Buffy and Xander at Willy's.

While Willow's team was battling Ethan and the sinister henchmen in black, Buffy and Xander walked across town to Willy's bar. As usual the dive was dark and dingy, the mismatched furniture looked as though it had been salvaged from dumpsters. Which wasn't too surprising as that's exactly where Willy got his tables and chairs from. The Bronze in particular was an abundant source, the club was smashed up on a fairly regular basis and seemed to have an unlimited redecorating fund.

"Let me handle this Buff." Xander pleaded, cracking his knuckles and then wincing at the pain. "I can turn the screws on Willy."

"Be my guest." Buffy said sounding faintly amused. "Try not to be too hard on the little maggot though."

Xander strode over to the counter where Willy was washing glasses. The toady bartender spat on a beerglass and wiped it halfheartedly with a filthy rag. The lesser demons and vampires hanging out in the bar looked up at the new arrivals and hastily found something really absorbing to stare fixedly at in the bottoms of their glasses when they saw the slayer. One or two with guiltier consciences hastily sidled out of the rear fire escape or into the toilets.

"Ok Willy, you ready to spill your guts or do I have to get medieval on your ass?" Xander growled, his voice sounding like a bad Humphrey Bogart impression.

"Oh it's you Harris." Willy said, disinterestedly glancing up. "If that's a pick up line it's not very good and you're not really my type."

Xander faltered a bit, unknown to him Buffy came silently up and stood just behind him with her arms crossed looking really, really pissed.

"Cut the wisetalk." Xander rallied and tried again. "Don't make me get angry Willy, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

"Harris, I don't like..." Willy began, but looking up saw Buffy standing behind Xander and paled. "...to upset an old friend like you. What did you want to know?"

"Ethan Rayne." Xander prompted, looking pleased and a little surprised at Willy's change in demeanor.

"Oh yeah, the limey magician." Willy said as though the memory had only just come to him. "He blew into town a coupla days ago. Got a bunch of scary goons with him. They're driving around in two or three big black caddies."

"That's more like it Willy." Xander said. "I'm not ungenerous if you're helpful if you know what I mean. If you had any idea what he wants it would be very profitable for you."

Xander dug through his pockets and laid a grand total of twenty three dollars and forty seven cents on the bar. Willy looked at the loose change for a moment and then shrugged and scooped it up and stuffed it into his pocket.

"He came in here asking a lot of questions about Buffy and the rest of you." Willy told Xander. "Who was in your little slayer fan club and where you all lived, that sort of stuff. Of course I never said a word myself, you don't go ratting on old pals do you? But I did overhear that someone who I don't even know might have told him a bunch of stuff about you, he seemed...I mean I heard that he seemed especially interested in Dawn and where he might see her alone."

"OK, that we already know." Xander replied. "Where's Ethan now?"

"Hell I swear I don't know that." Willy declared. "He did give me...er...give someone else who left it on the bar, this number to call if they heard anything else."

Willy handed over a scrap of paper with a telephone number written on it. There was no address. Xander took the piece of paper as Buffy moved back several feet and replaced her angry scowl with an innocent expression. Xander turned and walked over to her.

"Ethan's back in town like we thought." Xander reported. "I had to lean on Willy a bit, but he gave me a number where Ethan could be contacted. Willow ought to be able to give us an address with a little computer hacking."

Before Buffy could reply her cellphone rang. She answered it and talked briefly, her expression became concerned at whatever she was being told.

"That was my mom." Buffy told Xander when she'd hung up. "She just went to check on Dawnie and she's gone. Took a hike out the back window."