A/N: Runs concurrently with 'Sisterhood'.
Three Slayers 7B- Rise Of A Hero
His lips pursed in thought, Jonathan hurried across the school grounds, his concentration fixed on the Judo manual that Xander had lent him. He could understand the theory behind the martial arts, it was the practice that gave him problems - he just wasn't a natural athlete. He'd have to ask Xander to practice with him some more. Jonathan hid a smile, not that spending time with Xander was a chore, Faith might be his girl-friend but Giles and Xander were the first men to ever notice him, to treat with respect. Suddenly he bumped into somebody, knocking his book to the floor. "Ow sorry!" His apologetic smile faded as he registered just who he'd bumped into - Jack O'Toole, the local psychopath, and one man crime wave. "Oh shit."
The gang leader crouched down to pick up the book he'd dropped. "'Judo - the Essential Guide'," O'Toole let out a harsh laugh, "so you think you're a tough guy do you, know all the moves? Want to try some on me do you?"
Jonathan swallowed nervously. "Not really no."
"But you think you can get away with bumping into me?"
"I think he can."
Jonathan let out a relieved gasp. O' Toole turned away from to face Xander. "You want some of me Harris?"
Xander raised an eyebrow. "Not really no O'Toole, getting your blood out of my clothes will be a chore. So tough guy," Xander stepped towards O'Toole, "why don't you make like a tree and leave."
The gang leader stepped back. "Me and you sometime Harris, when you're least expecting it."
Xander smiled. "Maybe it'll be you and me when you're least expecting it," the thug dropped the book on the ground before walking off. After watching the thug walk off Xander picked the manual up off the ground and passed it to him. "You okay Johnny?"
"Fine thanks," Jonathan's eyes widened, "you just backed off Jack O'Toole, weren't you scared?"
Xander shrugged. "I fight vampires and demons every night; I'd have to be some kind of idiot if I let an asshole like O'Toole worry me."
Jonathan glanced down at the book. "I just wish I was better at fighting so I could help." And not be scared by bullies like West and O'Toole, he silently added. "Give it time buddy," Xander patted him on the shoulder, "you're there for Faith that's the important thing."
* * *
"Johnny! Wait!" Ignoring his friend's voice, Jonathan continued to walk away from the corridor, his heart breaking at what Faith and the others had said. They hadn't said it, but he knew what they thought, he was useless. They needed all the help they could get but he just wasn't good enough. Feeling Xander's hand on his shoulder he tried to pull away but the bigger man was too strong for him and he was spun around to face him. "Johnny calm down. It's not personal-."
"Well it feels it!"
"Look buddy, you're a great guy and no-body doubts your nerve but you're not up to fighting these things yet. It makes strategic sense for you to leave, armies always fight better without non-combatants about -."
"Non-combatants - is that another way of saying dead weight?"
"Faith only doesn't want you here because she cares so much," Xander sighed. "Look why don't you take my car," Xander dropped a set of keys into his hand, "and go hang in the Bronze. Just calm down."
"Fine!"
Two hours later and he was sat bored stiff in the Bronze. It wasn't the same without the others - Faith's arm around him, Xander cracking jokes, and Kendra laughing. And he was sick of the popular crowd sniggering at him because he was alone; the jocks probably thought Faith had dumped him so they'd have a chance with her. He decided to call it a night and go home. After getting up he hurried out into the cold night. Anxious to escape the possible vampires lurking in the shadows, he jumped in the car and stepped on the gas without looking ahead. The car lurched forward promptly hitting the car parked in front of them. Cursing he slammed on the brakes and put the car into park. "Oh God! Xander's going to kill me!" His heart pounding, he jumped out of the car and gingerly approached the front of the other car. "Oh thank god," he let out a relieved sigh when his quick inspection revealed there was only some slight bumper damage and a broken taillight on the other car. Smiling apologetically he turned towards the driver of the car. "I'm sorry it's just a little fender bender. It's not..."his words trailed off as Jack O'Toole climbed out of the other car, looking angrily back at him. The thug stood and stared at him for a long moment, "...the end of the world."
Jonathan swallowed as Jack approached him, terrified he began to babble. "Oh, gosh, Jack man, are, are you okay?" he pointed a shaking hand at the bumpers "I am really sorry about that. But your car came out of nowhere."
Jack looked down at the damage and back up at him. "I was parked."
"Look I can cover the damages. I don't have insurance in the strictest sense of the word, but I have a little money. The important thing is that we're alright and we can work this out like two reasonable..." Jack pulled out a very long hunting knife and held it up. Jonathan felt his mouth dry. "Now I'm sure you don't do anything rash."
The thug pointed the knife at him. "Where do you want it?"
"I'm fairly certain I don't want it at all, but, uh, thank you," he babbled, "nice offer though. Do much sword-fighting?"
"She's called 'Katie'."
"Oh nice to meet you Katie," he started to edge away, "look I have to be going." Suddenly Jack reached around him with the knife and hooked it behind his ear, forcing him to look at O'Toole.
"Are you scared?" Jack jeered as he traced the tip of the blade around his neck and cheek. "You know what the difference between you and me is?"
"You've got the knife?"
"No," Jack shook his head. "Fear. Who has the least fear?"
"Oh yeah," Jonathan replied. "And it has nothing to do with who has the big, sharp..."
Suddenly Jack slapped the knife into his hand and stepped back. "Come on then show me what you've got." Confused by the abrupt change in circumstances, he glanced down at the knife. As he did, Jack lunged forward, grabbed and shoved him back onto the hood of the car before grabbing his hand and twisting it so the knife is pointing at his neck and, despite his best efforts, was slowly bearing down on his throat. Just then a flashlight shone into Jack's face.
"Hey!"
"Shit!" Jack released him, quickly palming the knife. Jonathan let out a relieved gasp as he glanced towards the intruder seeing a police officer. The officer turned off his flashlight and slowly approached.
"What's goin' on?"
"Nothing." Jack shuffled his feet. "Just rasslin'."
"O'Toole." The police officer flashed his torch into the gang leader's face. "What a surprise." The patrolman turned to him. "He attack you?"
Jonathan looked at Jack. If he ratted on O'Toole he'd get away, but if O'Toole got bail or one of his friends caught up with him it would be even worse. "No. Just blowing off steam. Two guys rasslin'. You know 'Monday Night Raw'."
The police officer glanced from him to Jack before nodding. "Do it somewhere else, huh?" Shaking his head, the cop left. Jonathan dropped his head in relief. Remembering about the thug behind him, he glanced over his shoulder only to be confused by Jack's smirk.
"What?"
Jack nodded. "That was alright. Could've narc'd on me. Didn't do it. Decent of you. I like you. Wanna party?"
Jonathan took a second to think over the offer, there was nothing he wanted to do less but if he refused, the thug's new good mood could quickly disappear. "What do you have in mind?
"Well, I was on my way to get the boys. Gonna cruise around." Jack checked out his wheels. "We'll take your wheels."
"What about your car?"
"It ain't mine."
Jack shook his head in disbelief, all this trouble for nothing. "Great. Where to?"
Jack opens the door and slides in to the far side. "Gonna get the boys!"
"Yeah." Jonathan pulled the door shut. "So, where're the boys?"
* * *
"I had to ask," Jonathan muttered in disgust. Ever since he'd started hanging with Faith and the others it seemed he spent half his time in cemeteries. Normally he didn't mind but then normally he wasn't with some nutjob trying to raise three zombies. Now he was back in the car with Jack's buddy Bob standing on the back seat with his fists raised into he air.
"LET'S GET SOME BEER! YEAH!" Bob roared.
The other dead boys yelled in agreement. Jonathan shuddered as he looked at Parker, the last one of the group to be raised. Parker's face was decayed beyond recognition, having lost much of its flesh, exposing parts of his skull. Suddenly Parker let out a yell. "Dude! Let's go pick up some girls, man. We'll hang out at Taco Bell, get some girls, go cruise around..."
"Good luck," Jonathan muttered. He figured Parker would have less luck with the girls than him pre-Faith.
"I wanna bake a cake."
Jonathan glanced nervously back at his unwelcome guests. "If you guys want me to drop you off somewhere, that's..."
"Nah." Jack interrupted, patting him on the shoulder. "You're with us now."
Parker reached up from behind and patted him on neck and cheek with his grossly rotten hands. "Oh yeah, man, you on the team now, baby. Whoo-hoo!" Jonathan quelled the urge to shudder as the others chuckled.
"What're we going to do?" asked Bob.
"Well, I've heard some interesting suggestions," Jack replied "but I'm going to have to go with Dickie's. Let's bake a cake."
"Yeaaaaah!" came the cry from the back.
Ten minutes later Jonathan pulled to a stop in front of a hardware store in downtown Sunnydale. "Alright!" Jack leapt out. Dickie pushed the front backrest forward before getting out. Bob and Parker just jump over the side of the car. Jack turned to him. "You stay here and keep the motor running."
"Uh, this time of night, I'm pretty sure nothing's open." Jonathan pointed out. He winced as Bob grabbed a newspaper vending machine, yanked it from the sidewalk and flung it into the hardware store window. It shatters loudly. "But they're always open for *crime*." The dead boys all climb into the store. Xander holds on tightly to the steering wheel and fidgets nervously in his seat. "Okay. Now I'm involved in crime. I'm the criminal element. "
In a few minutes the others hurried out of the hardware store. Dickie holds up two bags full of ingredients for him to see. Dickie smiled. "We got the cake mix!" he yelled before throwing the bags in the back. Jonathan's brow furrowed as a puzzling thought occurred. What sort of cake do you get from a hardware store?
"Where you wanna bake it?"
Jack stared at him. "I'm thinking Johnny needs to be made part of our gang."
Bob comes around to his left. Parker stands to his right. "He doesn't feel like part of the group because he hasn't been initiated," Bob commented.
Jack glanced across at Bob. "Do you think he's ready?"
He forced himself not to flinch when Parker placed a rotting arm around him. "I think he's earned his stripes. I say we let him in, boys. Huh?"
"Woo-hoo!" Dickie laughed
"Great!" Jonathan thought it best to play along. "What do I gotta do?"
"Nothing really," his smile faded when Jack pulled out Katie, "just die."
Jonathan swallowed. "Alright, guys, what... Let's just talk about this." Jack leered at him, constantly turning his knife. "I'm not *dying* to be in the gang, if you get the, um... the pun there."
Bob looked insulted. "What? You're, you're too good to be dead?" He grabbed Jonathan by the lapels of his jacket and lifts him up. "You got a problem with dead people?"
"No prejudices here Bob," he shook his head to emphasise the point. "What about Jack? Jack's not dead."
Jack lowered his knife, reached down and raised his shirt for Jonathan to see the series of bullet holes across his gut. Bob released Jonathan so he can get a better look. Jack dropped his shirt and brought Katie back up level to Jonathan's face. "Drive-by three weeks ago. Grandpappy found my body. I wasn't gone but ten minutes before he raised me. It's a rush, man."
"Let's kill Jonathan." Dickie smiled at him. "It'll be fun!"
"Yeah, man, you could be a full-fledged member." Parker put in.
Jack stepped closer and sneered. "Come on, Jonathan. Take it like a man."
"Alright, enough! You guys have had your fun, but you forgot about *one* thing." He looked at Bob and Parker, and then rushed across the street and into the outside seating area of the Espresso Pump. The zombies gave chase, Jonathan waited for them to follow him into the cafe', then made another break for it, jumping up onto a table and hopping over the low wall surrounding the area. He raced back across the street and jumped into the car. The motor was still running, so he threw it into drive, floored it and burnt rubber, leaving the dead guys behind. He let out a relieved gasp. "I'd say that's pretty much enough excitement for one evening," he paled as he turned a corner. "Oh no, I don't believe my night." He watched as Faith got thrown against a fence, pulled off and thrown against it again by a Jhe demon. The demon pulled her off again, but Faith shook loose and did a backhand swing at the demon's head, making it snap hard to the side. Faith then punched it in the gut and tries for a second hit to the head, but the demon blocked the attempt, grabbed Faith's arm and threw her to the ground. Faith rolled back up in a fighting stance. The demon lunged at her, but she kicked it in the knee and then roundhouse kicked it in the head. Without pausing, Faith launched into a half spinning high wheel kick, which the demon blocked. The demon grabbed hold of Faith's jacket, swung her around, and back into the fence. The demon rushed Faith, who grabbed the fence behind her and lifted herself up to do a twin push kick to the demon's gut, shoving her back hard. Seizing his chance Jonathan drove right into the demon, knocking it onto its ass. "Get in!"
Faith ran to the car and dived into the back seat. Jonathan gunned it just as the demon got to her feet. "Take me back to my place, I need to get changed."
Jonathan pulled the car to a screeching halt outside Giles' apartment. They both run in, watching for any pursuers. Faith opened the door before rushing inside, Jonathan followed, and checked the window before slamming the door shut. "You think Demon Mama followed us?"
"Nah, we're cool." Faith took off her jacket, wincing at the effort. "The bitch dislocated my shoulder, though, come here." After a second Jonathan walked over to her. He looked at her in confusion, but gets closer and reached out to her. A smirk on her face, Faith took his right hand and put it on her left upper arm. He finally realised what he was supposed to do. Faith reached up with her right hand and grabbed his jacket for leverage. She pulled her left shoulder back before jerking it forward. Her shoulder snapped audibly back into place. Faith gasped before rotating her shoulder around in different positions.
"That's better." Faith smirked at him. "She got me really wound up." The Slayer looked at him and runs her hand over his chest. She inhales and exhales deeply. "A fight like that and... no kill... I'm about ready to pop." She smiled at him, still rubbing her hand over his chest.
Jonathan stepped away, shaking his head. "No Faith."
"You're turning me down?" His girlfriend looked hurt and angry. "Shit you still pissed about before? Johnny -."
"No," he shook his head, he was still angry but that wasn't the point, "I don't want it to be like this, I want us to be romantic, not rushed and cheap."
"Fine! Then get out!"
Sighing he pulled on his jacket and hurried out to his car. Once there he glanced into the back seat. His mouth dried as he saw the two bags of stolen ingredients and grabbed one to see what's inside. In it he finds a can of kerosene, a short length of galvanized pipe with caps, wire, primer cord and an electronic timer switch. He takes a second look at the can of kerosene, realising what the "cake" really is. "Gotta find those guys," he half-considered rushing in to tell Faith but decided that she'd got too much on. "I can handle this on my own."
A few minutes later and he pulls up outside the trashed hardware store only to find the place empty. "Long gone. Probably loaded with supplies. Gotta think." He looks into the store and tries to concentrate. "They can't have got far." Turning a corner and he sees the dead boys walking and laughing. "Okay, I got a plan." Jack and Bob hear him approaching and turn around.
"Hey, our wheels." Bob calls out. The group splits up, allowing Jonathan to drive up between them, slowing down as if to stop. Parker is right up by the car, so Jonathan reaches out and grabbed him.
"Hey!" Jonathan hits the gas and takes off, dragging Parker alongside, the car screeches around the next corner, the car weaving from side to side, the other zombies in hot pursuit. "Stop! C'mon, man! Stop!" the zombie lets out frightened scream.
"Where's the bomb?!"
"It's in, it's in the high school!"
Oh god were Faith and the others were going to be. "In the school where?!"
"Oh, God, this really, really hurts!"
"You're dead don't worry about it," Jonathan screeches around the next corner.
"Stop!" Parker let out a panicked scream. "It's in the, it's in the boiler room."
"Alright. Now I'm gonna ask you this once, and you better pray you get the answer right.
"Okay, okay." Parker sobbed.
"How do I defuse..." Before he has chance to finish, the car drifted too close to a curb side mailbox, the mailbox smashing into Parker's head decapitating him. Jonathan screamed in horror at the sight, releasing his hold on Parker's now-headless body. Seeing the others gaining on him he guns his engine. At least he knows where to go.
* * *
His heart pounding, Jonathan barged through a door and runs past the basement access door. He comes back to it, noting the sign stating "Door to remain locked at all times". Jack, Bob and Dickie crash through the hall door and start to chase him.
"There he is!" Jack yelled.
"Three Slayers and I can't find one when I need one?" picking up the pace he raced down the corridor followed by the three zombies. Finally he headed into the student lounge. Satisfied he turned round only to be confronted by an ax-wielding Bob. Seeing the ax swinging towards him, Jonathan jumps backwards out of the way only to lose his balance and fall backwards onto a table. He rolled off of it and onto the floor. After quickly scrambling to his feet he was knocked onto another table by a punch from Bob.
"Now this is what I call fun." Bob chortled as he raised the ax and swung it down at the table. He rolled away just as the head of the ax embedded itself into the table, and he came up standing next to Bob. Thinking quickly he shoulder-charged Bob knocking him head-first into another table. Knocked off-balance, Bob fell to the floor and led there on his back, dazed by the impact. Seizing his chance he grabbed the axe and sliced the zombie's head off. Even as he looked down at his victim, Dickie ran into the lounge only to stop at the sight of him holding his ax.
"Should've learned by now. If you're gonna play with fire, you gotta expect sooner or later..." Dickie takes off before he can finish delivering his Clint Eastwood line. "Hey I wasn't finished!" Dickie disappeared back out the same door he'd just come through. Signing, Jonathan started after Dickie.
Jonathan chased Dickie around the school corridors only to be confronted by a trio of Jhe demons. Turning, he ran back the way he came followed by Dickie only for the zombie to be grabbed and torn apart by the Demons. Dickie's screams echoing in his ears, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself.. "Okay, boiler room." He turned back toward the door, only to be stopped by one of the heads of the Hellmouth demon exploding through the wall next to him. "Other way!" The head roared after him as he retreated.
After wiping the sweat away from his forehead, Jonathan kicked open the basement door, entered cautiously and made his way down the stairs. At the bottom he opened the door to the boiler room and looked in. His heart stilled as he saw the bomb in the centre of the room, its timer ticking away. After taking a breath he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He gingerly approached the bomb, checking the timer as he set down the ax. "Less than two minutes. Science genius. Little bomb. How hard can it be?"
Suddenly a pair of strong hands grabbed him from behind, throwing into a work bench. The wind driven out of him, he struggled back to his feet only to find himself face-to-face with Jack. "It just got harder."
"I'm not leaving till that thing's disarmed." Jonathan said shakily.
"Then I guess you're not leaving."
Jonathan swallowed before hefting his axe and moving to stand in front of the exit door. "Then neither are you." Jack glanced over at the exit sign above a door. "I know what you're thinkin'. Can I get by him? Get up the stairs, out of the building, seconds ticking away... I don't love your chances."
"Then you'll die, too."
Jonathan shrugged. "Yeah, looks like. Thing is my girl-friend and best- friend are upstairs and I'm not going to let you kill them. So I guess the question really is... who has less fear?"
"I'm not afraid to die. I'm already dead."
Jonathan nodded. "But this is different. Being blown up isn't walking around and drinking with your buddies dead. It's little bits being swept up by a janitor dead, and I don't think you're ready for that."
With three seconds left Jack caved, reached into the bomb, and pulled a wire. The timer went blank and the ticking stopped. Jonathan let out a relieved gasp, until that second he didn't realise he'd been holding his breath. "Good boy." He stepped over to Jack and looked up at the zombie. "I don't think I wanna be seeing you on campus anymore, Jack." He moved over to the door he entered from, gave Jack one last look, opened it and left, closing it behind him. Suddenly he heard the sound of the zombie screaming and a roaring, deciding he didn't want to know he hurried out.
* * *
"Hi Johnny, sorry about last night," his girl-friend looked nervous, "we still five by five?"
He placed his arm around her shoulders. "We're still five by five."
"Wicked," the brunette kissed him lightly on the cheek. "You were real lucky to be out of that mess last night."
Jonathan smiled secretly. "Oh yeah, real lucky."
SPOILER: Next, Finch dies (but by whom?)
Three Slayers 7B- Rise Of A Hero
His lips pursed in thought, Jonathan hurried across the school grounds, his concentration fixed on the Judo manual that Xander had lent him. He could understand the theory behind the martial arts, it was the practice that gave him problems - he just wasn't a natural athlete. He'd have to ask Xander to practice with him some more. Jonathan hid a smile, not that spending time with Xander was a chore, Faith might be his girl-friend but Giles and Xander were the first men to ever notice him, to treat with respect. Suddenly he bumped into somebody, knocking his book to the floor. "Ow sorry!" His apologetic smile faded as he registered just who he'd bumped into - Jack O'Toole, the local psychopath, and one man crime wave. "Oh shit."
The gang leader crouched down to pick up the book he'd dropped. "'Judo - the Essential Guide'," O'Toole let out a harsh laugh, "so you think you're a tough guy do you, know all the moves? Want to try some on me do you?"
Jonathan swallowed nervously. "Not really no."
"But you think you can get away with bumping into me?"
"I think he can."
Jonathan let out a relieved gasp. O' Toole turned away from to face Xander. "You want some of me Harris?"
Xander raised an eyebrow. "Not really no O'Toole, getting your blood out of my clothes will be a chore. So tough guy," Xander stepped towards O'Toole, "why don't you make like a tree and leave."
The gang leader stepped back. "Me and you sometime Harris, when you're least expecting it."
Xander smiled. "Maybe it'll be you and me when you're least expecting it," the thug dropped the book on the ground before walking off. After watching the thug walk off Xander picked the manual up off the ground and passed it to him. "You okay Johnny?"
"Fine thanks," Jonathan's eyes widened, "you just backed off Jack O'Toole, weren't you scared?"
Xander shrugged. "I fight vampires and demons every night; I'd have to be some kind of idiot if I let an asshole like O'Toole worry me."
Jonathan glanced down at the book. "I just wish I was better at fighting so I could help." And not be scared by bullies like West and O'Toole, he silently added. "Give it time buddy," Xander patted him on the shoulder, "you're there for Faith that's the important thing."
* * *
"Johnny! Wait!" Ignoring his friend's voice, Jonathan continued to walk away from the corridor, his heart breaking at what Faith and the others had said. They hadn't said it, but he knew what they thought, he was useless. They needed all the help they could get but he just wasn't good enough. Feeling Xander's hand on his shoulder he tried to pull away but the bigger man was too strong for him and he was spun around to face him. "Johnny calm down. It's not personal-."
"Well it feels it!"
"Look buddy, you're a great guy and no-body doubts your nerve but you're not up to fighting these things yet. It makes strategic sense for you to leave, armies always fight better without non-combatants about -."
"Non-combatants - is that another way of saying dead weight?"
"Faith only doesn't want you here because she cares so much," Xander sighed. "Look why don't you take my car," Xander dropped a set of keys into his hand, "and go hang in the Bronze. Just calm down."
"Fine!"
Two hours later and he was sat bored stiff in the Bronze. It wasn't the same without the others - Faith's arm around him, Xander cracking jokes, and Kendra laughing. And he was sick of the popular crowd sniggering at him because he was alone; the jocks probably thought Faith had dumped him so they'd have a chance with her. He decided to call it a night and go home. After getting up he hurried out into the cold night. Anxious to escape the possible vampires lurking in the shadows, he jumped in the car and stepped on the gas without looking ahead. The car lurched forward promptly hitting the car parked in front of them. Cursing he slammed on the brakes and put the car into park. "Oh God! Xander's going to kill me!" His heart pounding, he jumped out of the car and gingerly approached the front of the other car. "Oh thank god," he let out a relieved sigh when his quick inspection revealed there was only some slight bumper damage and a broken taillight on the other car. Smiling apologetically he turned towards the driver of the car. "I'm sorry it's just a little fender bender. It's not..."his words trailed off as Jack O'Toole climbed out of the other car, looking angrily back at him. The thug stood and stared at him for a long moment, "...the end of the world."
Jonathan swallowed as Jack approached him, terrified he began to babble. "Oh, gosh, Jack man, are, are you okay?" he pointed a shaking hand at the bumpers "I am really sorry about that. But your car came out of nowhere."
Jack looked down at the damage and back up at him. "I was parked."
"Look I can cover the damages. I don't have insurance in the strictest sense of the word, but I have a little money. The important thing is that we're alright and we can work this out like two reasonable..." Jack pulled out a very long hunting knife and held it up. Jonathan felt his mouth dry. "Now I'm sure you don't do anything rash."
The thug pointed the knife at him. "Where do you want it?"
"I'm fairly certain I don't want it at all, but, uh, thank you," he babbled, "nice offer though. Do much sword-fighting?"
"She's called 'Katie'."
"Oh nice to meet you Katie," he started to edge away, "look I have to be going." Suddenly Jack reached around him with the knife and hooked it behind his ear, forcing him to look at O'Toole.
"Are you scared?" Jack jeered as he traced the tip of the blade around his neck and cheek. "You know what the difference between you and me is?"
"You've got the knife?"
"No," Jack shook his head. "Fear. Who has the least fear?"
"Oh yeah," Jonathan replied. "And it has nothing to do with who has the big, sharp..."
Suddenly Jack slapped the knife into his hand and stepped back. "Come on then show me what you've got." Confused by the abrupt change in circumstances, he glanced down at the knife. As he did, Jack lunged forward, grabbed and shoved him back onto the hood of the car before grabbing his hand and twisting it so the knife is pointing at his neck and, despite his best efforts, was slowly bearing down on his throat. Just then a flashlight shone into Jack's face.
"Hey!"
"Shit!" Jack released him, quickly palming the knife. Jonathan let out a relieved gasp as he glanced towards the intruder seeing a police officer. The officer turned off his flashlight and slowly approached.
"What's goin' on?"
"Nothing." Jack shuffled his feet. "Just rasslin'."
"O'Toole." The police officer flashed his torch into the gang leader's face. "What a surprise." The patrolman turned to him. "He attack you?"
Jonathan looked at Jack. If he ratted on O'Toole he'd get away, but if O'Toole got bail or one of his friends caught up with him it would be even worse. "No. Just blowing off steam. Two guys rasslin'. You know 'Monday Night Raw'."
The police officer glanced from him to Jack before nodding. "Do it somewhere else, huh?" Shaking his head, the cop left. Jonathan dropped his head in relief. Remembering about the thug behind him, he glanced over his shoulder only to be confused by Jack's smirk.
"What?"
Jack nodded. "That was alright. Could've narc'd on me. Didn't do it. Decent of you. I like you. Wanna party?"
Jonathan took a second to think over the offer, there was nothing he wanted to do less but if he refused, the thug's new good mood could quickly disappear. "What do you have in mind?
"Well, I was on my way to get the boys. Gonna cruise around." Jack checked out his wheels. "We'll take your wheels."
"What about your car?"
"It ain't mine."
Jack shook his head in disbelief, all this trouble for nothing. "Great. Where to?"
Jack opens the door and slides in to the far side. "Gonna get the boys!"
"Yeah." Jonathan pulled the door shut. "So, where're the boys?"
* * *
"I had to ask," Jonathan muttered in disgust. Ever since he'd started hanging with Faith and the others it seemed he spent half his time in cemeteries. Normally he didn't mind but then normally he wasn't with some nutjob trying to raise three zombies. Now he was back in the car with Jack's buddy Bob standing on the back seat with his fists raised into he air.
"LET'S GET SOME BEER! YEAH!" Bob roared.
The other dead boys yelled in agreement. Jonathan shuddered as he looked at Parker, the last one of the group to be raised. Parker's face was decayed beyond recognition, having lost much of its flesh, exposing parts of his skull. Suddenly Parker let out a yell. "Dude! Let's go pick up some girls, man. We'll hang out at Taco Bell, get some girls, go cruise around..."
"Good luck," Jonathan muttered. He figured Parker would have less luck with the girls than him pre-Faith.
"I wanna bake a cake."
Jonathan glanced nervously back at his unwelcome guests. "If you guys want me to drop you off somewhere, that's..."
"Nah." Jack interrupted, patting him on the shoulder. "You're with us now."
Parker reached up from behind and patted him on neck and cheek with his grossly rotten hands. "Oh yeah, man, you on the team now, baby. Whoo-hoo!" Jonathan quelled the urge to shudder as the others chuckled.
"What're we going to do?" asked Bob.
"Well, I've heard some interesting suggestions," Jack replied "but I'm going to have to go with Dickie's. Let's bake a cake."
"Yeaaaaah!" came the cry from the back.
Ten minutes later Jonathan pulled to a stop in front of a hardware store in downtown Sunnydale. "Alright!" Jack leapt out. Dickie pushed the front backrest forward before getting out. Bob and Parker just jump over the side of the car. Jack turned to him. "You stay here and keep the motor running."
"Uh, this time of night, I'm pretty sure nothing's open." Jonathan pointed out. He winced as Bob grabbed a newspaper vending machine, yanked it from the sidewalk and flung it into the hardware store window. It shatters loudly. "But they're always open for *crime*." The dead boys all climb into the store. Xander holds on tightly to the steering wheel and fidgets nervously in his seat. "Okay. Now I'm involved in crime. I'm the criminal element. "
In a few minutes the others hurried out of the hardware store. Dickie holds up two bags full of ingredients for him to see. Dickie smiled. "We got the cake mix!" he yelled before throwing the bags in the back. Jonathan's brow furrowed as a puzzling thought occurred. What sort of cake do you get from a hardware store?
"Where you wanna bake it?"
Jack stared at him. "I'm thinking Johnny needs to be made part of our gang."
Bob comes around to his left. Parker stands to his right. "He doesn't feel like part of the group because he hasn't been initiated," Bob commented.
Jack glanced across at Bob. "Do you think he's ready?"
He forced himself not to flinch when Parker placed a rotting arm around him. "I think he's earned his stripes. I say we let him in, boys. Huh?"
"Woo-hoo!" Dickie laughed
"Great!" Jonathan thought it best to play along. "What do I gotta do?"
"Nothing really," his smile faded when Jack pulled out Katie, "just die."
Jonathan swallowed. "Alright, guys, what... Let's just talk about this." Jack leered at him, constantly turning his knife. "I'm not *dying* to be in the gang, if you get the, um... the pun there."
Bob looked insulted. "What? You're, you're too good to be dead?" He grabbed Jonathan by the lapels of his jacket and lifts him up. "You got a problem with dead people?"
"No prejudices here Bob," he shook his head to emphasise the point. "What about Jack? Jack's not dead."
Jack lowered his knife, reached down and raised his shirt for Jonathan to see the series of bullet holes across his gut. Bob released Jonathan so he can get a better look. Jack dropped his shirt and brought Katie back up level to Jonathan's face. "Drive-by three weeks ago. Grandpappy found my body. I wasn't gone but ten minutes before he raised me. It's a rush, man."
"Let's kill Jonathan." Dickie smiled at him. "It'll be fun!"
"Yeah, man, you could be a full-fledged member." Parker put in.
Jack stepped closer and sneered. "Come on, Jonathan. Take it like a man."
"Alright, enough! You guys have had your fun, but you forgot about *one* thing." He looked at Bob and Parker, and then rushed across the street and into the outside seating area of the Espresso Pump. The zombies gave chase, Jonathan waited for them to follow him into the cafe', then made another break for it, jumping up onto a table and hopping over the low wall surrounding the area. He raced back across the street and jumped into the car. The motor was still running, so he threw it into drive, floored it and burnt rubber, leaving the dead guys behind. He let out a relieved gasp. "I'd say that's pretty much enough excitement for one evening," he paled as he turned a corner. "Oh no, I don't believe my night." He watched as Faith got thrown against a fence, pulled off and thrown against it again by a Jhe demon. The demon pulled her off again, but Faith shook loose and did a backhand swing at the demon's head, making it snap hard to the side. Faith then punched it in the gut and tries for a second hit to the head, but the demon blocked the attempt, grabbed Faith's arm and threw her to the ground. Faith rolled back up in a fighting stance. The demon lunged at her, but she kicked it in the knee and then roundhouse kicked it in the head. Without pausing, Faith launched into a half spinning high wheel kick, which the demon blocked. The demon grabbed hold of Faith's jacket, swung her around, and back into the fence. The demon rushed Faith, who grabbed the fence behind her and lifted herself up to do a twin push kick to the demon's gut, shoving her back hard. Seizing his chance Jonathan drove right into the demon, knocking it onto its ass. "Get in!"
Faith ran to the car and dived into the back seat. Jonathan gunned it just as the demon got to her feet. "Take me back to my place, I need to get changed."
Jonathan pulled the car to a screeching halt outside Giles' apartment. They both run in, watching for any pursuers. Faith opened the door before rushing inside, Jonathan followed, and checked the window before slamming the door shut. "You think Demon Mama followed us?"
"Nah, we're cool." Faith took off her jacket, wincing at the effort. "The bitch dislocated my shoulder, though, come here." After a second Jonathan walked over to her. He looked at her in confusion, but gets closer and reached out to her. A smirk on her face, Faith took his right hand and put it on her left upper arm. He finally realised what he was supposed to do. Faith reached up with her right hand and grabbed his jacket for leverage. She pulled her left shoulder back before jerking it forward. Her shoulder snapped audibly back into place. Faith gasped before rotating her shoulder around in different positions.
"That's better." Faith smirked at him. "She got me really wound up." The Slayer looked at him and runs her hand over his chest. She inhales and exhales deeply. "A fight like that and... no kill... I'm about ready to pop." She smiled at him, still rubbing her hand over his chest.
Jonathan stepped away, shaking his head. "No Faith."
"You're turning me down?" His girlfriend looked hurt and angry. "Shit you still pissed about before? Johnny -."
"No," he shook his head, he was still angry but that wasn't the point, "I don't want it to be like this, I want us to be romantic, not rushed and cheap."
"Fine! Then get out!"
Sighing he pulled on his jacket and hurried out to his car. Once there he glanced into the back seat. His mouth dried as he saw the two bags of stolen ingredients and grabbed one to see what's inside. In it he finds a can of kerosene, a short length of galvanized pipe with caps, wire, primer cord and an electronic timer switch. He takes a second look at the can of kerosene, realising what the "cake" really is. "Gotta find those guys," he half-considered rushing in to tell Faith but decided that she'd got too much on. "I can handle this on my own."
A few minutes later and he pulls up outside the trashed hardware store only to find the place empty. "Long gone. Probably loaded with supplies. Gotta think." He looks into the store and tries to concentrate. "They can't have got far." Turning a corner and he sees the dead boys walking and laughing. "Okay, I got a plan." Jack and Bob hear him approaching and turn around.
"Hey, our wheels." Bob calls out. The group splits up, allowing Jonathan to drive up between them, slowing down as if to stop. Parker is right up by the car, so Jonathan reaches out and grabbed him.
"Hey!" Jonathan hits the gas and takes off, dragging Parker alongside, the car screeches around the next corner, the car weaving from side to side, the other zombies in hot pursuit. "Stop! C'mon, man! Stop!" the zombie lets out frightened scream.
"Where's the bomb?!"
"It's in, it's in the high school!"
Oh god were Faith and the others were going to be. "In the school where?!"
"Oh, God, this really, really hurts!"
"You're dead don't worry about it," Jonathan screeches around the next corner.
"Stop!" Parker let out a panicked scream. "It's in the, it's in the boiler room."
"Alright. Now I'm gonna ask you this once, and you better pray you get the answer right.
"Okay, okay." Parker sobbed.
"How do I defuse..." Before he has chance to finish, the car drifted too close to a curb side mailbox, the mailbox smashing into Parker's head decapitating him. Jonathan screamed in horror at the sight, releasing his hold on Parker's now-headless body. Seeing the others gaining on him he guns his engine. At least he knows where to go.
* * *
His heart pounding, Jonathan barged through a door and runs past the basement access door. He comes back to it, noting the sign stating "Door to remain locked at all times". Jack, Bob and Dickie crash through the hall door and start to chase him.
"There he is!" Jack yelled.
"Three Slayers and I can't find one when I need one?" picking up the pace he raced down the corridor followed by the three zombies. Finally he headed into the student lounge. Satisfied he turned round only to be confronted by an ax-wielding Bob. Seeing the ax swinging towards him, Jonathan jumps backwards out of the way only to lose his balance and fall backwards onto a table. He rolled off of it and onto the floor. After quickly scrambling to his feet he was knocked onto another table by a punch from Bob.
"Now this is what I call fun." Bob chortled as he raised the ax and swung it down at the table. He rolled away just as the head of the ax embedded itself into the table, and he came up standing next to Bob. Thinking quickly he shoulder-charged Bob knocking him head-first into another table. Knocked off-balance, Bob fell to the floor and led there on his back, dazed by the impact. Seizing his chance he grabbed the axe and sliced the zombie's head off. Even as he looked down at his victim, Dickie ran into the lounge only to stop at the sight of him holding his ax.
"Should've learned by now. If you're gonna play with fire, you gotta expect sooner or later..." Dickie takes off before he can finish delivering his Clint Eastwood line. "Hey I wasn't finished!" Dickie disappeared back out the same door he'd just come through. Signing, Jonathan started after Dickie.
Jonathan chased Dickie around the school corridors only to be confronted by a trio of Jhe demons. Turning, he ran back the way he came followed by Dickie only for the zombie to be grabbed and torn apart by the Demons. Dickie's screams echoing in his ears, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself.. "Okay, boiler room." He turned back toward the door, only to be stopped by one of the heads of the Hellmouth demon exploding through the wall next to him. "Other way!" The head roared after him as he retreated.
After wiping the sweat away from his forehead, Jonathan kicked open the basement door, entered cautiously and made his way down the stairs. At the bottom he opened the door to the boiler room and looked in. His heart stilled as he saw the bomb in the centre of the room, its timer ticking away. After taking a breath he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He gingerly approached the bomb, checking the timer as he set down the ax. "Less than two minutes. Science genius. Little bomb. How hard can it be?"
Suddenly a pair of strong hands grabbed him from behind, throwing into a work bench. The wind driven out of him, he struggled back to his feet only to find himself face-to-face with Jack. "It just got harder."
"I'm not leaving till that thing's disarmed." Jonathan said shakily.
"Then I guess you're not leaving."
Jonathan swallowed before hefting his axe and moving to stand in front of the exit door. "Then neither are you." Jack glanced over at the exit sign above a door. "I know what you're thinkin'. Can I get by him? Get up the stairs, out of the building, seconds ticking away... I don't love your chances."
"Then you'll die, too."
Jonathan shrugged. "Yeah, looks like. Thing is my girl-friend and best- friend are upstairs and I'm not going to let you kill them. So I guess the question really is... who has less fear?"
"I'm not afraid to die. I'm already dead."
Jonathan nodded. "But this is different. Being blown up isn't walking around and drinking with your buddies dead. It's little bits being swept up by a janitor dead, and I don't think you're ready for that."
With three seconds left Jack caved, reached into the bomb, and pulled a wire. The timer went blank and the ticking stopped. Jonathan let out a relieved gasp, until that second he didn't realise he'd been holding his breath. "Good boy." He stepped over to Jack and looked up at the zombie. "I don't think I wanna be seeing you on campus anymore, Jack." He moved over to the door he entered from, gave Jack one last look, opened it and left, closing it behind him. Suddenly he heard the sound of the zombie screaming and a roaring, deciding he didn't want to know he hurried out.
* * *
"Hi Johnny, sorry about last night," his girl-friend looked nervous, "we still five by five?"
He placed his arm around her shoulders. "We're still five by five."
"Wicked," the brunette kissed him lightly on the cheek. "You were real lucky to be out of that mess last night."
Jonathan smiled secretly. "Oh yeah, real lucky."
SPOILER: Next, Finch dies (but by whom?)