Hey everyone, thanks for reviewing and sorry about the wait. I had a really hard time writing this chapter, and this is about the 5th rewrite that you're reading now. Anyways hope you like it, on with the story!

Chapter 16

"So there's nothing we can do to fix it?" Xander asked while wrapping a tensor bandage around his still healing ribs. After Cortana's news he had changed the subject, caught up with Buffy and the gang about their summer and promised they'd hang out when he healed up a bit more. With them gone though, he returned to the matter of his armour.

"No Xander, I'm sorry. Without a source of naquadah we are out of luck." Cortana replied, crossing her arms and leaning against a nearby wall.

"Well the other Pelican is still out in the cave, right?" Xander asked. "Can we salvage anything from it?"

Cortana gave Xander a look. "Don't you think with my, ahem, impressive intellect I might have considered that possibility? No Xander, a Pelican is just a short range transport. It uses a much more conventional liquid fuel source. I might be able to get the armour working to a point where most base systems are functional, but shields? Not a chance, I'm sorry."

Xander nodded, numb with the realization that his armour was out of the equation. As much as he had hated the idea of even learning to use it at first, he had come to think of the suit as a second skin. Losing it felt vaguely like losing a limb. "Well at least we won't have to worry about the Covenant anymore, after all I've been through vamps are going to seem like a cinch."

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Four days later Xander was healed and back at school. He walked into the library to the peculiar sound of a cat meowing, and a less than pleasant smell. "Okay, who did that? Giles, I'm looking at you."

Giles gave Xander a stern look then motioned for him to come over and look at the cat in the carrier. The cat inside was a black cat that looked a little worse for wear. But then Xander saw it's milky dead stare. "Huh, a zombie cat."

"Yes Buffy found a dead stray last night, and this morning it had dug itself out of it's grave. It's most curious, isn't it?" Giles replied.

"Did it bite anyone?" Xander asked sharply. "I swear to god if this turns into a zombie attack I'm not gonna be held responsible for my actions. I'm so damn tired of zombies."

"So far as I know this is an isolated incident Xander, do try to calm down." Giles looked at the cat then down at a book he was studying. "I'll let you know when I know more. If you're looking for the girls I believe they're in the cafeteria."

"Thanks Gman." Xander turned and walked out of the library, glad to leave the smell of the dead cat behind.

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Xander dropped down into a seat opposite Buffy in the cafeteria and grimaced as the impact tweaked a few of the numerous bruises that covered his body and Buffy smiled in sympathy. "Aww is my Xander shaped friend a little sore?" She asked.

"Quiet you," Xander replied. "At least this time I got some recognition out of it. Admiral Hood made me a Chief Petty Officer so he could give me the Navy Cross."

"Ooh, is it shiny?" Buffy asked. "Just think, you went and saved the galaxy and they gave you a hunk of metal in return. Sounds like a great deal."

"Well not when you put it like that, no." Xander agreed. "I don't know why, but for some reason it meant a lot to me. Maybe it was just because someone actually said thanks for once. Anyway, enough about me and my heroic adventures in another dimension, anything interesting happen while I was gone other than your trip to LA?"

Buffy shrugged. "No, it's been pretty quiet all summer actually."

"What's the situation with you and the fanged wonder?"

Buffy seemed to deflate a little. "We're not seeing very much of each other. He thinks it's best if he keeps his distance."

Xander nodded. "Good, I don't often agree with Angel but that's the right call on his part."

Buffy's eyes flashed in anger. "The right call according to who? He won't even talk to me. Why don't I get a part in this decision?"

Xander sighed. Even though he didn't like Deadboy he felt for Buffy. That said, she needed a dose of reality. "Look Buffy, I know you've probably heard it all and I'm probably not the best one to lay it out for you, but you've been dating a souled, 200 year old corpse okay? Not only that but any time the two of you get horizontal he turns evil. How can it possibly work? You're just teasing each other. Are you never going to have sex again for the rest of your life? Your relationship with Angel will never work, I'm sorry."

Buffy looked on the verge of tears, but she nodded. "I know, Xander. It just… still really hurts okay?"

Xander nodded. "I'm sure it does Buff. Look, you need to stop thinking about Angel, okay? Quit moping. There are tons of fish in the sea, and unlike Deadboy, a lot of them actually have a pulse and can stand outside in the day! You need to find a nice, normal or at least living guy to date."

Buffy looked him in the eyes with startling intensity. "Like you, Xander?"

That stopped Xander dead. Strangely, it hadn't actually been on his mind at the time he said it. After two years of pining and hoping, Xander had pretty much given up any hope of he and Buffy getting together. "Well, not sure that I'd qualify as normal." He replied, looking at her evenly. "Seems to me last time I asked you out you said you didn't think of me that way and didn't want to spoil our friendship."

"That was more than a year ago," Buffy replied. "A lot of things have changed since then."

Before Xander could reply, the bell rang. What seemed like a fraction of a second later, Snyder was standing over their table. "Miss Summers, Mister Harris you heard the bell didn't you? That means stop your pointless discussion and get to your classes, not that any kind of education will do either of you juvenile delinquents any good." Buffy rolled her eyes and Xander used all his willpower to bite back a retort. They both gathered their bags and Buffy headed away from Xander to her class, leaving Xander feeling quite confused.

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By the end of the day, Xander was feeling even stranger. While in the past girls had ignored him, a lot now flirted with him or cast him appreciative glances. One even asked him out. Worried that something mystical was happening, Xander went to find Willow in the library, who was doing her homework with Cortana watching over, looking bored.

"Something really weird's been happening all day." Xander announced. Both Cortana and Willow looked at him seriously.

"What's going on?" Cortana asked.

"Girls have been flirting with me all day, even Buffy!" Xander explained. "Did someone cast a spell or something?"

Willow and Cortana looked at each other in surprise, then they both started laughing.

Xander looked at them, alarmed. "Come on guys this is serious! Isn't it?"

"Xander why does it surprise you that girls are flirting with you?" Cortana asked. "You're a senior, you're a good looking guy, you're funny and you have a car."

"Plus you stopped wearing those awful Hawaiian shirts," Willow added.

Cortana nodded. "I kept going through his closet and throwing them out."

"But I'm unpopular! I'm like the least popular guy in school!" Xander answered.

"Xander, ask yourself when was the last time anybody picked on you. Can you remember?" Cortana asked. "You're not the same person you were two years ago, and it shows. Everyone's noticed."

"Xander, Buffy and I talked a lot about you over the summer." Willow said. "Do you know how scared she was she'd never see you again? How scared we both were? I think it made her realize, you know, you mean a lot more to her than she thought."

"Well, I suppose worrying someone is dead will do that," Xander conceded. A flicker of hope welled up in his chest. For the first time in a long time Xander considered the possibility that he and Buffy could be together. Clearly, Cortana could see the look on his face because she cleared her throat.

"Slow down there lover boy. Look I don't want to be the voice of negativity but maybe you should give her a little time before you do anything here. She did just break up with her boyfriend who, despite him turning into an evil monster for a while, she clearly loved. Have you considered that this could be a rebound thing?"

"I haven't, but it might be a good point," Xander conceded. "That's probably a good idea Cortana."

"So," Willow said, changing the subject. "Buffy told me you got the Navy Cross. I think she was a bit jealous, seeing as how she's never got a medal for saving the world."

Xander smiled. "Well maybe we should throw her a surprise party or something, show her how much we appreciate her and her world save-age."

Willow nodded in excitement. "Ooh I bet Mrs. Summers would like that too, she'd probably help with that. I bet I could get Oz to play there too, I'll go find him." Willow skipped out of the library before anyone could respond.

Xander just shook his head. "Sometimes the amount of energy she has is astounding," he muttered.

"Xander I'm not certain that a part right now is the best course of action," Giles warned. "We still don't know what's causing our undead cat and I do think we should make it our top priority."

"Relax, Gman." Xander said, standing to leave. "I just got back from another dimension and I know I could use a night of relaxation, and I bet the girls probably could too. Besides, we'll be having the party at Buffy's house, under parental supervision. What could go wrong?"

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'Me and my big mouth,' Xander thought as he loaded another clip into his pistol. He took aim and put a round between an approaching zombie's eyes, dropping yet another member of the undead horde. The party had been going great and everyone was having a good time, until legions of the undead had shown up with Giles hot on their heels. While he and Buffy had gone upstairs to destroy the mask that was causing it, Xander had stayed downstairs with Oz to fight of the crowd and buy them some time. It was a battle that even with a gun and superhuman abilities, Xander knew he couldn't win. There were simply too many zombies and he had too few bullets. Suddenly the zombies all stopped and howled and seemed to cower for a moment, and in that time Xander heard the a window upstairs shatter and saw a couple figures fall onto the front lawn. Taking a second to dispatch several more zombies with well placed shots, Xander ran for the door and burst out to see Buffy frozen in place with some kind of demon woman approaching her.

"Buffy!" He shouted, causing the demon to spin around. He raised his gun to shoot but her eyes flashed at him and he suddenly found himself frozen in place. Though he was concerned about being frozen, is he could he would have smiled as Buffy raised a shovel behind the demon.

"Hey Pat!" The demon spun to look and Buffy slammed the blade of the shovel into her glowing eyes. The demon screamed for a second then vanished in a flash of light, along with all the zombie minions. Xander found himself able to move again and sighed in relief.

"Well, at least we don't have to clean up all the corpses," he muttered. "Thanks Buff, you okay?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah I'm fine. I hate party crashers," she said with a smirk.

Xander smiled. "Oh yeah, so rude. I gotta say I think I hate your mom's taste in art right now too. And you three!" He turned around to see Giles, Willow and Oz standing in the doorway. "Haven't any of you seen a Romero movie before? You have to destroy the brain, stabbing them doesn't do anything. I'm especially disappointed in you, Gman. You should know better."

"Yes, well, erm… good point Xander." Giles said, looking sheepish.

"Sorry your party got wrecked, Buffy." Willow said consolingly.

Buffy shrugged. "Hey by now I'm used to it. I mean after the hellmouth opening for homecoming and robotic aliens attacking movie night I'd even say zombies was pretty tame."

"It just goes to show how seriously messed up our lives are that I agree with you," Xander said with a sigh. "Come on, we should probably help Mrs. Summers clean up."

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Cortana was irritated. She was searching all of Earth's classified projects and tapping into every kind of geological sensor she could to try and find a trace of the mineral needed to fix the armour. Not only was she having no luck, but also she knew that she didn't have that much time left to figure out an answer. Between the information she had absorbed from the Covenant and Forerunner races she had used up quite a bit of her available memory. Though she hadn't told Xander this yet, AI's like Cortana had a finite life span. Usually six to seven years before they became too bloated with information and literally thought themselves to death. Though Cortana was only a year and a half old, the amount of information she contained had shortened her effective life span considerably. She estimated she had approximately one year left before she became non-functional.

She knew she had to tell Xander, but with all the stress he had been under for the last few weeks, the last thing he needed to hear was that his friend was dying. Still, before she was gone it was important that she did this last thing for him, no matter what it took.

Cortana paused in her search. In a number of classified documents now she had come across the acronym SGC, but had not yet found any documents pertaining to what it was the SGC was. Immediately switching priorities she began searching for the SGC. Though she was able to determine that the program was located in the Cheyenne mountain complex and was officially a deep space radar telemetry program, she could not find any details that actually gave any definite information on the program. She paused for a microsecond. Only a program of monumental secrecy and importance would have a blackout this big. All the information must be stored on non-networked computers. Though her hologram wasn't active, if she had eyes at the moment she would have narrowed them. Finding out what the SGC was had just become her top priority.

End Chap 16

Thanks for reading, and sorry again about the wait. I know it's been a long time and hopefully my next chapter will be up in less time. Thanks again for reading and please leave a review!