Xander put down a red rose on a fresh grave. The headstone indicated it was Cordelia's tomb. His girlfriend was dead. She had been brutally killed just like Giles. Some kids had found her pinned to a wall, a dagger pushed in her throat and blood all over her clothes. Xander had no doubts someone, or something, was after the Scoobies. It was too much of a coincidence. That didn't happen on the Hellmouth. Everything had a purpose.

Like Oz's death.

After Oz had been killed violently, he had been in a terrible mood. Two days before, he had told him that Willow was playing behind his back. For the moment, he had believe him. After his ex-bestfriend had pleaded her innocence and smacked Buffy, he had looked all over what he had known. The truth crushed him.

He had turned his back on his childhood friend because some stupid mutt had put doubts in his head. Then, one morning, the redhead had run out of the library in tears because of the lie the werewolf had made. The next day, he was found pinned to the school door. When he thought about it now, he could clearly see that someone that cared deeply for Willow had seeked revenge on the one that caused her the greatest pain. He didn't know who it was, but he had no doubts that he or she took good care of his childhood friend.

He left his girlfriend's grave and walked to a headstone nearby. Everybody thought she was dead, even her parents. They hadn't bothered with the funeral. He had been the one to get her a headstone because it was important to him even if he *knew* that she wasn't gone. He could still feel her inside him, his connection with his only true friend. He went to her grave once per months, bringing her a white rose. Everytime, he begged for forgiveness, hoping that one day she would return to Sunnydale and give him another chance. He'd give anything for a chance to see her and be part of her life again. He knew he would have to work hard to gain her trust again, but he didn't think it was a high price for what he had told her after Oz's lie.

He crouched down on her grave and fingered the name engraved in the cold marble. He sighed and put the white rose on the smooth grass under his feet. He sat down just in front of the headstone, unaware that he was stalked. Grey eyes were following his every movements. Xander tried to stop his trembling hands and looked at the sky to prevent the fall of a few tears. "God Will, why didn't I trust you? Why did I believe him? Why?" His tone rose and he couldn't escape a sob. "Everything fell apart when you left. Of course I was the only one to care. Did you know that I even paid an investigator to track you down? Of course you didn't know." He calmed down a bit. Talking like she was right in front of him always helped him. "Do you know what I would give just for a chance to gain your trust again? To be your friend, your best pal Xand again? God Willow, I miss you so much." Tears fell down on his cheeks and his lips were trembling.

Not far from there, in the shadow of the trees, Spike frowned. He turned around, heading back toward the mansion with the firm intention to speak to his childe about what he had just witnessed. After all, the kid did have dark thoughts and he could feel the potential in him. He could be a great ally and addition in their clan. He quickened his pace. [Better find Red soon.]

* * *

A small redhead sat in a dark corner of the main room of the mansion, the fire the only thing to illuminate her form, making her red hair shinning even more than before. Her chin rested on her hands, her elbows on her knees. She had been there for hours.

That's how Angelus found her.

Quietly, he made his way to the chair were she was thinking furiously about what Spike had told her. They all knew what the blond vampire had seen in the cemetary. "What's wrong little one?" He crouched down before her. "Don't know what to do about the boy?" He sighed when she nodded. "Keep him." He smiled when she looked at him like he had grown a second head. "I know you think I hate him. It's not the entire truth. My demon hate him because he sees great potential of evil going to waste and soulboy hated him because he was always kicking him when he was down. But hell, if he want to be part of our little family, I say go and get him. This boy hold great promises. Think about it." He stood up and walked to the stairs.

Willow thought about it for another hour or so. Suddenly, she stood up and almost ran in the garden where the other four vampires were talking animatly. Drusilla looked up when she saw her grandchild enter in a hurry. "Get up. We're getting Xander."

* * *

The dark haired mortal walked slowly through the empty streets of Sunnydale, not really in a hurry to meet Buffy at her house to find a plan to survive. Quite frankly, he didn't care anymore. His girlfriend was dead, his bestfriend was *somewhere*, preferably somewhere away from him, and the man that he considered as his real father had been tortured and then killed.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even noticed the dark figures standing a few meters ahead of him before he bumped into them. He looked up into dark brown eyes of someone he would had loved to never see again. He took a step back when Angelus grinned at him. "Angelus." Beside him was standing Spike and Drusilla looking over him carefully and on the other side was Faith her arm wrapped around the dark vampire's waist. "Ok, I definitly don't like this week." He heard light footsteps behind him.

"That why we thought I should give you a little visit to lighten up your mood."

He froze right there. [I'm dreaming.] He hadn't heard that voice in over eight months. The last time time he had see her, he'd called her a slut. Then, he had spent nights over nights asking, no, begging for a second chance. And there she was, standing behind him. He turned around slowly. It really was her. Those green eyes, the red hair, that innocent smile. "God Willow." He rushed to her and crushed her to him.

Willow smiled and looked over his shoulder to the four vampires that were her life. She felt Xander tense in her arms when he realized that she was cold to the touch. He looked into her eyes, looking for the truth. "So, that's it. You're the one in the prophesy Giles' found. You've come back to kill us all for our betrayal."

She grinned wickedly. "That right. But I didn't forget my *best* friend Xander that cry on my grave and ask for forgiveness."

His eyes widened. "How did you know?"

She walked around him and took her sire's hand. "Spike saw you the other night in the cemetary."

Suddenly, Xander knew. The way Spike and Drusilla stood near her made him inderstand. They were the one that took care of Willow. Spike was probably the one that had killed Oz than turned Willow. When they came back to Sunnydale, they had found Faith and she had given the push to Angel to lose his soul. He had seen how the poof seemed edgy around the dark slayer. "So, what now?"

"Now?" she asked. "Now, you have a chance to be the friend I had before the deal with Oz. The chance to be my best friend for eternity. What do you say? Want to bring Slutty to her knees with us?"

Xander grinned like a madman giving the vampire a look of his dark side he kept hidden inside himself. "Oh yeah! Definitly!" He followed Willow and her apparently two lovers. He shot a look at Faith and Angelus that were both looking at him attentivly. "What?"

The two vampires shared a look and smiled. Each of them took one of Xander's arms and walked alongside him. "Don't worry, boy," Angelus said. "You'll see it's... *fun* to be with us." Faith winked at him at her sire's innuendo. Xander laughed outloud. [This week isn't so dull after all.]