Andrew followed along beside Mandy as they walked out onto the street. He slipped his camera into his bag, shaking his head. "So let me get this straight... You're not Mandy Boyd, star reporter for the Times. You're Mandy Boyd, some sort of demon hunting lady. And you think I'm not your faithful photographer, but some sort of... Demon expert who likes to watch you."

Mandy nodded, tucking a lock of blonde hair over her ear. "I have no idea what's going on, but... Yeah, that's basically it."

Andrew brought a hand up to feel Mandy's forehead. "Well, you don't have a fever... Did you maybe bump your head last night when you were going after Malloy?"

Mandy pushed Andrew's hand away, irritation clear in her features. "I didn't bump my head and I'm not crazy! Someone did something. A spell or I ended up in some parallel dimension... I dunno. But things are definitely weird. I just need to figure out what's going..." She looked at Andrew. "Malloy?"

Andrew nodded. "Yeah. Brandon Malloy. The mobster?" He frowned deeply, shaking his head. "None of this is ringing a bell to you?"

"It actually is. That's what's freaking me out about it." She rubbed her temples, sighing deeply. "We need to find Connor. Maybe he'll know what's going on."

"Connor?" Andrew repeated. "You mean Connor Angel?"

"Yes!" Mandy grabbed Andrew's shoulders. "Of course I mean Connor Angel! You know where he is?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Andrew looked thoroughly confused. "We were going to go see him. That's why you needed to get up."

"You know Connor," Mandy sighed in relief. "Oh God. I was worried it was just..."

"You were going to interview him, Mandy," Andrew explained. "For your article on Malloy. He's your source."

"Connor's a source." Mandy sank down onto a bench on the sidewalk. "And not a demon fighter."

"He's a private investigator." Andrew sat down next to Mandy. "You're really starting to worry me."

"Where are we?" Mandy looked around. She bit her lower lip. "This definitely isn't Palo Alto."

"Why should it be? It's Los Angeles," Andrew answered. "It always has been. Seriously, Mandy... Maybe we should go to the hospital..."

"No..." Mandy shook her head. "Let's just go see Connor. Maybe whatever's going on, it's not affecting him."

****

Oni jumped up from behind her desk as Mandy and Andrew entered the office. "Hello!" She said cheerfully.

Mandy threw her arms around Oni. "I am so glad to see you, Oni."

Oni looked slightly surprised by the gestured, but nevertheless hugged Mandy back. "I am also content by your presence. We are very joyful about all patronage. If you would obtain a seat, I will get you caffeinated beverages while you wait for one of our detectives to hear about your case."

Mandy pulled back. "Huh? Oni..."

"Don't bother, Oni," Connor said as he entered, throwing his hat onto the coat-rack. "They're not clients."

Oni turned to Connor, frowning slightly. "Oh. Should I be treating them with hostility then?"

Connor shrugged. "Maybe. They are reporters, after all."

"I'm not a reporter!" Mandy cried indignantly.

"Sorry." Connor rolled his eyes. "Journalist. Better?"

"I'm not that either!" Mandy strode over to Connor, grabbing him by the arm. "You don't know who I am?"

"Of course I know you who are!" Connor jerked his arm away. "You're Mandy Boyd, professional pain in my ass." He straightened his shirt. "I told you I wasn't going to talk to you about Malloy yet. I don't care if you're doing some in-depth story. If I talk to you now, my dad's definitely going to be dead."

"Your dad's a vampire, he's dead already." Mandy said firmly.

Andrew sighed. "Sorry, Connor. She's been on about demons and stuff all morning."

Connor's eyes were wide, completely stunned by this pronouncement. "How do you know my father is a vampire?"

"Because I'm a Slayer..." Mandy said carefully. "You know, a Vampire Slayer..."

"What's a Vampire Slayer?" Connor asked, confused.

Mandy groaned. "Not you too." She slapped her forehead.

"What's wrong with you today, Boyd?" Connor asked, a mixture of concern and confusion on his face. "Usually you're just hounding me for details on my cases. But now..."

"This is not how things are supposed to be," Mandy explained quietly. "You're not a detective and I'm not a reporter and we don't live in Los Angeles. Something's happened to us."

Connor's brow furrowed deeply. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm feeling fine!" Mandy cried. "It's you guys who are feeling weird! Someone's done some sort of spell!"

Connor pulled out a chair. "Sit down, Boyd." He looked to Oni. "Can you get Boyd some water? Maybe she is a case."

"Immediately, boss." Oni gave Connor a salute before skipping off.

Connor crouched down beside Mandy. "So who do you think has done a spell on you?"

Mandy just stared at Connor incredulously. "No one's done a spell on me. Someone's done a spell on you."

Connor looked around, shifting uncomfortably. "Uh.... I highly doubt it. I'm pretty hip to people doing magic on me."

"No you're not!" Mandy cried. "You're a moron when it comes to spells! This is not how things are supposed to be!"

Oni came back into the room with a glass of water. She held it out to Mandy. "Here you are, Miss Boyd. I hope you are not permanently damaged."

Mandy drank deeply. She looked over Andrew, Connor and Oni. "I'm fine. It's you guys who are messed up!"

"Just how are we messed up?" Connor asked.

Mandy put the glass down. She scrubbed her face. "This isn't how life is supposed to be. Oni isn't a secretary, Andrew isn't a journalist and Connor, you are definitely not a detective. Someone has done some sort of spell to alter reality. And for some reason, I'm the only one not affected."

Connor let out a small laugh. "Okay, Boyd... Are you at all aware of how crazy that sounds?"

Mandy nodded, frowning deeply. "Yeah, as the words were coming out, I started to realize the crazy." She looked pleadingly at Connor. "But you've gotta believe me. This isn't how things are supposed to be." She let out a pitiful laugh. "I mean, Connor... You're like joined at the hip with Salome. And where is she?"

Connor's expression darkened. He rose to his feet and turned away. "She's with Bones."

"Bones," Mandy repeated. "She's with..." She jumped up. "Bones Malloy!"

"Yeah," Connor snapped. "Bones Malloy. Are you starting to remember things now?"

Mandy raked her fingers through her hair. "I am, actually. I really am. I knew that name sounded familiar. I just couldn't place it..." She began to pace. "How did this happen?" There was a look of helplessness on her face. "This is impossible. We shouldn't be here."

"We shouldn't be where?" Andrew asked.

"In a story!" Mandy cried. "Bones Malloy is a character in the story I wrote for National Novel Writing Month! And in the story, Connor is a detective." She frowned, looking Connor over. "Only, his name is Cameron."

Connor frowned at Mandy. "I'm a character in a story. Only my name isn't my name. That... Makes no sense."

Mandy leaned against Connor's desk. "In the real world, you're my friend. And I wrote a story and based one of the characters on you. The main character, in fact. All of the characters are based on my friends and..." She looked around. "Well..."

Connor sank down into the chair Mandy had vacated. "Full of yourself much?"

Mandy looked shocked at this pronouncement. "How does that possibly make me full of myself?"

Connor rolled his eyes. "Well, you're basically saying that you created all of existence."

Mandy sighed deeply. "Fine. Don't believe me. But I'm telling you the truth. Someone's cast a spell to make my book come true and I'm the only one not affected."

The door swung open and Spike stalked in, shirtless, looking very put out. "Can't you let a man sleep? This yelling is driving me up the bloody wall!"

"Spike?" Mandy turned to him. She looked momentarily hopeful. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

Spike scratched his hair. "The annoying bird from the paper."

Mandy's shoulder's slumped. "Fantastic."

****

Salome had changed her clothes, now wearing a much shorter black dress. She was barefoot as she crept down the stairs. There was no sound in the sitting room. She entered quietly, looking around frantically. She continued to the fireplace. She ran her hands over the mantel. One of the bricks gave way beneath her French-tipped fingernails. Salome took a step back as the fireplace silently moved out of the way, exposing the secret passage.

Chewing on one of her manicured nails, Salome ducked her head to enter the passageway. Her free hand went to her hip. Her heart was thundering.

The howl of pain echoed against the stone. Salome flinched at the tortured noise. She paused in front of the barred door. She could see through the small window in the chamber.

The man was bare-chested, his head bowed. Long welts on his chest bled copiously.

Salome hissed in a breath as she watched Bones deliver another lash across the captive's back with his whip.

"Just tell me where it is," Bones demanded. "Tell me where it is and... You can go. Free and clear. I promise you, this will continue. I won't stop, even if you beg me to stake you. That's a very valuable object you're holding onto."

"Go to hell," was the growled, pain-laced reply.

His answer earned him a smack across the face with a pipe, delivered to him by one of Bones' vampire henchmen. Salome bit her lip, trying to muffle her cry.

"Where is the Gem?" Bones' voice was growing more and more agitated with each passing minute.

Angel raised his head. He spat a mouthful of blood into Bones' face.

Bones brought a hand to his face, wiping the mixture of blood and saliva off his skin. He smiled tightly. "Charming. Absolutely charming." He turned to one of his lackeys, his look changing to one of absolute malice. "Get the holy water!"

****

Jamie trailed after his father, file clutched tightly in his hand. "Come on, Dad... Why won't you just listen to me?"

James Black turned to Jamie, glaring daggers. "I've told you a hundred times, Trip. While we're at work, you'll refer to me as Mister Black."

"Fine," Jamie's reply was acidic. "Mister Black." There was a passionate gleam in his eyes. "There's a thousand things we can charge Malloy with. Why the hell aren't we moving on it?"

James sighed deeply. "Trip... He's got the best lawyers in town on retainer. What you have there--" He pointed to the file. "--isn't enough to get him in jail. His people would sink your case in about two second flat."

"We don't need to convince him," Jamie stressed. "We just need to get him in for questioning. If he think we're onto him, maybe we can find out where he's keeping Angel."

"Angel." James nodded. "Connor put you onto this, didn't he? You're loyal to your friends, Trip and that's admirable... But you can't use your job to help him out of trouble."

"His father was abducted by mobsters!" Jamie raked a hand through his hair. "Which, the last time I checked, was illegal." He shook his head savagely. "Besides, half the convictions you got in the last year have been because of what Angel did. The police department is absolute crap. You need him."

"Not if it means I have to go after Brandon Malloy," James insisted. "I'm not going to get into it. It's a losing battle."

Jamie's expression twisted to one of disgust. "What exactly would you lose for going after him, Dad?" The accusatory tone was unmistakable.

James arched a brow. "What exactly are you insinuating?"

"That it's a really nice car you're driving these days." Jamie crossed his arms over his chest. "You said Bones has the best lawyers in town on retainer... Is that defence or prosecution?"

James set his jaw. "Are you insinuating I'm taking bribes?"

"Insinuate nothing," Jamie spat angrily. "I'm flat-out saying it. Your conviction rate's tanked, as long as the client is important enough. Hell, half of them don't even see arrests. What you, what everyone is doing, is dirty... And you know it. This town is corrupt."

"And just what do you think you can do about it--" James glared at Jamie once again. "-- Son?"

"Well...." Jamie shrugged, walking away from his father. "I'm sure I'll think of something." He turned back briefly to give his father a smile. "Maybe I'll ask my girlfriend. You remember her, right? The reporter?"

****

Mandy scowled deeply as she strode down the street, Andrew close on her heels.

"All I'm saying is maybe you should take a nap!" Andrew cried, holding onto his camera while he tried to keep up with Mandy. "You're not acting at all like yourself and you shouldn't, you know, strain yourself."

Mandy whirled around to face Andrew. "Dammit, Andrew! I'm not going to strain myself! I'm not crazy! I'm a Vampire Slayer."

"You keep saying that like it means something," Andrew's voice was quiet, a little scared. "Mandy, no one has any clue what you're talking about. Not me, not Connor, not Spike..."

Mandy grabbed Andrew by the shoulders. "What about Jamie? Where's Jamie? He'll believe me!"

"Jamie?" Andrew frowned. "You mean your boyfriend?"

"Yes!" Mandy jumped. "Jamie my boyfriend! You remember him! Where is he?"

Andrew scratched the back of his head. "It's Wednesday. He's probably at the courthouse."

Mandy sighed deeply. "Because in this universe, he's a district attorney." She put a hand on her forehead.

"Are you starting to remember now?" Andrew asked, putting a hand on Mandy's shoulder. "Are things becoming clearer?"

"I know everything," Mandy pointed out, a harsh tone to her voice. "I know more than I should. Andrew, I invented this world... It's just coming back to me slowly. Like it won't let me remember until it... Happens." She shook her head. "But it's worse than that, my story is unedited and with plot holes you could drive a Mac Truck through. That's a dangerous place to be."

Andrew shook his head. "Mandy, you know I've always believed all of the weird things you've told me. But this is just going too far. Can you do anything to prove to me that what you're saying is true?"

Mandy licked her lips, thinking it over. She then nodded slowly. "All right. You need me to prove I'm Vampire Slayer..."

A determined look on her face, Mandy strode over to a street lamp. She grabbed it, pulling it downward. The metal groaned, bending under her tremendous strength.

Andrew jumped back at the top of the streetlamp hit the sidewalk. He was trembling, pointing at the deformed light. "How.... How did you..."

"Vampire Slayer," Mandy explained. She hopped over the streetlamp to stride over to Andrew. "So do you believe me now?"

Andrew frowned deeply. "I dunno. All that proves is you've been going to the gym."

"What the hell kind of gym do you think gives those results?" Mandy demanded. "Andrew... Admit it: I. Am. A. Vampire. Slayer."

"Okay, you're a Vampire Slayer!" Andrew cried. He frowned as he looked over the damage Mandy had caused to the streetlamp. "I think you can get fined for that."

Mandy shrugged dismissively. "I'm hoping I can figure out how to break this spell before it matters."

Andrew ran a hand through his hair. "Okay... So you're a Vampire Sayer. But that doesn't mean you invented me."

"What can I do to prove it to you?" Mandy demanded.

Andrew crossed his arms over his chest. "Tell me something about me you shouldn't know. If you invented me, then you would know everything about me."

Mandy smiled sweetly at Andrew. "You... Are having an affair with our copy editor, Xander."

Andrew's eyes grew wide. "You couldn't know that."

"Of course I can," Mandy looked fierce. "I wrote it. Of course, I wrote about Adam having an affair with Xavier... But I figured his name got changed along with everyone else's."

Andrew whined. "You're really not making any sense, Mand."

Mandy groaned, raking her hands through her hair. "Okay, follow me... This..." She held up a hand. "Is our world. The world of Vampire Slayers and Watchers and... Things that make sense!" She held up her other hand. "This is the world of detectives and mobsters and thinly veiled allusions to my friends."

She smacked her hands together. "And that is us now."

"So let's say I believe you," Andrew sighed. "If we're not in the right world, how the heck are we supposed to get back?"

Mandy shrugged. "I have no clue." She then grinned. "But I think I might know where to start."

****

Lorne frowned deeply as he picked up a drink. He was sitting on the edge of the stage. "So let me get this straight... If Bones asks, I've got to tell him you and I are having an affair?"

"You don't mind, do you?" Salome leaned against Lorne's shoulder. "It would be a big, big help to me."

Lorne's brow furrowed deeply. "You do realize your boyfriend has about a dozen men with big, big guns on permanent retainer?"

"First of all, he's not my boyfriend. He's...." Salome moved away from Lorne. "Well, I dunno what he is. And he won't kill you." Salome frowned deeply. "He was actually... Okay with it. I mean, that's really weird, isn't it? He was totally fine with his mistress screwing around on him."

"Well, he's got other mistresses, doesn't he?" Lorne took a sip of his drink. "Maybe you running around on him keeps you from getting too serious."

"Whatever," Salome sighed, shrugging. "I don't care what Bones thinks."

Lorne set his glass on the stage and rose to his feet. He cupped Salome's face. "Yeah you do. And it means a lot to me that you do care."

Salome brought her hand up, covering Lorne's. "There was no way I was going to let him close the bar, Lorne. I know how much it means to you." She squeezed his hand. "If I have to pretend I like that jerk so he doesn't tear this place down, I'll do it."

"You shouldn't have to do that," Lorne insisted.

"He's right."

Salome pulled away from Lorne, smiling at Connor strode into the bar. "You shouldn't have to do that, baby."

Salome ran to him, throwing her arms around Connor's neck. She buried her face in his hair.

"Hey..." Connor frowned deeply as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "What's wrong?" He pulled back a bit to kiss her gently. Salome kissed back furiously.

Lorne poured himself another drink. "You know, if you don't want to be caught by Bones, it's probably not a good idea to make out with your boyfriend in his bar."

Salome reluctantly pulled away from Connor. "Good point."

Lorne frowned. "So if Bones doesn't care if you have a boyfriend, why are you hiding it?"

Salome squeezed Connor's hand tightly. "Maybe he doesn't care about me getting off elsewhere, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't want me hanging out with Connor."

"What did you find out?" Connor asked, his eyes filled with curious concern.

"More than I wanted to know," Salome admitted. "Bones has your dad. I saw him."

"He's still alive?" A small smile formed on Connor's face.

"Little too soon to smile," Salome looked down. "He has him guarded twenty-four-seven... And I think he's getting pretty fed up with Angel not helping him."

"What can I do?" Connor asked desperately.

Salome's expression darkened. "You have to give them the Gem of Amara. And if they don't get it... Angel's as good as dust."

ACT THREE