Walk through the Dark

by Razial

Based in the middle of season five, except that Glory never shows up in Sunnydale and Dawn does now exist. Xander and a friend return to sunnydale to help fight a dangerous evil.

Walk through the Dark

By Dave.Mycock

Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Witchblade/ crossover Fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters connected with Buffy or Angel as they belong to joss weapon and wpn, Witchblade belongs to Top Cow Productions Inc. Any other characters in this fic I have created.

Pairing: Xander Harris/Sarah Pezzini

Summary: Based in the middle of season five, except that Glory never shows up in Sunnydale and Dawn does now exist.

Buffy looked at Xander's pleading face as he continued to try and convince her to let him stay with the Scooby's, but she just shook her head in anger and frustration. They had this fight a few times lately however this time she had the agreement of the entire gang including Xander's own girlfriend Anya

"No Xand, just face it you don't have what it takes to survive, every time you patrol with us you end up in trouble" she said to him, His eyes began to become cold as he stared at her

"Please Buffy, you need me," he pleaded

"We don't need you Xand, we never did," she shouted at him, he looked behind her to the others and was shocked to see them all nodding their heads including Anya

"Fine, that's it I'm leaving" he said his eyes seemed dead now as he turned and exited the magic shop, Buffy stared at the doors for a few minutes wondering if she had done the right thing, all they had wanted was to keep him safe but when she had told him the look in his eyes and become cold and lifeless. She looked to her friends for support

"Do you think he'll be okay?" she asked Willow

"

Yeah give him time, he never stays mad for long," she answered beside her Tara shook her head, she had sensed the defeat coming of Xander when Buffy had said they hadn't needed him, he wouldn't be back.

Three years later:

New York:

Alex's snapped open as he woke from the one dream that kept haunting him, the day his friends turned on him, the day Buffy Summers had basically murdered the man they knew as Alexander Harris. He got to his feet and walked towards the window of his rented motel; he wiped the sweat of his face and sighed. The dream was always the same and although he had no desire to return to Sunnydale and face his former friends he wished he could somehow find a way to end the nightmare.

He walked back to his bed and sat down and stared at a picture of him and Nikki, the woman who given him a purpose again, he had left Sunnydale the same day as Buffy's decree as it were. He called himself Alex and began to wonder around the near by cities until he came to L.A.

He avoided coming anywhere near Angel and Cordelia's office. Then one night he had seen a woman been attacked by a vampire, he had pulled a stake from his coat pocket and rushed into help, although the vamp had broke his arm in the bargain the woman had then surprised him by dusting the vamp herself with a gun which shot out stakes instead of bullets.

She had fixed his arm back into place and then questioned him endlessly about how he knew about vampires; she was quite surprised to hear who he had been.

She decided to train him and then began to teach him hand to hand combat, weapon and tactics; it took him two years to learn everything she knew, however according to her he had learnt quickly.

Then disaster struck him again, during one of their patrols three demons had attacked and whilst the tallest of the three kept him at bay the other two had both attacked Nikki who tried to defend herself but in the end she was killed. He had been forced to flee as the demons then turned to him, he returned a few hours later and then took her body and buried it in a small forest inside the main park.

He then left L.A and tracked the demons that had murdered Nikki and killed them one at a time, when he had avenged her he decided to use the skills she had taught him to continue her fight.

He had come to New York to find a Vampire called Tars, he had been responsible for a number of deaths of young women, he never bothered to turn any of them he just raped them and then killed them using any method he thought would hurt the most.

However he had begun to sense the presence of a powerful artefact somewhere in this city, he had learned how to sense magical aura's from Tara just before he had left Sunnydale. He started at the window for a few minutes and then lay back down and tried to get back to sleep.

Sunnydale:

Riley ducked the blow from the vampire and quickly brought his blaster up and fired knocking the vamp cold, he smiled smugly as he watched Buffy roll under a vamps attempted flying kick and quickly push herself to her feet and stake it before it could turn around

"Two for two" she said happily as Willow and Tara approached

"Is that it for the night Buffy?" Willow asked, Buffy noticed her friend's voice seemed sad

"What's up Will?" she asked placing he hand on Willow's arm

"Nothing" Willow said trying to avoid the question

"Come on you can tell me," Buffy said nudging her friend

"Today marks that it's been three years since Xander disappeared" Tara answered instead of Willow, Buffy frowned she had totally forgotten about their lost friend and that annoyed her, Willow had cried herself to sleep many times after he had vanished, she had called Angel but he had no look in locating him and neither did Giles. In the end the police had decided that he had been murdered and they had buried an empty coffin although not many people showed up

"Oh" Buffy finally muttered

"You forgot, how could you" Willow said in shock

"Sorry" Buffy mumbled but Willow had already spun around and left, Tara smiled sheepishly and then followed

"Great" Buffy grumbled as she headed back towards home as Riley followed after staking the vamp he had blasted

New York:

Alex stared at the ceiling as the nagging sensation of the magical artefacts closeness continued to keep him awake, he shook his head and quickly got dressed. He picked up a few stakes and a small magnum he kept handy to distract Vampires and walked out into the night.

He headed straight for the near by shops to by a few things to eat and a cold drink, he also knew one or two local vampires liked to hang around there picking at victims they might of known in life. He was hoping one of them might leaded him to Tars, as he neared the shops he noticed two vampires straight away following a tall woman with long brown hair, however as soon as he saw her the nagging sensation of the magical aura came back ten fold and he realised it was coming from the woman. He quickly ran to catch up with them and then followed at a safe pace.

The woman entered an alley just ahead and the vamps quickly followed, Alex quickly pulled out one of his stakes and ran round the corner only to witness the woman standing in front of the vampires her left arm raised and from there a something began to engulf her and then two beams of red shot out of her now metal encased hand and dusted both vampires. He dropped his stake in total shook as the woman causally walked towards him

"Who are you?" she asked in a silky voice

"Alex" he stated simply, she looked down at the stake and picked it up

"What were you going to with this?" she asked him

"Stake the vamps" he replied still to shocked to say anything else

"You know about the existence of vampires?" she said with a smile

"I hunt them," he answered finally regaining some sense of control

"I see what are you doing in New York Alex?" she questioned

"There's a vampire called Tars here, he liked to rap women and then kill them, I'm here to dust him" he answered trying not to stare at the woman's lack of clothing that seemed to have been torn by whatever was on her wrist

"Sounds like the case I'm working on, so it's a vampire I'm after" she mused more to herself than to Alex

"Who are you, and what did you do to those vamps?" Alex Finally asked her

"My name is Detective Sara Pezzini, as to what I did, that's hard to explain" she replied with a wistful smile

"I bet, what is that thing on your hand, it has magical power I know that much" Alex inquired

"It's called the Witchblade, I found it a few years ago and it chose me as it's bearer, and yes it has a lot of power and memories" she told him as the blade began to return to normal, leaving her almost nude, Alex quickly handed her his trench coat

"Thanks" she smiled at him

"No problem, well Sara maybe I'll see you around" he said as he turned to leave

"Hold it Alex, where are you staying, we may be able to help each other?" she said putting a hand on his shoulder

"The motel just down there" he said pointing back the way they come

"Yeah I think I know the place, don't leave" she told him sternly

"Okay" he nodded and then walked away not noticing Sara's smile

Sunnydale:

Willow could not sleep as she kept seeing images of her friend Xander, sometimes she saw him as the boy he had been and other times she saw him in pain and agony, her dreams tormented her especially during the month of Xander's disappearance.

She remembered the last time she had see Xander, during the argument they were having with trying to convince him that he shouldn't patrol with them anymore, she shivered as she remembered the look on his face when Buffy told them they didn't need him, she remembered they had all agreed with her and then he stormed at threatening to leave, none of them ad believed he'd actually do it, and Giles had said it was a possibility he had run away but Angel had destroyed those hopes.

Tara watched her girlfriend with unease, every year it seemed to get worse, as soon as July arrived Willow would become depressed and angry and no one could pull her out of it, she was tormented by dreams of Xander been killed but there was nothing anyone could do to remove those dreams.

The weird thing was although they all believed he was dead a part of her felt that he was still alive, she had always had a sense that helped her with certain things, and it had helped them stop Faith when she swapped bodies with Buffy and again when Willow had almost been consumed by her magic. This sense seemed to tell her that Xander was not dead in any physical way but she didn't dare tell them.

New York:

As soon as the sun began to raise Xander headed for his motel, he had only found three vampires since he had seen Sara and none of them knew where Tars was hiding. He quickly undressed and jumped into the shower, when was finished he found some fresh clothes and sat down at the table pulling out the local newspaper he had picked up and began looking through to see if any new victims had been found.

As he read he was surprised to hear a knock on his door, he stood and moved to his bed grabbing his magnum he slowly opened the door and was shocked to find Sara standing there still wearing his trench coat

"Hello Alex" she said with a friendly smile

"Didn't expect to see you so soon" he replied stepping aside and allowing her to enter

"Yeah well I think we need to talk a little, I need to know more about this vamp and also anything else about vampires you know," she told him as she sat down in one of the chairs in his room

"Why?" he asked

"I'm careful about who knows about the blade Alex, and yet I told you straight out when you asked because the blade didn't sense you as a threat, I want to know you a little better before I tell you anything more" she replied

"So I have to trust you first before you'll trust me," he stated to which she nodded

"Fair enough, you have a lot more to lose than I do" he sighed throwing his magnum back onto the bed as he sat down across from her

"I was born in Sunnydale California, everything was normal for the first 13 years of my life and then everything changed when I met Buffy Summers, you see she's the slayer" he started

"The blade knows what the slayer is, it knew one once as well" Sara said

"Saves me the trouble of explaining it to you" he said with a small smile "I overheard a conversation she was having with her watcher and then that same day I helped her save my friend from a vamp, so began my journey into the dark. I helped her as much as I could and things were find until four years later" he said his face turned grim and his eyes took on a haunted look

"What happened?" Sara asked cautiously

"They turned one me," he said through gritted teeth

"What do you mean?" she asked

"They all told me I was useless, that they didn't need me, and they all agreed even my girlfriend and my best friend," he said trying to control his anger

"Forgive me for asking but was there any truth to what they said?" she asked slowly, he looked at her with a cold glare

"No, there was no truth, I was the one who brought Buffy back from the dead, I was the one who faced down Angelus when he went to finish of Buffy at the hospital, I took on a gang of zombies on my own when they tried to blow up the school, I helped them defeat countless demons and vampires helping to keep the world going and then they have the Gaul to say I'm useless" he said standing up and kicking his chair half way across the room making Sara jump a little "They had no right to say I couldn't help any more, it my was choice to fight and they took it from me" he spat leaning against the wall

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to open up old wounds," she said standing up

"Okay so I wasn't a good fighter but that didn't justify their choosing to keep me away from the fight" he said not even hearing her

"Alex?" she said trying to bring him back from his memories

"I'm sorry maybe you should come back later" he said, she nodded

"Do you want your coat back?" she asked as she opened the door

"Keep it, I have another one," he said not facing her, she nodded and then left him to his anger

Sunnydale

Buffy walked around the shops looking for nothing in particular, she was still angry with her bust up with Willow the night before. How could she have forgotten him like this? It didn't make sense he had been a friend of hers since she arrived in Sunnydale and she had forgotten him.

She shook her head as she saw Xander's mother across the street looking sad and depressed and Buffy couldn't blame her, her son was dead and she couldn't help but feel she was responsible for it, if she hadn't had told him he was useless maybe he would still be alive. She sighed and turned and headed home.

New York:

Sara sat at her desk reviewing the notes of the case so far; the pictures of the corpses were horrific, she wondered if Alex had seen any of them whilst he had been hunting this vampire. She leaned back and took a large gulp of her coke as she went over what Alex had told her so far and she remembered the name of the girl who had changed his life, she wondered if she could find some files of her and her friends and maybe some more information on Alex himself.

She quickly got up and looked around for her partner Jake, she quickly found him talking to her boss who didn't look to interested in what he was saying

"Hey Jake, Captain" she said interrupting Jake's line of conversation

"Pezzini" the captain grunted before turning and entering his office, she didn't like their new boss too much

"Hey Sara, something wrong?" Jake said smiling

"I wanted to ask you for a favour?" she replied

"Sure what is it?" he shrugged, she smiled knowing he still had a crush on her

"I want you to find anything you can on a girl from Sunnydale California called Buffy Summers, especially her friends alive or dead okay?" she told him, he nodded turned and left,

'Hopefully Alex wouldn't mind her checking a few things out' she hoped as she went back to her desk

Alex sat on the floor half asleep trying to stop the images of Buffy telling him they didn't need him from replaying again and again but he couldn't, he wondered if the nightmares would ever end. He looked around his motel room and sighed wishing Nikki was still alive, she had a way about her that had calmed him and kept the nightmares at bay but she was dead and now he was on his own.

He shook his head and forced himself to his feet quickly grabbing his spare trench coat and grabbing his magnum and a stake he left his apartment to try and wake up and force the nightmares away for a short period of time at least.

Sara was surprised at the amount of information they had on Buffy Summers and her friends including one Alexander Harris who was supposed to be dead, she had quickly come to the conclusion Alex was one in the same as Alexander Harris. She guessed he must have run away and the police had decided he had been killed; she was also surprised to find a note from the former mayor of Sunnydale which stated that no officer could investigate them.

She sat back and looked at the picture of Alex and his former friends and she wondered why they had pushed Alex to do such a drastic thing. She noticed Jake watching her and when she turned his way he quickly shook his head and looked back at his work, she smiled inwardly and then decided to go see Alex and get some more information. She grabbed the trench coat he had given her and headed towards his motel room.

Alex jumped out of the way as the big one eyed man tried to bring his axe down on him again, he had noticed the ring on his finger immediately and recognised it as the same the order of Taraka wore. He ducked the swing and tried to pull his magnum out but the big man managed to kick him in the gut forcing him to drop it, he winced as he stepped back

"Time for you to die" the one eyed man told him

He stepped forward and raised his Axe high, Alex struggled to pull his stake out of his pocket but he was too late as the axe came down towards him. Then to his surprise the man yelled in pain and then fall forward obviously dead, Alex turned to find Sara standing behind the now dead man with her gun still pointed ahead

"Good timing," he gasped

"Lucky the blade caught the sent of something evil," she said in reply as she placed her gun back into its holder "Any idea who he is?" she asked

"Yeah, he's a member of the order of Taraka, sorry make that former member," he told her

"Who are the order of Taraka?" she inquired

"They are a group of assassins some are human and some are demons, I've run into them before back in Sunnydale" he answered

They stood looking down at the corpse and did not notice a figure watching them from across the street; it snarled in anguish and then left.

Sara sat across from Alex back in his apartment he seemed tense ever since they finished burying the body of his attacker, he had kept looking over his shoulder as if he expected someone or something to jump out at him

"So you going to tell me a little more about this order of Taraka?" she asked him

"Sorry, it's just knowing they have a contract out on me is a little unnerving" he apologised "They are very evil and they never give up until their target is dead" he sighed

"How did they know where you were?" she asked him

"I don't know, there's no record of me at all anymore," he said

"You mean since the police assumed you were dead," she said with a frown

"How did you know about that?" he asked a little surprised

"I had a friend of mine find everything he could on Buffy Summers and her friends alive or dead and that included the file of one supposedly dead Alexander Harris" she answered him

"He is dead got it, Alexander Harris died in Sunnydale" Alex shouted at her

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you" Sara said softly

Alex looked at her for a few minutes and then slowly realised he had allowed his anger to get the better of him, he nodded and smiled at her as he stood

"It's okay, I just didn't think," he said leaning against the wall

"Don't like been reminded of you past do you?" she asked standing as well

"No I don't, the very name sets of images of my past, images that remind me of my so called friends" he spat

"Sorry, didn't mean to cause you any pain" she told him

"Like I said no problem, I'm going try and get some rest if you don't mind, if you come back here at seven I'll patrol with you and fill you in on the order and what I know of Tars" he told her

"Sure, see you at seven Alex" she said grabbing her coat and leaving, Alex stared at the door for a few minutes and then fell onto his bed and closed his eyes as the nightmares came to him again.

Sara drove back towards her apartment and wondered how badly Alex's past affected him; he still seemed to be hiding something from her. She decided to gain his trust so she could learn everything she could, maybe she could help him deal with his past, and he seemed to be a nice guy who had just been dealt a bad hand at life.

Sunnydale:

Buffy walked towards Willow and Tara's dorm room hoping to smooth things out with her friend, although she knew when it came down to Xander Willow was anything but reasonable. She had noticed the way Willow's anger got worse and worse over what happened to Xander, she just hoped Willow's anger wouldn't stop her from fixing things. She came across Tara just outside the dorms

"Hey Tara" she said smiling

"Hey, you going to see Willow?" Tara responded

"Yeah see if I can't straighten things out, how come you're out here?" Buffy replied

"She's pretty angry at the moment, more so than ever. This thing about Xander is really dragging her down," Tara answered hesitantly

"Oh, do you think I should just leave it for now?" Buffy asked

"Yeah it may be a good idea" Tara nodded in agreement

"Okay, by the way get inside, I think I noticed a few vamps close by, I'm going to work my frustration of on them" Buffy told her

"Okay be careful" Tara said before entering the building

Buffy watched her go and then turned and headed towards the college cafeteria where she thought she had seen the vamps, two of them quickly appeared and one of them was holding a young girl by her neck, the girl was struggling to get free with little success

"Slayer" the first hissed

"Got it in one" Buffy said pulling a stake from her pocket and moving forward, the second vamp released his hold of the girl who quickly ran away

Buffy blocked the shot from the first vamp and ducked the lazy swing of the second, she came up and kicked the first in stomach and quickly staked him, the second managed to kicked her in the side but she rolled with it and came up and managed to sweep the legs out from the second and quickly staked it

"Two for two" she said with a smile as she began walking away she didn't notice the person just behind the tree who started to follow her

Alex woke soaked in sweat as the nightmare left him, this time it had been different, it had begun with his returning to Sunnydale along with Sara tracking Tars, they bumped into Willow and Tara who had not recognised him and then Buffy and Giles had shown and told them Anya had been killed by some new vamp, he had known instantly it had been Tars. They had joined forces to try and stop Tars but because of they're past problems Willow then Tara and finally Buffy had each been killed and he had been forced to watch without been able to do a thing to help. Someone with no face had shot Sara.

He pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the window wishing it had just been a normal nightmare but something inside him told him the nightmare had a hint of truth to it.

Sara was surprised to see Alex sitting just outside his motel room; the look of his face unnerved her. He looked like he had just lost his best friend; he didn't even seem to notice her when she sat down next to him

"Alex?" she inquired

Alex didn't answer he just kept staring ahead as if the world was standing still, she wondered what had happened to put him into this state

"Alex?" she said again

"Just thought I'd watch the sun set," he whispered so low she barley heard him

"What's wrong Alex?" she asked carefully

"I had a nightmare that scared the shit out of me" he replied

"About what?" Sara watched him carefully studying his reaction

"About me and you going to Sunnydale hunting Tars, we joined forces with Buffy and her gang and one by one they were killed and you were shot by a faceless man" he replied hesitantly

"I see, well it was just a nightmare Alex just try and put it behind you" Sara told him already guessing Alex was tormented by nightmares from his past

"No" he hissed standing up and looking down at her, his eyes seem to dance with fire startling her

"It wasn't just a normal nightmare, it was real it had truth to it, what ever I saw it could come true" he told her "The slayer has prophecy dreams, she sees things that will happen, it warns her of trouble and for some reason I just had one, Tars is not no normal vampire, he's different and dangerous" he added the firing in his eyes intensified

Sara was stunned at the way Alex was acting, his entire body seemed to filled with some sort of energy and the fire his eyes almost seemed hypnotic

"If he is different how do we kill him?" she finally asked standing up as well, Alex looked away before she could look into his eyes

"I don't know, only someone from my past could help" he replied after a few minutes

"Which one?" she asked knowing he meant one of Buffy's team

"The watcher" he replied not daring to mention his name knowing it would most likely end up giving his more nightmares about his past

"So you're going back" she said and he knew it wasn't a question

"Have no choice, got to go back and face my demons" he responded once again staring at the sun

"You're going to need some help Alex," she told him gently taking his hand in hers

He turned and stared at her and then once again looked out to the moon and then back and nodded

"Okay we go back, but first we have to make a stop in L.A" he agreed

"Why?" she asked confused

"So I can get some guidance from Nikki and pay my respects" he said and then he entered his motel and grabbed a battle-axe of the table and put on his trench coat, then rejoined Sara out side

"Okay lets patrol, and then I'll fill you in on the order and what I know" he said with a strained smile, she nodded and followed.

Sunnydale:

A scream of terror shot from Willow as the dream vanished; she had seen Xander as if he was still alive. He had come back to her and they had fought a dark force that had come to Sunnydale to kill them. But he had been captured and slowly tortured, it had taken her five days to find him and when she had, she had almost fainted, she found his body hung to a wall, some of his skin hanging off, his arms and legs had been broken and one of his eyes had been ripped out. He had died only a few hours ago according to Spike. He had hung on long enough for them to get him but they had failed him and he had died.

Tara quickly jumped out of her bed and ran over to Willow and pulled her into a hug, Willow was now crying and Tara could tell something bad had set her of, she tried to comfort her but Willow would not quieten down and she refused to go back to sleep, she kept repeating she didn't want to see him die again, Tara knew who she was talking about and she understood why Willow was so upset.

Finally after an hour Willow began to quieten down and Tara managed to get her to sleep, hoping the nightmare wouldn't resurface. She stayed with Willow holding her until she too fell asleep.

New York:

Sara rolled out of the way of the demon as it charged at her. She raised the Witchblade and lashed out, the demon roared in pain as the blade cut deep into it's back, it swung it's massive hands behind him in an attempt to knock Sara out, but she easily ducked it, she then jumped onto a nearby garbage can and then onto the thing's back ramming the blade deep into the things skull.

The demon howled once and then fell dead, Sara leant against the wall trying to catch her breath, the only thing she found annoying about using the Witchblade was it always ripped her clothes into shreds, leaving her almost naked, luckily she had taken the trench coat Alex had given her off before the fight, she quickly picked it of the floor and put it on, making sure the buttons were done she walked over to where Alex lay holding his side, the demon had managed to stick one of it's claws into his side whilst he had been fighting.

It was a deep wound but she believed she could close it without taking him to a hospital, she knew he would refuse to go because if they took a blood test they would learn who he was and they would alert the Sunnydale police who in turn would notify Buffy and her friends. And she knew that was Alex's worst fear, them knowing he was alive.

She knew once they got to Sunnydale they would sure to stay out of Buffy's way, Alex knew her patrol roots and he was hoping she hadn't changed them. She helped Alex to his feet and they headed towards his motel room where he kept a first aid kit, she had laughed when he told her he had learnt to seal his own wounds. Luckily so far none of them had been life threatening.

Sara watched as Alex finally fell asleep after two hours of refusing her request that he get some rest, she knew why he didn't like to sleep but if they were going to track and kill Tars then he needed all his strength and that meant he had to sleep. She watched as his face began to grown peaceful and she wondered if maybe just for tonight his nightmares would be kept at bay. She yawned as her own eyes began to close, instead of fighting it though she allowed it to claim her knowing she too needed her strength.

Sunnydale:

Buffy walked towards the door grumbling at been woken up so early in the morning, she opened the door to find Tara standing outside and by the look on her face Buffy could tell something was up

"What's Up Tara?" she asked as she stepped aside to let the young witch in

"It's about Willow, last night she had a nightmare about Xander" Tara replied

"Okay" Buffy said her sleep clouded mind not seeing the problem

"She thinks it was some type of vision Buffy, she's be up for hours gathering ingredients for a locator spell, she thinks he's alive and he is on his way back to find a vampire" Tara informed her

Buffy's mind slowly began to clear as Tara's words sunk in; she looked at Tara with a frown

"What made her think it wasn't just a nightmare?" she asked

"The way she felt during it, she said the feelings were very real," Tara answered

"Where is she now?" Buffy asked heading towards the stairs to get dressed

"The magic shop, maybe Giles and Anya will get the hint something's up," Tara suggested

"Maybe, wait here I'll be ready few minutes" Buffy responded and then ran up stairs to change

New York:

Alex began packing all his things up, making sure he didn't forget any of his weapons. Sara had woken him just after sunrise; he had been surprised to find her still at his apartment. Not that he minded really, he was beginning to really like Sara and she would be first person in three years he liked and trusted.

He walked outside and began shoving his bags into the trunk of his car, he looked around the car park and noticed Sara heading in his direction with someone else, he was Sara's height if not a bit taller and had blond hair and blue eyes. They came to a halt just near his car

"Alex this is my partner Jake" Sara told him

"Jake" Alex said nodding his head

"Hey" Jake returned

"My boss wants Jake to come with us, seen as we're both working the case, I've managed to convince Jake not to mention your part in it" Sara told him

"I see" Alex eyes narrowed, he didn't like this development, Sunnydale was no place for newbie's, people who knew nothing about the evil who stalked the streets

Sara could tell Alex wasn't to happy with Jake's presence and she could tell Jake seemed a little weary of Alex, she hoped the situation wouldn't get out of hand.

"I'm just going to pay what I owe wait here" Alex told them before re-entering his room, grabbing his trench coat and walking towards the owner's booth, Sara watched his go and turned to Jake, who was looking at her already

"Is he trustworthy Sara, I mean do you trust him?" he asked

"Yes I do Jake," she answered

"That's all I need to here," he told her with a smile as he hefted his backpack again onto his right shoulder as Alex returned

"Just put your bags in the trunk, by the way Jake did Sara mention we making a stop in L.A?" Alex asked

"Yeah no worries" Jake answered as he placed his pack in the trunk along with Sara's and then got in the back seat of Alex's beat up ford, as Sara got into the front. Alex quickly revved the engine and took of towards the high way

Sunnydale:

Giles watched Willow almost run around the store grabbing ingredients, he wondered what has got his friend so worked up, and he noticed Anya was looking at her weirdly as well

"Willow are you okay?" Giles finally asked

"Yeah Giles, I'm fine" she replied not even looking at him

Before he could ask another question Buffy entered the store with Tara close behind, both had worried expressions of their faces

"Buffy is everything okay, have you had a prophesy dream?" Giles asked walking towards her

"No but we need to talk with Willow Giles, she thinks Xander is still alive because of a nightmare she had which she thinks was a vision" Buffy replied watching the red headed witch continue to ignore everyone around her whilst she prepared her spell

"Oh" Giles replied walking towards the door of the shop and placing the close sign on it

"Willow we need to talk" Buffy said to her friend "Now" she added

Willow finally stopped what she was doing and looked at her friends, she frowned but walked to the table and sat down, waiting to hear what they had to say, even though her mind and heart screamed at her to continue what she had been doing so she could locate Xander.

L.A:

Alex knelt at Nikki's grave and began to think of the good times he had with her, Nikki had basically brought him back to life; she had put him on the road again, even though it was back on the road of darkness.

The fight he had take up when he had met Buffy he had believed finished when she destroyed him, but Nikki had helped him take up the fight again except this time he wasn't the helper he was the fighter. And the fight was not that of the slayer it was that of a woman who wanted the dark to pay, to avenge the loss of the people she had loved who had been killed. He was finishing Nikki's fight and he would not give up until he was dead.

'Any good advice Nikki?" he silently asked

He could just imagine her berating him, telling him he hadn't thought it all through, and he really wished she were still alive. He still needed her, she was all he had. Left, although at the back of his mind he heard a tiny voice protest and tell him he had Sara.

But he didn't he tried to rationalise, hell they hardly knew one another and yet he trusted her, he was certain of that, so why was a part of him telling him there was something more between them. He shook his head. He refused to believe it

"I'll stop him I swear Nikki" he whispered to her grave

As he stood to leave he looked down for a few more minutes and wondered who would bury him when it was his time to pass on, he would make sure his body was brought here to be buried next to his friend.

"I'll be back Nikki, I'm not finished yet" he said with a small smile as he turned and walked back to the motel they were staying at.

Sunnydale:

Willow was angry that Buffy and the others had managed to talk her out of doing the locator spell for now; they all thought she was just burning of her despair because it was the same month he had vanished three years ago.

She still believed her nightmare had some truth to it, it was possible that what she had seen could still happen. But she knew the others would refuse to believe her until it was too late, she decided to go ahead and do the spell without their consent or knowledge. She knew something bad was coming and they needed to be ready and maybe her lost friend would know what it was, if she could find him and gain his forgiveness.

L.A:

Sara watched Alex return from his trip to see his friend's grave, he seemed quite sad and angry and she couldn't blame him. They each had a room to themselves thanks to Alex paying, Jake was already asleep, but the Witchblade would not allow her to rest as it kept sending her images of her death as if it was trying to warn her of something, but she couldn't tell what.

She sat and wondered what awaited them in Sunnydale, the place of the so-called hell mouth according to Alex. And of course there was chance they'd run into Alex's former friends.

Sunnydale:

Alex almost turned the car around and headed back to L.A as they neared the Sunnydale road sign, his nerves were on end. He kept having flashes of Buffy and the others; the only person he didn't seem to mind knowing about him was Tara. Because just as he left the shop he remembered the look in her eyes she had only agreed because the others had agreed. He noticed Sara watching him with a curious expression; Jake was asleep on the back seat of the car

"What?" he asked

"Sorry I just keep wondering what you're thinking, this is going to be hard for you" she told him

"I'm not here to face past demons Sara, I'm here to kill Tars," he said his anger and venom coming to the fore

"Maybe, but don't you think you'd be better of if you did face them, maybe then you'd end the nightmares that plague you" she replied turning away from him

"How do you know about them?" he asked in surprise

"You were moaning and yelling in your sleep the other night" she answered

"Sorry" he didn't look at her

"I think it's time Alex that you face your past," she told him

"Yeah maybe it is, but for now Tars is my main focus for going back" he told her, she nodded in understanding

Buffy deflected Giles's punch and came back with one of her own which he blocked with the training pad he always wore when training with her, although it didn't do much good for him it still helped. Giles came back at her with a leg sweep that she managed to jump and then she managed to knock him down with a straight kick to his solar plexus.

"I think that's enough for now Buffy" he told her as he got to his feet trying not to look to be in to much pain

"Good" Buffy replied sitting down on the couch that lay in the corner of the training room

Before anyone could say another word Willow ran into the back room followed closely by an out of breathe Tara and a curious Anya

"What's up Willow?" Giles asked a little curious himself

"He's here," she shouted happily

"Who?" asked Buffy

"Xander, he's here" she replied

"Xander's dead Willow, he's not here" Buffy shot back standing to face her friend, she was surprised to see Willow get angry

"No he is not, I did the spell an hour ago Buffy, he is here and he is alive" she told them sternly

"You promised you wouldn't" Buffy shot back

"I know something bad is coming Buffy, we need his help, but I doubt he'll give it freely after what we did to him" Willow retorted

"You've lost it" Anya said turning and walking away

"Willow I do believe you are allowing your grief to cloud you good sense" Giles tried to intervene

"No I am not Giles, I did the spell and it was clear, Xander is alive" she shouted angry that her friends wouldn't believe her

"And I'm going to find him" she finished turning and running out of the shop before Buffy could react

"Tara, can't you stop her?" Buffy asked

"No, she is adamant he is alive and she may be right" Tara replied as she turned and followed to catch up with her girlfriend

"Great" Buffy fumed

Alex felt a shiver run through him as he walked around Sunnydale, He felt nothing but anger and hate as he walked past certain buildings where he and his former friends did something including battling some evil force.

Sara and Jake followed close behind but he paid them no attention and they both gave his space, he knew Sara sort of understood but Jake seemed a little confused but he didn't care at the moment, he didn't notice Willow or Tara running down the opposite street and they just barely missed seeing him as he vanished behind a large truck.

Sara watched as Alex walked through his old neighbourhood and each time he looked at a certain building she noticed the haunted look that appeared on his face, she couldn't help but wonder what horrors he had seen in his youth fighting with the slayer. Jake walked silently next to her watching Alex as well, she could tell Jake didn't trust him but he trusted her and so he didn't say anything.

The blade suddenly came to life as they neared a large truck, it was picking up some kind of special aura and it was close. She looked around and noticed two young women running down the other street; they seemed to be searching for someone. As they walked behind the truck the blade seemed to treat one as a potential threat, the other the blade seemed to think was okay.

Willow seemed frantic to Tara as they searched for Xander, if she was right and he was here. Her own special sense seemed to confirm Willow's suspicions; she could almost feel him, although his aura was somewhat different.

It was dark, not in the sense that he was evil more in the way he was still full of anger, hate and aggression towards his former friends.

She wondered just what would happen if they did indeed find Xander, how he would react, she doubted he would be civilised especially to Buffy. She was beginning to get the feeling that Willow was right, something bad was going to happen.

Willow felt like she was on speed or something, her sense and nerves were all over the place. All she could think of was finding Xander, and yet she feared finding him, somewhere deep down she was afraid to find him.

Afraid to hear what he would say to her, how he would react to what they had done to him. Buffy never thought they had done the wrong thing but trying to get him to stop patrolling with them, but it had only taken a few days for her guilt to kick in. They never had the right to keep him away it was his choice and not theirs.

Sara looked over her shoulder and watched as the two girls vanished from her sight, she suddenly had a deep feeling they might have had a connection to Alex.

That hey might have been some of his former friends, she couldn't tell where the feeling came from but it was there. She was beginning to think that no matter what happened it was a certainty that Alex would run into his former friends.

The blade also could sense something was coming, and not just some sort of fight but something between her and Alex. She still felt connected to him, close and yet she still was getting to know him. She wondered just what the hell was going on.

Tara could tell Willow was getting frustrated as their search had not revealed Xander's location, she knew he didn't want to be found by them but she couldn't tell Willow that. Xander was one of the most important people in Willow's life, even though he had been gone for the last three years, if she learnt Xander wanted nothing to do with them it would crush her.

"We've got to find him Tara" Willow said as they stopped near the local cinema

"And we will, when it's time" Tara replied

Willow gave her a funny look but didn't say anything else, she just took off again, Tara sighed but followed.

Alex almost smiled when he came across the ruins of the old school, he remembered the explosion that had destroyed it and taking with it the transformed mayor of Sunnydale. That had been one hell of night, fighting off hordes of vampires and a giant snake. Plus there was a bonus for him as well, Angel left that night and headed for L.A, granted Buffy was devastated but he was just glad to get rid of the vampire.

"Man what happened here?" Jake asked

"Gas" Alex replied knowing that was what everyone had told the cops

"It looks more like bomb damage" Sara spoke up as she gazed at the ruined school

Alex secretly smiled but his face never betrayed anything, it was only rarely something made him smile but the way Sara said that he just couldn't help it.

"I think that would have been on the news" he quipped

"Or covered up" Sara shot back

He looked at her with a steady gaze as she looked back at the ruins and then at him, did she suspect something or was she just trying to rattle him into revealing something from his past

"Why would anyone do that?" Alex asked trying to sound like he knew nothing

"Maybe something else went on before the explosion," Sara suggested

"Yeah, say someone got killed" Jake added

"I don't think so," Alex said as he turned and began walking away

Buffy shook her head as Giles rattled on about some new danger that may be on its way, she was busy thinking about what Tara had said.

'And she may be right' Tara had said

Was it possible that Xander was alive and he was somewhere in Sunnydale, she shook her head again trying to clear her thoughts. She couldn't get her head around it; it couldn't be possible could it. And if it was and they did find him what would happen.

The last time they had seen him things hadn't been pleasant, she hoped Willow and Tara were wrong and yet a part hoped they were right.

Across town in the old abandoned factory, five vampires were seated around a table discussing their next attempt to kill the slayer. As they talked nine new vampires suddenly ran in and quickly knocked them out. As the last vampire fell, a new one walked into the room. He was very tall and powerful and his yellow eyes were filled with hate and death, he carried a huge sword on his back and in his hand was a staff

"Tie them up, we'll torture them when they wake up, once we have the information about the slayer and her friends, we'll force them to join us" he commanded

"Yes Master" one of the vampires answered who quickly turned and began shouting at the other vampires, who quickly went about tying up the unconscious vampires.

Sara prepared herself for a tough night; according to Alex night time in Sunnydale were hell. She had made sure Jake would not be with them and had given him a bit of research to do.

The blade was already trying to take over as it sensed the evil outside her door, she grabbed the trench coat Alex had given her and put in on just as there was a knock at her door.

She opened it to find Alex waiting, she noticed in his hand he held a large axe and strapped to his back was a large sword. He handed her a smaller version of his sword

"Keep it handy" he said as he handed her a belt that had a sword cover tied to it

She nodded as she placed the sword into the cover and tied the belt around her waist; it felt a little weird having a sword hanging from her hips.

But she decided even with the blade it was handy to have a spare weapon in hand just in case something unexpected happened. She grabbed her 9mm berretta and placed it in her holster and then headed out the door. Alex closed it and led her towards the main cemetery in Sunnydale.

Across town at the magic box Buffy was getting ready for her patrol run, Giles had decided that the entire gang was coming with her. He had taken Willow's warning seriously that something bad might be coming.

She hadn't disagreed so much as it was better when she had company, Willow and Tara both a short dagger, Anya had a small axe and Giles held a battle axe. She herself had opted for her favourite sword.

"So Giles, where do we start tonight?" Anya asked

"The main Cemetery I think would be best" Giles answered as he headed for the door

"Great, start at the bigger one and work backwards why not" Buffy sighed as she followed

Willow noticed Tara seemed on edge as they neared the door

"Tara is everything alright?" she asked

"I'm not sure, I have this feeling something important is about to happen" she replied as they walked towards the cemetery

Willow looked ahead as they walked, although her search for Xander had not been successful so far, she still believed he was here somewhere, she wondered what they would find on this outing

Alex dodged the blow from the vampire he was fighting and came back with a hard blow to the vamps temple staging it as he brought his axe up right into its chest, the vamp howled in pain. Alex quickly removed the axe and brought the axe down and took the vamps head clean of.

Sara was busy fending of another vamp; this one was much bigger than the one Alex had been fighting.

She had lost her berretta from a blow to her back when the vamp had jumped her; she ducked the vamps large hands as it tried to strike her. Finally the Witchblade came to life as it struck out; its grey coverings ripped her clothes to shreds as it covered most of her body. Red beams struck the vamp in its chest and its legs.

As it fell to its knee's Sara raised the Witchblade and struck, the blade's sharp talons cut through the vamps throat killing it instantly.

Buffy heard the sounds of a fight going on nearby she signalled the others to follow her, as they rushed after her they passed two vampires who were running away from the scene. But neither saw the other as they ran passed, Buffy came to a halt as she saw both vampires get beheaded.

One by an axe and the other by a strange hand weapon. Giles and the others came to a stop by the side of her; the woman saw them first and slowly approached. The man however raised his axe and seemed ready to charge

"Alex?" The woman asked and Buffy heard the concern in her voice

"STAY BACK SLAYER" the man shouted in anger as he walked towards the woman

Willow however knew the voice the instant the man spoke, it was a voice she had feared hearing again ever. Tara also seemed to sense who the man was. She slowly stepped forward; she raised her hands in a gesture of peace

"I wouldn't come any closer," the woman cautioned her

"He will not strike me," Tara said

"Tara what are you doing?" Buffy hissed

The man raised the axe higher as Tara approached him and the woman, Giles was ready to run in and help in necessary. Buffy was confused as hell but Willow was watching in wonder and excitement

"Do not come any closer, please," The man told Tara

"I sense your anger Alexander but you cannot attack, not now. darkness is here that could kill us all" Tara replied stopping a few metres away from them

Buffy's interest was peaked when Tara said the mans name, Willow was now smiling openly as she took a few hesitant steps forwards, the woman sensed her movement and quickly stood in her way

"Stay back" she shouted

"He's my friend" Willow shot back

"NO ALEXANDER HARRIS IS DEAD" the man shouted as he turned and fled, the woman looked at her and then followed. Leaving three very confused people and two excited ones.

Alex kicked his motel door open and stormed inside, he knew in the end he would encounter them but he expected himself to lunge at Buffy for what she did and yet he managed to keep himself in control. Especially after what Tara had said to his dream flashed through his mind and he cursed, no matter what his feelings were towards his former friends he wouldn't let Tars get near them.

Sara quickly ran into the motel after him, he could tell by the look on her face that she was concerned about him. He tried to give her a reassuring smile but she could tell it was forced.

"What happened back there Alex?" she questioned him

"My promise to Nikki is interfering with my anger towards them, I swore I wouldn't let one soul die whilst I still draw breath and no matter what they did to me I will keep them safe" he told her

She smiled at his response whilst she shut the door and locked it, he sat on the bed and sighed, seeing Tara and the others after three years had shocked him more that he thought it would. They all looked good especially Willow, however he had seen her face after he had shouted to her that her friend was dead. He had hurt her and a small part of him felt sorry for it, he frowned and pushed that thought away.

"I know it wasn't easy Alex, but in the end the fact that you will protect them no matter what they did to you is why Nikki liked you and trusted you" Sara told him "And I think it's why the Witchblade sensed no threat from you since we met" she added

He nodded as he looked at her, "Nikki told me she sensed the anger, the hate that filled me but she knew I had the potential to put it to good use in the fight against the darkness" he told her "That's why she taught me, if she sensed for a minute that I would use what she taught me for my own selfish purposes then she most likely would of killed me" he continued

"Maybe" Sara said as she sat next to him

"You know the hard part about this is I may have to see them again to make sure nothing happens to them" he said his anger coming out again

"I know, but for now just forget about it," she told him

He looked at her a little confused at what she had said, but as soon as their eyes locked they couldn't look away. Sara reached for him first and soon they were kissing, it was slow at first but soon it picked up in passion.

Alex was a little stunned at first but soon gave into his own desires, he had been attracted to Sara since they met and now it would seem she had been attracted to him. The kiss depend as Sara pushed him back onto the bed, she broke it and looked at him

"For tonight it's just about us," she told him with a loving smile which he returned and soon they were both kissing each other with raw passion.

Buffy sat at the table confused at what they had just witnessed, according to Tara and Willow the man they had seen had been Alexander Harris. He was alive and yet she still found it confusing, but she could tell from the man's voice he hadn't been happy to see her. She wondered what would happen if they saw him again and she couldn't help but wonder who the woman who was with him had been.

Giles and Anya were no better of, each wore expressions of disbelief and surprised. Willow was excited and scared at what they had seen. Excited by the fact that Xander was alive and scared because of what he had said. Tara was trying to console her and yet she seemed calm at Xander's reappearance, like she had known something like this would happen.

Alex woke up with a small smile on his face, the first real one he had since just before Nikki had died. The memories of the night before came back in a flood of images and his smile grew, he looked over to where Sara lay still very much asleep. She looked to him like an Angel as she slept, he still found it hard to believe what had transpired but he was happy it had. He now felt something he hadn't felt in a long time and that was the will to survive.

Since Nikki had died he had continued his fight but he had hoped each time he had faced a demon or a vampire that it would be his last fight, but he had won each time because Nikki had trained him to well.

He managed to get up without waking Sara up and he walked to the window, they were out there and he would find them and kill them before they killed anyone especially Buffy and her friends.

No matter how much he hated Buffy for what she had done. Sara had been right, that was why Nikki had trained him because he had a good heart and in the end no matter what his personnel feelings were he would fight the evil to the end.

"Hey you okay?" Sara's voice drifted to him

"Yeah just thinking a few things out?" he replied

"You don't have any regrets do you?" she asked a little fear creeping into her voice

"No, not at all last night was heaven, I was just thinking of the past" he assured her

Sara smiled at the reference he had used to describe their joining the night before, she watched him as he stared out of the window and she knew he saw the past and not the present.

"Come back to bed Alex, we still have a few hours before sunrise" she told him

Alex couldn't help but smile, he took one last look out the window and then turned and got back into bed, Sara quickly snuggled closer to him.

Tara sat watching Willow walk backwards and forwards in front of her bed, the look on her face was a mixture of fear, hope and dread. Xander's words had unnerved her and made her dread seeing him again, she hoped things would work out and finally Xander would return to them.

But she remembered the anger and the hate coming of him when he had seen Buffy; she was the centre of his hate of his anger. She didn't know what would transpire but she knew for sure that they would see Alex and his mysteries friend again. And she knew the woman carried a magical item, but she couldn't tell what it was though.

Buffy sat on her bed staring out of the window wondering where Xander was now, was he near by or was he staying somewhere near the entrance of Sunnydale.

She wondered how he had survived all this time on his own, and the main thought flowing through her mind was who had been the woman he was with.

As the sun rose Alex was already dressed as was Sara, he had decided to face the slayer and her friends. He believed he knew where they would be, she had told him she was sending Jake to the scene of a murder that had happened the other night.

She believed Tars had done it, he had agreed, as he didn't trust Jake to know the truth about him. Alex through her a short sword as he placed one inside his trench coat.

"Keep it hidden," he told her, Sara nodded and placed the sword inside her own trench coat.

Buffy arrived at the magic shop to find Willow, Tara, Anya and Giles already there. She sat down at the table next to Willow who gave her a small smile

"So Giles, what do we do?" she asked her watcher "Xander is back in Sunnydale, the question is how, could he be a vamp?" she added

"Buffy, Xander has not been turned, your slayer sense would of detected that and so would I" Tara told her clearly annoyed at Buffy's question, Willow also gave Buffy a dark glare for suggesting it

"Fine, so Giles any theories why he is back?" she asked

"He did seem annoyed with you Buffy" Anya pointed out

"More than annoyed Anya, I think he was clearly angry and he also seemed to hate you" Giles added

"Why?" Buffy asked

"Trust you to not remember you selfish bitch," A cold voice said from behind her

They all turned to find Alex standing by the door, the woman they all seen the night before was standing next to him

"Xander" Willow said trying to repress the smile at seeing her lifelong friend again

"My name is Alex, Xander Harris is dead just like I told you last night, you all contributed to his death, but it was you Buffy that finished it" Alex retorted

"What the hell are you talking about?" Buffy asked

"It's clear Willow and Tara remember, I can see it in their eyes" Alex said "But why should you remember, you always were a cold self centred bitch" he hissed

Buffy's anger got the better of her and she lashed out but Alex quickly caught her wrist and smiled coldly at her

"You've caused me more pain than any fight I've had, you don't really expect me to let you cause more?" he inquired

Buffy glared at her former friend, she saw the burning hatred in his eyes but she still couldn't remember what she was supposed to have done which caused it. Alex let her wrist drop as he turned to look at his former girlfriend and Giles

"I can see you also remember, good," he said

"Damn it Xander tell me what is it I did?" Buffy shouted

"How many more times, my name is Alex" he roared his anger rushing out of him, Sara quickly grabbed his hand and made him look at her

"Calm down Alex, we're here to sort things out not loose our heads" she reminded him

"I know, sorry," he said with a smile

"Who are you?" Giles asked

"My name is Detective Sara Pezzini" she replied

"A detective, what have you told her Alex?" Buffy asked

"She knows everything" Alex replied

"You had no right to tell her anything," Buffy shouted in annoyance

"She knows things you couldn't imagine, she poses no threat to you, but I do" Alex replied

"You would never hurt me," Buffy said although she barely believed what she had said

"Xander wouldn't have hurt you, but I would for what you did to me" he shot back

Jake entered the park where the body of the young girl had been discovered; he quickly showed the office guarding the scene his badge.

The cop nodded and allowed him past, as soon as he saw the body he was almost sick, the girl's eyes had been torn out of their sockets, her left arm had been broken as had her right leg, some of her teeth also seemed to have been ripped out. He also noticed the cuts that ran down her stomach all the way down to her privates.

He couldn't wait to get the sick son of a bitch who had done this; he hoped Sara and her new friend would be able to stop him from doing any more damage.

"So are you going to tell me what I did?" Buffy asked Alex getting annoyed again as he stared coldly at her

"Fine, you destroyed me when you told me I couldn't help you anymore, when you told you had never needed me" Alex spat

"You had no right to stop me from helping, it was my choice" he added

"Oh" Buffy said suddenly remembering that dark conversation

"Yeah Oh, you destroyed my life Bitch" Alex roared at her

"I just wanted to keep you out of harms way" Buffy tried to defend herself

"Bullshit" Alex hissed "The fact that you told me that you had never needed me proved that," he added stopping Buffy for trying again "If it wasn't for me Buffy you'd have been dead on more than one occasion, I saved the entire groups life remember?" he asked

"I" Buffy started and then quietened

"I had every right to fight, it didn't matter that I wasn't a slayer, or a vampire or a witch. I fought to help you and the others, to keep the dark at bay" Alex told her "You took away my choice, thinking you were so high and mighty" he added

"I'm sorry" Buffy relented

"Too late Buffy, way too late. Three years I've been having that day replay over and over again, watching as the people I held more dear than my own life turned on me," he said "It's a nightmare for me, and you were the one who started it, you sentenced me to a living hell" Alex snapped

"I…I didn't know it would effect you like that" Buffy tried again

"I just wanted you to be safe" she added in a whisper

"Maybe, maybe not Buff, but someone among you knew how it would affect me" Alex said simply turning his gaze towards

Willow who lowed her head in guilt

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want to see you die," she said in her own defence "You were taking to many risks, especially when it came to Buffy" she added

A part of Alex believed her, he knew he had taken some very dangerous risks in his time with the gang, but the anger and the hate were too strong and it pushed that feeling away

"Risk is a part of the fight Willow," he told her bluntly

"Maybe Alex, but even in the fight one must take precautions to make sure they come out alive and not dead" Giles told him stepping into the conversation

"I wouldn't have cared if I'd died Giles as long as it kept one of you alive" Alex said facing the watcher

"Yes I always believed you would but the fact is Alex your friends didn't want you to die" Giles told him

"I don't care, it was my choice" Alex said trying to stay angry

"Alex maybe you should sit down" Sara suggested, Alex nodded and sat facing Buffy and the others

"How did you get involved with him, detective?" Giles asked

"We were chasing the same killer," Sara answered sitting next to him and taking his hand in hers

"Why would you be tracking a killer Alex?" Buffy asked him carefully

"It was vampire Buffy, named Tars" Alex answered

"Why were you hunting a vamp anyway it's not your job" Anya asked forgetting to be tactful again

"It is my job you bitch; I met a woman in L.A who hunted vampires and demons. She trained me and I helped her defeat them until she was killed. I swore on her grave that I would continue her quest until the dark took me too" he seethed in anger

"I see" Giles said

"If you don't mind me asking how do you know about vampires Sara?" Willow asked

"I just do" Sara answered not taking the risk of telling them about the Witchblade, she noticed Tara watching her and she had a deep feeling she knew she wasn't telling them the whole truth but she seemed content to keep quite for now.

Buffy kept her gaze locked on Alex's as she sensed the hidden anger and hatred that now controlled him, she tried to keep her thoughts focused on the here and now and not on the past. She tried to keep herself from wondering if she indeed had been the cause of this, of tuning Xander into this cold-hearted person in front of her. She also couldn't help but think about the woman with him and the woman who had trained Xander, the one who had died.

"This Tars Alex is he in Sunnydale, and if he is what he is here for?" Willow asked trying to put everyone on a more comfortable discussion

"He's here to kill the slayer and her friends, and of course me and Sara if he can" Alex answered bluntly

"Oh great, one more vampire to dust" Buffy sighed

"This isn't any old vampire Buffy, he's the meanest there is, he's worse that Angelus, Spike and the master put together" Alex told her "He likes to rape and torture his victims before finishing them and he loves making their deaths as long and as painful as possible" he added "If he gets a hold of anyone of you believe me you'll wish the world had ended" he finished

"Is there a chance we can beat him without him catching any of us?" Tara asked

"Maybe if we work together, but that's the problem I don't know if I can work with Buffy again," Alex answered with a cold stare at Buffy

"We may not have a choice Alex" Sara told him

He nodded his agreement and looked at his former friends, of all of them the one he was most pleased to see again was Tara who still looked as beautiful as ever.

"I'll try," he finally said

"Then to start of will you please tell me everything you know about this Tars?" Giles was the first to speak

"Fine" Alex replied

Jake finally made it back to the motel where he, Sara and Alex were staying, he had hoped they'd be back but they were still out somewhere.

The memory of the girl's body was still fresh in his mind and it still made him feel sick, the twisted psycho who had done these murders really needed to be court and fast before he could catch and murder anyone else. He vowed he would be there when he was court so he could see him or her punished.

Giles was quite shocked at the details Alex had on the way Tars killed his victims, it was very disturbing and he could tell Buffy, Willow, Anya and Tara all hoped they wouldn't end up in this monster's hold. Even the female detective seemed to dread that possibility. He had found three books that mentioned Tars and the more they read them the more they feared this vamp.

"It says here he has been walking the earth since the early 1300's" Giles told them all

"It says in this one that he was once a paid assassin for the local magistrate" Willow added

"So it's safe to assume he knows how to handle himself," Buffy said

"I've heard a few rumours that he knows how to use magic as well and I mean dark magic" Alex spoke up trying to keep his anger at bay

"That's just great, guess we might have to call angel and the his team in" Buffy suggested

Sara noticed the grimace in Alex's face at the slayer's suggestion, infact she noted he seemed to grow even more angry. She noticed Tara look at Alex as well and she also seemed to sense the increase in his anger

"It would seem Alex was right, Tars does seem worse than Spike, Angelus and the Master put together" Giles said as she sat at the table

"Maybe we should run away" Anya spoke up they could all tell she was afraid

"I don't think that would help much" Willow said

"We can't run, this fight is supposed to happen" Alex told them all "I had a vision that you would all die at the hands of Tars and some faceless man that is what brought me back here that is what convinced me to face my past" he added

"I had a vision too, except in mine you were the one who died" Willow told him

"Giles why are they have visions, they're not the slayer?" Buffy asked

"Not everything is about you Buffy" Alex stated hotly

"That is very true" a new voice broke into the conversation, they all turned to find a man standing by the door with a smile, Buffy recognised him instantly

"Whistler" she said

"Nice to see you again slayer, also good to see the full team back together" Whistler said in greeting

Alex reacted instantly to Whistler's comment and Sara had expected nothing else

"I am not part of this team got it?" he said fiercely

"Yes you are kid, you always will be no matter what happens you're heart belongs here" Whistler told him "And so does hers" he added pointing to Sara which surprised everyone

"What do you mean?" Willow asked

"Alex and Sara were destined to meet as it was destined Buffy would cause him to leave" Whistler answered as he walked to the table and sat down facing seven very confused people including Alex and Sara "Alex was meant to be cast out of the group, so he would find Nikki and be trained to fight and survive" he told them

"Was it destined she'd die?" Alex demanded

"No it wasn't, those demons who killed her were sent by Tars to disrupt the balance, there was nothing we could do, luckily you were not killed as well or it would caused even more damage to the fight," Whistler answered

"What about him and Sara been destined to meet, what did you mean by that?" Tara finally asked

"It was destined they'd meet because she is the only person who can heal his heart, and make him embrace the light once again. She is the only one who can make him see through the hate and the anger caused by him been cast out. In a sense she is the only one who could bring him back from the dead" Whistler explained to them all

"Why was it necessary to make sure he'd be cast out in the first place?" Buffy asked

"Because he had to, it was his destined path just as you were destined to be the slayer, so he was destined to be a warrior of the light side by side with Sara and Nikki" Whistler answered

"But she is dead now, so how does that change things?" Alex asked his anger and hate forgotten for now

"It doesn't really, but it does weaken your side but there is one who could take her place and restore the balance" Whistler told them

"Who?" Giles asked very interested in what they were learning

"Tara" Whistler said simply

"Me?" Tara asked shocked

"Yes you, do you think it was a coincidence that you never believed Buffy was right in her decision to leave Alex out of the fight, or that you somehow knew he was still alive once he vanished. Or how you knew something dark was coming?" Whistler inquired

"But why did Willow receive the vision instead of Tara?" Sara asked trying to absorb the information she was receiving

"We had no choice, Tars was using his magic to keep us from alerting Tara to the danger so we have to chose Willow as she would be the only other person to believe it" Whistler explained to them

"So you're saying apart from one or two interruptions everything that has happened was meant to?" Alex asked slowly

"Yes" Whistler nodded

"Does this happen often around here, this destiny thing?" Sara asked

"I'm afraid so" Giles said with a friendly smile

"So what now?" Tara asked

"I am going to help Alex train you and Sara everything he learned from Nikki, it is essential that you know everything he does. I will also help Giles and Willow find everything they can on Tars and counter spells to his dark spells" Whistler told them

"And what about me and Anya?" Buffy asked

"I will teach you a few special defence movies that might come in handy but one thing is for sure keep of the streets until I say so, that means no patrolling" Whistler said very sternly

"But that means Tars can freely kill any girl he gets his hands on" Sara said

"I have hired a few warriors to keep the streets safe until we are ready, this is important if one of you is captured it's over and the dark will win a huge victors" Whistler said

"Very well, no one patrols at night" Giles said, the others all reluctantly agreed including Alex and Sara

Jake was surprised to see Alex and Sara walking back to the hotel hand in hand, and instantly he guessed somewhere along the way they had become lovers. He quickly hid his disappointment and jealously as they came close to him, he quickly forced a smile onto his face

"Hey Sara, Alex" he said with a nod of his head

"Hey Jake, did you find anything new?" Sara replied

"Yeah, we find a new body, it was the same M.O as the others" Jake told them

"Great" Alex fumed at the news

"Were there any clues?" Sara asked

"No, same as the others. I have to say this one was even more mutilated than the others Sara" Jake responded

"He knows we are onto him," Alex said quietly

"Maybe, or maybe he's just getting more perverted" Jake said having heard what Alex had said

"I guess we'd better have a look at your report" Sara sighed as she led Alex into Jake's room, Jake followed hoping she hadn't noticed the slight anger that he knew had been in his eyes

Willow walked side by side with Tara as they headed for their dorm rooms, Tara had been very quite since Whistler had told them she was the only one who restore the balance between the light and the dark.

Then again she admitted silently to herself she would have been just as shocked had Whistler said it was she. She was a little worried about how Tara would undertake this challenge, and then her mind drifted back to Xander and his actions and attitude since his return.

She couldn't blame him for been angry and upset at what had transpired three years before but the extent to which it had affected him sacred her.

Whistler's news that it was suppose to happen had calmed some of the anger and hate within her old friend but she new deep inside it was still there, and according to the balance demon only Sara could cure the hole in Xander's heart and restore the happiness and joy that had once inhabited him. She was pleased to see that already some sort of relationship had begun to happen between the beautiful female detective and her lost friend; it already seemed she had some sort of hold on him and could rein in his anger and get him to focus on the problem at hand. She hoped that by the end of this they could all put the past behind them and restore the group completely.

Buffy sat at the table in the magic box staring at the door; Giles was absently drinking some tea whilst Anya counted the money in the till as she usually did. Xander's new attitude actually scared her; there was so much hate and anger inside him.

And she had caused it except now it would seem it was supposed to happen according to Whistler. But that didn't make it hurt any less; she had lost a friend and killed all the joy inside him because it was meant to happen. It gave her one more reason why she hated her role as the slayer so much.

Sara lay on her bed with her head resting on Alex's bare chest, they had gone through the report Jake had written on the latest victim and it had just made them feel even more angry at this creature Tars.

But they now had to discuss what they had learned from Whistler and what they were going to do when they did finally face Tars. Before she could say anything Alex beat her to it

"Not tonight Sara, I can't think straight" he told her earnestly, she nodded and leaned up and kissed him deeply, soon all thoughts of talk vanished from their minds as they joined once more in mind body and spirit.

Alex woke to find Sara watching him with a serine smile; he returned it and then kissed her softly on the lips before sitting up. He noticed it was still dark outside and he could hear the darkness call, he should be out there now hunting Tars but he couldn't because Whistler had made him promise not to go out at night and that if one of them was caught it was over.

He didn't want to endanger any of them even Buffy and so he curved his anger at not been out fighting the darkness and laid back down as Sara put her head on his chest. He thought about what Whistler had told them about Sara and him been destined to meet and the fact that she was the one who would bring him back from the hell he had been living since Buffy had kicked him out of the gang.

But even now his anger at her for this was losing its intensity because according to Whistler it had been destined to happen.

He felt Sara pull him closer and he looked down at her to see her close her eyes and begin to fall into a peaceful sleep.

He smiled and allowed sleep to claim him too knowing the nightmares that had plagued him for three years would be diminished and that this time he may just get some rest.

Buffy kept an eye on the streets from her window just in case any vamps were stupid enough to pass by her house, she didn't like been inside at night whilst demons and vampires walked the streets but she had no choice. She had to trust Whistler in his promise that it was important none of them got caught, that thought sent a shiver right through her.

Knowing what Tars did to his victims was the most terrifying thing she had heard since becoming the slayer. Hell even Angelus never went that far when he killed.

She wondered how Xander was doing dealing with what they'd been told by Whistler, that her actions three years ago had been destined to happen that it had to happen so they could stop Tars so he'd meet Sara and this girl who taught him how to fight Nikki.

Tara couldn't sleep due to the knowledge that she had to take the place of the girl who had taught Xander to survive to fight to forces of darkness, that only she could fill the gap left when Tars had made sure Nikki had died.

As much as she knew Tars believed it had been a victory she believed it had been a mistake because it had fuelled Xander's hatred and anger and had strengthened his spirit. It was obvious to her that her death had a real effect on Xander something that had hit him right to the core, it was possible he had loved Nikki as a friend, a lover and maybe even as a mother.

From what Willow had told her about Xander's parents it was no surprise Xander was so reckless in his fight to help his friends and why he had been so devastated by Buffy's actions. His parents had never cared about him and the only people who did were his friends and they'd betrayed him, no matter how much destiny had to do with it the fact was Xander had been betrayed by the people he cared the most about.

If Sara was indeed the person who could bring Xander back from the brink of self destruction then she hoped it would happen during their battle with Tars as she knew no one but Xander's old self would manage to kill this demon because at the moment Alex as he was still missed that vital push. Sara was the only hope they had as together they would manage to win but if there were still problems between them especially Buffy and Xander then they would fail.

Giles sat in his kitchen going over the books they had found on the vampire Tars, this time he paid more attention to what this vampire could. He had found Tars had a vast knowledge of black magic and that made him an even more dangerous foe to fight, at the moment they had a long way to go before they had a hope of defeating this monster.

"Impressive isn't it?" Whistler's voice startled him; he turned to find the balance demon standing near his door

"Rather distressing actually" Giles replied

"There's more problems to deal with before you stand a chance of defeating Tars" Whistler told him as he walked over and sat down in front of him

"Such as?" Giles inquired

"The rift between Buffy and Xander for starters" Whistler answered

"I'm afraid there is not much I can do about that" Giles explained "However thanks to your timely arrival things do seem more peaceful between them" he added

"Maybe but there is still too much anger between them, if they want a chance of beating Tars they have to be a team like they used to be" Whistler told him

"And do you have any suggestions how we get them like that?" Giles asked

"That's up to you Watcher" Whistler said with a thin smile

"What else is there a problem with?" Giles asked somewhat irritated by Whistler's attitude

"Willow and Tara are not too well trained in the dealings of black magic" Whistler replied "You are, you're going to have to teach them everything you know and I mean everything" Whistler added

Giles almost sank into his seat in surprise; he had never wanted the group to know his full history with black magic. His days with Ethan and just how much mayhem them caused he had wanted to keep secret

"I know you don't like the idea much but you have no choice if you want to win" Whistler told him

"Is that it?" Giles asked trying to hold back the building anger he felt

"The rest lie sourly with Alex and Sara, it's up to Sara to heal them" Whistler said before he got up and exited the house leaving a very confused and angry watcher behind

Alex stood near the window as the sun rose; he looked to where Sara lay still sleeping and smiled. He could already feel some change within him; he didn't feel the same anger and hate cursing through him nor the blackness that usually clouded his heart. She had already begun to heal him; maybe by the end of this he would once again be his old self and not the half dead soul who had been walking through the darkness for three long years.

He looked out across Sunnydale, his hometown the place where had been born, where he had met and befriended Willow when they were three. Where he had first met Buffy and begun to fight the darkness, but it was still laced with dark memories, for this was the place where Jessie died, where Kendra died and where he had been destroyed. And yet now it could be the place where he was reborn in a sense if Sara could pull Alexander back from the edge and heal his soul.

But did he want that, did he want to be Alexander Harris again. He looked at Sara's peaceful face and knew the answer in a moment, yes he did he wanted to be his old self. He wanted his friends back and he would do everything necessary to help make it happen.

Sara secretly watched Alex as he made his choice, she noted the small smile that played on his lips as he looked at her and she knew something good had begun. She herself was very happy about the way things were going. She had found someone she loved totally and knew without a doubt he would give his life for hers in an instant. This was why the Witchblade had not reacted to Alex's presence when they had first met, why it had not sensed any threat from him. Because destiny had meant for them to meet and fall in love, and she had no doubt Alex loved her. She knew now what she had to do and she would make sure Alex and Alexander Harris became one once again.

Alex returned to their bed and lay down next to her, she quickly placed her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him, and he placed his own around her as well.

"We'll make it Alex, we'll make sure of it," she whispered to him

"I know Sara, I love you" Alex replied, Sara smiled

"I love you too" she replied before both once slipped into a peaceful sleep neither noticing Whistler standing in the corner smiling smugly before he vanished

Tars was angry, none of his followers had been able to find the slayer or her friends. He had wanted to catch one of them and torture them, then rape and kill them.

Then he would have made sure he left the body where one of the others could find it, this would have demolished the slayer and her band and made them angry and if they were angry then they were more likely to make mistakes.

He had killed the hunter Nikki to tip the balance in his favour and now he wanted to tip it even more in his favour, he knew the boy was here tracking him but he wasn't likely to join the slayer.

Tara sat watching Willow sleep; her dreams were somewhat more peaceful than they had been, obviously having Xander back in Sunnydale and knowing he was alive was helping her greatly.

All they had to do now was heal the rift between them all and crush Tars before he could kill any of them, then her thoughts drifted to Sara and the aura she had sensed around the woman.

She had lied about something before because she hadn't trusted them and because Xander didn't trust them yet, but she knew they're had to be complete trust between them all if they stood a chance in hell of winning.