To Buffy the sensation of teleporting felt like being on a Merry Go round that was spinning at a million miles an hour. Suddenly it came to a stop and her balance was a little off. She let go of Willows hands and fell to her knees. She quickly crawled trying to put some distance between her and Willow not wanting her to see what was coming. She leaned over the curb and spewed her lunch in to the street.

Willow just watched as her friend tossed her cookies. "Buffy you are going to be okay?"

Buffy staggered and pulled herself up to her feet. "How is it you aren't emptying your stomach."

"You have to remember Buffy I use magic on a regular basis so I am used to this kind of stuff. I also have learned it's best to close your eyes while teleporting."

Buffy stood up wiping the corners of her mouth. "You don't think you could have told me that before we left."

"Sorry."

Buffy stood up and looked around trying to figure out where the hell they were. It was obviously a major city. It looked a little bit like New York with tiny shops and stores. "So where are we?"

"Texas as far as I can tell."

Buffy started looking around. Through the crowds of people it was hard to find anyone. "He should be with in a 100 yards right?"

Willow nodded. "If it worked right."

"You go left and I'll go right."

"Maybe we should call out to him."

"I don't know Will. If he knows we are coming that will give him a chance to take off."

"Well it's not like we can stop him once we do find him"

Buffy shrugged "Do what you feel is best." She took off down the sidewalk making eye contact with everyone she could see. She was scanning faces hoping for anything.

Willow spotted the familiar brown coat Xander usually wore. She picked up her pace and ran after it grabbing the man by the arm. The coat was Xander's but the man wearing it was obviously homeless. She sighed. "I'm sorry. This coat looks like my friends."

The man pulled back away a little angry "You keep your hands to yourself. He gave me this coat fair and square."

Willow's eyes lit up. "Where is he?"

"I don't know lady. He was an angel. He gave me his coat then went back up in to the clouds."

To anyone else it would sound like wine-o drunk talk but to Willow it made sense. "Thanks."

After 20 minutes of searching Buffy was getting frustrated. Willow came back to her with no good news. "I found his coat but I think he gave it away to a homeless guy."

Buffy shook her head. "This sucks I mean there are too many shops or buildings he could be in." She pointed at the top of the sky scraper. "Hell he could be 100 yards up for all we know."

Willow nodded and turned down an ally keeping her eyes open. "We just have to stay alert Buffy."

As they walked down the dirty disgusting ally Willow looked at a dumpster. On the left side of the box there was a giant slash cut right down the side. It looked like someone took a cutting torch and removed a strip or steel from the side of the bin.

Buffy leaned against the dumpster frustrated. "Where the hell are you Xander Harris?" She kicked the dumpster angry only to hear a groan come from behind it. Both Willow and Buffy recognized that groan and in a second Buffy shoved the dumpster forward revealing Xander Harris lying on the ground.

Xander looked at Buffy and sighed. He blinked a few times and shook his head. "Go home Buffy."

Willow just looked confused. "What the hell are you doing behind a dumpster."

Xander pulled himself up off the ground. "Do you know how much it cost to get a room in this city?"

Buffy quickly stepped in front of him. "I am going home but you are coming with me."

Xander side stepped her and kept walking. "Don't really have a home anymore Buffy"

Willow was angry walking behind him. "Why do you say that? One night. One stupid night and you think that makes you alone."

Xander just kept walking. "This is the way it has to be."

Buffy grabbed his arm. "Xander stop."

He just stood there not moving finally after a minute he looked at them. "I'm hungry. We can talk over breakfast."

Willow nodded. "That is fine."

Xander looked at the two of them. "You have to buy though. I gave all my cash away last night."

Willow nodded. "Along with your coat."

Xander put his hands in his jean pockets. "It's hard being out here for a lot of these folk. I gave what I could. I don't get cold anymore."

Buffy looked around quickly spotting a small corner café. "How about Mama Lou's for breakfast?"

He didn't answer just started walking towards the café. As they walked in the hostess showed them to the corner booth. Xander slid in refusing to look either Buffy or Willow in the eye. Instead he just grabbed the menu and scanned it quickly. The waitress looked at him. "I will take a number 2 eggs sunny side up. A number 3 with English muffin and a 6 with extra pancakes."

Buffy grabbed the menu from him. "Excuse me I am more then capable of ordering for myself."

Xander rolled his eyes. "I didn't order for either of you. That was all for me."

Willow chuckled a little and looked at the waitress. "I'll just have a tea."

Buffy still feeling a bit queasy, "I'm fine thank you."

Willow looked at him. "And I thought you could eat before."

Xander shook his head. "It's ridiculous. It's like I'm always hungry."

Buffy shrugged "Well you have awesome metabolism."

Xander shook his head. "Guys we didn't come here to discuss my eating habits."

Buffy looked at him trying to convey compassion. The time for secrets is over Xander. Last night I told everyone the truth."

Xander just stared down at the table. "Buffy you didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did. Angel was blaming you for something that you had no part in."

Xander shook his head "It doesn't matter anyways. Last night just proved he was right."

Willow reached across the table and took his hand. "No he wasn't."

Xander refused to look at her. "You weren't' there Willow. You didn't see what I had become. I felt the darkness that Angel had said was in me. I unleashed it on Spike and Angel and I brought fourth Hell."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Well I was there. I saw what you did. What I saw wasn't darkness. It was anger."

Xander shook his head. "What is the difference?"

Buffy laughed. "It makes all the difference. Honestly. If I had gone through what you had I would have been pissed. I would have unleashed just like you did. You were pissed but that doesn't mean you are evil."

"Buffy."

"No just listen Xander. I know how strong you are. I know what you are capable of. I saw you kill vampires with nothing more then a punch to the head. As pissed off as you were at Angel and Spike you still held back. You could have killed them in a second but you didn't because you aren't a monster."

Willow spoke up. "She's right Xander. You know how I know you are not a monster. Monsters don't worry about those they have hurt. Monsters sure as hell don't hold back. You've been beating yourself up worse than anything Angel or Spike could do to you."

Buffy reached across the table trying to take his hand. "And monsters sure as hell don't sit around and contemplate if they are a monster. You think Angelus ever questioned what he did and said does this make me a bad person."

Xander looked up for the first time looking at Buffy. His eyes looked on the verge of tears. "That's not what I saw in your eyes. That isn't what I saw last night. When I raised my hand."

Buffy looked at him and could see the pain he was feeling. "Xander I never lost faith in you. It was a heat of the battle moment. I have no doubt in the man you are. I might doubt your powers."

Xander shook his head. "You were afraid of me."

"I was afraid of the powers Xander. I didn't know if you'd know it was me. I didn't know if you'd realize what you were doing. Yeah I flinched. I am only human."

Xander closed his eyes and shook his head. "Only human. That is more then I can say."

Willow slid in closer to Xander and took his arm. "That is not true. You might be able to do some things you couldn't before but that doesn't make you inhuman."

Buffy slid in closer on the other side so he was sandwiched in the booth. "I have the slayer essence in me does that mean I'm not human."

Xander looked at both of them. "Just being near me is dangerous. I am like a bomb just waiting to go off."

Willow looked at him. "It's a risk I am willing to take. "

Buffy then reached taking his hand holding it. "Besides we are all working together now to figure this thing out. If you are really a threat then lets find a way to make you safe again."

Xander looked at Buffy. "Who's we?"

Buffy held his hand tighter. "Angel is calling his friends and Giles is reaching out to every contact."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Yeah Angel told me before he was reaching out."

Willow interrupted. "That's all over now. From here out we are working as a team I promise you. Giles made a prime directive. Either you are with us or you can pack your bags don't let the door hit your ass on the way out."

Xander shook his head. "And what if Angel was right all along. What if there is a darkness in me that leads me to hurting everyone I ever cared about. How do I face that? How do I carry on every day?"

Buffy shook her head. "Xander you don't have darkness in you."

Willow sighed. "And even if you do. What is really your choice? You need to get it out of you and all of us working together can do that."

Xander looked down and laughed. "You are right about one thing. I don't really have a choice anymore. Last night proved that."

Buffy looked at Xander "What does that mean?"

He looked away and out the side window. "I don't want to talk about it."

Willow angry knew that look. "What does that mean Xander? You don't say something like that and then just leave it hanging."

Xander refused to look at either of them. He just looked out at the window at a couple children walking by. "It means that I know how much of a threat I truly am. Not just to my friends but to the world. So I made a choice. I tried to finish what Angel started. I tried and failed. He looked down and shook his head. "All I managed to do was destroy a perfectly good dumpster. Not that it matters."

Buffy looked at her friend and sighed. "Xander look at me." He turned his head but still couldn't make eye contact. "Xander please look at me." He finally looked up and in to her eyes. Just in time to see a hand come cross his face slapping him. "Are you stupid or something? What were you thinking? Don't you ever try that again."

Xander looked at her a little hurt. Where was his sympathy or even some empathy? "Hey I was trying."

Buffy furrowed her brow. "I know what you were trying and it's stupid."

Xander looked at Willow for some sympathy or understanding. "Will you have to understand what I was doing was more about a greater good."

Willow reached across the table taking both of Xander's hand. "Xander."

He smiled at his oldest friend knowing at least she would support him. "Yes."

He pulled her right hand and slapped his other cheek. "Buffy was right. That was stupid and don't look at me to justify you being a moron."

Xander pulled his hands back. "You two have to stop slapping me."

Buffy spouted right back, "You have to stop being a moron."

Xander angry looked at both of them. "This wasn't my first choice. It was my only choice."

Buffy angry scowled at him. "No it was the easy choice."

Xander shook his head. "You think this is easy? I love life. I love my family. I love my friends. It was the hardest choice I ever came up against but I did it to keep the world safe."

Buffy angry "It is the easy way out. It's easier cause you don't have to fight.."

Xander closed his eyes. "What do you want me to do."

Buffy angry yelled what obvious. "FIGHT Damn it. If you won't do it for yourself do it for Dawn. Do it for Andrew do it fro all those people who love you and aren't ready to let you go."

Xander shook his head. "But there isn't a way. This is who I am now."

Willow shook her head angry. "That's crap Xander. We are the Scoobies and where a second choice doesn't exist we make one."

Buffy looked at him pleading. "If you don't' have any faith in yourself anymore have faith in Willow, have faith in me. We will figure this out."

Willow smiled at Xander. "When the world says it can't be done and the odds are stacked against us." She looked to Buffy knowing she'd finish her thought.

"We find a way Xander."

Willow smiled at her old friend. "And if you refuse to come back with us that's basically saying you don't believe in Buffy and I."

Xander laughed a little and shook his head. "That's dirty pool Rosenberg."

Buffy smiled laying it on extra thick. "Not only that, our way here was a one way ticket. So if you don't come back with us you are abandoning two girls in the big dangerous city alone."

Xander rolled his eyes knowing they were piling it on thick. "Why was it a one way ticket?"

Buffy shrugged. "We had the coven bibbity bobbity boo us here. Between the magic it took to find you and the magic to get us here it drained the girls. They told us they could get us here but we were on our own to find a way back."

Willow piped up. "I'm not sure if you know this or not but we think you are developing an immunity to magic."

Xander looked confused. "How the hell does that happen?"

Willow shrugged not sure what to say. "It's probably another developing power."

Xander looked down shaking his head thinking. "Okay?"

Buffy let the corners of her mouth curl in to a slight smile. "Okay meaning?"

Xander rolled his eyes. "I will come back."

Willow looked at him. "Oh thank God Xander cause my hand hurt from slapping you and I didn't want to have to throw down."

Xander saw the waitress coming with the food and smiled. "So how about I eat and then the airport."

Willow looked disappointed. "Well you see Xander we left in such a hurry that we didn't pack our uhm identification or credit cards."

Xander took the plates sliding the first one in front of him. "Really Rosenberg? So how were you planning on getting home?"

She smiled coyly playing with the ends of her hair. "Well Buffy told me that you can do the whole flying thing and I know you took her for the whole up up and away so it only seems fair that you get us home."

Xander just looked down at his plate of food and shook his head. "My life is so bizarre."