REMNANT : Buffy, the Vampire Slayer meets Batman and the Red Rider

REMNANT: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer meets Batman and the Red Rider - Chapter 4.

Ethan Rayne continued to wipe down the bar counter with a sense of renewed purpose, his long arms swiping in large circles. It was ten in the morning, and he would open again for business in a few hours. Newspaper advertisements had been purchased, fliers had been distributed, signs had been posted to promote the times for happy hour.

Happy hour, he thought with a chuckle. The time of day when drink prices were reduced to pack in a better crowd.

Like cheese in a rat trap.

He surveyed his new establishment, marveling at the well-lit space and comfortable setup. A spacious pub with plenty of tables, a long bar counter and stools, and a bountiful supply of soda and fizzy, non-alcoholic drinks. Ready and waiting for the unsuspecting masses, many of whom had already filled the teenage "bar" this past weekend. He had a good feeling about Hooligan's, even before the previous week's success. This would be a fresh start for him.

He released a melancholy sigh, mourning his previous schemes here in Sunnydale, which had both ended in bitter disappointment.

Still, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he recalled the chaos he had caused on Halloween night. His enactment of the Janus spell had transformed teens and children into the actual personalities they had chosen for their costumes, many of which were monsters. Until his old mate, Rupert Giles, found him and smashed the Janus statue, after beating the secret of reversing the spell out of Ethan. Or – to be precise – after kicking it out of him.

Ethan's recent escapade had been less successful. Fleeing the wrath of Eyghon, the demon that he and Rupert had called forth in their college days, Ethan had burned away the demon's mark from himself, to keep the monster from finding him. Right after he had etched a new Mark of Eyghon on the skin of Buffy Summers, Rupert's new teenage protégé.

Unfortunately, Buffy had special strength and abilities – not to mention some resourceful friends – that allowed her and Rupert to defeat him again. Ethan had hoped Buffy's powers might keep Eyghon occupied for a few months, to lead it far out of town.

Instead, Buffy and her cohorts had defeated Eyghon altogether and nearly captured Ethan. But Ethan had a knack for sensing when the tide was about to turn. And he always had an exit plan.

After Ethan's first visit, Rupert had warned him to leave Sunnydale and never return. But Ethan liked it here. Something about its small-town charm. Its innocence. Its people and their naïve presumption that nothing could disrupt their well-organized worlds. Especially among the younger generation, caught up in their fashion trends and celebrity gossip, thinking themselves free from all harm. When, in fact, nearly everything from the demon realm could harm them deeply. He smiled at the prospect of waking them up to that reality.

He looked around once more at the spacious bar. His new home and base of operations. So many teens he could draw in. So many things he could do to them.

He had gotten settled in again, better than ever. And with his pub's rules firmly in place to exclude prying adults, Rupert was unlikely to ever find him. He would remain safe here in the center of town, hidden in plain sight.

Ready and waiting for instructions.

The front door opened. Ethan's brow furrowed. He was certain he had locked it. "Sorry, mate. We're closed 'til afternoon."

A lanky man entered, nearly equal to Ethan's height. He was dressed in dark blue robes and a headpiece, as though prepared to travel through the Sahara Desert by night. Large piercing eyes sparkled on his gaunt face. "Not to me, Ethan."

Ethan paled as the man drew closer. "Faust," he gasped.

"No need for formality, Ethan," the man said, moving alongside the bar. "After all we've been through, you can call me Felix. You should be pleased to see me again. Seeing as I am your benefactor."