Buffy walked into the library exhausted. Stupid Angel, the vampire kept her up all night wondering about the girl in the white dress. She's wondering about one guy in her life she really doesn't need to be wondering about two of them right now. She walks into the library and saw Willow pouting at the table and Giles buried deep in a book. Buffy sat down next to Willow wondering what the right thing to say is in a mess like this. Xander's been missing for two weeks now. Snyder told them yesterday he's been expelled from excessive absences. "Any word?"

Willow shakes her head. "No, still nothing, and that's what's driving me completely insane." The redhead muttered having butterflies for two weeks now. "At least when Jessie was a vampire, god help me we knew, but Xander's missing and badness all around in Sunnydale."

Giles looked at the two, he ever sees the boy again he's going to crush his ribs and maybe go a little Ripper on him for scaring the girls like this. "You can't think of the negative Willow, I'm sure he'll show up right as rain."

Buffy looked at him and sat down. Two weeks she doesn't want to say it but in Sunnydale she's starting to lose hope. "I'm assuming that, that was British English for he's going to be OK?"

Giles looked at her but nodded weakly when the bell rang. "You two have class I assume?"

Buffy and Willow nodded and headed for class.

Buffy looked at Willow and decided to take her mind off Xander's disappearance and mentioned Angel's moonlight rendezvous.

Willow listened and it took her mind off but she thought of a new concern. "Do you think she's a vampire?"

"No, maybe?" Buffy replied uncertain, what is that vampire doing to her. "They seemed pretty friendly."

Willow frowned she hit a soft spot, they've been batting a thousand recently. "We both need serious comfort food."

"I'd suggest a box of Oreos dunked in apple juice, but maybe she's over that phase."

Buffy turned around with a sudden smile seeing her old friend from Hemery, it was about time they caught a break. "Ford?"

"Hey Summers!" The two embraced in a hug and Ford asked. "How ya been?"

"Oh my god!" What are you doing here?" Buffy asked.

Ford had a nervous smile. "Uh, matriculating, I'm finishing out my senior year at Sunnydale High. Dad got transferred."

Buffy smiled this could be the best of both worlds as they sat down on different couches. "This is great!"

"I'm glad you think so. I didn't think you'd remember me." Ford said happily.

Buffy innocently hit him in a playful manner. "Remember you? Duh! We only went to school together for seven years. You were my giant fifth grade crush."

Willow looked at Buffy and Ford as a damning realization hit her. "Oh my god, this is what it's like for you when me and Xander reminisce isn't it?"

Buffy turned to Willow. "Oh! I'm sorry. Um, this is Ford! Uh, Billy Fordham, this is Willow!"

Ford innocently waved "Hey."

Willow nodded excitedly. "Nice to meet you!"

"Uh, Ford and I went to Hemery together in L.A." Buffy said as she turned to Ford. "And now you're here. For real?"

Ford nodded. "Dad got the transfer, and boom, he just dragged me outta Hemery and put me down here."

Buffy looked at Ford. "This is great! Well, I mean, it's hard, sudden move, all your friends, delicate time, very emotional, but let's talk about me!" She puts her hand on his knee. "This is great!"

Willow smiled. "So, you two were sweeties in fifth grade?"

Buffy shook her head. "Not even. Ford wouldn't give me the time of day."

Ford gloated. "Well, I was a manly sixth-grader. I couldn't bother with someone that young."

Buffy laughed at it now but back then. "It was terrible. I moped over you for months. Sitting in my room listening to that Divinyls song 'I Touch Myself'." She realizes how bad what she just said could be taken and casts a nervous look at Willow. "Of course, I had no idea what it was about." Ford nervously scratches his temple with his finger while Buffy changed the topic of conversation. "Hey, are you busy tonight? We're going to the Bronze, it's the local club, and you have to come."

Ford nodded. "I'd love to! But if you guys already had plans... Would I be imposing?"

"Not at all." Willow assured him. One of them should be happy, but what's so bad about I touch myself?

Ford smiled seeing this just got easier. "Okay, then! I, I gotta find the admissions office." He gets up. "Uh, get my papers in order."

Buffy looked at him. "Well, you know what." She gets up. "I'll take you there, and I'll see you in French Will!" She takes Ford's arm.

"It was good to meet you." Ford said as they go.

Willow's eyes rose up in revelation it couldn't mean. "Oh, that's what that song is about?"

The next night was at home in her pajamas in her room. She's happy Buffy has Ford but with how close they're becoming it's almost like she's on her own again. Xander where are you?

Willow heard a knock on her door that caught her off guard. Please be Xander in a Romeo and Juliet moment. She opens the door and finds Angel of all people. "Oh" She muttered disappointed as she opened the door. "Angel! What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you." The vampire replied.

Willow looks around. "Oh, well..." She gestures for him to come in without saying the words, but he just stays standing there. "Well?"

Angel looked at her. "I can't. Unless you invite me, I can't come in."

Willow nodded and wondered if that was some kind of Sunnydale survivor instinct. "Oh!" She looked at him nervously. "Well, okay, I invite you. To come in."

She turns around as he comes in, and a look of horror appears on her face when she sees her bra just lying there on her bed out in the open. She quickly rushes over, grabs it and stashes it.

Angel looked at the room. "I-if this is a bad time, I..."

Willow shook her head. "No! I just... I'm not supposed to have boys in my room."

Angel smiled a bit. "I promise to behave myself."

"Okay. Good." Willow replied nervously.

"I guess I need help." The vampire admitted awkwardly, he really should have kept up with technology.

Willow nodded but was confused. "Help? You mean like on homework? No, 'cause you're old and you already know stuff."

Angel eyed the main reason he's here, her lap top. "I want you to track someone down. On the Net."

Willow smiled. "Oh! Great! I'm so the 'Net girl." She sat at her desk.

Angel looked at her. "I just wanna find everything I can. Records, affiliates, I'm not even sure what I'm looking for yet."

Willow typed bringing up her search sites. "Good. What's the name?"

"Billy Fordham." Angel answered.

Willow looked at him uncomfortably. "Angel"

Angel looked at her he's well aware he seems like a jealous kid. "You're going to say I'm acting jealous."

"Actually" Willow cut him off. "I'm wondering if you can do me favor, you know, you scratch my back and I scratch my back, wait that's not right."

Angel smiled at the girl's awkward behavior. "Buffy already has me looking into Xander but there hasn't been a trace of him since Halloween."

"Oh, great, thank you… and weird." Willow replied from the computer.

Angel looked at her. "Weird?"

Willow shook her head. "Oh, not you weird, Ford weird. I just checked the school records, and he's not in them." Angel stands up. "I mean, usually they transfer your grades and stuff, but he's not even registered."

"He said he was in school with you guys, right?" Angel asked.

"Willow, are you still up?"

Willow gets up and gets Angel up. "Ack! Go!" She yells to her mom. "I-i-i-i-i-I'm just going to bed now, mom!" Angel goes back out onto the balcony. Willow holds the door. "Come by tomorrow at sunset. I'll keep looking."

"Don't tell Buffy what we're doing, alright?" Angel pleaded.

Willow looked at him stunned. "You want me to lie to her? It's Buffy!"

"Just don't bring it up until we know what's what." Angel said for clarification.

"Okay. I-it's probably nothing." Willow agreed.

Angel almost laughed. "That'd be nice."

She closed the door a bit nervous about what she has to do.

The next night Xander watched from the lapse less room. He's going to a very special place in hell for putting Willow and Buffy through this, he knows that. But each time he's on earth the clock will start running again. He looked down and saw '38:04:17', as soon as he's back on earth that clock will start running again. He keeps his hand wrapped around the Zyusouken ready to return to earth if Willow gets in trouble thanks to Deadboy ditching her at club fang bang. The two reunite and quickly head for the exit getting what they needed. Xander smiled in relief seeing Angel walk Willow home before he and Buffy go to chat.

Xander was thankful to Angel and decides to just give Angel and Buffy their privacy. The picture becomes something very differently as he switches his focus to Ford. He sees him standing with Spike and Drusilla, making plans about the slayer. Well that can't be good, thank god for Angel… did he just think that?

The next day after school Buffy meets up with Ford. She was so happy when she found out he already knew she was the slayer, but now, he has some sort of secret motive according to Angel and himself considering he allegedly dusted a vampire last night that came back and stole a book from Giles. Then to add onto the fun she got the complete history of Drusilla from Angel.

She walked up to Willow and looked at who could be her last friend left in Sunnydale.

Willow looked at her. "Um, did Angel?"

"He told me everything." Buffy informed her.

Willow looked at her. "I'm sorry I kept stuff from you."

Buffy weakly smiled. "It's okay."

Willow nodded and started to explain. "When Angel came to my room he was just really concerned for you, and we didn't wanna say anything in case we were wrong. Did you find out what Ford is up to?"

"I will." Buffy assured her and then walked off.

Buffy glared at Ford, the person she thought of as a friend. Ends up he was a lying scumbag. Good thing she came early at nine o clock she'd have been screwed. Of course she's not doing that hot now with the door locked and Spike and his friends imminent. Ford is dying and is trying to become a vampire to stop it. His little club, her, everyone is a sacrifice to save himself. Buffy runs downstairs to the cult in one last attempt to get them to see reason as she heads for the steps. "People, listen to me!" Ford comes after her. "This is not the mothership, people! This is ugly death come to play!"

Ford backhand punched her across the face, and she went tumbling to the bottom of the steps. He came down after her and punched her in the back as she tried to get up, the attack sent her to the floor again. The cult heard the outside door open and look up. Chantarelle started up the stairs to meet them. Ford checked to see that Buffy is still out cold on the floor. Chantarelle reached the top of the steps as the inner door opens. Spike walked up to her in his game face and smiled. He roared at her and she flinched a bit but doesn't back down. He tore the choker off of her neck as she starts to cry in fear realizing the truth behind Buffy's words.

Spike smiled flanked by an army of vampires. "Take them all save the slayer for me."

The vampires ran and jumped down the stairs to the people below and began feeding. Spike grabbed Chantarelle by the neck and bit her violently. Buffy woke and got up, and Ford tried to hit her with a crowbar. She grabbed his arm in mid-swing and pulled him around, making him hit his head on a concrete pillar. He fell unconscious to the floor.

Drusilla smiled watching her children feed; she's like a proud mother in charge of her babies.

Buffy looked to Spike ready for a fight until both were taken out of the fight by an unexpected voice.

"You know I always wondered…"

Buffy's eyes rose up in surprise. She and Spike turn around and saw Xander with the knife from Halloween at Drusilla's throat. "What happens if you slit a vampire's throat? Do they just keep bleeding? Does dust eventually fall out of their necks?"

"Everyone stop!" Spike ordered.

Drusilla smiled and looked at this interesting being to her that is holding onto her tightly. "Poor little kitten, burning down the top, tick, tick, tick kitten, that's the sound of your li..."

Xander squeezed the knife closer to her neck drawing a knick of blood from her. He turned to Spike. "You let everyone go or your girlfriend will find out what happens."

Spike glared at the boy. He'll pay for this. "Let them go!"

The vampires let the cult go and Buffy quickly ran up as they flee seeing two vampires sneaking up on Xander from each side.

Xander quickly threw Drusilla into Spike knocking the pile down and ducked under a punch from the vampire to the right and moved behind him. Xander quickly got his arms up and blocked the vampire's fists and delivered two punches of his own wobbling the vampire. Xander to Buffy's surprise jump kicked the vampire hitting the demon in the face and knocked him over the railing and Buffy did the same to hers. The two saw Spike and the others getting up and ran for the door sealing it shut locking Ford inside with the vampires.

Spike looked to Drusilla as the vampires rose to thier feet. "Why didn't you at least try to hypnotize the whelp?" He doubts it would have worked in her weakened but she should have tried.

"Kitten's too strong." Drusilla replied. "Besides, he needs mummy to become a tiger, because he'll never be a cat."

Buffy smiled seeing her friend again as she finally catches her breath as the cult departed and glared at her other best friend. "Where the hell have you been!"

"Learning things, lots of teachers." Xander answered. "Also dealing with somethings from Halloween like fluent Japanese, how about you? Anything different?"

"Je parle couramment le français." Buffy replied.

Xander smiled. "Baise moi belle dame…" Xander's eyes widen seeing Buffy's look intensify. He quickly ducked under a roundhouse kick thrown by the slayer. Xander did a roundhouse of his own Buffy ducked under. He's wasting some of the little time he has and she's trying to kill him. Buffy went for a quick high kick but Xander got his arm up to block it and pushed it away Buffy did the same when Xander went to kick her

Buffy went to bring her fists together but Xander separated her arms and delivered two punches to her stomach. Buffy simply dodged the third to the face and used her legs as scissors taking him down. "Well you certainly have been learning."

Xander caught his breath just blocking her kick hurt his arm. "Take it I didn't say lucky me with a beautiful woman."

Buffy smiled. "Don't try speaking French Xan, let's just say you messed up lucky me, badly."

"Well that explains why the foreign exchange girl beat the hell out of Jesse last year." Xander joked.

Xander went to make a comment when someone slammed into him and hugged happy and ranting. "OK, Will it's good to see you too." He sees Giles and Angel following. "How the heck did you beat Angel here?"

Angel smiled seeing Buffy happy that her friend is back. "We figured we'd give her first shot at you."

Giles looked at him with a small bit of a glare. "Then kill you for making us worry."

Xander weakly nodded. "Sorry, I just, well, my life has gone through some changes at the moment."

Buffy nodded. "I know. You got kicked out of school."

Xander had a crooked smile trying not to laugh. "Yeah, that too." A couple weeks ago that would have been a crushing blow to him.

Giles looked at him. "Are you OK?"

Xander looked at the scoobies. He's kind of amazed Willow hadn't found a way to translate what zyuranger truly is yet and find out the big difference. So how do you tell your friends that you're on borrowed time, and judging from what he's seen the gods themselves can't help? Well that's easy. You don't tell them anything. "Yeah, I'm fine; I just had to drop out of school for the foreseeable future. And I'm going to be around a lot less."

Willow looked at him uncomfortable. "Define less"

"It means I won't be around nearly as much as I want to but I'll check in from time to time." Xander replied.

Willow looked at him. "I don't understand it. Also your parents didn't even bother with a missing persons' report."

Xander frowned he should have known she wouldn't let it go. "As a favor to me, Can you just drop it? I'm learning a lot, I can do a lot of good where I am, this is something I need and want to do, and I'm still learning from school just not at Sunnydale High." He's mainly just watching classes from the lapse less room, when he's not practicing his martial arts. "So can you just drop it and trust me, and please Will, please don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing."

Giles turned to Willow. "Not one missing person report."

Willow shook her head.

Giles turned to him. Part of him wants to rip his parents apart after finding out about this. "If you think this is something you have to do we won't stop you. Just know you can come to us for help at any time."

Willow frowned she doesn't like this but she can tell for whatever reason, and whatever this is, is important to him. "I trust you Xander." She turns to Buffy. "What about Ford and the vampires?"

"They're contained." Buffy answered. "They'll get out eventually, though. We should probably go. We can come back when they're gone."

Xander looked at her. "Come back for what?"

Buffy looked back at the entrance one last time for her old friend. "For the body"

Buffy started walking away followed by everyone. Xander looked at her for a moment and asked. "Buffy, are you OK?"

Buffy shrugged not feeling so lost since Merrick died, a thousand different things playing through her head. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that."

Giles looked at her. "You needn't say anything."

Buffy looked at the entrance. "It'd be simpler if I could just hate him. I think he wanted me to. I think it made it easier for him to be the villain of the piece. Really he was just scared. He wasn't ready to die yet.

Xander weakly nodded seeing he is at least not as scared as Ford, at least not yet. "Yeah, he probably was."

Buffy shakes her head "Nothing's ever simple anymore. I'm constantly trying to work it out. Who to love or hate. Who to trust. It's just, like, the more I know, the more confused I get."

Giles: looked at her. "I believe that's called growing up."

Buffy frowned. "I'd like to stop then, okay?"

Xander had an innocent chuckle. "I know the feeling."

Buffy turned to the only adult here as far as she's concerned turning to Giles. "Does it ever get easy?

Giles looked at her. "You mean life?"

Buffy weakly nodded. "Yeah. Does it get easy?"

Giles looked at her. Uncertain of what to do. "What do you want me to say?"

Buffy looked up at him sadly. "Lie to me."

Xander rolled his eyes and looked at her taking the question. "Yes, it's very easy and will always be in kiddy mode." They all start walking away from the club as Xander continued. "The good guys are always brave and noble, the bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns, yellow beaty eyes, and gap holed teeth, and, um, we always kick their asses and save the day. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after until they die of old age surrounded by fat grandchildren."

"Liar"

Xander looked at the lapse less room seeing the song worked as he took the Zyusouken from his mouth Home sweet home. Well he didn't see anything wrong with spending a little time with Willow and Buffy so he walked them home. He looked down at his wrist and closed his eyes fighting back a tear. '36:41:27' He sees the candle has shrunk as well while he was back in the world of the living. He lost almost an hour and a half. As Drusilla said tick, tick, tick, that's the sound of his life running out.

Author's Notes

I know, I know I have a lot active and updates few and far between this month but this one shouldn't take too long it's just an AU S2.

The Scoobies never cared about Faith not going to school. So I didn't think it would be a big deal if Xander didn't either to them except Willow.

Up Next: Ethan Rayne returns to town.