"She's not the Slayer, though, is she?" Spike and Crispin, by tacit agreement, seemed to have suspended their fight in favour of waiting to see what the Eyghon would do. Spike was actually lounging a bit."I mean, she's too old for the whole Slayer bit. And not to be rude or anything, mate, but who in hell are you little lot, anyway?"

"She's an Avenger," Crispin told him. "And I'm a retired Avenger. She's not the Slayer, but now you bring it up? I'm thinking we could use her. It would be easy enough to get her here."

He swung his head around to Ethan. "Wouldn't it, boy? Shall I ring up your friend Rupert? Ask him to bring his father's project around for the evening?"

"No!" Ethan yelped. He swallowed hard. "She's not just a slayer, she's a witch. We've got an Avenger, a retired Avenger, two vampires and the Eyghon. For God's sake, you really think we ought to add the Slayer to that? When she's also capable of turning us all into cups of Bovril with a spell?"

The Eyghon suddenly roared. The sound was impressive. It did unexpected things to the nervous system.

"What's a Slayer?" Emma was completely exasperated. "No, don't tell me. You've got til I count ten, Ethan. Are you sending that thing in there to its room, or does it get to pick its teeth with you?" She stepped towards the pentagram, dragging Ethan with her, and the demon lunged towards them; it was still missing one arm and part of its head, but what was visible looked more than capable of doing the trick. "One. Two. Thr-"

still arranging people before the Great Road Trip, but I think all the packing and "Have we left anything/anyone?" is just about done

Once again Xander felt a little stab of jealousy of the college lifestyle as he followed Willow into her dorm. Past midnight on a school/work night, and there were dozens of people up and about with not a care in the world beyond a good time. Granted, he was up past midnight himself on a work night, but he was deeply involved in saving the world--again. And despite the message he'd left on his boss' answering machine about yet another family emergency, he didn't like the odds of his still having gainful employment after this latest adventure played itself out.

Willow gave him a tired smile as she unlocked her dorm room door. "I'm so glad you're around, Xander. You're dependable." A pair of drunken young men wearing only their boxers suddenly dashed out of a neighboring room, laughing madly as they ran down the hallway. Willow glared after them. "Unlike some."

Xander watched the guys run. "Yeah, I'm the dependable one."

Willow didn't dawdle as she gathered clothing and toiletries for a few days. She spent more time at the bookcase, checking various volumes.

"What are you looking for?" Xander asked.

"Bindings, reversing and changing, sharing energy, that kind of stuff. Giles said there might be a way to get Tara back from Glory."

"And you believe him why?"

Willow stared at him in confusion. "Why would he lie?"

"Because he's a vampire, and vampires like to play with people's brains before they play with the rest of the person?"

"It makes no sense for Giles to lie about something like this," Willow said, going back to the books. "There's no benefit to him if this doesn't work." She stood up, two volumes in her hands. "Let's go. Next stop the hospital."

"Wills, visiting hours are over."

"Oh, we're not visiting, we're releasing."

Xander stared at her, seeing her calm, cheerful, determined expression. The pleasant version of the resolve face. The one that gave you the option of cooperating willingly. "We can pick up Tara in the morning, that's the plan, no one's going to leave her."

"I know," Willow said very reasonably, "but if we go get her now, we don't have to waste time waiting for the hospital people. We can just get straight out of Dodge." She picked up the two backpacks she'd filled and headed for the door. "Come on."

Xander hesitated, then he remembered that Willow had a copy of his car keys. He had no doubts that she'd leave him to walk back to Buffy's house while she went to the hospital by herself. "OK, OK, wait up."

He stayed just a little bit behind her as she strolled through the front doors of the hospital. He wasn't sure if it was magic or just her serene confidence that caused the security guards to ignore them. She led the way to the elevators and up to the floor where Glory's victims were being cared for. This time Xander was sure there was some kind of cloaking spell involved, because none of the nurses or staff on the floor paid the slightest attention to them and Willow was careful to not be in anyone's way.

The ward where the brain sucked people were was dimly lit, but no one was sleeping. All the patients were restrained, and they tugged fretfully at their bonds, whispering anxious nonsense.

"There are so many of them," Willow whispered.

"I guess she's a big eater," Xander shrugged.

The patients didn't seem to notice the two people creeping among them. Xander tried not to look at them too closely. They brought back dim memories of his grandfather, who had spent the last few years of his life slouched in a chair, muttering bits of old conversations and calling people by the wrong name. For some reason he had always called Xander "Charlie", and older Xander wished he had asked who Charlie was. Grandpa had liked Charlie.

Tara was in the end bed, restrained like the others, though care had been taken to protect her broken hand. Willow whispered nasty things under her breath as she went to her lover. "Tara?" she said softly. "It's me."

A beautiful smile went across Tara's face. "The sun," she breathed in wonder. "The sun's come out. And the moon," she added when she saw Xander.

Xander raised an eyebrow at Willow, who shrugged impatiently. "Sweetie, we're going to go on a trip," she said as she began unfastening the straps holding Tara's arms. She nudged Xander and nodded towards the straps over Tara's legs. "We're all going on a trip and I'm going to take care of you and I'm going to make you better."

When he was finished with the leg straps, Xander checked the small lockers next to the bed for Tara's belongings. "Here's her clothes. You want to try getting her out of that gown and into something less noticeable?"

"No one's going to see us," Willow said certainly. "But she'll need her shoes. Here, you hold her, I'll put them on her."

Tara smiled at Xander as he took her good arm and kept her from wobbling. "The trees go gold in the fall," she told him. "But not in the spring."

"No, not in the spring," he agreed, thinking of his Grandpa.

Tara was wobbly on her feet but came along docilely as Willow led her to the door.

"What about pain pills and such for her hand and everything?" Xander asked as he scouted the area for anything of Tara's they might have missed.

"I have some herbs and such that will work. They'll keep her calm, too, in case ..." Willow ran her fingers through Tara's hair. "Maybe we'll have time to wash your hair before we go, baby. And then I can brush it out for you so it won't be so tangly."

"Pink blue," Tara smiled, leaning her head on Willow's shoulder. "Sound of cinnamon."

"Sure, honey. Come on."

Xander followed the two women, still watc

Xander followed the two women, still watching for nurses and guards. He'd never stolen anyone from a hospital before. The patients still didn't seem to care what was happening around them, didn't seem to notice that one of their own was being spirited away. The man in the bed nearest the door, though, went still as Tara and Willow passed, then he turned his head to look at Xander.

"The Key," he said. "Destroy the Key. The Beast, the glorious one, it's almost time."

"We know," Xander said, rattled. "Trust me, we know."

"Xander, come on," Willow whispered from the door. Without a backwards glance, Xander left the whispers and their possible meanings behind.

(Connie, we've got to be doing the weirdest multiple-posting ever)

• * *

...She stepped towards the pentagram, dragging Ethan with her, and the demon lunged towards them; it was still missing one arm and part of its head, but what was visible looked more than capable of doing the trick. "One. Two. Thr-"

"ohgreatEyghonIcommandtheetothedarkcircleofhellreturn." For a moment, the demon stood very still, and then popped out like a dead bulb. Emma would have sworn she caught a look of disgust on the extant half of its face before it went.

"Where is Deirdre Conover?" Crispin DeVries' voice was iced rage. "Did you kill her, Rayne? Feed her to that thing? Tell me, or Mrs. Peel will break your arm. Trust me for that."

"Deirdre? Hurt Deirdre?" Ethan sounded honestly bewildered. "Are you mad? Deirdre's my best friend, besides Rupert. She's in Kildare, visiting her sis. Sis just had twins and Deirdre was needed. I wouldn't feed Deirdre to the Eyghon!"

"But you were going to feed Spike to it. And me. Naughty boy." It was Drusilla, suddenly dangerous and demented again. The pointy toe and stiletto heel of one shoe tapped out a rhythm of displeasure on the edge of the pentagram. "Were you really going to feed us to the grotty old Eyghon? You need to be thumped for that."

Emma saw Dru's face begin its change. "Crispin, look alive!" she sang out, and promptly pushed Ethan, as hard as she could, back into the protective perimeter of the pentagram. "Dru's going po-faced again, Spike's likely doing it as well!"

"Not, I'm not." Spike had backed away, and was standing in the front door. "Come along, Dru-love, we'll get no joy here. Besides, I got what I came for - the Slayer's actually a bloody witch. Heard the rumours, now I know, and Oxford's no place for us."

Dru's motion was so quick that Emma's eyes failed to register how she got to Spike's side. Crispin swore, and jumped for the door. He wasn't nearly quick enough.

"Cheery-bye, loveys!" Drusilla sang, and they heard her heels hit the flagstones of the path as they vaulted the unknown girl on their way out of town.

"After them!"

Emma, right behind Crispin, reached the street. They were just in time to see Spike and Dru trundling off down the street into the night, dangling their legs off the back of a motorised milk float. Spike waved; Dru blew them a kiss. The float disappeared around a corner, and was gone.

I've got to admit, Deborah, I liked it better before the Slayer got pulled into it. Emma could have routed them all by herself. OK, with a little help from Crispin. And I'm thinking Spike would have been just a touch more "Bring on the Slayer! I've already munched one, I can take another!"

She did. No Slayer visiting or involvement; she's just a threat to scare Ethan into behaving himself. And the mention was needed; getting the gen on her was the reason Spike came to Oxford. He's a smart boy.

more:

"Blast." Crispin, his face indistinct in the summer night, sounded glum. "I really wanted to bring those two down, and instead? I let them both get clean away. Fine demon hunter I am."

"Demon hunter? Crispin, you rogue!" She saw the slump of his shoulders, and remembered that, no matter her perception of him, he was rising sixty-four years old. "Come on, let's go back in and deal with our cheeky little sorcerer. You're going to tell me all about this demon hunter thing of yours, make no mistake. I can't believe I've just met a pair of genuine vampires. Vampires with friends, no less; I wonder who was driving the milk flo- oh, bloody hell!"

They stared at each other in consternation for a second before both turning back to Number 17 at high speed.

They were too late. A section of the pentagram had been smudged by Ethan's heels as he slipped out. The girl was gone, as well; whether she'd woken up and wandered away on her own, or had been taken away by Ethan, she was no longer on the path. Whatever she was doing was likely to raise some brows, however, since her shirt was precisely where they'd left it.

No Slayer visiting or involvement; she's just a threat to scare Ethan into behaving himself.

I got that, but even the mention threw me. Possibly a little too self-referential.

Well, I kinda like my bit of sixties Oxford as it is; after all, none of this is publishable, or even canon (I mean, Avengers meets Buffy?) This is purely a giftie for Fay. So I think I'll keep as is, unless there's a lot of negative feedback. In and out again go Spike and Dru. Besides, I want them fleeing town on a milk float, as an homage to the original series, which I love.

So much more fun than having a souled Angel brooding away in the back garden at Number 17.

Wow, this was fun to read. Love the drabbles, kat, ita, deb, and anyone I forgot. Oh, and plei, though I think I said so already. Loved the continuations Connie and Deb.

It really wasn't, uh, work-appropriate, you know? Heh.

No, shrift, it wasn't, which made me very happy when I got home.

Connie, I love the take on Willow you've got going. This, though:

"There are so many of them," Willow whispered.

"I guess she's a big eater," Xander shrugged.

Manoman, would he really be that cruel? Tara's in a bed across the way, having suffered the same thing as the people he just dissed. And he loves Willow, and Willow loves Tara.