Uninhibited

"I just don't understand this," says Buffy. Willow looks at her, not entirely certain what she is saying. Buffy takes a deep breath and then continues, " We've dealt with more vampires before. We've even dealt with more powerful vamps before. Why did he just disappear this time?"

"I… I don't know," says Willow. She has no idea why Xander disappeared. "I thought for certain he would have shown up by now. Maybe… Maybe we should call it a night?"

"How? I mean, what if he is hurt, and needs our help?"


"Are you sure it is Xander you are worried about?" asks Willow. She looks at her friend, and instantly regrets what she just asked. "I'm sorry. I—"

"No," says Buffy. "You're right. It is time to go home. We've searched this place so many times, I think I could go through the whole place blindfolded. We should call it a night."

"Buffy, I…" says Willow. Buffy holds out her hand, showing Willow that no words are necessary. "I know you are worried. I am, too. Xander is one of my best friends…"

"But?" asks Buffy.


"But, I think you are trying to force some evil to be involved here, because you are feeling so helpless over your mom being sick. I am sure that there is a perfectly logical explanation for all of this."

"I hope so," says Buffy. Willow can see that Buffy isn't convinced, but she doesn't want to argue anymore. With one last look behind her, she heads out of the cemetery, still wondering where Xander is, and why he disappeared in the first place. Buffy follows, her head hung in defeat. They both know that they won't be seeing Xander again any time soon, and the realization causes them both to lean on each other as they finally head for home.

***

Xander awakens in darkness. He sits up, and puts his hand to his head, groaning in pain. He senses that someone, or something, is nearby. "Hello?" he calls... Silence. But, he can tell that there is someone there. He is certain there is a person there... He is wrong. A blinding flash of light as the complete darkness is broken by the lighting of a torch. Xander looks up, into the eyes of his kidnapper. Into the eyes of...

"Drusilla!" he exclaims as he desperately tries to back away. She giggles at him, as if there is some major joke, and he has yet to figure it out. He looks around. They are in a barren room. The walls, ceiling, and floor are made of cold, dark stone. She is standing between him and the door. He is trapped!

"L-let me go!" says Xander, with a lot less authority than he was hoping for. To his surprise, Drusilla moves aside.

"You are free to go, if you want..." she tells him. Cautiously, he stands up and walks to the door. Drusilla steps farther away from him, giving him plenty of room. Xander opens the door, and is partially blinded by the sunlight flooding the room. He steps into the doorway, and screams.

Drusilla grabs him and pulls him back, patting him down to extinguish the flames. She leans in close, and licks his earlobe. Xander shudders.

"I made you like me, lover..." Xander quickly reaches up to his throat, and feels the wound there. He pulls his hand away and stares in horror at the blood on his fingers...

"No," he whispers, almost to himself. Drusilla pouts as she looks at him.

"You don't like my gift?" she asks.

"Gift? You cursed me!!" he screams.

"I made you like me," she repeats.

"But... You're a monster!" he tells her. She is hurt. She turns away from him.

"So are you, then," she tells him, as she moves away from him and disappears into the shadows. Xander stands where he is, staring out the door, wishing he could wake up. He pinches himself, and realizes, to his horror, that it isn't a dream. He turns back into the crypt and looks for a place to sit.

Drusilla reappears, carrying a child. At first, Xander thinks that the child is dead. However, as Drusilla steps closer, he can see the slow, almost imperceptible rise and fall of the young girl's chest. Drusilla sits next to Xander. She runs her hand over the girl's hair and whispers soothingly in the child's ear. The scene surprises Xander, since he was unaware that Drusilla was even capable of such an act. Drusilla looks up at him and smiles. She morphs to her vampire guise and sinks her fangs into the child's neck.

"Oh my god!" screams Xander.

"Your turn," Drusilla tells him as she pushes the child into his trembling arms. He doesn't want to, but the smell of the blood is more tempting than he would have thought. He fights his growing urge to bite the little girl in his hands. Drusilla stands up and walks over to him. She wipes some of the blood from her mouth, and places it on Xander's lips... Instinct kicks in, and Xander licks the blood from his lips, morphs, and savagely drains the child. When the girl is dead, he tosses her lifeless body aside and turns to Drusilla.

"Mmm... I want more," he says. She smiles and reaches out to him. "No," he tells her as he pushes her away. "I want more to drink. I need more."

"In time."

"Now. I want more now," he demands. He is getting impatient. She reaches for him again, and he grabs her arm, pulling her to him. She presses her body against him and coos. He kisses her passionately and then begins to lick a trail from her mouth to her neck. She wraps her arms and legs around him. He leans back against the sarcophagus. He tries to pull her even closer, and she is getting excited. She entangles her hands in his hair. He reaches up and grabs her hair. As he yanks her hair down, forcing her to lean her head back and expose her throat, he sinks his fangs into her neck and, despite her writhing and fighting, manages to drain her blood. He pries her limp, lifeless body from his own and casts her aside.

"Thanks, but... You just aren't my type," he says. He searches the crypt for a comfortable place to sleep, and slowly drifts off to sleep.

***

"Buffy, you have got to get some sleep," demands Giles. "Between the hospital, and taking care of Dawn, and your search for Xander, you haven't been getting any rest. It's making you sloppy."

"What do you expect me to do? Just give up on Xander? Not visit my mother in the hospital? Not take care of Dawn? None of those three things are going to happen!" screams Buffy. She knows she is being unreasonable, but doesn't care.

"No. I just want you to slow down, before something knocks you down. Willow and Tara have agreed to watch Dawn. Anya and I will continue the search for Xander. Even Riley has agreed to help. So, for now, I want you to go home and get some sleep."

"I… I am not sure I can. I need to be doing something, because… Because, if I take the time to stop and think about what's going on…" She starts sobbing. Giles wraps his arms around her and holds her.

"I know. It is a lot to have to deal with. But, you aren't alone in this. You have help, all you have to do is realize it," he tells her. They sit on the couch, and Giles continues to hold her as she sobs uncontrollably. After a few minutes, the sobbing stops, and Giles realizes that Buffy is asleep. Carefully, he stands up and leaves her sleeping on the couch. He walks to the door, grabbing his coat on the way. He looks at Buffy, sleeping peacefully on his couch, and sighs. He shakes his head, fearing the worst, and closes the door to his apartment.

***

He awakens at dusk. The sun is not yet down, but there is enough darkness that he believes he can make it. He steps into the doorway, which is still open. A breeze blows his hair, but he feels no change in temperature. He stretches his arms and legs, still marveling at the new strength flowing through him. He never thought he could be so free, so... uninhibited. Smiling, he steps out of the crypt and begins searching for food.

As he walks around, searching for food, he thinks about how things will be different now. No longer will he be the butt of the jokes. No longer will he be the one getting bullied. Starting now, he was going to be the bully. He sees a clothing store, and breaks the window to get inside. Casually, he looks through the racks of clothing, trying to determine his new look. As he is doing this, the police arrive, and two officers enter the shop with him.

"Game time," he says with an evil smile. He slides between the clothing and waits for one of the officers to walk by. When he does, Xander grabs him and pulls him into the rack with him. He licks the man's ear and whispers into his ear:

"I was getting hungry. Thanks for delivering my food." He then breaks the cop's neck and drinks his blood. When he gets finished, he drops the body to the floor, still holding the man's gun. He steps out of the rack and locates the other cop. He carefully takes aim and fires. The cop goes down, having been shot in the leg. Xander lowers the gun and heads toward his newest victim. He starts humming as he walks, but stops when something catches his eye. He stares at the outfit, unable to believe that he has finally found his new look. He jumps across the store and tackles the mannequin that was wearing it.

When he finally approaches the cop, he is wearing skin-tight, black leather pants, with a matching, sleeveless leather shirt. His eyes are covered with a pair of dark sunglasses. He smiles at the cop. The cop looks up at him. Xander removes his glasses, revealing the vampire face behind them. The cop cringes, throwing his arm up in front of his face.

"That's good. I like that," says Xander with a chuckle. He kneels beside the cop and grabs the man's leg. The cop cries out, but Xander ignores him. He squeezes the leg, and then twists it violently, pulling it completely off. The cop howls in pain and looks up at Xander. The smile on Xander's face tells the cop that it isn't over yet.

"Please... Just kill me," he begs. Xander's smile broadens.

"I could do that... But... What would be the fun in that?" Xander tells him. He reaches down and grabs the man's other leg. He uses the elbow of his other arm to break the cops leg. As the cop howls in pain, Xander begins humming again. He is having fun. He grabs the handcuffs from the officer's belt and puts them on the man. Then, he uses his new strength to cause them to sever the man's hands. The officer finally passes out from the pain.

"Hmm... Guess I went a little too far," Xander chuckles as he stands up and leaves the shop. As he steps out into the night, he pulls on a leather jacket. He tries to think of the best place to go, and, when the idea enters his mind, he smiles broadly. He heads straight to the college.

***

"I'm so sick of this! I'm tired, my feet hurt, and we've already checked this place three times," complains Anya as she and Giles begin searching the cemetery.

"Don't you want to find Xander?" asks Giles.

"No!" screams Anya. "Right now, I don't care if we find him or not! He is probably at home right now, wondering where we are! I just want to go home and get some rest. Isn't that what you said Buffy needed? Rest? Why should we be any different?"

"Alright!" yells Giles. "Contrary to what you might think, I really do not enjoy wandering aimlessly around Sunnydale with you, in hopes that we might find some clue as to where Xander is! Knowing him, he probably got distracted by a shiny object!"

"Hey!" screams Anya. "You can't talk about him that way! You're supposed to be his friend! He looks up to you!"

"Anya," says Giles. Then, he stops and takes several deep breaths. "You are right. He is my friend, and I should not have said those things." Anya starts smiling. "However," continues Giles, "You are his girlfriend, and you are ready to give up, so why shouldn't I?"

"Fine," says Anya as she rolls her eyes. "We'll search this cemetery. Again. But then, when we are finished, I am going home, whether we find him or not!"

"Fine. I can accept that. By then, Buffy should be done at the hospital, and ready to patrol again. Come on, then, let's get this finished."

The two of them walk quietly into the cemetery, searching for some clue as to where Xander might be. As they come to an open crypt, Anya grasps Giles's arm. Giles turns to face her, and sees that she has gone pale. He turns back to the crypt, practically dragging Anya along. Inside, Giles is amazed to see that Drusilla's body is on the ground. He investigates, and, when he sees that she has been drained of blood, he lets go of her quickly and stands up. He looks around, hoping to find some evidence of who might be responsible. The crypt is silent.

"It looks as though the vampire responsible for… For this," he gestures at Drusilla's body, "is no longer around. We have to go tell Buffy what we have discovered."


"Why do we both have to go? Couldn't I just go home, instead? I mean, what could I tell her that you can't?"

"Fine," says Giles. "Go home. Take a nap. Don't let anything like the disappearance of your boyfriend or an unidentified vampire who preys on other vampires keep you from anything!" He looks at her, and sees that she is scared. Not just a little spooked, but totally frightened. He considers for a moment. "Anya, I'm sorry for that outburst. It was totally unnecessary. Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No," says Anya as she looks around, as if expecting to see someone. "I'll be fine. You have to go tell Buffy about this." Then, in a much lower tone, she adds, "And I have to get the hell out of here!"

***

As he gets to the campus, he discovers that there is a rally going on and that there are several people in attendance. He carefully makes his way around the rally, keeping an eye out for members of the Initiative. He makes his way to the dorm, and waits outside. A student approaches, and Xander jumps up to meet him.

"Can I help you?" asks the student.

"I am looking for a Riley Finn. Do you know where I might find him?"

"Yeah, he's in this dorm. Why don't you come in, and we'll see if we can find him?"

"Oh, I would really appreciate it," says Xander as he pulls the door open, allowing the other guy to go first. The other guy steps inside, and Xander looks around, making sure that no one else is coming. He closes the door behind him and grabs the guy who let him in. When the guy turns to face his attacker, he sees a vampire. He tries to scream, but Xander covers the man's mouth with his hand.

"Now, now... We'll have none of that. I already knew this was Riley's dorm. I just needed some fool to invite me in. Now, you get to be dinner." Xander bites into the guy's neck. The man tries to struggle, but is no match for Xander. Xander drains the body of blood, and then lets it drop to the floor. He callously kicks it into a corner. He heads up the stairs for his real target: Riley.

***

"We'll take Dawn back to the dorm, and then I will come back and help you look for Xander," Willow says as she and Buffy are heading back to Joyce's room. They have been talking to the doctors, again.

"Thanks, Will. I don't know what I would do without you," Buffy tells her.

"I'm sure you'd manage just fine," Willow says, trying to cheer the Slayer up.

"Glad one of us is so certain about that." She looks at Willow and rolls her eyes. "I'm sorry. I know you are just trying to help. It's just… Things have never been this bad before. Without you and Giles here to help… I just don't know if I could make it, despite what all of you keep telling me."

"It's okay. We understand. Tara and I will do anything we can to help you." The two of them go into the room, and smile.

"Same old story," says Buffy with a sigh. "They either don't know anything else, or they just won't tell me about it."

"I'm sure it's nothing. Right, Mom?" asks Dawn.

"Of course not," replies Joyce, as she gives Buffy a dirty look. Buffy shrugs her shoulders in an apology. She looks up at the clock above her mother's bed, and then looks back at her mother and Dawn.

"I didn't realize it was so late," she says. "Dawn, we better get going. They'll be coming to kick us out in a couple of minutes, anyway."

"Oh, yeah," says Willow. "We wouldn't want to get in trouble."

"But, I don't want to go," whines Dawn.

"Buffy's right, dear. You need to go home and get some sleep so that you can go to school tomorrow," explains Joyce. Buffy sighs, glad that her mother was the one to tell Dawn that she had to go.

"Come on, Dawnie," says Tara as she wraps her arm around the girl's shoulder. "Besides, your mother needs her rest." Dawn lets herself be led out of the room, with a glance back over her shoulder. Her mother smiles at her, as if encouraging her. With a sigh, Dawn turns around again and walks toward the door.

"You know," says Joyce. "I don't think it would hurt anything if she spent the night. As long as we are quiet, they shouldn't say anything." Dawn smiles and looks at Buffy, as if waiting for final permission. Buffy sighs and then looks at her mother. The look in Joyce's eyes convinces her. She looks back at Dawn and nods. Dawn let's out a quick cry of excitement and then covers her mouth with her hands.

"Just be quiet and make sure you don't get kicked out," Buffy warns. "I don't know if anyone will be available to come get you. There is a lot happening."

"Of course," says Dawn. She hugs Buffy and then goes back to her mother's side. Buffy smiles sadly and then turns to leave. Willow and Tara follow her.

"What next?" asks Willow.

"I… I hope I don't sound callous or anything," says Tara, "But, I think I should go back to the campus. It's been a very long day for me, and I have that exam in the morning."

"Of course," says Buffy as she reaches out and touches Tara's arm. "You've been a big help, just being here for Dawn. Thanks."


"What about you?" Tara asks Willow.


"I… I think I am going to keep searching for Xander," she says. Tara nods and then turns away. Suddenly, she turns back and gives Willow a hug.

"Call me if you find anything," Tara says as she pulls herself away from Willow.

"We will," Buffy and Willow say together. They watch Tara for a moment, and then turn and head back tot he cemetery where this all began.

***

As he makes his way through the dorm, he contemplates his plans. He will have to do something drastic to be able to catch Riley off his guard. He stops on the stairs and takes in a deep breath. He can smell Riley. He knows exactly where his prey is. Looking around, he makes his final decisions. A smile crosses his face as he throws himself down the stairs. When he stops at the bottom of the stairs, he begins to attack himself, hoping that the result is a roughed-up version of Xander. He wonders why no one comes to check out the noise, but then decides that it doesn't matter. He climbs the stairs again. As he nears the top, he goes into his act.

"Riley!" he calls, trying to sound desperate. "Riley? Are you here?"

Predictably, Riley appears in the hall. He takes a look at the figure before him and gasps. He rushes over to the now limping Xander and offers himself for support. Xander accepts the offer and allows himself to be held up in the powerful arms of the boy from Iowa.

"Xander! What happened to you?" Riley asks.

"I... There was a vampire. I think it killed someone downstairs," Xander explained. He hates the desperation and fear that are in his voice, but knows that he has to sound like the pathetic version of himself that Riley knows. The young soldier falls for it.

"Quickly, get in here," says Riley as he opens the door to his room and pulls Xander inside.

"Are you sure we're safe in here?" Xander asks.

"Of course. Besides, Graham will be here in a few minutes."

"Graham? Are you sure he will be able to make it up here if there is a vampire down there?" Xander is sickened by his own display of cowardice. Riley, however, is totally accepting of it. In fact, he seems to have been expecting it.

"Graham's a big boy. He can take care of himself. He's handled things that are worse than a solitary vampire before." Then, he stares at Xander, as if he just realized that he might have insulted him. "I don't mean to imply that you..." He lets the sentence die right there, because he knows that Xander wouldn't believe anything that he made up to finish it.

"H-how long before Graham should be here?" Xander asks, as if he is in need of more security than just Riley can provide. Riley is pulling a first-aid kit out of a drawer. He looks at his watch.

"Um... Probably about ten minutes," he says.

"Oh," says Xander, sounding relieved. "That should be plenty of time."

"Plenty of time for what?" asks Riley as he looks up from the first-aid kit. Xander is on him before he even has a chance to suspect that anything is wrong.

"Xander!" Riley cries out in shock. After that, there is silence in the dorm room. Xander drains Riley's blood, and then makes Riley drink from a cut that Xander gives himself. Xander then moves Riley over to the closet, and puts him inside for safekeeping. He moves back to the bed, where the first-aid kit sits. He starts tending to his wounds while he waits for Graham to show up.

***

"So, where do we start tonight?" Willow asks.

"I don't know," Buffy says with a sigh. "If only we had some sort of clue. It just doesn't make any sense."

"I know. You'd think we would have heard something by now." The two of them continue to walk in silence.

"Oh! Buffy! Thank God I finally found you!" Giles calls from behind them. The two girls stop and turn around to face him. Neither knows for certain what he might be doing there, but they can both see that whatever he has to tell them, it is not good.

"Giles?" asks Buffy. "What is it? Xander?"

"No," says Giles as he shakes his head. "Well, I don't think so, anyway. They could be connected, though I am not certain how."

"Giles," Buffy interrupts. "Just tell us already!"

"Oh, right," says Giles. He looks around, clears his throat, and then tells them: "While Anya and I were out looking for Xander, we made a… A discovery. We were in the cemetery, the one where you said you all were when Xander disappeared. We found a crypt that had been opened. Inside was…"

"What? Giles, what is going on?" asks Buffy. She is obviously anxious and losing her patience.

"We found Drusilla. Or, her body, anyway," explains Giles. "Buffy, she'd been drained of blood and just cast aside. I hate to say it, but… But, I think that there may be something going on that takes precedence over searching for Xander." He drops his head, waiting for Buffy to attack him for his suggestion. When there is only silence, he looks up. Willow and Buffy are just staring at him, as if they didn't understand what he said.

"I… Who?" asks Willow.

"I don't know," says Giles. "That's why I think we have to start checking this out as soon as possible."

"Of course," says Buffy, with a heavy sigh. "I mean, I don't have enough going on as it is, what with college, my mom in the hospital, this Glory chick parading around town, and Xander missing. Why shouldn't something else be added?"

"Buffy, I'm sorry," says Giles. "I really wish that there was an easy answer to all of this, but—"

"But, there isn't," says Buffy. "It's not your fault. You're just doing the best you can." She turns and looks at Willow. "Can you continue to search for Xander while I try to find out more about what happened to Drusilla?"

"O-of course," says Willow.

"Thanks, Giles. I guess I should start in the cemetery, again." Buffy turns and walks away, leaving Giles and Willow wondering what to do next. They look at each other, each hoping that the other will have something encouraging to say. When it becomes obvious that neither is going to say anything, the two of them shrug their shoulders and head off in opposite directions.

***

"This is taking too long," Xander hisses. He looks at the clock. He has been sitting there waiting for Graham to arrive. Three hours have passed. He stands up and walks over to the closet, thinking that Riley should be arising soon. He reaches out to open the door, when a noise from outside the room catches his attention. There is a general panic. Xander smiles, knowing that he is the reason for this panic. Things are going better than he could have imagined.

"Riley!" exclaims Graham as he bursts into the room. When he sees Xander, he stops. He looks around the room, and his gaze settles once again on Xander.

"What's going on?" Xander asks.

"Vampires," says Graham. "Where's Riley?"

"He went out to find you," Xander lies. Graham thinks about this for a second, then nods.

"So, what are you doing here?" Graham asks him.

"I was here when the vampires attacked downstairs." He pauses, watching Graham to determine whether or not he is believing the story. Graham shows signs of doubt. Xander senses the question on Graham's mind, and answers it for him. "I thought they had left. After Riley helped me get cleaned up, he checked outside... He said it was safe." Xander feigns concern. "Do you think he's okay?"

"Hmm. Riley checked on the vamps before he left?" Graham asks.

"Yeah," says Xander, nodding.

"Well, then they must have returned after he left. He is a very... efficient soldier. He wouldn't put himself into danger. Unless..."

"Unless what?" asks Xander, trying to sound as if he is worried about Riley.

"Nothing. I... I am sure he's okay."

"You don't sound very convinced," says Xander. Graham looks as if he is trying to decide what to do. He looks around the room, and then looks at the hallway, as if deciding what he should do next. A sound from the closet makes his decision for him.

"What was that?" Graham asks.

"I... I don't know," says Xander, acting scared. He steps aside, letting Graham cross the room to the closet. As Graham prepares to open the door to the closet, Xander closes the door to the room.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," Xander says, with some authority.

"Why not?" demands Graham.

"Because you don't know what is in there! Are you trying to get us killed?" Xander asks, as if in a panic.

"It's okay. I can handle it," says Graham.

"Okay," says Xander, as a smile crosses his face. His smile widens as Graham opens the door, and then falls to the floor under Riley. Riley feeds, and then looks up at Xander.

"Sire him, if you want," Xander tells him.

***

"I don't know all the details, but there is definitely something going on here," Tara says into the phone.

"What do you mean?" asks Willow. She is sitting on the couch in Giles's apartment. Giles looks up from his book, concerned.

"I mean that there are people running around like mad, talking about vampires. They have an entire section of the campus closed off and…"

"And what?" asks Willow. She is growing more concerned by the tone of Tara's voice.

"And, the center of that closed-off section is Riley's dorm," says Tara.

"I-I'll tell Buffy," Willow says. Tara can hear the sadness in her voice.

"Still no sign of Xander?" Tara asks.

"Not so far. We've searched everywhere we can think of. He's just… Gone. There is no explanation. He has just disappeared. He hasn't even tried to contact us. I think he's..."

"No," says Tara, trying to reassure Willow. "I am sure that he is okay. He has to be, right?"

"I... I guess so."

"I wish I was there to hold you," says Tara.

"I know. Me, too." Willows whispers. Then, in her normal voice, she adds, "I've got to tell Buffy what's going on. We should be there soon. I love you."

"I l-love you, too," says Tara as she looks around. People are staring at her. She hangs up the phone and heads off to meet Buffy and Willow.

"What is going on," Giles asks Willow.

"Not sure. Something about vampires and Riley's dorm. It could be connected. I better let Buffy know," Willow says. Giles nods, and then goes back to his book. Willow sighs and stands up. She has to go find Buffy.

***

"You didn't sire him?" asks Xander as Riley stands above the drained body of Graham.

"I was gonna, but… I was too hungry," replies Riley.

"Hmm… I remember well. It wasn't that long ago that I was sired." Xander looks around. He hears the people who are gathering outside. He tilts his head a moment, listening intently. "We need to go."

"But, I am still hungry," whines Riley.

"Yeah… I can imagine. Well, we will just have to find a place where you can feed. A place that isn't here." He turns and leaves the room. "Let's go!" he hisses. Riley silently falls in line behind him, pouting a little as they pass through the crowds, heading away from the dorm. No one does anything to stop them. As they are about to leave the campus, they hear a familiar voice.

"Xander?" Tara calls out. He stops and turns to her. She rushes up to him and gives him a hug. Riley moves forward, as if to attack her, but Xander holds up a hand, causing Riley to stop.

"Tara!" says Xander as he wraps his arms around her, returning her hug. "Riley and I were just on our way to the magic shop. We have to talk to Giles."

"Oh! Giles isn't there," says Tara as she steps back from the embrace. "He's at his apartment. Willow was there. I called to let them know that something was going on here. Willow said she was going to get Buffy and then come check things out. They were searching for you."

"Me?" asks Xander.

"Yeah. Giles was with Anya. We've all been trying to find you since you disappeared the other night. What happened to you?"

"It's a long, involved story…" Xander tells her.

"And, one we don't have time for right now! Right, Xander?" says Riley, as he steps between them.

"Right," says Xander as he looks back toward the campus. He turns back to Tara. "It isn't safe for you here. You should come with us."

"But… I am waiting for Willow… A-and Buffy. I should…"

"Graham is dead," interrupts Riley.

"What?" asks Tara. "Oh, Graham? I am so sorry."

"It's not safe for you here. Will you please come with us?" asks Riley.

"Of course. I am sure that Willow and Buffy won't mind." The three of them head away from the campus.

***

Willow rushes through the cemetery, hoping to run into Buffy. She is anxious to find the Slayer and get to the campus. There was something in Tara's voice that made her think that the situation was worse than she was letting on. Willow finds the crypt and enters. Buffy is not there, but Willow notices something that causes her to freeze in her tracks. She crouches and calls upon her magic to illuminate the area.

"Oh, no…" she says. She grabs the piece of fabric and stands up. Looking around, she tries to piece together what happened. Her mind is racing, and she doesn't like the thoughts that keep filling her head. She shakes her head, trying to force out all of the bad images that are flooding in. She screams as a hand grips her shoulder.

"Willow?" asks Buffy.

"Buffy!" exclaims Willow. "I… I didn't think you were here."

"I just came back. I dealt with Drusilla's body, and was returning to look for clues as to what happened."


"I am not sure we want to know," gulps Willow.

"What do you mean?" asks the Slayer.

"Look," says Willow as she holds out the piece of fabric for Buffy to see. Buffy looks at it, and does a double take. She looks up at Willow's face.

"Is that?" asks Buffy. Willow nods.

"Yes. It is from the shirt that Xander was wearing when he disappeared. You don't suppose…"

"No!" screams Buffy. She doesn't want to accept the possibility that Xander was involved in Drusilla's demise.

"It doesn't mean that he was involved, you know. He could have been taken by whoever… Or whatever it was that killed Drusilla. I mean, couldn't it? Couldn't it mean that?" asks Willow.

"I guess," says Buffy. She doesn't sound too convinced. Willow's eyes go wide and she grabs Buffy's arm.

"Oh, my god, Buffy!" screams Willow. Buffy looks at her, waiting for her to explain. Willow thinks about her conversation with Tara. "We have to get to the campus! Now!"


"Willow? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, God," cries Willow. "I talked to Tara. That's why I came looking for you. She said that there was an attack at Riley's dorm. A vampire attack. Buffy, I think Riley and Tara are in great danger!"

"Are you sure?" asks Buffy, still not willing to accept the answers that her own mind are supplying for her.

"Yes!" screams Willow as she starts running from the cemetery. Buffy rushes to catch up.

***

Tara, Riley and Xander enter the Magic Box and head off in different directions. Tara heads straight to the back room, hoping to find Giles. Riley saunters over to a table and sits down, not certain what it is that he should be doing. Xander heads straight to Anya and gives her a big hug as he kisses her.

"Xander?" asks Anya, not quite believing what she is seeing. "What's with the leather? Where have you been? How come you didn't come back sooner?"

"Anya," says Xander in a soothing voice. "It's a long story. And, unfortunately, one that we haven't got time for right now. I will explain a little, but there just isn't time for me to explain all of it right away, okay?"

"Um… okay."

"I was kidnapped by Drusilla while Willow, Buffy and I were out on patrol. She was trying to convince me to join her. She had big plans for world domination, but she wanted to start here in Sunnydale. She wanted me to kill Buffy."

"I… I don't understand."

"She wanted me to become a vampire and be her little puppet." He grips Anya's arms and holds them against her sides. "She wanted to use me." His voice gets rougher, as does his grip. Anya opens her mouth to cry out, and Xander covers her mouth with his own. He kisses her and then pulls back. "I am no one's puppet," he sneers as he bites into Anya's neck. She screams.

As Tara rushes back into the main part of the shop from the back room, she is tackled by Riley, who savagely pulls her to the ground and forces her to watch as Xander sires Anya. Then, Xander walks over to the table and places Anya on it. He looks over at Riley and smiles. Tara, tears streaming down her cheeks, starts to shake her head. Xander looks into her eyes and sees only confusion, sadness and pain. He is suddenly torn.

"Tara," he says. She looks up at him, afraid to speak. "You are vital to my plan. You see, by now, Buffy and Willow will have discovered that I am a vampire. There is just no way Willow will allow me to get close enough to her to sire her. That's where you come in."

"I-I'm the bait?" Tara asks.

"No," says Xander with a laugh. "You see, if I try to use you as bait, then one of them will save you while the other attacks me. Plus, we don't know about Giles, yet… He's the wild card in this scenario."

"You mean," Tara gasps, realizing what is going to happen. "You are going to sire me?" Xander and Riley both laugh out loud.

"No," says Xander. "I am not going to sire you." Tara begins to look hopeful. "I've sired enough people for one day. However," he continues, "Riley has yet to sire anyone."

Tara screams and struggles to get away. She can't think of a single spell that would help her. Riley punches her in the nose, shattering it and slamming her head against the floor. Tara gasps for breath as she struggles to remain conscious. The last thing she is aware of is a burning pain in the side of her neck. She feels herself weakening, and then everything goes black.

***

Buffy and Willow arrive at Riley's dorm to find a mass of confusion. The two girls force their way into the dorm and Buffy heads straight to Riley's room. She looks into the room and her heart sinks. She sees a body sprawled across the floor by the closet, a small spray of blood on the floor beside it. She rushes over to the body, and breathes a sigh of relief when she sees that it is not Riley.

"I don't understand," Buffy says out loud.

"What? What's to understand? Something is after the ones you love. They went after Xander, and now there is evidence that it is after Riley. It is obviously not the demon-woman, because she wasn't a vampire… Uh, was she?"

"No, she wasn't a vampire," says Buffy.

"Well, then at least we know she isn't the one doing this."

"Unless…" begins Buffy. She looks around, and then looks back at Willow. "Unless the vampires are working for her."

"Oh," says Willow as she sits on the edge of the bed. "I never thought about that."

"Well, one thing is for sure, we won't get any answers just standing around here."

"Tara!" screams Willow as she jumps to her feet. Buffy just stares at her. Willow grabs Buffy's arm, her eyes wide. "Tara called me, to tell me about what was going on here! Do you think…"

"We'd better go check on her. Now," says Buffy as she leads Willow out of the room.

***

"Anya, you are to wait here, for Buffy and Willow. Or Giles. Whoever comes here, you are to only take them on one at a time, okay? And, don't go after Buffy. Go after Willow only. Buffy's turn will come, just not yet," says Xander as he picks Tara up off the floor.

"Do I kill?" asks Anya.

"Only if you have to. Willow will be a great asset to our cause, but only as a vampire. Dead, she only serves in our quest to hurt the Slayer."

"We should kill her," says Anya.

"We will. Eventually," says Xander.

"But, she is a great danger to us all," argues Riley.

"We will stick to the plan," hisses Xander.

"But, the plan is stupid," says Anya. Xander looks at her, not believing what he just heard. "Buffy is the Slayer! She is powerful, and can only hurt us and our cause," Anya adds, as if to clarify her previous statement.

"We will defeat her. She won't have time to hurt us," Xander says calmly. He looks at Riley, and then at Anya, challenging them to say something.

"No one else has been able to defeat her!" whines Anya.

"Yes, but no one else has had what we have. No one else has managed to eliminate what we are eliminating!" screams Xander.

"You aren't making any sense," says Anya. Riley nods his agreement, but remains silent. Xander rolls his eyes.

"It's like this," he says, speaking in a controlled, calm voice. "All of the others have tried to come at her from the outside. She had her friends to help her. We have changed that. We will continue to change that. We were her friends, and now we will work from the inside to destroy her. With each one that makes us stronger, we make her weaker. She will be so concerned about her friends that she will not be expecting us to be the ones trying to get to her."

"I see now," says Anya. "I am not sure I agree with you, but I understand."

"It's a simple case of divide and conquer," adds Riley. "But, with a twist."

"Right," says Xander. He motions to the door, which Riley holds open for him. He turns back to Anya. "Just make sure you keep them guessing. Don't let them know you are a vampire until it is too late for them to stop you. And, don't let them know you have seen us. It will only complicate things."

"I understand," Anya says as she nods. Then, "Where will you be?"

"We are going to the hospital," says Xander as he carries Tara through the door and disappears. Anya goes back to work, straightening items on shelves, and waiting for someone else to appear.

***

"She's not here!" cries Willow as she rushes down to meet Buffy. "And, no one has seen her!" Willow is near to panicking.

"Calm down, Willow. We will find her. You talked to her. Did she say that she might go somewhere?"

"No," says Willow. "She didn't say anything. I don't know where she would be!"

"Willow," says Buffy as she grabs the witch by her arms. "Listen to me. We will find her. We just have to think of the best places to search for her."

"I… I guess so. But…"

"But nothing. We will find her." Buffy looks around, wondering what the next move should be. Suddenly, she gets an idea. "Willow, we have to split up."

"What?" says Willow, her eyes wide with shock.

"Think about it. We can cover more ground that way. I am going to go to Giles's apartment and see if he is still there, and if he has discovered anything that may help us. I don't think she would actually have gone there, but it is possible. If she isn't there, then I will get Giles to help us search."


"But, what about me?"

"I need you to go to the Magic Box and see if Anya can help us. It is possible that Tara is already there, trying to find some way of helping us."

"Yeah," says Willow, her mood lifting drastically with that shred of hope.

"So, if I find her, I will call the Magic Box. If you find her, you need to call Giles. If I haven't made it there yet, I should be there shortly."

"Okay. Yeah. Tara would have wanted to do something to help. She is probably at the Magic Box right now, researching. I am sure she is," says Willow as she turns and heads off toward town. Buffy watches her for a couple of seconds before she, too, heads for town.

***

"You should go get yourself something to drink," Joyce tells Dawn. Dawn shakes her head. "But, you need to have something."

"I'm fine, Mom. Really." Dawn repositions herself in the fake-leather chair beside her mom's bed. She grabs a magazine and starts to flip through it. She smiles and looks up at her mother. "See?"

"Okay," says Joyce as she rolls her eyes. "If you're sure." Then, after a couple of seconds, she adds, "What about a snack? It's been a while since you ate. A snack would do you good."


"Mom," says Dawn in her most serious tone. "I am fine. I can sit here for another few hours and not even think about food or drinks. Really. It's okay."

"No, it isn't," says Joyce, fighting back tears. Dawn sees her mother struggling and jumps to her feet. She is at her mother's side in a fraction of a second.

"Mom? What is it?"

"I just feel so helpless!" says Joyce. "I am supposed to be the one who is taking care of you, not the other way around." Tears start to slide down the sides of Joyce's face, and Dawn stares at them in horror.

"No," whispers Dawn, in a voice that is hardly more than a whisper. She reaches out and wipes the tears from her mother's face, and then stands up straight.

"You know what?" she asks. "I suddenly feel the need for a drink. A-and maybe a snack or two." She turns and walks toward the door. After only a couple of steps, she stops and returns to her mother's side. "Um, I kinda don't have any money," she confesses. Joyce starts laughing, and reaches out to embrace Dawn, who gladly returns the favor. As she steps back from the embrace, Dawn looks around.

"What are you looking for," asks Joyce.

"Oh, Buffy left her coat here. I was thinking that she might have left some money in it. She hasn't really been herself since…" She looks at her mother, and then shrugs. "You know, since you had to stay here." She didn't want her mother worrying about Xander, too. There were enough people worried about Xander, and besides, her mother had enough worries already. Dawn finds Buffy's coat and searches the pockets. "Aha!" she exclaims as she holds up a few crumpled dollars.

"Good," says Joyce. "Now you can go get that drink."

"And a snack or two," Dawn adds with a smile. She walks to the door again, and again she stops. This time, though, when she turns around, she remains where she is. "Can I get you anything?" she asks.

"Chocolate!" says Joyce.

"Okay," says Dawn, laughing slightly at the mock desperation in her mother's voice. She smiles to herself as she steps out of the room. She falls to the floor after bumping into someone. A hand appears in her face, and she cringes for a second, before realizing that someone is just offering to help her up. She grabs the hand and looks up to see who is helping her.

"Are you okay?" asks Ben as he helps her to her feet. "I hit you kinda hard. I'm sorry. I wasn't really watching what I was doing."

"I-I'm okay," says Dawn as she brushes herself off. "And, I think it was my fault, actually. I wasn't paying attention, either."

"Okay, so it was both our faults," Ben says with a laugh. "You're… Dawn, right?"


"Yeah. I am surprised you remembered."

"Well, why wouldn't I remember someone so remarkable?" asks Ben. Dawn blushes, and turns away. "So, where were you going before we ran into each other?"

"I was headed to get a drink. A-and some chocolate. For myself, of course," Dawn says.

"Ah. Well, I am headed that way, mind if I tag along? I could use a drink, myself."

"Uh, sure. I could use the company, I guess."

"Something you want to talk about?" asks Ben as he places his hand on the small of her back and half guides her along the hall.

"Oh, it's nothing," says Dawn. She feels safe, with Ben's hand on her back. She quickly debates whether or not she should tell him what's on her mind. "It's just…"

"Just what? It's okay. You can tell me. I am here to help," he tells her in a reassuring voice.

"It's my sister," Dawn says.

"Buffy?"

"Yeah, Buffy." Dawn sulks a little at the fact that Ben knew Buffy's name without having to think about it. "She… I think she may be hurting herself."


"You mean, like cutting, or something?"

"Oh, no! Nothing like that," Dawn says.

"What, then?"

"It's just… She has so much going on, what with her being the Chosen… Uh… With her being the one chosen to take care of me while Mom is in here. And, this is on top of her other duties. And, then, with Xander going missing and all, I think she is just trying to do too much."

"Xander? Who is Xander? Why is he missing?"

"Xander is one of Buffy's best friends. He is one of the only people who know what Buffy is really like. He really means a lot to her. To all of us, really. And, he disappeared while Buffy, Willow and he were in the cemetery and got attacked, and…" she looks up at Ben, and upon seeing the confusion in his eyes, she sighs deeply.

"It's just really complicated, and Buffy is trying to do so much, all at once, and I am just concerned about what it may be doing to her. I mean, Mom is already here in the hospital, and I don't want Buffy to join her."

At this point in the conversation, they reach some vending machines, and Dawn tries to determine what she wants. Ben's hand is no longer on her back, and she is suddenly afraid that something terrible is going to happen. She feels as though his hand on her back was somehow protecting her. She no longer feels safe, since it has been removed. She fumbles with one of the dollars she had gotten from Buffy's coat, but can't manage to get it into the slot. Ben reaches out and grabs hold of the dollar.

"Here," he says. "Let me get that for you." He takes it from her and manages to get it into the machine on the first try. He turns to look at her, and she is staring up at him.

"Do you know what you want?" he asks her.

"You," she says in a breathy, seductive voice.

"Huh?"

"I… I said thank you. You know, for getting the stupid thing to work." She reaches out and presses a button, neither knowing nor caring what she just chose as her drink. She bends down to grab it, and turns away from Ben.

"Riley!" she exclaims as she grabs the can and stands up. Riley smiles and hurries over to them.

***

"That guy gets on my nerves," Xander says as he watches Ben collide with Dawn. "Just look at him, trying to be noble and polite. He sickens me. In fact, I hate him!"

"Oh!" says Riley. "Can I kill him?" He is excited, and smiles broadly. Xander thinks about it for a second. He looks Riley up and down, watching the ex-soldier bounce excitedly at the thought of killing someone.

"Okay," he says. Then, as Riley starts to head off, Xander grabs his arm. Riley stops and looks back at Xander. "But, don't let Dawn see you. Let them go for a little while. There is something that I want to do, and I will need a few minutes to get it done. Just follow them for a little while, and then tell Dawn that I am in her mother's room. That will get her out of the way while you kill that guy."

"Okay." Xander watches as Riley falls in step behind Ben and Dawn. Xander scowls as he watches Ben put his hand on Dawn's back. Suddenly, he feels a hand on his hip. It slides teasingly over his hip to his abdomen, and then slowly up to his chest. A tongue licks his ear.

"Can we have fun now?" asks Tara. Xander grabs her hand and pushes it away from him.

"You're gay. Remember that," he tells her. She starts to pout, and he sighs. "I need you to be fresh when we go after Dawn. Can you remember that?"

"I'll try," she says. He turns and walks into Joyce's room, and Tara bounces along behind him.

"Hi, Mrs. Summers," says Tara as she crosses in front of Joyce and comes to rest on the far side of the bed. Joyce opens her eyes, and looks around.

"Tara? Xander? Are you here to get Dawn already?" she asks.

"Not really," giggles Tara. Joyce stares at her, obviously not understanding.

"We came for you, actually," says Xander. Joyce turns to look at him.

"Huh?" she asks. Tara laughs out loud, and Xander gives her a look. The laugh ends abruptly, and Tara is silent.

"What I mean is," says Xander politely, "we came to ask a favor." Joyce sits up excitedly.

"A favor? Oh, if there is anything I can do to help you, I will gladly do it! I was just telling Dawn how useless I feel."

"Ah, you are never useless," says Xander. He takes a step closer to the bed, and takes Joyce's hand in his own. "In fact, you are the most important thing right now."

"Well, flattery will get you everywhere," Joyce says. "So…" She looks at him more closely, and then giggles to herself. "Xander? Why are you wearing that?"

"Grease," he says.

"What?"

"At school. We are doing the play, Grease. This is my costume," he says.

"Oh," she replies. "So, what is the favor that you wanted? What can I do for you?"

"Just… Don't scream, okay?" asks Xander.

"Huh? I don't understand."


"You will. What you can do for us is not scream, okay?"

"I guess," says Joyce, "but I still don't—"

At this point, Xander shows his true face, and Joyce opens her mouth to scream. Tara quickly slaps her hand over Joyce's mouth and watches as Xander quickly sinks his fangs into her neck. Tara watches, as if entranced, as Joyce struggles a little and then quits moving. She admires her sire's handiwork as Joyce pales. Then, Xander pulls away and looks at the woman lying on the bed. He reaches up and removes Tara's hand from Joyce's mouth. He holds his wrist over her face and then takes a bite out of it. The blood gushes from his arm and into Joyce's mouth. As if against her will, Joyce slowly swallows the blood, the fear of drowning overpowering her disgust of having blood flowing into her mouth. After a few seconds, Xander grabs a sheet off a table near the bed and wraps it around his wrist, stopping Joyce's supply. Joyce closes her eyes and remains still as the holes in her neck heal themselves.

***

"Tara?" calls Willow as she steps through the door of the Magic Box. She rushes to the table where they usually do research and looks around. The only person she sees is Anya. She rushes over to Anya. "Is Tara here?"

"Tara?" Anya asks. "No. Should she be?"

"I was hoping," says Willow as she grabs a chair and sits down. Anya sits in a chair beside her.

"What's going on?" asks Anya.

"I got a call from Tara, and she was at the college. She said that there was something going on, and that Riley's dorm was involved. I told her I was going to get Buffy and then we would be there. When we got there, we searched for Tara, but we couldn't find her anywhere. Buffy said that she was going to Giles's apartment, and that I should come here, and we would each call the other if we found Tara." Willow sits up straight and puts her hand on Anya's arm, not even noticing how cold it is. "Did she call? Buffy, I mean? Or Tara. Did Tara call?"

"No," says Anya as she pulls her arm away. "No one has called. It's just been me here. All night. Alone."

"I don't understand this," confesses Willow. She is on the verge of tears. "Where is Tara? I can't believe she would willingly hide from me, especially with the situation with Xander."


"I haven't seen Xander," says Anya. Willow gives her a questioning look. "I mean, it has been so long," says Anya, faking a sob. "I miss him."


"Oh, God!" says Willow. "I am so sorry, Anya. I forgot that you haven't seen Xander in so long…"

"It's okay. I guess. I mean… He has to show up eventually, right? Maybe Tara found him and is bringing him here right now?"

"Oh, do you really think so?" asks Willow.

"Sure!" says Anya, nodding her head. "I really believe that."

"So, what do we do while we wait?"

"I think we should probably look for some spells, or something."

"What?"

"Well, that is what we normally do, isn't it? We research. And then, because we did the research, we win. We're the good guys, and we always win, right?" She looked at Willow, wondering if she was buying this story. Willow, mistaking the look for one asking for reassurance, nods.

"Yeah. We always win. So," she says as she stands up and heads for the bookshelves, "what should we research?"

"Um… The demon woman?" suggests Anya.

"Good idea, but… I think we have done about as much research on her as we possibly could."

"Well, then, what about… Uh… Vampires?"

"Vampires? Why would we want to—"

She turns around to face Anya, and is surprised to see a vampire lunging at her. It is so unexpected that Willow doesn't have time to do anything but throw her hands up over her face. The vampire slams into her, shoving her against the bookshelf before the two of them fall to the ground. Willow, in a panic, can't think of a single spell that might be able to help her. Her only thought is that she needs help.

"Anya, run!" she screams. "Find Buffy!" Anya starts laughing. Willow stops and looks up at the vampire for the first time. She recognizes Anya and gasps in surprise.

"No help for you, little witch!" hisses Anya as she leans in to bite Willow. Feeling a surge of power and a desperate need to get away, Willow manages to flip Anya over to the side. She scrambles to her feet and starts to run. She reaches the door and throws it open. She looks back and sees Anya standing beside the empty shelves. Willow turns and takes a step outside.

"We have Tara," says Anya. Willow stops in her tracks. She looks back at Anya, who just stands there, watching her. She takes a step back into the Magic Box and pushes the door closed.

"What did you say?" she asks.

"We have Tara," Anya says.

"What do you mean? Who has Tara?"

"We do."

"Who is we?"

"That doesn't matter," says Anya. "If you want to see her again, then we will have to come to an agreement. This time, when I say we, I mean you and me. I have my orders, but there is still room for negotiation."

"What are you saying?" asks Willow as she mentally prepares a couple of spells for use against Anya.

"I am saying that I was told to kill you only as a last resort. Only if we can't use you in some other way."

"Use me? How?"

"That remains to be seen. You are not the goal. You were never the goal. You are simply a means to an end."

"What end?"

"Not what end, but whose," says Anya.

"I don't… Oh, God! You are talking about Buffy!" Willow gasps as she makes the terrible realization. Anya smiles and moves closer.

"Right. Buffy is the target. You are simply a tool."

"I don't understand," says Willow. "What do you want from me?"

"Your magic, of course. We don't have to have it, of course, but anything that might tip the odds in our favor will help."

"So, you want me to use my magic against my best friend? That is never going to happen!" screams Willow.

"Then, Tara will suffer because of it!" hisses Anya. "I used to be a demon, remember? I know several forms of torture that will keep her alive for years!"

"Tara?" asks Willow, through tears. "No!" Willow throws her hands into the air in front of her and speaks in an ancient language. A bolt of energy surges from Willow's hands and hits Anya, throwing the vampire backwards. Willow stares at Anya, hatred and anger building inside her. Anya stands up and dusts herself off.

"Look what you did!" screams Anya. "This stuff isn't cheap, you know! How dare you destroy it in a fit of rage?"

"I will do whatever I want until I get Tara back!" screams Willow. She releases another bolt of energy, but Anya is ready for it this time, and jumps out of the way. "Where is Tara?" Willow asks.

"Stop destroying the merchandise!" cries Anya. Willow turns and sends another energy bolt at the cash register.

"No!" screams Anya as she watches the bolt hit the machine, causing it to explode. In a single bound, Anya is standing directly in front of Willow. She reaches out and grabs Willow by the throat lifting her off the ground.

"You bitch!" screams Anya, as she tightens her grip around Willow's throat. "I was willing to make a deal with you, and how do you repay me? You destroy this place! I am afraid I have lost my patience! We have come to the last resort!" She squeezes Willow's throat again, and Willow gasps for air. Then, Willow grabs Anya's head and releases another bolt of energy. Anya is thrown backwards as the bolt of energy courses through her body. Willow remains suspended in air for a moment, and then falls to the floor. Willow hits hard, and gets the air knocked out of her. She lies there for a moment, trying to catch her breath. When she is finally able to breathe, she cries out, because it hurts.

Suddenly, there is a shadow covering her. Willow looks up to see Anya standing above her. Willow can see that Anya's left arm is broken, and she is bleeding from several cuts all over her body. Her hair is sticking straight out, in every direction. Willow is surprised to see smoke rising from it. She wonders for a fraction of a second how her hair could be smoking without Anya being on fire, but before she has a chance to truly consider it, Anya bands down and grabs Willow's arm.

"You break my arm," Anya says as she bends Willow's arm backward until it snaps, "and I break yours!" Willow screams as the pain from her arm spreads out though her body. Willow's head tilts back and she howls in pain as Anya pulls on her broken arm. When Willow looks back at Anya, her eyes are all black. Willow says something that Anya can't understand and Willow's arm mends itself. Willow stands up, watching Anya's anger quickly become replaced with surprise. Anya looks up at Willow, and then quickly sweeps her legs around, knocking Willow to the floor. With a laugh, Willow magically returns to her former position. She looks at Anya and smiles.

"You wanted my magic," she says. "Well, you are about to get it!" She points at Anya and the vampire once again flies across the room, crashing into shelves on the other side of the shop. As she stands up, Anya grabs a statue that had been on the shelves and hurls it at Willow. Willow laughs as she moves her hand slightly. The statue stops and falls to the floor. She points at Anya again, and the vampire is levitated three feet above the rubble she had been standing in. Willow gestures, and Anya moves through the air until she is directly above the remains of the research table. Anya's eyes go wide as she sees the broken piece of wood jutting up from the floor, and realizes what is about to happen. She turns to look at Willow, horrified by the realization. Willow drops her hand, and Anya falls.

***

Buffy pounds on Giles's door, calling out his name. She stops pounding and tries to look in through one of the windows. She can't see anything inside the apartment, and starts to pound on the door again. She falls forward as the door opens. Giles catches her, but just barely. As he helps her regain her balance, he blinks several times, as if trying to get his eyes to focus. Buffy realizes that he had been sleeping, and that he isn't fully awake. The porch light must have seemed extremely bright to him. She reaches out and shuts the door, casting the room in darkness. She stands still for a few seconds, waiting for her eyes to adjust.

"Buffy?" Giles asks after he turns on a lamp and looks at her.

"Yeah, Giles. It's me."

"What's going on?"

"Xander is dead," she blurts out. Then, as Giles tries to accept this, she adds, "And so is Graham."


"This is serious," says Giles. "Uh, who is Graham?"

"Riley's roommate and fellow soldier. Riley and Tara are missing."

"Wait a minute!" says Giles. "Slow down. You say Xander is dead? How do you know?"

"This," Buffy tells him as she pulls out the piece of cloth that was found in the crypt.

"I don't understand," says Giles after examining the piece of cloth.

"Willow and I found it. In the crypt where you found Drusilla's body."

"That doesn't mean," begins Giles.

"Xander is dead, Giles. I know it." She stares into his eyes. "I know it."

"But, how do you know?"

"Because…" she hangs her head. "Because, he is a vampire."

"A… A vampire?" asks Giles, still not able to accept what he is being told. "But, how? I mean…"

"Drusilla sired him, from what I've discovered. Then, for some reason, he killed her."

"Buffy, perhaps you should sit down and start from the beginning. How can you know any of this?"

"I don't need to sit down!" screamed Buffy. "Stop telling me what I need! You don't know what I need! No one knows what I need! I need to be able to live my life without all these… Curses!"

"Curses? You have been cursed, too?" asked Giles, clearly not understanding. Buffy looks up at him, and, seeing that he is serious, she sighs deeply and sits on the couch. He walks around and sits next to her. She looks up at him again, and starts to explain.

"I got to the crypt and found Drusilla's body. I took it out of the crypt and dragged it over to a gravesite. I pulled out my stake, to drive it through her heart, when I stopped. She wasn't dead."


"She wasn't dead? But, how?"

"She is a vampire. If she had been dead, then there shouldn't have been a body for you to find. If she was truly dead, and no longer undead either, then she should have been a pile of ashes. She wasn't. That meant that she was still alive. Or, undead. Whatever. I wasn't sure what to do. Then, it came to me." She holds out her arm and pulls up her sleeve. Giles sees a blood soaked bandage just below the elbow.

"Buffy, you didn't," says Giles, not believing what he is seeing. She nods.

"I cut myself and fed her some of my blood. I had to. I had to know what had happened to her, and what had happened to Xander. I didn't give her enough to make her well. I am not that naïve. I gave her just enough to give her the strength to talk. I asked her what had happened. She told me that her new lover didn't want her, and that I should have left her there. I asked her what she meant. She told me that she had a strange and uncontrollable attraction to Xander. Evidently it was a leftover from that love spell he had Amy cast back when we were in high school."

"This is unbelievable," says Giles. Buffy looks at him. "Oh… Please continue."

"She said she set the whole thing up. She said she gathered some vampires to ambush us in the cemetery so that she could kidnap Xander. She told me that she had sired him, hoping that the two of them could be together for eternity. At first, he fought it, according to Drusilla. He called her a monster. She sounded so heartbroken, I actually felt sorry for her. She said that she forced him to feed, and then he turned on her. He said that she wasn't his type. She said he drained her and tossed her aside. The last thing she said she remembered was him telling her that she wasn't his type, and then he went back to sleep."

"She could have lied to you," Giles tells her.

"She wasn't lying, Giles," says Buffy. "If you had been there, you would know."

"I… I don't know what to say," says Giles as he reaches out and puts his hand on Buffy's shoulder. She looks up at him and smiles weakly.

"I staked her, Giles. Then, I went back to the crypt, to look around again, and found Willow there. She is the one who found this," she says as she hold up the torn piece of cloth. "She tried to convince me that Xander was still alive. That whoever had attacked Drusilla had taken Xander, and that he was going to be okay. I couldn't tell her, Giles!" She starts crying, and Giles holds her. He doesn't know what to say or do, so he just pats her back and lets her cry. After a couple of minutes, she pushes back away from him and wipes the tears from her face.

"It gets worse," she says in a low voice. "Willow told me that the reason she was there is that she heard from Tara. We went to the campus and straight to Riley's dorm. In his room, we found Graham. He was dead. Killed by a vampire."

"So, you think Xander…"

"No, Giles," says Buffy in a firm voice. "That wouldn't be cruel enough."


"What do you mean?"

"Remember when Xander was possessed by the hyena? What he was like then?"


"Well, that wasn't so bad."


"Wasn't so bad? Giles, he tried to rape me!" Buffy's hands come up to her mouth and she stares up at Giles, unable to believe that she just said that.

"What? Buffy? Why didn't you say something?" asks Giles.

"Because," sobs Buffy. "He wasn't Xander then. Not really. It was the spirit inside him that made him do it. Besides, he didn't remember anything about it anyway, so there wasn't a reason to bring it up." She looks up at Giles. "What?"

"Buffy… I don't know how to tell you this, but…"


"Oh, my God! You mean… He remembered?"

"I am afraid so, Buffy. I confronted him about it, and told him that his secret was safe with me."


"Giles! How could you?"

"B-because," stammered Giles, "I thought the worst thing he did was help the others eat that stupid pig! How was I to know it was so bad?"

"You… You… You're right, Giles. I am sorry for snapping at you. We each did what we thought was best. Anyway, the point I was trying to make is… I think that Vampire Xander is going to be a lot worse than hyena-possessed Xander."


"What exactly are you trying to tell me?"

"I think that Xander sired Riley, and that Riley is the one who killed Graham," Buffy says.

***

"Riley? What are you doing here?" Dawn says. Part of her is glad to see him, but another part wishes that she were still alone with Ben.

"Well, I have great news, Dawn!" says Riley as he stops beside her. He nods at Ben, who nods back. "Xander is here! He is waiting for you in your mom's room!"

"Oh!" screams Dawn as she throws her arms around Riley. "Really?" she asks as she lets him go and looks up at him.

"Yeah," Riley says with a laugh. "He said he was going to wait there for Buffy, instead of trying to track her down. It's the one place that we know Buffy will eventually be."

"Wow!" says Dawn. She turns and looks at Ben. She gives him a big hug and smiles at him. "Xander's back! I have to go say hi!" She turns and heads off in the direction of her mother's room.

"So, Xander is okay, huh?" Ben asks.

"Yeah, I think so. Can you believe how excited she is?"

"Yeah. She was just telling me how his disappearing was affecting her sister. She is quite a remarkable girl."

"She sure is. Wait," says Riley. "Which one are we talking about, Dawn or Buffy?"

"Dawn," says Ben, with a smile. "Although, Buffy is pretty remarkable, too."

"Yeah, she sure is," agrees Riley. Then, he adds "So, where does a person have to go to get the really good coffee around here?"

"I'll show you," says Ben. He leads Riley to the staff lounge. "I am really not supposed to let people come in here like this, but… this is definitely a special occasion."

"Yeah. It certainly is," says Riley, as he pushes the door closed.

"Here it is, the best coffee in the hospital," says Ben as he gestures to the coffeepot.

"Yeah… Sure," says Riley as he steps closer to Ben.

"What are you doing?" asks Ben.

"What I was told to do," says Riley. He reaches out and grabs Ben's arm. Ben pulls away from him and backs away. When his back hits the wall, Ben looks to the sides. Riley steps right in front of him and smiles broadly. Ben opens his mouth to call for help, and Riley slams his hand against the man's mouth.


"Now, we can't have anyone come in and ruin my fun, now can we? I mean, this is really the first opportunity I have had to deal with someone…" Ben punches Riley in the stomach and twists sideways, releasing himself from Riley's grip. He only takes a single step before Riley grabs him by the arm and shoves him back against the wall. Ben gasps for breath. Before he can call out, Riley grabs his throat, choking him. Ben struggles to get free, but is held firmly as Riley presses his body against his prey, pinning him to the wall. Riley tries to figure out what he should do next. There are so many options that he can't decide. He hears someone in the hall outside the lounge.

"Dammit!" he curses as he realizes that he will have to act quickly. He grabs Ben's head with both hands, and, with his new, inhuman strength, twists it almost completely around. He takes a step back and looks around for a place to hide the body as it slumps to the floor. He opens a cabinet and looks at Ben's body, judging the sizes. He shrugs and grabs the body, shoving it into the cabinet, breaking bones as needed to make it fit. He then shuts the cabinet and pours himself a cup of coffee, as a doctor enters the lounge.

"What are you doing in here?" asks the doctor.

"Getting a cup of coffee," Riley says, lifting his cup for emphasis.

"You aren't supposed to be in here," says the doctor.

"Oh. Ben told me this was the place to get the best coffee, so I just assumed that meant I could come in here and get it. Sorry. I'll go."

"Ben? He told you to come in here and get some coffee?" asked the doctor.


"No, he said that this was where the best coffee in the hospital is. Didn't you listen to what I said?" demands Riley.

"I don't think I like your attitude, young man," says the doctor.

"And I don't like you!" hisses Riley. He looks at the coffee in his hand. "Or this!" he adds as he throws the coffee in the doctor's face. The man barely has time to scream before Riley snaps his neck. Instead of trying to hide the body, Riley just tosses it aside and goes to find Xander.

***

Dawn runs into her mother's room, excited to see Xander. She doesn't even see Tara pushing the door closed behind her. She rushes over and, as Xander turns around, Dawn gives him a huge hug. She pushes back from him, smiling. She looks up at his face, and her smile quickly disappears. Tears are streaking down his cheeks. Dawn looks from him to Joyce, and lets out a low moan of despair.


"I'm sorry," says Xander as he puts his hand on her shoulder. "But, it was for the best."


"What? How can you say that?" demands Dawn.


"I mean, we had to. It was the only way."

"I… I don't understand. What did you…" she begins. Then, as she looks at her mother on the bed, she makes the connection. She pushes back away from him. "You killed her?"

"No, Dawn. I released her," Xander says in a calm, soothing voice, as he gestures at the equipment, which is no longer connected.

"But, how? Where are the doctors and nurses? They should have come running when…"

"No, Dawn. They wouldn't even notice, since all of this," he gestures to the equipment again, "is no longer being monitored. I had a talk with the nurse on duty."

"You mean, she turned it all off?" Dawn asks, not fully understanding.

"No," says Xander. "The bitch wouldn't listen to reason, so I had to kill her and turn them all off myself."


"What?" shrieks Dawn. She can't believe what she has just heard. She steps back away from Xander and Tara wraps her arms around her from behind.

"Do I get to play now?" Tara asks.

"Not yet," says Xander. "There is something that Dawn needs to see first. You see, Dawn, I did this all for you. Your mother was going to die, but we helped her. Now, she is immortal, and will never leave you."


"What do you mean?" she asks as she pulls away from Tara. Joyce sits up and looks around.


"I mean, I sired her," says Xander. When Dawn looks from Xander to her mother, she gasps.

"Mom?" she asks. Joyce turns to face her.

"Dawn? Honey, what is it?" asks Joyce.

"How?" asks Dawn. She then turns her attention back to Xander, screaming as she discovers that he is a vampire.

"Now, you may sire her," Xander tells Tara. Tara grabs Dawn by her hair and yanks her backwards. As she falls backwards, Dawn feels Tara's arm wrap around her. She screams as Tara bites into her neck.

"Hungry," says Joyce. Xander looks at her.

"Oh, yeah. I imagine you are." Just then, a nurse flings the door open and enters the room. Xander grabs the nurse by her arm and flips her up into the air and against the wall. The nurse is unconscious before she has the chance to scream.

"Hmm…" he says. "Nice that she should come in just when we needed her." He picks her up and sets her on Joyce's lap. "Feed on this, Joyce. You'll need your strength." He turns quickly as someone else enters the room, but relaxes when he sees that it is only Riley.

"And, Ben?" Xander asks.

"Dead, like you wanted," says Riley.

"Good, now we have to get out of here," says Xander.

"Still hungry," says Joyce as she pushes the nurse's body off of the bed.

"Well, then, the sooner you get dressed, the sooner we can get out of here and get you some more food," says Xander as he throws Joyce's clothes at her. He turns and exits the room, pulling Riley along with him. Tara picks up Dawn, and turns to follow. Then, she stops and turns around again, watching longingly as Joyce dresses.

***

Willow turns to leave the magic shop, not bothering to watch Anya fall to her death. She steps toward the door, and sees that her way is blocked by debris. She waves her hand and the mess splits down the middle. Willow laughs.

"Like parting the Red Sea," she says out loud. She takes another step and then stops.


"You can't leave yet, witch!" Anya hisses. Willow turns around to see Anya impaled on the piece of wood sticking up from the floor.

"What the hell?" asks Willow.


"You missed the heart, you stupid fool," says Anya as she twists violently to the side, breaking the wood just below her. She stands up and stares at Willow. She pulls the board out of her stomach and returns her attention to Willow.

"Damn you," says Willow.

"Too late," says Anya as she lunges forward. Willow throws her arms forward and releases her magic. Anya twists easily to the side, knowing that this is what Willow was going to do. As the magic fades, Willow stares at the empty area in front of her.

"Stupid vampire," says Willow. "She should have known better." Willow turns and sees Anya standing in front of her, blocking her way. She starts to raise her hands, and gasps in pain as Anya shoves the bloody board through Willow's midsection.

"It hurts, doesn't it, witch?" says Anya as she twists the board. She lets go of the board and takes a step back. Before Willow can react, Anya spins around, lifting her foot. The impact of Anya's foot against her chest sends Willow flying backwards. As Willow lands, Anya jumps through the air and lands beside her. She bends down and wraps both of her hands around Willow's throat, lifting her from the floor. Willow spits in Anya's face and kicks wildly. Both of her feet connect with Anya's body, and Anya drops her.

"You can't win this," Willow says. "I am too powerful." She stands up again and pulls the board from her body. She heals immediately, and punches Anya in the face. Anya bends backward from the force of the punch, but she doesn't fall. As she lifts her head back up, Willow grabs her on both sides of her face and shoves her backwards. This time, Anya falls. Willow pounces on her and punches her in the face.

"Why the hell won't you just die?" screams Willow as she beats Anya's face. Anya kicks Willow in the back of the head, causing her to slump forward enough for Anya to escape. Anya slips out from under Willow and stands up, punching Willow on the back of her neck, at the base of her skull.

"Because I am already dead, you stupid bitch!" Anya then grabs a bookcase and pulls it over on top of Willow. She looks around, and grabs a statue off another shelf. As Willow stands up, Anya smashes her over the head with the statue. The statue shatters, and Willow turns around to face Anya. In one swift movement, Willow reaches out and puts her fist through Anya's stomach. Anya spits some blood out to the side as she turns to look at Willow's fist, covered in Anya's blood, sticking out of her back.

"It's time to end this!" screams Willow as she yanks her fist back through Anya's body. Anya falls to the floor, and tries to scramble away.

"What's the matter, Anya? Is the witch more powerful than you thought?" asks Willow as she steps closer to Anya. She kicks the vampire in the side, and watches her fall to the floor. "There is nothing you can do to stop me now! This time, I will make sure you are dead!"


"Tara!" screams Anya. Willow turns to look behind her.

"Where?" Willow asks. Then, when she sees that Tara is not around, she turns back to Anya. Anya has a gun, and shoots Willow in the chest, sending her flying up and back.

"Tara is dead, Willow," says Anya. "And now, you get to join her!" Anya scoots slowly across the floor until she is beside Willow.

"Is it true?" Willow asks. Her eyes are no longer black, and tears are streaming down her face. "Is Tara dead?" she chokes.

"Of course! She was dead before you ever got here, you fool!" hisses Anya, blood spraying from her mouth as she speaks.

"Then, I have no reason to go on," sobs Willow. "Anya…"


"What do you want?" says Anya as she points the gun at Willow's face.

"End it for me," says Willow as she lets herself fade into unconsciousness.

***

"You really believe that Xander sired Riley?" asks Giles. "Where would you ever get such an idea?"

"Willow."

"What?"

"Willow. She said that whoever is doing this is going after the ones I love."

"Oh. But, that doesn't mean," begins Giles. A look from Buffy causes him to end his sentence there.

"There's more."

"More? How can there be more?" asks Giles.

"I think that Riley and Xander have kidnapped Tara. For all I know, they have killed her. Or, worse, sired her. I didn't have the heart to tell Willow."

"Where is Willow?"

"I sent her to the Magic Box, to get Anya to… Oh, my God! Giles, I sent her to the Magic Box! We have to go!"

"Buffy, she should be safe in the Magic Box. She is a powerful witch, and with all the magic there, she could protect herself. Besides, Anya…"

"Exactly! Anya! The one person that Xander would most want at his side!"

"Dear lord," says Giles, as he stands up and heads to the door of his apartment. He grabs his coat as he opens the door. Buffy pushes past him and he steps out into the night, pulling the door closed behind him.

***

"I love this place," says Riley as he flops onto the couch next to Xander. "I've always wanted to live in a castle!"

"Calm yourself, soldier," says Xander. Riley looks at him.

"Why do you call me that?" Riley asks.

"Because I can," Xander says in a dismissive tone. He bends over the side of couch and pulls up a piece of material. "Here," he says as he hands it to Riley. "This is your new uniform."

"A loincloth?" Riley asks. "I am not going to wear this!"

"You will wear it."

"Like hell!" Riley says. Xander punches him in the face, breaking his nose.

"Remember your place, soldier!" hisses Xander as he stares into Riley's eyes. "You will wear it, I said!"

"Yes, sir," says Riley. He stands up and leaves the room, taking the loincloth with him. Tara and Dawn enter the room as Riley leaves. A moment later, Joyce steps into the room, wearing a strapless red velvet dress that leaves very little to the imagination. She walks seductively over to Xander and straddles him.

"Oh, I love this dress, Xander," she coos. Xander pushes her to the side and stands up. He walks over to a chair and sits back down, leaving a pouting Joyce on the couch.

"I don't want to play," he says. Joyce gets up from the couch and walks over to the chair. She stands beside it and reaches out to Xander. She puts her finger under his chin and pushes his face up until he is looking at her. She stares into his eyes for a moment.

"What troubles you?" she asks as she sits on the arm of the chair.

"Anya," says Xander.

"Again?" sighs Joyce. "Why do you even care? She's just another vampire."

"Wrong," says Xander as he shoves Joyce off the chair as he stands up. She falls to the floor and looks up at him, not able to imagine that he could do such a thing to her. "She is more than a vampire! Besides, we should have heard from her by now."


"But, she doesn't even know where we are," says Tara as she enters the room, wearing nothing but a silky black negligee.

"Dammit!" says Xander. "I knew I was forgetting something!" Tara walks over to him and starts massaging his shoulders. He shrugs her off and steps away from her. She looks at him, a hurt look on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asks. He looks at her and then, without responding, turns away and walks across the room. "You never want to play," she pouts.

"Tell me about it," says Joyce, her voice full of disgust.

"You're gay!" Xander screams at Tara. "I wish you would remember that! What about Willow?"

"Oh, she's gay, too," says Dawn as she enters the room.

"I know that!" screams Xander. "God, what is wrong with all of you? Why don't you go out and kill someone, or something?"


"Oh, can we?" asks Dawn. She turns to leave, and Xander stops her.

"Actually, no. You can't," says Xander. "We need to stay together."

"But, why?" whines Dawn. "It is no fun here!" She picks up a chair and throws it across the room.

"Well, maybe the three of you could do something for me…"

"Yes?" says Dawn.

"Really?" asks Joyce, as she stands up and smiles.

"Just name it, boss," says Tara.

"Well, like Tara was kind enough to point out, Anya doesn't know where we are, and therefore cannot join us. Perhaps the three of you would be willing to go to the magic shop and retrieve her? And, anyone she has with her?"

"Yes!" exclaims Dawn.

"Of course. Anything for you," coos Joyce.

"Sure, but…" says Tara.

"But what?" asks Xander.

"Why all three of us? Any one of us could handle that job alone."


"Not necessarily. Buffy is still out there, as are Willow and Giles. If the three of them have managed to figure out what is going on, then they may be working together to try to destroy us. The fact is, Anya may already be lost. The three of you have a much better chance of getting there and back without problems."

"I don't need the two of them," says Tara. She holds out her hand and a blue flame flickers to life, about three inches above it. "I have better control over my magic now than I did before I was sired." As if to demonstrate, she tosses the flame at the chair Dawn had thrown across the room. The chair is enveloped by flame, and then, in an instant, the flames are gone, and in the place of the chair, there is only a pile of ash. Xander smiles at the fact that there is no damage done to anything else.

"You've been practicing," he says.

"Of course! I never realized how foolish I had been when it comes to magic."

"But, Willow will always be stronger," Xander reminds her. She takes a step backwards, as if he has reached out and slapped her. She bends her head forward.

"Unfortunately, yes," she says.

"So, you will take Dawn and Joyce with you, like I said, right?"

"Yes," she says, knowing that she has been defeated.

"Yes!" cries Dawn. "I finally get to see some action!"

"So, we should be going, then," says Joyce as she heads for the door. Tara glares at her, and Joyce bows her head in submission, and falls in step behind the witch, with Dawn bringing up the rear.

"We'll return as quickly as possible," says Tara.

"Take your time. I have a couple of things I need to get done, and I can do that much better without the lot of you distracting me. We have to be prepared for when Buffy finally gets here. Oh, and one more thing," he says. The three vampires stop and look at him. "Make sure you aren't followed. You are to get Anya and bring her here. If she has sired anyone, then they come to. Do not let Buffy know where we are staying. The time will come when she needs to know, but we still have things to do before she arrives. Don't disappoint me."

"Yes," says Joyce.

"Sure," adds Dawn.

"Of course," says Tara as she leads the others out of the room.