Worth the Fight (BTVS fanfic, Book Three)

chapter 2 - Dead Man's Party

I was hunting yet again, but not in the cemetery. I had followed a vamp to an intersection of an alley outside of the Bronze, dressed in black to remain hidden, looking. 

I heard someone approaching me from behind, reacting instantly, spinning around, swinging the stake at the heart. The person there raised her arms in a shape of a cross to block the move, trying to take the stake away from me. I held tighter, spinning and kicking the girl's legs, making her fall, raising the stake in a threatening move.

Buffy stood. "Damn, girl. You got better. Since when did you know how to fight like that?" 

I smiled in shock. "You ain't seen nothing yet, Buff."

The vampire I was tracking suddenly smashed his way out of a crate leaning against a wall, lunging for Buffy and me, making all of us fall to the pavement.

I quickly grabbed the vampire, pulling him up, pushing him back a few steps, spinning around to kick him with a powerful side kick, making him fall back into a pile of trashcans.

Buffy stood, looking impressed.

He stood, running toward us, tackling Buffy into the chain link fence.

I tried to stake him. He side-stepped me, pushing me back into the fence. 

Buffy came up from behind him, punching him in the face, making him fall to the ground. 

I stood. 

The vampire stood, trying to punch Buffy. She blocked both moves. She high clocked his third punch, getting a hand under his chin to hold him at bay. He pushed her back into the fence, struggling for control.

Apparently, Willow, Cordelia, Oz and Xander had heard the commottion, running toward us. 

I grabbed the vampire by the arms, dragging him off of Buffy, across the alley, slamming him hard into a steel roll-up door. 

Buffy caught her breath as she looked on in astonishment. 

The vampire pushed me off of him. Oz caught me before I fell. The vampire spun to kick Oz into Xander and Willow, making them all fall to the ground. 

Cordelia looked at Buffy, realizing she was there. "Oh, hey, Buffy."

The vampire tried to attack us.

Buffy pushed Cordelia out of the way, onto the pavement next to the others. She pushed the vampire into the steel door. 

I staked the vampire cleanly, making him burst into ashes. 

As the dust settled down, we looked at the others looking at us, breathing heavily.

I turned to look at Buffy, catching my breath.

Buffy waved a little wave, smiling a weak smile. "Hey, guys."

No one responded.

•••

We went to Giles' apartment building, outside his door.

"You know, I--maybe it's too late," Buffy told us. "Maybe we should just come back  tomorrow." No one made a move to go.  Buffy looked at the door, then back at us. "What if he's mad?"

"Mad?" Xander repeated. "Just because you ran away and abandoned your post and your  friends and your mom and made him lay awake every night worrying about  you?" He looked at us. "Maybe we should wait out here."

Buffy gave him a look. She turned around to face the door, reached for the knocker and tapped it a few times. 

Giles opened the door and saw all of us. His face remained expressionless for a long moment.