“Your friends are going to get the snot beat out of them!” Luthor yelled over the din and Buffy paused in her pummeling of him to turn for half a second and Luthor used that opportunity to backhand her.
The guy packed a punch! Her head whipped to the side and an inhuman roar filled the room. Immediately, Buffy knew who it was. Spike.
Before she could blink, Luthor was up against the wall, dangling by his throat and Superman was glaring up at him. “I got this Buffy,” he told her.
Looking to see who needed help first, Buffy made to jump in the fray when Spike jumped before her. “You all right, kitten?”
“I’m fine, honey. Can you help me kick some ass now?”
He grinned. “Happily.”
Buffy went to help Xander and Lois while Spike went to take out a vampire hounding Giles. At that moment Anya, Willow and Tara showed up and with some help from Willow and Tara, some minions were quickly taken down.
It wasn’t the vampires themselves that concerned Buffy, it was the amount and it was what they would do to her friends that made her work hard in dusting them. Spike, she admitted finally, was an asset. He dusted as many as she did and was right there to lend a hand to one of her friends with a pesky vamp. She couldn’t help but smile to herself. That’s my guy, she thought.
Turning, after having dusted a vampire, Buffy looked to see who needed help next and froze when in the middle of the circle there stood the outline of the Master in dust. His features were there, wispy bits of floating dust filling him in. She stared at the figure, her stomach turning when it focused in on her and somehow was able to glare and snarl at her.
Taking a deep breath and rounding her shoulders, Buffy strolled up to him and stared him down.
“I will destroy you,” he said to her, a disembodied voice.
“I really don’t think so. You’re pretty much…” she wafted her hand through the particles that made up his arm and he disintegrated. She smiled triumphantly up at him, “Dust.” And she walked right through him, his cries bouncing off the walls and then disappearing, the dust scattering into bits.
Buffy was pleased to find all vampires but one dusted, and that vampire Spike was currently plunging a stake into. Her friends were panting with exertion, Lois was tying Kitty up and Superman had tied Luthor up and gagged him.
“Where’d you get the rope?” she asked him.
“I have my ways,” he winked.
Buffy grinned and surveyed the room. “Everyone all right?”
Xander raised his hand. “I think I pulled a hamstring.”
“I broke a nail,” Anya said absently, looking at her outstretched hands, frowning.
“We’re good!” Willow chimed in, gesturing between her and Tara.
“Let’s get the bloody hell out of here,” Giles groused.
“I’ll be taking these two to Metropolis. I believe they’re being looked for,” Superman announced, grabbing Kitty and Luthor to him and started to fly up.
“I’ll be at the hotel!” Lois shouted up to him as he flew off.
“I’m sure he cares,” Anya said dryly and Lois glared at her.
Buffy headed for Spike, a big smile blooming on her dust-smudged cheek. Meeting each other halfway, they embraced tightly. “You okay?” she asked him, ghosting her hands over his torso lightly.
“I’m fine, sweetheart. Are you?”
“I am.”
Tilting her head up to him, he studied the spot where Luthor had backhanded her. “You sure?”
“Right as rain and so ready to go home.”
Grinning, Spike nodded his agreement. “Lead the way, pet, lead the way.”
Home didn’t happen right away as it turned out. For Giles it did, but for the rest, as dusty as they were, they all decided a drink to unwind was in order. Well, all but Spike and Buffy decided.
“I wanted to pick up where we left off,” Spike pouted as Buffy led him into The Bronze.
“Don’t pout,” Buffy admonished him teasingly. “If you’re a good boy,” she whispered in his ear, “I’ll make sure to make it up to you later.”
Growling, Spike spun her in his arms and kissed her hungrily. “I do love you, girl.”
“That works out well then, because I love you too,” Buffy cooed and kissed him sweetly.
“I could teach you to dance a little so you’re not sitting here like a bump on a log,” Anya said matter –of-factly (the way she said everything it seemed) to Lois who sat at a table, gazing longingly at the dance floor.
“This might be rude of me to just be thinking of it now, but where’s Clark?” Xander asked, sipping his beer.
“Oh, uh, Spike told him to stay behind. Didn’t want him to get in the way seeing as he was kind of battle shy,” Lois explained nervously, patting down her hair.
“What the hell? I’m battle shy and I have to go,” Xander muttered.
“Oh honey,” Anya patted his arm comfortingly, while looking at Lois. “So you want to learn to dance or do you just want to sit there and wish you could?”
Lois sighed, “Oh Anya, there are so many things about you that are just like me.”
Anya frowned slightly, seemingly unsure how to take that.
“You’ve helped me see the light in so many ways,” Lois grinned and headed for the dance floor. An uncertain Anya followed.
Xander shook his head and tapped Spike on the shoulder. “When you’re done playing tonsil hockey, do you want to play some pool?”
Spike sighed heavily, slumping his shoulders.
“Go on honey, do it. You know you wanna,” Buffy encouraged him, pushing at him slightly.
“I do want to do it,” Spike told her pointedly. “That’s the problem.”
“Yeah, still standing here, hello!” Xander shouted.
“Go play. Be nice,” Buffy said, pushing Spike in Xander’s direction. “I’m going to join Willow and Tara. They’re getting their drink on and whatever green thing Willow’s drinking, it looks yum.” Buffy bounded off after a peck on the cheek to Spike and Spike turned helplessly to Xander.
Xander slapped him on the back and grinned. “I know you haven’t really dated much, Spike, so let me give you some advice on modern women these days, man to man.”
“Giles is showing up after all?” Spike teased.
“Oh. I get it. Comedy. You want help or not? I’ve known Buffy much longer than you.”
Spike sighed. “All right, all right. Rack em’ and talk.”