Xander was walking down the sidewalk in a vain attempt to think the problem out //Okay... I have the whole I'm changing deal and all, but what the hell is with the Changes? Did Oz's hair color change when he first became a werewolf... not that he could tell with the multitude of different hair colors he's had... but did his eye color change? Did he get these urges to// his thought was cut off by the sound of an old car coming to the corner ahead.

Without a thought he stepped into an alley and waited for Giles's junk heap to move off before he leaned back against the wall.

"I am so totally fucked," he said before a cold laugh pulled him out of it. "Yeah well most people wait for us to show up before they say that, not that the sentiment ain't true mind ya," the figure said as three men stepped out of the shadows in the early morning.

Xander took in their appearance with an uneasy eye before he chuckled.

"I don't believe it, you dumb shits actually thought you could start a gang in Sunnydale?" he said as he took in the ragged jeans, white T-shirts, leather jackets and mismatched bandanas wrapped around each of there heads before his chuckle turned into snickers before a full laugh ripped its ways past his lips.

When he was done he looked back up at the enraged faces of the gang bangers as they finally got up enough courage to attack him

//Aah hell// he thought sullenly as the speaker's right cross connected with the side of his head. He'd been hit plenty of times before by Vampires, Demons and his dad, but for some reason this sent him over the edge.

As his head turned, so did the rest of his body and he quickly turned the hit into a spin that ended with a heavy backhand to the kids face. The kid stumbled and slammed into the second wannabe gangster that had rushed Xander and the two went sprawling into the garbage pile.

Out of his peripheral vision he saw the fist of the third kid swinging towards his head and, instead of ducking it, he angled his head to the blow so that it landed on the top instead of his jaw.

A cracking sound echoed as the kid screamed and collapsed holding his hand. Xander grabbed the side of his face and brought it into his knee, the screams of pain fell with the unconscious kid.

As he turned back to the other two he could not help laughing again as they struggled to exit the garbage pile and get at him.

As the speaker got up Xander stepped forward with a heavy uppercut that quickly sent him back into the trash where he lay with a groan. Turning to the last one standing he started to laugh again.

"You only have one option," he said nodding behind the kid to the open mouth of the alley.

"Come on kid... I can smell you're about to piss yourself so why don't you act smart for a change and just run? You can come back and help your friends to the hospital later," he said before laughing again as the kid tripped over himself as he ran out of the alley.

"God it feels good to be back," he said as he stepped over to the first unconscious kid and stripped him of his jacket before checking his pockets.

"Folding knife, some small bills and a bag of weed," he said with a chuckle before he threw the bag away and pocketed the rest. He then stepped over to the speaker and grabbed his lower jaw in a vice grip and gave it a slight jiggle,

As the pain in the kids jaw doubled and then tripled Xander saw the kid's eye open as he slapped his hand over the kid's mouth.

"Shhh... don't want too much commotion around here do we?" he said and smiled when the kid shook his head slightly.

"Good... okay kid I'm going to ask you do donate your jacket and any money you have to my Fund for... Psychological Damage and Emotional support," he said before he frowned at the kid's blank look. Tightening down on the kids jaw he tried again.

"I'm going to take all of your money and your jacket and leave you here as a warning that you're in the wrong line of work kid... get me?" he said and grinned as the kid slid his jacket off and pulled a roll of bills out of his pocket,

Finally letting go Xander picked the items up and smiled again.

"Remember kid, this life will get you hurt real quick... I suggest you find yourself a nice steady job and let other people be," he said before he pulled on the leather jacket and stepped out of the alley

//two jackets and some spending cash for three minutes worth of work, as well as the feeling I get for doing a good deed for the civic community. Ooh yeah... it's good to be back//