DISCLAIMER: All things Buffy are the creation and property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy Productions, and so forth. All things non-Buffy are the creation and property of many other individuals and corporate entities.

This particular story is the creation of Robert A. Black (that's me). Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think of my work. Good or bad, I'd like to hear it.

TIME CONTEXT: This story takes place between the Buffy episodes, "Nightmares" and "Invisible Girl."

Confused? Refer to the Readers' Guide at the end of the chapter for hints and explanations.

Buffy was no great tactical mastermind, but even she could tell that their situation was bad. The vampires had her group surrounded. Several of her allies were cut off by the remaining Bronze patrons, who had tried to lay low but were panicking now that an actual fight had started. Worse yet, the vampires had both doors blocked, so there was no place for the noncombatants to go. Many of them were stampeding up the stairs to the Bronze's upper level. Buffy hoped the balconies were strong enough to hold them all.

The fight was already beyond anyone's ability to organize or control. Several of the combatants had already paired off into their own individual battles. Buffy tried to look for a way to protect her friends and her other charges, but there would be no way for her to help them all. And yet, she was the Slayer, so she had to do whatever she could. Readying her stake, she took a deep breath and charged into the fray.

Ahead of her, Buffy could see Garak dodging around one of the tables as Seska chased him. He was still trying to reason with her, apparently hoping he could still appeal to her Cardassian background. It wasn't working.

"Seska, you know who I am. It's me, Garak. One of your instructors when you joined the Obsidian Order."

"I remember you," said Seska. "You're the one who betrayed the Order. I wanted to kill you even before I died."

"Seska, think for a moment," Garak implored. "At this point in time, there's no way to get back to our home world. You'll probably want to have another Cardassian around for companionship."

"Right now," said Seska, "all I want is your Cardassian blood!" With that, she slammed her fists down on her side of the table top. The other end flew up and caught Garak in the face, knocking him down. Seska threw the table top out of the way and lunged for Garak's throat.

Buffy flew into action, knocking Seska away. The Cardassian struck back, knocking Buffy to the ground beside Garak. She was stronger than human vampires, Buffy realized. This fight was not going to be easy.

***

Xander and Kimberly were at the center of the group. The people in front of them kept the vampires away for the moment, but Xander knew it was only a matter of time before the fight came to them. He brought out the cross he was carrying and prepared to wield it.

"Don't worry, Kimberly," he said. "I've dealt with these guys before. I can handle them."

One of the red-shirted vampires charged through the battle, his fangs bared. Xander held up the cross and was bracing himself for the attack, when suddenly Kimberly flew by him in a blur. With a banshee yell, she hurled herself at the creature, knocking him backwards with a quick series of blows and kicks. The vampire quickly recovered and attacked the girl anew, but it was obvious that she wasn't the easy victim he had been hoping for.

Xander could only stand there, his mouth hanging open in surprise. First Buffy, now this girl. He couldn't help wondering what this attraction to women who could beat him up said about his manly self-image.

***

"Come on. Wouldn't this be much easier if you cooperated with my associates and me?"

Morden was not like the other vampires. Even in his demonic state, he kept his composure and his seemingly reasonable demeanor, as clean and pressed as the suit he was wearing. Unfortunately, Kes apparently knew better than to trust appearances.

"Get away from me!" she shouted at him. She was backing away, trying to get to the center of the room, but Morden refused to give up his steady pursuit.

"You really don't understand, do you?" said Morden. "My associates and I aren't going to go away. You may struggle for a while, but will that really change things in the end?"

Kes tried to make a break for the open ground in front of the stage, but Morden caught her by the arms and pulled her to him.

"Let me go!" Kes shouted.

"I don't think so," said Morden. "The Master wants all of you dead. It'll be my pleasure to make you the first victim."

Morden pushed Kes's head aside, exposing the side of her neck. In his eagerness, he didn't notice that Kes was now glaring at him with an intense stare. Suddenly, Morden felt like his entire face was bursting into flame. He let Kes go and grabbed for his eyes, which felt like they were boiling. Through the sudden gush of tears and blood, he could see Kes's gaze grow more fierce. He tried to back away, but she closed in on him, burning her stare through his body.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Kes hissed. She kept her voice surprisingly low. It did not need to be loud for Morden to understand her meaning. With his last remaining wits, he turned and ran for the exit. The Master would have to find someone else to take care of this strange young woman.

***

Willow stood her ground, holding her cross out in front of her. She was determined to protect the far less mobile Joe, who had backed up against the stage. The man had revealed himself as a Watcher in his own world. Not exactly like Giles, but close enough. Despite her own fears, Willow thought it was her duty to defend him.

Quinn, Rembrandt and Maggie were battling the three vampires in front of them, but the fight was not going well. The demonic creatures were much stronger than the Sliders expected. They couldn't hold out for long.

Sure enough, things quickly took a turn for the worse. Rickman grabbed Maggie by the shoulders and rammed her head against the stage. The woman went down in a heap. Rickman was on top of her in an instant, ready to drain the blood from her body.

Stepping forward, Willow drew out the vial of holy water and prepared to use it. As she drew close, though, Rickman anticipated her move, lashing out a hand that knocked the vial away. Terror rooted Willow's feet to the floor as the vampire prepared to attack her.

Suddenly, a red-haired blur shot across the room, hitting Rickman with full force. Wade did little more than bounce off Rickman's body and land on the floor, but it was enough to knock the vampire off balance for a moment. Willow regained control of her legs and went to Wade's assistance, trying to drag the Slider away.

Rickman bore down on them again, but by now Quinn had realized their trouble and swung around to face their enemy himself. He had pulled a microphone stand off the stage, and now he was using it to beat Rickman back. Willow helped Wade to her feet, knowing the woman wouldn't be safe on the ground for long. Rembrandt was now facing the two red-shirted vampires by himself, and was weakening quickly.

Just then, a figure in a maroon Sunnydale sweat suit raced into the conflict. Leela was coming to the aid of her "tribal sister," just as she promised. For the first time in the fight, Willow allowed herself to think they might be all right after all.

***

Buffy was battling Seska to a standstill. Garak was back on his feet and had been of some help, but he was still shaky. Next to them, Gabrielle and Marcus were both clubbing Maje Culluh with their staffs, but they weren't having much effect.

At some point, Culluh decided he had toyed with them long enough. He grabbed Gabrielle's staff as she swung it. "I will not be challenged by a female any longer," he snarled. In a flash, he ripped the staff from Gabrielle's hands, swung it backwards in a blow that knocked Marcus off balance, then brought it back squarely across the back of Gabrielle's head. She fell to the ground instantly.

Casting the staff aside, Culluh bent over to pick Gabrielle up. Before he could reach her, a ragged war cry ripped through the air. Joxer had drawn his sword and was coming to Gabrielle's aid. He didn't get far. Culluh lashed out with his hand and knocked the sword away with a single blow. Joxer, suddenly finding himself disarmed, stopped dead in terror. The vampire picked him up and threw him against the stairs leading to the Bronze's upper level. He bounced off the staircase and lay still on the ground.

Buffy knew turning her back on Seska was dangerous, but Gabrielle was in serious trouble and there was no one else to rescue her. Marcus saw her move and stepped over to help Garak against the Cardassian vampire.

Reassured, Buffy reached down and picked up Joxer's fallen sword. Culluh was trying again to pick up Gabrielle and didn't see the Slayer coming until it was too late. Buffy took a single swing and cut the vampire's head off cleanly. Both the head and the body were dust before they hit the ground.

One down, thought Buffy. Who knows how many to go.

She took a quick look around the room. Her friends and allies appeared to be holding their own, but that was all. At this rate, they would all wear themselves out much faster than the vampires would, and then everyone would be in danger.

A second look told Buffy what was wrong. Almost no one in the group had any experience fighting vampires. They were treating the battle as if it was a barroom brawl, not a life-or-death struggle with the undead. Even the people who had taken stakes from her in the library weren't using them.

She spied Xander in the middle of the room, trying to help Kimberly against one of the red-shirted vampires. Kimberly didn't look like she needed the help. Buffy was impressed. The girl's fighting style looked remarkably like her own.

"Xander!" Buffy called as she hurried to his side. "We need stakes! There's enough broken furniture around. Scrounge something up and get people to use it."

Xander got the idea and hurried off. Kimberly turned as he left, taking her attention off her adversary for a moment. The vampire struck her midsection, sending her flying straight into Buffy. The Slayer was still holding Joxer's sword, and she barely jerked it out of Kimberly's way in time.

Kimberly recovered quickly, looked down and saw the sword. "Mind if I borrow this?" she asked.

"Aim for the neck," Buffy advised.

Kimberly took the sword and brought it around in one clean swing. Another vampire crumpled into nothingness.

There was no time to celebrate. In front of them, Seska hit Garak with another piece of furniture and knocked the tuxedo-clad Cardassian down again. There was another loud thud behind them, and Buffy turned just in time to see another red-shirted vampire knock Rembrandt to the ground. He stepped over the unconscious singer and advanced on Willow, Wade and the older guitar player.

Buffy and Kimberly exchanged glances and rushed back into battle, Kimberly going after Seska while Buffy took on the red-shirted vampire. Both knew the night was far from over.

***

Mulder and Scully first heard the commotion inside the Bronze from over a block away. By the time the Agents arrived at the club, its terrified patrons were hanging out of the upper floor windows, desperate to escape.

"Come on," said Mulder. "We've got to get in there!"

"Mulder, are you crazy?" Scully shouted over the panicked voices of the crowd. "There's a full-scale riot going on. We can't just charge in without backup. We'd be more useful helping the people out here."

"Maybe," said Mulder, "but we can't let whoever started this get away. I'm betting they're still inside." He looked the building over quickly.

"With this crowd, that's probably where they're going to stay."

"Unless there's a back door." Mulder looked the building over quickly. "Let's go around and check. If we can't get in, we'll come back out here."

Scully agreed reluctantly, and the two Agents set off around the building. Sure enough, the back door to the club was standing wide open, inviting them to enter. Mulder drew his gun and went in first. Scully followed quickly, pointing her own gun ahead of her as she stepped through the entrance.

There was no way Scully could have been prepared for the sight inside. An all-out brawl was in progress, involving combatants that ranged from teenage girls to unearthly monsters. It was like something out of a nightmare - or a farce. Scully couldn't decide which was more fitting.

"Agent Mulder - I knew we could expect you to arrive," a voice said over the din. "And you as well, Agent Scully."

Scully looked over in the direction of the voice. Her jaw dropped even lower than it already was. Three men stood before them, and even though their faces had all been twisted into monstrous caricatures, she recognized them all. Standing directly before her was Agent Pendrell, still looking as healthy as he was on the day Scully had watched him die. Max Fenig was there as well, his body somehow restored from the burned and broken condition it was left in after a plane crash. And standing between them was...

"You!" shouted Mulder. "What are you doing here? How are you alive? Did they...?"

"No, Agent Mulder," said the bearded black man in the black trench coat. "I know what you're thinking, but the beings you've been trying to uncover were not involved in my resurrection. I was brought back by someone far more powerful."

"But how...?"

"It will all become quite clear to you soon." The man smiled, revealing a pair of long fangs inside his mouth. "In my dying moments, I used my own blood to help you. Now it's time for you to return the favor."

Mulder pointed his gun at the man. "Stay right where you are," he commanded.

"Don't fight it, Agent Mulder," said Max. "It's wonderful! Everything makes sense to me now - and I'm not afraid of being abducted any more."

As Scully watched Mulder trying to hold off Max and their former informant, she suddenly spotted Pendrell out of the corner of her eye. He was trying to creep up and catch her by surprise. Quickly, Scully brought her gun around and trained it on him. "You're not moving either, Pendrell," she ordered.

"You actually remembered my name?" sneered Pendrell. "I can't tell you how that makes me feel. It's ironic, isn't it? I should have known I'd have to be undead before you'd notice me."

"Pendrell, I'm warning you!" shouted Scully.

"Really?" said Pendrell, refusing to back away. "So this time you'll shoot me yourself instead of letting someone else do it for you?"

The former Agent took another step forward, baring fangs of his own. Scully had no choice. She fired, hitting him squarely in the chest. Much to her surprise, Pendrell barely even flinched. She fired her gun repeatedly, hitting Pendrell a total of five times, but the best she could do was knock him to the ground. His clothes were a bullet-riddled mess when he got back to his feet, but he showed no signs of slowing down. He rejoined his two comrades, and together the three men advanced on the helpless Agents.

Suddenly, there was an unearthly noise coming from near the club's stage. Scully turned just in time to see a large man disintegrate into a fine gray powder. The blonde teenage girl he had been fighting didn't seem at all surprised by the sight.

The three men stared at the girl in terror. She glared back at them, sizing them up. Then, in a flash, she was racing toward them, holding a pointed stick in the air. She hit Max with a flying tackle that knocked him into the other two men and sent them all sprawling onto the ground.

The men were too fast, though, and the girl could only keep one of them occupied. Before Scully could decide what to do next, Pendrell lunged for her throat, while Mulder was attacked by the man who once gave him information.

This was not the way Scully had planned to spend her evening.

***

Willow stood with her back to the stage, watching the chaos around her. Buffy had slain one of the red-shirted vampires, but there were still plenty of others left to cause trouble.

On one side of her, Quinn was still fighting off Rickman, but he was beginning to weaken. On the other side, Harry and Riker were hitting Tasha and another red-shirted vampire with everything they could pull off the stage. Elsewhere, almost everyone in her group who could still stand was locked in mortal combat. She stood with Wade and Joe in their small protected pocket of calm, wondering how long it would stay protected.

A sudden series of crashes caught Willow's attention. Over by the back door, two new arrivals, a man and a woman both dressed in trench coats, were being attacked by more vampires. Buffy had come to their rescue, but she couldn't hold all of them off by herself. Things did not look good.

A stray stake rolled past Willow's feet. Panic and indecision gripped her heart as she looked at it. She had seen and done so much during Buffy's struggle with the undead, but she had always avoided the actual slaying part of the job. She had attacked things only a handful of times, and in each case it was because her anger overpowered her fear. This time, Willow felt far too much fear and not nearly enough anger.

And yet, there was Xander, running around grabbing broken chair legs, pool cues, and anything else he could find that would make a serviceable stake. He dashed from fight to fight, trying to get the weapons into the hands of their allies, ignoring the fact that the vampires might suddenly decide to attack him. If he could help in all this confusion, then surely she could, too.

With all the courage she could muster, Willow picked up the stake, then took Wade by the arm and pulled her away from the stage. "We have to help!" she shouted, pointing out the two latest arrivals, who were now in serious trouble. From the way the newcomers acted, Willow guessed the vampires were people from their past. They were always the hardest vampires to fight, and therefore the most dangerous.

"What about Joe?" said Wade. "And Quinn?"

Willow quickly went to Joe and handed the man her cross. "If anyone comes near you..." she began.

"I'll fend them off with one hand," Joe finished for her. Raising his cane, he added, "And hit them with the other."

Willow smiled grimly and went back to Wade's side. By now, the woman had found a stake of her own. With that, the two unlikely warriors charged into battle.

***

From where he stood, Xander thought the battle was finally turning their way. No small thanks to his own efforts, too, if he had to say so himself.

Vampires were falling all over the place. Ace had battered Mike Smith relentlessly until she finally broke the cricket bat over his head. She then took the broken handle and drove it through his heart. No doubt about it, Xander thought, Ace was someone he did not want mad at him.

With Mike out of the way, Ace had turned her attention to a red-shirted vampire who was busy knocking Bashir around the room. The doctor was still on his feet, but he wouldn't be for long. The demon sensed Ace's approach and was ready for her, but he didn't count on Bashir grabbing one of Xander's makeshift stakes and ramming into his back.

With their foe out of the way, Ace and Bashir turned their attention toward Tasha Yar. They were both too exhausted to do anything but hold Tasha to a standstill, but that gave Harry and Riker enough breathing room to finish off yet another of the red-shirted vampires.

The last of the red-shirted vampires was still battling with Leela. The woman insisted on using her knife instead of a stake, which meant that despite the many blows she landed, the vampire was still alive. Xander guessed that if it went on long enough, the vampire would probably stake itself to avoid further misery.

Despite these victories, though, the struggle was far from over. Xander only had to look toward the other end of the room to see that. Marcus had come to Quinn's aid against Rickman, but that left Kimberly alone to fend off Seska. Meanwhile, Wade and - Xander's heart skipped a beat - Willow were helping Buffy and two strangers fight off a trio of vampires.

This was too much. Xander may have thought of no one but Kimberly that evening, but even so, Willow was... well, she was Willow. He had to help her.

Xander had saved one stake for himself. Now was the time to use it. He quickly readied his weapon and charged across the room.

Unfortunately, he only made it halfway. In his rush to join the action, Xander forgot to pay attention to the fight between Marcus, Quinn and Rickman. He ran past them just as Marcus was bringing his staff around to strike the vampire again. Instead, the Ranger caught Xander squarely on the jaw, dropping him to the ground in mid-stride.

From where he lay on the floor, Xander saw the ongoing battle through a surreal haze. The entire room was spinning, while Marcus, Quinn and Rickman were surrounded by brightly colored flashing lights. Xander thought he saw Marcus pin the vampire against the stage with his staff, then he thought he saw Quinn pick up a stake and drive it through Rickman's chest. Then again, he could have imagined it. The three combatants may have started hurling bolts of fire at each other for all Xander's increasingly dazed eyes could tell him.

Then Xander heard the unmistakable sound of a vampire dying. Hooray, he thought wearily, that's one more for our side. No need to thank me for my part in it.

Xander didn't know whether or not he said that last part out loud. He blacked out a moment later, so it didn't matter all that much.

***

Scully gasped for breath. She was barely managing to keep Pendrell off her when unexpected help arrived. A short-haired young woman and a long-haired girl ran up and tackled the vampire Agent from behind.

Unfortunately, Pendrell was more than a match for Scully's rescuers. He threw the girl aside as if she was a cheap Cabbage Patch knockoff, then turned his attention to the short-haired woman. The woman stood her ground as best she could, trying to hold Pendrell off with a wooden stake. Pendrell was less than impressed.

Scully took a step forward, trying to come to the woman's aid, and almost tripped. She looked down and saw a second stake lying on the ground. The long-haired girl must have dropped it. Scully quickly picked it up and held it out in front of her.

"Pendrell! Leave her alone!" she shouted. The former Agent turned around and looked at her.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Pendrell said mockingly. He advanced on her again. Scully braced herself. She would only get one chance to use the weapon, and if she didn't time things right...

Suddenly, Pendrell tripped and fell forward. He held his arms out to catch himself, giving Scully a perfect shot at his chest. She brought the stake up abruptly and rammed it home. The former Agent crumbled before her eyes.

"Phew! Yuck!" shouted a voice. Scully looked down and saw the long-haired girl lying on the floor. She was still stretched out from reaching to trip Pendrell, and now his dust was raining down on her.

There was another unearthly sound nearby. Scully looked up and saw the blonde girl dispatch Max with a quick blow to the chest. All around the room, the various battles appeared to be winding down. Unfortunately, one match that showed no sign of ending was Mulder's struggle against their former informant. Worse yet, Mulder appeared to be losing.

Scully was trying to choose how she could best help Mulder when a new arrival appeared at the back door. Scully took one look at him and lost all thoughts of anything else.

The newcomer's huge frame filled the doorway. Scully recognized him immediately, and as he approached, she remembered his every feature with a clarity that was almost painful.

He looked the same as he did that first night Scully had seen him. The same gray suit, the same short haircut, the same cold-blooded expression on his face. In every way, he looked the same as that night Scully watched him come to murder Jeremiah Smith, the night he had taken Scully captive and forced her to find a fugitive Mulder's whereabouts.

Mulder claimed he was an alien. All Scully knew for sure was that he was a killer. And now he was here in the Bronze with them.

***

Buffy was in The Zone. The scraggly-haired vampire was her fourth slaying of the night, and she was ready for more. The heat of battle sent adrenaline surging through her body, and it made her feel invincible. Anything with fangs had better beware.

She turned to survey the room, and was almost disappointed by how quiet it had become. Only a handful of vampires were still standing, and they seemed to be well-contained.

Then she saw him enter through the back door.

His hair was shorter, his clothes were nicer, and for the moment, his face had no vampire features, but Buffy recognized him anyway. It was Luke, the Master's Vessel, who had come to the Bronze once before and tried to suck it dry so the Master could escape from the Hellmouth. She had killed him then. It didn't seem fair that he got to come back for another try. Then again, the dead were coming back for everyone else that night, so Buffy guessed it was simply her turn.

Behind Luke, the battle between the man in the trench coat and the vampire in the trench coat paused momentarily. The vampire recovered first, pinning the man against the wall. He closed in for the kill, but Wade and the woman in the trench coat came to the man's rescue. Wade handed the man a stake, which he quickly used to slay the vampire. Good, Buffy thought. Now they wouldn't distract her while she was taking on Vessel-boy.

Buffy brought out the last of her stakes and waved in front of her, almost inviting Luke to attack. "So, couldn't resist coming back for seconds, could you?" she said. "Well, go ahead. I'm ready for you."

Luke looked at her curiously. "Do I know you?" he asked.

"How quickly they forget. Or are you even more of a moron now than you were before?"

"I did not come here to play with children," said Luke. "In fact, I am not supposed to be here at all."

"There's a lot of that going around," said Buffy. "Too bad you won't survive it."

She closed in for the kill. Luke simply stood there, doing nothing. It was almost as if he was inviting her to slay him again.

Behind Luke, the man in the trench coat and the woman in the trench coat were both shouting.

"Don't do that!" warned the man.

"No! Stop!" added the woman.

Buffy ignored them. Her mind was consumed by the thrill of the fight and the opportunity to slay another vampire. If her mind had been clearer, she might have wondered why Luke was making it so easy. His face hadn't even changed yet.

But Buffy was in full Slayer mode. She didn't stop to answer the questions her mind was asking. Luke's chest provided an extra-large target, and she rushed forward and plunged her stake directly into it.

And then, something weird happened. Luke didn't vanish into dust. He barely even reacted to the blow at all. Instead, he simply pulled the stake out and tossed it aside.

Suddenly, a strange hissing sound came from Luke's body. A stream of noxious fumes caught Buffy in the face. Suddenly, her eyes were on fire and she couldn't breathe. With every ounce of strength she had, Buffy threw herself away from him. She landed on the floor with a thud. As she struggled to stay conscious, Buffy heard the sounds of people panicking as the fumes spread.

Maybe that wasn't Luke after all, Buffy thought. Then darkness overwhelmed her.

End of Chapter 6

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