Disclaimers, etc., in Part 1 --
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IN HARM'S WAY
by Yahtzee
Yahtzee63@aol.com
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Part 6
The blue lights were blinking off and on in the windows, and little red-and-gold foil Christmas trees were slanting on the bar, and Burl Ives was singing about a Holly Jolly Christmas.
No place like Willy's for the holidays, Spike thought, before downing another scotch.
Even Willy's was pretty much empty this time of year. Spike knew that demons and vampires weren't off eating fruitcake together, but they still seemed to have someplace better to be. The few exceptions -- some confused Korean vampires straight off the boat and a solitary Velga demon wearing a Santa hat -- were clustered in the back of the bar.
Spike sat alone, staring at the amber liquid remaining in his glass.
He hadn't just been shining Red -- Drusilla really did love the holidays. She liked the pretty lights and decorations, and all the bright, appetizing colors people would wear. He always spent weeks finding the perfect gift to steal for her.
Funny -- in all those years, he wasn't sure she'd ever gotten him anything. Hadn't seemed to matter, before. Now that he thought about it, though --
Willy, who was rubbing down the bar, looked up in genuine annoyance. "Not again, kid. Once I overlook. Twice -- hey, even I got standards."
"Why do I find that hard to believe?" said a very dry, very British voice. Spike half-turned to see Giles and Anya coming in from the cold.
Spike groaned. "Don't tell me you've come to stake me," he sighed. "I mean, let a man finish his drink. It's only civilized."
"We're not here to stake you," Anya said, pulling off her gloves. "And I'll have a vodka tonic."
"You most certainly will not," Giles said. "We must all keep our heads clear. Even you, Spike."
Spike pushed the glass away and forced himself to focus on Giles. "Decided to wait? Take me along on the Slayer-snatching party?"
"We went without you," Anya said. "Big mistake."
"Ha. Told you," Spike said.
Giles ignored this. "Willow attempted to put the vampires to sleep with a spell --"
"And you let her?" Spike said, half rising from his barstool in indignation. "Think about it, would you? You know I know Red's a witch. You think I wouldn't prepare for that?" He sighed and sat down again. "How is she?"
"Shaken, but all right," Giles said. "Xander's seeing to her at the house. Meanwhile, we succeeded in doing very little beyond alerting the vampires to our intentions. Will they try to move her now?"
"They might," Spike said. "It's that or kill her. I never made up my mind either way."
"In either case," Giles said sternly, "we must move as soon as possible. Come with us."
"Why?" Spike said.
"To rescue Buffy, of course," Anya said, looking wistfully at the remainder of Spike's scotch.
"Yeah, yeah, I got that part," Spike said. "And the thing is, I'm going to do it. I, Spike, William the Bloody, am about to stop drinking in order to save Buffy the Vampire Slayer's life. Do you see the problems here? Do you understand what this means?"
Giles folded his arms. "Tell me."
"It means that I -- I --" Spike struggled against the words, then slumped headfirst onto the bar. "I'm -- morally ambiguous."
"It sneaks up on you," Anya said sympathetically. She patted his shoulder. "You get used to it, over time."
"I never wanted it," Spike said, not lifting his head. "I was happy with evil. Evil's simple, classic. Never out of style. Moral ambiguity -- oh, God. Next thing you know I'll be sitting around, whining about self-doubts with that magnificent wanker Angel."
"Spike," Giles said, "what you have is not a loss, but an opportunity. Ever since your, ah -- untimely demise, your course has been set out for you. You've done as Angelus did, as Drusilla did. You were no different than the other hordes of vampires upon the earth. But now you have a chance to be something different. For the first time in your existence as a vampire, you have the ability to choose something beyond evil. You have -- a kind of freedom now, do you see?"
Spike lifted his head from the bar and stared at Giles for a long moment. Finally he said, "No."
Anya rolled her eyes."Then just get up and help us already."
Spike tossed a couple of bills on the bar. "At least I get to kill Harmony."
Giles sighed.
Xander half-turned to Willow. "I hope I'm not bringing up bad memories, but at times like this, I really miss Oz."
"You're just talking about his van, aren't you?" Willow said, as she tried to get her elbow out of Anya's side.
The five of them had packed themselves and an assortment of weapons into the Citroen. Willow tried to tell herself the discomfort was a good thing, in a way. Instead of worrying about Buffy, or dwelling on her own fear about the battle to come, she was dealing with Anya's shoes in her calves, Giles' scimitar wavering too close to her face and the Scotch-soaked smell of Spike's breath.
"So what's waiting at the gym, Spike?" Xander said. "What other toy surprises are inside that box?"
"That I can't tell you," Spike said. "Hadn't worked out the particulars on that one. Just some booby traps, that's all I know. Some simple, mechanical stuff -- just in case you all showed up while we were sleeping, or out, or something."
"Booby traps," Xander said, then his eyes widened. "Oh, wait, wait, wait. The movies they were buying at Suncoast -- the 'Home Alone' movies and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark.' That's what they were doing! They were getting ideas for booby traps!"
"Are you quite sure?" Giles said.
"Hey, I may not have any superpowers, but I do have a Blockbuster card," Xander said. "This means we gotta be careful of -- heavy weights on strings that can swing down from the ceiling. Loose and slippery stuff on the floors. Spikes that come out from the walls. Large, rolling boulders --"
"Where are they going to get a boulder?" Spike snapped.
"Well, it could be a large, rolling something else," Xander said.
"Hey, here's a concept," Anya said. "Instead of going into the house of horrors, why don't we draw them outside instead?"
Everyone was quiet for a minute. "Okay, that makes a lot of sense," Willow said. "Spike?"
"I wouldn't fall for it," Spike said. "But Harmony probably would."
"You still think she's the one behind this? I mean, come on," Willow said.
"Beside the point," Spike said. The Scotch was beginning to fade into hangover, and he was getting more irritable by the second. "Most vampires can't pass up a fight. Give them one, and you'll get most of them outside. Still have to go in to fetch the Slayer, though."
"And that's your job, right?" Anya said.
"Why me?" Spike said.
"Yeah, why him?" Xander chimed in.
Anya shrugged. "Well, this all Spike's big setup, and it doesn't look like they changed the plan at all. Spike wouldn't have any anti-vampire traps set up because the only vampire that he thought might help would be Angel, and Spike would want to kill Angel himself. Am I right?"
Spike was looking at Anya with a very odd expression on his face. "It's been so long since anyone really understood me."
"Okay, then," Xander said hurriedly. "We draw them out, kill what we can. When the vamp crowd thins out enough, Spike goes in and gets Buffy out. We vamoose. This is the plan?"
"I don't know that I would have used the term 'vamoose,' but you have the essentials," Giles said as he turned into the school parking lot. "Get ready, everyone."
"Showtime," Spike muttered, hefting his new favorite meat cleaver in his hand.
The five of them clambered out of the car, tripping over themselves and each other. "Now I know how clowns feel," Xander said.
"I would've thought you'd be familiar with that already," Spike said. "Let's just get this started, shall we?" He walked up to the flagpole in front of the gym and started banging on it with the meat cleaver; the metal thwang reverberated throughout the grounds. "Wake up in there!" he shouted. "It's at least two hours to sunrise, you wimps. You already down for the count?"
"Spike, are you mad?" Giles whispered.
"We're supposed to draw them out," Spike said. "How did you want to do it?"
"Some -- safe way?" Willow said uncertainly.
But Spike's method seemed to have worked. The vampires were swarming out of the doors, grinning blackly at the small hunting party. Harm came out last, swaggering a bit. "About time you guys got here."
Buffy heard something going on outside -- she couldn't make out the particulars over all the music, then all the vampires' excitement, but something was definitely up. They were going outside -- not all of them, but a bunch of them.
Enough.
She opened her eyes a fraction and let her head loll to one side, as if still in drugged sleep. No more than four vampires hung around the gym. Strangely, they seemed to be involved in tying string to a bunch of paint cans. Whatever, Buffy thought. I like these odds.
The bolting for her chains looked kinda weak. So did that door.
Time to take charge of this situation.
"So, Spike," Harm said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "What's this deal with you hanging around with Xander Harris? I mean, I was too cool to do that when I was just a human."
"Strange times make strange bedfellows," Spike said, glaring at her.
"There is nothing even remotely bedfellowy about any of this," Xander insisted. He was getting more nervous -- two dozen vampires sounded like such a nice, round number, but when you looked at them up close and realized how many you had to kill -- how many were trying to kill you --
Xander jumped as he heard a screeching sound -- tires on gravel, he realized. Somebody had just driven up.
"What's that?" Harm snapped.
A vamp leaped up and clambered to the top of the gym to see. "Long black car. L.A. plates --"
Willow beamed. Giles sighed in relief. Spike groaned. Anya said, "You are about to be in a world of trouble."
Harm folded her arms against her chest. "So you got some more help. Big whoop. There's still a whole lot more of us than there are of you, and we've still got your Slayer, and no matter how many punches you throw or weapons you pull, we can do more. You really think you can get through this without at least one of you dying? Think again."
Xander could hear footsteps coming closer in the dark. Damn, but it sucked to be so glad to turn around and see -- "Cordelia?"
"Cordelia?" Harm repeated, looking up blankly.
"Harmony," Cordy said, as she stepped into the light. "You know, even if they hadn't told me you were a vampire, I think I'd know. It's pretty obvious you haven't seen a mirror in a while."
Harmony gasped. Xander hissed, "Where the hell is Angel?"
"Fighting some slime demons that set up shop in the Staples Center," Cordelia murmured. "And he forgot his damn cell phone again."
"He doesn't even know about this yet?" Xander said. "This is not good."
"Relax," Cordelia said as she began walking forward again. "He'd just be along for the ride anyway. You have to fight fire with fire."
"Uh, Cordelia," Harmony stammered, nervously smoothing her hair, "what are you doing here? I heard you moved to L.A."
"Yeah, I'm in the big city now. Where the big kids play. And where are you, Harmony?" Cordelia folded her arms and lifted her chin. "Right back in high school. Same little pack of friends, same little mean-spirited universe. And the same old fashion sense, I see. Bet you're still shopping at The Limited."
The vampires were shifting around uneasily now, waiting for Harm to hit Cordelia back with some stinging comment, or at least to leap forward and snap her neck. Harm wanted to do both. But seeing Cordelia -- head held high, lips smirked, hair looking totally well-conditioned -- slammed her out of vamp mode into -- what?
Into that little tenth-grader who lived or died by Cordelia's word. And Harmony couldn't seem to snap out of it.
A dull thud sounded from inside the gym, followed by the sound of twisting metal -- all too faint for the humans outside to hear, but a couple of the vampires glanced inside a hole in the paint covering the window. When they pulled away, their faces looked even paler than usual.
"I mean, isn't it time you got over high school?" Cordelia said. "Or at the very least, got over yourself?"
"Oh, that's rich," Harm said, clenching her hands in fists. "Since when does Cordelia Chase get to talk about anyone getting over herself?"
Another thump, a little louder this time. The vampire on the roof lowered himself enough to look through a similar gap in one of the high windows, then pulled himself up again very quickly.
Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "People change," she said. "But you never will. Face facts, Harmony. You're trapped in high school FOREVER."
The pure truth and horror of that hit Harmony all at once, and she started to cry. Above her, she heard the vampires groaning.
"Oh, man, this sucks." "She's totally caving!"
"So maybe we should handle this situation ourselves," said Tess.
The vampire on the roof shook his head and jumped to the ground. "Forget it. Let's motor."
The humans watched in amazement as the other vampires began filing off, some slumped over in disappointment and disgust, others in a curious rush. Spike laughed under his breath. "Morons."
Harmony plopped down on the bench by the door to sob in earnest. "I didn't ask for this, you know," she wailed. "I never wanted to be a vampire."
"That's funny," Spike said, testing the heft of the meat cleaver. "The rest of us got engraved invitations."
Harmony seemed oblivious to anything besides Cordelia's still-withering stare. "I mean, I suck at being a vampire. I'm no good at it. Most times, I can't even bring myself to kill people. I've been living off squirrels, mostly." She sniffled and looked up querulously at Cordelia. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to catch a squirrel?"
"Thankfully, no," Cordelia said. "Harmony, I'm sorry this happened to you. I mean it. But you are what you are, and I am what I am, and that means you better get out now or get staked. Your call."
Harmony got to her feet uncertainly and looked around at the others, then dejectedly began walking away into the dark. Spike gestured after her incredulously. "That's it? We're just letting her go?"
"Don't you have a Slayer to save?" Xander snapped.
"Unbelievable," Spike muttered. He stalked to the door and pulled it open --
-- to reveal Buffy walking out under her own power, a makeshift stake in one hand. "And they said chivalry was dead," Buffy muttered as she walked through the door he still held open for her.
"Buffy!" Willow cried as she leaped forward to hug her. Xander and Giles followed suit, enveloping Buffy tightly in their arms.
"Guys, guys, feeling confined not so good for me at the moment," Buffy said, and everyone pulled back.
Giles looked her up and down; she looked a wreck -- even thinner than she had been, filthy with dirt and blood, her legs a ruin of wounds. But she was on her feet, alive and looking back at him. It was more than he had dared to let himself hope for. "Buffy, you escaped on your own?"
"Drug wore off," she said simply. "I waited until I thought I was strong enough to tear up the cage and take our few vamps, then I made my move."
"So, you're okay, then," Cordelia said.
Buffy looked at her strangely. "Cordy. Came all the way up here by yourself?"
"Angel was out, and I didn't wait around to tell him what was happening," Cordelia said. "The message is still on the machine, waiting to totally freak him out --"
"Erase it," Buffy said. "Can you do that? No need for him to come tearing up here now that I'm okay."
Cordelia looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, I can do that from the highway."
"Highway?" Xander said.
"My work here is done," Cordelia replied, then smiled brilliantly. "You know, I've always wanted to say that."
And with that, she turned and began walking back to the car. Giles called after her, "Cordelia?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. And happy holidays."
"Right back atcha," Cordelia said with a little wave, then disappeared into the dark.
"Now, then," Giles said, sliding one of Buffy's arms around his shoulders. "Let's get you back to the house, clean you up, get you something to eat."
"I'd really rather go back to my house," Buffy said, smiling unevenly. "No offense, but I spent the last -- how many days?"
"Little over a week," Anya supplied.
Buffy raised her eyebrows quickly and bit her lip before continuing. "Well, I spent all that time surrounded. I could do with a little peace and quiet."
"Understandable," Giles said. Willow smiled encouragingly at her. Xander nodded.
"Now wait one goddamned minute," Spike said. Everyone turned around to see him, still standing at the door, jaw open in amazement. "You're telling me that we're not going to kill ANYBODY?"
"What's the point?" Willow said. "We've got Buffy back."
"Are you telling me that's the point?" Spike said. "This is the reward I get for being morally ambiguous? This is no good at all!"
"What else are you gonna do, Spike?" Xander said.
"Something," Spike hissed. "Anything. This being a member of the Scooby Gang -- that's for losers like you. It's not for me. Not for anyone -- evil."
He straightened himself up and began to smile. "Yes. Tried to fight it, but what's the use? I'm not one of you, and I'm done trying to be. You lot are on your own now."
"Aw, darn," Buffy said under her breath.
"I'll be by to get my things," Spike said to Xander. "And then I don't intend to see any of you ever again."
"Oh, thank God," Xander said. Anya smiled and squeezed his arm.
Willow looked after Spike, a little sadly, as he walked out into the night.
"You should have tried a sporting goods store," Willow said. "Baseball bats."
"Baseball bats!" Xander repeated, slapping his forehead. He, Willow and Anya were all walking in the UC Sunnydale quad; school hadn't started again, but students were beginning to file back into dormitories, unloading their new stereos, calling to their new friends. "So easy to break up into stakes."
"The bats could have come in handy," Anya agreed.
"Plus, hey, what about the Bombay Company?" Willow said. "Lots of wood furniture there."
"You're the smart one," Xander said, a little ruefully. "Next time Harmony leads a vampire army at the mall, I want you with me."
"Like that's ever gonna happen again," Willow said. "Hey -- there she is!"
Buffy was walking toward Stevenson, a laundry bag slung over one shoulder. At Willow's call and wave, she turned and waited for the others to jog to her side.
She was over being mad, Buffy told herself. Willow and Xander and Giles did their best. And Angel -- well, he never even knew about it. So it would be stupid to be upset about it, stupid to admit that she had felt scared, and abandoned, and lost -- stupid to do anything besides move on. And that was what she intended to do.
"Buffster!" Xander said, as he gave her a quick hug around the shoulders. "You're back to your usual glorious-looking self -- ow," he said, as Anya gave him a sharp poke in the ribs.
"I'm feeling great," Buffy said. "How are you guys?"
"Good," Willow said. "My -- a friend of mine who does some magic and stuff with me, she's getting back into town today. I definitely want to talk about that anti-spell spell with her."
"All work and no play," Xander said.
"It is play," Willow said, surprised at the giddy smile she could feel on her face.
"I'm just waiting for Spike's move-out day," Xander said. "He keeps postponing due to repeated hangovers."
"But as long as he's out drinking all night, we don't really care," Anya said.
"Yes, we do," Xander said. "But what about you, Buff? Giles kinda wondered why you haven't come over, or called much --"
"Just needed some alone time. Yeesh," Buffy said.
"Yeah, but Giles needs some not-alone time," Willow said. "Maybe we all do, a little."
"Soon," Buffy promised. "Hey, can I catch up with you guys later? Riley's due any sec. I wanted to welcome him back."
"You do that," Willow said encouragingly. She tried not to look hurt as Buffy went inside the dorm. When she glanced over at Xander's face, she hoped she was doing a better job than he was.
Buffy took the stairs two at a time, enjoying the renewed spring in her step. The scars from her captivity were all but healed; just a few shadowed lines remained, and they'd be gone in another day or so. She didn't ever have to think about it again.
It was behind her. Just like high school was behind her. Just like -- all of it. Willow and Xander and Giles would understand that, after a while. Buffy was done with her past; she wanted her future.
Sure enough, Riley was sitting in the hallway outside her room and flipping through an airline magazine. "You know, you're the only person in the world who keeps his copy of Sky," she said.
He looked up at her and grinned. "I'm kinda attached to it," he said as he got to his feet. "It's the only thing that kept me from having to watch 'The Avengers.' How are you?"
"Great, and doing better every second," Buffy said as she embraced him.
"Over that bout of the flu?"
"Mmm-hmm," she said, lying easily as she got on tiptoe to kiss his lips.
"Then what say we get the laundry put away and get something to eat?" Riley said. "We could call Xander and Willow --"
"No, that's okay," Buffy said. "I've been thinking that I'd like to spend some time -- thinking of you first."
Riley raised his eyebrows. "I ought to pretend that I don't love the sound of that."
"Don't bother," Buffy said, pulling him along with her as she went into her dorm room. The windows were open, and the sun was shining, and for a moment she almost couldn't make out his features in all the light.
"Well, look who we have here," Tess said. "It's our little Harmony."
Harmony jumped to her feet. She'd been all alone ever since Cordy came along and ruined all her plans; she was avoiding the other vampires, and until this moment, she had thought they were returning the favor. But here was Tess, in Harmony's favorite park, hands on her hips, smirk back on her face. "Uh, hey, Tess."
"Thought you were pretty hot there for a while, didn't you?" Tess jeered. "Guess now you see what it takes to be the Big Bad in this town."
"It was really -- educational," Harmony said slowly.
Tess laughed. "What, are you giving a book report now? That girl was right. You are trapped back in high school."
"You know, one thing about me in high school?" Harmony said. "When I wanted to, I could be a real bitch."
On the word "bitch," Harmony swung her fist into Tess' chest. Tess only had enough time to look down and see the stake in Harmony's hand before she exploded into dust.
Harmony slapped the dust off her hands and smiled a little. "I feel better," she said to herself.
"Tess? God, are you ever gonna wait up for -- oh, hey, Harmony," Gregory said. "We've been looking all over for you!"
"I know you have," Harmony said, looking appraisingly at Gregory. He didn't seem interested in Tess' whereabouts anymore. Instead, he was smiling warmly at her. She smiled back.
"Tess ran off," he said, after a second.
"How lucky for me," she replied. He slid one arm around her, and they began walking into the woods together. "I've been going over my mistakes, you know, trying to learn from the experience, like you said? I think I've got a lot of it figured out now."
"That's the spirit, Harmony," Gregory said. "Always building toward the future."
"Yeah," she said. "And don't forget -- it's just Harm."
THE END
It is good to send feedback to Yahtzee63@aol.com.
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IN HARM'S WAY
by Yahtzee
Yahtzee63@aol.com
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Part 6
The blue lights were blinking off and on in the windows, and little red-and-gold foil Christmas trees were slanting on the bar, and Burl Ives was singing about a Holly Jolly Christmas.
No place like Willy's for the holidays, Spike thought, before downing another scotch.
Even Willy's was pretty much empty this time of year. Spike knew that demons and vampires weren't off eating fruitcake together, but they still seemed to have someplace better to be. The few exceptions -- some confused Korean vampires straight off the boat and a solitary Velga demon wearing a Santa hat -- were clustered in the back of the bar.
Spike sat alone, staring at the amber liquid remaining in his glass.
He hadn't just been shining Red -- Drusilla really did love the holidays. She liked the pretty lights and decorations, and all the bright, appetizing colors people would wear. He always spent weeks finding the perfect gift to steal for her.
Funny -- in all those years, he wasn't sure she'd ever gotten him anything. Hadn't seemed to matter, before. Now that he thought about it, though --
Willy, who was rubbing down the bar, looked up in genuine annoyance. "Not again, kid. Once I overlook. Twice -- hey, even I got standards."
"Why do I find that hard to believe?" said a very dry, very British voice. Spike half-turned to see Giles and Anya coming in from the cold.
Spike groaned. "Don't tell me you've come to stake me," he sighed. "I mean, let a man finish his drink. It's only civilized."
"We're not here to stake you," Anya said, pulling off her gloves. "And I'll have a vodka tonic."
"You most certainly will not," Giles said. "We must all keep our heads clear. Even you, Spike."
Spike pushed the glass away and forced himself to focus on Giles. "Decided to wait? Take me along on the Slayer-snatching party?"
"We went without you," Anya said. "Big mistake."
"Ha. Told you," Spike said.
Giles ignored this. "Willow attempted to put the vampires to sleep with a spell --"
"And you let her?" Spike said, half rising from his barstool in indignation. "Think about it, would you? You know I know Red's a witch. You think I wouldn't prepare for that?" He sighed and sat down again. "How is she?"
"Shaken, but all right," Giles said. "Xander's seeing to her at the house. Meanwhile, we succeeded in doing very little beyond alerting the vampires to our intentions. Will they try to move her now?"
"They might," Spike said. "It's that or kill her. I never made up my mind either way."
"In either case," Giles said sternly, "we must move as soon as possible. Come with us."
"Why?" Spike said.
"To rescue Buffy, of course," Anya said, looking wistfully at the remainder of Spike's scotch.
"Yeah, yeah, I got that part," Spike said. "And the thing is, I'm going to do it. I, Spike, William the Bloody, am about to stop drinking in order to save Buffy the Vampire Slayer's life. Do you see the problems here? Do you understand what this means?"
Giles folded his arms. "Tell me."
"It means that I -- I --" Spike struggled against the words, then slumped headfirst onto the bar. "I'm -- morally ambiguous."
"It sneaks up on you," Anya said sympathetically. She patted his shoulder. "You get used to it, over time."
"I never wanted it," Spike said, not lifting his head. "I was happy with evil. Evil's simple, classic. Never out of style. Moral ambiguity -- oh, God. Next thing you know I'll be sitting around, whining about self-doubts with that magnificent wanker Angel."
"Spike," Giles said, "what you have is not a loss, but an opportunity. Ever since your, ah -- untimely demise, your course has been set out for you. You've done as Angelus did, as Drusilla did. You were no different than the other hordes of vampires upon the earth. But now you have a chance to be something different. For the first time in your existence as a vampire, you have the ability to choose something beyond evil. You have -- a kind of freedom now, do you see?"
Spike lifted his head from the bar and stared at Giles for a long moment. Finally he said, "No."
Anya rolled her eyes."Then just get up and help us already."
Spike tossed a couple of bills on the bar. "At least I get to kill Harmony."
Giles sighed.
Xander half-turned to Willow. "I hope I'm not bringing up bad memories, but at times like this, I really miss Oz."
"You're just talking about his van, aren't you?" Willow said, as she tried to get her elbow out of Anya's side.
The five of them had packed themselves and an assortment of weapons into the Citroen. Willow tried to tell herself the discomfort was a good thing, in a way. Instead of worrying about Buffy, or dwelling on her own fear about the battle to come, she was dealing with Anya's shoes in her calves, Giles' scimitar wavering too close to her face and the Scotch-soaked smell of Spike's breath.
"So what's waiting at the gym, Spike?" Xander said. "What other toy surprises are inside that box?"
"That I can't tell you," Spike said. "Hadn't worked out the particulars on that one. Just some booby traps, that's all I know. Some simple, mechanical stuff -- just in case you all showed up while we were sleeping, or out, or something."
"Booby traps," Xander said, then his eyes widened. "Oh, wait, wait, wait. The movies they were buying at Suncoast -- the 'Home Alone' movies and 'Raiders of the Lost Ark.' That's what they were doing! They were getting ideas for booby traps!"
"Are you quite sure?" Giles said.
"Hey, I may not have any superpowers, but I do have a Blockbuster card," Xander said. "This means we gotta be careful of -- heavy weights on strings that can swing down from the ceiling. Loose and slippery stuff on the floors. Spikes that come out from the walls. Large, rolling boulders --"
"Where are they going to get a boulder?" Spike snapped.
"Well, it could be a large, rolling something else," Xander said.
"Hey, here's a concept," Anya said. "Instead of going into the house of horrors, why don't we draw them outside instead?"
Everyone was quiet for a minute. "Okay, that makes a lot of sense," Willow said. "Spike?"
"I wouldn't fall for it," Spike said. "But Harmony probably would."
"You still think she's the one behind this? I mean, come on," Willow said.
"Beside the point," Spike said. The Scotch was beginning to fade into hangover, and he was getting more irritable by the second. "Most vampires can't pass up a fight. Give them one, and you'll get most of them outside. Still have to go in to fetch the Slayer, though."
"And that's your job, right?" Anya said.
"Why me?" Spike said.
"Yeah, why him?" Xander chimed in.
Anya shrugged. "Well, this all Spike's big setup, and it doesn't look like they changed the plan at all. Spike wouldn't have any anti-vampire traps set up because the only vampire that he thought might help would be Angel, and Spike would want to kill Angel himself. Am I right?"
Spike was looking at Anya with a very odd expression on his face. "It's been so long since anyone really understood me."
"Okay, then," Xander said hurriedly. "We draw them out, kill what we can. When the vamp crowd thins out enough, Spike goes in and gets Buffy out. We vamoose. This is the plan?"
"I don't know that I would have used the term 'vamoose,' but you have the essentials," Giles said as he turned into the school parking lot. "Get ready, everyone."
"Showtime," Spike muttered, hefting his new favorite meat cleaver in his hand.
The five of them clambered out of the car, tripping over themselves and each other. "Now I know how clowns feel," Xander said.
"I would've thought you'd be familiar with that already," Spike said. "Let's just get this started, shall we?" He walked up to the flagpole in front of the gym and started banging on it with the meat cleaver; the metal thwang reverberated throughout the grounds. "Wake up in there!" he shouted. "It's at least two hours to sunrise, you wimps. You already down for the count?"
"Spike, are you mad?" Giles whispered.
"We're supposed to draw them out," Spike said. "How did you want to do it?"
"Some -- safe way?" Willow said uncertainly.
But Spike's method seemed to have worked. The vampires were swarming out of the doors, grinning blackly at the small hunting party. Harm came out last, swaggering a bit. "About time you guys got here."
Buffy heard something going on outside -- she couldn't make out the particulars over all the music, then all the vampires' excitement, but something was definitely up. They were going outside -- not all of them, but a bunch of them.
Enough.
She opened her eyes a fraction and let her head loll to one side, as if still in drugged sleep. No more than four vampires hung around the gym. Strangely, they seemed to be involved in tying string to a bunch of paint cans. Whatever, Buffy thought. I like these odds.
The bolting for her chains looked kinda weak. So did that door.
Time to take charge of this situation.
"So, Spike," Harm said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "What's this deal with you hanging around with Xander Harris? I mean, I was too cool to do that when I was just a human."
"Strange times make strange bedfellows," Spike said, glaring at her.
"There is nothing even remotely bedfellowy about any of this," Xander insisted. He was getting more nervous -- two dozen vampires sounded like such a nice, round number, but when you looked at them up close and realized how many you had to kill -- how many were trying to kill you --
Xander jumped as he heard a screeching sound -- tires on gravel, he realized. Somebody had just driven up.
"What's that?" Harm snapped.
A vamp leaped up and clambered to the top of the gym to see. "Long black car. L.A. plates --"
Willow beamed. Giles sighed in relief. Spike groaned. Anya said, "You are about to be in a world of trouble."
Harm folded her arms against her chest. "So you got some more help. Big whoop. There's still a whole lot more of us than there are of you, and we've still got your Slayer, and no matter how many punches you throw or weapons you pull, we can do more. You really think you can get through this without at least one of you dying? Think again."
Xander could hear footsteps coming closer in the dark. Damn, but it sucked to be so glad to turn around and see -- "Cordelia?"
"Cordelia?" Harm repeated, looking up blankly.
"Harmony," Cordy said, as she stepped into the light. "You know, even if they hadn't told me you were a vampire, I think I'd know. It's pretty obvious you haven't seen a mirror in a while."
Harmony gasped. Xander hissed, "Where the hell is Angel?"
"Fighting some slime demons that set up shop in the Staples Center," Cordelia murmured. "And he forgot his damn cell phone again."
"He doesn't even know about this yet?" Xander said. "This is not good."
"Relax," Cordelia said as she began walking forward again. "He'd just be along for the ride anyway. You have to fight fire with fire."
"Uh, Cordelia," Harmony stammered, nervously smoothing her hair, "what are you doing here? I heard you moved to L.A."
"Yeah, I'm in the big city now. Where the big kids play. And where are you, Harmony?" Cordelia folded her arms and lifted her chin. "Right back in high school. Same little pack of friends, same little mean-spirited universe. And the same old fashion sense, I see. Bet you're still shopping at The Limited."
The vampires were shifting around uneasily now, waiting for Harm to hit Cordelia back with some stinging comment, or at least to leap forward and snap her neck. Harm wanted to do both. But seeing Cordelia -- head held high, lips smirked, hair looking totally well-conditioned -- slammed her out of vamp mode into -- what?
Into that little tenth-grader who lived or died by Cordelia's word. And Harmony couldn't seem to snap out of it.
A dull thud sounded from inside the gym, followed by the sound of twisting metal -- all too faint for the humans outside to hear, but a couple of the vampires glanced inside a hole in the paint covering the window. When they pulled away, their faces looked even paler than usual.
"I mean, isn't it time you got over high school?" Cordelia said. "Or at the very least, got over yourself?"
"Oh, that's rich," Harm said, clenching her hands in fists. "Since when does Cordelia Chase get to talk about anyone getting over herself?"
Another thump, a little louder this time. The vampire on the roof lowered himself enough to look through a similar gap in one of the high windows, then pulled himself up again very quickly.
Cordelia raised an eyebrow. "People change," she said. "But you never will. Face facts, Harmony. You're trapped in high school FOREVER."
The pure truth and horror of that hit Harmony all at once, and she started to cry. Above her, she heard the vampires groaning.
"Oh, man, this sucks." "She's totally caving!"
"So maybe we should handle this situation ourselves," said Tess.
The vampire on the roof shook his head and jumped to the ground. "Forget it. Let's motor."
The humans watched in amazement as the other vampires began filing off, some slumped over in disappointment and disgust, others in a curious rush. Spike laughed under his breath. "Morons."
Harmony plopped down on the bench by the door to sob in earnest. "I didn't ask for this, you know," she wailed. "I never wanted to be a vampire."
"That's funny," Spike said, testing the heft of the meat cleaver. "The rest of us got engraved invitations."
Harmony seemed oblivious to anything besides Cordelia's still-withering stare. "I mean, I suck at being a vampire. I'm no good at it. Most times, I can't even bring myself to kill people. I've been living off squirrels, mostly." She sniffled and looked up querulously at Cordelia. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to catch a squirrel?"
"Thankfully, no," Cordelia said. "Harmony, I'm sorry this happened to you. I mean it. But you are what you are, and I am what I am, and that means you better get out now or get staked. Your call."
Harmony got to her feet uncertainly and looked around at the others, then dejectedly began walking away into the dark. Spike gestured after her incredulously. "That's it? We're just letting her go?"
"Don't you have a Slayer to save?" Xander snapped.
"Unbelievable," Spike muttered. He stalked to the door and pulled it open --
-- to reveal Buffy walking out under her own power, a makeshift stake in one hand. "And they said chivalry was dead," Buffy muttered as she walked through the door he still held open for her.
"Buffy!" Willow cried as she leaped forward to hug her. Xander and Giles followed suit, enveloping Buffy tightly in their arms.
"Guys, guys, feeling confined not so good for me at the moment," Buffy said, and everyone pulled back.
Giles looked her up and down; she looked a wreck -- even thinner than she had been, filthy with dirt and blood, her legs a ruin of wounds. But she was on her feet, alive and looking back at him. It was more than he had dared to let himself hope for. "Buffy, you escaped on your own?"
"Drug wore off," she said simply. "I waited until I thought I was strong enough to tear up the cage and take our few vamps, then I made my move."
"So, you're okay, then," Cordelia said.
Buffy looked at her strangely. "Cordy. Came all the way up here by yourself?"
"Angel was out, and I didn't wait around to tell him what was happening," Cordelia said. "The message is still on the machine, waiting to totally freak him out --"
"Erase it," Buffy said. "Can you do that? No need for him to come tearing up here now that I'm okay."
Cordelia looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, I can do that from the highway."
"Highway?" Xander said.
"My work here is done," Cordelia replied, then smiled brilliantly. "You know, I've always wanted to say that."
And with that, she turned and began walking back to the car. Giles called after her, "Cordelia?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. And happy holidays."
"Right back atcha," Cordelia said with a little wave, then disappeared into the dark.
"Now, then," Giles said, sliding one of Buffy's arms around his shoulders. "Let's get you back to the house, clean you up, get you something to eat."
"I'd really rather go back to my house," Buffy said, smiling unevenly. "No offense, but I spent the last -- how many days?"
"Little over a week," Anya supplied.
Buffy raised her eyebrows quickly and bit her lip before continuing. "Well, I spent all that time surrounded. I could do with a little peace and quiet."
"Understandable," Giles said. Willow smiled encouragingly at her. Xander nodded.
"Now wait one goddamned minute," Spike said. Everyone turned around to see him, still standing at the door, jaw open in amazement. "You're telling me that we're not going to kill ANYBODY?"
"What's the point?" Willow said. "We've got Buffy back."
"Are you telling me that's the point?" Spike said. "This is the reward I get for being morally ambiguous? This is no good at all!"
"What else are you gonna do, Spike?" Xander said.
"Something," Spike hissed. "Anything. This being a member of the Scooby Gang -- that's for losers like you. It's not for me. Not for anyone -- evil."
He straightened himself up and began to smile. "Yes. Tried to fight it, but what's the use? I'm not one of you, and I'm done trying to be. You lot are on your own now."
"Aw, darn," Buffy said under her breath.
"I'll be by to get my things," Spike said to Xander. "And then I don't intend to see any of you ever again."
"Oh, thank God," Xander said. Anya smiled and squeezed his arm.
Willow looked after Spike, a little sadly, as he walked out into the night.
"You should have tried a sporting goods store," Willow said. "Baseball bats."
"Baseball bats!" Xander repeated, slapping his forehead. He, Willow and Anya were all walking in the UC Sunnydale quad; school hadn't started again, but students were beginning to file back into dormitories, unloading their new stereos, calling to their new friends. "So easy to break up into stakes."
"The bats could have come in handy," Anya agreed.
"Plus, hey, what about the Bombay Company?" Willow said. "Lots of wood furniture there."
"You're the smart one," Xander said, a little ruefully. "Next time Harmony leads a vampire army at the mall, I want you with me."
"Like that's ever gonna happen again," Willow said. "Hey -- there she is!"
Buffy was walking toward Stevenson, a laundry bag slung over one shoulder. At Willow's call and wave, she turned and waited for the others to jog to her side.
She was over being mad, Buffy told herself. Willow and Xander and Giles did their best. And Angel -- well, he never even knew about it. So it would be stupid to be upset about it, stupid to admit that she had felt scared, and abandoned, and lost -- stupid to do anything besides move on. And that was what she intended to do.
"Buffster!" Xander said, as he gave her a quick hug around the shoulders. "You're back to your usual glorious-looking self -- ow," he said, as Anya gave him a sharp poke in the ribs.
"I'm feeling great," Buffy said. "How are you guys?"
"Good," Willow said. "My -- a friend of mine who does some magic and stuff with me, she's getting back into town today. I definitely want to talk about that anti-spell spell with her."
"All work and no play," Xander said.
"It is play," Willow said, surprised at the giddy smile she could feel on her face.
"I'm just waiting for Spike's move-out day," Xander said. "He keeps postponing due to repeated hangovers."
"But as long as he's out drinking all night, we don't really care," Anya said.
"Yes, we do," Xander said. "But what about you, Buff? Giles kinda wondered why you haven't come over, or called much --"
"Just needed some alone time. Yeesh," Buffy said.
"Yeah, but Giles needs some not-alone time," Willow said. "Maybe we all do, a little."
"Soon," Buffy promised. "Hey, can I catch up with you guys later? Riley's due any sec. I wanted to welcome him back."
"You do that," Willow said encouragingly. She tried not to look hurt as Buffy went inside the dorm. When she glanced over at Xander's face, she hoped she was doing a better job than he was.
Buffy took the stairs two at a time, enjoying the renewed spring in her step. The scars from her captivity were all but healed; just a few shadowed lines remained, and they'd be gone in another day or so. She didn't ever have to think about it again.
It was behind her. Just like high school was behind her. Just like -- all of it. Willow and Xander and Giles would understand that, after a while. Buffy was done with her past; she wanted her future.
Sure enough, Riley was sitting in the hallway outside her room and flipping through an airline magazine. "You know, you're the only person in the world who keeps his copy of Sky," she said.
He looked up at her and grinned. "I'm kinda attached to it," he said as he got to his feet. "It's the only thing that kept me from having to watch 'The Avengers.' How are you?"
"Great, and doing better every second," Buffy said as she embraced him.
"Over that bout of the flu?"
"Mmm-hmm," she said, lying easily as she got on tiptoe to kiss his lips.
"Then what say we get the laundry put away and get something to eat?" Riley said. "We could call Xander and Willow --"
"No, that's okay," Buffy said. "I've been thinking that I'd like to spend some time -- thinking of you first."
Riley raised his eyebrows. "I ought to pretend that I don't love the sound of that."
"Don't bother," Buffy said, pulling him along with her as she went into her dorm room. The windows were open, and the sun was shining, and for a moment she almost couldn't make out his features in all the light.
"Well, look who we have here," Tess said. "It's our little Harmony."
Harmony jumped to her feet. She'd been all alone ever since Cordy came along and ruined all her plans; she was avoiding the other vampires, and until this moment, she had thought they were returning the favor. But here was Tess, in Harmony's favorite park, hands on her hips, smirk back on her face. "Uh, hey, Tess."
"Thought you were pretty hot there for a while, didn't you?" Tess jeered. "Guess now you see what it takes to be the Big Bad in this town."
"It was really -- educational," Harmony said slowly.
Tess laughed. "What, are you giving a book report now? That girl was right. You are trapped back in high school."
"You know, one thing about me in high school?" Harmony said. "When I wanted to, I could be a real bitch."
On the word "bitch," Harmony swung her fist into Tess' chest. Tess only had enough time to look down and see the stake in Harmony's hand before she exploded into dust.
Harmony slapped the dust off her hands and smiled a little. "I feel better," she said to herself.
"Tess? God, are you ever gonna wait up for -- oh, hey, Harmony," Gregory said. "We've been looking all over for you!"
"I know you have," Harmony said, looking appraisingly at Gregory. He didn't seem interested in Tess' whereabouts anymore. Instead, he was smiling warmly at her. She smiled back.
"Tess ran off," he said, after a second.
"How lucky for me," she replied. He slid one arm around her, and they began walking into the woods together. "I've been going over my mistakes, you know, trying to learn from the experience, like you said? I think I've got a lot of it figured out now."
"That's the spirit, Harmony," Gregory said. "Always building toward the future."
"Yeah," she said. "And don't forget -- it's just Harm."
THE END
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