STOP IT, DAD. STOP TALKING LIKE YOU'RE DYING.

[ 5.20 ]

"A-and then whoosh! All of a sudden, Glory's standing right there in front of us, all skanky and blonde and thinkin' she's all that just 'cause some bumpy heads kiss her stinky feet..." Dawn paused to think about it. "She does have nice feet. A-and she's comin' right at us, and Buffy and Teddy are just standing there not even blinking, like "Bring it on," and then, wham!" She smacked one fist into another. "Hell-bitch in orbit."

"Go, Buff!" Xander cheered.

The entire gang was gathered in Xander's apartment. It was the only safe place to hide after Glory's attack, and they couldn't stay there long.

When Glory realized that Dawn was the key, Buffy and Teddy instantly ran off with her. The god didn't pay any mind to Willow, Tara, and Kitty. Glory managed to track them across campus, and it really looked like she was going to get away with Dawn. Though Dawn was spinning some fantastic tale, it really came down to luck.

"I knew you'd best Glory eventually," Giles told her. "I mean all-all our years of training—"

"A truck hit her," Buffy stated while looking through the blinds, searching for any signs of Glory.

Giles' smile dropped. "Oh."

"You threw it at her?" Kitty asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's cool."

"Well, no," Dawn said, frowning. "They more kind of waited for it to hit Glory. Uh, but then Buffy and Teddy ran really fast and we got away."

"I don't know how we got away," Buffy admitted. "That truck couldn't have slowed her down for more than a second."

"It doesn't make sense," Teddy agreed. "With the super speed, catching us should've been easy."

"Well, how isn't important, all that matters is that the three of you are safe," Giles told them.

Buffy instantly scoffed. "Safe? We've barely been able to manage not getting seriously dead every time we've crossed paths with Glory. Now that she knows that Dawn is the key?"

"There must be something in the Book of Tarnis that we've missed, something we can use against Glory," he said. Buffy shook her head and went back to watching the window.

"Piano!" Anya suddenly exclaimed.

Xander nodded. "Because that's what we used to kill that big demon that one time!" he said, earning confused frowns from all of them. "No wait, that-that was a rocket launcher. Ahn, what are you talking about?"

"We should drop a piano on her," she suggested. "Well, it always works for that creepy cartoon rabbit when he's running from that nice man with the speech impediment."

Giles rolled his eyes. "Yes, or perhaps we could paint a convincing tunnel on the side of a mountain," he said sarcastically.

"It'd be really sick if we could do that, though," Kitty said, resting her head on the back of the couch. Tara mindlessly reached to mess with her hair, and Kitty let her.

"Let's just keep thinking, everyone," Giles said. "Perhaps we should reassemble at the magic shop, see if there's anything—"

"We can't fight her," Buffy interrupted.

Giles was surprised by her bluntness. "W-well not yet, no, but—"

"No, not ever. She's too strong, Giles. We're not gonna win this with, with stakes, or spells, or pulling out some uranium power core. She's a god and she's coming for us. So let's just not be here when she starts knocking."

"Run away?" Anya asked, raising her eyebrows. Buffy just looked at her. "Finally, a sensible plan."

"That's not what she meant," Xander said, shaking his head. "Is it?"

"It is," Teddy said, moving to stand by Buffy. She knew her limits and they needed to accept that.

"Well, we can't stay here! She'll just kill us off one by one until there's no one left standing between her and Dawn," Buffy told them.

"Buffy, we all understand the severity of the situation, but there must be another way," Giles said, who hated the idea of running.

"No. We stay, we die. Show of hands for that option," she said harshly. And everyone remained silent. "All right. Nobody goes home, nobody tells anybody we're leaving. Just pack up whatever supplies we need and that's it, we're gone."

"Cool. Don't have to study for that geometry test," Dawn said quietly, trying to look on the bright side even though she was scared.

"What about wheels?" Xander asked. "I don't think everybody's gonna fit in the Xandermobile."

"Just get your stuff together. I'll handle the rest," Buffy told them.

"And so that's a 'no' on going home to get my stuffed animals?" Kitty questioned. It earned unimpressed looks from Buffy and Teddy. "Right. Nonessential."

"You can take my Funshine Bear," Xander offered. "Don't think there's gonna be much fun on this trip anyway."

♡︎

No one was really sure where Buffy went after she left the apartment. But after gathering weapons and food, everyone waited on a bench near the Magic Shop where Buffy told them to wait.

"Anybody else feel that?" Anya suddenly asked.

"What?" Willow asked.

"Cold draft of paralyzing fear," she muttered.

"Oh, yeah, totally," Kitty said, leaning against Teddy's shoulder.

"We just need to stay calm," Giles told them.

"Calm," Willow said skeptically, "right."

"Hey, we gotta be like Sergeant Rock. Cool and collected in the face of overwhelming odds," Xander said, nodding his head.

"Overwhelming?" Anya questioned. "How much more than whelming would that be exactly?"

"Look, everything will be all right, we just need to stay here calmly. As soon as Buffy arrives—"

Giles cut himself off when a large, beat-up Winnebago pulled up and came to a screeching halt in front of them. Kitty leaned around the front and saw that the windshield was covered with aluminum foil, except for a small square that must have been where the driver's seat was. Then the door swung open so that they could enter.

"—we'll feel oddly worse," Giles muttered, eying the vehicle that looked ready to fall apart.

Despite how the Winnebago looked, they all grabbed their things and lined up to get on. There was a closed-off bedroom and bathroom, a table with a booth to sit at, and a little kitchenette. Buffy was already sitting at the table and studying maps of the area.

Kitty had to do a double-take when she saw Spike sitting in the driver's seat — it explained why the windows were covered. He was wearing thick black goggles to protect his eyes from the part of the windshield not covered in foil. Kitty giggled at how goofy he looked.

"What's he doing here?" Giles asked grimly.

"Just out for a jaunt. Thought I'd swing by and say howdy," Spike said, smirking.

"Out," he ordered.

Buffy looked up from the maps. "He's here because we need him."

"The hell we do," Xander muttered bitterly.

"If Glory finds us, he's the only one besides me that has any chance of protecting Dawn," she argued.

"But Ted!" he said, pointing to the Cupid.

Teddy shook his head. "I can fight, but it's not like I have super strength," he reminded them.

Xander sighed. "Buffy, come on—"

Buffy jumped up angrily. "Look, this isn't a discussion! He stays. Get over it," she said. Then she grabbed the maps and stormed into the back room, slamming the door.

"I'll go check on her," Teddy said, going after her.

Spike had a huge grin on his face as Giles glared at him. "Buckle up, kids. Daddy's puttin' the hammer down."

Then he put the RV in gear and floored it. Kitty quickly clutched the wall to keep from falling back.

"There is nothing to buckle up with!" Kitty whined as Spike made a turn on two wheels.

"Stop the car!" Giles shouted in frustration. "You may be coming along but you are not driving!"

Spike grumbled the entire time as he pulled the Winnebago over and swapped with Giles. And since a vampire wasn't driving, Giles cut a large hole in the foil. Dawn, Willow, Tara, and Anya all sat around the table. Since all the seats were taken, Spike was on the floor beside Dawn, and Kitty was next to him. After only five minutes, Spike pulled Kitty against his side, and Xander was too focused on not getting car sick to protest the physical affection.

"Shouldn't somebody be asking, 'Are we there yet?'" Anya asked. "Isn't that what small entertaining children do?"

"G, are we there yet?" Kitty called loudly.

"Don't start!" he called back, focusing on the road.

"That kinda only works if you know where you're going," Dawn then told Anya.

Anya pondered that for a moment before yelling out like Kitty had. "Do we know where we're going yet?"

"We'd already be somewhere if Captain Slowpoke would give up the wheel," Spike complained. Kitty pat his chest, and he set his chin on top of her head while glaring at Giles. "Hey! Gramps! Bloody step on it!"

"Step on what? I've driven tricycles with more power!" Giles shouted back. As if to prove his point, the vehicle hit a bump and the whole thing shook and rattled.

Xander groaned. "Is anybody else queasy?"

"You look green, Xand," Kitty noted, frowning.

"He doesn't travel well," Anya said while rubbing Xander's arm. "He's like fine shrimp."

Spike glanced up at Dawn. "I shoulda nicked that Porsche I had my eye on. There's just enough room for me, Kitten, you, and big sis." That caused Xander to give Spike a queasy glare. "What?"

"Would you give it a rest, or—"

"Or what, you're gonna toss your cookies on my shoes?" he shot back. On instinct, Kitty tucked her feet under Spike's legs to use as a shield to protect her shoes — even if they were technically his.

"Or you can be undead man walking. See how fast you can hitch a ride with a flaming—" Xander had to pause and swallow thickly. "—thumb."

"Fine," Spike muttered snidely. "Shrimp."

Xander then gagged and got up to stumble to the front of the vehicle. He took a seat next to Giles, hoping the new spot would settle his stomach. "That guy is bloodsuckin' the last nerve right outta me," he complained.

"Well, Buffy and Teddy have a point. In a confrontation, Spike may prove useful," Giles said. Then he glanced back to see Spike move to Xander's vacated seat. When he pulled Kitty onto his lap, Giles rolled his eyes.

"I don't know if Buffy's thinkin' too clear on that one, or anything else right now," Xander said, gulping. The new seat was not helping. "I've never seen her so..."

"She's... been through more than her fair share of late," he reminded him. "She just needs a chance to catch her breath, regroup. She'll be all right."

"Yeah. She'll — yeah."

Back at the table, Kitty was feeling a nap coming on as she toyed with Spike's hand under the table. Just to have something to focus on, she moved his rings around to different fingers, even slipping the skull one onto her thumb.

Willow was keeping busy by searching through books for protection spells. Dawn was reading over her shoulder. "Any luck?"

"Uh, if you define luck as the absence of success, plenty," she said, frowning. "There's a couple barrier spells, but they only work on a fixed locus. Haven't found anything that'll work while we're still moving."

"So pretty, can I have one?" Tara then asked. She tried to reach past Dawn and touch her, but Willow gently kept her back.

"Come on," she said softly, making sure Tara stayed in her seat.

"Anyone hungry?" Dawn asked.

"Ooh! Snacks! The secret to any successful migration," Anya said, reaching into her backpack. She pulled out a large frying pan. "Who's up for some tasty fried meat products?"

Kitty eyed the can of SPAM with disinterest. She'd eat a lot of things, but not SPAM. "Xander told me when I first got here that that's Sliced Processed Alien Meat."

"That sounds fake, but I don't know enough about alien meat to disprove it," Willow said, not looking up from her book.

"Yeah, I'm gonna hurl," Xander declared from the front — the alien meat talk was the last straw.

Then Tara suddenly reached over to the window and pulled apart the blinds. Sunlight streamed in, hitting Spike's hand on the table.

"Hey! Aah!" he shouted while jumping up in pain. Kitty managed to catch the edge of the table to keep from falling. Then she got up to check on his smoking hand.

"Tara, no! What did I tell you?" Willow asked, pulling her away from the window. Tara whined in protest. She pulled her head to her chest comfortingly while looking at Spike. "I'm sorry. She, she didn't mean to. She doesn't know what she's doing."

"We know," Dawn said.

Spike nodded in understanding, not mad at Tara. "No biggie. Look, the skin's already stopped smoking," he said, showing Tara his hand. "You go ahead and play... peek-a-boo with Mister Sunshine all you like. It keeps the ride from getting boring."

But Willow still didn't let her near the window, which upset her. "All the light is gone," she said, tearing up.

"No, shh, baby. The light's still outside, okay?" Willow tried to explain.

"All dark. All dark," Tara muttered repeatedly.

Kitty turned back to Spike and cradled his blistered hand. It'd be completely healed in a few minutes, thankfully.

"That's mine," he noted, eying his ring on her finger.

"Uh, if you recall, you actually gave it to me about a year and a half ago," she said, smiling softly at the memory.

"You chucked it at my head in disgust as soon as the spell broke," he reminded her, smiling as well.

"How foolish of me."

♡︎

As the RV continued through the desert, Dawn stepped away and peeked inside the back room. There, she saw Buffy leaning tiredly against Teddy's shoulder with her eyes closed while he studied the maps.

"Hey. I think Anya's gonna try to cook SPAM," Dawn informed them. "Wanna come watch the tears and recriminations?"

Teddy grimaced. "Ugh, why would she bring alien meat on a road trip?"

"Maybe later," Buffy said, managing a small smile as she remembered Xander's little prank — he'd been delighted when he got to pull it a second time after Teddy arrived.

Dawn started to leave but paused and gathered her nerves. "Thanks."

"For what?" Buffy asked, looking at her.

"You know. Pretty much everything," she said, shrugging. "Both of you."

"Yeah. I'm doin' a great job," she said sarcastically.

"You are," Teddy told Buffy firmly. Dawn nodded in agreement.

It made Buffy scoff. "I'm the Slayer. The chosen one. All mythic and defender-y. Evil nasties are supposed to flee from me. Not the other way around."

"You're not fleeing. You're... moving at a brisk pace," Dawn claimed.

"Quaintly referred to in some cultures as the big scaredy runaway," she muttered.

Dawn then came fully inside and closed the door before sitting next to them. "It's the most amazing thing anyone's ever done for me."

Buffy looked at her with a pained expression. "It just keeps coming. Glory... Riley... Tara... Mom."

"I know," Dawn said. "But there's a bright side."

"There is?" she asked.

"At least things can't get any crazier. Right?"

Suddenly an arrow flew through the window, breaking it as it landed in the wall a little ways away from Buffy's head. They all jumped up, and Dawn stared at the arrow in horror while Buffy was almost amused.

"I see you've learned nothing from Kitty's jinx mistakes!" she said, shaking her head. Then Buffy pulled down a corner of the blinds to look outside. There was a horde of knights riding on horses alongside the Winnebago, all wielding weapons.

The three of them rushed to the main cabin. "Giles!" Buffy shouted in alarm.

"I see them," Giles said, tightening his grip on the wheel.

"See who?" Spike asked. Then another arrow was shot into the RV. Spike managed to grab Kitty and pull them both to the side before it could hit them.

"Arrows!" Xander exclaimed.

"Bloody hell!" Spike grumbled.

"They're throwing arrows!" Xander continued.

"Dawn, get down under the table," Buffy instructed while Teddy physically pushed her to the floor. Anya also got down.

Tara moved the blinds to peek through the window and smiled when she saw the animals. "Horsies!"

"Tara!" Willow shouted, pulling her away and under the table just as an arrow appeared in the wall beside her.

"Weapons?" Giles called while trying to control the vehicle.

"Hello!" Spike shouted as Buffy tossed him a bag of weapons. "You're driving one!"

"Don't hit the horsies!" Willow insisted.

"Oh, we won't," Buffy told her. But then she ran up to Giles. "Aim for the horsies."

Giles sharply turned the wheel to ram into the horses, but they moved out of the way. Then one of the knights jumped off his horse and grabbed onto the ladder on the side of the vehicle to climb up to the roof.

"Did we shake 'em?" Xander asked as the assault of arrows seemed to stop.

Then a sword stabbed through the ceiling only inches from his head, making him jump. They all looked up, realizing he was on the roof. A moment later, the sword was removed.

"Stay low!" Buffy ordered as the knight kept stabbing. "Watch out for the—"

The sword came down directly at Buffy's head, but Spike reached up and grabbed it before she could be stabbed. The knight tried to pull his sword free, but Spike kept a tight grip on it.

"Now might be a good time for something heroic," Spike said, grimacing as blood dripped down his wrists and arms.

"Theo! Hatch!" Buffy shouted. She climbed on the table after opening the hatch leading through the roof, and Teddy gave her a boost through it. Then Teddy jumped and pulled himself through, following after her.

The knight gave a strong pull when he saw them, finally freeing his sword. Spike yelled in pain and fell down, his hands a cut-up, bloody mess. Kitty quickly moved him to the table and then found some rags to tear up. Once she got a few strips started, she began wrapping them around Spike's hands while Dawn tore up the rest.

The fighting on the roof continued above them. Thankfully, they never heard any screams that signified Teddy and Buffy had been thrown from the vehicle.

"Keep the pressure on," Dawn told Spike as Kitty finished tying the bandages.

"I always do, sweet bit," he said, not wanting Dawn to get overwhelmed.

Then a knight broke through the window. They all screamed, especially Spike as the sun hit him. The knight tried to grab Dawn, but Kitty managed to wedge herself in between them. Anya was the one to come to the rescue, who began hitting the knight with her huge frying pan until he lost his grip and fell to the ground below.

"Not a piano, but hey," she said brightly.

Tara was, of course, freaking out during all this. Willow and Anya did their best to comfort her. As the fight went on above, things were almost too quiet on the inside. Spike was on the floor and covering himself with his coat, and Kitty crouched over him to make sure no sunlight hit him.

Soon, Giles looked in the rearview mirror and saw all knights were gone. He sighed in relief, assuming it was over.

"Everyone all right?" he asked.

"Worst field trip ever," Kitty called out.

Giles managed a smile before turning back to the road, only for him to see another knight on horseback running straight at the vehicle and holding a spear. He tried to turn the wheel fast enough but the knight threw the spear, which flew through the window and into Giles' side, impaling him.

"Giles!" Kitty shouted, having watched it happen.

But before anyone could get to him, the RV jostled and spun out of control. Buffy and Teddy jumped off the roof just before the vehicle went off the road and turned on its side.

♡︎

It took twenty minutes of walking in the hot sun before the group managed to find shelter. When they came across an abandoned gas station, Spike, who'd been holding a blanket over his body, started sprinting for it. Buffy and Teddy were carrying Giles, who continued to lose blood the entire way. Spike kicked the door open and rushed inside, and the others quickly followed.

"Get him on the counter," Kitty instructed, running to move everything off.

"Careful," Buffy said as she and Teddy got Giles inside. "Spike?" He came forward and helped them gently lift Giles onto the counter, who groaned in pain.

"Okay, Will?" Buffy questioned, hoping she'd know how to help.

"I'm on it," she said, coming over. Kitty removed her coat and put it under Giles' head to try and help him be more comfortable. As she and Willow focused on stabilizing Giles' wound, Buffy moved to check on Dawn.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. B-but Spike's hurt," she said.

Kitty glanced over at him and watched as Buffy snatched his wrists to look at his hands. "Ow!" he hissed. "Easy with the delicates."

"They'll heal," Buffy muttered.

"Florence bloody Nightingale to the rescue," Spike commented, watching as Buffy went to the boarded-up window and peeked outside.

"Um, you have another plan, right?" Anya asked her. "One that doesn't involve pointy knives and a Winnebago?"

"We-we-we'll rest here for a minute, but then we have to keep moving," she said.

"Where?" Xander asked.

"I don't know!" she said desperately. "We just, we, we, we can't, can't stay here. I-it's too close to the wreck, we're too easy to find."

"Buffy!" Kitty then called. They all saw the tears in her eyes as she looked at Giles.

"How is he?" Buffy asked, rushing over.

Willow had her hands pressed to Giles' wound. "I-I think I slowed the bleeding, but..."

She didn't have to finish the sentence. "Okay. Okay, just-just give me a minute," Buffy said, turning away to think.

But suddenly a flaming arrow shot through the boarded-up window.

"Dawn, get down!" Buffy shouted.

As more arrows came through, Kitty crouched down behind the counter Giles was on. Dawn soon joined her.

"We got company," Xander said, looking out the window to see an entire army of knights. "And they brought a crusade."

"Willow!" Buffy shouted, hoping she had a spell.

While still holding a hand to Giles' wound, she flipped frantically through her spellbook. Tara was curled into her side, whimpering. "I'm working on it!"

With Spike's help, Teddy shoved a large vending machine in front of the door, tipping it over. But the knights were attacking from all angles.

An ax broke through the wall right next to Dawn's head, who screamed. Kitty quickly grabbed her and pulled her back as an arm reached in to try and grab her. It seemed like knights came in from all angles, keeping everyone busy.

When Kitty finally beat off the knight trying to grab Dawn, they both stood from behind the counter to see how the others were faring. And Buffy was facing off with the general of the knights, Gregor, who was pointing his sword.

"The key," he demanded.

Buffy picked up an unconscious knights' weapon and threw it at Gregor, hitting his hand and making him drop his sword. He launched at Buffy, who hit him hard, knocking him against a support beam. He hit it face first and it knocked him unconscious.

Meanwhile, Willow finally found a spell. "Enemies, fly and fall. Circling arms, raise a wall." A circle of light empires from Willow's hands, expanding outward. It put a barrier around the gas station, managing to keep out the army outside.

Kitty sighed in relief and moved back to Giles' side. Buffy came over as well. "Will? How long will it hold?"

"Half a day maybe," she said uncertainly. Then she went to the window to check on it. There were two clerics chanting while holding their hands over the barrier. "Or till Heckle and Jeckle punch a hole through it."

"So. What's the story with these role-playing rejects?" Spike asked, raising an eyebrow. This was the first he'd heard of knights trying to kill the key.

Buffy's eyes fell on the unconscious general. "Let's find out."

♡︎

Teddy would've helped Buffy question Gregor, but he didn't want to leave Giles' side, so Spike and Dawn were the only ones in the back room with her and the tied-up knight. The two Cupids stayed by Giles, whose condition only worsened. He was in and out of consciousness, breathing shallowly, and covered in sweat.

"C'mon, G," Kitty said softly, holding his hand. "We've got through worse things than this."

"Have we?" he asked weakly. "I can't... recall."

"You're gonna be just fine," Teddy said, even if he wasn't sure any of them believed it.

"You know," Giles said, pausing to cough a bit. "I never wanted children."

Kitty let out a mix between a scoff and a laugh. "Okay, guess bleeding out makes you really honest."

He couldn't turn his head but he did manage to look at Kitty. "Then... all of a sudden, I had... you. Katherine, you changed my life... gave it meaning... love. Then I got your brother," he said, looking to his other side at Teddy. "I'd never change a thing, now. And I... love you both so much."

"Stop it, Dad," Kitty whispered, shaking her head as she cried. "Stop talking like you're dying."

"Aren't I, though?" he asked bleakly, taking in a shallow breath.

"We won't just let that happen," Teddy said, tears welling in his eyes as well. "Buffy won't either. We'll - we'll figure something out."

"He's right," Buffy said, coming over. She'd finished with the knight and came to check on Giles. She glanced at each member of the small family. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Giles asked slowly.

"We should have stayed," she said. "If we had, none of this would have happened."

"Don't," he told her, grimacing in pain. "What you did... w-was necessary — what I've always admired."

"Running away?" she asked with a sad smile.

"Being able to place your heart... above all else," he said, taking in a shaky breath. "I'm so proud of you. You've come so far. You're everything a Watcher... everything I could have hoped for."

Now Buffy was crying too as Giles closed his eyes and his breathing evened out. She looked anxiously at him and Teddy and Kitty, then at Giles' wound.

"Buffy," Kitty said in a small voice. "What do we do?"

Buffy took a deep breath before turning away. "Willow. Open a door."

♡︎

It was dark by the time Ben arrived at the abandoned gas station. He watched the army of knights warily, who promised Buffy they wouldn't hurt the medic out of honor. Kitty, Teddy, and Buffy all stood to the side and watched anxiously as Ben cleaned and stitched up Giles' wound, while also giving him some antibiotics.

"You, uh, forgot to mention the costume party outside," Ben noted, glancing at Buffy.

"Sorry. I-I didn't know who else to call," she told him.

"No, it's okay," he said. "I mean, yeah, not... how I pictured you finally using my number after giving it to you, but, uh, I'll take what I can get."

Kitty shot Teddy a look. So, Ben had given Buffy his number at some point but she never used it. Perhaps that was a good sign.

"Thank you for coming," Buffy told him.

"My pleasure." Then Ben looked past Buffy and spotted Dawn before he went back to work.

Thankfully, Giles stayed asleep the entire time, so he didn't feel it as Ben poked and prodded the wound. Soon, he was removing his surgical gloves and pulling a blanket over Giles to keep him warm.

"All right, I think I got him stabilized, but there's a lot of damage," Ben said, packing away his supplies. "We need to get him out of here."

"Well, I think the guys with the pointy swords kinda have other ideas," Teddy said, glancing at the window. It had taken a lot just to let Ben through — no way would they let him take Giles to a hospital.

"Don't they always," Ben joked.

"Look, we know this must seem extra 'Outer Limits' to you," Kitty said softly. "But thank you."

"This? Nah," he said, shrugging. "I've seen things you wouldn't believe. You know, emergency room, full moon on a Saturday night."

"Look, if this gets too weird, just tell me. I'll understand," Buffy told him.

"Don't worry about me. I won't leave until I've worn out my welcome," he said, smiling.

"You really think he'll be okay?" Kitty asked, her eyes glued to Giles.

"For now, he's the least of your worries," Ben said, nodding to the window. It wasn't technically an answer though. "If we can get out of here, he'll recover."

Kitty and Teddy sighed in relief in sync. Then, Kitty hugged Ben tightly, who wasn't expecting it. "I know I said it, but thank you."

"Don't sweat it."

"You should take a break from watching over him," Buffy told both the Cupids. They hadn't left Giles' side once since arriving. "Eat, sit down, rest if you can. Ben's got this."

Both Teddy and Kitty kissed Giles on the forehead before wandering off. Teddy went to Willow and Tara, who had finally calmed down for the first time since the fight on the bus.

Kitty went to the backroom that the knight was being kept in. She had no business with him, but that was where Spike was, as well as Xander who was actually watching the knight. She found Spike leaning against a counter, eying the knights through the window. But he looked at her when she came over.

"Hey," she greeted quietly, moving to his side. As soon as Kitty was close enough, he wrapped an arm around her side.

"How's Rupes?" he asked her. "Doc fixed him up?"

"He's... gonna be alright. He has to be," Kitty said. Then she gently held one of his wrists to look at his bandaged hand. "I'm sorry I haven't checked on you."

Spike waved her off, knowing Giles' condition was much more important. "These?" he asked, holding up the hands covered in blood-soaked rags. "Nothing to worry about. Just scratches."

Kitty eyed his hands doubtfully. "I will give you a thousand kisses if you can light a cigarette right now."

Spike raised an eyebrow with interest. "A thousand? I'll hold you to that, Kitten," he said before pulling out the carton of cigarettes in his pocket.

Kitty crossed her arms and slid on top of the counter to watch as he put one in between his lips. He made a big show of grabbing his lighter as well. But because it was so small and his hands hurt so much, he wasn't able to ignite it. Kitty watched him fumble with the lighter for a few moments.

"Ow," he muttered, shaking his injured hands.

Kitty took pity on him and slipped the lighter out of his hands before he could even protest. After she shot him a look, Spike gave in and moved closer to stand in between her legs. Kitty flicked the lighter on easily and held it up to his cigarette, lighting it before slipping the lighter back in his front pocket.

"Thanks," he said softly. His eyes fell on Kitty's lips. "Would've rather had a thousand kisses."

"I'm sure I can spare at least one," she said, smiling. Spike pulled his cigarette away and leaned in.

"Please, don't," Xander whined, coming over and interrupting before they could kiss. "Or my car sickness will come back."

"We aren't in a car," Kitty told him matter-of-factly.

"Still," he said. Then he glanced at the cigarette. "You know, those things'll kill you." It made Kitty smile and Spike looked at him, unamused. "Oh. Right. I mention today how much I don't like you?"

Spike nodded. "You mighta let it slip in... once or twice."

It managed to make Xander smile, who'd said it at least twenty times. Then he glanced at Spike's hands. "How're your feelers?"

"Nothing compared to the little bits we're gonna get chopped into when the Renaissance Faire kicks the door in," Spike said, sighing. They all looked at the door. "And here we bloody sit."

"It's not like we got much of a choice," Xander muttered.

"Could make a break for it," he said a bit impatiently. "Use General Armor-All as a shield, get to the doc's car, and—"

"Great plan. And while all the hacking and slashing's going on, what are you gonna be doing, huh? Throwing migraines at 'em?" Xander interrupted.

"Look, we stay here, we all die!" Spike snapped. And for the first time, Kitty saw genuine fear in Spike's eyes. "At least this way, some of us might get—"

"No," Buffy suddenly interrupted. They turned to see her standing in the doorway with Teddy at her side. "We're all gonna make it. I'm not losing anyone." Spike shook his head doubtfully but didn't argue. "Check the supplies. See if anyone's hungry."

The three of them shared a look before doing as told. They left Buffy and Teddy alone with the general to check on the others. And Kitty ended up back at Giles' side. Dawn was there as well, and both girls watched as Ben checked on his vitals.

"Is... is he gonna be okay?" Dawn asked as Ben took Giles' pulse.

"He was hurt pretty bad, Dawn," he reminded her.

"It's because of me," she said sadly. "It's all my fault."

"No, it isn't," Ben said before Kitty could say the exact same thing. He moved to his medical bag to get something.

"You don't know what's happening," Dawn said.

"I don't have to," he said while filling a syringe with pain medicine. "I just know that sometimes terrible things happen to good people. It shouldn't, but... it does. It's nobody's fault. It's just the way life is."

Then Ben walked back past Dawn and carefully injected the medicine in Giles' arm. Dawn, who was scared of needles, let out a small gasp. "Is that gonna help?" But Ben didn't answer and suddenly turned away from them.

"Ben?" Kitty questioned with a frown. He suddenly dropped the syringe and shakily put a hand to his forehead. "Dawn, stay behind me."

Ben suddenly bolted and ran into the main room, and the girls followed. "You have to let me out," Ben said frantically to everyone as they gathered.

"Ben?" Dawn asked, holding Kitty's hand. They didn't know what changed.

"You don't understand, I gotta get out, open a door now!" he shouted.

Buffy ran in and over to Dawn and Kitty. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know, he just freaked out," Ben told her.

And Ben was freaking out even more, who began yelling. "Let me out!"

"Okay," Buffy said cautiously. "W-Will, open a door."

But as Willow turned to the door, Ben grabbed his head and screamed. "No! Ah!"

Then before their very eyes, Ben's body morphed into Glory's, who turned his frantic movement into a long stretch, like she hadn't been released in a while. Glory looked around in surprise as Buffy moved in front of Dawn protectively.

"Well, what do you know. Little Ben finally did something right," Glory said, grinning.

"The beast," the general sneered.

"Hey, it's Gregor," she said in recognition. Then Glory grabbed a random hubcap that was hanging as a wall decoration and threw it like a frisbee. It sailed into the general's chest, killing him.

"Now it's not," Glory said, shrugging.

Spike was the first to move, running at Glory with a yell, and Xander was one step behind him. However, Glory hit him, which sent him flying backward into Xander, and they both fell.

Teddy and Buffy rushed at her in sync. Glory grabbed Teddy's arm and twisted it around before throwing him across the room, where he crashed into the boarded-up windows. Buffy managed to hit Glory once before getting punched so hard that she crashed into Willow.

Now, Kitty was the only one standing in between Glory and Dawn, which made the god laugh. "Hi, again, cutie. You'll have to excuse me for not having time to seduce you this time around."

"Wouldn't work a second time," she informed her. Then Kitty grabbed a nearby chair and threw it at Glory, smashing it over her head.

Of course, it didn't deter the god that shoved Kitty aside like a doll. Then she grabbed Dawn and began to run out of the gas station.

"Buffy!" Dawn yelled, terrified.

Buffy painfully pulled herself to her feet as Glory crashed through the front door. However, the barrier stopped them. The knights on the other side were shouting, ready to take her down.

"Yeah, right!" Glory scoffed as if the barrier could really stop her. She swung her arm and broke a hole in it, pulling herself and Dane through. The hole began to close as Buffy ran out.

"Dawn!" she shouted, unable to her past. As the knights fought Glory, Buffy ran back inside. "Willow! Get it down, now!"

Willow's eyes turned black as she chanted the spell quickly. Buffy ran back out as she did, the barrier disappearing. She limped forward and looked around in disbelief at the hundreds of dead knights that were lying on the ground. And there was no sign of Glory and Dawn.

Everyone else ran out and took in the scene, horrified. Tara hid her face in Willow's shoulder, unable to stand it. Spike and Xander were the ones to think quickly, spotting Ben's car that still remained.

"The car. Get the keys," Spike said as they both ran off.

Teddy moved behind Buffy and touched her elbow. "Buffy, come on. We have to find Dawn. We can't let Glory—"

Buffy abruptly dropped to the ground, tears streaming down her face as she realized she'd lost Dawn.

"Buffy," Willow called desperately.

Teddy crouched next to her and held her tightly, trying to get through to her. "Buffy, you have to get up. We need you. Dawn needs you."

It was like she couldn't even hear him.

Tara had lost her mind, Giles was hanging onto life by a thread, Glory had Dawn, and evidently, they didn't have a Slayer right now either.