Prophecies Suck II - All Or Nothing

Chapter Three – Charmed, I'm Sure

Private Jet, En Route To San Francisco.

"This is so cool!" Dawn squealed as she looked out of the airplane window.

Both Xander and Buffy looked at Dawn with amused smiles, but refrained from commenting, as they'd heard her say that dozens of times during their flight. The entire time they had been on Xander's company jet, Dawn had been jumping around like she'd had thirty cups of double espresso.

This was Dawn's first real experience on a plane; she had memories of holidays the family had taken when she was younger, but as she was in actuality no more than a year old, she no longer counted them.

That's not to say she was still hung up over her origins; she had gotten over the fact that she had been nothing more than a ball of energy a year ago, and was finally enjoying being Dawn Summers, but the only way she felt she could do that was to focus on the memories she was making now, instead of the ones that had been made for her.

It was this that Buffy and Xander them smiling, as it was nice for them both to see her genuinely happy, instead of just pretending to be to make everyone else feel better.

"For the fiftieth time," Xander said in mock exasperation, "I agree with you Dawn. Anyway, you better sit down," he went on seriously, "we'll be landing soon and unless you want to be bounced around the cabin I suggest you get buckled up."

"Do I have to?" she whined. Using the pout and puppy eyes that normally meant she got what she wanted, Dawn waited for them to cave.

"Yes!" they told her in unison.

Realising that she wasn't going to win this one, Dawn grudgingly sat down. She did, however, ensure that she went as slowly as was feasibly possible.

"What are we doing once we get there?" Buffy asked her... whatever Xander was to her. She knew what she wanted to call him, but needed to speak with him first before doing so.

"First thing we'll do is get checked in; it's too late to do anything else, so we'll have an early night and then work out what to do in the morning," he told her.

The raised eyebrow he received from Buffy when he mentioned an early night didn't escape him, but Xander knew better than to start talking about it in front of Dawn. Not because she was too young, as living on the Hellmouth made people grow up quickly whether they liked it or not, but because she would blab everything to the others when they got back if they did and Joyce scared him, Power or not.

He knew that she seemed to approve of him and Buffy before he died, and that was a very weird thought to have, but she also knew of his time restriction here on Earth, and was worried that she may think their getting involved the wrong thing to do. He wasn't sure himself, as while he knew how he felt, and Buffy had made it clear before they left she felt the same, but inevitable departure would only break Buffy's heart once more, and he hated the thought of that happening. Of course, by not doing anything he'd probably be hurting her, so he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

Xander didn't know what to do, but hoped that things would become clearer during this trip.


They arrived ten minutes later in San Francisco, landing at a small private airport, and found a stretch limousine waiting for them on the tarmac.

"Good Evening Mr Harris," the chauffeur greeted him as he alighted from the plane.

"Evening Harry," Xander replied, remembering him from his last time in San Francisco, "How's the family?"

"Little Alice started school recently, and Robin is walking up a storm. And of course, Emily is as beautiful as the day I first saw her."

"That's good to hear Harry." Xander turned and motioned to Buffy and Dawn. "Harry, I'd like you to meet Buffy and Dawn Summers. Buffy, Dawn, I'd like you to meet Harold Macus III."

"Is this the Buffy Summers, sir?" Harry asked, a little twinkle in his blue-grey eyes.

Xander flushed for a moment, having forgotten that he and Harry had talked quite a bit and most of Xander's side of the conversation included Buffy. Harry was one of the few people that Xander had immediately felt comfortable around, and had discussed his feeling for Buffy with him at length.

At the time, he had already made the decision not to pursue a relationship with her, having found the 'prophecy', but was feeling less than happy about it, and thought that a completely impartial viewpoint would be handy. He'd altered certain details, not wanting to send the man into a psychotic break, but Harry had made him realise that if he thought pursuing her would cause more misery than joy, then he was right in his decision.

Of course, he had never anticipated Harry and Buffy ever meeting, otherwise he would have probably used a different name for her.

"It is," he replied after a moment.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Harry told the two women with a smile, although he did flcik his gaze over to Buffy several times. "Mr Harris here spoke very highly of you."

"That's nice to hear," Buffy replied, wondering what it was he'd said for her to be remembered, "but I'm afraid I can't say the same."

Harry didn't take offence, as he knew that Xander would not have spoken of him to the young lady, especially given their previous discussion. Harry had been a chauffeur all of his life, and in fact owned his own company, and he'd driven people from all walks of life but Xander stood out from them all. There was just something about the young man that had stuck in his memory, not least because his company kept his company on retainer, paying well above the going rate to have a limousine ready and waiting at all times.

When Harry had found out that Xander was coming, he had decided to assign himself the task of being his driver, wanting to ensure that he had the best possible service available to him. Realising that the sun was starting to make its final descent, Harry went and opened the door for the trio.

"Your carriage awaits."

Xander let Dawn and Buffy get into the limousine first, and before he got in with them, he turned to Harry. "It's good to see you again Harry, and thanks for doing this."

"All part of the service, sir," Harry replied with a smile.

"Will I ever get you to call me Xander?" he asked with a sigh, although his eyes showed amusement.

"Possibly, sir," Harry told him with a smile.

Xander laughed, knowing that Harry was too much of a professional to call him by his first name on duty, and got into the limousine.


The Ritz Carlton, San Francisco.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at their final destination; the Ritz Carlton, one of the most exclusive hotels in the city.

"Will you be needing me again tonight sir?" Harry asked as he opened the door for Xander and the others.

"No Harry, have a good evening and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Very good sir."

As Harry drove away, a man came out of the hotel and walked up to them, their uniform indicating that they were a member of staff. "Good Evening Mr. Harris," the concierge greeted him as they approached the entrance, "the penthouse suite is ready and waiting for you. Do you have any bags sir?" he asked.

Xander took a quick look at the man's name badge before he replied. "No Roger we don't; we had to get here as soon as possible, and had little time to pack. I am sure that Buffy and Dawn here will be in the mood to rectify that situation tomorrow, however, and I would appreciate it if you could offer any assistance they might require."

"I am sure that things can be arranged for them sir," Roger told him with a smile, knowing that anyone from Savox Industries would be a big tipper; the company was known throughout America as one of the most philanthropic organisations in the continent, funding a multitude of charities and community programs the length and breadth of the country. Their staff as a whole shared those same characteristics, and although they travelled the world in style and stayed in some of the most exclusive hotels, they were always courteous and had a reputation for being very generous to those that helped them. "The Porter will take you to your room."

"Thank you," Xander replied with a smile, and then motioned for Buffy and Dawn to follow the Porter, Xander already knowing the way.

The trio followed the Porter across the lobby to the elevator and, after slipping in a security card to allow access, took it to the top floor. Once there, they continued to follow him to the door to their room, the only door on that floor it seemed. When he opened the door and they went inside, both Dawn and Buffy gasped in shock at the sight before them; they had heard the concierge talk about a penthouse suite, but neither of them had expected anything like this.

The room they walked into was immense, probably the same size as the first floor of their house. Three large white leather couches formed a C in the middle of the room, surrounding a large marble coffee table. Ornate rugs covered the polished wood floor. They could see through the door to the bathroom, just managing to see the walk in shower and large Jacuzzi bath. The two other doors that are closed they both assume are the bedrooms.

"Are we in the right room?" Buffy asked in shock.

"Why, is something wrong?" the Porter asked, concerned that something might be wrong.

"Nothing is wrong," Xander assured him with a smile, "she's just a little shocked is all."

Wanting some privacy, Xander handed the Porter a few bills, who immediately nodded in thanks and walked out the door.

"Not that I'm complaining," Dawn said, "but aren't you spending a lot of money here?"

"Actually, no," Xander replied. "I am the CEO of Savox Industries, and as such I have access to the company jet whenever possible. My company reserves this suite all year round for visitors or when one of the Board of Directors is in the area. The same goes for the limousine that we came in, so in actual fact I've hardly spent anything so far, at least not anything that wouldn't have been spent anyway."

"Oh," Dawn said quietly, actually feeling a little disappointed that everything hadn't been done just for them, in spite of her previous statement.

"That doesn't mean that money will not be spent," Xander told her, noticing her mood. "As I said to Roger downstairs, I am assuming that you and Buffy will be in the mood to get some clothes?"

"Well, the thought had crossed my mind," she admitted with a grin.

"Do I have to remind you Dawn that we have no money?" Buffy pointed out, neither her nor Dawn thinking of bringing anything other than themselves when they drove from Sunnydale.

Xander smiled a little wider. "I can rectify that." Xander then went over to small table next to the door, pulled out something and then gave it to Buffy.

Buffy looked down at her hand and saw a black American Express card lying there, imaginary speech bubbles surrounding it telling her to use it. Once the two Summers women realised just what it was Xander had given them, a gleam appeared in both Dawn and Buffy's eyes.

"You do realise what you've done?" Buffy asked him.

Xander nodded, and although he knew he should probably shiver in fright, all he did was smile. "I've given two Californian women a no-limit credit card to go shopping with. The only thing I'm going to say is that the jet can only hold so much."

He barely got to finish his sentence before the two daughters of Joyce Summers tried to squeeze the life out of him, an impressive thing to try as he was already dead, but if anyone could succeed it would be those two.

"What are you going to be doing while we empty the shops?" Dawn asked as she began to imagine everything she wanted to get, almost reaching euphoric levels as she realised she could actually get it all.

"Meeting the Halliwells," he replied, causing both Buffy and Dawn to immediately let him go.

"Why aren't we going with you?" Buffy asked.

Both Dawn and Buffy were now giving him the puppy eyes. Xander quickly realised that he needs to explain the situation before he caved in and let them come along.

"As I told you before, they've just gone through a personal tragedy. Their oldest sister has just died, and they are all both physically and emotionally tired. The less people that go the better it is, especially as they will not be overly enthused about the reason I'm paying a visit. You will be meeting them before we go back, but it's better if I make first contact."

Buffy didn't like the idea of letting him go by himself, but she knew that he could take care of himself, not that he should be in any danger of them as they're supposed to be Champions like herself.

The real reason she didn't want him to do it alone was that she wanted to savour every moment that he was on Earth. She knew that no matter how things turned out he would be going back where he came from, and therefore didn't want to waste a single opportunity to spend time with him.

"Fine," Buffy told him with a sigh of disappointment, "but this doesn't mean I like it."

"We wouldn't have had this conversation if you did like it, would we? Nothing is going to happen," he assured her, "and there isn't a lot out there that can even touch me."

"It's the things that can touch you that worry me."

It wasn't often that fear crept into the voice of Buffy Summers, Vampire Slayer, but it couldn't be missed this time. The people that Buffy cared for would always be her Achilles Heel, and the one sure-fire way to get through her normally formidable defences, and this time was no different.

Xander pulled her into another hug, gently kissed the top of her head and began to rub small circles into the small of her back. It had an instant effect, and Buffy soon felt a lot calmer than before.

A blatantly false coughing fit from Dawn reminded them both that she was still in the room, mores the pity, and they turned their attention to her. "As I have a hard day's shopping ahead of me tomorrow," she told them, "I need to get some sleep. Which one's which?" she asked, referring to the two bedrooms.

Xander and Buffy exchanged looks before he answered. "My room is on the left, and yours and Buffy's is on the right. Don't worry," he told them as he saw them about to protest, "there are two beds in there so you won't be sharing."

That extinguished the fire in the eyes of both Summers girls, who were going to complained most vocally about having to share a bed. They would have complained about having to share a bedroom, but Dawn was too tired and Buffy was worried that Dawn would make some comment about having ulterior motives.

Dawn nodded once in acknowledgement of that and, after mumbling a goodnight, walked to the bedroom, yawning all the way there.

"Dawn has the right idea; it's going to be a long day tomorrow and we'll both need our energy. I definitely need my sleep as it's been months since I last needed to," he added, speaking the truth.

While he wouldn't normally feel tired, as was proven with his time at the SGC, meeting up with his friends and family again had been an emotionally draining affair, and a few hours of honest to goodness sleep would do him the world of good, especially as it would probably quite draining dealing with the Halliwells tomorrow.

"Yes, well, I better get to bed too, beauty sleep is key," Buffy replied less than enthusiastically, not wanting to leave Xander's side.

"I thought that was Dawn," Xander replied with a little grin, making a note to fix that, before he leant down and left a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight Buff."

"Night Xander."

They shared a look, and then retreated to their respective rooms. Xander got undressed and then got straight into bed, suddenly feeling very tired. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard the door to his room open and close, followed by footsteps and then a small but perfectly formed body getting into bed next to him. With a small smile he pulled Buffy to him, wrapping his arm around her waist, making sure that her body was in contact with as much of his own as possible.

Hearing a mumble that he took to mean goodnight, he kissed her in the crown of her hair and fell into a peaceful sleep.


When Xander woke up the following morning, he found himself alone in the bed. For a moment he thought that he had dreamed the previous night, not that he and Buffy had done much to dream about, that is until he picked up the unmistakable scent of Buffy on his pillow and smiled in contentment.

He'd fulfilled the majority of his fantasies last night by having Buffy in his bed, the only fantasies he didn't fulfil were either of a more sexual nature or a marital one. He wasn't sure that he'd ever fulfil the latter given the circumstances, but the former was a higher probability. Of course, while he would like nothing more than to experience that with Buffy, he wasn't sure if it would be right to do so knowing that it would only be a temporary thing.

For a moment he wondered why she had left so early, fleeting thinking that she might have had second thoughts of even lying beside him, but then realised that she must have got up and got into her own bed so Dawn didn't know where she actually slept.

One of the benefits of being a Power was that he no longer needed to wash, although he knew that if he tried to do so around Buffy and Dawn they'd say something about it, so instead of simply getting out of bed and getting dressed, he instead took a change of clothes in with him to the bathroom and made himself look as presentable as possible.

When he finished getting ready, he noticed that neither Buffy nor Dawn were awake yet, so he called room service and ordered breakfast for the three of them. He also ordered a change of clothes for them both, realising that a woman doesn't like to wear the same things twice, especially not in a row.

Half an hour later the clothes and food were delivered, the scent of food bringing the Summers sisters out of their room.

"Morning Xander," Dawn greeted him a little sleepily, "can I smell food?"

"Indeed you do fair maiden," he replied with a smile, "in fact there's a veritable smorgasbord of food awaiting to be consumed by yourself and your sister."

"What about you?"

"I don't actually need to eat," he told her, "I did last night but that was more for everyone else's benefit as opposed to my actually needing to."

"It's going to be strange seeing you around food and not devouring it," Dawn commented with a smirk.

Buffy nodded in agreement. "You always did seem to eat almost constantly."

"I'll have you know that Savox demons have an extremely high metabolism, making it necessary for them to eat almost constantly," he informed them both haughtily.

"Or it could be that you were simply a pig," Buffy replied quickly.

"You're entitled to your opinion, it's wrong, but you're entitled to it. Now chow down before the food gets cold," Xander instructed, indicating the food.

Both of them complied eagerly, and there was a comfortable silence between the trio as the girls ate. Xander did join them a little, but again it was just for show as he knew that Buffy and Dawn weren't just teasing him when they said it would be strange to see him eat. He had gotten used to it, given that time worked differently upstairs and he'd actually been gone longer in his perspective than they all believed, but he still missed the sensation of being sated after a hearty meal. It just didn't feel the same when there was nothing to gain from it.

Once they'd finished off the food, the girls making the appropriate noises about having to exercise more to burn it off, something Xander had denied strongly to earn himself some brownie points, Dawn noticed the new clothes.

"What are these?" she asked.

"And you call yourself a female?" Xander mocked. "Those, my dear, are called clothes."

"I know that doofus," she snapped with a smile, "I meant who are they for?"

"You and Buffy of course. I didn't think you would want to wear the clothes you came in for another day. I hope you like them," he told them, suddenly feeling a little apprehensive.

Both Dawn and Buffy rushed and grab the clothes, and then raced to get washed and dressed, Xander observing them with a grin at the bickering that came from them trying to work out who got to use the bathroom first.

After about an hour of waiting, and trying not to laugh out loud at their almost non-stop squabbling, they were both finally ready. Dawn was in a black sleeveless top, a lilac hooded sweatshirt and a pair of grey stretch jeans. Buffy was wearing a white halter neck top, a simple pair of black trousers and a suede jacket.

"I must admit you have good taste," Buffy complimented, "it's a shame you didn't use it for yourself."

"Hey!" Xander cried indignantly.

"Buffy's right," Dawn agreed, "some of your shirts looked like a Fyarl demon puked on them."

"One more comment about my fashion sense and the clothes get sent back!" he warned them in a huff, only half joking.

This of course instantly stopped any further comments about Xander's appalling taste in fashion from being uttered by either woman. It was of course extremely difficult for both of them, but they managed it somehow.

"So do you know where the shops are," Buffy asked eventually, "as I haven't the faintest idea."

"I thought women could sense a clothes shop from miles away?" That remark got him a slap to the back of the head. It didn't hurt, but he made it look like it did simply to appease her. "Between the concierge and Harry, I'm sure that you'll manage to find what you're looking for."

"What about you?" Dawn asked. "Won't you be needing Harry?"

"I'll get a cab," he assured her, "I doubt pulling up in a stretch limo will give off the right impression."

"What impression are you trying to make?" Buffy asked.

Xander smirked. "That I'm desperate."

"Just tell them you're in love with Buffy," Dawn told him with a smirk.

Buffy glared at her angrily. "Hey!"

"On that note I think it's time that you two left," Xander said as he got up. He knew how those two could get if left to their own devices, and if they wanted to have any time left for shopping, he had to nip their bickering in the bud. "Have fun, and I'll meet you two back here tonight."

Xander moved round the table and gave both Summers women a hug, Buffy's lasting longer than Dawn's by quite a margin, and then watched them leave, knowing that Harry was already waiting for them downstairs in the lobby. He'd arranged for Harry to be there while they'd gotten changed, and asked him to ensure they were taken to the best places to shop in the city, hoping that it would keep them occupied and, more importantly, out of trouble.

He spent the next couple of hours debating over the best way to have the conversation with the Halliwells, trying to balance his condolences with apprising them of the current situation and garnering their support. He really did need their support, not only because they were major Champions for their side, but also because they were riding an emotional tightrope at the moment, and several of the Powers believed that they may well be susceptible to influence from the other side. Personally he didn't think so, but grief was a powerful thing and it would only take a nudge here and a nudge there and he could easily be proven wrong.

Realising that all the planning in the world wouldn't amount to a hill of beans if he never bit the bullet and went over there, Xander eventually left the penthouse and asked Roger to hail him a cab, which arrived less than thirty seconds later. Fifteen minutes later, the cab was pulling up outside Halliwell Manor, and the construction worker in him appreciated the look and feel of the building.

Less than thirty seconds after the cab drove away, a body came crashing out of one of the front windows, and Xander barely had time to move out of the way.

"I hope I get a better welcome," he muttered to himself.

Xander was only half surprised when the body sprung back to its feet a couple of moments later, the surprise becoming full blown as, instead of returning to the Manor, the figure turned its head to face him, making it look like something from The Exorcist. He's only half surprised that the body gets up.

"Death to the traitor!" it roared, as its eyes flashed a deep purple before firing a ball of energy at him.

"There needs to be a general meeting between demons so they can work on a way to get some original material," he commented as he dodged the energy ball instinctively.

It only took Xander a second to realise that there was nothing a low level demon could do to him, even before he died, and that it was time he stopped pretending otherwise. To that end, when the demon fired at him a second time he simply caught it in one hand and then closed absorbed it within himself, before going on the offensive. He knew that he could simply fire an energy ball in return, but he still wanted to remain under the radar as long as possible, so he instead used his superior speed to move in closer, retrieving a dagger from his jacket as he did so, and then thrust it into the demons chest.

For a moment the demon didn't worry about the wound, thinking that as it was a simple knife the damage would be superficial at best. What it forgot to remember was that anything brandished as a weapon by a higher being was classified as a holy weapon, but it soon had its memory jogged as it screamed in agony before bursting in a flash of purple fire.

As Xander turned around, he found that Piper and Phoebe, the two remaining charmed ones, and Leo, their Whitelighter, were watching him.

"Uh, hi," he greeted awkwardly, knowing that his introduction could have gone a little smoother.

"Don't 'Hi' me," Piper snapped, "how did you just kill that demon?"

Her gaze was nothing short of venomous; her first thoughts were that he was another demon that wanted to kill them, and was simply removing the competition so he could do it himself. When Xander didn't respond right away, which was mainly because he hadn't expected such open hostility, she took that to mean she was right in her theory and went to destroy him with her newly awakened power, only to be stopped by her husband Leo.

"I'm sorry My Lord," Leo told Xander formally, "things have been strained recently. Please accept my apologies."

Xander sighed when Leo called him 'My Lord', and things only got worse when Leo proceeded to get on one knee to him.

"Why are you bowing to this man, and why are you calling him lord?" Piper asked her husband in puzzlement.

The emphasis on the word man was not lost on Xander, and knew that it was a clear jab at his age. "I can answer that one for you Mrs. Wyatt," he replied formally, "but it might be better if we had this conversation inside. Only if you would like of course."

Xander watched as Phoebe and Piper had a silent discussion, both knowing that Leo would support their decision, even if he didn't agree with it.

"Fine," Phoebe told him, "you can come in but if we feel that you're lying to us…" she trailed off, ensuring that Xander was aware of what would happen should he try anything, but not voicing them specifically just in case he was on the up and up.

Xander followed the trio into the manor, and sat down on the chair furthest away from the door.

"Right, now we're inside explain why my husband called you lord?" Piper told him, her tone making it clear it wasn't a request.

"Firstly I would like to introduce myself; my name is Alexander Harris but I prefer to be called Xander. The reason why Leo called me lord is because I am one of the Powers That Be, which means that I am one or two steps above Elders in the celestial hierarchy. I do not, however, like all the formalities that the others have imposed on our sub-ordinates, so I'm going to ask you, Leo, to call me Xander," he requested, looking at Leo as he did so.

"If that's what you want my lo… Xander," Leo replied, only just catching his slip.

Xander realised that Leo was only doing it because he asked him, as the rules stipulated that when he said jump Leo wouldn't as how high he'd just jump as high as was physically possible, but hoped that over time he would come around.

"That may explain who you are," Piper conceded, "but it doesn't explain why you're here."

"There are a few reasons; one of them is to convey my sincere condolences for your loss. I cannot begin to understand how you are feeling right now and won't pretend otherwise," he told them sincerely, knowing that he would be inconsolable if one of his friends or family were to die.

"Thank you," Phoebe replied, her voice thick with emotion. "You said that was one of the reasons you're here?"

"Yes Ms. Halliwell. The problem is I know that you are not going to be very receptive to either one; I would wait longer if there were the option, but I'm afraid that time is against me. I was only recently given the position as one of the PTB, I'm sure that Leo will be able to fill in the details surrounding that so I won't bore you with them now, but what Leo won't know is that a prophecy has surfaced concerning the fate of the planet…"

"I don't care!" Piper snapped, cutting him off. "Our sister has just died, fighting the good fight like we'd been asked to do the last three years. Where were you then? Where were you the countless times we'd almost died? Where were you when our sister died? You did nothing to save her, so you and everyone else can all go to hell!"

"Piper," Leo said soothingly, flicking his eyes to Xander several times, "of all the people to be angry at, Xander should be at the bottom of the list."

"Don't worry Leo, it's alright." Xander turned his attention back to Piper, trying not to show how those comments had hurt and angered him. "To answer your question Mrs. Wyatt, at the time of your sister's death, I was battling a hell goddess who was trying to open a portal home, which would have caused our world and hers to merge. That is something that would not have been good for the human population. I died stopping her, and it was a month or so after my death that I was appointed as one of the PTB. Whether you want to believe me or not, if there was a way that I could have helped stop what happened to your sister I would have done in a heartbeat, even if it meant giving my own in exchange."

"Not to sound rude or anything, but how did a human stop a goddess and become a Power? And by the way you can call me Phoebe," the younger of the two sisters told him with a smile, which showed that she did not hold the same animosity as Piper.

"OK, Phoebe. You've dealt with some seriously nasty demons, and yet you're human, just with a few extras. Humans are capable of far more than most believe them to be, extra abilities or not. However, the fact of the matter Phoebe was that I wasn't human; I was actually a pureblood Savox demon."

As soon as she heard the word demon, Piper stood up and tried to vanquish Xander with her new power, getting annoyed when she found that she couldn't, no matter how many times she tried. "I knew it!" she screamed as she continued to try and kill him. "Get out of my house!"

Her anger was rolling off her in waves, but Xander could see that it wasn't focused so much on him as it was at everything. He was simply a convenient outlet for that anger.

"Piper you need to calm down," Leo warned her, knowing that Xander would not continue to just sit there and allow her to try and blow him up, and was still a little unsure as to how he would retaliate.

Before Piper could reply to her husbands words, which probably save Leo from losing something he'd miss, Xander began to talk again.

"Mrs. Wyatt, I was a demon, but I had a soul and wasn't evil. I know that you hate demons, understandable under the circumstances, but you must know by now that things like this are not as cut and dried as 'all demons are evil'. I've spent the last five years fighting evil on the Hellmouth, doing my best to keep the people I loved safe from harm, and included in that group is one of the two Slayers in the world. I dedicated my life to fighting evil, and even gave my life to the cause, only to find out that I didn't have to die in the first place."

"What do you mean by that?" Piper asked, her ire dying down slightly during his speech.

"It means that I have as much right to hate prophecies as you do," Xander replied, not wanting to get into that at the moment. "Anyway, I took my position as one of the PTB so I could continue to look after my friends and family, and anyone else that needed it. When I found out how you have been treated by the Elders, I ripped them all a new one. They're not as bad as my fellow Powers, but they still see you more like a tool than anything else, and I ensured that they knew that. To make a long story short, the Elders no longer have any hold over you. From now on, Leo will only have the Charmed Ones as his charges, and will no longer answer to the Elders; instead he will answer to me." When he saw that Piper was going to speak up, he raised his hand and was surprised when it worked and she kept quiet. "Leo has complete veto on any tasks I may ask him to perform; his primary responsibility will always be to you and no one else, except possibly 'Him'."

Xander's revelations shocked the residents of the manor, as well as calming them all down. Piper, however, was not as willing to let go of all the anger. "Let me guess, all this is on the condition that we help you with this upcoming war?"

"Absolutely not; no matter what you decide, you will no longer be under the hold of the Elders. I would never coerce or force anyone to put their lives on the line, I only want people that fight because they want to, not because they feel they have to."

He was looking Piper square in the eye and she could tell that he was speaking the truth. She reminded herself that her powers were useless against him, and that he could have killed them all several times over if that had been his intention. She finally relaxed, her head ruling over her heart once more, and Piper sat back down on the couch next to her husband and sister.

"This is all a little overwhelming," Phoebe said, "but you said that there was another thing you wanted to tell us?"

"There is," Xander replied hesitantly, suddenly realising that landing everything on them all at once would not be wise, "but it might be wise to leave that for another time. I'll let you think about everything that has happened today and meet you tomorrow?" he suggested.

"I don't think that would be a problem," Leo told him agreeably, still reticent to outright refuse even a suggestion from someone of Xander's station. "Why don't you meet us at P3, a club that Piper owns, tomorrow night and we can talk there?"

"Would it be OK if I bring along a couple of companions? Buffy, the Slayer I talked about earlier, and her younger sister Dawn came with me and would like to meet you."

"I don't see why not," Piper told him, deciding to go along with her husband for the time being. She still wasn't entirely trusting of him, but knew enough to know that she needed to know more before making her decision. Then the businesswoman side of her came to play. "One thing, how old is Dawn?"

"Depending on how you look at it, either 16 or one," Xander replied with a small smile.

"Huh?"

"Trust me," he told them, "it's a long story that Dawn loves to tell people who won't consider her insane."

"I have a couple like that," Phoebe said with a grin.

"I don't think Dawn's mom would be too happy if you told her those stories, Phoebe," Piper commented with a smirk before turning her attention back to Xander. "I'm afraid that we have an age limit at the club and Dawn is not old enough to come in."

"Couldn't you let it go this once?" Phoebe asked her sister, knowing what it was like when she'd wanted to go somewhere with her sisters only to be told she wasn't old enough.

Xander spoke up before Piper could reply. "No, I wouldn't want you to do that on our behalf; that would be unfair to everyone else." he thought for a moment and then turned to Leo. "Leo, would you be able to help me with something?"

"That depends on what it is," he replied warily, earning himself a smile of approval from Xander.

"Good answer, you're learning. I was wondering if you would be able to orb over to LA and bring Buffy and Dawn's mother, Joyce, here so she could look after her. I could treat them to dinner at a restaurant or something."

"Don't take this the wrong way but why can't you do it?" Leo asked not unkindly, knowing that Xander's abilities far overshadowed his own.

"I'm not strictly speaking supposed to be down here; you know as well as I do that having a Power on Earth causes a lot of problems. If I use my powers too often, it will ring warning bells with the other side and we'll lose any advantage we have."

"Right, of course I'll do that," Leo told him with a smile, having had no intention of refusing him in the first place, "but it might be wise to warn them that I'm coming."

"Of course. Well I better be off," Xander said as he stood up, "it's been nice meeting you Phoebe, Leo, Mrs. Wyatt."

Piper's face screwed up a little at the way Xander called her Mrs. Wyatt, as she decided that it made her sound old, and was a little miffed that he called Phoebe by her first name but not her. "I've just noticed that you haven't called me Piper since you've been here."

"I never use a ladies first unless given permission," Xander informed her, hiding a smile. In actuality, he'd continued to call her that as he'd noticed her less than enthusiastic response to it. He'd been losing his patience with her almost from the start, but hadn't wanted to outwardly show it, so used that as a way of annoying her without making it obvious.

"In that case permission granted," Piper told him with a smile, unaware of Xander's thoughts.

"Thank you, Piper," he replied with a nod. "I'll ring you later to finalise when to be at P3 tomorrow, and to give Leo details on where Joyce is staying at the moment."

"OK. I want to apologise for trying to vanquish you earlier," she told him a little sheepishly, especially as she'd done so at least a dozen times.

"I've found that almost every gorgeous woman that meets me has that same feeling."

A slight blush appeared on Piper's face, along with a not very well hidden death glare towards Xander from Leo.

"So you think I'm gorgeous?" she asked coyly, always happy to receive a compliment.

Xander noticed that the death glare coming from Leo intensified, so to diffuse the situation he decided to be as tactful as he could be. "In an absolutely platonic way of course; your husband is an extremely lucky man."

Piper smirked when she finally noticed the look that Xander was receiving from Leo, which only widened when she saw the expression disappear the moment Xander's words registered.

"What about me, do you think I'm gorgeous?" Phoebe asked him, not wanting to be left out.

As she was saying this, Phoebe was walking up to him with a slightly exaggerated sway to her hips. Xander was of course flattered, having an attractive woman flirt with you is always a good thing, but also knew that he would need to nip that in the bud before she met Buffy.

"You are as gorgeous as your sister," he replied diplomatically, knowing how competitive sisters could be, "again in an absolutely platonic way."

"Why are you saying platonic all the time?" she asked him.

"You'll be meeting Buffy tomorrow and I would like to keep my genitals where they are," Xander replied honestly, receiving smiles in response.

"Ahh, so you two are together?"

"As much as possible," Xander replied with a nod, knowing how that sounded but not wanting to explain the circumstances behind it.

A smirk appeared on Phoebe's face. "I'll bet."

"On that note I better be going," he said, turning his attention to Piper. "Is it OK if I use your phone to call a cab?"

"No need," Leo told him, "I'll take you where you need to go."

"Thanks, I'm staying in the penthouse suite at the Ritz Carlton."

"Isn't that a little bit indulgent for a Power?" she asked, thinking that he might be abusing his abilities.

"My being a power has nothing to do with it; before I died I was the sole owner of Savox Industries, and given that it isn't general knowledge that I died, I still am. Because I still need to keep a low profile, supernaturally speaking, I'm keeping to human transport as much as possible, hence the penthouse suite, private jet and chauffeur driven limousine."

"If you have a chauffeur driven limousine why would you need a cab?" Piper asked incredulously.

Xander smiled softly. "His services are currently being used by Buffy and Dawn, as they try to reach the limit to my no-limit credit card."

"You must really love her if you let her go shopping with your credit card," she commented, only half joking. She had seen in that smile just how much he cared for her, and it only helped to further believe him to be on the level, as it's is nigh on impossible for anyone evil to show those kinds of emotions.

"I would, and in fact did, die for her, so a shopping spree is nothing. Anyway I can afford it," he told them, knowing that they would be too polite to ask how much he was worth, at least for the moment. After a moment he turned his attention back to Leo. "I'm ready when you are Leo."

Leo put his hand on Xander's shoulder and orbed them back to the hotel, appearing in the living area of the penthouse. "Nice place," he commented as he took in his surroundings.

"Thanks," he replied with a smile, before he turned serious. While he had decided not to talk about the other subject with the sisters, he needed to with Leo. "Now we're alone, we can talk about Paige."

Xander wasn't surprised to see that Leo knew who he was talking about, especially as he'd all but ordered the others to inform him. He indicated towards the couches and the two sat down.

"I thought that was the other thing you wanted to talk to them about," Leo commented after a moment, knowing how difficult the news of her existence would be on his wife and sister-in-law.

"How come you haven't told them about her?" he asked him, and when he saw the look that Leo gave him, quickly back-pedalled a little, not meaning it to sound like an accusation. "I'm not accusing you of anything, I'm simply curious; you're known for your reluctance to withhold information from them."

Leo nodded in acceptance of that, knowing that Xander was right in his assessment. He sighed and sunk a little further into the couch before he replied. "I didn't even know of her existence until a couple of days ago," he began, "your colleagues had kept her well hidden from everyone, and with the way things have been lately there hasn't exactly been the right time to broach the subject. The other reason why I hadn't told them yet is because I felt that it was too soon after Prue's death, and still do."

After a moment to take in what Leo told him, Xander nodded in understanding. "If I were in your position I would probably feel the same," he assured him, his reluctance to inform Buffy and the others of the 'prophecy' being a prime example. "You do realise, however, that Paige is here in San Francisco looking for her sisters?"

"Actually I didn't," Leo told him in surprise, "does she know who they are?"

"No, she has followed some leads to this city, but has no idea of the names of her sisters or that they're witches," Xander explained. "I've set up a meeting with her posing as a contact, but I wanted to have a word with Piper and Phoebe before I did. I don't want to force them into something they're not ready for, even if it's necessary."

"What do you mean necessary?"

"You must have noticed that the amount of demons that have come after Piper and Phoebe has increased dramatically since Prue's death," Xander remarked, waiting for Leo to nod before he continued. "They know that the Power of Three is no more, and are taking advantage of the situation in hopes of eliminating the remaining Charmed Ones."

"With everything that's been going on recently I hadn't noticed the rise in demon attacks," Leo admitted, "but now that you've brought it to my attention they do seem to be hell bent, pardon the pun, to get them out of the way."

"Paige can change all that by restoring the Power of Three, and thereby keeping them all safe, or at least as safe as they could be given the circumstances," Xander explained. "Also, once news gets out that there's another Halliwell sister on the scene, they're going to be after her with everything they've got, and I doubt losing another relative will do either Phoebe or Piper any good right now, even if it is a relative they'd previously known nothing about."

"You're right that restoring the power of three is the best way to keep them safe, Paige included, but that can only happen if they are all willing to do so."

Xander nodded, knowing that the ritual can only be performed if they do so of their own free will. "That's why I want to be as careful about how I do this as possible. I know that this is putting you in a difficult position, but what would you suggest?"

"I'm not sure to be honest with you," Leo replied with a shrug. "For Paige to be able to complete the Power of Three, she needs to believe in magic and the supernatural, and for Piper and Phoebe to accept her as a sister."

"The only sure fire way I know of convincing anyone of the supernatural is for them to see it with their own two eyes, with the downside being that it may completely freak her out and push her away." Xander sighed and put his hands through his hair. "Either way, she needs to know and time is against all of us if we want a chance of keeping everyone safe, so leading her into it gently just isn't an option."

"Whatever you decide I know that you'll do your best to keep them all safe," Leo assured him, "that trait is something that everyone respects in you, and also made your appointment as a Power an easier pill to swallow for everyone."

Further conversation was cut short as Buffy and Dawn came in at that moment, almost invisible behind the mountain of shopping that was being brought in by several Porters, which Xander knew Dawn would be glad of. Buffy could have brought them all up by herself once she'd worked out the logistics of carrying that many bags in one go, but Dawn would have had problem getting them to the lobby, let alone to the penthouse.

Xander got up from the couch and, after the Poerts had finished bringing everything in, gave them all generous tips for their help and allowed them to leave before addressing the girls.

"Enjoy yourselves?" he asked with a small smile, already knowing the answer from the glows on their faces.

"You bet!" Dawn exclaimed happily, tiredly but happily. "I cannot believe that we actually got to the point where we felt we couldn't shop anymore!"

Buffy nodded in agreement, also looking tired. "We both looked at each other half an hour ago and decided that we simply couldn't shop a moment longer. If Cordelia ever found out she'd cut up our Californian girl membership cards, burn them, feed them to a dog and then burn it's… excrement." Buffy had finally noticed that Xander wasn't alone and decided not to swear in front of a complete stranger. "Xander, who's this?"

"This is Leo Wyatt, Piper and Phoebe's Whitelighter," Xander introduced. "Leo, it's my great pleasure to introduce Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her sister Dawn."

Leo took a step forward and nodded in their direction. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you."

"Likewise," Buffy replied before turning her attention back to Xander. "How did the meeting go Xander?"

Xander shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh the usual; killed a demon, nearly got killed by Leo's wife..."

"What!" Buffy and Dawn screamed simultaneously, cutting Xander off and causing him to move back a step. Summers women were scary when riled.

"She's under a lot of stress, I couldn't blame her for being on edge," he told them, deciding it was better to try and explain her actions than defend them. "I was in no danger from her anyway, being a Power has its advantages you know."

"Not really," Buffy mumbled sourly.

Xander could hear the sadness in her voice, probably from remembering that their time together was short, and pulled her into an embrace. "There is of course the one big disadvantage that stops me from enjoying it," he whispered in her ear before laying a kiss on her temple. He could feel her smile against his chest and it sent a shiver running down his spine.

A cough from behind them ended the moment and they look to the source of the noise they find Leo looking at them.

"I hate to interrupt," Leo told them apologetically, "but I'll need to be getting back in a couple of minutes. Would you be able to give me the address?"

Xander gave Leo a grateful nod, as he didn't comment what the address was for, which allowed him to explain the situation to Dawn in a way that wouldn't overly upset her. He released Buffy, reluctantly, and then went over to the side table by the front door and wrote the address down on a piece of note paper, which he folded in half before he then gave it to Leo.

"Here you go," he told him, "I'll let them know that you're coming so nobody tries to stab you or anything. Thanks again for the lift, and I'll see you and the sisters tomorrow night."

"Sure, not a problem," Leo told him with a smile, and then turned to the two Summers women. "It was nice to meet you ladies." With that Leo orbed out of the room.

"That looks so cool! Can you do that?" Dawn asked Xander excitedly.

"Sure can, but until more things are in place it's best that I don't," he replied, knowing that she would probably want him to show her.

"So apart from having Leo's wife trying to blow you up, did everything go OK?" Buffy asked, still feeling a little miffed that it happened.

"Mostly, they're all grieving over Prue, the sister who died, and are pretty pissed with almost everyone and everything," he explained. "Piper wasn't really angry at me, she just needed a focus for her anger and I was the closest target. As you probably guessed, I've arranged to meet them at the club the sisters own tomorrow night."

Dawn's eyes gleamed at the thought of going to a club. "Cool!"

Xander winced, knowing that his news would not go down well. "I'm afraid you can't come Dawn," he told her apologetically, "they have an age restriction."

"That's so unfair!" Dawn exclaimed, stamping her foot to show just how unfair she thought it to be.

Buffy wasn't all that bothered about Dawn not going in, as she shouldn't be going anywhere like that until she was in her thirties, but it did bring up another point on contention. "We can't leave her here alone Xander," she told him, thoughts of them returning to find the hotel on fire running through her mind.

"We won't be," he assured her, "Leo is going to collect Joyce from LA and I'm going to treat her and Dawn to dinner and a movie."

"I want to go to the club with you two!" Dawn shouted grumpily, hating to feel like she was being left out.

"I know you do Dawn," Xander replied, sympathising with her, "but I know you and your mom will have a lot of fun tomorrow night. I know that you've wanted to spend some quality time alone with her and this is the perfect chance."

Xander knew that Dawn has been feeling a little neglected lately, not in the literal sense, but she hasn't had a lot of time alone with Joyce as everyone has been doing more things as a group since he died. Losing one of the core group hit them all and made them realise that they needed to enjoy the time they had together more than they had been.

"I suppose," Dawn said grumpily, not willing to admit anything.

"I doubt we'll be having a lot of fun," Xander went on, hoping to make her feel better, "as I'll be introducing Piper and Phoebe to a sister they never even knew they had, as well as trying to convince her that she's a witch that will be hunted by every demon under the moon until she's dead or joined with the other's to reinstate the Power of Three."

"What time is mom getting here tomorrow?" Dawn asked, suddenly not as upset about being unable to go with them as she had a few moments ago.

"Sometime in the afternoon," he replied, noticing her change in demeanour and holding back a smile. "Why don't you go ring her, I'm sure that she's wondering what you've been doing. You can also warn them that Leo will be appearing in the lobby sometime tomorrow to collect her, that way Faith won't try to turn him into a spit roast Whitelighter."

"Sure."

Dawn decided to use the phone in their bedroom to have a little privacy, which meant that Buffy and Xander had some time to themselves.

"I'm going to need your help convincing Paige about what goes bump in the night," Xander told Buffy as he sat down and pulled her onto his lap, "I was thinking that after she's been introduced to her sisters that we take her on patrol."

"Don't you think that it'll be a bit sudden?" she asked as she wrapped her hands around his neck and settled down against him.

"Normally I would agree," he admitted, "but the circumstances won't allow it. I wasn't joking about demons going after her; the moment she meets her sisters the powers she's possessed since birth will be released, and she'll be like a beacon in the dark. She'll be even more of a demon magnet than I pretended to be, but without control of her powers she won't have much chance of surviving an attack."

"What if it backfires on you?"

"If it does it does, but it's a risk I'm willing, and have to, take," he told her, knowing how easily things could go wrong. "I would be leaving her in too much danger if I did it any other way."

"Don't think I'm criticising," Buffy began tentatively, "it's just that we both know what it's like to find out about all this stuff. I know that you don't have a lot of choice in how to do this, and I'm going to be here for you no matter what."

"Have I told you how much I love you?" he asked her softly as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

Buffy pulled away ever so slightly so she could look him in the eyes. "Not recently," she lied. "I love you too by the way."

"I know, I mean who wouldn't?" he said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"You're right," she agreed, "I'm sure I've seen Giles give you the occasional appreciative look"

"Scary visual place! Scary visual place!"

Her laughter did nothing to remove the disturbing images his imagination had decided to conjure up from her comment, but the way she was pressing herself against him definitely was.

"I'm suddenly feeling very tired," she said huskily against his neck, "what do you say to an early night?"

Xander swallowed thickly, thinking that tonight would be the night they would finally consummate their relationship. "What about Dawn?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"What about her?" she replied with a sigh. "Everybody knows how we feel about each other, and I really don't want to hide the fact from my sister or anyone else. It's not as though we have anything to be ashamed of."

"You know I like the way you think," he told her with a smile, realising that there was no reason why they couldn't be honest about how they feel, especially when everyone already knew. Any reluctance he had about taking their relationship further flew out the window when he looked in her eyes and saw the level of feeling she had for him. "I've just realise that I'm feeling tired as well, so your suggestion of an early night is extremely tempting."

Xander stood up, easily picking Buffy up, and began to make his way to his bedroom, when Dawn poked her head out. "Buffy! Mom wants to talk to you!"

Buffy and Xander looked into each other's eyes and after a moment their shoulders slumped in unison, followed by sighs of frustration.

"I have the distinct impression that this is not going to be a short conversation," Buffy said grumpily as Xander put her down but kept hold of her hand.

"If our luck so far is any indication you're right," he sighed. "I'm going to bed, it's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"Goodnight Xander."

Xander brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. "Night Buff."

They released their hold of each other's hand and walked to their respective rooms, both thinking that the whole world was against them. The really annoying thing was that both of them knew they were right.