"Hey," Xander said when he popped into the crypt Spike and Pike shared.
"Oh, hey man," Pike slurred, putting out his cigarette and taking a swig from the Jack Daniel's bottle next to him. "What's up?"
"I'm taking Amy to her dad's place in LA, and dropping the spell book off at Angel's. Thought you might wanna catch up with Wesley?"
"Yeah, sure," Pike said. He hopped off the coffin he was using as a seat and fell flat on his face.
"You're not goin' anywhere," Spike said, climbing the ladder from the lower floor and walking over to Pike. "I swear, this little amulet of his spends more time working his liver and lungs than broken bones and lacerations."
Spike rolled Pike over with his foot, then picked him up and put him back on the coffin lid. "You're goin' to see the poof?"
"I'll stop by, yeah," Xander said, as he made his way out of the crypt. He paused and turned back. "Wait. Why?"
"Well," Spike said, "a chance to see the sire again. If it were to be offered, might not be passed up. So to speak."
Xander looked at him incredulously. "You actually want me to take you in my car for two hours there and two hours back? What are you, nuts? No way are you coming alone with me in my car."
Xander shook his head, then turned back to the door and started walking away. He paused again and turned back to Spike, pointed to Pike and grinned. "How quick can you sober him up?"
* * * * *
[No, Jim, I don't think that you're being unethical. And I mean come on, the samples do help out the families who can't really afford any meds.]
"Yeah, you're probably right." There was a knock at the door. "Look, Tom, I gotta go. Somebody's here. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
[Sure thing, Jim. Don't worry, it'll all work out.]
"Thanks," Jim said. He stood and went and opened the door. "Hello?" he asked the young man standing there. "Can I help you?"
"Um, yeah. My name is Xander Harris, I went to high school with your daughter."
"Amy?" Jim asked, suddenly interested. "Do you have any news? Have you heard anything from her?"
"Oh," Xander said, a little uncomfortably. "Yeah. Well, I don't really know how to say this, so I guess I'll just show you." Xander stepped to one side, revealing the young woman standing behind him. Mr. Madison's eyes shot wide open in shock.
"Surprise," Xander said.
* * * * *
"How did her father take it?" Cordelia asked when Xander showed up to return the spell book.
"Well, after we woke him back up," Xander said, "he was really happy. Ecstatic even. We told him Amy had been a rat for the last year, and we'd just recently been able to turn her back. I think he's planning on taking her on a shopping spree tomorrow."
"And he jus-wait, 'we' woke him up?" Cordelia asked.
"Oh, well, Pike came along," Xander said. "Ran into Wesley outside, so they're talking."
"Pike?" Cordelia asked.
"Oh, yeah, you know, the guy, uh. . . called here recently, ran into Wes on the road, demon hunter, old friend of Buffy's."
"Oh, fish guy. Okay. So, Amy's dad. The rat thing, he just accepted that?"
Xander shrugged. "He knew that Catherine - that's Amy's mom, his ex-wife - was a witch, and that Amy had picked up some of her tendencies. Plus, I mean, he lived in Sunnydale for how long?"
"Yeah," Cordelia said. "That place just -"
"GODDAMMIT!"
Cordelia jumped up at Angel's yell, ready to fight.
"Hold on," Xander said, placing a calming hand on her shoulder and throwing out a goofy grin. "I'm pretty sure this could be amusing, and possibly painful. For me."
The elevator from Angel's apartment below the office arrived at the main level, and an irate souled vampire flung the gate open.
"You," he said, growling at Xander. "This is all your fault."
"Hey," Xander said, holding up his index finger to make a point, "now, it wasn't even my idea. Don't go getting mad at me over this."
"Oh, I'm getting mad at you," Angel said.
"Wait, what's this all about?" Cordelia asked, stepping between the two of them.
"Him!" Angel yelled. "Him and his little games, is what this is."
"Oh come on! I was just having a little fun. Besides, I had to ride with him for two hours, and I've got another two on the way back."
"Who?" Cordelia demanded.
"Tell her," Angel snarled. "Tell her and see if she doesn't smack you."
Cordelia turned to Xander expectantly. Xander smirked. "Spike," he said.
* * * * *
"Are you sure you're okay to drive?" Xander asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Pike said. "This amulet thing? Does wonders. Takes more to make me drunk and less to get me sober. Don't worry about it."
"Well, that was a rollicking good time," Spike said. "When can we do it again?"
"Not anytime soon, that's for sure," said Xander.
The car hit a bump in the road, and Xander winced and inhaled sharply.
"Just keep the ice on your eye, man," Pike said. "The swelling will go down."
"Hey, how come you don't do that nifty healy-whatsit on yourself?" Spike asked.
"Well, I already heal faster anyway," Xander said. "And I don't wanna become reliant on that for every situation. I figure, the better I can deal with pain, pain that doesn't take me out of a fight, well. . . the better off I'll be. Plus, I kinda deserved this one. God, but who knew Cordy could hit that hard?"
"But it was *fun*," Spike said.
Xander chuckled. "Yeah," he said with a smile. "It was fun."
Pike started laughing in the driver's seat.
"What?" Xander asked.
"Oh man," Pike said. "Oh this is gonna get even better."
"What do you mean, mate?"
"Spike, you totally saw how mad Angel was, right?"
"Bit hard to miss, that."
"Right. Well, if you were Angel, and pissed like that, what would be the best revenge you could get on Xander?"
Spike thought for a moment, then started laughing as well. Xander took his time thinking of all the things Angel might do for revenge. It then occurred to him what the worst thing Angel could do would be, and the blood drained from his face. And Angel wasn't above it, Xander knew. Oh, no. That was right up his alley.
* * * * *
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Buffy yelled. "Just exactly how immature can you be?"
Xander's mouth was open, but no explanation was forthcoming. The Magic Box was mostly quiet. The only sounds were Buffy pacing back and forth, and the stifled laughter of every other person in the shop.
"I cannot believe you," Buffy said. "I thought you were a bigger man than this."
"I am," Xander said. "No, I mean, it's not that big a deal. It was just some harmless fun. Besides, Cordy got me back. I mean she gave me this shiner. . . "
"Which has so conveniently disappeared from your face," Buffy said, glaring at her boyfriend. "And anyway, I thought you hated Spike."
"I do!" Xander said.
"Too bloody right."
"Shut up!" yelled both Slayer and White Knight.
"I do hate Spike," Xander said. "But, I'm not exactly a fan of Angel, either. And, well, while Spike may not be the *lesser* of two evils. . . you gotta admit, the guy's a lot funnier."
"I don't have to admit anything. I thought you were over this. I thought you were beyond this petty jealousy."
"I am!" Xander insisted. "This had nothing to do with that! I was just. . . I. . . " Xander withered under Buffy's glare.
"That's what I thought," she said. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
Xander wracked his brain for something, anything that would get him out of this jam. Something that would take Buffy's anger away from him. He looked around the room for any assistance, and saw none was forthcoming. Pike had been drunk at the time, and Spike. . . well, that just wasn't going to happen. Willow would have helped him if she could, but she just didn't have anything she could do. And Riley and Faith were enjoying seeing him squirm. In a desperate attempt for salvation, he looked to Giles. And it clicked. The one thing that would turn Buffy's attention away from him.
"I think Giles is dating your mom!" he blurted. Heads around the Magic Box whipped towards the shopkeeper, who was suddenly quite the deer in the headlights. Buffy stopped pacing mid-stride and looked in shock at the elder man.
Yeah. That had done it.
* * * * *
Giles pinched the bridge of his nose before replacing his glasses and leaning back on the couch in the living room of the Summers home with a sigh.
"Sorry," Xander whispered. "I panicked."
"No, no, it's quite all right," Giles whispered back. "It was time that Joyce and I discussed the matter with Buffy. Although, I had wished to reveal it in somewhat of a less. . . disruptive fashion."
"Yeah," Xander said. "Sorry about that. Guess I screwed up today."
"Oh, yes, I should say so," Giles said. "But she'll forgive you."
"Oh, I know," Xander said. "I just. . . well. Stupid things for stupid reasons."
"Yes," Giles said. "Although, for what it's worth, I probably would have made the same decision."
Xander smirked and leaned back on the couch. "It's gotten quiet upstairs," he said. "What do you suppose that means?"
"A few possibilities," Giles said. "As they are both Summers women, it is entirely possible they have killed each other. Alternately, they could have come to some sort of understanding, and are now discussing various aspects of what Buffy should do to punish you."
Xander blinked.
"Or maybe they're just talking," Giles said, with a slight smirk.
A creak on the stairs caused them both to turn their heads, and they saw Dawn creeping down the stairs in her pajamas.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Xander asked, quietly.
"Well," said the girl, "I kind of still owe you for getting you arrested, and I thought you could use a status report on what's going on upstairs."
"That's very thoughtful of you, Dawn," Giles said, smiling at the girl.
Dawn grinned. "Okay, here's what I've got. They talked about Mom's new boyfriend," she said, smiling at Giles, "and Buffy yelled a lot."
"We heard that part," Xander said.
"What you didn't hear was the part where she kept whispering between her yells that she was really happy for Mom, and for you, Giles. That she hopes you guys are great together, and she wants you two to be happy, and she couldn't think of anybody she'd trust Mom with more than you."
Giles' eyes were wide with shock at the revelation of Buffy's level of trust in him, and Xander clapped him on the back with a smile.
"And Xander, what you didn't hear between Mom's yells at Buffy were her advising Buffy not to hold this whole thing with Spike and Angel against you. Mom said that yeah, it was immature, but you're nineteen going on thirty-seven, and probably just needed to blow off some steam once in a while. And Buffy admitted that it was actually pretty funny."
Xander had the look of a man who'd just been granted a stay of execution.
"But, you guys have to act like you don't know any of this, otherwise Buffy's going to have to really be mad. Okay?" Dawn said.
"All over it," Xander said with a smile.
"Okay, I'm going back up to bed then," Dawn said. She turned and headed for the stairs.
"Hey, Dawn," Xander whispered. The girl turned to see Xander toss her a goofy grin. "Thanks."
Dawn blushed and headed back up to her room.
Xander turned to Giles. "Well?"
"Still not safe," Giles said. "We sit and wait for whatever we get."
Five minutes of muted whispering later, Buffy trudged down the stairs and fixed both men with glares. "Okay," she said, turning to Giles. "You. My mom seems. . . she seems happy. So, ground rules. No talking to me about anything, except possibly ideas for restaurants and gifts. Anything else and I give you a concussion. And you've already had a lot of those."
"I am aware," Giles said.
"Then you can go," Buffy said.
Giles stood and walked to the door.
"Giles?" Buffy said. Giles stopped and looked at her. "Go upstairs and say goodnight. Mom isn't the only one I want to be happy in this. And there is no man I would trust more to do right by her, or by anybody I love. Okay?"
Giles opened his mouth, then closed it again and smiled. "Thank you, Buffy," he said, before slowly making up the stairs.
Buffy then turned to Xander. "You," she said.
"Moi?" he asked innocently.
Buffy couldn't stop herself from smiling, and sat down next to Xander, folded her feet up underneath her and leaned into his shoulder. "Seriously, Xan, you can't just-"
"I know, baby," he said, wrapping his arm around her. "I just. . . I mean, it was funny. That's all. I really wasn't trying to be mean. Much."
"What *were* you thinking?" she asked as she snuggled into his chest.
"Well," Xander said. "I was just in a really good mood. Faith woke up, Amy found her dad, we fought Adam and didn't die horribly or get mutilated or anything, and I'm pretty well in love with this great girl, who I just happen to be lucky enough to go to sleep next to every night."
"Yeah, but. . . four hours with Spike?"
"That's why I forced him to sober Pike up before we left."
"Pike was drunk?"
"Pike was completely sloshed. That little amulet of his does some good work, he was pretty gone. And trust me, I know from drunks." Xander waved to Giles as the older man took his leave of the house.
Buffy sighed contentedly.
"How did Faith wake up, anyway?" Xander asked.
"I don't know," Buffy said. "You guys showed up like three minutes after they did. We never got into it."
"It was so weird," Xander said. "Giles said Riley came back from the Initiative with no news, went up to see Faith, came back down and like three minutes later she's awake. And I saw his face, he had no idea what happened."
"Guess we'll find out tomorrow," Buffy said.
"Buffy?" Joyce called from the top of the stairs.
"Yeah, Mom?" she asked.
"I'm going to sleep now. Lock the door on your way out?"
"Okay. Goodnight, Mom."
"Night, Buffy. Goodnight Xander."
"Goodnight Joyce," Xander said.
Buffy looked up at Xander oddly. "Since when did my mom become Joyce?"
"I think around the same time I got booked for driving your sister to school."
Buffy sighed. "She does have a crush on you."
Xander laughed. "I think I figured that much out," he said. "It'll pass. She'll find some guy her own age to swoon over. Or, hey, maybe Pike-"
"Don't even think about finishing that sentence," Buffy warned. "Besides, he's probably got enough on his record."
Xander kissed the top of Buffy's head. "You wanna head home?" he asked.
Buffy grunted a little. "Already there," she said.
"I meant our apartment," said Xander.
Buffy looked up at Xander, kissed him tenderly on his lips, and whispered into his ear, "I meant with you."
Xander grinned, then slid his arms underneath his girlfriend and lifted her into the air.
"Come on," he said, as Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck.
Xander carried her out to the car before letting her down. Xander held the door of his car open for her until she slid into the passenger seat. "Hey Buff?" he said.
She turned and looked at him. He smiled. "I love you, too."
* * * * *
"So, how *did* you wake me up?" Faith asked Riley later that night in bed.
Riley chuckled. "Oddly enough, by listening to Spike. I think."
"What do you mean?" Faith asked.
"He called me 'Prince Charming,'" Riley said. "Granted, he was mocking me at the time, but he still did. Combine that with the fact that Xander's ex had a vision telling me to 'follow the vampire' and that you woke up about a minute and a half after I kissed you. . . " Riley shrugged. "I'm guessing that's pretty much what it is. Either that or the effects just wore off on some cool timing."
"Spike, huh?" Faith said.
"Trust me, I'm not exactly ecstatic about needing his help," Riley said. "But, I got you back, so it's okay."
"I wasn't worried," Faith said.
"You were asleep," Riley pointed out.
"Yeah, okay, good point. But if I had been awake, I hadn't been, I wouldn't have been worried."
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Hey," she said, "you've never let me down."
"I plan to continue that streak," he said with a smile.
Faith looked at him seriously. "It means a lot to me, babe. There haven't been many people who I can say that about. I haven't been. . . well, even before the slayer stuff, my life wasn't exactly easy. But you've been there for me. You make me feel better about me, and about my life. I love you, Ri. And more than that, I trust you. Completely."
Riley was all but speechless. "Faith. . . I. . . "
Faith silenced him with a passion-filled kiss. When she finally pulled away, she squeezed herself as close to him as was humanly possible. "Just promise me you're not going to leave."
"I promise," Riley said, taking her in his arms. "I will never leave you."
* * * * *
"All right," Giles said the next day. "Adam is quite obviously out to get Faith. I want reasons."
"He thinks I'm hot?" Faith asked.
"Ah yes, of course. Frankenstein monsters are quite often known for their fondness of attractive women."
"And by fondness," Buffy said, "Giles means they want to kill them."
"That sounds about right," Xander said. "Some guy put together from parts wants to kill a hot girl so he can be with her forev. . . does this remind anybody of Junior year? With the guy who raised his brother, where they tried to take Cordy's head?"
"Little different, sweetie," Buffy said. "Adam just wants to kill Faith, not mate with her for life. Um. So far as I know."
"Is anybody else right now really disturbed by the fact that he captured her but didn't kill her?" Willow asked. Everybody took a moment to think of Adam trying to mate with Faith. A shudder worked its way across the room.
"Okay," Riley said, newly energized by the really disturbing picture in his head, "so how do we find this bastard?"
"I suppose," said Giles, "that the best thing to do would be re-inspect the area where you found Faith for any clues. We know which way he went, perhaps you might be able to find something there."
"I'll take that," Riley said.
"We'll help him," said Pike, volunteering himself and Spike.
"What?" Spike asked. "What the bloody hell do we wanna do that for?"
"Because you're the best hunters we have," Riley said. "We're used to patrolling. You guys track prey. It's a whole different mindset, and it should be useful for finding Adam."
"He'll just kick our asses again," Spike said.
"And that is why you're just tracking, not engaging," said Giles.
"And why we'll be looking for spells that might be of some use," Willow said. "There has to be something that can take him down."
"Yes, there does," Giles said. "Xander, Faith, talk to Willy again. I know he didn't know anything last time, but you never know what he might come up with. After that, a quick sweep?"
"Got it," Faith said.
"What about me?" Buffy asked. "You're not babying me because you're dating my mom, are you?"
"No, Buffy, nothing of the sort," Giles said. "I merely wish for you to -"
The door jingled, and Giles turned to see the entrant.
"Oh," he said, surprised. "Hello."
"Hey."
Pike, Spike and Tara owned the only heads that did not immediately turn at the voice. Willow slid her chair back from the table, then slowly stood and walked over to where she could see the front of the store.
"Oz?"
----------
End Chapter 19
"Oh, hey man," Pike slurred, putting out his cigarette and taking a swig from the Jack Daniel's bottle next to him. "What's up?"
"I'm taking Amy to her dad's place in LA, and dropping the spell book off at Angel's. Thought you might wanna catch up with Wesley?"
"Yeah, sure," Pike said. He hopped off the coffin he was using as a seat and fell flat on his face.
"You're not goin' anywhere," Spike said, climbing the ladder from the lower floor and walking over to Pike. "I swear, this little amulet of his spends more time working his liver and lungs than broken bones and lacerations."
Spike rolled Pike over with his foot, then picked him up and put him back on the coffin lid. "You're goin' to see the poof?"
"I'll stop by, yeah," Xander said, as he made his way out of the crypt. He paused and turned back. "Wait. Why?"
"Well," Spike said, "a chance to see the sire again. If it were to be offered, might not be passed up. So to speak."
Xander looked at him incredulously. "You actually want me to take you in my car for two hours there and two hours back? What are you, nuts? No way are you coming alone with me in my car."
Xander shook his head, then turned back to the door and started walking away. He paused again and turned back to Spike, pointed to Pike and grinned. "How quick can you sober him up?"
* * * * *
[No, Jim, I don't think that you're being unethical. And I mean come on, the samples do help out the families who can't really afford any meds.]
"Yeah, you're probably right." There was a knock at the door. "Look, Tom, I gotta go. Somebody's here. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
[Sure thing, Jim. Don't worry, it'll all work out.]
"Thanks," Jim said. He stood and went and opened the door. "Hello?" he asked the young man standing there. "Can I help you?"
"Um, yeah. My name is Xander Harris, I went to high school with your daughter."
"Amy?" Jim asked, suddenly interested. "Do you have any news? Have you heard anything from her?"
"Oh," Xander said, a little uncomfortably. "Yeah. Well, I don't really know how to say this, so I guess I'll just show you." Xander stepped to one side, revealing the young woman standing behind him. Mr. Madison's eyes shot wide open in shock.
"Surprise," Xander said.
* * * * *
"How did her father take it?" Cordelia asked when Xander showed up to return the spell book.
"Well, after we woke him back up," Xander said, "he was really happy. Ecstatic even. We told him Amy had been a rat for the last year, and we'd just recently been able to turn her back. I think he's planning on taking her on a shopping spree tomorrow."
"And he jus-wait, 'we' woke him up?" Cordelia asked.
"Oh, well, Pike came along," Xander said. "Ran into Wesley outside, so they're talking."
"Pike?" Cordelia asked.
"Oh, yeah, you know, the guy, uh. . . called here recently, ran into Wes on the road, demon hunter, old friend of Buffy's."
"Oh, fish guy. Okay. So, Amy's dad. The rat thing, he just accepted that?"
Xander shrugged. "He knew that Catherine - that's Amy's mom, his ex-wife - was a witch, and that Amy had picked up some of her tendencies. Plus, I mean, he lived in Sunnydale for how long?"
"Yeah," Cordelia said. "That place just -"
"GODDAMMIT!"
Cordelia jumped up at Angel's yell, ready to fight.
"Hold on," Xander said, placing a calming hand on her shoulder and throwing out a goofy grin. "I'm pretty sure this could be amusing, and possibly painful. For me."
The elevator from Angel's apartment below the office arrived at the main level, and an irate souled vampire flung the gate open.
"You," he said, growling at Xander. "This is all your fault."
"Hey," Xander said, holding up his index finger to make a point, "now, it wasn't even my idea. Don't go getting mad at me over this."
"Oh, I'm getting mad at you," Angel said.
"Wait, what's this all about?" Cordelia asked, stepping between the two of them.
"Him!" Angel yelled. "Him and his little games, is what this is."
"Oh come on! I was just having a little fun. Besides, I had to ride with him for two hours, and I've got another two on the way back."
"Who?" Cordelia demanded.
"Tell her," Angel snarled. "Tell her and see if she doesn't smack you."
Cordelia turned to Xander expectantly. Xander smirked. "Spike," he said.
* * * * *
"Are you sure you're okay to drive?" Xander asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Pike said. "This amulet thing? Does wonders. Takes more to make me drunk and less to get me sober. Don't worry about it."
"Well, that was a rollicking good time," Spike said. "When can we do it again?"
"Not anytime soon, that's for sure," said Xander.
The car hit a bump in the road, and Xander winced and inhaled sharply.
"Just keep the ice on your eye, man," Pike said. "The swelling will go down."
"Hey, how come you don't do that nifty healy-whatsit on yourself?" Spike asked.
"Well, I already heal faster anyway," Xander said. "And I don't wanna become reliant on that for every situation. I figure, the better I can deal with pain, pain that doesn't take me out of a fight, well. . . the better off I'll be. Plus, I kinda deserved this one. God, but who knew Cordy could hit that hard?"
"But it was *fun*," Spike said.
Xander chuckled. "Yeah," he said with a smile. "It was fun."
Pike started laughing in the driver's seat.
"What?" Xander asked.
"Oh man," Pike said. "Oh this is gonna get even better."
"What do you mean, mate?"
"Spike, you totally saw how mad Angel was, right?"
"Bit hard to miss, that."
"Right. Well, if you were Angel, and pissed like that, what would be the best revenge you could get on Xander?"
Spike thought for a moment, then started laughing as well. Xander took his time thinking of all the things Angel might do for revenge. It then occurred to him what the worst thing Angel could do would be, and the blood drained from his face. And Angel wasn't above it, Xander knew. Oh, no. That was right up his alley.
* * * * *
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Buffy yelled. "Just exactly how immature can you be?"
Xander's mouth was open, but no explanation was forthcoming. The Magic Box was mostly quiet. The only sounds were Buffy pacing back and forth, and the stifled laughter of every other person in the shop.
"I cannot believe you," Buffy said. "I thought you were a bigger man than this."
"I am," Xander said. "No, I mean, it's not that big a deal. It was just some harmless fun. Besides, Cordy got me back. I mean she gave me this shiner. . . "
"Which has so conveniently disappeared from your face," Buffy said, glaring at her boyfriend. "And anyway, I thought you hated Spike."
"I do!" Xander said.
"Too bloody right."
"Shut up!" yelled both Slayer and White Knight.
"I do hate Spike," Xander said. "But, I'm not exactly a fan of Angel, either. And, well, while Spike may not be the *lesser* of two evils. . . you gotta admit, the guy's a lot funnier."
"I don't have to admit anything. I thought you were over this. I thought you were beyond this petty jealousy."
"I am!" Xander insisted. "This had nothing to do with that! I was just. . . I. . . " Xander withered under Buffy's glare.
"That's what I thought," she said. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
Xander wracked his brain for something, anything that would get him out of this jam. Something that would take Buffy's anger away from him. He looked around the room for any assistance, and saw none was forthcoming. Pike had been drunk at the time, and Spike. . . well, that just wasn't going to happen. Willow would have helped him if she could, but she just didn't have anything she could do. And Riley and Faith were enjoying seeing him squirm. In a desperate attempt for salvation, he looked to Giles. And it clicked. The one thing that would turn Buffy's attention away from him.
"I think Giles is dating your mom!" he blurted. Heads around the Magic Box whipped towards the shopkeeper, who was suddenly quite the deer in the headlights. Buffy stopped pacing mid-stride and looked in shock at the elder man.
Yeah. That had done it.
* * * * *
Giles pinched the bridge of his nose before replacing his glasses and leaning back on the couch in the living room of the Summers home with a sigh.
"Sorry," Xander whispered. "I panicked."
"No, no, it's quite all right," Giles whispered back. "It was time that Joyce and I discussed the matter with Buffy. Although, I had wished to reveal it in somewhat of a less. . . disruptive fashion."
"Yeah," Xander said. "Sorry about that. Guess I screwed up today."
"Oh, yes, I should say so," Giles said. "But she'll forgive you."
"Oh, I know," Xander said. "I just. . . well. Stupid things for stupid reasons."
"Yes," Giles said. "Although, for what it's worth, I probably would have made the same decision."
Xander smirked and leaned back on the couch. "It's gotten quiet upstairs," he said. "What do you suppose that means?"
"A few possibilities," Giles said. "As they are both Summers women, it is entirely possible they have killed each other. Alternately, they could have come to some sort of understanding, and are now discussing various aspects of what Buffy should do to punish you."
Xander blinked.
"Or maybe they're just talking," Giles said, with a slight smirk.
A creak on the stairs caused them both to turn their heads, and they saw Dawn creeping down the stairs in her pajamas.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Xander asked, quietly.
"Well," said the girl, "I kind of still owe you for getting you arrested, and I thought you could use a status report on what's going on upstairs."
"That's very thoughtful of you, Dawn," Giles said, smiling at the girl.
Dawn grinned. "Okay, here's what I've got. They talked about Mom's new boyfriend," she said, smiling at Giles, "and Buffy yelled a lot."
"We heard that part," Xander said.
"What you didn't hear was the part where she kept whispering between her yells that she was really happy for Mom, and for you, Giles. That she hopes you guys are great together, and she wants you two to be happy, and she couldn't think of anybody she'd trust Mom with more than you."
Giles' eyes were wide with shock at the revelation of Buffy's level of trust in him, and Xander clapped him on the back with a smile.
"And Xander, what you didn't hear between Mom's yells at Buffy were her advising Buffy not to hold this whole thing with Spike and Angel against you. Mom said that yeah, it was immature, but you're nineteen going on thirty-seven, and probably just needed to blow off some steam once in a while. And Buffy admitted that it was actually pretty funny."
Xander had the look of a man who'd just been granted a stay of execution.
"But, you guys have to act like you don't know any of this, otherwise Buffy's going to have to really be mad. Okay?" Dawn said.
"All over it," Xander said with a smile.
"Okay, I'm going back up to bed then," Dawn said. She turned and headed for the stairs.
"Hey, Dawn," Xander whispered. The girl turned to see Xander toss her a goofy grin. "Thanks."
Dawn blushed and headed back up to her room.
Xander turned to Giles. "Well?"
"Still not safe," Giles said. "We sit and wait for whatever we get."
Five minutes of muted whispering later, Buffy trudged down the stairs and fixed both men with glares. "Okay," she said, turning to Giles. "You. My mom seems. . . she seems happy. So, ground rules. No talking to me about anything, except possibly ideas for restaurants and gifts. Anything else and I give you a concussion. And you've already had a lot of those."
"I am aware," Giles said.
"Then you can go," Buffy said.
Giles stood and walked to the door.
"Giles?" Buffy said. Giles stopped and looked at her. "Go upstairs and say goodnight. Mom isn't the only one I want to be happy in this. And there is no man I would trust more to do right by her, or by anybody I love. Okay?"
Giles opened his mouth, then closed it again and smiled. "Thank you, Buffy," he said, before slowly making up the stairs.
Buffy then turned to Xander. "You," she said.
"Moi?" he asked innocently.
Buffy couldn't stop herself from smiling, and sat down next to Xander, folded her feet up underneath her and leaned into his shoulder. "Seriously, Xan, you can't just-"
"I know, baby," he said, wrapping his arm around her. "I just. . . I mean, it was funny. That's all. I really wasn't trying to be mean. Much."
"What *were* you thinking?" she asked as she snuggled into his chest.
"Well," Xander said. "I was just in a really good mood. Faith woke up, Amy found her dad, we fought Adam and didn't die horribly or get mutilated or anything, and I'm pretty well in love with this great girl, who I just happen to be lucky enough to go to sleep next to every night."
"Yeah, but. . . four hours with Spike?"
"That's why I forced him to sober Pike up before we left."
"Pike was drunk?"
"Pike was completely sloshed. That little amulet of his does some good work, he was pretty gone. And trust me, I know from drunks." Xander waved to Giles as the older man took his leave of the house.
Buffy sighed contentedly.
"How did Faith wake up, anyway?" Xander asked.
"I don't know," Buffy said. "You guys showed up like three minutes after they did. We never got into it."
"It was so weird," Xander said. "Giles said Riley came back from the Initiative with no news, went up to see Faith, came back down and like three minutes later she's awake. And I saw his face, he had no idea what happened."
"Guess we'll find out tomorrow," Buffy said.
"Buffy?" Joyce called from the top of the stairs.
"Yeah, Mom?" she asked.
"I'm going to sleep now. Lock the door on your way out?"
"Okay. Goodnight, Mom."
"Night, Buffy. Goodnight Xander."
"Goodnight Joyce," Xander said.
Buffy looked up at Xander oddly. "Since when did my mom become Joyce?"
"I think around the same time I got booked for driving your sister to school."
Buffy sighed. "She does have a crush on you."
Xander laughed. "I think I figured that much out," he said. "It'll pass. She'll find some guy her own age to swoon over. Or, hey, maybe Pike-"
"Don't even think about finishing that sentence," Buffy warned. "Besides, he's probably got enough on his record."
Xander kissed the top of Buffy's head. "You wanna head home?" he asked.
Buffy grunted a little. "Already there," she said.
"I meant our apartment," said Xander.
Buffy looked up at Xander, kissed him tenderly on his lips, and whispered into his ear, "I meant with you."
Xander grinned, then slid his arms underneath his girlfriend and lifted her into the air.
"Come on," he said, as Buffy wrapped her arms around his neck.
Xander carried her out to the car before letting her down. Xander held the door of his car open for her until she slid into the passenger seat. "Hey Buff?" he said.
She turned and looked at him. He smiled. "I love you, too."
* * * * *
"So, how *did* you wake me up?" Faith asked Riley later that night in bed.
Riley chuckled. "Oddly enough, by listening to Spike. I think."
"What do you mean?" Faith asked.
"He called me 'Prince Charming,'" Riley said. "Granted, he was mocking me at the time, but he still did. Combine that with the fact that Xander's ex had a vision telling me to 'follow the vampire' and that you woke up about a minute and a half after I kissed you. . . " Riley shrugged. "I'm guessing that's pretty much what it is. Either that or the effects just wore off on some cool timing."
"Spike, huh?" Faith said.
"Trust me, I'm not exactly ecstatic about needing his help," Riley said. "But, I got you back, so it's okay."
"I wasn't worried," Faith said.
"You were asleep," Riley pointed out.
"Yeah, okay, good point. But if I had been awake, I hadn't been, I wouldn't have been worried."
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Hey," she said, "you've never let me down."
"I plan to continue that streak," he said with a smile.
Faith looked at him seriously. "It means a lot to me, babe. There haven't been many people who I can say that about. I haven't been. . . well, even before the slayer stuff, my life wasn't exactly easy. But you've been there for me. You make me feel better about me, and about my life. I love you, Ri. And more than that, I trust you. Completely."
Riley was all but speechless. "Faith. . . I. . . "
Faith silenced him with a passion-filled kiss. When she finally pulled away, she squeezed herself as close to him as was humanly possible. "Just promise me you're not going to leave."
"I promise," Riley said, taking her in his arms. "I will never leave you."
* * * * *
"All right," Giles said the next day. "Adam is quite obviously out to get Faith. I want reasons."
"He thinks I'm hot?" Faith asked.
"Ah yes, of course. Frankenstein monsters are quite often known for their fondness of attractive women."
"And by fondness," Buffy said, "Giles means they want to kill them."
"That sounds about right," Xander said. "Some guy put together from parts wants to kill a hot girl so he can be with her forev. . . does this remind anybody of Junior year? With the guy who raised his brother, where they tried to take Cordy's head?"
"Little different, sweetie," Buffy said. "Adam just wants to kill Faith, not mate with her for life. Um. So far as I know."
"Is anybody else right now really disturbed by the fact that he captured her but didn't kill her?" Willow asked. Everybody took a moment to think of Adam trying to mate with Faith. A shudder worked its way across the room.
"Okay," Riley said, newly energized by the really disturbing picture in his head, "so how do we find this bastard?"
"I suppose," said Giles, "that the best thing to do would be re-inspect the area where you found Faith for any clues. We know which way he went, perhaps you might be able to find something there."
"I'll take that," Riley said.
"We'll help him," said Pike, volunteering himself and Spike.
"What?" Spike asked. "What the bloody hell do we wanna do that for?"
"Because you're the best hunters we have," Riley said. "We're used to patrolling. You guys track prey. It's a whole different mindset, and it should be useful for finding Adam."
"He'll just kick our asses again," Spike said.
"And that is why you're just tracking, not engaging," said Giles.
"And why we'll be looking for spells that might be of some use," Willow said. "There has to be something that can take him down."
"Yes, there does," Giles said. "Xander, Faith, talk to Willy again. I know he didn't know anything last time, but you never know what he might come up with. After that, a quick sweep?"
"Got it," Faith said.
"What about me?" Buffy asked. "You're not babying me because you're dating my mom, are you?"
"No, Buffy, nothing of the sort," Giles said. "I merely wish for you to -"
The door jingled, and Giles turned to see the entrant.
"Oh," he said, surprised. "Hello."
"Hey."
Pike, Spike and Tara owned the only heads that did not immediately turn at the voice. Willow slid her chair back from the table, then slowly stood and walked over to where she could see the front of the store.
"Oz?"
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End Chapter 19
