Ryder happened to be hiding in another teacher's office researching Blake and heard the whole conversation. He followed Finn down the hall and heard him say, "so Jake's a girl?" The he hid as Finn turned toward him to head to his office. Ryder pulled out his cell and called the house. He prayed Spike would pick up.
"Hello," came Spike's gruff voice.
"Spike."
"Ryder? What do you want?"
"Our teacher, Finn knows Jake secret."
"Which?"
"The gender part, but probably both."
"So why are you telling me?"
"Maybe you can scare him into not saying anything. If he tells the dean, Jake will get kicked out of school."
Spike sighed. "When should I come?"
"Tonight?"
"I'll see what I can do?" (click)
Ryder went and spied on Finn, who was pulling a sleeping bag out of the closet and laying it on the floor in front of his desk. Ryder went to the games room down the hall. He grabbed a pool hall and went to wait for Spike. He was waiting in the parking lot. After about five minutes, a vampire jumped out of the shadows and headed for Ryder. He rammed the cue into its chest and the vamp exploded into dust.
"Neat."
Ryder looked up; Spike was standing behind the pile of dust.
"Uh, thanks, can't believe I just did that."
"Well that's better than what Xander can do. So let's go scare your teacher."
Ryder invited spike in and led him to Finn's office.
"Well here goes." Spike said.
He opened the door and walked in. Finn was sleeping. Spike walked around and grabbed the papers about him and Angel off the desk. The rustling of the papers woke Finn.
"Who's there?" Finn asked as he struggled out of the bag. Spike vamped out, as Finn stood up. "Who are you?" Finn asked as her turned to see the dark figure.
"Leave him alone." Spike growled stepping around the desk.
"Who?"
"Stop investigating us, or they'll have to kill you."
"Who?"
Spike turned the lamp on the desk on. Finn stepped backwards, but tripped over his sleeping bag and fell. "Who, Wha?"
"Stay away from Jacob and stop investigating us."
Ryder entered the room. "Finn, I heard people talking are you alright?" He asked appearing to be concerned.
Spike used his vampire speed and grabbed Ryder, who gasped. Spike held Ryder in a headlock. "Want to tempt me? Stay away from us. He's special and we need him to save the world. A great darkness is rising and only he can stop it." Spike pushed Ryder toward Finn and ran out.
"Finn, what was?" Ryder tried to appear scared.
"I don't know."
Ryder glanced at the door then back to Finn. "I'm going to bed see you tomorrow."
Finn nodded his head.
Ryder left. He arrived at his room to find Spike waiting for him.
"Do you think it worked?" Spike asked.
"I hope so. I'll keep an eye on him. If something happens, I'll tell you."
"Why did you call me and not Angel or Buffy?"
"I think they would have spent more time freaking out then actually doing anything. Plus I like you more than either of them."
"I should start a fan club."
"If Wesley or Giles finds out could we get in trouble?"
"Probably not you, just me."
"They don't like you, do they?"
"No."
"How come?"
"I used to be evil and tried to kill both Buffy and Angel on various occasions. But then I got this stupid chip and I can't hurt humans."
"I know how you feel." Spike gave him a confused look. "Well, sorta. I used to be a bully."
"And now that you're part of the group you still feel that they don't trust you." Spike filled in.
"Exactly."
"Well, I got to get going." Spike climbed out the window. Before he jumped, he spoke. "At least they treat you like a person, and not a rabid dog, that they only tolerate, because you can't hurt them."
Ryder watched as Spike jumped off and ran into the woods.
They next day was Friday, so the Rawley kids stopped at the diner for dinner. The front window that Blake broke was boarded up. They sat in their usual booth. Xander was working, so he waited on them. As they ate Bella and Sean walked in.
"Hey, Bella. Long time no see." Jake said as she moved over to make room.
Bella sat down. "Hey, how are you doing?"
"Okay, hey sorry about not being around lately."
"It's okay. What were you up to?"
"I guess you could say I was trying to avoid some people."
"Oh, stalkers?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"So you guys want to do something tonight?" Sean asked.
The guys looked at Jake. "Go ahead. Maybe I'll catch up later."
Jake and Ryder left.
"What's up with Jake?" Sean asked.
"Destiny." Will said. Bella gave him a confused looked.
As Ryder and Jake drove by Bella asked. "By the way, I thought you guys hated Ryder?" "He's changed a bit." Scout said.
"Plus he knows." Ham said.
"Oh." Bella said.
That night, Ryder, Jake, Buffy, and Angel went out on patrol. While Will, Scout, Ham, Bella, and Sean went to a party at one of Sean's friends house. Jake and company started at the cemetery and moved on from there.
"It's too quiet tonight." Angel said.
"Something's up." Buffy said.
Ryder and Jake looked at each other. Music from the party floated their way.
"Do you think?" Jake asked.
"Let's go!" Buffy exclaimed. They took off toward the party.
Meanwhile Spike saw the party. As he headed toward it, he saw two vampires walking toward the house. He ran up and staked one instantly. The other tried the tackle Spike, but fell directly on the stake. He ran up to the front door. "Hey, can I come in?" He asked the guy sitting in the doorway.
"Yeah," the guy slurred. "Everybody's…" Spike covered the guy's mouth.
"Don't think it, don't say it. Okay? (The guy nodded his head.) Okay." Spike let the kid go and walked inside. He saw a keg in the corner, just about everyone in the room was trashed. He spotted two kids necking on a couch. He would have passed by, but he realized the guy looked like he was about to pass out. Spike pulled the girl off and staked her.
"Spike!" He turned and saw Hamilton and Will fighting off a vamp. He staked it in the back.
"We thought this would be a normal party. But by ten…" Will started explaining.
Spike cut him off. "You're best friend is a slayer, nothing is ever normal. Where's Scout?"
Will turned toward the kitchen. Spike ran in, he saw Scout trying to keep the back door closed. "Will, call the cops. Some of these kids are going to need medical attention. Hamilton, start rounding the kids up." He tossed Ham a stake. Ham caught it and headed toward the front of the house. Spike helped Scout shove the door closed and locked it.
Suddenly Bella and Sean burst in with two vampires on their heels. One of the vampires saw Spike and attacked him. The other jumped on Bella. Will and Scout tried to pry him off, but the vamp threw them off. Suddenly the vamp burst into dust. Bella looked up and saw Jake.
"Bella." Jake held her hand out. Bella took it and Jake helped her up.
"What are they?" Bella asked.
"In a minute." Jake ripped the vamp off of Spike and Will staked it.
"What the hell is going on?" Sean asked.
Before anyone could answer, a vampire crashed through the window and attacked Jake.
Four others followed; one attacked Spike, another grabbed Will, and another jumped on Sean and bit him. The last one was Angel; he staked the two attacking Jake and Will. Scout staked the one on Spike. Suddenly they heard the wail of an ambulance. As Jake staked the vampire on Sean, he fell into her arms.
"Police! Freeze!"
Everyone froze. Four officers were standing in the entrance to the kitchen with their guns drawn. Suddenly the door next to the entrance of the kitchen opened and a blonde girl emerged. Behind her the body of a boy slid out.
"Harm?!" Spike couldn't believe his eyes.
"Hi, Spikey."
Buffy gave Spike a dirty look.
He shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't you like, Spikey?"
"Like what?"
"My party."
"You did all this?"
"Well, you just took off. So I followed you, I thought this would get your attention."
"You are responsible for all this?" Jake asked.
"Yeah." Harmony had that 'duh' tone in her voice.
Jake punched her in the face. As she tried to hit her again, two of the officers pulled Jake away as the other two officers cuffed Harmony.
"Hey!" Harmony squealed as the two officers took her away. The other two let Jake go. Three paramedics rushed in, picked Sean up, and rushed out with Bella following behind. Hamilton in and hugged Jake.
"Who was that?" Jake asked.
"A waste of a good vampire." Spike said.
"Didn't she go to school with you? I swear I saw her at graduation." Angel asked.
"Yeah, Harmony, but actually I think she was a waste of a person, too. But what can you do? It probably would have been better if she had just gotten eaten."
Will raised his eyebrows.
"Giant snake." Angel said.
The officers finished surveying the room and turned to the group. The taller one spoke. "I need a statement from two of you."
Spike wanting to get away from Buffy's glare volunteered along with Scout.
"We should probably head toward the hospital and see how Sean's doing?" Hamilton said.
"Wait, where's Ryder?" Jake asked. The group ran through the house, out onto the lawn, and over to the three ambulances. Angel was about to ask a paramedic if he'd seen Ryder, when his cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Angel? It's Ryder, I got attacked."
"Where are you?" Ryder told him.
"Guys, go to the hospital, I'll meet you there." Angel yelled at the gang as he took off in the direction of the house. As he ran his cell rang. "Hello?"
"Angel, this is Willow. Oz got loose."
"Yeah, I know." Angel hung up.
He ran as fast as he could, about a mile from the party. Angel found werewolf Oz with a tree on top of him. He looked around and found Ryder a few feet away. Ryder looked all right his jeans were ripped; as Angel picked him up he realized that on of Ryder's right leg was broken. Angel pulled out his phone and dialed. "Willow, I found him. Bring the van to Elm and Bridge." Angel carried Ryder out to the street and waited. About five minutes, later the van pulled up. Willow, Cordelia, and Doyle jumped out. Angel laid Ryder on the back seat, as the others went into the woods to find Oz. Willow had the tranquilizer gun. She shot a dart at him just in case.
"Look's like Ryder crawled under the tree and when Oz tried he got stuck." Doyle said.
"Guess Ryder hit him." Willow moved some hair on the back of Oz's head the reveal a large bump beginning to form. Doyle used his demon strength to lift the tree as Willow and Cordelia pulled Oz out. Then the three carried him to the van and put him in the back. Willow covered him in a blanket before closing the door. As they got Angel told Doyle to go to the hospital.
"Was he bitten?" Willow asked.
"I'll check." Angel saw a large gash on Ryder's left leg, but couldn't tell if it was a bite or not. Before Angel could be sure, they arrived at the hospital. Doyle dropped Angel and Ryder off and then took the rest back to the house. Angel carried Ryder inside, where two nurses with a stretcher met him.
"What happened?" One asked.
"I think he was attacked by a bear. There's a gash on his leg, and the right is broken."
"How long has he been unconscious?" A doctor asked walking up with a police officer.
"About ten to fifteen minutes."
"Was he one of the partiers?" The officer asked.
"No. Is he going to be okay?" Angel answered.
"He should be fine, now why don't you go and take a seat." The nurse told him pointing to the waiting area.
The officer followed Angel over. "What were you doing out there tonight?"
"We knew people at the party, so we were going to join them."
"You know this is a pretty small town, I've lived here all my life. Now unless you go to the school, you're a stranger. And you look to old to be going to the school, so why are you here?"
"I just moved in."
"Really, when?"
"About two months ago."
"And why are you in town?"
"Look unless you're going to arrest me, I don't have to say anything."
"Really?" The officer asked standing up.
"Yes, cause I know my rights."
The officer grunted and walked away.
About an hour later, Ryder is laying in an uncomfortable bed in the hospital as a walked in. She checked his vitals as he woke up. As she left, a doctor walked in.
"Ryder?"
"Present." Ryder said groggily.
The doctor smiled. "Your right leg is broken and the other looks like it was gnawed on by a wild animal. We gave you rabies and tetanus shots, just in case. And…"
Ryder didn't hear the rest. He couldn't believe it. His life as he knew it is over. Gone, blown up, and flushed, cause he's been turned into a werewolf.