Chapter Ten

First of all, I am so sorry for the almost month long delay. Work was murder for a few weeks, and then I had vacation. I figured I'd have enough time to write on vacation, but I never got around to it.

This note is for the rude reviewer, if she (I'm assuming she) indeed is still reading, even after telling me after several chapters that this fic sucks.

First off, you must be very bored to continue reading a story you hate involving a show you hate.

Second, you don't like my story, that's perfectly fine. You're entitled to your own opinion. Not everyone likes the same things. But I would prefer "I hate this fic" to "this fic sucks." I didn't force you to read my story.

Third, constructive criticism is one thing. Name-calling is something else entirely.

Fourth, if you hate the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, why continue reading once you found out it involved Buffy?

Finally, it's called freedom of speech. I should be able to write any story I want without fear of being yelled at.

My response could have been more rude than it was, but I didn't want to stoop to your level. Good day to you, and enjoy my "sucky fic."

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Xander walked into the dining room to find Willow and Tara at the table, their eyes closed. "How's it going, girls?"

Tara opened her eyes and looked at him as Willow continued to concentrate. "The energy has arrived in Sunnydale about thirty minutes ago."

"So, we got a new Slayer in town now?" asked Xander. "Where is she? Should we call Buffy?"

Willow's eyes snapped open. "I lost her."

"You lost her?" asked Xander. "What does that mean?"

"I've been able to keep contact with this girl's essence through her conscious mind," Willow explained. "Sort of a Vulcan mind meld meets Betazoid empath. I can only lock onto her soul while she's conscious. I can't find her anymore. She must be in trouble."

"Or asleep," Xander offered with a look at his watch. "It's past midnight."

"Knowing us, which is more likely?" Willow pointed out.

Xander shrugged. "Good point."

"Do you know where?" asked Tara. "We can send Buffy to help."

"The motel at the edge of town," Willow told them. "But she's a Slayer. Chances are a demon knocked her out and took her."

The front door burst open, and Spike rushed into the room.

"Did Buffy come back?" he asked anxiously.

"What?" said Xander. "How'd you know she left?"

"I bumped into her on patrol," Spike answered quickly. "Is she back yet?"

"No," said Xander.

"Bollucks, I was afraid of that," said Spike. "We were attacked by Polgaras. When I came to, she was gone."

"Buffy's gone?" asked Dawn from the doorway.

"Don't worry, Dawn," Willow assured her. "We'll find her. Okay, you two go look for her with Spike. I'm gonna stay here and keep an eye on the spell. I have a feeling the girl's sudden disappearance from the waking world has something to do with Buffy's disappearance. Once she's awake, I can call you and send you in her direction. Buffy might be with her."

"Okay," said Tara, moving towards the front door with Xander.

Xander looked into the living room at Anya. "An, watch Dawn for a while."

"Sure thing, honey," said Anya, flipping through a magazine on the couch.

"But I wanna help Buffy," began Dawn.

"Dawn, Buffy would want you to stay here," Willow told her.

"But—" began Dawn.

"Dawn, please don't argue," said Willow. "You know how Buffy would react if something happened to you." She closed her eyes once again to concentrate.

Dawn sighed, but nodded. "Fine, but call me if anything happens."

"Got it," said Xander, heading for the door with Tara and Spike.

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Buffy felt like she was swimming in a pool of darkness—thick, gooey darkness. She couldn't seem to open her eyes yet, but she sure could hear. Hitching breaths seemed to be coming from close by, as though someone was straining hard with something. There was a clatter as something metallic fell onto something hard and solid; it sounded like concrete.

A deep groan came from behind her. "Son of a bitch."

Something rough and warm touched her hands and began moving, and Buffy realized it was someone's hands—the someone who was behind her.

As Buffy pushed through the haze to the surface, she tried to bring her hands to the floor she was lying on to push herself up, but she found that she couldn't move them. Her hands were bound behind her back. As she moved her hands, they brushed against the others, which immediately froze.

"Hey," came the male voice again. "Hey, you awake?"

Buffy moaned as her eyes finally came open.

"Hey," he said. "Say something."

"I'm awake," Buffy told him.

"Oh, you're a chick," he said.

Buffy turned her head as much as she could towards him. "Excuse me?"

"No offense," he muttered. "I'm Dean."

"Buffy," she told him.

The man named Dean paused. "Not…Buffy Summers, is it?"

Buffy frowned, getting on edge. "How do you know my name?"

"I came to town looking for you," Dean told her.

"Why?" she asked.

"For your help," Dean replied, his hands bumping hers as they searched for something. "Some hunter pals of mine need you to help us throw a band-aid on the hellmouth."

Buffy frowned. "Hunters?"

A door in front of Buffy opened, and she looked up to see six Polgaras walking into the room, closing the door behind them. As they surrounded the two of them, Buffy felt Dean scoot up so their backs were touching. Buffy could tell he was scared and trying to get away from these terrifying, unknown creatures. The next second, she felt his hands fumbling around her butt. Buffy was about to yell at him when she felt something small and metallic brush by her hands: a lock pick. He'd been looking for the lock pick he'd dropped earlier, scooting close to her to hide his escape attempts from the demons.

"You know, I have taken down some fugly sons of bitches in my time, but you guys take the cake," Dean said.

Buffy had to hand it to him; he was taking the whole demon thing in stride. She supposed he was trying to appear tough. After all, he was apparently a hunter. Buffy had never really hung out with someone who went hunting, but she figured they were kinda butch. He also knew about the hellmouth, though, which Buffy was gonna have to ask him about after she got them out of this mess.

"Silence, weakling," said one of the demons.

Buffy's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Wow, you guys actually talk? That's new."

"Don't worry, Buffy," Dean told her. "I'll get us out of this."

"You are not going anywhere," said the demon in front of Buffy. "We finally have you."

"Oh, so, you have heard of me," Dean told them. "I'm flattered."

Buffy knew they were talking to her. They thought they'd grabbed the Slayer. Fortunately, they always underestimate her. The question was, why did Dean think they wanted him? All the while, Buffy could feel Dean working away at his cuffs.

"But why don't we just drop the vendettas and go our separate ways?" Dean suggested. "Or, at least let the girl go. You have me. You don't need her."

My God, he likes the sound of his own voice more than I do, Buffy thought.

"The girl cannot go," said another demon. "She's a part of this."

"Oh, come on, you don't need her," Dean told them. "I mean, look at her. She's skin and bones. Not to mention short. She's nothing."

Buffy suddenly realized what he was up to now. Oh, you idiot!

Dean was keeping the demons distracted and off guard so he could attack once he got free and catch them by surprise. The moron didn't understand that he'd be dead before he got two punches in. Well, if he was gonna do something stupid, Buffy might as well join in to save his sorry ass.

"Excuse me?" Buffy muttered at him. "I work out!"

"Yeah, but you really think you stand a chance?" Dean directed at her, sounding grateful that she'd caught on. "I mean, look at these guys. They're trolls on acid."

"Oh, and you can take them on?" Buffy shot back, playing along but also a little miffed about his comments.

"At least I'm not a girl," he answered.

"Oh, so, that's what this is about," Buffy said. "You're a chauvinist pig."

"Hey, it's just facts," Dean replied. "I'm at least a foot taller than you, and I've been trained to fight. I don't think a little cheerleader is gonna do much good."

Good call on the cheerleader, Buffy consented as she felt his cuffs give and his hands move out of them. Okay, any second now.

Buffy braced herself for the moment as she continued the diversion. "You know, you'd be surprised what a cheerleader can do."

"Oh, yeah?" said Dean.

This is it, Buffy thought as she felt the muscles in Dean's arms tense. She tensed her own muscles as she thought of an attack plan quickly.

"I'd like to see a cheerleader do this," said Dean.

As she felt Dean pull away from her, Buffy turned over onto her back to kick up off the floor and into a standing position, which was a little harder to do with her cuffed hands pinned underneath her. She managed to land on her feet and instantly kicked the two nearest demons away. She then jumped up as high as she could, bending her torso to lower her arms around her tucked legs. She brought her hands up in front of her as her feet connected with the floor again. Three of the demons rushed towards her, and she kicked at them and swung her cuffed hands at another, knocking them into the wall. Buffy spun around to go aid Dean, but froze at what she found.

Dean was holding his own against three of them. Not just holding his own; he looked like he was winning. The skills, speed and technique he was using were something she'd only seen in herself and Faith.

"Huh?" Buffy mumbled.

That frozen hesitation cost her. Arms came over her head and around her throat. Buffy reached up, grabbing hold of the arm and bringing her head back. As her skull cracked against his, the arms let her go, and Buffy turned to fight again.

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Dean grasped hold of one demon's head—one hand on the back of it and one on the chin—and twisted, breaking its neck. He turned to the other two, putting a hand on the side of each head and bringing them together in a horrible smack. The two demons staggered back and gave Dean enough time to reach into his jacket and search for his gun, which was gone.

They may have taken my gun, but I bet they didn't find my knife, Dean thought.

As a demon charged at him, Dean swung his fist at its gut. As the demon doubled over, Dean brought an elbow down on its neck, knocking it to the floor. He brought a leg up as the other demon rushed to him, kicking it in the stomach. He reached down with his free hand down to his boot, grasping hold of the blade under his sock. He stabbed it into the demon's heart and spun around, blocking a punch from the other one. He plunged the knife into its heart, already turning to square off against the last three and wondering why they hadn't yet attacked him. The answer came when he turned towards what he thought was gonna be three demons laying into a helpless Buffy on the floor.

Buffy was wailing on the demons, keeping up a good fight even with her hands cuffed, which she'd somehow gotten from behind her back. She'd already taken down one by what looked like cracking its head open against the wall. She had just knocked one's feet out from under it, jamming her foot down on its neck and snapping it. The last one pushed her up against the wall from behind.

Dean stepped forward, ready to lend a hand, when Buffy kicked him away from her. She grasped the bars of the door window with her cuffed hands and hefted her legs up, pinning them around its neck. Buffy struggled for a moment before flinging the demon around to the floor, landing expertly on her feet. She landed a kick to its head so hard that its head snapped to the side, breaking the neck.

Buffy turned quickly to the rest of the room, her body still tense and ready for a fight. Dean could spot a hunter when he saw one, and that's what he was staring at right now.

"Whoa…" Dean mumbled.

"Whoa, yourself," Buffy muttered back, staring at the demons he'd killed. "How do you know how to fight like that? In fact, how can you take on three of them at once?"

"Well, it's a, uh…long story on the three at once thing," Dean told her. "As for how'd I learn to fight, I learned how you did."

Buffy frowned. "What?"

A growl came from down the hall outside, and Dean instantly snapped to attention, falling into a ready fighting stance. He saw Buffy do the same next to him. Dean passed her his lock pick, and she made quick work of the cuffs; Dean was impressed.

"Put this conversation on hold for now?" asked Dean.

"You betcha," Buffy told him as they darted for the door.