A/N- To "shadow", thank you so much for your continued reviews! I'm a lot like you in that I have read hundreds of stories and rarely reviewed them unless they really jumped out at me. Now that I'm publishing I realize how nice it is to have them lol. I hope that you enjoy this next chapter!

To "Jen", Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you like the direction I'm taking this! =)

Thanks to everyone else who's favorited this story and/or put it on alert.

The Scooby gang all gathered at the library the next day at noon. "Why do we have to be here so early on a Saturday? I'm pretty sure this qualifies as child abuse," Xander groused.

"Far be it from me to agree with Harris…but I agree with Harris," Cordelia nodded with a minor look of repulsion at her statement.

"This is more important than your beauty sleep," Giles snapped.

"Which you obviously didn't get," Xander mumbled.

"Guys!" Willow said waving her arms up and down.

"We need to figure out a plan of attack," Buffy said, effectively getting everyone's attention. "Giles, do you have an exact date of when they're going to attack?"

"Uh- yes," He replied, impressed that his slayer was getting straight to business. "According to all of my calculations, they will begin their assault next Wednesday." Everyone went silent as they took in the latest news.

Buffy shook her head, recovering the fastest. "Okay, that gives us four days to plan this out. We should find someplace vampire friendly so that Angel and the others can come out during the day. We're going to need everyone to be able to meet at any hour if we're going to win."

"Right, good," Giles agreed. "My flat has a sewer access point in the courtyard. If they run then they could get into the house without burning…too much," he offered.

'You're willing to invite them into your house?" Willow asked nervously.

Giles smiled kindly at the young redhead. "If I don't then in four days it won't matter if they kill me now anyway. Buffy's right, we all have to work together. Whether we like it or not," he said shooting a pointed glance at Xander.

"What?" he asked feigning innocence.

"You're sure that they're coming to Sunnnydale?" Buffy questioned Giles.

"Yes. They're going to draw on the Hellmouth's energy. All of the prophecy's elements are here anyway. The slayer, the Aurelian four…" Giles pointed out.

"Okay. So what parts of the prophecy have we deciphered?" she inquired.

"There are so many different theories as to what certain lines mean. It's hard to know which is right," Willow told her with a apologetic shrug. "I think we should wait to discuss the translations until tonight when we meet with the others. I think Spike may have an idea."

"I agree with Willow," Giles nodded.

"Okay then. If they're coming here then we get to pick the battlefield. This is our turf, we have the advantage."

"What about Hunter's Bluff?" Xander suggested.

"Oh! What about Glebe Park?" Cordelia spoke up. "It's open enough that we won't get backed off a cliff…" she jibbed with a glance at Xander.

"It's too open," Buffy replied, cutting off Xander before he could reply. "We need something that, I dunno, bottlenecks or something."

"We'll continue thinking on it. It's possible Angel will have some ideas," Giles assured her. "In the meantime Willow I'd like you to go to the Magic Shop and get these things," he told her as he handed her a list. "Xander perhaps you and Cordelia can go scout out some potential locations for the fight. Buffy…you and I will train," he said, looking at his slayer with pride in his eyes.

~BTVS~

What was Giles thinking sending us out together?" Xander muttered as the tension rose between he and Cordelia. They'd been out for hours and weren't having any luck.

"He obviously wasn't," Cordelia grumbled testily. "Sending anyone out with you is torture."

"Like you're a picnic, sweetheart!" Xander shot back.

"What did you just call me?" Cordelia ground out. Fiery eyes locking with his angry ones as their faces grew closer.

'You heard me!" Xander yelled back maintaining eye contact and waving his arms around. They were silent for a moment, then, before either of them knew what happened they were pressed against one another, arms winding around each other, lips crashing together.

As if both coming to their senses at once they push away from each other, each of them stumbling back a few steps. "What the hell?" Xander exclaimed.

Cordelia gave a full body shiver. "Oh my god. Oh my god. Eww!"

"My thoughts exactly!" Xander agreed.

"Don't ever touch me again!" Cordelia ordered.

"You jumped on me!" Xander retorted.

"As if!" Cordelia said, appalled. "I can't stay here. Follow me and die, Harris!" She spat out. She quickly turned and walked towards her car.

Xander just shook his head and watched her depart. Like he wanted her company anyway and really…what the hell had just happened. He must have temporarily lost his mind because there was no universe in which he would actually want to kiss Cordelia Chase. So why did he?

~BTVS~

Jab, cross, roundhouse, on and on it went. Giles was sweating and panting, exhausted. They had gone through every apparatus available to them before finally entering the cool down part of their exercise, hand to hand combat. His slayer was in top shape, there were no new moves that he could teach her.

"Okay, enough," Giles wheezed.

"Oh! Sorry!" Buffy exclaimed as she watched her watcher double over trying to catch his breath.

"It's quite alright," Giles smiled. "You've learned everything I can teach you."

"What if it's not enough?" Buffy asked quietly. "I feel like I need more."

Giles studies his slayer quietly for a moment. "Have you tried asking Angel? Perhaps someone with your strength and two hundred years of knowledge will help you prepare better."

Buffy's mind drifted back to a couple months ago when she had asked Angel for help.

Flashback:

"Hey!" Buffy said as she walked up to Angel who she'd found lurking around in The Bronze.

"Hey Buffy," Angel nodded with a small intimate smile.

"Another big bad?" she had asked with faux pep.

"No," he smiled softly. "I just thought I might find you here…wanna go patrol?"

Patrolling was the last thing she had wanted to do, but it was with Angel so she had happily agreed to go.

During their walk throughout the cemeteries she had been distracted by Angel and almost let a vamp get the best of her, only just managing to dust him before he bit her. Angel had told her that she needed more training, that it shouldn't have been so close.

"Well why don't you train me then?" she had asked, the suggestion seemingly obvious.

"I can't. I can't put myself in a position to hurt you," Angel had told her after a few moments silence.

Buffy had scoffed. "I'm the slayer, Angel."

"And I have two hundred years on you." He retorted. She glared at him but let it go.

End Flashback

"I did ask Angel once but he's always too worried that he's going to hurt me. I need…"

"You need someone as strong as you," Giles finished gently.

"Yes." Buffy looked up at him sadly. "I'm not ready yet, Giles. I can feel it."

"You'll figure it out, Buffy. I have faith in that," Giles told her kindly, at a loss of what to suggest.

"I hope so," She replied. She stood up and walked into his office to look outside. "It's nearly dark. They should all be back soon."

"From your lips to our ears," Xander joked as he and Willow walked into the library. They were holding a couple bags each that Buffy could only guess were filled with the things on Giles' list. "Wills here was successful. Cordy and I? Not so much," he told them.

"Where is Cordy?" Buffy asked, looking around.

"Uh…we kinda split up awhile ago. She's not back yet?" Xander asks uneasily. Willow immediately walked towards the phone, there was no such thing as "too cautious" in Sunnydale. She set her bags down and started dialing.

"No. Where did you guys part ways?" Giles questioned.

"She's not answering her phone," Willow reported, hanging up the phone.

"Two blocks from Sunnydale Cemetery," Xander quickly answered.

"I'll go look around, maybe something happened to her car or something," Buffy said, swiftly heading out of the building.

~BTVS~

On his way back to the high school from the crypt he was staying in Spike heard a scream and decided to go investigate. He'd been here a couple days now and was beginning to get curious about the nightlife. Being cooped up in a school library isn't his idea of a good time.

He walked towards the commotion and squinted slightly, focusing in on the scene before him. A vampire, looked to be a newbie, was about to eat his freshly caught meal. Normally he'd continue on his way and allow the bloke his snack, but he recognized the blood bag.

"Oy!" he called out. "That one's mine."

The vampire turned to glare at him. "Catch your own, vulture. I caught this one fair and square," he snarled.

Spike laughed. "Walk away now, mate. Before you start something you can't finish."

The vampire growled and leapt towards him. Spike dodged the sloppy attack with a snicker. His eyes lit up at the challenge. The bloke quickly regained his balance and turned towards Spike, measuring him up.

~BTVS~

Buffy found Cordelia's car where Xander said it would be and her worry instantly grew. The vamps would be out by now and if she hadn't gotten in somewhere safe she could already be dead. She heard a familiar scream in the distance and took off running as fast as she could.

She turned the final corner and ended up in Sunnydale Cemetery. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Cordelia in the grasp of a vampire, standing opposite them was Spike. He seemed to be baiting the vamp. Suddenly there was a growl and the vampire jumped at Spike who easily dodged the attack. Their positions were quickly reversed and she watched as Spike said something to Cordelia who started to edge away from the duo.

~BTVS~

With the vampire's attention solely on him he quietly told the rich bitch to piss off. His opponent didn't even notice when his would-be meal started backing away. Spike was starting to get bored, a stand off wasn't really what he had in mind.

He moved forward suddenly and struck the brute solidly in the jaw causing his head to snap back. He didn't give him a chance to recover before aiming a roundhouse kick to his face, making it twist in the other direction. He was getting pissed off, all the better. He'd like a bit of a fight before he ended the gits un-life.

The vampire yelled out and started at him raining down a series of blows, only one of which connected. His right fist flew into Spikes gut, his left came up to strike again but was stopped mid air by Spike's hand. The blond vampire laughed joyfully and wrapped his fingers around his challengers fist, using the blokes own momentum to twist him around and bring him to his knees. His enemy looked up at him, fear shining in his eyes.

"Warned ya, mate," Spike reminded him before letting go of his fist in favor of his head. He took it in both hands and gave it a sharp twist, taking it clean off his shoulders. It turned to dust in his hands.

~BTVS~

Buffy watched in fascination as Spike toyed with the vampire before him before easily taking him out, twisting his head off of his body. That was the kind of opponent she needed to fight in order to get ready for the battle. She quickly started towards Spike and Cordelia.

"Thank you," Cordelia told him warily.

"Shouldn't be out so late, pet. You know that," He told her with a dangerous lilt to his tone.

"My car broke down. I couldn't fix it so I decided to walk home, I don't live far…" she said meekly. He was right and she knew it.

"A stupid, reckless mistake that'll get you dead, ain't that so, slayer?" He sneered. Taking out a smoke and lighting up.

"He's right, Cordy," Buffy said from behind them.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Well let's get on with this, yeah?" Spike said as he turned to continue on towards his original destination.

Buffy caught up with him easily, leaving Cordelia to walk a few paces behind them. "That eager to get back to the book readin' huh?" she smirked.

"Not bloody likely," Spike scoffed. "The sooner we end the meeting the sooner I can go out and find myself a proper fight."

Buffy pauses mid-step, the wheels in her mind turning. "What about me?"

"I don't take your meaning, luv," he replied, stopping and turning towards her.

"Giles has taught me all he knows about fighting but it's not enough. I need someone as strong as me to fight. Someone that will challenge me. Otherwise I'm not gonna be ready for this battle. And you know it," Buffy stated matter-of-factly.

"On the contrary, I've never seen you fight, slayer," Spike reminds her.

"You've gotta be curious. Here's your chance to see my moves up close and personal," She appealed.

Spike leered, looking her up and down causing Buffy to glare in reply. His expression grew serious and he tilted his head. "You're challenging the slayer of slayers to a fight?"

"Yes. One that will end in neither of our deaths. More of a training session, really."

Spike considers her a moment longer. "Angelus will interfere," he acknowledged.

"This isn't about Angel. He's too afraid that he'll hurt me to fight me, I need someone that doesn't care," She told him.

Spike scoffed. "Bullocks! Angelus is afraid that you'll hurt him, slayer not the other way around. That sod has no taste for a challenge. He's all mind games and domination. Anything he can't win, he doesn't attempt," Spike corrected.

"So I've been told. In that case I need someone that isn't afraid of me to train me…" Buffy tempted.

"You're a manipulative little bint," Spike laughed. "A'right then. Challenge accepted."

"Seriously?" Cordelia interjected after listening to their conversation, dumbfounded. "You're going to willingly fight the only vampire you've ever met that's killed a slayer?" she asked incredulously.

"Slayers. That's plural, pet," Spike amended, but the two teens continued talking as though he hadn't spoken.

"Yes. It's necessary if we're gonna win this," Buffy tells her, her tone warning Cordelia to drop it. "Now come on, we need to get back to the library. Everyone should be there by now and the gang doesn't know that you're okay yet."

The unusual trio continued their journey to the school. No more words were spoken during their walk, each deep in their own thoughts.