Chapter 4

"Look, not to cut this little meet-and-greet short," Buffy said, edging toward the vampire who might or might not have been a Dracula fanboy, "because Dracula knows me—wow. Really. Color me flattered." Dracula grinned and bowed his head. "But I've got a boyfriend waiting for me who's probably fighting to keep his nails from getting painted periwinkle right now, and he gets cranky if I'm gone too long. He worries."

"We have much yet to discuss."

Buffy pulled back her staking arm, sizing up the distance between them. "Mm, I'm more an action girl than a talk-y girl. Thanks, though!" She lunged, but when her stake came down it only hit mist; Drac had vanished. Buffy twirled and found tall, dark, and looming had manifested behind her. "Cheat much?"

"We are above the common squabbles." Dracula started advancing on her.

"Okay. Now you're making me grouchy." Buffy gripped her stake harder. She could feel her heart racing, mostly panic and adrenaline but also... God, being attracted to this guy was so not on the agenda right now. And, hello? She knew way better looking vamps than this guy. She had one waiting at home for her with her little sister. Buffy shook herself, trying to snap out of it.

"Is that what you are feeling, Buffy Summers?"

"Hey, Buffy!"

Buffy spun around and saw Xander, Willow, and Anya walking her way. She was pretty sure they couldn't see Drac, maybe on account of the fog still hanging around, or the stone pillar he stood next to. "Guys, get out of here."

"What is it, Buffster?" Xander sipped on his smoothie. "There an apocalypse tonight or something?"

Willow clasped her hands in front of her as the three of them stopped at Buffy's side. "Do you need me to witch-fu anythin' for ya, Buff?"

"Guys..."

"Leave us."

All of them turned to Drac.

"No, we're not going to 'leave you,'" Xander mocked, gesturing toward Dracula with his smoothie-holding hand. "And where did you get that—"

"Xander," Buffy hissed. This was just getting to be a worse and worse situation the longer it went on. She had to keep them safe, and her friends standing between her and Mr. Un-stakable was not the place for them to be. "I think that's—"

"Dracula." All of them turned their attention to Anya now. She started twirling one of her loose curls around her finger, ducking her head like a bashful fourteen-year-old. "Hi."

"You know him?" Xander demanded.

"We've crossed paths," she muttered, then batted her eyes at Dracula. "Not that I expect you remember me. I was just a silly young thing. 700 years old. I made this one guy fat as an ice cream truck, and you said..."

"That he was doomed forever," Dracula finished. Buffy, Willow, and Anya all sighed at his accent. Xander was working the panic eyes. "I remember you, Anyanka. Buffy Summers," he said, eyes locking Buffy's. She hadn't felt that swept up in the moment (and totally knocked senseless) since she was sixteen and still keeping a diary. It was unsettling—or, it would've been if she'd been able to think clearly. "This is not the time. I will see you soon." And, before Buffy could respond, Dracula turned into a bat and flew away.

All four of their mouths hung open. They looked at one another, rendered speechless for a good couple of minutes.

"Did I just fight Dracula?" Buffy gasped. Her head still felt all woozy.

"Yeah," Willow said. Her eyes were super distant. "And he was..."

"Dreamy?" Anya supplied. The other two girls made happy hums of agreement.

"Well, I say we go tell Giles," Xander said. He started for the entrance to the cemetery, the girls following on autopilot. "Something about this seems seriously messed up. And I don't like this whole 'see you soon' business. What's that about?" The girls mostly ignored Xander as he continued to rant. "And another thing! I've never been a fan of the broody, flirting with girls I know thing. Do you think Spike might know him? Maybe he'll know how to kick some Dracula ass, huh?"

XXXXX

When Buffy and the others arrived back at Revello Drive, Spike had been so caught up in explaining a particular kick to Dawn that he hadn't even heard the door open up. He had to flick the TV off and act like the reason he was all panicked was because Dawn was up past her bedtime, not that he'd been teaching the kid how to defend herself. The Slayer would've had a fit. Harris said something about calling the old man over to the place and wandered out to the kitchen as the girls found seats in the living room and Dawn rushed up to her room. Buffy took Dawn's spot on the couch, closer to Spike than her sister had been. Spike slung his arm around the Slayer's shoulders.

"You alright, Summers?" Spike asked. She was sitting on the edge of the couch cushion, and he could tell she had something setting the slayer gears in her head in motion. "Buffy?"

"Hmm?"

"What'sa matter, pet? Bad patrol?"

"Dracula!" Xander said, returning to the living room and waving his hands in the air with a wild gesturing.

"Pardon?" Spike's eyebrow raised.

"Stupid, pale, Sesame Street accent Dracula! For Pete's sake..." Xander shook his head, sitting with a violent thud on the floor in front of the fireplace.

"Wait just a bleeding minute," Spike said, retracting from Buffy and looking at each of the girls. Lovesick puppies. Drac and his soddin' thrall. He'd sniffed around Drusilla, trading secrets of that gypsy magic with her, and she hadn't exactly fought off his advances. "Drac's in town already?"

"Yep," Xander said, hands on his head as he exhaled slowly. "Real popular guy."

"Well, let's get rid of him, yeah?"

"You know how to beat him?" Xander said, lighting up.

"Wait just a minute!" Anya protested.

"Yeah, hold on," Buffy agreed. "I'm the Chosen One here!"

"Figure what worked on Adam'd work on Drac," Spike said, ignoring them. "With a few adjustments. Chop him, set the pieces on fire, bury him in cement laced with holy water. Might keep the bugger down."

"No!" Willow cried. The boys turned to her. "I... I mean, he's a legend. We can't just kill him. It's... um, rude?"

The front door opened, and Rupert came inside with the little witch in tow, a whole library's worth of books in the girl's arms. She smiled crookedly at each of them. Then Rupes adjusted his arm, and Spike could clearly see the broadsword he'd brought along as well.

"Careful with that!" Spike said, tensing in his seat.

"Xander said you all were in terrible danger." Giles looked from Spike to Harris and back again. "I thought some precautions were, well... warranted."

"It's no big, Giles," Buffy said. Spike could hear how tense her voice was, the secret code she was trying to work in there, one that only he and Giles were supposed to catch on to. She didn't want her watcher spilling the beans on Glory or Dawn before it'd become necessary. "Just a pain in the ass vampire." Spike didn't miss that Buffy's gaze jumped to him for a moment, or the smirk.

"A, uh..." Giles pinched the bridge of his nose, lifting his glasses as he did. "Xander, you told Tara and I to come quickly for a vampire?"

"Not just any vamp," Spike said. He clasped his hands together. "Dracula."

"Oh." Giles walked toward the fireplace, resting the sword on the mantle.

"Oh?" Tara said. "He just told you the vampire is in Sunnydale..." The witch faced Spike. "No offense," she whispered. Spike shook his head and waved her on, even if that label had made him want to grumble and gripe. Priorities and all. She returned her attention to Giles. "And your response is 'Oh?' I know you're British but... but you didn't even go for a 'Dear Lord' or 'Oh my.'"

"Yes, well, Spike had warned me that Dracula might be around town shortly."

"Oh. Right. Um, future knowledge and all that." She barely laughed, floating toward Red's chair. She gently rested her stack of books on the floor and took a seat on the arm. Tara reached for Wills' hand, but she was ignored.

"Yeah," Spike said. "We were just talkin' strategies for killin' him."

"And," Buffy said, her voice sharp, "trying to go in smart instead of being all 'Oh, cement solves everything!'"

"Well, Buff, you're the one always bringing up the grenade launcher," Harris said. "For this scenario, that's also a very valid option. Hell, let's make it a triple date!"

"What is the issue?" Giles asked, propping his elbow on the mantle. He removed his glasses. "How did Buffy defeat him last time?"

"She didn't," Spike grumbled, avoiding the Slayer's gaze.

"Wait, what?" Harris demanded. He snapped to his feet.

"Dracula can't be killed like your average vampire," Anya volunteered. She ran her fingers along her skirt, the old wistful look in her eye. "Staking, holy water, crosses..." Demon Girl sighed. "Mere child's play against a dark creature of his caliber."

"And did you see his eyes?" Buffy flashed her wide smiled and Spike had to fight just to keep himself seated and not running off to chase after the poofter himself. "They were..."

"Penetrating?" Willow supplied.

Tara frowned down at her girl. "Pene..." Tara swallowed hard. "You thought his eyes were penetrating?"

"Well, in a... Uh, no! Of course not. He was all glare-y and big with the wanting to suck blood. Major, major turn-off." Her eyes shifted as she angled her face away from her honey.

Spike caught the newly brunette witch turning her attention to each of the other ladies in the room, studying them, but she said nothing.

"Spike had a good idea before," Xander said. Spike and Giles raised their eyebrows at him. Xander held his hands up in defeat. "I know, I know. I was shocked and appalled, too. But he figured an Adam sort of deal would work."

"Hmm." Giles chewed on the arm of his glasses. "And you said that you'd known him before, Spike? Before Sunnydale, I mean?"

"S'right," Spike said. He remembered when he and Rupes had been shouting at one another in the Summers home and Spike had let a few things slip, like the fact that Drac owed him eleven quid. "The Prince of Flashy is all about the gypsy magic tricks. Made sure that he buggered the rest of us vamps but let himself a few loopholes so he wouldn't get himself killed."

"Uh, sweetie?" Buffy blinked at Spike, lips tight and head tilted.

"Oh, uh, yeah," he said, sniffing. "Good for the Happy Meals on Legs to know what they were up against, of course. But he doesn't play by the rules, not ever. And Slayer..." Spike lowered his voice and hung his head, unable to say this next part and look her in the eye. "Buffy, love, if he wants to add you to his collection, we need to kill him or get him out of town as soon as possible." The corner of his mouth popped up. "I know you're a sucker for the dark and mysterious types who're occasionally bumpy in the forehead region, 'specially if they've got an accent."

"Spike." Buffy glanced at the others in the room, all suddenly preoccupied with their fingernails or the paintings on the walls. She pressed a little warm hand against his back. "Spike, you know I wouldn't..."

"Oh, I know that." Spike patted her knee. "I just mean that he's not your average disco-loving, I haven't seen a shower in thirty years vamp. Requires special care." 'Specially with the issue of the thrall to deal with.

"So what do you suggest?" Giles interrupted.

"Dunno. Nothin's ever worked. Clearly."

"Maybe we should sleep on it," Tara said. Spike had expected that response from any one of the ladies who'd been around Drac, but Tara hadn't set eyes on him, hadn't been victim to the twistin' of the mind Drac liked to bestow on pretty girls. The idea of twisted minds and Tara in the same sentence made Spike's gut clench.

"Tara," Xander said. "I don't think..."

"No, Tara's right," Demon Girl butted in. "After all, you don't beat a centuries-old vampire without a good night's sleep."

They all turned to Buffy. She shrugged and nodded. "It makes sense."

"If you think it's best, Buffy," Giles said, though he squinted over at Spike across the room.

Buffy stood, running her fingers through her long gold locks. "Spike, you coming up?"

"Sure," he said, getting up from the couch. Willow and Anya started for the front door and Buffy made her way to the second floor.

"Boys, could you help me with these books?" Tara said.

Willow paused and turned. "I'm sorry, baby. Did you want—"

"We've got it, Red, no problem."

"I'll be right out," Tara added. Anya shrugged and she and Wills left the house.

"I'm guessing the powerful witch needs no help with the lifting of heavy objects," Harris said. He stuck his hands in his pockets. "So what's the what?"

"Clearly, Dracula is more of a threat than the others let on," Giles whispered, checking over his shoulder to make sure the Slayer was still upstairs.

"Their auras were all..." The witch shook her head. "They were pink and fuzzy, like when they're, um, looking at us. But it was... wrong. Tinged with, like, this grayish stuff. It's like a hex or..."

"Thrall," the three men said at once.

"So what do we do?" she said.

"Find Drac. Take him out. Won't be hard. He'll be at a mansion somewhere 'round here." Spike just hoped Glory wasn't in town yet, or if she was that her mansion was far, far away from Dracula's. The very last thing they needed was to go searchin' for the vamp and find the insane hell god instead.

"Right." Giles grabbed his sword from the mantle. "I'll find the location of the nearest mansions. In the meantime, each of you should watch over each of them. There's no guarantee who he'll come after, but..."

"But smart money's on the Slayer," Spike grumbled. "Trust me, un-killable or no, I'll rip his sodding head off if he so much as blinks in her direction again."

Xander smiled sideways and nodded. "Never test the feelings of a brutal killer."

Tara chewed on her lip. "That's actually pretty good advice."

"Alright." Xander nodded. "Tomorrow, I say we make something up to tell the girls and go to whatever digs Giles finds and kick some dreamy vampire keister."

"Very well. We'll meet at my flat at sundown?"

Spike clapped the librarian on the shoulder. "It's a date."