Xander and Jayde sat next to each other on the floor, beside Lucas' unconscious body laying on the bed. They were speaking quietly, trying to ignore the feeling of deja vu they were both experiencing, waiting for him to wake up.

"You really don't think we should bring him to a doctor?" Jayde asked softly.

Xander sighed, "we tried that a few times in the beginning, they just always think we're up to something illegal, and ask a lot of questions. And he's breathing ok, gonna have some nasty bruises though." He regarded her few a few moments. "Where did you learn how to put a shoulder back into joint?"

"Oh… uh… military camp."

He blinked in shock. "Why were you in military camp? Did you do something to be sent there? Rob a few banks?" He teased.

Jayde swallowed, and tried to keep her voice level. She knew she couldn't really blame Xander for joking about it. "I killed someone."

"Oh…"

"It was self-defense, but I was pretty messed up afterwards."

"Oh… oh geez… I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it was while ago."

"But how? You're just a kid now." Jayde glared at him. "Well, you are."

"I was ten."

"Oh… And I thought being in Sunnydale was a bad way to grow up." Xander studied the floor, cringing at his own lack of tack.

"And what about you?" She tried to turn the conversation away from herself.

He lifted his head. "Huh?"

"You knew how to help me right away. Don't think I didn't notice that."

Xander stared at the floor again. "I've done it a few times… for myself."

"Monsters?"

He shook his head and continued to look away from her. "Um, only once…"

Jayde furrowed her forehead, "but if it wasn't monst… oh… I see. I'm sorry."

Xander shrugged, "don't be, I survived, and it was a while ago." He repeated back to her with a wry grin.

She couldn't help smiling back at him, but her expression darkened after a few seconds. "When is Willow coming back?"

"She said they'd be back in about fifteen minutes, they just need to close everything up. Why?"

"I just don't like them out there alone, who knows what'll happen around here." She sighed and leaned her head against the wall. "Not that being here is any better."

Xander copied her sigh, "I know it seems like that sometimes, but at least I was able to get Buffy-bot off of him." He reached out and put his arm across her shoulders. She leaned into him, grateful for the contact. "We're all better off sticking together."

"Do you think it's repairable this time?" Jayde asked after a few minutes of silence. "The robot I mean."

Xander shrugged, "not sure, and ax to the face isn't something most murderous robots survive, but if anyone can fix it, Lucas can."

"If he'll even want to after this."

"Someone will have to fix her. Without her, I end up as the cannon fodder, I'm very ok with her filling that role." Xander joked, Jayde chuckled with him.

"Only Lucas can come to a place filled with real monsters and be attacked by technology." Jayde groaned, rubbing her face.

Xander nodded, "yeah, I thought that was the kind of thing that only happens to me." He leaned back and rolled his eyes. "At least we don't have to deal with Adam again, he was a nice little combo of the two."

"Adam?"

"Crazy top secret military project to combine demons and cyborg technology. It was fun." Xander explained dryly.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "That's … interesting. Lucas may have even been fascinated by something like that."

Xander shook his head. "No way, it was made by the same people who made the chip that Stark put in his head."

"Oh…" Jayde winced, "um… how bad was that… I mean, is it going to be?"

He shook his head again. "Don't ask… I'm still not sure how he kept saying no to her. It got… really bad."

"And there's no way for him to avoid that?"

Xander shrugged nonchalantly, but appeared troubled. "That's the thing, if he does, he'll never come here. And if he doesn't come here, I won't go to you guys for help. So he won't have the warning about it."

"That's kind of what we were talking about last night." Xander cocked his head at her expectantly. "He's worried he isn't the person you remember and might not be later."

"Oh… yeah… he's a little different, but I understand that. He's just not as trusting… I guess. But he was dropped into something scary and Buffy saved his ass. It's lot easier to take something on faith… um…" He blushed slightly, "I mean, just accept what people are telling you that way." Xander laughed shortly, but there was no true humor to it. "Dropping in like I did and demanding help like a jerk… may have not been the right way to handle it."

"But you were right, it is what they do… what we do." She amended, "and he was planning to help you, even if we hadn't had to leave like we did."

"I know, but I think he wanted to help me to a nice padded cell too."

Jayde laughed, "that was discussed."

"That wouldn't be the first time," Xander mused. He chewed his lip quietly for a while. "So... um... Willow told me what you guys were talking about last night." He blurted out.

Jayde whipped her head around to stare at him. She opened her mouth, but was interrupted by a dry cough from the bed. They were both on their feet instantly. "Lucas?"

Blue eyes started to open, then squeezed shut in a grimace of pain. "Oh... crap, what happened?"

"The Buffy-bot rejected your programming." Xander informed him. "Don't move to much, your shoulder was dislocated."

Lucas shifted his arm and grimaced again. "Oh... that I remember. How did I piss her off so bad?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Willow said from the doorway. "She never did anything like that to me."

"I'm just special." Lucas whispered hoarsely. "Do I also remember her trying to strangle me? Or was that some kind of messed up dream?"

"Nope," Xander shook his head. "I heard you yell and when I opened the door, I found her going all homicidal. I grabbed the battle ax and started chopping."

Jayde smiled at the statements, but still blinked away tears. "Any other time, I'd really worried about being in a house that people keep random battle axes around. Now I'm just grateful."

Willow crossed to the bedside and laid a cloth sling on Lucas's lap. "You'll need to wear that for a while. And I have some anti-inflammatory pills for you too."

"Will you be able to heal him like you did for me?" Jayde asked quietly.

The red headed witch hesitated. "It will have to wait a day or two. With the swelling, I won't know if there is more damage." She looked at Lucas, "I'm sorry, I know it's probably painful."

"Just keep the sling on, I know it's annoying, but it helps a lot." Xander put in. Willow glanced to him, a sad smile on her lips.

Lucas nodded and tried to sit up, Jayde reached out to help him, but his annoyed face told her he needed to do it himself. He hissed in pain, pulling the sling over his head and sliding his arm in. "I'm ok, how much time did we lose?"

"Not much," Tim answered him, joining them in the room. "After Willow showed me their list of suspects, I found something right away." He seemed uneasy, and his eyes flicked over the objects in the room before coming to rest on Lucas again.

"And?"

Tim sighed, "it may be even worse than we thought."

"And?"

"We think we know who's behind it." Willow broke in, seeing Tim's hesitancy.

Lucas closed his eyes and leaned against the pillow. "Just tell me who it is."

"Well… um, it could be someone named Warren Meers. He built the Buffy-bot." Willow said, looking sidelong at Tim.

"OK? So he knows computer stuff. That's not bad. That's why you wanted me here anyhow."

"Do you recognize the name?" Tim asked, watching Lucas closely.

He opened his eyes again. "Should I?"

Tim looked down, unwilling to tell him the news while facing him. "Lucas, Meers Industries was the label on the side of the box the mindweave came in. They made the neural interface…"