Lorne strode out of the back room, cigarette in one hand, Seabreeze in the other. He stormed across the floor of the club. "We're closed! The opening isn't until next Friday!"

The pounding grew more insistent. Lorne grunted in frustration and tore the door open. "What is it?"

Salome pushed past him, going into the club. Her purple skin was covered in dirt. She ran a hand through her mussed hair. "All right... I've been thinking about this all night... Well, in between the being attacked by Munpen Demons. I'm not going to be able to sleep until I find out exactly what's going on."

She turned towards Lorne, blue eyes focused on red. Her eyes were filled with fear. "I need to know what you saw when you read me. What's so terrible that you don't want me to work here?"

Lorne drained his glass and then put it down on one of the tables. He waved a hand towards the door. "Go home. It's late and I don't feel like extolling any wisdom."

"If I wanted wisdom, I'd get a fortune cookie," Salome spat. She grabbed a hold of Lorne's robe, giving him a small shake."I want facts. Something bad is coming. If you saw something I need to know what it is."

Lorne shook his head slowly, pulling himself away from Salome. He took a drag on his cigarette. "You've got it wrong, Sugarplum. Something bad isn't coming. Something bad is already here. And you're going to fight it as hard as you can. It's going to pick you and yours off one by one. I've done the whole hero thing before. It didn't take. I just want a nice, quiet life serving drinks and singing."

Salome licked her lips as she thought about what Lorne had said. "You think that if I worked here, you would start fighting demons again?"

Lorne took a step towards Salome, wiping a bit of dirt off her cheek. "I respect it. I do. I just can't do it again. I just want to keep the Senior Partners out. Enjoy a quiet life. I'm not really going to get that hanging around Connor Angel's girlfriend. He's got too much of his father in him. He's going to be a Champion."

"I'm not his girlfriend," Salome insisted. "We're just friends."

Lorne smiled tightly. "He told me that too. But you forget that I've heard you sing. I know how you feel about him."

Salome averted her eyes, not commenting on that aspect of Lorne's reading. "I just want a job. If you get involved in this whole Champion thing, it's not because of me... It's because of you."

When Lorne didn't respond, she turned and began to stride out.

Lorne sighed deeply. He walked to the bar to grab a bottle. "The first customer you kill... I'll fire you."

Salome turned slowly back. "Really?"

Lorne shrugged. "If Angel ever found out I lived in Palo Alto without watching over his son... Well, I don't feel like getting dismembered. Don't make me regret it."

Salome smiled. "You won't."

Lorne unscrewed the cap on the bottle. "Before you go... Connor... I don't know what you two are doing with this 'not his girlfriend' thing... But I know that kid pretty well. I know what he's gone through. He's got a lot of trust issues. He won't be able to deal with you breaking his heart."

"Why would I do that?" Salome asked.

"Because you still haven't told him everything."

Swallowing hard, Salome looked down. "As soon as I do that, he'll hate me."

Lorne took another drink. "Why would he do that?"

Salome let out a tiny laugh. "Because I hate me."

Lorne drank deeply again, just watching Salome.

She bit her lip. "Lorne? You said... 'pick us off one-by-one'. Do you know if there's any way to stop it?"

Lorne looked down sadly. "It's too late. It's already started."

"With this innocent's blood," Wesley announced, "The gates form. More will come." He crouched down, dipping his fingers into Jules' blood. He spread it across the floor. "We are one step away from my goal." He looked up at Clarice. "We must finish within two months or else Juliet's sacrifice will be null."

Wesley crouched down and undid the ropes binding Jamie. He grabbed Jamie before he could lunge at his father. "Now, now, Jamie. There's no need for that." He pulled the gag off his mouth.

"You filthy piece of-" He struggled against Wesley, writhing desperately. "I'll kill you!"

"So spirited," Wesley chuckled. "I definitely made the right choice."

"I'm going to get Connor to tear you apart piece by piece!" Jamie howled. He clawed at Wesley's arms. "Let me go!"

James raised the bloodstained knife. "That's it. I should have done this a long time ago."

"Wait." Wesley held a hand up. "I don't want him dead."

"What?" James dropped the knife. It clattered to the ground beside Jules' still body. "I killed my daughter for you, Wesley. Now I want this useless thing dead."

"And I want him alive," Wesley hissed. He gripped Jamie's throat tightly. "He's of better use to me."

"The boy is useless," James growled. "He always has been."

"Oh, I don't believe that." Wesley stroked his thumb over Jamie's throat. "Now that he's aware of the Destroyer's nature, we could use someone like him within the inner circle. Someone to sway things in my favour."

"I would never-" Jamie struggled against Wesley.

Wesley released him, throwing him to the ground. "But you already did, boy. Every time you spoke to your father, every update you gave on your life at college. You betrayed Connor every day for a year."

Jamie crawled towards the door. "It stops now. I'll make sure you all die." He looked at Jules' body, "Jules..."

Wesley knelt next to Jamie again. "Go ahead, boy. Run. I want you to go back to your little friends. Go tell Connor how you spied on him, told Wolfram and Hart everything he did. Tell him how even when you found out what Wolfram and Hart did, you kept it from him. Do you think he will understand? That he won't blame you for your sister's death?" A small, twisted smile was on Wesley's lips. "You see, I know a little something about betrayal. He will blame you for everything."

Legs trembling, Jamie pulled himself to his feet. "I should be blamed. This is my fault. Connor should hate me."

"He won't be content just to hate you," Wesley taunted. "What your father told you of Connor was true. He will take bloody vengeance on you. If you think what I've done is terrifying, you haven't seen his true nature. He was the Destroyer of Quortoth. When he is through with you, you will have wished I had allowed your father to kill you."

Clarice opened the door, gesturing for Jamie to flee.

"You have a choice now, Jamie." Wesley continued. "Do as I tell you, and continue to live. Tell Connor your father has taken Juliet home. Or, you can die... By your best friend's hand."

Silently, Jamie went into the apartment. He moved stiffly, almost mechanically. The lights were on, but no one was in the living room. He could hear movement in the bathroom. He paid it no mind, going to the sink.

He turned on the water and put his hands under the spray. Once they were wet, he slid his hands down his face, smearing the blood and tears on his cheeks.

Leaning heavily against the counter, he began to cry. His body wracked with sobs.

"Jamie? Jules?" Connor's voice echoed in Jamie's ears. He didn't turn around. He couldn't bear to face him. "Something's going on. Clarice and her Master sent some angry demons after-" Connor cut himself off. "Where's Jules, Jay? Is she with you dad?"

He winced, balling his fists. This was it. He either had to tell Connor and die, or continue being a pawn for Wolfram and Hart.

"You used up all of the hot water!" He heard Andrew now. "You know, I was the one who dug the hole. I should have..."

"Andrew, shut up." Connor took a few steps towards Jamie. "Jay, what's going on? Where's Jules?"

He felt his stomach writhing. Slowly, he stood back up. He turned to face Connor. He tried desperately to swallow the hard lump in his throat. "Jules is gone."

Connor's eyes grew wide. His mouth gaped open. He stared horrified at Jamie.

"Gone as in... Away for a bit, right?" Andrew's voice shook. "She's with your dad, right?"

Jamie shut his eyes tightly, trying to steel his nerves. "My dad... My dad works for Wolfram and Hart."

"You lied to me," Connor whispered, his look of shock turning to one of disgust. "I asked you and you lied..."

"And it cost me," Jamie spat. His tears began to flow anew. "He took me. And he took Jules..." He took in a shuddering breath. "And he killed her. In front of me."

Andrew shook his head, tears beginning to well in his eyes. "But... It can't be. I was just getting to know her."

Jamie squared up in front of Connor. "They told me you would kill me if you found out. He told me everything you did when you were in Los Angeles. Do it. Do it all."

Connor didn't say anything, he just kept staring at Jamie.

"Do it!" Jamie begged, pushing Connor as hard as he could. He shook uncontrollably. "They kept calling you the Destroyer. Destroy me. Do it! I lied to you! I told Wolfram and Hart what you were doing! Do it! Please!"

Hands shaking, Connor gripped Jamie's wrists. Tears slid down his cheeks as he tried to still Jamie. He didn't speak, his jaw clenched tightly.

"Please do it." Jamie pleaded. "I killed her. It's my fault. I can't... Just do it, Connor! They told me you would!"

Connor pushed Jamie to the ground hard. He stood above Jamie, a mixture of sorrow and anger etched in his features.

"Please Connor." Jamie looked up at him. "I don't deserve to live."

Finally, Connor spoke. "Go wash the blood off." He closed his eyes, wiping the tears off his face with his thumb. "You shouldn't have your sister's blood on you."

"He said it was too late," Salome muttered, pacing back and forth between her bed and Oni's.

Oni looked up from her book, furrowing her brow. "You've been saying that for an hour now. Who said what was too late?"

Before Salome could think of an excuse, the phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello? Connor. Hi. I was worri-" She gasped. "What?"

She slid down onto her bed. "No... That's... Oh god..."

She dropped the phone, letting it hit the floor. She put her head in her hands, covering her face.

"Salome?" Oni asked gently. "What's wrong?"

Salome's hands shook. "It is too late."

Connor hung up the phone and leaned heavily against the desk. He took a deep, trembling breath, trying to keep himself from losing control.

Andrew was sitting on the couch, looking dazed. His eyes shone with tears. "I liked her. She was sweet and nice. Rupert said I could train her as a Watcher." His lower lip trembled. "She would have been a good Watcher. She was spunky."

"It doesn't matter now." Connor curled his arm around his head, sheltering himself. "She's gone and I wasn't able to protect her. It took a week of knowing my secret to..."

He noticed the letter addressed to him beneath him. He picked it up, staring at the near cursive writing. He reached out, tracing the letters. Sadly, he whispered, "Jules."

Slowly, he unfolded the paper. As he read, the tears ran freely down his face. "Maybe if you let us into your world, Jamie and I could really understand who you are," he read outloud, his voice weak.

"What are you talking about?" Andrew asked.

Connor got up. His woeful expression hardened. As he strode behind the couch, where Andrew had hidden the weapons, his lip curled in a snarl. He wrapped his fingers around the hand of his axe, hefting it up.

Andrew jumped back. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to talk to Jamie," Connor growled.

"With an axe?" Andrew sputtered.

"Yeah." Connor gripped the axe tighter. "I want him to understand who I really am."

After getting the blood off himself, Jamie went to Jules' room. He sat on her bed, clutching a framed picture in his hands.

His dad hadn't gone to visit their grandparents with them. He had been too busy at work. So it had been the three of them. The last time they had been together before their mom had died.

He could feel Connor in the doorway without even looking away from the picture. He ran his fingers delicately over the glass. "Jules looked so much like mom. It's no wonder dad liked her better. It didn't have anything to do with her wanting to be a lawyer. It had to do with her. It had to do with me. He just... He just never liked me."

Connor stepped into the room. He held the axe up. "I could have saved her. If you had just told me the truth. If you didn't cover for him, there was a chance that this could have been different."

"I know." Jamie set the photo down on the bed. "Ever since it happened, that's all I can think about. If I had just... If I hadn't been afraid, she would still be here. That's going to haunt me for the rest of my life." He looked at the axe. "Even if there's only a few minutes left."

"What happened?" Connor asked. "How long have you known about me?"

"Only since I saw you kill those vampires." Jamie cradled his head in his hand. "I didn't know what interest Wolfram and Hart had in you. He didn't tell me. He just told me to watch you. To tell him what you were doing. For as long as I've known you, that's what I've done. I've just... I've been a spy."

"So that's why you were friends with me." Connor's voice trembled. "Because you had to be."

"We were roommates because we had to be," Jamie whispered hoarsely. "We were friends because I liked you. Because you actually understood me. I lied to you about my father. I never lied about myself. We were friends."

"I didn't want to believe you." Jamie continued quietly. "I didn't want to believe that I had been around this world my whole life and just been so stupid not to see it. Jules didn't have any problem believing... They should have sacrificed me instead of her."

"What did he do to her?" Connor asked.

"They killed her," Jamie replied harshly. "That's all that matters."

"In this world, it's not." Connor's voice was rough. He remembered dipping his hands into the dead girl's blood, placing it on Cordelia's large belly. "You said they sacrificed her."

Jamie nodded. "Dad took me. He thought he was going to kill me. Then Clarice came in with Jules. And he... He cut her. She was on a symbol. Her blood spilled over it. Then he said there was only one more step left. That the gates were forming. More would come."

"What did the symbol look like?" Connor asked.

"I don't know. I was a bit too preoccupied with my sister's body," Jamie snapped. "Dad wanted to kill me. I wanted him to." He stood up slowly. He faced Connor. "My father killed my mother and my sister. The only person he ever want to murder was me." He looked at the axe. "Do him a favour. Do me a favour."

Connor placed the axe at Jamie's neck. "I'm going to kill every person involved in killing Jules. I swear no one will get away without paying."

He pulled the axe away and turned it, holding the handle out to Jamie. "I think you have to learn how to use this."

Slowly, Jamie accepted the axe into his hand. He stared down at it. "The Master said you would kill me. That the Destroyer took revenge on everyone."

Connor shook his head. "I'm not the Destroyer anymore." He swallowed hard. "I've lost enough friends tonight. I'm not going to lose another. Besides, Jules would have wanted you to stay alive."

Slowly, he started to walk to the door. He paused and turned back. "The Master. Clarice's Master. He was there."

Jamie nodded. "He was the one who told me to go."

"What was he?" Connor asked. "A demon? He's the one we have to kill."

Jamie shook his head. "He was human. British. A guy. Probably in his thirties. Do you think he's another lawyer?"

Connor's face contorted into a look of shock, thinking back on what those he knew with that description. "Is there anything else?"

"He needed a shave. And my dad called him something. Winston? Wendell?"

"Wesley," Connor supplied, his eyes wide.

"That was it," Jamie said. "How did you know?"