A/N: Chapter three, here it be .......

3

Buffy could not sleep. Again. Although considering the situation that was at hand that wasn't exactly surprising. Demons were making themselves twins of her and her friends. It was a territory they had never crossed before. The First had been able to morph into anyone, who had died, which included Buffy herself and Spike. Never anything on this kind of scale though – actually looking like them, sounding like them and even smelling like them. She had to wonder if Giles was right and they were just trying to unnerve her or if there was a greater plan at work.

She heard the stairs creak, which wasn't unusual for a house this old but Buffy listened hard anyway. The stairs creaked again and she sat up then stood. It could have been one of the gang going to the bathroom or something but she needed to be sure. If it was she'd just apologize but she wouldn't ignore it just incase she embarrassed herself. Buffy grabbed a stake from her nightstand and ventured out of the door silently.

The landing was dark, shadows cast from the one window that was at the end of the corridor. Buffy moved quickly and quietly, she knew the house layout and which floorboards would break and groan so she stepped over and around them. The stairs creaked again.

As she approached them Buffy stopped and pressed herself against the wall hoping to blend into the darkness.

A figure approached the top of the stairs and as Buffy braced herself they stepped out into a patch of light and she let out a sigh of relief. Xander stood at the stairs and looked around, his eye patch a little skewed. She stepped out and he jumped a little then, seeing it was her, settled again.

"Buff, way to give me a heart attack!" He laughed nervously, looking at her.

"Sorry," The Slayer sighed "Just a little on edge I guess. Heard you coming and thought the worst"

He shrugged "I get that a lot"

Buffy smiled then noticed he was fully dressed "Haven't you been asleep?"

"Huh?" Xander frowned then looked down at himself "Oh, uh, yeah. Just up late...researching and stuff..."

She nodded "On these new demons, huh? Find anything?"

Xander shook his head "Nada"

"Oh, well. Maybe Angel will come up with something," Buffy said twirling the stake around absently.

"Angel? He's comin' down here?" Xander looked surprised and a little worried.

Buffy frowned "You knew that already"

"Oh, right. Yeah, of...of course" He nodded a little too vigorously.

Buffy looked at him hard and there was something off about him. The hair was Xander's usual unruly mess, the eye was his dark, kind eye and he was the same height and build but there was something not right. Then she realized his eye patch was on the wrong eye! Unless he had grown another eye then this wasn't Xander. Buffy tensed but decided to play it calmly.

"So, research was a bust. At least we're pretty sure where these demons are" Buffy smiled "So an all out attack sounds fun"

He looked at her, nodding slowly "Yeah, can't wait"

"Yeah, Giles and I have been talking and think we should send teams in two waves. First me and the other girls then you and Faith, Giles, Dawn and Robin. What do you think?" She tilted her head.

"Sounds plausible" He nodded curtly.

Buffy smiled "I'm so glad that you as a demon approve"

Xander started to nod again then stopped "Demon? I don't know what you're talking –"

Buffy swung her fist around to connect with Xander's face. Some kind of invisible force field stopped her fist and sent her flying backward into the wall. 'Xander' growled and came up to her grabbing her shoulders and throwing her headfirst down the stairs. Buffy yelled out as she tumbled down the stairs, hitting her sides and head she crumpled ungraciously at the bottom. Her vision wavered and then stars swam before her eyes and she groaned dragging her aching body up. The Xander Demon stormed down the stairs, complete with maniacal grin and balled fists.

"What gave me away, Buff?" 'Xander' asked as she swung at him again.

Her fist bounced back again and she stepped back, her fist kind of stung "You really need to double check and update everything. Tell me are you working from old photos? I hope not because my hair was something to be reckoned with back then"

He laughed and stepped into her blocking two blows to his face that would have been stopped anyway and grabbing her wrists he pulled her around face first into a wall. Buffy kicked out behind her and missed but she doubted it would have done any good anyway. This guy seemed to have some kind of spell working for him or something.

'Xander' grabbed her in a headlock and started squeezing her windpipe crushingly hard until someone barreled into the side of him sending him sprawling. Buffy gasped for breath and saw Faith, Robin and Giles running down the stairs in various states of dress. She looked down and saw two Xanders grappling on the floor, rolling around like wildcats. One of them kicked the other in the abdomen and sent him crashing into Giles. Buffy turned in time to get some major fist in the face from the Evil Xander. Faith let out a battle cry and jumped from the stairs at the Evil Xander. The Slayer hit something in mid-air and tumbled to the ground without ever making contact. Robin ran toward Evil Xander and slammed down at him with a karate chop but he too was thrown backward and landed on top of Faith.

Buffy started toward Evil Xander again but Regular Xander got there first. He slammed into the side of Evil Xander and proceeded to pummel him in the face with enthusiasm. Buffy frowned and watched as the two Xanders actually fought without Regular Xander getting thrown off. They all stood and watched, gaping until Evil Xander grunted kicked Regular Xander off with super strength then proceeded to jump up and run fast out of the door. Faith ran after him but he was long gone by the time she reached the door.

"Okay," Xander panted "What the hell was that all about?"

Buffy looked at Giles "That's what I'd like to know"

"It was like I couldn't touch him" Faith looked frustrated.

"Yes, he had some sort of protective spell working for him" Robin nodded as they all looked around at each other.

"I'm not so sure. Giles, the real Xander could hit him just fine" Buffy pointed out.

"I wouldn't say 'fine' my knuckles hurt" Xander waved his hand.

Giles cleared his throat and ran a hand through his mussed hair "It's possible that the demons that look like each of us can only be hurt by their respective counterparts"

Faith frowned "In English please?"

"We couldn't hurt Evil Xander because we weren't Good Xander" Buffy pointed to her male friend absently "Only I would be able to hurt Evil Buffy and only you would be able to hurt Evil...er Faith"

"Hey, I don't do the evil stuff anymore" She protested.

Robin spoke up "But Buffy, I thought you said you hurt the demon that wore Angel's face?"

"Hardly, I just kicked him once not to hurt him just to get him away from me" Buffy said.

"The intent to harm wasn't there so it didn't stop Buffy" Giles scratched his chin "Maybe"

Xander looked around "How did he get in here?"

"Probably climbed the fence and sneaked in through an open window or something" Robin shrugged.

"Security around here is getting lax" Buffy sighed.

"So, Buff how did you know he wasn't me? Apart from his lack of natural good looks?" Xander asked.

The Slayer shrugged "Eye patch on the wrong eye"

"No way! Man, demons don't get any brighter" He laughed but it didn't really hold any humor.

Giles spoke next "We must make security tighter around here, especially with this new threat. We can't have demons running around the house coming to murder us it just wouldn't be...proper"

Faith frowned "Are we sure that's why he was here? To murder us?"

"Generally what evil things do" Buffy stated.

Robin shook his head "Faith may have a point, what about –"

"Josh!" Xander interrupted.

Buffy turned and ran in the direction of Andrew's room where Josh had been staying, up the stairs and crashed through the door. Andrew sat cowering in one corner, a trickle of blood running down his forehead, rocking himself back and forth. She saw no sign of Josh. The rest of them came up behind her and groaned.

"Andrew!" Buffy said and he didn't react she walked up to him and shook him till he blinked and looked at her in recognition "Andrew, what happened?"

"It...It was...Will...Willow" His eyes were wide, vacant "She...she...took him. She hurt me"

"Damn," Buffy stood.

Xander sighed "So they have Josh. Anyone thinking their collection isn't too far away from being completed?"

"At...at first she just acted normal, you know? That she wanted to show Josh something he needed to see...but I told her that the orders were no one was to take him anywhere unless you said so, Buffy. I told her and she hit me" Andrew looked like he was about to cry "And she broke my Boba Fett statuette"

Buffy rolled her eyes "Great. This is just great. That's it – as soon as Angel gets here we are coming up with a plan and taking these demons down"

"Uh, I don't mean to be insensitive or whatever but if demon guys have got their Spike and only the other Spike could kill the demon Spike then we have a problem. Our Spike is dead" Faith frowned and paused "Did any of that make sense?"

"Unfortunately yes" Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose "The demon will, essentially, be unbeatable, Buffy"

She took a deep breath "I can't think about that right now, Giles. I can't"

"Its all right Buffy" He put an arm around her "Come on everyone I think we should all go back to bed"

"Like I'll be able to sleep knowing there's a demon out there wearing my face" Xander grumbled but let to go back towards his own room anyway.

They all went back to bed except for Giles and Buffy who stood out in the corridor facing one another. Finally Buffy caved and hugged her Watcher, burying her face in his chest.

"I don't think I'll be able to cope if I see his face again and it's a demon" She murmured against him.

Giles stroked her hair "You can cope"

"I don't want to"

"I know" He sighed "I know"

A/N: Sorry if that was a bit complicated. But, it's gonna get a lot more complex...