Title: The First Seconded

Author: Falcon-Rider falcon_rider@hotmail.com

Rating: PG-13 for Angst and ect. And CD

Disclaimer: I own nothing 'cept the plot and Nich. Oh and a few others…

Authors note: Unbetad chapter, another in a day or two… again new chappie yay! I luv you guys! Thanks for the reviews ppl, and just so you know…Spuffy meeting is in about err 5 chapters… or I could be lying and it's less ;) Also bare with me on these actiony scenes… I'm not very good at writing them so at times they may confuse a bit.

Lookie, another new part mommy! Look!

***

Part Thirty Five

Trial and Error

21 days

Spike stood in the middle of the hall and stared at the door. Its sign taunted him with the stick figure. The white figure's skirt billowed to its knees… figuratively speaking of course.

The male slayer took a deep breath, shrugged, and pushed the door open. Inside it was a mess, a large hole was taunting the "safe" construction job in the center of the room. The mirror had a large dent in it breaking the illusion that it was a glass mirror.

Spike, carefully, walked to the edge and glanced down. It was dark below but the fluorescent lights let him see the basic outline of the floor. Taking what he considered to be the safest route Spike jumped down.

*****

Rubbing her hands across her relatively smooth bumpies, Nich wished the "ridges" would go away and leave her with her human face.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Dawn glanced at Nich. The seer replied with a simple shrug.

"I reinstate my claim that we're lost." Echo announced from behind the two. "Plus, my visibility is nearly zero."

"I know what you mean," Dawn shuddered slightly the feeling in her stomach was still there. It had been since the fight in the bathroom.

"Do you want to navigate?" Nich asked at their complaints. During that time they had reached a crossroads in the path.

"Not really," Echo replied. "Hey does anyone hear somethi-"

Nich turned and slipped a hand over Echo's mouth. She lifted a finger in front of her lips to gesture for the girl to be silent. As she dropped her hand Nich nearly had to clamp her hands over her ears.

Echo had screamed.

~

Dawn had been looking down the hallway to the right when Echo's scream broke the silence. Turning back towards her friends, a hand gripped her wrist. The brunnet teen took a second to glance up at the teeth mark riddled ex-principle before she began to scream herself.

~

'Shit!' Nich thought as she remembered her current look. "Echo it's me Nich! Really it is, I-I just kind of have a problem with, well, I'm half demon- but I'm not evil!"

"Wha-what are you?" Echo had backed up a few steps and her voice shook.

"I don't really know… but currently? I'm leaning toward va- duck!"

"Duck? You're a d-" the punk couldn't continue for she was knocked unconcience by a blow to the head.

Nich sighed and launched herself once more at the rotting Jekyle.

*****

Dawn's eyes widened as the principle pointed his finger at her. "Miss Summers, I'm afraid you have detention for-"

"Uh, excuse me?" Dawn cut off his usual speech. "You're dead, and yes I may get detention for 'skipping class' but you aren't the principle of anything anymore… except for perhaps hell if they'd give you the job. Which is doubtful."

Dawn punched him in the head and then followed it with a kick in the face. The kick was left with a sickening crunch that left a large dent in the rotting man's face.

Dawn smirked as she dropped into a fighting stance, "Guess I get to slay a Principle after all."

However, she failed to notice the other ex-principle standing right behind her with a knife in his hand, mumbling something about a pig.

*****

Spike had heard the screams and followed the noise as well as he could to where the teens fought. The first thing he saw when he came around a corner was a man/creature with a knife, he grabbed it and threw it into the wall before it could stab her.

She spun and called something out in surprise as she saw him.

He didn't hear her as the principle kicked clumsily back and hit him in the gut. Spike fell and used his momentum to roll backwards on the ground before flipped up, dirting his new shirt.

*****

Xander entered the girls bathroom and groaned at the mess that met his eyes. The freshmen girl that had reported the hole in the floor to the office had said it was large but he had no idea it would encompass nearly the entire room.

He carefully scooted around the edge of the hole towards the dented mirror when a bit of red caught his eye. He leaned down and picked the figurine up.

"Huh," He muttered lifting the object up to inspect it. "That's odd."

"Hello Harris." A familiar voice announced as Xander felt a heavy hand come to rest on his shoulder.

*****

Frowning as she clenched her hand around a rotting heart, Nich kicked the creature off her. She hadn't meant to punch her hand through his chest but if it stopped him…

The Jekyl creature hit the wall and slid onto his stomach. Nich dropped the heart onto the ground and groaned at the mess her hand was covered in. Jekyl, however, wasn't out for the count and had disappeared only to reappear behind her.

"Don't you ever die?!" She growled. Nich ducked and rolled to the ground. A second later she jumped up into a kneeling stance and swung her leg in a low kick at the back of his legs effectively knocking him to the ground.

*****

"Larry?" Xander said surprised and with nervousness apparent. "G-Good to see you man."

"Same to you Harris," The dead man smiled. "So how's life treating you… rough?" Larry looked concerned and Xander had to laugh nervously as he remembered Larry's secret.

"N-no not at all," the carpenter made a dismissing motion with his hand which lifted the figurine into Larry's line of sight.

The smile fled from the corpses lips and Larry held out his hand. "Xander, do a friend a favor and give me the doll."

"You want this?" Xander's voice cracked. "This is nothing, just a little stick figurine some high schooler probably took from a younger sibling… who was probably shoving it in their face going 'Grr Arrg!' You don't want this."

"Yes, I do," Larry replied in a deadpan.

"Wh-" Xander flinched and fell back as Larry punched him in the jaw.

*****

Spike threw the principle against the wall and kicked its neck. It snapped and it slumped to the floor.

Across the room Dawn slammed her elbow into the short, annoying principle's face. Spinning she kicked his chest backing him against the wall.

"Dawn watch out!" Spike called to her as another figure punched her in the back of the head. The teen fell to the ground as Spike was tackled from behind by Principle Flutie.

*****

Xander felt his jaw with his free hand and stared up at Larry, "Ow. You hit me!"

"Just give me the doll Harris and there will be no more violence," Larry replied grabbing Xander's shirt front. Xander dropped the figurine behind him as he was lifted into the air.

"What doll?"

Larry glanced at Xander's empty hands and fumed.

"No doll here, no sirey."

Larry threw Xander away from him and onto the counter top. He cringed as he landed half on one of the faucets… to add to the pain, his movement caused the motion detectors to turn on spraying water onto the back of his pants.

In his rush to find the doll Larry somehow stepped on it breaking it in half, "Shit."

He crumbled to red dust falling and adding to the rubble on the not so pristine floor, just then the door to the girls bathroom opened and three teens screamed.

*****

Spike sighed and sat up as the principle vanished. The male slayer groaned as he stood and gingerly touched his side. For a dead and pudgy principle he had sure been strong.

Dawn answered his groan with a similar one, her foot had hit the wall when Snyder had disappeared.

"I'm not going to be dancing on that today," She flipped her hair out of her face and turned to look at Spike. "It is you!"

"Hey nibblet," Spike grinned sheepishly as he dusted himself off.

The brunet teen calmly walked up to him a smile on her face. She threw her arms around him causing him to stumble in surprise. "Thanks for the save."

He smiled as she pulled away. "You're welcome bi- Hey!" He brought his hand up to his nose and stared at her offended. "Why do you summer's always go for the nose?! And what the bloody hell was that for?"

"That was for leaving and this is fo-" Spike caught her foot midair.

"I'd prefer not to have anymore bruises, I still have five classes to teach today."

"You're a teacher?" Her face was covered with confusion as he dropped her foot to the ground.

He nodded, "Come to room A16 during lunch… you have second lunch?" She nodded. "Then come to my room then and I'll explain, right now I have to…"

Spike trailed off and looked around in the darkness, "Nich!"

"Over here! I'd appreciate some help!"

*****

Dawn and Spike rounded the corner to find Nich kneeling next to Echo examining the other teen's bruised head.

"She should be okay in a few minutes," Nich glanced up at her surrogate brother and friend.

"Bloody Hell," Spike satered at her changed features. Dawn took a step back her mouth dropped open.

"Oh yah, remember that other problem I mentioned?" Nich grinned slightly her canines gleaming in the darkness. "Well I think I may have figured out what type of demon I'm half of… that's a plus at least. The downside is I'm kind of stuck."

"Stuck?" Dawn breathed in confusion.

"I've never… changed face before," Nichole shrugged. "I didn't know I could."

"How'd it happen?" Spike knelt down next to her and reached up to touch her slightly ridged brow.

"In the bathroom, I was being chocked by a janitor-maniwhatever," Nich shuddered slightly.

"Manifestion," Dawn supplied.

"Mani-feast." Nich corrected herself, sort of anyway.

Spike pursed his lips in thought, "Concentrate on changing back to your human face… and make sure you aren't thinking about anything violent or… or sexual."

"Are you saying this would happen if I-"

"Nich," Spike glared at the teen cutting her off.

"Made out with a guy?" Nich shuddered. "Guess I'd really be the school freak then huh?"

She rolled her eyes at his look and then sighed, "Fine, no violent thoughts. Violent thoughts away! Fly little birdies fly!" She mumbled to herself. After a few moments her eyebrows reappeared and the bones crunched and reformed themselves.

"We should probably get back to class," Dawn pointed out hesitantly.

Spike nodded, "If she's feeling alright you should probably bring her with you to the meeting." He nodded to Echo. "She'll probably want to know what's going on as well."

"That and she thinks I'm an evil vampire who wants to suck her blood," Nich agreed.

Spike raised and eyebrow.

"What? I'm only half blood sucking fiend here mister! Don't give me that look!"

Spike lifted Echo into his arms and the three made their way toward what they hoped was the stairs to the basement.

.

*****

To be continued in: Lunchtime blues

Author Note: hehehe, hmmm, oh I thought I might mention that the Xander parts in the following few chapters may not exactly be in character for him because I'm not really good at his character because I don't really like him… I kind of insert two discussions at some points because its been bugging me about it and someone needed to say it on the show *cough* Buffy and Anya *cough*, anyway that's not for a chapter or two…

Review Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^_^ I love reviews!