Author: Tohonomike Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners...it will start off with the Joss/ME characters, and any other characters or real-life folks are clearly not mine. NO money is involved. Nope. None are mine.
Xander gave them an hour head start, then began packing up things; rather than have it out with a large bear, he cut loose the deer meat and hastened down the mountain, collecting items he hadn't gotten to. He was surprised he hadn't really considered looting demons and vamps before, but didn't think it was a realistic plan for financial security.
Nearly a month passed, and Xander kept his eye on the gang from afar that next week, watching as Giles set up the shop and hired Buffy, Tara and Willow part-time when they weren't at college. The motorcycles, the current biker lair and a few lesser items at the castle were easy enough to sell; to his surprise most of the bikers had their titles and registration, Willy explaining they used them as chits in bets. What he couldn't sell openly, he fenced through the bar owner, creating much good will on the side of the informant. As his birthday neared, and he felt pretty confident in his spell abilities and physical ability to cast many in an evening, he managed to fund the materials with which to electrify and telecom his new place, as well as go into his accounts for college and such.
He was practicing the simple maintenance of his invisibility and stealth cloak when he noticed Buffy entering a warehouse. Maintaining his spell, he slowly followed her in, and noticed her attempt a rescue of a monk when a high-class call girl in red began attacking the slayer quite successfully.
Xander raced across the floor, extended his magic at some cost, to include the monk he now freed. Xander checked the wounds and sighed, knowing this would really wear him out later. Putting his hands on head and heart, Xander made him sleep then poured healing energy into the man. Satisfied that the monk would live, he was surprised that his cloaking remained in tact, though the hooker seemed to be pounding the crap out of Buffy. Deciding to make a run for it with the monk, at least as far as the car, Xander fireman-carried the monk down and out of the building as Buffy crashed through a window and raced into the night.
'Okay…I guess I'll take you to my place, Mister Monk,' Xander considered as he drove off.
The next morning, Xander had fed and rested enough to wear he entered the room of his unexpected guest, who was tied down but awake.
"I won't tell you anything!" the monk yelled at him, causing Xander to wince.
"Hey, hey, hey," Xander responded, holding up his hands, "I saved you from that woman last night, at least keep the volume down. Healing takes a lot out of me."
"Why would you heal me?" the monk asked in confusion, but quieter.
"Because since the slayer was trying to save you, I thought I'd help her while she got her butt kicked because of you." The monk fell silent for a moment.
"Anyway, I don't know why you're in Sunnydale, or why you're being tortured," Xander continued, "But you'll need to rest at least a week, I'm not all that used to healing people. If you promise to not run away until we've had a chance to talk, I'll let release your bonds."
"And if I don't?"
"I'll keep you here until you're healthy, then kick you out on the street, but don't worry, it'll be daytime."
"Why?"
"Because if I kick you out at night a vampire would eat you, and my good deed will be meaningless."
"Alright, untie me," the monk sighed.
"Okay," Xander replied, "Can you tell me about the gal trying to torture you? What it'll take to put her down since Buffy was having a hard time of it?"
The monk stared at him, and the food, then began to eat.
"That one is known as The Beast, or Glorificus," the monk whispered as if not to be overheard. Xander jotted notes, and nodded encouragement.
"What kind of demon, and how is it killed?"
"I shouldn't say…because you might learn too much."
"I've been with the slayer for four years, and if you need her help, you'll need her support group as well."
"Support group, Watcher, magic users for fire support, myself as extra muscle…the ones who killed a demon that was just doing the Ascension thing?"
"Oh."
"How do you kill it?"
"We don't know."
"Why is she here in Sunnydale, going to open the Hellmouth?"
"No, not the Hellmouth."
"Okay, next question, why are you here? Are you planning to talk to Buffy? The slayer?"
"Yes."
"Okay, do you want me to arrange a meeting with her? Have her come by?"
"Feeling weak…"
"Okay, let me take that food tray."
Four days later the monk had reawakened, Xander having slipped a healing potion to him in his juice.
"Sorry about the sleep, I didn't know the potion would put you to sleep as well as heal you," Xander told the man, "It's been four days. This time, no extras in the food. I didn't find much on Glorificus, except references to a hell goddess. Is that who we've been talking about?"
"Y-yes," the monk looked around, noting that the sun was starting to set through his window.
"I have some clothes and such on that chair over there; you'll be less conspicuous if you put those on," Xander told the man, "And then we can go see the slayer about all this."
"I don't know if that's the right thing to do," the monk told him as he risked eating again.
"Why not? The slayer is now at risk, and you seem to have been interested earlier."
"I don't know what to do."
"You're welcome to stay here a few more days, but at that point we'll go see the Slayer and figure something out. But I need some type of answer to my next question, does this have anything to do with the kid that Joyce and Buffy seemed to have taken in?"
Xander watched as the man froze up, and Xander nodded.
"That's it, huh?" the castle owner nodded, "Something to do with the girl. Who is she? An exchange student?"
"She's the slayer's sister," the monk told him.
"Buffy's an only child, I've known her for four years. You need to come clean, maybe we can find a solution, or at least a plan before we contact them."
The monk sighed and explained what he did know.
