A/N: I love writing early Buffy!

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"Of course!" Giles said. "Willow that's brilliant."

"Do you think it will work?" she asked biting her lower lip.

"Wait, what are we talking about here?" Xander asked. "A spell?"

"Yes, a protection spell that will make your scent disappear. The demon will be unable to track you."

"That sounds great," Buffy said. "But will it solve our problems? What if Xander isn't the only human the demon has attacked?"

"To our knowledge it hasn't attacked any other humans. We will capture it of course, but this will at least buy Xander some time."

"Time is good. Time is very good." Xander said.

"Time is all we have," Willow said looking at Buffy. "We've read the texts...you know it's almost impossible to kill."

""I like a challenge," Buffy said grinning.

"You are challenged," Cordelia said rolling her eyes.

"We may not have to kill it," Giles said. "The Walken demon may be extremely useful in hunting vampires. Perhaps we can make it work to our advantage."

"Like a really dangerous pet?" Xander asked. "We couldn't just get a puppy?"

"It may even be able to take care of Angelus," Giles said leveling his look at Buffy.

Buffy swallowed, "Well, let's get started. What do you need for the spell?"

"I think I saw a spell in one of these books," Willow said sifting through pages.

"Giles, can I talk to you for a minute?" Buffy asked walking over to Giles. Giles nodded and they disappeared into his office.

"While you guys do your witch stuff I'm going to get a drink," Cordelia said getting up and making her way towards the swinging doors.

"She's secretly torn up inside, don't let her shallowness fool you," Xander said watching her leave. He scooted closer to Willow. "Thanks for coming back, Will."

She looked up at him and smiled. "What are best childhood friends for?"

"Well, saving me from impending disembowelment, obviously."

"Yes," Willow said nodding. "I only hope you won't have to do the same for me someday."

Xander grinned, "That makes two of us."

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"I knew it. This was all an elaborate excuse to get me naked and stare upon my manly chest."

"First, you're wearing boxers," Cordelia said drawing the symbol from the book on his chest. "Secondly, I've seen twelve year olds with more chest hair."

"I think I'm going to have to agree with Cordelia on that one," Buffy said as she lit the candles around the sand circle Giles had just finished.

"I told you that's hereditary. Hairless but manly, right?" Xander asked raising a questioning eyebrow. "Right?"

Giles cleared his throat. "I think we're ready. Xander get in the middle of the circle." Xander sat cross-legged in the circle facing Giles, with Willow to his right. "Buffy, Cordelia, take your places. Now while I'm chanting the incantation you three be picturing the demon in your mind's eye. No matter what happens don't leave the circle, understand?"

Cordelia nodded at him with the other girls. She was getting tired and hoped this wouldn't take long. She was ready to go home and fall into bed. She shut her eyes as Giles began chanting and tried to concentrate on the picture of the demon in the book Giles had shown her. It was ugly, but then again all demons were.

Suddenly she saw it in color running through the woods. It was chasing someone or something. The person it was chasing stumbled and when it turned to look at the demon it's face was that of a vampire. It got up quickly and continued to run but the demon was gaining on it.

Cordelia was vaguely aware of Giles' voice getting louder and stronger. Of wind whipping her hair around her face and then just as the demon had caught up with the vampire there was a bright light and she opened her eyes to find herself back at the Library.

The candles had been blown out and Giles looked worn and was breathing heavily. Buffy and Willow looked slightly startled and Xander was lying limply on the ground where he had been sitting before. "Is that it?" she asked.

Willow got to her knees and crawled over to Xander's limp form. "Xander?"

She touched his shoulder gently and his eyes fluttered open.

"Are you alright?" Willow asked frowning down at him.

His eyes looked slightly gazed as he looked at her and then at the others as they crowded around.

"That spell was more powerful than I initially thought," Giles said. "Are you okay, Xander?"

Xander looked up at him his face blank, "Who are you?"

There was a moment of silence as the four exchanged looks and then Buffy shook her head and grinned. "Nice try, Xander. I'm not going to fall for that 'I've hit my head and have amnesia' scam again. You tried it last week, remember? Wait, I guess if you have amnesia, you wouldn't remember, would you?"

"He tried to get me to do his Spanish homework," Willow said helping him up and smiling at him. "Now we just have to hope it worked and the Walken demon will leave you alone."

"Can we go home now?" Cordelia asked. "Some of us need our beauty sleep."

"Are you sure you're alright, Xander?" Giles asked frowning at him.

Xander gave him a puzzled look and then broke out into a smile. "I'm fine." He said. "Better than fine, actually."

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Xander opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by tall trees. He looked down and saw the mangled body of what had been a vampire recently. His mind raced as he tried to think of how he had ended up in the woods when just a few minutes ago he had been in the Library. He looked around desperately for the others and opened his mouth to call out their names but all that came out was a low growl. His stomach dropped as he noticed his hands for the first time. No longer his own they were now covered in dull red scales. He looked down at the rest of his body to find that it was no longer his own but that of the demon that had been in his bedroom only hours earlier. He stood there in shock for a second and then he did the only thing he could think of.

He began to run.

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A/N: Please, please, please review! While I enjoy writing this story I'm not sure if it's as fun to read. It's always good to know these things.