See Part One for disclaimer and details. Thanks as always to my faithful reviewers. Please keep it up, it's the inspiration for me to keep going at this. Seriously.

Part Five: Of Spells And Relationships

Sunnydale High, Sunnydale

March 22nd, 1999

Willow, Buffy and Faith were sitting on a grassy area outside the main building, relaxing during a warm spring morning before classes began. Miss Rosenberg had taken the opportunity to practice her magic skills, which included levitating a pencil. But as a fly distracted the witch, her emotional control slipped and the pencil darted off and buried itself in a nearby tree.

"Ooops! Sorry," Willow said apologetically. She'd been taking magic lessons from Tara after Xander had introduced them, but it was still pretty slow going.

"That's okay, Will," Buffy said, a little distracted. "So Faith, how'd patrol go last night?" she wanted to know.

"Pretty eventful, actually. X saved my life, even killed a few vamps himself," Faith said, recalling how Mr. Trick and his posse had been about to feast on her blood near the docks the previous evening.

Relieved of his obligations to the late Mayor, and after a lengthy period of celebration, the African-American vampire had decided to pick up where he'd left off with Slayerfest '98 and slay the killer of his sire. But what no one had expected was for Harris to come charging in and give her the chance to survive. And not only do that, but also finally stake Trick like she'd done with Kakistos all those months ago.

Miss Lehane had attempted to properly 'thank' Xander for his efforts later on that same night, but he had firmly yet politely refused her offer. Given how much the average male teenager craved sex with no strings attached, Faith had quickly decided that most likely the fashion princess had finally decided to start getting horizontal with her boyfriend again.

( Well, whatever. No skin off my nose; X can just be 'the one who got away'. ) Faith had shrugged off the refusal like water off a duck's back, and then quickly found a willing replacement at the Bronze.

"I worry about him," Buffy mused. "Ever since that whole Sisterhood of Jehovah thing, Xander's gotten more and more distant and closed off. And now he's started taking stupid risks again?"

"I guess Xander just doesn't like being sidelined, Buff. And I don't think there's much we can do about that." Willow wisely decided to change the subject. "So, uh, you heard anything more about that big demon worm Giles mentioned recently?"

"Only that Angel thinks he's bad news, and he was at a warehouse on Deveraux before he cleared out of there," Buffy replied. "What's his name again? Beltazor? Brontosaur?"

"Balthazar," Willow automatically corrected the blonde's butchering of their potential opponent's name.

"Yeah, that's right. It's just that Wes initially thought he was dead, y'know. And boy; was I glad for once I could tell that guy to his face just how wrong he was!" Faith looked positively gleeful.

Buffy scowled, she didn't like her new Watcher much either. Among other reasons he wasn't on board with her relationship to Angel, and had even gone so far as to warn that if she ever gave her boyfriend a happy again she'd end up in a specially-designed Slayer prison. And Angelus would get terminated with extreme prejudice, whether anyone tried to do the soul curse again or not.

"Wesley totally has a stick up his ass, if you ask my opinion," Buffy declared forcefully. "He really needs to find a girlfriend or something."

"You volunteering, or are you asking me to do it? 'Cause given the way Red acts around her wolf-y boy toy, he'll never believe she's serious. And that's assuming Wes is actually willing to be part of a threesome with those two," the younger Slayer wisecracked.

"Faith!!" both Buffy and Willow exclaimed at the same time, the redhead's cheeks scarlet with embarrassment.

Sunnydale High Library, Sunnydale

Later that morning

"Are you sure about this?" Giles asked Wesley in consternation.

"Yes," Wes never looked up from the parchment he was studying. "The Belial siphon spell was definitely cast here in Sunnydale, at some point in the future. All the signs definitely point to it; but unfortunately I still don't know the when, why and who."

Rupert had almost forgotten about that particular news from England; after all, it had been eight months ago and he'd been focused on finding Buffy to the exclusion of almost everything else back then. But now, with no major crisis to worry about, he was able to give the matter his full attention.

"Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I thought that particular spell was so old there are only a handful of individuals who know how to perform it," he noted. "And none of them are currently here on the Hellmouth."

"That's true enough. But there are also a number of discovery spells that can be used to determine the required information. So it wouldn't surprise me if many people within the Council's ranks know how to perform that spell by now," Wyndam-Pryce replied.

Giles suppressed a feeling of chagrin. Given human nature, Wesley was very probably right. The problem though was that the younger man was too damned smart for his own good, which rubbed other people the wrong way. And his personality clashed too strongly with Buffy's, especially on the subject of Angel.

Rupert knew that Wesley thought he'd indulged the blonde Slayer's whims and personal desires far too much. That it had been his job to train the girl and keep her alive for as long as possible, not to become her friend and father figure.

Not to mention that he should have summoned a Council wet-works team to exterminate Angelus the moment he'd learned the vampire had lost his soul, and not depended on a traumatized 17-year-old child to do it for him.

While Giles didn't agree with the first sentiment, he found it impossible to deny the second one didn't have some merit to it. A lot of people who were dead now might have been alive if he hadn't allowed Buffy the faint hope that somehow, one day, her Angel might be restored to her. His beloved Jenny, for one.

Willow came into the library, leaving her books on the counter. "Hey, Giles. What's up?"

"Oh, uh, just discussing the Belial siphon spell with Wesley," the librarian said, still lost in his own thoughts.

"WHAT?" Willow shrieked. She had read an obscure description of that spell in one of her books and thought it was only legend. Thus, Miss Rosenberg was now completely freaked out at hearing this rather alarming news.

"Didn't I tell you and the others about that? I was sure I did," Giles said in honest surprise.

"No, you didn't! Giles!" Willow shouted. "Are you telling me that history's been changed somehow?"

"Yes. The spell's impact began last July according to the seers, as a matter of fact," Wesley looked up at her. "Before I came here, I spent six months of my life investigating it. But all I ever managed to learn was that the spell was performed at a site where a Hellmouth was located. I've checked out the Berlin and Cleveland Hellmouths personally, and I'm now sure it's the Sunnydale Hellmouth where the spell was cast at some point in the future."

"How long?" Willow squeaked. The whole thing was mind-boggling to her, the concept that she could have been living an entirely different life right now. Or maybe even not be alive at all. "I mean, when-"

"I don't know," Wes interrupted. "No one does. Or if they do, it hasn't become public knowledge yet. In any case, Miss Rosenberg, please try not to be unduly alarmed by all this. What's done is done, and hopefully the circumstances where the Belial siphon spell was cast have been removed from consideration, here and now."

"And if they haven't?" the female teen demanded.

Wesley shrugged. "Then at some point, the End of Days or whatever was responsible shall come again, and drastic measures will be required once more."

Willow paled at hearing that. Without another word, she turned around, grabbed her books and left.

"Did you have to mention that last bit to her?" Giles demanded. "The girl's not even 18 years old yet..."

Wesley hit him with a pointed stare, and Giles didn't need to hear the man say it to know the Watcher thought his predecessor was pointlessly coddling their teenage acquaintances again.

( Bloody berk. Even if he might have a point, I suppose. )

Sunnydale High Boys' Locker Room, Sunnydale

The same time

Xander slammed his locker door shut after gym class, and started changing into his regular clothes. He had much to think about.

The young man knew that in a few more months, high school would be over for another year. It looked like he would be able to graduate with the class of '99. His grades weren't spectacular, but still good enough to earn his diploma, assuming all went well with the upcoming final exams. But still, it was the nagging question of what to do with his life afterwards that concerned the youth.

Xander knew he might not even have a home with his parents once high school was over. He hadn't told anybody just how far down into the bottle his mom and dad were sliding, but if current trends were any indication they would soon be wanting rent money to help feed their alcohol addiction.

And the male teenager knew he was damned if he'd ever do that.

Lately, Xander had often contemplated leaving Sunnydale after the summer arrived. He'd been saving up money for a celebratory road trip, wanting to see the world that existed beyond the Hellmouth. What if he simply never came back? Who would even miss him after a while?

( Cordelia. )

Xander sighed, things with regard to his girlfriend were somewhat complicated. They cared about one another a great deal, yes. But Harris knew that the class barrier between Cordelia and himself would be a tricky thing post-high school. She would no doubt be heading for some hugely expensive college and get inducted into some exclusive sorority next fall. What was he going to do, follow her there and become the townie boyfriend? In that scenario Xander knew he'd feel even more out of place than Cordelia did trying to be a member of the Scooby gang.

Xander suddenly remembered a fight he'd had with Harmony not long ago. She had accused him of being a loser and that he would never amount to much in life, which was hardly anything out of the ordinary. But he had practically snapped and angrily replied, "You can think that if you want, airhead. But with the way you gush over how many different colours of Blush there are, I figure you'll simply skate through college on Daddy's money just long enough to get married to a rich jock. One who'll get pretty damn tired of you after you hit thirty-five. Plus because your looks are the only thing you've really got going for you, you'll use your cheating husband's money to get breast surgery, and end up a trophy wife who has to fake an illness every so often just to get noticed anymore!"

Was that what would happen to Cordelia, if all they had together was a high school fling and went their separate ways after graduation? Xander didn't know. And to be honest, he didn't really want to find out either. ( Ah, hell. Looks like I'm gonna have to sit down with Cordy and try to figure out just what our lives are gonna be like in a few months time. There's nothing else for it. )

At that moment as he finished getting dressed, Xander spotted Michael racing to worship the porcelain god. He wandered over to outside the stall and asked, "Hey, man, you okay?"

The toilet was flushed and the warlock came out, holding his stomach and looking as though he might be sick again. "I'll be alright," Michael grunted.

One of the side effects from Rack augmenting his powers over the last couple of months was his body playing catch-up, trying to adjust. He had started looking up ancient, obscure, yet dark and powerful magicks to help him deal. But in Michael's opinion, the pain was well worth it. Despite his having to cough up a lot of dead presidents as well.

"You sure? I could take you to the school nurse if you want-" Xander offered.

"I said I'm fine!" Michael snapped.

"Okay, okay, sorry for trying to help," Harris muttered in an annoyed tone as he turned around and started to walk off.

The other boy instantly felt bad about his earlier reaction. Xander had never tried to hurt him, unlike a lot of other people in this town, and he hadn't deserved receiving that just for trying to be a Good Samaritan. Deciding to make it up to the guy, Michael used his new powers to hit Xander with a little bit of magic.

Nothing malevolent or harmful, it could best be described as a 'be all you can be' spell. Something temporary to enhance whatever Xander had to begin with, and which didn't violate the rede of personal gain.

It was intended as a gift.

But this was Xander Harris and the Hellmouth Michael was dealing with here. And gifts that weren't exactly store returnable could often have unexpected consequences.

The Bronze, Sunnydale

Later that night

"Buffy, I'm telling you, this is serious!" Willow insisted to her best friend. "The Belial siphon spell is really bad news!"

The Slayer honestly wasn't sure what all the fuss was about. Things were somehow different now because of some mojo last year? "Okay, Will, but just how bad could it really be?"

"End of the world type bad!" Miss Rosenberg yelped.

"Oh...huh?"

Willow exhaled, preparing to try to explain it to the Chosen One in a different way. "Look, Buffy, history is an incredibly fragile thing, y'know? A guy looks one way or coughs, one thing happens. He looks another way or doesn't cough, something else entirely happens. Like, he doesn't meet his future wife, or attract the attention of the guy who would eventually encourage him to become President. That spell, it seriously messed with what would have happened from last July onward! It's like the ultimate non-cough or non-glance here!"

Miss Summers definitely looked concerned now. "So, uh, did anything major happen then? 'Cause I was away in LA at the time, if you recall."

"Not that I know of," Willow frowned. She'd forgotten that that was when Xander had met Tara, unfortunately. "But that doesn't mean anything, really. It could be that some kinda apocalypse was averted when history changed, we just don't know. We can't even guess. And that's what's wigging me out, Buff; we, we might all have been dead right now in the original timeline!"

"You don't know that," Buffy said at once. "Look, Willow, I gotta go with Wesley on this one. For better or worse, this is the non-apocalypse-y world we're living in now. And all the maybes and what-ifs aren't gonna change that. If anything bad happens in the future, we'll deal the same way we always do. Okay?"

Willow reluctantly nodded. Being the type of person she was, she still couldn't help worrying about all this; her superior intellect understood the ramifications in a way that few people could. But what Buffy said definitely made sense, and the red-haired girl knew that if she kept on thinking around in circles this way, she'd eventually end up biting herself in the small of the back. "Okay."

The Chosen One decided to change the subject. "So where's Faith? Don't think I've seen her since this morning, when she made that lousy joke about you, Oz and Wesley."

"Oh, uh, she said she had a date tonight. Apparently she met some guy or other who hangs out at the Fish Tank," Willow replied absently.

"Good for her. And what about Xander?" Buffy asked, still in 'worried mother' mode with regard to him.

"He said something about him and Cordy going out on a date as well, last I heard."

Sunnydale High Utility Closet, Sunnydale

The next day

It was Mae West who once said, 'too much of a good thing can be wonderful.' Right now though, even though she admired and looked up to the long-dead movie star, Cordelia Chase wasn't sure she agreed with that particular quote from the woman.

Because she was kissing her boyfriend in their own private broom closet. And things were quickly heating up to the point of no return, if the bulge in Xander's pants was any indicator of how he was feeling.

Even though neither of them knew it, Michael's 'be all you can be' spell had amplified the young man's libido and last night Xander had arrived at the Chase manor in a bit of a frisky mood. A short while later Cordy had been very glad her parents were away in Washington, meeting with the IRS for some reason, and that she had been able to bribe Lupe the maid into taking the night off and leaving the house.

The reason being Cordelia had constantly screamed in pleasure for hours during the previous evening, thanks to Xander becoming "a Viking in the sack". Miss Chase had been ready to take their relationship back to its prior level ever since her 18th birthday and, thanks to Michael's spell, their marathon lovemaking session had bound them to one another mind, body and soul. Eventually, she'd fallen asleep within her boyfriend's arms in a state of numb bliss.

Of course, there were still the appearances to consider. She'd cleaned up the mess from the used condoms and shoved Xander out the window after sunrise. Cordelia certainly didn't want to risk Lupe blabbing to her parents that her boyfriend had spent the night, if the hired help saw Harris exiting her bedroom door. But the two teenagers had met up again at school today, and unbelievable as it sounded, Little Xander was rarin' to go all over again.

In the cheerleader's opinion, it was lucky for the big goofball that she had completely and utterly fallen in love with him. Otherwise, Xander and his hand would have been very busy together for quite a while.

"We've never done it in a broom closet," Harris whispered into the girl's ear, his hands exploring many private parts of Cordelia's anatomy. "Cordy, honey, you in the mood for a quickie?"

Still somewhat tired from last night's bedroom gymnastics Miss Chase would have slapped him, if only Xander hadn't started gently nibbling on her ear and kissing the nape of her neck. The brunette girl felt all her objections quickly evaporating as her boyfriend's hands continued to work their spell-enhanced magic, Harris somehow getting under her yellow and maroon cheerleader outfit while continually kissing the hell out of her. ( Oh, God, how did he learn how to do tha- OHHH! )

"Thought I might find you two in here. So is this a private party, or can anybody else join in?"

The sound of Faith's amused voice elicited a surprised yelp from both Xander and Cordelia, who let go and hurriedly started adjusting their clothes. "Shut the door! And what are you doing here anyway?" the Chase girl demanded.

Miss Lehane never lost her smirk for a moment as she switched on the light after shutting the closet door. "Like I said, looking for you two. Well, Xander here actually, but since I knew I'd find you together..."

"Why were you looking for me?" Xander asked curiously, as he finally zipped up his pants and winced at their tightness. Cordelia just scowled at the assumptions Faith was making, even if they were perfectly valid ones.

"Well, here's the thing, stud-"

"Don't call him that!" Cordelia interrupted irately. "He's not your 'stud' or your 'boy toy' or whatever other stupid nickname you want to use. Xander has a name, so use it!"

The brunette Slayer knew a territorial girlfriend when she saw one, even though Xander just stared at Queen C curiously, and there really wasn't any reason not to humour the cheerleader, so she simply shrugged. "Whatever. Look, B's pretty much been on the warpath this morning. That guy Balthazar sent his boys to the Bronze last night, and things got kinda ugly. I ain't never seen Fang and his honey this worked up before."

"Great," Xander groaned as they all stepped out of the closet. "So Deadboy's here too?"

"In the library along with the rest of the gang."

"Are you and him EVER gonna get along?" Cordelia asked her boyfriend as the trio walked off.

"Sure. I'd say roughly around the twelfth of never," Xander replied with a scowl. He simply couldn't help it, the male teenager just didn't like or trust vampires. Especially after what had happened with Spike and Willow last year.

Mobile location, downtown Sunnydale

Later that night

While elsewhere the white hats were taking the war directly if unsuccessfully to Balthazar and El Eliminati, Amy Madison was feeling seriously spaced as she and Michael Czajak walked out of Rack's lair together. "Whoo..."

"You okay?" Michael asked with some concern.

"Sure. I'm great!" Amy flashed him a somewhat manic grin as they walked towards her car.

The young woman had quickly recovered from briefly being a rat so long ago, and plunged herself right back into the world of magic and witchcraft. So when Michael had suggested to the girl that she accompany him to a very special place, the suggestiveness in the warlock's tone had convinced the brunette female to come along.

Amy's initial impressions of Rack's abode hadn't been favourable. But after she'd met Michael's supplier Miss Madison was as good as hooked, too. Rack had done incredible things to her after taking his standard 'tour' of the facilities. Amy now felt like her abilities had been increased at least ten-fold whilst under the magic dealer's influence, and there was no burnout factor to speak of.

Too bad for the teenage witch that, just like her male friend, she had now started down a path that led to nothing good.

TBC...