Anthony Harris opened his front door in irritation, yelling, "WHAT!?" Then his eyes widened in shock at who he saw.
"Hi, dad." The fist that was swung at the same time, was completely unavoidable to the senior Harris. With a groan of pain Anthony Harris was launched off of his feet, and landed a meter further, groaning with a broken jaw. "Don't worry, dad," Xander Harris said with a big grin. "I won't be staying, I'm just here to get whatever stuff of mine you haven't thrown out yet." Xander waved some papers above his father's face, and said, "See, emancipation papers and everything, I even got a cheap apartment already. And oh, yeah, I'd like you to meet these fine gentlemen in the suits. I believe you know them as the F, B, I!"
Indeed an FBI agent entered the building, "Anthony Dennis Harris, I am Special Agent Don Ballard. You are under arrest for slavery, aiding and abetting kidnappers, and trafficking of human beings. You have the right to remain silent, everything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney the state will provide you with one. Do you understand these rights as I've explained them to you."
"He's lying!" Tony Harris said desperately, trying to point at Xander, but had difficulty with that in his now handcuffed state.
"Oh, no, he isn't, we've seen the proof," Ballard answered him as he pushed Xander's father out of the house.
Another FBI agent said with a shaking head, "Selling your own son into slavery, you really are one of the lowest pieces of shit I've ever come across!"
"Ta ta!" Xander called after his father, waving overly sweet. Suddenly he turned around grinning evilly. "Oh, mom! YOU BETTER HAVE TWINKIES!!"
-----
Buffy looked up from the letter, smiling, shocked at the way Xander once again joked. "He's . . . wow," Buffy muttered with a big smile.
"Yep, next," Willow said excitedly, and so Buffy put the letter back in the envelope, but underneath the pile. She took out the next one and started reading.
Willow Rosenberg
6305 Westminster Place
94148, Sunnydale, CA
United States of America
Jusenkyo, China, June 17, 1996
Will, my sweet Will-o-whisp!
I love China! And I love Japanese even more! Turns out the tour guide knows a whole lot more English than we first thought! He's been our interpreter, not to mention teaching me Japanese, and my two new best MALE - won't ever forget you - friends in the world better and better English.
I finally understand what 'chi' is too; my life force! They were right! I AM good at this. It's amazing how fast I pick this up, it's almost as if I did this before and I just get reacquainted with it. It's awesome too! Of course the Saotomes still kick my ass... and boy is it sore! I'm rubbing to get the sting out as I write this!
Anyway, I'm still in one piece, more or less, and I'll return home later a whole lot better equipped to kick vampire butt! So don't worry about me, I'll be back before you know it.
Your friend,
Xander
PS: They don't even know what Twinkies are!! Sacrilege!!
Buffy looked up from the letter with a big smile, and Willow smiled back. "I didn't know Xander could be so . . ." she shook her head. As Willow nodded she quickly put the letter back and got the next one.
Willow Rosenberg
6305 Westminster Place
94148, Sunnydale, CA
United States of America
Jusenkyo, China, June 31, 1996
Hey, Willow,
Sorry I didn't write sooner, but Genma has been putting me and Ranma through some serious, serious training. My muscles ache practically constantly, there are times when I couldn't even lift a pen!
Anyway, yesterday I managed to land a punch on Genma! Yay, me! Of course he landed twenty on me before I did so, ow. I still can't even come close to touching Ranma though, the guy is just too slick, too fast and too agile.
I've been wishing I knew what Buffy's address is where's she's staying this summer, so I could send her letters too. I've sent one to her mom's, you know to reassure her, I decided not to send any letters to Buffy at her mom's address though, figuring by the time she'd be back and gets to read them it's kind of useless.
Ranma is a cool guy! You'd love him. I bet you would get along with him as great as you get along with me! I think we can call ourselves friends for life already.
And Genma rules! The dude is a sneaky bastard let me tell you, but he loves Ranma. If there was anything he could do about it, he'd never let anything happen to Ranma. He's the father I never had, and damn, I'm lucky, he actually sees me as somewhat a surrogate son, I think.
That's it for now, don't stay moping behind the computer screen!
Yours truly,
Xander.
PS: There still aren't any Twinkies!!
Buffy blinked, and said, "It seems he's had a great time."
"Yeah, I wish Xander's father had sold me along with him," Willow said with a wide grin. "Grab the next!"
Buffy nodded, and quickly put this letter away and got out the next.
Willow Rosenberg
6305 Westminster Place
94148, Sunnydale, CA
United States of America
Guilin, China, August 13, 1996
Yo, Willow!
You'll never guess what happened. We went to an honest to god village of a lost tribe of Chinese Amazons! Boy, were they hot! Legs up to their necks, perfectly formed asses, and breasts, mmh! Not to mention perfectly trained, very strong women, no bimbos among the Amazons! Oh, sorry, that's probably not what you want to hear, huh? Well, as a consolation I can tell you I bedded none, in fact they all tried to kill us. We ate the main prize in an Amazon martial arts contest, so if it was the prize anyway, Ranma decided to take on the winner so we would win it fair and square. Not surprisingly Ranma won the fight, but instead of congratulating him, the Amazon gave him the kiss of death, and then they chased after us, trying to kill us.
Buffy laughed out loud, and looked up at a smiling Willow. "That's so typically Xander, his stomach gets him in trouble. Those three must be pretty much the same," Buffy said with a wide grin.
"Yeah, that's Xander alright, I could tell you stories," Willow answered the blonde, who grinned and turned back to the letter.
So, we hightailed it out of there, as you can guess. Outnumbered 50 to 1 are a little too great odds. We're on our way back to the coast, and then home, but since we don't have a plane like my way in, or a car, or anything else, it'll take a while: China is a big country.
On our way back, we keep training of course, and yesterday I beat Ranma! That's right, I beat him with a really sneaky combination he didn't expect! Too bad for me he was not amused and proceeded with a revanche match in which he kicked my ass ten ways from Sunday - I'm still counting the bruises - but I actually defeated him!
I hope you're having as great a summer as I am, Will, take care!
Xander.
PS: HEELP!! Twinkie withdrawal!!!
"Ouch, Twinkie withdrawal, that sounds bad," Buffy laughed, and Willow joined it. Once they were done laughing, Buffy quickly got out the final letter.
Willow Rosenberg
6305 Westminster Place
94148, Sunnydale, CA
United States of America
Hong Kong, UK, August 24, 1996
Hey, Willow,
I hope they send this letter by airmail or I'll arrive before it does. I had a hell of time convincing the American consulate I really am Alexander LaVelle Harris, and that I was sold into slavery - thank you Chinese police and the Saotomes for confirming that - and that they should issue me a new passport, but I finally did! The Saotomes helped me so much, but here our ways will part. They'll take a boat to Japan, while I'll come back to you, my fair redheaded lady! You haven't taken another knight into your bed have you?
The thousand mile walk, a lot of it running, did hell for my physique! I'm a lean mean fighting machine now; not quite as good as Ranma, but I'm pretty close.
I'll quit this now, I'm going to be back soon anyhow. And oh, yeah, don't forget the surprise you won't believe!
See you soon, Will, I can't wait!
Xander,
PS: Soon I will have Twinkies again! YEEESSS!!
Buffy laughed out loud, and then chuckled. "God, Xander has such a one track mind," Buffy said with a wide grin.
"He's a guy . . . and I've got the hots for him," Willow told Buffy with a grin. "I'm hopeless, aren't I?"
"Yup, clear cut case of guys on the mind syndrome," Buffy told Willow with an almost perpetual grin. Willow gave the Slayer a look. "Don't worry, we're all effected, no way to escape that gruesome fate." The both of them laughed together.
"He should be here by tomorrow," Willow muttered hopefully.
-----
Angel paced brooding through his apartment. Buffy had been gone all summer. Was there any hope for them. With a sudden crash the front door swung open, and a voice called, "Well, hello, if it isn't Mr. Soulful."
"Xander, what are . . ." the souled vampire stammered as Xander casually stepped closer to him.
"I'm gonna kick your ass, 'cause I haven't had any Twinkies in the past two months, and it's seriously pissed me off," Xander cut him off with a malicious grin. "I don't suppose you cared enough to keep track of me and Willow during summer, did you? I guess not, or you'd have looked into my disappearance."
Angel was getting fed up with the boy. He may be one of the good guys, but he would not let himself be talked to like he was some flunky. He threw a right cross, and then the most amazing thing happened. Xander twisted away just slightly, his right arm moved to the right Angel's punch. With a quick motion Angel was doubled over, using his own momentum against him, and his arm was placed into a lock. Before the vampire could even wipe the surprise from his face there came a powerful kick to his knee, and he sank to the floor with a cry of pain. The arm lock disappeared, only for his arm to be grabbed by Xander's left arm. A moment later Xander's right arm slammed in the vampire's chest, and then shot upward painfully in his throat. To Angel's surprise he was pulled off the ground and a moment later he felt his back painfully land on Xander's knee. Xander then grabbed the souled vampire by his collar and pulled him off the ground. A moment later Angel found himself placed against the wall, his feet ten or twenty centimeters above the floor.
"Unlike you, Dead Boy, I haven't hidden behind the television," Xander told Angel with a vicious grin. Angel gasped as the pains that still ran through his body. "I'm going to tell you this only wants, you cowardly bastard, you will do absolutely nothing romantic toward Buffy, she tries something with you, you refuse, and if you don't comply to my demand I will dust you, sour or no soul."
"What is it, boy, jealous?" Angel asked Xander.
Xander grinned evilly, and said, "Absolutely, but that's not what this is about. Imagine your sixteen-year-old sister coming home with a demon-animated corpse over two centuries old, that can't walk in the sun, and that gained her heart by being coward hiding in shadows, bribing her affection with gifts and going the mysterious routine. Then imagine that demon-animated corpse lying through his teeth, potentially getting the girl killed, rather than fessing up he doesn't know something and could have gotten a quick crash course if he confessed."
Angel looked stricken at the smiling Xander. He continued, "You see, Angel, I've had plenty of time to think. If you don't have breath, how do you speak?" Angel swallowed, looking into the angry eyes of the youth before him, and the fact that was still held up against the wall showed him the boy wasn't playing without a full deck of trump cards. Xander continued, before he could answer, "And even /if/ there's some mystical reason, or you thought you needed to be alive for some mystical reason for it to work, you could have always helped with the heart compressions. You didn't, you just didn't know CPR, and you lied through your teeth in order to look good, Buffy's life be damned."
Angel let his head drop in shame. "So, jealous or not, in love with or not, do you think anyone who would care about Buffy would let a sickening, lying, spineless bastard like you get his claws inside of her, hmm?" Angel shook his head. "I didn't think so. If there's just one decent bone in your body, /vampire/, you will keep your paws off of her for her sake. And if that isn't enough, than for your own selfish sake, for I /will/ stake you, even if I have to go through Buffy to do it."
Xander then let the vampire go, and let him drop unceremoniously to the ground, and walked out of the apartment, leaving a dazed, souled vampire behind.
-----
Buffy and Willow sat on a bench on school grounds. Grass and a tree were behind them. It was morning, but son was already shining. The two girls looked around, Cordelia and her Cordettes were already parading around like the own the place, dividing potential boyfriends amongst each other, and more importantly which were too low for them, and which girls weren't allowed to date them. Obviously Buffy and Willow would only be allowed to have anything to do with the 'lowest of the lowest'. Willow was used to it, Buffy felt ashamed that she once had been like that.
"Oh, yoohoo! Boys! I'm new here, could someone point me to the principal's office?" a coy, sweet voice called out, making everyone look around toward it. And just like that, balance of power would never be the same again. The boys' jaws dropped - juniors or seniors it didn't matter - the girls glared. Even Willow and Buffy, thinking of themselves as rather open minded glared. For there she stood, the girl that had spoken. Her face was made up with deep red lipstick, her raven hair reached till her shoulders, her eyes and cheeks had a light color. She was pouting and the expression on her face was a mixture of innocence, predatory, and sly sexiness. Her eyes shone with confident power, her body was in a position that screamed 'Sex!' and so were her clothes. Shiny, short black boots with middle-high heels supported legs that went up and up, and the muscles in her legs were defined, showing strength yet softness. A small black skirt didn't even come half-way her knees. Her belly button was visible, and above that was a loose top, but tight enough show off her c-cup breasts. The top was sleeveless, and it wrapped around her arms, leaving her shoulders bare, and allowing a view of the top of her breasts. She had a back pack casually slung over her right shoulder, and a short black leather jacket over her right, and to complete the sultry look, she was peering over a pair of small, black sunglasses.
As boys immediately moved from their position toward the wet dream of a girl, she superiorly pushed her sunglasses back upward with her right index finger, while keeping her mouth suggestively open. Girlfriends angrily stopped some of them, while they protested they were just going to do their civil duty. The girl's mouth curled into a sly smile, and slowly started walking. Guys held their breath, for she did just walk, she glided forward, her hips swaying in a suggestive manner: 'I am sex incarnate, I'm the best fuck you could possibly imagine.'
Buffy and Willow glared as the girl sensually walked forward, stopping in front of them where she was met by a throng of boys, all looking with open mouths, if not outright drooling. "That bitch," Buffy whispered, as she took in the best looking girl she had ever seen, and obviously had the guts to show it /all/ off.
"That slut," Willow agreed, looking openmouthed a hole mixture of emotions burning to her young body. When the new girl turned her head towards them, angling her head so she was looking over her sunglasses again, and winked at the two of them both jerked in shock. Willow turned to Buffy, and asked, "Do you know her?" Buffy shook her head, glaring with outright jealousy at the girl.
Cordelia was the only girl not glaring with jealousy, seeing as she was the only one capable of competing /and/ having the self-confidence and sense of superiority not to be put off by another hot, and instantly popular girl. The queen of Sunnydale High, or Queen C, as she liked to be considered walked confidently to the girl. She held out a hand, and the new girl shook it. "Hi, I'm Cordelia Chase, it's so nice to meet another girl who understands style," Cordelia said.
"Lexa Horne," the girl introduced herself, articulating the words so that she showed her tongue playfully moving in her tongue. She then moved her sunglasses down a bit, and checked out her competition. Cordelia was wearing a smooth dress, that went all the way up her throat, the top part hugging her breaths. The lower part almost reached her knees. Lex then said, "Sweety, you have style, I grant you that, the style of a nun."
Cordelia's face was priceless, her jaw dropped in shock. Willow couldn't believe her ears, had this new girl just put Cordelia off like she was yesterday's trash? Yep! "Go Lexa," Willow softly said with a smirk.
Buffy, less interested in Cordelia's downfall, not to mention the fact that a little over a year ago she'd been on the receiving end, put her arms across her chest, and said, "She's still a slut." Willow hastily nodded in agreement.
Lexa casually turned to a little guy to her left, and asked, "What's your name, handsome?"
"J-j-jona-jonathan," the guy answered, and everyone looked even more shocked. Jonathan handsome?
"Well, Jonathan," Lexa said sultry. She put her jacket down, placing in the insides of her left arm, and wrapped that arm around his, not bothered that she had to tilt over just slightly. She walked forward, somehow managed to stay sexy even tilted over, and Jonathan walked along, and they left the throng of people. "Could you tell me where the principal's office is?" she asked sweetly. Jonathan nodded, and gave her directions. Lexa broke contact and turned toward him. "Thanks, handsome," she said and then bent at the waist. People - hornier getting boys, and ever more jealous and angry becoming girls, Cordelia included this time - had seen the way the skirt had smoothly fell along Lexa's ass, showing off the perfect rounding. Now that she bent over, the sexual tension jumped another hundred degrees Celsius. She placed kiss on Jonathan's forehead, and then turned toward the entrance of the school. With a casual flip, she placed her jacket back over her shoulder, and walked toward the school's entrance. Each of her steps dripped with sex appeal. Girls, not all the way on the top of the food chain, and even a few who were tuned to look at the boy, wondering if they had missed something. Jonathan just looked straight ahead with a huge grin, after all, he had been only centimeters away from barely covered breasts, that had been on perfect display as Lexa bent over in front of him.
"She's such a slut," Cordelia commented loud enough, it did not seem to change people's opinions of the super hot girl that had just tore through Sunnydale High like a tornado, and she hadn't even been here five minutes.
"We best get inside, Willow. She's evil, I can tell, we have to find out what her plan for world destruction is," Buffy muttered with simmering anger. She got up and pulled Willow along.
"Uh, ok," said the stumbling redhead. Once she righted herself, she asked, "Have you seen Xander yet?"
-----
The Slayer and the Slayerette quickly walked into the school grounds, heading toward the principal's office. Halfway there, they both suddenly felt arms wrapping around their shoulders, and a hated voice saying, "Hi, guys?"
Buffy and Willow jerked, and then turned around, looking straight into Lexa's breasts. Then they looked up into her smiling face. "Uhm," Willow peeped out, "Do we know you?"
"No, but I know you," she answered with a big smile and held out her hand. Tentatively Buffy took it, and Lexa said, "I'm Lexa, Xander's cousin." Buffy and Willow's eyes widened at that revelation. Lexa then switched shaking hands to Willow and continued, "My parents died in a car crash two weeks ago, and I came to live with Xander's parents. Tony probably thought he could sell me for even more cash than Xander. Thank god, Xander came to rescue me from that hell hole last night. I live with him now, he's got his own apartment."
"Xander?" Willow asked excitedly. "So Xander is here?"
"Yeah, he's around somewhere, the guy is really illusive. Listen, I got to get to class, see you guys later, ok?" Lexa said, and then turned around and sped off.
"Ok," Buffy answered. Willow and Buffy turned around, and Willow's mouth curled up into a smile as they walked unconsciously toward the library. "What?" Buffy asked.
"You thought Xander's cousin was evil," Willow accused Buffy with a wide grin.
The Slayer folded her arms across her chest, and said, "It could have been. You saw the way she dressed." Willow giggled. "Hey!"
"Let's just get to Giles, perhaps he found out something about the girl from last night," Willow suggested, stifling her giggling as best as possible. Buffy pouted.
-----
Lexa disappeared into the men's bathroom. She turned on the hot water faucet, and then she went into a stall. Inside she pulled out a make-up pad from her bag and rapidly cleaned off her make up. Very quickly she removed her clothes, and put on jeans that she pulled from her bag. Then pulled out a sleeveless tight shirt that she put on, much too tight for her breasts if she tried to button it all the way closed. Her boots then went off and she put on sports shoes. In less then two minutes she was finished. She slung the bag back over her shoulder and went out the stall. She held her hands under the now hot water, and splashed it on her face. She looked up, and Xander's face looked back at her from the mirror. "Hey . . . Jesus!" a guy's voice sounded.
As Xander buttoned closed the shirt, he turned his head, and asked, "What?"
"For a minute there I thought I saw a girl," the guy answered him.
"Are you insulting me?" Xander asked, and the guy quickly shook his head seeing the deadly muscles of his arms on display. "Thought so," Xander said. He grinned and left the bathroom.
-----
The Slayer and the redhead reached the library door, when they heard a familiar voice, "Hey, guys!" They veered a bit to the side, so they could see around another student and saw Xander. The martial artist quickly ran around the other student and reached them.
"Xander!" Willow squealed out in happiness at the return of her best friend. She ran, and jumped around his neck.
"Hi, Will!" Xander exclaimed as he hugged her close and whirled her around full circle. "I missed you.
"I missed you too!" Willow exclaimed and then was put back on the ground, she giggled. She took a step back, and joined Buffy in ogling Xander. Now a step back, and her enthusiasm tempered she could take him in properly. The jeans were tight, and the bare arms . . . oh boy, if Willow thought Xander was hot before; she could see the clear muscles read to ripple, ready to strike, ready to hold and keep save, and hug . . . Willow swallowed.
"Buffy," Xander said, and enveloped the stunned Slayer in a bear hug. "I missed you too, so glad I'm back."
"I'm glad your back to, Xander, and thank you for saving my life," Buffy answered, copping a feel of his arms as she hugged him back. -Very glad,- she thought. -Oh, god! Where did that come form?-
"Just doing my civil duty," Xander answered the blonde that he hugged fiercely. God, it was good to be back.
When Xander stepped back, smiling, Willow took notice of his shoulder length hair, and ooh, didn't she want to run her fingers through those long manes. Instead she said, "New hair style, and clothing style too."
"Yeah, like it?" Xander grinned.
Buffy and Willow nodded simultaneously. Buffy shook her head, and said, "Xan, let's go see Giles. Last night we saw a girl dust six vampires, we think she might be a Slayer. Giles has looked it up."
"Ok," Xander said confused, his eyes twinkling. The three turned to the library doors and walked in, as Xander asked, "But can't there be only one Slayer?"
"Yeah, one Slayer is called when the other died, and I was dead for a few moments there, thanks again, Xan," Buffy answered with a wide grin.
"Quite," Giles sounded from the back of the room as he stepped down from a ladder and turned around. He did a double take at the much more leaner Xander, and then said, "It's good to see you again, Xander. After Willow came to me telling me you had disappeared, and I tried to locate you, there were times when I thought we would never see you again, I was most pleased to hear she received letters from you."
"Are you certain you weren't disappointed, G-man?" Xander asked with a grin, the three Scoobies arriving in the middle of the library.
"I must admit," Giles stated completely seriously, "a small part of me was."
"Did you just make a joke, Giles?" Xander asked.
"Don't be silly, and focus," Giles admonished him, and stepped forward. "I called the Council, and indeed a new Slayer was called." Everyone's eyes widened, except Giles's who casually continued, "Her name is Kendra, her watcher is Sam Zobuto, and she's in Equador. Whoever the girl was you saw yesterday, Buffy, Willow, was most certainly not a Slayer."
"There's really another Slayer?" Buffy wondered out loud, thinking what she was like.
"Yes, the council swears they sent a memo," Giles stated, his tone betraying his skepticism at that.
"A second Slayer," Willow wondered out loud.
Giles collected his books, and said, "I suggest you three get to class before you're late, and keep an eye out for this mysterious girl. Talk to her if you can, but don't provoke her, she can be quite dangerous if she took out six vampires on her own."
"Yes, Giles," the three Scoobies chorused.
"Very funny, now scoot," Giles told them. The three friends turned around and walked to the door.
"Ooh, Xander, we met you're cousin, now she's something else!" Willow told Xander with a big grin.
"Oh, yeah, if she weren't my cousin, I'd know what I'd be doing," Xander answered with a wide grin.
Buffy gave him an elbow. He made a sound, while she smiled, "There are ladies present, Xander."
"Hey, where's my surprise!" Willow suddenly asked, remembering his promise from the letters.
Xander grinned at Willow, telling her, "Have patience, Will. It'll get here."
"Why didn't you bring a surprise for me?" Buffy pouted with sad, sad eyes.
"Buff, the surprise for both of you, just be patient, you'll get the surprise soon enough," Xander answered smiling slyly.
"Oh, tell us what it is!" Buffy whined.
Xander looked at her and said, "Buffy, you need to buy a dictionary, and look up the word 'surprise'." Buffy gave her best pout, and Xander told her, "Sorry, Buff, I cast an anti-Buffy-pout spell before went here, because I knew you'd be trying one."
Buffy continued the pout, folding her arms across her chest, and said, "You're no fun."
Willow giggled at her friends banter.
Giles watched them pass through the doors, and muttered, "It's miracle the world hasn't been doomed yet."
-----