(Authors Notes: I am sorry this is late coming out but I have been dealing not only with some depression from various sources, but I have to admit my muse has been a little slow as well, I've done the best I can to make this fit the story and I hope it does not disappoint anyone. Hope you enjoy it.
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(Sunnydale)
Spike and a party of four of his underlings were trying to track down some of the mayor's people to abduct and interrogate, dangerous gambit he knew but time was quickly turning against him and Dru he was certain considering he latest vision. However, it was clear the mayor's pawns were not going to be taken unawares and had back up, this would have to be done very carefully he decided. He did not want to end up in a war with the mayor who he knew was far more dangerous than fighting a fellow vampire or even a powerful demon, the mayor had in the past beaten even the Master and imprisoned him on top of the hellmouth where he had been stuck almost right up to the point he had been killed by the Slayer. That was not a situation he wanted to end up stuck in, he liked to have mobility and freedom of choice and he did not intend to get stuck anywhere by someone like the mayor so been careful was the way to go and that meant interrogate the pawn and then let him go.
Yes he doubted the mayor would care too much as long as his people were not killed, it might make him curious as to what he was looking for but considering the mayor and his pawns seemed to be looking for something as well it might be they were all looking for the same thing and make him sit back and let Dru and him do the leg work to find whoever was behind this new threat in Sunnydale.
"Find me some of his people and do it quickly" he ordered his fellow vampires. "Do not harm them just bring them to me if you find one, go in teams of two" he continued glancing at the four behind him. "Is that understood?" he demanded dangerously.
"We understand" Gibson the oldest of the group who had personally been sired by Spike said with a nod of his head.
"Good, then get to it" Spike responded as he reached into his pocket and withdrew his smokes and quickly lit one up as he watched his boys move out to carry out his orders, hopefully this would not be a big mistake.
(Sunnydale High)
Xander had finished his story and was now watching the pack digest everything he had told them, granted he had left a hell of a lot out of the story, but he had told them enough to understand the stakes involved and why ancient and old gods were getting involved and why they had been drafted into the fight. It was a hell of a lot to absorb he knew but hopefully the four would be able to handle it, he glanced to the others and noted they seemed to know he had left things out of his story.
"This is some really heavy shit" Tor finally stated after quite a bit of time had passed. "You aren't having us on are you boss?" he asked as he ran a hand through his hair.
"I am afraid not Tor, this is as real as this gets" Xander responded with an understanding smile. "The stakes are as high as you can imagine, however like John Connor liked to say the future is not set hence we can change how things go which is why I was sent back" he told them. "Janus, Cernunnos and whoever else is backing me are hoping I can avoid the end of the world this time out, the powers sadly don't seem to care that their plans ended up causing the end of the world and are trying to stop me which is why I guess I need bodyguards in the gods' eyes" he explained.
"Shit man, what good are we gonna be against some higher power?" Kyle asked with wide eyes.
"The powers cannot harm a human outright Kyle; it is forbidden so all they can do is use agents of various means to try and either stop me outright by killing me or some other method" Xander assured them. "That includes other humans they might use, that is what you are here to stop" he stated.
"Man, and I thought learning about vampires and demons were real was a head turner" Heidi mumbled with a shake of her head feeling like she had a headache coming.
"It does hit hard, doesn't it?" Buffy asked with a twisted smirk as she remembered how she had reacted to the idea. "But as much as a I wanted to deny it, he knew stuff about me he couldn't have learned any other way" she added. "As much as I wanted to scream at him and did due to what his first actions were to change things, I have come to accept what he has told us so far" she told them gaining all their attentions. "Learning some of what his future self knew has not been easy for any of us, but I can tell he has not lied to us once so far using my slayer senses" she finished.
"Damn, do you think we can really change what for you has already happened?" Rhonda asked hoping for a sign the task they had been roped into was doable and not something way over their heads that would only get them killed after a lot of hassle.
"Yeah, I think we can do it guys, I've already started and whilst at the beginning Buffy was resistant to what I was saying she has begun to listen and trust me, and things are changing already" Xander assured her.
"Far more than you may expect Alexander" a new voice stated causing them all to spin around to see someone all, but Xander did not recognise.
Buffy moved to attack this person who was setting off all kinds of alarms from her slayer senses just by looking at him, the sudden placement of Xander's arm across her chest brought her up short.
"Everyone he isn't really here he's astral projecting just like I asked him to do if he wanted to contact us" Xander said. "This is Alucard, he works for someone who is in the same business as us and is an ally" he added for Buffy's benefit as he was certain she was picking up something weird just seeing Alucard's image.
"Good lord" Giles whispered in part awe part concern as he realised who was exactly in front of them. "It is really him" he said his shock at meeting a legend even if it was not in person was downright world altering.
"It is Giles, and you will note I did not say who he works for is because I do not know exactly what kind of spells our enemy has cast to let him know about threats to him" Xander responded calmly. "Buffy calm down, he is an ally I assure you" he said as he noted how on guard and off-balance Buffy looked just looking at Alucard.
"I can attest to that Buffy; I know exactly who this is, and my people consider him a great protector of the tribes" Jenny added in hoping to calm the blond slayer.
Buffy took a deep breath as she tried to fight the reaction she seemed to be having to this Alucard, he may not be there in person, but his very presence was setting the slayer spirit inside her into a panic. Giles and Jenny both seemed to know who he was and did not seem too concerned even if her watcher looked in awe if she had to place a name to his expression. So, she guessed this person whoever he was had a name and a backstory that was well known in the supernatural world. She glanced at Xander before finally gaining some control and forced herself to relax, she would get all the information she could about this Alucard during her private talk with Xander tomorrow.
"I apologise to the Slayer if I have rattled her nerves, but her kind were not designed to fight my kind of vampire" Alucard stated and smirked as Buffy's eyes widened as he claimed to be a vampire of some sort, she was not familiar with. "But I assure you I am not your enemy; you do not need to fear me" he added.
Buffy turned a dark look at Xander making him wince slightly as he realised why it was there, considering all the crap he had given her about Angel even before his new memories came back, he supposed learning he knew and considered another vampire even if they were completely different breeds somewhat hypocritical.
"Yes, he is a vampire but unlike the breed you are used to, he is completely beyond it" Xander told her with a sigh. "He did not die to become what he is, still has his soul and has a higher tolerance for the sun thus they can spend a little time in it before burning and staking them is harder than you can imagine" he explained. "He is known as the King of Vampires for a reason" he added as an afterthought.
"King of vampires?" Buffy asked reeling from the idea of a more deadly kind of vampire existing and trying to kill it.
"Relax Buff, we can discuss Alucard and the other breeds of vampires another time" Xander told her placing what he hoped was a supporting and comforting hand on her shoulder and breathed a relieved sigh when he felt her relax somewhat and refocus. "I take it you are here for a reason?" he asked the vampire who had patiently waited whilst they talked.
"Indeed, so Alexander, first is to inform you my agents have recovered Acathula from its hiding place" Alucard answered. "However, it seems possible that something had alerted some faction of vampires to its location, or it was a very big coincidence that they were searching the area as my agents had to destroy them to recover Acathula" he informed them.
"That location should not have had any vamps near it until the end of the year as far as I know" Xander mused disturbed by notion something really was trying to counter his mission to change things for the better.
It could be any number of enemies they had encountered present or future, the powers been the most obvious. He doubted it could be the mayor as he had no idea of the location of Acathula, the first evil was still trapped in its prison and if he had anything to do about it would remain trapped there forever. Jasmine and Skip were an outside possibility and one that truly concerned him, as if it was them then that meant they were already watching them and knew of the changes he was making. That idea scared him as it meant they might already be targeting Cordelia, his hand trembled somewhat at the thought of losing her again after only just reconnecting with her in this time.
This time their relationship was already deeper than it had been before he had been en-spelled to cheat on her in the future, he did not want to lose her to anything if he could help it. Cordelia who was next to him frowned as she noticed the tremor in his hand and the almost scared vibe, she could suddenly feel coming from him which was in stark change in how he had been acting since his new memories had come back. She reached down and grasped his hand in hers and gave it a tight squeeze, hoping to reassure him and make him realise he was not alone in whatever he was feeling, and he could rely on her if needed. Slowly she felt him return the squeeze and centre himself.
"If they were searching for Acathula then something really is working against us and that is bad news on all fronts" he finally said into the silence that had fallen. "But then again it maybe they were searching for something else but best to learn on the side of caution" he added.
"Indeed, which is why my master has inquired if there is anything that may pop up this year that you did not tell us about that may be beyond your capabilities to deal with" Alucard said in response noting the bond that seemed to exist between the young man he had recently come to know and the young girl he was now holding hands with.
Information such as this was useful and could prove necessary depending on what happened in the future, he watched as the young man seemed to think deeply before answering him and thus, he contented himself to waiting. He turned to take in the group that stood in front of him, whilst the people who made up the support group the current slayer had surrounded herself with was known he realised one of them was missing, the red head who was good with computers if he remembered correctly. Also, the four to his left were unknown to him or to any information they had surrounding the Sunnydale group, he wondered who they were and how they were connected to the slayer and her group, and they had to be connected as they showed no signs of surprise or shock at what they were discussing. The sudden paling of Alexander's face made him refocus on the young man, clearly, he had just remembered something he had forgotten to mention when they had first met him.
"Oh shit" Xander said as he felt dread fill him as he realised what he had forgotten in all the chaos dealing with the idea someone like Dru or the Mayor knew about him and was seeking him, then dealing with the pack and their sudden addition to the group.
"What is it Xander?" Cordelia inquired feeling her own well of dread as she took in the look of her boyfriend's faces.
"I think I mentioned it to Giles when my memories first arrived in this time but in all the chaos of dealing with the warnings from Janus about maybe Dru or the hidden threat knowing about something changing time and searching for it and then the pack issue I forgot about it and it is close to the time it happened last time" Xander answered with a shiver as he remembered facing the Judge in the mall behind Buffy hoping and praying his idea to use a rocket launcher would work.
"Xander relax just tell us" Buffy instructed seeing Xander was getting a little worked up which was not something she had seen from him since his new memories came back but the fact it could happen relieved her as it showed he still had a touch of his younger self within him.
"The judge will be reassembled by Drusilla and Spike in the next month or so" Xander said as he focused on calming down and pushing past his error of forgetting about the judge when he had talked to Sir Integra and Alucard the first time as he had been too busy talking about the mayor and his plans for ascension.
He had completely forgotten to tell them about this year and any potential threats except for Acathula and Angelus, and that was a mistake that could have cost them greatly and he realised just because he had memories of the future in his head that did not make him exempt from making mistakes. He had made mistakes in the past and he was clearly not above making them now, he had to do better if he was to succeed in his mission. Then he recalled what Janus had told him, if he used his knowledge to the best of his capabilities then he would do well.
"The judge was dismembered and spread around the Europe" Alucard stated coldly at the mere mention of the demon. "Finding all his pieces would be a challenge" he added.
"Well, they ended up been up to the challenge and they did reassemble him but thankfully I was able to work out the clue on how to take him out last time" Xander responded. "However, getting the piece of equipment needed to do the job was not easy and could easily have gone against us and me and Cordelia could have been arrested by the military along side Oz" he informed them.
"Why would the military arrest you?" Jenny asked before Buffy could.
"Because what we needed was a rocket launcher so Oz drove us to the local Sunnydale base and me and Cordelia broke in and whilst a guard did catch us I was able to convince him I was a recruit trying to impress my girlfriend and he left us alone so we could recover one and get back out before he could realise I was not a part of the base staff" Xander answered with a grin.
Oz blinked as he listened to everything and realised, he had must have already become a member of the group by that point and someone they trusted, that felt good. But the idea he had done something so risky, it made him more than convinced that getting a happy ending in all this was going to be tough. Cordelia wondered how the hell Xander had talked her into helping break into an army base to steal a rocket launcher, she had never considered herself reckless and that sounded reckless as hell but maybe fear of this judge thing been lose had made her willing to do whatever it took to stop it.
"You see the key to the judge is that is was always said that no weapon forged by man could kill him, a rocket launcher is not forged like weapons were back in the old days, it seemed simple to me" Xander explained. "However, if we do have someone trying to keep things happening like it did in the future I remember, breaking into the army base this time makes me very nervous" he admitted.
"Are you certain one rocket launcher will do the trick?" Alucard inquired impressed by the ingenuity of the group before him.
The last time the judge had been active it had taken an army led by the slayer of that time to stop it, hundreds of them had died in the process including the slayer from wounds inflicted even as she chopped the demon into pieces. She lived just long enough to see the demon parts hidden in various places around Europe, so rebuilding it was all but impossible, even the watcher's council had had to honour that slayer for what she had managed to achieve. That Alexander had produced a way to destroy it using modern weaponry thus eliminating the need to get close to the demon was impressive, although he doubted, he had fired the killing shot. No considering what he had learned of his personality, he would have taught the slayer how to use the weapon and let her do the honour of striking the killer blow.
"One launcher but maybe two to three rockets to go with it" Xander responded deciding be cautious again.
"I will have one of my agents supply you with one, best not to take the risk of breaking into the base even if we do not have an unknown enemy trying to twist events to resemble the ones you now remember, there is always the chance of dumb luck going against you and this time the guard will arrest you on sheer principle" Alucard told him.
"I take it this judge is really bad news if we don't deal with him" Buffy finally spoke back up. "I get he must be if it took an army and a slayer to slay him last time" she added showing she understood the danger the demon presented. "But what makes him so dangerous that it would take such a thing?" she asked.
"The judge was a truly unique demon Miss. Summers, resilient to most weapons and with an ability to feed off the people he killed thus once he powered up, he could keep going making himself stronger as he went as long as there was a good supply of bodies to feed of" Alucard informed her in answer.
Buffy found herself shivering at the idea of going hand to hand with such a demon thankfully it seemed her future self, had been saved the prospect of it by Xander's idea and it seemed she would be saved from it by it again this time.
"I would agree with Alucard, Xander best not to tempt fate" Giles said having listened to everything that had been said along side Jenny and the pack who had stayed silent knowing at the moment they were still somewhat out of their depth.
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(Sunnydale)
Spike was not known for his patience, but he was doing his best to exercise it right now, his followers were searching for the mayor's people as he was. But so far, they had not found any which was odd considering their patterns over the last few nights, had they found something already or had the mayor given up looking. Reaching into his pocket he withdrew his smokes and quick lit one up, he doubted the mayor had given up as he was far to worried about his plans been disrupted even if he did not know what those plans were. The black mage had always been a mystery to him, the only thing he did know was that he had been the masters worst enemy, and he was dangerous.
"Master" one of his more annoying underlings who constantly referred to him as master and Drusilla as mistress ran up to him looking almost to be in a panic, he noted this was not one of those who had gone on the hunt with him.
"What is it Turk, I'm busy" he shot back in irritation at been interrupted whilst he was busy.
"It is mistress Drusilla master; she is having another vision but this time it seems to be causing her to have a violent reaction" Turk answered quickly.
Spike spat his cigarette out and let out a curse before moving to run back to their hideout, before he did, he grabbed Turk and shoved him where he had been standing only moments before.
"Stay here and wait for the others, if one of them manages to grab one of the mayor's people, have them bring them back to the warehouse" he ordered tightly before turning and rushing off.
"Understood master" Turk said with a nod even though Spike had already left him far behind.
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(Hidden Monastery)
Joanna watched as Dawn read the text, she had given her on the basic concepts of magic, after a rather lengthy talk about the basic principles of magic and just how much she knew about magic in general she had given her a book she used to test her students understanding of the subject surrounding the topic. The seemingly young teen was quite knowledgeable on the subject and seemed to grasp the basic principles, and she wondered if that had anything to do with her claim to have memories of a future that had already taken place. During a short break in their session, she had talked with Michael about what Dawn had told her.
He had confirmed it and just how important it was to keep the information secret; he had impressed upon her the importance of even keeping it from her coven sisters. That was not something she had expected when she had accepted the offer to come and train a new student, but she saw the sense in it. She would have to be more careful on how she taught Dawn, far more seemed to hinge on her successfully learning magic that she currently understood. It was also quite clear whatever the reason for Dawn's memories been sent back was, she was not going to learn it until the young girl knew her better and had come to trust her. That was smart and showed the young girl had a good head on her shoulders, that bowed well for the future.
"I've finished the book Joanna" Dawn's voice quickly broke through her thoughts and made her refocus on the hear and now.
"Ok then Dawn, now we are going to rest how much you took in and how much you understand with this test I usually have my students complete when we first meet" Joanna responded with a smile as she handed her two pieces of paper with the test on.
Without complaining, which was another thing Joanna approved of, Dawn set about working her way through the test questions. "Take your time Dawn, there is no rush" she advised as she sat down to wait.
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(Abandoned Warehouse)
Spike ran through the warehouse ignoring the rest of his minions who all looked uneasy and frightened if he had bothered to really look, he entered the room he shared with Drusilla to find her rolling about the bed and screaming. The words coming out of her mouth made little sense to him, but this had to be the worse vision he had ever seen her undergo and it chilled him.
"Dru, baby what is it" he whispered as she gently knelt on the bed and tried to calm her down and stop rolling her about.
"He comes, the king of the night is here, he who stalks the shadows" Dru screamed in clear terror. "Danger and madness follow; his childe comes behind him and will burn us all to cinder when he allies with the green-eyed dogs of the wild pack and the shadow that threatens us all, there will be no where to hide and no where to run" she continued with her eyes wide and seeing something he could not see.
Drusilla continued to rant the same warning for another ten minutes ignoring all of Spike's attempts to snap her out of her vision, but it was clearly pointless and finally she passed out her talent clearly overloading her mind. Spike slowly backed away feeling the sense of dread that had begun to surface since this all began becoming worse, whatever was coming and whatever was behind it if it was not stopped before it or they became too strong would see him, Dru and his followers turned to dust with little they could do to stop it. His first instinct was to run, to leave Sunnydale taking Dru with him but he doubted she would leave. Her latest visions seemed to have had a real impact on her, making her believe there was no way out for them. That they had to face this threat now before it became too strong, or forever be hunted by it.
He dropped to the ground and lit a smoke as he contemplated his next move, perhaps crossing the mayor might not be the worst thing he ended up doing if it stopped this new threat for destroying him and the woman he loved. He vowed he would do whatever it took to find this new threat and stop it, then his mind came back to Drusilla's latest warning about this king of the night. It rang a dangerous bell in his memory, and yet for the life of him he could not remember to whom it alluded.
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(Hidden Monastery)
Joanna was secretly pleased with the answers Dawn had put down on her test, it showed she had a firm grasp of everything they had discussed. Far more than any other student she had had, teaching her she felt would be an easier task than she had first thought after Dawn had told her about her situation. That was not to say it would be simple, there was still dangers in teaching anyone magic even if they understood its concepts.
"I am encouraged by your grasp of the basics Dawn, tomorrow we will see how that understanding translate into using basic magic" she told her student. "For now, I suggest we leave it there and you can relax and prepare for tomorrow's lesson" she added.
"Ok Joanna" Dawn responded. "Thank you, I hope I prove a good student" she added as an afterthought. "As I said before I've seen what happens when one misuses magic and I hope I have the patience and the focus to properly utilise it" she stated as her mind briefly touched on how corrupt, and power mad Willow had become.
"I do not think you have to fear such a fate young Dawn, that you know the dangers and fear ending up like that is a good indication you will take this process of learning slowly and at the right pace" Joanna reassured her. "Only those you rush such and jump far beyond their own understanding and limits of control fall, unless power is their ultimate goal, and they will ignore all warnings about what they learn and soon are twisted reflections of who they used to be" she informed her.
Dawn nodded and watched as Joanna took her leave of the monastery after saying goodbye, it was a start she thought and hopefully like she planned by the time Xander, and Buffy did come for her she would be capable of wielding magic with far more control than Willow. She felt proud of herself for not wasting the opportunity to better herself whilst she was here, and who knows what else she would find out about the key, its origins and perhaps, if possible, its purpose. Turning she headed for the canteen to find something to eat and drink before retiring to her room, she just hoped even telling Joanna even a small amount of information of the truth of her knowledge would not come back to bite her and the others in the arse.
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(Sunnydale High)
Alucard had listened as Alexander brought him up to speed as to who the newcomers in his group was, as well as their background history and connection to him. Knowing an ancient god like Cernunnos had stepped into this whole thing was surprising to say the least, he had not taken direct action for centuries. That put a new spin on the situation and showed that Janus was not alone in wanting to change things, it also showed the powers that be would be a greater problem than initially thought if they truly were so committed to their original plans going forward or stopping Alexander changing things that an ancient god believed Alexander needed guards. It was a troubling thought; he had never had much respect for the powers. Unlike the old gods the powers arrogance and sense of superiority had always been undeserved, they believed their powers were unbeatable and their actions always above board, but they were far to fallible to mistakes and failure for his taste. Even the old gods had made mistakes, history was filled with them as it was filled with the mistakes of the powers.
"So that is why the Tor and his group have been all but drafted into the fight" Xander said finishing his story making Alucard return his attention to the conversation on hand.
"Troubling is what it is Alexander, Cernunnos has not been active in centuries, and I would know as I have lived through those centuries and if he had made any move, I would have heard about it" he responded tightly. "That he feels you need guards and has used your past connection to these four then he may feel the powers will be more of an issue than you or I initially believed" he warned the young man.
"Angel already warned me the powers might come gunning for me, but they are constrained on how they can act aren't' they?" Xander shot back not liking the way Alucard said that he knew that the powers would be problematic especially after Angel's warning but how far would they go to stop him?
"They are indeed, and I do not believe they are willing to try and remove you by their own hands as they know Janus, Cernunnos who knows who else looking after your back but that does not mean they will not send agents to try and kill you" Alucard answered. "You should all get use to watching your backs, you are all targets for if they cannot get to Alexander they might try and remove you as a way of putting pressure on him to stop changing thing" he warned far more serious this time.
Xander's back instantly went up at this warning as he thought over the many ways the powers could come after any of his friends, with Cordelia been at the top spot as a target. Cordelia again sensed the sudden shift in Xander's attitude and knew exactly where his mind had gone, whilst he had not told her anything about her fate, she knew it was constantly on his mind. She again gave his hand a deep squeeze to reassure him and was relieved he instantly returned it, but she knew she had not distracted him from thinking over what this Alucard had just said.
"Do you really think they might come after us Lord Alucard?" Jenny could not help asking shivering at the idea of been killed in the exact manner Xander had described to her even if it was not by Angelus hands just so the powers could make a point.
"The powers are overly arrogant and believe only they can make choices in regard to the war between the darkness" Alucard answered smiling at hearing the Romany refer to him as Lord Alucard as he was once known among the Romany tribes years ago before his conscription by the Hellsing organisation.
"We'll do our best to be as careful as possible Alucard" Xander assured him pushing the warning aside for now. "If anything, new comes up or something bad happens that takes us by surprise I will try and give you a heads up" he told him.
"I would appreciate it Alexander as would those I work for" Alucard replied knowing it was best not to say Sir integra's name as Hellsing was probably one of the things the mayor would have spells active to detect been mentioned. "For now, I will take my leave and ensure the rocket launcher and its ammo is delivered to Watcher Giles within the next two days" he told them. "You will know he is one of my agents by the phase light shines in the darkness, but the darkness cannot abide the light" he informed them. "Goodnight" he finished before faded to make his return through the either having decided not to tell them about the agent that was soon to be sent to Sunnydale to keep an eye on things as it might distract them keeping an eye out for him.
"I think we too should wrap things up for now and head home" Giles said into the silence.
"Do you all have transport?" Jenny inquired of the pack who shook their heads in response.
"It's okay I can give them a lift" Oz said with a smile.
"Thanks Oz we appreciate it" Heide as her boyfriend and friends nodded in acceptance of the offer.
"I will drive Xander, Cordelia and Buffy home unless you need a ride as well Jenny" Giles said as he moved to grab his keys.
"I have my car outside as well so we're good" Jenny assured him even if privately she would not have minded going with Rupert after the warning from Lord Alucard was still playing on her mind.
The group soon headed out of the library and whilst the pack followed Oz to his van and pilled in, Xander, Cordelia and Buffy waited near Giles beat up old car. Once the school was locked Giles waited to see Jenny and Oz and his passengers off before he got in his own and headed off with his own passengers, even as they drove away Xander's mind was still replaying Alucard's warning and he was worried that Cordelia was going to the powers target should they try and get to him through his friends. Cordelia was far more than his friend; she was his girlfriend. A woman he had loved and had already lost in one lifetime, he had no intention of losing her again no matter what he had to do to protect her.
Cordelia curled against him knowing from the look in Xander's eyes he was still thinking over the warning that had been given, she just hoped he did not do anything foolish whilst trying to protect her and the others.
