6?

AN: In the intervening time, Xander has told Buffy about the ordeal and she, in turn, has told Giles – none are looking forwards to this. Also, heavy angst and bloodthirsty natures at the ending part – just some stuff, nothing too bad.

(Two Days Later)

Xander knew his luck wasn't that good, even before his father had caught him dusting Dru, but now he knew that the fates were against him – standing at the table, chatting with G-man, was his father, but not only that was the fact that his mother was off to the side, chatting it up with both Willow and Buffy; yes, God did hate him, "Hey, guys."

Giles looked at him and smiled, "Hello, Xander – your father and I have been speaking for a little while and … I must say, he told me quite an interesting story from a few days ago."

Xander looked over at Willow and Buffy, both of whom drew Jessica out of the room so that they could speak openly, "About Dru and her new leather fetish?"

Giles nodded, "And about her wanting to turn you, Xander – I've filled your father in on several things that are, in actuality, real, but I am going to leave it to you to tell him the rest. Cheers," Giles finished, grabbing his books and walking off, leaving the pair alone.

Xander looked at the door silently for a moment before he snarled, "He will pay for this – I swear it."

Adam, for his part, didn't look fazed at all at the somewhat cheap way he had been left with his son, "Answers, please?"

Xander sighed and took a seat, motioning for Adam to follow, "So, what do you think you know?"

Adam took a deep breath and relayed to his son what he 'thought he knew', that vampires did exist, so did other demons, and a few other oddities, and about the Hellmouth, but then brought up a rather touch subject, "And that you hate me."

Alex, for his part, didn't even bat an eye, "Is that all you picked up from what Giles told you?"

"No, that's what I picked up from what I've seen you do so far, son – you seem to hate me with a passion."

Xander rolled his eyes, "No, that's Tony – you annoy me, greatly, and even aggravate me with your presence."

"Why?"

"Because you couldn't man-up and accept that you had a wife and son, so you pulled some chicken shit disappearing act and left the door wide-open for your dip-ship brother." Alex's voice was cool and dripping with venom at the mere mention of his brother, but not without some truth to it.

Adam took a breath a let it out slowly, "I was reassigned, Alex, and your mother … she didn't want to follow me from base to base, uprooting you all of the time. She said that you'd be better for it."

Alex just snorted at him, "I've got the memories of a guy who doesn't technically exist, enough nightmares and terror-inspiring shit in my skull to keep Stephen King in business for the next few DECADES, I'm apathetic towards the human condition and I want nothing more than to find your brother and beat him into a bloody mess – THAT, Adam, isn't 'better for it'."

Adam felt his temper starting to rise, "Don't you think she and I know that, Alex? Sure, she puts on a good act, but Jessica is not as dim as my little brother seems to think she is – she had a good idea what you were doing all those night last school year and was told by Mister Giles what the world is really like. Don't you think that she and I feel really shitty about all of this? That I'm second-guessing every decision I made all those years ago, and she's not doing the same?"

Alex didn't even give him the grace of even looking like he was going to care, "Good – I hope you do know this, then. Now, what are we going to do? I somehow highly doubt that the American government, let alone the military AND government, is as blind as the rest of the country – do they know about demons?"

"There are rumors of groups that know about them, yes," Adam conceded, "and I got a call from my CO this morning stating that I'm being given a lateral transfer to another unit that deals in … shadier things, like HST's." Alex arched an eyebrow at him and Adam looked down at the paper the fax machine had spit out at him, "Hostile Sub-Terrestrials."

Xander snorted, "Please, loose the stupid acronyms – it's embarrassing and degrading to the demons and my intelligence. Okay, so they know about demons – how much do they think they know and what are they doing about it?"

Adam shrugged, "I don't know yet, son – in a few days, though, I will have that information and if it's as little as I pray it isn't, I may be authorized to deal with Mister Giles directly on acquiring information about the HS … demons, son." He looked down at the paper in front of him and the order there as well, "I have also been ordered … to bring you to Fort Benning over the summer, to speak to several people about your ASWS (Assault Shotgun Weapons System), and maybe about demons as well. Your mother," he spoke quickly in order to stave off any interruptions from Alex, "has reinforced that order, something about father and son bonding."

Xander rolled his eyes at his father, "You mean she saw the paper and you caved."

Adam looked at his son, "Do YOU want to tell her no?" His son gave him a look that plainly said 'do I LOOK suicidal' and he nodded, "Then the issue is tabled … for now."

They said nothing to each other for several minutes before Adam spoke again, "So, just how much do you hate my little brother?"

"Why, do you want me to count the ways?"

Adam gave him a grin tinged with a touch of evil, "Well, I figured that you and I could pay him a quick visit and … chat."

Alex looked at him for a second and then a savage grin split his face as he stood and removed a pistol, two knives and a coil of wire, "Let's go then – it's always a good time to go beat on Tony."

(Outside Library)

Even as she watched her son and ex-husband walk away, Jessica noticed just how similar they were in both their gait and air of destructive potential as the way was cleared for them on the way to the office – no good would come from the pair of them actually agree on something.

"So, Ms. Harris," Willow caught her attention again, reminding her to have a chat with her son about not seeing the young redhead as a woman, instead of just a friend, "you seem to be taking all of this … kinda well."

She shrugged slightly even as Buffy turned back to the pair, "I guess on some level I always knew, once Alex started staying out to all hours of the night, and on top of that Tony's … rantings." Buffy winced at the memories of learning just how much of her friend's life she didn't know about, given that he knew so much about her own life, but Xander's mom went on, "I can't say that I'm not worried about Alex, given that he's not like Buffy, or even learning magic like you, Willow, but … I know he'll be okay."

"So, you're not going to try and talk him out of it?" Willow looked over at Buffy after the question was asked, remembering the argument that had been hashed out many times between her best female friend and her oldest friend on the planet about his lack of powers and his continued helping – Xander had told them both, in no uncertain terms, that neither of them could or would dictate his actions or his life and if they tried … it would get ugly.

Jessica snorted, "No, not that it would do me any good, Buffy – believe me, I know he has my temper, and if I pushed the issue we'd just start arguing back in forth in a few languages until it came to a stalemate."

Another wince from Buffy, another thing that they didn't know from Xander's life – he was fluent in English (surprisingly, in Giles' eyes), Italian, and had mastered more than a little German, too. How much more of her Xander-shaped friend was there that she didn't know?

Willow looked at where Xander and Adam had gone, "Um, where do you think they are going?"

"To the office?" Willow looked at Ms. Harris and, for not the first time, marveled at where Xander had gotten his sense of humor as the older woman suppressed a giggle, "I do believe Adam is going to sign Alex out and they are going to go out to do something."

"What?"

Jessica shrugged, "I don't know – I highly doubt Adam would take Alex to a strip club or a house of ill repute, but knowing the pair of them, I would think a 'meeting' with Tony wouldn't be out of the question."

Buffy gave Willow a slightly sick look before turning back to Ms. Harris, "'Meeting'? That sounds vaguely ominous."

Jessica smiled at Buffy, a smile that made the young girl shiver, "I doubt that the meeting will be particularly … civil, Buffy – in fact, if I know my ex and my son, I would be surprised if Tony stays upright and conscious for the entire process."

(Later - Apartment of Anthony Harris)

Adam watched as his son took the squeeze bottle of ammonia and hit the spots on the floor with it even as his little brother lay on the couch, beaten bloody and unconscious, and marveled at the lack of destruction that was present – if it had been him, he would have beaten Tony against the walls, the furniture, whatever was handy, but Alex had done it all with his hands, allowing him a few hits in as well, and all in quick time, too before he started to sanitize the room, "You've done this before?"

Alex shook his head, capping the bottle, "No, but I saw it done on television a few times, though." He put the bottle away and, when he returned, had a knife in his hand, "If you'll excuse me, I'll finish the job."

Adam grabbed him by the hand, "What do you think you're doing?"

Xander looked at his father with a 'duh' look, "Finishing the job?"

Adam gave him a frosty look, "Since when are you a murderer? He's unconscious and helpless – that's murder."

"Payback is more like it – do you know how many times he did the same to me, only I wasn't lucky enough to die, Adam?" Xander felt some old anger come to the surface as he unconsciously flipped the knife, "Ten times, Adam – that son of a bitch beat me unconscious ten times, mom at LEAST that many, and you're telling me that slitting his throat would be MURDER? From where I sit, that's justice."

"The … the police…"

"Are incompetent, at best," he growled, catching the knife and slamming it down to where it stuck in the floor with a solid sound. "If you want to EVER get into my good graces, get someone to really look at the Sunnydale PD, the city government, hell, from the Mayor down to the lowest of the low in the secretary pool – somehow, I doubt the Feds will like what they find."

Adam blinked at his son, not sure what to make of the anger or the heat there, "And just what do you think this will accomplish, son? And don't forget, I'm only a colonel in the Rangers, not at the FBI, so I might not be able to help you here."

Alex snarled and began to stalk about in a very predatory manner, "Too many people die around here with too few REAL answers – I mean, come the fuck on, how many people do you think can die of 'accidental animal attacks' before someone comes out here to take a look around?" Alex then turned and glared at Tony, "And THAT lump of shit works as the morgue – he's at least complicit in it, helping covering up all of this shit."

Adam held his hands up, "Alex, take a few deep breaths and THINK about what you're doing for a second, son – I get that you're angry, trust me, I want to take my brother out to Benning and toss him out of one of the Jumpmasters we use to train the troops, but if you kill him now, he can't give you any answers later." He watched Alex bend down and pick up the knife and felt his guts clench, "What are you going to do with that now?"

"To put it up after washing my prints off it – let's go, getting mad isn't going to do anybody any good now," Xander huffed out as he felt his anger drain away. Adam was right, a dead Tony couldn't give them any answers, and even if he could, he wasn't all that high up on the food chain, so he couldn't give him the answers they wanted.

After the handle was clean, they left the apartment and went back to the car, Adam speaking softly, "So, do you think I can get a deal on the ASWS if I get an investigation?"

"Nope – sorry, Adam, but business is business."

"Damn."

AN: Heavy on the angst and bloodthirsty natures, but I think I warned that at the beginning. What do you think? Read and Review, please –AR.