Disclaimer: All hail the mighty and powerful genius that is Joss.

Author’s note: Some Dialogue taken from ‘Gingerbread’ Thanks once again to the great, wonderful, fabulous BloodyTearsofLife for the betaing and pointing out plot discrepancies. You rock!

I'd also like to thank everyone who has been keeping up with this fic, it's been such a long time since I updated.
__________________________________________
Chapter 12: Damsel in Distress

“Buffy!” shouted Spike after his childe and mate as she strode with purpose towards the school.

He caught up with her as she walked into the library, leaving the doors swinging by her entrance.

“Look,” she started, as Giles, Xander and Oz stared up at her and Spike who was right behind her. “I know you don’t like the fact that I’m a vamp. Deal with it. I’m here because if we don’t stop MOO Willow’s gonna die, along with all the rest of the people this town thinks are witches. These kids, they aren’t kids, they’re a demon, as in singular. It gets towns to start with the condemning and the witch hunting, leading to the burning and the drowning à la salem witch trials. Do you catch my drift? Bad news, so either you start working on a way to track down this demon and kill it or Willow gets lynched. And when did Giles start using technology?”

Giles stood up from the computer he was sitting at, staring down the two vampires.

“Why are you here, vampire?” asked Giles.

“Duh! Just said why, listen Giles! Hop to! Make with the researchy!” she ordered, hands on hips.

“Uh, Giles, he be without the books,” offered Xander.

“Oh, right. Well use that computery thing in front of you.”

Oz sat down at the computer in Giles’ place. “I can look 'round, but Willow would really
know the sites we need.”

“That's great. She can't even come to the phone. The wrath of MOO,” Buffy explained.

“Well, we don't need a phone,” said Oz.

Buffy nodded in comprehension, at the same time acutely aware of Giles’ movements in the room. The watcher had already picked up a stake and was making his way to his desk for something else. Buffy suspected holy water.

“Ok, well go you with the research, I’m going to see about rescuing the damsel in distress, and Giles?”

The watcher looked back from his pursuit of more vampire dangerous things.

“Take care of Faith will you? She’ll be a target too.”

With that closing statement, Buffy turned and left the library, Spike following close behind.

“You’re gonna turn me into a raging do gooder, aren’t you?” he muttered as they walked down the hall.

“No, of course not!” she protested, spinning in spot, walking backwards for a moment and kissing his cheek. “I love my big bad.”

“We get Red and we get the hell out ya?”

Buffy nodded, turning back in the direction that she was walking in. Soon before them lay Willow’s house.

Buffy crawled the short distance to her friend’s bedroom window and let out a gasp.

The room before her was uncharacteristically messy for Willow’s room. There had been a struggle here.

“She’s gone Spike! They’ve taken her!” shouted a slightly panicked Buffy.

She jumped down from the ledge.

“What am I going to do Spike?” she wailed. “I have to get her back! I need her!”

Spike cocked an eyebrow at that statement. “What do you mean you need her?”

“She’s Willow!” she yelled, as if that explained everything.

“Did the witch put a spell on you?” asked a perplexed vampire.

“Gah! No! She’s my best friend Spike! She’s my best friend!” she whimpered, looking particularly defeated.

“Alright, where do you think they would have taken her?” asked Spike putting a soothing hand on her back.

“I...I don’t know! Wherever MOO takes her.” A light went off in Buffy’s head, just before she took off again. “Come on Spike!”

With a shake of his head, Spike followed his Goldilocks certain of the impending doom she was leading him into.

Which turned out to be her house.

Buffy threw open the door and walked in, not bothering to look behind her to make sure that Spike could follow. He had an invitation to her house. Buffy was so intent on confronting her mother she didn’t register Spike’s futile attempts to get through the doorway. Someone had revoked his invite recently. Spike watched from the doorway as Buffy walked in on a MOO meeting.

“Buffy! Spike! Did something happen?’ asked Joyce, concerned that her daughter was clearly on speaking terms with her vampire boyfriend again.

“Mom, I need to talk to you. Now,” said Buffy in her best ‘slayer voice.’

Joyce put her notebook down, dismissing the others before stepping forward towards her daughter.

“No, we need to talk, alone,” reiterated Buffy. Buffy led her mother by the elbow into the dining room, hoping that they would be left alone for the most part.

“Mom, where did they take Willow?” asked Buffy.

Without warning Joyce covered Buffy’s mouth with a cloth. Buffy could hear a snarl from Spike at the doorway, as he tried to get through the barrier.

Deftly Buffy batted her mother away.

“Mom! Vampire! I don’t need to breathe!”

With that the men that were in her living room started to advance on Buffy’s position, holding crosses.

Buffy hissed and backed up away from the offending objects.

“You’re one of those horrible demons Buffy,” said Joyce with a serious voice.

“You’re just getting this now?” asked Buffy coming up against the wall of her dining room, her head turning to avoid the cross that was getting closer and closer to her skin.

Risking the pain of being burned, Buffy knocked the cross out of the random man’s hand and moved to push the rest away. Out of nowhere someone brought out a tazer, stunning her into unconsciousness.

From the doorway Spike let out a feral growl as he threw himself against he barrier at the door.

Joyce turned to look at Spike with a smile on her face.

“I sure am glad I had the witch do a disinvite spell on this house the last time you and Buffy had a fight.”

“You can’t keep her in there forever. If you want to get to your barbeque, you’re going to have to come out of that house, Joyce,” he growled.

Joyce walked right up to the doorway confident in the fact that he couldn’t get to her.

“You were the worst thing to ever happen to Buffy! I bet you didn’t even try to save her from whatever vampire bit her! It wouldn’t surprise me it you were the one who did it!”

Spike opened his mouth to respond only to be zapped by a tazer from behind.
__________________________________________
He knew he was laying quite ungracefully on his Goldilocks’ front porch and in quite a bit of pain. Concentrating on making his limbs move, opening his eyes and all that he almost failed to register the ‘Ug’ from an unknown girl passing by.

“Geez! Buffy could at least bury her meals! I’m scarred for life!”

Spike opened his eyes to lock eyes with a brunette girl that he felt he should know.

“Oh my god, you aren’t dead?” the brunette asked.

“That’s a matter of opinion,” mumbled the vampire.

“Whatever, she’s not even home! First the thing at school, and then my mom confiscates all of my black clothes and scented candles. I came over here to tell Buffy to stop this craziness and found you all unconscious... Who are you anyway?”

“So you are one of Buffy’s friends?” asked Spike curious.

“As if! Not since she went to the dark side. I mean sure I lowered myself to date one of her loser friends, but that is all behind me.”

The information registered. “Cordelia Chase.”

“Ooh smart boy, heard of me?” she asked, her eye lashes fluttering.

Slowly Spike rose to his feet. “Ya, and you’ve heard of me. I’m the one responsible for Buffy’s dark side,” he said stepping into her personal space earning an ‘eep’ from the cheerleader.

“S...Spike,” she acknowledged.

“Right, so tell me just where is Buffy?”

“I don’t know! You think I’d be knocking on her door if I did?”

Spike pushed her out of the way and headed down the steps of the porch. Standing in the middle of the street her took a whiff of the air around him and headed down town.

“Hey! Wait up!” yelled Cordelia.
__________________________________________
Through a dreamy haze, Buffy heard Willow.

“Buffy!” yelled her friend, panicked.

Buffy opened her eyes to find that her friend’s panicked tone was very appropriate to the situation. Buffy looked around her wishing that this was just a dream. She was tied to a stake, Giles’ books at her feet for kindling. Also tied to stakes were Willow, beside her, Amy next to Willow and an unconscious Faith, at the end. Buffy tried to free herself from her bonds but found that whatever they had used weren’t budging. She looked behind her for a moment to see just what it was.

Huh, rope and duct tape together at last, mused the captive vampire.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” came her mother’s voice from the crowd.

“Mom, you don't want this,” begged Buffy.

“Since when does it matter what I want? I wanted a normal, happy daughter. Instead I got a Slayer. A slayer with a vampire boyfriend!” shouted Joyce.

Willow’s mom came to stand beside Joyce, bearing a torch.

“Torch?” offered Mrs. Rosenberg.

“Thanks. This has been so trying. You've been such a champ,” chattered Joyce, taking the torch.

“Oh, you, too, Joyce.”

Buffy was about to roll her eyes at her unfortunate luck and the chattiness of her mother as she was about to murder her only child until the fire was actually set and Giles’ books started to burn.

“Oh, you can't be serious!” shouted Amy.

“Mom, don't!” Buffy begged.

Buffy pulled at the rope and tape that bound her wrists frantically. It wasn’t her fault that she was highly flammable.

Then through the crowd, Buffy caught a glimpse of platinum blond hair.

“Alright. You wanna fry a witch? I'll give you a witch! Goddess Hecate, work thy will!” shouted Amy, at the crowd.

“Amy! Shut up! We’re about to be saved,” shouted Buffy.

A growl erupted from the crowd as Spike fought his way through the bystanders.

Buffy concentrated on her mate, having a good old time, fighting off the random humans. The fire crept closer to her feet. Suddenly, water was sprayed at the four captives, mercifully putting out the flames.

Buffy breathed a sigh of relief.

“Holy crap!” shouted Faith, from the other end of the line of stakes, who apparently was just waking up. “What the hell is going on here?”

“I think we were just saved by Cordelia...” muttered Willow. “And Giles is chanting? Is that Giles with the spellyness?” asked Willow.

Two blond children advanced on Giles’ position as he chanted. Even as the crowd finally decided to give Spike a wide berth, it still impeded his approach.

Buffy attention drifted to Giles once more as he smashed a bottle of something in front of the children causing the two children to merge and form a very ugly but tall demon.

“Okay, I think I liked the two little ones more than the one big one,” noted Cordelia.

“Oh my god! What have we done?“ cried Joyce finally realising just what they had been intent on doing.

“Protect us! Kill the bad girls!” shouted the demon at the retreating crowd, clearly more afraid of the demon now that they knew its true form.

“You know what? Not as convincing in that outfit,” quipped Buffy.

With a roar the demon advanced on her only getting a couple of steps closer before Spike put his hands on it and ripped its head off.

Spike threw the head down in front of Buffy’s startled mom and shrugged his shoulders, before going to untie Buffy. Without warning the ceiling above them collapsed and Xander and Oz came crashing down on the burnt remnants of Giles’ books.

Buffy felt a tug and rip on her bonds, as Spike cut his way through them with his fangs. The instant she was free she threw herself into his arms, her lips seeking his out. The world around them disappeared for a moment as they embraced.

They were, however, brought back to reality by Willow clearing her throat. Buffy turned to see Faith and Giles standing before them with stakes in hand.
__________________________________________
tbc...