Chapter 3: A Trap is Set

Warning: I don't know; maybe language and innuendo somewhere along the way. This is almost parody-ish.

Challenge: just a b-day present for zigpal.

A/N: Just finished my first term – one of my worst classes last time I tried to finish my degree – and somehow managed to get an A this time. Woot!

Thanks to my betas: AerynSpeedleCaine and AshDawnSoulmates.

Disclaimer: BtVS characters belong to Joss Whedon / Mutant Enemy. Scooby Doo characters belong to Joe Ruby, Ken Spears and Hanna-Barbera Productions . I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission. Dialogue from .

Living room

An hour later…

Once it was all worked out, they went down to the living room to set the trap with the suspects, hoping to catch a bad guy or bad guys…if any were in the house at the moment.

Giles was elected to give the speech, hoping that his position as Watcher would make it seem more official-sounding. "In the spirit of keeping everyone informed, we thought you should know that we have a line on a weapon that could help us against Caleb and the First. Spike, we'd like you to stay here and protect the Potentials while we go check it out."

"How come Dawn gets to go with?" Kennedy complained. "She's not even a Potential!"

Trying to keep her temper because it was Willow's girlfriend – what a step down from Tara! – Buffy snapped, "Because she's been fighting with us for the past couple years – which is more than I can say for any of you. Now sit down and shut up! Geez, you'd think you guys wanted to go into danger. Besides, her and Xander will only be there to lure the Bringers away from where we're going."

Spike wasn't any happier about the plan, but he asked more cautiously than the loud Potential, "Are you sure this is what you want me to do, pet?"

Sticking to the plan, Buffy shook her head, "It'd be best if you stayed here until you're feeling better, Spike. Besides, there's the girls to consider."

"We'll be back after we get the weapon," Willow promised.

Waving cheerfully at Spike, Robin, Andrew and the young girls, Anya called out, "Try not to die while we're gone."

Near the vineyard

When they approached the vineyard, Xander called out in a sing-song fashion, "Bringers! Hey, nasty, ugly Bringers! Got two easy targets for you to kill here!"

Rolling her eyes at the stupidity of what they were doing, Dawn sighed and added, "Rah-huh!"

"Aww, crap!" Xander exclaimed as he saw a Turok-Han with the Bringers headed their way. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"

Both he and Dawn took off running away from the vineyard entrance, leading the minions away from their boss. Just like the movies, they got caught in the nets set up to capture the Bringers, but Willow decided to risk it and used her magick to freeze the minions in place. Once she and Anya got Xander and Dawn loose, they made their way back to catch up with Fred and Daphne- er, Giles and Buffy.

Inside the vineyard

Without the Potentials and Bringers to distract them, Giles and Buffy were able to tag-team Caleb long enough for Buffy to slip into the lower part of the vineyard and retrieve the Scythe.

When she got back upstairs, however, Caleb was holding Giles captive by the throat. "Give it to me, or I'll crush his windpipe," the evil preacher threatened.

Buffy had a silent conversation with Giles using their eyes before she agreed, "Sure. Catch!" she shouted, whipping the weapon at her enemy and hoping Giles knew which direction to go in order to avoid getting hit. As soon as the Scythe left her hands, she immediately followed it across the room, building up strength to hit Caleb as hard as she could once she got there.

He barely had his hands on the mystical weapon before she knocked it out of his hands and kicked him in the chest. She grabbed it off the ground and continued her spin so she could swipe him across the stomach with one of the blades. When he went down, she rushed to Giles' side to check on him because he hit the wall pretty hard.

Buffy was so busy worrying about her Watcher, she didn't see Caleb stand back up and stalk over to them. Just as he was about to hit her, another figure entered the room and knocked him down. Buffy glanced up and saw Angel standing there, looking like a virtual movie hero – complete with his trench coat billowing behind him. It made her wonder where the sudden gust of wind came from to cause that effect.

She jumped up to welcome him with a hug and a kiss, gushing over him like the schoolgirl she no longer was. Caleb was so focused on the scene in front of him that he didn't notice Willow and Giles performing a binding spell on him. As soon as he was taken care of, Buffy remembered that everyone had to be suspect, and she pushed away from her ex, leaving him dazed and confused by her hot and cold behavior.

"I think we're ready to unmask the perpetrator now," Giles announced excitedly, forgetting he was supposed to be the unemotional one.

Willow held her hand up to stop him. "Wait! Let's go back to the house so we can do this in front of the girls!"

"Reah!" Dawn agreed animatedly.

Xander added, "Plus, I'm getting really hungry and could use a snack about now."

"Reah!" Dawn agreed again with even more enthusiasm than before.

A/N: Next…A Bad Guy's Revealed.