Rogue Demon Hunter
By Martin Kane mksequela@yahoo.co.uk
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer story



ATTENTION BUFFY FANS: chronologically this occurs during season 5. 
Giles has purchased the Magic Box; Dawn has arrived but her 
significance is known only to Buffy and Giles; Willow and Tara are in 
love; Xander and Anya are in love; the Initiative has closed down but 
Riley is still around (though not in this tale.) Inevitably, liberties 
have been taken and mistakes made. I trust they're not too intrusive.


***********************************************************************


They were close; she could feel them. Two, possibly three. She sat back 
on the bench, trying to look all sweet and vulnerable.

Buffy Summers was sat in the park at night in a spot reputed to scare 
off muggers let alone decent folk. She glanced around, as though 
waiting for someone, a distracted expression of anticipation on her 
sweetly pretty face. She tried to look a little uncomfortable out here 
alone, as though secretly thinking that maybe this wasn't such a great 
idea after all.

They closed in. 

She could smell them, almost taste them. Yes, it was three. One was 
hanging back. Suspicious. The lust was with them all, but this one was 
cautious. Enough innate sense to question the logic of an innocent and 
unprotected young girl waiting around so conveniently. Enough sense to 
appreciate the concept of bait.

Two approached, not in the form of an attack but in their human guise. 
They wanted to play the seduction. They wanted their kicks before they 
fed.

The lead vamp was tall and skinny, a leather whip. The second had more 
of a stoner look about him, a beard since adolescence, heavier than his 
companion, long hair, biker jacket. Probably still lived with his 
mother up until the day he was turned.

In fact both were young; despite the macho swagger the only real menace 
came from the demons that now had possession of them.

'It's late,' the lead vamp said, conversationally.

Buffy played it timid and uncertain. She didn't answer, casting her 
gaze from one to the other. Meanwhile, she tried to focus her senses - 
where the hell was the third? She couldn't zero him and she didn't want 
to make her move until she had.

They stood slightly apart before the bench, Buffy sitting dead center, 
a neat triangle.

'Pretty young thing like you ought to be careful, out alone on a night 
like this.'

'Yeah,' the stoner giggled. 'Never know what might happen.'

'I'm waiting for a friend,' Buffy offered, her voice tiny in the 
darkness.

They glanced at each other and smiled.

And that's when things changed - when everything began to play out in a 
way that none of them had anticipated. The voice that cut suddenly 
across the trio was wholly unexpected on all sides.

'And here I am.'

It was a woman. She strode into the light. Tall, she carried her frame 
with power and presence. A long leather coat flowed out behind her like 
a cape, so black it seemed to lap into the very darkness. Dark brown 
hair tied cleanly at the back of her head, dark sweater, combats. A 
definite military aspect to her appearance.

'And she's gonna be fine,' she continued, her voice bold and 
commanding. 'So why don't you boys run along now. I'll see she gets 
home safe.'

The vampire stood his ground, regarding the newcomer. His eyes were 
suspicious, intimidated by her presence and by her confidence.

'I think we both know that ain't gonna happen,' he hissed.

The woman sighed; she knew all right.

He changed as he leapt at her, his human face warping and distending to 
resemble the demon he truly was. Fangs out, he flew, covering the short 
distance to where she stood in a single heartbeat.

But the woman was fast. Her careless pose slipped into a martial prep, 
before a booted foot swung out hard to cut the attacking vamp from the 
air.

What she did then surprised Buffy. Instead of moving to take the vamp 
out, she crippled it with a bone-crunching blow to the base of its 
spine and moved on. Despite having obvious skills, and actually knowing 
precisely what she was dealing with - she'd expressed no surprise when 
the vamp had morphed, had in fact been expecting it - she then bypassed 
the first vamp and focused instead on the stoner.

Buffy was, up to this point, ready to take the two of them out as soon 
as the shit hit. It would appear, however, that she no longer needed 
to.

The stoner, true to his nature even undead, had frozen to the spot with 
a slightly befuddled expression. He was staring at the woman, not quite 
following what was happening.

Buffy pulled a stake from her purse, about to dust him from behind. The 
new woman beat her to it though, producing a hunting knife and tossing 
it skillfully through the air, sinking it right through the stoner's 
heart. He looked down at it - confused.

Buffy was about to dust the creature anyway, knowing that metal 
wouldn't do the trick. Apparently this new chick wasn't at hot-shit as 
she seemed to think she was.

The vampire however exploded in an internal incineration cloud. Buffy, 
standing too close, got a mouthful of it and stepped back, choking.

The woman turned back to the original vamp, who was now painfully 
struggling to his feet, despite the damage done. He was on his knees, 
trying to hold his broken back straight, getting it back in place as 
best he could.

The woman kicked him over again, snapping the weakened spine once more. 
She knelt over and dusted him with a short hard thrust, cool and 
precise. She stood and turned back to Buffy, who was still trying to 
clear her lungs of incinerated ex-vampire.

'There was a third,' Buffy spluttered, though most was lost in a 
hacking cough.

'What?'

Ah, hell, actions speak louder than words.

Buffy threw the stake, the woman ducking aside from it, believing 
herself under attack. Until she saw the third vampire, as it exploded 
into dust, Buffy's stake having caught it dead center.

The woman was a little taken aback but kept her cool remarkably well. 
Considering she'd come mere inches from death, she kept her cool 
amazingly well.

'Well, I was about to ask you what you were doing out here this time of 
night,' the woman said. 'But I think that answers my question.'

Buffy knelt to pick up the knife that the woman had thrown into the 
stoner. It had a metallic sheen but its gleam was dull and subdued. It 
was sleek and viciously sharp.

'Same thing as you,' Buffy murmured. She held up the knife, her 
expression a question.

The woman reached for it and Buffy handed it over.

'It's laced with carbon filament,' she explained, opening her long 
leather coat to sheath it against one hip.

Buffy couldn't help but notice the paraphernalia strapped to the woman. 
Not only stakes and knives of every description, but a tazer, a 
machete, knuckles, a folded crossbow, phials of holy water, crucifixes, 
and what looked suspiciously like a large bit of wood with a nail 
through it.

'It's Mrs Rambo,' Buffy remarked.

The woman smiled. 'Jennifer Duke. Call me Duke though, everyone does.'

'Buffy,' Buffy countered, still a little distracted. 'Nice moves, 
Duke.'

'Not so shabby yourself. I'm a rogue demon hunter. You?'

'Vamps mostly,' Buffy admitted. 'But you know, rogues, demons... lions, 
tigers and bears. Whoever comes along really. I'm not speciesist.'

Jennifer smiled, transforming her imposing figure for the first time 
into someone you could imagine being friends with, as long as you 
avoided any arguments.

'Good to hear. I'd offer to walk you home but I'm pretty sure you can 
handle yourself. I'm in town a short while, so I'll probably see you 
around. We seem to hang out in the same nightspots.'

And with that, and an impressive swish of her coat, she was gone again.

Buffy shrugged and decided to call it a night.


					* * *


The sun was close to rising. Spike could feel its sticky heat close to 
his skin. He was unusual for a vampire in that he actually liked this 
time of the morning. That sense of it being neither night nor day, a 
strange limbo period between worlds which he always found strangely 
fitting. Most vampires he knew hated and feared this time and right 
about now would be running for shelter, somewhere safe to haul up for 
the day. Spike however had always been most comfortable in the shadow 
of death. It was where he existed - where he belonged.

The last thing he expected at this time in the morning was to be 
accosted by a demon.

The demon was large and bulky, but basically humanoid. Long robes 
covering a stocky form. A thickly scaled face, almost resembling a tree 
in texture but flatly human features. Large black eyes, perfectly 
circular and only slightly convex. A powerful mouth with scary teeth. 
Its head was hidden by a cowl but Spike could see the sawn off remnants 
of what had once been two horns.

'Hello,' Spike said to the creature. 'You're a demon, which means I can 
hurt you, which means you better tell me what you want, and you better 
be bloody polite about it.'

'What is wrong with you half-breed?' the demon asked him, 'I can feel 
the impotent rage that burns inside you.'

'Now, now, we don't use the "I" word.'

'I must admit, I had wondered why the slayer permits you such freedom. 
But now I see the reason - you are harmless.'

'Watch it pal, I'll show you harmless.'

Already bored with the conversation, Spike decided to end it in the 
manner best suiting his mood. He struck the demon, punching out hard 
and vicious.

The demon caught the blow however, wrapping a metal-gloved claw about 
Spike's wrist and twisting to pin the vampire into helplessness.

'Enough, I see all I need to from you. You are not significant. I am 
sorry to have troubled you. Good day, half-breed.'

And with that, he released Spike and turned around, departing and 
disappearing, cool and majestic into a nearby wooded area.

'Yeah,' Spike shouted after him, 'and don't come back.'

He regarded the area on his arm where the demon had held him. It ached 
with a deep-seated chill. He'd been stronger than he looked.

That was one demon he'd be glad never to encounter again.


					* * *


Willow and Tara were already at the Magic-box when Buffy arrived. She 
hurried through the shop out to the back where Giles was examining 
Willow's throat.

'Willow,' Buffy squealed. 'Oh my God, are you OK, what happened?'

'She's fine,' Tara said quickly, squeezing Willow's hand tenderly. She 
glanced at her girlfriend as though to confirm this was indeed true. 
Willow gave her a brave smile and nodded.

Giles was busy examining a red patch of flesh around Willow's neck. 
Buffy knelt down to see, realizing with horror that it was a handprint. 
Someone had tried to strangle her.

'That's where he grabbed her,' Tara explained. 'He just came out of 
nowhere, neither of us even felt him near until he was on us. It all 
happened so quickly.'

Worrying indeed. Both Willow and Tara were witches, Willow especially 
beginning to show evidence of real power, and for neither of them to 
have felt any disturbance at all meant they were dealing with a very 
tricky customer.

Giles stood, taking off his glasses to wipe them clean. 'Well there is 
some sort of residual trace where he touched you but the good news is 
it appears to be completely benign. It's fading already. I doubt very 
much that there's anything to worry about.'

'OK,' Buffy said, workmanlike, 'tell me everything.'

And they proceeded to do so. They were interrupted halfway through as 
Xander came bursting in. 'Willow?' he cried, seeing her.

'I'm fine,' she insisted. 'Really, no fuss.'

He ran over to her, relieved. They hugged, Willow a little embarrassed 
by all the attention.

'Honestly guys,' she said, 'you'd think none of us ever gets attacked 
or something!'

She began again, relating the tale. A demon accosting Tara and Willow 
in the middle of the street in broad daylight. He'd grabbed Willow, 
lifting her into the air by the throat. Then he'd just stopped. He was 
looking at her, almost with curiosity. He turned her this way and that, 
examining her from either side. Then he simply released her, dropping 
her back to the ground.

'My mistake,' he had rumbled in perfect English, turned on his heels 
and strode purposefully away.

Willow gave the others a description and they'd headed into the main 
shop where they kept the textbooks. And it was as they sat around the 
table, flicking through the numerous volumes of helpful information 
that Anya chose to wander up.

'Hi guys,' she said cheerfully. 'Erm Giles, we have a customer.'

'Well, yes, serve them then. That is after all what you're paid for.'

'It's just that she wants a Eurikst urn and some danst root.'

Giles took a few seconds to register this. He looked up at Anya then 
over to the counter. 'Who?' he asked, suspiciously.


'The tall one.' They all glanced across at the woman in question. 

'Oh my God, it's her!' Buffy said.

They all turned instead to Buffy.

'Her who?' Willow asked.

'Last night I was patrolling and I was about to take down these three 
vamps when little Miss Kung Fu 2000 comes tearing in all Charlie's 
Angels and saves me the bother.'

They wandered up to the counter. The dark-haired woman turned to take 
in the sight of the whole gang.

'Hey, Blondie! Told you we'd meet again. Wasn't expecting it'd be so 
soon though.'

Buffy gestured to the woman. 'Everyone, this is Jennifer Duke.'

'You were after a Eurikst urn?' Giles asked politely.

'Yeah, and some danst root.'

'Do you mind if I ask why?'

She looked at him suspiciously but shrugged. She apparently made him 
for being in the trade. Not that the tweed outfit made him out as 
anything but a quintessential English, English professor. Having Buffy 
by his side however carried a lot of weight.

'I'm hunting down a demon. It's in town somewhere. I think it got here 
in the last day or so.'

'Well, demons are something we certainly have plenty of here in 
Sunnydale, any particularly distinguishing attributes?'

'Your basic ugly critter. Big, scaly, antler-style horns, round black 
eyes.'

'Horns you say? Couldn't have been the one we're after then.'

'Except this guy has a habit of cutting them off. It mutes his demonic 
powers but allows him to think more coherently. Does makes you wonder 
what it is that a demon has to think about.'

Giles glanced at Willow. She had described the stumps of the creature 
that had attacked her. She nodded. She turned back to Jennifer.

'Could we perhaps have a little chat?'

'Sure.'

They went out to the back of the shop. Exercise mats, gym equipment, 
weapons both blunt and sharp.

'Wow, what is this?'

'My training area,' Buffy told her.

'Yours?' Jennifer said, not able to catch herself in time. There was a 
tone of surprise there, that the slight little blonde-thing would even 
know a word like "training".

'Yes,' insisted Buffy, a little testily. 'In order to be the best there 
is at killing vampires, I train.'

And she did a backflip onto the mat to demonstrate. She picked up a 
staff from the weapons rack and began to spin it, fanning it around her 
body, showing off her strength and agility.

Jennifer however had her attention distracted by something else. 'Oh, 
wow, you've got a vaulting horse. I haven't seen one of those since 
high-school.'

Buffy tossed the staff back into its place on the rack, landing it 
precisely in place - a near impossible trick for most mortals. Both 
Giles and Jennifer had missed it however. She stomped huffily back over 
to them.

'May I?' Jennifer asked.

'By all means,' Giles replied.

'Hold this.' And with that she shrugged out of her coat and gave it to 
Giles. Giles however was too stunned to take it.

Beneath the cape-like leather Jennifer Duke wore a tight black T-shirt 
and jeans. The body, so well revealed beneath these, was one of 
incredible development. She was slim and lithe enough to be a gymnast 
but had muscles that could only have come from bodybuilding. A powerful 
chest rippling visibly even through the black shirt; huge shoulders 
leading on out to awesome arms; a strong waist and flared, muscled 
thighs.

Jennifer grasped the handles of the horse and in a slow and controlled 
motion, lifted her bodyweight up and around into a handstand - her arms 
rippling with awesome muscle as she did so.

'Wow!' Giles muttered.

'What do you mean wow?' Buffy whined. 'I can do that. You've seen me do 
that. I never get a "wow".'

Jennifer now transferred her balance, shifting her weight onto one side 
and removing one hand. She was now perfectly balanced on a single 
hand.

The others chose this moment to come in.

'Wow!' Xander gasped.

'Put your tongue in your mouth,' Giles advised, 'I don't think she's 
the kind of woman it's best to annoy.'

'Wow indeed,' Tara agreed.

'She has good arms,' Willow offered.

Jennifer used both hands to dismount, giving a little push to flip 
lightly around onto her feet.

'A girl's got to stay in shape,' she said nonchalantly.

'Even if that shape resembles the She-Hulk,' Xander agreed. 

'I didn't know Amazon could be so literal a term,' Anya murmured. 'I've 
never seen a woman... ripple before.'

'Aren't you supposed to be watching the shop,' Giles asked her.

Anya just kept staring in dreamy fascination at the newcomer. 'I'll 
hear the bell if anyone comes in,' she assured him.

'Is there a new slayer in town?' Xander asked.

'No!' Buffy insisted firmly.

'Oh?' murmured Tara, sounding pretty dreamy herself, 'I think the 
council missed a treat.'

'What is with you guys? What's so special about warrior women? Hello? 
What do I do for a living?'

'You're the Slayer,' Anya said, 'it's all just normal for you.'

'Blondie's the Slayer!' Jennifer repeated incredulous. She managed to
bite back a laugh however, although Buffy was already losing patience.

'And what of it?' Buffy demanded huffily.

'Nothing, I'm sorry. It's just that, I mean, seriously, babe, you're 
like, five foot tall!'

'So?'

'Your arms a skinnier than my...' she was stuck there however. She 
glanced down her bulging physique for a suitable analogy but gave up. 
'His,' she finally settled, pointing to Xander.

'Really?' Buffy said in a dangerously quiet voice. 'Wanna armwrestle?'

She was striding menacingly towards the bodybuilder. Giles stepped 
quickly between them.

'Really Ladies, we have more pressing issues at hand, such as locating 
this demon. Now if Ms Duke can tell us all she knows about it, I'm sure 
that between us we can locate and dispatch it.'

They went back to the front of the shop and hit the books.

Willow caught Tara's hand, pulling her back.

'You're not really into that, are you?' she asked her quietly. 'Coz I'm 
not good at butch.'

'Of course not,' Tara assured her. Unfortunately, Jennifer chose that 
moment to stride past, swinging her coat over one shoulder, arm bulging 
obscenely as she did so. Tara's gaze followed every motion, helpless to 
do otherwise.

'OK, what we need to know is why it's here,' Giles stated.

Tara was sat, deliberately blocking the tempting sight of Jennifer with 
a large book rested upright on the table. Willow was sitting sulkily 
beside her, just as deliberately not noticing the effort. 

Xander was sitting besides Jennifer, trying not to stare at her 
tremendous arms. Anya was sat beside him, also staring in fascination, 
but doing so with unabashed and unapologetic scrutiny.

Buffy sat, still feeling slightly disgruntled. Giles stood, feeling 
like he was back at the high school.

Jennifer shrugged, as though above it all. 'It's been drawn here by 
something, some kind of power center,' she explained.

'We're on a Hellmouth, you know,' Buffy said, almost with a note of 
pride, 'we're a kind of magnet for these things.'

'Even so,' Jennifer said, 'I think it's something else. It's not a 
mindless creature, it doesn't just blindly follow its urges. It has a 
plan. It has intent.'

'I agree,' Giles said. 'It's unlikely that it's the Hellmouth itself 
that's drawn it.'

It was Spike who provided the next useful clue.

They were interrupted by a rapid hammering on the back door. Urgent. 
Panicked even.

Buffy sighed and went to let him in, as though resigned to an annoying 
dog that you'd simply given up on trying to train.

She pulled open the back door. With a sizzle and a gasp Spike burst in. 
He tossed the blanket off and straightened his hair.

'You guys really need to get yourself a decent sewer access,' he told 
them.

Jennifer was up and running at him in a second.

She'd produced a stake from somewhere and was more than ready to use 
it.

Spike leapt back against the door, instantly burning his neck on the 
sunlight through the window. He swore, jumping forward again, nearly 
knocking over Buffy, who had stepped up to block Jennifer. 

Buffy steadied herself to stand firm between Spike and Jennifer, her 
hands raised out to stop the big woman - with physical force if it 
came to it.

Jennifer however, held back.

'The Slayer turns her back on a vampire?'

'He's not a vampire,' she said. 'Well he is a vampire, but not like you 
think. He's good.'

'I am not!' Spike insisted, offended. 'I'm bad to the bone.'

'OK,' she sighed, 'he's bad. But he's not dangerous.'

'Not dangerous!' Spike began, offended, but he stopped. He'd finally 
taken a proper look at the woman in question. Suddenly he thought 
better of promoting his bad attitude. 'Bloody hell, what is it with the 
chicks in this town?'

'Spike, not that we don't love it when you drop by, but what do you 
want?'

'Couldn't sleep,' he complained. 'Some beastie touched me this morning 
just before sun-up. Left a mark. It's all itchy. Thought you guys might 
have some ointment or something.'

The gang suddenly found Spike's plight more interesting.

Giles examined the red patch on his arm while they exchanged stories.

'So it senses something, or thinks it senses something about both 
Willow and Spike. Which means, this thing has to be something they've 
both come into contact with or something they're both close to.'

It was all it took for Buffy to glance anxiously at Giles. There was 
only one power center she could think of that applied. Dawn. She saw in 
Giles' expression that he was thinking the same thing.

'I've got to get back to Mom and Dawn,' she said. 'It may not go after 
them but I can't take the chance. They could be next.' She turned 
towards Jennifer. 'You can really hunt this thing down?'

'It's a simple spell. I'll need one of the witches to help me.'

Tara sat up as though electrocuted.

'Ooo,' she said brightly. Then she caught Willow's expression - her 
face dark. 'Willow can do that, she's a really good witch,' she said 
quickly. 'I should probably go back with Buffy.' She sat back again, 
wishing she could sink right into the seat.

'Spike?' Buffy asked, expectantly.

'What? Me? Oh, I'll help out muscles, as long as she promises not to 
stake me.'

'I ain't promising a thing,' Jennifer told him.

'I'll take the chance.' He grinned at Jennifer. 'I bet you like um bad, 
don't you. Are you sure you're completely human? I could swear there's 
a little bit of Swaqua demon in you.'

Jennifer didn't rise to him. Everyone else just looked blank.

'Swaqua. An ancient matriarchal warrior race, probably gave birth to 
all the Amazon legends. Big lasses.' He looked a Tara and gave her a 
salacious wink. 'You'd like them,' he assured her. Tara blushed and 
buried her face.


					* * *


They used the back room. Buffy and Tara had left, leaving the others to 
perform the spell.

'What do you need me to do?' Willow asked, always jazzed at the thought 
of performing real magic.

'I'm gonna generate a phasing delta field around us, I just need you to 
focus on it, watch my bases, keep it in balance.'

'Oh, OK,' Willow agreed, a little disappointed. It was as if someone 
had asked an ace mechanic to check the tire pressure while they 
themselves fine-tuned the engine.

'And I need your local knowledge,' Jennifer assured her. 'We've got a 
map here. You know the area, so when I get a lock-down on him, I'll 
need you to filter the energy and mark the map where it guides you.'

Willow shrugged and sat opposite the woman. A spell was a spell after 
all.

Giles watched them, as did Xander and Anya. Spike was in the bathroom, 
rubbing moisturizing cream into his arm, openly cursing his cohorts.

Jennifer conjured the basic energies, wrapping her hands in the air 
around an invisible ball.

Willow watched, impressed as this woman drew power from the air around 
her, sucking the magic from the very ether. Her fingers wove in and out 
and the ball condensed, spreading tendrils of energies, crackling like 
static.

Jennifer's arms hardened and flexed as the invisible powers built and 
became more intense. Willow tried not to let the shocking development 
of the woman's muscles distract her from the job in hand. She watched 
as Jennifer swept her arms around in a circle, making the biceps bulge 
with unreal magnitude - was the magic actually distorting her vision? 
Surely that couldn't be right, no ones biceps were that big!

Jennifer smashed the Eurikst urn and streams of energy were thrown 
around the two of them.

It went through Willow like a hit of adrenaline. And she had to admit 
that it felt good. There was something incredibly pure about the energy 
handled here, as though it were somehow distilled.

But she couldn't be distracted by the pleasure of it either. There was 
a job to be done, however mundane her part may be.

'You know it's funny,' Xander remarked as they watched the performance. 
'You guys probably don't see it because you're normally so important to 
whatever's happening. But me, I'm used to being the fifth wheel so I 
can see straight away when it happens to other people.'

'Fifth wheel?' Giles asked, sounding a little put out at the idea.

'She knows more about this monster than Mr Research, can do the spell 
better than the witches. Even Buffy feels redundant. Or at least she 
feels Duke can do the job well enough without her, so much so that 
she's happy to take off and leave her to it.'

'Buffy's first consideration is for Dawn,' Giles insisted, 'and Joyce,' 
he added quickly.

Xander shrugged, 'hey, no judgment, I just think it's funny, that's 
all. You're all getting a tiny taste of what my position is like.'

Anya thought this through. 'So if you're normally the fifth wheel. And 
now suddenly this uber-chick comes along and makes everyone else 
completely insignificant in comparison. Then, what does that make you? 
In comparison to everyone else?'

Xander thought this argument through. 'What do I see in you?' he asked, 
lacking any other argument for defense.

Anya pouted. 'Customer,' she announced and went to the main shop, 
despite the fact that no one else had heard the bell ring.

Jennifer was struggling with unseen forces, her hands in the air before 
her, wrestling with an intense energy field. A sheen of sweat coated 
her tanned arms and shoulders, the exertions making her muscles stand 
out like polished wood. Veins crossed the taut slabs of muscles, like 
wires holding up a suspension bridge.

She shook her head in frustration, finally releasing her grip and 
casting the field off in disgust.

Sudden cut free, Willow gasped and fell backwards. Waves of intense 
pleasure cracked vigorously up and down her body. She shuddered as it 
finally faded.

Jennifer stood and shook herself, rubbing life back into her arms.

'What went wrong?' Giles asked.

'I don't know. He's under some sort of cover. He's blocking all magic 
from coming down on him.' She turned to Willow who was finally, 
shakily, getting to her feet. 'You OK, Red?'

'Is it always so... pronounced when you do magic?' Willow asked, still 

a little breathless.

'It was how I was taught,' Jennifer told her. 'I know I lack a certain 
subtlety but it serves me well enough for the kind of spells I use.' 
She smiled and gave Willow a knowing wink. 'Besides, I'm a firm 
believer in the maxim "If it don't hurt just a little bit then you 
ain't doing it right."'

Back to research. They sat at the table, investigating the ritual that 
had just failed them.

'OK,' Giles announced, having found what he was after. 'He can stay 
concealed by his own protective field, within which he is impervious to 
harm via magic and also cannot be located be means of magic. The field 
has to be revitalized on a daily basis by encircling the relevant area 
with extracts of the wise-blood, whose roots must have taken within the 
grounds.'

'That's a plant,' Anya said. 'Nasty thing. It feeds on animal blood and 
forms a kind of psychic bond with its owner. The extract is this milky 
stuff it excretes.'

Giles nodded. 'So this demon has actually set up base here. And he's 
gone to a lot of trouble to make it homely.'

'Doesn't sound like a fleeting visit,' Willow said.

'No,' Jennifer agreed. 'Our boy has purpose. This wise-blood plant, can 
he have had it with him, planted it, done whatever ritual was 
necessary? Or would he have bought it locally?'

'They're notoriously difficult to move,' Anya said. 'He probably had to 
buy it locally.'

'Willy the snitch?' Willow suggested.

'Willy the snitch,' Giles agreed.

'Willy the snitch?' Jennifer asked. 'I love this town. With a name like 
that, what other line is the guy gonna go into?'

Spike finally surfaced, as if sensing that all the actual work had been 
done.

'So, are we happy bunnies?' Spike asked, pretending not to notice the 
way Anya flinched at the word. 'Are we gonna go get medieval with this 
dude?


					* * *


The bar was dark and full of low and shadowy characters. Jennifer 
instinctively reached for a weapon. Spike grabbed her arm.

'Take it easy Wonder Woman, this place is strictly neutral.'

She eased off, but he still felt the muscles, hard and tensed beneath 
the leather coat.

'Take your hand off me vampire,' she warned in a voice that was 
anything but easy, 'or you'll lose it.'

Spike released her. 'Just remember. Neutral.'

Giles led the way to the bar, to the weasel-like figure of Willy the 
snitch standing behind it.

'Hey, I'm not telling you guys anything,' he barked at their purposeful 
approach. 'You can do what you like, hit me, torture me, but I'm not in 
the snitching game anymore.' He seemed to suddenly realize something. 
'Hey, where's the blonde girl? Great. Oh, in that case, I'm really NOT 
gonna tell you anything.'

Giles turned to look at Xander. 'Take Jenny's coat will you?'

Xander smiled and happily took Jennifer's coat.

Willy the snitch stared at the tall, dark looking woman who now stared 
back at him. He looked at the kind of muscles that one would normally 
associate with the baser forms of demons, the lower evolved ones. 
Primitive and brutish.

But the owner of this particular body, large and voluminous though it 
was, was quite clearly human - and a woman at that. And the eyes burned 
with an undeniable intelligence, as well as, at this moment, a dark and 
forbidding purpose.

His arm was lying on the bar between them. Jennifer's hand reached 
gently to it and took a grip around it, as though consoling the man. 
Then she squeezed.

Willy the snitch's dumb shock of this woman's presence, the mesmerizing 
power her physique had by its mere display of musculature, was 
instantly dissipated by the intense pain felt when she squeezed.

She stood perfectly still and quiet as she did this, as though the 
application of such torture was nothing to her.

Spike however, was less calm.

'Yeah, baby, mess him up. Break his legs.'

She turned to the excitable vampire, her expression a question.

'What?' he insisted defensively. 'It's not like I can do this stuff 
myself anymore.'

They got the location from Willy the snitch without any further hassle. 
Despite Spike's enthusiasm, Jennifer did not hurt him any more than 
that initial bone-grinding squeeze. This alone had however, put Giles 
out a little.

'I thought I said just intimidate him,' he said, his tone stern.

Jennifer shrugged. 'Physical pain can be very intimidating.'


					* * *


It was a deserted car lot. The cracked and weatherworn sign still 
somehow standing above the ramshackle building. A front office, a 
warehouse attached behind.

Willow had her hands out before her, feeling the air.

'This is the place alright,' she said.

Jennifer took the lead, pulling a machete from her belt.

She opened the front gate with a hefty kick. The lock was rusted but 
still strong. The wood surrounding it however was not and it took only 
that one blow to rip the whole thing from the gate, giving them access.

She used a similar technique on the front office, kicking the door 
right off of its hinges.

She walked in, Spike following, the others behind him.

No demon.

'Guess our boy's not home.'

'He's been here, though.'

On the old counter lay books of ritual, instruments for magic, phials 
and jars.

A map of Sunnydale had been pinned to a wall. It was new, crisp, but 
there were burnt sections. He'd been performing location spells of his 
own it would appear. They didn't investigate further however, 
distracted by the sound of movement through the back door. It led out 
to the warehouse.

Jennifer nodded to Spike, held the machete high and slammed open the 
door.

A stumbling creature was heading towards them, through the poor light 
of the warehouse. It was humanoid but badly formed somehow, as though 
only roughly assembled from clay. Muddy brown and even. A child's 
attempt at modeling.

It walked with a lumbering gait and hardly seemed threatening, despite 
its obvious approach on them.

'That's not him,' Spike remarked as he and Jennifer stepped forward 
into the warehouse.

'Guardians?' she suggested.

The creature finally reached them, arms aloft, bulky misshapen fingers 
writhing like insects. It's mouth - what looked more like a hole bore 
into clay - opened and moving, though no sound issued from it.

Whether by accident or design, the assault came from behind at the same 
time.

Giles, Anya, Willow and Xander were hanging back, watching the creature 
approach, unaware of the second one, which lumbered through the front 
office, towards their rear. It lumbered clumsily through the doorway, 
Xander finally turned to see it.

He called a warning to the others as it stepped in seeming slow motion 
through into the warehouse, trapping them.

Meanwhile, the first fell on Jennifer.

She'd been distracted by Xander's call, but turned in time to see it 
lunge at her. She swung with her blade.

The creature was too slow and stupid to block her assault, but its 
defense was far more primitive and effective. 

Though the blade fell eight inches into the beast, rending between neck 
and shoulder, down into the breast, it didn't even notice the assault. 
There was no blood, no entrails, no bone. Just the same even 
consistency, like cutting into earth.

Jennifer still held the machete tight, even as the lumbering creature 
moved forward, uncaring that doing so drove the machete further into 
its shoulder. The blade sank into the creature right up to the hilt, 
before she finally released her grip on the handle. The wound had 
already begun to close, sealing itself around the steel.

The creature's arms came down upon Jennifer, hands reaching forward to 
crush her. It grabbed her mighty shoulders, grinding its fingers down, 
forcing her backwards.

She gasped in pain at the awesome strength of the beast but wasted no 
time, slamming her arms up to knock its hold off, batting away its 
arms.

She punched up at it, slamming her fist squarely into its chest. It was 
like punching the ground. And equally ineffectual.

The thick arms were gunning for her again and she fell on her back, the 
creature lumbering over her, reaching down.

She kicked out and threw herself backwards, scurrying out of its range.

The others were busy with the second monster. It was slow enough that 
they could keep back, avoid its lumbering attack.

Spike swept in, fists flying, but the golem felt nothing; blows fell 
upon it with no effect.

It swept its mighty arms about, catching Spike a heavy blow to the 
chest and sending him flying across the warehouse floor.

Jennifer nearly tripped over him, backing away as she was from her own 
opponent.

'Any ideas?' she asked, back against the vampire.

'Aren't you supposed to be the expert?'

'Yeah,' she muttered.

The automaton approached. Her machete was still sticking out of the now 
completely healed shoulder.

She jumped towards the beast, planting a heavy kick high on its chest. 
It stumbled a little, momentarily stolen of balance. Jennifer kicked 
again, high and right to the head, knocking it backwards.

It fell down straight, like a slab of stone, driving the machete up out 
of its body most of the way.

Jennifer leapt forward, grasping the blade and tugging it free.

'Mine, I think.'

Even floored, it grabbed for her as she came in close. But her machete 
was free and she swept backhanded, hacking the limb right off.

Again - no pain, no blood. Just a clean cut, like a cook dividing 
dough.

The other arm came up and she hacked that one off too, slicing through 
the upper arm.

The first arm however was not yet dead, bucking like a caught fish, the 
fingers grasping the air. It had caught a hold of her arm and its grip 
had lost nothing despite being separated from the rest of the body.

She grabbed hold of its wrist and prized it free. It took all her 
considerable strength but she managed to wrench it off. Holding the arm
up, she watched the wriggling fingers, amazed at the way they still 
reached out for her determined to do her damage.

She inverted the arm and slammed it fingers first hard against the 
ground, smashing the hand with all her might.

The fingers were completely mangled, surely beyond repair. But there 
before her eyes they straightened and again strained to assault her.

She brought the arm down hard against her blade, slicing the fingers 
off.

They fell away, still wriggling but finally rendered harmless.

The other arm had closed on her, fingers dragging the hefty limb across 
the ground towards her.

She stamped down, smashing the fingers flat beneath her heel. She then 
neatly sliced the fingers away from the hand. She watched closely but 
it seemed that once two pieces had been completely separated they did 
not heal again, remaining parted.

The main body had managed to stand without aid of its arms, though it 
stumbled a bit.

She faced the beast and got a suitable hold on her machete. Then she 
ran at it.

She dived low, leading with the machete held stretched between her 
hands, her left hand bracing the back of the blade.

Placing the length of the blade across its waist, she used both arms to 
force the steel to cut the creature right through, slicing him neatly 
into two.

It fell backwards again. This time, momentum made the top half fall 
further away, a clear foot between it and the legs.

Jennifer turned to see how her companions were doing with the other 
one.

Not so good it would appear.

It held Xander by the throat in one arm, Giles by the shoulder in the 
other. 

Willow tried to help Giles get free while Anya struggling to help 
Xander. Spike was behind the creature, wrestling with it to no avail.

Jennifer pulled Spike off, eased the machete around the beast's neck 
and pulled back, neatly decapitating it.

The head fell forward, bouncing on the ground and rolling away. The 
golem however failed to relent in his assault on the others.

Jennifer sighed and hacked off the arms.

Both Giles and Xander fell backwards, the severed arms still clutched 
tightly to them.

Xander, now turning blue, was in the most obvious need so she stepped 
forward and wrestled the arm off, prizing the fingers away from his 
neck.

Spike did likewise with Giles, victoriously holding the arm up, a 
little surprised by the insistent fingers at the top.

He saw Jennifer slice the fingers off the arm she held, then the hand 
at the wrist, just for good measure. 'Could I borrow that?'

Everyone collected themselves, massaging bruises.

'Everyone OK?' Jennifer asked.

A subdued chorus of affirmatives.

She turned at the insistent head-butting of a limbless torso. She shook 
her head, wearily. A pair of legs stumbled around behind the upper 
half, trying with little success to walk along in a straight line.

She sighed and gestured for Spike to throw her the machete.


					* * *


Buffy was restless. She sat on the couch, unable to relax.

'I should be out there,' she insisted, 'I'm the slayer, after all, I 
should be slaying things. I slay, therefore I am.'

'Duke can handle it OK,' Tara assured her. 'At least you know Joyce and 
Dawn are OK. Who better to protect them?'

'Yes, you're right,' she sighed, reluctantly. 'I just wonder where the 
others are right now.'

'I'm sure they're fine. They've got Duke to look after them. I bet 
she's taken out loads of demons.'

Buffy shot her a look. 'You know, you're not helping.'

'Sorry. I know she's not a slayer or anything, but you've got to admit, 
she's pretty bad-ass for a mortal girl.'

Joyce came in, presenting them with sandwiches and juice.

'Where's Dawn?' Buffy demanded quickly.

'She's in her room,' her mother assured her. 'Honestly Buffy, what's 
got you so upset?'

Buffy sighed. 'Just a feeling.'

It was then they heard the clatter outside. Nothing really to raise the 
alarm, but Buffy was jumpy. In fact, she was more than jumpy, she was 
half hoping there was something outside - something to pound. Being 
cooped up, if only for an evening, didn't suit her.

She went out the front door and saw them immediately - two hulking 
figures. They looked like rock effigies brought to life. Actually 
that's exactly what they were, but Buffy's concern right now was simply 
to stop them.

They lumbered forward, raising their lumpen arms towards her like 
Romero zombies.

Gladdened to be in on the action once again, Buffy leapt at the first, 
a flying kick to the torso.

It was surprisingly resilient, its bulk absorbing her momentum. She 
practically bounced off of it, barely shaking its foundation.

She recovered instantly, sweeping a leg around to fell it, but the legs 
proved just as sturdy.

She was up again, fists flying, not even needing her supernatural speed 
to land blows past the lumbering arms.

It barely seemed to react to her punches however - the clay-like face 
not capable of registering anything more than the crude approximation 
of features its creator had seen fit to grant it.

Buffy realized however that she had managed to slow the beast. She knew 
this because the other had passed her and was halfway up to the house.

Tara stood at the doorway. Buffy called out to her as she back-kicked 
the beast she was fighting and leapt towards the other.

'Go back in the house. Take Mom and Dawn. Get them out of here!'

She leapt on the back of the brute that was plodding steadily towards 
the house. She wrapped a powerful arm around the thick, earthy 
approximation of neck, and she twisted with every ounce of her slayer-
strength.

The head folded aside appropriately, but she felt no crunch - no sick 
snap of bones. Shouldn't bones have broken by now? What's more - it did 
little to slow the beast.

It waved its arms up and back, swatting her a heavy slap, though more 
through accident than design.

Buffy held on however, grabbing the offending arm and tugging it 
backward with all her considerable might. Again, there was the 
disconcerting lack of breaking bone and Buffy began to appreciate what 
the creatures really were.

She leapt off the giant's back, but kept a tight hold on its arm, 
pulling it further than the alignment of any normal animal could have 
suffered without ripping the humerous apart. She found her footing, 
positioned her balance and shifted her gravity.

She threw the monster across her back, making it sail through the air 
above her before slamming it bodily against the ground - the solid 
impact shuddering in waves through the earth like a detonation.

Hoping that would slow it at least, Buffy returned her attention to the 
first creature again. It had passed by the scuffle and continued its 
lumbering path up the drive.

Looking up, Buffy also saw the welcome appearance of a car as it 
screeched to a halt. The cavalry had finally arrived.

Duke was in the lead, sword in one hand, knife in the other.

'These things don't die,' Buffy whined.

'Sure they do,' Duke assured her confidently, 'you just have to be more 
persuasive.'

Giles was more urgent, coming up just behind her. 'Where's the demon?' 
He demanded.

'Are these not demons?' Buffy asked, confused.

'Find Dawn!' he hissed - and that was enough to shake her into moving. 
She turned and ran back into the house.

Giles turned to Duke. 'Follow her,' he ordered.

She was not one to take orders, but his tone was not one of mindless 
dictatorship, it was one of desperate knowledge.

Even so, she paused just a moment. 'You can handle these two?'

If there had been any doubt in his voice she wouldn't have left him - 
but there was none.

'Oh yes,' he assured her. He had a canvas carryall which he now opened 
and pulled out a large chainsaw.

Duke couldn't help but smile as she followed Buffy into the house.


					* * *


Buffy found the demon in the kitchen. It had her mom and Dawn backed 
terrified, huddled in the corner. Tara stood before them, conjuring all 
her magics to ward it off, but Buffy could see they were failing.

Tara gasped in pain and the demon stepped forward, shattering her 
lightshow with a cruel twist of an iron glove. 

He then strode up to Tara and backhanded her, his mighty bulk slapping 
her across the kitchen to thump bruising into the pine finished 
paneling.

The demon then turned his attention to Dawn, cradled as she was in her 
mother's arms. He spoke - his voice a cold and even tone. 'I can see 
you, little glimmer.'

'Hey,' Buffy yelled, drawing his attention, 'why don't you try picking 
on someone my size.'

The demon turned as Buffy launched a spinning kick to its head.

The blow swung the beast to the side, its long and bulky body twisting 
to ride the force.

OK, so he was as sturdy as his guardians, but at least his body reacted 
in a manner she recognized. Which meant she knew how to damage him.

She rained punches upon him, and damage was indeed done, but his brute 
strength was undeniable. The simple evidence being that he was still 
standing after such an assault.

The demon returned her offence, slamming a metal-gloved hand down into 
her face. Buffy rode the blow, returning with a muscular speed he could 
not match.

But he wasn't tiring, and Buffy knew she couldn't keep up unless she 
could weaken her foe.

His next blow caught her by surprise and she staggered back, dazed and 
blooded.

But Duke had arrived and she was fresh for fighting.

She swept into the battle leading with the heavy sword, lunging into 
him with all her unrestrained muscle.

The demon caught the blade, gripping it and twisting the thrust to the 
side, managing to divert the killing strike.

Revealing just how strong he really was, the demon then ripped the 
sword out of Duke's grasp and tossed it aside.

'You fight me so,' the demon spoke, his intonation without any trace of 
emotion or passion, 'but you do not realize my purpose. Cease this 
assault - my duty is performed only out of the direst necessity.'

'You'll forgive me for not deferring to the duty of a demon,' Duke 
hissed and slammed a fist into his belly.

She hadn't expected the usual groan, wheeze and collapse from an 
opponent such as he, but was still shocked by his sturdiness. She hoped 
he was wearing some kind of enchanted body armor. If not, this fight 
was likely to be a difficult one.

She slammed a meaty fist about and sucker-punched him, smacking the 
side of his head with a cracking blow.

The force knocked him sideways and she followed with a weighty kick to 
the head.

The demon actually staggered and, heartened by her success, Duke 
followed up, jumping up to elbow the back of his skull and then bring 
her knee up to his falling face.

He recovered quickly however, grabbing her wrists and pulling her off 
of him. He used his size to force her backwards, but Duke stood her 
ground, flexing her muscles to hold him off.

It was a battle of brute strength, one that Jennifer realized with a 
disconcerting shock, she wasn't going to win.

Her muscles swelled and popped as she fought the demon, inch for inch, 
trying to overpower him, determined not to submit.

She was shuddering now, unable to match him, knowing her strength would 
give out. But she did have a limber flexibility he did not, and 
furthermore, did not suspect.

Without warning, her body launched forward and planted a vicious 
headbutt squarely into his scaly features. She felt something give with 
a satisfying crunch.

The demon's strength wavered, and Duke pulled free and punched out, 
knocking him backwards and allowing her to retreat.

She gasped at her escape and grasped at her agonized muscles - it can 
only have been moments before her body broke within his grasp.

Buffy took the opportunity to step up, slamming powerful fists at the 
now even uglier face.

The demon was weakened finally and this time she felt her fists do 
their work well, gaining ground on him with every crunching blow.

She knocked him to the floor, but her assault continued as she fell 
upon him, raining blows.

He wasn't done yet however. She noticed he'd slipped off a glove but 
too late to react. A scaly claw of a hand clutched at her chest and a 
wave of such coldness emanated into her.

She felt as though ice had been injected into her very heart.

The demon battered her aside with ridiculous ease. Buffy collapsed 
backward gasping for breath. The very air seemed to have frozen within 
her lungs.

Obviously weakened but still more than capable of inflicting damage, 
the demon roused himself and turned murderously towards Dawn. She still 
cowered in the corner with Joyce.

Duke saw this and she threw herself into the demon's path, throwing a 
punch that, though sapped of her usual murderous strength, was still 
capable of felling a normal man. Or demon for that matter.

But he caught her fist in his scaled grip, his strength still 
unnaturally potent. The same icy vapor that had incapacitated Buffy 
sliced into her knuckles. He squeezed, grinding her bones together.

She gasped in pain but refused to move aside, holding out until the 
very last. Even if he crushed her hand in his grip, she would not 
willingly step away.

'Fool,' he hissed, a hint of spite finally etching into his voice, 'you 
know nothing of true strength. It comes not from muscles. It comes from 
knowledge. Knowledge of what must be done, no matter what. You think 
you are saving a life? One life is nothing compared to the price we 
will all pay if she is not destroyed.'

But Buffy also knew of strength. The sight of Dawn, helpless and 
reliant completely upon Buffy to save her.

The ice in her heart was nothing compared to the desperate love she 
felt for her family. There was nothing she would not do to protect 
them. It fuelled limbs that should not function - it gave her strength 
when there should be nothing left.

Stepping up behind the demon, she grabbed it by the neck and belt.

'You wanna know about strength?' she hissed determinedly at the demon, 
and heaved him into the air, holding him at arms' length above her 
head.

She pulled him down across her knee, snapping his spine with a 
resonating crack.

The demon slumped, broken in half. When Buffy released her grip on him 
he slid heavily to the ground.

Buffy turned away and fell upon her family, pulling them into a 
desperate hug, the tears already poring from her in a gasping flood.

The demon was slain but had a little breath left in his lungs. Before 
the final death rattle issued from his dying body, he made a final 
offering.

'She is not your sister. When SHE comes, you'll wish that I killed her. 
When SHE comes, you'll wish I killed you all.'

Lying exhausted and spent, Duke responded by giving the demon a final 
vindictive kick. But he was already dead.

'Not bad, Blondie,' Duke grinned, exhausted.

'Not so bad yourself - for a mortal chick.'


					* * *


They waved at Jennifer as she tore away on her motorbike, looking like 
a devil in leather.

'You know I'm actually gonna miss her,' Buffy sighed. Then headed back 
into the shop without a look back. Spike was already stood there, in 
the shade.

'Yeah, right,' he laughed, 'there's only room for one superhero in this 
town, and you know it.'

Giles followed them in. Then Anya, who turned suddenly to Xander. 'Have 
you ever thought about taking up bodybuilding?' she asked him 
pointedly.

'Have you?' he replied, just as pointedly.

Tara and Willow were the last.

'Do you really go for that?' Willow asked, her voice fretful. 'Coz I 
know a spell, and you know, I could just go poof, and I'd have muscles 
just like hers. I'm not sure any of my clothes would fit, but then I 
was assuming that if I looked like that you wouldn't want me to be 
wearing any...'

'Stop,' Tara told her, giggling. She took Willow's hands in her own. 
'Please, Willow, don't be silly. It's you I love - you I fell in love 
with. And I love you just the way you are.'

'OK,' Willow said slowly, unconvinced.

'Have I ever given you any reason to think I don't find you sexy as 
hell?'

Willow smiled, more reassured this time. 'I guess not.'

'And is there anything about our intimacy you find lacking?' Tara asked 
her, assuredly.

Willow grinned - lecherous this time. 'No,' she agreed, just as 
certain.

'Then what are you worried about?'

They walked back into the shop to join the others - hand in hand.