A/N: %&%&&%&%&&%= Change between Xander's place and Sunnydale.

"Did you find anything?" Giles was hovering over Willow.

"Not yet. I'm still looking in the Volumes of Grybulii."

Exasperated Giles slammed shut the volume. "You wont find anything in there! I told you the demons in there all have bodies of flesh, if this thing is in Xander's head do you really think it could have a physical body?!"

"Giles!! Stop yelling at me! I'm trying my best, I'm sure that Xander can take care of himself for a little while longer."

"Yes well I don't want to chance anything, we have wasted enough time already!"

"Giles, Xander is going to be alright. We're going to figure this out."

"I understand that Willow, but if this thing needs something of Xander's while he is in this.... coma.... The world could end. We need to help Xander fight whatever this is."

"You do know you're starting to sound like Buffy."

"Yes, and after this apocalypse I will surely be put on medication. Now, if you could look in the T'qyadir Index I would appreciate it."

*******

"I found out what Bill is." Buffy placed the book in front of Giles.

"The thing Xander was talking about."

"Yeah, its some kinda soul eater."

"Companion of the first...."

"Like a big evil puppy."

"Quite. Oh dear."

"Oh no."

Willow came running into the room closely followed by Dawn.

"We heard an 'Oh dear.'"

Dawn nodded. "Those are never good."

"This Bill wants to-"

"Wait I missed something, the big evil is called Bill?" Dawn spoke up.

"Yes." Giles removed his glasses to clean them again, not really wanting to listen to the conversation that was about to come.

"Ok, but this baddie has had like forever to come up with some badass name and yet they go for 'Bill'? I just don't feel the effort on their part. I mean here we are treating this like it's the end of the world-"

"Because it very well could be-"

"And they don't even pick a cool name. I mean I would never be able to tell my friends-"

"Mostly because you have none."

"That we defeated this big bad named Bill, I would be a laughing stock."

"What is a laughing stock? Stock of what?"

"Laughing."

"She makes a good point. What exactly does that mean?"

"Could we please get back to the imminent death and destruction of the world now?" Giles put his glasses back on and with a look, dared anyone to tell him no.

"Sure."

"Yeah, whatever."

"You don't have to be so British about it." Dawn sat down at the table and tried not to look at the glaring Englishman.

"Bill is a soul eater-"

"Evil puppy of the First, we got that."

"To become a part of this realm, this reality, it has to eat the soul of a Champion. Which in our case is of course Xander."

"So how does this thing eat souls?"

"By making the victim willing to give up their lives and... Well the rest is a little unclear. Also something about infecting the blood."

"Xander's bite! The Vampire was a set up! He was meant to kill it."

"A follower of Bill that sacrificed itself so that Xander could get the poison in his system."

"Wow."

"So, how exactly do we help Xander?" Willow looked over to the watcher hopefully, but found no comfort in the look he was giving her.

"Nothing. The substance that infected Xander; it can't be duplicated. Xander has to conquer this on his own."

%&%&%&&%&%&%&%&%&%%&

Xander kept twisting the knife, blade down, on the Dinning room table. Willow walked in the door and looked over to him for a moment.

"Its you. Anyone else home? Anyone who isn't a murderer?"

Xander looked around and gave her a haunting smile.

"Every one we know is a murderer. You're out of luck."

"God, stop with the cryptic."

"Not an English major, god knows I'm not educated like you, but I don't think that's cryptic."

"Geeze, why am I still talking to a person like you?"

"A person like me?" Xander smiled again.

"I figured something out today, a person like me."

"Am I supposed to care? You murdered Spike, just leave me alone."

"You see, a person like me, I never left the hell mouth. Or at least that's what I figure. I haven't actually worked out the details."

"Xander, are you really that stupid? Of course you left the hell mouth, you're here aren't you?"

"No, no I'm not. It's going to feel really bad."

Xander gripped the knife and struck Willow in the gut.

"But I'll get over it."

___________________________________________________

A/N: I don't know if I made it clear enough in the past two chapters, but Xander isnt in the actual physical Sunnydale. Also Xander's finger is not hacked off. Its as if you try to cut off a ghosts finger, thats why there was no bleeding or pain. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear enough. Please R I really want to know what you guys think.