Up Over Everything

by Brooke1

*NEW PART*(B/X)Can Buffy, Xander and Willow put aside their personal issues to fight an evil that will strike very close to home? Sequel to Before the Fall of Rome *R&R*

4. Up Over Everything 1d

Title: Up Over Everything (1d/?)

Author: Brooke

Email: yabbadabbadome13@yahoo.com

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I wished I owned the two Xanders' from "The Replacement" though. Buffy and friends are owned by Joss, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, The UPN and whoever else has rights to the show.

Summary: Part 2 in my "Romeverse". Can the Buffy, Xander and Willow put personal issues aside to fight and survive against a growing evil – one that can strike too close to home?

Distribution: I don't know why anybody would want this, but if somebody does…sure.

Feedback: Definitely!! Tell me if it sucked or if you liked it. Whatever. Just write back!

Authors Note: Takes place in an AU season 1 where Buffy and Xander are best friends and Willow is the new girl as Sunnydale High. It is the beginning of their sophomore year and, as 15 and 16 year olds, hormones and feelings are taking center stage.

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Despite her husband's assurances to the contrary Sue Duncan felt fat. She had been extremely athletic all through her life, and when she became pregnant that had changed. Sue had and still did consider her little boy a blessing, but she knew that after four months of squeezing her baby fat into pair after pair of khakis while her leather pants hung idle, it was time to get back on her game.

Her husband Jared had been less than enthusiastic about her decisions to resume her nightly runs through the park at first, but eventually he had given in – even buying her a joggers stroller to push their baby in while she worked out just last week. She was bent on looking good in her spandex again, nothing would stop her.

Sue breathed in the cool dusk air and felt her pony tail bouncing from side to side, sweeping over her ears while she concentrated on the steady beat of her heart and the breaths she was taking. She had left her walkman at home in favor of being able to hear her son cry if that were to occur, but so far he seemed to be taking after his mother in his love of the out doors.

She gripped the handle bars of the stroller and turned a corner in the path, her eyes focused ahead and her brow furrowed at what she saw. Sue slowed her pace further when she recognized the object on the ground to be a foot protruding form underneath a nearby shrub and she headed curiously towards it, knowing deep down that something wasn't right.

She peered around the bush and gasped – stopping three bodies huddled in mass on the ground, and she reached into one of the utility pockets on the stroller for her cell phone. A low growl distracted her from her action, however, and she turned with frightened eyes to find herself being glared at by one of the teenaged boys as he had hopped up on his hunches and faced her with hooded eyes.

Sue let out a shaky breath and withdrew the stroller quickly while the other two kids hopped to defense as the first had done, all three growling and crawling towards her. She panicked as she backed up, almost tripping over her own feet in her retreat and her eyes fastened on their faces. Wild eyes, drool spilling from all their mouths and she turned and ran – not jogged, ran away as fast as she could.

Kyle watched the woman flee, the scent of her fear lingering in the sir behind her and moved back to his former position behind the bush, Rhonda soon joining him and laying her head against the back of his thigh. He kept his eyes open and watched Tor's fascination with the woman while he growled at fading footsteps as she disappeared into the distance before he crawled back behind the bush and collapsed in a heap at Rhonda's feet.

~*~*~

Xander's head throbbed and he knew that he was waking up. The intense throbbing pain told him the consciousness was right around the corner. He vaguely remembered being in the faculty room with Buffy.

Buffy That was his first thought when he opened his eyes and lifted his head a little bit. He'd teach that bitch to fuck with him. He'd tried to give her an option – fought his urges tooth and nail to win her over. Hell, she was already his, why should she have a problem with it…but she had rejected him repeatedly…had beat him unconscious and refused to be claimed. Xander's mind burned with anger and he winced while trying to set himself to sit up. He was going find her and take what he wanted – no more options, no more games.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked at his new surroundings. A cage. Buffy locked me up. Xander ran his hand through his hair and looked at the library through the meshed bars of Giles' book return cage to the darkened expanse of the library. The sun had set, not too long ago he seemed to know instinctually, and his stomach rumbled a little. But, he ignored it, he had more pressing issues than food – he had to find him mate and make her understand a few things, and more importantly he had to get out of her ill imposed lock up.

Xander stood silently to his feet and recognized that there was nobody left in the room safe Willow, who was sitting with her back to him at the table. He knew from her obliviousness of her surroundings and the way she looked so meek just sitting at the desk that this would be an easy feat. He'd be out in no time, especially not with the Slayer anywhere present – he knew that Buffy was long gone because he couldn't even catch her scent strongly in the air. Oh yeah, he was in the clear…

Willow was half focused on the computer screen and half looking out of the window situated high on the wall behind the reference desk. She had been watching with increasing terror the video of the hyenas feeding on the planes and trying to calm her nerves by studying the red melting into a bluish black as the sun set outside. She was trying not to focus on the amount of time Buffy had been gone but she was a little but relieved that Xander still seemed to be down for the count – leaving Willow to wonder just how hard the Slayer had hit him and with what book.

"Willow," Xander whispered harshly, his voice still clouded from his unnatural sleep. "Willow."

Her head snapped up at the sound of Xander's voice behind her and she turned to face him. She swallowed nervously and didn't stand to approach the cage – her mind swimming with Buffy's warning to stay away from him. "How are you feeling?" she ventured.

Xander ran his hand through his hair again and stopped when he was cradling the side of his face, letting out an uncomfortable sigh before speaking, "Like somebody hit me with a really heavy book." He set a neutral expression and tried to keep his voice as non-threatening as possible in hopes of gaining the redheads trust. His dark eyes surveyed the room slowly, "What am I doin' here?"

Willow faced him and stood to approach the cage, sympathy oozing from her tone and demeanor, "You're... resting?" she nodded encouragingly.

Xander shook his head, disbelievingly and scowled at her. He grinned internally when her hopeful expression fell, "You guys got me locked up now."

Willow jumped to deny him by justifying his captivity, "'Cause you're sick. Buffy said..."

"Oh, yeah," Xander interrupted and slipped his fingers through the holes in the cage, "Buffy and her all-purpose solutions lately: punch 'em out 'n' knock 'em down. I'd love to see what she'd do to somebody who was really sick." He had reformulated his plan and hoped that it would work to his advantage – play Willow off of the blonde, knowing full well that she had feelings for him as well as the fact that regardless of contrary actions and behaviors the two girls still engaged in a sort of covert competition with each other over his attentions. Xander knew that he had moated Willow earlier, but maybe it wasn't too late to rebuild that bridge…make her think that his choice of Buffy wasn't so cut and dry and he had made it seem before.

Willow shook her head and missed the contemplative look that spread over Xander's dark features at her quick denial, "That's not fair. Buffy saved your life."

Xander snorted and reset his plan, deciding that a little more convincing would be necessary to convince Willow to stray from Buffy's flock. Maybe things between the girls were better than he had anticipated recently, but that didn't mean rifts couldn't be reopened and exploited, "Before she became the Slayer my life didn't need that much saving," he mused rhetorically. "Weren't things a lot simpler for you too? Before we had to take on her burden?" He peered out at her and watched Willow drop her eyes in thought.

They were. Things were simpler for her, but Buffy had been the Slayer since she had gotten there – that had been regular as far as she was concerned. And Xander always seemed willing to help – to do anything to reduce her supernatural load, and she had wanted to help to, but… "Maybe..."

Xander dropped his head momentarily to hide his smirk and his victory…he had her buying his game now. "See," he pointed out, "I can relate to you." He smiled back at her warm grin, "I can always talk to you Wills, that's why you're one of my best friends."

"Xander…"

"No!" he shook his head and cut off her statement, filling his voice with a somber tone. "I can't talk to anybody but you anymore – I don't have anybody that challenges me to think. I mean, Buffy…" he trialed off with an audible snort, "Buffy is great to look at, but she's not much…" he tapped his head and shot her a comforting smile.

Willow smiled in spite of herself.  Not at his joke, but at that fact that his comment had just tipped her off. He wasn't trying to have a heart to heart with her; she knew that for sure because Xander wouldn't say that about his best friend. He was trying to get her to do him a favor, to win her over and thus gain his freedom.

"But I know I'm not the only one who thinks that," he continued, "Who knows how many other guys…" he trailed off and shook his head to refocus, his own stomach clenching at what he was forcing himself to imply – he hated even thinking that about his mate. "When we are alone together...Sometimes I feel…" Xander faced her with pleading eyes, "Willow, I know there's something wrong with me. I think it's gettin' worse. But I can't just stand around waitin' for Buffy to decide it's time to punch me out again." He watched her as she took another step closer to the cage, and let out a harsh breath, "Look, I want you to help me. I want you."

Willow narrowed her eyes at him and stopped moving, ducking her head to avoid his piercing gaze, "I am helping you."

Xander shook his head negative, "You're doing what you're told," he challenged. He knew that she hated that when people saw her they asked where Buffy was. She hated being called 'Buffy's little friend', hated that her identity since Percy's death had been Buffy's quintessential lapdog.

"Buffy's trying to help you, too," Willow's voice shook while under her friend's mental assault. "You know that. You know that she's doing everything she can for you – that she loved you. Or Xander does."

Xander growled in frustration and rolled his eyes. He felt himself slipping back to square one. "Yeah..." he snorted, "Buffy's so selfless. Always thinking of me. Well," he shot at her in a daring tone. "If I'm so dangerous, how come she left you alone with me?"

Willow looked him in the eyes again, "I told her to."

"Why?"

The redhead guard shrugged her shoulders, "'Cause I know that she had to go find out how to save you, and she needed Giles to help... and I wanted to be here to see if... you were still you."

Xander shot her a grin that Buffy had warned her of being his trade mark – his head tilted and innocent glee exuding his features, "You know I am. Look at me." She dodged his eyes when he focused on her face and he tilted his head to catch gaze. "Looook," he insisted with a slight whine.

Willow lifted her head and caught his dark eyes with her own, taking another step closer despite herself. "Xander..." she swallowed. She saw him for a split second. Xander Harris who was always joking and knew the right spot on the soda machine to get her free caffeine before first period. Xander Harris who had devoted two weeks trying to teach her and Buffy to skateboard and who helped both of their parents put away groceries if he was visiting on a Sunday. The real Xander…

He saw her take another step into her reach and his arm shot out through the return slot on the stage as he tried to grab at her.

Willow reacted quickly and jumped out of his reach, a superior but sad grin in place, "Now I know."

Xander hollered in frustration at her withdraw and banged his hands against the steel cage, shaking its whole foundation, "LET ME OUT!" he screamed at her and Willow flinched away, "LET ME OUT!"

**

Fifteen minutes ago he had been thumbing through his notes for his tour the next day. Now his note cards lay scattered about the floor. His quiet office had been shot to Hell when this little girl had taken it upon herself to forgo knocking and simply remove his door from the hinges – a feat he wished he had been outside the office to see.

The zookeeper shifted in his seat under the girl's heated gaze while she stared him down with her arms crossed over her chest. If he thought there was a shot of him getting past her he would take it based on the simply awkwardness of being in the same room with her, but even if he did get past her initially, the old British man she took over his confines with would most likely stop him before he could get out of the door – and he didn't want to be held down for the beating that would pursue.   "The students have been possessed by the hyenas?" he asked with a nervously anxious swallow.

Giles nodded affirmative, "Yes."

"Are you sure?" he pressed. If it were true those incompetent children had succeeded in his task before him, and had stolen his prized essence. He was only half paying attention while he tried to figure out how to round all the blessed teenagers up and extract this prize from them.

Buffy rolled her eyes, "We're really, really sure," she bit out through hard features.

Giles studied the other man's demeanor and made a judgment call, "Y-you don't seem enormously surprised by this."

The zookeeper shrugged dismissively, still single mindedly focused on how to gain control of the situation. "The zoo imported those hyenas from Africa. There was

something strange about them from day one," he informed his inquisitors, trying to keep himself looking as innocent as possible so as not to draw their suspicions. "I did some homework... That particular breed is very rare. Totally vicious. Historically they were worshipped by these guys..."

"Primals." Giles filled in. There was not time nor need to review information that he had already gathered, and he could tell by his Slayer's constant fidgeting that she was growing impatient with the unconcerned man as well.

The man continued on oblivious to the body language of the other occupants of the room. "Yeah! Creepy guys!" he exclaimed excitedly – a little enthralled with the prospect of having a conversation with somebody who held the same interest as him in these animals. "Now, they had rituals for taking the hyena spirits, but I-I don't see how that coulda happened to your kids."

Giles shook his head and dropped his gaze, "Uh, we don't know exactly how the ritual works. We know that it involves a, um, um... predatory act and some kind of symbol."

The zookeepers brow furrowed, Predatory act?" he pressed. He hadn't thought of that in his previous endeavors to invoke the hyena spirit – they had found out the key to the spell before him… "Of course. That makes sense. Where did you read that?"

The Watcher ignored the urgency the man used while pressing for the information, "Do you have Sherman Jeffries' work on, on cults and on..."

"Boys?" Buffy interrupted impatiently from the corner of the room. She eyed Giles disbelievingly and tapped her wrist with her finger.

"Sorry," Giles mumbled under the teenagers glare and tried to refocus the conversation on finding the remedy for the situation.

The zookeeper shot Buffy a harsh glare and huffed "Look..."

Giles raised his hand slightly to stop the man's speech, "Sorry," he apologized again.

"Look," he started again, "I think we may have enough information so that together we could pull off a reverse trans-possession."

Buffy stood up and jumped back into the conversation – all business again. "What do we do?"

The zookeeper stood and looked the petite girl in the eyes. She was as eager to reverse this as he was, but for completely different reasons. "We've gotta get those possessed students over to the hyena cage right away. I'll meet you there. We can begin the rituals."

Buffy hesitated and her eyes darted to her Watcher. "W-well," she smiled unsurely we can guarantee one of them, but there are three more, and we have no idea where they are." She ran her mind through all the possible locations that Kyle, Tor and Rhonda could be. But, she settled, if worse came to worse, she had the one who really mattered, and she would carry Xander all the way across town to that hyena cave if necessary to get him back.

The zookeeper's voice interrupted her thoughts, "No," he denied, more to get her to bring the possessed teen to him faster than to quell her own visible worries, "I wouldn't worry about that. After hyenas feed and rest they'll track the missing member of their pack until they find him. They should come right to you."

"Willow!" Buffy's eyes went wide and her exclamation and she fixed her sight on Giles with a frightened stare. Xander was a match for her and she had gotten away because of the sheer luck of spotting that book in time. He would kill Willow if he had rattled the Slayer.

~*~*~

Willow was watching the hyena footage on the computer again while trying to ignore Xander's ranting. She kept glancing at the clock on the wall above Giles' office while Xander would periodically yell and hit the walls of his confine while he paced. She'd be lying if she weren't getting a little wigged by being alone here with her dark haired possessed friend since he had woken up, and she really wished Buffy and Giles would hurry up and come back.

"Willow..." he bit out finally, attempting to try again.

Willow shook her head, keeping her back to him. "I'm not listening," she sing-songed while the video looped again.

Xander swallowed a new flood of rage that swamped up from his stomach and let his eyes rove the room – a smile breaking out across his features when he picked up a new scent. His eyes settled on the small window set above the main floor of the room and saw Kyle's face appear between the segmented panes, Rhonda's right next to his shortly after. He knew that they would come for him and he fought a laugh so that Willow would remain unsuspecting.

The redhead looked up at Xander's sudden silence behind her and sighed happily. Good, she congratulated herself He gave up. Yay me with the standing firm…

"Wiiillooow..."

Her eyes went wide at the whispery tenor of her name as it echoed as if from nowhere through the library and she pushed herself up form her seat. "Buffy?" she tried shakily, hoping against hope, but knowing that it was just a wish. She whirled around to face Xander, who was watching her with a bright smile cracking his features while he stood deathly still and she started backing towards the cage, her eyes trained to the space in front of her where the voice was coming from, hearing her name called again.

"Shut up!" she ordered Xander when he started hitting the cage again, startling her from behind and her name continued to be called. Terrified Willow's attention was drawn back to the window when she heard the glass shatter and rain down on the floor while Xander became even more agitated, but not even she could react fast enough when Kyle squeezed himself through the window and dropped lithely into the room.

Willow was for once happy to be ignored while the other boy headed directly for Xander's cage, Rhonda and Tor following the path he had cleared and trailing him to the cage single mindedly focused of freeing their pack mate.

Kyle watched out of the corner of his eye as Willow didn't stay to watch the results of their efforts as she turned and ran the sound of their combined efforts, banging and tearing at the cage in attempts to free Xander. He hooked his fingers through the mesh of a protruding lump in the cage structure and pulled in counter to Xander's insistent pushing out towards him, and soon Tor joined in his efforts – pulling back a corner of the cage before yanking the whole expanse off and tossing it to the ground.

Xander climbed quickly through the hole and out into the library and was immediately surrounded by his pack – all three circling and sniffing him with comforting whines. He let himself be assessed briefly before breaking the circle they had him in and heading for the doors with a slight head nod for them to follow. He couldn't hear the girl's footsteps anymore as they spilled out into the hallway, but he could smell the terror that was permeating the tiled walls and he sniffed deeply and headed towards the right the other three behind him.

Willow was panting for breath as she came to an intersection in the hallway and stopped. She hadn't been running for long, but the sheer panic had caused her heart to beat out of control and had wasted so much energy going in circles through the familiar halls.

She had been trying various class room doors but found that the majority were locked, and she knew that she was running out of time. She may be trying to keep quiet but her tormentors were stalking her obviously – purely egotistical in the confidence they exuded by the noise they were making. Still laughing…taunting and calling her name. Willow ran to another door and tried the knob…and this time the door flung open. She sighed in relief and slipped inside the classroom and shut it as quietly as possible behind her before dropping to a crouched position and crawling behind the teacher's desk at the opposite side.

The pack moved down the hall, eyes darting in every possible direction while they followed Xander, hot on Willow's scent when they reached the end of the hall. Xander's head snapped up suddenly and his head whipped to the right, peering down another long hall, but before he could react Kyle had ran past him in the opposite direction of the noise he had just heard. The soft click of a door shutting, and a devious smirk spread his features as he moved down the opposite hall.

He heard Kyle stalking down the hall to the left and could see him still searching the darkened rooms and reached out and grabbed Tor's arm, stopping the other boy who was following him in his tracks. Tor eyed him questioningly, but obeyed the silent command and listened again when Xander pointed down the adjoining hallway, signaling him and Rhonda to split up.

Xander moved by himself towards the door – the sound that only he seemed to have picked up on and reached for the door knob that he had just convinced Tor and Rhonda to walk away from, and turned it – the reek of pure terror spilling out and engulfing him while he took a deep breath. He didn't see anything unusual, but... something…He stalked into the room, eyes narrowed and surveyed the area. He couldn't see anything, but…there was a shiver, a slight clatter. His eyes darted to the desk and he licked his lips, an uproarious laughter bellowing in his mind at the stupidity of this girl. With narrowed eyes be began to back slowly towards the door and shut it behind him, locking himself in the room while he waited – and it didn't take long.

Willow swallowed deeply in relief when she heard the door click shut and the silence that followed as she peered around the edge of the desk cautiously. Seeing no one, she crawled out from underneath and got to her feet, trying to formulate a new plan of action before they came back…if they came back. If they were hungry they probably…

She was cut off by her own scream when she turned to face the door and found Xander grinning callously at her while he relaxed against it. Xander jumped into action with no warning and lunged at her, his smile falling when his lips curled into a frowned growl and she stumbled back into the window blinds.

Xander's teeth were bared as he leapt over a desk to reach her, and another growl of frustration rumbled from him when Willow escaped his attack and ran down the small aisle way to the other side of the room, putting more space and obstacles between them. He leapt again and stumbled over a desk in his way, sending him crashing to the ground and was vaguely aware of her footsteps as she ran out of the room, the sound of the door crashing against the wall telling him that she had gotten free. Xander pushed himself up and started after her, seething with anger – this was not supposed to be a hunt.

Willow panicked and ran blindly through the door and back into the hall, not stopping to see if Xander was alright. Hopefully he had gotten himself knocked out again. But, that was the lease of her worries when she turned the first corner heading back to the library and ran straight into Rhonda who gripped her shoulders in a surprisingly painful hold. The redhead shook and watched with wide eyes as the girl growled and threw her across the hall and her body bounced hard off of the lockers before crashing to the floor. She watched Rhonda stalk towards her, head bobbing in fascination at her alarm while she shut her eyes and prepared herself for the attack that she felt was coming.

"Hey Wills," Buffy's voice ran out suddenly through the hall and Willow's eyes opened even before Rhonda could turn around. The Slayer brought a fire extinguisher down hard on the back of the girl's head and Willow jumped when she crumbled unconscious to her feet.

She smiled in thankful relief as she pushed herself up and ran towards Giles, who guided her past him just in time to see Xander turn the corner, a vicious anger permeating his stature when he saw Buffy standing in the hall.

"Run!" Giles ordered to Willow when he saw Xander take off towards them with a surprising outburst of speed, and he turned and headed after her down the hall.

Xander fixed his attack at Buffy, ignoring the escape of his previous target while he ran at the blonde girl who had humiliated him earlier. He prepared to leap at her but Buffy stood her ground and kick at him hard before he could reach her, her foot connecting solidly with his stomach and sending him crashing to the tiled floor.

Buffy watched him struggle to get to his feet and tossed the extinguisher aside. She didn't want to use any weapons on him… He was almost to his feet and she prepared to kick him again when her head snapped up at the sound of footfalls coming to a stop and she was faced with Kyle and Tor, both glowering at her from down the hall.

"Buffy?!"

The Slayer's head turned again at the sound of Giles' voice behind her and she heard his panic.

"Come now!"

The Slayer turned and ran in the direction that he had left with Willow and she could here the boys following behind her. She turned the corner and saw Giles gesturing her hurriedly into an open classroom and Buffy followed, closing and locking the door behind her after they all entered.

She braced the door with her body when the sounds of the frustrated pounding of the pack followed their retreat – but just as quickly as it started the banging died down and stopped as silence took over the hall again.

Buffy let out a deep breath and stood back from the door, still keeping it locked for the time being, "I think they're going."

"They could be faking it," Willow's voice shook in terrified experience.

Buffy shook her head and reached for the door lock, "No, they're hungry. They'll be looking for somebody weak." Her eyes fell to the floor after the last comment and she faced her friend before turning the lock, "I'm really sorry, Will. I didn't know they were gonna come after Xander."

Willow was still obviously shaken but shook off the apology, "It's okay."

"We must lead them back to the zoo if we're going to stop this." Giles informed Buffy. After that experience he doubted any plan they could devise would be psychically sound for the Slayer to carry out.

Buffy, on the other hand, didn't seem to be thinking about her own safety in the matter. She just needed to get them all back to the zoo. "And before their next meal." She shrugged hoping she could come through if not just for Xander, "Guess that's my job."

"Well," Giles breathed skeptically, not wanting to see her in any harm, "individually they're almost as strong as you. As a group they're..."

Buffy cut him off but faced him with a determined stare, "They're tough," she agreed, "but I think they're getting stupider. You guys go to the zoo and I will bring them to you." The Slayer didn't wait for a response before she flung the door open and started out into the empty hall. She could get them to the zoo – she could count that Xander would come after her since she had something that he wanted and would probably…hopefully distract him from devouring a person, but she had to find where they went first.

**

Chris Anderson was tired of this argument, but she just wouldn't let it go. No matter what he said he just seemed to be digging himself deeper and deeper into this hole, and he doubted that he would be able to hoist himself out of it before the twenty minute drive to his parents' house was up. "I didn't say she looks better than you," he disagreed half heartedly, "I said she looks better."

Chastity Anderson turned her lips into a tight frown as she finished helping their son into the back of the SUV and climbed in the front seat, "I heard what I heard." She glanced at the child out of the corner of her eye and her attention turned immediately, "Joey, chew!" she reprimanded in a sharp tone, "You have to chew or you'll choke!"

Chris shook his head. Sometimes he wondered about his boy – he was always just trying to swallow things. He couldn't even count how many monopoly pieces had disappeared from the set or how many times his wife had sent him careening through the night to take the child to the hospital because of it. Chris decided that for the most part that it was best not to even dwell on it so he continued his conversation with his wife, "I don't see why we have to have this conversation every time we see them."

"I didn't start it," she replied snippily and fastened her seatbelt.

Chris sighed and gave up, just wanting to get to where they were going and get out of the car. At least when they got to his parents he could disappear into the garage with his brother or melt into the game with his dad. "Damn," he cursed suddenly, his hands roaming his pockets, "Where are the keys?"

Chastity watched him search, "Huh?"

"Joey…"

Both parents' heads snapped up at the sound of their son's name being called in an eerie whisper from outside the car. Joey looked up from the crackers he had been snaking on; confused as he watched his parents scan the area. "Joey…" his name was called again.

The little boy turned his head, detecting the voice from his right and smiled weakly at the face that dropped down from the roof of the car and locked eyes with him through his window.

Chris and Chastity saw the movement from the back and she screamed while Kyle's smile got wider.

"What going on?!" Chris yelled, leaning into the back seat to face the teen on his car through the still closed window. "Hey! Get off! Get off of there!" He was drawn back when his wife screamed again and watched in awed horror when another boy vaulted up the hood of his car and yet another approached from the opposite side in the back, rocking the car as they began to pound on it forcefully.

Chastity's eyes went wide and she sat confused as her husband when one of the boy's raised his elbow and smashed in the back passenger window, shattering it in one hit.

"Get away!" Joey pleaded from the back with tears in his eyes when the boy who had broken his window turned and curled his lips into a mean sneer.

Xander shook out his arm, ridding his sleeve from any excess glass and heard his stomach growl in anticipation. He stopped for a moment while Kyle and Tor continued to try to break into the other windows and let the mother try to reach back to her crying son, enjoying the display and the tremor in her voice as she called his name to calm him down.

"Joey!" Chastity pleaded while Chris punched at his window in hopes of scaring a pacing Tor away. "It's ok baby…it's ok…"

"Like hell it is," Xander growled and hoped up through the broken window, trying to grab the little boy despite his mother straining to protect him – just managing to pull him far enough away for Xander to get his large frame stuck in the elevated portal.

It was dumb luck that Buffy had heard them. The banging and screaming not two blocks from the school. She had taken off from the hall in a sprint, hoping to catch them before they did something else that they would regret when this was over, and by the sheer coming together of the cosmos she had happened upon Xander's pack just in time.

The Slayer crossed the street quickly, seeing the three boys assaulting a family in a car – Kyle rocking the vehicle from the roof, Tor trying to break through the windshield and a pair of legs that belonged to their leader Xander hanging out of the back window.

Buffy used her silent approach to surprise Tor and pulled him roughly off the hood of the car, sending him sprawling to the ground. She quickly took his position on the hood and briefly saw the confused relief of the two people inside as the recognized somebody swooping into the rescue.

Kyle looked up as Buffy climbed to the roof and he didn't react quick enough to get to his feet, still sitting on his knees, before she executed an in-to-out crescent kick that hit him in the face and he fell off the roof hard.

Buffy turned her gaze down, still seeing Xander's legs flailing as he tried to push himself further into the vehicle and oblivious to the fates of his pack. She heard the renewed panic in the woman in the car's voice when she screamed again.

"I know both my mom and yours told you not to play with your food, Xander."

Xander heard her voice and pushed himself out of the car in a fluid movement. He stood to his feet again and looked up, seeing his Slayer standing confidently on top of the car, looking straight in his eyes, challenging him – and he accepted it as he licked his lips with a low growl.

"C'mon," Buffy teases him with a naught smirk and felt his eyes tracing her every move – even seeing them move with her loose strands of hair when a breeze blew by. "You know what you want." She didn't wait for a verbal response before vaulting over his head and landing on her feet on the side walk, breaking into an instantaneous sprint across town.

And he did know. He knew exactly what he wanted. Xander waved an uneasy and wobbly Kyle and Tor on took off after Buffy down the street. Knowing that she knew that he was behind her and knowing that he would catch her.

~*~*~

Giles was panting out burning breaths as he slightly trailed Willow when they arrived in an all out sprint. They may have had the use of the car, but he had guessed that if Buffy was going to race the possessed teens on foot, he needed to have this place set up right when she got there – there wouldn't be much time outside of the few minutes they had now.

Willow slowed in front of him, reading the faux wood signs that directed the traffic through the zoo. "The pathway to the Hyena House. Where's the zookeeper?"

Giles looked around the apparently deserted are, "Uh, he must be inside." He shrugged his shoulders, "I-I'll go in and prepare things. You just warn, uh, us when you hear Buffy and the others approaching."

Willow nodded watched Giles jog away into the cave and turned around nervously to watch and wait for Buffy to get there.

**

Buffy tore through the trees the braches snapping back and whipping at the bare skin on her arms, but she paid the stinging no mind. She could hear Xander and his packs heavy footsteps following her, crunching over the twigs and leaves that littered the floor of the woods. The Slayer was breathing hard, trying to regulate her heart rate to keep up her pace and keep from being smacked in the face by tree limbs while she pushed on.

The pack was practically running on her heals and Buffy pushed herself a little harder. If she fell now it would be over because there was no reading the animals that her classmates had become – but she was the Slayer, and she refused to loose to a bunch of mortal children…she hadn't fought this long for that to be how she went out.

**

Giles ducked under the caution tape and jogged into the main area of the hyena display. He looked around the authentic get up – plastic putty cave walls decorated with various crags and replications of African drawings. He would have thought it quaint if it weren't a sect of evil possession. "Doctor?" he called, suddenly feeling foolish for not having gotten the man's real name, "Uh... Zookeeper?"

He turned suddenly when he heard a door close behind him and saw the man in question approach him – slightly taken aback by the zookeeper's getup. He studied the burlap robe the man was wearing and the blue and white makeup that covered his whole face in an intricate design while he walked towards him holding a long wooden staff. Suddenly his mind clicked, "Oh! Oh, of course, the, uh, Masai ceremonial garb," he recognized, "Yes... Very good. Are you, uh, otherwise prepared for the trans-possession?"

The zookeeper nodded wearing a neutral expression, "Almost."

Giles swallowed and scanned the area of the room again, still not having heard any word from Willow outside and he focused on the markings on the floor. "Oh, right! The, uh, sacred circle. Yes, you'd need that to, um..." his brow furrowed and he trail off in confusion. "This would be here when... when the children first came. Why would you..." The Watcher's small understanding grin fell and he faced the man with a grave and knowing expression. Giles looked at him in his costume and released a shaky breath, "How terribly frustrating for you, that a bunch of school children could accomplish what you could not."

The zookeeper shrugged making no attempts at denying Giles' revelation, "It bothered me. But the power will be mine."

Giles tried to match the man's move, but before he could turn the other man moved quickly and brought his staff back and then jammed it forward into his stomach, doubling him over. The Brit didn't have time to regain his wind before the zookeeper used his vulnerable position and brought the blunt end of the staff down on the back of his neck, sending the Watcher to the ground with a dull thud as his world became black.

The zookeeper smirked and tossed the staff to the side of the room before hefting up his loose sleeves. He maintained his smile as he bent and grabbed Giles by the ankles and dragged him off to the side, depositing the unconscious man in the small hallway that was reserved for zoo workers so that he would not be seen.

**

Willow squinted her eyes and saw rapid movement through the trees, her ears picking up the sound of footsteps muffled by the soft floor of the wood. She saw a flash of Buffy's sweatpants as the Slayer broke out from the trees and hit the pavement for the first time not breaking her stride and Willow turned and sprinted into the cave.

"They're almost here! Giles!" she screamed excitedly as she tore through the tape. "Giles?!" She stopped when she didn't see the Watcher but instead found herself face to face with the zookeeper dressed like some one off of Discovery Channel. "Where are the hyenas for the trans-possession?" she questioned uneasily at the awkward situation.

The zookeeper smiled briefly for the girl's benefit and pointed to just beyond the fenced off area behind him, "They're right here in the feeding area."

Willow nodded and ran to see the hyenas but he reached out and grabbed her forearm stopping her in her tracks.

"Stay back!" he warned in a harsh voice while looking into the redheads wide eyes, "They haven't been fed."

"Where's Giles?" Willow asked again suspiciously, shaking his hand from her arm and stepping back. She didn't like the looks of this situation and the Watcher had yet to make any noise that might signify that he was still present, a fact that didn't settle the young girl's nerves at all, especially with Buffy being hunted and running for her life.

The zookeeper seemed to consider his answer before speaking, "He's... laying in wait."

Willow heard the heavy foot steps from outside getting closer and assumed Buffy had just reached the mouth of the display cave. "They're almost here," she said uneasily while wringing her hands, "Shouldn't you bring the hyenas out?"

The zookeeper's face broke out in an oddly calm and pleased grin, "When the time is right." He faced her with bright eyes and pulled loose the twin belt that was around his waist. "I'm gonna need your help," he told her as he grabbed Willow and turned her to face him, holding her wrists together and tying them tight.

"They're right behind me!" Buffy shouted and Willow looked up from her now bound wrists to the entrance of the room.

"That's Buffy!" she turned to the man agitatedly, "Get ready!"

The zookeeper nodded and grasped the small girl's shoulders, swinging her around so that she was standing in front of him. "Here," he huffed out a breath and bent to pick up a large curved knife that Willow hadn't noticed was lying at his feet.

Her eyes went wide as the man wrapped one arm across her chest to hold her in place and brought the knife up to her throat with the other. "What is this?"

The zookeeper swallowed and smiled anxiously, "A predatory act, remember?"

Willow sucked in an aborted breath at the feel of the blade pushing into her skin and spoke uneasily, "Uh, right. You'll pretend to slash my throat and, and put the

evil in the hyenas?"

The zookeeper tilted his head, but kept his eyes trained on the entrance of the room, waiting for the girl and the possessed teens to arrive, "Something like that."

Willow shivered in fear when she started to put the pieces of the puzzle together. No Giles. The weird costume. Tying her up and now the knife to her throat…He didn't want to help anybody – he had set them all up and seemed more than willing to sacrifice them all in whatever plan he had for Xander and the other members of the unwitting pack.

Buffy's lungs felt like they were on fire as she burst through the mouth of the cave, expecting to see Giles in the middle of some incantation and some magic stuffs scattered around, but was forced to stop short when she saw Willow being held with a knife to her throat by the zookeeper.

"Buffy, it's a trap!" Willow screamed out, despite her current position and the threat to her life while the Slayer watched helpless with wide eyes.

Her expression didn't hold however, when Xander hurled himself through the mouth of the cave, immediately grabbing the idle Slayer from behind and knocking them both to the dirt floor. Buffy grunted under the surprise impact and then the force that she crashed to the floor with, but could do nothing since he had her arms locked to her sides. She was vaguely aware of additional weight piling on top of her, and definitely of the increase on hot hard breaths falling on her face and the increase in the number of hands roaming her body and she opened her eyes seeing Kyle through her dusty haze.

"YU BA YA SA NA!" The zookeeper bellowed.

And suddenly all the frantic movement around her stopped.

The pack looked up at the man as soon as the phrase was completed and Willow watched all of their eyes all flash green. The same way she had seen Xander's do the day of the fieldtrip.

She didn't however see the mirroring flash in the man's eyes standing behind her. The zookeeper tilted his face to Willow and growled as he dropped the knife and bared his teeth as if to bite her.

"Willow!" Xander pushed himself off of Buffy and ran through his woozy lightheadedness at his friend. He dove at the man, his arms catching him around the waist as he took them both to the ground again.

Buffy shook herself free of Tor and Kyle, and they scooted back away from her with wide eyes while watching the fight unfold and the Slayer got to her feet.

The zookeeper broke free of Xander's tackle and was quick to his feet, matching Xander's stance and connecting with the boy's face with a strong cross jab that sent him to the dirt again.

Buffy saw Xander hit the ground, holding his chin as he went and approached the primal zookeeper with an intense anger. "Nobody," she punctuated with a close fisted backhand that connected with the man's nose and she heard a crack. "Hits," she shot an uppercut to his stomach, but he wasn't doubled over long enough to miss her follow up right hand jab, "My boyfriend."

Kyle and Tor watched the man's face and body snap around under Buffy's assault while Xander crawled over to Willow, and the boys quickly pushed themselves to their feet, turning sloppily and fleeing the cave, tripping over their feet on the way.

The zookeeper continued oblivious to their retreat charged at Buffy, but she countered his bulky mass and knocked him back to the ground by simply shoving down on the back of his neck. He righted himself quickly and hurled himself at her again, and the Slayer utilized her superior strength and tossed him over her shoulder and onto his back.

Frustrated the man shuffled more slowly to his feet this time and released a low growl, trying to back her closer to the cage fence before lunging again. Buffy anticipated his move, knowing exactly where she stood in the cave and that if he got her, she would undoubtedly be sent into the hyena pit herself. She ducked low just in time for him to not be able to avoid running into her shoulder and then stood quickly, upending him and sending him over the ledge behind her.

The zookeeper grasped the iron bar before he hit the bottom and was trying to pull himself up when Buffy turned to approach the cage. She swallowed, unsure of what to do, but reached out her hand in attempts to pull him back over and to safety, but before she could grab his hand his grip slacked and she watched him fall into the pit with a loud shriek. Buffy turned away from the edge with wide eyes as the screaming died down and set herself and approached Xander who was untying Willow near the mouth of the cave.

He freed her hands as gently as he could – a drastic contrast to the boy who had chases her thought the halls mere hours before just as Buffy reached them. Willow smiled brightly, happy at the transformation and the blonde matched her enthusiasm briefly before turning a softer smile to her dark haired friend.

"You're bleeding," she pointed out with a worried grimace, her hand drifting up to his face, but he pulled away quickly.

Xander quaked nervously at his reaction and Buffy's sudden withdraw, thinking that she had done something wrong. "I'll be ok," he informed her quietly, wiping gingerly at his nose, and Buffy nodded minutely.

Suddenly their attention turned to the shuffling noise behind them and they turned to see Giles stumbling out of the hallway holding the back of his head with a painful smirk in place. "Uh," he winced at the sound of his own voice, "did I miss anything?"

Buffy was thankful for the distraction and walked to face her Watcher, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and her immediately leant into her. "Try everything," she gave an exasperated giggle as she helped him out of the cave, casting a quick glance to Xander before starting out in front of them.

~*~*~

Buffy waved to Willow and bounced over to the bleachers in the gym as her practice wrapped up. Despite Cordelia's attempt at conversation with her, probably because Jeff mentioned something to her that helped the head cheerleader's feelings for her pull a Robin Williams style pole switch, Buffy had extracted herself as quickly as possible and bounded over to her friend.

"What's up?" she asked when she reached the redhead and Willow shrugged her shoulders.

"Nada. You?" She pushed herself up and off the seat and headed out of the gym beside Buffy.

"Same," the Slayer shrugged.

Willow nodded at her while the blonde opened her hall locker and shoved her pompoms inside. She knew what the other girl really wanted to ask, but since she wasn't bringing it up, there was no point in just giving in. Not when holding out and talking about things Buffy had no interest in was so much fun. "Oh!" she exclaimed excitedly drawing her friend's attention and she grinned inside at the hopeful gleam in her eyes. "I heard the vice-principal's taking over till they can find a replacement."

Buffy's eyes dropped but she managed to respond anyway, keeping her tone surprisingly light, "It shouldn't be too hard to find a new principal. Unless they ask what happened to the last one." Not that she cared. Well, that was wrong – she did care because a man had died, two had, and she wasn't completely soulless, but she couldn't help but focus on more pressing issues that had to do with her personally. Namely, Xander. He hadn't talked to her all day, in fact he had actively avoided her all together, and she wanted to know what was up. She knew for a fact that Willow had talked to him and so had Giles, in a checking up on him sort of way that belayed his well hidden concern about them all in a way Buffy found completely adorable in an elderly sort of way.

Buffy had tried to fish information about what Xander had said out of Giles, but all she had come away with was that he was completely and totally back to normal – the same inappropriate humor, ill-timed responses, lazy, and generally arrogant teen he had been before the possession. She figured he couldn't let her think that he cared too much by adding that last part in.

"So?" Buffy hinted as they reached their destination and Willow slowed at the doors of the pool area, not knowing that this had been where Buffy was heading.

"Yeah?" she followed the blonde inside the chlorine scented area and they made their way to the bleachers.

Buffy sat down in front her eyes scanning the lanes for Xander and finding him with a smile. The Slayer turned to face the redhead, "You talked to him," she prompted while Willow folded her hands in her lap. "What'd he say?"

Willow shrugged and offered, "Well, he was a little disgusted when I told him that he ate the pig, especially when it wasn't cooked and called bacon."

"Okay," Buffy gestured for her to continue with her hand.

"And he said that he only remembered going into the cave after me and then coming to and seeing a knife to my throat," Willow told her. It was the truth in that he had said that to her, but she had doubted the honesty behind his recollection. He had been to quiet and generally apologetic for him not to remember saying anything to her, and to ignore Buffy all day…she knew the Slayer knew that the boy was lying flat out.

"Bullshit," Buffy smirked and turned her eyes back to the pool as Xander rounded off the wall and started another length of the butterfly.

"Yeah," Willow agreed, "But I think he just needs some time." Buffy turned to face her and Willow continued, "Like maybe time where you don't force him into conversation…"

Buffy sighed at the comment and checked her next comment to her friend mentally. She loved Willow, they were almost best friends, hell, in a few more months they probably would be, would probably know everything about each other, but her relationship with Xander was something that nobody would ever fully understand. Buffy had had boyfriends, but Xander had been almost both for her whole life: a best friend, a big brother, a boyfriend all wrapped up in a package that was repulsingly attractive in that some part of her coveted that he was like a brother for so long. But as such she would always want to talk to him – would always need to, and periods of silence were never tolerated on either side.

The Slayer had a temper even before she had been called, but Xander was the one person with whom she had never been able to stay mad at. Scott had accidentally punched her in the arm in a way she felt was too hard and she hadn't talked to him for a week, Xander had accidentally pantsed her during a practice cheerleading stunt in front of her parents last summer and he was forgiven within the day – it was just something about him that she couldn't hold a grudge against.

And now with their 'evolvement' Buffy knew that conversation was more important than ever since their new dynamic made everything they did together that much more charged and gave it that much more sway over their future together. Their future together – that was something else that excluded Willow from being able to comment because she and Xander had always planned to be best friends forever, but recently their plans together had taken on more meaning. Not 'we're gonna have beautiful children' or anything, but more 'if you're wearing pastel pink to prom, what kind of flowers do I get you'…simple stuff that she would only associate with a boyfriend. So how dare Willow tell her to back off.

"I just…I'm not going to let him mull over this unnecessarily, you know." Buffy hoped that answer would suffice.

"Maybe if he's mulling it's not unnecessary to him," the other girl pointed out. "I mean, I could tell how bad he felt. He really didn't even want to face me and he had just been really mean, but you…" she trailed off and Buffy nodded.

"I want him to know that it wasn't him," Buffy told her honestly. "I need him to know that."

Willow nodded and heard the shrill sound of the coaches whistle signal that practice was over and she watched Xander and several other distractingly wet boys in Speedos hoist themselves out of the pool and lost her train of thought for a moment. "Well," she sucked in a deep breath finally and heard Buffy giggle at her blush, "I'm gonna go then. If you need to talk to him."

"Kay," Buffy nodded while her friend backed up, "I'll give you a call later."

"Right." Willow turned and headed towards the exit, stopping before she walked out and seeing Buffy stand to make herself known to Xander and called out, "There's nothing wrong with needing time," she reminded over her shoulder, receiving a nod in response before she disappeared through the door.

**

When Xander pulled himself out of the pool the first thing he had seen was Buffy and Willow sitting and watching him. He would have been happy that they showed up to support him, but all he felt when he laid eyes on them was dread. He had been trying to stay away from both of them, getting away with only a short guilt ridden conversation with Willow and a five minute checkup with Giles in which he convinced the other man that he had episodic amnesia about the whole event – a bald faced lie as far as he was concerned.

By the time he had retrieved his towel and dried off his hair some he had noticed the doors swinging shut behind Willow and Buffy standing and waving to him in an almost shy manner. He wanted, at that moment, nothing more than to forget how to swim and fall back into the pool and drown.

He offered her a forced smile and headed over to her. "Hey."

"Hey?" Buffy asked, her brow quirked, and Xander nodded. "Alright. Hey."

"How was practice?" He hated the obligatory nature of his questions, but what did she want from him? He hadn't been able to face himself in the mirror that morning, let alone even consider looking Buffy in the eyes after what he had tried to do to her – what he had done to her, as far as he was concerned.

"Lonely," Buffy pouted and looked up at him through her eyelashes. She was not above playing the cutesy card to get him to relax – and couple the head duck/pout with the cheerleading uniform and she was shooting with the big guns.

Xander swallowed and felt his heart melt a little bit from just looking at her so he forced his gaze to the locker room doors, just catching to look Jeff shot him before walking through. "Lonely, huh?"

"Yeah," Buffy continued to pout at him. "I knew you weren't going to be there…"

"Right," Xander nodded. "I have practice too."

"I know," she shifted on her feet and looked up, finding that he wasn't even looking at her and she huffed in frustration. "Look, Xan," she started in a regular voice, "I…are you going home?" She never felt this awkward in a conversation with him in the past.

"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged dismissively. "I've got some homework to do and…Mom's…not cooking."

She managed a small laugh at joke and he gave a half smile in response, draping the towel over his neck. "Do you want some company for the walk?"

Xander swallowed, "You don't have training with Giles?" He was hoping more so than asking, but Buffy shook her head.

"If you'd been talking to me, you would've known I did it this morning."

Xander nodded again, "Right." He licked his lips nervously and took a step back, "Well, I'll go change…meet you out front."

"Sure," Buffy nodded with a grin and watched him turn and walk away – well, more tried not to watch him walk away because she knew that it would not help the situation.

**

There had been relative silence, only broken with Xander's nervous shifting of his gym bag and book bag while they moved at a exceptionally leisurely pace down the street.

"So…" Buffy ventured finally and Xander glanced at her.

"Yeah?"

Buffy pulled her lower lip into her mouth and chewed it lightly. She had to broach this just the right way – a way that would make him feel comfortable around her again… "You remember it all don't you?" Alright, her mind settled Directness makes some people comfortable.

Xander tensed beside her and he fell out of step, but was quick to mask it. "Remember what?" He knew it was dumb, but hoped that maybe it would work despite the fact that his voice had cracked during the question for the first time in two years.

"The possession," Buffy decided to stay on the straight talk express and not let Xander worm his way out of the conversation.

He took a deep breath and kept his eyes focused ahead. He cursed himself that maybe avoiding her had given himself away. "Some of it," he told her quietly.

"Which parts?"

"The important ones," he shot at her in a harsh voice and saw Buffy's head drop at his tone. "Sorry," he grumbled. He took a deep breath through his nose and laughed bitterly to himself, "Sorry," he repeated.

"It's okay…"

"No it's not," Xander stopped walking and denied and Buffy turned to face him. His dark eyes locked with hers for the first time and she saw the sad confliction with in them. "What I did…" He knew what he meant, why he couldn't bare to face her. "How can you even look at me?"

Buffy shook her head and took a step closer to him, "It wasn't you."

"It was…I…"

"At least you didn't eat anybody," Buffy tried to joke brightly, but Xander didn't really laugh.

"Small favors, I guess." Somewhere along the line they had switched places. Her usually quiet demeanor when she was upset manifested itself in him, while she tried to joke to make, what he considered to be a serious situation, lighter.

Buffy sighed and reached out to touch his arm in reassurance but he shifted back to avoid her contact. "Xan," she tried again, "I know it wasn't you. You can't blame yourself for…"

"For trying to rape my best friend?" he finished with blazing eyes. "I think I can."

"For not being in control of yourself." Buffy corrected, "It's what possession does. It takes you over." Xander didn't speak and dropped his eyes to the pavement again. "Okay," Buffy sighed, "You wanna hate yourself for what happened – what you didn't do…"

"I was going to," Xander shuddered as he recalled the attack.

"I wasn't going to let you Xander," Buffy ducked her head to catch his eyes. "You were six seconds away from me breaking your face open."

Xander met her with a small grin, "You almost did with that book." But his grin soon died. "And I want to hate myself," he added, "I deserve that."

"Then you do that," Buffy told him, "but I won't. I don't hate you Xander because whether you want to believe it or not I know that it wasn't you."

"Well good for you," Xander said sarcastically and received an angry glare at his tone. "You can forget everything that I did…"

"I didn't say I'd forget it Xander, I won't," Buffy denied. "But I can forgive it. You should too."

Xander sighed heavily and started walking again, stepping past Buffy on his way down the street, but she was soon at his side again. "And you're so sure it wasn't me why? It was my body, my mind…Jesus, Buffy, I was planning that since I woke up that morning. As soon and I saw you…"

"The hyena, Xander," she reprimanded. "It may have been your body or whatever," she said flippantly, "but it wasn't you heart or you soul…"

"How do you…"

"Your eyes Xander," Buffy stopped both of their strides by grabbing his arm and forcing him to turn and face her. She reached her hand up and traced her fingers lightly over his chin, following his movement when he tried to pull away again. "I'd look at you and, yeah, I'd be confused at who I was having to fight, but then when you'd look at me – when that thing that was using you would look at me, I saw none of you in it. That's why you wouldn't have hurt me. I wouldn't have let that thing use you against either of us."

His jaw tensed and then relaxed under her fingertips and he held her gaze. "I just…I need to know that, you know Buffy? It's great that you do, and thank you for that, but…"

"Then let me help you until you do realize that for yourself, Xander," her tone taking on a hint of pleading as she turned so they could walk again. "Don't do the avoision thing with me cuz it just pisses me off," she joked next.

"Avoision?" he asked with a smirk, nudging her shoulder lightly. He may not feel a hundred percent better, not even close, but Buffy was there for him offering to take the time he need with him.

"Yeah," Buffy nodded, not realizing that he was making fun of the fact that she had just made up a word. "You didn't talk to me all day."

"I did so," Xander denied "I talked to you this morning…"

"You told me that you needed you math note book out of my locker and when I opened it the next time all traces of your existence were gone," Buffy told him with a raised eyebrow and he ducked his head ashamed. "If you'd have taken your coat back I would've though that I'd just been dumped."

"Dumped?" he repeated skeptically and she nodded vigorously.

"Well," Buffy amended with a smile, "Not dumped because you've technically never taken me anywhere…"

Xander sent her a half smile and her none to subtle sing-songed hint. "So what?" he asked. "Once I take you out once I'll be free to claim the break up?" He winced when she elbowed him sharply in the ribs, but then fixed her with a genuine smile. "Well, I guess I oughta take my girl out them," he settled and raised his non-burdened arm and wrapped it over her shoulders.

"See," Buffy sighed contentedly and leaned into his side. "This is definitely the superior Xander. Accept no substitutes."

~*~*~

The boy watched the Master stalk around the damp room, his footsteps echoing throughout the lair. They had suffered huge losses the night of the Harvest – but a large step had been taken in the destruction of the world. He was freed from the pits of Hell – that was one step. Now all that remained was to see him to the surface.

They may have lost minions, including Luke, to the surprisingly deft Slayer, and others who committed treason and fled such as Jesse and Darla, but their numbers were rising again – making new recruits every night.

"So," the Master read and the Anointed started at him through his dark eyes with rapt fascination, "There will be a time of crisis, of worlds hanging in the balance. And in this time shall come the Anointed, the Master's great warrior. And the Slayer will not know him, will not stop him, and he will lead her into Hell.' As it is written, so shall it be." He stopped and faced the boy with a crooked mutilated smirk and tilted his head as he approached him, "You are he Anointed, Colin," he said proudly and as surely as if he were talking to his own son, had that been a physical possibility, and ruffled his hand through the boy's dark hair. "You will be my greatest weapon against the Slayer! You will fetch her, and I shall walk free amongst Hell brought to Earth."

Colin nodded from his position, sitting crossed legged on a plateau of rocks. He would rather see the girl dead sooner rather than later, but now that the Master was back and there was a sort of order to turning minions he could feel things changing for the better.

"Are you ready to do that for me?" the Master asked, turning from the shadows from where he had been watching the candle light flicker.

The Anointed smiled back, "To repay her for taking so many of your family?" he asked rhetorically. "I'm ready to annihilate her."

The Master gasped in a sort of please shock at the venom at which the immortal child spoke. "Out of the mouths of babes…"

~*~*~

He had an army. A small army, but an army none the less – and it was getting bigger.

Jesse sat a the table in the living room of the large mansion that he had taken as his headquarter and watched the various minions move around the house. Organizing. Training. Planning.

Oh yes, he had big plans.

"Randall?!" he called out suddenly and pushed himself from his seat and the vampire in question approached him as his coming face to face with a military general. If somebody were to come across them they would probably laugh. A large muscle bound black man bending to the beck and call of a skinny white kid with scruffy hair and too big pants – but that would be before they really understood what they were.

"Yes Sir," he faced him, vamp face in place.

"Is it ready?" Jesse had been so anxious for this moment ever since Darla had suggested it to him. He knew he wanted to kill the Slayer, but he wanted to do it with as little loss of his group's life as possible. He didn't have minions to waste on insipient simple little Buffy when there would be a war to fight at her passing. He needed all the man power he could get to combat the forces that he knew the Master was accumulating.

Her idea had been ingenious and he hated that he hadn't thought of it first, but didn't dwell in it. She had been around for centuries, he was still just sixteen. What did he know about demons?

Nothing, really – except for this one. A Varcilus demon from some other dimension or another.

"Yes Sir." Randall replied again. "I summoned the Varcilus…it's…in the back," he told Jesse uneasily. "He's not easily controlled.

Jesse shook his head and rubbed his hands together. "Not a problem Randy," he smirked. "He'll be out of our hands soon." He couldn't wait until nightfall when the Slayer would be out. He was waiting until he and Darla could go with the Varcilus to watch the fight – it would be one for the ages.

Buffy Summers in a fight to the death with an ancient demon that injected it's victim's hearts with a poison that ate them from the inside out in the matter of hours. According to Darla, the most excruciatingly painful hours of the victim's life. It would be a fight to her death – the Varcilus was about 350 pounds and six feet tall to his former friends meager 5'3, 98 pound frame, and it was full of spines, making it difficult to land a solid punch anyway.

Jesse's smile remained in place as he turned and headed up the stairs, excited to find Darla and tell her about their weapon's arrival. Tonight he would see his revenge. Tonight he would see Buffy to her grave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The End Part 1d