Striding up to the Bronze, Luke couldn't help but grin as the bouncer stepped forward. "Hey, I'm going to need ID!" he protested and Luke just leaned down further, showing off all his fangs.

"Get inside," he said and the bouncer instantly complied.

Entering the club, Luke looked around, the vampires behind him spreading out to cover the different entrances and his grin only widened further across his thick set face. He headed for the stage that was empty and Darla made sure the power was off.

"Ladies and gentlemen," his voice boomed into the sudden darkness. "There's no cause for panic."

Darla waited a moment before turning the light on the stage back on, spotlight on him. "Actually, there is cause for alarm," Luke continued at the light highlighted the ridges on his forehead and fangs. "It just won't do you any good."

"This is a glorious night. It's also the last one any of you shall ever see," Luke said, spreading his arms out with all the devotion of a religious zealot. "Bring me the first!" he snapped and two of his vampire lackeys pulled up the struggling bouncer, whose lifeforce quickly went to feed the master's power. "Next!" Luke thundered.

o.o.o.o

Grids and the others approached the Bronze and she tried the door, only to find it locked. "Damn it."

"We're too late," Coricopat remarked.

She gave him a look at that, "I didn't exactly expect to run into my mother. You guys try the back entrances. I'll find another way in. This thing won't budge."

"You can't break it down?" Tugger asked.

"Not this thing." She turned to go and then paused, handing over her bag of weapons, "Here, you guys'll need these."

Mistoffelees caught the bag and nodded, slipping away toward the back. Coricopat murmured a quiet "good luck" and then followed Mistoffelees as Grids turned and made her way along the building in the opposite direction.

Grids finally found an unlocked window on the second story and carefully opened it, slipping through it to come up behind a vampire on the balcony. She looked past him to the stage, where she could see Luke. The three-pointed star was painted on his forehead, "The Vessel." She hadn't realized she'd said that aloud until the vamp turned and grabbed her, dragging her to the middle of the balcony to show her to Luke.

Luke glanced up and grinned, spreading his arms further as he let another body hit the ground in front of him. "Tonight in his ascension. Tonight will be History at its end! Yours is a glorious sacrifice. Degradation most holy. What, no volunteers?" He glanced up toward Grids but Darla started dragging Bomba toward the stage.

"Here's a pretty one."

Bomba struggled against the vampire's grip, shrieking as she was dragged up on stage.

Grids frowned and slipped out of the vamp on the balcony's grip, flipping him over the railing onto his back in front of the stage. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you in the middle of something?"

"You!" Luke said and his eyes lit on upon seeing her.

"What, you didn't think I'd miss this did you?"

"I'd so hoped you'd come," Luke said with a wider grin as a vampire to the side rushed at Grids.

She grabbed the vampire, throwing him into the nearby hookah pit. As he scrambled back up she flipped over backwards and through the hole to land on the pool table below. She picked up a discarded cue and leapt off the table, landing with the cue in hands. As another vampire rushed at her from the side she jammed the cue into his heart, barely sparing him a glance. She let go of the cue, ignoring it as it finally fell, "Okay, Vessel-boy, you want blood?" She stepped toward the stage.

"I want yours," Luke told her, taking a step forward and holding a hand out. "Only yours."

"Then come and get it." She ran, cart wheeling up onto the stage, using her momentum to land a solid blow to Luke's face. Growling, he stumbled back slightly, head snapping backward. She pressed her advantage, catching his arm and landing several kicks to his stomach.

His other arm came swinging up, landing a solid blow to her face, sending her skidding into a corner. She managed to get to her feet, lunging at him, the stake from her sleeve now in hand. Grinning still, he caught her arm, twisting it as he brought his knee up into her stomach.

Grids doubled over at that, struggling to get loose as the stake fell from her hand. She lashed out and upward, connecting with his jaw. Damn it, if she made it through this she'd have quite the set of bruises to explain.

Meanwhile, the back door burst open, Tugger and Mistoffelees piling through and looking around quickly. Most of the vampires were paying more attention to the stage, and they both started herding those on the edge of the crowd out the door.

Coricopat motioned people through the back door, carefully making sure they didn't end up bottle-necked and trapped. This wasn't going to work with just the back door. He glanced around, calling to Mistoffelees, "We're going to need to open the front as well!" The librarian slipped htorugh the crowd, sticking to the edges, toward the front door.

Mistoffelees gaped after him. "Oh, you're kidding," he said, and followed the librarian, leaving Tugger to deal with the back door. A vampire came up behind Tugger shortly through, reaching for him.

Grids managed to twist away from Luke enough to catch hold of a cymbal from the drum set, sending it flying toward the vampire approaching Tugger, effectively decapitating it as she returned her attention to her own opponent.

Coricopat wove his way toward the main entrance, pausing momentarily at the base of some stairs to gather his bearings.

Luke grabbed Grids from behind when she was distracted, lifting her up. "I've always wanted to kill a slayer," he hissed in her ear.

As Coricopat stood near the stairs, Darla suddenly sprang forward, jumping on him and going for his throat, knocking the stake away from him.

Freezing at seeing that, Mistoffelees dropped the bag Grids had thrown at him, trying to find something and then get to where Cori was grappling with Darla.

Grids struggled for a moment longer before going limp in apparent resignation, trying to draw a breath that didn't hurt.

Luke leaned in, teeth heading for Grid's neck.

Cori's legs gave out under him with the sudden addition of weight and he found himself fending her off as best he could. He pushed hard against her, as he reached for his stake, realizing it was out of his reach. His focus turned fully to getting the vampire off of him before she could sink her teeth in. Damn it, that had been careless...

Mistoffelees pulled out the first thing he had any idea to use as Darla pinned Coricopat's head to the ground. "Get off of him!" Mistoffelees yelled and as she looked up, dumped the entire canister of Holy Water over her face. Shrieking, Darla shot up and fled, stumbling through the Bronze in pain.

Grids opened her eyes, sensing where he was and slamming her head back to headbutt him as he neared her neck. As he released her she turned to face him, God everything hurt. She picked up a cymbal stand, holding it in front of her as a weapon.

Luke grinned as he looked her over. "You forget, little slayer. Metal can't hurt me."

Coricopat breathed a soft sigh of relief as he rose, picking up his stake again. He glanced at Mistoffelees, "Thank you."

Mistoffelees reached forward, as if wanting to make sure the other was okay but stopped several inches away. He glanced at the now empty container and let it fall to the ground. "Anytime," he said softly.

The slayer smirked in response, glancing at the blackened window behind the stage. "There's something you're forgetting too."

Luke hesitated for a moment, doubt clouding his face.

"We'd best get that front door open," Cori adjusted his glasses, considering the human to vampire ration that remained in the club. Nodding quickly, Mistoffelees ran for the door. Coricopat followed him, on alert for any vampires who weren't involved in watching what was unfolding on stage.

"Sunrise." She whirled, slamming the stand into the window, shattering the entire thing and allowing golden light to stream onto the stage, fully on Luke.

The vampire screamed, reacting instinctually before his brain had a chance to process.

Grids slammed her stake into his back, "It's in about nine hours, moron."

He had enough time to see the streetlight shining on him before staggering forward onto the stage and turning to dust. Grids looked at the pile of ashes for a long moment before turning her gaze on the vampires remaining in the club.

Two of them had grabbed Tugger and were dragging him off somewhere. They got one glance at her face and dropped him, fleeing.

Mistoffelees glanced at Coricopat and stepped into the middle of the club that was suddenly free of vampires. Grids made her careful way off the stage.

Coricopat glanced at Mistoffelees, but made his way over to the slayer, "Are you alright?"

She nodded very slightly, "I'm fine."

"Did we win?" Mistoffelees asked, voice small.

Grids glanced at him, offering him a faint smile, "Well, we averted the apocalypse. You gotta give us points for that."

"Kinda cool," he said, nodding as Tugger came to stand up at his side. "I mean, we stopped the apocalypse. That would look great on a resume, expect for the fact you couldn't put it on there and not be sent to a loony bin, but it'd go so great under achievements. "Stopped the apocalypse," right there." He paused. "I think I need to stop talking and have a quiet little panic instead."

Tugger rested a hand lightly on his friend's shoulder. "Well, one thing's for sure, nothing's going to be the same."

o.o.o.o

Morning sunlight streaming down, Bombalurina made her way across the quad, talking to her posse, "Well, I heard it was rival gangs. Anyway, Grids totally knew these guys which is too weird. I can't remember anything too well, but I'm telling you, it was a freak show."

Tugger was staring at her in open mouth astonishment as she went by under the bright sunlight.

Grids glanced at him, "Well, What were you expecting?"

"I don't know, something!" he protested as Mistoffelees came up on his other side, wearing a rather muted striped shirt. "We should've at least had an assembly!"

"People have a tendency to rationalize what they can, and forget what they can't," Coricopat supplied as he came up.

Grids nodded her agreement, "I've seen it happen."

"Well I'm not likely to forget anytime soon," Mistoffelees murmured, toying with the edge of his shirt.

The librarian nodded, "Good...well, not good, but at least next time you'll be prepared."

"Next time?" Tugger managed and Mistoffelees just nodded.

Coricopat nodded, "Next time. We stopped the master from freeing himself and opening the mouth of Hell. Doesn't mean he'll stop trying. I'd say the fun is just beginning."

"More vampires?" Tugger asked with a small voice and Mistoffelees patted him on the shoulder.

Cori answered without thinking about it, "Not just vampires. The next creature we face may be something quite different."

Grids' voice dripped with sarcasm, "I can hardly wait."

"We're at a center of mystical convergence here." Cori continued, ignoring the interruption, "We may in fact stand between the earth and total destruction."

"No pressure or anything," Mistoffelees said, giving the librarian a look.

"Oh, that's just great," Tugger muttered.

Coricopat looked between the three of them, realizing what he'd just said, "Oh...right..."

"Well, I gotta look on the bright side. Maybe I can still get kicked out of school," Grids offered Cori a bright smile at that, before tugging on Misto and Tugger's sleeves as she started off.

"Yeah that's a plan," Tugger said, following her quickly. "'Cause a lot of schools aren't on Hellmouths."

Mistoffelees hesitated a moment longer, almost staying behind, but followed them. "Maybe you could blow something up. They're really strict about that."

She shrugged, "I was aiming for a subtle approach, like excessive not studying."

Cori watched them go, shaking his head, smiling uneasily, "The earth is doomed."