•••

The plans were laid out yet again and everyone headed to either Giles’ or Xander’s cars to trek to the old school.

“I’m going with Xander. Wills, go with Giles to discuss your magic stuff.” Buffy grabbed Xander’s hand and basically dragged him to his car. Spike smirked and piled into Giles’ tiny car with the witches.

The drive over to the gutted library was tense. Since Buffy had called shotgun on Xander’s car, the witches and Spike were pushed into Giles’ much smaller convertible. All the way over, the vampire would start thumping his boots along the floorboards, only to have the Watcher first glare at him, then reach over and press down on a knee until he stopped fidgeting. The witches were no better, choosing to pursue heavy petting instead of foot-thumping. Before long, Giles had ceased checking for cars in the rear-view mirror.

Meanwhile, in Xander’s car, the Slayer was tossing hammers up and down while Xander alternately snapped his fingers and bit his nails. No one had any idea of how the battle was going to turn out…and were there a choice, none of them would be there.

Too soon the gang had arrived and poured out of the cars. “All right. Buffy, Willow, Tara, head for the library. Spike, Xander and I will check the perimeter for signs of the N’ktharan demons. We shall meet up in the library—if you do find the demons, retrieve us. For heaven’s sake, do not take them on alone!” The groups split up, loping off to find their current enemy.

“Big, scary, scaly demon, where are you?” Xander sing-songed out as the trio made their way around the outskirts of the ruined school. Smirking, Spike followed along behind and slightly beside the boy, using his better senses to try to locate the demons. Although they knew that the demons would use the Hellmouth, there was no telling where the demons were hiding out until the ritual. A growl brought the group up short, and as one they turned around.

“What was that?” Giles turned, only to see a tall, bulky figure running through the ruins of the high school toward the library. The three men ran back to the library, pulling out their makeshift eye-gougers.

“Buffy, Giles said two and a half meters. He was lying, you know. That thing is at least three and a half yards high. Yards are shorter than meters, aren’t they? But not that much shorter. Maybe they’re closer to three and a quarter meters, what do you think?” Willow continued babbling, a sure sign she was scared half out of her mind. Tara grabbed her arm, trying to steady her lover while she herself was in nearly as bad a state.

The demons were crouched around the Hellmouth, setting up bowls and altars. So far, they hadn’t noticed the three girls cowering behind a partially collapsed wall.

“Ok, stay where you are. I’ll back up to the door and they’ll follow me. I count four of them—do you two have the first spell ready? I’m gonna start with the one on the left near the windows and work my way over. You two take the one on the far right—“

“Shouldn’t…we wait for the others? Mr. Giles said…”

“Mr. Giles said to wait before you engaged the enemy. There are too many for you to take alone, Buffy,” Giles said sharply. The men had arrived just in time to stop the Slayer from taking on four of the much-nastier-than-expected demons. They were, in fact, closer to three meters tall, considerably more muscular, and generally viler than expected.

<Fuck me. Hells, at least they aren’t the other demons we could be dealing with tonight. Bloody titans they are.> Spike pulled out his first two hammers and slowly skirted around Buffy to take the furthest left position.

“’K, Slayer, take the third and fourth from left. Once Red casts the spell, we’ve got maybe a minute to take out these four before the rest come running—we can count on at least twenty. Just hope they don’t all come at once.” Buffy nodded her agreement.

Before anyone could move, three more demons joined the first four around the Hellmouth. Giles and Xander came forward to stand next to Buffy.

“Xander, you’ve got the one on the right, I’ll take the one next to it and we’ll team up on the last one. Willow, you and Tara stay back unless one comes at you—we need you intact to cast the next spell.” Giles made sure the two witches were as far from the demons as the spells would allow.

Tara and Willow pulled a packet of herbs from one bag and a sheet of paper from another. They began chanting, sprinkling the herbs on the floor. A pale mist curled around their feet, reaching across the library floor toward the preoccupied demons. The chanting grew stronger and the demons, startled, looked up, howling in rage at the fog that had started crawling up their bodies.

“Quick! Now—the fog will obscure they’re eyes as long as its in contact with their bodies!” The two witches leaned briefly on the wall behind them—the spell was quite powerful and had taken a lot out of them. They would have no time to recover, however.

As soon as the spell had taken effect, the four fighters moved to intercept. Spike arrived first, jumping up and landing a spinning kick on the leftmost demon, knocking it to its knees while avoiding a deadly tail. He then started slinging the hammers at its eyes, finding out almost immediately that they were considerably harder than quartz. “Bugger all! They’re like bloody diamonds.” If he was having trouble, the Watcher and the whelp were in a real fix—only he and the Slayer would be strong enough to break the eyes.

Buffy was encountering similar problems. She’d managed to get close enough to strike one demon’s eyes, only to have the blow’s deflected, doing little damage. Panting slightly, she changed tactics, using both hammers simultaneously on one eye. That did the trick—the eye exploded into powder.

“Guys—hit one eye with two hammers—it makes them pop!” She ducked down, avoiding the blind flailing of the wounded demon while lashing out her leg, catching another demon and setting it on its knees. She hit two more eyes dead-on in quick succession, rending ear-piercing screams from her victims. A well-placed kick disabled one demon’s tail, although the second one got lucky and swept her off her feet, although she quickly recovered.

The Watcher and Xander had quickly realized that their earlier strategy was insufficient. They were simply not strong enough to bring the demons down, and when they were at full height, the demons’ eyes were too high up for the mortals’ blows to do any damage. After two demons managed to throw them on each other, Giles spun around, grabbing Xander’s arm.

“Xander, aim for that one’s left leg. I’ll go for the right—“ He didn’t have to finish. Xander was already moving, so Giles quickly followed. The demon went down as planned, and the two got all three eyes almost instantly. They turned their two-man assault to the next demon, but by then, the spell was beginning to wear off.

Spike downed one demon and was nearly finished with the second when a demon from across the room started moving toward him with purpose. He looked down and saw that the obscuring mist was evaporating. “Come on, guys, we’re running out of time!” He saw that Buffy had killed two and was working on a third. His two finished off finally, Spike made to face off with the one that had targeted him, one that could now see. Then he heard the roar.

“Guys! Look out!” The witches were shouting at the group even as the pulled out the components of another spell. A dark, rumbling mass materialized at the back of the library and began moving forward. As it approached, the fighters realized that it was the rest of the demons.

Buffy turned. “Oh. Oh shit!” There must have been thirty of them—roaring in rage and clawing at everything in sight, tails whipping around madly. The witches started their chanting again, this time throwing a potion high in the air. As the liquid hit the ground, the demons screamed again. This time, the witches brought out their hammers and joined the fray.

“This one should last a bit longer—it might slow them down some, too!” The witches worked as one, not only because they were used to functioning as a unit, but also because they needed both their powers to cast the next spell.

Buffy tackled the next demon; spinning faster in the air than the madly whipping tails could catch her. She hit one eye, then the next, before ever touching the ground again. Spike, for his part, was going at the demons like a kid in an arcade—smashing eyes as he could reach them on the closest demons while viciously kicking any appendages he could find. He would have ripped out their throats, but the armor-plated skin made that impossible. One demon caught him by the leg, pinning him down. He reached over with one hand, punching where the liver would be on a human. It seemed to work; the demon grunted and rolled to one side. The vampire was up in an instant—and killed that demon before it could rise.

Xander and Giles continued to work in concert, knocking down demons by tackling legs while avoiding tails, then punching out the crystalline eyes before the demons could regain their footing. The witches took a similar route; they moved to the raised part of the library and then targeted demons below them. Luckily, the demons had moved mostly to the lower part of the library, and the ones on the upper levels did not seem to notice them. Apparently, these ultra-strong demons were not graced with acute senses of smell

The group had brought down more than half the demons when the spell started wearing off. Xander threw a hammer at the back of a demon towering over Spike. The demon whirled around, distracted from trying to decapitate the vampire. It was now apparent that the demons had regained their sight once again.

“Captain, they’ve adapted!”1 Xander shouted. “Miss Wizard! We need magic, like, NOW!”2 Xander called out to the witches. He and Giles were being cornered by three of the monsters, and it was clear that they could now track movement, if not see clearly. A glance showed that the others were in a similar bind—even though more than twenty demons were down, at least fifteen were still attacking, and the rage and pain of the first two spells and subsequent attacks were making them stronger still.

The witches prepared for their third, and final, spell. For this one, the humans, and vampire, had to close their eyes as the spell took effect, or they would be blinded along with the demons.

“At ‘gkanta’ shut your eyes!” Willow yelled at the group, trying to chant, sprinkle herbs, and fend off demons at the same time. Buffy was caught between four demons, while Spike was on the floor under two who were trying to tear him in half. The chanting reached a crescendo and the key word rolled off Tara’s tongue. The group pinched their eyes shut and felt, more than saw, an intense light roll through the demolished library.

A split second later, the light vanished and they opened their eyes. For the last time, the demons moved about blindly, groping for their prey without sight. Spike threw off one demon with great effort and rolled back toward it and away from the other, regaining his feet and swiping at the downed demons’ eyes. He was partially successful; he managed to hit two eyes, but one demon found him with his tail and brought him back down. At that point, Spike decided to stay down with the two demons until they were dead, which they quickly were.

Meanwhile, Giles and Xander had managed to evade the three pinning them in a corner and had gotten one down and mostly disabled. Buffy had drawn out two of the four surrounding her and was taking them out with deceptive ease. In reality, she, like the others, was in excruciating pain from the many kicks and punches that the demons had landed. In addition, striking such hard objects repeatedly with the hammers was numbing her arms.

The witches had had to change tactics after the last spell; the demons seemed to be able to tell where they were better than the other humans and were working as a group to pin them down. The two witches were quite strong, but were nothing against six huge demons, even blind ones. They worked as they could, catching an eye here and there as they tried to stay out of the circle the remaining demons were intent on catching them in. Spike saw their situation and jumped in, pushing back several demons and allowing the witches to escape. Buffy, meanwhile, had killed off a third demon and was nearly done with the fourth. Giles and Xander were struggling with their last two.

Buffy ran over to Willow and Tara. “Are you ok?” The witches nodded, then headed off towards a demon. There were only six left, but once again, the spell seemed to be wearing off. Giles and Xander had two in hand, Spike had one down and another missing an eye, so Buffy took on the remaining two. The Watcher finished off one, and then joined Xander on the last of theirs, getting caught by a flailing hand in the process. They heard a scream and whipped around as one.

A wounded demon, with its sight back, had wrapped its tail around Buffy’s neck. She was grasping at it with one hand, unable to breathe. Spike jumped up and attacked the demon from behind. Willow and Tara went to help but were delayed by a still-thrashing demon missing two eyes. They finished it off, and then turned to Buffy. Spike had managed to get the tail off from around her neck, but the demon was now intent on stomping the Slayer into the ground. Giles and Xander came up on the other side, hitting one eye together. The demon went down hard on top of the fallen Slayer.

All of a sudden there was dead quiet.

•••

“Buffy?”

A low groan sounded from beneath the demon. Spike, Giles and Xander grabbed arms and legs and rolled over the heavy corpse.

“Ugh. Demon bodies are so…ugh.” Buffy grimaced, covered in sticky fluids from the demon. She stood up on wobbly legs. “Where’s the demon?” She shouted suddenly, whirling about. It took a moment for her to realize that they were all dead. “Oh.” Willow stumbled over to the Slayer, enveloping her in a tentative hug. It would have been more, but the witch was sure she’d cracked a few ribs.

The group looked around the library. Demons were piled everywhere—it was amazing.

“I can’t believe we did it. It looks like we slaughtered the entire offensive line of the NFL.” Xander slid to the floor, propped on a fallen bookshelf.

Giles limped over to the altars the demons had erected. “Well, it appears that we arrived at just in time. The demons were unable to begin any ceremonies, so we can destroy these and the threat is over.”

“Goodie—I definitely do not want to ever see demons that would make these ones quiver in fear!” Willow leaned against Tara, who what still trying to catch her breath.

Spike helped the Watcher break up the altars. Soon all that was left was picking up their many hammers and spell supplies and heading off. They decided as a group to leave the corpses where they lay. Some other group would find them tomorrow night and have a hell of a feast.

“So, who wants to patrol tonight?” Buffy asked sarcastically while rubbing her wounds. Though healing quicker than the other Scoobies, she was still ready to call it a night. Her rush from the defeat of the demons was more directed into doing something to make sure she was still alive.

“You’ve got to be kidding. All I want is a hot shower, a cold beer, and a soft bed.” Xander unlocked his car. Buffy immediately moved to the passenger’s side, sliding in, closing the door, and locking all of the doors automatically, while rolling down the windows to say good-bye.

“Tomorrow night will be tame compared to saving the world again- you know, only staking the fanged undead.”

“Oi! We vampires happen to be tough to kill!”

“Ah, perhaps this calls for a vacation, Buffy. We can convene again and resume patrols on Sunday evening.” Giles started his car and pulled away before he could see Buffy practically jumping with delight, even with her wounds.

•••

“I can’t believe we made it out alive, and the night is still young!” Buffy’s Slayer side was used to staying awake most of the night.

“Shower, beer, bed…” Xander mumbled.

“Well…I’m not complaining about getting eight hours tonight, but I’m still not sure if I could sleep right now.” Buffy leered at the driver, who missed the expression while watching for traffic. “Let’s go to your place, Xander. I don’t want Mom and Dawn to see me like this. They still freak over little scratches. Besides, I don’t think they’d appreciate the rush.”

“Are you sure, Buff? I mean, we could go to the cafe or something.”

“Just take me to your apartment; I’m not hungry for food right now.”

They drove in silence the rest of the way. As soon as Xander managed to open the apartment door, Buffy lunged at him, attacking his mouth. Xander’s mouth opened in shock and protest, giving Buffy the chance to plunder his mouth.

After the initial shock wore off, Xander started to sink into the kiss, his mind on autopilot. Somehow, the door closed behind them, shutting out reality. Xander gave as good as he got, making Buffy moan in pleasure, slowly running his tongue over the roof of her mouth. When they finally broke apart for air, Xander’s mind regained control.

“Buffy are you sure about this? I mean, do you really want this-me?.”

“Don’t stop, Xander. I want you--I need you.” Buffy panted in his ear, grasping at his clothes.

That was all Xander needed to hear. He crushed Buffy back to him, nibbling on her bottom lip. She hitched her breath, giving Xander the initiative to taste her all over again. He couldn’t get enough of the Buffy taste: sweet, with a touch of adrenaline, arousal, and something uniquely Buffy. <I can’t believe she wants me. It may be only for tonight, but I have wanted her for so long, how can I stop?> He couldn’t, didn’t, didn’t want to; he just kept kissing his high school fantasy as if she’d disappear if he stopped.

<Oh Man, Anya was not kidding when she said tiger. How far can I take him?>

Buffy decided to make the next move, hoping Xander would get a clue and take control. She started to unbutton his shirt, almost ripping it off. Xander must have gotten the hint, because he started to tentatively seize her breasts, palming them through her shirt. Buffy arched into his caresses, pleading for more.

Seeing the now-shirtless Xander, Buffy hitched her breath. He was amazing, much more sculpted than his shapeless clothes would indicate; it was all she could do to only touch his chest instead of licking all over his body, but the sensations he was sending to her breasts were thrilling, she could only mimic his ministrations.

Xander finally gained enough control to pull Buffy’s shirt off, revealing pert breasts beneath her lacy bra. He unhooked the undergarment, and pulling it off Buffy’s body, could only stare at her in amazement. <She’s perfect.> He caressed them lovingly, in contrast to his desires, finally reaching her already engorged nipples. He plucked them, causing them to stand out even more, their color darkening to a dusky rose. Xander gave in and bent his head to taste her, pulling one straining nub into his mouth.

Buffy was already wet and moaning with desire, and as soon as Xander took a nipple between his teeth, she tried to show Xander the pleasure he was giving her. She tried to lead them towards the bed, all the while nibbling his neck and pinching Xander’s nipples, causing him to cry out in pleasure/pain.

“Need your clothes off, want you in me, want you to fuck me hard-” Buffy panted in his ear.

Xander lost all control at that moment, tossing her on the bed while yanking off her shoes and socks and kicking his off as well.

They were joined mouth to mouth, caressing each other with only clothing separating them where they wanted to be joined. Xander removed Buffy’s jeans and underwear in one movement, baring her to his eyes. <I can’t believe that Buffy is lying naked in my bed, telling me to fuck her!> This caused his already hard shaft to strain against his own jeans, begging for freedom. Buffy must have sensed this because she started to remove the bindings, although her actions served only to further arouse her partner.

Xander stopped her, pushing down to the bed, opening her legs to reveal her already wet lips. Xander just had to taste them. He brought his lips to her outer labia, barely kissing them. Buffy, already sensitive, hissed in pleasure. Xander then started to scrape his tongue on the outer area, getting a taste of Buff’s pleasure. Xander was hooked as soon as her flavor flooded his mouth; he craved more. He thrust his tongue into her pussy, only barely touching her clit. He roamed all over, not touching the one bundle of nerves that Buffy needed him to touch. She started thrusting against his face and tongue, trying to give her clit some sensation. Finally, Xander started to lick her clit, then immediately starting to tug with his teeth.

“Oh Xander, Xander right there, I’m Comiiiiiiing!” He could feel her inner wall start to contract, letting her natural juices flow. Xander lapped up all he could, tasting as much as possible. Buffy then grabbed him pulling his mouth up to reach hers. She could taste herself on Xander’s lips, immediately arousing her again. She HAD to have him inside her, feel him come, screaming her name. She tore his pants off and removed his boxer-briefs in one move.

Xander reached around her to the nightstand, fumbling in the drawer there for a foil packet. <Thank gods I didn’t empty the drawer after…> Xander never finished the thought. Buffy grabbed his cock, feeling the blood course through it, making him harder that he ever dreamed. She stroked him, measuring him, wondering how something that big would ever fit inside her. She teased the head, worrying it with her thumb and forefinger. She found the drop of-precum, scooping it with her finger, and tasting it with Xander watching her all the while.

He quickly ripped open the packet, sliding on the condom. Xander lay on top of Buffy, resting his weight on one arm. The other was fondling barely touching the nest of brown curls at her apex. Using that hand, he thrust himself into Buffy’s tight opening. They both moaned at the contact. Xander held still, waiting for Buffy to relax around him. Then he started thrusting, slowly pulling all the way out and back in to the hilt. Buffy was wide-eyed and shocked about the sensations racing through her body. Xander kissed her, thrusting his tongue in time to his strokes.

When Buffy could take no more of his seduction, she started grabbing his ass, willing, almost trying to force Xander to quicken his thrusts. The Slayer was far stronger than Xander and easily pulled him deeper into her. Xander would have none of that; he quickly diverted her attention to the feeling in her breasts as he nibbled, each bite reverberating to her clit.

When Xander thought that he could not last any longer, he sped up his thrusts, with Buffy matching him stroke for stroke. Xander could feel himself starting to climax, but he wanted Buffy to come before him. Xander moved his hand down her body to the juncture of her thighs, to the straining nub waiting to be pleasured. All it took was a few pinches and gentle pressure from his thumb, and Buffy came with a shout, her inner walls clamping on Xander’s cock, making him scream with his climax. He fell on top of her, the pair sharing a stunned expression.

After the pair could finally move, Xander slipped out of Buffy, causing her to moan in protest. “C’mon Buff, we’re both filthy from the fight and we need to clean ourselves up. Want to join me in the shower? My water bill is high enough as it is.”

“I guess you’re right, and hey—California is in the middle of a drought, we should conserve water.” Buffy smiled, wiggling her eyebrows.

They headed for Xander’s bathroom, when the water was finally the right temperature, both jumped under the spray. Xander grabbed the shampoo, massaging a small amount into Buffy’s scalp. She moaned into his embrace, and started to shampoo his hair at the same time. They both rinsed the lather out of their hair as Xander grabbed the soap. He worked up foam in his hand, and started to clean Buffy of the remnants of the night’s battle.

Xander could tell from Buffy’s immediate reaction that he was pleasing her. He started to clean her chest, paying particular attention to her breasts. At his first touch, her nipples became pebble hard, causing a similar reaction to Xander’s cock. He laved the soft areas, and too soon, in Buffy’s opinion, moved his hands elsewhere. He cleaned her back and her feet, moving up her legs until he found her wet center. He then thrust a finger into her core, causing a shriek of delight. He started moving the finger in and out slowly, with Buffy moaning for more.

He answered her pleas using a second finger in conjunction with the first. She was still tight, causing wonderful friction with his fingers. She had to respond in kind, caressing his chest and back. Buffy pulled his head into a kiss, tongues matching the thrusting of his fingers into her. She started to move her hands lower, reaching the evidence of his arousal, caressing his cock in time to his momentum. This was too much for Buffy; he could feel her start to climax, and Xander knew that one touch to her clit would propel her over the edge.

“Buffy I want to be in you when you come, but I left the condoms in the bedroom…”

“Make me come Xander, just ...Oh yeah, right there…” He has started to move his free hand to her clit. Xander was wrong; it took two sharp tugs and she screamed his name tumbling, over the cliff. He pulled his fingers out and Buffy licked them clean. Xander captured her mouth, finding those secret juices he wanted so much.

“Xander, it’s time for some payback,” Buffy leered as she knelt down on the tub floor, taking his cock in her mouth. She started to lick the underside, balls to tip, snaking her tongue over the head. Xander moaned in response. The next thing he knew she had taken him whole and started sucking. He could see her head bobbing up and down over his. <This is paradise; nothing like my high school fantasies!!> Xander wasn’t sure he could take more of Buffy’s actions, but damn sure could try. When he could sense her tiring of this, she started humming, the sensation going right to his balls, which Buffy was massaging lightly using her nails.

“Buffy, I’m gonna, I’m gonna…” Trying to tell her he had almost reached the peak, but she kept going. His balls had started to contract, and he, too, screamed his orgasm as his seed was shot right into Buffy’s mouth. She drank all that he had and coaxed him for more. When Xander could think again, he pulled Buffy into his arms kissing her ferociously, tasting himself on her lips.

They finally cleaned themselves and got out of the shower. Using his towels to dry them off, the now lovers headed to the bed, collapsing into sleep, holding onto each other. Xander did not dream of the blonde; there was one lying next to him.

•••

When Xander’s alarm clock went off the following morning, both lovers woke up to sounds of Merle Haggard.

"I was born the running kind,
With leaving always on my mind.
Home was never home for me at any time.
Every front door found me hoping
I would find a back door open.
There just had to be an exit
For the running kind."3

“Good morning; I hope my choice of wake up music doesn’t change your opinion of last night.”

“Oh my God, Xander, what time is it?” She looked at the clock, “7:00? My class starts at 8:00, and I need to go home and change into clothes that don’t reek of demon. I’ll see you later, okay?” Buffy practically shouted as she hurriedly dressed and ran out of Xander’s apartment.

“Is it my morning breath? Nope, smells like Buffy. Well, better get up and head to work. I’ve only got half an hour.” A clumsy smile spread over his face as he readied for work. <I need to get rid of this grin before work or the guys will never let me live it down. On the other hand, Buffy, my teenage high school crush, slept with me last night, not that we did much sleeping.> Xander whistled to himself as he rummaged through his dresser drawers.

Xander went to work that day and, as predicted, could not stop smiling. His work buddies knew that smile; they could tell he’d gotten lucky the night before, and razzed him all day. <You guys don’t know how lucky I got last night.> His coworkers, for their part, were just glad that their foreman’s brief moping over Anya was over.

When he got home from work, he decided he should call Buffy to talk about what happened the night before. The phone rang and after the third ring was answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi Willow! I wasn’t expecting you to answer the phone.” Xander chattered nervously. <S’ok, it’s alright. I’m Buffy’s friend, I can call her all the time if I want. Means nothing new.> Xander wasn’t really sure why he was suddenly nervous, but for some reason he did not want Willow to know what went on between him and the Slayer.

“We’re getting ready to go to the Bronze tonight. You are going to be there, aren’t you?” Willow asked, completely oblivious to her best friend’s anxiety.

<That’ll be a good time to get Buffy alone. Yeah right, but maybe afterwards we can talk.> “Sure my witchy friend, I’ll see you all there, with my two left feet dancing shoes on.”

“C’mon Xander, maybe you can meet someone there, and fall in love and get married….”

<I think I already have, but I’m not sure where the love lies on her side…> “Wills, obvious much? You know I’m always open to a little lovin’—as long as its not from man-eating insects, mummies, insane slay— Um, I’ll see you there, ‘k?” Xander hung up the phone and tried to keep his mind occupied, so he would not think about either last night, or the upcoming evening. First, he tried to clean up his place, but realizing the futility of the exercise, he promptly turned on his kick-ass television, the only thing new in his apartment, to find something brainless to watch. He eventually became engrossed in a Spanish soap opera, due partly to his cable and partly to his understanding of the language. <Thank gods Spike isn’t here; I’m starting to understand his addiction!>

Finally realizing how hungry he was, he ate dinner and promptly fell asleep on his familiarly lumpy couch, waking in enough time to get to the Bronze to meet up with the rest of the Scoobies.

•••

At the Bronze, Willow and Buffy sat at their usual table, waiting for Xander and Tara, who went to get their drinks.

“Buffy, where were you last night? I heard Dawn say that you didn’t sleep there, just came home changed your clothes and left again.”

“I spent the night at Xander’s. His place was closer, and I didn’t want to wake Mom and Dawn. You know I can’t sleep after fights like that.”

“Oh, well ok then. What did you do all night?” Willow asked distractedly. She was paying most of her attention to her girlfriend, who was heading over to the table. Buffy took her lack of attention as an escape from having to answer the question.

Tara brought the drinks, just as Xander made his way to the table. He and Buffy locked eyes for a second, but pulled away before anyone could notice. “How are my three favorite ladies on this fine, no-work weekend?”

“Very leisurely. Tara and I were thinking of doing something this weekend, like go on a hike. Want to join?”

“As much as I like the whole out-in–the-day thing, I can’t. I’ve got a big test on Monday which is going to keep my nose in a book all weekend.” Buffy calmly replied, watching the youths writhing on the dance floor.

“Alas, Wills, my hiking skills are unavailable. I just want to stay in and recover from last night.” Xander wasn’t lying; he did want to recover from last night, but not from the demon attack.

“Okay then, Tara, it looks like its going to be just the two of us communing with nature.” Willow was secretly happy because she was hoping to get Tara alone in the woods…Think of the possibilities…

The gang drank and danced until exhaustion won. As Willow and Tara were leaving, Buffy and Xander looked at each other, knowing they were just waiting to be alone together. Buffy hopped into Xander’s car and they drove off, barely touching one another, afraid that the single touch would ignite their passion. Xander’s car was not a good place to start, because it was too public, and someone might walk in on them.

As soon as the door shut, leaving the world behind, Buffy crushed Xander lips meeting as the fire ignited. Xander forgot all about wanting to talk about where the relationship was headed; all he wanted was for the flames to consume him. They did not burn out until early in the morning, when both were asleep, knowing their mutual desire was spent and needed to be recharged.

•••

Xander leaned against the bar, watching the pancakes sizzle on the stove as the events of the weekend replayed in his mind. It was a dream come true; actually, he wasn’t sure he wasn’t dreaming. Buffy being here, with him, was so much like what he’d fantasized over during high school that he wanted to pinch himself, just to make sure. She was so hot, so passionate…so everything.

He blushed unconsciously as his eyes flickered over the room, stopping briefly on each spot they’d…blessed. It wasn’t the first time he’d had sex on the couch, or the floor, on the bar, against the doors, in front of the picture window, in the easy chair, against the refrigerator, or in the shower. But it was so much better than Anya—this was Buffy, his dream lover. At least he thought she was that dream person. <Too bad the dreams will stop now that I found her.>

“Whatcha doing?” Buffy asked from the bedroom door. She’d caught Xander staring off into space while her promised breakfast nearly burned. Xander pulled the pan off the stove, saving the pancakes.

“Breakfast, madam?” He presented the plate with a flourish, enjoying how Buffy looked in his navy t-shirt and nothing else. “What’s up for today?”

Buffy leered at him over the bar. “That’s your department, buster.” Xander flushed, unused to hearing such suggestive language from the Slayer. “I’m free until the meeting. Mom and Dawn are busy shopping and stuff.” She gave him an appraising glance. “You?”

“Only one important thing to do around here.” Xander tried to flirt back, hoping not to make a fool of himself. Buffy just laughed sexily and pushed back from the bar, pulling off Xander’s t-shirt.

“Better get on it then, shouldn’t you?” She said. Xander wasted no time following that hot little body back to the bedroom, silently thanking a certain ex-girlfriend for improving his stamina. Slayerhood had gifted Buffy with strength and endurance in many areas.

•••

Spike wandered into the Magic Box and sprawled across the stairs. His vampire physiology had left him completely healed from Thursday’s battle and he was now in the mood to beat something up, even if it was demonic in nature. Spike cocked an eyebrow as the Watcher gave him a pointed stare. The shop was not closed yet and the proprietor would have preferred that the blonde not lounge about the place while customers still browsed the wares.

“Spike, you could make yourself useful…” Giles began, gesturing with a feather duster.

“Right. You want me to save you from what? A demonically possessed cleaning device?” The vampire mocked. He pulled out a cigarette and made a grand gesture of lighting it, purposefully raising the ire of the Watcher.

“Why do you insist upon irritating me, Spike?” Giles asked.

“’Cause its easy, ‘sides, I can run faster than you. Being a vampire has its advantages over middle-aged merchants, y’know,” Spike sneered. He turned to throw another disdainful glance at the other man, only to stop short. The generally mild-mannered Giles looked quite dangerous at the moment. His eyes were hard, fists clenched. He stalked over to the vampire. Spike sat motionless, waiting to see just what the human would do. <Should be interesting. Haven’t made this one come at me for, oh, nearly a month now.> Spike grinned.

The Watcher stopped a few inches from Spike. His hand shot out, grabbing the cigarettes and lighter from the vampire’s hand. The element of surprise gave him the advantage over preternatural reflexes.

“Oi, mate. Can’t just go stealing a bloke’s-“ Spike’s jaw dropped in shock, stopping his complaint. Giles knocked a cigarette from the pack and lit it. He tossed the pack back onto the vampire’s lap and walked back behind the counter, leaning on the shelving there.

“Right.” Spike muttered, deciding to annoy someone else for the remainder of the evening. <No reason to test my luck there.> The vampire recalled several other instances of, well, Ripperlike behavior coming from Giles during the last few weeks. Snapping and shouting at the children, smoking. Hells, Spike had never seen the Watcher move as he had during the battle. Not as good as a vampire or the Slayer, but still. <Maybe the job’s finally getting to him.> Being around magic, and darkness, like he was must be quite the temptation for someone with Giles’ past.

Just then the witches walked into the shop. Giles ducked his head once in acknowledgement, then resumed smoking his cigarette and staring at the ceiling. The two girls looked at him, then at each other, then at Spike. Spike looked at them innocently and shrugged. Willow narrowed her eyes at him. The vampire repeated the gesture, adding in a raised hand. Finally the pair went back to the table and sat down. As they walked past, Spike took an unnecessary breath. <Red’s still gettin' it regularly,> the vampire thought to himself.

He kept track of the humans, what they smelled like. Since he had cast his lot with the local superheroes, he had made a point of knowing what was about. Consequentially, Spike knew when one of them was angry, sad or afraid. He also knew when they got laid, and who they were attracted to. It was yet another benefit of being a vampire. Even the best human poker face could not hide pheromones.

“Um, Giles? Everything of the good today?” Willow tentatively asked the Watcher. She had never seen him smoke, nor had she seen him greet her so coldly.

“Yes, Willow.” Giles walked over to the door as the last nonpaying customer exited. He flipped over the “Open” sign and flicked his cigarette butt out the door before closing it.

“So, any dark and gloomy prophecies to smush into little tiny pieces before some more big ugly nasties try to raise even more even bigger even uglier nasties to take over our nice little world?” Willow asked in her usual breathless prattling.

“No. Thank Gods, the only thing to do tonight is patrol. Unfortunately, we all need to patrol this evening. Some of my…sources have indicated that the vampire population is on the rise. We would have noticed it earlier, but this past prophecy distracted us.” Giles pulled out a chair and sat down across from the girls.

The door to the shop opened and Buffy and Xander walked in. “Hey, slayerettes!” Buffy yelled pertly. Xander closed the door and jogged to catch up to the blonde girl. The duo stopped by the table, sliding out chairs.

“Hi, Buffy. How did your studying work out?” The blonde witch timidly asked the Slayer.

“Studying? Oh, it’s all good.”

“So you’re going to ace that test on Monday?” Willow teased. She knew her best friend rather well. Buffy would do ok, but her mind was never on schoolwork, even when studying.

“Of course. I’ll slay it!” That statement was met with twin groans from the Watcher and Spike.

“Bloody hell, twit. Who writes your dialogue?” Spike asked from the stairs.

“Someone far better than whoever writes yours, Mr. Not-So-Big-Bad.” Buffy shot back. Spike flipped her off and lit another cigarette.

“As I was saying before you arrived, there are no prophecies or apocalypses to research this evening, but we must all patrol. There has been a recent increase in vampiric activity, which we have been neglecting.” Giles looked pointedly at the Slayer. She shifted a bit uncomfortably before plastering on a trademark smile.

“Ok! Xander and I’ll go the usual route. Um, Willow, will you take Tara, and Giles and Spike then?” Buffy pulled Xander to his feet and headed for the door. The others looked at each other briefly, then shrugged and gathered their supplies.

<She must still be hyped from the fight.> Willow thought as she and Tara started their own circuit through the darkened streets of Sunnydale.

Spike followed the Watcher silently out of the shop. The pair had patrolled before, although not recently. They worked well together; Spike’s enhanced senses allowed him to pinpoint their targets, and Giles was actually rather good at staking vampires.

What Spike really enjoyed about working with the Watcher, however, was the silence. When he was not with the Watcher, he was usually with the Slayer, who went on and on about fashion and Glamour. It left the blonde vampire with a headache more often than not. The quiet he found with the Watcher left Spike time to think, which he found himself needing to do tonight.

The vampire had smelled it as soon as the Slayer and the whelp had arrived at the shop. <So she finally cornered the boy,> Spike thought. They were literally covered in each others’ scents. The boy reeked acridly of Slayer, and she was no better, practically dripping with the spicy aroma that was Xander. <They must’ve fairly rolled in it, and not long ago.>

Spike snorted softly, drawing a glance from the Watcher. The vampire ignored him and turned his thoughts back to Buffy. He could tell the two were trying to hide what was going on; they did not touch while in the shop and chose seats as far away from each other as possible even though there were plenty of chairs around. Then the bint practically drug him out of the store and into the night. <Yeah, they’ll get lots of ‘patrolling’ done tonight, they will.>

Spike started tallying up the blackmail potential of this new information. Then he cocked his head to one side. Vampires, close by. He soundlessly caught the Watcher’s eye and gestured to the left. Giles nodded, pulling out a pair of stakes. Spike, too, armed himself and the two stood ready.

Moments later, four vampires strolled into view. From their stance and demeanor, the two fighters knew they were just minions. The unlucky undead saw the two men standing under a streetlamp and picked up their pace, thinking that they’d just found dinner. Spike and Giles waited calmly, looking as if they were having a casual conversation and were oblivious to the group approaching them. One vampire reached Giles and grabbed his arm.

His demonic visage twisted in surprise when the human smoothly turned and ducked, flipping the vampire onto his back. Before the vampire could react to this turn of events, Giles had thrust a stake through his heart. Dust clouded around his feet briefly before settling on the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, the other vampires had turned in shock to their other meal. At the sight of Spike’s gameface, shock became horror. These minions were obviously not expecting a vampire. One realized, however, that there were still three of them, and one of their opponents was human. “Leave us the food and we’ll let you go.” The apparent leader snarled.

<Obviously the bottom of the heap, even for minions.> Spike growled audibly. One of their own had been dusted by a human, and they were threatening him! The Big Bad! Spike leapt up into the air, kicking the minion in the face. Giles took on one of the remaining vampires. The last of the bunch turned to his companion, who was being thrashed by the blonde vampire. He threw a brutal punch at Spike’s midsection, but it never connected. Spike spun the other vampire into the path of the first’s fist, then shoved stakes through both vampire’s hearts.

He turned around to see Giles kicking the other vampire in the stomach. The Watcher pulled the vampire up by its hair, slamming it into the low wall behind him. He continued to beat up the minion, bashing his head against the top of the retaining wall. Soon, blood and bits of gore were spattered along the stone. With a snarl, Giles let go of the vampire. As it slid down the wall, he pushed a stake through its chest, pinning it briefly before it exploded into dust.

“Have fun there?” Spike asked. He was a bit surprised at the man’s brutality. Surprised, but impressed also. Usually this gang of children killed mercifully; in fact his tendency toward playing with his prey had earned him numerous ‘lessons’ from the Slayer and lectures from the red-haired witch. <Maybe Ripper’s come out to play?>

Giles casually wiped residual dust off of his hands and gestured down the street. “Shall we?” He turned and began to walk the way he’d pointed. Spike, never one to spend much time ruminating when there was fun to be had, followed quickly.

•••

“Come on, Xander!” Buffy yanked on Xander’s arm, dragging him through the cemetery. “We don’t have all night, you know, and I have to go home after patrol. Mom’s going to start wondering about where I am all the time.”

Xander followed the Slayer as best as he could, trying to keep up with the rapid pace. He nearly ran into her back when she stopped suddenly. “What?” He whispered.

“Vamps, four o’clock.” She dropped stakes into her waiting hands as Xander did the same. Moments later, a gang of minions appeared, covered in blood.

“Hey guys! Lovely night for a stroll, isn’t it?” Buffy said cheerfully, approaching the repulsive demons. One got bold and stepped forward, sure that the petite woman in front of him would make an excellent dessert. He was dust before his second step fell.

The other vampires jumped into action at the sight of their leader exploding. They quickly swarmed the Slayer, who jumped and kicked furiously. Xander managed to dust one or two of the slower minions, but most of the vampires were focused on the big prize, the Slayer herself.

It took almost no time at all for Buffy to finish off the gang of vampires. She turned to Xander, a wild gleam in her eye. Xander was very familiar with that look; he’d seen it in both Faith and Buffy’s eyes after a good, bloody fight. He just hoped they’d find an out of the way spot before she jumped his bones.

“Move!” Buffy said harshly, grabbing his arm. She pulled him toward the wall separating the graveyard from the university campus. There was a small outbuilding there, surrounded by a stone wall. The Slayer moved to the campus side, then pushed Xander roughly against the building, molding her mouth to his. Xander was helpless to resist, so he just ran with it, returning the kiss with equal fervor.

Hands pulled at clothing until sweet, soft flesh could be found. Xander ran shaky fingers over Buffy’s lace-covered breasts, squeezing gently as she moaned into his mouth. The Slayer ended the kiss suddenly, grabbing Xander’s shoulders and reversing their positions so that she was against the wall. Xander felt strong arms pushing down on his shoulders, urging him to his knees.

The brunette reached under Buffy’s skirt, pulling off the lacy panties he found there. Setting the garment aside, he hitched up her short skirt, baring her glistening cunt to the night air. The Slayer shivered as her overheated core was exposed to the chilly breeze. Looking down with hot eyes at the man kneeling before her, She draped one leg over his shoulder, spreading her arms along the wall for support.

“Do it, now.” She ordered harshly. Xander obeyed, plying his tongue between swollen folds of flesh, nipping at her clit as he savored her juices. Buffy was soon writhing and moaning above him, uttering crude encouragements as she thrust her hips against his face.

“Deeper, Xander, harder. Suck on it…there! Come on you slut, faster! So close…” A low, rough moan punctuated the Slayer’s orgasm as she came hard, convulsing around Xander’s tongue. He released her cooling flesh, carefully placing her leg back against the building. The Slayer retrieved and replaced her underwear, shimmying as she pulled it back on.

The blonde girl stood on tiptoe, catching Xander’s mouth once again. “You taste like pussy.” She said, laughing, as she pulled him from the building to continue their patrol. Xander wiped his face on his shirt cuff and ran to catch up with her.

•••

“Gee, Tara, it’s pretty quiet around here. Where do you think all the vamps are? We haven’t run across one all night.” Willow took her girlfriend’s hand in hers as they walked through the quiet college campus.

“’M, I don’t know, Willow. I’m kind of happy, though. I mean, its good to fight vampires, but…”

“I know, Tara. I don’t like them either. I don’t think we’re supposed to like them. Except for Spike. And Angel.” Willow said, smiling a bit at the mention of the souled vampire.

“Yeah, ok. Do you have any vampire bait? Maybe if you-“ Tara tugged a little on Willow’s sweater, exposing a creamy shoulder. She bent over, running her tongue along the smooth flesh. Willow jumped and shivered.

“Hey! I’m not vamp-bait!” She playfully batted at Tara’s suddenly playful fingers.

“But it always works in the movies. You know, a couple starts making out, the monsters start killing.” Tara continued to pursue that patch of skin, backing Willow into a tree. Willow giggled and relented. A rustling of leaves stopped them both. “Think it worked?” Tara whispered to her lover.

The two witches pulled out stakes and a small pouch. They had been working on a new spell, and if there were vampires out there now was a perfect time to try it out. Without Giles around, they might actually learn something new.

As they had suspected, a trio of vampires emerged from the bushes. They immediately headed for the two girls, sure that they had caught a pair of unsuspecting young coeds out for a midnight snack. The witches opened the pouch and withdrew a handful of herbs.

Murmuring a soft chant, they threw the herbs at the surprised vampires. The smell of sulfur filled the air and the vampires exploded into flames. Their pain-filled howls floated over the treetops as they burned to the ground in seconds. The witches looked at each other in surprise. “I guess we did it right. It WAS a fire spell, wasn’t it?” Willow asked her fellow witch.

“Yeah, it was. Although I think it was just supposed to smolder a bit to create a diversion. Maybe we have the proportions off on the salamander.” The two girls continued to discuss the spell as the hurried away from the twin piles of smoking ash on the sidewalk.

•••

Xander fell back into his bed, groaning wearily. He’d been Buffy’s partner on patrol for the last few days, and it was beginning to take its toll on him. It wasn’t the slaying per se; he was used to fighting vampires and demons. It was the regular make-out sessions.

Buffy would frequently stop to have a brief ‘suck-and-grope’ session, as she called them, leaving him in a constant state of sexual arousal, often to the point of pain. He usually ended up going down on her at least once, and usually twice, before they concluded the patrol. It wasn’t until they were back at his place that he got any relief—after all, the Slayer couldn’t be too distracted or she might miss a demon or vampire.

Xander wasn’t sure he liked the explanation. He thought himself a pretty good partner—but apparently Buffy could pay attention when he was eating her out, but not when he was fucking her. Oh well. Normally he wouldn’t complain, but tonight she’d had to rush home and they hadn’t had their usual marathon screw. So he was bruised from fighting, tired from working day and night, and hard as a rock.

The brunette smiled. No, he wasn’t complaining. Only a fool would complain when he had Buffy. Xander rolled off the bed, ignoring the protests his muscles sang out, and headed for the shower. He had no qualms about relieving his tension the old fashioned way.