OK, here it is – only one more chapter after this one.

Thanks for all the reviews; I hope I don't disappoint with these last couple of chapters.

Disclaimer: I'm just playing for a while and none of the characters (except Simon, Jessica, and Joseph belong to me)

Chapter 10

Strategies

Joseph stood up and looked around at the captives.

"You bastard," Dawn was crying softly, leaning against Willow.

"Just think, with a Slayer and my newly-made sisters at my side, I will rule this world. Why destroy something when you can own it?" Joseph turned away from them. "Keep them alive until the others get here, then you can have your fun. But no-one is to touch the Slayer."

With a final glance at Buffy, he and Jessica linked hands and went upstairs.

Giles shifted forward to try and comfort Dawn. "My God. Buffy, he wants to make you the fourth."

"We have to get out of here."

"No shit, Harris."

"OK, now you two can stop that before you even start," Buffy looked around, trying to gauge where all the vamps were. "We need a plan."

"Spike." Willow's voice was low, "There's some broken glass about two feet behind you."

He winked at her, "Thanks, Red." Checking that none of the vampires were watching, he started to shuffle slowly backwards, pausing when one of the guards looked as if they might notice.

Giles leaned forward and tried to get as close to Buffy as he could. "They're not going anywhere until the sun goes down again. We'll need to make our move in daylight."

She nodded.

Xander nudged Buffy, "I think I have a plan. But, um, you're not going to like it."

Buffy glanced up to check on the guards, shifting closer to Xander.

Spike managed to reach the glass without being spotted and scrabbled around to try and find a piece big enough to cut his ropes. He watched as Buffy leaned towards Xander, listening closely to his plan. Her brow furrowed and she pulled back quickly, staring at her friend. Spike watched as the emotions passed across her face in seconds; surprise, confusion, regret and acceptance. She nodded slightly. She turned her head towards Spike and motioned with her head. He shuffled back to her side.

"Give me the glass," she murmured, her face close to his, "I need to be the first one free."

"What's going on, love?"

"Xander has a plan. It's a good one," she added, noticing the look on Spike's face, "But we all have to be out of these ropes for it to work. If we do that, the vamps are bound to notice, so I'll get free first, then you. We can protect the others while they untie each other."

He nodded. "Then what?"

"Then we get to the kitchen as fast as we can. The door's pretty narrow, so I think we can hold them back. We have to give Xander enough time to do his thing, then we get out."

Spike thought about it, "Sounds good." Raising his voice, he turned to the others, "We're not going anywhere for a while. Get some rest."

"But, what about…" Dawn was interrupted by Willow nudging her.

"Get some sleep, Dawnie." She raised her eyebrows at Spike.

Always rely on Red to get the hint, he said to himself. Taking the lead, he lay down on his side and closed his eyes. The vampires guarding them tensed, but seeing their captives apparently docile they relaxed again and turned back to their conversations. Buffy wondered at their stupidity, but lay down on her side with the others, turning her body to hide her bound hands from the guards. She started working on the ropes. Spike checked on the guards, then shifted closer to Xander.

"Harris, listen up."

It was more than two hours later before Buffy felt some give in the ropes. It was only the first few strands and her hands had taken more damage than anything else, but it was something. Her arms and hands aching, she tried to keep working, looking around at the others. Simon was still unconscious, but he had stirred a little about half an hour ago. Everyone else had fallen asleep after they had heard the plan and Buffy could hear the comforting sound of her sister's gentle snoring.

"Buffy."

She jumped and twisted her head around to look at Spike. "Don't do that!"

"Thought you might wanna get some rest," he grinned at her, "Gimme the glass and I'll have a go."

Buffy nodded gratefully and leaned back onto the carpet, stretching her back and flexing her shoulders in an oddly feline gesture before closing her eyes, a little sigh escaping her lips. His hands worked automatically at the ropes, so he could relax a little and watch his Slayer sleep. His Slayer; it sounded good. His eyes lingered on her face, pale but peaceful, then followed the curve of her shoulder down to the small waist and over her hips. Her hands were a mass of small cuts from the glass and he winced slightly at the sight of her blood, but the marks were already healing and he turned away from the sight. He shifted forward and kissed her lightly on the soft skin where her neck met her hairline. Buffy smiled and pushed herself back against him.

"Good night, Spike."

Buffy woke to the sound of a scuffle. One of the vamps had Xander by the throat. Another had a firm hold of Dawn as she kicked and struggled to help her friend. Buffy tried to get to her feet.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Jessica stood watching the scene with an amused look on her face. Her brother was conscious again and stared at her, his face pale, black rings under his eyes. He shuddered. Jessica stepped forward and put a restraining hand on the guard's shoulder.

"You can have him later."

He growled and let go of Xander, who crumpled to the floor, panting slightly.

"Line them up against the wall. I don't want anyone else trying anything before the others get here."

Buffy glanced nervously at Spike and clasped her hands tightly together, hoping that the guards wouldn't notice her ropes were damaged. The female vamp who grabbed her didn't notice and with an internal sigh of relief Buffy had to remind herself again that most vampires were extremely single-minded and more than a little bit dumb; Spike had been an exception. With a growing sense of hope, she realized they had been moved closer to the kitchen. She risked a look at the others. Giles shot her a quick smile. Dawn was staring at the distance between her and their way out until Willow nudged her. Spike winked at her and she felt him fumbling for her hands. Trying to move as little as possible, she leaned closer and took the shard of glass from him.

"What happened?"

"I think one of the vamps saw me up to something and he was gonna come over. Harris just kinda jumped at one of the others and started kicking him." Spike glanced over at Xander, "Great distraction, if a bit stupid. Remind me to thank him when we get out of here."

"How much time until sunset?" Buffy couldn't see out of the window thanks to the barricades, but she had a feeling it must be nearly night.

"You were out like a light, love. It's nearly seven. Few hours and we're out of here."

Willow nudged him. "Giles says we should wait another night."

"What?" Buffy leaned forward, struggling to keep her voice low. "Why?"

"He says if Jessica is waiting for 'the others' it could be the other two Horsemen. If we wait, we can get all of them."

A boot caught Buffy against the side of her head, knocking her over onto Spike.

"No talking." The guard turned away again.

"You're gonna pay for that, you prick." Spike spat at him. The vampire ignored him. He turned his head to look at Buffy as she rested against his shoulder. There was a small stream of blood down the side of her face, but her eyes were open and she looked mad. That's my girl, he thought.

"We'll wait," she said, an unmistakable edge to her voice.

Giles acknowledged with a nod and they all settled back again to wait out the next night.

Jessica stood waiting at the front door. The air was thick with nervous anticipation. Joseph was sitting on an armchair that had been dragged away from one of the barricades and seemed to be the only one present who wasn't tense.

"They're here." He got to his feet as Jessica opened the door. Two vampires in game face entered. Buffy shuddered as she recognized the old woman they had found, her face a strangely sick parody of a vampire's features. The other was a young woman, hardly more than a teenager. Involuntarily, Buffy glanced at Dawn.

The two newcomers went to Joseph. There seemed to be a silent conversation going on between them, with glances towards the captives and gestures of assent or disapproval. It lasted only a few minutes. The Three turned and moved to the stairs, their movements oddly synchronized. Joseph paused and spoke to Jessica before he left.

"Well, it seems you all get to live a little bit longer. My masters think it appropriate that you are the first victims of your Slayer after she has been turned." Jessica smiled slowly, moving towards her brother once again. He stayed silent, his eyes blank and hopeless. Buffy felt Spike move and leaned on him to restrain him.

"Not now."

He nodded slightly, but his eyes were still fixed on Simon's face. This time, Jessica did not taunt him and he did not try and stop her. She lifted him to his feet and enfolded him in her arms, pulling his head back gently, her hand tangled in his hair. Simon's eyes were fixed on the ceiling, empty and void. As he lost consciousness again, Jessica lowered him delicately to the floor. For a moment she stood over him, her head on one side as she studied his face, then she turned and left him.

Spike relaxed again next to Buffy. She could hear his breathing, short and shallow, catching in his throat. There was nothing she could do for him now, so she settled for leaning back and touching his hands gently with hers.

They had watched as most of the vampires and their new masters had left for the hunt and returned a few hours later, their eyes sparkling and their movements quickened with the newness of the blood flowing inside them. Jessica had returned with them. She seemed tense and uneasy, her eyes continually flicking around, never settling on anything. Finally, just before sunrise, she re-entered the room and stood over her brother again. After a moment of watching him, she crouched down and cupped his face in her hand.

"Simon." Her voice was surprisingly gentle. She shook him a little. "Simon, wake up."

Slowly, Simon seemed to come round, struggling to consciousness. Jessica held his wakening gaze.

"You were right, brother; I still remember when I was your Jess; your daisy. I'll never forget it. I still love you, Simon. That's why I'm going to do all I can for you." Simon looked blankly back at her. She stroked his cheek softly. "I'm going to be your sister and your mother."

"No!"

Spike broke the final strands of his ropes and threw himself at Jessica, hurling her across the room. He backhanded one of the guards who approached him and pulled back to punch another. His fist was grabbed from behind and he swung around wildly, connecting with his attacker through sheer luck. The vampire kept hold of him and they both fell to the floor, punching at each other randomly. Four other vampires threw themselves on him and he disappeared from Buffy's view. She was itching to jump to her feet and wade in to help him, but she knew their plan depended on her being free and she couldn't risk the others' safety. Spike was dragged to his feet. Four vampires held him as he struggled. There was some blood on his lip, but he seemed to be fine. Jessica was almost purring.

"You are lucky Joseph wants you kept alive for the moment, or I would kill you very slowly and very painfully for that." She traced a finger down his face, wiping some of his blood from his lip and tasting it. "Mmm, you are different, aren't you? I can't wait to find out." Jessica turned back to Simon, gesturing back over her shoulder. "Now you get to watch."

Spike wrenched his body against the guards that held him, kicking out at them. They forced him to his knees and held him there as Jessica made her brother stand. Dawn turned away, hiding her face on Willow's shoulder.

Jessica drained him slowly, turning his body around as if dancing, so that she could watch Spike over his shoulder. Simon's knees buckled and his head rolled back lifelessly, but she held him on his feet with one arm, using the other hand to take a knife from her pocket. Reaching around her brother, she opened her wrist, letting the blood run down her arm. It oozed slowly, glistening in the low light. Turning his almost cold body away from her, she allowed his weight to rest against her chest, raising her wrist to his mouth, her eyes never leaving Spike's face. Simon twitched as he felt the blood fill his mouth, swallowing involuntarily. His eyes flew open and he reached up to take her arm, holding it against his lips, eagerly drinking her in. Spike tried to turn away, but he found he couldn't. He was transfixed, his eyes drawn to Simon's hungry mouth on his sister's wrist, to her bright eyes and fervent need. Tears stood in his eyes, spilled down his cheeks and he could hear himself whispering softly as if from a distance, "No, no, no…"

Buffy watched him, turning her face away from the brother and sister locked together in the middle of the room. Her heart pounded against her ribs and she desperately tried to control it. It would do no good for any of them if she lost control now; she couldn't take on all the vampires who had entered the room to watch and dying here wouldn't solve anything. She had to hold herself in check.

With a final violent gesture, Jessica threw Simon away from her. His body fell across the room and landed against the barricade under the window with a crash. There was a red stain around his mouth like an open wound and the blood was still oozing from his neck. He lay still. Jessica raised a hand to her lips and blew a slow kiss to Spike, sweeping past him and into the dining room. Spike didn't put up a fight as the vamps bound his hands again and dragged him back to his place against the wall.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to Buffy, his head dropping to his chest.

Giles cleared his throat. "Get some rest. We've only got an hour before the sun comes up."

"You did what all of us wanted to do. No-one blames you for losing it."

Spike looked up and met Willow's eyes. "Thanks, Red."

Buffy found his hands again and squeezed his fingers. He gave her a weak smile, resting his head back against the wall and closing his eyes. A final tear squeezed out and fell down his cheek.

Another vampire left the room, leaving only four actually guarding them. Buffy thought there were about thirty vamps in the house and three of them were in the kitchen. She glanced over to the others. They were all watching her movements, waiting for the signal. Spike had managed to get his hands under him and was slowly trying to wriggle his legs through to get his hands in front of him without the guards noticing. He winked at her. Pushing her fears down inside her, she smiled slowly. The moment seemed to last a lifetime as they waited. Almost imperceptibly, but with utter deliberation, Buffy nodded.

The first vampire didn't know what hit it. Buffy had broken the last of the ropes and was on her feet before anyone else in the room had moved. Dawn was following Spike's lead and was struggling to get her hands under her. Buffy punched the first of the guards, used her momentum to spin around and kick the second even as he got to his feet. Giles had pushed himself up to stand against the wall and was back to back with Xander, trying to undo his ropes. Dawn had managed to get her hands in front of her and was untying Willow. Spike appeared beside Buffy, swinging his still-bound hands at another vampire.

"Kitchen."

"Yep." She punched the last guard hard in the stomach. As he bent, she spun and kicked him hard across the face, sending him staggering backwards. He tripped over Simon's still prone form and crashed into the barricade, taking some of it down with him as he fell and letting a stream of sunlight into the room.

"Back!"

Dawn and Xander got to the kitchen door first, where they were met by two vamps. Dawn ducked the first swing and, still struggling to get rid of the last of the ropes, kicked viciously at her attackers groin. He backed up to avoid the wild kick and walked straight into another vampire who was coming up behind him. They both fell to the floor. Xander was trying to hold back his opponent using the rope between his hands to press hard against the vamp's neck.

Buffy ripped a leg off the coffee table that had fallen and tossed it to Spike. She took another for herself and started to back towards the kitchen. Giles and Willow had their hands free and were helping Xander and Dawn hold back the three at the door. Buffy could hear more vampires coming down the stairs and Jessica had already emerged from the dining room with some lackeys in tow. She advanced slowly on them as they backed towards the others. Spike was dragging the remains of the coffee table with him. They reached the door and Buffy turned swiftly and staked the three vamps the others had managed to pin to the ground. Everyone fell into the room and Spike positioned the table across the door so that the first attackers would have to climb over it to get in. He ripped off the remaining two legs and handed them to Willow and Giles.

"Xander, get started. Dawn, get that crap away from the back door. Everyone else, get ready." Buffy dropped in to fighting stance.

Xander just had time to react, grab a knife from the unit and dive to the floor next to the fridge before the first vampires attacked. He could hear Dawn smashing at the back door with the hammer that had been left in there. Every couple of seconds, he caught a glimpse of one of his friends fighting hard. He used the knife to cut the ropes and turned to his task, trying not to think about what would happen if they failed.

The vampires could only get through the door two at a time, but they were trying to use weight of numbers to force the first of their number through. It was hard going fighting at close quarters; every time they staked one, another appeared through the spreading ash. They were being steadily forced back, the vamps spreading out into the room.

"I'm done!" Dawn yelled from the back door. She ripped open a drawer and started desperately scrabbling through the contents.

"Go! Dawnie, get out!" Buffy risked a glance behind her.

Xander jumped to his feet, "Let's go!" He grabbed Dawn by the shoulders and tried to push her through the back door, but she managed to resist him long enough to take something out of the drawer. The two ran out into the bright sunshine of the garden. Giles and Willow backed towards the door, silently daring the vampires to follow them into the pool of light, their stakes still at the ready.

"Buffy, hurry up!"

She turned to check that the others were safe and felt a hand on her arm, spinning her back. Raising her makeshift stake, she used the momentum to bring it around fast and hard, burying it in the vampire's chest. He dusted quickly and she continued the swing, falling forward slightly. Her body met the knife in Jessica's hand coming the other way. Pain exploded inside her and she looked down to see the handle protruding from just below her breastplate, a bright rose of blood spreading around it. Jessica's face was close to hers, the dust from the just-staked vampire settling in her dark hair. Buffy stared at the woman, her eyes wide, her legs giving way. Vaguely, she heard Spike shouting, but she couldn't make out the words. Her whole universe had narrowed to the face in front of her with its mocking eyes and malevolent smile.

Spike caught Buffy with an arm around her waist. In the same movement, he swung the table leg and buried it in Jessica's chest. She met his flat gaze with shocked eyes, crumbling to dust even as her mouth formed a scream.

Spike bent and lifted Buffy in his arms, turning and running out into the safety of the sunlight. He lowered her gently to the ground. The remaining vampires were standing inside the back door watching them. Giles stepped into Spike's eye line.

"Dawn?" She handed him something and he took another step forward, flipping open the matchbook and ripping one out. He lit it and carefully tucked the end back in the book. Advancing on the vampires, menace in his every movement, Giles stopped out of reach just outside the door. He met Joseph's gaze and casually tossed the burning matchbook into the kitchen. He walked away.

The book flew into the house and landed in the middle of the kitchen floor. Every vampire turned to watch it. As the rest of the matches caught and flared, the gas from the ruptures line ignited and engulfed the kitchen in a ball of expanding flame, bright and deadly as the sun.

The initial explosion took out most of the house. Willow was thrown backwards into Xander, both tumbling to the ground. Spike spun around and tried to protect Buffy with his body as best he could. He could hear the trapped vampires screaming inside the building as the fire spread, hungry and eager.

"Buffy!" Dawn threw herself to her knees next to her sister.

"Hey, Dawnie," Buffy took her hand. Giles was on his cell phone, speaking quickly and urgently.

Buffy looked up at Spike, "We did it?"

"Yes love, we got 'em. All of them." He was stroking her cheek and she could taste his salt tears on her lips, watched them fall onto her from his eyes, sparkling sapphire in the light.

"Good." She shook her head, tried to clear the dizziness. "Spike?"

He leaned closer, "Yes, sweetheart?"

"I love you. See you later."

She sighed gently, so softly, her eyes fluttering closed as she let the darkness come. As the dusk took her again, she could hear him.

"Buffy? Don't you bloody die on me again. Buffy, please; don't leave me."