Title: Of Magic and Machinations

Author: Jeffrey Patrick

Type: B/X... You'll just have to trust me on that.

Description: The jig, as they say, is up. The Host revealed that it is Angel inhabiting Xander's body. How or why this happened is unknown. Now Buffy must deal with the ramifications of this discovery, while Wolfram and Hart continue to manipulate events to their own means.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a fake mustache and a squash shaped like Tom Wopat's head. Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own all things Buffy. I'm in it for the marbles.




"He's waking up," the doctor said.

Giles stepped over to the hospital bed. Oz stood behind him.

"I'll be back in a few moments," the doctor said. "I'll have the nurse check his vitals. Try not to wear him out in the meantime."

"Of course," Giles said with his usual half smile.

The moment the doctor left, Giles' features hardened. He gazed down into Xander's eyes as he spoke. Even his voice had lost its usual soft quality. "Are you alright?"

The wounded man in the bed looked around the room. His head was bandaged and throbbing. He tried to sit up, but there was a sharp pain in his ribs, which prevented it. "Buffy?"

"Will not be coming," Giles said. "I asked you a question."

"What?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I guess. What do you mean she isn't coming? Is she hurt?"

"She's fine," Oz said. "Physically anyway."

"Then why...?"

"We know... about you," Giles said flatly, "and when you recover you will be expected to explain."

"Wh-what are you talking about G-man? I don't..."

Giles grabbed the young man who wore Xander Harris' face, pulling him to a sitting position. It caused considerable pain. "Now listen to me... We know you are Angel. Don't you dare use Xander's nicknames for us like we're fools who..."

Oz pulled Giles back. "Let it go, man. The sooner he gets better, the sooner he can get out of Sunnydale."

Giles released his hold on the stunned young man, leaving him to drop back onto the bed.

"But..." Angel started. "Buffy..."

"Wants nothing to do with you," Giles said with a glare. "You..." The Watcher stopped unable to continue.

"You hurt her," Oz said. "Worse than I've ever seen her hurt. You lied to her... to all of us. When you're better... Well, we expect answers. You owe her that."

They turned and left Angel alone, wondering how they had learned the truth, and if he would ever see Buffy or his daughter again.





"The creature is dead," the vampire told Lilah.

"Too bad," she said with a yawn. "Spike was starting to grow on me after all these years. Oh well, he served his purpose well enough. The Slayer now has more questions than answers."

"I don't understand," the vampire said. "Won't she come looking for answers?"

"I hope so," Lilah said. "The Slayer and her friends have what I need."

"Which is?"

"Why, their children, of course."




"Buffy, you've got to eat something," Willow pleaded.

"I can't," Buffy said. She was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the sandwich Willow had made for her. "I think I'm gonna throw up again."

"Eww," Anya said. "I don't think I can watch that."

Willow shot her a dirty look.

"How could this happen?" Buffy asked quietly.

"I don't know," Willow said honestly. "I just don't know."

"I should have known," Buffy said. "I knew there was something different, but..."

"Buffy, we all thought it was a side effect of the spell. We all believed because we wanted to. You couldn't have known."

"What happened to Xander?" Anya asked.

Buffy turned to her with tears still in her eyes.

"I mean, if he's not the one we brought back," Anya finished. "Is he still... out there in the ether somewhere?"

Buffy turned to Willow for the answer.

The witch looked away. "I don't know."






In a small North Texas town, a young man carefully loaded the syringe with heroin. He looked up at the poster on his wall. All he had was his music and his drugs. He stuck the needle in the one vein on his left arm that hadn't collapsed, and injected the drug into his bloodstream. He immediately knew something was wrong. He struggled to get to his feet, but his vision was blurred and he stumbled. His body rebelled against his mind, refusing to move or even shout to his girlfriend for help. She was asleep in the other room, dead to the world from too much partying the night before. With one final effort he managed to kick the nightstand, dropping and shattering the frame that housed a picture of his band. He then collapsed onto his back.

His girlfriend, Jenny, heard the noise and ran into the room. "Oh my God!" she cried. "What happened? Say something!"

Aaron Hauser could say nothing. Instead, he closed his eyes and waited for the darkness to claim him.

Jenny Michaels felt for her boyfriend's pulse, but found none. Tears streamed from her eyes as she grabbed his collar and shouted at him. "Come back! Don't leave me!" She let his body slump back to the floor and then buried her head in his chest, crying uncontrollably. It was then that she heard it. It was faint at first, but it grew louder and stronger. His heart... was beating.

"Aaron? Oh God! Aaron, can you hear me?"

"B-Buffy?"






Three weeks after he had been brought to the hospital, Angel was able to leave. His ribs were taped tightly, but he could walk okay. He had a small bandage on his temple as the only reminder of his head injury. There was no one to greet him upon his release. He had not seen anyone from the Scooby gang since Giles and Oz's initial visit. He climbed into the cab the nurse had called for him and told the driver to take him to Revello Drive.

When he arrived, he gave the driver a twenty and told him to keep the change. He put his key in the door and was surprised to see that it still worked. He stepped inside and listened for sounds of activity. There was someone in the kitchen. It was Dawn's lunch time. He took one step toward the kitchen before hearing someone coming down the stairs.

"Get out," Buffy said quietly.

"But, honey..."

"No. Don't you ever... ever... EVER call me that!"

"But I'm your husband," he said, tears in his eyes.

"No. You never were. I married Xander."

"But it was me," Angel said. "The last three years... all the memories... That was me, Buffy. Not Xander."

"Because you lied," she said, stepping down from the stairs. "If I would've known..."

"What?"

"I would've kept looking for him. I... I thought I was marrying the man that..."

"That you love," he finished. "That's me, Buffy. That's what brought me back."

"No. I was reaching out for HIM."

"Well, he's dead," Angel said coldly.

Buffy punched him, sending him flying into the wall. His ribs burned with pain.

"Get out," she repeated. "If you love me half as much as you claim, you'll go to Giles and answer his questions. Then again, if you REALLY loved me, you wouldn't have lied in the first place."

Angel stood there for a moment. "What are you going to tell Dawn?"

"Nothing for now. I'm gonna find Xander and bring him back."

"And if you can't?"

"I'll tell her the truth," she said, turning her back to him. "I'll tell her that her father is dead."





The Sunnydale Bus Station was like every other bus station in America with one exception. It was frequently visited by creatures of the night that were looking for an easy meal. The day had given way to night nearly an hour before Bus 1612 pulled in. The sound of its brakes was like a dinner bell.

Nancy LeNappe and her daughter, Macey, were the first to step off the bus. Nancy husband, Gary, was waiting for them, and walked them to their car. The vamps left them alone. The older woman looked sickly and cancer patients had foul-tasting blood.

Ted Blanton was next to disembark. He had both arms full of packages. He would be easy pickings. The two vampires who watched from the shadows kept their distance until Ted reached his car. The light in that section of the parking lot was blinking on and off, giving the night a strange strobe effect. As Ted fumbled for his keys, the vamps emerged from the shadows. Ted dropped a package and bent over to pick it up. The male vamp reached for the middle-aged salesman, but felt a sharp pain in his back. He turned to ask for his mate's help, but saw nothing but a small pile of ash where she had been.

Ted heard a strange noise and turned to see the thin, sickly looking young man he had been seated with on the bus. The young man was sticking something in his back pocket.

"Sorry if I startled you," the young man said with a genuine smile. "I was just wondering if I could possibly catch a ride into town with you. My friend owns a magic shop. He's usually there late, and I'd like to see him before I go home."

"Sure," Ted said. "I've gotta drop these packages off at my office. If your friend's shop is The Magic Box, it's right across the street."

"Great. I appreciate it."

Both men climbed into the car. Moments later, Ted dropped the young man off in front of the magic shop.

"Thanks for the lift," the young man said. "Be careful going home."

"You too... uh,... I'm sorry. All this time riding together and I didn't catch your name."

"Harris," the young man said. "Xander Harris."

"Well, take care, Xander."

"You too. Thanks again."

Xander Harris turned and faced the magic shop. He knew if Giles was in there, he was in the back. He turned and made his way down the alley. It had been more than three years since he had set foot in the place, though to him it seemed just a few days ago. He wasn't sure what had happened, but he remembered dying in Buffy's arms and waking up in the arms of a hysterical young cokehead. He had begun to piece it all together. He knew three years had passed. He knew that he had truly died but somehow managed to come back. He also knew that the first thing he thought about had been the woman he loved. He was scared to find out what had happened in the three years since his death, but he had faced the fear head on and purchased a one-way ticket back to Sunnydale. He was sure how he would explain his return to Giles, but if anyone could figure this out, it would be him. Besides, he couldn't bare going to Buffy's first. What if she was with someone else? What if she wasn't even ali... No! He wouldn't think that way. He knocked and the back entrance and was glad to hear someone making their way to the door.

"Who is it?" came a male voice from the other side of the door. It was familiar, but too muffled to distinguish.

"An old friend. I need help."

He heard a series of locks being turned. When the door opened, Xander felt nauseous. Standing there, facing him, was someone wearing his face.



To Be Continued...