CHAPTER SEVEN
 
The slayers spent a productive day buying more Super Soakers, filling them from jugs of holy water donated by an understanding priest, and working on their beheading and staking skills – learning what they could and couldn’t do with their weapons and only normal strength. Buffy prowled around, watching carefully for any sign that the girls would really be in danger, but she was pleased to see that their training was able to take over in spite of their worries.
 
Sunset still came fairly late on this summer evening, so the slayers took their time getting to the vicinity of the building they’d established was the one harboring the vampires.  It was Rita who suggested that with the boss big bad being human, they probably shouldn’t just stroll up in the daylight, crossbows in hand. “We don’t know what he does in the daytime. He might be coming home from work, or looking out his windows or something.”
 
“Good thought, Rita.” Buffy nodded and gave the girl a smile. “Let’s just hang out here in the park. Janie, will you and Rachel be lookouts for us? You can lurk in the bushes there at the edge of the street and let us know as soon as the first vamp comes out. Once we start killing his minions, he’s going to know we’re here anyway.”
 
The girls lounged around, some basking in what was left of the sun, others double-checking their equipment.  Just as the gathering twilight had Buffy on her feet and peering anxiously into the park, Janie appeared and waved them over.
 
“The first one just came out,” she whispered. “I think we got him before anybody noticed he went poof.”
 
“Let’s go, slayers. We’ve got evil to fight.”
 
Moving silently and swiftly, they were soon in positions near the garage entrance where they began picking off vampires as they emerged. They’d taken down at least five when the others figured out what was going on and ran back inside.  Vi and Buffy looked at each other and shrugged.
 
“Ok, girls, just like we practiced – first ones in use the Super Soakers to distract any vamp that wants to be a hero. The rest of you – crossbows when you can, stakes and holy water up close. Watch each other’s backs – don’t forget you’re not as strong or fast, but don’t dwell on it either. Don’t chase anybody that runs. Let ‘em go. We’ll get them sooner or later.” Taking Buffy’s smile and nod as permission, Vi ordered, “Let’s go.”
 
“Let’s show them what a slayer is,” Buffy added as they all began trotting toward the open garage door.  Shouts and screams from inside the garage made it clear that the holy-water-filled water guns were doing their job. As vampires with obvious burns and smoking skin began to run outside, Buffy and Vi staked them with calm efficiency.  When there were no longer any vampires trying to escape, the two older slayers ran into the dark garage. Whether it had no lights, or someone had thought to turn them out, Buffy didn’t know, but it did make it more difficult to see how many vamps were left.
 
She was pleased to see that one of the slayers had thought ahead, producing flashlights and a lantern to provide some light for the girls now moving through the garage and staking or beheading any vamps they found hiding behind cars. Buffy smiled her satisfaction at Vi, saying, “I’m going to go find that so-called watcher. When Spike shows up, tell him I’m upstairs.” Throwing a quick glance back at the entrance, just in case Spike was there, she shrugged and headed for the elevator, pausing only briefly to disembowel the demon guarding the door that said “penthouse”.  He clutched his stomach and gave her a reproachful look as she pushed him aside.
 
“Hey, you can’t go up there!” he said with an offended growl. “You’re supposed to be weak and puny now.”
 
“Yeah, well, I’ve never been very good at doing what I was supposed to,” Buffy said, pointing at the bleeding demon and nodding to Rita.  “Your boss must have not been paying attention in class that day.”
She waited only long enough to make sure Rita wasn’t going to have any trouble removing the demon’s head, then stepped into the elevator and pushed PH. As it traveled smoothly up, she noticed that the designated lift had no running numbers to indicate what floor it was on or passing. Impulsively, she pushed the button for one floor below the penthouse, jumping out there and letting the car go on its way. She ran to the stairwell, peered in, saw no one, and ran up to the next floor. Opening the door just a crack, she could see a small group of vampires waiting for the elevator doors to open.
 
“Looking for something, guys?” she said while they cursed at the empty car. As one, they turned and started toward her.
 
“Remember, she only looks dangerous. She’s just a normal human right now,” the one in the lead assured his men.
 
“A normal human with a stake and a sword,” Buffy pointed out. She saw no point in letting them know that she had not been in the house long enough to be as affected as the other girls. Even with what she had left of her strength and speed, though, taking on four vamps in a small area was a bit daunting. Letting none of her wish that she’d waited for Spike to show on her face, she greeted them with a slashing attack that put one of the vampires out of the fight with a missing arm.
 
She had no time to stake him, though, as the other three pressed their attack. Still expecting her to be weak and slow, they assured themselves that she’d just gotten lucky and surrounded her as best they could.  When the elevator door slid shut and it could be heard dropping to the bottom level, Buffy smiled.
 
“What’s so funny, bitch? That elevator isn’t bringing back anything but more of us.”
 
“Uh, guys? I don’t really think there are any more of you by now.”
 
They paused momentarily, then growled and leapt for her. “She’s lying. Let’s get her!”
 
Buffy was able to run her sword through one vamp’s chest, causing him to retreat and stare at the blood coming out. But the other two were already on her, leaving no room for her to wield the sword and no time to get to her stakes.  When the elevator door opened again and they both turned to look, Buffy was able to reach her stake and run it through one vamp’s back before they could look from the again empty elevator to her.
 
With only one uninjured opponent left, and knowing Spike must be on his way, Buffy relaxed enough do some quipping while she waited for the remaining vamp to get within staking distance.
 
“Come on,” she said. “I thought you wanted to fight? There’s only one of me.”
 
“It would seem that’s one too many.” A cold voice came from the now-open door to the only apartment on that floor and Buffy turned to find a pudgy, balding man holding a very real looking gun pointed at her chest.  “I don’t know how you managed to not be affected by my drugs, but it doesn’t matter. You aren’t bullet proof.  Get in here.”
 
He gestured with the gun and Buffy walked slowly toward the open door. She heard the door to the stairwell open and tried to slow down even more, but the man grabbed her arm and threw her into the apartment. He frowned at the strange vampire coming out of the stairs.
 
“I don’t know you. Are you new? What are you doing here?”
 
“Came to help take out the trash,” Spike said, staking the one-armed vamp as he passed him.
 
“You’re not one of mine.” The man stepped inside the apartment, keeping his gun pointed at Buffy. “Take care of him,” he said to the remaining minion, then slammed the door and locked it.
 
“Well, what have we here?” he said, looking Buffy up and down. “You’re a little old for my taste, but I can make allowances, considering how much trouble you’ve caused me. It’s going to take a long time to replace all those minions.”
 
“You don’t have time,” Buffy said, remaining poised to move the instant his attention wandered. “And did you just call me old?” Her indignant glare in the face of his obvious threat, made him blink. But he kept the gun firmly pointed at her chest.
 
“You aren’t one of the regular girls here. I’ve seen them all at one time or another. Who are you and what are you doing here? And why didn’t the drugs affect you?”
 
“Aren’t you just full of questions,” Buffy said. “Let me think – who am I?  Hi, I’m Buffy, the Vampire Slayer? Maybe you’ve heard of me?”  She waited while he processed that information, narrowing his eyes.
 
“Okay, so you’re the infamous ‘Buffy’. That doesn’t explain how you fought off four vampires by yourself when you should be too weak and slow to take care of one.”
 
“Well, technically, Spike took care of one of them—oops! better make that two,” she said as the door was kicked in and Spike stood in the doorway in full gameface. There was no sign of the vamp that had been told to “take care of him”.
 
The ex-watcher had moved across the room away from both Buffy and the door. “He can’t help you. He can’t get in here unless I invite him. I don’t know what you’re doing with your own vampire minion, but he’s not getting in here.”
 
“Are you sure?” Buffy looked at Spike. “Does it have to be the human owner, or just one of the humans in the house?”
 
Spike shrugged. “Not sure, love. Know I’ve talked my way into plenty of homes in my time. Can’t say I ever stopped to ask any of them if they lived there, though.”
 
Buffy made a face. “Thanks for reminding me of that.”
 
“It’s what I am, Buffy.”
 
Ignoring the angry man with the gun, they stared at each other for a long minute before a whimper from another room interrupted their silent discussion.
 
“What was that?” Buffy whirled and started toward the sound, surprised when Smith didn’t call her back.
 
“That was my latest toy,” he said with a nasty-looking leer. “But too old or not, I think I’ll give you the pleasure next time.”
 
Buffy peered into the room to see a slight, naked girl in vamp face tied to a bed covered in bloody sheets. Buffy shuddered as a quick glance showed her some of the implements that had been used on the trembling vampire.
 
“Stake me,” she whispered. “Please stake me.”
 
With tears prickling her eyes, Buffy walked over and held her stake over the girl’s chest.
 
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather I just cut you loose and let you take it out of his hide?”
 
The girl shook her head, fading back to the face of a fourteen-year-old girl. “I don’t want to be like this. And I don’t have a family to go home to, even if they’d take me back. And I don’t want him anywhere near me again.” Wide, frightened eyes flew to a spot behind Buffy’s shoulder just in time for her to duck the butt of the pistol Smith was bringing down. Instead of hitting her on the head, it only hit her shoulder, causing the stake to fall to the floor from her nerveless fingers.
 
As she fell, Buffy saw the syringe Smith had grabbed from somewhere, and she yelled, “Come in, Spike. Now would be good!”
 
“I know my vampire stuff. He can’t come in on your say-so, it has to be my—” Smith’s words choked off as Spike wrapped a hand around his throat and Buffy dove for the hand holding the gun. Using her good arm, she wrestled it away from the gurgling man and threw it across the room.
 
“Guess you don’t know your vampire stuff as well as you should. Probably why you were fired – you were fired, weren’t you?” Buffy kept talking, rubbing her shoulder and not really expecting an answer. “The question now is what do we do with you? I’m not sure the police are going to be big on arresting somebody for torturing vampires – even if they are underage girls. I offered to give you to your little friend here, but she didn’t want you.... I dunno, Spike, what should we do with him?” She yanked the syringe away and threw it on the floor, crushing it with her boot.
 
The girl on the bed was looking back and forth between Buffy and Spike, who was still holding her tormentor by the throat and shaking him from time to time. 
 
“Are you a slayer? Really? Cause he told us you were all going to be really weak and easy to kill.”
 
“Yeah, well, what sleazeball here didn’t know, is that there’s more to being a slayer than just the physical enhancements.  It isn’t just what we do, it’s what we are. And we’re still slayers no matter how weak or helpless we may seem to be.”
 
“Arm’s getting’ tired, love,” Spike said. She knew it wasn’t true, but it did bring them back to what to do with their captive.
 
“Damn! Why couldn’t he have just tried something where we’d have to kill him to stop him? That would have been so easy.”
 
“Bad guys are killed trying to escape all the time,” Spike said helpfully. He lowered the man to the floor, snarling at him when he seemed to be moving toward the girl cringing away from him.
 
“Touch her again, and I’ll kill you,” Buffy warned.
 
“She’s just a vampire,” Smith said. “You were going to stake her anyway.” He shifted his gaze to Spike. “Whatever this bitch is paying you, I can double it.  Or I can get you plenty of willing women, if that’s what she’s using.” He gestured to the still-restrained girl. “You can have whatever you want.”
 
“What I want,” said Spike, as the child-like vampire cowered on the bed, “is for Minnie Mouse here to act like a proper vampire and tear your throat out.”
 
“She won’t,” Smith said with confidence. “I’ve broken her. She’s harmless now.”
 
“Well that’s a bloody shame.” Spike watched as Buffy, making a moue of distaste, used one of the bloody scalpels near the bed to slice through the restraints on the vamp girl’s arms and legs.  Even after she was released, the girl didn’t move except to rub at her raw wrists. If she was embarrassed to be naked in front of Spike and Buffy, she was still too terrified to worry about it. Buffy quietly asked the girl her name as Spike went around the room until he found some clothes on the floor of a small closet. He threw them at the girl, saying, “ Come on, pet. Cover up. He’s done with you, no sense letting him get a free look.”
 
From the corner of her eye, Buffy caught the movement as Smith tried to dive for the pistol she’d thrown away. With unerring accuracy, she threw her stake, hitting his hand and almost pinning it to the floor. Ignoring his pained curses, she walked over, picked up the gun and emptied it. “That was really stupid,” she said, throwing the bullets at his face. She looked at the gun, shrugged and put it in her pocket. At Spike’s incredulous look, she said, “You never know. I’ve had to learn a lot of new stuff these past few years.”
 
“You constantly surprise me, Slayer,” he said, draping his arm around her shoulders.
 
“Hold that thought.”
 
“Do you suppose the Council of Wankers will want him back?”
 
Buffy shook her head. “He’s got to be from the old Council. Willow might want to pick his brain about stuff, I guess, though. Let’s tie him up and take him back to the house. I’ll call them from there.” She yanked out her stake, leaving Smith holding his hand and whimpering.
 
After carefully checking Smith’s pockets for any more syringes or weapons, Buffy wrapped a clumsy bandage around his hand and tied his arms together behind his back. They marched him to the elevator, leaving Amy, the young vampire victim, standing in the hallway and staring after them.  She was obviously about to cry, and Buffy stopped with a sigh.
 
“Do you have someplace to go?”  The girl shook her head.
 
“How long have you been a vamp, luv?” Spike asked gently.
 
“I... I don’t know. Maybe a week? I’ve been in that room almost the whole time.”
 
“Brilliant!” Spike growled. “She’ll be dust by midnight.”
 
“Well what are we going to do with her? I can’t take her back with me. She’d be afraid all the time – and with good reason. One of those girls might decide to kill her just for being her.”
 
“There was a time when you would’ve done that too, Slayer.” He smiled at her with what looked suspiciously like pride. “Tell you what, let me take her to my place. They’re a right nice family, and they’ve got a girl her age. They might be willing to take her in and help her learn her place in the world.” He turned a hard eye on the girl. “You know, you slip up, and one of the local slayers is going to make you history.”
 
Amy nodded, looking at Buffy nervously. “I’ve never bitten anybody, not for real. He didn’t even feed me very often – just a cupful of something once in a while.”
 
Buffy nodded her head and beckoned the girl into the elevator with them. “All right. I’ll let Spike take you to a safe place.” When the girl looked apprehensively at Spike, who was snarling at Smith for trying to catch Amy’s eye, Buffy added, “You can trust him. He can’t help himself when it comes to taking care of girls your age. It’s just what he does. You’ll be fine.”
 
 
 
The swift drop to the ground floor was over before the tension in the small car could boil over. The door opened to a group of slayers, Rita in front, just ready to step on.
 
“Oh,” she said, seeming disappointed. “You’re both okay.”
 
“We’re fine, but thanks for the concern.” Spike shoved Smith out before him. “Here’s the wanker that was trying to make you livestock. Buffy wants to take him back to the house until she can find out what the Council wants to do with him.  Any volunteers to be his escort?” The wide-eyed man shrank back as he was surrounded by heavily armed and angry teen-aged girls.
 
Amy cowered behind Buffy, her eyes wide as she realized she was looking at the whole local team of slayers – all armed and clearly feeling murderous. Without volition, her eyes turned golden and her fangs started to elongate.  It was Janie who took time for a curious glance and yelled, “Buffy! Behind you!”
 
“Easy there, pet. The poor bint’s just terrified of you. She’s not the enemy. Was just his latest victim.”
 
“She’s a vampire!” Janie practically spat the word as Amy whimpered and huddled behind Buffy.
 
“So’m I, slayer.  Not plannin’ to murder me, are you?” Spike’s voice was dangerously calm as he let his face change.
 
“I... what? No... no of course not, but...”
 
“But what? I’m a vamp. Hell of a lot older and more dangerous than this poor little thing. Don’t think she’s even as old as you are.”
 
“But you’re... you don’t... Buffy and Vi said you’re safe to be around.”
 
“I’m only safe because I want to be. Amy here wants to be safe too, so I’m taking her where she can learn to be a vampire and find her way in the world without killing. You ever catch her doing otherwise, she’s all yours, but I’m giving her a chance.”
 
He stared down the girls glaring at him until they all looked away. How much of that willingness to accept his word was due to respect for what they knew he could do to them, how much to their respect for Buffy, and how much was just a temporary retreat until they got their powers back was anybody’s guess, but it did take their attention off Amy and back to the real villain.
 
“How are we going to get him home like this?” Rita pointed to his obviously tied hands and the bloody bandage on one hand. “We’ll get arrested.”
 
“Somebody can run home and get the van – we’ll wait here.” When one of the younger girls went to leave, Vi cleared her throat. “That would be somebody actually old enough to drive. And at least two of you should go. Nobody goes anywhere alone until this asshole’s drugs have worn off.”  She turned her gaze upon the man in question. “Maybe we can practice punching him until we can see that we’re getting stronger....”
 
There was loud enthusiasm for the plan, and Smith cringed back toward Buffy.
 
“Can’t we talk about this?” he whispered to Buffy. “I have information you could use. I know things.”
 
“I’m sure you do,” Buffy said with a shrug. “And I’m also sure you’re going to sing like a bird... eventually. Sit down.” She shoved him onto a bench against the wall, ignoring his wince. “Don’t take your eyes off him,” she instructed as she turned to follow Spike and Amy outside. “If he does anything you don’t like the look of, kill him.”
 
Without responding to the questions being fired at her, she walked to the garage entrance where Spike was standing with Amy and pointing across the park.
 
“Don’t be too long. We need to talk.”
 
“Heard you tell them to kill that berk if he tries anything, pet. Don’t know what we’ve got left to talk about.”
 
“They won’t do it... probably. Vi won’t let them.  And if they did have to, it would be because he was trying to escape or something. Nobody would be killing him because they got hungry.”
 
“So that’s what it is,” he said, his expression turning non-committal. “Guess we do have some chatting to do then.” He turned away, gesturing for Amy to come with him.  As they headed across the street and into the park, he said over his shoulder. “I’ll try to come by the house after I get the baby vamp settled in. Could be late though...”
 
“I’ll wait up.”
 
“Probably shouldn’t do that. Don’t know how long I’ll be.”