The Demon huff and puffed his way up the steep hill, bulging muscles and a strong will pulling him to the top.

"This location was a mistake." He said, appearing to Buffy from the opposite and much steeper side than she climbed, "Dramatic, sure, but..." He took a moment to breath and then stood up, inhaled and exhaled deeply and then shook it off, "Alright, so, you ready?"

Buffy had started stretching and she spoke with her head between her legs, "Yeah, sure, just give me a second to loosen up."

"Are you sure? This type of moment doesn't come very often in a person's life; I can feel the energy surging through the air, pulsating in my heart; I'm suddenly terrified that you can't."

"Well pardon me for not jitterbugging my way to the center of the ring; I do this sort of thing a lot."

The Demon let his long coat slide off of him and removed his hat to reveal a red bald head spiked intermittently with bumps, "Yes, I suppose you do."

At the base of the hill Xander looked on, "What's he doing? He's pretending like this is the great climax of Blood Sport 2."

Giles responded, "All the worlds a stage-"

And Spike, looking on with anxious terror waltzing in his dead eyes, corrupted the ending, "And all the men and women prisoners."

"Alright then" The Demon said, approaching Buffy, "Enough build up."

He started with two jabs towards her pretty blonde head which she avoided and countered with her own punch which was swatted away. Then, feeling more comfortable with the pattern, he swung hard at her head in a swinging hook which she ducked, and, seizing the opportunity, punched at his stomach; although the blow connected The Demon didn't seem to notice and, seizing her slender shoulders, threw her backwards and to the ground.

"You have the moves, I concede, but where's the FIRE?"

She climbed back to her feet methodically and bent down into a fighters stance. She took a few steps forward and began to exchange blows again. She punched his head, twice, with opposite arms and then sent a kick to his midsection that had created a hole in many a demon's stomachs to allow their decaying guts to fall out. The kick's momentum, though, didn't even have enough force to knock the demon out of fighting mode. He grabbed her foot, lifted her by it into the air, and swung her up and above his head. Seizing this desperate opportunity Buffy grabbed at the yellow ring which was so close to her face she could probably lick it. The Demon threw her but Buffy had grasped her hands around the ring and, for a moment, she felt some relief as the ring slid off his finger. The Demon grasped her hand as she was sailing and wrenched the ring away from her before she could cry "Willow" and shoved it back onto his fingers.

He let go of her hand, only to find Buffy, now more desperate, already on her feet and punching at him. Fending off the blows he found himself backed towards the edge of the hill. Not feeling the great desire to go tumbling down it he grabbed Buffy's wrist and used her momentum to twirl around her to position himself where his back was away from the edge.

Still not satisfied with her effort Buffy back flipped behind the Demon, grabbed his head, and began to twist. The Demon slammed his elbow into her face, spun around to face her, and laughed, "Effort. I'll give you effort."

But Buffy knew this was no time to talk and still feeling as if she had the momentum she charged with another flurry of punches and kicks that were formidable but not overpowering. The Demon, however, found them more annoying than he would like, so, in between the edges of the punches he shot his hand and squeezed his long bony fingers around her neck, "Enough!" He pulled her face close to his and, although she fought his grasp with all her slayer strength, no effort broke it, "Desperation doesn't suit you." He threw her to the other side of the hill.

"Swings, Swings, Swings!" He began, shouting so the audience looking on could hear, "There's no emotion behind them! A punch without feeling is like a joke without a punchline!"

"I really wish he would have chosen a different simile." Xander whispered to Giles.

"Looks like I'll have to leave disappointed after all." He began to march towards Buffy with purpose.

"How can you say there's no emotion?" She retaliated, "I swung into you like I was punching death; that was everything."

"No, it wasn't...but maybe that part of you just didn't return from the grave." And, now upon her, he brought down all his power onto her with a swing that crumpled her to the ground. Then, not feeling like putting off the inevitable any longer he brought his fist down again, a metaphorical hammer beginning to nail Buffy once and for all in her coffin.

At the bottom of the hill Spike and Xander shared one horrified look and sprinted up towards them. Giles took one concerned glance at Willow and then followed them.

The Demon had his fist up to swing again when Spike jumped on his arm, wrenching it behind his back. Xander, with as much effort as he could, began to punch. Giles, in the interim, made his way to Buffy to check her wounds; "Buffy?" He asked.

"Giles...I lost..." She looked up at him with a bloody face that wrenched his heart, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean..."

"No, no, shh, it'll be ok. I promise." He said, brushing her hair aside, and kissing her on the forehead. Then, gripping his sword in determination, turned towards The Demon as he shook Spike off him and hit Xander once across the face, knocking him to the ground.

Giles said nothing but his determined face, despite the Demon's obvious strength advantages, worried the other worldly being. He swung at him, once, but the blow was deflected.

"This is touching but it's not your scene!" The Demon said but then, afterwards, he had to fend off another sword swing. This time the blade cut the skin and green blood began to flow. He cried out.

Xander picked himself up and made his way over to a now weeping Buffy, "Hey Buff."

"Xander, I'm, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean..."

"Shh, alright, hey, no worries; so the big bad and bumpy gave you a few good licks, no bigs. But you're Buffy and we have your back, always."

"But...he's right. I really don't feel anything...I'm trying desperately to prove he's not right but it's my heart it's just...empty...And no matter how hard I try to pump in some feeling it stays dry. And you all were counting on me...I"m so sorry."

Behind Xander Spike had joined in Giles' war against the Demon. They were keeping him occupied well.

"Hey, look at me Buffy." Xander had bent down and cupped her chin in his hands, moving her head so she would look from the fighting behind him to him, "Don't be sorry, please. Do you want to know why we brought you back from the dead? Look, everything good in my life that has ever happened to me is because of you. I mean, sure, sometimes people die,"

"Like Jesse?"

"Yeah, like Jesse but that isn't your fault. I got together with Cordelia, met my fiancé, got to watch my best friend grow from a nerd into this super awesome powerful witch, and found some grumpy old British guy who would do for me what my real father can't."

"Bu-"

"Come on let me finish. What I'm trying to say is that you don't just keep the Vampires at bay Buffy; not just the demons or the puppets or whatever the hell else is out there that goes bump in the night, you keep the darkness at bay. All of it. All that terror of life that is creeping around the edges waiting to devour everything we believe to be good, and true; the misery, the pain, the doubt, you beat it all back Buffy, just by being who you are. I told you once you were my hero, Buff, so don't be sorry, because you only have something to apologize for if you're wrong, and heroes always do the right thing."

"Thank you X-" Buffy began but The Demon, having shaken off both Giles and Spike, had stalked his way over to behind Xander. Green blood was spilling from his face contorted in rage. He drew back his fist and with a malicious blow shoved it through the back of Xander and tore through the insides to protrude out the other side.

Buffy screeched a horrible, young girl screech that she had seldom before let out.

"The spirit of man is so fragile." The Demon sneered and withdrew his hand.

Xander looked down in shock, his brain still trying to register the pain, his mouth moving to find something to say but for the first time in his life having nothing. Buffy paused for just a moment after her scream died and Xander crumpled to the ground, his hand trying to cover the gaping hole where his stomach used to be.

Buffy scooped him up in her arms but the Demon latched onto her neck, pulled sharply backwards, and slammed her to the ground. Xander fell, twitching intermittently.

"This ends."

Spike was back on the hill and, seeing the desperate situation, grabbed the demon and pulled him off of Buffy. Giles joined him and they once more began to fight. Buffy, aware she was no longer contained, scrambled to her feet, cradled Xander to her, and began to slide, slip, and stumble her way down the hill screaming, "Willow! Willow! Willow!"

Willow ran to her, "Oh God." She began to cry simultaneous to her realization of what was happening.

"Fix him." She commanded, laying Xander gently on the ground.

"I'm not sure if I...I mean- Buffy, I..."

"Willow please, you have to be able to do this. You brought me back from the dead, fix him!"

"The magic is different, it's, the magic to bring you back was destructive and, to heal, I need - Oh God!" She cried out and began to cry nearly hysterical. She brought her hands instinctively up to her face.

Buffy grabbed her wrist, "Willow," She said, in tears herself, "I need you to fix him. Without you, all of you, this life, my life, means nothing. You can't break down Will, not now. Since I've come back I've been one bad morning away from giving up completely, from lying down on my bed and never getting back up. If he dies..."

Willow clenched her face in determination and the tears didn't flow as freely, "I'll do it. You're needed." She said, motioning her head towards the hill where the Demon has Spike and Giles on the defense.

Buffy charged up the hill pissed and as the Demon began to take a heavy swing at a stunned Spike she intercepted the blow. He pushed harder but she stood firm.

"Giles, Spike, thank you."

"Uh-" Spike began,

"Sorry to keep you waiting" Her voice was cold, much colder than her eyes filled with fire, "But I'm here now."

Then she attacked.