Spike and Malik made their way through the chambers of the sunken church. They had to report back to the Master immediately. Buffy managed to eliminate the Dreamer he and Malik were supposed to retrieve from the docks, and the Master wasn't too happy about it. Spike talked a little about his history as they walked; glad to finally be making some sort of conversation with the uptight wanker.

"Yeah, I killed a couple-three in my time. Kinda lost track of em' now. Take it from the Big Bad, mate. Slayers, they're not so bleedin' tough."

They made it up to the Master. He was still walking around in Angel's skin. He turned around from the gaping hole behind him; the two remaining Dreamers hovered besides him.

"The Dreamers are greatly displeased by your failure to protect their brother, as am I." he started. "However, despite your incompetence, I have conceived a means of harnessing and amplifying the remaining Dreamer's powers that should allow the Order to complete its mission. My plan requires the forging of a Deglon Sphere using a mixture of steel and blood taken from the surviving Dreamers. Even as we speak, my followers go to wrest control of a local foundry from its human proprietors. Now then, while all of the important work is going on, the two of you will deal with the Slayer and her meddling cohorts."

He extended his arm. A bolt of energy crackled from his hand and struck both him and Malik, lifting them off the ground. Agonizing pain seared through his body. Spike clenched his teeth, attempting to withstand the pain.

"I cannot even begin to stress the importance of your success. Fail me again, and I'll have you both brutally tortured before I get bored enough to personally rip out your spines."

He let his arm down, releasing Spike and Malik from his magickal grasp. Spike doubled over in agony. He resisted the urge to rip the Master's throat out, knowing that would be suicide.

"And Spike?" the Master said, looking down at him. "Disappoint me, and your beloved Drusilla's well-being is forfeit as well, understood?"

"Crystal." then he said under his breath, "You pointy-eared old wanker."

He was sick and tired having Drusilla's life on the line. He wouldn't stand being the Master's whipping boy any longer. He would visit the Slayer, but he wasn't going to kill her. He had another plan in mind.

---

Buffy and the rest of the gang sat around in the library. Buffy felt rejuvenated after going home and taking a hot shower. She changed into a blue blouse and black leather pants. Her damp hair was tied back in a ponytail.

Buffy stood in the office, talking to Giles. Willow, Xander, and Cordelia sat around at the table, waiting for her to tell them the next set of plans.

"So one down, two to go?" she asked Giles.

"Hmm?" he asked, looking up at her. "Oh yes, of course. Without the combined power of the three Dreamers, the Master should be unable to execute his plans."

"Well that's…very cool." Buffy said, trying to be excited about the news. "If it wasn't for the whole Angel being possessed thing I'd say it even called for a celebration with ice cream."

"To be absolutely certain the Master's purpose has been averted, we must track down the remaining Dreamers and destroy them."

"And find a way to exorcise the Master's ghost from Angel." Buffy added.

"Yes, of course."

"And THEN the ice cream."

"If you insist." Giles sighed. "Now look, you'll have to track a member of the Order of Aurelius back to whatever location they've chosen as their layer."

"I'm on it."

Buffy walked out of the office and stood by the table. Willow was sitting down in the chair next to her, looking cheerier than usual.

"Hey Will, how ya doin'?" Buffy asked her.

Willow looked up from her homework.

"Great! Better than great! Magnificent. Well enough that I'm tempted to add cuss words for emphasis."

"You found something?"

"I damn well did indeed. I found a special spell of protection that should give the Master a big ol' eviction notice, get him out of Angel's body and keep him from going back in. Yay me! Now all you have to do is find the Master's new hideout."

"I'm working on it."

"Let it be known that Willow was not the only one who was useful." Cordelia butted in.

"Let me guess, you painted your nails, went out for pizza, and pumped your own tire this time?" Buffy retorted.

"Actually, Cordelia was quite helpful." Giles called out from his office.

"Thank you, Giles." Cordelia replied. "See, quite helpful. Looks like I'm doing all the hard work around here tonight. I helped Giles research those funky tattoos on the two vamps, that snake shapeshifter and the other one? Looks like there's some kind of magickal thingy that allows a vampire to get down with its "inner animal aspect", whatever that's supposed to mean. And what is up with the vampires and the whole leather look anyway? It's like they've seen too many movies and bought into their own hype. Gotta have the look, the attitude…and suddenly thinking the world of darkness, a lot like Hollywood."

"Thank you, Cordelia. Even though once again you've managed to say way more than you need to, you've been a big help."

"I'll just go ahead and take that as a compliment." Cordelia snapped.

Buffy almost regretted saying that, Cordelia really was useful when she wanted to. She decided not to say anything else.

"I, for one, deserve an ice-cream-type reward." Xander said, cutting into the uncomfortable silence. "I was pretty impressive out there, if I do say so myself. Working that crane, fighting vamps, nearly falling unconscious. I was a sight to behold."

"You were quite the crane operator." Buffy agreed.

"So, what's next?" he asked. "More crane operation? Some Slayer patrol duty, perhaps?"

"I'm about to go head out and find the Master's layer, see if I can get a hold on Angel. I'll be right back, you guys."

Buffy turned around and headed out the door. Just as she pushed the door open, a loud crash like glass breaking sounded from behind. Buffy spun around to see another one of those spiny demons she encountered back at the mansion standing in a pile of glass. He apparently came in through the skylight above.

The demon skittered towards a shocked Cordelia standing up by the table. The demon slashed Cordelia in the gut. She fell backwards and crashed against the table. Willow, Xander, Buffy and Giles rushed immediately to her aid. The demon leaped into the air and kicked out at Buffy. The blow sent her flying backwards, out the library and into the halls.

The demon skittered out the library, towards her. She jumped up quickly and snapped a kick at its face. Her foot struck the demon violently in the jaw, she heard a loud snap as the demon's spine gave out. The demon fell limply to the tile floor. Buffy took out her stake from her pocket and rammed it into the demon's heart out of sheer instinct. The demon let out an inhuman scream of pain, and died, disappearing into green mist.

Buffy ran back into the library. Cordelia was sitting on top of the table, cradling her gut. Xander stood by her, while Willow and Giles looked around for something to dress the wound.

"Hey, Cordy, you all right?" Buffy asked.

"Hey, Buffy, you blind? Do I look all right?" she retorted.

Buffy rolled her eyes and smiled smugly.

"She's fine, trust me." She turned to Giles. "Sit tight, Giles. I'm going to head out and beat the brush a little, see what scurries out."

"Have a care, Buffy. The Master may be attempting to lure you into a trap." he warned cautiously.

"Again? That trick never works. Don't worry, I'll be careful. Besides, there are other students in the building, and they'll need someone looking out for them."

"Good luck."

"Buffy, I know I don't have to tell you, but I have to tell you." Willow said. "If you run into Angel, don't forget he's not himself these days. Master in the house."

"You're right, you didn't have to tell me, but thanks. If I have to beat the crap out him, I'll work up some Master imagery in my head. Still got some anger from that time he killed me."

Cordelia shut her eyes, breathing out through clenched teeth.

"Just hold on, Cor, hold on. They'll never master that cheer routine if you die on me now." she said to herself.

She opened her eyes and stared at Buffy sternly.

"Okay, Buffy? In case you didn't notice, that was your cue to seek out medical attention for the dying cheer queen!"

"You deal with the vamp problem while I make a pit stop at the nurse's office. I think Trauma Girl here's gonna need some help from the medicine cabinet." Xander said.

"Trauma Girl! Whoa! Xander, you could at least have the decency to keep the room from spinning!" Cordelia snapped.

Xander ignored her, and jogged out the library.

"Okay, you guys stay here, keep an eye on her." Buffy said.

Willow and Giles silently agreed. Buffy took her stake back out and walked into the halls.

---

Malik crossed the courtyard of the high school, the bomb held tightly under his arm. Spike went off on his own, said he was going to divert the Slayer and her friends, keep them busy while he planted the bomb. Malik was grateful to get the irritating vampire off his back for awhile. Spike was too rebellious, and too reckless. His irresponsible ways would one day get him killed.

Malik stopped at the door and sniffed the air. He could smell the Slayer's hot blood. She was somewhere in the courtyard. The wind blew towards him, carrying her scent towards him. He didn't want to fight her face to face, not unless he had to. He remembered how strong she was when he encountered her last night at the library. He signaled for his lackeys to hunt her down.

"What was that?" he said as he pointed towards her general direction. The vampires obliged. Malik opened the door to the hallway and slipped quietly inside.

---

Xander rummaged through the medical supplies, grabbing all that he could: bandages, gauzes, peroxide, iodine, etc. He stuffed some of the supplies in his pockets and carried the rest in his arms. He pushed the door open and made his way down the hallway, towards the library. Footsteps sounded ahead in the hallway. Xander looked up ahead and saw two vampires making their way down. Xander quickly ducked into boy's restroom, and listened through the door.

"So, what is supposed to be going down?" one vampire asked.

"Malik is setting up a firework show for us tonight. He's setting up a bomb down in the basement as we speak." the other one answered.

"What exactly are we supposed to be doing, then?"

"Keeping the Slayer and her friends at bay. Spike is supposed to give us a signal when we clear out. All we have to do is keep the Slayer from finding out about the bomb."

And a great job your doing at that. Xander thought to himself.

Xander waited as the footsteps faded off, then he came out from the restroom and jogged the rest of the way back to the library, careful not to drop anything. He had to tell the Scoobs before the bomb went off.

---

"They're what!" Giles yelled after Xander told them what he had just heard in the hallway. Willow wrapped the bandage around Cordelia's ankle. She wasn't hurt bad. Luckily the demon didn't break the skin, and Cordelia managed to survive with only a few bruises and a sprained ankle. Willow listened intently as Xander reran over his discovery.

"And you just heard this? Like, a minute ago?" Willow asked.

"Well duh, Willow. You just heard him!" Cordelia said

"I overheard them out in the hall when I came out of the nurse's office. They said some guy named Malik was "setting up a firework show" or something like that."

"What should we do?" Willow asked.

"Willow, go find Buffy. Tell her about the bomb and see if she can diffuse it."

"Okay, I know Buffy is like a professional at kicking ass and everything, but what makes you think she can diffuse a bomb?" Cordelia asked as Willow finished taping up her ankle.

"Only one way to find out." Xander said.

---

Buffy walked down the hall, crossbow cocked and ready for any vampire activity. There were a handful of them roaming the hallways of the school. She even ran into a couple of the shrimp demons, and a batch of the spiny demons along the way.

"Buffy!" Willow called as she came running down the hallway. From the look on her face, Buffy could tell something was wrong.

"Willow, what is it?"

"Not to add chaos to catastrophe, but Xander overheard two Aurelius vamps talking about a package in the boiler room, the exploding kind. They're gonna blow up the school!"

"Normally a cause for celebration, especially considering the history paper I turned in." Buffy said, trying to hide the panic in her voice. "But, silly me, I'd rather the school not explode with us on the inside. Not to mention all the other people in the school right now. And Giles would be so sad about the books. Off to the boiler room to play bomb squad. Get everyone else out of here, Will. Cuz, y'know, I'm not really a member of the bomb squad."

"Going, quickly. Don't blow up." Willow took off to take care of the task.

"I'll try not to." Buffy said to herself.

Buffy took a left down the hallway and jogged across. She stopped suddenly when she heard a loud scream come from one of the classrooms. She could hear a girl pleading through one of the doors.

"Let go of me! Help!"

She could hear two men laughing in there, vampires.

Buffy kicked the door down. Two vampires held a brunette girl by her arms, holding her towards a small streaming jet of flames that erupted from a gas nozzle underneath a lit Bunsen burner.

"I love blood cooked under an open flame." one of the rowdy vampires said.

Can you say corny?

Buffy shot a crossbow, dusting one before he knew what was going on. The other vamp released his grip. The girl shoved past him and ran out the door behind Buffy in a panicked fit.

Buffy aimed the crossbow at the remaining vampire and fired. The vampire jumped back in surprise as the bow hit him just below the chest. The vampire looked down at the bolt.

"You missed."

"No I didn't."

The vampire's arm caught ablaze as it got stuck in the flames. The vampire screamed out in panic as the flames traveled up his arms, engulfing him. The vampire dissipated along with the flames, leaving behind a smoking pile of dust.

Buffy checked the bow to find no more bolts. She dropped it on the ground and took out her stake. She walked to the other side of the chemistry lab to the other door. The door suddenly splintered open, and a vampire came rushing into the room, right past her. Buffy spun around and drove the stake into his back, dusting him instantly.

Buffy went through the doorway the vampire just went through, and out into another hall. She made her way down the hall and jogged down the steps to the first floor.

Two spiny demons skittered out of the basement door up ahead, leaving behind a green barrier. Buffy threw her stake with great force and accuracy. The stake rammed into the skull of the first demon. The demon squealed in pain, scratching at the stake trying to take it out. It fell to the floor, spasming, then it died. The second demon made its way towards her, and slashed out with its claws. Buffy jumped back from the swipe. She leaped up and wrapped her legs around the demon's neck, and let herself fall back. Using the momentum from the fall, she drove the demon's head into the tile floor as she landed. Blood and matter splattered all over the hallway. The demon died out, and the barrier dissipated.

Buffy entered the doorway and made her way down and through the basement. She found the bomb in the same spot where the main power switch was. There was a digital timer on the package that counted down to detonation; she had a little over two minutes left. She found a single wire that ran along the length of the bomb. She held her breath tightly, and yanked the cord. The timer stopped at 2:03, and stayed there. Buffy exhaled deeply.

"Hey, look at that. I didn't blow us up." she said in a shaky voice.

"You can't win, Slayer. There's only one of you, and there's an endless supply of us." a vampire said behind her.

"C'mon, give a girl a break!"

She turned around to face him. Just as he made his way over to her, Buffy kicked him in his knee caps. He doubled over in pain, and Buffy drove a stake into his back, reducing him to dust. She ran out of the basement, and made her way through the hallways, she opened up the double doors and out into courtyard. She jogged down the courtyard towards the other building.

"Good evening, Slayer." a voiced called down.

Buffy looked up and saw the long-haired vamp she saw a few times with Spike, the one she fought last night before Willow's abduction. He was standing atop the roof of the building she came out of.

What is with this guy and rooftops?

"Guess you're kinda sore about me dusting your snaky girlfriend."

"You are formidable prey, Slayer, but you face a truly worthy adversary."

Then he changed. Thick, yellow hair grew out around his body. His hands stretched out into long paws. It was like watching an even more sick and twisted version of Oz's transformations during a full moon.

The huge cat on top of the roof roared into the night sky and leaped off the roof, right in front of her. The cat swung a humongous paw towards her face. She took one hard to the side of the face and fell back dazed. She lay dizzily on the ground as the cat prepared for its next move. Buffy knew she was finished.

---

Spike watched from the shadows as Malik attacked Buffy in his huge cat form. The Slayer managed to roll out of the way before Malik came in with a finishing blow. He watched as the Slayer got back to her feet, and flung a flurry of punches and kicks that never connected. Along with the animal transformation, Malik had the power to materialize and immaterialize as he pleased. Even Spike had to admit that wasn't fair. He loved nothing more than watching Buffy squirm, but he didn't want her killed, not yet.

---

Buffy was getting batted back and forth. No matter what she did, the cat would disappear, dodging her every move, then reappearing somewhere besides her and pounding her down to the ground.

Eventually, she caught on to his pattern. She counted how many seconds between his disappearances and reappearances. Whenever the cat materialized behind her, Buffy came in swinging, but her blows did not have much of an effect.

Buffy risked a glance and saw her stake lying on the ground. She threw a punch to the beast, and he dodged it again by teleporting. Buffy quickly rolled on the pavement and snatched up her stake. The beast materialized in front of her while she was still on the ground. She slid underneath and stood up behind him. The beast disappeared again, but Buffy was ready. Just as soon as he materialized again, Buffy swung back with the stake. The stake pierced through the beast's chest, and into his undead heart. Buffy stepped back and watched as the beast fruitlessly attempted to remove the stake, growing weaker. His body finally gave out and he fell to the pavement, unmoving.

"Hunh, guess tiger guy doesn't do the whole ashes to ashes thing. Or maybe his 'inner animal' is more possum than tiger."

Buffy turned around and walked towards the building she was trying to get through earlier, puzzled at the vampire-cat's simple defeat. As if on cue, she heard the sound of heavy paws charging towards her. She spun around and braced for the impact as the beast ran at her then pounced through the air. A long, wooden shaft suddenly pierced through his chest. The cat exploded in a cloud of ash before he reached her.

Buffy coughed as the ashes reached her lungs. When the dust cleared up, Spike was standing there.

"Bad pussy! Never cared much for cats, more of a dog person really. Shapeshifting like that, sometimes the heart isn't in the same place. Gotta be more persistent, Slayer. And sometimes you just need a longer shaft." he said.

Buffy couldn't believe Spike out of all people decided to save her life like that. There had to be something he wanted. The Spike she knew last year would of loved to see her get ripped to shreds by the giant feline.

"All right, Spike, what's going on? Spill it." she demanded.

"Excuse me, young miss. Let me remind you that I just saved your life. You can come down from DefCon 1 now. I'm here to form a truce. Y'know, bury the hatchet, that sort of thing. We have a common enemy, you and I, and an alliance might just prove beneficial. Or have you forgotten all about your bloodsucking boy toy being hijacked by the Master?"

Buffy hated to admit it, but Spike was right. She eased her tension, and then signaled Spike to follow her. They both made their way back to the library.

---

Giles was sitting in his kitchen with a glass of brandy when the phone rang. He ran to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Giles?"

It was Buffy. Xander and Willow got off the couch and came to join them, an eager look of anticipation and fear etched on their faces.

"Buffy, is everything all right?"

"Five by five, as Faith would put it. I managed to stop the bomb threat. I ran into the vampire with the girlie hair, looks like Cordelia was right, as much as I hate to say that. He transformed into some kind of tiger on steroids. We put the cat to sleep though. He's dust."

"We?"

"I'll explain at the library. Just be here in a few." with that, she hung up.

"What did she say?" Xander asked.

"Everything is fine. We have to meet her back at the library; she has something to tell us."

"Don't you guys ever get sick of that place? How come we can never meet somewhere a lot less musty, like a mall, or…wait, that's the only thing we have in this stupid town." Cordelia groaned. She slowly rose off the couch and limped to the kitchen.

"Let's go."