Chapter 6: The Meeting

Sunnydale, January 14th, 2017

"Alright." James Lake Jr. swallowed. "We need to handle this meeting without getting jumped. Ambushed. And without the vampire attacking us when we release him."

"We could do it from afar - open a portal for the hammer, they drop it through, we give them the vampire," Claire suggested. "We don't have to be there in person - we could leave a phone."

Jim frowned. That had worked in a movie, hadn't it? Well, he thought it had worked. "But what if they don't trust us to give them the vampire?" He wouldn't trust demons, either. "Or try to trick us with a fake hammer? Or a hammer with a curse on it?" He shook his head. "No. I'll have to be there in person. But you'll be ready to open a portal next to me." Claire opened her mouth to protest - he knew she would - and he interrupted her. "I can take a blow from the Slayer. You can't. You need to keep away from her."

She glared at him. "Don't try to tell me that you'd be distracted trying to protect me."

He shook his head again. "I won't." He thought it, though.

She pressed her lips together for a moment - they were moving in that cute manner he had seen before, he noticed - and then sighed. "Alright. But you won't hesitate to get out, hammer or no hammer."

Jim nodded. "Of course." Then he sighed. "And now we need to talk to the vampire. So we can be sure he won't make trouble during the exchange."

"Yes." Claire nodded with a very stern expression. She looked around. "Let's get out of sight of any witnesses."

They were old hands at dodging spying eyes and quickly ducked into the next side alley, where Claire opened a portal.

And then they were in the shadow realm. Or shadow dimension. The… in-between, one of Blinky's books called it. All Jim cared about was that it was dark, empty and way, way creepy. And that you had to fly around with magic, jump of some of the floaty bits, or you were stuck.

Like the vampire floating there and glaring at them. "You!" he snarled.

"Yes, us. You're Spike, right?" Jim said with more confidence than he felt. At least he hoped so.

"William the Bloody," Claire added with a glare. She looked angry, but Jim could tell that she was more nervous - she was gripping the staff a little too hard, and the way she, ah, floated...

"You… You're humans!" The vampire sounded outraged.

"We're in disguise," Jim lied. Well, technically, they were still disguised with wigs and sunglasses.

"Hah!" Spike scoffed. "I can smell your blood!"

"Yeah, right," Jim said. "None of us is bleeding."

Spike snorted. "You think so."

"You couldn't smell us before?" Claire, looking angrier, asked.

"Too much patchouli and incense. Plays havoc with the nose," the vampire replied, shrugging. "So, what are you? A bunch of thieves? You look rather young for assassins. Then again, assassins stupid enough to go after the Slayer rarely get old - as the Order of the Taraka found out when they sent three of their best after Buffy. None of them came close to hurting her. I would've demanded my money back - if I'd have paid them in the first place." He snorted.

"You've sent assassins after the Slayer?" Jim blinked. That was… if this was true, this might be a way to split their enemies up. On the other hand, if the Slayer heard that Spike had tried to kill her, Jim and Clair's hostage would be worthless.

"That was before I got… well, became a white hat." The vampire flashed his fangs at them in a twisted grin. "So, what is it? Thieves or assassins? Just so I can tell the Watcher to note it down correctly after the Slayer finishes kicking your ass."

"We aren't thieves!" Jim protested. "We're here for a hammer that doesn't belong to you!"

"Olaf's hammer?" Spike shook his head. "You've got guts attacking the Slayer for her trophy. Not much brains, but guts, I'll give you that."

"Says the vampire we captured!" Claire spat.

"Come a little closer, and I'll show you how captured I am!" Spike retorted.

"I could just open a portal and send you to the beach!" Claire bared her teeth. "See if you can burrow into the sand before you burn to ashes!"

"Oi!" Spike looked a little taken aback. Maybe even a little frightened. At least to Jim. "Think of the children! All those brats annoying the family at the beach, when, suddenly, a burning man appears next to the? And not the festival type. You really want to traumatise children?"

"Right." Claire clenched her teeth, then grinned. "I'll drop you on a hill I know. Perfectly empty."

"That's only if you make trouble," Jim cut in before the vampire could reply. "All we want is the hammer. We'll trade you to the Slayer for it."

He really didn't like the smile that appeared on the vampire's face.

"And you think I'll just let you trade me like a piece of meat? You really don't know me. As if I'd let the Slayer see me like that!"

"It's that or a place in the sun," Claire told him. She was bluffing - Jim hoped so, at least. Spike was a vampire, but killing him in cold blood… No matter what Blinky had told them about soulless demons, Jim didn't think he could just execute someone like that.

The vampire narrowed his eyes, then grinned. "Really? Then why didn't you send me out into the sun in the first place?" He cocked his head sideways. "You didn't kill me then."

"We didn't realise who you are. What you are," Claire retorted. "Sending a human into the sunlight wouldn't have done anything."

That made Spike frown. Jim hoped the vampire was unnerved enough to comply with their demands. "So, play nice and you'll get back to your 'friends'. Don't play nice, and it's burning time." He smiled. "We only want the hammer."

"And why do you want the hammer?" Spike asked.

"That's none of your business," Jim told him. They couldn't tell the demon who they were - that would lead the Slayer right to Arcadia Oaks.

"On the contrary." The vampire flashed his teeth. "You're working for the skanky bitch, aren't you?"

"What?"

"Who?"

"Oh, don't give me that. The skanky demon bitch with the bad perm." Spike scoffed.

Jim glanced at Claire - she had read all those books, hadn't she? But Claire didn't seem to know who the vampire was talking about either. "We don't work for her," he said.

"Of course you'd say that."

"In any case, it doesn't matter," Jim said. "We'll trade you for the hammer, and then we're done with all of you."

"And you will cooperate!" Claire added.

"Make me," Spike replied with a grin.

Jim sighed. "If you insist."


"Alright. I'll be at the meeting." Buffy Summers tapped the map of the park spread out on the shop's table. "Here. And I'll show them the error of their ways," she quoted one of Giles books.

"Don't do anything foolish! They have Spike!" Dawn said. Lydia nodded in apparent agreement.

"They want to trade him for my hammer," Buffy told her little sister. "They won't kill him."

"Unless this meeting is merely a ruse to lure you and the hammer into a trap," Giles pointed out.

"Of course it's a trap!" Buffy retorted. "They lured us away, put on makeup to frame other demons, then tried to steal the hammer. Only a fool would trust them after all that."

"The vampire is expendable," Nigel said.

She glared at the Council stooge. "No one is expendable." Other than such a toady, maybe. Spike was an annoying, arrogant undead pain in the butt who would slaughter them all if he hadn't been chipped, but he was hers. And if anyone killed him, it would be Buffy.

"You're risking everything for a demon?" Travers asked.

"No. We're using this meeting to get them," she corrected him. That they would also use it to get Spike back was not a problem at all, of course.

"And how will you evade their trap?" the stuffy old man went on.

"I'm glad you asked." She gave him a fake smile - the kind of smile she used to aim at a certain principal - before nodding at Willow and Tara. "Willow, Tara - you'll have to counter the skimpy demon-wannabe portal girl and keep her too busy to open portals everywhere. If we're lucky, she'll be at the meeting, but I don't think so. She's not as tough as the armour guy, so they'll probably have her hiding somewhere with a line of sight on the meeting." She looked at Xander.

"Sniper nests." He nodded. "I'll mark the most likely locations."

Buffy smiled. Xander's magic soldier memories came in handy in such situations. "Good."

"Are you seriously risking the loss of a major artefact?" Philip asked, sounding shocked at the thought.

"I'm not going to lose my hammer," Buffy told him. "I'm going to use it." Let's see how the tin can thief liked it when she pounded him to paste despite his armour!

Giles cleared his throat. "Buffy. We have good reasons to suspect they are humans."

She knew that tone. She turned towards him, frowning - not pouting! - and sighed. "I'm not going to kill them. Just pound them a little. But the armoured one is tougher than a human."

"And how are your… witches going to deal with the enemy witch?" Nigel asked. "Counter magics such as those we observed would require great familiarity with the arts."

"We can shield Buffy, "Tara piped up, then ducked her head when everyone looked at her.

"And you can use this on the skimpy portal girl." Buffy grinned and held up a canister.

"Oh, that brings back memories!" Xander grinned. "Evil. I like it."


James Lake Jr. swallowed, then wet his lips, before walking the last few yards to the meeting spot. It was five o'clock - the sun was setting now. One more hour until they had to take the bus home. He wasn't quite sure what he feared more: Meeting the Slayer to exchange a vampire for a hammer or missing the bus and having to face Mom.

He took a deep breath. He was the Trollhunter, and he had a task to do. He resisted the urge to glance over his shoulder at the roof on which Claire was hiding, ready to open a portal to him. The Slayer would already be watching the park - she had eyes everywhere in town. Jim hoped their disguises held so they could take the bus afterwards. If not… Well, they'd have to cross that bridge once they got to it.

He passed the remains of the playground - the police had used some tape to cordon it off, but there didn't seem to be any investigations going on. The Slayer must have had it shut down. At least they wouldn't have to bother with the police. Civilians would be back in their homes anyway after dark.

He blinked. This wasn't Arcadia Oaks, where people knew without knowing why that staying out after dark was dangerous. But this town was built on a Hellmouth so it might be the same. He snorted - it was almost familiar ground, then.

Ahead of him was the meeting spot he had chosen - top of a hill, good visibility. He stopped amongst the closest trees and took out his amulet. No need to take a stupid risk.

"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!"

As always, the armour made him feel better. Stronger. Tougher. He nodded and continued his walk.

"Jim!" He heard Claire's voice in his earbud and reflexively checked if his phone was still in his backpack.

"Yes?" He answered. The phone was still there. Of course it was - if it wasn't, he wouldn't hear Claire!

"I just spotted a car pulling up in front of the northern entrance. It's the Slayer! And she's carrying the hammer!"

"Right." He wet his lips again, then took out the Divine Compass. Yes - it pulled towards the north.

"She's alone, or so it seems… wait! There's a group of men - the Council, I think - following her at a distance."

Damn. Had they asked the Slayer to come alone? They hadn't. But was she trying to make it seem as if she were alone, and those men were the ambush force, as Draal would call them? "Are they armed?"

"I don't see… one has a crossbow!"

"Thank you." He stowed the compass again.

"Jim."

"A crossbow won't get through my armour," he told her. A normal crossbow wouldn't - he had found that out in the Hero's Forge. A magical one, though… Well, he could dodge crossbow bolts as well. Something else he had found out - learned - in the Hero's Forge. "Anyone else?"

"I don't see anyone else," Claire repeated.

"Good." He straightened. It was time.

There came the Slayer. Dressed in a turtleneck, a short coat, tight black slacks and ankle boots, and barely topping five feet, she looked like a college girl lost in the woods. Well, if you ignored the huge hammer slung over her shoulder and the sneer on her face.

She walked up the hill and stopped about ten yards from him.

He nodded at her. "Slayer."

She returned the nod. "Kidnapper. Or do you prefer 'thief'?" She cocked her head sideways. "How about 'coward'? Or discount knight? That armour looks like you got it from a costume shop."

Jim was the Trollhunter! He was wearing armour crafted by Merlin himself! Wait… she was trying to make him angry! He wouldn't fall for that - he knew better after all his training. "Are you done?" he asked.

"Not really. I've got a list of insults - I had to fill the time waiting for this meeting, you know?"

He clenched his teeth. She was trying to distract him. He wouldn't fall for it. "You've brought the hammer."

"I don't see Spike, though." She narrowed her eyes at him. "No Spikey, no hammer."

He snorted. "Portal."

Next to him, a portal opened, facing his side. "You wanker! Cut me loose! Let's try this again, without the witch helping you!"

Jim glanced at the vampire. The ropes had held.

"Spike?"

"Slayer! Fancy meeting you here."

"Cut the crap, Spike. We're here for you. Did they beat you up?"

"No!"

"We had to subdue him. He wasn't cooperating," Jim explained.

She glared at him. "I don't like people who beat up my people."

"Your people? I'm no one's pet!" Spike protested.

"Not the time, Spike!"

Jim cleared his throat. "Let's get this over with. Hand the hammer over, and I'll hand over the vampire." He stepped to the portal and reached inside, grabbing the vampire's collar.

And the Slayer smiled. Nastily.


Buffy Summers grinned. The stupid wanna-be demon knight had fallen for her trap. "Now," she whispered into her mic.

The guy froze for a moment, his hand still on Spike's collar. Buffy's grin widened, and he flinched. But he didn't act, then.

"Got her!"

And then it was too late. Buffy rushed him. He tried to bring his sword up, but she ducked under his swing, rammed the hammer into the ground and kicked him in the chest hard enough to send him flying.

He grunted and rolled over his shoulder but didn't lose his grip on his sword. But he was too far away to keep her from grabbing Spike and tearing him out of the portal dimension whatever and dropping him on the ground.

"Oi! Careful, Slayer!"

"You can take a fall," she snapped, turning to face the tin can boy.

Who, she noticed, was tapping his ear and… whispering. "Portal! Claire, Portal! Claire?"

Buffy smiled at him. "Sorry to be a spoilsport, but your portal cruise has been cancelled because your girlfriend is currently puking her guts out!" CS was nasty even if you didn't have a Slayer's nose. "You're not going to teleport out of here." Not again.

"You… Claire!" Oh, he sounded angry. Perfect! That would make him make mistakes, and allow Buffy to…

The guy charged her with a scream, and Buffy barely managed to jump to the side when he brought his blade down, leaving a small crater in the ground.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" She twirled her hammer while he whirled to face her.

"Watch it!" Spike complained. "That almost hit me!"

Buffy would have told him to suck it up - he got himself captured, didn't he - but the tin man was in her face trying to slice and dice her. And make Buffy fries. Or something.

And she met him blow for blow. The hammer was great - almost weightless, but all mass! She slapped his blade away, then swung at him, and clipped his shoulder.

Once more, he flew several yards back, hit the ground and rolled over his shoulder. Buffy turned with the blow, a full rotation, and dashed towards him, hammer held high.

She brought it down, but he managed to roll to the side, then scrambled away, avoiding her follow-up swing. "Hey! I thought you wanted the hammer?" she yelled as she lifted the hammer out of the small crater she had left in the ground.

He was glaring at her, crouched, with one hand on the ground. Good. "What did you do with Claire?"

"Took her out," she told him. "And now it's your turn!"

He whipped his arm forward, throwing earth and sand at her - as if she hadn't seen that coming! She blocked it with the hammer, moving to the side, to avoid his lunge, and swung at his back.

This time, he flew into a tree, smashing into it with a nice, cracky noise. But the only thing that had broken was the tree - he shook his head and was up by the time she reached him. And he roared. Kind of - she'd heard much better roars.

Still, she had to parry a few more wild swings - one even came close to cutting the tip of her ponytail! - and he avoided her next blow. "Stop dodging!" she snapped.

"You wish!" More wild swings. He was losing it. Good. Combat quips for the win!

Now all she had to do was move him into the right spot for a good old-fashioned hammering. "You know, that's two of you taken out by my friends - I have a reputation to maintain."

Yes. Another wild swing, and… She jumped back to avoid a stab at her stomach. That hadn't been a wild swing! "Oh, tricky! Almost good enough - but not quite!" She singsonged. "My turn, now!"

"We've got the witch secured. She's human," Willow reported.

Buffy grinned and drove the tin boy back with a few lazy swings of her hammer. "And we have your girlfriend. You're all alone now. Why don't you give up? You don't stand a chance anyway!"

"The hell I will!" he snapped. He swung at her, and she parried with the hammer. For a moment, they stood, matching strength, then she pushed, and he gave way, his feet digging into the ground.

Buffy grinned. No one beat the Slayer! And no one escaped her three times! Now all she had to do was…

"Buffy! There's an army storming the park!" Willow yelled through the earbud.

She blinked. What?

"Knights! On horseback! And on foot!" Xander added. "It's like Braveheart!"

Yes, she could hear a great many people running towards her. Snarling, she kicked the tin boy in the shin and then whirled his unbalanced body to the side with a twist of her hammer. "Brought an army, huh?"

"What?" He blinked as if he didn't know.

"More of you tin can warriors!" He tried to bring his blade up, but she was quicker and stepped on his arm, pinning it to the ground, then raised her hammer as the first knight appeared on the hill. "Stop, or I'll turn him into a pancake!" she yelled.

"They're not with me!" tin boy yelled.

They stopped. "Slayer," one of them said.

"Yes, that's me. And you are?"

"We're the Knights of Byzantium."

"Not the Knights of Ni?" she quipped. There were dozens of them. And they had bows and crossbows. And lances and swords. What the hell - did anyone invent time travel without telling her? Or was this some SCA stuff that Xander had been talking about?

They didn't laugh, either.

"The Key is the link... the link must be severed... such is the will of God," the leader guy said. And everyone else repeated it.

She gasped. They wanted to cut Dawn apart? "Over my dead body!" she spat.

"What are they talking about?"

She ignored the tin boy. The knights were about to charge.


Key? Link? Severed? The will of God? All said with one voice? James Lake Jr. gasped as he understood. "They're brainwashed!" he yelled.

A moment later, the Slayer dropped down on him as half a dozen arrows flew overhead. Before Jim could react, she gripped him and pulled him up.

Then he felt several bolts strike his back, bouncing off the armour - she was using him as a living shield! "Let me go!" he yelled, flailing at her.

"Tell your buddies to back oW!" she yelled back as he connected with her head.

"They're not my buddies!" he protested, kicking out and dislodging her grip on him.

More arrows missed them as they both stumbled back.

Then the half a dozen knights charged, and Jim barely managed to turn to face them in time to avoid being impaled on a lance.

But he could deal with a charge - a horse and a knight weighed about as much as an average troll and were about as fast. And Draal was anything but average.

Jim leapt over the tip of the lance, cut it in two as he came down, then struck the rider with the flat of his blade as the man rode past. The knight was thrown out of the saddle and crashed to the ground, and Jim landed, ready for the next.

And found himself caught between the foot soldiers and the other riders, who - minus one the Slayer had unhorsed - wheeled. They wouldn't charge straight through their own, would they? He remembered their creepy creed about God's will - of course they would!

And he was caught in the middle, with the Slayer at his back. "I'm not with her!" he yelled. "I just need the hammer."

"You won't get the key!" the Slayer shouted, a fraction of a second later.

Jim turned his head, trying to keep the Slayer and the knights in his field of view.

"What is the key? The hammer?" he asked.

"The Key is the link... the link must be severed... such is the will of God."

And the knights charged again. Jim wheeled to face the two coming at him - three went for the Slayer, but that exposed his back, and he felt another arrow strike him.

Once more, he dodged the lance, then cut its tip off, but just as he turned to strike the knight down, the second knight struck him. Jim was lifted off his feet and thrown back, but, again, Merlin's armour saved his life.

He rolled over the ground, ending up prone - and the foot soldiers attacked with swords and maces. And it was all Jim could do to fend off their attacks without killing them.

He rolled back to avoid the first blows, rose in a crouch and parried the next, then kicked the closest attacker away, into another, and both soldiers tumbled to the ground. Jim cut off the head of a mace aimed at his head, whirled to drive his foot into a sword-wielder who had flanked him, and disarmed the next.

Someone screamed. Not near him. "Don't kill them!" he yelled. "They're mind-controlled!"

"Tell them not to kill me!"

"The Key is the link... the link must be severed... such is the will of God."

That was beyond creepy. And here they came again. Yet again, Jim found himself the target of half a dozen soldiers and had to struggle to fend them off. At least the riders were hanging back, and the archers couldn't shoot without hitting their friends.

But there were so many of them! Jim weaved and dodged and parried, and tried to knock them out - but they were humans. If he hit them too hard, they'd die. Or get internal injuries like Toby.

So he gritted his teeth and let his armour take the blows while he tried to disarm them instead.

One sword went flying. An axehead followed. Both knights drew daggers while he fended off a spear. A crossbow bolt struck his helmet, sending him reeling for a moment. A knight exploited that and hit his leg with a mace. His armour held, but he was still sent to the ground, slipping in the torn grass.

"Such is the will of God!"

A knight tried to cave his chest open with a maul, and Jim rolled to the side, then swung his blade. The man screamed as the blade cut into his legs and fell over.

The others didn't let up. One of the knights he had disarmed jumped on Jim, grabbing his arm. Jim shook him loose, but two more used the opportunity to strike his side. And one hit the knight instead, burying a pick in his back.

Jim rose, covered in blood, panting. Still surrounded. The Slayer was fighting - he could hear the screams. He had to escape. Break through the line. Outrun the knights on horseback. He just…

A shrill scream cut through the noise of the battle.

"Where is my key?"


Buffy Summers froze for a fraction of a second. No. No! That voice… The skanky demon was here! The monster who had taken everything Buffy had thrown at her and had thrown Buffy around like a ragdoll in return! She whirled, kicking one of the knighty guys away and tried to spot the demon.

"Give me my KEY!"

Screams and a flying body, half-torn apart, showed her where the demon stood. Where the demon was advancing. Towards Buffy.

"Slayer!"

And the skanky blonde had seen her! The demon grabbed two knights charging at her and threw them away, one of them smashing into a mounted knight with a sickening crack and all went down in a tangle of limbs. The sound the horse made…

"Buffy! That's Glory!" Willow's voice sounded in her ear. Shrill - her friend was panicking.

"I know," she snapped.

Another knight charged the demon, but his lance slid off her back, tearing her dress.

"My dress! Did you know how much that cost?" Momentarily distracted, the demon-woman turned and buried her fist in the horse's head, smashing it to the ground, then went after the unhorsed man before he could get up. She gripped his throat and lifted him up like some slutty Vader impression.

Buffy gritted her teeth. She had to… But last time, the monster had beaten her like a drum.

"Let him go!"

Buffy gasped - tin boy had come down with a case of suicide wishes. He charged the demon, sword raised high, and slashed at her arms.

And the demon let go of the man, cradling her arm. "That hurt!" the skank complained. For a moment, Buffy felt hope fill her. If they could hurt the demon, they could… Then she realised the demon wasn't bleeding. No.

"I'm going to rip out your spine!" The blonde demon lashed out at the boy, who was lifting the man up, and both went flying downhill. "I'm going to crush you slowly! No one hurts me and gets away with it!"

Buffy had to step in. She was the Slayer. But this was going to hurt. "Don't you want your key?" she yelled. "I'm right here!"

The demon stopped, teetering on her high heels for a moment, then turned. "Slayer! Where is my key!"

"Right here!" Buffy held out her hammer. "Come and get it!" If she could lure the demon to go after her, she could run and lose her.

"That is not my KEY!"

Before Buffy could react, the demon was in front of her. Then she was staring at the sky. And then came the pain. Everything hurt.

"Such is the will of God!"

She could move her arms. Could get up. Had to get up. Hammer? There. She grabbed the shaft and forced herself to stand. Her ribs hurt. Breathing hurt. Screams. There were screams. A body hit the ground next to her, blood splashing the grass from a shoulder missing an arm.

People were screaming.

"Buffy! You need to run!"

Willow was screaming into her ear. Buffy smiled, spitting out some blood. "No can do, Wills. She's faster than I am. Get… get Dawn and run. Drive. Not Giles car. Far away."

She stumbled towards the demon, who was ripping the knights to shreds. Literally. Her red dress was torn, but blood covered her.

The tin boy was getting up as well and he didn't look any better than Buffy. Hah! Slayer powers beat armour!

She laughed, then winced as she took another step towards the skank. "Run, Wills!"

"No. No. Oh, no! Buffy! Don't!"

At least the stupid review would be over. A few more steps. She could swing the hammer and… A horse went flying past her, crashing into a tree trunk.

"You! Get her out! Here! Hold still!"

Wills wasn't making sense. Get who out?

"Oh, Glory?" Buffy yelled, raising her hammer.

The skank turned, still holding a knight by the throat while two more tried to skewer her with spears. "Slayer!"

And Buffy struck her in the face with the hammer.

The demon stumbled back, releasing the knight, then fell down on her knees. "That… MY FACE!" she screeched. Buffy had hurt her!

Behind her, tin boy rose and brought his oversized sword down on the demon's head. Buffy heard the crack.

"MY HEAD!"

A knight followed up with a mace, but the demon caught the weapon before it could strike her. "NO MORE!"

Then the knight lost his head. And half his shoulder.

And Glory stood, snarling, spitting mad.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!"

Buffy snorted, even if it hurt. As if the demon wouldn't have done it anyway.

Then she was falling.

The last thing she saw was Glory reaching for her, screaming with rage.

And Buffy hit the ground. Solid ground. Concrete.


James Lake Jr. hit the ground - the concrete - and barely managed to keep standing. That had been… A portal! Claire! He whirled. "Claire!"

"Jim!"

There she was. They were on the roof she had picked for her spot, and she was standing between two women - one of them was the Slayer's friend. And… was she crying? A man was standing behind her, holding a medical spray bottle. What had they done to her?

"Hold it, Buster!" the redhead told him, holding out her hand. Next to her, several daggers floated in the air. And she was holding Claire's staff!

The other woman was rushing forward, to… the Slayer? There was the Slayer, on the ground, next to the vampire!

Jim shook his head and focused on Claire's captors. "What did you do?"

"Saved you, duh!" the man said.

"They hit me with tear gas," Claire said.

What? Jim gritted his teeth and clenched his hand around the hilt of his sword. They hurt Claire?

"We were kinda tired of you portalling away whenever things didn't go your way," the man went on. "So… can't open a portal if you can't see, right?"

"Buffy's hurt, but it's not life-threatening," the blonde woman said.

Tear gas? Jim could smell some faint… aftertaste? "You hurt her."

"Barely. Should we have clubbed her over the head?" The man looked far too confident for someone with an arm in the sling and within charging distance. And on a roof. "Hey! We also brought this!" He raised the bottle. "Perfect for rinsing the stuff out. With a little witchy magic added."

Claire was still sniffling, and tears were running down her face. "You only did this so I could save the Slayer!" she spat.

"And your friend," the redhead added. "Who was only in danger because you attacked us! This was your stupid meeting!"

"We didn't attack you - you attacked us!" Claire retorted. "With a vampire!"

"You tried to rob us!" the redhead shot back. "And you scared the children in the park!"

"The hammer doesn't belong to you!" Jim snapped.

"It is mine! I won it fair and square!" the Slayer protested.

"The Hammer of the Troll Gods belongs to the trolls!" Claire spat.

"Oi!" The vampire - Spike - spoke up. "I hate to interrupt this debate, but can we get a move on? The demon bitch is about finished with the knights, and we're too close to her for my taste."

Jim whipped his head around. The hill! Yes, he could make out a red figure on top of it. And lots of people on the ground around her. Dead people, he realised.

"I hate to agree with Spike, but he's right. Let's move to a safer spot," the man said.

"Not the shop!" the Slayer said.

"Careful, Buffy!" the blonde exclaimed. "You're still hurt."

"I can move." The Slayer stood. "Let's go to… Spike's!"

"Oi! Why should I put you up?"

The Slayer turned to look at the vampire. "Because we just saved you, duh!"

"You…" The vampire closed his mouth and glared at her. "Fine! Come on!" He turned towards the stairs behind them, then looked over his shoulder. "But no messing with the telly!"

The telly?

"And no tricks!" the redhead added with a scowl that looked more cute than intimidating. "I'm keeping an eye on you!"

Jim would have dismissed the threat - she didn't exactly look dangerous - if not for the daggers floating next to her. And the fact that the Slayer didn't look like the monster she was, either.

"Alright. Let me call… Oh, no!" the Slayer gasped.

"What?" The redhead gasped as well.

"My phone! It broke!"

"Oh."

"Can you call Giles and tell him to meet us at the crypt?"

"Oi! I don't want the watcher in my home!"

"He put up with you for months in his home!" the Slayer retorted.

"He had me chained up in his bathtub!"

"Well, of course!"

Chained up in his bathtub? Jim looked at Claire. She looked… she hid it, but he could tell that she was spooked. Like himself. They were in the hands of the Slayer and her group. At least Toby was safe. And Jim still had his armour and sword. If he needed to, he could hold them off while Claire escaped.

As long as he found a way to hold off the Slayer, her vampire, the witch, and everyone else.


The vampire was living in a crypt. An actual crypt on an actual cemetery. Jim would have gawked if he weren't trying to find a way out of this for Claire and himself.

"Welcome to my humble abode," the vampire said, sitting down on a stone coffin. He sounded as honest as Steve claiming that he hadn't stuffed Eli into a locker.

"Stand in the corner! And no funny business!" the redhead snapped.

"We're not at school any more, Willow," the man with the broken arm whispered.

"Oh… I didn't mean it like that!"

But Jim was already moving towards the corner. Towards Claire. She was still in tears, but she was alive. And whole. He hugged her, despite the armour. "Jim… I'm sorry," she whispered. "They surprised me. One moment I was watching you, the next I was coughing and crying..." She sniffled again. "And they took my staff! I couldn't do anything!"

"It's OK," he tried to reassure her. He hadn't exactly covered himself in glory, either. "We'll get through this."

He didn't know how, yet, but they would. Even if he had to sacrifice himself for her.

The Slayer sat down on the coffin, still carrying the hammer as if it weighed nothing, while the vampire moved to block the door. That left… the hole in the ground? Jim didn't really want to enter a vampire's basement. Or sub-basement.

"So!" the Slayer said, and Jim looked back at her. She was smiling in that nasty way of hers. "Let's talk!"