Chapter Three

'There's talk on the street,

it sounds so familiar.

Great expectations,

everybody's watching you.

People you meet,

they all seem to know you…'

The Eagles, 'New Kid In Town'

Monday morning came a little too quickly for the brown haired young man, rising just before dawn for a quick five-mile run that also functioned as an impromptu patrol of the town. He was home in time for a quick shower and an English muffin with butter and jam before piling his backpack into his 'Vette and heading off to Sunnydale High School. A voice mail from Amanda said that he had an 8:15 appointment with Principal Snyder, and she snidely elaborated to say that Snyder sounded like an absolute Nazi on the phone. 'As if I wasn't nervous enough on my first day of school.' Brian kept an eye for Willow as he prepped himself for school, hoping to offer her a ride to school, but eventually had to leave or risk being tardy. Clearly, tardiness was not a first impression he wanted to leave with a potentially fascist high school principal.

Eight minutes later, he pulled his red convertible into the closest available parking space, next to a brand new crimson Dodge Stratus. His car definitely was attracting envious stares from the students as they passed by. The brunette in the Stratus, apparently not paying attention to her surroundings, nearly opened her door against the Corvette's original paint job. Panicked, Brian leapt across the passenger seat, catching the Stratus' door mere inches from contact with his, the momentum of the door crunching Brian's fingers between the two doors.

Outraged, the girl stuck her head around the door frame. "Hey! Watch it, buster. This is a brand new car. Don't go putting your greasy mitts all over my… whoa…," she stopped her tirade as she took in both the car next to her and the person occupying it. Despite her best efforts, Brian could hear her whisper under her breath, while he was busily shaking back feeling into his fingers. "What a total stud-biscuit." She put on her widest smile, showing an amazing number of perfectly aligned pearly white teeth. A true testament to both her orthodontist and her father's checking account. She grabbed her door from the boy's hands, carefully pulling it away from the Corvette. Walking around to the driver's side of Brian's car, she extended a hand, which Brian accepted eagerly. Brian subtly gave her the once over, as she did the same to him and his car. She was devastatingly beautiful, tall and slim, with hazel eyes that crowned an angel's face. Apparently, Brian focused on her longer than necessary, because he saw her mouth moving and couldn't decipher a word of what was being spoken.

"… a 1961 or a 1960 ducktail convertible?"

"Uh… oh, it's a '61. Got it from a guy up in San Bernardino a few months ago. You like it?" He asked.

The girl nodded eagerly. "Yeah. Definitely a nice set of wheels. My last boyfriend, Devon, only has a van. I mean, honestly, a van? Should I be seen in a van? I don't think so. Now this… this is more my style. Care to give me a ride?" She asked playfully and rubbed her hand along his forearm, and Brian wondered just how much of a double entendre that really was.

He smiled nervously, looking around for a friendly face, but was met only with a host of strangers rushing off to parts unknown. "Uh, as much as I'd love to, I'm late for a meeting with Principal…," he scanned down to the slip of paper in his hand. "…Snyder. I'm kinda new here. Just transferred, and all."

"Oh, lucky you." She replied, sarcasm dripping from her words. "Principal Snyder. I think he really lives under a bridge and eats goats. My advice, just nod your head a few times like you're listening to his every word, then say 'Seig, Heil!' a few times." Brian nodded, noting another reference to a potentially fascist headmaster. "That way, he'll leave you alone. You know, I'm heading that way, I could show you around and stuff."

Brian looked around, hoping to find Willow waiting for him. He shrugged at the girl and nodded his reluctant agreement. "Sure, I'd appreciate that. By the way, I'm Brian Wilson."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Cordelia. Cordelia Chase. But you can call me Cordy. All my friends do." She wrapped an arm around his waist and guided him through the set of double doors that stood as the entrance to the school.

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

Buffy and Xander met Willow at her locker, finding the redhead busying herself pulling several books from her backpack and settling them into her locker. Xander was the first to notice Willow, or more importantly, what she was wearing. She had on a pair of tight black pants, leather calf-high boots, a deep green sweater, and a black leather blazer. She was even wearing makeup, and her long hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail with a clip. Xander couldn't believe his eyes. Willow was… beautiful. 'When did that happen?'

"Hey, Will. You look great today." Buffy announced cheerily.

Willow turned and smiled at her best friend, noticing a series of red marks combined with dark blue and black bruising that wrapped around the front of Buffy's throat. "Morning, Buffy. Morning, Xander. Thanks. Hey, what happened to your neck?"

Buffy shrugged and her hand absently reached up to massage the injured region. "Vamp that got really lucky." Willow looked shocked and horrified, but motioned with a nod of her head for Buffy to continue. "I was wearing those new suede boots, which are completely ruined now. Anyhow, I slipped in the mud and dropped my stake. If it wasn't for this total hottie that scared the vamp off, you guys would be hangin' with a new Slayer."

"N-new guy?" Willow questioned.

"Oh, yeah. Major honey, too. I was about to ask him to the Bronze, but he totally disappeared on me when Angel showed up." Buffy replied.

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

They stopped first to find Cordelia's locker, where she fumbled with the combination lock for a moment. The locker next to her was open, which made it difficult to get to the lock easily and frustrated her. Finally, the person shut their door and an already uneasy Brian was shocked to see Willow there. She turned to look at him, and smiled widely. That is, until she saw Cordelia draped over him like a cheap suit. Her smile faltered then turned into twin icy green daggers directed at Brian and he instinctively took a half-step backward, alerting Cordy to the presence of Willow, Buffy and Xander, who were busy talking to each other about last night's graveyard incident. Willow was inwardly bristling at Xander's oblivion to her new sense of fashion.

Cordelia smiled wickedly at Willow and leaned in against Brian's shoulder in an intimate fashion. "Hey, Willow. This is Brian. He's new to…"

"I know." The redhead bit out frostily, never taking her eyes off of Brian. Brian noticed she was more dressed up than the last time he saw her. She had on a green turtleneck sweater and a leather jacket that was similar to his. 'Wow, Willow looks great this morning.'

"Well, excuuuuse me. I guess somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." The brunette replied nastily, surprised at Willow's reaction. "Geez, try a bran muffin, Willow. I hear they're great for unblocking whatever it is that's stuck up your ass." Despite themselves, Buffy and Xander snorted at the rather impressive insult. Willow spun around quickly and pinned her friends into silence with a look.

Willow finally turned to meet Cordelia's face and she was tempted to smack that smile off her face. Part of her wanted to run and hide, so hurt by Brian. The other part was so furious that it kept her bolted to the floor. Refusing to respond to Cordelia's taunt, she turned back to Brian, the pain and betrayal reflected in her eyes. It wasn't until she was able to read the 'Help Me' look on his face, that she realized he was probably ambushed before he even left the parking lot. With a sinister grin, Willow reached for Brian's hand and pulled him away from her rival, then planted a scorching kiss on his lips. After a moment of astonishment, Brian began to return to kiss, letting it linger as long as possible. And while it was maybe not the best kiss they'd ever bore witness to, the looks on her friend's faces were utterly priceless, particularly Cordelia's.

'Man, I wish I had a camera right now. And it'll be worth it when Buffy gives me the third-degree later.' "Come on, Brian." Willow announced, purposely ignoring the reactions of her friends and her somewhat-less-than-friend. "You need to see the principal, and he hates it if you're late. I'll walk you there." The two left hand-in-hand before any of the three could formulate a response.

Buffy was the first to push her jaw back into place, though still in shock at what she saw. "What the… hey, that was the guy from last night!" She turned to Xander. "That's the guy who saved me last night in the graveyard."

Xander largely ignored Buffy's statement. "So what, did you see that… he just… with her… he just kissed Willow!"

"Looked more like the other way around from where I stood, Xand." Buffy replied honestly and with a bit of mirth. 'No cute guy, my ass! Way to go, Willow!'

Xander just glared at her and ground down on his teeth, then without another word stalked away towards his homeroom. Buffy and Cordelia tracked the rapidly departing Xander with their eyes, watching as he bounced off a football player like a human pinball though never breaking stride. The jock barely had time to register his surprise before Xander was well past him, and thereby out of ass-kicking range. They lost track of him as he rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Buffy looked back to Cordelia, a small smile still perched on her lips.

"What just happened here?" Cordelia asked, still confused and more than a little angry by the sudden turn of events.

"Well, I think Willow has a boyfriend and Xander is none-too-thrilled about it." Buffy replied honestly.

"No, I meant with Brian and me. What's up with that?"

Buffy blew out an irritated breath. "Cordelia, would it surprise you to find out that the world does not revolve around you?"

"Yes." Cordelia replied easily, catching sight of Harmony and Aura. Without looking back, the tall brunette strode off to meet her friends. Buffy shook her head, not completely sure if Cordy was serious or not. The first period bell rang and Buffy gathered up her books and headed off to her history class.

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

The diminutive, balding principal stalked around the back of his desk, attempting to size up the young man who had just entered his office. "Mister Wilson," Snyder made an exaggerated motion of glancing at his watch, tapping at the glass face with a stubby finger, then back at Brian. "It is now 8:17. You're two minutes late. And if there is one thing in this school I simply will not tolerate, it's tardiness. That, and smoking."

"Oui, m'sieur." Brian replied, slightly irritated that he was late for their meeting, but more annoyed that the principal would make such a big deal over two minutes. 'Amanda wasn't kidding when she said he was "an absolute Nazi."' In fact, with each passing moment, Snyder reminded Brian more and more like one of those Ferengi creatures he saw on Star Trek. 'God, I hope he doesn't call me a 'hyoo-man,' or I swear I'll bust a gut!' He snickered mentally as the thought hit him, and he had to bite down hard on his tongue not to laugh out loud.

Snyder nodded in satisfaction at Brian's deference to authority. He slid his office chair out from the desk and leaned into the cushion. After a moment, he opened Brian's file, reviewing the carefully constructed documents forged by the Watchers' Council in Paris. Snyder scanned the pages for a moment, and Brian saw the principal's brows raise a fraction. "Well, you seem to have an impressive academic record. St. Joseph's Academy in Paris, where you received high marks. Top of your class, in fact."

Brian nodded once, but said nothing. 'Of course I finished top in my class. I was the only one in it.'

Snyder frowned as he looked over the manila folder, his dark brown eyebrows pushing together in slight confusion. "It's funny, though. I don't recall ever having a foreign exchange student come this late in the year. Is your speaky-English good?"

Brian nodded his head briefly, "My English is fine, Principal Snyder. But I'm not an exchange student, I'm transferring here from Paris, permanently."

He nodded in understanding and pressed a button on his phone, and the receptionist answered immediately. "Have Willow Rosenberg come to my office immediately." The receptionist acknowledged him and a moment later, Brian heard the P.A. system call for Willow. She appeared a few moments later at Snyder's door, her history book in one hand.

"Miss Rosenberg, please escort Mr. Wilson around the campus." She nodded, and Snyder reached forward and slid a few papers to Brian. "All right, then. Here is your class schedule and your locker number, combination and a hall pass for the both of you. And have your parents sign these forms and return them to me." Brian and Willow shared a pained look, before exiting the office. A beep from Snyder's phone broke his attention from leering at Willow's shapely backside. He exhaled forcefully, then stabbed angrily at the intercom button. "What?"

"The mayor is holding on line one." His receptionist answered immediately.

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

Willow walked with Brian down the empty hallway of the high school, the blocky heels of her boots creating a click-clack that echoed along the mostly empty halls. Brian was comparing their class schedules, she smiled as she saw him notice the similar class list, as well as the subtle glances at her. It was weird having guys, as well as a few girls, taking longer than normal looks at her. But she thought she could get used to it.

He scanned his eyes down the two sheets of printout. "Wow, Willow, we have four classes together! History, English, Computer Science and Algebra! And we also have our free period and lunch at the same time!"

She smiled mostly to herself, she spent most of the previous evening and part of the night hacking into the high school mainframe and reorganizing his classes. "Uh, that's great… so, what's your first class, Brian?" She asked him innocently, knowing full well what it was - Sophomore English with Mrs. Randall.

He examined the flimsy piece of paper, noting the class at the top of the list. "It's, ummm, English Composition with Mrs. Randall."

Willow put on a surprised face. "What a surprise! Me, too." She grabbed his hand and half-dragged the boy down the hall and up the stairs to the second floor. "So, you wanna stop by your locker, first?"

He nodded and they searched for his locker, which turned out to be two doors down from hers, with Cordelia's locker in between. Brian gave her a sideways look when he noticed her sly smile. "Did you have something to with this Willow?"

Willow gave him a startled innocent look, but Brian saw through it. He frowned at her and fixed her with a stern gaze. Her smile faltered, and she relented. "Okay, I guess I hacked into the school's mainframe and adjusted your schedule." His look hardened. "A-and your locker number. I'm sorry, Brian. I guess I overdid it a little bit, didn't I?"

"A little bit?" Brian replied, his voice moving up half an octave. "Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered that you went to all this trouble over just me, but you could get into serious trouble if you got caught. You could get suspended, or worse… get kicked out of school altogether!"

Her shoulders sagged and she felt her eyes begin to burn with tears. He was right. She finally found somebody she liked and she blew it by moving way too fast too soon. She barely noticed the hand that reached down to caress her chin. She looked up hopefully, her eyes shining. "Still," Brian continued with a small smile. "That was really sweet to do all this for me. Thank you, Willow." And he leaned down just as she leaned forward and their lips met somewhere in the middle. There was no awkwardness in the kiss this time, and Willow leaned in to deepen the kiss, wrapping her arms around the taller boy's neck and pulling him to her.

Xander exited the boy's bathroom, absently wiping his hands off on a paper towel, and noticed the two embracing down the hall. More than just embracing, he realized after a moment. 'He's got his tongue halfway down her goddamned throat! That son a bitch!' A veil of red clouded his vision as he slapped the damp towel on the floor, which made a wet splattering sound on the cool linoleum floor, and stalked towards the couple.

Willow pulled away from the kiss, heaving from lack of oxygen. Not tearing her eyes away from Brian, she passed her hand over her swollen lips, still amazed at the feelings she was experiencing for the boy she barely knew. A movement from the corner of her eye drew her attention away; Xander was striding towards them with a determined look in his eye. She smiled, Xander had not spoken to her this morning, opting to just stare at her briefly before Brian showed up with Cordelia. "Morning, Xander. So how's Algebra this morn-"

Xander never turned to acknowledge his oldest friend, he just stepped past the redhead and his eyes were planted firmly on the new student he caught making out with Willow. Brian smiled warmly at Xander. Xander seemed kind of quiet this morning when they first met. Though he had to admit, Xander didn't really get an opportunity to get to know him, either. Brian opened his mouth to greet Willow's friend, but was quickly silenced by a fist to the jaw, which rocked Brian on his heels. His head jerked back, smacking harshly against the concrete wall; a sickly crack that resonated down the halls. Stars danced in his vision, which darkened as he passed out and collapsed into a heap on the floor. Willow choked back a scream, then pushed her way past Xander. She shoved him so hard, in fact, that Xander stumbled to the side and had to brace himself against the wall to keep from falling. Willow knelt down to the unconscious young man, checking for his pulse and then opening an eye to check to see if it was dilating properly. She turned her head quickly back to the source of her distress, glaring at Xander. Xander sucked in a breath in reaction to the look on her face. Never in the twelve years they had known each other had she looked at him this way. It was beyond anger or hatred. The look in her eyes; it was something undefined, something primal. And Xander couldn't be absolutely certain that she didn't growl at him before she leapt and tackled him to the ground.

"Have you lost your mind, Xander?" Willow roared at him, barely remembering to keep her voice down or run the risk of having a teacher or some other adult come out. As much as she hated Xander at this moment, she didn't want him in any trouble. "Or did you even have a mind to start with?" She grabbed him by the lapels of his wild purple and red paisley button-down shirt, then slammed him roughly back onto the tile floor.

Xander had his breath knocked from him, and he shook his head to clear the spots from his eyes. When his vision cleared, he saw Willow leading Giles down the hall and carrying a first aid kit in her hands. Xander propped himself up on an elbow, praying that the wave of nausea would pass soon. Willow ignored him and moved past to kneel behind Brian, carefully unwrapping a palm-sized strip of gauze and placing it on the back of Brian's head. She pulled it away and was relieved when there was no blood on the gauze. She bunched up her jacket underneath Brian's head, then turned and glared at Xander once again, before reaching into the kit for a small bottle of smelling salts. She waved them under Brian's nose briefly and he spasmed back in surprise and shock.

The young Herald finally came to not long after Giles conscripted Xander into helping him carry Brian into the library. Xander started to protest, but quieted under the harsh scrutiny of the British Watcher. "Just what in the bloody hell were you thinking, Xander? I've a mind to turn you in to Principal Snyder… or perhaps just call your parents." Giles leaned towards the sullen Xander, waggling a finger in his face.

"But, you don't understand!," Xander complained. "He was-"

"Quite frankly, I don't care what Brian did or didn't do. You, by now, should understand the need to restrain yourself around this school. He could have been seriously hurt." Giles replied harshly. "And what if Principal Snyder had seen you?" He turned to inspect the patchwork done on Brian. There was a nice lump on the back of his head as well as the beginnings of a swollen lip, but fortunately no concussion.

Brian flinched as Willow applied a small ice pack to his lip, then smiled up to her in thanks. Brian glanced over at Xander, who was trying to be discreet and alternated glances between Willow and Brian. Brian narrowed his eyes at Xander, understanding Xander's need to protect his friend. And he was caught between the irritation caused by the golf-ball sized lump on the back of his head and his desire to make nice with Willow's closest and oldest friend.

"I suppose we each made a bad first impression," Brian offered to Xander tentatively. He held out his hand, which Xander stared at dubiously. "Hi, I'm Brian. Wanna try for a better second impression?"

Xander hesitated, glancing up to see Willow not more than five yards away; her arms crossed over her chest and staring intently at their conversation. Xander reached for Brian's hand and shook it. "Xander Harris." He introduced himself shortly.

"Quite the first day I'm having. Get up early. Go for a run. Come home to an English muffin. Get attacked by a rabid debutante in the parking lot. Get defended by a rabid Willow Rosenberg. Meeting with a fascist principal with ears so big that he reminded me of a Ferengi from Star Trek. And to top it all off: chipped teeth and cranial fracturing. And it's only 9:00." Brian narrated sardonically, mostly to himself but still loud enough for everyone to hear. "Top it off with a high colonic, and I think we can call it a full day."

Despite himself, Xander cracked a smile. "Sorry 'bout the... well, it's just, y'know…"

Brian nodded, though his eyes remained wary and hard. He rubbed absently at his distended lip, wincing as the sharp pain washed over him. "Just defending Willow. I understand. This time. Next time, though, I could get a little… peeved." He punctuated his statement with a slightly raised eyebrow and a waved finger under Xander's nose. "And next time, I'll be ready for it."

Xander swallowed audibly and nodded.

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

Buffy stopped in shortly before lunch, wanting to check in with her Watcher. She found Giles busying pouring over a thick and dusty dark brown tome. "Morning, Giles." She called out in greeting.

The British librarian poked his head up in surprise, glancing at his wristwatch, then smiling at his charge. "Oh, good morning, Buffy. Though just barely. It seems I was rather… preoccupied with my books this morning."

Buffy smiled wryly. "And this is different from any other day?"

Despite himself, he couldn't force a stern glare to the surface. He chuckled low in his throat. "Uh, yes, quite."

"The reason I stopped by was because last night I was on patrol and this vamp totally had me." Giles paled and sat back down in his chair, his eyes urging her to continue. "I slipped in some mud and the vamp got me by the throat and he would've had me if this guy hadn't come out of nowhere. I didn't see much, what with the mind numbing pain and lack of oxygen, but he was good. Very good. I think he had a sword."

Giles absorbed her story, reaching for his glasses and absently cleaning the lenses with a handkerchief. "But you're alright?"

Buffy nodded, reaching up to pull at her beige and black turtleneck sweater and expose the mass of blue and red ligature marks that circumnavigated her slender neck. "I am thanks to him. I saw him again this morning. He's a student here."

Giles smiled. "Oh, then you must mean Brian." Off Buffy had a stunned look as he continued. "Willow brought the young man in earlier after Xander… punched him in the mouth."

"Xander hit him? What for? Is he okay?" Buffy exclaimed.

Giles compressed his lips into a thin line. "Brian is fine. Just a swollen lip and bruise on the back of his head. Fortunately for Xander, he did not feel the need to retaliate. I didn't receive the entire story, but from what I could piece together, Xander took exception to Brian and Willow kissing in the halls."

Buffy growled. "Xander Harris. Now there's a dead man walking."

Giles placed a calming hand on Buffy's shoulder. "I think the situation has been rectified, and I don't need you antagonizing them." Buffy frowned, but finally nodded reluctantly. She was eager to finally set a few things straight where Xander and Willow were concerned. But Giles was right; as much as she wanted to, it was not her place for her to force the issue.

When lunchtime came, Willow guided Brian through the large cafeteria, ignoring the interested looks she was suddenly getting from the other boys, and quashing the jealousy she felt when she noticed the similar looks Brian was getting from the girls. If Brian noticed anything, he made no show of it. She quickly found 'their' table, where Buffy and Xander were already seated and munching on what appeared to be what Willow referred to as 'hot dog surprise.' Brian smiled as he remembered to bring his own lunch. He grimaced at the sight of the red-brown 'stew', the fat content and the empty calories alone would have him running extra miles and doing extra sit-ups for the rest of the week to just to work that off. He didn't even want to contemplate the salt content. He unzipped his backpack and pulled out a plastic container of pasta salad with chunks of grilled chicken, green and red peppers, carrot slices and egg whites, another container of sliced apples and a bottle of spring water.

Xander took a long glance at Brian's so-called lunch then looked down at his Twinkies and 'hot-dog surprise.' He spooned another mouthful of the beans, savoring the rich, salty taste, ignoring the acidic feeling in his stomach it gave him. 'If he wants to eat that sissy food, who am I to stop him,' Xander thought to himself. He punctuated his thought with a deep roaring belch that caused the entire student body to stop their eating to stare at him. "'Scuse me." He announced guiltily and hung his head inside his multi-colored shirt. Buffy and Willow shared a disgusted look, but said nothing. Brian made no comment, and quietly dug into his salad.

"I never really got the chance to thank you for saving me last night. So where'd you learn those moves?" Buffy asked the new kid.

Xander looked up sharply, hearing that Willow's boyfriend saved Buffy's life. "He saved your life? When was this?" Xander interrupted.

"Well," Buffy replied, a little nastily. "If you had paid attention earlier, I told you I was fighting a vam- er, this guy, and my heel slipped in the mud. Brian came along and kicked the guy's ass before it, er… he, could strangle me to death." She turned back to Brian. "So, where're you from? Why did your parents move to Sunnydale?"

Willow and Brian winced when Buffy mentioned Brian's parents, but made no comments. "Well, I was born in Seattle, but I was raised in Paris."

"Paris? As in Paris, France?" Buffy answered in shock. Brian nodded hesitantly, looking around the cafeteria in fear that people would stop and stare at them. "That is so cool!" Buffy concluded. Buffy was once again interrupted from her subtle interrogation, but this time by a crash coming from the exit of the lunch line.

Larry Blaisedale was laughing and standing over a fallen student: a mousy little guy with short black hair, now sporting a red-brown stain all across the front of his blue Mr. Spock T-shirt. Sheets of notebook paper and books were strewn about the linoleum floor. Larry who was still laughing at the fallen little nerd, was a beefy tree trunk of a high school student and from all accounts, neither the nicest guy in town nor the smartest. Before any teacher could assist the fallen boy, Buffy and Brian were out of their seats. Buffy, being closest, reached Jonathan first, offering him a hand up and a handful of paper napkins. He scowled once at Larry before accepting the Slayer's hand gratefully. "I'm gonna tell Snyder you tripped me, you big ox!" Jonathan threatened.

Larry stepped up to face the smaller Jonathan, who only reached eye level with the Razorback patch of Larry's varsity jacket. Larry looked down menacingly. "You're gonna what, shrimp?" The joints in Larry's hand crackled as he flexed his fist.

Jonathan paled noticeably and shrunk away behind Buffy. Buffy leaned in to defend the smaller boy, but was stopped by Brian. "I think he said he's going to inform the principal." Brian replied evenly.

"Who the hell are you?" Larry asked. He saw the taller boy and gave him a less than subtle once over, grinning wickedly in the process.

Brian fought down a wave of revulsion, and hoped Larry was only sizing him up for a fight, but wasn't betting on it. "I'm asking you to apologize to him and help him get cleaned up." Brian turned his head to catch Jonathan. "I'll bet he wouldn't tell Snyder if you apologized. Would you?" Jonathan considered it for a moment, before nodding his agreement.

Larry's face curled up in disgust. "I ain't apologizin' to that little dork!" Buffy had to put a restraining hand across Jonathan to prevent him from saying something he'd regret.

Brian sighed. "That's… unfortunate. For you, that is." He caught the questioning look in Larry's eyes and continued. "Well, with the State championship coming up on Friday, I bet the team would be pretty hurt if their star player was unable to compete. Maybe even lose altogether. You wouldn't want that, would you?" There was something in the tone of the new kid's voice, it made so much sense to Larry. Brian's voice reverberated in his mind, making him focus. Focus on the game. The team. It was so clear to him now. He just couldn't miss this week's football game. The coach'd kill him!

Buffy smiled widely as she saw the gears working inside the Neanderthal's brain. Suddenly, it clicked for Larry, who grabbed the napkins roughly from Buffy's hand and sloughed the beany stew from Jonathan's shirt. "I'm not gonna let you keep me from the game Friday, you little pudwacker! So… um, I'm sorry. Okay?"

Jonathan winced at the rough treatment, as well as being called a 'pudwacker.' "I don't know, Larry. It didn't sound like you really meant that."

Larry glared at the little punk, and clenched his fists. But again Brian intervened. "I think that's the best you're gonna get. So what do you say? Is all forgiven?"

Jonathan shrugged halfheartedly. It was more than he really could have expected, anyhow. "Yeah, sure, I guess."

Brian and Buffy walked back casually to the table, satisfied with the outcome and glad it didn't have to end in violence. Buffy turned to the new kid. "I can't believe you talked him out of that. I was prepared to have to pound the snot out of that jerk."

Brian shrugged as he reached the table, his seat still waiting for him next to Willow. She and Xander both wore curious expressions as the two returned. "Father Darius told me once that if you remind someone once of the cost of an action, it will usually make them think twice about the result. And getting into a fight would have only gotten us all in trouble." He looked over to Xander, who glared at him for a moment. But the glare had no force behind it, and Xander reluctantly nodded his agreement.

Willow nodded. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?" Brian nodded with a smile.

"Still," Buffy continued. "Larry can't be that dumb. Football season ended months ago. And the team didn't win a single game all year, let alone get to the state championship."

Brian's eyes widened in surprise and began to laugh softly. He looked over to Larry, who was sitting by himself at a table, shaking his head. "Really? Man, I guess he really is that dumb."

Brian, Buffy, Xander and Willow stopped in the library after the final period, finding Giles pouring over a thick leather-bound volume, with the title written in gold etchings and in German. Giles felt the shift in air pressure more than he heard the double doors swing open. He lifted his head, curious who would disturb him during the afternoon. He glanced again at his watch, surprised to find it was after three o'clock. "Oh, hello, everyone. I trust your first day was satisfactory, Brian?"

Brian nodded and sat down, draping his backpack across a corner of the back of his chair. "It was fine. Um, Mr. Giles, I need you to sign these papers Principal Snyder gave me."

Willow frowned, and her forehead crinkled up in confusion. But Buffy voiced her thoughts for her. "Huh? Why would Giles have to sign those for you? Aren't your parents supposed to sign those?"

Brian started to reply, but the Giles spoke up. "Because Brian is an orphan, Buffy. He's has no parents. I am his legal guardian."

Buffy, Xander and Willow all blinked their surprise, before erupting with a volcano of questions, both for Brian and for Giles. Wanting to nip it in the bud, Giles waved away their questions. "All in due time. Let's allow Brian some time to acclimate before giving him the third degree." He stared down any attempt Buffy or Xander had to continue with their questions. Finally, quiet reigned again. "Now, Brian, I was wondering how you would feel about training with Buffy today. If you feel up to it, of course."

Brian nodded eagerly, but Willow objected quickly. "Wait a minute, mister! I don't think so!" Buffy and Xander smirked at Willow's behavior. "You still have a nasty lump of your head." She reached to his scalp, searching for the golf-ball sized lump near the back of his head, but surprisingly found none. She frowned deeply, moving her hand around his head. "Take off your shirt." She ordered, prompting Xander, Buffy and Giles to balk. She ignored them, even going so far as to reach down and tug at Brian's waist. He shooed her hands away and obediently pulled up his shirt, knowing just what she was looking for. Willow sucked in a breath as he revealed his trim and well-muscled torso, but could only find a slight remnant of the deep yellow-black bruise he sported on Saturday night. "But, you… there was a huge bruise there, Giles. From where a vampire kicked him. And it's almost gone! It's only been a couple of days, how can it already be gone?" She released the hem of Brian's shirt and Brian began tucking the undershirt back into his slacks.

Giles considered for a moment how much to reveal to the young red head. He reached for his glasses and began rubbing the lenses with a handkerchief. Willow knew this action meant he was about to reveal something important, so she sat back down next to Brian. Giles glanced over to Brian, wondering how much he could reveal in good conscience. Sighing, Giles began slowly. "It appears that Brian is a… warrior… for the Powers That Be."

Their eyes widened at the revelation, except Brian who simply sighed. Willow spoke first. "He's a Slayer? Like Buffy?"

"Buffy is the Slayer?" Brian questioned.

Buffy nodded with a smile. Brian chuckled under his breath for a moment, before seeing the look of irritation on the Slayer's face. "What? You're surprised I'm the Slayer?"

Brian shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I expected you to be taller or something." Buffy narrowed her eyes at the new boy, but said nothing. After all, Angel said pretty much the same thing when he first met her.

Giles shook his head. "Slayers are always female. And there can only be one at a time. When one dies, another is called. Brian is what is called the Herald. The Herald of the End Times, to be precise." Giles sat down. "The details are sketchy, but according to the writings, he will battle a great evil, and the fate of all mankind will hang in the balance."

"Hmmm, just so there's no pressure or anything." Xander commented, mostly to himself but received a jab in the ribcage from Buffy and a stern look from Giles.

Willow shot a horrified look to Brian, who sighed and shrugged. She couldn't believe what Giles had just told them. "I'd understand," Brian whispered. "If you didn't want to be around me anymore. It's too dangerous." He stood up abruptly, forcibly tearing his gaze away from Willow. "This is my duty. I should go. I'm really sorry if I hurt you, Willow."

"No, you can't go!" Willow cried, and Brian turned around but failed to meet her stunned gaze. She threw a pointed and meaningful to Buffy and Giles. "Giles!"

Giles fumbled for a moment. "Er, um, yes, Willow. Brian, please sit down. Willow and Xander have been helping Buffy and me for quite awhile now. I think you can trust them to help you as well."

Brian smiled, but it was a sad smile. "It isn't that. I'm worried that somebody will get hurt."

"That's pretty much a daily risk here on the Hellmouth." Xander added, much to the surprise of everyone in the room, including Xander. "We're probably safer with you and Buffy around than on our own."

Brian looked hopefully to Giles, who nodded and welcomed him back into the group. Willow and Buffy scooted closer to the newest member, laughing and telling him stories of their 'adventures.' Even Xander seemed to warm up slightly. Giles got up to refill his tea cup, and took a long look at the group, then reached for Dawson's address to prepare an update.

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

In an abandoned warehouse on the other side of town, David Scott-Thomas set his headphones down on the makeshift counter, suppressing a surprised gasp. 'The Herald is in Sunnydale!' He moved to the phone next to his recording equipment and jammed a bony finger on the speed dial. It rang only once. He spoke without introduction in his cultured British inflection. "I just received confirmation. The Herald is in Sunnydale."

On the other side of the continent, in a penthouse apartment overlooking the New York skyline, James Horton smiled. "Excellent. Tell no one. Make no reports. I will be there tomorrow." Horton disconnected the line before the Watcher could voice his surprise or his objection. Horton turned to his secretary, a lithe young brunette with piercing blue eyes, wavy dark brown hair and full lips. "Have the jet fueled and ready in an hour, Jessica. I want to be in Los Angeles as soon as possible."

Jessica nodded and slid off the satin-sheeted mattress, not bothering to cover herself, and giving Horton an excellent view of her naked backside as she sauntered into the adjoining office. Not that Horton gave it more than a cursory glance, he was busy dialing his phone. "Yes, put him on the phone. Tell him that it's James Horton." There was a lengthy pause. "Yes, it's good to hear from you, as well. It has been awhile, indeed. I will be arriving in town shortly and I thought you and I should get together, perhaps over dinner. I believe I have some information you might find… interesting."

There was another shorter pause, and Horton laughed. "Yes, I believe that can be arranged. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Good day."

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

Giles winced as another in a long series of high kicks caught the unprotected area near his shoulder. He held up both hands to forestall Buffy's next salvo, but not quickly enough to stop the last one, which caught him across the chest and knocked him to the floor, and knocking the air from his lungs.

Buffy shrieked in fear as her Watcher collapsed against the small staircase that led to the stacks. "Oh my God! Giles, are you okay?" She reached down to offer the older man a hand up, but he waved it away.

"Thank you, Buffy. I think I'll just lie here a moment. Perhaps I'll rethink my choice of vocation while I catch the remnants of my breath." Giles puffed out painfully. Already he could feel the swelling around his breastbone the size and shape of a size seven Nike Air Jordan, complete with tread marks and an inverted Nike symbol pressed into his chest.

Buffy gnawed at her lower lip, concerned for her mentor. Already Willow and Brian were coming over with the first aid kit and Xander was kneeling beside Giles, checking for a concussion. "He'll be alright." Xander confirmed. "Just got the wind knocked out of him, I think."

Giles nodded. "Perhaps it would be best for the time being for Buffy to spar with Brian."

Willow looked over doubtfully to Brian, who nodded. The redhead pulled him aside. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright." Brian assured her. Willow didn't like it, and there wasn't really much she could do to stop him. She shrugged and sat down to watch. And be ready to stop it before anyone got hurt.

Brian moved to the far corner of the padded mat that Giles had Xander and him lay out earlier. He had changed into a pair of maroon Sunnydale High School sweatpants and a plain yellow t-shirt, while Buffy had on a black and light blue striped spandex jogging suit. They had agreed to start out with hand-to-hand to try to test each other's abilities. They danced in towards the center of the mat, studying each other for weaknesses. Buffy struck first with a punch to the ribs followed by a high kick to the side of Brian's head.

Brian easily sidestepped Buffy's right hook, then immediately ducked as her leg soared over his head. Off balance, Buffy could not avoid the leg sweep that took her down to the mat with a grunting thud. Immediately, Buffy rolled on her back to a standing position, and threw a quick nod to Brian in silent congratulations. The Slayer then launched herself at the Herald's midsection. Brian leapt straight up, and for a moment, seemed to hover in mid-air as Buffy passed underneath him. His foot shot straight down and his heel caught Buffy between her shoulder blades. She hit the mat again face first with a nasty crash. Willow, Xander and Giles all winced as Buffy was sent sprawling to the mat, but they made no comment to distract the warriors. Buffy turned around angrily, "Okay. Fine. No more Miss Nice Slayer."

Brian nodded with a slight smirk, then set himself to receive her assault. Buffy launched into a series of spinning kicks, most were either blocked or ducked under, but inevitably, one made contact, throwing Brian back eight feet through the air and into the cinderblock wall. His vision began to narrow, but he fought off unconsciousness and staggered back towards the mat. "Kid gloves are off, huh?" Brian commented sarcastically, mostly to give himself time to recover from Buffy's powerful kick. Willow met Giles' worried gaze, but Giles threw up a hand to allow the fight to continue… for the moment.

The stars dancing in Brian's vision finally cleared, and he tossed a cocky grin to the Slayer. "Good. Now it's my turn." Brian challenged icily. Buffy paused a moment, surprised that he could just shrug off a hit like that. She once caught Giles with a similar kick and they didn't spar for almost a week. Brian set himself into a combat stance on the corner of the mat, his palm opened in front of him as a guard. He inverted his palm at Buffy and made a 'come here' motion with his fingers. Buffy nodded eagerly and ran towards her target, scanning his stance for a weakness. He feigned left with a crescent kick and that was Buffy's opening. Or so she thought.

Brian brought his leg straight down in mid-kick, just as Buffy committed herself to her uppercut to Brian's seemingly exposed front. She never saw the thundering open-handed punch to her sternum, everything just suddenly went dark. Brian's punch caught her squarely in the chest and sent her flying back several feet across the mat, landing unconscious on the floor near the audio-visual cart.

Everyone leapt to action, Giles and Xander reached Buffy simultaneously, relieved when they heard soft moans coming from the fallen Slayer. Willow immediately ran to Brian's side, who was now sitting heavily on the padded mat, checking his swollen chin for more serious damage. There was some blood from a cut to the underside of his lower lip and a swollen bruise was beginning to form, but no permanent damage. Xander turned to see Willow rush to Brian's side, and a rush of anger and jealousy swept through him again, but he clamped down on it. Giles rolled up his sleeves and helped the fallen girl to her feet, just as Buffy was beginning to come to. "Giles, he's a bad, bad man. No wanna play with him no more." Buffy moaned petulantly, then slipped back into unconsciousness.

Giles chuckled, despite his best efforts not to and carried his Slayer to one of the library chairs. "Well, I dare say that was… informative." He turned to his newest charge, a curious sense of pride running through him. "Well, Brian, I must say, I am quite impressed. Your technique is absolutely flawless. Darius has trained you quite well." Giles reached out to help the boy up. And that was when Brian noticed Giles' wrist. He wore the same tattoo as the man who murdered Darius. Brian sucked in a breath, and he hurriedly pushed Willow behind him.

"Brian, what-?" Willow cried.

"Stay back, you murdering bastard!" Brian ordered the Watcher with a raised fist toward the Watcher, and he began pulling Willow away and out towards the exit.

"Brian, wait. Wait, don't go! I can explain!" Giles called out desperately.

Brian turned around angrily, tears burning his eyes and blurring his vision. "What can you possibly say that can explain why you killed a priest?" Willow looked torn between Brian, the boy she was beginning to fall for, and Giles, the man she considered a father figure. If Brian was telling the truth… no, she couldn't even comprehend Giles murdering a priest.

Xander looked up from his position, confusion evident in his features. "Giles, what is he talking about?" Giles didn't answer him. Didn't even turn his attention away from the boy.

Willow stepped between the two, forcing Giles to acknowledge her. "Giles, tell him. Tell him you had nothing to do with it." The redhead commanded urgently.

"I can't, Willow." Giles replied softly, so low she was barely able to hear him. "I'm sorry."

Xander stepped up next to the British librarian. "I don't understand, Giles. Why can't you tell him?"

"I'm sorry. I can't tell him," Giles' shoulders slumped, and suddenly he felt thousands of years older. "Because it's true."