Disclaimer: The crew of BtVS belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy Productions, as do various references to particular quotes. Likewise, Batman is owned by DC Comics, and ultimately Warner Bros. This work is intended for non-commercial purposes only, and is otherwise covered by a Creative Commons Attribution license. Specials thanks go to Kierkegaard and Christopher M. Drohan.

Thanks also go to SirWill of 'Twisting the Hellmouth' for putting the brain in brainstorm. This fic is cross-posted at that site under the same username, Idhren.

Summary: YAHF. Alfred would be proud.

Chapter Three: Knight and Squire

Part One

It was just another day on the Hellmouth. Bland on the surface, trouble surely bubbling beneath. But Xander saw everything differently, because he knew Bruce was there.

It was a sunny, perfect California day; his first day at school back from the hospital. He strolled through the usual crowd of his fellow students with unusual assurance, honing in on two familiar heads of hair.

"What's the what, ladies?" Xander said with a lopsided grin.

Buffy lowered her shades slightly. "Just playing a quick game of 'Anywhere But Here'," she replied mock-nonchalantly. Her teeth flashed a sudden white against her tan skin. "Welcome back, Xander."

"Xander!"

"Ouch, Will! You know I love my Willow-hugs, but the ribs, ow, the ribs still feel like I've been run over by a herd of wild buses."

"And suddenly I'm imagining a fleet of yellow school buses driving through tall, waving grass against a huge sunset."

Willow laughed. "And I thought my ziti detail was good! So, Xander, you still wishing for Amy Yip at the waterslide park?"

"Actually, and I can't believe I'm saying this about school, I'm right where I wanna be. Nothing like being stuck in a tiny hospital room by yourself to make you appreciate a bit of the normal."

Normal being a relative term, of course. Willow filled him in on the end of the Ford saga later at the Bronze. Buffy's old friend from Hemery High had attempted to trade Buffy to Spike in exchange for immortal life as a vampire.

"I didn't wanna say anything in front of Buffy, but I can't believe she was friends with such a, a charming jerk! I mean, why didn't I see it immediately? He just acted all suave-like, and Buffy knew him from way back. You should be able to trust people you've know that long. I mean, I even trust Cordelia! Not with anything important, 'cause she's Cordelia, but you know what I mean, don't you?"

"Of course I do," said Xander. 'Shut up, Bruce,' he thought.

"It is a good lesson," Bruce repeated. "People aren't always what they seem."

'I'm not talking to you right now,' thought Xander. He was really getting the hang of this talking-by-thinking thing. If he purposefully thought something towards Bruce, Bruce would hear him. Unfortunately, no one but Xander could hear Bruce, which meant Bruce felt free to comment on anything he pleased at any time. Like now.

"You should be able to carry on two conversations at once."

'This is my Willow-time. I've been working very hard all week—'

"Lying in bed."

'—doing homework and strengthening exercises and planning with you, and now I deserve a break.'

"You're getting distracted. Pay attention to Willow."

'Geez! That's what I wanted to do in the first place.'

"—and Xander, ohmigod, are you watching Cordelia's butt?" Willow said in horrified tones.

Xander jerked to attention. He had indeed been staring into space in Cordy's general direction. She was dancing with her latest fling, Percy-so-not-good-enough-for-her. And come to think of it, she did have a very attractive—ack! Don't even go there, brain. She was Jesse's girl. Had been. Anyway, he hated Cordelia.

"A man can have a purely aesthetic appreciation of beauty, Willow, without completely falling to the Dark Side," he said in lofty tones.

"Eyes here, buster, and don't let them wander again," said Willow, unconvinced.

The band was good tonight. It felt good to just hang out in the Bronze, even though Buffy couldn't make it. Willow had finally stopped trying to disrupt their comfortable friendship by 'turning it into something more' a few weeks ago. There was no more register on the awkward-o-meter with it being just the two of them.

Thirty minutes later, though, he still had to leave. He'd promised Bruce.

"Xanderrr."

"Sorry, Willow. A man's gotta go when a man's gotta go. Uh, I mean, not in that way. I have to go. I mean leave."

"It's only eight o'clock!"

"And my ribs say it's pain o'clock. I need the extra sleep, especially since we have that early computer class with Ms. Calendar tomorrow morning. It should so be against the law to make us to come into to school on a Saturday."

"It'll be fun, Xander. Just wait and see!"

"Don't," Bruce cut in. "Don't make any kind of comment about how you can't imagine being that excited about school. Remember your promise."

'You're taking all the fun out of my life, Bruce,' Xander grumbled mentally.

Even the night air felt good. It was crisp and cool, just the way he liked it. The streets were mostly empty, the moon almost full. He thrust his hands into his pockets and walked on. People weren't meant to be cooped up in hospitals.

Bruce said he would be starting his real training tomorrow. What would they be doing? In the comics, they tended to skip over that part. He remembered something about chopping bricks and bending back fingers until the perk started to scream. Bruce didn't have a body, so how would they practice that? How would Bruce be teaching him all those cool martial arts moves anyway?

Xander would be glad to finally start the physical stuff in earnest; then maybe they would stop having conversations that made his head hurt.

"Is it right to kill a vampire?" Bruce asked suddenly.

"What kind of question is that?" Xander said. "Of course it's right to kill vampires! That's the mission, remember? The grand purpose? The reason you're training me? Vampires are evil! It's good to kill vampires."

"Don't speak out loud, Xander. Think it."

'Killing vampires is good,' Xander thought stubbornly.

"You said Angel was on your side, but Angel is a vampire. Would you kill Angel?"

'Angel has a soul. That's different.'

"Can other vampires have souls?"

"No!" Xander nearly shouted.

"Xander."

'No,' Xander thought.

"Did Angel always have his soul?"

Xander was walking faster now. He felt harried, like he was being pushed in some direction he did not want to go. He did not want to talk about the morality of killing vampires. He really, really did not want to talk about this.

'No.'

"How did Angel get his soul?"

'He was cursed.'

"So other vampires could be cursed and gain a soul."

'Maybe.'

"Is it right to kill a being with a soul?"

'It depends.'

"Depends on what?"

'Circumstances.'

"Such as?"

'If they did something bad. If someone killed someone else, they could be charged with murder, and then executed.'

"Could Buffy be charged with murder?"

'Buffy hasn't killed anyone!'

"She kills vampires."

'Look, vampires aren't people. They aren't someones. They're, they're demons, and demons aren't people. We kill them so they don't kill people.' You're like a shadow to me now.

"Preemptive self-defense, in other words."

'Whatever that means.'

"Is it right to kill a vampire if you could give it a soul instead?"

'I don't know!'

"That's a good place to start," said Bruce.

Xander was nearly running now. You're not looking at your friend. You're looking at the thing that killed him.

'I can't cure all the vampires in Sunnydale. They're murderers! Angel is a special case.'

"Like Jesse could have been?"

'Don't you—'

Xander noticed the couple too late, practically barreling over the man. "Oof!" It was a relief. The conversation was over. Enough about vampires.

"Xander, I can't hear his heartbeat," whispered Bruce.

Xander froze.

The 'man' dusted himself off. "I guess you would count as 'fast' food, huh? Special delivery."

His companion laughed. Then she whipped her head around, fangs sprouting down, eyes yellow, face erupting into the characteristic bumpy skin. The man did the same.

"Sorry, sir, wrong address," said Xander automatically. "No deliveryman included." There were two of them. Two vampires. He couldn't take on two vampires by himself. He tried to back away, but the male vampire grabbed his collar.

'Bruce,' thought Xander desperately, 'Bruce, help!'

"Relax, Xander," Bruce said calmly. "Just as we practiced."

With an enormous effort of will, Xander let go as much as he could. Then Bruce, there was no other word for it, Bruce flowed into his body. Xander felt that familiar disconnect, and he relaxed further. As long as he didn't struggle, Bruce would be able to fully possess his body, and that meant Bruce could fight.

The world felt hyper-real, every detail sharp, every sense alert. Xander felt himself go boneless. The vampire dropped him in surprise.

His body sprung up and away. It was a glorious feeling, smooth and controlled with a flowing grace. His lungs filled with the cool air, his muscles contracted and relaxed. His body balanced on the balls of his feet as his arms withdrew one of the thin stakes strapped to his side.

Xander couldn't resist. He gently took back control of his mouth, ready to release it again if Bruce overrode him.

"Olé!"

The vampires' yellow eyes gleamed in the faint moonlight, narrowing with the lust of hunger. They moved to circle around him, and Xander's legs began to run, arms pumping at his side. There was a graveyard by the side of the road; Xander's body leapt over the low fence, flashing past the tombstones.

The vampires gave chase. "What are you, some kind of coward? Get back here!"

Xander felt incredibly alive; his blood was pumping in his veins, his feet felt light against the ground. The vampires had already begun to spread out, the male vamp distancing his counterpart. He was close, so close. He must be young; he was still breathing, even though a vampire had no need to breathe. The hairs on the back of Xander's neck rose. So close—

Xander's body whipped around to the side, perfectly balanced. His right leg snaked forward behind the vampire's right leg and stiffened. At the same time, his right arm lunged across the vampire's chest and grabbed the vampire's right shoulder, pushing it back while pulling to the left. The vampire reached up to knock Xander's arm away with incredible speed, but it was too late. Momentum diverted, leg unbalanced, he fell across Xander's right hip and his back slammed straight into the stake waiting in Xander's left hand.

He exploded into dust. The whole move had taken less than two seconds.

"You bastard!" cried the female vampire. "You killed Kenny!"

Xander's eyes met hers; his body began to stalk towards her.

She turned to run.

And puffed into dust, revealing the last person Xander wanted to see. Bruce instantly flowed away, dropping all control of Xander's body.

"Xander?"

"Buffy!"

"What are you doing here?" They said simultaneously.

"I'm doing a quick patrol before heading to the hospital. Y'know, to keep the blood delivery from being a vampire all-you-can-eat buffet. What are you doing here out alone? Y'know it's dangerous."

"I was walkin' home from the Bronze. Willow wanted to stay longer, and there was no one to ask for a ride."

"Xander," said Buffy, and she paused. She looked him straight in the eye, as serious as he'd ever seen her. The bottom of his stomach flipped and dropped with record speed.

"Xander, where'd you learn to fight like that?"