Author's notes: Thanks again for all the reviews. Sorry this one is a little short, but I've got German homework to do and a website to design for class. Learning all about Dreamweaver. Well, read, enjoy, and review!!!!

Chapter 4

Sunnydale, August 17, 2002

Richie stretched out the old, ratty couch in Xander's apartment. He had slept on worse, so he was thankful for the generosity. For the past two days he had been learning all he could about the group that had taken him in and the supernatural forces that they bravely fought. He was told about the Joyce's daughter, Buffy, who had been the Chosen One, the one meant to protect the innocent. He learned of vampires, demons, and other various forces of darkness that he had never imagined before. He silently wondered what category he himself fell into. Of course, he had not let the group learn the truth about what he was yet. All they knew for now was that Richie was 20, traveling across the country, and just enjoying life. He did not want to risk telling them the truth. They might consider him a threat being immortal and all. Sometimes it still felt unreal to him. He still looked like he did ten years ago, when he was only 18 years old. He had been killed many different ways over the last decade, shot, stabbed, wrecks, and so many others that he had started to lose count. It was always a shock to wake up after being dead; it's almost as if your mind knows that you are supposed to be gone. To all who saw him, it looked as if Richie was just a 20-year-old kid out to have a little fun. But if one were to look into his eyes, they would see that he was something more. His eyes showed that he had done and seen things far beyond the experiences of most 20 year olds. Richie knew that the group could tell that there was so much he was not telling him, and he was grateful that they were not prying. Although, Richie knew that they would find out all too soon that there was something more to him. Richie just hoped that none of them would get hurt in the process.

Giles sat like usual in the back of the Magic Box trying to figure out what to do next. He had some suspicions on who the next slayer was and it scared him. There had never been any record of anything like this happening before. But if what he thought was true, then he may have also solved the puzzle of the prediction. He only wished that he were wrong. There was only one more piece of information he needed to prove his suspicion. He picked up the phone and dialed the number for Angel Investigations in L.A.

Cordial Chase sat in front of the computer trying to find information on some kind of demon that had a high pain tolerance, flexibility, and could float. Ever since she had become part demon, she wanted to know what she was part of. Of course, the plus side was that the visions were so much clearer now and they weren't accompanied by the mind numbing migraine afterwards. Just then the phone, so Cordy got into secretary mode, hoping for a potentially rich customer. "Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless," she said into the receiver with a smile. Every time she said it, she couldn't help but think of Doyle, the half demon who had sacrificed himself to save others. The voice she heard on the other end was not a new customer though; she just hoped that his call didn't mean trouble.

"Oh, Cordelia, this is Giles, I had something important I needed to ask you." Giles sounded like he always did, British. Cordelia always wondered if being British was a requirement for being part of the Watcher Council. "What's up Giles, everyone in Sunnydale are fine, aren't they?"

"Yes, yes, quite well. What I needed to know was if, back when Buffy died, did you have any visions? Did you see anyone die?" Giles sat on the other end of the phone listening to the silence, knowing that he was about to have a fear confirmed.

"Yeah, I did. It scared me so bad that I didn't tell anyone else about it. It just went myself and helped him. It was Xander."

*

There was a fantastic lightening show. The entire area was surrounded with electricity that seemed to center on a person with a sword. Then there were headless bodies, swords, vampires, demons, and every other form of evil surrounding the person. It was a never-ending battle, he would keep fighting but the enemies would keep coming. After what seemed to be eternity, help came to the lone figure. Angel was there, so was Spike, and Richie with a sword in his hand. They all seemed to look to him as some kind of leader. The figure knew that he could never lead anybody, but here he was leading anyway. Then in a clearing of vampires, the figure saw a young blond girl. He heard over and over in his mind, 'The One, The Chosen, Protect Her.' Then he woke up.

*

Xander was scared. He had always been the normal guy, the zeppo, now stuff was happening. The dreams had started the night that had saved Richie from the vamps. That night he had felt stronger than he ever had before. When he saw Richie being attacked, it was as if some instinct buried deep inside him had awakened. He felt the need to help the person he saw before him. The strength had come when he first tried to attack the vampire. Whenever he went after vamps before, he always ended up on the losing end, but not that night. He had actually knocked the vamp to the ground and staked it without breaking a sweat. He didn't know where the strength had come from and it scared him. The rest of the night, he felt as if the world was changing. He was more aware of his surroundings, he could hear better, see better, and the strangest thing happened that night at the cemetery. He and Richie had gone there to patrol. After a while, Xander figured no vamps would show. Then it was a tingle that started in the pit of his stomach, crept up through his chest and into his spine. It felt as if he was statically charged and ready to explode any minute, then he saw the vamp. He had known exactly where to look and everything; it was like he had the vamp sense that Buffy was always trying to hone. He easily staked the vamp and returned home that night in shock and scared. Then the dreams started. Every time he tried to sleep, they would come. It seemed like something foretelling a future, a future he didn't want to face. After two nights of this, Xander needed to talk to Giles, he needed to be told that he wasn't going insane. He got out of bed and headed out the door, careful not to wake the sleeping Richie. Giles would know what was happening.

*

Giles was still sitting in the Magic Box. He was in shock. He never would have thought in a million years that a male could be called to be the Chosen One. Let alone, that male be Alexander Harris. The Powers That Be sure did have a sense humor when it came to choosing people to fulfill their prophecies. Just then, Giles heard the bell jingle on the door and looked up to see Xander Harris staring at him with a scared look on his face.

"G-Man, please tell me that I'm not going insane. Tell me that I'm a perfectly normal guy, that I don't have to fulfill any kind of pre-written destiny." Xander looked at the man he had grown so close to, even looked at him as a surrogate father, and knew that he would not like what he was about to hear.