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Xander opened the door, pushing Claire and Ricky through as fast as he could, glancing back over his shoulder. He couldn't see anybody, but he knew that Spike was still out there, somewhere. He didn't think a lone Fyarl would be a match against Spike.
Not with his luck.
The other two were pressing themselves against the walls. "We've got to get out of here." Hiccoughed Ricky. His eyes were wide.
"No!" Said Xander. "He can't come in your home without an invitation." Unless, he thought, Spike got an invitation from the landlord.
Unpleasant thoughts.
He crossed to the couch and pulled out his bag, opening it. He pulled the clothes out in a bundle, which was easy since they weren't folded, just all jumbled into a great pick wad. He tossed the wad of clothes aside, onto the floor, not caring at the moment that they were getting grimy.
Underneath them lay a stake, a bottle of holy water, and a folding pistol- sized crossbow that was in pieces. Ricky and Claire stared as Xander began assembling the crossbow quickly, his hands a blue of professional motion.
He hesitated as he neared the end. The pseudo soldier memories were fading, but he needed them. They were important. He needed them.
He flipped it into ready mode and pulled back the wire, securing it. He loaded a wooden bolt into it quickly, raising it. The weight was unfamiliar. A month ago it had been very familiar.
He couldn't lose the memories. Not yet.
"Stay in the apartment!" He said. "Vampires can't come inside without an invitation." He stuffed the stake into his waistband, wincing when he stabbed his own leg. The bottle of holy water he tucked into his shirt pocket.
"You're some kind of holy warrior." Said Ricky, his voice awed. For a second the praise made Xander feel incredibly good, and he could feel his chest swell. Then he remembered Spike was still out there, and he began hyperventilating.
"So you know this Spike." Reasoned Claire nervously.
"He's tried to kill me before." Replied Xander. He glanced at the others. "He's dangerous. Very, very dangerous."
"Whelp!" Said Spike, stepping up to the doorway.
"Aah!" Xander pointed the crossbow at Spike and fired. Spike grabbed the bolt in front of his chest, stopping it in mid-air. Xander stared.
"Nice try." Said Spike, looking at the bolt. "But it would have missed by heart by almost a foot."
Xander reloaded quickly. "You, you get out of here!" He said. He wished he had his cross still. Even if Spike didn't seem to be bothered by third degree burns. Xander pulled out the bottle of holy water. "Unless you want to take a napalm bath!"
Spike chuckled, backing up. "You think you can get rid of me? You so much as twitch a muscle out of this flat I'll be there, watching you. I've got eternity to get you. You think you're safe?" He shifted into game face. "Like to see you stay safe when I set your house on fire."
Xander pointed the crossbow at him. "Get lost!" He snarled.
Spike shook his head. "You think you know evil? I'm here, and I'm going to kill you."
Xander didn't waste his shot. The soldier part of him knew he needed to save it for when Spike wasn't looking, for when he could make it count. He waited, watching Spike.
Spike grinned, and left.
Xander knew he'd be back. "All right!" Said Xander. "We're going to do this, and we're going to do it right! Claire!" He handed her the pistol crossbow, and all the bolts he had for it. "You know how to shoot, right? Aim for the heart." He left the stake where it was. Without Slayer strength, a stake could be awfully hard to get all the way into a vampire chest.
Holy water could usually do the trick, anyway.
A Fyarl stepped to the door. "The humans are here, boss!" He said. Xander tensed, whirling, the stake coming up. A man stepped into the room.
"Relax, demon hunter." He said. "I'm just a human." He glanced back at the Fyarl. "Go join the others." He said. The Fyarl trotted off.
"Just a human?" Asked Xander. Claire and Ricky cowered back.
"Er, no." Said the man. "My name is Jean-Luc Gissard. I'm what you might call a wizard."
"A wizard, eh?" Asked Xander.
"I'm hunting a vampire named Spike." Said Gissard. "A matter of a debt, you see."
Xander relaxed. "You're the one hunting Spike?" He lowered the stake. "Thank god! We'll help you any way we can."
"Great!" Said the wizard. "He was chasing you, earlier. Could you play bait?"
Xander nodded. "Easily." He said. "What are you going to do?"
The wizard grinned. "I'm going to make him pay for ever daring to mess with Gissard!"
"Uh, sure. Freaky third person aside, what do I do?"
"Just walk back to your club." Said Gissard. "I have three Fyarl's waiting there. I'll instruct them to grab him, and not harm you. Take your weapons--he'll see it as a challenge, I think."
Xander nodded. "And then, magic." He took a deep breath, summoning his courage. "I can do the bait thing." He agreed.
**
Xander set out. He had the crossbow, a makeshift cross, and the bottle of holy water.
He still felt naked.
"All right, Spike, let's do this!" He yelled. "You and me! The good fight!"
"Good fight!" Gurgled Spike. "Oh, that's rich!" He was in the shadows near Xander. "How about I just eat you?"
Xander ran as fast and as hard as he could. He could hear the vampire behind him, but he didn't slow down a bit. He ran harder. Faster.
And then there was a great rush of air, and Spike was on top of him, pressing him to the pavement.
And, boom, Spike was in the air. Being held there by huge tan demons with huge horns, growling.
"Yes!" Said Xander.
Gissard approached. "You dare to steal my manuscripts!" He growled at Spike. "Unholy creature! The gem you seek shall not be yours!"
"Bugger off!" Said Spike, annoyed. "You owed me, mate, you can't deny you owed me!"
The wizard began chanting, and Spike began to panic. "No!" He screamed. "I didn't mean it! Come on, mate! This isn't--no!!"
Spike writhed, and the Fyarl's dropped him. "What did you do to him?" Asked Xander.
"I bound him to me." Said Gissard. "Made him a minion, unable to resist my will, force to obey my every order. Spike, hit yourself."
Spike punched himself solidly in the jaw, dropping himself to the ground.
"Cool!" Said Xander.
Gissard glanced at him. "You're awfully trusting."
"What?" Said Xander.
"You trusted a warlock with no cause." Gissard sighed, and started chanting again. "Now, Xander." He said kindly. "Hit yourself."
As Xander's fist shot towards his own jaw, he realized that he HAD been a little too trusting.
Xander opened the door, pushing Claire and Ricky through as fast as he could, glancing back over his shoulder. He couldn't see anybody, but he knew that Spike was still out there, somewhere. He didn't think a lone Fyarl would be a match against Spike.
Not with his luck.
The other two were pressing themselves against the walls. "We've got to get out of here." Hiccoughed Ricky. His eyes were wide.
"No!" Said Xander. "He can't come in your home without an invitation." Unless, he thought, Spike got an invitation from the landlord.
Unpleasant thoughts.
He crossed to the couch and pulled out his bag, opening it. He pulled the clothes out in a bundle, which was easy since they weren't folded, just all jumbled into a great pick wad. He tossed the wad of clothes aside, onto the floor, not caring at the moment that they were getting grimy.
Underneath them lay a stake, a bottle of holy water, and a folding pistol- sized crossbow that was in pieces. Ricky and Claire stared as Xander began assembling the crossbow quickly, his hands a blue of professional motion.
He hesitated as he neared the end. The pseudo soldier memories were fading, but he needed them. They were important. He needed them.
He flipped it into ready mode and pulled back the wire, securing it. He loaded a wooden bolt into it quickly, raising it. The weight was unfamiliar. A month ago it had been very familiar.
He couldn't lose the memories. Not yet.
"Stay in the apartment!" He said. "Vampires can't come inside without an invitation." He stuffed the stake into his waistband, wincing when he stabbed his own leg. The bottle of holy water he tucked into his shirt pocket.
"You're some kind of holy warrior." Said Ricky, his voice awed. For a second the praise made Xander feel incredibly good, and he could feel his chest swell. Then he remembered Spike was still out there, and he began hyperventilating.
"So you know this Spike." Reasoned Claire nervously.
"He's tried to kill me before." Replied Xander. He glanced at the others. "He's dangerous. Very, very dangerous."
"Whelp!" Said Spike, stepping up to the doorway.
"Aah!" Xander pointed the crossbow at Spike and fired. Spike grabbed the bolt in front of his chest, stopping it in mid-air. Xander stared.
"Nice try." Said Spike, looking at the bolt. "But it would have missed by heart by almost a foot."
Xander reloaded quickly. "You, you get out of here!" He said. He wished he had his cross still. Even if Spike didn't seem to be bothered by third degree burns. Xander pulled out the bottle of holy water. "Unless you want to take a napalm bath!"
Spike chuckled, backing up. "You think you can get rid of me? You so much as twitch a muscle out of this flat I'll be there, watching you. I've got eternity to get you. You think you're safe?" He shifted into game face. "Like to see you stay safe when I set your house on fire."
Xander pointed the crossbow at him. "Get lost!" He snarled.
Spike shook his head. "You think you know evil? I'm here, and I'm going to kill you."
Xander didn't waste his shot. The soldier part of him knew he needed to save it for when Spike wasn't looking, for when he could make it count. He waited, watching Spike.
Spike grinned, and left.
Xander knew he'd be back. "All right!" Said Xander. "We're going to do this, and we're going to do it right! Claire!" He handed her the pistol crossbow, and all the bolts he had for it. "You know how to shoot, right? Aim for the heart." He left the stake where it was. Without Slayer strength, a stake could be awfully hard to get all the way into a vampire chest.
Holy water could usually do the trick, anyway.
A Fyarl stepped to the door. "The humans are here, boss!" He said. Xander tensed, whirling, the stake coming up. A man stepped into the room.
"Relax, demon hunter." He said. "I'm just a human." He glanced back at the Fyarl. "Go join the others." He said. The Fyarl trotted off.
"Just a human?" Asked Xander. Claire and Ricky cowered back.
"Er, no." Said the man. "My name is Jean-Luc Gissard. I'm what you might call a wizard."
"A wizard, eh?" Asked Xander.
"I'm hunting a vampire named Spike." Said Gissard. "A matter of a debt, you see."
Xander relaxed. "You're the one hunting Spike?" He lowered the stake. "Thank god! We'll help you any way we can."
"Great!" Said the wizard. "He was chasing you, earlier. Could you play bait?"
Xander nodded. "Easily." He said. "What are you going to do?"
The wizard grinned. "I'm going to make him pay for ever daring to mess with Gissard!"
"Uh, sure. Freaky third person aside, what do I do?"
"Just walk back to your club." Said Gissard. "I have three Fyarl's waiting there. I'll instruct them to grab him, and not harm you. Take your weapons--he'll see it as a challenge, I think."
Xander nodded. "And then, magic." He took a deep breath, summoning his courage. "I can do the bait thing." He agreed.
**
Xander set out. He had the crossbow, a makeshift cross, and the bottle of holy water.
He still felt naked.
"All right, Spike, let's do this!" He yelled. "You and me! The good fight!"
"Good fight!" Gurgled Spike. "Oh, that's rich!" He was in the shadows near Xander. "How about I just eat you?"
Xander ran as fast and as hard as he could. He could hear the vampire behind him, but he didn't slow down a bit. He ran harder. Faster.
And then there was a great rush of air, and Spike was on top of him, pressing him to the pavement.
And, boom, Spike was in the air. Being held there by huge tan demons with huge horns, growling.
"Yes!" Said Xander.
Gissard approached. "You dare to steal my manuscripts!" He growled at Spike. "Unholy creature! The gem you seek shall not be yours!"
"Bugger off!" Said Spike, annoyed. "You owed me, mate, you can't deny you owed me!"
The wizard began chanting, and Spike began to panic. "No!" He screamed. "I didn't mean it! Come on, mate! This isn't--no!!"
Spike writhed, and the Fyarl's dropped him. "What did you do to him?" Asked Xander.
"I bound him to me." Said Gissard. "Made him a minion, unable to resist my will, force to obey my every order. Spike, hit yourself."
Spike punched himself solidly in the jaw, dropping himself to the ground.
"Cool!" Said Xander.
Gissard glanced at him. "You're awfully trusting."
"What?" Said Xander.
"You trusted a warlock with no cause." Gissard sighed, and started chanting again. "Now, Xander." He said kindly. "Hit yourself."
As Xander's fist shot towards his own jaw, he realized that he HAD been a little too trusting.