Xander looked around when the light came back. He held Issa tightly. He peered over her shoulder and saw a disheveled Willow. She was rising, helping Kennedy to her feet.

"What the hell was that? Faith asked as Illyria helped her to her feet.

"Guys, where'd Buffy, Spike, and Angel go?" Xander asked.

Everyone looked behind them. They were no where to be found.

"Let's get back to the foyer. Maybe they went back there," Willow suggested.

"Yea, but why wouldn't they have told us?" Kennedy asked.

Willow looked at her. She was right. Buffy wouldn't have left them without saying anything. So, where did they go? "Let's just get back there. I'll call Giles and check if he's seen them," Willow said.

They all made there way back to the foyer. Willow tried to call Giles, but her phone didn't work. She walked around, holding it up to try to get reception.

"Damn!" Willow grunted.

"It's useless. It won't work in here," a shaky voice said.

Willow turned to see Eve looking at her. Her face was badly bruised and dried blood crusted on her forehead. She was still bound to the chair.

Willow advanced to her, fuming. "Eve, tell me what the hell is going on!"

Eve struggled in her chair. "Can you get these off of me first?"

Willow held up her hand and recited the word "Addaha!" The magic cuffs around Eve's wrists tightened. Eve moaned in pain.

"Ow, please stop!" Eve begged.

Willow walked in closer to her. "Not until you tell me what's going on," Willow demanded.

The ruckus must have drawn the attention of everyone, because they entered the library in a hurry.

"It's Jean. He's working with Drusilla. They're after Spike, and I think Angel too. I don't really know what he wants with them, but he had me deliver the fake texts...," Eve confessed. She had no loyalties to Jean, not after his double crossing.

Kennedy moved closer to Willow's side and glared at Eve hard.

"He was going to do me a favor. He obviously screwed me over. Can you please get me out of these handcuffs?" She asked Willow again.

"First, I need to know if you have any idea where Buffy, Spike and Angel are?" Willow asked her.

"I haven't seen them. Then again, I've been kind of unconscious lately."

"Fine. Then tell me what kind of spell is used in the texts," Willow said.

Eve looked nervously around at everyone. All eyes were burning into her. "I have no idea. All Jean told me was that he had plans for Spike... and his allies. Then he knocked me out. I swear I don't know any more! Please, Willow release me. I'm losing feeling in my hands!"

"Lorne moved in next to Willow. "She doesn't even have to sing and I can tell you how useless she is."

Willow stepped back. She looked pissed, yet defeated. Eve didn't know anything, so they weren't any closer to finding out what happened. Willow lifted her hand.

"Expedio!" she said.

The cuffs evaporated. Eve grabbed her wrists and soothed out the pain. She tried to get up, but became woozy.

"Thanks. Look. You guys should get out of here. Jean is pretty powerful in the Magic area," Eve said.

Kennedy stepped up. "No, we need to find this Jean guy. Where is he?"

Eve almost laughed. Was she serious? "He won't come out for you guys. He's keeping me here so you all won't know he's even here. He thought I'd tell Angel," Eve told them.

"Fine, then you can come with us and help us find them." Faith said.

"Wait, how can I help? I don't know anything about his magic, other than it's very hardcore. Guys, Lorne is right, I'm pretty useless and I'm afraid so are all of you. You can't beat him." Eve turned to Willow, "Not even you."

Kennedy walked back to the foyer and raced out the front door. She walked around the front of the mansion calling out for Buffy. No answer. She waved to Giles.

Giles came up fast with the slayers. "Kennedy, is everything okay?" he asked her.

"Have you seen Buffy? Angel? Spike?" Kennedy asked him.

"No, I haven't. They're not in there with you?"

"Nope. We lost them when we got slammed by a hurricane in the hallway. After the dust settled, they were gone."

Giles looked around the grounds, then placed his hand on her shoulder. "Kennedy, what are you talking about?"

"Giles, they disappeared, right in front of our eyes!" Kennedy shouted.

Giles quickly dialed Dawn's cell. Luckily he had reception. "Dawn, Buffy is missing. As well as Angel and Spike. I need you to find out anything you can on the magic Jean Trevaud is known to use," he told her.

He motioned for all of them to get inside the mansion. As he entered, everyone gathered around. Giles took a double take at Eve. "You have no idea where they went?" Giles asked the crowd.

"No idea Giles. This Jean guy won't even show his face, so we can't even find out what spells he's using...," Willow said.

Giles scanned the foyer, seeing all the various hallways. He tightened his grip on his battle ax. "Fine, then we find him."

Xander stepped up to Giles. "How are we supposed to find someone that doesn't want to be found? A very powerful warlock someone?, " Xander asked.

"He's not invisible, is he? We'll split up into small groups. Some take these corridors, check every room. The rest of us will search the floors, basement, everywhere else."

Kennedy held up her sword. "I'm ready. Let's find this dick!"

Giles and his two slayers headed upstairs. Xander, Issa, Lorne, and Gunn wandered down one of the hallways. Kennedy led Bianca, Adriana down another corridor. Faith took Illyria, Patricia, and Sabrina downstairs.

Willow stood with Eve. She looked at Willow and gave her a slight smile.

"So where are you going to look?" Eve asked her.

"Everywhere," Willow said as she sat down on the floor cross legged.

Eve shook her head. "You can't use your magic against his spells. He's well protected from that."

"I released you from his magic handcuffs, didn't I?" Willow retorted.

"That's different. He..."

"Shh!" Willow said and then she turned her gaze upward. "Guide me toward that which is gone... reveal to me those who are lost.."

A cloud of smoke blew over them. Eve crouched down next to Willow, looking up it. The center of the cloud cleared, leaving a ring of smoke. Inside the ring Willow saw the image of someone curled up in a corner. It looked like Buffy. Then the image changed to Angel standing near a desk, then to Spike. He seemed to be in an alley. It was too dark to make out.

"Damn, It's too dark, too blurred. I can't tell.."

Eve stood again as the circle evaporated.

"I really doubt they're that far. Jean is a master of illusions. They're probably right under our noses. But they're most likely seeing something entirely different," Eve told her.

The Grand Hotel

"Dawn, you've been searching the internet for hours! I want to check my MySpace mail," Andrew whined.

Dawn paused and shot an angry look at him. She went back to the internet.

Andrew rolled his eyes and walked away. He passed The Immortal who was leaning on the concierge counter. Andrew gulped when they made eye contact. The Immortal intimidated him. He was a very tall man, especially next to Andrew, and had such a air of confidence. Like he could snap you in half just by thinking it.

Suddenly Dawn yelled out. "Guys, what's a P.O.S. spell?"

Andrew shrugged, looking at The Immortal. "Can you use it in a sentence?" Andrew asked.

The Immortal shook his head at Andrew and went over to Dawn.

"Power of Suggestion," The Immortal told her as he looked over her shoulder. "Dawn, how did you come across this?" The Immortal asked her.

"Well, I searched and searched for info on Jean Trevaud. I didn't get anything. So, I've been IM-ing the coven in London, the one Giles and Willow know."

Dawn looked up at the Immortal and continued, "They told me a lot about the spells Jean uses, specifically one close to the words we have about four moons he will die, et cetera, et cetera. They said it's most likely a P.O.S. spell, then I lost the connection with them before I could ask them what it meant," Dawn told him.

"Of course. He's using a power of suggestion spell on Spike!" The Immortal declared.

"Uh, power of suggestion? How?" Dawn asked.

"Like, Oo, I'm hungry, now everyone will be hungry?" Andrew asked.

"No, more like Oo I'm going to die, now I'm dead..," The Immortal said in Andrew's tone of voice.

Dawn and Andrew looked at each other. Dawn reached over to her purse and searched for her phone. "I have to call them, tell them."

"Tell them what, Dawn? Even if Spike finds out what type of spell this is, it's his heart that will have to decide whether he is worthy of life or not. The spell found a weakness in him and fed off of it."

Dawn crinkled her nose. "Huh?"

"You see, P.O.S. spells merely suggests something. In this case, Spike's death. He is probably goinging through a plethora of emotions. If there are any doubts in his heart that he deserves this second chance at life, then he will die only because he believes he should. Understand?" The Immortal informed her.

Dawn flipped her phone open and dialed Buffy's cell. "Well, then we help him believe he's worthy!"

The alley

Drusilla circled around Spike, humming a haunting melody. Spike wasn't sure if he wanted to kill her or run.

"What's this all about?" Spike asked her.

She twirled in front of him, holding her hand out. "Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. You have been very bad, sweet Spike. You let the Slayer touch you, now you are nothing but flesh and bones."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Yes, Dru. I am aware of the current events. What. Do. You. Want?"

Drusilla twirled again and brushed her fingers to his lips. He stepped back, not certain what she was up to.

"You float in a pool of lies. You heart knows the truth my William. You are meant to be here, with me. Your savior." she said.

"Savior? This is getting really old. I'm going to leave now. I don't want to hear another bloody word, got it?" He turned and walked away.

Drusilla skipped and jumped in front of him. "Nowhere to go Spike," she sneered.

He looked around. The alley was gone. He was back in his old house in London.

"Oh bugger," he whispered.

Drusilla twirled around the sofa and grabbed the throw that covered it. She wrapped it around herself and shivered.

"You make it cold in here Spike," she said.

Spike paced around the room. He was sick of the mind games. Was he sleeping, or in a coma, or dead? He neared the bookshelf and gazed at the old paintings again. He noticed one of himself with is mother. He must have been at least six or seven.

So innocent.

He felt himself drifting in thoughts, memories. He remembered when he came home one day full of mud. He was 7 years old.

He made his mother a heart shaped birthday card in class. He was so proud of it. He drew flowers all over it and wrote "I Love You Mother" on the front. He held it close to his chest as he walked home from school, when a bunch of kids approached him and teased him. They pushed him around, taking the card from him. holding it above their heads. They took turns reading it aloud, laughing at him. Little William jumped to try to get it from one of the boys. He caught it, but as he grabbed it, the boy threw him in the mud, card and all. Young William cried all the way home. His mother received him with a hug, getting mud on herself. She shrugged it off and took the card. She told him she'd treasure this birthday card for the rest of her days. And she did. She kept it in her bedside drawer.

Spike wondered if he looked, would it still be there?

"What dreams to you have Spike? Do you dream of babies and daffodils?" Drusilla asked him.

She grabbed the words in the air as if they were tangible. He met her gaze, lost in it. He knew it had been so many years. He had been a vampire for so long. The woman standing next to him was responsible for that. What business did he have being alive? He realized that his life had ended that night. All of this, Buffy, getting his soul, The Shanshu, none of it should have happened. He rewrote his own destiny, and now he'll pay for it, and so will the people he loves.

He turned slowly from Drusilla. She smiled at him as if she could read his mind. He walked to the sofa and sat, head in hands. Drusilla sat next to him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"Do you see it now Spike?" she asked him.

He looked up at her. He had spent an eternity with this woman. Now, he felt a million miles away from her. Yet, she had some kind of control over him. Just like she did that first night. That night she took his life. He remembered being in a daze, like being hypnotized. But even being aware of it, he couldn't break it. Without thinking, he lowered his head on to her shoulder. She ran her long fingers through his hair.

"There, there my love. I will make it all better," she told him.

Spike sat there with his eyes closed. His mind was swimming.

Wolfram and Hart

Angel strolled into his old office. Everything looked the same. Well, except that the place was empty. He sat in his chair and leaned back. He reached for the remote and turned on the TV.

An image came onto the screen. One that shocked him.

Doyle.

"Ey, Angel. I know this must seem extra weird to ya, but ya really have to stop feeling sorry for yerself. None of this was your fault."

Angel stared at the image in shock. He felt a pain in his non beating heart. He had let so many people die. Doyle, Fred, Cordelia, Wesley...

Doyle continued. "You took down the Black Thorn, Angel. Who walks away from that? You did it. You took it down from the inside, so why the regrets? This is what you wanted. If we blamed ourselves for every bad thing that happened then we would never truly live. We'd be too scared to do anything, fearing it may be that one decision that changed our fate."

He felt the loss. The incredible loss that seemed to swallow him whole. What was fate? What caused people to die when they do? Was that fate? He had never given up, though. He had never left anyone behind. He saved people. That's what he strives for. To save as many as he can, while he's here. Right?

"Angel, people need you to get back to the mansion. Willow is looking for you. Buffy and Spike are in trouble. They are way more far gone than you," Doyle said.

Angel said to the Doyle in the TV, "How can I help them? I destroy everything I touch."

"No, lad. You don't. Let it go. People need your help. You can get out of here."

Angel closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, Doyle was gone. He rose out of his chair and left his office. Angel looked back one last time. This was where he did make a difference. They all took down the Black Thorn and helped Spike regain his humanity. For the first time he realized that none of this was in vain. All the death and pain.

It wasn't in vain.

He entered the elevator and rode it down. When it opened, he was back in the mansion. He looked around in confusion, then spotted Willow and Eve near the library.

"Willow!" Angel yelled.

"Angel? Where have you guys been?"

He looked around wondering what she meant by 'guys'. "I don't know. I think I was in some sort of delusion. Spike and Buffy are in trouble. This thing is powerful Willow. It warps your sense of reality. Where is everyone? "

"They all split up to find Jean. Angel, would you have any idea how to find Buffy and Spike?" Willow asked him.

"Willow, I don't know exactly what happened back there. One minute we were in the hallway, the next I was in a room. I saw things, things that couldn't possibly be there."

"Like, illusions? Or ghosts?" Willow asked.

"More like illusions. It was like, feeding off of any doubts or fears I had. Even ones I didn't even know I had. The line between what's real and what isn't was fading. It felt like it was really happening," Angel told her.

He leaned in closer to her and continued, "But there was this one thing. I saw Doyle. He spoke to me and told me to get back to you."

Willow's eyes grew wide. "So, do you think there's a way to contact Buffy and Spike?" she asked.

"I don't know, but it's worth a try," he told her. Just then Faith and the girls entered the foyer.

"No luck Wil," Faith said , realizing Angel was there, "Angel?

"Faith, we've got a bit of a problem," Willow said.

Giles and the rest of the gang walked in. Giles sighed with relief when he spotted Angel, then he frowned realizing Buffy wasn't with him.

Angel told them all about his ordeal, going over in painful detail about what he saw and how it made him feel. He left out some more intimate details, but gave them the general idea.

"So, what your saying is that this alternate reality you experienced was having you relive the past?" Giles asked.

"Yes, but it was more than that. It had me feel it all over again. The pain, confusion. It was there, real. I almost became lost in it," Angel told them. He watched Willow turn and leave.

Willow headed back to the library. She scanned the books to see if there was anything that could help. She had to figure out how to reach Buffy and Spike. She knew this warlock would make certain that none of them would find the answers, but she just had to hope that he slipped somewhere.

Nothing. All these books were useless. She tried all the spells she knew, but nothing worked. Nothing penetrated the heavy cloak this Jean had put over them. Willow turned back and headed towards the group. She looked out the window noticing the sun rise.

"How am I going to get them out of there?" Willow cried out.