Andrew peeked into the living room at the assembled crowd of Jasmine followers. He then eased the door closed and turned to the group gathered around the kitchen table. "So... Does anyone want to tell me how that is possible?"

"They're followers of Jasmine," Lorne said with a shrug. "There doesn't really need to be any other explanation."

"But I thought the spell was broken when Jasmine's true name was spoken," Andrew shook his head and paced. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Why not?" Salome questioned. "There are always going to be people who want to be led." She opened the door a crack, looking out to the crowd. "Look at them. They're lost... Confused. I bet they've been like that their entire lives. They needed something to believe in and Jasmine gave it to them. Breaking a spell couldn't make them let go of that."

"I felt what it was like to lose Jasmine," Lorne insisted. "You could feel the loss. Why didn't they?"

"Never under-estimate the need to be led," Salome muttered.

"Should we go out there?" Oni asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Maybe... Offer them sustenance in the form of pre-packaged snack cakes?"

"I know I'm the Host, but I don't want to go anywhere near them." Lorne shuddered. "They give me the Heebies and the Jeebies."

"But they're people," Andrew said with a frown.

"You weren't around when Jasmine was in town," Lorne replied. "She was a freak and a half. And anyone who would willingly follow her..."

"I did."

All eyes turned to the door. Connor was standing there, arms crossed over his chest. His brow was furrowed deeply as he gazed over his friends. "I followed her. I knew what she was all the time, but I still did it. So what do you think of me, Lorne?"

Lorne opened his mouth to say something, but was at a loss.

"He didn't mean it like that, Ace," Salome said softly.

She reached out to take his hand, but he resisted. "Can you just... Not... right now."

Salome blinked, shrinking back. "Okay... Sorry."

Connor expression softened as he looked to his girlfriend, studying her hurt expression. "Baby..."

"Not really sure about leaving the bar with Chico," Lorne muttered, casting an uncomfortable glance to Connor. "Call me if you need me." He slunk out without another word.

Oni got to her feet. "You know, I think I will take care of that snack cake plan." She grabbed a box of Twinkies from the counter and headed into the living room.

"I'll help you," Andrew replied. "Those boxes can be... Tricky to open." He ran after Oni, leaving Connor and Salome alone.

Connor kept his head bowed. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know how you meant it," Salome replied, shrugging noncommittally. "This is bothering you, so you want to skulk off alone and brood about your past."

"I don't want you to know this part of me," Connor replied. "Before you met me."

"I know about the things you did," Salome replied. "And I haven't run away yet. What makes you think this time is any different? They called you the Destroyer, dammit. Do you think I have delusions that you were some kind of saint?"

"This is different," Connor stressed. "This isn't about fighting demons. This is about--"

"--Cordelia," Salome murmured. "Jasmine was the product of your love."

Connor shook his head. "No." He took a step towards Salome. She resisted at first, but he didn't relent, cupping her face with his hands. "She was... I was confused." He sighed. "It's not about her. It's just... I betrayed everyone who cared about me to help Jasmine. I would have killed my father for her if I had the chance."

Salome looked down again. Connor sighed deeply again, pulling away from her. "I need to keep this one inside, okay? Didn't mean to be a jerk... But I really do have to brood."

"What are you going to do with them, Connor?" Salome asked, frowning deeply.

"I'm going to help them," Connor replied.

"You're going to help them bring back Jasmine?" Andrew cried in disbelief, having come back into the kitchen with Oni.

"I do not believe that would be a wise course of action," Oni offered feebly. "She was a megalomaniacal people eater, was she not?"

"Not like that," Connor sighed. "I'm going to help them get over this obsession. Find a life outside of Jasmine. I owe that to them."

"Why?" Andrew asked, shaking his head in confusion.

"I helped create Jasmine," Connor muttered. "And then I helped her get into this world. I hurt so many people to do that. If it wasn't for me, they wouldn't have become obsessed with her." He bowed his head. "And then I killed her. I took away the one reason they had for living."

He looked over his friends, his expression mournful. "It's getting late. You guys should just head to bed. I'll take care of them."

"Connor, you cannot handle this yourself," Oni said. "There are quite a few of them and you are only one man."

"Just let me handle this," Connor muttered. "Alone."

"The groceries are still in the car," Salome replied, casting a quick glance to Connor. "The ice cream has probably melted."

Connor cast a woeful look over at his girlfriend as she retreated, followed by Oni and Andrew. He sank down into one of the kitchen chairs, putting his head in his hands.

He flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at the leader of the cult. "Uh..." He shifted uncomfortably. "Hey... Umm..." He ran a hand through his hair. "Uh... What's your name again?"

"Truman." He sat down beside Connor. "Are you all right?"

"I..." Connor looked away. "Just having a weird night."

"I know this must be a lot for you to take in." Truman sat down beside Connor. "You were Jasmine's most loyal. And you've had to live with her tragic demise for two years now." He reached out, taking Connor's hand. "We all felt it too. The loss of our goddess. But Faye has given us hope. Jasmine's most perfect physical form was destroyed, but nothing can destroy her powerful spirit."

Connor's eyes widened and he pulled his hand away quickly. "That's not possible."

Truman smiled fondly at Connor. "It's all right. It can take some time to accept.... But it's true. And now that we have you to help..."

"Help?" Connor's voice was rough. "You... Want me to help?" He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words.

"You must want to help," Truman said quietly. "She was your daughter. Your goddess."

Connor remained completely still, almost afraid to move. "You.... You don't know how Jasmine died, do you?"

Truman frowned slightly. "Of course I know how Jasmine died." He grabbed Connor's hand again. "That treacherous father of yours murdered her."

"Angel killed Jasmine," Connor's hoarse voice was laced with shock. His light blue eyes widened with utter horror. "Angel killed Jasmine."

Truman frowned deeply. He clasped Connor's hand in his. "I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you of this. I had no idea you didn't know."

Connor couldn't breathe. He pulled his hand away from Truman's. "I have to go," he murmured.

Truman frowned deeply, putting a hand on Connor's shoulder. "I know how hard this is for you. I know you long ago gave up hope of seeing your daughter again..."

"I have to go," Connor said desperately, taking a step back. "Just..." He shook his head. "Don't do anything until I get back."

****

Andrew squeaked as he held the punching bag Salome was currently pounding with purple fists. He winced with every punch. "Is it smart to leave the Jasmaniacs alone upstairs?"

Salome shrugged and kicked the bag as hard as she could. "I dunno. They seem pretty harmless, except for the fact they worship a fallen Power That Be that was brought into this world by a one-night-stand between my lover and a skanky former cheerleader."

Andrew frowned, peeking out from behind the bag. "Your bitchiness works better when it's shorter."

Salome scowled, hitting the bag with a bit of extra force, sending Andrew to the ground on his ass.

He reached under himself, rubbing his sore bottom. "I just meant it wasn't your best snark. Sorry!"

Salome sighed, brushing an errant lock of hair out of her face. "I wasn't actually aiming for you. I'm just..." She huffed out an annoyed breath. "He doesn't need this. Not now." She held out a hand to Andrew.

Andrew accepted her hand and pulled himself to his feet. "Just what time would be good for Connor to be messed with by insane followers?"

  Salome glared at Andrew. "Having a good point only makes me want to knock you on your ass again."

"What are we supposed to do?" Andrew asked, rubbing his sore bottom. "This doesn't seem like the kinda situation we should let Connor be in."

"I dunno." Salome shrugged. "It's his call. He wants them here. But I don't think him trying to rehabilitate them is gonna do any good. It's just gonna make him crazy."

"Why don't you tell him that?" Andrew cocked his head in curiosity.

Salome grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from her face. "I do that and he's gonna think I'm threatened by his relationship with Cordelia."

"Are you?"

Salome glared at him and threw the towel, hitting him in the face.

"I'll take that as a yes," Andrew muttered, pulling the towel off of his head.

"Connor and I have been together for over a year . You really think I'm threatened by the fact he got a mercy lay before he knew what all the parts were for?"

Andrew nodded. "Uh-huh."

Salome glared at Andrew. "You don't shut up and I'm going to ask you about your date."

"It wasn't a date!" Andrew exclaimed. "I went out with a guy."

"What's your point?" Salome asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Andrew's cheeks turned a deep red. "You think I would go out on a date with a guy?"

Salome nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Matty's just a friend." Andrew replied, becoming more flustered by the moment.

Salome smirked at him. "Yeah, I bet you're real friendly with him."

"Stop deflecting!" Andrew cried, shifting uncomfortably. "You're all worried about Connor so you're focusing on me and Matty!"

"Totally," Salome sighed, sinking down onto the cushioned floor. She put her head in her hands. "I don't trust them, Andrew."

"I thought you said they seemed harmless," Andrew sat down next to her.

"That just means I haven't figured out how they're going to screw us yet." Salome rubbed her forehead. "There's something way unkosher here."

"Want me to use my super sleuth skills to find out what they're up to?" He put an arm around her shoulders. "You focus on keeping Connor stable."

Salome sighed deeply, putting her head on Andrew's shoulder. "Give me the hard job."

****

Jamie sighed, stretching out in bed. He was shirtless and grinning broadly. "Okay... That was kind of awesome."

Mandy smiled and looked up at Jamie. "I know for a fact your last girlfriend was a pro. I hope you weren't comparing."

"No comparison," Jamie leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "That was the best thing ever."

Mandy pulled the sheet up, covering her chest. "You're just overwhelmed after not getting laid for a while."

Jamie frowned slightly, cupping Mandy's cheek. He shook his head. "Not really. It's just different when you actually care about the person." He stroked Mandy's cheek with his thumb. "You know, I think I'm falling in love with you, Mand."

Mandy paused, eyes growing wide. "You're... What?"

"That so surprising?" Jamie asked, voice low. "I've always had a thing for Slayers."

"'Always'?" Mandy repeated, arching a brow. "Meaning for the year you've known about them?"

Jamie brushed a lock of hair off her forehead. "All right... Then I've always had a thing for superpowered Canadians."

Mandy laughed. "You've run into a lot of them?"

Jamie grinned. "Just a fantasy I've had ever since I first read Alpha Flight."

Mandy leaned in, giving Jamie a kiss. "Well, if you think I'm ever going to put on spandex for you...."

Jamie put a hand to his heart. "You'd kill my dream, just like that?" He shook his head. "I will not give up the hope that I will one day see a hot blonde in spandex who is willing to tend to my every need."

"Tend to your every need?" Mandy repeated with a laugh. "I'm glad I've taken a lover who's so considerate."

"Taken a lover?" Jamie arched a brow. "You're such a romantic."

"You just got laid and you're worried about romance?" Mandy's grin grew.

Jamie nodded. "I happened to be a deep and emotional guy."

Mandy wrinkled her nose. "You mean you're such a girl."

"That's it," Jamie rolled on top of Mandy. "We're going again. I'll show you how much a man I am."

"That's what I was--" Mandy sighed as her cellphone began to ring. "I have to get that."

Jamie shook his head, trying to get Mandy's attention back onto him. "No, no, no.... You don't have to. It's just Andrew asking how the Slaying went tonight."

Mandy pushed Jamie away playfully and reached for the phone. "It could also be Andrew calling to tell me Magnimus has murdered Connor and Salome and the one and only Slayer in town is needed."

Jamie sighed, rolling onto his back. "Well, if that is what happened, don't you think we should enjoy our last bit of peace before dying at the hands of a hellgod?"

Mandy picked up the phone. "Tell you what, if that is what happened, I'll throw you a goodbye lay before I go off to meet my doom." She put the phone to her ear. "You got Mandy. What's up?"

She leaned against her knees, nodding her head. "You don't say... Worshippers?" She rubbed her face and pushed her hair back. "So are they actually doing anything other than... Worshipping?"

She blinked. "All right... So what do you want me to do?" She nodded. "All right. Can do. Glad to be kept in the loop. I'll talk to you later."

She hung up the phone. Jamie cocked his head. "What's going on, Mand?"

"Apparently, a bunch of people who worship Connor's dead daughter have shown up at Lamia House." She scratched her head. "They want him to help resurrect her so that she can bring peace on Earth once again."

"What?" Jamie cried. He snatched his jeans up from the foot of the bed and began to wriggle them on. "I gotta get back to the house."

"He's not going to do it," Mandy pointed out. "You were right. I should have let it go to voice mail."

"You don't know Connor as well as I do." Jamie climbed out bed and looked around the dorm. He found his shirt hanging on the edge of the desk chair and snatched it up, pulling it over his head. He struggled to get it on, but couldn't seem to get his head through. "He's going to be freaking out." He waved his arms ineffectually. "His issues with Jasmine are like Angel times Cordelia times Holtz. It's going to get ugly."

"What are you going to do?" Mandy asked, lying back in bed.

Jamie pulled on his shirt so he could peer out of the sleeve. "I... Well, I don't actually know."

"He's gone out patrolling," Mandy explained. She reached for her blouse. "He's probably around the Memorial Park."

Jamie tugged his shirt down finally and looked over Mandy. "It's all right. I'll go. I think we should have a one-on-one. Best friend-to-best friend. You just..." He grinned. "Stay naked."

Without another word, he ran out.

****

Connor sat on top of the tombstone, sighing deeply. He ran a hand through his hair before folding his hands and leaning against them. He shook his head, brow furrowed deeply. "The whole world is about to get sucked into hell and I can't find a single vampire to fight." He scowled. "How come the legions of darkness only want to fight when I'm in a good mood?"

A twig snapped and Connor's head jolted up. He gripped the edge of the grave and did a flip, landing on his feet in a crouch. He took off in the direction of the noise. Spotting the shadowed figure, he went in pursuit. He grabbed his opponent by the collar and brought up his arm-mounted blade.

"Riley!" Jamie cried, panicked. "Calm down! It's just me!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Connor demanded, dropping his arm quickly and letting go of Jamie. "You know, you're lucky my reflexes are so good. I could have taken your head off!"

"Yeah, I'm really grateful." Jamie adjusted his shirt, still looking pale. "Am I getting that you want me elsewhere?"

"I'm patrolling for vampires," Connor pointed out. "It's really not a good time for me to hang out."

"I'm not here to 'hang out'," Jamie replied. "And I gotta say, it didn't really look like you were patrolling. It kinda looked like..."

"Kinda looked like what?" Connor demanded, a venomous look in his blue eyes.

Jamie shrank down slightly. "Like you were sulking."

Connor's gazed narrowed. "You're starting to sound like Salome." He began to stalk away.

Jamie trailed after Connor. "Yeah, well... Salome's usually pretty smart when it comes to you. And you might not think so, but so I am. I know when you're bugging and right now, you're bugging." He took a deep breath. "Listen, Riley... I heard about Jasmine."

"Jasmine's dead," Connor hissed.

"Yeah, I know." Jamie shook his head. "But there's this big group of 'We Love Jasmine' people holed up in our place right now and it's driving you nuts."

Connor whirled around to face his friend. "I killed her. Murdered her. Put my hand through her skull. And they're here because they want me to bring her back." He laughed hollowly. "You know, they think Angel's the one who did it. They think I'm still... They worship me."

"So tell them the truth." Jamie jogged ahead of Connor and stood before him, holding his hand up. "Tell them who she really was-- what she really was. Why you did what you did."

"I didn't kill Jasmine to save the world." Connor looked down. "That's what everyone wants to believe. That I finally broke free of all of the manipulation, that I was finally a Champion."

Jamie shook his head wordlessly, unable to respond.

"Sorry, Jay," Connor's voice was thick with self-loathing as he raked a hand through his hair. "That's not what it was. She destroyed every last bit of hope I had. So I destroyed her. Then I let my father destroy me."

"Then tell them that." Jamie shrugged helplessly. "Connor, you have to do something. What do you think you're going to do? Start a Jasmine rehabilitation program?"

"What do you know about this?" Connor arched a brow. "You don't know what I've been through, Jay. Hell, you haven't even seen the Faithful. You've been..." He leaned in, sniffing Jamie. His eyes widened. "Holy crap, did you and Mandy sleep together?"

Jamie grimaced. "Okay, that is about the grossest power ever." He blushed. "And yes." He shook his head. "That's not the point. I do know about this, Riley. I know about you . And I know you're not doing these people any favours by trying to cushion the blow. Jasmine was a meglomaniac mass murderer. There's no way you can sugar coat that so they won't be hurt."

Connor's face contorted into a miserable expression. "This is all my fault, Jay. I brought her into this world and I took her out of it. What they are... They wouldn't be like that if it wasn't for me."

"They're going to find out what happened eventually, Connor." Jamie put a hand on Connor's shoulder, squeezing gently. "It's better if they hear it from you, hear the real story. And..."

"And what?" Connor cocked his head curiously.

"And... Jasmine's spell was broken, remember? Everyone saw what she really was." Jamie's expression darkened. "You don't know what's wrong with the people who didn't care."

****

Matty paced back and forth in front of the counter at Moon's Magical Supplies. He held a cellphone to his ear. "Yeah, I didn't think I was going to be closing up tonight either, but I stopped in and Mom asked me to take care of things."

He stepped around the counter and hit the light switch. "Yeah, well, I didn't really expect my date to be over either, but..." He sighed. "You know, I don't know if it was actually a date or not."

The bell above the door rung as the door swung open. Matty turned, shaking his head. "Sorry... We close at three. HEY!"

ACT THREE