Spike growled. They kept coming. There was no escape and he was out of effective weapons. He looked at Joyce and ached. There would be no getting out of this. His only hope was holding out long enough for the slayer to return, if she returned.

He chopped and kicked at the damn bunnies. Anya was making good use of her axe. Her fear filled the air with its delicious aroma. It was enough to make his vampiric heart sing. Battle, blood, and fear, there were worse ways to go. He slashed a three foot tall bunny in half and watched as the halves continued to squirm.

"Get over here." Willow screamed. "Get in the circle. I can hold them off, but you have to be inside the circle."

Giles skewered a bunny on the end of his sword and slung the limp body back toward the wall before grabbing Xander and retreating. The whelp was in bad shape. There was a tear in his shirt from his left shoulder to his right hip. Goddamned monster bunnies. The rats hadn't been this difficult to deal with.

"Fall back, Anya." He yelled, but she was lost in bloodlust. He grimaced. Crazed berserker stock probably. You can take the Viking and make her a demon, but nothing ever got rid of that crazy Viking. It was always there, dormant until needed. He looked back toward the others. Willow looked terrified and determined.

Spike jumped across the distance dividing him from Anya. She flipped toward him snarling, eyes wild.

"None of that, Pet. Your boy toy needs you now. We need to get inside the circle." He sliced another bunny in half and kicked the mouthy bit away.

"The damn rabbits hurt my Xander?" Her nostrils flared and she wiped her face with the bak of her hand smearing blood artfully across her cheek. "I will kill them all."

"The whelp needs you now. Kill them all later. Let Buffy come help. She kills things so well." Spike hoped she would retreat. Anya was fun and refreshing. They needed her brutal honesty. "Get back to your carpenter, Pet. I'll hold the line."

He had no idea how much longer they could hold of the bunnies even with his blade coated in blood. Ow the hell had they made so many? Anya growled beside him. Taking six of the damned things with one arc.

"Get in the circle." He snarled as he took one mid leap. She nodded and moved back swinging her axe with a fury. He dropped low and sliced the legs off three of the demonic rodents with a single swing.

"Spike, get in here now. You can wait for Buffy as well as anyone else." Joyce demanded. He looked back over his shoulder. Her eyes locked to his. He melted as he had over the first mug of hot chocolate. His new family needed protecting and the red witch was twitchy at best. He sprang back from the advancing rabbits and jumped into the circle.

"Do your thing, Red." He said as he pulled Joyce into his arms for a hug. Her warmth comforted him. He looked about and found himself praying for Buffy's quick return.

"Defendo." Willow screamed. The word resounded, her voice layered on itself, as the power arched through her. A shimmering dome formed around them and Spike laughed as the killer rodents slammed into the glistening barrier. They piled on top of each other, snarling and scraping, until the only light they had flared from the lines drawn onto the witch's skin so lovingly.

He watched as those lines began to glow a brighter more vibrant green. They were holding back the dark elements of her power, but for how long? What'd he condemned them all to a bloody fate? He looked at the lagomorphic demon dome and shivered. Which threat was greater. The mindless killing rodentia or the witch on a bender?

He prayed that Buffy was on her way back to them, triumphant and in full on ass kicking condition. He watched as the vines began to writhe on Red's skin and tilted his head. He couldn't kill the witch without dropping a shower of ravenous monsters onto his family. He really should have stayed outside of her power. Now they were all dependent on her strength. He looked at Tara and saw her concern. She had realized the threat even as she tried to heal Xander.

Willow's breathing became ragged as she went to her knees arms still raised, power roiling. He could see her lips moving as she poured every ounce of herself into their protection. Spike swallowed and wondered if the prayers of damned things held any sway with the Fates. Suddenly, she shook and the bunnies began to fall from their positions sliding down the sheer barrier in bloody trails. The vines burned brighter on her body. Heat flowed from her body making his human companions sweat. Her eyes fixed on his, they were glowing green. Her pupils had retreated to pinpricks in a sea of verdant fire. He saw her writhe as a darkness flickered through her.

Tara stood and stared at her lover with a panicked expression on her gentle face. Willow began chanting in a language he I'd not know. Anya looked up at her, riveted to the drama unfolding at the core of their sanctuary. Her fingers stroked through Xander's hair.

"I believe its some Hittite language, but I have no idea where she would have learned it." Giles spoke quietly and Spike nodded. "The rabbits appear to be liquefying when they touch her barrier. How the hell is she doing it?"

"What will be left of her when she's done?" Joyce asked.

"There's no way to know, Love. She could be our sweet Willow, but she could be something else entirely." He stroked one hand down her back, trying to comfort her.

"Be prepared for the something else entirely." Giles said as he took a deep breath. "I'll mind your back."