"Where is she?" The Slayer stalked towards Xander, steel fire in her eyes.
"Ahh, Buff, you know I can't tell you." Xander backed up hastily until his back was
against the wall.
In truth, he didn't know. When Amanda had returned from a patrol, she had gone on depite
Xander's orders, dragging the Slayer's body, with a huge grin on her face, Xander had lost no time
in getting Anya to get her out of Dodge. The Slayer wasn't going to be happy when she woke up,
and he wished he could go with her.
"She tasered me," The Slayer hissed. "Do you know what that feels like?"
"Er, ah, no I don't, but I can imagine. At least, she left out the staking part, and she did
bring you here."
"Oh I am so grateful," said Buffy with deceptive sweetness," to have been spared that so I
could be hauled home like some trophy."
"Uh, if it helps, she said you were even."
"Even?" Buffy grabbed a fistful of Xander. "What do you mean even. I DID NOTHING."
"Buffy? Let him go Buffy."
She turned to see Willow standing in the door, behind her, Giles.
"What are you doing here?"
"Anya phoned. She said that Amanda had brought you home. What happened?"
"The little vixen tasered me." Buffy let Xander fall to the ground. "I was out on patrol,
doing my thing you know, when I felt a sting in the back of my neck. Then it was like being
attached to a car battery, which was the last thing I felt before I woke up here."
"Oh dear."
"Oh dear what?"
"I'm afraid she still blames you for what happened to her former Watcher."
"Oh, and Xander thinks I should be grateful she skipped the staking part."
"The staking part?" Giles tirmed a querying eye on Xander. "Just what have you been
teaching her?"
Xander sighed. "She's still determined that she should go on patrol. I've tried to explain
to her that she isn't the Slayer and she doesn't have to do patrols anymore. I've nailed her window
shut, flat out ordered her not to leave her room, but she keeps going. For once, we got a Slayer
who actually wants to go out slaying, except she doesn't have the strength or anything like that she
needs, so I thought it best to give her as much of an advantage as I could. So I got this taser gun,
and souped it up enough to stun a vampire, so she could stake it without getting hurt."
"I am a Vampire Slayer, not a Vampire. There is a difference"
"Yeah, I know," Xander's voice nearly rose to a shout. "That's something we've never
forgotten, and I'm sure Amanda knows that too, but she's hurt and she's angry and she's lashing out
at the one she thinks is a reason behind all that hurt and anger. I'll try to explain to her once again,
that none of it is your fault, and she really shouldn't focus all that hurt and anger on you, but then
I've got to present her with another target, or else its going to get all bottled up inside her until she
goes off in all directions. So I've got to channel it some how, and if she's gonna go off slaying
despite anything I can do to stop her, then part of my job is to make sure she gets back alive."
"Maybe a spell..."
Xander's jaw dropped, and he stared at his best friend. Then it started. A low chuckle,
barely loud enough to be heard. Which grew in crescendo to a high pitched cackle.
"Xan..." Buffy stared at her Xander shaped friend. She had seen Xander in many ways,
but never like this. "Xan..."
For a while Xander couldn't answer. Tears ran freely down his cheeks, and violent
hiccoughs wracked his body, interspersed with wild laughter.
"She just doesn't get it does she," he gasped, talking to nobody in particular. "Magick is
what got us into this mess. Glory wanted to use magick to open a portal, which Buffy had to die to
close. Though what ever process, probably magick related, Amanda became the Slayer. More
magick was used to bring Buffy back, and restore her as the Slayer. That robbed Amanda of her
Slayerness, which led to her first Watcher being tortured to death." Xander cocked an eyebrow.
"So Will, what you planning on doing to her this time?'
"But..."
Xander stopped her with an upraised hand.
"Whatever problems we have with Amanda can be, will be, taken care of without the use
of magick."
"But..."
Xander sighed, then stuck his right hand out, pinkie finger stretched out.
"Will, you once told me that a pinkie sworn promise can never be broken, no matter what.
And you never broke one that you made, or let me break one. Remember?"
"Yes but...."
"Willow, I'm not so stupid as to think you'll never use magick again, cause I know you
will. But I want you to pinkie swear to me that you will never use magick on Amanda."
"But what if..."
Xander didn't give her a chance to finish. With a despairing sigh, he rose to his feet and
turned to face his childhood friend.
"Just go, and stay away from Amanda."
Willow jerked as if she'd just been slapped. Buffy looked surprised. Giles just looked,
well like Giles.
"No. Strike that. I had Anya take her out of town. Tomorrow, I'll join them, and we won't
be coming back."
"What, but you can't..."
"What would you have me do Will? She's my responsiblility, I'm her Watcher. Maybe I
shouldn't have taken the job, but I did, so I gotta do what I think is right, and if that means moving
her away from you and your magick, then that's what I'm going to have to do." Xander smiled. "I
knew I had to protect her from the night life here, and maybe get between her and Buffy, which,
might I add, is a very scary place to be, but I never thought I'd have to protect her from my best
friend."
Xander turned and started to walk out of the room. Part of him was aware that he was
being rude. Part of him didn't care. Something had died here this night, and he couldn't bear to be
there. He just reached the door, when two angry words were spit out.
"You won't"
He turned to face an angry Willow.
"I always knew you were predjudiced against magick, or maybe it's just power envy,
cause you got none, so you throw your weight around where you can. Okay, if it makes you feel
better I promise, I won't use magick on Amanda."
"Pinkie Swear?" Xander held out his hand, little finger extended.
Willow curled her little finger around it, then jerked it away. "Pinkie Swear," she hissed,
in a voice that would have melted asbestos.
"Ahh, Buff, you know I can't tell you." Xander backed up hastily until his back was
against the wall.
In truth, he didn't know. When Amanda had returned from a patrol, she had gone on depite
Xander's orders, dragging the Slayer's body, with a huge grin on her face, Xander had lost no time
in getting Anya to get her out of Dodge. The Slayer wasn't going to be happy when she woke up,
and he wished he could go with her.
"She tasered me," The Slayer hissed. "Do you know what that feels like?"
"Er, ah, no I don't, but I can imagine. At least, she left out the staking part, and she did
bring you here."
"Oh I am so grateful," said Buffy with deceptive sweetness," to have been spared that so I
could be hauled home like some trophy."
"Uh, if it helps, she said you were even."
"Even?" Buffy grabbed a fistful of Xander. "What do you mean even. I DID NOTHING."
"Buffy? Let him go Buffy."
She turned to see Willow standing in the door, behind her, Giles.
"What are you doing here?"
"Anya phoned. She said that Amanda had brought you home. What happened?"
"The little vixen tasered me." Buffy let Xander fall to the ground. "I was out on patrol,
doing my thing you know, when I felt a sting in the back of my neck. Then it was like being
attached to a car battery, which was the last thing I felt before I woke up here."
"Oh dear."
"Oh dear what?"
"I'm afraid she still blames you for what happened to her former Watcher."
"Oh, and Xander thinks I should be grateful she skipped the staking part."
"The staking part?" Giles tirmed a querying eye on Xander. "Just what have you been
teaching her?"
Xander sighed. "She's still determined that she should go on patrol. I've tried to explain
to her that she isn't the Slayer and she doesn't have to do patrols anymore. I've nailed her window
shut, flat out ordered her not to leave her room, but she keeps going. For once, we got a Slayer
who actually wants to go out slaying, except she doesn't have the strength or anything like that she
needs, so I thought it best to give her as much of an advantage as I could. So I got this taser gun,
and souped it up enough to stun a vampire, so she could stake it without getting hurt."
"I am a Vampire Slayer, not a Vampire. There is a difference"
"Yeah, I know," Xander's voice nearly rose to a shout. "That's something we've never
forgotten, and I'm sure Amanda knows that too, but she's hurt and she's angry and she's lashing out
at the one she thinks is a reason behind all that hurt and anger. I'll try to explain to her once again,
that none of it is your fault, and she really shouldn't focus all that hurt and anger on you, but then
I've got to present her with another target, or else its going to get all bottled up inside her until she
goes off in all directions. So I've got to channel it some how, and if she's gonna go off slaying
despite anything I can do to stop her, then part of my job is to make sure she gets back alive."
"Maybe a spell..."
Xander's jaw dropped, and he stared at his best friend. Then it started. A low chuckle,
barely loud enough to be heard. Which grew in crescendo to a high pitched cackle.
"Xan..." Buffy stared at her Xander shaped friend. She had seen Xander in many ways,
but never like this. "Xan..."
For a while Xander couldn't answer. Tears ran freely down his cheeks, and violent
hiccoughs wracked his body, interspersed with wild laughter.
"She just doesn't get it does she," he gasped, talking to nobody in particular. "Magick is
what got us into this mess. Glory wanted to use magick to open a portal, which Buffy had to die to
close. Though what ever process, probably magick related, Amanda became the Slayer. More
magick was used to bring Buffy back, and restore her as the Slayer. That robbed Amanda of her
Slayerness, which led to her first Watcher being tortured to death." Xander cocked an eyebrow.
"So Will, what you planning on doing to her this time?'
"But..."
Xander stopped her with an upraised hand.
"Whatever problems we have with Amanda can be, will be, taken care of without the use
of magick."
"But..."
Xander sighed, then stuck his right hand out, pinkie finger stretched out.
"Will, you once told me that a pinkie sworn promise can never be broken, no matter what.
And you never broke one that you made, or let me break one. Remember?"
"Yes but...."
"Willow, I'm not so stupid as to think you'll never use magick again, cause I know you
will. But I want you to pinkie swear to me that you will never use magick on Amanda."
"But what if..."
Xander didn't give her a chance to finish. With a despairing sigh, he rose to his feet and
turned to face his childhood friend.
"Just go, and stay away from Amanda."
Willow jerked as if she'd just been slapped. Buffy looked surprised. Giles just looked,
well like Giles.
"No. Strike that. I had Anya take her out of town. Tomorrow, I'll join them, and we won't
be coming back."
"What, but you can't..."
"What would you have me do Will? She's my responsiblility, I'm her Watcher. Maybe I
shouldn't have taken the job, but I did, so I gotta do what I think is right, and if that means moving
her away from you and your magick, then that's what I'm going to have to do." Xander smiled. "I
knew I had to protect her from the night life here, and maybe get between her and Buffy, which,
might I add, is a very scary place to be, but I never thought I'd have to protect her from my best
friend."
Xander turned and started to walk out of the room. Part of him was aware that he was
being rude. Part of him didn't care. Something had died here this night, and he couldn't bear to be
there. He just reached the door, when two angry words were spit out.
"You won't"
He turned to face an angry Willow.
"I always knew you were predjudiced against magick, or maybe it's just power envy,
cause you got none, so you throw your weight around where you can. Okay, if it makes you feel
better I promise, I won't use magick on Amanda."
"Pinkie Swear?" Xander held out his hand, little finger extended.
Willow curled her little finger around it, then jerked it away. "Pinkie Swear," she hissed,
in a voice that would have melted asbestos.
