A/N – This chapter will be my first ever attempt at emotional / angst content in a fan fiction, so please be kind with your reviews people, LOL. Any constructive criticism will be highly valued here, as I want to improve my writing folks!

A/N 2 – I would like to thank Wonderbee31 for his reviews and I would like to say this without giving too much away. Ethan is going to get the OCELOT treatment sooner rather than later. FANS of METAL GEAR SOLID will know what I'm talking about with this line. LOL.

CHAPTER 12 – TRAGEDY

Xander Harris woke up with a splitting headache. He almost wished that he was dead, so bad was his headache. It didn't help that someone unknown yet familiar at the same time, was constantly shaking him to wake up whilst calling out his name. Xander almost wished a curse upon that person, but thought better of it because the town of Sunnydale was the location of the Hell Mouth after all.

"Xander! Wake up, Xander!" That unknown, yet familiar and feminine voice called out to Xander.

"Huh? What? Just another five minutes…." Xander managed to mumble out in his current state of confusion, not knowing who that person was who was currently attempting to wake him up. Xander promptly tried to go back to sleep.

"Please Xander! Wake up!" The unknown yet familiar voice pleaded, as she tried again in vain to rouse Xander from his slumber.

"Ughhhhhhh….." Xander mumbled again as he tried to rise himself to full consciousness.

"God damn it dork boy! Wake up this instant or I'll tell the whole school that you are Larry's secret gay lover!" The voice changed into a very sarcastic and biting tone. One such tone that was all too familiar to one Xander Harris. This caused him to quickly rise up from his current stupor.

"Cordy?" Xander croaked as he finally came to.

"Xander..thank god…" Cordy managed before regaining herself. "Get your lazy ass off the floor dork boy! We really need you!" Cordelia taunted Xander, though she was still on the verge of tears. Xander Harris may have failed at many things in his short but eventful life so far, but knowing when a beautiful girl was in distress wasn't one of them.

"Cordy? What's wrong? And who is, this we?" Xander asked as he struggled to get up from where he lay on the floor of the costume shop.

"Oh please. You wish you dork." Cordelia snarked back, even though she was somewhat secretly relieved that Xander appeared to be okay.

Xander managed to get to his feet, albeit somewhat unsteadily. He took in his current surroundings and noticed a few things. First, try as she might to hide it, one Cordelia Chase was relieved to see him unharmed and safe, once again walking on his own two feet. That kind of news was never good. Second, Xander noticed that his oldest and best friend Willow Rosenberg was no where to been seen currently at this point of time. Thirdly, and probably the most alarming fact to Xander so far, was that Buffy Summers was currently being held in Angel's arms, even as she was crying her pretty little eyes out.

"What the hell?" Xander mumbled as he tried to clear the cobwebs out of his mind, as well as try to forget one hell of a strange dream that he just had.

"Why am I back in Ethan's costume store? Why is Buffy crying? Where the hell is my best bud Willow? And where the hell is the G-Man?" Xander asked out aloud, mainly to himself, but Buffy managed to hear him with her Slayer hearing, which caused her to start off in a new chain of sobs and cries. Angel managed to glare at Xander for causing the Slayer to cry again, but in his current state of confusion and lack of orientation, Xander promptly ignored it.

"Way to go you insensitive jerk!" Cordelia shouted at Xander, even as she backhanded the back of Xander's head. Xander was confused as to why or what he could have done or said to deserve that backhand.

"Ow! Geez! What the hell did I say? Could someone please tell me just what the hell is going on here?" Xander asked with a large degree of confusion.

"Don't even pretend that you don't know!" Cordelia accused Xander with a large degree of venom and anger in her voice.

"But Cordy, I really don't know what's going on here." Xander protested despite Cordelia's angry glare at him. None the less, Xander pressed on and continued.

"The last thing I knew was that I was escorting some pack of unruly brats for Halloween and then everything went black." Xander replied, as he held up his hands to try to placate the angry Queen C.

"But…" Cordelia was about to taunt and insult Xander again, when Angel of all people, interrupted her and managed to defend poor Xander.

"Cordelia, I don't think he knows. He was possessed by his costume just like Willow and Buffy. And considering his costume, I think the night's magic affected Xander more than most." Angel defended Xander, even while he continued to comfort Buffy.

"Huh?" Was Xander's, less than articulate, reply. Xander was totally confused. Not only was Buffy crying, but Deadboy of all people, was actually defending him!

"And what the hell do you mean affected more than most?" Xander asked somewhat suspiciously of Angel, even though the vampire really didn't deserve it this time.

"You really don't know?" Cordelia asked, even as she started to believe Angel's theory about Xander.

"Hell, no! I don't know why I here, where the hell is Willow, why Buffy and you Cordelia seem to be so upset, or where the hell is the G-Man? Come on people, work with me here! I need some information!" Xander ranted out loud, much in frustration at his predicament more than anything else.

"Xander…"Cordelia started than trailed off, when finally realizing that Xander truly didn't know that one Rupert Giles was actually dead.

"Guys come on. Please tell me. What, ever it is. The suspense is killing me." Xander pleaded, as he started to get a very bad feeling that whatever it is that the scoobie gang wasn't telling him must be really, really bad. Like Hell Mouth kind of bad.

"Xander…please…" Buffy started, even as she tried to conquer her own grief, sorrow and sobs.

"Buffy, you're scaring me….." Xander half whispered, as he finally realized how bad this situation must be if the Slayer was affected so badly.

"Buffy, he deserves to know the truth. He knew Giles as well as any of us." Angel told Buffy grimly, which only served to affect Xander's chaotic emotional state even further.

"G-Man? This has something to do with Giles? Please Buffy, please tell me that he's okay!" Xander pleaded with Buffy, looking into her eyes as he hoped nothing had happened to the Watcher. But Buffy's eyes were full of sorrow and sadness, and instantly Xander knew that something really bad had happened to Giles. The man, whom Xander had looked up to. A man, whom was more of a father to Xander than his own, one Anthony 'Tony' Harris.

"No…..Nooooooooooooooooo!" Xander cried out, as the truth finally sunk into him at last. Xander collapsed to his knees as the truth of the tragedy crashed into him, his grief and his tears clearly visible upon his face. But Xander didn't care at that moment what the others thought of him. The man who he had saw as his father, rather than the drunk who had some how impregnated his mother, was now dead. Cordelia quickly came to hug Xander and offer him her comfort, quickly followed by Buffy. Angel held back, feeling uncomfortable about the whole situation, but still feeling sympathy for the boy, for with the death of one Rupert Giles, the whole world had suffered a tremendous loss. The world just didn't know it yet.

Meanwhile, else where in the town of Sunnydale…

Beneath the sheet that was currently covering a corpse on the front porch of Mrs Parker's house, a heart beat started up. Then the body beneath the sheet finally came back to life, as a loud gasp for air could be heard as the sheet was suddenly thrown off. One Willow Rosenberg had come back to life with the reversal of the spell, but not everything would be the same as she had remembered it.

"Oh god…oh my god…Giles…." Willow cried softly, as she too bore witness to the events that had conspired to end the life of Buffy's Watcher.

"Giles…" Willow cried softly, as she allow her grief to run down her face, as she sat silently upon the porch, wishing that there was something she could have done to prevent the death of Rupert Giles.

After what seemed to be an indeterminable yet, lengthy amount of time, Willow threw the Ghost sheet away in disgust, she had brought it from that villain Ethan Rayne, Willow now associated that ghost sheet with absolute evil. She vowed from that night on, that she would never; ever dress up as a ghost on Halloween ever again. And if she ever got her hands on that vile Ethan Rayne, she would some how find the magic to flay the very skin from his bones.

Else where, in a quiet and abandoned factory on the outskirts of Sunnydale….

Spike was ranting. Spike was livid. Spike was greatly annoyed as well as completely pissed off. Once again the Slayer had escaped his clutches, only this time it was thanks to the grand poof and the bloody whelp, which had thwarted his evil schemes.

I swear I will get my revenge on those two. The whelp will die a painful death for his interference, and the grand poof will get what has been coming to him for the last one hundred years! Spike mentally raged, even as he paced around the abandoned factory, snarling at sneering at any fledgling that dared to get close to him.

"Boss you must calm down or….." A brave or rather very stupid and idiotic fledgling tried to reason with Spike, only to have its own head ripped off, in Spike's blood thirsty rage, violence and frustration. The Fledgling off course promptly turned to dust.

"Oi! You lot! Any one else want a piece of the Big Bad?" Spike taunted, sneered at and, challenged his minions. Not one of them was game or brave enough to take up the challenge after they saw what happened to the fledgling.

"Bloody hell! I'm surrounded by complete wankers, tossers and cowards. That's what I'm surrounded by!" Spike snarled out in anger and disgust. Most of the minions backed away, trying to avoid Spike's wrath. Most would have run away, if they knew of a way to survive the wrath of both Spike and his insane sire and seer, Drusilla.

God damn those two do gooders. If it weren't for them, I would've have bagged by third Slayer by now. Still, Dru did warn me about the whelp being the damned Snake, so I suppose I can cut her some bloody slack. Not like these sods I have for bloody minions. But still, it's not like that I need to cut Dru some slack, with her being by sire and love and all. Damn, she's probably the only competent ally I've got and she's mad conking bonkers! Still, it's the bloody principal of the thing! These bloody minions don't bloody well measure up like they used to in the old days! Spike mentally thought and ranted to himself as he continued to pace up and now within the factory.

I will get my revenge! One of these days, those do gooders will run out of luck, and when that happens, I swear to Satan himself, that I will be there to finish the bloody sods off! Spike finished off his mental rants, by quickly grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniels from a nearby table, and proceeded to quickly drink the entire lot.

END OF CHAPTER 12