Authors notes: Hi there! I'm finally completely back. Went on a nice trip to Vienna with the rest of my class and was also a bit busy in the last time. After I've posted this part I'm going back to the long delayed work on Stolen Innocence. I just want to ask for a favour. Please, never mention Weekend Affairs ever again. If the amount of reviews are any indication, then it was probably the worst shit I've written so far. So please, just for the sake of my sanity. I just hope that the next part will be better than the last one.

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Xander silently entered his apartment. After a quick check of all his rooms he found not a living or unliving soul. Not even the sleeping bags of the SITs were there. Buffy had probably taken them back to her house after the disastrous attack.

He shrugged and went into the bedroom. He knew that he had not much time. Sooner or later they would probably check his place. And when this happened he wanted to be long gone.

He stripped off the security guards clothes and opened his dresser. He quickly grabbed at some of his less colourful clothes. A pair of black jeans, a black T-shirt and an equally black army jacket, completed by a pair of heavy combat boots. Finally he took a box from under his bed. Even if he didn't use it often he had a set of slaying gear for himself. Nothing special, just some basics. Taking a duffel bag he quickly stuffed as many weapons in it as possible. He knew that he probably didn't need all of these but it was best to be prepared.

When he was finished he took the bag and went into the living room. He just had one thing to do before he continued with his plan.

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Dawn Summers paced nervously through the kitchen. Buffy had phoned the house about half an hour ago, giving them a brief summary of what happened at the hospital.

To say that she was disturbed was the biggest underestimation. First a lot of SITs get either injured or killed, Xander loses an eye and now Xander's supposed to be working for the First.

Now the house was full of scared and terrified girls, that feared that they would probably die in the next few days.

Faith sat on one of the kitchen chairs and watched with a certain interest as the youngest Summer's girl walked up and down. She also was confused by the recent events, but she hid it better than Dawn. I fate could choose, she would go out there, find Xander and talk some sense into the blonde slayer's head. But she had ordered them to stay at the hose to protect the SITs. Their leader was currently on their way to the house, but since someone had slashed the tires of their car it took the slayer and the witch much longer.

Both were startled when the phone suddenly rang. Dawn immediately ran over to it and took the speaker in her hands

"Buffy, have you found him?" Dawn asked immediately, not waiting for the person on the other end of the line to respond.

"Hi Dawnie," came instead Xander's calm voice through the speaker.

"Xander," Dawn exclaimed shocked and waved at Faith. The dark slayer immediately walked up to her and Dawn held the speaker so both could listen."What the hell happened at the hospital?" Dawn asked finally "And why does Buffy have the insane idea that you are working for the First?"

Xander sighed before he answered."I don't know it myself," he said and took a second to gather his thoughts. "Look, all I know is that, when I woke up Buffy and Willow discussed how my wounds had miraculously healed. And somehow they thought that it something to do with the First. I took off there before they could go further than just talk about the whole thing."

"Xander," Dawn tried to reassure him. "Buffy wouldn't harm you, you know that."

"You sure Dawn?" Xander asked with a slight chuckle. "The way she is acting lately I'm not to sure about that. And don't forget that she practically allowed Spike to kill Principal Wood, if he tried anything fishy again. Staying there and hoping for Buffy to make once the right decision awfully sounded like a game of Russian Roulette to me."

"Maybe you're right," Dawn agreed and sighed on her own. "Where are you?"

"Oh please Dawn," Xander said amused "I'm not smart, but I'm not stupid. You are not either. I bet you can figure out where I am. There are not that many places I can go anymore."

"Your apartment," Dawn realised. "Look, you stay there and I talk to Buffy. There has to be something that can convince her. Maybe there is a spell that can prove that you're still you."

"Would do Dawnie," Xander exclaimed. "But if I have learned something over the years, then it's that you sister can be pretty stubborn about some things. And since Buffy thinks I work for the First I'm proving her that she's wrong."

"And how do you want to do that?" Dawn asked confused.

"You will see." Xander said with a chuckle. "Let's just say that I have some payback to do. Look, I have to go now. Oh, and tell Faith that eavesdropping is a cardinal sin."

And with these words the line went dead.

"How did he know I was there?" Faith asked when Dawn hung the speaker back on the cradle.

"No idea," Dawn admitted.

"So he is at his apartment," Spike concluded. Both Girls jumped, since they hadn't noticed the vampire.

"Spike don't do that," Dawn told him angrily.

"Yeah, I might take you out of reflex," Faith added, "Wouldn't be that a bad thing."

"Like you could," Spike told them with a snort and turned around.

"What are you doing," Dawn asked as he wandered into the living room, the girls following him.

"Following Buffy's orders," Spike said and opened Buffy's weapon box. He quickly examined the contents and took crossbow and a knife. "I'm bringing Droopy here, dead or alive," he explained.

"Wait a second. Buffy never said anything about going out and hunting him down. She just said that we should watch out if Xander appeared here. And what gives you the idea that Buffy is right about the whole thing?" Dawn asked him angrily.

"I don't care," Spike said and walked to the front door. "I'm just doing what's necessary."

"No, you're just doing what's necessary to get back into my sister's pants," Dawn accused him.

"Whatever," Spike said and left the house. Both girls stared after him a few seconds before he vanished into the darkness.

"Why do I get the impression that things have got even worse now?" Faith asked rhetorically.

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"Come on boys," Caleb called out and clapped his hands. The five Bringers that were still in the cellar of the vineyard looked shortly up at their leader but continued with their preparations. The rest of his forces were already finished with the packing and were upstairs ready to change their headquaters. "We have a tight schedule here," he said clapped one of his 'boys' on the back.

Further orders were however interrupted when he heard some noise from upstairs. At first he couldn't place it, but after a few seconds he recognised it as the sound of fighting. The noise went on for an moment before it quietened down.

"Go up there a look what's happening," he finally ordered one of his five Bringers and the hooded figure quickly walked up the stairs.

A few seconds later the noises appeared once again, but like before stopped down pretty quickly.

Caleb juts wanted to go up himself, when the body of the bringer was thrown down the stairs, a battle axe buried deep in the man's chest. A second later Xander followed the body, the duffel bag in his right hand.

"Ah, you are back again," Caleb told the Zeppo with a smile. "Nice to see you."

Xander reached the end of the stairs and faced the preacher and his remaining minions. He quickly dug in the bag and drew a wakizashi from the interior before he let the bag fall to the ground. "Would like to say the same about you but..," Xander said and motioned for his eye patch.

Caleb's smile grew even wider "So, why are you here?" he asked and motioned himself at his missing eye. "Want me to finish what I started?"

"No chance," Xander told him with sneer.

"Too bad," Caleb exclaimed and sighed "You would have made a very good Bringer," he said and waved with his hand. Instantly the four Bringer's around him advanced on Xander

"But it's not like I can't force you to become one," he finished with an evil smile.

Xander calmly waited until the bringers were only five meters away. Then he lifted the wakizashi and threw it with all his strength into his advancing enemies.

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"Okay," Buffy announced when she and Willow stormed through the front door. "Willow, you prepare a location spell. I want to know where Xander is," Buffy told her and looked at the group consisting of Dawn, Faith and some of the SITs. She however noted the absence of some of the members of their group.

"Where are Anya and Giles?" she finally asked. "And where's Spike?"

"Anya and Giles left shortly before you called," Faith explained. "They wanted to check out I they could find out something about Caleb. Spike left after Xander's phonecall."

"Xander's phonecall?" Buffy asked confused.

"Yeah, he called us shortly after your one," Dawn interjected. "He told us what happened."

"And you believe him," Buffy asked with disbelief. "For all we know he might be working for the First."

"At least his story made a lot more sense then the shit you've been feeding us," Dawn told her angrily. "Come on Buffy. Xander working for the First? This has be the most stupid idea I've ever heard."

Buffy looked open eyed at her sister. "You were not there Dawn," Buffy said when she suddenly found her speech again. "His eye healed completely. This couldn't have happened naturally."

"Easy there you two," Faith said and stepped between the two sisters. "You can continue this later. The important thing is what we do now."

"Nothing easier than that," Buffy declared. "We find Xander and find out if he is betraying us or not."

"Great idea," Dawn exclaimed. "If Spike doesn't kill him before we can do that."

"What?" Buffy asked shocked.

"The bleached wonder left earlier," Faith explained. "Went to Xander's apartment. Said something about getting him dead or alive."

"No," Buffy said and shook her head in disbelief. "Spike wouldn't do that."

"And why not?" Dawn asked. "There is nothing stopping him. It was your great idea to remove his chip."

"But he has a soul now," Buffy declared.

"Oh," Dawn exclaimed mock understanding. "That's making it better, huh? Well, newsflash sis, Xander also has a soul. And in his case I at least know that it is a good one."

But before Buffy could respond, Willow appeared the ingredients for the spell under her arm.

"Ah, guys," she exclaimed. "We could start now if you are ready."

Buffy glared for another second at her sister before she followed the redhead into the living room.

Faith just wanted to follow her, when Dawn grabbed her arm.

"You believe me, don't you?" she asked the dark slayer.

"I do kiddo," Faith responded. "Come on. Let's make sure that your sis doesn't react to impulsively when we find Xander."

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The now airborne weapon impaled itself with the head of the closest bringer, imbedding it's blade up to the hilt in the minion's skull. But the casualty didn't stop the remaining Bringers from attacking Xander.

The first one tried to stab Xander in the stomach, but he quickly sidestepped the attack and grabbed the bringer's wrist in a vice like grip. Surprised by the pain the Bringer let the weapon fall. Xander grabbed the falling knife in midair and rammed it into the minion's chest.

Xander instantly tossed the dead body into the direction of his next adversary. The weight of the corpse and it's momentum was enough to bring the man down. With this Bringer occupied in getting back up, Xander focused his whole attention to the other Bringer.

Xander ducked under the first swing and blocked the second one with his left arm, while he simultaneously stabbed the Bringer with the knife in his throat. The minion immediately clutched his wound, with the knife still in it.

While the bringer sank to the floor, the last one was finally able to free himself from the corpse and stand up. Xander didn't wait for him, he immediately kicked him in the stomach. The bringer again fell to the floor. But this time Xander didn't give him another chance. He quickly grabbed both sides of his head and twisted it hard, until he could hear his neck snap.

"I'm impressed," Caleb announced, his arms crossed behind his back. "Now I understand why she wanted you."

"You know that you're talking a lot of shit," Xander said and stood up, focusing his eye on the fallen preacher.

"No need to be rude," Caleb told him. "You know that you haven't won anything with this," he said and motioned for the bodies of the dead Bringers. "You just delayed the inevitable."

"Yeah. That might be the case. Let's see if we can do something to even the odds," Xander said and reached into his waistband. From there he took a gun, which was ironically the same gun Willow had bought to kill Kennedy. The same gun Andrew should have used to kill the SITs. And the same gun Buffy had given him to store it at a safe place.

Caleb stared first confused at the gun, but when he realised what it was he started to get nervous. "You think you can harm me with such a mortal weapon?" Caleb asked him, but Xander could hear the fear in his voice.

"I don't know," Xander told him with a evil grin and thumbed the hammer. "But I hope you don't mind if I try;" he said and thought about which body part he should aim at. Finally he got an idea, and connected the sight of the pistol with Caleb's left eye. "This is payback," he said and pressed the trigger, sending a single bullets right through Caleb's left eye and his head.

The body of the preacher instantly fell to the floor, joining the ones of his minion.

Xander slowly walked up to the corpse, retrieving his wakizashi on the way. He kneeled down beside the body and looked him into his left eye.

"You know what they say buddy," Xander told the dead preacher. "An eye for an eye," he said and thought another second. "Oh, here's another good one: It's always funny till someone loses and eye," Xander said but shook his head. "Man, what am I doing here. I sitting in a cellar, telling eye jokes to the guy that gouged my one out," he said to no one in particular and looked around.

"Now," he said. "How am I going to convince Buffy that I really killed this asshole?" he asked himself. He gain looked down at Caleb, then at his wakizashi and came quickly to a solution.