"Craig?" Buffy and Craig were sitting in a respectable looking restaurant eating lunch, when she asked him a strange question. "Why did you become evil?"
"Why do you ask that?" He looked at her strangely.
"I dunno, just answer the question!" She wasn't smiling.
"Uh, let's think, it was when I was seven, a Tuesday, March, and 5 o'clock!" He smiled at her, but she didn't laugh.
"It that a joke?" Buffy's face was stone.
"Yeah, well no! Everything is true except for the part about 5 o'clock. The rest is true though."
"Why?"
"My father, he was a very abusive man. He got really drunk one night, and turned on my mom, me and my smaller sister, Mae."
"Wow. Yeah he killed my mother and Mae before I could help, I was so scared by him, and so I ran. I ran for almost two days. Soon I came to a small hotel, looked abandoned, I went in and he found me!" Craig's face was grim by now.
"Your dad?" He had sparked curiosity in Buffy.
"No, Meniost! He was an old sorcerer. He had been around since the 1500s. He took me in, taught me everything, and then I went back and killed my father."
"You killed your father? How?" Buffy's face was marred with curiosity.
"Now you're getting to the good stuff!" His smile sent shivers down her spine.
"What do you mean?"
"I found him in a whore's arms, and I plunged a knife into his arms, trapping him to the bed's backboard. I then carved a torture curse into his chest, and activated in front of the wench. Both of them were sucked into a vortex that lead to a fiery torment for all eternity."
Inside Buffy was shocked, but outside she acted cool. "Wow! That's better then Angelus and the England Plague!"
"You better believe it!" Craig smiled as he and Buffy walked out of the restaurant together.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"This spell, it enables the object of the spell to have what ever it whishes as long as it is for good!" Willow was defiantly impressed.
"Wow! Buffy had that!" Jenny also could not hide her astonishment.
"I must say this is quite a surprise. But you all must remember, she could not have used it, she is nor good, nor a witch!" They all knew the former statement was true. Buffy wasn't good.
"A little voice in my head is saying yeah, right about now!" Said Oz.
A little voice inside my head is saying, wait till you guys hear the truth. Thought Xander. Then you'll think again before second guessing Buffy. I know I did.
"Buffy mustn't have known about the good or evil part of the spell." Said Cordy.
"So who do we perform the spell on?" Asked Willow. Everyone was dumbstruck as to who should be the object of the spell.
"Me!" Called Xander suddenly. Everyone else looked totally surprised at his comment.
"What?" Asked Cordy. "Why you?"
"Because I'm the best for the job."
"But, how do we kn…" Xander cut Willow off.
"Do I really have to sit here for who knows how many hours convincing you people why? We're already wasting time, we could be on our way out by now!" Xander's face was very serious as he said this.
"He does have a point." Commented Oz.
"Alright but hurry up." Giles looked very nervous.
Within minutes, the spell was complete. "How do you feel?" Asked a nervous Willow.
"Tingly!" Said Xander as he stared at his newly empowered hands.
"So it worked?" Asked Cordelia.
"Perhaps Xander, you should do a trial run?" Suggested Giles.
"Huh, oh yeah!" The others stared at him while he closed his eyes and concentrated. Their mouths dropped as he touched his hands to his cage's door and it swung open without a sound.
"Wow!" The others looked to Oz who was clearly impressed.
"I think that sums it all up!" Said Jenny.
"Good job Willow." Giles smiled at the little wiccan, who blushed.
"Hey, I'm Super Guy!" Xander was beaming at everyone else.
"Ok, super guy, maybe you should get everyone one else out." Said Cordy who had already walked out of the cage.
"Right!" Quickly Xander went around to the other cages and freed the others. Soon they were all standing together in the middle of the room.
"So what now?" Asked Jenny.
"I have a plan!" Xander looked very confident. "Join hands, everyone." He said taking Cordy's and Willow's hands.
"What kind of plan is this?" Asked a very skeptical Cordy.
"Shhhh! I need to concentrate." At that, everyone joined hands and Xander closed his eyes in concentration. Soon beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.
"What…?" But Cordy didn't get to finish her question, because suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and then they were all standing inside the Summers's living room.
"Whoa! Xander…" Willow felt Xander's hand dropped from hers and looked over to him, only to find him on the floor unconscious. "Xander!" The others followed her gaze to the sleeping Xander, and they all crowded around him. Trying to wake him up.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Craig and Buffy walked back into the factory to find Spike and Dru dancing. Angelus was sitting watching in a corner. Buffy started over to him, but was stopped half way, by an intense pain in her belly.
"Ahhhhgg!" Buffy screamed, as she clutched her stomach and fell to her knees. All the vamps and Craig ran over to her.
"Buffy! Buffy, what's wrong?" Spike tried to pick her up, but she was curled up, hugging her belly.
"The baby, it's hurting, it wants to come out!" Dru's face was crumpling." It knows something isn't right.
"Buffy!" Angelus tried to gather her in his arms, as did Craig, but she pushed them both away. Suddenly, one of the vampires guarding the gang, rushed in.
"My lords, the prisoners!" He panted. Craig and the other vamps looked up, while Buffy withered in pain. "They're gone!" The room was filled with Buffy's screams and shocked faces.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Xander, you really have to stop fainting." Jenny brought him a cup of tea. He sat between Cordy and Willow on the couch.
"Yea, you're more like a girl each time!" Quipped Cordy.
"You know I can send you back any time."
"You can only use the spell for good, idiot!"
"You'd be surprised! Ouch!" Xander flinched as Cordy hit him.
"Please stop you two, Xander, you said you have one more thing you have to do?" Giles brought a tray of tea and cookies in for the rest of them.
"Yea, the lock out spell, just give me a minute!" He closed his eyes, and suddenly light sparked out of his fingers and spread over the walls of the house. The light was very bright, but it soon faded, and Xander reopened his eyes. "There! Am I the best man-witch ever or what?" He drank his tea happily while the others stared in amazement!
"Uh, sure." Oz sat down beside Willow and Jenny and Giles each found chairs beside each other.
"So, now we can have story time." Xander put down his tea and waited.
"What?" Willow spoke for the others. "Again, what?"
"Ok, these are the rules." Xander held up his hand and flipped a finger down as he said each point. "No talking, no interrupting, you must listen to the whole story, ask questions after. And oh yeah, pass me the cookies." Everyone nodded, as Cordy gave the plate to Xander.
"Ok, first thing's first! Buffy isn't evil!" Suddenly everyone burst out talking, but Xander quieted them. "Hey, I said no interrupting! Thank you." Xander the relayed everything Buffy had told him before, and explained about what they had to do. "So, now is question time!"
"Why didn't you tell us, when you first acme back that Buffy and Angel weren't evil?" Asked a clearly angry Willow.
"Buffy said not to!"
"Buffy and Angel are stuck there until we get them out?"
"Yup!" When no one asked any more questions, Xander looked offended. "What? I explained it that good?"
"I can't believe this." Giles was staring into his tea.
"But it makes perfect sense." Said Jenny. "Well except for Angel not being evil, he was pretty convincing!"
"Thank you!" Said a huffy Xander. Who received not only a smack from Cordy, but Willow as well.
"No, I mean, why Buffy and Angel didn't tell us before!"
"They had their reasons. I think!" Willow looked at Giles. "And what ever they are, I'm sure they're really great!"
"Oh God!" Everyone suddenly looked at Xander who was clutching his head.
"What? Is it from the spell?" Cried Cordy.
"NO! It's Buffy!" Yelled Xander. "She's in trouble!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Bloody Hell, could this day get any worse?" Spike was fuming.
"It's sunset, Spike, take Dru and Craig, and go hunt for the others, don't come back unless you have them!" Angelus was clearly fuming as well.
"Fine, and what are you going to do?" Spike asked as Dru and Craig headed out the door.
Angelus ignored Buffy's attempts to push him away and picked her up in his arms. "I'm going to stop a baby from coming into this world tonight." He turned and went down stairs with Buffy, leaving Spike to join the others.