For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1

Chapter 20: Trick's Treat
(Buffy's POV)

By the time we finally make it to the hospital the babies are already gone, not that that's a huge surprise... the good news is that Giles is beginning to come back to himself, he's starting to remember and he tells us that we'll find Lurconis in the sewers. That is a huge relief not just because we really need whatever information he can provide but also because having to babysit Ripper is no picnic... the other positive development is that --as soon as the word sewer is mentioned-- Snyder bails on us as fast as he can. If I had known that he was going to react like that I would have suggested that we use the sewer system to reach the chocolate factory... and is it me or did that really sound totally Willy Wonka? Anyway, before I know it Giles and Snyder are arguing like a couple of five year olds about which one of them is 'filthy'. I pull them apart before things can get violent and then I grab my watcher and drag him toward the sewers with me while pretending not to notice that once again he is holding hands with my mom. Faith is following us with an amused expression. She may be having a ball watching them act like kids --and I have to admit that if there weren't so much at stake I'd be laughing with her-- but we have work to do. I take a deep breath and I resign myself to the fact that I'm about to sacrifice yet another pair of shoes to the sewer god... I know Giles and mom tease me about my shoe obsession but the fact is that in this line of work maybe I should just buy wholesale.

As we make our way through the sewers I can't help but wonder what I could possibly have done to deserve this... and I'm not talking about this whole candy business, in fact I'm not even thinking about my destiny as the slayer. I'm thinking about the fact that I'm seventeen years old and yet I'm almost more familiar with the sewer system than with the streets above. In fact I'm not even nervous about coming down here any more. That's just not right, I mean, why do demons have to be so fond of these damn tunnels? Couldn't we just have a few normal, giant alligators around here instead?

It doesn't take long for us to hear some chanting but I don't let that distract me. I know from painful personal experience just how difficult it is to track where the sound is coming from down here so I'm careful not to get too cocky... besides, we don't know just what we'll find when we reach our target, though I'm guessing Trick, a few minions and a really nasty demon. In other words pretty much our standard fare... of course with mom and Giles stuck in teenage mode stealth is not an option... not that I'm all that fond of stealth mode myself, it's just that it's nice to know it remains a possibility. After a few minutes I am certain that the voices are getting closer and I realize they seem to be coming from an open manhole. I suck in a big breath --which being down in the sewers is really not a good idea-- I take a quick look and I allow myself to crash Trick's little party... what can I say, my invitation was probably lost in the mail.

I am relieved when Giles, mom and Faith follow... okay I'd probably feel better if mom weren't here but I can't win them all and I figure that two out of three ain't that bad. I look around and I see Trick with three of his minions. That means that for the time being it's four against four... easy as long as big demon guy doesn't decide to show up... and I immediately realize that I just did a good job of jinxing that one.

I kick one of the minions while Giles and Faith each take one on... luckily Trick seems to be more interested in observing us than in going after my mom who he doesn't really see as a threat. After a few seconds I dust mine and then I move on to the one that Giles has all but incapacitated with a couple of nicely placed blows. Out of the corner of my eye I see Faith dust the third one... that leaves Trick and --if the rumbling noise that seems to be approaching through that tunnel is anything to go by-- Lurconis.

I turn around to face Trick... he's got to know he's lost now, I mean, he has two slayers in front of him and he's fresh out of minions but he seems to be ready to go down fighting. Unfortunately I hadn't counted on Giles pulling a Ripper. Before I know it he gets between us and Trick, and the vampire takes advantage of that opportunity to throw him into the junction, right in Lurconis's path. I have two choices, I can either fight Trick or save Giles. The decision is obvious but before I can make a move toward my watcher Faith beats me to it and pulls him to safety. With Giles out of danger --and with Faith keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't try to play the hero again-- it only takes me a few seconds to dust Trick but unfortunately that is long enough for Lurconis to catch up with us and that means we are going to have no choice but to fight our way out of this one... and the babies and my mom are still caught in the middle of it.

The problem is that I came here prepared to fight vampires but I get the funny feeling that my stake will do little more than tickle Lurconis and that means I need a weapon... a big weapon of the kind I'm not likely to find just lying around in the sewers. I look up and I realize that while I'm unlikely to find a suitable weapon just lying around, I may have a shot at finding one that is hanging around. I have one shot and one shot only but that's better than nothing at all. You'd think demons and vampires would have figured out by now that torches and gas pipes are not really the safest of combinations but apparently they never learn... hopefully I'll be able to pull this one off without blowing us all to kingdom come.

I jump, grab the pipe and hope that my weight will be enough to break it loose... this whole being thin thing may be fashionable and it may make it easier for me to move in most instances but it does have its downside at times and I fear this could easily turn out to be one of those exceptions. Luckily it works and a few seconds later we are staring at the charred remains of a thoroughly cooked demon... I may have preferred mine medium-rare, but under the circumstances I'm not going to complain about it. For the time being I'm just glad this one is over... or almost.

I still have the SATs to look forward to. Those are tomorrow and somehow after everything we've just been through I don't think I'm going to be in top shape for them but it's not like I have much of a choice in the matter. My mom --still under the influence of the candy-- offers to write me a note and for a moment I'm tempted to take her up on it but... I guess tonight taught me something about responsibility. So I may flunk but then again I may not... and I'd just as well get it over with once and for all.

As we push the baby cart back to the surface I catch a glimpse of my mom and Giles holding hands again. I look at Faith and see that she's noticed. I know the two of us are going to have to talk about this new development, see how we are going to handle it but not now. Right now I really don't want to think about it. It's been a long night, I'm tired, we are safe and for now that's going to have to be enough... of course I also have the funny feeling that the image of my mom handing me those handcuffs is going to be enough to feed my nightmares for a while.