Part IV
The argument had started as soon as Spike lifted up the manhole cover. "There is no way I am going down there," Xander informed him.
"If you have another way for us to get to Willy's without myself getting a fatal suntan, I'm all ears."
"Same way you got here. Backseat, under a blanket."
Spike's hackles rose at his condescending tone of voice, but he had to admit it was a good idea. He slid the manhole cover back into place. "Sorry, mate, old habits die hard." Xander stopped and gave him a horrified look. "What?"
"Did- did you just apologize to me?"
"Yeah. I did. Don't be getting used to it now."
Xander shook his head and went back into the shop for the blanket.
The back alley door to Willy's bar was locked. The two men conferred with each other, and then on the count of three made a team effort and kicked it in. Another crash sounded a moment later from behind a closed door to their right, followed by several more, followed by a shouted, "Again?! I swear, these Rumae demons... We're closed you damn snarglburtfd..." The door flew open and they found themselves face to face with the proprietor. His eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, it's you. I swear on all that I hold holy, I don't know what's going on."
"Now, why don't I believe you, Willy?" Xander asked, cracking his knuckles for dramatic effect. The wince that came afterwards didn't add much to the effect.
"This time it's the truth! Listen, I know you were friends of the Slayer and all that, and some of that nobility may have rubbed off on you, but now she's gone and that means no one is going to be able to stop this thing. So if I were you and you were smart, I'd be packing my bags and leaving town as soon as possible." He turned around and hurried over to his desk, slammed the briefcase on top of it closed, picked it and the suitcase next to the desk up, and pushed past them out the door. Spike grabbed him and slammed him up against the wall. Willy's reply was, "Hey! Watch the jacket!"
"Listen, mate, what's this Navek up to?"
"Navek? He left town last week!" Willy said, puzzled. Then he started laughing. "Oh... Waitaminute, you guys don't know, do you? I bet you haven't even seen the portents! Ever since that blonde chick died, you guys haven't been able to find your own asses with both hands and a flashlight--"
Spike chose that moment to punch Willy in the nose. As soon as Spike connected, his hands flew to his throbbing skull, and Xander followed up by burying his fist in Willy's solar plexus. The bartender dropped to the floor, curled in the foetal position, gasping for breath. "Watch your mouth," Xander growled.
"I would," gasped Willy. "But my nose gets in the way."
"Oh, no, this one is mine," Spike said, holding up a hand to restrain Xander. He pulled a Swiss Army Knife out of his back pocket, opened the largest blade, and held it besideWilly's nose. "Even if my head explodes, this will be worth it." He gritted his teeth and--
"It was a figure of speech!" Willy squealed. "Listen, I'll tell you what I know, and that's damn little. There is some big dark evil coming through, and it's got every single nasty in this town pissing itself and running away. Leon's even stopped showing up, and he's been a regular at this bar since my grandfather opened it a hundred years ago."
"Who the bloody hell is Leon?" Spike asked.
"Leon, you know, bald, Krflylach demon, sits on the third stool from the left." Willy had maneuvered to an upright seated position, and painfully he inched his way up the wall until he was standing. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to run for my life."
Spike cocked his head towards the door. "G'on. Git."
Willy grabbed his cases and made for the door as Xander protested, "Hey! What did you do that for?"
"Because he doesn't know anything."
"Excuse me, I've been beating information out of Willy for five years. In those five years, he never coughed up the truth without large denomination bills changing hands."
"Excuse me," Spike said, mimicking Xander's sarcastic tone. "But he wasn't lying."
"How do you know?"
"The man reeked so badly of fear I'm surprised even you didn't smell it." Spike put away his knife in his pocket. "Come on, we've got some research to do."
"Wait a minute, who put you in charge here?" Spike sighed, and just looked at Xander. "Okay, well, you say that-- you say that you saw Buffy, but do we have something else to go on? Like, a notarized power of attorney?"
"Do you want to argue, or do you want to find out how we can stop the world from ending?" Spike asked, impatient.
"Can't I do both?"
Spike just growled.
The argument had started as soon as Spike lifted up the manhole cover. "There is no way I am going down there," Xander informed him.
"If you have another way for us to get to Willy's without myself getting a fatal suntan, I'm all ears."
"Same way you got here. Backseat, under a blanket."
Spike's hackles rose at his condescending tone of voice, but he had to admit it was a good idea. He slid the manhole cover back into place. "Sorry, mate, old habits die hard." Xander stopped and gave him a horrified look. "What?"
"Did- did you just apologize to me?"
"Yeah. I did. Don't be getting used to it now."
Xander shook his head and went back into the shop for the blanket.
The back alley door to Willy's bar was locked. The two men conferred with each other, and then on the count of three made a team effort and kicked it in. Another crash sounded a moment later from behind a closed door to their right, followed by several more, followed by a shouted, "Again?! I swear, these Rumae demons... We're closed you damn snarglburtfd..." The door flew open and they found themselves face to face with the proprietor. His eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, it's you. I swear on all that I hold holy, I don't know what's going on."
"Now, why don't I believe you, Willy?" Xander asked, cracking his knuckles for dramatic effect. The wince that came afterwards didn't add much to the effect.
"This time it's the truth! Listen, I know you were friends of the Slayer and all that, and some of that nobility may have rubbed off on you, but now she's gone and that means no one is going to be able to stop this thing. So if I were you and you were smart, I'd be packing my bags and leaving town as soon as possible." He turned around and hurried over to his desk, slammed the briefcase on top of it closed, picked it and the suitcase next to the desk up, and pushed past them out the door. Spike grabbed him and slammed him up against the wall. Willy's reply was, "Hey! Watch the jacket!"
"Listen, mate, what's this Navek up to?"
"Navek? He left town last week!" Willy said, puzzled. Then he started laughing. "Oh... Waitaminute, you guys don't know, do you? I bet you haven't even seen the portents! Ever since that blonde chick died, you guys haven't been able to find your own asses with both hands and a flashlight--"
Spike chose that moment to punch Willy in the nose. As soon as Spike connected, his hands flew to his throbbing skull, and Xander followed up by burying his fist in Willy's solar plexus. The bartender dropped to the floor, curled in the foetal position, gasping for breath. "Watch your mouth," Xander growled.
"I would," gasped Willy. "But my nose gets in the way."
"Oh, no, this one is mine," Spike said, holding up a hand to restrain Xander. He pulled a Swiss Army Knife out of his back pocket, opened the largest blade, and held it besideWilly's nose. "Even if my head explodes, this will be worth it." He gritted his teeth and--
"It was a figure of speech!" Willy squealed. "Listen, I'll tell you what I know, and that's damn little. There is some big dark evil coming through, and it's got every single nasty in this town pissing itself and running away. Leon's even stopped showing up, and he's been a regular at this bar since my grandfather opened it a hundred years ago."
"Who the bloody hell is Leon?" Spike asked.
"Leon, you know, bald, Krflylach demon, sits on the third stool from the left." Willy had maneuvered to an upright seated position, and painfully he inched his way up the wall until he was standing. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to run for my life."
Spike cocked his head towards the door. "G'on. Git."
Willy grabbed his cases and made for the door as Xander protested, "Hey! What did you do that for?"
"Because he doesn't know anything."
"Excuse me, I've been beating information out of Willy for five years. In those five years, he never coughed up the truth without large denomination bills changing hands."
"Excuse me," Spike said, mimicking Xander's sarcastic tone. "But he wasn't lying."
"How do you know?"
"The man reeked so badly of fear I'm surprised even you didn't smell it." Spike put away his knife in his pocket. "Come on, we've got some research to do."
"Wait a minute, who put you in charge here?" Spike sighed, and just looked at Xander. "Okay, well, you say that-- you say that you saw Buffy, but do we have something else to go on? Like, a notarized power of attorney?"
"Do you want to argue, or do you want to find out how we can stop the world from ending?" Spike asked, impatient.
"Can't I do both?"
Spike just growled.