Title: And the rest is.
Author: Charlie Timeline: Post BtVS S7 & AtS S5. Sequel to "Best Laid Plans" and "A Fair Exchange.
Summary: The face we see isn't always the one that is visible?
Feedback: coin of the realm.
Author Notes: Round and round, the ship goes. Where it lands, the Author doesn't know. Will it be (A)my, (B)uffy, (C)ordelia, (D)awn, (F)aith, (F)red, (H)armony, (K)ennedy or (W)illow that wins the Xandman? Vote now.

"He was big. Tall...dark..."

Kit was shaking as slightly as she spoke to her visitors. They had identified themselves as FBI agents William and Liam. Detective Liam, the senior agent, wrote this down in his notebook.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?"

Detective William asked earnestly.

"A mask, he had on a white mask."

Detective Liam wrote these details down as well. He closed his notebook and nodded to his partner. The two men stood and started out the door.

"Thank you very much Kit. We'll be in touch." Detective William's voice reassured the girl, "For I suggest you get some rest."

Out in the hallway, Detective William scowled at his partner. "This is the last bloody time we go as FBI agents, mate."

"Shut up Spike. We got what we needed."

"Right now what?"

Angel looked around for a bit then met other vampire's gaze.

"Let's go check on Xander."

Crestview

"Angel said WHAT!"

"Xander's gone. His hospital room is empty and according the nurse and administration he signed himself out."

"Shouldn't they have CALLED US when he woke up!"

Harmony frowned as she tried to remember the details of the story Angel told her. "The hospital said it last checked on him at 11:55 PM. Sometime after that Xander apparently woke up. At 12:20 AM He appeared at the front desk wide-awake and dressed. By 12:25 AN, he was signed out and left the hospital. At least that's what Angel figures."

Buffy sank back down into her chair, still not quite believing what she heard.

"Where are Angel and Spike going now?"

"According to police records there were only two other violent incidents. One was a double homsexualicide, two guys that it looks like worked a record story?"

"A record store?"

"Yeah the Jakked & Plains record store."

Hearing that name, Cordelia sat up straighter and the hair on the back of her neck stood straight up. Robin took note of that immediately, "Sound familiar?"

"Yeah, Xander works there."

Willow's eyes grew as large as saucers at hearing that. Kennedy was still holding her hand as the witch opened and closed her mouth.

"Does Angel know about that?"

"Probably not.

"Tell him."

"Harmony," Fred began, "What was the other incident?"

The blonde vampiress looked down at her notes, "Umm... a multiple murder site in a movie theater. Hmm, 3 bodies were found. Two with severe neck trauma"
"Harmony, tell Angel that too."

Cleveland

Xander looked himself over in the mirror. A little scruffy around the edges, in need of a shave, shower and new clothes perhaps. He didn't look too bad for a recent stab wound victim. The former carpenter ran his hand over the stab wound noting the scar left there and scowled.

"Little Miss Muffet wants to play with sharp sticks does she?"

He moved closer to the mirror, staring intensely at his reflection. "Yes...I think it's time let her in on a little secret. No... Not just her but all of them, time for a few less secrets and a few more questions."

Xander paused as he examined himself again in the mirror, focusing on the left side of his face. "No, this will not do. I think it's time for me to stop lying as well."

He brought his hands up to his face and touched the fake eye. Then Xander smiled as he brought both hands to his face.

"Let's get started shall we."

The streets

"Well that was a fabulous waste of time peaches. Went to the blokes's place and found nothing there either."

Angel sighed, "If you had been paying attention, Spike, instead of running your mouth. You would have noticed the door was forced just like at Kit's house."

"Right then, so our mystery demon shows up, kills those two stoners. Then he shows up a few blocks away, kills one woman and whiffs on killing another. Right. Now where are we going?"

"To check on the final incident Andrew found in the police records. A mass murder in a movie theater about a day before the two guys were killed."

"Wonderful."

Crestview

"Hey."

Andrew fell off his stool from where he had been reading something. He glanced up to see the smiling face of Dawn Summers looking down at him. "Ow. That really, really hurt. I thought you promised not to do that anymore."

Dawn giggled slightly as she helped him stand up. Andrew tried to straighten up while Dawn brushed the dirt off and smoothed the wrinkles.

"What are you doing anyway?"

"Oh I was reading the Wizard." He held up the magazine. "And later on I was going to use the price guide to update my comics." The former trio member beamed.

Dawn frowned, "I thought you weren't going to sell those."

"I wasn't, I just like being current."

"Uh huh."

"Really," Andrew insisted.

"I believe you."

"Really I mean it."

Elsewhere

It had been a simple matter to get into the theater. After the bodies had been discovered and removed, the place had been closed. The deceased film projectionist had actually been the sole owner of the place and upon his death ownership of the property had been passed along to another family member. At present said family member had yet to show up and claim the property so it remained dark, abandoned and in the same state it had been when the bodies had been found.

Which is why it was easy for Angel and Spike to gain entrance thru the rear of the building. A quick search revealed no signs of a robbery, which agreed with the police department report. The first theater was empty, containing nothing but old popcorn, candy and trash on the floor. In the second however, the scent of blood hung in the air, wafting up from stains on the floor and on the seats.

Angel bent down and examined the seats closely as Spike watched with a bored expression on his face. The older vampire noted the pattern of the blood had seemingly stained the seats and carpet. He also noted the indentations and marks left in the seat itself.

"What a shovel?"

"What?"

"The police report said that one of the bodies, a girl, was found literally pinned to her seat. A shovel had been thrust through her ribcage, heart, lungs and was still stuck in her. So again I ask, why a shovel? Why didn't the killer use some more traditional, like a knife?"

"Oh, it's tradition he wants. It never stopped you or me from using one before."

Angel glanced over at his cohort, "That was different."

"Why because we were soulless back then?"

"No because you and I, are strong enough to use just about anything as a weapon. A normal person would used something else more effectively."

"Oh... well maybe he found it."

"We don't know if it's a 'he' or not, remember Baltimore."

Spike's expression darkened at that, "Thank you very bloody much. I thought you said you weren't going to bring that up again."

The other vampire ignored for a moment as he backed up while keeping his gaze on the seats.
"And I thought I told you never to call me 'peaches'."

"Wanker."

Angel's gaze roamed about searching the adjacent seats then dropping to the floor. There it halted and his eyes narrowed as he moved in closer. Spike looked on attempting to uninterested but failing miserably.

"What is it?"

"Ash and ...dust."

"Oh, well I mean look the old place. Could use a major cleaning or perhaps some redecorating,"

Angel glared at him briefly halting Spike's ramblings.

"Not THAT kind of dust and ash. The 'other' kind."

"What other...oh. Well some poor sod got himself staked. Mystery solved."

"Hardly. Something came into this place, killed 3 people and a vampire. And it looks like whatever did it with ease."

As the two vampires were leaving the theater, Spike started talking again. "Right so something that goes bump in the night shows up, kills three people and a vampire all of whom were facing towards the screen."

He stopped by the doorway, "That's a wonderful theory you got there Angel. Got any suspects?"

The older vampire turned around with a retort in mind to finally shut up his partner. Then he noticed the movie poster behind Spike. The former LA detective walked closer to the wall as Spike moved aside. The blonde vampire looked from the movie poster to his grandsire with a confused look on his face.

"What?"

On the movie poster were emblazoned the words Friday the 13th written in bloodily red letters. But what took up most of the poster was what Angel was staring at. Jason Voorhees standing with his legs slightly apart, shovel in hand. 'He was tall, kind of dark... had on a white mask.' Kit's words reverberated in Angel's mind as he stared at the trademark hockey mask and an uneasy feeling formed in his stomach.

"We have to talk to Buffy right now."

Angel didn't say a word after that and Spike in tow he left the theater. The two vampires didn't say a word to each as they headed towards their car, their only concern was in not being spotted by the police. And they weren't as they drove off. Had they bothered to check more closely, they may have noticed the familiar form of Xander Harris following them.