Edited to remove appalling pun.

Horrible Pun, take two, leaving it up this time.

"We're fairly close to my place, if you're at all interested..." His voice trailed off, leaving the ball in her court. "Oh, yeah. Definitely interested." She gave him a look she hoped was innocent. "Got handcuffs?" The grin she got in return was decidedly devilish. "Padded or standard issue?"

"They make padded ones?" Too bad she hadn't known that months ago. "You sound chagrined." "Kind of. Why didn't Sp--someone tell me they made padded ones?"

He burst out laughing. Not that she blamed him, she sounded like a petulant grade schooler, except for the part where she was talking about handcuffs.

"Perhaps it didn't seem important at the time, though I notice you've adroitly avoided answering the question."

"Sorry, you kind of threw me with the whole actually taking me up on it thing. It wasn't quite what I was expecting."

He stroked the inside of her arm just lightly enough to make her whole body tingle. "What, pray tell, were you expecting?"

"Something a little more... English, maybe?"

He laughed again. Well, at least she was amusing him.

"But we English are famous for our restraint," he said lightly.

Ouch. That was painful. And shameless. "You never struck me as the pun type."

I shouldn't have to go to another city to get mindspace to write, but when I do fun things happen. V!Giles! (V!Giles, Xander and Buffy are heading in to rescue/silence Spike, Spike's just been snarking off to Glory)

Giles took point going up the stairs. Rather, he headed up, leaving Buffy and Xander to follow as they would. Buffy hurried to stay on Giles' heels. Xander was grateful for the construction work that kept him in shape.

"Just a poor human here, folks," he muttered as he jogged up the stairs, only occasionally using the handle of his axe as a climbing staff. "Pay no never mind to me. Stupid Slayers and vampires." Once upon a time he'd taken petty comfort in being younger and stronger than Giles. See where such youthful arrogance got you?

On the fifth floor landing, Buffy shifted her crossbow and grabbed Giles' arm before he could yank open the door. "We can't just go busting in there," she whispered to him. "And since when am I giving discretion lectures to you, Mr. Plan Your Strategy Before You Attack?"

Giles glared at her, and she flinched at the way the angles of his face were shifting. "I understand that your solution to this problem is to dash in and shoot him, but it seems only fair to at least attempt a rescue."

Vampire, Buffy reminded herself. Angry, impatient vampire.

Xander caught up with them, panting. "So what's the plan?"

"We take a peek out the door," Buffy said quickly. "Then we see what happens." Giles muttered unhappily but accepted it. He checked the position of the bolt in his crossbow.

They cracked open the door and peered out. The hallway was dimly lit and seemed quiet.

"I hear shouting," Giles whispered.

"So do I," Buffy said. "Xander, did Jorge say which apartment is Glory's?"

The question of which apartment was answered by Spike crashing through a door halfway down the hall. Bloody and stumbling, he scrambled to his feet and started towards the elevators at the far end of the hall.

"Spike!" Giles yelled.

Before Spike could do more than look around, Glory's demons poured out of the apartment. Spike kept moving down the hall, followed by a good half-dozen of the gnarled demons.

Flinging his crossbow at Xander, Giles snarled and charged down the hall, shifting into full game face.

"Shit," Xander breathed, trying to reconcile the sharp-pointed demon face with the reassuring man he'd known nearly a third of his life.

"Uh huh," Buffy said. She shook herself. "Come on! And stay back!"

"Make up your mind!"

"Be careful!"

They followed Giles.

Giles ripped into the trailing pair of demons, grabbing their robes and slamming their heads together. Spike fell against the elevator doors and checked the floor indicator. The lift was down at the lobby floor. Despite Ripper's help, the rest of Glory's mob would be on him in seconds. Ignoring the pain in his broken fingers, Spike pulled on the elevator doors, levering them apart.

He was just reaching for the greasy cables when one of Glory's demons shrieked and jumped for him. Spike missed his grab for the cables and fell, the demon clinging to him.

Giles cursed and ripped the throat out of the nearest demon. "He's in the lift shaft!" he yelled to Buffy and Xander.

A crossbow bolt suddenly whistled past his ear. He snarled at Xander, who was just lowering his crossbow, when he heard the thump of a body hitting the floor behind him. He turned and saw one of the demons, who had been holding an axe. The crossbow bolt had taken it square in the forehead. He looked at Xander again, but the young man didn't meet his eyes.

Buffy grabbed Xander. "Downstairs."

Most of the demons were headed down another set of stairs. Giles reached for one.

"What is taking so long out there?" came a petulant female voice from inside the apartment.

Giles looked up and saw the pretty young lady he'd seen in the Magic Box buying materials to raise a snake demon.

Glory stood in her broken doorway and cocked her head at Giles. "What is it with the vampires in this town? I'm trying to bring hell on earth, here, fella. You know, vampire party time? Why the heck are you breaking up my minions?"

Giles looked down at the broken-necked body in his hands. "I am sorry, but I rather like the world the way it is. Hell really sounds quite boring."

"I know you," Glory said, pointing a thoughtful finger at Giles. "That cheesy little magic shop." She gasped. "You're the Watcher!"

Giles flung the demon's body as hard as he could at her, then sprinted for the stairs.

And if I'd stop hitting Read New, I'd write the next bit.

t is it just me, or has it gotten easier to do double posts?

That's a great section, connie.

"And since when am I giving discretion lectures to you, Mr. Plan Your Strategy Before You Attack?"

t Grins.

t Snerks.

t Outright laughs.

It's good. (I'm in a strange mood this morning.)

yeah! Good one, Connie.

More stuff. (It's been a productive weekend)

The lobby was empty of anyone non-demonic when Buffy burst through the door at the bottom of the stairs. Xander was only moments behind her. Across the ornate lobby, the demons were struggling with Spike, who looked even more bashed up but was still fighting as well he could.

"Sorry," Buffy called as she ran over, "but that's our vampire you're demon-handling, and we want him back."

"Probably," Xander added.

"I am *not* your vampire," came a weak protest.

The demons turned to fight. Buffy knocked two out of the way, working her way towards the elevator. Xander laid one out with the flat of his axe, then another jumped on his back, dropping its own axe handle over his head and yanking against his throat. He reached back, got a handful of robe and pulled. The wiry little creature tried to hang on, but Xander got a good grip on the shoulders and threw the demon into a group of its friends.

Buffy made it to Spike's side, kicking aside the crumpled body of the demon that had fallen down the elevator shaft with him. She grabbed his arm to shake him, though not as hard as she might, seeing up close just how bloody he was.

"What did you tell her?" she demanded.

"I've had better days, Slayer, how are you?"

A demon came charging in, axe upraised. A kick to the stomach sent it flying away. "Damn you, Spike--"

Spike coughed, then spit blood. "Didn't tell her anything."

"I don't believe you."

"Then why the fuck are you asking?" He tried to get to his feet, but his leg bent in new places, and he fell back with a groan. He nodded over Buffy's shoulder. "Demon."

She spun and punched; Xander caught the rebound and smacked the demon in the head.

Spike grabbed Buffy's arm. "Dawn OK?"

"Uh, yeah," she managed to answer as she stared at Spike's hand, with the smashed and twisted fingers. "You didn't tell Glory?"

"Said I didn't."

A sudden roar caught their attention. Out in the lobby, Giles appeared, still in gameface, and pulled two demons off of Xander.

Spike laughed briefly before it turned into another gasp of pain. "Well, this should be over soon."

Buffy touched his shoulder. "Spike, why?"

"Why what?"

"Didn't you tell her?"

Different pain flickered through his eyes before a more battered version of his usual sneer appeared. "Gotta stay in good with you, now, don't I."

She almost touched the still wet wound in his chest. A lot of blood had already dried on his shirt and in his hair. His eyes were almost swollen shut, and the familiar angles of his face were blurred. "Why did you let her do all this to you?" she whispered.

"Been though enough, you have," he said softly. "I'm not going to be any part of making it worse."

She looked in his eyes and saw, of all things, honesty. There were other things as well, but she couldn't think of those just now. She found one small unbruised portion of his face to touch. "Thank you."

A small body impacted against the wall above them. Buffy knocked it aside before it could fall on them.

"And that one wraps up the game," Xander announced. "The ex-Watcher knocks it out of the ballpark for the winning run, and the rest of the opposing team scampers away for their lives."

"Do be quiet, Xander," Giles said. Human-faced again, he leaned into the elevator. "We should go--my god, Spike, can you move?"

"Depends on what you want me to move, mate. But I want out of here more."

Buffy moved to one side to give room for Giles to get under Spike's other shoulder. Vampire and Slayer strength got Spike off the floor, but not without muffled curses from the injured.

Xander watched all the approaches for the return of Glory's demons, but he froze when he saw Spike. "Oh, my god," he whispered.

"No god of yours did this, whelp," Spike said, hobbling along on his one good leg. "Least I hope--" He barely bit off a scream as his broken leg bumped against the floor.

Buffy tried to hold him higher, but her lack of height was against her. "I'm sorry."

"Here." Xander handed her his axe. "Puny human strength will do for this." He took her place under Spike's shoulder and helped hold him clear of the floor.

"Not puny," Spike said very softly.

"Shut up, Spike."

"Indeed," Giles added, though not without a thoughtful look at Xander. "Let's please wait till we get you to the car before you amaze us with what passes for your wit."

No one tried to stop them as they made their escape to Giles' convertible. Giles passed the burden of Spike's weight to Xander and went to the trunk.

"I'm not riding in there," Spike said firmly.

"I'm getting a blanket so you don't bleed all over the upholstery. I just got all the blood out from the last time." Giles glared at Spike, who managed a passable snicker.

"At least you weren't awake to bitch about my driving."

Buffy watched the night and their surroundings. "Guys, not to say I'm not enjoying the yuck- fest, but could we get a move on here?"

"Yes, you're right," Giles said. He handed her a very large axe. "Hold this, please, I would have sworn there was a blanket in here somewhere."

Xander saw Spike was beginning to sag and adjusted his hold. Grimacing, Spike took hold of Xander's other arm, leaning against him.

"If this is an excuse for you to get grabby," Xander said softly, "I'm going to finish killing you myself."

"I wish," Spike said, eyes closed. "Not that I haven't dreamed of being held in your manly arms-- "

"I will *drop*--" he broke off, finally getting a good look at the bloody mess at the top of Spike's head. "Spike, there's a hole in your head." He tried not to think about how deep that hole looked.

Spike tried to pull away. "Yeah, yeah. Keep it down, or everyone's gonna want one."

"Shut up and hold still. You're bleeding."

"Why, Xander Harris, I didn't know you cared."

"Shut up. God, it's like when I pulled Giles out of the mansion."

Spike managed a snort of disdain. "Not hardly. Glory's strictly amateur hour. Doesn't have anything near Angelus' patience."

Xander swallowed hard. "Not helping with the me keeping dinner down, here."

"Sorry." And if Spike leaned a little more into Xander's hold, neither commented.

Giles finally came up with a blanket from the trunk, and they settled Spike into the back seat. Buffy turned her attention to the apartment house, her thoughts obvious.

"Leave her alone, Buffy," Giles ordered.

"I don't think I have to do what you say anymore, Giles."

"You're not ready yet."

She turned to glare at the creature who looked and sounded like the man she used to trust most. "And when will I be? She's getting desperate, Giles. Who else is she going to grab and chew up trying to find what she wants?"

Giles' grim look was unrelenting. "As long as she doesn't find Dawn, it doesn't matter."

Buffy looked at Spike's injuries. "I don't think anybody else could stand up to what she did to Spike. I'm not saying they're weak, but--could anyone human go through that and not give up?"

"I did."

She turned away, not wanting to go there at all. "So what do we do?"

"Find out when the conjunction is, find out where the portal needs to be opened, avoid that time and place at all costs."

"I should get Dawn out of town."

Giles moved so he could see her face. "And if Glory took one of your friends, someone you'd be less willing to sacrifice than Spike? If she threatened them to make you turn over Dawn?"

Buffy looked at Xander, who was leaning against the convertible, splitting his attention between watching the night and watching Spike. "I won't let Dawn be hurt," she said softly. "No matter what."

Giles smiled faintly. "Good girl. Now, I'd best get Spike home so I can get him cleaned up." He started to reach out to pat her shoulder, but pulled his hand back. "We'll get through this, we always do."

"Paying a hell of a price the whole way."

"That's our job." He shook head. "Or, rather--"

She smiled tiredly at him. "Good night, Giles."

"Good night, Buffy."

Xander joined Buffy as Giles drove away. "We go home now?" he asked.

"We go home now."

She watched Xander as they walked towards his car. No special talents except his courage and his willingness to put it all on the line night after night. For years now he'd been watching her back, risking everything just on her say-so. And if it came down to a choice between him or Dawn, she'd save Dawn every time.

"Thanks for being here tonight," she said finally. "It helped."

He grinned at her, then toned it down to something apparently more suave. "That's what I'm here for, to help."

He held the passenger door open for her, then went around to get in. Buffy tried not to cry as she thought of him helping her by dying.

Oooo! Giles..... Xander.... Buffy..... much Spike-oost here!

"What did you tell her?" she demanded.

"I've had better days, Slayer, how are you?"

It's good stuff. Don't stop, connie, please!