Xander Spin-Off: Captain 'One Eye' X

Episode 1 Innocent

By Koos van Winden

Xander is Faith's Watcher. How he became her Watcher is written in A bet and A bet II:

Summery: Xander, Faith and Robin Wood brought a visit to the LA Branch of Wolfram and Hart. Xander needed Angel's help regarding Buffy.

I hope to bring out at least one episode each month.

Character Cast:

Regular: Xander, Faith, Angel and Spike

Recurring: Willow, Kennedy, Giles, Dawn and two younger Slayers called Jenny and Lizzy

LA Team: Gunn, Wes and Fred will all appear at least once as Special Guest star, with the option to make them recurring. Especially Fred has a chance.

The series is for a big part evolved around Buffy and she will make special guest star appearances. But, she is not a regular of the cast. Also Andrew is not a regular.

Point is that I don't want to make the Joss Whedon mistake of bringing in too many characters. Or fooling the reader by saying that certain character are regular, but are in fact not.

Special guest star: Robin Wood

Rating: PG 13

Disclaimer: The character in this fic all belong to almighty genius Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy

Beta and sound board: Keith

Time frame: Post S7 BtVS and post You're Welcome AS5, but Fred is still alive. Cordy is dead.

Part 1 Introduction

New York, North America Watcher's HQ and School for Slayers

Three weeks later

The Brit stood behind his desk and Robin Wood was standing next to him. Faith was standing behind Xander in front of the desk. "Xander, Robin and I have talked about your request to become Faith's Watcher. We have agreed to give you a chance." Giles glanced Wood. "Robin still refuses your proposal for your first assignment a-and, uhm, actually he disagrees with the entire assignment, but I agree with you that you need to go to LA." The words made Xander's eye widen. "Please, handle this situation in a diplomatic way . . ."

Xander smiled. "You know me."

"Uhm, yes, quite right. The assignment requires your strongest asset, your personality."

The young man offered the head Watcher a gentleman's nod. "Why, thank you, sir."

"Robin and Faith will come with you. He's rather anxious to meet Angel."

Xander looked at the ex-demon hunter. "I bet he is."

"He'll personally monitor your progress and will continue to train you in the martial arts," Giles continued.

"Great."

Xander, Robin and Faith were about to leave as Giles spoke. "And Xander, please be careful. It's, uhm, you know it's rather delicate and might become extremely dangerous."

The young man nodded, he looked very pleased. "I know."

Giles saw how the three walked out of his room and pinched the bridge of his nose to relieve the tension. How did we end up here? he thought, again. What went wrong? And now this. It felt to him like they were playing with The Devil. Why did I agree?

Los Angeles, Wolfram and Hart, Conference room

Evening

Xander looked at Angel, Spike and Harmony standing next to each other in a row. He nodded to them. "Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest."

Angel looked confused, the guy spoke the insult, but the words were spoken with too much routine and without the pun it should have had. Spike merely rolled his eyes. Harmony was the only one who responded verbally. "Xander, I can finally see that your mother has stopped clothing you? You look . . . You," she was actually stunned by Xander's appearance in a complete black suit and tie, as her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened.

Xander checked out his suit and looked up, giving his former classmate a fake smile. "I'm a Watcher now, Harmony. Faith's Watcher. She is a vampire Slayer," he explained, drawling on the word 'vampire'. "She slays vampires."

Harmony growled. "Still hiding behind girls for protection, Dweebboy?"

Gunn, wearing a pin-striped suit with a silk tie, looked at Wesley who was wearing his scruffy beard and a leather jacket. "Who's this guy?" he asked whispering.

"Xander," the ex-Watcher responded.

"Hey! Isn't he Willow's best friend?" Fred asked. Wesley nodded.

"I like him already," Gunn said.

Angel followed both conversations with slight amusement. But, Xander ignored Harmony as he faced him. "So, Deadboy, you're the head of this evil Law Firm? Maybe that soul of yours was of any use, Angelus didn't come that far in his career." Angel glanced at Faith who was standing behind him, she merely shrugged. He noticed a black man standing next to her whom he didn't recognized. The man was grinning. A friend of Xander's? he wondered. Xander, however, continued. "Well, I guess it's a good thing. You two leading the house of evil can only lead to its destruction. And I mean that literally. Finally a plan with vision," he said calmly. The soft tone made Angel wonder.

"I like him a little less," Gunn corrected.

"We're crusaders against evil and we're gonna turn this L.A. Branch inside out," Fred responded mildly angry to Xander's harsh accusation.

A smile appeared on Xander's face and he walked to her. "You are Fred, aren't you?" She nodded and Xander took her in a big bear hug. Gunn and Wesley exchanged a look. He let her loose and bowed slightly. "Xander. Willow told me all about you."

Fred blushed a bit. "Uhm."

"Excuse me for having insulted you in your quest, but what you said is precisely what I said."

He turned to the two men standing next to her. "Wes, good to see you and . . ."

"Gunn. Charles Gunn, but everybody calls me Gunn."

Xander nodded. "Gun. Cool name." He switched his gaze between the three. "Why do you help Deadboy and Wonderboy in their evil mission while your talents could be used so much better? We desperately need experienced people to become a Watcher and -"

"Why are you here?" Angel asked quickly, annoyed now.

The young man turned to him, his face a mask again. "Three things. One. To inform you that Giles has lost all trust in you now you have gone evil." Xander ignored Angel's anger. "Two. I came here for your help." Xander interrupted Angel's furious objections and continued. "Three. I want to see Cordy's grave."

The last request made the vampire soften instantly. He suddenly realized that it was his way to introduce himself. Letting the vampire know that Xander's not going to let being messed with him. Oh, well, he could stay undead with it. Only something was wrong with the whole scenario. Like he's Xander, but at the same time he isn't. "Okay. But, first tell me the real reason why you are here."

Angel noticed how Xander's mood who was not much dropped a few degrees and sneaked below freezing point. Xander rolled his eye away and took his time. Angel could see that whatever Xander was going to tell, it was carefully prepared and with a lot of repetitions. He looked over at Faith, and her expression wasn't much better either.

Xander finally broke the growing tension as he spoke, in a soft tone. "There was this building, it had a black banner, painted with "THIS IS A TRAP' in big blood-stained letters and at both sides a white scull, hanging above the door. Buffy wanted to go in. We warned her, but she kept telling about how right she was and how a certain-"He stopped and swallowed as he glanced at Spike and then at Angel. "Five Slayers got killed."

Spike stared at the young man. The expression on his face was one he had seen before. Accusation mixed with sadness, pain, but most of all sorrow. Normally he wouldn't give a damn about his feelings, but this was about Buffy and that Xander kept his personal feelings to himself instead of shouting them. His voice was calm and without emotion. Just like last year, the young man was present, but at the same time he seemed almost invisible. The only reason why he got attention was by forcing it. It worried him deeply.

"Buffy?" Angel asked as Xander stopped.

"She's in a mental institution."

"What!?" both Spike and Angel yelled.

"First she was in shock. We tried to be there for her, to help her. She opened up and everything looked to be okay. Then came a police investigation. I offered to talk to them, but she wanted to do it herself. I don't know how or what happened, but something snapped inside of her. She kept shouting how right she was and how she had saved the world so many times. That she was drafted in this shit war and how much we all were against her." He paused for a moment. "They took her away."

Spike had followed Xander's words with increasing worry and anger. "And you did nothing!?" he yelled. Again to his surprise Xander stayed calm.

"We did what we could."

"Oh, and what was it what you did?" he asked, accusational.

Xander ignored his question as he faced Angel. "She needs to get out of there. I-"

"Don't you bloody dare to ignore me, Harris!" Spike shouted. "What the hell did you do!?"

Xander turned to Spike again, his eye calm. His whole face was calm. The bleached vampire was only an inch away from tearing him apart. The respect he had for the young man had saved him. "We pushed her too hard," Xander replied. "We all pushed her too hard."

Spike's rage didn't help him to understand Xander's meaning when he said 'all'. The vampire entirely missed the hurt trembling in his voice. He was only an inch away from Xander's face. Faith, Angel and Wood were about to interrupt, but Xander stopped them. "Why didn't you push her out of her own home this time to stop her? Why didn't you stop her? Where were you, traitor!?"

Xander shrugged. "Well, I don't know. Maybe, because she's perfect," he simply asked without the question mark.

"Bloody hell she is per-"Spike stopped as he was remembered by his own words. He stepped back and searched for a reason to blame the messenger.

But, instead Xander closed the distance again. "And before you call me a traitor ever again, where were you?"

Spike frowned only a little, not being impressed by Xander. "What do you mean?"

"How long have you been back? Eight months? Did you ever call her? Told her that you were alive."

"I-"

"Have you been with her when she cried? When she was alone and miserable?"

"Uhm, no."

"No. You kept your sorry ensouled ass around uncle Tom here," Xander pointed at Angel, "Playing silly sidekick for him, hoping to bath in some of his glory, while you leave me and Dawn to take care of Buffy. Even Giles and Willow found time in their busy schedule."

Spike backed away at the rush of guilt which was overwhelming him. The bloody whelp was right and in more than one way. "Someone needs to watch that prat," he defended himself as he nodded to Angel, "Before they get digested in darkness."

Angel interrupted the conversation before Xander could reply. "How can I help?" he asked.

Xander slowly rolled his eye from Spike to Angel. Spike noticed how he still was being watched out of the corner of the boy's eye. He almost shrunk away under it's attention. "Maybe your lawyers can get her out of there."

"Why do you come here? The Council surely can afford themselves good lawyers."

"It's strange. It's looks like it's all a setup. Nothing what we tried can help Buffy. No lawyers, not Willow's magic or whatever I tried."

Trying to restore himself by a counterattack, Spike narrowed his eyes. "And YOU come to an EVIL law firm for help?"

"We've had evil help before, haven't we?" Xander quickly returned, pushing Spike back in his place.

"Xander, Spike's right. Why are you coming to us? Giles forbid any contact with us in any way. For everybody," Angel said. His supporting words didn't help Spike as Xander kept watching him. The boy simply divided his eye in two to pay attention to both.

"I wasn't a Watcher then and Giles and I don't agree with everything. He thinks that Buffy needs to be left alone."

Angel growled deep in his throat. "You're not telling-"

Xander quickly held up his hand. "No, no. Giles wants to get her out of there too, but it's not his highest priority . . . not at any price."

"Meaning here," Wood interrupted.

"And you are?" Angel asked.

"I'm a member of the High Council, I teach martial arts and have a relationship with Faith."

Angel looked at Faith who nodded. "Robin's a stud."

Spike thought it was better to keep his opinion to himself, but his expression made sure that Angel knew what he thought about the man.

Angel stuck out his hand, with an extra grin on his face. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Angel and a good friend of Faith and Buffy," he said, but Wood refused to shake.

"He's stubborn and he knows you're a vampire," Faith said.

"And he supports Giles' policy," Xander added.

Angel looked at the group, his expression confused. "Does Giles know you're here?" he asked to Xander.

However, it was Wood who spoke. "Yes, he does. For some reason he took Xander's advice against mine."

"I can see that that troubles you," Angel reacted, slightly amused.

"No, offense, but the methods of the so called Scoobies needed to change. It's a miracle that they came as far as they did." Angel and Spike looked at Xander who didn't show any sign of being insulted and just shrugged.

"Methods?" Angel asked, mystified.

"Consulting help from untrustworthy . . . beings."

Angel and Faith exchanged a look and she nodded. Within a microsecond Angel vamped out and grabbed Wood at his collar. Spike couldn't help but to smirk as he noticed the shock on the man's face. Faith's angry look warned the bleached vampire to back down a notch. Three times Wood made an attempt to attack Angel with a skillful martial arts move, but all of them were blocked with ease. "You're lucky that Faith's my friend," Angel snarled. Wood tried to reply, but pressure on his throat made it impossible for him. "I accept all the shit that Xander takes on me, but he's the only exception. If you ever insult me or one of the Scoobies again, I'm gonna rip you apart. And your girl isn't gonna help you." Angel threw him to the ground. He morphed back to his human face and sighed before facing Xander.

"I hoped that you could get more info about what's going on and help Buffy," the young man said as if nothing has happened.

Angel relaxed himself visibly and nodded. "Don't worry, Xander, whatever it takes, consider Buffy free."

Xander shook his head. "Don't be so optimistic, Deadboy. We have tried everything."

The way Xander spoke those words made Spike shiver. "I want to see her," he said.

"You can't. Only family is allowed." Spike opened his mouth, but closed it and nodded. "Dawn is with her now."

"Xander, come in my office and we can discuss the details," Angel offered and Xander nodded. He pressed on a button. "Harmony, show our guests to their rooms."

"If you don't mind," Wood said, "I'll look for a motel."

Angel nodded and turned to Faith. "I stay here," she responded.

Spike watched them both leave and raised an eyebrow at the others while he noticed that Wood was also gone.

"So, this Xander guy is another of the infamous Scoobies?" Gunn asked.

"Core Scoobie and the most annoying one, Charlie boy," Spike confirmed, "I almost forgot how I missed telling him to sod off."

Fred frowned. "He doesn't seem to like Angel either."

Wesley almost choked as Spike grinned. "That's an understatement."

"Droopy boy hates Captain Cardboard almost as much as he hates me."

"Don't flatter yourself, Spike. He hates me more." They all turned to Angel as he walked in again. "Where's Lorne?"

"He said he was down town," Fred answered.

Angel pressed on the button. "Harm, can you send Lorne to me as soon as he arrives?"

Spike stared at Angel. "He hates me more."

Angel turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Does he call you Deadboy?"

"Uhm, not regularly, no. Just Spike."

"Does he tries to make you look black on every chance he gets?"

Spike smirked, this was easy, and automatically responded. "He tried . . ." The bleached vampire stopped and thought for a second. "Oh, bugger it. No, not always."

Angel grinned. "Well, in Gunn's words I would say I rest my case." He walked back to his office.

Spike's eyes widened. "Bloody hell, no!"

Angel's head whipped around, facing him again. "I've worked with him. Nothing can beat that."

"I've worked with him too. Besides offering him to me to bite him together isn't bad. It's a nummytreat." Angel made a face. "For you," he added with a smile.

Angel ignored his comment and elaborated. "I worked on the bomb with him and he was in command." Spike opened his mouth. "He was in command over the entire military operation," Angel added fast, shutting Spike down.

Spike shivered. "Sorry, mate." He accepted Angel's sincere gratitude. He thought for a moment and Angel was about to leave as Spike interrupted him again. "Have you lived with him in that dank hole he called his basement?" Angel's eyes widened and his face wrinkled in disgust. "Or did that moron put you in his closet?"

Angel looked sympathetically at his fellow ensouled vampire and slapped him on the shoulder while he grinned. "Okay, for once you win," Angel admitted and hel walked back into his office. Spike grinned proudly.

"Why does Xander hate him so much?" Fred asked. "I mean, he looks a lot like Angel." She flashed a smile. "Except for the hugging part."

"The bloody blokes fought for Buffy's hand." Spike smiled widely. "Needless to say who won."

They all rolled their eyes.

"He's your Watcher now?" Wesley asked as he turned to the Dark Slayer. Spike grinned as he heard the insulting tone in the guy's question.

"Yeah."

"You never were quite the 'needing a Watcher' type."

Faith shrugged. "A gal changes."

"A man too," Wesley countered.

Faith gave a ghost of a grin. "Precisely," she confirmed.

Spike looked at them all. Maybe it wasn't that bad that Xander was here after all. Things got interesting again. Bleedin' monkey-boy's arrival made this soddin' place a lot less boring. He reached in his pocket, grabbing a cigarette. He walked out the room, smiling. A lot less boring! And he knew that Harris would do everything to get Buffy free and nothing was more important to him.

A/N: Please tell me if you like it. If it's worth continuing. You know that a writer never writes for himself alone. So, feedback WILL be used in future eps. Also wishes with regard to the cast will be considered.