He took a drag on his cigarette then held his arms open wide. "Who else Slayer? This the Fairy Brigade?"

"They're the JLA and er... Gotham City's Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin."

"Why am I always last," Robin grumbled.

"Cause you're the cutest," Spike told him. "Aren't you going to introduce me luv?"

"Only when I find out what you're doing here." I folded my arms across my chest but made sure he saw the stake.

"Stop threatening me. You know how I love it." He sat down at the table and put his feet up. "I suppose you want to know how I got in too, what with me being a vampire and needing an invite..."

"He's a vampire?" Plastic Man asked.

"He's harmless. He's got a no-violence-against-humans chip in his head. It's fun to taunt him though."

"I called two days ago and told your dad I was a friend from Sunnydale. He invited me to come in and visit you anytime. Poor choice of words on his part. Of course if you'd locked the door..."

"Why are you here?"

"I s'ppse a room full of superheroes makes you feel safe though. All warm and fuzzy right here..." he pointed to his dead heart, "and if I ate food I'd heave. I came to Metropolis because I was invited. Some big-shot wanted protection from demons while a spell was being cast and had heard that I couldn't hurt humans. Figured I was perfect for the gig."

"Who was the big-shot Spike?"

"Course I eventually said no. It's an insult an' all that. I said 'You may be rich Mr. Luthor but there ain't no way I'm protecting you from a gateway of demons just so you can get one big guy out who'll probably eat me too."

"You are the greatest Spike," I threw my arms around him and hugged him. I'm really starting to hate these energies. I want my own emotions back. "Ok. We know how and why now. We just don't know who."

"Easy," Spike gloated. "The guy behind the glasses, Robert, mentioned the demon Kraznar."

"Thank you," I grinned at him. "We need Giles here. Whatever this spell is it will need counteracting. Once the gang arrive..."

"The Scoobies are coming? It's just not worth it with you lot. I come all the way to Metropolis to help you and get away from them and now they're following me. Just great!" Spike muttered.

"We'll have more information. It's down to damage control and research now. Oracle, did you get all of that?"

"And relayed it."

Day seven was not my day of rest.

Giles and the gang arrived at 3 the next morning. We filled them in on the slaying situation and went over what Spike had said again looking for the spell used to summon Kraznar through what Giles said was basically an all-purpose, portable Hellmouth.

While Giles, Willow, Anya and Oracle researched, Xander gushed and stared before I decided patrolling was in order. I agreed to let Nightwing patrol if he let Giles have the final say on his injury. Batman and Giles agreed on a method of, hopefully, keeping the wound from reopening and ripping and I paired up with Dick/Nightwing to use the popular helpless-lost-girl routine. I think he was enjoying rescuing me.

J'onn gently entered my mind telepathically, for the message from Batman that we would be regrouping where Nightwing and I were. When we had regrouped Giles voice came over the wristband radio. "You need to find the tallest building in Metropolis Buffy. It's the only place the spell could have been cast. It needed full moonlight to work. When you find it you have to smash the ceramic jar in the centre of the circle WITHOUT disturbing the lines of the circle."

"Thanks."

"Good luck."

"You trained me well. I don't need luck. Superman, what's the tallest building in Metropolis?"

"LexCorp Towers."

"Get to the top of LexCorp Towers Giles. We'll be there in a few moments. Oracle, I'm going to need you to eliminate the buildings security so Giles and the others can get to the top."

"On it... Done. Lex needs to employ someone good for his security."

"Buffy. You can't kill Kraznar," Xander said urgently.

"We can't blow him up with a bazooka?" I asked Xander via the radio.

"Not even if you lured him into the school library and blew it up too. This guy will not die until he is released of his duties by the person who summoned him. But if the final human sacrifice is not made Kraznar will vanish but will return when the bloodlust gets too great."

"Lust for whose blood?"

"It doesn't say."

"Ok. Xander, your duty is to get that sacrifice out of

I was dropped rather unceremoniously on the roof by Superman and landed with a roll to stand in front of a short man with thick rimmed glasses. "Robert?" He stammered yes as he nodded. I hit him square between the eyes and all hell broke loose. "Make sure Lex doesn't get away. I know he's here," I shouted as the sounds of fighting broke out around me. Giles and the others must have been closer than I thought.

I think I saw Batman slam Lex's head against a wall just hard enough to knock him unconscious but without causing any bleeding. I was kinda disappointed by that.

Again I felt like I was in a dream, almost acting on autopilot. But no matter how hard we fought I could not get a clear shot at nor could I get close enough to destroy the ceramic jar in the centre of the circles.

With the same detachment, through the haze I watched Xander free the girl, wide-eyed and frozen in terror as a vortex began to open in front of her.

"The demons have already congregated here as a sacrifice to Kraznar. Enough have already passed through. You cannot stop it," Robert began to laugh hysterically.

"Oh do... shut up," Giles said, hitting the man in the face. Spike raised an eyebrow. "Well you couldn't do it."

I honestly do not want to know how he manages to get his transport made without drawing attention to who he really is but above us hovered the Batwing, on a wire the Batman slid down to land beside me.

The haze cleared. "Nice landing Bats. You dropped on my crossbow," I said grabbing up the bolts and using them as stakes.

"Sorry," he said dashing away to be a hero.

The vortex was opening wider. My eyes met Angels and for a terrible moment I was dragged back to the day I sent him to Hell before a dull blow to my arm ripped me back to the present and my surroundings. I glared at the demon and tossed him over the side of the building where Wonder Woman caught him and staked him.

Angel tossed his crossbow to me and I took out the vampire looming over Willow's unconcious body.

"It's too late Buffy," Giles called over the windy noise of the vortex. "It's too late."

A stone coloured demon stepped through the whirling vortex and unfolded its frame to its full two-story height. "Where is the final sacrifice of human blood?"

"She-she escaped," Robert stuttered.

The demon roared. "I will return for you both." And just like Xander said he would, he vanished.

Carrying the reloaded crossbow I stalked toward Lex Luthor who tried to bravely stand up to me, despite the fear I could see in his eyes and the fear I'm sure Spike and Angel could smell more clearly than I. I hope these energies enhancements stay around. They're quite useful.

"Don't hurt him Buffy," Superman called out to me.

"You have a serious attitude problem young lady."

"Because I don't bow and scrape before Lex Luthor? I've faced much scarier people than you and that was just my High School Principal. Besides I love my attitude problem. Are you *sure* I can't hurt him?" I asked Superman. "Not even a little?"

"You can," Superman said, shocking both Lex and I. "But I'd have to stop you."

"Would I be able to get one punch in before you stopped me?" I asked full of hope. That was it for Batman. I heard him start chuckling. I smiled proudly for a moment at having broken the Dark Knights foreboding demeanour.

NOTE TO SELF: Working for the newspaper has been good for my vocabulary.

Even Superman smiled. "You could try." He crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

I looked past the giant boyscout, my eyes going round as saucers and I shouted, "What are you doing? No!" I used the momentary distraction to slam my fist into Lex's face. I felt Superman grab me around the waist and lift me off the ground. "I warned you Lex. The energies that make me who I am compelled me to warn you this would happen before you did it. Next time I'll let the demons and vampires at you before I decide to kill them. You have no idea what you are dealing with. That demon you opened the vortex to summon is more bloodthirsty than the demon that wore my lovers face. The supernatural is not a toy. Kraznar will hunt you down and drink you dry and there isn't a damned thing you can do to stop it." I stilled. "You can put me down now Big Blue." My feet met concrete. "And there's nothing I can do either. Not even you deserve to die that way."

"Are you sure luv? I mean we could end his suffering now... well I could try."

"You know Spike, that may not be such a bad idea. I mean I won't have to come back to Metropolis to stop the demons rampage."

"Buffy," Wesley began.

"Chill Wes. I was only joking. Besides, Spike's still chipped and regardless the extreme doubt I have about the fact, Luthor is human. He is human isn't he?"

"Yes," Superman said.

"Damn. Sorry Spike."

He lit a cigarette and flicked the still lit match in Luthor’s direction. "Not to worry pet. It's the thought that counts."

"It's home time right?" Cordelia asked. "Dry cleaning is so expensive..."