Author's Notes: First off, thank you one and all for the feedback, even the ones that are sort of negative. It helps. Please keep it coming. Thank you Jason for the frank comments. Concerning Dawn and the ammo… read on. As for Angel's Continuity: I have no excuse other than I never did follow Angel (until now that Spike is there) I took it that LA wasn't too bad a scene considering Faith came to Sunnydale and Angel was able to make his "Oh, here's the Champion's Necklace" appearance. I don't feel to bad considering that ME figures they screwed up bad enough that they wrote Connor out of the show.
Oh, by the way… Dru is a pain in the ass for me to write. Anyone out there who can write her loopy-speak please email me for corroboration. She's making me head hurt, she is. And she won't give me any cake.
Hmmm... This story seems to be taking on a life of its own. I only meant for this to be a three parter, but now I'm looking at 5 chapters (or more). Oh well.
Oh, if anyone is interested in a Buffy crossover, just go to my Author page and try 'Ronin's Luck'. It's also a work in progress, but is set back when the series was good.
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Previously on Buffy: Xander has taken a road trip to Los Angeles in order to get some weapons and some much needed help. Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies have put the recon of the Winery on hold pending his return and are continuing to train the SiT's to the best of their abilities, but are hampered by the fact that even though they are potential Slayers, they are not truly Slayers. Sunnydale starts to truly empty out and the regular Vampires are getting bolder along with Caleb's forces.
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The ride back towards Sunnydale was much quieter than his departure two days earlier. Classical music played in the background in deference to his new travel mate. Xander spared a moment's glance out of the corner of his eye, looking at Drusilla as covertly as possible. It didn't matter though, as she instantly knew he was watching her.
"What's wrong kitten?" Dru all but purred as she leaned forward and turned the low music even lower. Miss Edith says you're all quiet and moody. The squiggles make my head hurt, they do. Pouty boys get no tea and cakes you know."
By this point Dru was looking at him with a pouty expression all her own and was slightly waging her finger at him.
*Damn, she's actually cute like that. Maybe Spike was a little bit more okay than I'd thought? Nah… even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.*
"I'm just thinking is all Dru. I've got a lot of things on my mind."
It doesn't pay for kittens to be all moody… don't want to be like Not-Daddy… all moody make one a sullen boy."
Xander's face scrunched up in distaste at being compared to Deadboy but he didn't say anything out loud.
"Just been wondering if I really did the right thing is all…" Xander's voice trailed off as he looked out the windshield. He was driving on autopilot.
"Talk to me kitten." Dru slid over some closing the gap between them and snuggled down against his shoulder.
Repressing a slight shudder, Xander looked down at her for a moment. *It's not her fault.* he thought idly to himself. *She's as much a victim of my spell as I am of Ethan's.*
"I... I'm just wondering..."
"It's the Little Key isn't it?" Xander's head whipped around and he stared at her for a moment before wrenching his gaze back to the freeway.
"How? What? How?"
"Shush kitten, Mummy's known all about the Little Key. The stars told me."
"Riigghhtt..." Xander was freaked. She'd known about Dawn. *Damn.*
"Mummy knows many things, she does!" Dru pulled her head up and glared at Xander for a moment before allowing her face to soften. "Mummy knows all about the Little Key and the Little Tree. Of course the Tree isn't so little anymores. The Pretty-Shiny-One left and the Tree became all hurty. The fluffy-taffy one has taken my Dark-Knight away and wrapped him in sparkles. Poor Spikey... no more dark for him, just hurty shiny light. And now my kitten is all worried about his Little Key. There is no safety, kitten. Not anywheres if the old one wins."
Xander sighed hearing his own fears echoed in Drusilla's words. She was a lot easier to understand these days. *'Course I'm not sure if that means she's getting saner or I'm getting loopier.*
"It's just that Buffy and the rest wanted me to take Dawn out of the fire zone and keep her safe, but I know that Dawn would never have let me. After Buffy died the facing Glory and then came back... I know that Dawn won't leave no matter what."
"There is no safety kitten." Dru repeated calmly. "There's nowhere to run if it wins."
*Damn, she IS acting saner.*
"No safety... No tea and cakes for us if the bad boy wins. Miss Edith and the rest will have no cake. Bad party, little kitten. Bad party."
*Okaay... maybe not.* Xander sighed yet again. *Missed it by... 'That' much.*
"It's okay kitten." She purred as reached up and gently stroked his neck. "It's okay."
"I hope so Dru... I really hope so." Xander said as he pet her hand for a moment.
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"Nighttime in Sunnydale. Oh, the joy, oh, the rapture."
"You're funny, love. You know that? You make me and Miss Edith all warm and fuzzy with your squiggles."
"That's the second time you've mentioned that Dru." Xander said as he pulled the car into the vacant parking lot near the largest of Sunnydale's cemeteries. "What squiggles?"
"Your thoughts kitten. You think in squiggles, you do."
*Great. Dru thinks 'I' think in squiggles... There's something really wrong with that.*
"Come on Dru." Xander said quietly as he opened the door and climbed out of the car. "Got some work to do and some people to see."
"I thought that we were going to the Fluffy-one's abode, kitten."
"We were, but they're out on patrol right now. I saw them go in here." Xander pointed towards the cemetery. "Time to go hunting, and let them know I'm home."
"Fluffy one won't like me being with you kitten. She hates me she does." Dru's face became truly sad for a moment. "So does Spikey."
"It's okay Dru. I won't let them hurt you. I can't, remember?"
"Oh kitten... are you sad that I..."
"No Dru." Xander interrupted her quietly yet firmly. "I regret nothing." They looked at each other for a moment, quietly studying each other. Then Xander went back to getting his weapons out of the trunk of the car. Checking to make sure he was loaded correctly, they stepped out towards the cemetery proper.
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It had been a rough two days as far as all of the 'White hats' were concerned. Buffy was pissed because of Xander being gone, especially with the timing and tended to take her anger out on every little thing that bothered her.
Faith of all people had been forced into the role of mediator, which was especially difficult for her as she was trying desperately to come to grips with her own feelings towards Xander.
The SiT's as a group were not terribly happy because with Xander's absence and lack of classes, they were forced to realize just exactly what they were. Replacements for when Buffy or Faith happened to die. Until then, they were potentials. Highly trained potentials, true, but still not Slayers.
Willow and Giles were worried of course, wondering just what Xander was up to. Willow had been worried enough that she had had called Angel and asked him to keep an eye out for him. Xander seemed to attract trouble.
Spike was happy though. He may have been the only one, be at least he was happy.
The raid/recon of the Winery had been postponed for the time being. Buffy had wanted Dawn and Xander out of the way before stirring that hornets nest. That didn't keep them from patrolling though.
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It was a mixed crowd traveling through the cemetery. Buffy was roughly in the middle of a group of 10 SiT's. Giles and Spike were on the flanks and Anya was acting as rear guard. Buffy had been lecturing again about how to take down Vamps, and really wanted to get the girls used to fighting them a little bit more.
Unfortunately, they bit off a bit too much.
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"Damn! Where are the all coming from?" Buffy was annoyed. Buffy was pissed. Buffy was also starting to get a bit concerned.
The SiT's were doing fairly well and were acting in coordinated teams. It was almost more than she could have hoped for. Giles was over next to Anya firing his crossbow steadily and Spike was tearing into the other Vampires like there was no end in sight. Unfortunately, from where Buffy was standing, there was no end in sight. There had to be at least fifty Vamps in the local area, her Slayer sense was going bonkers. It seemed that as soon as they dusted one group, another group would wander into the melee.
The SiT's were starting to tire, and with only half of their experienced fighters there, time was running out.
*Hisssss...*
"Hisss? Okay, who stepped on a snake?" Buffy quipped. Hearing no answers she popped off with: "Okay, all Vampires from Frisco, please raise your hand." That earned a couple of groans, and then suddenly, a chorus of screams.
"Okay, so it wasn't politically correct, but it wasn't THAT bad."
The screams didn't stop, and in fact they intensified. Vampires on the flank away from Spike were running around blindly, clawing at their faces. Easier targets were not to be found.
Giles looked around wildly and finally held his hand out towards a rapidly expanding cloud of mist. Feeling nothing other than dampness, he brought his hand up to his nose and sniffed.
"I don't smell anything... I wonder. Buffy..."
Anything else he was going to say was lost in the announcement of some new arrivals.
"Can anyone play, or is this a private party?"
The cry of "Xander!?" was heard to come from at least 6 different throats. "Immediately followed by two voices asking "Where the Hell have you been?"
Xander smiled grimly as he stepped out into the pale light cast by the moon, a shotgun stock was visible over his shoulder and a small silver cylinder was in his hands. A harness on his torso held all manner of interesting items. Buffy could just make out a vague figure lurking in the darkness just behind him.
"Xander! Look out! Behind you!"
Xander's smile grew a little bit bigger as he stepped further out into the open area; handing the cylinder back to his companion he calmly drew two pistols out of their holsters from under his arms.
"Not to worry Buffster... She's with me."
Buffy's eyes bulged as she saw the pistols in Xander's hands and he pointed them towards the nearest Vampire.
Giles picked that moment to speak up trying to get Xander's attention.
"You know quite well that firearms don't work against Vam..." The rest of his sentence was drowned out in the blast from the pistol, and it was a toss-up to say who was more surprised, the Vampires that witnessed it or Giles and the rest as the vampire was immediately dusted.
Xander brought the barrel up towards his mouth and blew across the opening. *Always wanted to do that.*
As the Vampires scattered, everyone could only watch in shock as Xander calmly walked towards them, slowly holstering his weapon. At Giles shocked look he smiled a little.
"Firearms work just fine if you use the right ammo G-man. I've got Teak, Ironwood and, my personal favorite, White Phosphorous." Xander reached backwards and collected the cylinder from his companion, clipping it to his harness as he continued walking closer. "Helps if the rounds have been blessed also."
Seeing Giles' mouth drop was pure pleasure to him as he reached back yet again and captured Dru's hand, pulling her up even with him.
The whole time Xander had been talking, Buffy could feel her Slayer senses going bonkers. Something was wrong here and "Oh Shit!" She actually said the words out loud as she saw Drusilla step out from behind Xander.
"Oh you've got to be bloody fuckin' kidding me." Came from the side as Spike finally got a good look at her as well.
Giles' mouth managed to drop even further before he caught himself and settled for a simple "Drusilla."
"Xander, what have you..."
Xander's smile turned a little grimmer as he just looked at his friend. "I went to get some firepower and some help. I got it. We need to talk."
Buffy could only stare at Xander.
Her Xander-shaped friend.
Her Xander, who stood there in front of her, holding Drusilla's hand in his and sporting a bite mark on his neck.
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And I think I'll be truly evil and stop this one right here for now.