Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the vampire slayer, any Marvel Comics characters, The Harry Potter universe, nor any other copyright material I play with or reference in this story. In fact, I read an interesting legal case that said that in fanfiction, basically every time someone says 'I own the original characters' they are probably wrong. If an original character can't exist as you wrote it outside of a copyrighted world, then the character belongs to whoever owns that copyright. Meaning that if you write an original character, but it's a bumpy-headed vampire that turns to dust when staked, it still belongs to Joss Whedon. Therefore, although 'Balo' is an original character of my creation, she belongs to JK Rowling.

AN1: The coat worn by the "Stranger" at the beginning of this chapter is similar to the one worn by Organization 13 in Kingdom Hearts.

Random easter eggs in this story include Doctor Who (the series), Now You See Me (the movie), Van Helsing (the 2004 movie)

NEW CHARACTER IDENTITY: The red-haired girl in this chapter is played by Allison Scagliotti.

Chapter 02 – Second Chances

Nearly a week after Halloween, Xander wondered why he was continuing the farce of going to high school when there wasn't anything they could teach that he didn't already know. After passing through the crowds of students, he entered the library where Willow was organizing the books and materials she would need for that day's classes, while Jesse watched and made snarky comments. Yes, pretending to be someone he hadn't been for a long time was stressful and it took a surprising amount of planning to hide the truth from his friends, but as her incessant babble about schoolwork washed over him, he knew why he put up with this place. This was the prime time he spent with the three teens that made up the self-titled 'Scooby Gang'. Seeing them both safe and happy, he realized... it really was good to be home.

As he dropped into a seat next to Jesse, he thought about how the death of the person who had been his brother in all, but blood had haunted him for years. Even though the boy would never know how close he came to dying this time, he had been given a second chance, and Xander intended to make sure he fully embraced it.

"Really, Wills?" He asked, playing the role of the boy they grew up with, "I'll never understand why you spend all your time working. You should get out and live a little."

Jesse responded with an exaggerated eyeroll, "She seems to think that there's nothing more important."

"Girls," Xander pointed out.

"Food," His friend added.

"Video games."

"Girls."

"I already said that."

"Yeah, but it deserved saying twice."

Xander nodded. "I agree."

"Some of us like to know stuff, Xander," Willow stated exasperatedly, without looking up from the notebook she had been crouched over as her pen furiously moved across the page. The boys just grinned at each other.

"Giles!" Buffy called as she entered the library in a rush, "Are you here?"

"Goodness, Buffy," the older man stated as he exited his office followed by Jenny Calendar, who had been spending more time with the group since Halloween, "Is everything alright?"

"No, I saw something crazy last night." she replied, "I saw a vampire killed by this guy who pulled it from a grave."

Xander suppressed a smile, knowing that Buffy had no idea the person she was referring to was in the room with her at this very moment. The Watcher removed his glasses to clean them, a subconscious action on his part to give himself a moment to think, "Can you describe him?"

"He was wearing a long black coat with a hood, so I couldn't see his face, but he was strong, ripped the head off the vampire with his bare hands. He was really fast too, I ran at him and tried to attack but he caught my ankle when I kicked and held me up off the ground with one hand. Didn't even look strained doing it. The only way I even knew it was a man was his voice when he spoke."

"What did he say?" Giles questioned intensely.

"His voice was... nice. He called me 'the slayer' and said he didn't want to fight me. 'You aren't evil, I have no quarrel with you'. So... I don't know if it's a demon. I mean demons don't fight evil, do they?"

"So, he might be a force for good," Willow spoke up.

"He could have been lying," Xander commented. "For that matter, maybe he wasn't even alive. Could have been a magically animated construct." He rolled his eyes at the surprised looks his friends were giving him. "What? I know stuff."

"Yes well, let's not get complacent," Giles stated, returning his attention to the slayer and away from the despondent-looking teen, "Let's not assume this stranger is another warrior against the dark until we know more. We do not know his motivations nor the lengths to which this being is willing to go to achieve them."

"But isn't having another guy killing vampires a good thing?" Jesse questioned.

"Well... it could be," Giles replied, "But as I said, we don't know his motivations. I'll go through my books while you are all in class. See if I can find anything identifying who this stranger is."

With that declaration, the teens stood and headed out into the school proper before splitting up to go toward their individual destinations. Spinning the dial on the door of his locker, Xander couldn't help but chuckle. Ever since Halloween, his mind worked better than it ever had before; He could think faster and recall the memories of past events with impossible clarity, a fact which made his inability to remember the combination humorous. Giving it up as a lost cause, he used a slight application of telekinesis, an ability granted by who he dressed as for Halloween, to lift the latch from within.

-oOo-

As classes progressed, Xander let his mind wander back to the days after the initial costume transformation. At first, he had worried that the spell might have had more than just a physical effect on him, influencing his actions or the way he thought. Luckily, he didn't retain the personality or memories of the character he had dressed as, leaving him to learn and mature at his own pace. In fact, it was those very alterations caused by the spell that made him able to survive through the hardships that he had.

When they left the classroom after the ending bell rang, Buffy and Willow were deep in discussion about Angel kissing some other woman. It seemed that Buffy's vampire love interest had spent the previous evening with a female vampire. Well good. The guy was a coward and The Slayer deserved better. They sat on a couch in the lounge, Xander grimacing internally as Willow was trying to cheer up their blonde friend who was still anguished about her boyfriend's perceived betrayal. The very idea of loving what was basically an animated corpse sickened him. The ridiculous teen angst was finally interrupted by someone familiar to the slayer.

"Ford?"

"Hey, Summers." the boy said. "How ya been?"

"Oh my god! What are you doing here?"

The teenager grinned flirtatiously, "Matriculating."

Suddenly Xander's personal alarm was ringing, figuratively speaking. Ford was acting pretty laid back, but his body language spoke of a combination of nervousness and pain. Although being nervous was perfectly understandable given the situation, he still felt like something wasn't right here.

"I didn't think you'd remember me," Ford said.

"Who's your friend, Buff?" Xander asked, not letting on that he was suspicious about the newcomer.

"I'm sorry." The girl looked flustered, "Um, this is Ford! Uh, Billy Fordham, this is Xander, and Willow! Ford was my giant fifth-grade crush. We went to Hemery together in L.A." She turned back to Ford. "And now you're here. For real?"

"Hey, what'd I miss?" Jesse asked, as he walked up, not having shared the last class with the other three. He was eyeing Ford curiously, "Who's that guy?"

"Some friend of Buffy's from her old school." Xander replied, splitting his attention between his friend and Buffy while still observing Ford's body language. Unfortunately, he didn't give any more telling signs. It would have been easy to use his telepathic ability to pick around in the boy's mind for answers, but that was too easy and therefore, boring. He liked a challenge, and he knew there were ways to get information with just a little bit of work. They agreed to meet up that night, before heading their separate directions, Buffy escorting Ford to the admissions office.

-oOo-

Later that evening, Xander was at The Bronze, a dance club that allowed entry to teenagers, giving them a place to congregate. Having arrived early, he was shooting pool with Willow and Jesse while awaiting the appearance of Buffy and her pseudo-date. He could easily win with all the experience he had but didn't want to make them suspicious, so he threw the game, which was soon won by Jesse. Eventually, they were joined by Ford, who was mostly oblivious to Willow's happy greeting as his body language still signaled that he was in serious pain. Buffy finally arrived, fashionably late as was her nature, after which Ford's stance subtly shifted, better hiding his apparent suffering. It still seemed like he wasn't overly happy to be there, but that changed the moment the slayer went to get a drink and started talking to Angel, who had been watching her creepily from the bar. Ford observed their interactions, his body language sending out all the wrong signals. Instead of curiosity or jealousy, he seemed almost excited to see his friend talking to another man. Things were just not adding up. The blonde soon rejoined their group, the vampire following along like a lost puppy.

"Hi, Angel," Willow spoke up cheerily.

"Hey, deadboy." Jesse added, using the nickname Xander had created the year before.

"Hi," he replied rather less gaily. Xander ignored the introductions as he noticed the body language of the slayer and the vampire and couldn't help but grin. Buffy looked extremely irate at Angel while the vampire mostly just looked confused. Confused and slightly guilty. She soon left with Ford, leaving Angel to stand around awkwardly before he eventually drifted away as well. He didn't even say goodbye, just waited until their attentions were on the pool table, then slunk away without a word.

"See," Willow said, after looking up from where she was taking her shot, "You made him do that thing where he's gone."

"It wasn't anything we did, Wills." Xander replied, "He felt guilty for lying to Buffy, yet he has no interest in spending time with anyone other than her. You'd think that if he wanted to get in good with her, he'd be nicer to her friends."

"How do you know what he was feeling?" Willow asked, not expecting his surprisingly empathetic observation.

"The guy's just an ass." Jesse pointed out, causing Xander to grin and point at him in agreement before turning back to the red head.

"His body language. The way he holds himself projects a lot of things, including self-pity and guilt over upsetting Buffy. Oh, and don't believe his faked confusion. Trust me, he knows exactly what he did." He took his shot and watched as the balls bounced around the table before changing the subject, "There's something wrong with Ford. I don't know what it is, but his body language is all wrong as well. I think he's hiding something."

"Like what?" Jesse asked, less surprised than the redhead at their friend's depth. Unlike Willow, who saw everything about Xander through rose-tinted romance goggles, he knew exactly what their friend had been going through recently... or so he thought. Admittedly, everything changed on Halloween, but prior to that, his situation had been fairly bad. A few years earlier, Xander's father had hurt his back while employed as a dock worker and been unable to continue. Being forced to retire, he had taken to drinking heavily, dragging the rest of the family down with him. When sober, he was nice, friendly, and a generally good guy, but when drunk, he became volatile, temperamental, and a bit of a bigot. It made him very unpleasant to be around. His mother, on the other hand, was a sweet and loving woman, but when angered she had a temper not to be reckoned with. Put those two in the same room on a bad day and the blow-outs had become legendary.

Xander sighed, "I have no idea what he's hiding, but I think we should find out."

"Hey, maybe you can look into him!" Jesse said to Willow. "Find out what you can, using a bit of that computer magic you do so well." Xander agreed with his friend's idea, while also deciding to dig into the boy himself. Not to disparage Willow's skills, but he was pretty sure he had resources she couldn't yet fathom.

-oOo-

Hours later, he rifled through a drawer in the file room of a Los Angles hospital, looking for a folder with Ford's name on it. He had begun his evening by accessing the boy's student records at Hemery High School which, beside a noticeable lack of transfer paperwork, contained notes about multiple absences due to an unspecified medical condition and time spent in the hospital. Unfortunately, it didn't specify which one, and there were multiple medical centers within easy travel distance of the school. It was in the third that he hit paydirt.

Reading slowly through the paperwork, Xander frowned deeply. What he'd found wasn't good. The boy had a large tumorous mass in his brain and a terminal diagnosis. He had to be in excruciating pain. There was no way his story about 'matriculating' in Sunnydale was true.

-oOo-

The next day, Xander and Jesse walked to the school together where they met up with their red-headed hacker friend before class. After a bit of small talk, the younger male brought up the subject of Ford. "So, what did you find out about the new guy?"

The girl perked up, pleased to be able to provide information, "He's not registered in school. Not enrolled at all."

"That's weird," Xander commented, playing along.

Willow shrugged, "I did find a local address. We could totally check it out after school."

"Sounds good. Just us though, I think we should wait to tell Buffy until we find something incriminating."

"It's funny, Angel said the same thing last night when he came by my bedroom."

"What was Angel doing in your bedroom?!" Xander demanded, fearing for his friend's safety.

"Ours is a forbidden love." Willow joked, oblivious to his rage. Xander feared what would happen to his friend if the curse broke and Angelus was freed once more. He should have some protective magical wards erected around the girl's house to prevent the vampire from entering again. He mentally berated himself for not thinking of it sooner. He'd only had one other person to rely on and worry about for so long, that it honestly hadn't occurred to him. He would have the same defensive magics applied to the homes of all of the people he cared about in Sunnydale.

Jesse stuck out his tongue, fake gagging at what Willow had said, causing the girl to smack him on the arm. As was common, they went by the library to check in with Giles.

"Hey there G-man." Xander greeted.

"Hey, G," Jesse added as Willow waved.

"Yes, good morning." The older man replied.

"So, what's going on?"

"It seems that Buffy's friend-"

"Ford?" Jesse questioned.

"Yes, him. It seems he knows she is the vampire slayer."

Both boys were surprised while Willow probably thought the whole thing was terribly romantic. She never should have been allowed to read all those romance novels growing up.

"She told him?"

"She denied it. She said that he 'just knew'. Apparently, he figured it out after the destruction of the high school gym in Los Angeles."

"That is interesting," Xander commented, rubbing a non-existent beard on his chin, a habit from the times he had facial hair. The bell ringing a moment later caused the teens to rush away to their individual classes, leaving the man to his books.

-oOo-

After school ended, Xander once more found himself sitting in the library, waiting for his younger friends and passing the time observing the watcher interact with computer teacher Jenny Calendar.

"So... you and Giles?" Xander asked once the man in question was deep in the stacks shelving returned books, causing the woman to jerk in surprise.

"Yes, he's... he's sweet. You know, beneath the stuffy tweed coating."

"Where are you crazy kids going?"

To say that her date plan was surprising was an understatement. Despite self-control forged into iron, Xander still could barely keep the laughter from bursting out. "Monster trucks? Really?"

"It's something different." She shrugged, "I'm trying to draw him out of his comfort zone."

"Ah, well..." He trailed off, not really knowing what to say, "good luck?"

She smiled at the teen, momentarily confused as to why she was sharing her date plans with him. He was a student, and not one she was especially close to, yet when she looked at him, she got the sense that he was much older than he looked. But that wasn't right. She'd meant mature. He was more mature than he looked.

"Do any of the others know?" she asked, a hint of worry entering her voice as her thoughts turned back to her date plans.

"Not yet. The girls already think you two are in the middle of a torrid affair... but no, they don't have any actual facts."

She sighed in relief as she knew the teens would be ruthless with their 'old people' humor when they found out and wanted to put that off for as long as possible.

-oOo-

Later that evening, Xander, Willow, and Jesse arrived at the address the girl had found online. When they arrived, that bastard vampire was there waiting for them. Anger surging through him, Xander's voice coming out as a snarl. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"Angel asked to come along." Willow explained, "He's worried about Buffy too. Besides, I think it's a good thing he's here. He can protect us if something happens."

Xander snorted, "What's he going to do, sit around and brood while they kill us? I think we'll be fine without him."

"Okay, well maybe you're fine with running around at night alone, but I'd feel safer."

He was less than pleased that he would have to let the walking corpse anywhere near himself or his friends but had to unless he wanted to tell them the truth, something he wasn't sure they could handle. He followed his friends, his eyes not leaving Angel until they separated after entering the club. It turned out to be a meeting place for teenagers that idolized vampires. That information combined with the medical records from LA and Ford's lack of registry at Sunnydale High School led to a single worrying conclusion. He debated for a moment on possible responses before deciding that he needed to retrieve the copies of the medical records he'd made the night before.

-oOo-

A short time later, Rupert Giles was in the high school library, hard at work performing a full inventory on his 'private' collection after witnessing a vampire steal a book. He was still trying to figure out which one, when a sudden noise drew his attention. He looked around, the realization that he was completely alone in a public building after dark hitting rather profoundly. He removed a short sword from a sheath attached to the underside of the returns counter before edging closer to the door. Seeing and hearing nothing, he released a sigh, berating himself for his unfounded apprehension. He turned away from the door, only to stop in surprise. A manila envelope lay upon the table, one that he was certain hadn't been there moments before. Edging forward cautiously, he was surprised to see his own name scrolled upon it in handwritten calligraphy. He looked around for any sign of where the envelope had come and, finding none, took it into his hands. He lifted the top flap and poured the contents upon the table, not willing to touch them before seeing what they were. Too many good people had been killed in the past by inadvertently dropping a cursed item into their hands.

The contents of the envelope turned out to be a stack of official-looking documents and a single sheet of vellum parchment paper that held a short paragraph in the same handwritten calligraphy. Giles couldn't deny his curiosity and used the rubber eraser of a pencil to slide the parchment closer to himself before he began to read.

Rupert Giles,

I send this to you bearing grave news. I fear your slayer is in imminent danger. Her friend, a youth by the name of William Fordham, has come to Sunnydale with wicked designs. He has a terminal illness and has been meeting with a local group of vampire worshipers with designs to be transformed, delusional teenagers who wish to escape their responsibilities. I can only conclude that he plans to strike a deal for immortality with a vampire in return for the slayer's life. I have enclosed the appropriate records as evidence of the aforementioned condition. You can glean the details of the vampire worshipers from the three youths that assist your slayer. I observed them entering the social club where the vampire worshipers gather.

I hope that this information is of assistance in keeping your charge safe.

Sincerely,
A Friend

After a moment's debate, Giles decided to pick up the paperwork that came with the letter. He didn't know who sent it or if they were trustworthy, but if this information was true, then he and Buffy had a lot to talk about.

-oOo-

The meeting between Watcher and Slayer the next day was upsetting, her heart breaking upon learning that her childhood friend was dying from something she couldn't fight. She asked Willow to access the hospital records herself to confirm that the ones given to Giles were real, unwilling to accept that life could be that cruel. Sadly, she soon had the evidence in front of her in black and white, leaving her no other choice then to confront that fact that someone she trusted intended to betray her.

After much discussion, they decided that a direct confrontation in a public space was the best path forward. She was unsure how to feel. Although he was planning to sell her to vampires, his reasoning wasn't really something she could blame him too much for. He was just trying to survive. As angry as she was about his choice, she still wanted to help him. If there was a way to cure him, she would find it. She was moving through the halls after classes ended that day when she finally ran into him. His nonchalance, commenting on how great of a time he had with her the night before, made her grimace. Finally, she couldn't keep up the act anymore. He invited her out again for that night, saying he had a surprise, which she seized as an opening.

"I don't know... I might know more about what you have planned then you think."

Ford looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Your surprise. You know, your plan to sell me to a vampire for immortality."

"What? I-"

Buffy sighed, frustrated that his shocked look confirmed what the mysterious letter had said, "Don't even. I can see it on your face. What did you think you were doing?"

Ford's eyes darted about furtively like a mouse caught in a trap before his visage finally crumbled, the fear turning to anger. "Well, what was I supposed to do? I'm dying. I've got maybe six months left and by then what they bury won't even look like me. It'll be bald and shriveled and it'll smell bad. I don't want to go out like that." Seeing the pain on her face, the way she wouldn't even look at him just angered him further. It wasn't supposed to go this way. "I'm sorry Summers, did I screw up your righteous anger riff? Does the nest of tumors liquefying my brain kinda spoil your fun?"

Any anger she might have felt was washed away by the fear that was radiating off him in waves. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine what you are going through, but what you're doing still won't work."

"Well, what other choice do I have? You try vomiting for twenty-four hours straight because the pain in your head is so intense and then tell me I shouldn't do this. Getting turned into a vampire is the only way."

"But that's not how it works." She insisted, trying to make him understand, "You don't become immortal, you die, and a demon sets up shop in your old house and it walks, and it talks and it remembers your life, but it's not you."

"It's better than the alternative."

The Slayer shook her head but didn't try to argue with him, "What about those other people? The ones at that club. They're not getting immortality, are they?"

"Those people are sheep. They wanna be vampires 'cause they're lonely, miserable, or bored. I don't have a choice."

"You have a choice. You don't have a good choice, but you have a choice! You're opting for mass murder here and nothing you say is gonna make that alright! I knew you once, we were friends. What you do to yourself is one thing, even if it's a terrible decision, but you're going to sacrifice a bunch of deluded idiots to save your own life. There's still time to save them... to save yourself." She could see that he was clearly torn and decided to offer an extra incentive, "I'll go with you. To the club, I mean. We'll get the innocents out and I'll stay there with you to greet your visitors."

The hope on his face clued her in that he was still planning on getting turned. Internally she snorted. If he thought that she would let that happen, then he obviously didn't know what a slayer was. Ford, meanwhile, was oblivious to her intentions. He nodded, agreeing to her words. If he could lock her in with him then she couldn't get away, and once Spike arrived, he could turn her over and still get what he wanted. His plan immediately got shot down when they arrived outside the club and found a tall man in a long black coat waiting for them. His features were covered by a hood that cast his face in shadow, obscuring any detail. His hands and feet were sheathed in leather gloves and boots respectively, while the coat was held closed by a single large zipper that ran from the neckline all the way to his ankles. It was unzipped up to his waist, leaving a pair of heavy black pants visible beneath. The only detail that stood out was a cord that encircled the hood like a necklace, embellished in intricate silverwork which matched that at the end of two long drawstrings.

"Hello, slayer." The hooded man said, looking up at her as she approached. His features were completely obscured but she recognized his voice immediately.

"It's you!" Buffy declared, surprised to see the man that she had first met in a cemetery a few nights earlier. "What are you doing here?"

The stranger reached up and drew back his hood revealing a chiseled face with a square chin covered in faint stubble and short-cropped light brown hair. He shrugged and spoke as if the reason for his presence was obvious. "Vampires are coming. I have a job to do. As for you..." He looked to Ford, "You help her, and I may be able to help you with your little medical issue. You betray her and a brain tumor will be the least of your problems."

The simple non-threatening way he said that as if it was a fact, not a threat at all, chilled the boy to the bone. He didn't even know who the guy was, but this stranger obviously knew who Ford was. "Who are you? How do you know about me?"

"Who I am is a story that would take far too long to tell. Suffice it to say, I am here to help. Well… help her. If I help you will depend on the choices, you make."

"You can really help me? The doctors all said there was nothing they could do."

The Stranger snorted, "Normally, that would be true. However, I have access to methods that current medicine couldn't begin to understand."

Ford nodded, feeling a surprising hope for the first time in so long. He led the way down the alley toward the Sunset Club, pushing through the doors into the darkened interior. As always, the muted televisions were going, and crappy pseudo-goth rock music was blaring from the stereo. There were probably fifteen people hanging out within the club and talking among themselves, so Ford had to shout over the noise to tell Buffy not to let the door close or they'd be locked in. She chose to stay by the open entry keeping watch while the hooded man moved deeper into the building. The sun was still high enough to light the streets so the likelihood of any vampires showing up was low, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Even with the sun still high, the walls of the alley that the club entrance was in were tall enough to leave it shrouded in darkness, making it possible for vampires to approach without being noticed.

"Hey Ford, what's going on?" asked Marvin, a teenager in a dorky green velvet cape who insisted he be called 'Diego'. The overly high-speed way he spoke, a result of stressed energy and prescription Ritalin, caused Ford to roll his eyes, "Are things happening? When are the lonely ones going to bless us?"

"That's what I'm here about," Ford replied as he moved to shut off the stereo. The sudden silence was jarring in the cement-walled room, drawing everyone's attention to him. He took a strangled breath knowing that this could get really bad, a bunch of blissed-out delusional morons who think they're about to be blessed by gods. Buffy's earlier words ringing in his ears, he began to speak.

"Um... I have some news about the..." He grimaced, "lonely ones."

"Is it time?" A blond girl asked. "Are we to be exalted?"

Synchronized eyerolls from both Buffy and the hooded man were luckily hidden by the dim lights of the club. Ford himself had to struggle not to do the same. At this rate, his eyes were going to roll right out of his head, "Uh... no, you're not. Thing is that vampires are not exalted. They're monsters. I have it on good authority that they are just demons that possess dead bodies."

Multiple voices of disbelief and disagreement came from the gathered groupies who refused to accept that everything they believed in and hoped for was a lie.

"It's true," Buffy called out from her position at the door, "You don't become a vampire. You die, then a demon takes over your corpse. It walks like you and talks like you and has your memories, but it's not you. You are dead."

The Stranger could see the idiots digging their feet in and knew he needed to slam them with a bit of reality. "Do you know what one of the first things a vampire does after awakening? It has your memories, and, like humans, they seek familiarity. The problem is that a vampire is basically you without any morality and with a little demon whispering bad things in the back of their heads. So, it goes to visit your loved ones, only now they thirst for blood and have no moral quandary about killing everyone you once cared about. That's what waiting for you if you get turned. Waking up and immediately killing your parents, your siblings, your friends. Imagine the corpses of everyone you've ever loved and then realize that it'll be your fault if you're here when the vampires arrive. Then again, maybe not. After all, the woman by the door is what's known as the Vampire Slayer. Do you know what she does? She kills vampires, that's why she's here. And if you get turned, you'll live all of about two minutes before she kills you too. You may be dead, but hey... your family might just still be alive. Of course, that's assuming she gets to you before you kill them all."

The uncomfortable looks were clear on their faces as they shifted about like a herd of cattle pressed into a corral, each wanting to leave but each not wanting to break first. Finally, one girl muttered about not wanting to kill her sister and headed for the door. Buffy stepped aside, holding it open as the girl exited, the rest following like the sheep they were. The last person to leave was Marvin, who looked torn. He had proclaimed himself the leader of this group, but he would never actually have the confidence to stand alone. In the end, he really was just a follower.

Once the club was empty, Buffy looked around before finally letting the door shut and stepping further inside. The three remaining all stood staring at each other for a minute before The Stranger turned and slipped into the shadows. The slayer watched as he did so and was amazed at how he seemed to almost vanish into the darkness.

Buffy and Ford spent some time talking about his medical issues and catching up on the state of things in Los Angeles while The Stranger leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, simply waiting. It was shortly after sunset when the two teens, who had honestly forgotten he was there, were pulled from their conversation by The Stranger speaking.

"Incoming." He reached up to pull the hood back up, covering his face once more, "Group of vamps at the mouth of the alley headed this way."

"How do you-" Buffy questioned.

"Feel 'em coming." He muttered softly, the finality of the words signaling he wasn't explaining at the moment. Buffy nodded and moved to the back of the room hoping to draw the vampires inside before confronting them. Moments later the door swung open and in came a group of the walking undead, who spread out, leaving an open space into which entered Spike 'William the Bloody' Pratt himself. The Stranger growled softly under his breath at seeing the bleach-blonde vampire. There was a bit of history between them, second only to that between himself and Angelus. He looked forward to ripping the demon's arms off and feeding them back to him. Unfortunately, that would have to wait, as the Billy Idol blonde stepped aside, allowing his lover Drusilla to enter behind him. The minion vamps spread out around Buffy, quickly outnumbering the slayer.

"Well..." Spike drawled in the fake cockney accent he had adopted after becoming a vampire, "you did it, I'm surprised. A suicidal yank managed to capture the slayer."

"Who says I'm captured?" Buffy interjected confidently, "I'm just here waiting for my daily dose of vampire butt-kicking."

"Sorry love, but I think the numbers are a bit on my side this time."

Buffy tilted her head like a puppy not understanding its master, "You make it sound like I came alone."

The stranger sighed in frustration at having his presence announced, taking away any real element of surprise, but took that as his cue to act. Of course, being who he was, he did it with a bang. The fabric covering his forearms rippled like something was moving underneath before the material split apart revealing two pockets, not in the coat, but within his very flesh. A pair of leather sheaths that each held a wooden dagger slid from within his body, only slightly wider than an icepick and perfect for slipping between the ribs of enemy vampires. In one smooth movement, he crossed his arms at the wrist to draw them from their scabbards and lunged forward out of the shadows. The two vamps closest to him were dust before they even realized he was there. The sudden sound of a dying vampire drew the attention of everyone in the room. The shocked stillness gave The Stranger a moment of free movement to re-holster the daggers, which sank back into his arms before he reached up to lower the hood that hid his identity. There was a menacing smile upon his face as his gaze settled on the leader of the gathered undead. "Hello William, long time no see."

"The Immortal? Here?!" Spike demanded, furious at the appearance of the one man who had actually made him regret becoming a vampire. "Can't I ever get away from you?!"

"Mmm, my eternal Kitten has finally come home." Drusilla sang in a happy voice, "The stars sing of all the chaos that is coming in your wake. Nothing will go the way they planned."

"Hello again, Drusilla." The Stranger's visage softened, his history with the female vampire a bit different from that of the cockney blonde, "You're looking... rather sickly actually. I heard about Prague. Close call that."

"Mrs. Edith warned me that the fires of true believers were coming but the cleansing flames begged me to dance among them."

The Stranger nodded, as he understood her insane ramblings better than nearly any other. His voice held compassion when he spoke. "I'm sorry that you survived."

"Thank you, kitten," Dru replied gratefully. "I see you still have the pretty red rose, that it has not yet wilted."

"I do, yes. I expect this one will be around for a while."

"That's good. You were ever so unpleasant the last time we spoke."

The obvious emotion in his lover's voice as she talked to the bastard that had done such... things to her caused Spike to fly into a Jealous rage. He snarled at his lackeys, who so had done nothing but stand around watching the interplay, "Enough of the flappin' gums. What are you lot waitin' for? Get 'im!"

At his urging, two of the minion vampires charged, one of which leaped onto The Stranger's back trying to take him down while the other swung a punch toward his face. Leaning away from the attack, the man in the black coat dodged the swing before bending forward, flipping the vampire clinging to him over his head. It crashed into the one in front of him, causing them both to tumble to the floor. He slammed his foot down on the neck of one vamp which snapped with a loud crunch, even as the second was regaining its footing. He grabbed the demon by its throat and pulled it closer, bending it over and wrapping his other arm around its neck so it was pinned with its body out in front of him. More vampires rushed to fight, and he interposed the restrained and struggling demon between them, keeping the other monsters at a distance. The Stranger had a wide grin on his face as he watched his opponents become frustrated when they couldn't get close to the man that had infuriated their boss. Every time one lashed out to strike him, he maneuvered the body of the pinned vampire, so their attack landed on the now whimpering creature instead. One of the vamps leaped high to hurtle over The Stranger's pinned shield, the man lashing out with his free hand in response. His arm snapped forward, striking the demon with surprising strength, propelling it back as if struck by an oncoming truck. The crater left in the cinder block wall after the impact spoke of the force behind the blow and the fact the vampire wasn't getting up again any time soon.

The Stranger's attacks left broken and bloodied vampires littering the floor around him, though he made no move to dust them. Occasionally, he would stomp down on any that had begun to heal, preventing them from returning to the fight. One vampire decided to get inside grappling range with the stranger, which proved to be a bad idea. as the man in black kicked hard enough in its lower stomach to knock it off its feet. A heavy boot then came down hard on its chest, the sound of breaking bones and pulped meat audible to the room.

At that point, the other minions decided they'd rather take their chances with the slayer. At least she killed them quickly while it looked like this guy was just playing with them. Their thoughts were proven as the fight eventually wound down, leaving The Stranger standing among multiple groaning broken vampires while Buffy stood before piles of dust, wooden stake in hand. Finally, he looked down at the vampire still struggling under his arm with a surprised look upon his face as if it just occurred to him the creature was still there. He shrugged at the slayer before nonchalantly snapping its neck, dropping the temporarily paralyzed body to the floor and leaving Buffy surprised by the casual brutality.

The Stranger's hand moved down to a short leather knife sheath that slid outward from within the flesh of his right leg, exactly as the twin punching daggers had from his arms earlier. He took hold of a leather-wrapped hilt that protruded from within his body, drawing the weapon in one smooth motion. The blade proved to be not a knife, but a sword, something that should not have been able to fit inside his leg. He whipped the length of tempered steel up and out, a quick slash removing the head of one of the fallen demons, a pile of dust all that remained a moment later. He moved around the room making quick work of the disabled monsters. A slight smile lifted the edges of the stranger's mouth as a vampire, who had believed itself to have gone unnoticed in the carnage, lunged out from underneath a large table and attacked what it thought was a distracted opponent.

The stranger spun on his heal, faster than he should have been capable, and impaled the vampire through its stomach, the creature gasping in equal parts surprise and pain. The black-clad man stared into the monster's eyes for a fleeting second before drawing the blade upward through the demon's chest, bisecting it all the way through the neck and lower part of its face. The vampire dropped to its knees, its upper body splitting apart leaving a sight that would leave most people vomiting in the corner. Its arms jerked and twitched even as a pained gurgle leaked from its ruined throat. The stranger took a moment to look over the ruined creature like an artist admiring his creation before bringing the blade around in a back-handed swing, sweeping the monster's head from what remained of its shoulders in a single smooth arc. The dust rained down seconds later, leaving Buffy staring at The Stranger in equal parts awe and disgust.

Ignoring her for the moment, he wiped the blade clean on a tablecloth before re-holstering it in the leather sheath that he had drawn it from initially, which then sank back into his body, the parted fabric of his trousers flowing together until there was no sign it had ever existed.

"How did that fit in your leg?" Buffy wondered aloud, to which The Stranger grinned.

"Magic."

"But how does that even work? How do you store stuff inside your body?"

"I can control every molecule of my being. Compared to some of the things I am capable of, creating pockets in my limbs is simple." He turned his attention to the room around them, "Did you get Spike?"

"No," Buffy sighed, "He must have run off while we were fighting. Him and Drusilla. Speaking of which, you looked awfully chummy with her."

"We slept together once," he said simply. Buffy's surprise was obvious, causing The Stranger to shrug as if the matter wasn't all that important. "I was drunk."

She nodded as if that explained everything, "He called you... The Immortal."

The Stranger eyed her carefully as he answered, "He did."

"Why did he call you that?"

"Because I am."

"Wait... you're Immortal?" Her surprise was obvious.

"Yes, I am." He answered seriously, "I am very, very old and have seen many... many things."

Buffy quirked an interested eyebrow. "Just how old?"

The Stranger grinned, the mercurial shifting of his moods jarring to the teenage slayer, "Old enough to know better yet far too old to care."

She shook at her head at the non-answer and pushed it aside for the moment, focusing instead on a more important question, "Do you have a name? I mean, you must have a name, right? Everybody has a name."

"Of course I have a name. I have many names. As I said, I've been around a very long time." He grinned rakishly, "Can't use the same name forever, someone would get suspicious."

"What's your real name? I mean, you have to have a real name, one you didn't create for some different identity."

The man chuckled. "Oh, you're not ready to know that yet."

"Not ready?" She questioned, then shook her head in frustration, "Well I've got to call you something."

The Stranger leaned his head to the side as he thought about it for a moment, "You can call me... Boros. That will do, it's as good a name as any other."

"Alright Boros, and what kind of name is 'Boros' anyway, what was all that stuff that vampire lady was saying about 'cleansing flames'? It didn't make much sense."

The stranger waved a hand airily, "That's Drusilla. Her insanity is interesting, not unlike split personalities. It causes a clear divergence between her inner demon and her remaining humanity. The still human part of her understands what she is and that what she is doing is horribly wrong, so that part of her wants to destroy herself to protect the world from her own actions. That bit about the cleansing fires wanting her to dance among them was her humanity telling her to take action, hence what happened in Prague. She chose not to escape a burning building. She would have died there if Spike hadn't pulled her out."

They now stood before the heavy steel door, shut by the vampires on their way out. The handle had been removed as part of Ford's initial plan to trap Buffy, something that proved to be surprisingly effective as her slayer strength didn't so much as dent the reinforced steel. She stepped back, rubbing her reddening knuckles, "Looks like it's locked."

"Nothing's ever locked," Without breaking stride the stranger's, or Boros', arm thrust forward, a wave of telekinetic force causing the steel door to crumple in on itself and tear clear from the frame, crashing loudly against the fall wall. Buffy's eyes went wide at the display of power.

"Wow! How did-"

"I told you. The things I am capable of would make storing weapons in my body look like nothing." He stepped out into the night with the blonde following behind. Once they were outside and moving away from the club, Ford started to get nervous that he was going to be left behind.

"Hey, what about me? You said you'd fix me."

"Oh... yeah," Boros responded, acting as if he had completely forgotten. He pulled another item from within his body, this one from the left side of his chest. It was a rectangular mirror about the size of a pack of playing cards. He held it up so that Buffy could see it. "It's a sort of magic mirror, can be used to communicate like a video telephone."

She stepped closer so she could watch as he pressed a thumb to a tiny rune engraved on the glass in the bottom corner before speaking. "Call Balo."

"Who is Balo?" Buffy questioned. As she watched, their reflection in the glass vanished, being replaced with the image of a creature with light gray colored skin, overly large eyes, and large bat-like ears.

"You is needing us, master?" The creature asked in a high-pitched squeaky voice.

"Yes, Balo," Boros replied. "I need you here."

"Of course, master. Balo will be with you shortly."

"Thank you," The Immortal stated before the image in the glass returned to being his reflection. He pressed it to his chest where it was absorbed back into his body. A moment later a sharp 'crack' sound echoed in the alley as the small creature from the mirror suddenly appeared in front of them, causing the two humans to jump back in surprise. Buffy lashed out with a snap-kick, her slayer instinct provoking her to react to the sudden appearance of something non-human. Boros' arm shot out in a blur, catching Buffy's foot before it even got close to the small being. All it took was a slight push to have the girl stumbling backward.

"Easy slayer. He is not a threat."

"Oh." She mumbled, still looking at the... creature, who was now hiding, quivering, behind Boros' legs, "What is it?"

Boros patted the small creature on its shoulder and gently pulled it away so she could see it more clearly. The... whatever it was had large round eyes of brilliant green, wore what looked like a long, well-tailored tunic with a belt cinched around its waist, and was barefoot. It had long thin fingers and didn't look overly strong, though Boros knew that to be deceptive. "This is Balo. He's a house-elf."

"Demon?" Buffy asked.

"No, he's a magical being. House-elves are primarily goodhearted, they are generally extremely loyal and love to work. Though they do have minds of their own, they are often trained to follow the political or religious beliefs of those they work for."

"So... an elf, like from a fantasy story? Fantasy creatures are real?"

"Yes, there are thousands of different kinds, pretty much every fantasy creature you've ever heard of is very much real. Dragons, Goblins, Mermaids, Centaurs, Unicorns..."

Buffy snorted, "Don't tell Harmony that Unicorns are real, she'll never leave you alone till you show her some." She pointed at Balo, "So that-"

"He. He's a sentient being and deserves to be treated as such."

Buffy nodded, "He works for you?"

Boros bobbed his head sideways. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

"Master saves us from bad masters," The creature stated in his squeaky voice, using broken English and speaking with a slight British accent. "saves our ancestors, gives us free life in house-elf village. We work on farms, tends to animals and plants. We helps Master when they needs us, we's cook and clean home when maser is busy busy."

"You make them call you master?" Buffy demanded slightly offended on their behalf.

"Master says not to," Balo stated, defending Boros. "They's says they our friends, they not masters, but House Elves need's masters."

"In England, House Elves are kept as servants, basically slaves. They really don't know anything else, it's their way of life. I give them as much freedom as they will accept, but even that is a struggle. Balo is the descendant of an elf that was freed... what was it Balo? Six generations ago?" The little elf nodded in confirmation. "Six generations and they still think they need to serve. It's all they have ever known, and they pass their way of life on to their children. They can be surprisingly stubborn when they want to. All I can do is give them as much control over their own lives as they will take."

"Oh, well..." She turned to face Balo, crouching slightly to get more on his level, "I'm sorry that I attacked you."

"Is alright, master's slay friend." The small elf stated, looking down at the ground as to not make eye contact. Boros found it funny that he was surprisingly shy around pretty girls.

The Immortal nodded, "I figured you would attack instinctively upon seeing something that is clearly not human. You're not the first Slayer I've worked with."

Buffy was surprised by that, "Really?"

He nodded, "I have known many in my time."

"Oh," Buffy replied, not entirely wanting to think about the usually short life of the slayer. "He kept saying 'they' when talking about who he takes care of. Are there more of... whatever you are?"

"I'm not a demon if that's what you are worried about."

"I wasn't-"

"Sure, you were, but that's okay. Demons are the only thing other than base-line humans you've ever known. Someday I'll have to show you just how much is really out there."

"Okay," She replied, drawing out the word as though she wasn't sure how to respond, "I guess I look forward to that."

"Good." Boros turned to the elf. "Balo, this is Buffy and that's Ford. I need you to take him to a guest room and put him to sleep. I'll be along soon. Make sure he is resting comfortably."

"Yes, Master." Balo stepped over to the mystified boy and grabbed his forearm, "Come along master's guest." With another sharp 'crack' they were gone.

"Where is he taking him?" Buffy queried, surprised that she was not overly worried. Despite not having known him very long, she found herself trusting this stranger.

"Your friend is in good hands. You have nothing to worry about." The Immortal replied while turning away from the blonde girl and starting toward the mouth of the alley again.

"Will you be able to fix him?" The hope was clear in her voice.

Boros turned back to her and sent her a smile that made her heart flutter, "Almost assuredly. Anyway, it was a pleasure working with you, Slayer. Till we meet again."

He raised his arms and pulled up the hood, so it once more hid his face, then strolled away. She watched as he passed into the deep shadows along the alley wall, the darkness surrounding him in its deep embrace. Buffy blinked... and he was gone. At that moment Angel, Willow, Xander, and Jesse approached. They had been told by Giles what Ford had planned and immediately headed for the club to help their friend.

"Who was that?" Willow asked, having seen Boros from a distance.

"I think he was a new friend," Buffy replied, looking around as if she expected to see him step out of the shadows again at any moment. "So… what are you guys doing here?"

"We're your backup," Jesse explained.

"There's no need. We handled it."

"Were there vampires?" Xander questioned.

"We took care of them. Spike and Drusilla got away, though."

"What happened?"

She shook her head, "I'll tell you guys all about it tomorrow." They left the alley, Buffy walking Willow, Jesse, and Xander to their respective houses before heading home herself.

-oOo-

Xander stood on the sidewalk, watching his friends disappear into the distance. Once he was alone, he turned away from his house and headed in the opposite direction. Less than a minute later, an older man stepped out of the shadows of a nearby building, moving up until they were side-by-side.

"Good job." Boros stated.

"Thanks," the teenager replied, "You trained me well."

Reaching up, Boros took hold of a small item about the size as a pack of cards that came out from within his left shoulder. He set it down and spoke a word in a long dead language. The item shook for a moment before expanding, growing larger until it became a full-size steamer trunk that had been stood on end. It was bound in shiny green scaled leather and polished silver hardware, held shut with a complicated latch. He manipulated a small dial that was part of the locking system before snapping it open and pulling apart the two sides. The right side of the trunk held wide shallow drawers, like those on a bedside dresser. The left had rows of small square drawers on the lower half, while the upper was empty except for a portable camp stove, on top of which was a heavy cauldron made of Tungsten.

Focusing on the right side, Boros took hold of one drawer and pulled it open, the sound of glass rattling audible in the quiet evening. He took out a small vial filled with clear liquid, which he passed over to Xander.

"Here. This will Neutralize the Polyjuice Potion." While rare and difficult to procure, Polyjuice potion was extremely useful. It allows the imbiber to take on the appearance and voice of whoever the drinker wished, assuming they added a part of the target to the potion itself, namely hair, nails, or blood. A few strands gathered from a sleeping Xander before Halloween, added to the liquid to create the perfect disguise. The length of the effect was based on the quality of the brewing, with the best lasting twelve hours per dose imbibed, after which they reverted to their original appearance. The neutralizing potion, on the other hand, did what its name implied.

After swallowing the contents of the vial, Xander's face rippled and shifted, his features blurring as they began to change. His bone structure altered, and his hair lengthened, shifting from his natural dark brown to bright copper. His skin paled, his brown eyes became hazel, and his body lost muscle tone while at the same time shortening by a full four inches. Xander was gone, a young woman now standing in his place. The clothing she was wearing while pretending to be Xander was now hanging loosely on her smaller form, yet she didn't seem to even notice as she stretched languidly before smiling at Boros, "It was fun being you."

-oOo-

The next afternoon, once classes were out for the day, Giles, Jenny, and the students were gathered in the library around the table where the watcher asked about Ford.

"He's getting help," Buffy answered. "I met someone last night, the guy in the hooded coat I told you about. Called himself 'Boros'. He showed up at the club and helped fight the vampires. He was amazing Giles; you should have seen him."

Giles gave Buffy a look over his glasses, his eyes telling her to get on with it.

"Unfortunately, Spike and Drusilla got away."

"Yes well, they are the ultimate survivors." The watcher pointed out.

"So, um... after the vamps were dead, we went outside, and he called for this... I dunno exactly what it was, but he said it was a magical being."

Giles was momentarily struck speechless, "A... magical being, did you say?"

"Yes. He called it a 'House Elf'. A weird little guy with big ears, like a bat." She cupped her hands behind her own ears in demonstration, "The elf thingy took Ford away to be healed. Boros said he could fix him. I hope he can."

"I will have to research this 'Boros', see if I can find anything. In the meantime, did you have any concern for your friend when you handed him over to this complete unknown?"

"It's not like we could do anything for Ford. Besides, he helped me, and I don't think he would have done that if he was 'mister evil man'. Oh, and he did the coolest thing." Buffy exuded, "He pulled stuff out from inside his body. Like he had a sword inside his leg and these awesome wooden knives in his forearms. He said he had complete control over his cells. That he could control them any way he wanted."

"Were these items stored within his body or grown from his body?"

Buffy shrugged, "Stored, I think."

"Strange." Giles muttered, deep in thought, while performing his glasses cleaning ritual, "I have heard of demons that grow natural weaponry from within their own bodies, but not any that store artificially made weapons within themselves."

Their meeting was interrupted by the library doors opening and Ford wandering in, the look of confusion on his face showing that he didn't seem to know where he was. Buffy led him to a seat as he slowly came back to himself.

"Ford, you're alright! How do you feel?"

"I'm... I'm okay... I think." he mumbled.

"How does your head feel?"

"It's fine," he said, a bit of awe coming into his voice. "There's no pain."

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked, before punching him in the face. She pulled the punch a bit, not using her full strength. "That's for trying to sell me and those gullible idiots to Spike."

"Was that really necessary?" Giles inquired.

"I think it was," Buffy answered with a nod. "I couldn't do that before while he was still sick."

"What are you going to do with me now?" Ford inquired, rubbing his jaw and ignoring the fact they were talking about him as if he wasn't there.

"Send you back to LA," Buffy said with a shrug. "No reason to keep you around now that you're healthy. Do you remember anything?"

He thought about it for a moment, "The... the last thing I remember was leaving the club."

Buffy harrumphed noisily, "That sucks. I wanted to know where that elf thingy took you."

"The what?" Ford questioned.

Buffy just shook her head, "Never mind."

-oOo-

After the meeting broke up, Xander stood in the parking lot talking with Jenny Calendar while waiting as Giles locked up the library. Willow was walking with Buffy and Jesse had rushed off to pick up his much younger sister from her gymnastics class.

"So... How was your date?"

Jenny sighed, leaning against the side of her small hatchback. "He hated it. When Buffy called, he couldn't get out of there fast enough."

Xander snorted and had to struggle not to laugh, "I'm sorry. I guess the stuffy tweed goes deeper than you thought."