A warm glint of morning light sprang from the town's bell-tower and splayed out over the top of the Sun Cinema. Willow, Xander and Tara hurried along the main street towards the Magic Box, sharing a packet of Titos between them.
"So remind me," said Xander with a hint of scorn. "Exactly why are we listening to the ex-killing vampire's freaky phone call and missing much-needed sleep and video fests?"
"He said it was important. Something about a break-in at the shop and Giles is missing."
"And we're believing him, why? I mean, shouldn't we get Riley or the Buffster to come with? This whole thing stinks of trap."
Willow sighed and brushed back a strand of her gorgeous red hair.
"You know Riley needs his rest after the whole Adam thing. We can't expect him to jump to attention every time some little thing goes kooky. I'm sure we'll be fine, really."
Her childhood friend noted her nervousness.
"And Buffy?"
Willow didn't answer.
"Will?"
"Okay, okay, she wasn't home all night. I figured maybe she stayed over at Riley's-."
"And you didn't call to find out?"
"Well, no. As a matter of fact I, I didn't!" Willow blurted defensively. "You know what those two are like with their sexy-ness. I didn't want to disturb them. Besides, even if we do get in some silly trap thingy, Buffy'll get us out like, that." She clicked her fingers.
"Um, guys..."
Tara had finally found cause to enter the conversation. The companions had arrived outside the Magic Box and she was pointing at the door.
"Spike said there was a break-in, but wouldn't there be a broken window or some kind of dent in the door?"
"Well, less wood-shop work for me to do!" Xander exclaimed cheerfully.
Willow approached the door and turned the handle, letting it swing open with a tinkle of the bell. She stepped inside, the others following closely. No sooner had they reached the top of the few stairs, she cried out in alarm.
"Buffy!"
"Mmf!"
The Slayer was bound to a chair in the middle of the room, a piece of cloth stuffed in her mouth. Her friends rushed to her, taking no heed of her head shaking frantically from side to side. No sooner had they reached her, a wall of enchanted fire circled them and the door of the Magic Box slammed shut.
"I knew it was a trap!"
Xander's voice was drowned out by the vampire's cruel chuckle. They spun to see Spike slink down the steps, a book in hand.
"Bloody useful place you've got here. Don't know why I never caused this much havoc earlier." He tossed the tome over his shoulder.
"Maybe because the Slayer would have beat you into undead jell-o?" Xander snapped.
The girl in question called for attention again.
"Mmmmf!"
"Ooh, sorry!" Willow winced, immediately tending to the gag. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Buffy scowled at Spike through the flames.
"I don't know. One minute I was patrolling, I went into one of the crypts, and then I was here in the Magic Box. With Spike." She spat his name in disgust.
"Oh the look on your face was just priceless," the vampire smirked.
"Right," said Xander, "but that still doesn't explain the situation. Did he invite you to sit down on a chair and tie you up with rope? 'Cause that's just making up bad images..."
Willow frowned.
"Yeah, what's going on with that? Spike can't use violence because of-."
"My chip?"
The Slayer and her friends stared at him. The vampire grinned maliciously.
"That pesky old thing? Well, I think our relationship took a bit of a tumble. Decided to part ways, see other chips if you know what I mean?"
"You mean you're-."
"Free as a plump, juicy nightingale, Red. Free to hunt and kill and maim and knock the blinking lights out of any walking blood smoothie who passes my way."
Xander finished untying Buffy's ropes and squinted through the sizzling barrier.
"I still don't get it. Fine, you're the Big Bad again, but that still doesn't make you a match for the Slayer!"
"Xander -," Buffy began.
"Buff, I'm trying to have a rant here. As I was saying, there is no way a rusty old vamp like you can take the Slayer off guard at full strength"
"Xander, I'm not the Slayer."
"Exactly, she's not the -." Xander paused in mid-flow. "What?"
Willow laid a hand upon Buffy's shoulder.
"You're tired. You're not thinking straight. Of course you're the Slayer. You go around poking vampires with sticks, that's what you do," she said meekly.
Buffy hung her head, tears stinging her eyes.
"I've lost my power. It...it just went. I'm just a normal girl, a normal, scared girl..."
Spike sniggered.
"Isn't it wonderful? She's so pathetic! And soon she'll be all alone." His face twisted into its monster self. "When she's seen me pick off her friends one by one."
He advanced on them but stopped short, feeling something prod him in the small of his back. Willow was standing up straight, her eyes unblinking, focused on his heart.
"What's going on, Will?" Xander asked.
Tara tugged at his sleeve and whispered to him. "Pencil."
His eyes widened. "You mean the one that was all the way over there on the counter?"
She nodded. Xander brightened.
"Yay Wicca."
Spike glared at the challenging witch.
"What you gonna do, Red? Draw on me?"
"Actually I was thinking more along the lines of letting it rip through your skin and burrow into your main artery." Willow's pupils gleamed purple. "Take the shield down. Now."
The vampire resigned and reverted to mortal form again. He trudged over to the sorry-looking book he had dropped, the item of stationery following him, and flicked through the pages. He gave the witch a sulky glance and then spoke a few harsh syllables.
"Look'rah akhtay."
The circle of fire vanished.
"Way to go, Will. Now fill him full of lead!"
Buffy and Tara frowned at Xander's outburst.
"Oh come on, you were all thinking the same thing."
Spike had thrown himself to the floor to escape the writing implement but found himself pinned, panting with fear as the pencil hovered over his chest like a wasp.
"He hasn't told us how to fix Buffy," Willow growled. "What did you do?"
"Me? I didn't do anything!"
The tip of the pencil stabbed him sharply, breaking a millimetre of his skin.
"Oww! It was the book!"
"What book?"
Buffy cut in, "I think he means this stupid story he kept yammering on about. King of Goblins, blah blah blah. Meant to have taken his chip out for him. What was it called? Labiarinth?"
"I think she means Labyrinth," said Tara, biting her lip to keep herself from laughing.
"That's what I said."
Willow broke her trance to comment. "Ooh, isn't that that film with David Bowie?"
"The one where he has really tight pants?"
Everyone, including Spike, stared at Xander.
"This is one of those moments where I wish I didn't exist..."
"Anyway," Buffy continued. "He made up some lame lie about this goblin guy whisking Giles off to his own dimension. Hell, if I believed that were true, I wish he'd come and take Spike away too. That'd solve a world of problems."
The vampire rose to his feet, the pencil having dropped to the floor. Instead of rushing the humans though, he backed off with his palms waving.
"I wouldn't go saying those sorts of things, children. You don't know who might be listening."
Xander ignored him and added, "Yeah. Right now would be a bonus."
"Oh, bollocks."
"So remind me," said Xander with a hint of scorn. "Exactly why are we listening to the ex-killing vampire's freaky phone call and missing much-needed sleep and video fests?"
"He said it was important. Something about a break-in at the shop and Giles is missing."
"And we're believing him, why? I mean, shouldn't we get Riley or the Buffster to come with? This whole thing stinks of trap."
Willow sighed and brushed back a strand of her gorgeous red hair.
"You know Riley needs his rest after the whole Adam thing. We can't expect him to jump to attention every time some little thing goes kooky. I'm sure we'll be fine, really."
Her childhood friend noted her nervousness.
"And Buffy?"
Willow didn't answer.
"Will?"
"Okay, okay, she wasn't home all night. I figured maybe she stayed over at Riley's-."
"And you didn't call to find out?"
"Well, no. As a matter of fact I, I didn't!" Willow blurted defensively. "You know what those two are like with their sexy-ness. I didn't want to disturb them. Besides, even if we do get in some silly trap thingy, Buffy'll get us out like, that." She clicked her fingers.
"Um, guys..."
Tara had finally found cause to enter the conversation. The companions had arrived outside the Magic Box and she was pointing at the door.
"Spike said there was a break-in, but wouldn't there be a broken window or some kind of dent in the door?"
"Well, less wood-shop work for me to do!" Xander exclaimed cheerfully.
Willow approached the door and turned the handle, letting it swing open with a tinkle of the bell. She stepped inside, the others following closely. No sooner had they reached the top of the few stairs, she cried out in alarm.
"Buffy!"
"Mmf!"
The Slayer was bound to a chair in the middle of the room, a piece of cloth stuffed in her mouth. Her friends rushed to her, taking no heed of her head shaking frantically from side to side. No sooner had they reached her, a wall of enchanted fire circled them and the door of the Magic Box slammed shut.
"I knew it was a trap!"
Xander's voice was drowned out by the vampire's cruel chuckle. They spun to see Spike slink down the steps, a book in hand.
"Bloody useful place you've got here. Don't know why I never caused this much havoc earlier." He tossed the tome over his shoulder.
"Maybe because the Slayer would have beat you into undead jell-o?" Xander snapped.
The girl in question called for attention again.
"Mmmmf!"
"Ooh, sorry!" Willow winced, immediately tending to the gag. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Buffy scowled at Spike through the flames.
"I don't know. One minute I was patrolling, I went into one of the crypts, and then I was here in the Magic Box. With Spike." She spat his name in disgust.
"Oh the look on your face was just priceless," the vampire smirked.
"Right," said Xander, "but that still doesn't explain the situation. Did he invite you to sit down on a chair and tie you up with rope? 'Cause that's just making up bad images..."
Willow frowned.
"Yeah, what's going on with that? Spike can't use violence because of-."
"My chip?"
The Slayer and her friends stared at him. The vampire grinned maliciously.
"That pesky old thing? Well, I think our relationship took a bit of a tumble. Decided to part ways, see other chips if you know what I mean?"
"You mean you're-."
"Free as a plump, juicy nightingale, Red. Free to hunt and kill and maim and knock the blinking lights out of any walking blood smoothie who passes my way."
Xander finished untying Buffy's ropes and squinted through the sizzling barrier.
"I still don't get it. Fine, you're the Big Bad again, but that still doesn't make you a match for the Slayer!"
"Xander -," Buffy began.
"Buff, I'm trying to have a rant here. As I was saying, there is no way a rusty old vamp like you can take the Slayer off guard at full strength"
"Xander, I'm not the Slayer."
"Exactly, she's not the -." Xander paused in mid-flow. "What?"
Willow laid a hand upon Buffy's shoulder.
"You're tired. You're not thinking straight. Of course you're the Slayer. You go around poking vampires with sticks, that's what you do," she said meekly.
Buffy hung her head, tears stinging her eyes.
"I've lost my power. It...it just went. I'm just a normal girl, a normal, scared girl..."
Spike sniggered.
"Isn't it wonderful? She's so pathetic! And soon she'll be all alone." His face twisted into its monster self. "When she's seen me pick off her friends one by one."
He advanced on them but stopped short, feeling something prod him in the small of his back. Willow was standing up straight, her eyes unblinking, focused on his heart.
"What's going on, Will?" Xander asked.
Tara tugged at his sleeve and whispered to him. "Pencil."
His eyes widened. "You mean the one that was all the way over there on the counter?"
She nodded. Xander brightened.
"Yay Wicca."
Spike glared at the challenging witch.
"What you gonna do, Red? Draw on me?"
"Actually I was thinking more along the lines of letting it rip through your skin and burrow into your main artery." Willow's pupils gleamed purple. "Take the shield down. Now."
The vampire resigned and reverted to mortal form again. He trudged over to the sorry-looking book he had dropped, the item of stationery following him, and flicked through the pages. He gave the witch a sulky glance and then spoke a few harsh syllables.
"Look'rah akhtay."
The circle of fire vanished.
"Way to go, Will. Now fill him full of lead!"
Buffy and Tara frowned at Xander's outburst.
"Oh come on, you were all thinking the same thing."
Spike had thrown himself to the floor to escape the writing implement but found himself pinned, panting with fear as the pencil hovered over his chest like a wasp.
"He hasn't told us how to fix Buffy," Willow growled. "What did you do?"
"Me? I didn't do anything!"
The tip of the pencil stabbed him sharply, breaking a millimetre of his skin.
"Oww! It was the book!"
"What book?"
Buffy cut in, "I think he means this stupid story he kept yammering on about. King of Goblins, blah blah blah. Meant to have taken his chip out for him. What was it called? Labiarinth?"
"I think she means Labyrinth," said Tara, biting her lip to keep herself from laughing.
"That's what I said."
Willow broke her trance to comment. "Ooh, isn't that that film with David Bowie?"
"The one where he has really tight pants?"
Everyone, including Spike, stared at Xander.
"This is one of those moments where I wish I didn't exist..."
"Anyway," Buffy continued. "He made up some lame lie about this goblin guy whisking Giles off to his own dimension. Hell, if I believed that were true, I wish he'd come and take Spike away too. That'd solve a world of problems."
The vampire rose to his feet, the pencil having dropped to the floor. Instead of rushing the humans though, he backed off with his palms waving.
"I wouldn't go saying those sorts of things, children. You don't know who might be listening."
Xander ignored him and added, "Yeah. Right now would be a bonus."
"Oh, bollocks."