Disclaimer: Neither Friends nor Buffy is a property of me

Chapter Five

"Quickly, training room!" Giles commanded as the mad rush of the fourteen people began in the direction of the open door leading to the training room.

"It was a rhetorical question," Chandler began as he and Monica joined in the rush to the back of the store.

"But you asked!" Monica shot back. "Haven't you learned anything? Never ask questions," she said.

"But--" Chandler began.

"This is a weird town...You don't ask questions," Monica cut him off as the two of them approached the training room. As soon as Phoebe trailed in, Monica closed the door.

"Wow, this is a pretty nice space," Ross began in amazement as he looked around. "Hey Rach, would you like me to show you some of my karate?" he asked.

Buffy tried hard not to laugh at Ross's pronunciation of the word. "Karate, is it?" she asked curiously. "What, is it some weird New York thing?"

"No, it's just some weird Ross thing," Chandler put in.

"Everything is some weird Ross thing," Joey corrected.

Giles sighed as he began moving his arms, signaling for everyone to be quiet. "The vampires could still be out there," he whispered. "We don't want them to know we're back here."

The various people nodded in agreement as they lowered their voices and moved over towards the corners.

"But that doesn't mean we can't be prepared for them," Giles continued as he reached for his hand padding used when he helps Buffy train. "Spike, Buffy, and I will help Rachel since it looks like she might need the most help," he began.

"Hey!" Rachel protested. "I took self-defense courses! I could self-defend myself to an attack I know is coming," she began her voice getting softer with each word. "Alright, so I need some help, big deal. I know for a fact that Ross does too!"

Buffy smiled as she walked closer towards Rachel. "You can do this," she assured her.

"What about us?" Anya asked. "Are we supposed to sit around and await our soon coming death?"

"Ok, when I said you had fewer than fifty years left, I meant fewer than fifty years, not fifty minutes," Phoebe began before Giles cut her off.

"Everyone else just pair up with someone close to your height and strength, I suppose," Giles began as he walked closer towards the two Slayers.

"You sure you don't want me to help with Rachel?" Ross asked. "I really could help," he suggested. "I took karate and I have unagi."

Buffy rolled her eyes as she walked over to Ross and knocked him to the ground with one push.

"I could have done that," Monica muttered as she stood up, walking over towards Anya. "Should we be training?" she asked meekly.

Anya shrugged. "Couldn't hurt."

Giles looked around the room. "Pairs of two, please except for Buffy, Rachel, and I," he began as he turned to Spike. "Sorry, we don't need you right now."

Spike shrugged it off as he watched who was pairing up with who. Anya was with Monica, Xander with Chandler, Phoebe with Dawn, Willow and Tara with Joey. He sighed as he realized he would be working with the "karate" master himself.

"Actually, Spike, back over here and Willow with Ross please," Giles began as the small changes were made to the partners.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Xander asked.

Giles gave a slight shrug. "Honestly, I have no idea. I suppose we're just making sure we could handle ourselves if those vampires should break down the door and come back here."

"So Spike," Giles began as Buffy began helping Rachel with some warm-up stretches. "Is there anything useful about the vampires outside? Like how they killed Faith or something?"

"It was a bunch of them," Spike noted. "They said they broke into the jail or something and did it while she was sleeping. Bunch of wankers, if you ask me. They're all talk."

"They're also all gone," Buffy said as she peered out the small window in the training room, catching a glimpse of the vampires running away.

"Thank goodness!" Rachel yelled. "So now what?" she asked curiously.

"Now people start to go home, save for the four of us because you still need to train," Giles told the Lincoln high survivor turned Slayer.

"Take some crosses!" Buffy called after as the ten other people began leaving the room. "And Willow, please watch over Dawn!"

"Will do," Willow promised as she closed the door behind her, leaving only Giles, Buffy, Spike, and Rachel.

"Alright," Giles began. "Start punching at my hands, alternating between your two fists with each punch," he commanded gently.