"Cordy, the Buick, it's right there! Drive by it, real casual-like."

"All right, Xander, settle down, I can drive undercover."

Xander reached for Cordelia's purse.

"Hey, loverboy, where do you think you're going?"

Xander's hand stopped mere inches from the purse's zipper. "I'm going for the cell phone that's in your purse. We've got to call Buffy and Giles."

Cordelia glanced at him and tilted her head. "This is a big leap forward in our relationship, you know. Once the boyfriend enters the purse, there's no going back."

Xander's hand retreated. "No going back? Really? Is this good?"

"If I have to tell you, then probably not."

His hand went back and grabbed the purse. "It's just a purse. Harmless. Practical." He opened the purse. "Oh, and here's the feminine accessories. How wonderful." He pulled out a tampon. "I'm a curious guy, but even I have limits." He stuck the tampon back in, digging further. "Is this like Doctor Who's purse? Is there a Central American country in this thing? Oh, wait…" His hand emerged with the cell phone. "Whew. I thought we'd have to send in Search and Rescue for my hand there."

"There, that wasn't hard, was it?" Her smile looked decidedly possessive. And, thought Xander, not towards the purse.

He looked at the display and groaned. "Uh, Cordy? The battery's dead."

"No! I just charged it. Oh, wait, that was my EpiLady."

"Ouch. So now what do we do?" Xander looked in the rearview mirror, where the Buick was sitting empty. "Where are we? The park? He's probably cruising the park."

"That would explain the parked car. Look, there's a payphone at the end of the block. Why don't we call from there?"

"All right, let's go."

Cordelia pulled the car up to the payphone and shifted it into neutral. She yanked up the parking brake and opened her door.

Xander looked at her with some confusion. "I thought I was calling."

She continued out of the car, and Xander scrambled out.

"We'll both make the call. They always make that mistake in the movies. The heroes get separated, and before you know it, they're both tomato puree."

Xander nodded. "Solid logic."

The car rumbled slowly through the quiet neighbourhood. A white tabby cat darted in front, chasing an unseen foe, and Giles slammed on the brakes.

"Damn!" he cursed, closing his eyes momentarily.

Buffy put a hand on his shoulder.

"I think it's okay, Giles. There are many ways to defur a feline, but you managed to avoid that one."

The Watcher looked at the Slayer with tired eyes. "Never underestimate the power of good fortune."

They shared a glance at the speeding tabby.

Buffy chuckled. "It must be in a rush to get home so it can sleep for the next eighteen hours. I'm envious."

Giles took his foot off the brake, and they continued down the street. "How irresponsible." He glanced at Buffy. "Of the cat."

The cellular phone in Buffy's hand be-beeped happily, surprising her.

"Hello?"

The voice on the other end was sardonically excited. Xander.

"Buffy? We're at the Sunnydale Park, north side. The Buick is here, and we're… Cordy?"

Buffy felt a chill down her spine.

"Xander? Xander?"

She heard a sickening thud, and then what sounded like a giggle. She had never heard a menacing giggle before that moment. Abruptly, she was left with a dialtone. She grabbed Giles' arm.

"Giles! Sunnydale Park, north side. Now!"

She was still wiping tears from her eyes as the Oz Van sped along the Sunnydale streets.

"How do you know where he is?" asked Willow.

Julie sniffled, and struggled to control an annoying hitch in her chest. "The park is the only place he'd go. He likes the seclusion."

Willow watched her new friend with trepidation. She wanted to ask the question that hung in the air like one of those pairs of fuzzy dice: Why? Why does your father do these things, Julie?

Of course, she didn't know the really big secret, the one Julie was still trying to avoid facing head-on.

"Uh," started Oz, "We're a few blocks away. What should we do? I mean, it's not exactly my time of the month, so I'm feeling once removed from useless."

"We find a phone, call Buffy, and wait." Willow scanned the spare contents of the van. "Don't you at least have a tire iron or something?"

"Well, I would, except that I wouldn't want the tires to think that I lacked confidence in them."

Julie blinked.

"Trust is very important," Oz continued, sharing a smile with his girlfriend.

Giles' car screeched to a stop in front of Cordelia's car, where Xander was sprawled unconscious on the hood. Buffy jumped out to check on him.

"Oh my god, Giles, he's right out of it. And there's warm sticky blood right here," she said angrily, pointing to the top of Xander's head.

Giles rushed to her side and gently took Xander's head into his hands. He looked into the young man's eyes and grimaced. "I'll have to take him to the hospital."

Buffy turned to face the park. "He must have grabbed Cordelia. Hurry back," she said, starting to run. "There might not be anything left of this guy if you're too late."

It felt like a wave rushing out of her head, and Cordelia was allowed to think on her own again. That's when she realized that she was hanging by her bound hands from the park gazebo's ceiling with a shiny yellow rope. She screamed. Once. A fist came out of the darkness to stop the next scream from finding air. She let the stars carry her away for a while.

The demon stood back and smiled. It would have been nice to control her mind long enough to make her wield the knife, but he suspected that time was short. No, best to do this quickly but effectively. Examples need to be set, especially for his daughter. He picked up the knife from the gazebo railing. Oh, this was still going to be nice.

He sighed.

Giles stood there for a moment, wondering whether he could safely move Xander without any further damage. His attention was diverted by the low rumble of the Oz Van driving up. This is becoming quite a party, he thought grimly. All we need now is Principal Snyder to stare disapprovingly, and all will be right with the world.

The van wasn't even completely stopped before Willow hopped out and ran over to Xander's prone body. "Oh, God, Giles, what happened?"

"Well, I, I'm not sure. Xander and Cordelia found the Buick and were on the phone with Buffy when something, ah, interrupted them."

"With a lead pipe," said Oz morosely.

Julie came up to Xander, tears in her eyes. "My fault," she said quietly. "My fault." She put her hands on the sides of his head, a soft touch like a lover's. "My fault." She closed her eyes and shuddered. For the others, the air suddenly felt tense and thick, like they had just entered a steamy greenhouse. Oz had a coppery taste in his mouth. They heard a subdued thunderclap. Julie opened her eyes, and Xander opened his.

"Cordelia?" he asked weakly.

The air cleared.

Though they were all stunned, Giles found his voice first. "Xander? How do you feel?"

He blinked. Julie took her hands away, the palms red with his blood.

"Aside from Metallica playing a sold-out concert in the base of my skull, I'm feeling pretty good. Where's Cordelia?" He lifted his head, saw everybody standing there, did the math in his head, and groaned. "Oh, this can't be good."

Willow took his hand. "Can you walk?"

Xander winced, then hardened his face. He sat up, waited for the rush of blood to subside, and nodded.

Giles was looking oddly at Julie, who was scanning the park. "Buffy has already entered the park in pursuit of… Willow, is this all right?"

She nodded absently as she and Oz helped Xander to his feet.

"Right, well, in pursuit of Mr. Marshall, who in all likelihood, has taken Cordelia."

Xander cast a baleful glare at the older man. "Giles, whaddaya got in your trunk, buddy?"

The knife pressed into the young flesh, drawing a nice, rounded drop of blood that ran down the girl's throat. The demon's harsh breathing picked up its rhythm.

"Bondage, huh? I figured you for the type of guy that liked a fight."

The demon whirled around to face the angriest young girl he had ever seen. He smiled. Buffy's right fist came up and connected with his jaw, knocking him up and right off the gazebo. His body hit the ground mere moments before she followed, ready for more.

"Get up, you bastard. It's not every day I get to beat up a human. This could be fun."

The demon shook his head. That hurt. It had been so long since he had felt pain of any kind. Rage swelled from within. He stood, and before Buffy could let her limbs fly, he reached out for her mind.

Buffy took a step back, a big, crushing wave descending on her consciousness. Her hands came up to massage her temples, but that was purely a physical gesture, doing no real good. But she fought the wave, swimming, kicking for the surface, refusing to be swept away by the inexorable undertow. All of her Slayer abilities came to her rescue, giving the young girl strength and stamina. She took a step forward, her leg heavy as lead. A second step forward. Was the last step leaden? This one felt like she carried the weight of an entire planet on her foot. It was too much; she fell to her knees, breathing hard. The waves kept coming, pushing her down, down into the sand, the undertow pulling her towards the darkness, dark, so dark…

Dark.

A last sigh.

"How are we going to find them?" Willow asked despairingly. It was a big park, with a lot of forested area, and only a few clearings.

Giles looked around. "Where did Julie go?"

Oz grunted. "And Xander?"

The demon was glad that he had brought extra rope. He giggled. Two trophies in one night, and the second had fought so well! A few more seconds, and he might have buckled. He looked up at the two hanging girls. A blonde and a brunette. All he needed now was a redhead, and…

"You're not getting either one of them, daddy."

The demon turned again, angry at himself.

"What is all this sneaking about tonight? Shouldn't you be home, crying yourself to sleep? I know someone who needs a spanking."

Julie stiffened. "Come down here and give it to me, then."

The demon grinned and walked off the gazebo floor onto the damp grass. He worked his jaw back and forth; still sore. He'd have to work off his frustration on his own daughter. Again. Like every other night. "At least you're asking for it, now."

Xander ran onto the gazebo behind Mr. Marshall, jumped up, and with the sabre in his hand, cut both ropes with one swoop. The girls collapsed to the floor as the demon stared in shock. His night's work was being undone by kids. Little children. Including his daughter.

After quickly checking the girls to make sure they were all right, Xander yelled at the top of his voice, "Over here! We're at the gazebo!"

The demon growled. "I should have killed you the first time I met you."

"Uh-huh. By the way, I lied. Your car is a festering heap of junk. And 8-track? Are you aware of what decade we're in?"

Mr. Marshall advanced on the teenager, raising his knife casually, like it was an extension of his arm.

Xander brought up the blade, moving in front of the unconscious girls to protect them. "I should tell you, I've been studying the sword for years now. I could skewer you like a shishkebob before you could say falafel."

The demon smiled, and once more reached out with his mind. Xander felt the beginnings of that wave start to wash over his brain, and stepped forward. The demon was too quick, flicking his psychic control like the tip of a bullwhip, snapping the younger man's consciousness into line. Against his will, Xander began to turn the blade inward.

"No!"

Julie's voice rang out, and a moment later, Xander felt the wave wash away. He looked at the blade that was moving slowly towards his abdomen, and he yelped, twisting to avoid the thrust. Out of the darkness, Willow, Oz, and Giles emerged to stand behind Julie. The demon stopped his forward movement towards Xander and turned towards his daughter.

"How did you…?" He chuckled then, understanding completely. "Like father, like daughter, eh? And how long have you known that you could do what I could do? How long have you known that you could fight back? Stopped the nightly visits? Stopped the nasty things I do from time to time? And yet you took it every night, crying yourself to sleep, not doing anything as I killed over and over again." His chuckles grew to belly-laughs. "How you must hate yourself, Jules. For all the blood on my hands, some of it sticks to yours. Why, you're no better than me!"

During her father's speech, Julie's face crumbled slowly, anguish pulling at her soul like a child pulling taffy, sticky and stringy. It was the anger, the righteous and frightened anger, that focused her mind, and by his last exclamation, she found herself calm and ready, if not a molten pot of fury.

Xander's grip on the sword was loose, but as he would say later, he was still trying to recover from the dizziness. So when the weapon was ripped from his hand
(have you forgotten)
by an unseen force
(the face)
and buried itself
(of your father)
in the body of Mr. Marshall, Xander was as shocked as everyone else.

The demon fell to his knees, staring at the blade that was poking out from his chest.

Julie's voice was so quiet, only Willow heard the bitter words.

"I do hate myself. But that hate is like a candle to the bright sun of hate I have for you." She stepped up in front of her father and knelt down to face him. She took his head in her hands. "Before you die, I want you to feel what I felt." She closed her eyes, shuddered, and her father screamed, a cry of utter anguish and despair. The others put their hands over their ears to try and block out the sound, and as Willow watched, the fear that she had always seen in Julie's eyes seemed to flow into her father's eyes. The air rippled around the two, becoming thick and coppery, and the scream became ragged before it finally ended.

Julie took her hands away, and the demon, the evil light in his eyes replaced by abject fear, gasped, expelled one last breath, and keeled over.

They all stood there, silence feeling more comfortable than anything else at that moment.

Cordelia's wavering voice broke the ice. "Wh-what happened?" Xander crouched down to start untying her.

Julie turned to the witnesses behind her. "I'm sorry."

Willow stepped up and hugged her. "It's okay."

Oz and Giles shared a glance.

"Did you see that?" asked Oz.

"See what?" replied Giles.

"How Xander tripped over the girls and the sword, jarred from his grasp, ended up in Mr. Marshall, who was coming at him with the knife?"

Giles frowned slightly. "Well, Oz, I really don't think…" His eyes cleared. "Oh, yes. Remarkable, wasn't it?"

But they still watched Julie with wary eyes.

The cafeteria, unsurprisingly, was deserted. Except for five teenagers who munched on junk food like it was their first meal in days. They all sat in the corner, far away from the doors, just in case someone should happen to stroll in. Can't have people hearing this conversation.

"She's gone?" Buffy looked doubtfully at the potato chip in her hand. The bag says there's fat in the chip, but where was it hiding?

Willow nodded. "She left on the weekend. Once the police got the anonymous tip, they were able to piece together the whole thing pretty easily."

"But wouldn't the cops want to talk with Julie about it?" asked Cordelia.

Xander shook his head. "She was able to… convince them that it wasn't necessary."

"You know," said Oz, "that could really be useful. Worked well for Obi-Wan."

Xander cast his gaze out the window, his eyes troubled. "If I ever talk about weapons and me using them, give me a slap to the head, would you?"

Cordelia put her arms around him. "It wasn't your fault, goofball. And if you still think it was, I will give you a slap to the head on general principles."

Buffy looked sympathetically at her red-headed friend. "Did she say anything to you before she left, Willow?"

"She wanted to be someplace where she could be alone." The red-head sighed. "I think she feels so guilty about what's happened that she can't really face… people right now. I mean, I told her it wasn't her fault, but is it a crime to know something bad's happening and you don't do anything to stop it?"

"She was terrorized and abused by her father on a daily basis," replied Buffy. "Frankly, I'm amazed she lived through it."

"Yeah," agreed Xander. "And now the worst is over."

Willow stared out the window. "Is it?"

The girl walked smartly down the city street like she knew where she was going and nothing was going to stop her. The man following her kept his distance, but knew he had to make his move quickly, before she got to the bright lights of the subway station. Surprisingly, her pace slowed. He grinned. This would be easy. They were coming up to a dark space between two buildings, and he jogged up to the girl, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her into the black.

Julie Marshall smiled, an angry, vicious curve of her mouth, and the man's body slammed back with a sudden, unseen force against the wall.

"This quiet girl likes it rough," she said as the man's eyes bulged in terror.
(have you forgotten the face of your father?)
(I have not)
(I will not)