Chapter 10

Battle Lines

Spike watched with hooded eyes the pathetic wanker that was a second rate makeover of the Big Bad himself saunter out into the middle of the dance floor. So far, Anya and Xander had done an admirable job in clearing out those closest to the exits and around the bar, though there was still an adequate throng of party-goers enjoying the rhythmic beats pouring through the sound system, unaware of the danger sifting through their gyrating bodies.

"What are you up to, you wanker," the vampire whispered to himself as he watched Seth's body join a crowd of college girls in sexual ministrations to a particularly upbeat song. If it had been any other time, Spike would have figured Seth for nothing but a horny guy trying to get one of the women to go home with him. As it was, Spike had the sneaking suspicion of what this whole scene was about. With that in mind, he deftly weaved through the crowd towards the other vampire.

Seth knew that all eyes were on him even before he had jumped up from the table. Though everything had to be taken care of, and soon, he had wanted to have a little fun with this group of people. Of course, the distraction that he was about to cause would give Jennifer enough time to begin the pre-ritual (whatever the hell that was) as well as contact Rack.

He spotted a group of three women dancing together and targeted them as his prey. He was anticipating the attack to start when the slayer and her friends figured out what he was going to do. Even if they didn’t, the vampire would surely understand. With that in mind, Seth had strolled over to the women and grabbed the smaller one by the hips from behind. She gasped when he pressed himself against her although, almost immediately, the scent of her arousal wafted into his nostrils. Seth smiled as the blond leaned into him, her hands running up and down his legs and he returned the favor though his own hands traveled further up, groping her breasts ever so slightly. She gasped in surprise at his forwardness but did nothing to prevent his hands from further exploration though her two friends stared at the pair incredulously.

Seth smiled to himself when a petite hand gravitated between his thighs, cupping his aroused member. The woman's head lolled to the side as if inviting him to feed and the vampire smirked at the woman's innocent gesture. He bent down to her neck, his cool lips barely caressing her flesh over the jugular and she shivered with delight.

"What's your name, beautiful?" He whispered in her ear.

"Vicki," she replied breathlessly.

"Well, Vicki," he returned, his eyes locking on the hazel eyes of Buffy on the far side of the club, " You are a pretty thing, aren’t you? I wish things could be different, but they can't." He ground his hips into her and she jumped at the pressure though she didn’t pull away.

"I don’t," she responded and cupped his groin tighter, eliciting a feral growl from the vamp as his canines elongated into deadly weapons.

"Now that you mention it, neither do I." He could feel the slayer near but knew she would never make it in time and neither would her vampire. And with that sadistic thought in mind, Seth’s fangs descended towards the woman’s bare neck.

***

Buffy had been eyeing the couple closely, her slayer instincts firing on all cylinders. There was something about the whole setup that screamed--well, setup. She scanned the crowd, thankful to Xander and Anya for getting as many people out as they had. Still, until everyone was out of the way, Buffy wouldn’t feel safe taking the fight to Seth but when he locked eyes with her, his powerful arms around the waist of a blonde woman, she knew that playing it safe wasn’t an option.

Hastily making her way through the crowd, she caught the glint of fangs as he dipped his head towards the unsuspecting woman's neck.

There was no way she would make it in time and the thought of failing another person was like a stained knife in her belly.

It's never enough, she thought dejectedly as she dodged the patrons still oblivious to the exodus of many of their fellow Bronzers.

Resigned to the fact that she wouldn’t get there in time, Buffy swore to herself and to the unknown girl that revenge would be had.

But as a purple and black blur flew from the rafters and into the vampire, Buffy's promise for revenge didn’t seem quite as necessary.

***

The supernatural impact had jarred the woman from Seth's grasp and sent them both careening to the floor. The vampire swore as his head thumped against the hardwood and his saw stars as blood trickled into his right eye from a giant gash on his forehead.

"Who the fuck?" he growled, getting to his feet, oblivious to the panic that had now set in with the crowd. Seth's eyes glistened red as the anger at the person that had blindsided him and his own carelessness got the better of him.

"Awww," came the sarcastic reply, "did the widdle vampire get a boo-boo on his widdle head?" Seth snarled at the defiant stance of Faith in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest, smirking at him in a way he had never seen before.

"You bitch," he chuckled, wiping the blood from his face. He fixed Faith with a pointed gaze before sliding his tongue over his palm. "Sweet," he said to her before his eyes raped her taut body, "but not as sweet as your blood…or other things of yours, if I remember correctly." His demon reveled in the visible shiver that coursed through Faith though her eyes never wavered in their determination.

"Well, Seth," she drawled, her bored tone masking her nervousness, "you better hold on to those memories because they're all you'll have when I send you to hell."

The vampire laughed heartily his hands coming to his stomach. "You? Send me to hell?" He asked in amusement. "You and what army?" His question was answered a kick that snapped his head back and sent him back to the floor. When he looked up, another blond that looked very similar to Faith stood over him, her arms prepped in a fighting stance in front of her.

"Us," Buffy replied, her voice hard.

"I see," Seth said as he pushed himself to his feet. He brushed whatever dirt had clung to his black pants as if it were just another day. His gaze traveled from Faith to Buffy and back again. "So, Faith honey, this is the legendary Buffy Summers. Your dear old Mum." He sauntered over to the two women, pleased when Buffy backed just far enough out of his reach. For now, at least, he thought. His hands rested casually on his hips as he again regarded the legendary slayer and daughter, amazed at the similarities between the two. In his time, he had never been allowed to see Buffy, at Emerald's request to Gabriel, and only had holo-files with which to compare the two. Now that they were together, the resemblance was uncanny, though he noticed the variance of their facial structure. But it really didn’t matter since he planned to kill both of them before the night was over.

"I don’t know, Faith," he said bringing a finger to tap against his lips as he eyed Buffy. "She's a little smaller than you in the hip area." He lowered his voice sensuously though his words were anything but. "Think she can take it like you couldn’t?" His smile widened at the look of outrage that crossed Buffy's face and the panic that filtered into Faith's eyes. "Come on, girlie," he chided, "I've said things a lot worse than that to you. Hell, I've done things ten times worse." He turned back to Buffy. "Your little girl sure can take it, you know? Took her all of twenty minutes the first time I had her before she cried. Course every time afterwards, she'd cry and cry, begging me to stop. You know that just made me fuck harder." He saw Buffy's eyes flee towards her daughter and knew his chance to attack was coming.

The confidence that Faith had had not two minutes before had all but evaporated at Seth's proximity and the images his words had drawn up in her. Her arms dropped to the sides and her stomach tightened in that familiar knot that Seth's presence exuded from her. No matter what, he always made her feel like a helpless child--a helpless child he could take advantage of and she hated it.

"Faith," Buffy called and the slayer forced herself out of thoughts of the past and turned eyes toward her mother. Hazel eyes gazed back at her with a love and compassion she remembered from her childhood with her parents. She offered Buffy a tight smile, knowing that she had to pull it together if they wanted to defeat Seth and the First.

Though he rarely used weapons, taking enjoyment in ripping his enemies limb from limb, Seth's hand slid inconspicuously under the leather jacket he wore before gripping the obsidian handle of the silver blade sheathed against the small of his back. Buffy and Faith were lost in some sort of silent communication with their eyes and temporarily oblivious to him. Though he couldn’t kill them, he could do a little cutting here and there the same way he had done to Faith on several occasions.

With a preternatural swiftness, the vampire unsheathed the eight-inch blade and took a step towards the two women, his intent broadcast from the maniacal gleam of his eyes. But before he could bring the weapon from behind his back, an iron grip clamped over his wrist, trapping it into place before a steel-like arm wrapped around his neck in a vice grip.

"Now, now," drawled Spike, "were you gonna play dirty while my girls are otherwise occupied?" Seth couldn’t answer as Spike's arm tightened even more and he had to admit his surprise at the British vampire's strength. Strong, but not strong enough, he mused and clamped his free hand over Spike's wrist, forcing the vampire's arm away from his neck. But a swift kick to the sternum halted his actions and the blade clanged against the dance floor. He doubled over, his hands automatically coming to his chest before his feet were swept out from under him and he was on his back for the third time in as many minutes.

"Shit," he swore before being Spike greeted him with a punch to the side of the head. He instinctively rolled with it, flipping to his left and away from the three opponents. He was to his feet almost instantly, an excited grin etching his face as he eyed the three blondes that sized him up.

"Looksie what we have here," he quipped as he removed his leather jacket and tossed it away. The black tank top bared his tattooed arms that flexed in anticipation of the fight.

Crunching his knuckles, the vampire circled his opponents, his eyes taking in every part of the situation at hand. "Well, you know what they say…the family that slays together, dies together."

"We don't fancy too much the dyin', mate," Spike said as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

"Don’t really think you have much of a choice, buddy-boy." Seth smiled once more before he charged into the fray.

***

"Guess the fighting's started, if the slight disturbance on the dance floor is any indication," Xander said to his wife. They had evacuated as many people as they could in the time allowed and was thankful that the Bronze was only half as full as it usually was at this time. Still, there were far too many civilians in the way for what was appearing to be an all-out battle royal and someone was going to get caught up in the crossfire.

Frustrated, Xander searched the crowd for Willow, Tara and Giles and spotted them in an unpopulated corner of the Bronze. Turning towards Anya, he said "Stay here, Ahn, I'm gonna see if the others have finished the spell yet cuz we're gonna need a few helping hands getting these people outta here."

"Don’t get smushed," she said before planting a deep kiss on her fiancé’s lips.

"Will do," he smiled before hustling over to the others.

"You better," Anya whispered as she watched Xander retreat, "I don’t want to be a widow before I'm even married."

Neither saw the lithe woman strolling casually up to the three Scoobies.

***

"That's it, I think," Willow smiled in relief. The spell had taken a lot more adjustment than she had previously thought and even though she had only anchored Tara and Giles, she still felt drained--no doubt because of her abstinence from magic the past few months.

"I believe you are correct," Giles asserted, his eyes scanning the remaining crowd for Jennifer. The disbelief that had seized him when he first saw her had taken a back seat to his determination of getting the barrier spell completed. But now, he allowed himself a brief reprieve and the grief that had slithered into his heart now weighed heavily on his consciousness. He brought a shaky hand to his lips as his mind frantically attempted to grasp how it had been possible that Jenny had been there. Even as a man with more than his fair shares of knowledge of the supernatural, his mind refused to fathom how or why his once love was now working with the First.

"It's not her," Tara's uncharacteristically confident voice said as her delicate fingers squeezed his shoulders firmly.

Broken from his thoughts, Giles turned toward the Wicca, offering her a weary smile. "I know," he conceded.

"I know your mind does, Giles," Willow added, "but your heart is a different matter. Believe me, I know. You have to remember that inside it's like the uber-Evil thing that just so happens to be wearing Ms. Calendar's body. It will have no problem in dishing all sorts of bad things to us, so when have to treat it just like we would any other enemy."

"She's right, you know," came a melodious and familiar voice from the side. All three turned their heads and stared at the seductive form of Jennifer. She was dressed in a long leather skirt that stopped just above her ankles, showcasing her black ankle boots. She wore a white camisole that hugged her chest, giving the observer an unobstructed view of her inviting breasts.

Giles and Willow were stunned at the figure before them, her physical characteristics no different from their own Jennifer Calendar though her obsidian eyes contained an evil and malice no human could ever possess. The gleam of evil that radiated from her pupils caused the three to back up, their gaze never wavering from Jennifer.

"Ruppie," she asked, her face contorted in a mask of hurt, "what's wrong? You don’t love me anymore?"

Giles was taken aback at her pleading tone and only by sheer force of will was he able to resist going to her.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked through clenched teeth, regaining his wits.

"Now, now, Ruppie," she sing-songed while taking measured steps toward the group, "is that the way to treat your dear old Jennifer?"

"You're not Ms. Calendar," Willow spat, her green eyes sparkling with unkempt fury and pain at seeing this woman masquerading as her once teacher and friend.

"Oh, but I am, Willow," she informed the group. "I have all the memories, not to mention all the physical traits of your friend…"

"That doesn’t make you her," Giles gritted out as he took a step towards her. Willow's tenuous grip on his arm was the only thing keeping him from charging at the imposter and ripping her head from her shoulders.

"Ruppie," she said and the Scoobies noticed the cold edge her voice had taken on, "I wouldn’t try to do that if I were you," she informed, reading his thoughts. "It could get quite painful if you do. Now," she continued as if nothing had happened, "as I was saying, I am Jennifer Calendar of the Kalderash tribe. Unlike my last appearance here, I am not an apparition here to torment Angel. It was necessary for me to take a mortal host to complete what has been foretold since before time itself. I will unite my powers with that of the First Light and with that Enjoining, I will be more powerful than you can imagine."

"Hey guys," Xander said as he came up to the group, "are you all done with the…Ms. Calendar?" he whispered when his eyes landed on the rave haired woman.

"See," she said in mock glee, "at least Xander here remembers me. Now, if only the rest of you would see the light." As if on cue, a bright light flashed in front of the four Scoobies causing them to cover their eyes. When they looked back, their vision was filled with two very ugly, very large demons.

"Guys," Jennifer said to the Jct'ars as she walked between them, "take care of them. But make sure you don’t kill them. Yet."

***

A bright flash of light appeared on the Bronze's balcony and when it dissipated, three figures, one unconscious, appeared.

"I see that everything is going as planned," Rack smirked as he watched the two Jct'ars cornering the four Scoobies while Seth was surrounded by the two slayers and the other vampire.

The Clan leader of the Jct'ar watched the events below, oblivious to the weight of an unconscious Dawn that hung limply over his shoulder. He watched as Rack whispered the same foreign words that had gotten them into the club and the remaining two Jct'ars appeared between the horrified onlookers, many of whom attempted to flee, only finding the exit blocked by an invisible barrier.

The leader smiled at his two Triumph members crept up on the three blondes fighting the demon Seth. As much as he wanted to participate in the bloodletting, Seth had informed them that the plan to kill the slayer had been amended. The Triumph did not question the orders, content in the chance to regain their honor and fight several worthy opponents.

"My strawberry thought her magic would be strong enough to keep me out," Rack chuckled to the Jct'ar, "after Jennifer is done with her, I'll have to show her to treat Daddy with a little more respect."

***

Spike felt his jaw pop as Seth's fist landed like a steel piston against his cheek.

"Bloody hell," he spat as his mouth filled with blood. He had enough time to dodge the kick aimed at his head, falling to the floor to do so. He stared up at Seth who regained his balance and was lifting his foot to stomp the Big Bad before two blond blurs crashed into the tattooed vampire.

The three bodies skidded to the floor and Seth rolled instinctively with the tackle, landing on top of Buffy. But before he could deliver a blow to her, his head rocked back from a powerful kick to the head, knocking him off the dazed slayer.

"That's not quite fair, Baby Doll," Seth mused, getting to his feet while he rubbed the side of his head. Not one second later a heel dug into his back, hurdling him into Faith's awaiting arms.

"We're not in the business of playin' fair, mate," Spike drawled.

"He's right," Faith said before slamming her forearm into Seth's face, causing him to stumble backwards where Buffy took his legs out with a textbook leg sweep. She followed it up with an elbow to his chest.

"We're in the business of winning," Buffy finished before jumping to her feet and away from the downed vampire.

Seth's eyes darted between the three blondes in a mild fascination. He had thought that this would be an interesting fight but it was turning out to be more than that. He had rarely been in a fight that he wasn't sure he could win--not for lack of trying, but because he was so much stronger than the majority of his opponents. Plus, there was the fact that he knew he couldn’t die which put a damper on things.

But here, now, in a battle he thought that he would win without preamble, Seth knew that he was in trouble. No, he was in deep shit.

"Oh yeah," he said with an eager smile, "I'm gonna love every minute of this."

Chapter 11

The two Jct’ars approached the Scoobies slowly, their purple eyes glowing with malicious intent. Though their instructions had been clear, they weren’t prohibited from a little roughhousing of the four people before them. Their mouths turned in what could be loosely referred to as smiles, though the four Scoobies would have said otherwise.

"Uh, G-man," Xander whispered, as they backed away from the approaching demons, "don’t mean to put the pressure on you, but a weapon would be nice right about now."

"I understand that, Xander," Giles responded, clearly agitated, "but until we can reach my bag, we are quite defenseless."

"What about Tara?" Xander asked, his heart hammering in his chest as the two Jct’ars mumbled to one another before bursting into hideous grunts that he construed as chuckles. "So, Tara, any hidden spells or what not hidden under your sleeves that you could maybe, you know, whip out?"

The young witch nodded her agreement and a second later, her brow creased in concentration as she muttered several Latin words before aiming for the chest of the closest Jct’ar. A blue streak of energy shot from her palm and into the chest of the demon.

"Okay," she drawled as the demon brushed off the spot where the beam had hit it.

"I’m thinking that’s not the effect you had intended," Xander quipped and risked a glance behind him, his spirits lifted when he noticed the bag was only a few feet away, the handle of an axe visible.

"What’s wrong, Tara?" Willow asked, slightly panicked at the magical backfire.

"I…I don’t know," she stuttered, "it was like…like something was blocking it."

"They may have a magical ward similar to ours cast around them," Giles answered, stepping in front of the two Wiccas.

"No, no, that’s not it," Tara refuted. "It’s like something-or someone-is interfering with my energies. Like…like…"

"Like Rack," Willow spat, her senses finally prickling at the familiar aura clouding the Bronze. "He’s here."

***

"Buffy, luv," Spike threw back as the three blondes circled the grinning Seth. "Hate to bring you bad news but…"

"We're not alone," the slayer finished, her eyes intent on Seth though she extended her other senses in all directions. "I don’t know how many, but it looks like Mr. Wannabe Big Bad has some friends backing him up." Spike smiled at her comment though he quickly sobered. He would have to remember to tease her about sticking up for him later. Right now, though, he was more concerned about the new demons and the fact that he couldn’t pinpoint them.

"There's some bloody fantastic mojo working here," Faith said, expressing her father's unspoken thoughts, "cuz I can't tell where those bloody reinforcements are." She scanned the frantic crowd in front of them, amazed that a big throng of people watched the four combatants as if it were a staged event. They were blissfully unaware, or too stupid, to know that everything going on was real.

"Bitlet's right, Slayer," Spike assented, "something in here's making my senses go all wonky. It's as if…" But Spike never finished the sentence as a powerful fist connected with his chest.

"Okay," Seth quipped, following up the punch with a roundhouse to Spike's ribs, knocking the vamp to the floor. "Tired of talking. Can we fight now?"

Buffy and Faith looked at one another, a silent assurance passing between the two before they turned to Seth; their faces alit with similar smiles.

"Gladly," they said simultaneously before jumping over the dazed Spike and charging the tattooed vampire.

***

"Got it!" Xander cheered as he hefted the axe from the bag and tossed it to an awaiting Giles.

"Now," the Watcher said, addressing the two demons, "the odds are a bit more even, are they not," he smiled wickedly at the two Jct'ars who noticed the change in demeanor of the former librarian. They stopped, their purple eyes scanning the deadly swagger of Giles as he tossed the axe from hand to hand and bounced on the balls of his feet, awaiting the attack.

Giles noticed the stiffening posture of the two Jct'ars and knew they had seen his transformation into the battle-hardened Ripper. He watched as their knees bent slightly and their heads lowered minutely and knew it was about to go down.

"Xander," he called, his voice clipped with anxiety, "I advise you to be ready as in ten seconds ago." He swept his left arm out to ensure that Willow and Tara had taken refuge behind he and Xander.

"I'm here, ready as I'll ever be," the brunette replied, his voice devoid of its usual joviality. He held a bronze handled scimitar tightly with both hands, waving the sword back and forth, his body calm despite the fear raging within him.

With an earsplitting war cry, the two Jct'ars charged. Both men were surprised at the quickness of the two demons in relation to their size but fighting vampires on a nightly basis had quickened their reflexes, enabling both men to dodge the initial rush.

The Jct'ar closest to Giles bellowed and whipped around with a backhand that the Watcher narrowly avoided. In retaliation, Giles slammed the blunt tip of the axe into the demon's midsection, doubling it over. He raised the axe over his head for the killing blow but the Jct'ar recovered quicker than expected and sent an elbow into Giles' sternum, knocking the wind out of the Watcher and he dropped the axe. The demon rose to its full height and grabbed the stunned Watcher by the lapels of his jacket and slammed him into the wall.

"Giles!" Willow shouted. She wanted to get over to the man that had been as a father to all of them for the past six years but they were divided by the second demon that was now fighting Xander.

Xander's frustration was building as he swung the scimitar for the third time, swiping at nothing but air as the Jct'ar let out its guttural laugh, circling the human amusedly.

"Leave it to me to get the fastest of the two," the brunette muttered while searching for an opening to strike. He had seen Giles get in the first blow seconds earlier before the second Jct'ar had attacked him. He assumed that the Watcher was fairing better than he was at the moment.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the Jct'ar charged again, catching Xander off guard. Its shoulder rammed the young man in the midsection and it tackled him to the ground. Miraculously, Xander held onto the sword, although it was pinned under the iron grip of the Jct'ar.

"Vouhu luhose," it mumbled, eliciting a toothy, and decidedly hideous, grin. Xander's breath caught in his throat as the demon lowered its mouth dangerously close to his neck and he could do nothing but turn away, unwilling to face the jaws that would be the end of him.

***

"Shit," Seth swore as he dodged a kick to the head from Buffy only to be caught with a vicious uppercut by Faith causing him to fly into the wall. He wiped the blood from his lip, spitting out a mouthful of the life-giving substance. He watched as the two slayers approached from both side and the rising form of a very pissed off Spike.

"Well, Seth, buddy," he said to himself, "guess a vamp's gotta know when to ask for help." Lifting his head slightly, he whistled shrilly and, almost immediately the two Jct'ars jumped into the fray.

Seth had seen them when they had appeared a few minutes before though he had waved them off with a slight nod of the head, confident that sooner or later, he would get the upper hand and, while he still believed that, time was of the essence.

"Bloody hell," Spike cursed as he narrowly escaped beheading as the Jct'ar on the right swung a razor gauntlet through the air.

"Say hello to my little friends," Seth joked.

"Daddy," Faith called, her attention diverted from Seth when she heard Spike grunt as a knee connected with his chin, sending him into the awaiting arms of the other Jct'ar who then clasped the vampire into a full-nelson.

"Go!" Buffy shouted and Faith hesitated for an instant before leaping onto the back of the first Jct'ar before it could skewer her father.

"Well," Seth's voice floated through all the chaos and into Buffy's ears, the silkiness of it not lost on Buffy. "Looks like it's just me and you, Girlie. Sure you're up to the challenge?" Buffy smiled, answering him with a cartwheel that led into a back flip over the vampire's head. Landing behind him, Buffy caught him with a roundhouse kick to the jaw, sending the vampire spinning though he kept his balance.

"Does that answer your question?" She asked, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.

"Oh yeah," he smiled broadly, "oh yeah."

***

The impact that Faith hit the Jct'ar with was enough to jar the gauntlet off its left hand and scattering across the floor. It quickly recovered and ripped the slayer from its back, hoisting her over its head.

"Uh, Dad," she said to the struggling Spike, "a little help here."

"Quite busy myself, Bitlet," the platinum blonde replied. He knew the Jct'ar was stronger than him, so brute force was not going to do the trick. Whatever you're gonna do, mate, you better hurry he thought as the pressure at the back of his neck intensified. He knew that the Jct'ar was intent on snapping his head right off his shoulders and that it would succeed very shortly if he didn’t get himself loose.

Faith saw the trouble that her father was in as the Jct'ar held her high above its head as if contemplating its next course of action. Finally the demon made up its mind and hurled her to the ground with lethal force. Faith, however, was ready and grabbed onto the demon's upper arm and twisted in the air, landing on her feet. The action was not without consequences for the Jct'ar as it bellowed in pain when Faith's body twist caused its arm to be ripped from the socket.

"Oops," Faith said in mock sincerity, "did I do that? Here," she continued and drove her forearm into the creatures elbow twice and the sound of the broken bone lanced through the air. "Let me help you with that," she quipped before sending the demon to its knees with a kick to the back of the leg. She maneuvered behind it and wrapped her arms tightly around its neck before giving a vicious tug. She released her grip on hearing the satisfying crack of bone and dropped the lifeless body to the floor.

Through his struggle, Spike smirked at the killer instinct of the woman he would raise as his own. As their eyes met, he allowed himself one moment to appreciate the similarities between Faith and her mother. Both slayers held the same power and unbridled passion for their calling, going to any lengths to save an innocent or the world-in that they were fearless. But he saw something else in her swirling orbs that was so akin to Buffy that his throat tightened. Despite all the death and carnage both slayers had faced, the pain of losing loved ones and one’s self, there was an innocence about them that had gone untouched by the calamities around them. He knew that Buffy was unaware of it and surmised that Faith, too, was ignorant of the little girl that was still within her. Seeing it in Faith only reminded him why he loved this girl, no matter who her father was.

Breaking himself from his reverie, Spike took advantage of the Jct’ar’s momentary hesitance at seeing its comrade killed. He lifted his leg to his chest and with all his preternatural strength, kicked back into the knee of the demon.

The Jct’ar howled in pain, immediately relinquishing its grip on the vampire in favor of clutching its injured limb. Spike to advantage of this, spinning on his heels and landing two hard left hands to the demon’s head, driving it to the ground before smashing his knee into its face. The Jct’ar fell to the ground, dazed as Spike cursed at the gash the demon’s facial protrusions had torn in his thigh.

"Soddin’ Jct’ar and their bloody horns," he muttered before jumping onto the demon’s chest, pinning it to the ground. The vampire rained punch after punch into the demon’s jaw, oblivious to the cuts the powerful blows slashed across his knuckles. All he could do was smile insanely as the dark blood of the Jct’ar coated his fists.

"Uh, Dad," Faith said, only inches behind him, "I don’t think he’s got any fight left in him and, considering my Mum is going one on one with a bad ass vamp that’s stronger than the two of us, I think you need to refocus your priorities just a bit."

Spike looked up at Faith and gave her a sheepish smile before returning to the demon and snapping its neck. On her annoyed look, he shrugged.

"He might not ‘ave been dead," he defended himself.

"Whatever," she said lifting her eyes to the ceiling, "Can we just…Oh my God! Dawn!"

Spike leapt up on Faith’s exclamation, concern etched on his face. "The Nibblet? Where?"

"Up on the scaffolding," she nodded and Spike followed her gaze. His handsome features evaporated when he saw the limp body of Dawn draped over the shoulder at an even larger Jct’ar that stood next to a very familiar figure.

"Rack," he growled, his body tense with anger. "I’ll tear them limb from limb." He strode towards the steps purposefully before stopping, his eyes falling towards the corner where two other Jct’ars were fighting Giles and Xander and had gotten the upper hand. "Bloody hell, Bitlet," he swore and pointed towards the corner.

"Balls," she replied, "Giles and the whelp are in some serious trouble." She remained silent for a minute before turning back to her father. "Dad, you go take care of Dawn and I’ll bail our two boys out of trouble." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before running towards the fray.

"Love you too, Bitlet," he whispered to her unspoken words. Spike stole a gaze towards Buffy and was relieved that she was holding her own with Seth. Taking an unneeded breath, the vampire regained control over his emotions and realized, however reluctantly, that the plan to let the Enjoining occur required the presence of Dawn plus the performers of the ritual, Rack quite possibly being said performer.

Sneaking up the back way with vampiric silence, Spike smiled maliciously at the backs of the two figures.

"That doesn’t mean that I can’t ‘urt him a bit," he muttered, "and I seriously doubt that that Jct’ar has any purpose, so…" all thoughts ceased as he once more adorned his game face, the demon dancing at the prospects of violence close at hand.

***

"Not bad, Babelicious," Seth quipped, ducking a crescent kick. He retaliated with a punch to the gut, staggering Buffy but she recovered quickly, smashing an elbow across his nose. "Shit," he swore, wiping the blood off with the back of his hand.

"And just think," Buffy goaded, slamming her heel into his gut and following it up with another side kick to the chin. Seth stumbled to the ground and she stalked over to him, hoisting him up by the front of his shirt.

"I'm just getting warmed up," she finished and rammed her head several times into his face before hurling him through the air.

Seth's body crashed unceremoniously through a table and shards of wood imbedded into his flesh. He gingerly sat up, surveying the damage and pulled the larger pieces from his body. Lowering his head, the vampire swept his fingers through his hair before lifting his gaze towards Buffy.

Buffy watched as the vampire pulled several large pieces of wood from his body. Too bad one of those didn’t impale that black heart, she thought and tensed when he lowered his head, expecting him to charge any minute. What she saw sent a jagged spike of fear through her body that settled in the pit of her stomach.

The unnaturally blue eyes were gone, replaced by a hideous blend of poisonous yellow and blood red, his pupils were like silent dots though they screamed of evil and suffering. His face had changed little, though she noticed the slightly more pronounced jut of his jaw and more severe angle of his nose. She forced her gaze to the rest of him, noting that his arms had taken on an almost scaled appearance, rigid bumps clearly identifiable under the tattooed flesh.

"What the hell?" she whispered in shock.

Seth smiled wickedly; his teeth now jagged edges were set for evisceration. He splayed his arms wide as if expecting her to run and hug him before asking haughtily, "Super Saiyen, level one," he quipped, "Like what you see, Baby?"

Buffy shook herself out of the daze, the crease in her forehead shouting her determination. Shrugging nonchalantly, she replied, "Can't say that it's not an improvement, you know. I mean, there's only so many guys that can get away with the Billy Idol look. Spike could. You, on the other hand, could not. So…"

Seth sighed, pinching his nose in annoyance. "Do you ever get tired of hearing yourself talk, girl? God damn it. And I thought I couldn’t shut the fuck up."

"Well, if you have trouble keeping your mouth closed, I could break your jaw, knock your teeth down your throat and have it wired shut." Seth stared at her, his eyebrows furrowed as if in deep concentration. Finally, after a few seconds, he responded.

"Nope, that's okay. I'm gonna need it to rip a hole in your neck after Jennifer's done with you." His hand slid down his chest before coming to rest on the bulge in his pants. "Besides, how will I ever be able to pleasure that firecracker girl of yours if I can't open my mouth. She so loves hearing the dirty words, you know? Of course, that's after my tongue had trailed…" But he never finished as an enraged slayer charged him, her fists flying with a fury that even he was surprised at.

"Easy there, Tiger," he quipped as the blows rained down on him. "Don’t wanna tire yourself out," he taunted when Buffy missed badly with a powerful hook. Regaining her balance, she followed through with a backhand intended to wipe the smirk from the vampire's bloodied lips. But that was when Seth showed his superior speed.

"Whoa, now," Seth teased as he caught Buffy's arm by the wrist and squeezed. "You were throwing that like you wanted to hurt me," he pouted, as Buffy winced in pain, yelping when he twisted her wrist, a sickening pop signifying the broken limb. He yanked her arm roughly, satisfied as she cried out as her shoulder was pulled from the socket. "Shit, that's gotta hurt," he smiled before wrenching Buffy's mangled arm behind her back, his other arm tightening around her neck. Through the haze of pain, Buffy managed to struggle, albeit meekly.

"Where's the bat signal when you need it?" he whispered into her ear and his forked tongue slithered across the nape of her neck, causing him to shiver in excitement at the taste of her fear. "So, Buffy," he said casually, as his free hand began to roam unbidden across the slumping body of the slayer. The pain was like nothing she had ever felt and it was becoming a struggle to maintain consciousness.

"You know, I've always wondered if mother and daughter would taste alike. But, since I can't really bite you--yet--I may have to settle for," he pressed his groin roughly into her backside, "seeing if you two feel the same on the inside." He laughed heartily as his hands pushed up the slayer's shirt, uncaring about the violations he was orchestrating.

So lost in his own revelry, Seth didn’t notice Buffy's slight stiffening. She waited until his hand slid down to her thighs and struck.

With all of her remaining strength, Buffy slammed her head into his face and simultaneously searched out his intimates with her free hand and squeezed.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuck!" Seth screamed, immediately dropping her arm, one hand holding his crushed nose and the other his severely damaged man parts.

"You bitch!" He screamed and despite the circumstances, Buffy laughed before she delivered a kick to his head. The impact jolted her injured arm and she screamed in pain before collapsing to her knees.

Seth shook the cobwebs from his head, the pain from his busted testicles clouding his vision. Glad I don't have to piss, he chuckled to himself and moaned as he was reintroduced to his mangled parts.

"I've lost count as to how many fights I've been in," he murmured, getting to his feet gingerly, "Had a lot of shit happen to me. But this," he motioned to his groin, "is definitely a first." He stopped a foot from Buffy kneeling form. "That was naughty. Looks like you're gonna have to pay the Pied Piper."

Buffy forced her head up and stared into the eyes that had now melted back into that unnatural blue. Her eyes raked across Seth's body in admiration before fixating on his groin.

"Well," she said in all seriousness, "I would but it looks like Mr. Piper won't need it, considering he won't be using his pipe anytime soon."

"Bitch," he swore and slapped her hard across the face. Buffy fell to her back and Seth pounced on her, his weight straddling her midriff. "You may be right," he said, hitting her with a backhand, "but you know what?" Smack. "You," smack, "and your tasty treat of a daughter," punch, "will be the first to find out just how," punch, "Pied my piper is."

***

"Xander!" Willow screamed as the Jct'ar's teeth leaned towards the brunette's exposed neck. Both her and Tara were frozen in fear, defenseless without the use of their magicks. Willow had wanted to get a weapon but was afraid that if she turned her back, the next thing she would see was her best friend gushing blood, his eyes dulling in silent accusation of her failure to help him.

"Stay away from my fiancé," the shrill war cry interrupted Willow's thoughts as a figure decked in red flew between the two Wiccas, a glass pitcher in her hand.

The Jct'ar glanced up in surprise at the approaching Anya, just in time for her to smash the pitcher over its head, an action that had all the effect of shooting it with a pellet gun. Laughing, the demon sliced into Anya's stomach with its sharp claws before pushing her away.

"Anya," three voices called together and the demon chuckled before returning its attention back to Xander. As it dipped its head again, a blur of purple and black flew through the air, dislodging it from the mount position on top of Xander.

"Hey guys," Faith called over her shoulder as she watched the Jct'ar rise to its feet, "miss me?"

The Jct'ar charged and Faith sidestepped it easily and sent it flying with a kick to its backside, knocking it into a table. She ran over to Giles, who's unconsciousness was evident by his lack of struggle. Faith dug a spinning heel kick into the demon's back, forcing it to drop the Watcher. It wasted no time in retraining its attention to her and Faith backed up, aware that the other Jct'ar had recovered and slowly prowled just out of her line of sight.

"Uhh, guys?" she shouted, "a weapon would be nice. The Jct'ar out of sight took the initiative and charged purposefully. Faith sensed it and ran towards the wall. She jumped into the air and with her right foot pushed off from the wall twisted her body, bringing the same foot around. The momentum of the Jct'ar only added to the blow as her foot crashed into its face, sending it to the floor, temporarily unconscious.

Seeing its brethren dispatched so quickly, the second Jct'ar hurriedly picked up the axe Giles had dropped earlier.

"Faith!" Willow screamed and the young slayer ducked in time to keep her head attached to her body. She pivoted on her right leg and shot out her left in the spot that the Jct'ar was supposed to be. She was surprised when her foot hit nothing but air. The feeling didn’t last as a jolt of pain took its place when the Jct'ar slammed the axe handle into the middle of her back.

"Uhh," she moaned and fell to her knees, temporarily stunned. It would take her only a second to recover, but a second was enough for the Jct'ar as it raised the axe over its head. The glint of steel was visible for only a moment before the demon let lose with a triumphant bellow before bringing the axe down for the killing blow…

***

By the time Spike had reached the scaffolding, he was only fifteen feet away from Rack and the demon. His golden eyes pierced the darkened expanse, studying the unconscious Dawn. There were no signs of injury on her and for that the vampire sighed in relief. Still, that did not exonerate the two from injury.

Despite his stealth, Spike knew there was no chance for him to sneak up on the pair. It was only because they were watching to the two Jct'ars in the corner that they had yet to sense him. He had no doubt that once he started his trek across the scaffolding, he would be found out.

Might as well announce myself. " Oy, mates," he drawled, his hands sliding across the railing. Rack and the Jct'ar jumped in surprise at the interruption before the former slid on his poker face. "You're all up here, where it's peaceful like." Spike cocked his head towards the demon. "What's wrong, mate? Don't fancy the rough and tumble?" He clicked his tongue. "And here I thought Jct'ars were all 'fight or die'. Guess that myth's disproved. You're nothing but a bunch of horn headed cowards."

The Jct'ar's body tensed and it took a step towards the vampire before a hand on its arm stopped it cold.

"No," Rack warned, "your job is to protect the girl. I will handle this." His arm dropped from the demon and he clasped his hands behind his back, strolling amicably towards Spike.

"Now correct me if I'm wrong," Rack said as he stopped a few feet in front of the vampire, "but you are a vampire, are you not?"

"Nothin' gets by you, mate," Spike deadpanned.

"Cute. From what I understand, vampires are evil and selfish things, bent on death and the satisfaction of their own bloodlust. Am I correct in that assumption?"

"In a general sort of way, mate."

"So what makes you so special? This isn't the first I have heard of you helping the slayer. Why is that?"

"Simple really, mate," Spike said, "Love." To say Rack was surprised was an understatement. He blinked several times as if to assure himself that he had heard correctly. When Spike did nothing to amend his statement, the warlock let lose with a deep, evil tinged laugh, balancing himself on the railing. But he didn’t need the support long as Spike lifted him off the ground by the front of his shirt. He stared down into the now angled features of a very human looking Spike.

"I'm sorry, but I don’t fancy that I said anything funny."

"I apologize," Rack sobered, "but I thought you said you were doing this for love."

"Heard right."

"Huh. A vampire in love with a slayer. Will wonders never cease."

"What can I say," Spike shrugged, "I'm love's bitch."

"That you are. But I still don’t see why the slayer tolerates you."

To that, the platinum blonde smirked. "She fancies me, mate. And besides, she couldn’t get it done without me."

"And why would that be?" Spike pulled Rack closer until their noses were millimeters apart.

"Cuz, mate, I'm her secret weapon."

"Well," Rack said jovially as he glanced over the edge of the railing, "I'd say you're right about that, because from my vantage point, the slayer's not doing too well without her 'secret weapon'."

Spike narrowed his eyes, noting the satisfied grin on the warlock's face. He risked a glance over the edge and his eyes widened at the scene that greeted him.

"Buffy!" he yelled and shoved Rack away from him. Without a second thought, Spike hopped over the railing to the rescue of Buffy, who was at Seth's mercy.

Straightening his shirt, Rack walked back over to the Jct'ar and patted the demon on the shoulder. "Looks like everything is working out just as we planned." Closing his eyes, the warlock inhaled deeply and extended his arms.

"He thinks he's the secret weapon," Rack's baritone voice muttered, "he's got another thing comin'. Wait til they get a load of me," he finished before archaic words began to spill from his lips.

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