Xander arrived at work the next morning to find the Sunnydale Police out in full force. He got there just in time to see them loading a bodybag into the coroner's van.

"What happened?" he asked Steve, who was standing around.

"Some kid," Steve said. "They found her this morning. Must have been playing around here last night or something. She was stabbed through the chest. Blood was every where, and they found some rebar next to her. Jimmy, that's who found her, he had to go to the hospital. Jesus Xander, who would kill a little kid?"

Xander shook his head. "It's sick," he said.

"Anyway, we're closin' down the site for a few days while the police investigate. Somebody will call you when we're back up."

"Okay, Steve. Thanks." Xander clapped the man on the back and then went home. Buffy had gone to class, so he changed into normal clothes and headed for the Magic Box.

Giles was surprised to see him.

"Still skipping work, Xander?" he said. "Won't your employer get angry?"

"They found a body at the site," Xander said. "A little girl. She was stabbed through the chest."

Xander sat down roughly at the table.

"Hey, X, how they hangin?" Faith said as she walked out of the back room.

Xander just shook his head.

"A young girl was found murdered at his construction site," Giles said. "Stabbed through the chest."

Faith frowned. "Through the chest? What with?"

"There was some rebar right next to her," Xander said.

"But they didn't say for sure?" she asked.

"I didn't make with the questions."

"Faith, I hardly think it's that important," Giles said.

"Yeah, it is, Jeeves."

"Why?"

"Just. something that sounds familiar, okay?"

Giles looked at her for a moment. "All right. We can have Willow look for the coroner's report as soon as she arrives after school."

Faith nodded her assent.

"What are you thinking?" Xander asked her.

Faith shook her head. "I don't know. Something sounds familiar, I think from patrolling with the Initiative boys. More than that."

"That's not really a lot to go on," Xander said.

"Yeah well," Faith said, "Slayer intuition or somethin' all right?"

"Yeah. Okay. So, Giles," he said. "Got some shelving you need fixed?"

"No," said the former watcher. "But I do have some inventory that needs checking in."

Xander groaned.

"Well, you asked," Giles said. "Don't blame me if there's an answer you don't like."

"Okay," Xander said. "Maybe it'll take my mind off. things."

"Yes," Giles said. "That would be best, I suppose." He handed Xander a list. "The crates are in back."

Xander sighed, took the list and went to work.

* * * * *

The door jingled.

"Hey, Wills," Xander said, glancing at the redhead who had just entered, then turning back to the inventory checklist he was working on. "How's school?"

"It's okay," Willow said.

"Just okay? You're usually a lot more enthusiastic about it."

"Am I a freak?"

"Yup."

"Xander."

Xander looked at his friend seriously. "What's wrong, Willow?"

Willow sat down on the steps of the Magic Box. Xander went over and sat next to her, and she leaned into his shoulder.

"Well, Tara and I were walking to class, and we were, you know, holding hands and talking and stuff. A-and a couple of guys who were walking by. they, um, they kind of yelled at us. One guy spit at us, and the other called us a couple of 'sick dyke freaks.'"

Xander stroked her hair gently. "Willow, you shouldn't listen to idiots like that," he said. "They have no idea about the wonderful, beautiful girl you are. I mean come on, of the two relationships, serious relationships, that you've had, I'd say this one is more normal."

"But, Oz was a guy, that kind of fits society's standard more, doesn't it?"

"Sure, if you care about that," he said. "But Oz was also a werewolf. What do you think is more common, girls being in love with girls, or girls being in love with werewolves?"

"I guess you're right," she said. "But still."

"I know," he said. "Oz looked like a guy most of the time, so people didn't know. But would you have cared if they did?"

Willow thought for a moment. "No," she said.

"Then why care now? Tara's a sweet, wonderful girl, and you love her. Don't listen to some jackasses just because they're stupid enough to judge people on who they love."

"I guess," she said.

"Listen, Willow, I gotta tell you the truth. When you first told me you were in love with Tara, I was freaked a little. I mean, you're my best friend, and I thought I should have known, or at least had an inkling." Xander shook his head. "But I was being stupid. I mean, you didn't even really know, how could I? The truth is, a lot of people are stupid, and a lot of them they're gonna judge you whether they know you or not. But you can't let it get to you, *because* they don't know you. They don't know the beautiful, loving young woman you are, and if they did, they couldn't help but see that Tara makes you happy. And anybody who really knows you, can't help but want you to be happy."

Willow sighed, her eyes a little wet. "I love you, Xander."

"I love you too, Willow."

The pair sat there for a minute, taking comfort in one another.

"You know, I kinda knew," Willow said. "That you weren't really comfortable with it. With, with me, and Tara."

"Willow, I will always be comfortable with you," he said. "And I mean it, I don't care if you date guys, or girls, or whatever - well, Spike or something, I might have you committed, but. I really don't. It's. it's just that I don't really know her, at all. A-and I was just really shocked by, you know, when you told me."

"I know," Willow said. "And it's okay. I know it's a change. It's a big one. So I want you to take as much time as you need to get okay with this. It's important to me that you are."

"I know, Will," he said. "And I am. For real now. It just. it took me some time, is all."

Willow rested her head back against her friend's shoulder.

"Oh, Willow, hello," Giles said, coming out of his office. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, her head still on Xander's shoulder, and thus rolling oddly. "Yeah," she said, smiling. "Xander the comfortador strikes again."

Giles chuckled. "Yes, he does have that um. quality, I suppose. Are you up for some illegal internet activities?"

"Sure," she said, standing up and smoothing out her skirt. "What do we need?"

"Coroner's report. A young girl was found stabbed through the chest at Xander's work site this morning, and on Faith's hunch we would like to know what with."

"They found a girl at your site?" Willow asked.

Xander nodded. "I only saw the body bag, but.. Well, we've been shut down for a few days."

Willow then leaned down and gave him a hug.

"Okay," she said, turning back to Giles. "It shouldn't take too long."

Willow went back into Giles's office while he manned the register. Not that there were any customers.

"What was it?" Giles asked, as Xander leaned his back against the counter and started on the inventory checklists again.

"Couple of guys didn't like seeing two girls together."

Giles just sighed.

"Yeah," Xander said, responding to the unspoken frustration. "After all, if you just get to know people there are so many good, non superficial reasons to hate them. Take Spike for example. He's not just a vampire, he's a royal pain in the ass."

Giles chuckled. "Yes, quite right," he said.

Xander smiled. And went back to work.

"You sure you have enough mandrake root here?" he asked after a few minutes. "It's been flying, hasn't it?"

"It was for a while," Giles said. "But it seems to have slowed down recently."

"Huh. Okay," Xander said.

"I got it," Willow said. "The report shows nothing conclusive, but there are some unidentifiable organic substances in there."

"No metal shavings?" Xander asked

"No metal shavings."

"So, we're thinking demon?" Xander asked.

"We're thinking demon," Giles said. "But how did Faith know to look?"

The door jingled.

"Hey, guys," Riley said, entering the shop. "Faith around?"

"No," Giles said. "She's gone to the bank just now, making a deposit for me. Should be back any time, though."

"All right," Riley said, sitting in a chair and propping his feet on the table. "What's up then?"

"A girl was killed last night," Giles said. "Stabbed through the chest, and whatever it was left some unidentifiable organic substances in the wound."

Riley sat up. "Unidentifiable organic substances. That sounds demonic."

"Yes," Giles said. "And Faith suspected it would be, despite the notable presence of rebar next to the body. Do you have any ideas as to why she might?"

"Yeah, actually," Riley said. "We captured a Polgara demon a little while ago. They have a long spike that shoots out of their arm, and they tend to kill for no good reason."

"A Polgara?" Giles asked, moving to get a book. "Interesting. They usually don't travel in groups, though, if I recall correctly."

"No, they don't," Riley said.

"Could the one you captured have escaped?" Xander asked.

"No," he said.

"How do you know?" Willow asked.

"It's dead. Dissected."

"Oh," Willow said. "Yeah, that would do it."

"Well, maybe they weren't in a group, they just happened to show up at the same time," Xander said.

"No," said Giles, reading from his book. "It says here that Polgara's are extremely rare, but also territorial. They tend not to come within about fifty miles of each other."

"Except for mating," Riley said, remembering his own research on the topic. "And only the males have the spike."

"Weird," Xander said.

"Hey," Faith said, coming in from the back of the store, where she had entered. She smiled at Riley. "Hey, baby."

Riley smiled and gave her a quick kiss. "You remembered about the Polgara demon," he said.

"That's the one," Faith said. "I wasn't sure about it, though, so I didn't want to say anything."

"It's good you did," Giles said. "We seem to have turned up something of a mystery. Riley, would you and Xander check out the site of the girl's death? You likely have the most. forensic experience among us."

"Sure," Riley said. Xander nodded his assent as well.

"Excellent," Giles said.

"That puts me and B on patrol, right?"

"Yes," Giles said. "I believe that would be best."

* * * * *

"What's that?" Riley asked, pointing his flashlight to something on the construction site.

"Elevator shaft," Xander said. "Or it will be, once we're finished."

"Okay," Riley said. "Um, so where was the body?"

"Over here," Xander said, leading Riley to a spot on the site. Riley walked over and kneeled down.

"These tracks from the gurney?" he asked.

"I assume so," Xander said. "We don't have anything here that would make tracks like that."

Riley looked around the area the police had cordoned off, where the body was found and frowned. "I don't see any demon footprints," he said. "Polgara's have huge, webbed feet, and they don't wear boots. But there aren't any prints here like that."

"So, what?" Xander asked. "Somebody just took the arm off a Polgara and killed a kid with it?"

"Yes," a voice said.

Xander and Riley's heads both snapped up in time to see a huge form drop four stories to the ground, land solidly with half a thud, half a clang. The impact of the drop forced the being to one knee, and also cracked the cement it landed on. It quickly stood back up to its full height. It was simply huge. Standing almost seven feet tall, with muscles all across its body, it spoke with an almost mechanical precision.

"You are searching for the being that killed the girl," it said. "It was not a Polgara. It was, however, a Polgara's arm."

"How do you know?" Xander asked, almost not wanting to hear the answer.

"Because," the thing said, holding up its right arm as a long spike shot out of it. "It was me."

When Riley shone his flashlight on the creature, they saw the mottled green flesh on the basically human frame. The being seemed an abomination, with mechanical parts, human parts, and others the two men could not identify.

"What are you?" Riley asked.

"I am Adam."

"Yeah, well, you killed a kid," Xander said, turning his shield on. "That doesn't fly in my town. That means you're going down."

Xander rushed Adam, ready to lay a beating on him fueled by rage over the death of the young girl. When he reached Adam, the being's whipped his arm out almost faster than Xander could see. Xander flew through the air and smashed spine first into one of the I-beams that were the frame of the building.

"No," Adam said. "I am not."

While lying on his back, stunned from the force of the blow, Xander grabbed a length of rebar. He dragged himself to his feet and rushed forward again. As he approached, he swung the rebar at Adam's head. Adam ducked the rebar, then punched out at Xander's arm, breaking his wrist and causing Xander to drop the rebar. He reached out with his other arm and grabbed Xander by the shoulder, causing Xander's shield to glow bright white.

"You are unruly," Adam said. "And inconsequential."

Adam picked Xander up over his head and threw him full force into the chain link fence that surrounded the construction site.

"Hey, freak," Riley said, pulling his rifle to bear. "Eat this."

Riley fired his pulse rifle at Adam, hitting him dead center in his chest. Electricity crawled over Adam's body as Adam roared loudly, then flexed his muscles.

"Thank you," Adam said. "It was. delicious."

Adam leaned down and picked up the rebar Xander had dropped. He flung the rebar at Riley, who, acting as quickly as he could, tried to jump out of the way. The rebar, which would have pierced his stomach, instead imbedded itself in Riley's thigh. He screamed in pain.

"This has been interesting," Adam said. "Thank you."

Adam turned and left the construction site.

----------

End Chapter 9