"Oh, lord," Giles said when Riley and Xander hobbled into the Magic Box. He rushed over and helped Xander lift Riley onto the table.

"Tell me what to do," Xander said.

"Wait for me to get supplies," Giles said. "The bar will have to come out."

"Okay," Xander said. "I should probably mention I got my ass handed to as well, I'm not sure my powers are up to spec right now. And I've really only got one workable hand."

"All right," Giles said, going to his office. He returned a moment later with a bottle of alcohol, a relatively thin stake, a few towels and a knife. He took the knife and sliced open Riley's pant leg, then tied one of the towels tight around Riley's thigh above the wound and handed him the stake.

"Bite on that," Giles said.

"Why?" Riley asked.

Giles looked him in the eye. "Because this is going to hurt. Xander, take the bar beneath his leg.

Xander lightly wrapped his good hand around the rebar. Riley winced at the slight movement of the metal in his leg. He then slipped the stake into his mouth and bit down.

"Now, Xander," Giles said as he soaked one of the towels in alcohol and prepared to hold it over the wound. "Pull it out as quickly as you can, straight down."

Xander took a deep breath, then yanked downwards on the rebar as hard as he could. Riley's eyes bugged out, and when the stake fell out of his mouth and he howled in pain.

Giles quickly held the towel to Riley's wound, to help stop the bleeding. That just hurt more, and Riley yelped again. The door slammed open as two Slayers, ready to fight, ran in.

"Oh, God!" Faith said as she rushed to Riley. Buffy went over and took Xander's hand, causing him to yelp as well.

"Oh, sorry, sorry," she said. Xander ran his other hand through Buffy's hair and kissed her on the forehead.

"It's okay," he said. "Just uh. . . a little light on the contact for a bit." Buffy nodded.

"I'm okay," Riley panted. "Except for, you know, the incredibly large amounts of pain. And the hole in my leg."

"Hold still for a minute," Xander said. "Actually, Faith, hold his leg still."

"Why?" she asked.

"I don't want him to accidentally move while I do the glowy thing. . . otherwise my wrist could get. . . I don't know, brokener."

Faith nodded and held Riley down. Xander gently placed his injured hand on top of Riley's wound, and firmly placed his good hand on the bottom of the wound as Buffy held him steady. He concentrated for a moment until his hands glowed white. He moved away from Riley's leg, which was no longer bleeding, but had a very large and nasty looking bruise.

"What happened?" Buffy asked as she led Xander over to a comfortable chair.

"We were attacked," Xander said. "And we really, really got beat."

Xander sat down.

"I'm going to have to set this," Giles said, inspecting Xander's wrist. Xander nodded and braced himself for the pain, which he got in spades.

"What hit you guys, and how many?" Faith asked from where she was comforting Riley.

"Just the one," Xander said as Giles wrapped his wrist with an ace bandage. "And I don't know what it was. He called himself Adam, and he looked like a scary, mutant version of Frankenstein, only way stronger."

"Lots stronger," Riley said. "He threw Xander around like a rag doll and getting shot with my pulse rifle? Only seemed to make him stronger."

Xander laid his good hand over his broken wrist gently. "Damn," he said. "Nothing."

"I suppose you'll just have to wait until you're more rested," Giles said, as he began to put splints around Xander's wrist.

"So why did it attack you?" Buffy asked from her spot in Xander's lap.

"Well, I kind of attacked him," Xander said. "He said he killed that little girl."

"And his arm was Polgaran," Riley said. "So that fit, too. He was basically like an amalgamation of man, machine and demon."

"His voice was very mechanical," Xander said. "He called me inconsequential, and I gotta say, I didn't do anything to prove him wrong."

"I've never heard of such a thing," Giles said. "But, you say it had the arm of a Polgara?"

"That's right," Riley said.

Giles stayed quiet, obviously in thought.

"What's on your mind, Jeeves?" Faith asked.

"I am hesitant. . . but I'm afraid it's all I can think of. You also said, did you not, that your scientists have dissected a Polgara recently, and we know the Initiative has access to certain. . . technology that is somewhat more advanced than is readily available."

"What are you trying to say?" Riley asked, a scowl crossing his face.

"We must consider the distinct possibility that the Initiative is behind this," Giles said.

"Now wait a minute," Riley said. "There's no evidence at all that we've been doing anything even remotely like this. I haven't seen any proof of it."

"But your people have been researching demonic biology and, as Spike has shown us, how technology can be integrated with it, even used to control it," Giles said.

"Yeah," said Riley, raising his voice a little, "but that doesn't mean that we're responsible."

"No," Giles said, a little agitated. "But it all does seem a little convenient, I mean-"

"You just want to think -"

"Yes, of course, because I always tend to jump-"

"Guys!" Faith yelled. "Calm down!"

Buffy stood and took Giles by the shoulder as Riley looked away.

"Now look," Faith said. "We need to keep our heads here. Riley, baby, we do have to consider that it might be the Initiative. No," she said, stopping him from protesting. "We know it's not you. And that you don't know about it. But come on, think about it rationally. A military installation with all this technology and scientists and stuff. We wouldn't be doing our jobs if we didn't at least look into it."

Riley sighed, then nodded.

"Yeah," Buffy said. "And Giles, we know you don't just jump to conclusions, but while we do have to check out the Initiative, we also have to consider that it could be something completely different. Something from outside of Sunnydale, even."

Giles nodded his head as well. "Yes. Of course," he said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."

"And I shouldn't have snapped at you," Riley said. "Sorry."

"Okay," Buffy said. "Well, now that we've had our share of bickering fun, let's -"

"No," Giles said. "I think we've done enough for tonight. Just. . . take Riley and Xander home, so they can rest, and we'll get a fresh start tomorrow."

Riley and Faith made their way out of the store, but Buffy and Xander stuck around for a minute.

"Are you okay, Giles?" Buffy asked as the older man tidied up a shelf, not looking at either of them.

"I'm fine," he said.

"That wasn't like you, Giles," Xander said. "You're not usually jump-to- conclusions guy."

"Yes," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Giles?" Buffy said, coming up behind him and resting her hand on his back. "Giles what's wrong?"

Giles sighed. "Willow, after she left, I went back into my office. She had left the coroner's report open. The girl, she. . . she looked like Jenny."

Buffy wrapped the older man in a hug.

"We all miss her, Giles," Xander said, walking over to them. "It's okay to show it."

Giles nodded, a couple of tears dampening his cheeks. "I just. . . it was a shock, that's all."

"We love you Giles," Buffy said. "And anytime you have, you know. . . thoughts or feelings or whatever, we're here for you. You know that, right?"

"Yes," Giles said. "Of course. Thank you. Both."

"Giles?" Xander said.

"Yes?"

"I know you like to be strong for us, to not. . . be affected by things. But the upper lip can be a little lax at times. Okay?"

Giles smiled at him, Xander gave him a final pat on the back, then left with Buffy.

* * * * *

Xander winced and inhaled sharply. Buffy shifted away from him.

"Sorry," Buffy said quietly. "I've just gotten used being close at night."

"I know," he said. "Me too. My wrist doesn't want to cooperate, though. Bad wrist! Bad!"

Buffy smiled softly at her boyfriend. "So how dangerous do you think this thing is?"

"Adam?" he asked. At Buffy's nod, he sighed. "I don't know. Dangerous. Very dangerous. I couldn't touch him. I didn't even come close to it. He was just incredibly strong and fast, like nothing I've seen before."

"Well," Buffy said, "we'll just have to all take him on together." She shifted very gently and carefully, so as not to disturb his wrist, until she was facing him. Xander stroked her hair with his good hand, and kissed her.

"I love you," he said.

Buffy smiled and snuggled closer to him. "I love you, too, baby," she said. "It was a bad day, huh?"

"I've had better, I'll have to admit."

"Well, then, here's what we're going to do," Buffy said. "Tomorrow, we're going to sleep in."

"You have class," Xander said.

"Hush," said Buffy. "Tomorrow, we're going to sleep in. When we wake up, whenever that is, we are going to have whatever meal is appropriate, fixed by your beautiful, loving girlfriend-"

"Don't forget sexy," Xander interrupted.

"Fixed by your beautiful, loving and sexy girlfriend," Buffy conceded. "Then we are going to take a trip, from which we are not going to return until tomorrow night."

"I'll bite," Xander said. "Where are we going to go?"

"That, Mr. Harris, is a secret."

Xander frowned. "A secret?" he asked. "Does that mean you're driving? Because I thought we were trying to reduce stress."

Buffy glared at him. "I'm going to let that go because you're injured and I'm a wonderful human being."

Xander smiled and kissed his girlfriend. "It'll be great, I'm sure."

"You'll love it," she said.

"If you're there, I'm sure I will."

Buffy curled up as close to him as she could get. "I always will be," she said.

* * * * *

"Hi guys!" Willow said as she walked into the Magic Box. "What's going on?"

"Not much, Red," Faith said as she stocked a shelf. "Oh, watch your step around the table, we may not have gotten all the blood up."

Willow frowned as she sat on the table. "How is Riley?" she asked.

"He's okay," Faith said. "Gettin' his leg checked out by the Initiative docs today."

"Xander said it looked really bad when he called this morning," Willow said. "Oh, and he was able to heal up his wrist some."

"That's good," Faith said. "If this thing's as tough as they say, we're probably gonna need everybody at full strength."

Willow nodded, swinging her legs back and forth. "Is Giles around?" she asked.

Faith shot a thumb at his office door.

"Thanks!" Willow said, hopping off the table and making her way back to Giles' office. She knocked on the door.

"Come in," Giles said.

Willow opened the door.

"Willow, how are you?" Giles asked as he pored over some spreadsheets.

"I'm just peachy," she said. "And how's our watcher-guy doing?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm um. . . a tad concerned, at this point, about what it appears might be going on here," he said.

"You mean the big demon/man/machine guy who ripped up Xander and Riley last night?"

"Um. . . yes. Also, I appear to be taking an loss on salamander eyes, and I can't seem to find out where it's coming from."

"Well. . . what do you buy them at?"

"Seven dollars a gallon."

"And you sell them for. . . "

"$4.99 per quart," Giles said. "It's a rather substantial profit margin, but for some reason I seem barely to be making any money off of them."

Willow grabbed the catalogue Giles was looking at, scanned the page, then leveled a disapproving glare at the older man.

"Giles," she said. "This is seven dollars a liter."

"Is it?" he asked, grabbing the catalogue back. "Oh. Oh my. Well, I shall have to readjust my pricing scales."

"Mmhmm," Willow said, satisfied.

"Was there something else?" Giles asked.

"Yup," Willow said. "Buffy and Xander aren't patrolling tonight. They're taking a day off and going to do something. You know, as a couple. Together. Alone."

"Hmm?" Giles said, still concentrating on crunching his numbers. "Yes, that sounds rather a good idea. Xander had a bit of a day yesterday."

"I heard," Willow said. "Didn't sound like Riley's was too great either."

"No. . . no I don't believe it was."

"Anyway, Buffy told me to tell you that you should get the Ikes to patrol tonight, just to see what they do."

Giles looked up confused. "The Ikes?"

"Yeah," Willow said, "Pike and Spike. She thought it might be nice if you talked them into taking a sweep tonight."

"Why must I be the one to ask them?"

"Well you're the big watcher guy, you make up the schedules and everything," Willow pointed out. "Mr. Responsibility, and all."

"Fine, fine," Giles said. "I'll see to it later. Where is it they went?"

"I don't know. Xander didn't know and Buffy wouldn't say. Somewhere romantic, probably."

"Yes," Giles said. "Yes, I would imagine so."

"Okay, well, I have class to go to in a little while, so I'm. . . gonna go do that. Bye Giles."

"Goodbye," Giles said. "Oh, Willow!"

"Yeah?" she asked, popping her head back in his office.

"Adam?"

"I started to look earlier, but got distracted. I found a spell I thought would help Amy, but it wasn't right. I'll get to Adam tonight."

Giles nodded and waved to the redhead.

----------

End Chapter 10

Additional note: If any of you like Pike in this fic (Not this part. . . he's not here, I just thought I should mention it) then thank Drake. He suggested it, some things I could do with Pike, and I took it and ran. So Thanks Drake!