Chapter 5
Roll With The Punches

Some have the speed and the right combinations;
If you can't take the punches, it don't mean a thing.
--Warren Zevon, "Boom Boom Mancini"


	"So…you reeeally wanna get back here?" Lonnie the backstage guard asked.
	"I reeeally do," Buffy replied. She decided to give him fifteen more seconds
 before giving him some nappy-time. She didn't have time to flirt with this idiot.
	"Well, what's it worth to you?"
	Buffy smiled and moved her timetable up fourteen seconds or so. She opened her
 mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the voice of Spike behind her.
	"There you are, my little chickadee!" he cried as he trotted up behind her.
 "How's tricks?"
	With her smile frozen in place, Buffy turned to him.
	"Not now, Spike."
	"I really need to talk to you."
	"I don't care."
	"Yes, but I'm pretty sure your friends do," Spike hissed.
	"What the hell are you-"
	"Hold it," Lonnie said. He put a finger to his earpiece. He looked at Buffy
 suspiciously. "Mr. Ledbetter wants to see you."
	"I'll, uh, I'll show her up," Spike said. He took Buffy's arm; she shook loose
 almost instantly.
	"What's going on here?" Buffy asked. "How do you know Ledbetter?"
 	"Are you kiddin'? I'm his champion."
	Buffy stared at him. "Of course you are. Why should I even be surprised?
 Do you have any idea what he's-"
	"Yeah, yeah, I know. He's got the Midget and Droopyboy. Look, I'll help you
 get them out. Just don't screw up this deal for me."
	"Screw up the deal?! He bought Oz!"
	"Look, Slayer, he pays me to kill demons. Pays me! I'll never find another
 deal this good!"
	"I don't care! It's barbaric!"
	"Demons are barbaric!"
	"I…" Buffy thought for a moment. "How much do you get paid?"
	Spike told her.
	"Whoa." She shook her head. "No, no. Barbaric. Must put a stop to it."
	"Slayer--" Spike belted up once they came within earshot of Ledbetter's office.
 Spike knocked and they were admitted.
	The office overlooked the arena from about 15 feet up. Buffy and Spike could see
 Ledbetter looking at the crowd, facing away from them. Willow was sitting in a chair,
 her arms folded. She looked cross.
	"Shouldn't have made me leave my pencils in the room," she pouted. Ledbetter turned and
 smiled. "Spike, m'boy. How're you feeling?"
	"Not bad at all, Lem. Not bad at all."
	"These ladies friends of yours?"
	"Er…" Spike looked at Buffy and Willow. Buffy and Willow glared back. "Y'might say
 we have a workin' relationship."
	"Ah." Ledbetter turned to Buffy. "We ran a check on Ms. Rosenberg, but you're a
 mystery to me, Ms…"
	"Slayer," Buffy said.
	"Indeed!" Ledbetter grinned. "Want a job?"
	"Got one," Buffy replied. "Sure, it's not much, but I make my own hours and I
 don't have to worry about Don King-wannabes sending armed goons after me if I
 try to quit."
	Ledbetter's grin faded away.
	"Brass tacks, then. Daniel Osbourne and Alexander Harris are friends of yours,
 I believe. Tonight, they're going to have a round of fisticuffs."



	"If you don't mind, we need some information from the two of you." Xander looked
 through the cage doors at Vin, who was holding a clipboard and pen. He was
 ready to write.
	"What?" Opposite him, Oz sat up and glared at the gunsel.
	"Information. Where are you from, what are your accomplishments, that sort
 of thing."
	The two young men looked at each other.
	"What the hell for?"
	"For your introductions," Vin said. "You know, 'in this corner, the Sultan of
 Swat, the Count of Monte Fisto, Apollo Creed,' that sort of thing."
	"You've got to be kidding."
	"Come on, man, they gotta introduce you somehow. What else is he gonna say?
 'Comin' to the ring, it's that guy we found snooping around backstage!'"
	"Let me get this straight," Xander said, moving up to the bars. "You want us to
 provide information for…what? A cool introduction?"
	"Yeah."
	"For a fight in which one of us is going to die."
	"Hey, you don't know that. One of you might just be rendered brain-dead."
	Xander lunged. His hand shot through the bars, stopping inches short of Vin's chest.
	"Whoa! Touchy!"
	"You tell that scumbag to take his introduction and shove it up his-"
	Vin raised a hand. "I'm pretty sure I can complete that one, thanks." He turned to go.
	"I hope he goes home tonight and catches his girlfriend naked with the dog and an
 open jar of peanut butter!" Xander raved as Vin walks out. "I hope he dies of a
 heart attack while screwing a scoutmaster!"
	The door swung closed and locked.
	"Subtle," Oz muttered.
	"Yeah, and I see your plan to cower in the corner really worked out well."



	"You can't!" Willow shouted, jumping to her feet. "Xander can't fight a werewolf
 by himself! It's murder!"
	"No, that's just the fights," Ledbetter said, smiling. "Murder is what's going to
 happen if you prove uncooperative."
	Buffy had been listening to all this very quietly. "Coercion, enslavement, and
 now murder threats," she said. "This a typical day at the office for you?"
	Ledbetter frowned. "Don't try to shame me, Ms. Summers. You and your friends
 created this situation, not me. I'm merely protecting my investment. I built
 this organization up from nothing and I have no intention
	of letting you bring it down."
	"So you're going to try and kill the two of us?" Buffy asked.
	Ledbetter said nothing.
	"Uh…Led…s'pose they took Harris out of here, promised not to make a fuss."
 Spike looked at Buffy. "She keeps her word, even with an enemy. I can swear
 to that."
	Ledbetter raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? If I give Harris back, can I count
 on your silence?"
	Buffy considered this. "Give us Xander and Oz, and you'll never hear from any
 of us again."
	"Osbourne isn't part of the bargain."
	"Then we can't do business, Mr. Ledbetter."
	Everyone was quiet for a moment.
	"Now what?" Willow whispered.
	"Now, I suppose we watch the fight," Ledbetter said. He looked at Buffy.
 "You're wondering where the gun is. It is in my pocket, Ms. Summers. I'm sure
 you're thinking that you can get to me before I can use it. However, as you
 can see from my lapel, I am also miked. All I have to do is say the word, and
 the gentleman sitting next to Rory Harris in the stands below will shoot him
 in the head."
	Buffy and Ledbetter held each other's stare for a moment. Finally, Spike
 cleared his throat.
	"Well, uh. Harris could use a cornerman, I reckon. I'll go see what I can
 do to help out."
	"Thanks," Buffy said absently, not taking her eyes from Ledbetter.
	As Spike left, Willow's eyes were not on Ledbetter.
	They were on his desk.
	Specifically, the pencil holder.



	"Here," Vin said, handing a plastic bottle through the bars to Xander.
 "You'll need it."
	"Ram it, clown," Xander muttered, not raising his head.
	"It's an energy drink. Good for you."
	Xander grunted. Vin leaned closer, mindful of his tie. "Might get you out of
 this alive."
	"Yeah, I'm gonna trust something coming from you."
	"It's good stuff," Vin said, lowering his voice. "Made from the pineal glands of
 Iac demons. Makes you stronger, faster. We mix it with a little Kool-Aid, it goes
 down smooth."
	Xander looked at him. Oz raised his head and eyed the scene with interest.
	"Look, kid, you're an ordinary human fighting a werewolf. You need all the help
 you can get."
	Xander considered this. Then he reached out and took the bottle. He unscrewed the
 top and sniffed. Smelled like regular, sugary grape Kool-Aid. He took a taste.
 Tasted fine. He looked at Oz.
	"He's right," Oz said. "You do need all the help you can get."
	Xander glared at his co-captive and drained the rest of the bottle dry.
	"I'll be back for you in a minute," Vin said. "We gotta get you into your fighting
 gear. Lots of Kevlar."
	Xander said nothing as Vin left. He merely continued to glare at Oz, who glared back.
	"Demon juice and body armor," Oz said. "I'm starting to think they're biased."
	"Buffy and Willow'll save us."
	"Sure they will."
	"Aren't we cynical."
	They fell silent.
	"So…Willow," Oz finally said.
	"What about her?"
	"How is she?"
	"Great."
	More quiet.
	"She still with-"
	"No."
	"Oh."
	Xander snickered.
	"What's so funny?"
	"I just love how you do that, man. The Monosyllabic Kid strikes again. 'Oh.'
 As in, 'Oh, I drove Willow into the arms of a woman with my extracurricular
 activities. Poor poor pitiful me.'"
	"Don't start."
	"Fuck you, Oz," Xander said.
	"Excuse me?"
	"Whatsamatter, didn't your super-enhanced wolflike hearing pick that up?"
 He cupped his hands around his mouth. "FUCK...YOU...OZ!"
	Oz looked at him, his face a mix of anger and confusion.
	"What's your problem?"
	"It just kills me, it really does. The way her mind works. We kiss a few times--
 kisses she enjoyed just as much as I did, by the way--but when we get caught,
 I become Xandera non grata. I fuck Faith and I'm not worth her time anymore.
 I mean, I slept with someone else, sure, but I wasn't even dating her.
 And you?"
	"What happened was--"
	"Planned."
	"Fuck you, Xander."
	"Don't look at me and tell me you didn't know what was going on," Xander said,
 his voice rising. "I saw you with her. 'Oh, we're just talking about guitars.'
 Bullshit! You knew. You knew the whole fucking time what was going to happen--"
	"Shut up!"
	"Like it was supposed to be a surprise when she jumped your bones. I'll bet
 you were shocked, shocked!"
	"SHUT UP!" Oz yelled.
	"And she was gonna take you back. That just kills me every time I think
 about it. She would have welcomed you back with open arms."
	Oz fell silent.
	"Just makes me mad," Xander muttered.
	"You know what makes me mad?" Oz asked. "You took her for granted. All those
 years, she was right there and you took her for granted."
	"Yeah," Xander admitted. "Well, I'm stupid. No one ever said you had to be
 smart to be in love."
	"You weren't in love. You were in lust at best."
	"Fuck you, wolfboy. I'd do anything for that girl, including not fucking
 around on her, and don't you tell me different."
	"Or what?" Oz asked.
	Xander was quiet.
	"No, come on, big mouth. Or what? Rock beats paper and werewolf beats
 brain-dead loser any day of the week."
	"I'll feed you your teeth, Oz." Xander glared at him through the murky light.
 "I wanted to when you showed up at Giles'."
	"Let's go," Oz said, standing up.
	Xander got to his feet in a shot. The demon juice was sure as hell working on
 him. He raised his fists.
	"I shoulda done this before you left town," he snarled.
	"Yeah, but you were too much of a pussy." Oz grinned; his pupils were growing
 wider, the way they did before a change, and he looked like he was enjoying it.
 "Whatsamatter, afraid she'd see how jealous you are?"
	"I'm gonna rip your-"
	"HEY!" Vin walked in, brandishing his pistol. "I heard you two all the way
 down the hall! Save it for the ring!"
	The two captives looked at Vin contemptuously, but stepped back.
	"I'm really going to enjoy this," Xander hissed.
	"Me too," Oz replied. "You'll taste great."



	Rory Harris drummed his fingers nervously on his knees and glanced at the man
 sitting next to him.
	"Sooooo. You're a hired killer. You go to school for that?"
	His neighbor, a fellow named Pearson, shook his head.
	"Ah. Self-taught."
	"I got apprenticed."
	"Really. How'd that happen?"
	Pearson smiled. "Well, my old man was in the trade, and one day he takes me
 over to this guy they call Griffin. 'Griffin, like the Invisible Man,' he
 usedta say. So my old man sez, 'Hey, Griffin, I took my kid hunting and it
 turns out he can drill a deer from 500 feet. I bet he'd be good at your line
 of work.' So here I am."
	"You, uh, you do hits."
	"Sure."
	"Anyone I know?"
	"Prolly not. I never did no famous guys."
	"Ah." Rory's knees were violently bobbing up and down now.
	"But ya know, I always wanted ta hit a famous guy." He leaned in conspiratorially.
 "Ya know who I'd do?"
	"W-who?"
	"Mister Rogers."
	Rory stared, horrified.
	"As in neighborhood?!"
	"Yeah."
	"Why?!"
	"Nobody'd ever expect it." Pearson nodded wisely. "I mean, a rock star ODs on drugs or
 a movie star gets it in a car crash, you kinda expect they'd end up like that. But
 nobody would expect Mr. Rogers to get two in the back of the head."
	Rory blinked.
	"That's...it..." His mouth gaped. "You are one sick motherfucker," he concluded
 wonderingly.
	Pearson shrugged.
	"Everybody's gotta have a dream."
	It was almost a relief when the announcer got on the mic.
	"Ladieeeeeees…annnnnnnn…gennlemennnnn! Arrrre you rrrrrrready to get
 BAH-LOOOOOOOODY?!"
	The audience indicated that they were, indeed, ready to get bloody.
	"Tonight, Ultimate Underworld Fighting presents a battle between human and demon!"
	This sent a shocked murmur through the crowd.
	"First, the beast…"



	Backstage, Oz sat in the smaller cage, shivering. Vin and another gunsel
 stood on either side of him. Vin had his pistol trained on the back of
 Oz's head.
	"Silver bullets," he said.
	"Great. Knock yourself out." Oz glared at Vin. "But don't waste your time
 threatening. I can't control the change."
	"We know." Vin looked to the other gunsel, who produced a collar from his
 coat. Oz stared, fear crawling over him. It was the electric collar. The Pain.
	"Put it on."
	Oz shook his head, his pupils widening. "Do it," Vin said, cocking the hammer.
 "We've got your friends, Osbourne. The Slayer. Rosenberg."
	Oz turned and looked at Vin.
	"You're gonna die for this."
	"Whatever." The other gunsel tossed the collar into the cage. "Put it on."
	With shaking hands, Oz clamped the cold thing around his neck, feeling the
 smooth electrodes, already wincing. He closed his eyes.
	Then Vin pressed the button on the remote control, and Oz was gone.
	The wolf howled.



	Xander watched as the cage was wheeled into the arena. Behind him, Spike lit
 a cigarette.
	"Okay," Spike said as the announcer began his introductions. "Whatever you do,
 stay away from the teeth. That's where all the werewolf's power comes from.
 The claws won't pass along the curse, but if you get bit, that's it. Get
 ready to spend three days out of the month chained in the basement."
	"I'll kill him," Xander hissed. He stretched his arms; he was covered from
 neck to feet in Kelvar body armor, a thinner version of the outfits that
 attack dog trainers wear. In his hands, he held a long staff, the only
 weapon he was allowed.
	"If it gets into hand to hand, here," Spike said, pressing something into
 his hand. Xander looked; it was two rolls of quarters. "Give you more wham
 for your buck."
	"Rip him apart," Xander said.
	"That's the stuff. Look, the main thing here is to stall. Buf-the Slayer's
 just gotta work out her plan is all. Once she does, you-"
	Xander suddenly reared his head back and screamed, low and guttural. Spike
 looked and saw that Oz's cage had just been wheeled into the ring.
	"Uh…right. Anyway, about the stalling tactic. Just use the staff to keep him
 at bay. If he gets in close, let him gnaw on the Kevlar and you pound on his
 head with the quarters. There's no shame in running around the ring if you-"
	"RRRRARRRRGH!" Xander rrrarrghed. "DESTROY! DESTROY!"
	Spike sighed. "You know what? Just kill him. Go ahead."
	Xander charged the arena, leaving Spike to look after him in amusement.
	"What do you think?" Justin asked, coming up behind him.
	"Three minutes. Tops."



	Buffy and Willow were watching, horrified. Below, the announcer barely had
 time to get out of the way before Xander ran towards the cage, which was
 released, and started jabbing at Oz with the staff.
	"What did you do to him?!" Willow cried.
	"I just evened the odds a little," Ledbetter said. "I mean, I'm not throwing
 Christians to lions here. People expect to see a fight."
	On the desk, Ledbetter's pencils quivered just a little.



	Somewhere, deep inside Xander's mind, a tiny voice was making its way through
 the haze of adrenaline and fury. It was whispering things like "This isn't a
 very good idea, is it?" and "I'm just saying, maybe your efforts would be
 better served by running away" and "I think he's trying to gnaw your legs off."
	Xander wasn't listening. Instead, he was concentrating on getting Oz off him.
 The werewolf had leapt out of the cage and almost immediately clamped its jaws
 onto his right calf. Frantically, Xander smashed him in the face over and over,
 but it didn't seem to be helping.
	He hasn't broken the skin, said the Very Sensible Voice, a bit frantically.
 Just get him off before he breaks the skin.
	Xander screamed and drove his hand forward, the fingers outstretched. He poked
 viciously at the werewolf's eyes. Oz's howl was high and pitiful; he let go and
 scampered a short distance away, collapsing to paw at his eye.
	"Huh," Xander muttered, getting to his feet. "He's not so-"
	Backstage, Vin pressed a button on the remote control. Oz howled again and
 glared at Xander. Xander held the staff in both hands, bracing for the next
 attack.
	The crowd screamed as Oz charged.
	Wait for it...wait for it...
	Oz pounced, swiping at him with his right paw. Xander swung the staff around a
 moment too late; he fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Oz was on him in an
 instant, and Xander realized in horror that he was going for the throat.
	"No! NO!" Xander brought the staff up again, smashing Oz in the stomach.
 He came around for another blow; Oz clamped the staff between his jaws and
 bit down hard. The staff snapped in two.
	Neither of them moved for a moment. Then Oz lunged again, his head moving
 forward to tear out Xander's throat. Xander bellowed in terror and lashed
 out, grabbing Oz by the ear. His teeth came within a half-inch of reaching
 Xander's neck.
	Pressing his advantage, Xander yanked as hard as he could, trying his best to
 rip the werewolf's ear off. Oz screamed and snapped and used his hind legs to
 dig into Xander's midsection. Xander was still holding the other half of the
 staff; he slammed it into Oz's head over and over.
	The werewolf sagged after the fourth blow; he rolled off Xander and stumbled
 away. Xander pulled himself to his feet and followed, reaching for the rolls of
 quarters Spike had stashed up his sleeves.
	"Bullshit," he was growling. "You don't get away...not this time you don't,
 not this-"
	He had just grabbed Oz's neck when pain shot through his entire body. He jumped
 backwards just as Oz, writihing in agony, moved onto his hind legs for a moment,
 howling. The werewolf landed and turned back to him, fury overwhelming fatigue.
	The collar! He's wearing a collar! You just need to-
	The very sensible voice faded into the background as Oz prepared another charge.
 Xander's fists, heavy with twenty bucks in coins, raised in a fighting stance.
 The crowd went nuts when they saw this, cheering wildly.
	"Come and get it," he whispered.
	Oz came to get it. He charged. He jumped.
	And he fell to the ground as Xander's fist smashed into his jaw.



	"Stone the crows," Spike murmured as he watched. He'd just seen something he
 could honestly say he hadn't witness in over a century of existence-a human
 being cold-cocking a werewolf.
	"Bloody hell, he got a hold of that one!" Justin said admiringly. He blinked.
 "What's he doing now?"
	"He's-"



	"-going for the collar," Ledbetter whispered. Buffy and Willow were standing on
 either side of him, the hostage situation forgotten as they watched the bout.
 "Smart kid."
	"The electric collar?" Willow said, shocked. "How could you?"
	"Hey, it was either that or stake you out in the middle of the ring. Which we
 considered. But that's--"



	"--my nephew!" Rory was crowing as Xander struggled with the collar. "Kick
 his ass, Xander!"
	"Siddown, willya?" Pearson said.



	Oz was not being helpful. As Xander tried to undo the collar, Oz kept trying to
 twist his around 180 degrees to snap at him.
	"Hold on, willya? I've-I've almost got-" He snarled and punched the werewolf in
 the skull. "Hold still, dammit!"
	He had just gotten the thing undone when Oz suddenly flipped over, attacking him
 with all four legs, slashing away at his chest and face. Xander danced away,
 feeling blood drip down his temple.
	Calm down, calm down, it was a claw, not a tooth--
	But Xander wasn't going to calm down. Screaming, he charged and grabbed Oz's
 hind legs. As Oz clawed at his arms, Xander punched him in the stomach, three
 quick jabs, enough to take the wind out of him for a moment.
	"That all you got, you-" Xander was cut off as Oz lashed out with a paw.
 It caught him in the side of the head; he fell, his noggin taking another
 whack when it landed on the arena floor.
	Okay. Stop saying things like that.
	Xander forced his eyes to focus and saw a claw-tipped paw heading for his
 face. He rolled away and kicked Oz in the hind legs, sending him to the floor.
 Growling, he got to his knees and began blindly striking out at the werewolf.
 If he had been capable of noticing, he would have heard the crowd chanting
 his name.
	It took Xander a moment or two to come back to himself. When he did, he realized
 that something had changed.
	Changing, rather. The unconscious werewolf was changing back into Daniel
 Osbourne.



	"Kill him!" Ledbetter screamed. "Come on, you little bastard, finish him off!"
	Ledbetter's whole world was focused on the battle down in the ring. So he
 never noticed the rattling from his desk until it was too late.
	"What are you-" Ledbetter turned around and stopped.
	Every single sharp object in the room was floating and pointing at him.
	"I..."
	Willow's pupils had grown deep and black. Buffy took a step away from
 Ledbetter and shook her head.
	"She's crazy when she gets like this, Lem. Can I call you Lem?"
	"What...what is she..."
	"It looks like she's using a levitation spell. And it looks like if you don't
 put a stop to this, she's gonna make you look like one of those Clive Barker
 guys. So for starters, why don't you tell your hitguy downstairs to send Uncle
 Rory on his way."
	Ledbetter sagged. He rested his hands on his desk, right next to a heavy glass
 paperweight. With one hand, he pressed a button in his pocket.
	"Pearson?"
	"Yessir?"
	"Kill him!" As he screamed this, Ledbetter whirled and threw the paperweight
 through the plate glass window. It shattered, showering the audience members
 below. They soon had bigger problems, as Lemuel Ledbetter leapt through the
 window, landing roughly on three people. He staggered away, not seeing Buffy
 land on her feet behind him.



	"You heard the man," Pearson said. "C'mon, let's not cause a fuss, huh?"
	"Nah, I guess not," Rory said, getting to his feet. "Well, I had a pretty good
 run of it. After all, I OH MY GOD! ISN'T THAT KING FRIDAY?!"
	Pearson totally failed to whirl around in shock.
	"Come on, willya? I expected better of a man of your age."
	"Yeah, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking."
	That was when the pencil slammed into Pearson's shoulder. He didn't make a
 sound. He just turned around and saw Willow running towards them. He turned
 back to Rory, his face pale.
	"There's a pencil in your shoulder."
	"Yeah. That, plus your dental bills? You're having a rough day."
	"What dental bills?"
	Rory socked him in the jaw. The hitman spun around, landing in front of a
 fightgoer who seemed not to notice. Rory ran towards Willow; when they reached
 the aisle, they both moved towards the arena.



	The very sensible voice was louder now; there was only a distant shrill shriek
 coming from the reptile part of his brain, screaming Kill him now! You'll never
 have a better chance! No one could say it wasn't justified! You beat him!
 Finish him off!
	It was tempting.
	Then, he realized that it was tempting. Xander shuddered. The roll of quarters
 dropped out of his hand. He got to his feet and crouched over Oz.
	"Oz," he said. "Oz, come on. Get up."
	After a moment, Oz opened his eyes.
	"What happened?"
	"Fight's over."
	Oz looked around. The crowd was fleeing in panic. Willow and Rory at the edge
 of the arena, struggling with a pair of Ledbetter's gunsels. On the sidelines,
 Spike seemed to be arguing with Justin.
	"You sure about that?"
	Oz got to his feet. As he did, they saw Vin coming towards them, pistol in hand.



	"--them all! You hear me? Silver bullets! Wipe 'em out!" Ledbetter screamed
 into the lapel mike as he tried to make his way through the panicking crowd.
 He looked at the arena; Vin was moving forward hesitantly.
	"Lem, I don't know, man, one of 'em's a girl..."
	"She's a witch, you dumb shit! She'll kill us all unless we take her out first!
 It's self de-urk"
	The sudden urk came when Buffy got an arm around Ledbetter's throat.
	"Let me show you a little something about self-defense," Buffy hissed.
	With a sudden jerk, she raised the 300-pound promoter over her head...



	"Sorry, guys," Vin muttered, raising the pistol. "You gotta go."
	Xander and Oz took a few steps back, until they were against the wall of the arena.
	"Well, this looks pretty hopeless," Oz said, using his last reserves of deadpan.
	"Oz?"
	"Yeah?"
	"I'm sorry I yelled at you back there."
	"'sokay." There was a pause. "Are you sorry for kicking my ass, too?"
	"No, that was fun."
	"Shot to death in a demon fighting arena, with no pants, by a guy named Vin.
 Didn't see that coming."
	"Don't worry. Buffy or Willow'll save us."
	Vin cocked the hammer.
	"Any minute now."
	"Now would be good."
	Xander closed his eyes. This was unfortunate, because it's not often you see a
 man of Lemuel Ledbetter's size tossed around like a sack of meat. Buffy threw
 the man into Vin, sending them both to the ground in a pile. Moments later,
 the gunsels that had been threatening Willow and Rory joined them.
	"Toldja," Xander said, opening his eyes.
	"Ledbetter," Oz snarled.
	"Uh-oh," several people said. Ledbetter's gunsels found reasons to be far away
 from their boss. Willow reached down and grabbed Xander's upraised hands,
 pulling him up.
	"Buffy, stop him!" Willow yelled as Oz changed. Buffy leapt into the arena,
 just missing Oz as he ran past. She grabbed at Oz's hind legs; she was dragged
 forward. There was a cry of pain as Oz's teeth sank into Ledbetter's leg.
 He screamed and brought out his gun, firing wildly. The bullets flew crazily as
 Oz shook the man, until one of them hit him in the shoulder. Luckily for the
 werewolf, Ledbetter had only given his gunsels the silver bullets, keeping none
 for himself. Oz yelped and fell away.
	"Son of a...son of a bitch!" Ledbetter screamed. "You little bastard, I'll-"
	He fell over, suddenly unconscious. As he did, the others could see a tranquilizer
 dart sticking out of his back. Spike, still holding the rifle, loaded another dart and
 shot Oz with it. The werewolf stopped flailing in pain.
	"Fall over unconscious?" Spike asked the sleeping Ledbetter. "I thought you were
 gonna say that."



	"...and that accomplished what, exactly?"
	"Sssh." Both sets of eyes turned to the scene. "I'm not done yet."



	The paramedics believed the story Willow fed them about Oz being an innocent
 bystander during the riot at the arena. Why Oz had been naked at the time had
 been a bit of a sticking point, but they'd eventually got past it. Willow sat
 in the back of the ambulance, waiting with Oz until it was time to go.
	"Deja vu," Oz murmured.
	Willow smiled and brushed back his hair.
	"Are you okay?" she asked.
	"Sort of." He looked at her. "Are you?"
	"Sort of."
	Oz tried to smile.
	"Ma'am, we gotta go," the paramedic said, poking his head in.
	"Okay. I'll, uh...I'll call you?"
	"I'll see you," Oz said.
	Willow hopped out. She watched as the ambulance pulled away. Then she turned
 back to her friends, who were very quickly assembling their belongings in the
 appropriate cars.
	"So are we gonna make it back before sunrise or should I get in the trunk
 right now?" Spike asked.
	"Who said you were coming?" Buffy shot back.
	"Well, come on, I mean, I did sacrifice my steady gig to help you. Some folks
 might call that noble."
	"Folks that aren't me."
	"You know, they had a 401K plan, Slayer..."
	"Oh, all right. But you're not riding with me. Come on, Will..."
	"Uh...actually, do you mind if I ride with Xander?"
	Buffy looked from Willow to Xander, who shrugged.
	"Guess that leaves you and me, kid," Rory said, sliding into the driver's seat of
 the convertible. "C'mon. I'll show you a shortcut, leads to this little cocktail
 bar just outside of the 'dale."
	"Oh, God," Buffy murmured as she got into the convertible.



	The ride was quiet enough for the first hour that Spike fell asleep in the back
 seat. After a while, Willow clicked off the radio.
	"We need to talk."
	"Nothing good ever follows that," Xander muttered.
	"It's just...something Buffy was saying. That we were trying to get away from
 each other this weekend, and instead, we ended up right next to each other."
	"Yeah." Xander rubbed his face. "What about it?"
	"Well...I mean...it made me think. That maybe, I'm fighting...us."
	Xander was silent.
	"Because we know. And that's...doesn't that seem wrong to you somehow?"
	"Knowing that we're supposed to be together is wrong?"
	"Yes! It, it violates the natural order of everything!"
	"Well...I mean, it takes some of the surprise out of it, but..."
	"Oh, dear God!" Spike sat up from the backseat. "You two are bloody pathetic!"
	"Hey!"
	"All over the world, people are stumbling around in the dark, heads up their
 arses, trying to figure out who they're supposed to be with. Bad marriages,
 romantic obsessions, and meanwhile you two morons know you're supposed to
 be together and you're fighting it!"
	"But it's...free will and choice and-"
	"My arse. Look, you love him and he loves you. But now you're in a position
 where, God forbid, you have to actually do something about it, and you're
 both too cowardly to take the next step. You are both idiots, and should you
 ever get it together enough to produce offspring, I fear for the safety of
 the planet. Good bloody night."
	Spike lay back down.
	It was a very quiet ride after that.



	Ledbetter and Vin stared at the wound.
	"It's not that bad," said Vin. "Barely broke the skin."
	"Vin, he nearly took my leg off." Ledbetter rubbed his face.
	"The doctor's on his way."
	"Hmmph. Unless he's got a cure for lycanthropy…"
	"He'll stitch you up," Vin said quietly.
	The two of them were quiet for a moment. They looked at the ruined arena in
 confused dismay.
	"So…what do we do now?"
	Ledbetter looked at him. He had been so preoccupied with the destruction of
 his latest enterprise and his entry into the ranks of the world's werewolves
 that this question hadn't occurred to him.
	"I…" The idea began to form. "When's the next full moon?"
	"I dunno," Vin said. "I think there was one last week, so, what, three weeks?"
	"Three weeks." Ledbetter nodded and looked around again. "Get the contractors
 in here. I want this place fixed up better than before. Get a better
	color for those seat cushions, plum or something. And I definitely want some
 kind of barrier around the arena. Steel this time. And silver. Order more
 tranquilizer guns. Get some wolfsbane, too."
	"Lem?" Vin was already confused.
	"And get the posters ready. In three weeks, we're gonna hold a tournament for
 a new champion. Winner take all!" Ledbetter was grinning now. "This'll work,
 you watch…"
	"But what about you?"
	"Me?" Ledbetter laughed. "Vin, my man, I'm coming out of retirement."
	He raised his head and howled eagerly.



	Two weeks later...
	Knock knock. Willow looked up from her book to see Xander poking his head
 through the doorway.
	"Hey there," he said.
	"Hey!" she said back, brightly. "Where've you been? I've barely seen you all week!"
	"Yeah, I was working a lot, and...getting ready for something."
	Willow blinked.
	"You're not leaving town again, are you?"
	"What? No! No. Here. Read this." He handed her a piece of paper. She looked.
	"'Dear Mr. Harris, blah blah pleased to inform you that you have been...'"
 Her face broken into a huge grin. "'...accepted to the University of California at
 Sunnydale!'"
	"Yeah," Xander said, smiling. "I didn't want to tell you guys in case it didn't
 happen, but I retook the SATs last month, and I did something I forgot the last time."
	"What's that?"
	"Studied. Turns out that's kinda important."
	She bounded off the bed and gave him a big hug.
	"I knew you could do it! Didn't I say you could do it? I did say it, didn't it?
 Because I meant to. I don't remember now, and...I am so proud of you!"
	"Thanks, Will," Xander replied, hugging her back.
	This went on for a while.
	"Uh...Will?"
	"Yes?"
	"You're not letting go."
	"Neither are you."
	They looked at each other.
	"Wow, I didn't realize academia was such a turn-on."
	"That's not it and you know it..."
	He leaned in closer.
	"So...why right now?"
	"Because." Willow smiled. She leaned in closer.
	Their lips were just inches from each other when they heard the knock from
 downstairs.
	"Ignore it," Willow said, and now they were kissing, and everything else went
 away. The connection was there, a connection she'd never felt with anyone else,
 the sensation of having a lover and a best friend in the same body...how much
 wasted time? How long had they been running away from this?
	It didn't matter. Only now mattered...
	"Will?"
	Later on, thinking back on it, she thought there should have been a sound effect.
 Probably a needle scratching on a record. Her eyes snapped back open, looking into
 Xander's equally shocked eyes.
	It was Oz's voice.



	Oz stood at the front door. He wasn't wearing a cast, but they could see a
 shoulder bandage poking up from under his T-shirt.
	"Is this a bad time?"
	"Yes," Xander said. "But hey, I'm sure Devon would like to see you, so-"
	"What are you doing here?" Willow asked.
	"I...uh...I wanted to tell you something. But I should see Giles first."
	"Absolutely," Xander said. "No time like the present. You remember the way, right?"
	"You shouldn't be out of the hospital so soon," Willow said.
	"I sorta checked myself out. I needed to see you."
	"You gotta be kidding," Xander said under his breath.
	"Oz..." Willow looked from Xander to her ex. "I...this really is a bad time.
 I mean, it's a really bad time."
	"Should I come back?"
	"Yeah. Because I love suspense," Xander groaned.
	"Could you please just tell me what you came to tell me?" Willow said, with a
 little glare at Xander.
	"I did it," he said simply.
	"It being..." Xander said.
	"The wolf. It's gone."
	"You mean you've got control of it."
	"Well, yeah." Oz produced a small bottle of pills from his pocket. "I'd just
 gotten back from an alchemist in Belgium when I was captured by that hunter.
 These pills...they stop the wolf."
	Willow blinked.
	"How?"
	"Beats me. He gave me a book. I was gonna show it to Giles, make sure it was
 on the level, but...I've been taking them since I went to the hospital. No
 wolfy urges. Not even a craving for a cheeseburger."
	"But...but you can't be sure..."
	"I want Giles to check it, but...I'm sure, Will."
	Everything was quiet for a moment.
	"So...now you're non-wolfy," Willow said.
	"Yeah."
	Xander watched calmly as his life collapsed around him. There had to be a way
 for this to get worse, but he honestly couldn't think of it.
	Then the door opened again, and an extremely tanned Anya walked in, lugging
 two suitcases. She dropped the bags and spread her arms.
	"I'm home!" she cried happily.
	Ah. There it was.



	Aphrodite glared at Tara. "What on Olympus are you doing?!"
	Tara smiled innocently. "You said to get them together. You didn't say I had
 to make it easy."
	"You're a wicked child, you know that?"
	Tara shrugged. "I try."



And so this has to be a sudden gift of fate...
You're nothing less to me than a sudden gift of fate...
It's not as if it comes down to your turn
That someone somewhere feels you've earned...
You just learn to wait
For sudden gifts of fate...
--Mary Chapin Carpenter



Part 11 Coming Soon

All of this is copyright Joss Whedon, except the stuff that isn't.