*

Buffy was distraught.

Giles had brushed her off at the hospital after Xander had left, and she wanted to know why. All her questions had been met with evasions or outright denials of knowledge. What was Xander up to? Where had Oz gone? Why did Angel leave me alive after he beat me? To toy with my mind again? All these questions and more were spinning through Buffy's head like a tornado.

Don't I owe Xander? After all he was helping me when I went into Angel's warehouse. No. I need to get my feelings for Angel sorted out before I can feel for someone else. Anyway, didn't I brush Xander off at the spring fling? How can he have feelings for me still after that?

Buffy was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Spike saunter out of a bar right in front of her.

"Hey, Slayer, what are you doing in this neighbourhood alone?" asked Spike with a hint of a leer.

"Right now, Spike, I'm not doing anything, but that can change if you care to volunteer as my new punching bag. My last one broke. I punched it too hard." Buffy deadpanned. "I'm really not in the mood for vamp killing Spike, so get out of my sight."

"OK, Slayer, I just thought maybe you might want to know that me an' Dru are heading out of Sunnydale. It's getting too hot here, what with your boyfriend bashing the place up." Replied Spike.

The line about Drusilla made Buffy curious, "how do you intend to get Dru out of Sunnydale? She's so infatuated with Angel that you couldn't drag her away if she was dead," a hint of Buffy's old fun crept into her voice "oh, I forgot, she already is."

Spike growled at Buffy's flip attitude. "I'll choose to ignore that last comment Slayer, I've wised up since I got here. 'Don't go attacking apparently helpless little blonde girls, they turn out to be the Slayer, which hurts. A lot."

Buffy grinned at the backhanded compliment.

"Anyway, I'm getting out of Sunnydale, with Dru, if I have to drag her kicking and screaming all the way to Britain. Or Washington, whichever." Spike inclined his head at Buffy. "See ya round, Slayer." With that, Spike walked off and quickly disappeared into the early morning darkness.

Buffy was left standing in the street, staring after Spike like an idiot. It must be bad if the players are leaving…

*

Xander had been ambushed by groups of vamps as he tailed Angelus. Which didn't bother him particularly, but had taken its toll on his ammunition supply. He had run out of clips for the MP5 after the first attack, which had composed of more vampires than Xander had encountered for the past week solid. Xander had succeeded in taking them all down with only a slight physical loss, but reflected:

If there had been two more vamps, or one less clip, I'd now either be one of them, or a finished Happy Meal. As it is, they may have hurt me enough to make killing Angelus difficult if I have to go hand-to-hand.

The first vamp, to try to take him by surprise had dived out of doorway, which just succeeded in letting the vamp meet the opposite wall as Xander rolled out of the way, but during the roll, Xander twisted his knee slightly, making him limp lightly as he walked.

After that incident, Xander discarded the MP5. With no ammunition, it was just a dead weight.

The second and third groups had been much smaller, comprising of only two or three vamps apiece. Most seem to have been in the first wave, to try taking him down by sheer numbers.

Where the hell is this bastard going? Thought Xander. He seems to be heading back for the entrance…

…Oh, shit!

Xander increased his pace. Heading for the main entrance, while pulling his backpack off to remove the claymores.

A little surprise for any vamp that wants to try blindsiding me. Xander sniggered. That would be a good light display. I wonder if Sunnydale P.D. would ever work it out? He asked himself sarcastically.

*

Buffy had just reached the drive of her home when her mother rushed out of the door to meet her.

"What do you think you're doing, young lady, staying out until 3:30 in the morning?" Joyce exclaimed "you get inside right this minute before I… I…" Joyce's tirade ended and her voice broke. "Oh, Buffy! Why were you out so late?"

"Giles and Willow are in the hospital mom." Said Buffy quietly, causing Joyce to gasp quietly and cover her mouth with her hand.

"Some vamps decided to crash a research party we had going. Xander and me weren't there. We were out looking for Angel."

"The ex-boyfriend that's gone all psychotic stalker on you?" Joyce asked, "Why were you looking for him? He seems pretty good at finding you himself."

"I know, mom…" started Buffy, but stopped when she noticed Angel running down the road toward her and her mother. "Mom, get inside. NOW." Buffy said forcefully, "Angel's coming!"

Buffy was right. Angel was running down Rovello Drive, in an attempt to get a very pissed Xander off his tail. Fear was a completely new emotion to Angelus, before; he had been the one inspiring fear in others. To have one whom he should be terrorising making him run like a frightened child was a new experience, and it was not one he was enjoying.

It didn't help that Xander had survived four vamp ambushes that he had set up, and was stalking him with a similar technique to how a wild animal would stalk its prey. When coupled with the cold detached precision a veteran soldier uses when angered, Angelus was more than a tad concerned that if it came to an out-and-out fight, he would lose…

…But not without taking Xander down with him.

When Angelus spotted Buffy standing on her front lawn with her mother, he quickly formulated a plan.

I can use the animosity between Buffy and Xander about me to my advantage. Confuse Buffy. It's easily done at the best of times, but now it should be a complete walkover. Either get Xander fighting her, or use her as a distraction while I prepare to destroy Xander.

Angelus flashed a wicked grin, then quickly put on his hurt face, and cried out in thanks as he neared Buffy.

"Oh, Buffy, thank God I've found you. Xander's gone mad. Giles and Willow managed to cast the spell before Angelus' vamps got to the Library. I've got my soul back, but Xander won't believe me and is trying to kill me! He got all of Angelus' vampires and I only just escaped with my life, so to speak, help me!"

"Oh, Angel!" cried Buffy rushing to him, "I'll talk some sense into Xander. Wait over by the house while I try to explain." Angelus fake limped over to the entrance of the house, watching Joyce to see if she saw past his deception.

Buffy could almost be thought of as simple, thought Angelus. She's so blinded by love for a person she will never truly know that she is willing to throw away all her friends. Pitiful.

On cue, Xander ran around the curve in the road, limping slightly, but not enough to slow him down.

Jeez, this guys a regular G.I Joe. Thought Angelus. Buffy ran forward to meet him in the street, and Angelus took that as the indication that it was time to leave.

The demon stopped him, interested.

See what your enemy is capable of. It whispered into his mind. If he can turn on his friends in an effort to reach a goal, he is truly a dangerous foe. Watch. Learn. You may need the knowledge in the future. So Angelus found a convenient tree and swung up into the branches to watch.

Xander was in full soldier mode as Buffy neared him. He nearly mistook her for another vamp and opened fire.

Nearly.

Raising the SOCOM pistol, Xander sighted down it at the head of the body and his finger started to tighten on the trigger.

"Xander!" the exclamation from the blonde head shocked him out of hunting mode, as both the soldier and Hyena personalities called it and he focussed on the face.

"Buffy?" asked Xander. "What are you doing? Get out of my way! I need to kill Angelus."

"Xander, no! He's Angel again. Giles and Willow succeeded on the spell. He has his soul back. And is running scared because you've gone all psycho-soldier on him. I won't let you hurt him. I'll defend him myself if I must, and I won't be gentle."

Xander seemed to be thinking, tilting his head to the side, and looking into the distance.

"Gee, Buff, you really have fallen for his shit, hook, line, sinker, rod and copy of 'Angling Times' haven't you? I've been hunting him for all of three hours, and not an hour ago he was rutting in the hay with his vamp flavour of the month, who he sacrificed because I got too close to his personal space. He's still the bad old Angelus who ran out on you."

At this point, Joyce had come up to the two teens, and having heard most of the conversation, as it was shouted rather than said. Joyce wondered if the neighbourhood would wake up, but then remembered that Sunnydale residents were rather good at ignoring any unusual sounds in the night.

"Buffy, Xander, don't you think both of you are over reacting slightly? I mean, Buffy, you're willing to attack one of your best friends to protect someone who, frankly, I don't think is worth protecting. And Xander, you are decked out in enough military hardware to make Rambo jealous." Joyce was put out by the attitude that Xander seemed to exude, and the amount of equipment on him. She wondered how much wasn't visible.

Xander cut into her thoughts, looking slightly guilty, "you're right Mrs. S, but he got me really pissed and I just wanted to go hunting." While saying this he was thinking, I'm saying this to shut you up, but I'm still gonna kill the bastard.

Then Buffy cut in "I still won't let you hurt him Xander."

To which, Xander responded only by shifting his stance, which clearly advertised 'you and what army, slayer?'

Joyce noticed the subtle shift in body language from Xander, and was disturbed by this, quickly saying "Buffy, why don't you go inside now? Xander, I think you had better go home." Buffy looked about to argue, but a look from Joyce stopped her, and she headed in.

"Sure, OK, Mrs. S," said Xander "I'd better go home now, too." But not before I find Angelus he finished in his mind. Xander took off at a loping trot, favouring his left leg, then shifting into a sniper run after he was round the corner and spotted Angelus in the distance, heading to his mansion. That was the only building in that direction.

*

Xander had reached the entrance to the grounds of Angelus' mansion. He paused. Something didn't seem right. Almost as if…

Xander leaned forward and picked up a stick. Throwing it lightly at the fence, Xander winced as the stick made contact with the metal…

…and did nothing except fall to the ground.

OK, I'm getting paranoid in my old age. Thought Xander sarcastically. But I'm sure he will have some surprises for me in this place. You don't survive 240 years by being stupid. Then again, to get turned you have to show a degree of stupidity.

Xander, reasonably confident that there would be no more traps outside, pulled his SOCOM and, checking the chamber, walked through the gate and round the side of the building. Sure to be traps in the main entrance.

Just then he heard Angelus' voice echo round the yard. "Be careful where you step, Xander." Said Angelus voice in a playful tone.

Xander's only reply was, "come out and face me you chicken-shit bastard!" which got him nowhere. The courtyard was empty. It did, however, get the attention of both his soldier personality and the Hyena. Both said approximately the same thing; he's trying to get you to fuck-up by making you angry and disoriented. Don't let him get to you. The soldier said it in military jargon and the Hyena said it with a predator's appreciation of tactics. Easy for you to say, replied Xander.

Xander got to the back door and jimmied the lock with one of his combat knives. Nice way to treat your kit, kid. Chastised the soldier. Shut it. Replied Xander. It got me in didn't it? There was no response. Xander started his trek into the bowels of Angelus' mansion.

*

There were no vamps in the whole of Angelus' mansion.

So why did you bring me here? Thought Xander, unless you have a surprise planned. A figure appeared in Xander's vision as he rounded a corner. Xander double tapped it before he could stop himself. A metallic ping resounded twice as the bullets hit the helm.

It was a suit of armour.

Shit! What the fuck, Kid! You jumping at frigging shadows now? Screamed his soldier personality in his head. Keep going like this and you'll waste all you're fucking ammo on nothing before you reach Angelus!

Angelus mocking voice echoed soldier-boys thoughts, "Aww. Is little Xander jumping at things that aren't there?" his voice shifted pitch, becoming cold and deadly, "How do you think you can fight me, White Knight? Remember, kill me and you won't have the Princess to protect you anymore."

I'll deal. Said all three of Xander at the same time. I still love Buffy, but if losing her is the price I must pay to remove you, so be it. Xander holstered his pistol and drew his thigh combat knife, so that if he jumped at nothing again, he didn't waste bullets. Good, Kid. The soldier praised him. But be ready to pull it if the big bad suddenly decides to show.

Xander stalked up the staircase, keeping to the left to avoid the middle of the steps. In this business, paranoia kept you alive, and death wasn't something Xander wanted to contemplate.

*

Buffy was sitting at home with her mother, watching the television on a 'girl's night in' except that her mother was stonily silent. Joyce was asking herself a lot of questions. The conversation Buffy and Xander had held in the street answered a lot of questions she had about this town.

What was Xander, of all people doing dressed like that?

He looked as if he was about to go on manoeuvres.

Why was Buffy trying to stop him?

Why did Angel run up and say Xander was going to kill him?

Xander couldn't kill Angel, even if he did have a soul, Angel could protect himself from Xander.

Unless…Angel really was Angelus, and was just using Buffy's love for him to slow Xander down enough to give him a nasty surprise. A sort of diversionary tactic.

Would he be that devious? Yes. Who can I get to help Xander?

Buffy won't do it because she still loves Angel, hell, even I can tell that, I'm not blind like Buffy seems to think I am. I should have confronted her about this a long time ago, but I didn't, and this is where we are now, so no turning back; just make the best of a bad job, and hope it turns out all right.

Buffy, for her part was pretending to watch the TV while asking herself a similar amount of questions.

How did Willow complete the soul curse so fast? Angel wouldn't lie to me would he?

At this question, Buffy's love for the vampire overrode her common sense, and denied the fact that Angelus would have lied to her to turn her against her friends.

Where the hell did Xander get all of that military grade equipment? Did he rob the army base again? He is in so much trouble if I find he did. Is he going after Angel? And why? To get revenge on his minions for what they did to Willow? 'Cause Angel couldn't have done that to her.

Again, her love for Angel overrode the obvious answer: that Angel was not Angel but was still Angelus. I've got to find Xander before he does something he can't undo.

"I'm gonna go out for a while, mom. I'll be back soon." Buffy suddenly announced as she got up.

"Oh, no, you're not!" replied Joyce, shaking her head "sit back down and behave or go to your room and cool off there, but you are not going looking for Angel or Xander now, honey."

Buffy started walking in the direction of the stairs. As she reached the bottom, Joyce called out again, "and don't think you can sneak out of your bedroom window, missy! I know you do that a lot. Just for once, let your mind rule instead of your heart."

Buffy nearly choked at that final comment, such an innocent throw away, but all the same quite a painful one. With a final withering glance at the back of her mother's head, Buffy stalked up stairs to bed, at 5 in the morning.

*

Xander had made it into the final wing of the mansion, and was beginning to wish that the sun wasn't starting to rise, because, as both his soldier and hyena mentalities pointed out, enemies are at their most dangerous when they have nowhere left to run.

And Angelus has nowhere to run. Sun up, so he can't go out again, and this is the only entrance to this part of the mansion, so he's cut off.

Unless he has some sort of escape route in the wing whispered his soldier mind, the eternal pessimist.

If he has, Xander thought back, I'd just have to pursue him through it. Again.

Xander reached the far end of the wing without incident, and swore when he saw the drain cover lying open in the middle of the room. Oh, if that doesn't advertise 'come get me, I'm here' I can suck my own cock. Said the soldier mind, watch out, kid, this is definitely a trap.

Xander almost giggled, No shit! He thought back sarcastically.

Hey, kid, you've got a couple of grenades left haven't you? Asked the soldier, throw 'em down the drain so that if Angelus is waiting to jump you he'll get a surprise.

Nice! Thought back Xander. He'll be waiting. Lets see if we can't crispy fry this annoying vamp.

Xander pulled both pins on the grenades and dropped them down the sewer entrance, quickly moving away so that the concussion didn't disorient him. Five seconds, and two dull thumps later, Xander dropped down the sewer entrance with pistol drawn and the Hyena mind clamouring to help him see well in the dark.

OK, go ahead, Xander said to his Hyena counterpart, as long as it doesn't distract my ability to think. The Hyena snickered insanely and leapt to the fore of Xander's mind, bringing with it far better night vision, and even enhanced ability to smell Angelus.

Not that that really helped here, as the smell of the sewer was so overpowering, Xander couldn't have smelt Angelus if he had been an inch from his nose.

The soldier mind struggled to get through to him for a second, remember, kid, that sewers echo badly and you can never tell how far away a sound is. But that goes for Angelus as well.

As if to prove a point, Angelus' voice drifted down the pipe to Xander, made hollow and tinny by the echo and enclosed pipe. "Oh, Xander, come get me! You didn't really think that I would fall for the 'grenade first' approach did you?"

No, but I could hope couldn't I? Xander snarled in his head, and started toward the sound a quietly as he could.

*

Giles checked himself out of the Hospital at 6 am. Both of the doctors assigned to him were adamant that he should not leave but he signed himself out regardless. As with his time as 'Ripper' Giles always healed relatively fast for a 'normal' person, possibly as a result of some of the spells that Ripper had cast in his heyday.

Walking out of the hospital and into the morning light, Giles wonder exactly how Xander had fared. Had he won? Was he still chasing Angelus? Was he dead? Giles didn't know the answers to those questions, and tried to shunt them from his mind. Only time would provide the answers.

*

Reaching a large intersection in the sewer, Xander cautiously looked around to see if Angelus had left any little presents for him. Seeing none, however, he found the service ladder for the pipe and slid down holding tightly enough for the ladder to slow his fall yet loosely enough to not take too long about it.

Landing, Xander dropped into a crouch to examine his surroundings from the new angle. He only just succeeded in stopping the soldier from rolling him out of the way of the ladder and right into the sewer water. Giving his body to one of his 'freeloading' personalities allowed the other to gain control more easily, it seemed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Angel's duster flapping down one of the sewer tunnels leading further into the maze of Sunnydale's sewer system.

Shit! I let him get further in and it's gonna be fucking impossible to find the bastard! Xander, throwing caution to the winds took off after Angelus like all the demons of hell were behind him.

Which, when you looked down the tunnel that Xander had just come out of, was a relatively accurate description. Unfortunately, Xander didn't have the sense to check his six.

*

Xander, in the mean time had turned round to check his six. What he saw nearly gave him a heart attack.

Fuck! There are more bloody demons following me than Buffy has fought in the whole of her 'career' as the Vampire Slayer. I am so fucked.

Even as he was thinking this, however, his soldier was taking over from the Hyena and pulling his pistol.

I hope these fuckers go down with phosphor bullets. Muttered his soldier.

Firing a single shot from his pistol, Xander hit the lead demon, which was possibly the ugliest shit he had ever seen, surpassing even the Master, right smack in the head, between the eyes. The demon dropped and tripped the nearest demons behind him with it's writhing round on the floor.

But it didn't die.

Nevertheless, Xander didn't have time to worry about him as the scores of other demons were just trampling it in their rush to get at Xander. Unloading the remaining eleven rounds into different demons, some of which obviously died from them, Xander started to back off against the sheer numbers.

Jamming his one remaining clip into the SOCOM, Xander continued unloading rounds at his opponents. Swearing like a trooper when the clip jammed on the fifth round, he turned tail and ran, trying to clear the stoppage. When it was obvious that the pistol was fucked, and would never work again, Xander discarded it.

Kid, when using phosphor rounds, most pistols can only fire 15 rounds at most before some sort of fuck up, it's the phosphor, it jams the slide mechanism, his soldier told Xander you were lucky to have it last that long. Don't get greedy, and don't engage those things at close range, that first one you dropped had enough spikes to make Sonic look like a cuddly rabbit.

Xander reached the end of the tunnel only to be caught unaware by Angelus' arm, which was sticking out. Xander ran into it at full speed and dropped like a stone. Angel's arm didn't even move.

The last thing Xander saw was Angelus picking him up by an ankle and pulling him through the sewer muck. With the lack of oxygen under the sewer water, and the smell above it, Xander blacked out.

*

Xander awoke with a pounding headache. His vision swimming slowly around, making all of the surrounding area seem slightly unreal.

It was unreal.

Well, for the normal everyday person who didn't believe in ghosts and demons, or the horrors they could commit. The table Xander realised he was strapped to was placed in the middle of a room, which in turn had walls that were covered all around with dead or near-dead bodies of what looked like they may have once been people.

Some had been skinned alive, another had been crucified on a huge wooden cross and had had a cross shape carved into his chest directly above where his heart would have been.

Xander lapsed back to unconsciousness.

*

Giles decided to go to the Sunnydale Ripper stash to see what Xander had taken. Just out of interest. After all, most of the military equipment would be gone if Xander still had the 'soldier' in him, as it would be more comfortable wielding known weapons.

Getting to the stash, Giles was not surprised on inspection of the stash that most of the more archaic weapons had been left, while all of the military hardware had gone. The only non-military equipment missing was a few vials of Holy water and some oak stakes.

Satisfied, Giles left to go home.

*

When Xander next awoke from the personal hell his subconscious gave him, he opened his eyes to Angelus' leering face.

"That is definitely not a picture to wake up to." Muttered Xander, instantly wishing he had not opened his mouth when Angel quickly drove his fist into his gut. Xander's stomach heaved and he lost what small amount of food he had left in it. He then realised that he was naked, or nearly so. Angelus had striped him of all his gear.

"Now, now, Xander." Snarled Angelus "it's not a good idea to insult the host. Especially when the host holds the key to a fast death or an unimaginably slow and painful one."

"What, no third option?" Xander's strained attempt at humour got him another punch for his trouble.

"Ya, know, Xander." Said Angelus cheerfully as he walked over to a table and picked up what appeared to be a railroad spike, "I really" his voice turned dark and venomous "hate your jokes!" Angelus punctuated the final word with trusting the railroad spike trough Xander's left shoulder.

Xander screamed raggedly at the pain that erupted in his shoulder.

"I thought Spike was the one who used those?" he quipped weakly when the pain subsided slightly.

"Who do ya think taught him, Xander? The tooth fairy?" sneered Angelus "But ya know, if you can keep your sense of humour even with this," Angelus waved at the spike "in your shoulder, you can laugh at anything! I want to see you laughing when I carve your little girlfriend up, 'cause, ya know, it ain't hard to tell you love Buffy more than anything."

"Maybe once." Replied Xander, "not anymore. I don't have the hots for the necrophiliac Slayer anymore." The last sentence was snarled to disguise the pain, but even Xander could tell it was there more to try convincing himself than stating fact.

Angelus chuckled. "Yeah. It must kill you that I got there first." He thrust his face close to Xander's, "she screamed my name as she came. I introduced her to womanhood." Angelus' voice became lascivious "She willingly gave me her maidenhead. Wanted no other. Well, I took it. Remember Xander, no prizes for second place." Angelus roared with laughter and strolled out to leave Xander alone with his thoughts.

*

Barely slipping into unconsciousness gave Xander the release from pain that he needed. When he reached a painless place in his head, he discovered that the Hyena and 'soldier-boy' had been there for some time and were just waiting for him to join them.

You were so set on pissing off Angelus that we couldn't get through the barriers you had erected to seal off the pain. Said the soldier.

Pain. Do not anger the soulless one more than necessary. He is stronger than you. Offered the Hyena.

He's right, kid, said the soldier, when a frontal assault does not succeed, if y'all still alive then change for stealth. Get him when he ain't ready. Use someone as bait, and then fuck him over.

Xander was too gone to really understand most of this. Then the Hyena made a suggestion.

Shall one of us take over when Angelus comes back? It will give you the rest you need.

Xander understood that.

Please, he replied, please.

The Hyena took control.

*

Angelus swaggered back into the room, with a huge grin on his face. Seeing Xander, or what he assumed to be Xander, hanging from the manacles limply, with his eyes shut, Angelus thought to give him a rude awakening.

The blood had stopped flowing from around the spike in Xander's shoulder, and Angelus gripped it tightly then savagely pulled it out. Expecting a scream of pain from Xander, Angelus was taken aback when he laughed maniacally instead. This was the Hyena masking its cries.

When Angelus stepped close to Xander, he leapt back at the savage snarl and wide eyes of Xander. He was even more taken aback when Xander lunged against his bonds to try snapping at him.

Thinking that he had driven Xander insane, Angelus laughed and ordered a minion to see that Xander did not bleed to death.

After all, thought Angelus, it would be very amusing to see Buffy and Willow when they see what I have done to Xander. It would be the beginning of the end for the Slayer. A descent into madness, what a lovely way to go. Should I turn her, like I turned Dru? Perfect.

*

The vampire who had been ordered to see to Xander had been a surgeon in life, and had been turned by Angelus on one of his trips to the blood bank in the hospital. He had strict instructions to not feed on Xander, or he would be bathed in Holy water. To fix Xander's shoulder better he made sure that Xander was unconscious and undid the shackles holding him to the table.

The Hyena let him. All the dead bodies on the floor and walls allowed a lot of rubbish to accumulate and no one to notice. Added to the fact that when Angelus had brought him here, he stripped him but not completely. Most of his kit, the important remaining parts anyway, were over in the corner, in a pile. The Hyena positioned a large piece of wood, splintered from the table probably, under his hand, ready to stab the vampire.

The vamp surgeon disinfected the wound, and wrapped it in roll after roll of surgical gauze. Then stuck small plasters over the lesser wounds. Fortunately there were no sprains. The vamp sat back on his haunches, to eye its work. Even in death, the surgeon still ruled, even if the Hippocratic oath had gone down the pan.

The Hyena struck. Flipping the makeshift stake, he drove his arm forward as fast as possible, lodging the stake in the vampires unbeating heart. The vamp snarled and looked down surprised, before mouthing: why? Then he burst into dust.

The Hyena gently stood up and almost staggered to Xander's equipment. Fortunately, Angelus little spike trick had missed any bones or arteries, so he could still use the arm. It hurt like hell though. Shrugging into the camouflage gear and Kevlar vest, the soldier took over. He checked that there was enough C4 left to do the job and planted a couple in the torture room, on a 15-minute timer.

Then the soldier and Hyena worked together to get out of the sewer, planting C4 as they went. As they reached a manhole, Xander checked his watch: 1 minute left.

Xander climbed up the ladder and lifted the manhole cover open, enough to squeeze out, but small enough to shut it again quickly. The final C4 charge he put on a 7 second fuse but did not activate it.

Placing his face in the gap, Xander called out "Angelus! Here boy!"

Angelus heard the call and ran for the sound. He was there in 20 seconds, to see Xander's face peering in through a partially open manhole.

He stepped into the small amount of light, growling. "Xander, come back down here and I promise I'll kill you quickly."

"Sorry, nothing doing, Angelus." Xander's head withdrew.

When the time remaining on the other charges was 10 seconds by his watch, Xander started the timer on the charge in his hand.

For Angelus, a small cuboid package falling in the manhole was accompanied by Xander's voice saying "Merry Christmas, Deadboy."

The manhole cover ground shut.

And the world was filled with fire.

*

After Xander booted shut the manhole cover, he scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as his protesting legs could carry him. As soon as a dull rumble told him that the first charges had gone up early started he flung himself to the floor. The other charges went up in sequence, the final one being the one next to Angelus. It sent the manhole cover soaring into the sky, flying upwards about 40 feet, before coming crashing down on the tarmac road about 10 feet from the manhole it started from.

"Burn in Hell, you son of a bitch." Both his soldier and Hyena echoed this sentiment.

"Fuck, Buffy's gonna be pissed when she finds out I blew her boyfriend up. Like killing me, pissed. I'm gonna have to make myself scarce in Sunnydale."

Xander limped off, away from Sunnydale, stopping only to say goodbye to Giles and explain and apologise for making half of Sunnydale start to subside from the sewer being collapsed.

*

Xander was right. Buffy was 'killing him' pissed. Only Giles' obsession with a new nasty from the Hellmouth and his staunch defence of what Xander did, stopped her from starting a countrywide manhunt.

She'll get over it eventually.

*

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End

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