Willow awakened slowly, groggily, pushing herself up from the cold, hard floor. She sat up and glanced about the dark room, a look of confusion on her face. She blinked her eyes several times as if trying to adjust them to the low light. Then she got to her feet.

"What the hell?" she said to herself as she turned around in the room as if trying to figure out where she was.

The sound of a small scuff on the floor came from the corner, and Willow whipped around to face it.

"Who’s there?" she called out to the darkness.

No sound came from the corner. Willow straightened herself into a brave stance.

"I know you’re there, so you might as well show yourself," Willow said.

Willow heard scuffing again, and a figure emerged from the shadows of the corner—a female figure. The woman was dressed in tight black leather pants and a black leather halter top. A leather mask covered the upper portion of her face, obscuring her identity. The woman didn’t speak. She simply began circling Willow lazily.

Willow followed the figure as she moved, but at intervals, Willow cut her eyes to different areas of the room as if scanning for an exit. After a few tries, Willow found the door on the other side of the cell. Willow gaped in amazement when she saw that the door was actually open. Willow quickly glanced away from the door and back to the circling figure.

Willow looked her captor’s outfit and smiled. "I think somebody’s got a bad case of Catwoman envy."

The dark figure didn’t respond.

"Aren’t you going to say anything?" she said to the figure. The woman still didn’t speak. "Did I get kidnapped by a mime? ’Cause I have to admit...that would be scary."

When the figure passed her and left an opening for the door, Willow dashed for the exit. Right when she got to it, though, it slammed shut, closed by magic.

The woman sent out a white bolt of magical energy towards Willow. It lashed itself like a whip around Willow’s neck, ensnaring her. Willow grabbed at it, desperately trying to pry it from her neck, but her efforts were useless. The bolt dragged Willow away from the door and past the sorceress. Then, with a hard yank, it slammed her into the wall.

Before Willow could regain her breath from hitting the wall so hard, the whip-like tendril of energy rose, lifting Willow by her neck so that her feet barely touched the floor. Willow was forced to stand on her tiptoes in order to breathe. The sorceress let Willow hang there for a moment. Willow met her captor’s eyes, but still the woman didn’t speak. After a long stare, the woman gave a slight grin.

The magical bolt around Willow’s neck slowly rose. Willow struggled in vain as her feet left the floor. She began to choke. She fought it as long as she could, but finally her eyes fluttered closed and she went limp as her air supply failed. The dark figure instantly released her, and Willow crumpled to the floor.

Willow’s chest heaved as she sucked in air, attempting to regain her breath. As soon as she did, she found herself strung up again as the sorceress repeated the process, strangling Willow until she nearly lost consciousness then releasing her at the last second.

After the third time, Willow lay on the floor, gasping for air. "Who...the hell... are you?" Willow managed to ask.

The sorceress gestured in Willow’s direction, and the redhead was tossed across the room and into the sidewall. She fell to the floor with a groan. Before she could even sit up, Willow was picked up and thrown to the opposite side of the room, where she crashed into a table and chairs.

Lying on the floor, Willow moaned in pain. "Never mind...that’s okay..." she joked weakly, "I-I-I don’t really need to know who you are..."

Willow struggled to a sitting position. A gash on her forehead was bleeding profusely, and she held her arm against her side as if her ribs were hurting. She grimaced and took a deep breath. Then a look of resolve came over her face.

"Look, you can tell your boss, Volano, that this kidnapping routine of his isn’t going to work. It didn’t work with Ro, and it’s not going to work with me. My friends will find me and--"

The dark figure gestured again, and the whip-like tendril was back, lashing itself around Willow’s throat, dragging her to her feet and pulling her until she was standing, weak-legged, in front of the sorceress. The figure finally spoke.

"I don’t care about your friends and I don’t work for Volano," she said firmly.

"Who is it then? The Presidium?" Willow asked. "Well, it’s not going to work. We know they’re coming, and we’re going to be ready for--"

The energy lash constricted, cutting off Willow’s courageous words. The sorceress closed in.

"I don’t work for anyone," she said.

She released the magical bolt, dropping Willow, who somehow managed to stay on her feet. She rubbed her bruised neck. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Shadow," the figure replied, pulling off her mask.

Willow looked intently at the raven-haired woman, but her face showed no recognition of her at all. Willow took a step back.

"What do you want from me?" Willow asked. 

Shadow struck a thinking pose. "Oh, let’s see...screaming, crying, bleeding, writhing, begging...that sort of thing."

"Why? I don’t even know you."

Shadow’s expression turned hard and cold, and she shot over to Willow until she was right in the redhead’s face. "You killed my brother," she said in a deadly voice.

"Y-Y-Your brother...?" Willow replied nervously.

"Yes," Shadow replied.

She stared long and hard into Willow’s eyes. Willow seemed unable to tear her gaze away.

"Remember when you strung him up?" Shadow continued. "Remember when you ripped the life from him?"

"Oh god..." Willow said, with a horrified expression. "Warren..."

Shadow wrapped her hand around Willow’s throat and then shoved her against the wall.

"Can you imagine how it felt...to find him hanging there upside down? Sucked dry, an empty shell?" Shadow said. "I sensed his death a dimension away and came running, but I was too late."

"You’re-You’re Rack’s sister," Willow said as a look of realization slowly cam to her face.

"Not just his sister...his twin...the other half of his soul." A pained expression entered Shadow’s eyes. "He was everything to me, and you took him from me." Her face hardened again. "And now you’re going to pay."

"It’s too late for ‘sorries’...Strawberry," Shadow said menacingly before beginning Willow’s torture anew.

Mia entered the library and glanced around the room. She found Rowena sitting at a long table, looking up at her.

"Mia, hi," Rowena said in greeting as Mia walked over. "Are you looking for Kennedy?"

Mia dropped her gaze to her hands. "No," the slayer replied. "Actually...I was looking for you."

"Well, you found me," Rowena said with a grin. "What can I do for you?"

Mia shifted her weight several times and wrung her hands, but she still didn’t meet Rowena’s eyes. The blonde watcher instantly rose from her chair and came to stand beside the slayer. She reached out and touched Mia’s arm.

"Mia, what is it?" Rowena asked in a concerned voice.

"It’s..." Mia started but couldn’t finish. "It’s about me and Kennedy," she finally managed to say as she looked into Rowena’s eyes.

Rowena appeared confused. "Come on, why don’t we sit down, and you can tell me all about it?" Rowena led Mia to the chair next to hers, and they both sat down. "What’s troubling you?"

Mia looked at her left hand and twisted the heart-shaped diamond ring on her middle finger. "It’s Kennedy. I think that she...I think I’m losing her."

"Losing her?"

Mia nodded. "To Kadin."

"Kadin’s not even here," Rowena pointed out.

"She might as well be. She’s in her thoughts, in her dreams."

"Kennedy told you that she’s dreaming about Kadin?"

"Well, no, but it’s obvious that she is," Mia insisted. "She’s probably replaying their night together in Bucharest," she added bitterly.

"Did something happen between them in Bucharest?" Rowena asked gently.

"Yes!" Mia snapped with certainty. Then she continued less confidently, "No...I don’t know!" Mia threw her hands up in frustration.

"Have you asked her?"

"No," Mia admitted, dropping her gaze. "When she came home, I-I was just so glad she was back. I didn’t want to push her away. And then later, I was..."

Rowena frowned as she watched the slayer trail off. "You were afraid of what she would tell you," the watcher speculated.

Mia nodded ruefully. "I wanna know...but I don’t."

Rowena smiled compassionately at Mia and gave her hand a squeeze. "There’s really only one solution here, and I think you know what it is."

"Talk to Kennedy," Mia answered.

Rowena nodded. Mia took a deep breath and let that advice sink in. "Besides," Rowena continued, "It might not be as bad as you think. After all, Kennedy is here—with you—not with Kadin. That says something."

That comment got a smile out of Mia, and she rose to her feet. When Rowena joined her, she gave the watcher a hug. "Thanks, Ro," she said before heading for the door.

Rowena waved encouragingly to Mia as she left. But once the slayer had gone, Rowena dropped her hand and sighed, a frown replacing her smile.

Willow floated face-up in the air, her body contorted into an unnatural position, as if she had been bent backwards over some invisible object and her wrists bound to her ankles. Her clothes were ripped and torn in multiple places and stained with her own blood. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and her face was twisted in pain as she breathed in short pants.

Shadow slowly circled her captive. In her hands, she held a metal rod about a yard long; it was dark gray, and its surface had been etched with mystical symbols. Shadow tapped the rod in her palm as she moved around Willow. When she came to a stop in front of Willow, the tapping stopped, and she held the rod firmly in both hands. She met Willow’s eyes.

Then, without warning, the sorceress thrust the rod forward until it made contact with Willow’s stomach. An enormous electrical surge left the rod and entered Willow. Her body began to shake and nearly convulse, and she screamed, unable to prevent herself from doing so. After a few seconds of contact, Shadow pulled the rod away, ending the painful surge. Willow continued to shake afterwards, her scream fading into desperate gasps.

Shadow waved her hand and released Willow from her floating position. Willow fell like a dead weight to the floor. Except for the process of breathing, Willow didn’t move. Shadow sat cross-legged beside Willow and pulled the limp woman into her lap. She pushed Willow’s hair off her forehead and then stroked her face gently.

"So strong," Shadow said, "and yet...essentially powerless."

When Shadow met her eyes, Willow merely glared in response.

"It must be so frustrating for you, wanting that power back so badly, seeing me wield it with such ease before you..."

"I...don’t want...the kind of power...you have," Willow croaked.

Shadow laughed. "Oh, please! I know you miss it. I can tell."

Willow shook her head in denial.

"Oh, you’re all calm, cool, and collected on the outside, but I can feel what’s on the inside," Shadow said, placing her hand on Willow’s chest and closing her eyes. "Inside...you’re just shaking...trembling with your desire for it...your need for it." Shadow opened her eyes and smiled seductively. "Want a little taste?" she offered.

Willow’s eyes widened in alarm, and she shook her head insistently. She shoved Shadow to the floor and forced herself to sit up. She turned over to get on her knees so that she could crawl away, but she turned the wrong way and ended up straddling Shadow’s body.

Before Willow could get away, Shadow touched her palm to Willow’s chest, sending a small dose of black magic into the witch’s body. Willow immediately reacted. She closed her eyes and moaned in pleasure, lowering her shoulders and then raising them again in a rocking motion. She began to pant. When she opened her eyes, they were solid black. Shadow pulled her hand away. The smallest hint of a smile crossed Willow’s lips until she saw Shadow beneath her. Then her face fell.

"No," Willow cried, crawling off Shadow. She backed away until she got to the wall. She fell back against it into a sitting position. She clenched her fists tightly and closed her eyes. "No, no," she repeated, shaking her head. She opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. With a final "no," the black in her eyes receded.

Shadow raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Jeff eased the library door open and stuck his head inside. He carefully looked around the room. When it seemed that no one was there, he stepped inside and quietly shut the door. Carrying his notebook, he crept toward the locked rooms on the far side of the library.

"Hi, Jeff!"

The voice startled Jeff, and he jumped noticeably, nearly dropping his notebook. He turned toward the speaker. "Holy moly, Rowena!" he said to the blonde watcher as she approached him. "You scared the bejesus outta me!"

"Sorry," she said. "I’m on my way out. Did you need something?"

"Oh...no, not really...I-I-I’m just here to get in a little study time," Jeff replied.

"Okay," Rowena said agreeably. "Just turn out the lights when you’re done."

"No problem," Jeff said, giving Rowena a thumbs-up.

Jeff waited a moment until he was sure that she had gone. Then he made his way quickly to the last doorway on the far side. A sign on the door read, "Restricted Area – Senior Watchers Only."

He twisted the knob, and as he expected, it was locked. He stepped back, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he held his palm out towards the doorknob.

"Resera," he commanded in Latin.

Instantly, he heard a metal pop as the door was unlocked. He turned the knob again, and the door opened easily. He went inside and turned on the light.

It was a small, windowless office containing a small desk and two walls full of shelves. This was the restricted area where the darker, more dangerous books were housed. Jeff put down his notebook, then went to one shelf and quickly scanned its contents. As soon as he found what he was looking for, he pulled the volume from the shelf and set it on the desk next to his notebook. Its title was Visiones Vatium.

Jeff sat down and opened his notebook. He turned to a page on which he had already written some notes. At the top, he had written "Visions of the Seers." He turned to a passage marked in the book and resumed his note-taking.

Willow sat like an abandoned rag doll, leaning against the wall of the cell, her arms limp at her sides. A tired expression was on her face. Shadow sat right next to her, also leaning against the wall.

"I’ve been watching you, for some time now," Shadow said to Willow. "I wanted to get to know you a little first, determine your habits, wait for the perfect opportunity."

Willow didn’t answer or even move, except for a few slow blinks.

Shadow turned sideways so that she was facing Willow. "You know what event fascinated me the most?"

"No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me," Willow replied unenthusiastically.

"When that sorcerer...what was his name...Ethan...when Ethan was shot," Shadow answered.

Willow cut her eyes at Shadow, swallowed noticeably, then cut her eyes away again.

"You were so distraught, so convinced that you couldn’t ‘fix it’," Shadow commented.

"Turns out, he didn’t need fixing," Willow said.

"It must be so exasperating—not being able to help your friends, to keep them safe from all the big bad evil in the world."

Willow sighed heavily and rotated her head so that she could look Shadow in the eyes. "Know what?" Willow said. "I liked you better when you were keeping your mouth shut. So until you decide to kill me for good, let’s make this a quiet time. Whadda ya say?" Then she turned her head back so that she was facing front once again.

Shadow’s eyes narrowed, and with the flash of a gesture, the sorceress levitated Willow into the air and slammed her onto her back onto the table in the corner. Willow grunted as she landed. Before she could attempt to rise, the whip-like energy tendril was back, split into four, wrapping itself around her wrists and ankles, lashing her down to the table.

"You’d like that wouldn’t you?" Shadow asked rhetorically. Shadow paused a moment and then continued with false cheer. "You know, I should have picked up one of your little friends and included them in the festivities." Then her face hardened. "Then I could let you know what it feels like to lose someone."

"I do know what it feels like," Willow spat back.

"Is that so?" Shadow asked before moving to stand behind Willow’s head.

Shadow closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and powered up until her hands glowed with red energy. When her eyes flew open, she grabbed Willow’s head with both hands. Willow’s body immediately arched in reaction to the attempted invasion of her mind. She struggled uselessly against her bonds, writhing in agony as Shadow forced her way in. She clenched her jaw tightly as if fighting the urge to scream.

Shadow smiled, seemingly feeding off Willow’s pain. "Oh...that’s right...keep fighting me...you’re making it hurt soooo good!"

Willow bucked her body once, then twice, then let out a piercing scream.

Shadow removed her hands from Willow’s head, breaking the connection between them. Willow fell back, panting, upon the table, tears flowing freely down her bruised face. Shadow stumbled backwards, rendered temporarily light-headed by the experience.

"Oh my god," Shadow said with an amazed laugh. "You did lose someone. This is so perfect." Shadow steadied herself and walked around the table to look Willow in the eyes. "You should completely understand my point of view here."

"No!" Willow said hotly. "You’re wrong. I was wrong. I let my rage consume me, and I became everything I hate, everything she would have hated."

"That's where Tara and Rack are different. He wouldn't care."

"Another blonde? I should have guessed," Shadow said, walking back to the end of the table. "You got a thing for blondes, doncha? There’s Rowena...Tara...Buffy. Ooops! Wait, wasn’t s’posed to say that, was I?"

Shadow laughed again and waved her hand at Willow, releasing her from her bonds. Willow rolled off the table, nearly falling when her feet hit the floor, but she used the table’s edge to hold herself up.

"You know, I'm thinking there's more to the story here," Shadow said, walking back around the table.  "Tara was years ago, but I'm sensing something much more recent...You know, I really think Rowena should join us. In fact, I’ll go invite her...right now!"

"No!" Willow screamed, reaching out toward Shadow, but the sorceress simply blipped away. Willow fell to her knees, crying, "No...please, no..."