•••

"Fishing?" Xander echoed tremulously.

Doyle simply nodded. A moment later, all three men were sent reeling backward as a huge creature lunged up from below the cliff. It hovered above them for a moment before settling several meters away, huffing and glaring. The Irish ghost sighed tiredly and took a step towards it.

"What the hell is that?" Spike asked, shuffling backwards. He couldn't take his eyes off the grotesquely fascinating creature. The thing's scaly, leathery skin was covered by vibrant tatters of silk, glinting here and there with gems and gold.

"That's Geryon, our next ride," Doyle explained. "Well, if I can catch him."

Xander tore his eyes away from Geryon long enough to notice some other people. "What about them?" He asked, pointing. "Are they more of..." Instead of mentioning his father, Xander simply gestured over his shoulder.

Doyle shook his head. "Nah, that's some loan sharks. Why don't you go take a gander? I've gotta catch the bus."

The ghost was gone before Spike and Xander could argue. Xander glanced over at Spike, and then at the loan sharks. The vampire was... gooey with his father's entrails, which made the somewhat flamey dead in front of him seem a bit more enticing. "I'll just go over here," He said, walking towards a crouched over figure.

Spike stared after Xander, a pained grimace crossing his face. How could he explain to the boy? In truth, he could barely explain to himself--he had to do it, had to get the hatred and anger out of his system. When--and if--they returned to Sunnydale, Spike couldn't lay a finger on the man. Here, though...

The vampire shook himself and bent down, ignoring the tiny flames falling on his back. He scooped up a handful of sand, grinding it into his skin and clothes. It didn't take long for the gritty stuff to remove most of the blood and gore, leaving him a bit raw but otherwise far less disgusting. By the time he caught up to Xander, the boy was engrossed in a conversation with one of the damned and the blonde's shirt was a holey, singed mess.

Xander saw Spike join him and immediately noticed the vampire's clothing. "Jeez, Spike!" He said, thrusting the umbrella over to the other man. "You look like an overdone Pop-Tart."

"Pop-Tart?" The loan shark mumbled. "My kingdom for a Pop-Tart!"

Xander giggled. "Seems Mr. Got-Rocks here really loved his work. Drove so many little old ladies broke that they gave him his own special spot here!"

"Fuck you!" The loan shark swore, shaking the crest around his neck at the two men. "It was a living, and they should've read the fine print. All my interest rates were there, up front and honest!"

Spike noted absently that the man's family emblem was burning huge holes into every bit of skin it touched. "Right. Well, it's obvious you're being rewarded, then."

"Hey!"

Spike and Xander turned to see Doyle leading Geryon. "You actually caught that thing?"

"Yeah," Doyle replied, "But he ain't too happy about it."

Spike studied the monster's back. "And we're supposed to ride it how?"

Doyle smirked and threw himself up onto Geryon's back. The monster grunted but did nothing. "Just climb on, in front here. The tail's nothing you want to mess with."

Xander accepted a boost from Spike, who followed behind. When they were all somewhat seated, Doyle kicked Geryon's ribs. "Move it, you big ugly. Get us down below, eh?"

Geryon bolted into the air, making both Xander and Spike fall forward. Spike's face hit Geryon's neck, allowing Xander to plaster himself along the vampire's back. "This sucks!" Xander screamed, digging his fingers into the blonde's arms. "We're gonna die!"

Spike watched the floor of Tartarus swim and sway, and couldn't help but agree with the human. They *were* going to die. Foul wafts of air from the 8th Circle buffeted them as Geryon descended, flying in a wide spiral. Each shift of the monster's body sent them careening, until finally Doyle grabbed them both. The three men lay pressed together, holding on for dear life.

Geryon landed with a solid thump, shaking the men loose. One by one, they slid to the ground, which Xander very nearly kissed. If it wasn't for the overpowering aroma of manure, he would have. "Mommy? Can we go on the kiddie rides next?" He whispered, knowing that he'd never step foot on a roller coaster again.

Spike reached for the boy, trying to help him up. At the same time, Geryon took off, hitting the vampire with his tail. An anguished scream rent the air as Spike's back was slashed open.

"Spike!" Doyle shouted, catching the blonde as he fell.

Xander stood and ran over to where the vampire was lying, pinning Doyle to the ground. "It's just a flesh wound," Spike insisted.

"Lemme see," Xander said, gently moving aside Spike's shirt. "That's no flesh wound," He determined. "Doyle?"

Doyle frowned. "Mebbe we can use his shirt as a bandage. He can have my jacket to cover it."

Spike made to protest, but a noise stopped him. If he wasn't mistaken, Xander had just growled at him--and Xander never growled.

A few minutes later, Doyle pronounced Spike as fit as he was going to get in Tartarus. "Well, we'd best be going," He murmured. "We're just getting to the interesting bits."

"Interesting?" Spike and Xander whispered, horrified.