Chapter 7: A Night Out

It had been six days. Buffy fidgeted impatiently just thinking about it. She hadn't gone to Spike's crypt for six days and she even hadn't found him in the graveyard on her nightly patrols. She lingered around, even after all the slaying was over to see if he would show up, and trudged home disappointedly when he didn't. She knew it was all her fault, and although she knew if she saw him, she would have nothing to say, she still hoped that she might be able to catch a glimpse of him somehow.

It had been the longest six nights ever too. Tonight she sat at the Bronze, coolly sipping a beer that she didn't want, listening to Anya and Xander drone on and on about the wedding plans.

"No, but see, Ahn, I don't think I much into the whole feasting on young demon's blood. It's just a dietary preference."

"But Xander, it's what my demon ancestors did, why can't you accept that? I'm going have to deal with your ex-con Uncle Sid and your horny Grandpa who won't keep his hands to himself. Why can't you do this for me?"

"Yes, Anh, but the oogily-boogily of it all, I mean . . ." Xander paused to look over at a sullen Buffy. "Hey Buffster, turn that frown upside down. Why don't you put on your dancin' shoes? The band's pretty rockin tonight."

"Nah, I'm not much in the mood," Buffy grumbled, furtively looking round her shoulder for someone.

"Come on, Buff, you've been all into the glum for days now. Just when you were doing better too. Whaddya say I take you out for a spin on the dance floor?" Xander was interrupted by a sudden jerky kick under the table. "That is, I would, but I'm having way too much fun with my fiancée, discussing the wonderful world of ritual bloodletting." Anya smiled smugly. "But still, Buffy, look around," Xander started. "All these guys in Bronze have been staring at you ever since you got here, and I'm sure you didn't get all dolled up just to ignore them."

Buffy looked down at her getup. A skin-tight, cleavage baring, Faithesque camisole coupled with a barely-there leather micromini along with knee high stiletto boots. She had tried to dress up that evening to forget all about Spike and lose herself in the arms of another guy. Oh who was she kidding, she was dressing this ridiculously in the faint hope that she would see Spike at the Bronze. After that, she had no idea what she would do. Maybe pull an old reliable, attack a guy in his presence, the way she did with clueless Xander that one time with Angel. How fun would that be? Fun if only he was were, Buffy grumpily voiced to herself, feeling an annoying ache within her chest.

Without him there, the night looked like it was turning into a black, abysmal chasm of boredom.

"Really, Xan, don't worry your pretty little head about me, I'm cool." Buffy struggled to smile and turned around to act like she was entirely interested in the band onstage.

"Uh-oh, interested male, 9 o'clock," Xander grinned excitedly as a guy approached the table where they were sitting.

"Um, hey Buffy?"

Buffy turned to face a tall, muscular guy, attractive in a football superstar, jockish, Abercrombie & Fitch modelly sort of way. He reminded her of Riley. He looked clumsy and bulky compared to Spike's more slender, lithe, seductive physique.

"Buffy Summers?" He repeated.

"Yeah, that's me," she asked hesitantly. "What can I do for you . . . .?"

"Billy," the guy supplied. "Billy MacCaffee, from your old sociology class? I sat behind you?"

"Oh hey, Billy." Buffy hardly remembered him. She could hardly remember college life at all in fact. It seemed so mundane, so strangely normal that it didn't compare to where she had been and what she had seen in the last year. She wondered if anyone at UC Sunnydale had heard about her dying.

"Um, I was just wondering if you, um, if you wanted to dance." Billy shifted uncomfortably and looked down hopefully at Buffy.

"Oh," she frowned, "Ummm, that's okay, but I----"

"She would love to," Xander cut in. "She loves the dancin, she does. Can't ever get her off the dance floor. She's like Michael Flately, Lord of the Dance, except hotter, heterosexual, and minus the annoying billowy shirt." Billy glanced over at him and made it clear he thought Xander was strange.

"No, really," Buffy said, cutting Xander a fierce look, "I'm good. I, um, sprained my ankle. It's these damn boots, you know. " She gave Billy a weak smile. "But thanks for asking anyway."

Billy's face fell. "Well, um." He stood there awkwardly and mouthed a couple silent words like he had been practicing this moment. "I-I was wondering if maybe I could get your number, and um, give you a call sometime."

"She would be happy to give it to you," Xander rushed in again. "She loves calls. Loves to get 'em. Loves to give 'em. Oh you would have to saw off the telephone from her hand, she's all into the talking."

Buffy sighed. Billy was confused now, whether to speak to Buffy directly or through Xander, her apparently new, self-declared pimp. "Ummm, that's not exactly true. I, uh, I like calls and everything, but," she tried to say it as gently as she could, using her hands as a way to make it implicitly clear, "I'm at this period in my life where I like calls, but I don't really need calls. I hope you understand," she added, seeing the disappointment in Billy's face. God Buffy, could that have been anymore lame?

Xander glanced over at her, shocked and tried to put the pieces back together as Billy started to walk away dejectedly. "Whoa, Billy, man, she's totally drunk, she doesn't know what she's talkin' about. She loves the calls. She needs the calls." Sighing he turned to Buffy. "Buff, what gives? We had you this close to scoring some of the hunk a' hunk o' burning love and you shut him down!"

"Xander, I really appreciate your rather pitiful attempts at matchmaking, but I really don't need them, " Buffy informed him. She got up from the table. "This night has been a total bust," she sighed. "I think I'll just go home and check on Dawn and Willow."

Speak of the devil. "Buffy!" Dawn screamed as she made her way through the Bronze, towards her sister.

Buffy walked up to her, alarmed. "What's the matter Dawn? What's happened?"

"It's Willow. There's something the matter with her. You have to come home quick."

Buffy looked over her shoulder towards Anya and Xander. "Let's go."

"She just started yelling for awhile and then would stop. She kept wheezing, like she was in incredible pain . . . like she was trying to fight something inside her, like she was possessed," Dawn said tearfully as they walked home, supported by a worried Buffy. "Then she stopped yelling and started talking in a man's voice."

"Sounds like she is possessed," Buffy said grimly. "Where's Tara?"

"Well she was watching me, but now I think she's trying to calm down Willow down. We used the holy water and cross and everything, but it had no effect."

Xander's face was twisted with worry. "Sounds like one powerful demon."

"Actually, that doesn't sound like a demon at all," Anya said, never failing to sound bright in moments of crisis.

"What are you talking about Ahn, what about that whole 'Exorcist' thing?"

Anya shrugged her shoulders in annoyance. "Oh that was just all hype. I mean it was true, but it totally gave demons a bad rap. Anyway, this doesn't even sound like the Exorcist. Let me ask you Dawn, were there any other supernatural things going on? Flying bookcases, jumping furniture?"

Dawn paused. "No. I don't think so."

"Hmmm. And she didn't respond to the holy water and cross?"

"No. We read her some of the stuff from the Bible even, but she just sat there, and said it was a lovely story." Dawn frowned. "Which is weird, since she's Jewish . . . but that wasn't the only weird thing. She started acting all scary, like, not violent, just . . . brooding and threatening. And she kept walking around and looking at everything like she had never seen it before. All in the really creepy guy voice."

"See, that doesn't sound like a regular, I'm-itchin-for some-possession demon," Anya pointed out. "Demons who possess are usually very antsy, and they like to just go into a body to wreck havoc. They don't settle and walk around, browsing the merchandise."

Xander shook his head in confusion. "What are you saying Ahn?"

"Well . . . remember when you got possessed Buffy? That was all about the desire of the demon to use the body to kill. I don't know, demons don't just possess a body for a visit. And demons usually respond to holy water and the like. Not even the strongest demons ignore that stuff. I myself break out into hives if anyone even brings that stuff near me."

"Well . . . Tara made her drink it . . . and she said that it was refreshing," Dawn said, her nose wrinkling in worry again.

"See?" Anya said proudly. "Not a demon."

"So what do we do?" Buffy asked. "We know how to handle a demon, but how do we handle this big, bad body-snatcher we haven't even identified? I mean, it's taking over Willow. We can't just sit back and let that happen." Everyone nodded in agreement, even Dawn, who felt guilty tears roll down her cheeks.

Buffy fretfully ran up the stairs as soon as they made into the house. Bursting into Willow's room, she found her looming over Tara threateningly, who cowered in a corner, not knowing what to do.

"You know you want a taste," Willow hissed in a foreign, low, gravelly voice. "I can tell you only use magic for the good. Haven't you wondered what it tastes like to experiment with the most primal, darkest, sweetest form of magic? It feels so good. So powerful. I've proved that to your simpering, smiley-faced girlfriend."

"Willow, baby, please," Tara pleaded, wincing as Willow touched her cheek. "You . . .you d-don't want w-whatever's in you to o-overpower you."

"Get away from her," Buffy ordered, pushing Willow off. "Whoever's in there, get the hell away from my friend."

Willow chuckled a deep, dangerous, male whisper. "And who might you be? Oh, the roommate. You think you have you what it takes to save your friend from my grasp? It's too late. She let me explore her mind, her body, her magick and that's all I need."

Buffy came to the sudden realization. "Rack."

"I can see you are as intelligent as you are hostile. Very perspicacious. Not like the girlfriend and the silly sister. They thought the water and crosses, and all the other meaningless vestiges could keep me out, but I'm here because Willow wants me to be. She invited me in. She used me. How could she expect that I wouldn't do the same?"

Buffy placed in her hands on her hips and gave the characteristic Slayer stare. "I really hope this isn't an extended visit here Rack. It's been nice getting to know you and all, but I would really appreciate getting my friend Willow back. Which would include, let's see, you getting the hell out of her body." Buffy whipped onto Willow, dragging her along, trying to physically shake Rack out, but Willow promptly struck back, whipping a stinging blow across her cheek. Buffy guarded herself against another oncoming blow and landed a stunning punch that forced Willow to arch her head back. As Buffy struggled to get to her again, Willow ducked, kicking Buffy's feet out from under her and grinning devilishly as she fell on her back. Picking her up, Willow hurled Buffy towards the wall, but Buffy promptly picked herself back up and rushed back to give Willow a powerful roundhouse kick. Willow responded by picking up a large end table from the side of the room and hurling at Buffy. Buffy ducked and rushed to shatter her knuckles against the side of Willow's face. I can't believe Rack can make her this strong, Buffy reflected, struggling to keep an upper hand.

"This is so weird," Xander watched with morbid interest while Dawn, Tara and Anya cowered in the corner. "I mean I spent high school dreaming about them fighting like this. But you don't expect them to be so good! Of course I did imagine more feathers and pillows and less clothing. But look at Willow! Damn, that's got to hurt."

"Xander honey, I think now is not the time to describe your horny adolescent fantasies. Even I have enough sense to see that," Anya said as she poked him.

Both Willow and Buffy struggled, the blows and kicks becoming fiercer and stronger. Finally Willow stepped back and said in Rack's voice, "Why is there so much strength pulsing from you, you small girl? You don't smell like a witch. Where does your power come from? You are good match, but this is just boring me. I'll take my leave . . . for now." With that, Willow collapsed to the floor. Tara rushed to her side and cradled Willow's head in her arms as she came to. "Willow, honey?"

"Tara?" Willow groggily got up. "What happened? I blacked out. God, I feel horrible." She touched her bloody, split lip.

Buffy crouched and gazed at Willow with a look of seriousness. "Willow, listen. I have to ask you something very important. Have you been doing magic again?"

Willow turned red from anger. "What, no! How could you ask me that? I've been stuck in my room for weeks now and you ask me that?!"

Buffy relaxed. "It's just that . . . Willow, moments ago you were . . . Rack."

"And you were kickin ass!" Xander added excitedly. "Buffy's ass! That's a hard ass to kick."

"What? What's going on?" Willow looked around at the faces, lined with worry. "I was Rack?"

"Rack kind of . . . manifested himself into you. Like, he took over your body. I think he could because you let him use your magic. He said he would be back."

Willow sat back with fear and pondered this. "Oh my God. I can't believe this. I'm so sorry. I've ruined everything."

Buffy patted her soothingly. "No you didn't. This isn't your fault."

"Yes it is! I'm the one addicted to magic, I went to him, I let him use me and I hurt Dawn . . . oh God Dawnie." Willow tearfully turned to Dawn. "I am so sorry, I must have scared you so bad. AGAIN. I can't believe this."

Dawn shrugged. "It's okay. I . . . I'm really sorry about being jerk. I know now that it wasn't your fault." Buffy went over to give Dawn a thank-you kiss on the forehead.

"So what do we do know?" Xander asked. "He said he would be back. How can we tell when that can happen?"

"We can't," Tara said softly. She was visibly shaking, smoothing Willow's forehead. "Rack could come at anytime. And we have no idea how dangerous he could be . . . or how he could use Willow's body again." She gathered a whimpering Willow into her lap. She looked down at her. "It's alright baby," she comforted. Willow relaxed a bit in her arms.

"I say we go find Rack and finish him off before it happens again," Buffy stated firmly.

"Agreed." Xander frowned. "But we can't find him, us being annoyingly human." He groaned. "We're gonna need the bleached bloodsucker for this one, won't we?"

Buffy straightened. She forgot about that. She was hoping to leave him out of this, but another part of her rejoiced in the fact that she had an excuse to see him. She turned and put on her Commander Buffy face. "I'll get Spike. Xander, Anya, you go to the Magic Box and try to find information about this Rack guy. Tara, Dawn, you stay with Willow."

Everyone nodded and soon everything fell into place, a well-oiled machine of Scoobiness. Buffy briskly strode out the door towards the graveyard