San Francisco, California.
On a hunch, after he got tired of waiting for an explanation that wasn't gonna come and just left the three sisters staring at him open-mouthed, Xander started searching the Halliwell garage.
He was hoping to see if there was any plywood or something like that, that they could place over the hole in the front door for the night. His plan was to go to the local trade supply depot in the morning, most likely with Cordelia, and get whatever the girls needed...
Prue had told him that other than putting their two cars in the garage, the sisters hadn't been in it much, and hadn't even tried to clean it out as of yet. So, Xander guessed he was the first person in a long while to notice it.
A tall, flat crate behind the 1960's-style refrigerator, against the rear wall. It seemed to have never been opened.
By the amount of dust on it, Harris guessed that whoever had put it there had never even looked at it again. On the front of the crate was the address for the house - no, the manor, as Cordelia had called it. The date stamp on the crate said 1981.
(You can't be serious,) Xander suddenly thought to himself, as he pulled the thing out a little more. For along the side of it, it was listed what were the contents of the crate.
'Wood door with colored glass window for front foyer'.
"Guess I don't have to go shopping tomorrow after all," Xander said to himself with a shrug, as he looked around for something to lift the crate with. Nearby, on the other side of the fridge in fact, he found a two- wheeled dolly with a crowbar hanging from it. (Perfect!)
"Are you saying you think Mr. Harris is a demon?"
"No, that's not what we're saying!" Cordelia told Terry, sounding annoyed. "Xander is just - Xander. I don't know why the time-freeze thingy didn't work on him, but he's not some icky demon! That much I know - for sure!"
"Then a warlock, perhaps?"
Cordelia had to let out a laugh at that. "God, no!" She thought for a moment. "After I tell him what's the what, I'll tell him to call Giles, to see if he can-"
"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Terry said seriously.
"You can't allow that?" Cordelia said perturbed, "YOU can't allow that? Hey, if either Xander or I want to call Giles, then call him we will! You're not the boss of either of us!"
"Ms. Halliwell, Rupert Giles was cast out of the Council for improper activities," Terry insisted, becoming as animated as Cordelia had ever seen him. "As the active Watcher for this group, I cannot allow him to jeopardize any of this with his - his emotional weaknesses!"
"Who is this Giles character?" Piper asked, quickly enough to prevent Cordy from castrating the stuffed shirt.
"He was Buffy's Watcher back in Sunnydale," Cordelia told her. "The Council fired him, after he went against their orders and helped her out of a death trap that they themselves had created to kill her!"
"That's not-" Terry started to protest.
"Am I interrupting something here?"
The group looked back to find Xander in the front doorway. "No," Cordelia told him with a gesture. "Just a difference of opinion."
Xander cast a long look at the Council employee before saying to Kennedy, "Come on, Slay-gal, I need you for a minute."
"For what?" the teenage Slayer asked, a little suspicious.
The former Zeppo rolled his eyes. "Well, I either want to kill you and bury you in the backyard, or I could be needing your abilities with moving something up these steep steps," he said sarcastically. "You are the one with super-strength around here, remember?"
"Fine," the brunette girl said simply, as she went out to join him.
As soon as they both left Cordelia, who'd guessed Xander had heard the entire conversation, grabbed Terry and dragged him into the kitchen.
"Now you listen up, mister!" she told him sternly. "I live here, you don't! And to hell with the high and mighty attitude - I don't care if you are a Watcher or not. I will not have Xander feel uncomfortable here! This is going to be his home too. Are we clear on how things are gonna be?"
"I'm sorry if I upset you, Ms. Halliwell, but-"
"Enough with the Ms. Halliwell crap!" Cordelia said, now even more annoyed. "My name is Cordelia."
"Alright then, Cordelia," he corrected himself. "But please, be reasonable. As active Watcher for Kennedy and you and your sisters, I must keep watch on all unknowns-"
"Hold on just a damn minute right there!" Cordelia said, her eyes going wide. "Back the truck up!" She turned back to her sisters, "Did he go over this with either of you two?" the former princess asked them. "That somehow, we are now under the control of the Watchers Council?"
"First I've heard of it," Piper said honestly.
"Same here, now what's going on? You told me you were Kennedy's Watcher," Prue said, looking suspiciously at the Englishman.
"Yes, but you see, the Council feels that it would be best if I would assume that responsibility for all of you," Terry told them, suddenly getting a bad feeling about this.
"And what if we don't feel the same way?" Cordelia asked accusingly. "Will we get those mercenary guys sent after us?"
"What mercenary guys!?" Prue asked her sister, getting a deep frown on her beautiful face.
"Hear ye, hear ye, listen now one and all to the story of Faith, a former vampire Slayer," Cordelia told her with a mocking tone. "She got into a semi-accident one night and killed a man, thinking he was a vamp. After Wesley reported it, to his later regret, the Council tried to forcibly kidnap her and bring her back to England - for their own brand of so-called justice!"
Off of their surprised faces she added, "And then gee, what a surprise - she got pissed over it, and went completely psycho after that!"
Terry looked at the upset faces around him. "I give you my word, I-I was not aware of that incident. But I can assure you-"
"No, you can't assure me of anything. Because I've had too much exposure to your organization, not to see the Council for what it really is," Cordy said, interrupting him. "Look, you could be a very nice man; I don't know you well enough to say yet. But right now, you could be either another Giles - or someone like that Travers creep! So don't assume we're all under your orders, or the Council's, or you will seriously piss us off.
Comprende?"
"Very well," Terry responded, but it was clear he didn't like it.
The sound of an electric screwdriver made them head back in to the foyer. Xander was undoing the hinges from the frame. (Easy does it...)
"Did you find some wood back there?" Prue asked him.
"Even better," the young man told her, as he pointed outside to the laid- down crate that Kennedy had opened with the crowbar.
"We have a spare door?" Piper asked, surprised. "I knew Grams liked to plan ahead, but that thing doesn't look cheap!"
"From what's written on it, I'd say it was ordered the same time as this one was," Xander said, as he moved the destroyed door off to the side. "It says here they ordered two of them back in '81."
"So, it's been sitting in the garage for almost 20 years?" Prue asked him in astonishment.
"Looks that way to me," Xander answered her with a shrug.
"No, no, that can't be right," the eldest sister declared.
"Why not?" Piper asked her.
"Don't you remember, back when I was in 9th grade?" Prue asked her sibling. "We were playing with that ball on the street, and Andy kicked it straight through the window-"
"Right, right, and Grams made him work it off by mowing the lawn and doing jobs around the house," Piper said with a smile, as she remembered.
"Yeah," Prue added with a nod. "I remember 'cause I used to bring him lemonade, when he would mow the lawn. So why would Grams complain about the price of the window and make him work it off back then, if she had a spare door just sitting in the garage?"
"Maybe this will explain it," Kennedy said, as she pulled something free from the back of the crate after Xander lifted the door out.
"What is it?" Prue asked. "An invoice?"
The Slayer looked at the plain envelope as she spoke, "No, it's a letter."
"To who?" Piper wondered. "Our dad?"
Kennedy turned it around, and the girls all gave startled gasps. Xander, who had heard them as he was getting ready to start the installation, asked without looking, "Well, who's it for?"
The male teenager looked up annoyed, when Cordelia swatted him on the arm. He looked up, and gasped a little himself. "No way!"
The envelope read 'To Alexander Harris'
Minutes later, they were all gathered in the sitting room. "Well, open it dumbass!" Cordelia demanded, as they sat on the short couch.
"Okay, okay, Cor, keep your shirt on!" Xander told her with a grin, before adding, "Or not, I'm good either way..."
The former Queen C quickly smacked him over the back of the head.
"Ah, can't tell ya how much I've missed that, ever since last February!" Xander riposted, rubbing the spot on his head and causing Piper to laugh.
"All righty then," he then said, as the teenager carefully opened the letter. "The letterhead is from some place called Buddies, looks like a burger joint. Date says January, 1981..." He then read the letter silently to himself quickly, and exclaimed, "Great googly-moogly, no way in hell is this possible!"
"What? Oh just gimme that!" Cordelia said impatiently, as she grabbed it from him and began to read aloud.
"Dear Alexander, or Xander as your friend Willow named you.
I hope this letter finds you well, in the year 1999. First, I want to say thank you for looking after our little Phoebe - excuse me, Cordelia, on the Hellmouth. She might not admit it, but she liked having her so-called little doofus around. Second, please; you have to stay, and help protect my granddaughters. I don't know if you'll grow up to believe in destiny or anything like that, but whether or not it's true; my descendants will need you here. If Prue gives you any problems, just tell her I freely invite you to stay in my house as if it were yours. After all, why do you think I had my sewing room upstairs turned into a bedroom? It's a tad small, I know, but it should work for you.
Take care and blessed be,
Penelope Halliwell."
Prue and Piper just stared stunned at each other, as Cordelia abruptly stopped. "Is...is that it?" Piper then asked, shaken.
"Uh, no, th-there's one more thing," Cordelia said, a little shaken.
"Well, what is it?" Prue demanded.
But when all Cordelia did was turn to stare at Xander, and him at her, the eldest sister took the letter. "P.S. Dear Cordelia: don't give up on that boy just yet, sweetheart. Practically all males of the species are scum, true, but you two would give me such beautiful great-grandchildren together."
"This is impossible," Piper got out after a minute of silence. "Cordy, you never even met Grams, so how could she know of you - or Xander?"
"She's right, this doesn't make any sense," Prue agreed. "All the time I was growing up, Mom and Grams were always looking for Phoebe, not Cordelia. I never even heard the name Cordelia at all, till we found you," she told her youngest sister.
"Oh, oh, this is just too much," Piper added, leaning back.
"I know," Cordelia said. "I mean, I have my dead grandmother trying to set me up on dates now?" She looked to Xander. "Okay, how the hell did she know of you, me, or even Willow for God's sake? She even knew my little nickname for you!?"
"You always thought of me as your little doofus?" Xander asked her, with a strange expression.
"Well, I suppose these days I could go with 'boy toy' like Faith," Cordelia responded.
"No, no, that's quite alright; I'm your little doofus here. Plain and simple."
"Damn right you are!" Cordelia snorted, as she poked him in the chest "And don't you forget it!"
"Could you two please cut it out?" Prue asked in exasperation. "Your little back and forth routine is cute and all, but can we just get back to the damn letter?"
"Did your grandmother have some kind of second sight, or something? Be precog enough to see into the future?" Xander asked Prue, as if they were just discussing the weather.
It still freaked Prue out, at how easily the young man and her baby sister were taking things like that in stride. "Not as far as I've heard, but after the last week or so - I honestly don't know anymore!" She got up from her chair, staring at the youth. "First things first. Let's get that door put up."
They drifted back to the foyer, and Xander went back to the door. "Okay, Slayer-"
"My name is Kennedy!" the girl fumed.
"Okay, sorry, Kennedy," Xander shrugged. "You hold it in place, and I'll do the screwing." He looked back, when he heard a snicker. "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Cordy told him, the grin growing larger. "But honestly, I'll do the screwing?" She smiled at the guy. "You're just lucky I'm not the queen bitch anymore, or else I would have crucified you with that one!"
Twenty minutes later, Xander was closing the new door. "Huh, that was kinda easy," he said to himself. "Well, the wood on the frame outside will be a little more faded since it's been in the sun for years compared to the door, but other than that - it should work fine," the male teen said to the others.
"What about the lock?" Piper asked. "Are the new keys in the crate still?"
"There were no keys in there," Kennedy told her.
"Then, how are we supposed to get in?" Piper asked in astonishment.
Xander studied it for a moment, before taking a set of keys from the rack by the mirror. "Your grandmother planned ahead for this, so I'm thinkin'-" He inserted the one labeled 'FD'. It slid in, and with a turn the thick bolt shot out the side.
"Guess we don't need to get keys made," Cordelia commented happily.
"Okay, now that that's taken care of," Prue said as she turned to Xander. "You can sleep in the spare room for tonight. But we have to have a family meeting, to decide a few things. And I do mean only family," the brunette Wicca pointed to Piper and Cordelia. "Kennedy, can you please take the crate back to the garage?"
"Yeah, no probs," the Slayer said, as she and her Watcher started picking up the wood.
"I'll just help Xander get his stuff," Cordelia said as she took the guy's arm, pulling him out the door.
"Cordy-" Xander started to ask her, as they reached the sidewalk at the bottom of the steps. "What the hell is all this? Demons attacking - no, trying to kill you? A new Slayer, and Giles the next generation? Your dead grandmother knowing stuff about us?"
The youngest Halliwell leaned against his car, as he put his tools away and pulled out his duffel bag. "It's just all crazy at the moment, I know. Too much happening at once, is all. I'll explain-"
"And what 'time-freeze thingy' didn't work on me?" Xander interrupted, a little put out. "Some kind of spell?"
Cordelia just nodded. "Look, whatever Prue says, I'll still tell you everything. Just...in the morning." She looked him over. "How long did you drive?"
"Uh, 14 hours more or less."
"Straight?" she asked, surprised.
"Hell yeah," Xander answered, as he locked his car with the keychain remote. "Your letter did say to move my lame ass, remember?"
And as the former couple headed back towards the manor, bickering as usual, they failed to spot the young man watching them from across the street.
Well, to be more accurate he had been watching Xander from across the road. Studying, monitoring, maybe even judging the black-haired boy, as if trying to look into his very soul.
As Cordelia and Xander went back inside, the nondescript young man suddenly turned into a swirl of blue-tinged white lights, that streaked upwards and quickly disappeared.
Upstairs in the Halliwell manor, Prue pushed open a door. "No one has been in here much at all, in years. It needs a good dusting and airing out-"
"Tomorrow. And I guess it kinda makes sense," Piper said. "We never used this room anymore than we did the attic, but now both are getting used."
Prue looked at her sister sternly as Xander asked, "Why, something wrong with the attic?"
"That's another topic for the morning. Please," Cordelia told him. "And hey, the bathroom is just down the hall, to the right."
"Okay, what time do you three normally wake up?" he asked.
"Why?" Prue asked, a little suspicious.
But Xander just shrugged. "One guy, and three beautiful women? Just wanna know when it'll be safe to use the bathroom, here."
"Don't worry, we've got two and a half bathrooms in this house. That one is all yours," Piper told him with a smile.
"Now you get some sleep, mister!" Cordelia told him, like a mother scolding her child. The women turned to leave the room - but as she was leaving, Cordelia turned back. She went to Xander, and gave him a kiss on cheek. "Good night, you mighty demon slayer you!"
After they did leave and the door was closed, Xander had to laugh when he heard Cordelia yell, "I've told you two a million times before, he is not my boyfriend!"
The Halliwell Manor. 8:05 am, the next morning
Xander awoke to a soft purring sound. Opening his eyes, he saw a thin white cat staring at him.
Harris was a little freaked out, when the cat seemed to be really staring him in the eyes. It seemed to be looking for something, something that it obviously found - for its body loosened up, before it crawled over to him. The cat then curled itself up against him and purred, as it rubbed its furry body against the human's.
"I think she likes you!"
He looked up to see Cordelia standing in the doorway, in a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. "Sure, all the femmes just love me," he told her with a smirk.
"Love to date you if they're demons, you mean! I remember the story about that Inca Mummy Girl..." Cordy snapped, as she came in. The woman leaned down to the bed and called the cat, "Kit, come on! I've got your breakfast downstairs-"
The witchy familiar with the triquetra ID tag opened its eyes and took off out the door, as soon as Cordelia was finished talking.
"Don't tell me that cat actually understood you?" Xander said, as he marveled at how fast the feline had moved.
Cordelia just shrugged. "With everything that's been going on lately, it wouldn't surprise me, like at all."
"So, how did the little family meeting go?" Xander then asked her carefully.
Again, Cordy just shrugged. "It was really short; the note from Grams kind of forced Prue's hand. If she wanted you here, then it pretty much ended the debate." Cordelia looked around the room, "So, it's official. You just spent your first night in your new bedroom. Of course, mine is much bigger that yours," the brunette told him with a laugh.
"Of course it is. For now," Xander returned her laugh.
"Come on, dorkhead," the young woman said, as she got up and extended her hand to him. "There are some things I have to show you."
Xander didn't move, "Ah, you mind handing me my pants first?"
She picked the jeans off the chair, and held them up. "These pants?"
"Yes, those pants," Xander said with a scowl, as he tried to reach for them, but his ex-girlfriend pulled them out of his reach. "Oh, come on, Cor!"
"Okay, here you go!" Cordelia tossed them to the other side of the bed. And when he turned to grab them, she grabbed and pulled away the covers.
"Hey!" Xander yelled, as he pulled the sheets back.
Cordelia just cast him an amused grin. "Boxers kind of guy, huh?" she mused. "Always thought so..." He just kept glaring at her, until the girl gave a theatrical sigh and turned around. Xander quickly pulled his pants on, as his former childhood nemesis looked through his bag. "Any Speedos in here?"
"No," Harris told her, as he grabbed the first shirt he could reach. "Left them all back in Sunnydale."
"Damn!" Cordy whispered, as she went into the hallway. "Well, are you coming or what?"
After looking at her strangely for a few seconds, Xander joined her in the hall. "You seem very...perky, this morning."
"I am, aren't I?" the former ruler of the school elite asked, as they went up a small flight of steps to a door. She opened it, and let him go in first. "Welcome to the attic, Xander."
He looked around. "This is pretty damn big for an attic, Cordy. It's big enough for a den, maybe."
"Don't get any ideas. It's already being used for something," Cordy told him, as she pointed past the guy.
Curious, Xander inspected the short, round table. He knew what most of the items on it were right away. "Cordy, this looks a lot like the witch stuff Willow would bring back from her favorite magic shop back in Sunnydale..."
"Yeah, well, that's not all," the former Chase girl told him, as she pointed to a book on a stand, a little bit further into the room.
"Aw, man, don't tell me - yet another old book!?" Xander groaned.
"Don't knock it, Xander!" Cordy said at once. "The information in that book has saved my life twice, so far."
As she'd expected, his head snapped up to look at her. "And what were you doing, that you needed it to save your life?"
"I can't escape the weird things in this world, Harris. Probably, neither can you," she said with a sigh. "We could have moved to Alaska, and still had demon-related crap happen to both of us-"
"Probably. Hey, any idea what this book is..." Xander started to reach out.
"No, don't touch it!" Cordelia yelled at him, causing him to yank his hand back.
"What?" Xander then asked.
"Sorry," the woman apologized. "It's just that, normal mortals aren't allowed to touch the Book of Shadows. It does some weird glowy thing."
"Normal?" Xander said, actually sounding hurt. "God, don't tell me whatever is going on now's made you think that way too..."
Cordelia looked at him, confused for a few moments, before understanding set in. "Oh! No. I'm sorry Xander," she said, as the girl stood next to him. "You should know I don't think that way about you! Now, let's go over to the bench over here." She led him over to the built-in padded bench, in front of the large windows.
"Okay, Cor? What did you mean then, by normal mortal?"
The new witch looked out the window for a second, as she watched a paperboy toss a newspaper into their yard. "I don't know if it's just some special thing, because of the powers or just some old stereotyping..." She took his hand. "Xander, you know I trust you. With my life in fact, but Prue made it one of the conditions. You can't tell anyone else what I'm going to tell you now."
Harris just nodded. "If I can keep all the secrets I have so far, I'm thinkin' I can handle whatever you throw at me."
"Well, it started all well and good," Cordy told him, as she settled down to tell the tale. "It was all hugs and kisses when we got the results back from the DNA tests. From what I learned - uh, I guess I was kidnapped after my birth-"
"What!?" Xander yelled. "Someone kidnapped you? Little baby Cordelia got kidnapped?"
She nodded. "Well, baby Phoebe got kidnapped anyway. From what Prue told me, it caused the rift between my birth parents to go from small to huge, and they eventually divorced..." Cordelia took a deep breath. "Now, here is where it gets weird-"
Sunnydale, California. One week later
"Mom?" Buffy Summers called, as she and Willow and Oz came in through the
front door.
"We're in the kitchen, Buffy!" came the older woman's yell.
The group of three walked in, and was a little surprised to see Giles cleaning up a mishap on the counter. "Ah Buffy, was the book right about the demon you went to slay?" the former Watcher asked.
"Yeah, pretty much," she told the British man, as they looked him over. "Look Giles, I hate to say this, but I don't think I can be all reporting to Watcher guy here - not if the Watcher guy is wearing a 'kiss the cook' apron..."
"Don't tease him, Buffy, not now," her mother warned. "Rupert is helping me get dinner ready."
"You don't have to do that, Mrs. Summers," Willow said. "We could have just ordered a pizza."
"Nonsense, Willow!" Joyce told her sharply. "From what I hear nowadays, you kids ate way too much pizza back in that library over the years. You need some healthy food, once in a while."
"Oh, are we expecting anyone else?" Buffy asked her mother, as she counted the number of place settings on the dining room table.
Her question was instantly answered, when the front door opened and closed again. And Xander Harris walked into the kitchen, with a one-gallon jug of milk.
"Xander!" Willow cried, as she went over and hugged him. "I've missed you! Did you see all 50 states? What was this thing about a cult? And, and where are you hurt?"
Xander had to laugh, as she rapidly fired off questions. "I've missed you too, Wills. And no, I only saw two other states. The cult was a bit weird and no, hard as it may be to believe, I wasn't hurt."
"Xander, for God's sake, you shouldn't have gone nosing around some cult like that!" Buffy stated firmly. "Who knows what those weirdos could have done to you?"
"I was fine, Buffy, just for the record," the young man said with a roll of his eyes, not having forgotten his marching orders from the ranks of the Slayerettes a few months ago. "But I do have some things I need to tell all of you."
"Let's all sit down first, Xander," Joyce told him, "and then you can tell us what your big news is."
Professor Maggie Walsh's office. UC Sunnydale
"You're not on a date with Ms. Summers tonight, Riley?"
"No, ma'am," her subordinate told her. "Her mother wanted her home for dinner tonight. We have plans to go to a movie tomorrow night, though."
"Very good," Walsh said with a nod. "Has there been any trouble integrating yourself within her group?"
"None," Finn said with a shake of his head. "Most of her friends have already accepted me. Granted, I haven't come up with a reason to ask to meet Mr. Giles as yet; but as soon as I see an opening, I will."
"Good. Because heaven knows we need to bring their group under our purview as soon as possible," the older woman sighed as she thought about it. "To think this Hellmouth has been sitting here, for God only knows how long, with nothing but a pack of teenagers to watch over it! How they survived this long, I will never understand."
1630 Revello Drive. The same time
"Wait up, you have a new boyfriend?" Xander asked, very shocked to Buffy.
"Well, I wouldn't call him a boyfriend yet - not really," the blonde Slayer told him uneasily.
"Oh come on, Buffy!" Willow said, from her chair next to Oz. "You guys look so darn cute together!"
"So, this dude is what? Rebound Guy from Angel, or something?" Xander asked her, as he looked down to eat a bite of his mashed potatoes. When no one answered him, Xander looked back up. Both young women were staring at him. "What?"
Buffy looked a little nervous. And the former Research Boy of the gang suddenly knew the only other time she'd ever looked that way, was back when he'd asked her out to Spring Fling in sophomore year.
"I'm sorry, Xander, I know it was sudden and all. But you have to face it. We just wouldn't work out."
"We?" he asked, now completely confused.
"Yeah, as in you and me," Buffy told him sadly. "And hey, that Anya girl was here last week asking about you. You should give her a call!"
"Hold on just a second," Xander said, looking at his two female friends across the table. "You think I was going to try to get together with you? What the hell made you think that?"
The girls exchanged glances. "Well, now that Angel's gone, we just thought..." Willow started, but stopped when Xander burst out laughing. "Okay, how is this funny, Xander Harris?"
"Oh man, I'm sorry Buff - but, uh, I wasn't planning on asking you out. Ever."
"Xander, it's okay," Buffy said to him, trying to be reassuring - but not forgetting how he'd managed to make her send Angel to Hell, either. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it-"
"I'm not," Xander told them, the laughter disappearing. "Seriously, I was not planning to ask you out, as I'm totally not into you anymore. I mean, that ship sailed a long time ago."
"Really?" Buffy asked, half-upset and half-relieved.
"No offense. But hell, yeah!"
Joyce wanted to get away from this topic, since her daughter was now looking very upset. For most of the last month or so, Joyce had heard the two women talk about how they were going to let Xander down gently. And now... "Er, I was wanting to know - what was this other news you talked about earlier, Xander?"
Xander and Giles both looked at her, relieved at the new topic. "Well, it's kind of big news. But I have to ask that you don't tell anyone else any of this. Literally, no one. I had to argue a lot for you guys to even hear it. I mean, lives could depend on this," the youth said.
"Of course, Xander," Giles said, giving him his word. "Does this have to do with that cult business?"
"No," he answered truthfully. "That was some strange stuff, in and of itself that I can't talk about. And it wasn't demon-related. But getting back on-topic - okay, for the last week I've been staying with Cordelia and her family..."
"Cordelia?" Willow asked surprised. "Xander, how's that possible? Her dad's in jail, and she told me that her mom just up and left one night."
"Not that family, Willow."
"As far as I know," Joyce stated in confusion, "She and her parents were the only Chases in town..."
"That they were," Xander said with a sigh. "But you see, there's something that you guys don't know. I learned last year, while we were dating, that Cordelia was adopted."
"What?!" Willow shrieked. "But Xander, we've known her for years! How could she be, um, be..."
"Calm down, Willow!" her former crush said. "Look, she was adopted by the Chases, after she was found as a baby at a church."
"Wow," Oz spoke for the first time. "That's just...wow."
"Yeah. If it had gotten out back when the Chases more or less ran this town - her parents thought it woulda been some big scandal. And for people like Harmony and the others, it darn well would have been! But still, recently the rest of the Chase family found out, and is now shunning her completely."
"My God, that must be so awful for her," Joyce said sympathetically. "After all that unpleasantness with the IRS, and now to have her own relatives not speaking to the girl..."
"But you said you were with her family?" Buffy asked him, still trying to wrap her head around this news.
"Yeah, as luck would have it, her birth family has been looking for her for a long time. And so-"
"Her birth family?" Joyce interrupted, the good woman impatient for details. "Well, I hope they're better people than her adopted one."
"Oh, they are," Xander answered with a smile. "Most of the family lives on the East Coast, but her two older sisters - awesome-looking babes, by the way - live in San Francisco. She moved in with them, into their late grandmother's house."
"While I am happy that Cordelia has found a proper family," Giles said slowly, "how does this news rate a-as life or death?"
Xander took a deep breath before asking. "Giles, does the name Melinda Warren mean anything to you?"
"Oh Good Lord, you can't be serious!" Giles said, as his brain made some intuitive leaps and shock overcame him. "You, you said she'd just found two older sisters?" Xander just nodded. "Oh dear. Oh dear. Oh dear..."
"Giles?" Buffy asked surprised. "Who's Melinda Warren?"
Everyone looked to Giles, as he went into Watcher mode. "Melinda Warren was a witch born in the late 1600's - Halloween 1670, if I recall correctly. She was said to have grown up to have three magical powers, in addition to the normal spellcasting that a witch of her generation could perform."
"Ah, how does a witch who lived so long ago affect Cordelia now?" Joyce wondered.
"Well, sadly as with many witches, good or bad," Giles said, "Melinda was burned alive at the stake back then, during the Salem witch trials..."
"Oh please, don't bring that up!" Buffy exclaimed, uneasy. "Heck, we still haven't found a way to bring Amy back to her human form yet!" With the mention of Amy, Buffy saw Xander's look change to one of seriousness. "What is it?"
"We have to talk about Amy, but later," he told the Slayer. "But you see, before Melinda was burned at the stake, she vowed that each generation of Warren witches would become stronger and stronger, culminating in the arrival of three sisters."
"Wait, wait just a darn minute, Xander!" Willow said suddenly. "You're talking about that legend?"
"What legend, Willow?" Buffy asked her.
Her redheaded friend looked to be in shock. "When the three sisters come together, they would each have one of her powers, and become the most powerful witches of their generation-" She looked to Xander with incredulity. "Are you telling me that Cordelia Chase is a Charmed One!? The fabled three most powerful witches of all time!?"
"Yeah," Xander said with a sigh. "That she is."
"This, this is incredible news Xander," Giles whispered. "Cordelia actually has one of the three powers now?"
"Uh-huh. Her thing is premonitions. I've seen her do it too, at least once."
"Remarkable. Yes, uh, I can see why they would want to keep this information hidden," Giles said, nodding his head and thinking of the possibilities.
"From the general public, yes," Joyce remarked. "But why would them being witches be so secretive?"
"Because," Xander said slowly. "A lot of bad guys want their powers, which means a lot of demons and warlocks are going to try to steal their abilities. Hell, the first night I got there, two demons were trying to kill them."
"What?" Buffy asked, concerned.
"You're not the only one with a destiny anymore, Buffy." Xander told her simply. "The Charmed Ones are the protectors of the innocent, and it's a whole new thing for all of 'em. Cordelia is dealing, it's not been easy - but she's dealing."
"Then why tell us, dear?" Joyce asked him hesitantly. "We wouldn't go telling anyone, of course, but if their lives are at stake-"
"Simple," Xander said, looking around. "The people in this room keep guard over the Hellmouth. It just makes sense for us to keep each other in mind, for just backup alone, if anything apocalypse-y goes down."
"Willow?" Oz asked his girlfriend. "Are you okay?"
"I just - I, I guess I still can't quite believe it," the hacker said, shaking her head. "Cordelia Chase is a Charmed One? It's like being in the major leagues for a witch! Back in high school, she couldn't even help me cast any spells - and now she's a super-witch?"
"Well, Buffy was by her own admission an air headed cheerleader, before she became the Slayer," Xander pointed out.
"Hey!" Buffy shouted, a bit insulted.
Xander smiled, to take the sting out a little. "Sorry Buff, but that is how you described yourself last year to Deadboy - right?"
"Don't worry Xander," Giles said, not letting Buffy fire off the venomous retort, for he was sure she would later regret it. "No one will hear about this from us. For sure, not the blasted Council-"
"Alas, G-man," Xander said with a deep sigh. "But they already know."
"What?!" the Englishman exploded. "Who, who would be daft enough to tell them?"
"I dunno," Xander answered truthfully. "But from what Cordy told me, as soon as they got their powers, Terry and Kennedy suddenly moved into the house across the street."
"Who?" Buffy demanded.
"Terry Scott is a Watcher, English as, and Kennedy is his Slayer."
"Another Slayer?" Buffy and Willow both asked at the same time.
"Best guess is that somehow they knew that the Charmed Ones would be coming into being, and were just waiting for the third sister to show up. Might be a prophecy thing," Xander guessed with a shrug.
"And as soon as Cordelia did," Giles added with a frown, "Faith was officially...retired."
"Of course, it was done in a way that I'm sure we'll never be able to prove was murder," Xander said bitterly. "But are there prophecies about the Charmed Ones that you know of?"
Giles shook his head. "None, to my knowledge. But as you say, it is likely that one of the Council's seers foresaw the event, and the Council were just lying in wait..." He thought for a moment. "From their point of view, it would make sense. Make sure that the Charmed Ones are put under the thumb of the Watchers, as soon as they become witches. Now, before they get any experience of their own-"
"Well, FYI, Terry doesn't seem that bad of a guy," Xander said with a shrug. "But for all we know, he could be playing us."
"What about the Slayer?" Buffy asked. "What about this - Kennedy, you said?"
"Well, she's annoying, as most Slayers often are," Xander told her with another cheeky grin. "But Cordy is kind of warming up to her. They've got the same sorta background, ya see; both grew up very rich, but now have had their lives turned completely upside-down. If it'll help stop the Council from making her jump though hoops on command, then Cordy is all for them being friends. And..." he started but stopped.
"And what?" the blonde Slayer asked.
"Well," Xander said with yet another shrug. "Guess it's nothing important, really. But I think Kennedy, uh, plays for the other team."
"She's a lesbian?" Willow asked, sounding a little too shocked.
Xander just looked at the girl he'd grown up with in surprise. "If it's true, then more power to her. I wouldn't have noticed it at all, except for the fact that I think - she's been hitting on Cordy."
"Oh boy," Buffy said, her eyes wide at that news.
"Look, Cordelia would have come here herself to help explain what happened, in the week or so before I arrived there. But as I said, they had to vanquish two demons. And there'll be others," Xander then said.
"She had to stay and vanquish another demon rather than come with you, then?" Joyce asked, suddenly wondering when exactly she'd become able to say something like that, without thinking first how ridiculous it sounded.
"No," Xander replied. "Her real father showed up this morning. Prue - she's the oldest - thinks it's kind of a bit too convenient that he left them years ago, but shows up now when they got their powers. But Cordy wanted a chance to get to know him." He looked to Giles. "I'll give you all the contact info before I-"
Buffy interrupted him. "Geez, Xander. Cordelia being adopted, a super-witch and there being a new Slayer? Any other bombshells you want to drop on us?"
"Well, now that you mention it..." he told her slowly. "There are two other things. First, Cordelia had her name officially changed. It's Cordelia Halliwell now-"
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted Xander. "Sorry," the male teen said, as he took it out and looked at the screen. "It's the manor's number, must be Cordy. I'll just be a minute-"
"Manor?" Willow asked, shocked yet again. "They have a manor?"
"Yeah," the Xandman said, as he got up. "I'll be right back..." He went through the kitchen and out the back door, before he answered. "Cordy?"
#Yeah, and it's about damn time you picked up!# came his ex-girlfriend's angry voice.
"Sorry, I was in the middle of the big talk with the gang," Xander told her. He listened to her for a few minutes. "Wait, shape-shifting dogs?" the guy then asked.
#Yeah, Prue thinks good old Dad might be working with them to get the Book - hey, you didn't tell them about that, did you?# she asked him.
"No, no, you can tell Prue I'm being a good little boy and not mentioning a certain book!" He then added, "And I'm not going to mention the visit from that Whistler guy, either. Maybe to Giles, but not the others."
#Why not?# Cordy asked.
"How exactly do I bring that up, Cor? Just say, 'oh yeah, the Powers That Be gave us one hugeass bank account for the cause'," Xander smirked. "They're still trying to wrap their heads around the part about you being a witch, already."
#It's your call, Xander,# the witch in question told him. #But it's not like we're rich or anything. It's just money to fix up the manor, when it gets wrecked if a demon attacks.#
"And to help me pay for my whole apprenticeship deal," Harris reminded her.
#I still think that's a waste of time, you know-#
"No it's not," Xander snapped, getting annoyed at having this conversation yet again. "Look, Cordy, I appreciate you and your sisters' faith in me - really, I do. But have you ever tried to rebore the engine of your own car? That manor is practically falling down on top of us here!"
The young man added, "The entire electrical system needs to be rewired. The main chandelier needs to be fixed, all the floorboards need to be replaced, and practically every window in the house needs a re-shimmying too! I'm not good enough yet to do all that professionally. I know it, and more importantly so did Whistler. Why else do you think he gave me that business card?"
#Still...none of us want innocent civilians getting caught in the crossfire here, Xander. And heck - what do you really know about this Leo Wyatt guy, anyway?#
"Just that he's got a good enough rep in the right places, to be able to teach me what I need to learn. Myself, I just wish I knew why those Powers guys thought it was so important for you to go to college."
#Whatever. But with my luck, the San Francisco State University will be full of demons!#
"Probably," Harris laughed back.
#Did you drop the big bomb yet?# Cordelia then asked.
"Nope, that's what I'm going to do when I get off the phone with you," Xander said with a big sigh.
#Okay then, I'll let you go do it. Good luck!#
"Thanks, I'll need it..."
"Is Cordelia all right?" Giles asked, as Xander sat back down at the table.
"Yeah. She just wanted to update me on what's been going on," Xander said carefully. The former Slayerette then looked deep in thought for a moment, as he glanced over at Buffy and Willow.
"Xander?" Willow asked. "Are you sure everything's alright?"
"Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out a good way to tell you something," he said.
"Tell me what?" the redhead asked him.
Xander looked down, and ran a hand over the back of his neck. (This is gonna get ugly, is what I'm thinkin'. Shoulda told Giles and Mrs. S privately beforehand, at least that way I might have had someone on my side here...) "I don't know how to sugarcoat it, so I'll just say it straight out. Tomorrow, I'm going to rent a U-haul trailer and load up some stuff Cordy left in storage here-"
"Oh," Willow said, interrupting him. "You're just going to make a quick trip to bring Cordy some of her stuff. Well, why would that be hard to tell us?"
Xander cringed as he said it, "Because...I'm also loading up all of my own stuff as well, on account of the plan is - for me to live in San Francisco, with Cordy and her sisters."
As expected, the two girls' faces showed shock; and then they both erupted with, "You're gonna do WHAT?!"