Both Duncan and Adam were looking at Xander, waiting for him to get things rolling.

"Well, I guess the first thing we should think about is whether Richie was himself, possessed, or god forbid someone made to look like him." Seeing that the others were still with him, he continued. "He hit hard, and moved fast…so he may in fact be some sort of demon." From the incredulous and worried faces he was receiving he amended his last statement. "Though personally I think it's him. He's just as strong, if not stronger than Caleb was. And he was empowered by The First." Both Duncan and Adam looked visibly relieved by that. Though, in retrospect, that wasn't helping their situation.

"There's also the fact that we could feel his buzz." Both men simply nodded. That wasn't a 'buzz' they would soon be forgetting. The entire evening would be ingrained into their memory. Every sound, smell, and sensation would be forever burned into their very being…just waiting for something familiar to send them back to a flashback of that moment.

"Though we should check his grave, it's better to be safe than sorry."

Adam nodded his consent and reached for his cell phone. "I'll call Joe. He buried the kid, so he should know who owns the plot. It'll make things easier if no one calls the police."

Before he could dial Joe's number Duncan spoke up. "Joe said that you had him buried."

Adam looked at Duncan with confusion clearly written on his face. "No, Joe said he wanted to do it. Something about not getting me more involved while the Watchers were watching us all so closely, and he wanted to do it. He did know the kid longer, so I saw no harm in it."

"Joe had said you were quite adamant about being the one to bury Richie. He figured that after Alexa, it was something you felt you needed to do."

Hearing the name of his deceased love brought his mood down, but Adam knew they had to remain focused. Both he and Duncan continued to disagree on just who it was that had buried the body when Xander spoke up.

"Ahem." Both men stopped their debate and looked over at him. "I think we have our answer." They both looked at him slightly confused but more than willing to listen.

"The First has the ability to appear as anyone who has died at one point. And as we all know…"

"You have to die in order to become Immortal." It was Adam that had finished the statement.

Duncan interjected "So…Richie…he's alive? But I remember killing him, beheading him." Duncan's eyes hardened. "I took in his Quickening. His memories….I remember it all."

Xander thought on this for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "Duncan…The First is more than capable of making you see things in gory detail that aren't really there."

"What about the Quickening?" Duncan sounded almost hopeful, yet the challenge was still there.

"The First seems to be entirely incorporeal. But it's still very powerful. It had to be for it to be as feared or respected as it is. I doubt it would be beyond its abilities to simulate the affect of a Quickening. With enough magic it could look and feel like the real thing."

"What about the memories?" This came from Adam.

"The First has shown, on multiple occasions, that it knows everything about us. It is probably the closest being I have ever encountered to being omniscient. It knows everything about us…one way or another. I wouldn't put it past The First to be able to give you Richie's memories as well."

It seemed as though an unfathomable weight had been lifted from Duncan as he asked his next question in a hopeful voice. "You don't think I killed Richie?"

Xander looked him straight in the eyes and almost felt himself getting lost in the pure emotion they revealed. "It just a theory….but no…I don't think you killed Richie."

A single tear evaded the front that Duncan was trying to give. Adam placed a hand on Duncan's shoulder and gave it a reaffirming squeeze. The familiar show seemed to steel Duncan's resolve.

With a determined expression he asked, "So, what do we do now?"

Both men seemed to be staring intently at Xander. He rolled his eyes. "Since when did I get put in charge?"

"Well…you do seem to be the one with the most knowledge of what we're dealing with." Adam seemed to think for a moment. "You've also had the most recent conflict with it…and lived to tell about it." Seeing Xander's look, he concluded while nodding to himself, "I'm very old and wise…now…stop stalling!"

With a defeated sigh, he gave in. "Fine…for now. First thing we should do is find some way to make sure The First can't be here and listen in to anything we have planned. To do that, we need magic." Looking at Adam intently, "I have some people I want to bring in on this, perhaps more later on. Is that ok?"

Adam quickly nodded his consent before looking over at Duncan. "You should probably call Cassandra, get her here that much quicker. We'll probably need her. I hope she doesn't mind me being here."

Duncan was about to respond when the hairs on the back of Xander's neck took their familiar position alerting him that something was amiss. Xander quickly stood up and retrieved his sword that was lying against the wall where someone had put it. Seeing his abrupt reaction, both Duncan and Adam rose from the table.