This chapter is dedicated with gratitude to Patrick, who knows far more
about bar fights than I could ever hope to. Thanks for letting me pick
your brain on the subject.
___________________________________________________________________________
Spike looked up and smiled. "Things are looking up. This is one tradition I could learn to like. Beats your Thanksgiving all to hell--what with the bears and arrows and all. So how about it, Slayer?"
"Ugh, Spike, like I'm kissing you."
"Why, are you afraid?"
"Of you? Hardly."
"Of yourself, actually. Afraid you couldn't control yourself around my--"
Buffy stood up and moved towards Spike. "I'm not afraid of anything. Especially not myself. I happen to have excellent self-control. Just ask anyone."
"TEN- NINE- EIGHT- SEVEN--"
"Anyone being anyone not me? Because I've seen some--"
"FOUR--THREE--TWO--ONE--HAPPPPYY NEW YEAAAR!"
Buffy grabbed him and kissed him, just to shut him up. He wrapped his arms around her and eased himself forward, deepening the kiss. She relaxed, leaning into him. Suddenly, he stiffened and pushed her back. Hurt in her eyes, she blinked at him, trying to figure out what she had done wrong. "Why did you---?"
"Business. If it isn't Rack, it's something else up to no good. Big Bad."
They peered over the railing and saw three men enter the Bronze. The center one looked scary. Crazed scary. "Spike, is that electricity coming from his fingers?"
"Yeah. The other two just look like muscle, though. You should be able to take them out in a hurry."
"ME? Why me bodyguards and you Rack?"
"They're human. I can't touch them with this chip in my head. Now that I've seen him, I know Rack isn't. Don't know what he is, but definitely nothing of the human variety."
"Be careful. Hey, how do we use the amulets and the crystals Anya gave us?"
"They're automatic. Just slip the amulet on and put the crystal in your pocket. The amulet has to be touching skin, the crystal doesn't."
"Does either one protect against electricity?"
"No. Amulet is a you-don't-see-me and the crystal absorbs low-level magic. Might work on the bodyguards, but I doubt it will against Rack. It will take the edge off his spells, but it isn't enough to swallow that electricity. "
"You go left, I'll go right when we get downstairs."
They took one final look down to confirm everyone's position, but Rack was gone. "Do you still feel him?"
"He's close. I think under the loft, maybe."
"Great. Let's go."
They hurried down the stairs.
As they emerged from the loft, they noticed Rack and his bodyguards headed towards the stage. Buffy made her way over to them, tapped one on the shoulder and said "Have you ever considered other employment opportunities?"
He turned around and started clumsily throwing punches. Buffy grabbed his arm and spun him around sending him sprawling towards the second one. After the two collided, she grabbed the stunned second bodyguard and used his momentum to run him into the stairs. "You guys really haven't been in the bodyguard business long, have you?"
The first one had recovered by then, so he turned towards her and grabbed her by the arm. She dropped to the floor on her back and used her feet to fling him back onto the second bodyguard who was just getting up from the stairs. They landed in a tangled pile. Buffy rolled, stood up, and took the opportunity to look around and assess the situation. Patrons were crowding back, trying to avoid the fight or just trying to keep their drinks from getting spilled. A couple of bouncers were weaving their way through the crowd. Spike and Rack were still fighting, Rack throwing miniature lightning bolts and Spike dodging and swinging punches that seemed to be getting more and more erratic as the occasional bolt hit him. Buffy turned back to the bodyguards, who were again advancing towards her. "I suggest you leave. NOW. You can't win this."
They looked at Rack, who still appeared to be winning the fight with Spike. They split and charged at Buffy, one to either side of her. She backed up and grabbed each one by an arm. They picked her up and carried her towards the stage. She brought her body parallel to the floor and managed to find the side of the stage with her feet, flexing her knees and pushing off the side of the stage. The unexpected stop jarred them and got her loose. "Hey! That was my new blouse you just lengthened the sleeves on."
She rolled over and stood up, turning around to see what they were doing. They both looked at where she thought Rack probably was, and then charged her again. "Spike, how are you doing back there? Spike? Talk to me."
Buffy ducked, rolled between the bodyguards and used her momentum to hop up onto the stage. She turned around and saw that Rack had hold of Spike, one hand on either arm. Spike was arched backwards and she could see what looked like electricity running the length of his body. The bodyguards by this time had turned around and were headed towards her again. A bouncer intercepted the one nearest the bar. She waited for a moment, making sure the second bouncer had also grabbed hold of the same bodyguard and that they looked like they were trying to steer him towards the door. She jumped down, dodged past the second bodyguard and grabbed a barstool. Raising it above her head, she brought it crashing down on Rack's head.
Why was she laying in bed? No, the mattress was too firm for her bed. Guess again. Body hurts, hospital bed? Okay, Buffy, do the arms move? Check. Legs? Check. Can my eyes open? Candlelight. Oh, no! What am I doing in on Spike's bed in Spike's crypt? Why do I hurt so much? Just then Spike crossed her vision.
"Awake, Slayer?"
"Yeah. What happened?"
"Well, you saved my ass with that chair so I returned the favor. You should've seen the lightning bolt that Rack hit you with. I'm guessing it was an automatic defense, 'cause he went down for a long eight count."
"What happened to him?"
"As far as I can tell, after his two bodyguards shriveled up like raisins he took off. I dunno for sure, I grabbed you and--"
"Shriveled?"
"Yeah, I think he was using 'em as batteries or something."
"That would explain why they were so mechanical when they fought. No originality, no spark. They fought like the zombies I faced at a party once. I wonder if he was mind controlling them in some way."
"So, you think that's why he wants Red? He's probably needs new batteries all the time; a powerful witch—"
"So how does the Bronze look?"
"No idea. Once he let go of me, I grabbed you and ran. I couldn't protect you and fight him at the same time."
"I would've come to and helped. Remember I have Slayer speedy healing."
"Slayer, you were out for about three hours. It's almost 3:30."
She struggled to her feet, stood up and almost fell over. Spike hurried over to support her. "Spike, let me go. I've got to go see what's going on with my house."
"Yeah, pet, as soon as you can stand. Right now you look like one of those baby animals on the Discovery Channel. All weak and defenseless and wobbly." He caught her gaze and smiled. "If I weren't all soft on the Summers women, I'd be tempted to take a nibble. Nah, the Bit would be mad at me."
"Funny. Help me walk. I need to go see my house and talk to Xander." She reached out and grabbed him by the arms to steady herself. Spike hissed in pain as she touched his arms. She let go and plopped back down on his bed. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Spike, let me see your arms."
"I just told you it was nothing. Let's go see how bad your house looks."
"Spike, take off your shirt, dammit!"
"Ooohh, pet, I love it when you're all forceful and manly."
She sighed and growled, "Spike, just take off the damn shirt. I saw Rack had hold of your arms. I saw the lightning. I just want to see the damage. I can fix you up before we leave."
He took off the red shirt and pushed up the sleeves of his ever-present black t-shirt. Buffy's eyes widened at the sight. There were burns and blisters running up the length of his arms. Where Rack had been holding him, there were charred places in the shape of handprints. "Go get the first aid kit. This is going to hurt."
"Yeah. Last time something hurt this bad, I was trapped under a flamin' organ."
He went to get the first aid kit she knew he kept just in case she was hurt (after all, fixing an injury of hers might be an opportunity to see her take off some clothing). When he returned, she talked him into shedding his t-shirt. Burns and blisters ran the length of his torso. "Now I really hate that guy," she muttered while dressing his burns. "Put my friend in the hospital; cause my house to burn down; trash my friend's store; cause trouble at my favorite hangout; hurt my vampire; and knock me out. That's it. He's going down."
"Am I?" he queried.
"Huh? Are you what?"
"Your vampire?"
"WHAT? Has the pain made you nuttier than Glory was? Where did that come from?"
"You just said—"
Buffy mentally reviewed what she had said. "Oh." She backtracked. "I just meant that nobody gets to hurt you except me."
"Fine by me pet. In case you choose not to remember, I can take it rough."
She closed the first aid kit and stood, choosing to ignore him. "C'mon, let's go see what's left of my house."
They made their way back to Revello Drive. Xander was dozing in his car about a block down from her house. "Hey, Buff--did you get him?"
"No, but I think I know why he wants Willow. He's looking for human batteries. How's my house?"
"They're thinking total loss. I can take you to the guy who's in charge, we had a nice little chat about post Christmas fire safety."
"Yeah, hopefully they'll be as clueless as Sunnydale police. Insurance investigators are not going to believe a witch set fire to my house."
"He's pretty powerful for a witch."
"Rack didn't set fire to my house. He just beat the hell out of Willow. She was trying to defend herself when she set it on fire."
"Oh." He opened his car door and got out. "Let's go see the man in charge. I want to get back and see how Anya's doing."
Buffy looked at the man Xander had introduced her to. "So, when you say total loss, what exactly do you mean?"
"M'am, I mean that they're going to have to bulldoze and start over. Make a big hole in the ground. Build a new house where this one used to be. The fire had spread too far by the time we got here. Your housemate was lucky to escape with her life."
"So how long are you going to be here? I have to make arrangements to live somewhere and get stuff organized. Do I have to sign any papers or anything?"
"No, not until the arson investigator gets here. With the post-Christmas fires and the size of his area, it'll probably be two or three days. If I can get a number or address where he can reach you, your part in this will be over—at least for tonight."
Buffy gave him the number for the Magic Box. She knew Anya would be there constantly for at least the next couple of days, trying to get things squared away. He gave her a business card and said "If you have any questions about what happens next, don't hesitate to call."
"Xander, can we catch a ride back to the Magic Box?"
"You and the undead one?"
"Don't start. He saved me at the Bronze tonight. At major cost to himself."
"Fine, get in. Tonight he gets a free pass on your say-so. Tomorrow—"
"Free pass again. We're going to be working together on this one. I think we're going to need all the Scoobies to take care of Rack. All working together. I think Willow's in real danger and we good guys take care of each other. He almost killed Spike, I know he turned two people into human raisins, and he's pissed me off."
___________________________________________________________________________
Spike looked up and smiled. "Things are looking up. This is one tradition I could learn to like. Beats your Thanksgiving all to hell--what with the bears and arrows and all. So how about it, Slayer?"
"Ugh, Spike, like I'm kissing you."
"Why, are you afraid?"
"Of you? Hardly."
"Of yourself, actually. Afraid you couldn't control yourself around my--"
Buffy stood up and moved towards Spike. "I'm not afraid of anything. Especially not myself. I happen to have excellent self-control. Just ask anyone."
"TEN- NINE- EIGHT- SEVEN--"
"Anyone being anyone not me? Because I've seen some--"
"FOUR--THREE--TWO--ONE--HAPPPPYY NEW YEAAAR!"
Buffy grabbed him and kissed him, just to shut him up. He wrapped his arms around her and eased himself forward, deepening the kiss. She relaxed, leaning into him. Suddenly, he stiffened and pushed her back. Hurt in her eyes, she blinked at him, trying to figure out what she had done wrong. "Why did you---?"
"Business. If it isn't Rack, it's something else up to no good. Big Bad."
They peered over the railing and saw three men enter the Bronze. The center one looked scary. Crazed scary. "Spike, is that electricity coming from his fingers?"
"Yeah. The other two just look like muscle, though. You should be able to take them out in a hurry."
"ME? Why me bodyguards and you Rack?"
"They're human. I can't touch them with this chip in my head. Now that I've seen him, I know Rack isn't. Don't know what he is, but definitely nothing of the human variety."
"Be careful. Hey, how do we use the amulets and the crystals Anya gave us?"
"They're automatic. Just slip the amulet on and put the crystal in your pocket. The amulet has to be touching skin, the crystal doesn't."
"Does either one protect against electricity?"
"No. Amulet is a you-don't-see-me and the crystal absorbs low-level magic. Might work on the bodyguards, but I doubt it will against Rack. It will take the edge off his spells, but it isn't enough to swallow that electricity. "
"You go left, I'll go right when we get downstairs."
They took one final look down to confirm everyone's position, but Rack was gone. "Do you still feel him?"
"He's close. I think under the loft, maybe."
"Great. Let's go."
They hurried down the stairs.
As they emerged from the loft, they noticed Rack and his bodyguards headed towards the stage. Buffy made her way over to them, tapped one on the shoulder and said "Have you ever considered other employment opportunities?"
He turned around and started clumsily throwing punches. Buffy grabbed his arm and spun him around sending him sprawling towards the second one. After the two collided, she grabbed the stunned second bodyguard and used his momentum to run him into the stairs. "You guys really haven't been in the bodyguard business long, have you?"
The first one had recovered by then, so he turned towards her and grabbed her by the arm. She dropped to the floor on her back and used her feet to fling him back onto the second bodyguard who was just getting up from the stairs. They landed in a tangled pile. Buffy rolled, stood up, and took the opportunity to look around and assess the situation. Patrons were crowding back, trying to avoid the fight or just trying to keep their drinks from getting spilled. A couple of bouncers were weaving their way through the crowd. Spike and Rack were still fighting, Rack throwing miniature lightning bolts and Spike dodging and swinging punches that seemed to be getting more and more erratic as the occasional bolt hit him. Buffy turned back to the bodyguards, who were again advancing towards her. "I suggest you leave. NOW. You can't win this."
They looked at Rack, who still appeared to be winning the fight with Spike. They split and charged at Buffy, one to either side of her. She backed up and grabbed each one by an arm. They picked her up and carried her towards the stage. She brought her body parallel to the floor and managed to find the side of the stage with her feet, flexing her knees and pushing off the side of the stage. The unexpected stop jarred them and got her loose. "Hey! That was my new blouse you just lengthened the sleeves on."
She rolled over and stood up, turning around to see what they were doing. They both looked at where she thought Rack probably was, and then charged her again. "Spike, how are you doing back there? Spike? Talk to me."
Buffy ducked, rolled between the bodyguards and used her momentum to hop up onto the stage. She turned around and saw that Rack had hold of Spike, one hand on either arm. Spike was arched backwards and she could see what looked like electricity running the length of his body. The bodyguards by this time had turned around and were headed towards her again. A bouncer intercepted the one nearest the bar. She waited for a moment, making sure the second bouncer had also grabbed hold of the same bodyguard and that they looked like they were trying to steer him towards the door. She jumped down, dodged past the second bodyguard and grabbed a barstool. Raising it above her head, she brought it crashing down on Rack's head.
Why was she laying in bed? No, the mattress was too firm for her bed. Guess again. Body hurts, hospital bed? Okay, Buffy, do the arms move? Check. Legs? Check. Can my eyes open? Candlelight. Oh, no! What am I doing in on Spike's bed in Spike's crypt? Why do I hurt so much? Just then Spike crossed her vision.
"Awake, Slayer?"
"Yeah. What happened?"
"Well, you saved my ass with that chair so I returned the favor. You should've seen the lightning bolt that Rack hit you with. I'm guessing it was an automatic defense, 'cause he went down for a long eight count."
"What happened to him?"
"As far as I can tell, after his two bodyguards shriveled up like raisins he took off. I dunno for sure, I grabbed you and--"
"Shriveled?"
"Yeah, I think he was using 'em as batteries or something."
"That would explain why they were so mechanical when they fought. No originality, no spark. They fought like the zombies I faced at a party once. I wonder if he was mind controlling them in some way."
"So, you think that's why he wants Red? He's probably needs new batteries all the time; a powerful witch—"
"So how does the Bronze look?"
"No idea. Once he let go of me, I grabbed you and ran. I couldn't protect you and fight him at the same time."
"I would've come to and helped. Remember I have Slayer speedy healing."
"Slayer, you were out for about three hours. It's almost 3:30."
She struggled to her feet, stood up and almost fell over. Spike hurried over to support her. "Spike, let me go. I've got to go see what's going on with my house."
"Yeah, pet, as soon as you can stand. Right now you look like one of those baby animals on the Discovery Channel. All weak and defenseless and wobbly." He caught her gaze and smiled. "If I weren't all soft on the Summers women, I'd be tempted to take a nibble. Nah, the Bit would be mad at me."
"Funny. Help me walk. I need to go see my house and talk to Xander." She reached out and grabbed him by the arms to steady herself. Spike hissed in pain as she touched his arms. She let go and plopped back down on his bed. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Spike, let me see your arms."
"I just told you it was nothing. Let's go see how bad your house looks."
"Spike, take off your shirt, dammit!"
"Ooohh, pet, I love it when you're all forceful and manly."
She sighed and growled, "Spike, just take off the damn shirt. I saw Rack had hold of your arms. I saw the lightning. I just want to see the damage. I can fix you up before we leave."
He took off the red shirt and pushed up the sleeves of his ever-present black t-shirt. Buffy's eyes widened at the sight. There were burns and blisters running up the length of his arms. Where Rack had been holding him, there were charred places in the shape of handprints. "Go get the first aid kit. This is going to hurt."
"Yeah. Last time something hurt this bad, I was trapped under a flamin' organ."
He went to get the first aid kit she knew he kept just in case she was hurt (after all, fixing an injury of hers might be an opportunity to see her take off some clothing). When he returned, she talked him into shedding his t-shirt. Burns and blisters ran the length of his torso. "Now I really hate that guy," she muttered while dressing his burns. "Put my friend in the hospital; cause my house to burn down; trash my friend's store; cause trouble at my favorite hangout; hurt my vampire; and knock me out. That's it. He's going down."
"Am I?" he queried.
"Huh? Are you what?"
"Your vampire?"
"WHAT? Has the pain made you nuttier than Glory was? Where did that come from?"
"You just said—"
Buffy mentally reviewed what she had said. "Oh." She backtracked. "I just meant that nobody gets to hurt you except me."
"Fine by me pet. In case you choose not to remember, I can take it rough."
She closed the first aid kit and stood, choosing to ignore him. "C'mon, let's go see what's left of my house."
They made their way back to Revello Drive. Xander was dozing in his car about a block down from her house. "Hey, Buff--did you get him?"
"No, but I think I know why he wants Willow. He's looking for human batteries. How's my house?"
"They're thinking total loss. I can take you to the guy who's in charge, we had a nice little chat about post Christmas fire safety."
"Yeah, hopefully they'll be as clueless as Sunnydale police. Insurance investigators are not going to believe a witch set fire to my house."
"He's pretty powerful for a witch."
"Rack didn't set fire to my house. He just beat the hell out of Willow. She was trying to defend herself when she set it on fire."
"Oh." He opened his car door and got out. "Let's go see the man in charge. I want to get back and see how Anya's doing."
Buffy looked at the man Xander had introduced her to. "So, when you say total loss, what exactly do you mean?"
"M'am, I mean that they're going to have to bulldoze and start over. Make a big hole in the ground. Build a new house where this one used to be. The fire had spread too far by the time we got here. Your housemate was lucky to escape with her life."
"So how long are you going to be here? I have to make arrangements to live somewhere and get stuff organized. Do I have to sign any papers or anything?"
"No, not until the arson investigator gets here. With the post-Christmas fires and the size of his area, it'll probably be two or three days. If I can get a number or address where he can reach you, your part in this will be over—at least for tonight."
Buffy gave him the number for the Magic Box. She knew Anya would be there constantly for at least the next couple of days, trying to get things squared away. He gave her a business card and said "If you have any questions about what happens next, don't hesitate to call."
"Xander, can we catch a ride back to the Magic Box?"
"You and the undead one?"
"Don't start. He saved me at the Bronze tonight. At major cost to himself."
"Fine, get in. Tonight he gets a free pass on your say-so. Tomorrow—"
"Free pass again. We're going to be working together on this one. I think we're going to need all the Scoobies to take care of Rack. All working together. I think Willow's in real danger and we good guys take care of each other. He almost killed Spike, I know he turned two people into human raisins, and he's pissed me off."