It was soon nightfall. Dawn, once again, was out with her friends and Giles was trying once more to have his peaceful night alone. He had everything set up perfectly. The fire was crackling, his tea was waiting for him beside his chair and the lights were dimmed. Giles smiled. "Finally," he said.

Bang! The door swung open and in walked Spike. "How you doin' mate?" he asked.

Giles groaned. "Spike, why, may I ask, are you here?"

"I was in me crypt and I started to feel lonely." he said. "Slayer's gone and there wasn't any big baddies out and about. Figured I'd come here. Why?"

"Well I was trying to have a night alone so I could relax." Giles replied.

"Oh come on Giles. Men like us...we should be out on the town. We're English!" Spike yelled, laughing.

"Yes well, be that as it may. I-" Giles was cut off before he could finish.

"Here," Spike said as he threw Giles coat at him. "Let's get out of here."

It was a chilly night. Giles wrapped himself up in his jacket and shivered slightly. Spike, being a vampire, felt no effect of the temperature and walked casually as he always did. "There...." he spoke. "That's the place."

Spike was pointing to the most run down looking bar imaginable. As the former Watcher's eyes fell upon it, his mouth dropped. "This?" he asked. "But it looks like...."

"One of the best bars in town. Mention you're a vamp and they mix in some blood for you." Spike winked.

"Disgusting," Giles muttered.

Giles coughed as he entered the bar. And not just a small cough, but a real choking sort of cough. Every person/demon stopped to stare at him. The room fell silent.

"Just drank a hobo's blood!" Spike shouted while pointing to Giles. There were nods and laughter all around and everyone went back to their business.

Giles looked around. The bar was a disaster. The air was filled with smoke, the bar stools were bent out of shape or the leather was tore, the floor was covered in stains and what looked to Giles as vomit and there was an unbearable foul stench present in the bar.

"What a place!" Spike said to Giles as he smiled. "Two beer. One with blood." he ordered.

Giles sat down and took out a handkerchief to clean his glasses. "Spike why did you bring me here?" he asked.

"Ah quit your whining," Spike replied. The two beers arrived and the bleached blond vampire took his and began to drink. He set it down after a few gulps and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Now that's good."

Giles eyed his beer. He took it in one hand and examined it even closer. Then he put it to his lips and took a small sip. Immediately he turned to his right and spit out the drink. "Oh that's-" Giles began but quickly stopped. He had just spit his beer all over what appeared to be a 6'7, 300 pound demon. The demon stood up and looked at Giles with the most angry looking face Giles had ever witnessed. "Big mistake pal." the demon said. It was dressed in some sort of armour, medieval like, and it's skin was slimy. It's head was covered in little spikes all over and it had the sharpest teeth. "Get'im Earl!" shouted a voice.

"Now uh, Earl is it? Let's not be rash." Giles stammered as he got up from his bar stool.

"I am gonna rip you limb from limb." Earl grunted.

Giles was pulled backwards as Spike got in front of him. "Why don't you just sit down, Earl?" he warned. "Before me and me friend here rip you guys apart." Spike said as he pointed to Giles. "See him? I wouldn't mess with him. He's got powers."

"What are you doing?" Giles asked as he shook Spike.

"Oh yeah?" asked Earl sarcastically. "Well lets see." He grabbed Spike and tossed him over the bar. Giles looked around and picked up the first thing he saw. An ashtray.

"Oooooooooo...." Earl said. "What are you gonna do with that?"

Giles threw the ashtray up into the air and as Earl's eyes followed it, a fist hit him square in the jaw. He stumbled back a few feet holding his mouth. Then he came charging towards Giles. Giles prepared to be hit but Earl was taken down by Spike, who leapt onto the enraged demon. "Get a bloody weapon!" he shouted as he tried to choke out Earl.

Giles' eyes looked around again and this time came across a broken bar stool. He flipped it over and tore the loose leg off of it as Spike was thrown from the back of Earl. The demon look towards the former Watcher's direction and was met with a steel rod in the face. He grimaced in pain as he fell to the ground. Giles quickly grabbed Spike and ran for the door. There to meet them was the bartender with a knife. "Pay up for the beers." was all he said. Giles nervously looked back at Earl who was getting up and reached into his pocket. The bartender took his money and stepped aside as the two English men ran out the door.

"Whooooo!" Spike laughed. "Wasn't that fun?"

Giles gave him one of his looks. "No Spike. That wasn't fun at all. Just be glad we're out of danger."

Out of the shadows came a mysterious figure. He watched Spike and Giles walk away as he smiled. "I wouldn't count on that."