Chapter Twenty

Halliwell Manor,
San Francisco,
California.

Xander walked into the living room with Cole close behind him. Phoebe gave them both a questioning look, but Cole just smiled to let her know everything was alright. Once everyone was seated, Xander decided to be spokesperson again as it seemed to work well last time.

"Okay Paige, we all know you have a lot of questions that need answers," he began, "but I think that the best way to start is for you to tell us what you remember from last night so we can fill in the blanks."

"Okay," she responded, "I was walking a client home when this linebacker in a suit lands in front of us and pushes Jimmy away. I tell Jimmy to run home then the guy grabs me by the neck and drags me inside that building he flew out of and tells you he'll kill me if you don't surrender. The next thing I know is that a cute looking black guy jumps up and shoots the guy holding me then… Cole blows him up with something that wouldn't look out of place in a sci-fi show. After that things are pretty fuzzy, but I do remember Piper stopping the other two from moving, then someone talking about demons and potions before I black out. The next thing I know is I wake up and find myself here."

"Okay that about sums it up," Piper said.

Paige turned to Cole, "what was it I saw you do?" she asked.

"Well that's partly what we're going to explain," he replied. "Do you believe in demons?"

Paige's response is as to be expected. "Huh?"

"What Cole was oh so subtly trying to ask," Xander said, trying not to laugh at her dumbfounded expression, "is do you have an open mind when it comes to the paranormal or supernatural, you know the stuff you see on the X-Files? Believe me when I say that this will go a lot easier if you are, as what we're about to tell you definitely falls under that category."

"Well I've never really thought about it," she replied, finally getting her wits back, "but I'm not one to say that something doesn't exist because I haven't seen it. If I were, Paris wouldn't exist as far as I'm concerned."

Everyone breathed a silent sigh of relief over that statement, knowing how hard it could be to convince someone with a closed mind about the things they do.

"Right, well the fact of the matter is that the supernatural does exist and what you saw last night was an example," Xander said, not bothering with sugar-coating it once he knew she wouldn't immediately reject his claim. "The guy that grabbed you and his two friends were demons, sent to kill me."

Cole looked over at him with a smirk on his face, "now who's being blunt?"

"Ahhh, sue me," Xander retorted.

Prue used her power to give them both a mystical slap upside the head. "You guys finished?"

Cole and Xander looked at each other for a moment before replying at the same time. "Yep."

"Let's say that I believe you so far," Paige said, relaxing slightly due to the friendly banter, "why would anyone want to kill you?"

"They've met him," Leo responded before Xander was able.

Xander glared at him in mock annoyance. "Hey!"

Piper rolled her eyes and turns to Paige. "Ignore them, I always do. The reason they were after Xander is rather complicated."

"I'm listening."

Xander noticed that everyone had turned to look at him expectantly so he started working out the best way to explain it. "Right, I'm not used to telling people who aren't part of our world so bear with me. There's a guy called the Source, or Malcolm to his friends…"

"The Source's real name is Malcolm!?"

"… Who is like the boss of the demons around here," Xander continued, completely ignoring Phoebe's outburst, "and he's constantly trying to either kill my friends here or conquer the world, depending what time of the year it is. I've recently found out that I am destined/prophesised to stop him, basically the He-Man to his Skeletor."

Prue looked at him with a tongue in cheek expression. "You look nothing like Dolph Lundgren."

"I'm treating that comment with the contempt it deserves and don't even get me started on that film, if it weren't for Courtney Cox it would be the worst film ever made, including Psycho Beach Party. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," he said, earning him another mystical slap, "he doesn't really like the thought of having someone around that can stop him, so he sent his best assassins to take me out. Those were the guys you met last night."

"You killed them," Paige said with an accusing tone.

"We don't go around killing anyone that gets in our way," Xander replied defensively and slightly angry, "but demons in general are evil; they have no soul or conscience so there is no way to rehabilitate them the way a human could be. If we had let them go they would have just come back again and again until they killed us all."

Paige actually felt better by his response, as she could tell it was honest and not put on for show. "I suppose I'm gonna have to accept that right now, but if I find out you're lying to me…" she trailed off but everyone could tell what she meant.

"The guy that got you to safety is a cop, the best in the city," Prue stated, trying to convince her of their innocence, "he'd've arrested the lot of us if he thought that there was any other way we could have stopped them."

Paige could almost feel her sincerity so she relented. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. If they were demons, how could Cole could do the same thing they could, and how was Piper able to stop them from moving?"

"We're getting to that," Xander said, trying to hold off explaining Cole until they had to, especially after his little 'demons are evil' speech, "but we're trying not to give you too much information at the same time so you can process it better."

"It's going to take me more than a couple of minutes to process what you've told me so far," Paige replied, her comment the understatement of the year, "but I need to know all of it before I can start getting my head around it all."

"I get that so I'll explain the freezing thing first and lead you in to what Cole did as that's a little easier on the manor. Just as demons are real, so are witches and that's what Piper, Phoebe and Prue are, in the mystical sense not the emotional. Witches in general are the good guys and you can't get much gooder than these lovely ladies here." That comment earnt him three beaming smiles from the sisters and two eye rolls from Leo and Cole. "As well as being able to cast magic, they also each have a unique power; Prue can move objects with her mind or a motion of her hands, Phoebe has premonitions and can levitate, and Piper is able to freeze people."

Paige's response to that was a very cynical "Uh huh."

"I know this is hard to believe, but it's the truth. I guess the best way to prove it is to give you a demonstration. Prue, do you want to go first?" he asked politely.

"Sure, why not," Prue responded, shrugging her shoulders.

Inwardly she was a little apprehensive, as she normally used her power to throw things around, or as she had done earlier to hit someone when she couldn't reach them. Not wanting to do either of those, she motioned to a small vase that had managed to remain undamaged during the skirmish yesterday and, keeping a tight control on her power, lifted it slowly into the air and over to Paige.

"Whoah!" Paige exclaimed, her eyes wide at the sight of the floating vase.

Prue smiled at her response. "Pretty cool isn't it? Normally my power is used for offence so I'm exerting more control than usual, as I didn't think you'd want it smacking you in the head."

"You thought right about that. Okay, colour me impressed."

Piper stood up, "I'll go next."

Piper waved her hands and the room froze, all except for her sisters and Xander. Through an unspoken agreement, they all switched places before Piper unfroze the others.

"That is more than a little freaky," Paige stated whilst trying to calm her nerves at suddenly seeing the four of them switch places. "How come Xander moved as well?"

"I'm pretty much immune to their magic, part of my whole dealy thing against Malcolm in the Middle. The only other ones that are immune are other active witches."

Phoebe stood up nervously, as the only power she could use on demand was still new to her. "My turn I guess." Phoebe closed her eyes for a couple for seconds to centre herself, and she began to slowly rise up off the ground. "This is pretty new to me so I don't have a lot of control over it at the moment."

"Works for me," Paige whispered, awestruck at the site of a woman floating several feet off the ground. "I'm sure that there's a panic attack with my name on it waiting for me in a couple of hours but right now consider me a believer. So is Cole a witch as well?"

"No," Cole replied, deciding to field this one himself, "although if I were I'd be a warlock not a witch. I'm a demon."

"Again with the bluntness," Xander groaned, knowing this wouldn't end well.

"A demon? A demon like the ones that tried to kill me demon? A demon as in no soul really evil demon?" she asked in rapid succession.

Every question Paige said came out a little higher and faster than the last as she started to stand up, and everyone could see that she was trying but failing to inconspicuously move further away from Cole.

"I'm half-demon, which means that I have a soul and the capability for good like any human. I'm not going to lie to you Paige, I used to work for the Source."

"The guy that wants Xander here dead?" Paige asked.

"Yes."

"Why are you still alive then?" she asked, the question sounding logical considering what Xander had said previously.

Cole shocked everyone by laughing, "honestly I sometimes wonder that myself." Strangely that calmed Paige down slightly and she stopped moving away from him. "As I said, I used to work for the Source, but I don't anymore. From the moment I was born, my demon half suppressed my human half, and the training I received made me not care one way or the other. I became the best assassin the Source had and for the best part of a hundred years I killed without hesitation or remorse. Then a few months ago I was given the task of killing the Charmed Ones…"

"That would be us," Piper supplied.

"Again, why is he still alive?"

"… To do it I had to start using my human half more that I ever had before." Cole continued, thinking it better not to comment on what either woman said. "The control the demon half had started to diminish and I began to feel, both the good and the bad. Do you know what it is like to finally start feeling remorse for nearly a century of killing? I probably would have gone insane if I hadn't been feeling another emotion just as strong; love."

Cole's eyes locked with Phoebe's for a moment before he continued. "Being around Phoebe helped me more than even she knows; there came a time when I had to choose between following the Source's orders or following my heart. I was scared about what the Source would do to me if I disobeyed his orders but when it came right down to it I couldn't kill the woman I loved. Since then he's sent trackers after me but I've managed to stay one step ahead. I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of, and no matter how hard I try, I know I can never make up for it all, but that won't stop me from trying."

Phoebe went over to him and hugged him fiercely whilst trying desperately to suppress the tears she could feel forming in her eyes. "I love you," she whispered in his ear.

"I hope so, because I love you too," he whispered in reply.

Paige watched the pair and could see the love they have for each other in their eyes. She may not know about demons, but she did know about evil, and in her experience nothing evil could have that look for anyone other than themselves. "I believe you Cole, sorry I overreacted."

"Don't worry about it," he replied, happy to hear she believed him, "I could have been more tactful in revealing what I am to you. One of the problems with having the demon in control as long as it was is that the social niceties that you're taught are lost on me a lot of the time."

"Cole's right, demons don't have the same need for etiquette the way we do, it took me a while to coach Anya on…" Xander trailed off and Prue went over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder for support.

Paige knew enough to not comment on it, at least not now. "Okay," she began, trying to change the topic slightly, "witches and demons are real and I'm in the presence of both. As I said before, expect a full-blown panic attack somewhere in the near future. Anything else I need to know?"

Xander recognised what she was doing as he'd done it himself enough times and smiled at her in thanks. "There are a couple of things but I'll go through them with you while the others are making statements to the cops." He turned his attention to Leo and the others, "how have you decided to explain away the extra ventilation the manor has?"

"We're still working on it," Leo replied, "but I know that between us and Darryl, we'll smooth everything over." He turned to look at Paige, "there is one thing we need to explain to you Paige before we go; you need to keep all this to yourself."

"Why?"

"Several reasons;" Xander responded, continuing his role as spokesperson, "one, if you go around telling everyone that witches and demons exist expect to spend time in a padded cell, a friend of mine spent time in an institution because she tried to tell her parents the truth about vampires…"

"Vampires are real too?" she asked incredulously.

"… Uh, yeah," Xander answered, cursing himself slightly for bringing that up on top of everything else, "but we'll cover that later if you want. Anyway, people will generally think you've gone round the bend if you tell them and have you strapped into a straightjacket and thrown in a padded cell before you can say cuckoo. Two, the world is safer not knowing."

"Huh?"

Xander thought for a moment about the best way of explaining it before delving into his font of movie knowledge. "You seen Men in Black?"

"You're not going to tell me aliens are real as well are you?" she asked in a slightly worried tone.

Xander and the other laughed, understanding why she would ask that given everything else they've talked about so far this morning. "No, but that's not to say they don't; to the best of my knowledge I've never met any, although the principal at my school reminded me of a Ferengi. Do you remember the part where Tommy Lee Jones tells Will Smith that a person is intelligent but people are stupid?"

"Yeah," Paige responded, starting to see what he was getting at, "I've had some experience with mob mentality. Where I lived before moving here, there had been rumours about someone being a child molester. Within a couple of days half the town was trying to knock the guys house down and beat him to death. If it weren't for the cops coming and breaking it up they would have succeeded. It was later proved that he was innocent and it had been a child he had annoyed making up stories, but by then the damage had been done and he had to move away."

"If the truth was revealed to the general public, you'd see things a thousand times worse happening, not just here but all over the world. Our best advantage is that the demon world doesn't want the general public to know about the truth anymore than we do, we'll lose that if everything comes out. Three, there are people, mainly those that work for the government, that would want to capture dissect us to try and find out how we can do the things we do. Or they'd try and brainwash us so we'll do what they want, which would basically be using our powers against other countries. Strange as it may seem I don't want to be cut up by some scientist or turned into a mindless slave, again."

"The government wouldn't do that," Paige stated emphatically, "it goes against everything they stand for. And what do you mean by again?"

Xander's voice became hard as he remembered what happened last year. "They will and they have. Last year where I live we had to deal with a government experiment gone wrong; think Frankenstein but supercharged up the wazoo. They had built it using a mixture of human, demon and technology. The army lost a lot of good men because they tried to meddle in things they should leave well alone, so believe me when I tell you that the government can and will interfere given the chance. As to what I meant by again, I became Dracula's Renfield for the new millennium. Believe me when I tell you that losing control over your actions is not fun."

"You're kidding right?" Paige asked/pleaded.

"Why would I make something like that up?" was Xander's terse response.

"Good point. You have my word that I'll keep this to myself, but if I think keeping quiet will put someone I care about in danger all bets are off." Paige was slightly unnerved by Xander's tone, wondering what she had said to annoy him.

"We wouldn't ask for anything more." He noticed that way Paige and the others were looking at him and realised that he may have come on a bit strong before. "I'm sorry if I sounded harsh about the military thing, it's just that a friend of mine was captured by them and would have been killed or worse if Buffy hadn't managed to get him out."

"Buffy?"

Xander's features darkened slightly when he thought of the blonde Slayer. "Someone I used to know."

Leo checked his watch and noticed that they were going to be late to their meeting with Darryl. "We gotta get to the precinct otherwise Darryl will start to get it in the neck."

Piper nodded in agreement with her fiancé before turning her attention to Paige and Xander. "Are you two going to be okay?"

Xander looked at Paige quickly before nodding. "Yeah, I'll keep Paige here entertained until you return." He turns to Paige once more, "maybe go for a walk later?"

"Sure, it might help me work all this stuff out."

Everyone seemed to be happy with that answer so by unspoken agreement they all got up and make their way to the front door. After the obligatory goodbyes the sisters, Leo and Cole leave for the precinct, and Xander and Paige returned to the living room.

Paige waited a couple of seconds before turning to Xander, "so, what else did you want to tell me?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Xander replied.

"I'm a care worker, I've been trained to tell when people want to talk but don't know where to start. So?"

Xander tried to stall for time, not ready to tell her about her true heritage. "Before I get into that, which means I've just admitted that there is something to talk about, I want to go into who/what I am."

"Are you a demon as well?" she asked, feeling strange that she wasn't joking.

"Last time I checked I'm 100 human," he replied, an odd expression sweeping over his face for a moment.

"So what can you do?"

"My title is 'The One Who Sees' and that in itself kinda explains what I can do. I have knowledge of the powers and weaknesses of everyone involved in the war Prue and the other are fighting in, be they good guys or bad. I'm immune to their powers and magic, which was why I didn't freeze with the rest of you during Piper's demonstration. I can cast spells and make potions, but I'd prefer not to unless necessary as I've not had a great track record with it so far. I have some other abilities but they aren't to do with this war."

"This war?"

"There's more than one war going on between good and evil. The head honchos on both sides, they would be God and Lucifer, don't really get involved unless the sh… unless things get really bad for their side or one side cheats." Paige smiled in appreciation for his self-restraint. "They leave the day-to-day things to middle management, which is where the Source comes in. Because neither of them is stupid enough to give all the power to just one person, they split the war up. The war Prue and the others are in is between the Source and the Elders. Up until a few days ago I was involved in another war, between the First and the Powers That Be, and have been for nearly five years."

"Wait, you've been fighting for five years?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"You're what 19-20 years old, meaning you were still in High School!" she exclaimed, shocked that he could have been doing this since childhood.

"Hey," Xander replied, taking her comment as a slight against him, "it was either fight back or never graduate High School. My High School is the only one to have had an Obituary section in the school newspaper. I live in a town that has a portal to Hell slap bang in the middle of it, right under the library as a matter of fact. Once I found out why most of my friends were dying I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

Paige realised he took what she said the wrong way. "I wasn't arguing with you about anything, I'm just shocked is all."

Xander grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I have a habit of being around people who think I should keep out of the fight 'for my own good', I've started to get testy about the subject."

"I understand I think, I wouldn't like to be told not to stay out of something, especially something I believe in. So you said you have some other abilities?"

"Yeah; I'm stronger and faster then normal, I heal faster too. My senses are sharper, oh and I can make my eyes glow green."

"Cool, can I see?" she asked excitedly.

Xander shrugged his shoulders. "Sure." He concentrated for a moment and his eyes started to glow.

"You sure you're still human?"

Xander reverted his eyes back to their original colour. "As I said, last time I checked. You can be human and still have special abilities; Prue, Piper and Phoebe are all human but they can still do things that most humans can't. Leo was human before he became a Whitelighter…"

"Whitelighter?"

"… Oh yeah we didn't cover that before did we? All witches are assigned a Whitelighter; they're basically a guardian angel, given the task of aiding and protecting their charges against the things that want them dead. Leo is the sisters' Whitelighter, oh yeah he's also Piper's fiancé."

Paige then remembered something. "What did you mean he was human?"

"You can only be chosen to become a Whitelighter after you die."

"Oh. And he's marrying Piper?" she asked.

"It's complicated."

"Life generally is."

"There is something else I wanted to talk to you about," Xander hedged, "but I don't know whether now is the best time."

"Why not?"

"Information overload."

"Why don't you try me and we'll go from there," Paige said, thinking it couldn't be any worse than what she's already been told.

"Right. You know I told you I can tell what powers a person has?"

"You only just told me a minute ago, my memory isn't that bad."

"Right, sorry. Well, I can tell you about your powers if you like."

"Huh?" she responded, cursing herself silently for jinxing herself.

"I can tell you about the powers you have, or can have to be precise," he reiterated.

"I don't have any powers."

"You do," he responded, softly but firmly, "but they're dormant at the moment, that's why you haven't been aware of them. The powers you have are inherited from your biological parents."

Paige's eyes widened to the size of saucers when he mentioned her biological parents. "You know who they are?"

"Yes, I do," he said, knowing how desperately she wanted to find out about her heritage.

"Who are they? Where are they? Why did they abandon me?"

Xander placed his hands on her shoulders in an effort to calm her down, "Paige, I promise you I'll answer all of your questions as best I can, but you need to calm down. Your parents were forbidden to be together, but they defied orders and you were the result. They were worried what would happen if anyone found you, so they gave you up so you would be safe. If they could have kept you they would have, but it was simply too dangerous for them to do so. As to where they are, I'm afraid that your mother died a few years after you were born and your father hasn't been heard of since. I know he's still alive but other than that I have no idea."

"You still haven't told me who my real parents are."

Xander pinned her with a reproachful look. "Your 'real' parents were the ones who raised you Paige, and saying differently throws everything they did for you right in their faces. Your biological father's name was Sam Wilder; your biological mother's name was Patricia… Halliwell."

"H.Halliwell?" she all but whispered, stammering slightly in shock at the revelation.

"Halliwell," Xander confirmed. "Sam was her Whitelighter, and back then it was forbidden for a Whitelighter to get romantically involved with their charges. However, love can overcome almost any obstacle and they did, until she found out she was pregnant with you. The Elders, while the good guys, don't always see the small picture for the big, and your parents knew that if they found out about you, things would not end pleasantly. So, when you were born, they did the hardest thing either of them ever had to do, give you up for adoption."

"Do…"

"No," Xander answered before she had a chance to finish the question, "not yet anyway. Leo and Cole know; I needed to check something out with them, which was why I had them follow me into the kitchen before. When the others come back I want to tell them about you, but I thought you deserved to know the truth first."

"So I have powers?" she asked in a mixture of worry and excitement, also in an attempt to keep her mind off of everything else.

"As I said, they're dormant at the moment, but if you like I can help you activate them. Your powers will be different to your sisters…"

"Oh my god I have sisters!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, the realisation of it finally sinking in.

"… I wondered when that would sink in." Xander said in amusement.

"Sorry about that," Paige said, blushing slightly at her outburst,

"Don't worry about it, I'd act the same way. I haven't known them long but you couldn't ask for better family."

"Thanks, I can't wait to find out. So, you were telling me about my powers?"

"Yeah, and excellent subject change by the way."

"I thought so."

"Well," he began, "you're both witch and Whitelighter so your powers will reflect that; you'll be able to cast magic like a witch and orb like a Whitelighter."

"Orb?" she asked.

"Teleport," Xander explained, once again dipping into his knowledge of sci-fi, "like Star Trek but without the technology. There is a pretty lightshow that goes with it though, I've seen it a couple of times and it's an amazing sight."

"How can you activate them?"

"That's the simple part; I get you to lay your hand on a spell book upstairs, which has been in your family for generations, while I say a small incantation and it's done."

"That's it?" she asked, thinking it strange that it would be so easy.

"That's it," he confirmed. "If you don't want to now you don't have to, in fact you never have to activate your powers if that's what you wish, but if you're gonna stay around the others it might be wise to have them. I'm talking from experience here; hanging around superheroes means being caught in the middle of whatever baddie of the week decides to make their lives miserable. You start to feel real useless real quick without something extra to back you up."

"How can you be speaking from experience, you said you've got all these abilities…"

"I didn't know I had most of these powers until a few days ago," he explained, "and I've only had the others for a few months." Xander paused for a moment, "or years depending on which set of memories I go by."

"Huh?"

"Another long story concerning monks and keys. I'd rather not get into it at the moment as it's still a little raw for me." Xander stood up and stretched, something that got him an appreciative look from Paige. "How about we take that walk now, allowing you some time to think about what you want to do, then we'll come back and wait for the others to return. I also need to get myself something to eat, I haven't eaten in a couple of days and my stomach is seriously pissed with me about it." He extended his hand to her to help her up.

"Sure, why not," she said, accepting his hand.

Demon Underworld.

Pretorius walked into the Source's lair with Buffy in tow, pulling her along via a chain attached to the manacles she was wearing, replacing the rope that Spike had bound her with. Once he was a few feet away from him, Pretorius went down one knee and bowed his head.

"You called for me my lord?" he asked respectfully.

The Source managed to suppress an eye roll at his underlings exaggerated posturing, "yes Pretorius, I have a task for you."

"Your wish is my command my lord," he responded.

"Of course it is," the Source replied drolly. "I want you to meet up with young Alexander and inform him that Elizabeth is making use of my hospitality, due to William's kind assistance. Tell him that I will meet him tomorrow at midnight to discuss Elizabeth's continued existence; I think it is finally time I meet the person that is destined to destroy me and see what all the fuss is about. Leave Elizabeth here, I wish to speak with her."

"I will seek him out at once my lord." Pretorius left immediately, but not before securing the chain attached to Buffy's restraints to the wall, Buffy glaring at him but making no move to resist without her Slayer abilities to help her.

"You do realise that Xander's going to kill him," Buffy said as soon as Pretorius was out of sight.

"That is extremely possible, yes," the Source responded in a nonchalant tone of voice.

"Then why send him?" Buffy asked, not really sure why she's talking to the person that had her abducted apart from being bored out of her mind.

"Pretorius has become tiresome to me; his sycophantic posturing has become more than even I can take and I enjoy people treating me that way, it is a perk of being the boss after all."

He started walking to and fro in front of her, as though he were collecting his thoughts. "He might not act like it but he is rather intelligent; I am sure that he has plans in place should I show dissatisfaction with him, and while I'm not to worried about whatever pitiful attempt he might make to overthrow me, it doesn't mean I want to put myself through it. Do you know how many attempts to my throne I've thwarted over the years? If I had a dollar for every time someone tried to take my place I'd be a wealthy man, well an even wealthier man. Having Alexander to deal with him for me simply saves me the trouble. If Pretorius does somehow manage to return unharmed, I shall dispatch him personally, I just thought I'd give him a sporting chance."

"You remind me of someone, he was just as insane as you are. A bit of trivia for you, it was Xander that planned how to kill him as well."

"I am sure that Richard would be glowing with the praise you have bestowed upon him," he responded, knowing exactly to whom she was referring, "saying that he resembled someone as magnificent as myself. As to your other point, I am more than well aware who planned Richard's demise, and I am sure that he was grateful to you and the others when you acknowledged his contribution. Of course, as he isn't a vampire, I'm sure the thought to thank him never crossed your mind." The Source had an ever-increasing smile appear on his face as he was talking to Buffy, amused by the anger that was quickly building in her eyes.

"You know nothing about me!" Buffy screamed at him, momentarily losing control of her emotions.

"I beg to differ Elizabeth," he replied, happy to have gotten to her so easily, "I happen to know a great deal about you and the other, now what was the term? Oh yes, Scooby's. I know everything that has happened to you since the moment you were called to duty by those 'bastions for good', the Powers That Be. You see, I have always believed that knowledge is power; if on the off chance that you and the other champions the Powers That Be have recruited defeated my counterpart the First, I would need to know who to look out for in the future. I have always worried about poor Julius; ever since he lost his ability to take physical form in the plane of existence he just hasn't been the same. I told him not to play poker with Barbus but did he listen?"

"Is there a point to all this?" Buffy asked, her genuine confusion causing her anger to dissipate a little.

"I did get off track slightly didn't I? I'm not even sure why I'm talking to you," he lied, "I just feel in the mood to communicate with someone who won't bow down and lick my boots."

"I feel honoured," she deadpanned.

"You should," he told her seriously, "normally I kill those that feel about me the way you do in the most… colourful of ways. Now as I am in such a talkative mood, I have something to say, and I hope that this stays between the two of us."

"Oh I swear; I'm waiting with baited breath to hear what you want to say."

"I was rather perturbed when I found out that Alexander was 'The One Who Sees'."

"Why?" Buffy asked, suddenly curious as to the answer.

"You really don't know do you?" he said in astonishment, a smile appearing on his face. "How glorious that I get to be the one that explains it to you. When it is necessary, young Alexander is without doubt one of the most ruthless human beings to have ever walked the Earth. His potential is almost immeasurable and, if circumstances were different, he would have made a first rate Lieutenant in my ranks. It's almost a shame that I have to kill him."

"You sound as though you like him!"

"I would say that 'like' is a strong term for what I feel about Alexander," he said, flames suddenly appearing in his eyes; "respect is a more accurate term and even then only in the most loosest use of the word. We may well be enemies Elizabeth, but that doesn't prevent me from appreciating excellent work when I read about it. He has been able to manipulate, although unfortunately only for the most noble of intentions, each and every one of you whilst keeping his 'inept goofball' persona intact on many occasions. He has been able to intimidate two master vampires and has a third enamoured with him, all direct descendants of the Master. That alone is enough to earn him respect among the demon community that live on the Hellmouth. Of course his treatment of that pack of Senicham demons that tried to kill your mother Joyce…"

"What! When did this happen?" she shouted, worried for her mother's safety even though the event happened years ago.

"When you neglected your sacred duty by wallowing in abstract misery in the City of Angels," he replied, ensuring to twist the knife into the still open wound that period of her life had caused, "because you had to end the life of a vampire to prevent the destruction of the world. By the way that was not your finest moment by any stretch of the imagination, but it did give my counterpart a few laughs. In fact, it lightened his mood considerably. Of course after a century or two of listening to Liam brood about every single thing, he had no choice but to send him back to Earth just to get some peace and quiet."

"What about my mother being attacked by demons?" Buffy bit out, ignoring his jibes at Angel.

"I did it again didn't I? I must apologise," he said in a tone that was anything but apologetic, "my conversation skills have gotten rusty over the centuries I'm afraid. Getting back to the subject at hand, Alexander was given information from that bartender Willard about an attempt on your mother's life and, being the upstanding fellow that he is, immediately raced over to her house to prevent it. Only one was there when he arrived and he managed to stop it from completing its task with the use of a large mace, a battleaxe and, strangely, a trashcan lid. Now if it had been any of the others that you had left behind to defend the town it would have ended there, but Alexander knew that the rest of the pack would want vengeance for their fallen pack member. With the help of a few homemade pipe bombs and a rapier he had 'appropriated' from Rupert's weapons locker, he ensured that there were no pack members left alive. A meeting was arranged the next night by the demon community and it was decided that no one would attempt to do something like that again while Alexander drew breath."

"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"As I said, I'm feeling in a talkative mood."

"Bullshit."

"Such profanity from a lady, then again not many would consider you to be a lady would they?" he mocked. "You are right however that there is another reason why I'm telling you all this; I am evil after all and ulterior motives are in the job description. Unbeknownst to anyone else, I added a little something to the last batch of serum you were administered to keep those marvellous Slayer powers of yours in check. Since then, I have been able to read your thoughts. Oh don't worry," he said when he saw the look of panic enter her eyes, "I haven't been delving into your mind, as I doubt it would be all that entertaining. What I have been doing is listening in on your surface thoughts, which have primarily been about Alexander and the way you have treated him. At the moment I am greatly enjoying the haunted expression on your face now that you're realising the sheer magnitude of your mistake."

"What mistake?" she asked, still trying to hold onto the thought that she had been as much of a friend to Xander as he had been to her.

"The way you have mistreated your most staunchest ally of course. Until recently Alexander would have walked through the fires of Hell for you and you have rewarded that loyalty with rejection. What do you think Alexander's reaction will be when he finds out that William betrayed you and brought you here to me? That the soulless monster who has tried to kill you all on numerous occasions, who was trusted more than the man who has helped protect you for almost five years, turned on you just as he predicted he would? If it were me, I would probably leave you to rot, perhaps even help."

"Xander won't do that," she stated, although not with as much certainty as she would have done a couple of weeks ago.

"Oh I know that," he replied brightly, happy at the thought, "I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of making a deal with William if I thought he would desert you in your hour of need. His loyalty to those he considers a friend is his greatest weakness, besides his fragile mortality. If I were being completely honest with myself, I wouldn't have much of a chance against him if he didn't have that silly notion of honour in his head."

"You don't stand a chance anyway."

"Oh I do and it's all thanks to you. We both know that he will sacrifice himself if it means keeping you alive, no matter what the consequences. If it makes you feel any better, I promise that I shall kill him quickly and won't take any pleasure from the act. Although I am enjoying our little chat, especially when I have been doing most of the talking, I do have some pressing matters to attend to, an evildoers job is never done and all that. If you need anything, some food or drink, don't hesitate to keep it to yourself."

With that the Source left his lair, leaving Buffy alone to think about everything that had been said.

Strybing Arboretum,
Golden Gate Park,
San Francisco,
California.

Xander and Paige were walking through the Arboretum in companionable silence, each allowing the other to simply enjoy the flowers surrounding them. As they entered a secluded area, Xander felt the presence of a demon and span round suddenly, coming face to face with Pretorius.

"Hello Alexander, my name is…"

"Pretorius, I know," he said, cutting his entrance off. "You're the Source's right hand man-bitch. So what did I do in a previous life to warrant being this close to a walking rectum, other than to kick your ass?" he asked.

"I still forget how much you know about us."

"You and the rest of the planet, now why are you here?" he said impatiently.

"You're not the most patient of people are you?" Pretorius responded, picking up on Xander's tone.

"You have ten seconds before you find out what you'd look like turned inside out."

"Do you know someone by the name of William the Bloody?"

"I know a thing called William the Bloody, what about it?"

"Well William delivered a present to my master, one that he thought you would be interested in."

"I'm not interested in anything that Spike does," Xander stated emphatically, his feelings for the vampire coming through loud and clear.

"My master thought you would on this occasion as the gift was one Elizabeth Anne Summers, otherwise known as Buffy."

"I swear," Xander growled, being physically held back by Paige, "if you or anyone else has harmed so much as a strand of hair on her head…"

"She is safe and sound, for the time being. My master cordially invites you to meet with him tomorrow at midnight, where you will be able to discuss the fate of your friend. Shall I deliver a message to him for you?"

"Yes," Xander said as he suddenly surged forward faster than Pretorius could react. Before he had a chance to defend himself, Xander grabbed his head and twisted violently, snapping his neck and making him look like Linda Blair's stunt double in the Exorcist.

"I accept."