sigh before falling back in her chair. She studied the slayer for a tense moment before speaking. "Kennedy, I know that this is something you might not want to hear, but...maybe you don't know Kadin as well as you think you do. I mean, you take one trip with her to Bucharest and—"

"She kissed me," Kennedy interrupted quietly.

"She kissed me?" Rowena repeated immediately before correcting herself. "I-I mean, she kissed you?"

Kennedy only nodded. "Well, I can't say that it was exactly a one-sided thing," she added in afterthought. "And truth be told it was a bit more than a kiss. A couple actually."

"So that's why Mia left." Rowena heard the words slip out of her mouth before she could stop them. She instantly regretted them when she saw the pained expression on the other woman's face. "Oh, Kennedy. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

Kennedy smiled sadly. "I know," she whispered, staring down at her hands.

The watcher cleared her throat and began to gather the various books strewn out across the table. "Well, sitting around here all day isn't going to accomplish anything." She piled the books together in the middle of the table. "I'm gonna take these back to the library and then see what else I can dig up on this she-wolf named Serena." She paused and then dramatically held her index finger in the air. "Always follow up on your studies. Rule number two," she added with a smile.

Kennedy grinned and rolled her eyes but quickly sobered. She rose from her seat and pulled on her jacket. "Well, you know how to find me. If you find anything new..."

Rowena nodded. "Cell phone. Gotcha."

Rowena sadly watched Kennedy’s back as the slayer left the apartment. When the door shut, Rowena sighed and picked up her books.

Kadin pulled off her boots and lay back onto the hard cot that the guards had brought in earlier with her supper. She dropped her head back against the cheap pillow and folded her hands on her stomach as she stared up at the ceiling.

She tried to concentrate on the dusty wooden ceiling as unwanted images flashed through her mind.

Serena. Serena smiling. Serena laughing. Serena dying.

The hunter slowly turned her head to the side and closed her eyes, a single tear slipping past her eyelid and falling forgotten to the floor.