"Yo G-Man! Let's go!"

"I'm almost ready," Giles muttered, pulling on his jacket. "And I've told you repeatedly not to call me that."

"Whatever," Xander replied, dashing out the door. "Come on! My lady awaits!" he hollered over his shoulder.

Giles shook his head and followed the boy's lead. Xander had already loaded the luggage into the trunk and was now waiting impatiently in the car. "Young love," Giles mumbled to himself as he pulled the door shut behind him.

Giles climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. Xander immediately leaned over and began flipping through radio stations. Under normal circumstances, Giles would be annoyed with Xander's choice in music. But these were hardly normal circumstances and Giles paid no attention to the ruckus coming from the speakers.

The watcher was worried. His Slayer was in trouble and he wasn't there to help her. Giles wasn't sure if the attack on Xander was pre-meditated or just a fluke, but he wasn't ruling out any possibilities. Not yet, anyway.

"It's bad, isn't it?"

"Hmmm?" Giles was pulled from his thoughts. "I'm sorry, what?"

"This thing with Buffy," Xander clarified. "It's not of the good, right?"

"With Buffy?" Giles stalled. He knew the boy was worried about his girlfriend and didn't need to be alarmed any further. But the Watcher also knew that Xander was smarter than he let on. There was no sense in lying, but hiding the truth would be fine. "I'm sure she's fine. We've all dealt with these sorts of things before."

"Giles, this is different," Xander disagreed.

"How so?" Giles asked. 'Bravo, way to play dumb!' the British man prided himself.

"She's alone this time," Xander mumbled with frustration evident in his voice. He felt useless. For the past year, Xander helped Buffy fight evil. He shared her problems. For the past month, he shared more. They shared joy and sorrow, laughter and tears. But now, she was alone. She was in danger and he wasn't by her side.

"Xander, she ha fought alone before," Giles tried to reassure the young man.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Xander muttered. He fell silent for a few moments. "Giles, do you think they came after me because I'm Buffy's boyfriend?"

Giles smiled wanly. 'Leave it to Xander to bring up the one subject I'm trying to avoid.' "I honestly don't know. I mean, we get attacked…"

"Um Giles…," Xander interrupted.

"What?"

"I think my question was just answered."

"What the…" Giles slammed on his brakes. The Citroen came to a screeching halt. The dust settled and revealed a small gang of vampires blocking the road. "Dear lord."

Xander glanced over at the Watcher. "Any bright ideas?"



"Duck!"

Surprisingly, Eric obeyed and quickly dropped to the ground.

Buffy sprung into action with a flying kick. Her heel met with the jaw of one unlucky vamp. Her target flew back and struck the wooden post of the balcony. The wood snapped and the railing broke off.

"Thank you for making my life a little bit easier," Buffy said, flipping over and slamming her fist into the face of the second vampire.

"Buffy!" Eric cried, jumping to his feet. He pulled his fist back and swung at the nearest demon. He missed and the vampire hit him with a counter-attack. Grabbing Eric's arm, the vamp flung the young man into the wall of the club. Eric's head met the concrete with a sickening thud and he slumped to the ground.

Buffy tossed a quick glance at Eric's unmoving form before turning back to her opponents. With a quick shout of fury, Buffy launched herself at the nearest vamp. She slammed her flat palm into the base of his nose, enjoying the sound of cracking bones.

The vampire screamed in agony and retaliated with a swift uppercut. The blow barely fazed the Slayer, only serving to knock her back a few inches.

She grinned at her opponent, a smile so malicious it distorted her delicate features into a barely veiled mask of hatred. "You messed with the wrong girl," Buffy said, attacking the stunned vampire with a roundhouse kick. "And you know what, you guys aren't even worth wasting my breath over." Without warning, she reached over and grabbed the first vamp, lifting him off the ground. She tossed him forward and the vampire flew through the air. He landed on the broken banister, a piece of splintered wood piercing his heart. "Wham!" Buffy mumbled.

The second demon stood up shakily from his place on the ground. He raced forward, hoping to catch Buffy unaware. But Buffy was ready for him. She kicked a foot out, coming in to contact with the damaged balcony. A piece of wood flew into the air and Buffy caught it with ease. She held it still, facing outward, and the vampire impaled himself on the wood. As he turned into dust, the Slayer faked a yawn. "Bam!"

Buffy caught movement in the shadows. A third vampire, apparently the watchdog, raced down the alley in a desperate attempt to escape.

"Oh no you don't," Buffy muttered. She slammed her fist down on the glass table to her left. The smooth surface gave in under the force and shattered into many pieces. Buffy swept up one of the larger pieces and launched it Frisbee-style at the demon's retreating form. Her aim flawless, the broken glass sliced cleanly through the vampire's neck. His body hung motionless for a moment before disintegrating into a pile of ashes.

"Thank you, ma'am" Buffy smiled, brushing her palms against her thighs. She turned, the smile dying.

Kym stood in front of her, eyes wide with horror. Her back against the wall, the other girl slid down until she was sitting. She glanced up at the blond girl. "So, wanna tell me what that was all about?"