I decided to say screw it and just posted the next chapter today. Which I don't normally do because I love reviews... but you all waited forever while I sat on my ass and got obsessed with other shows- letting this poor story sit, so much of it written already, unposted. Not fair to the lovely readers at all.

So... enjoy. :)

Chapter 3
It's All In The Literature

The ancient tome that Giles planted in front of Xander had seemed dreadfully large at first. Not that it wasn't perfectly common for Giles to drop some massive book in front of them, but usually when he did that it was for a quick flip through. They would flip through books looking for anything that would remind them of their latest problem, and usually suck in a few interesting tidbits of information in the process.

But this...

"Of course I think you should start with Adlers Impressions, but I'm afraid I've lent that to a collegue who died in Rome last year... God knows what happened to the books- I don't even know where they buried the man, rest his soul. But the Biermanns Profile is almost as good as far as information goes. I'm afraid though that Biermann tried to pass along much of his information in the form of images-"

"Wait," Xander held up one hand, his eyes lighting up the way they rarely did in a research party. "You're saying this book... has pictures. You're giving me a picture book for research?"

"A lot of them. It's the way Grimms tend to pass along information, more often than not. Hand drawn, of course, so it's a crude way of-"

"No," Xander smiled, looking down at the book with renewed interest. "It's all good, G-Man, I promise. More than fine. Pictures are perfect."

Giles stepped back with a grin. "I thought you might think so. Xander, I hope you know how seriously I expect you to take this research. I know we're not coming up on anything catastrophic right now, but this is a birth right you've inherited... one that a rare few ever get to experience."

"I know that."

"I don't think you do," Giles sat down across from him, his own book laid out carefully. "Xander... a Reaper of the Grimm came after you. If one knows you're here, it's very possible that their institution as a whole do. From this point on, your life is as very much in danger as Buffy's is. Perhaps more so."

"...Well, we killed one of them, right? So-"

"When one fails, another comes," Giles replied simply. "And another after that. And another after that. Eventually it will be two. Or three. Or a dozen, at once. They're not a small group, Xander- and they have history. A very long history of blood shed and ideals they'll die for. You have no powers of note. Understanding, therefore, is crucial."

"I understand well enough," Xander defended himself, finding the teenager in him a little insulted. "If it tries to kill you, kill it back!"

"It's not that easy, Xander. Killing another being- one that doesn't just disappear into dust after you've done your work... It takes a type of person that I'm not sure you should want to be. And anyway, we're speaking tactically now," Giles argued. "Not a sudden fight in an alley, Xander. Don't get yourself killed by simply reacting to what pops up in front of you- go into a fight knowing exactly how to win and pop up in front of it."

"I'm not an idiot, Giles."

The Watcher rolled his eyes. "Where would you go looking for a Schakale? Or what tool would you use against a Murciélago?"

"...That's not fair."

"What weapon might you use against a Lausenschlange?"

Xander snorted. "Okay, now you're just making up names."

Giles frowned. "I'm being very serious. A Grimm's fighting lifestyle is not nearly as simple as a slayers. You'll need to know these things, Xander. You'll need to know these creatures. To understand their individual strengths and weakness. It's not so easy as sunlight and holy water."

Xander frowned, looking down at the book. With a wave of his hand it was open- the page he'd landed on indiscimmintly being one drawn with a demonic looking naked man eating babies. It was extremely detailed. "Oh... god. Giles, seriously?"

"Welcome to your new world," Giles didn't look particular pleased about it now, giving him a pat on his shoulder. "Remember; the more you learn, the less likely it is that these things will continue to happen."

Eighteen Years Ago

"Mommy?"

The words were sullen and quiet in the night, and the boys mother sat up in bed to see the door lined in light- and her child standing there with a teddy bear wrapped in his arms. "I had a nightmare, mom."

"You're almost twelve, sweety. You're too old to sleep with us."

"Please? Just this one more time?"

She patted the bed between her and his dad, waving him over with a quiet yawn. Careful not to wake the older Burkhardt, Nick crawled into the bed with a smile, kneeing her in the stomach without meaning to. She didn't comment on it, but smiled at her innocent boy. "What did you have a nightmare about?"

"A man with a sword."

"Well maybe if you hadn't of watched that movie before bed-"

"Not the bad guy from the movie," Nick was smiling as he settled in beside her, curling into a ball at her side. "He was the good guy."

"The man with the sword was the good guy?"

"Yeah... he helped me."

"Against what?"

She fluffed a pillow, settling into the bed again with her son at her side. There would be no school tomorrow- it was Nicks birthday, and they would be driving into times square to take in a show. "Against the monsters."

Oh shit.

Probably nothing.

Probably.

"...Monsters?"

"They had funny names. But the man with the sword helped. He cut off one of their heads, and then we took out three more together. It was awesome. It was weird. He was kind of small. Like he was a teenager, and I was big, like dad. But he glowed black, and he had black eyes... I think he kills lots of monsters."

"Sounds like an interesting dream, honey."

Nicks eyes were fluttering closed now. "It kind of felt real, mom."

"Go to sleep, Nick. Tomorrow will be a big day."

And he was out.

Kelly Burkhardt frowned at her sleeping son. They would have to deal with this... but was he ready? And did it even really matter?

It was probably nothing.

* BTVS GRIMM BTVS GRIMM BTVS GRIMM *

Xander had stayed for most of the afternoon, only leaving the library when Giles offered to drive him home from the school- the words for your own safety seemed to be some sort of last straw for the teenager, and they had ended up arguing.

Rupert hadn't much wanted to see the boy walk off of the school campus alone- let alone with the darkness of night starting to creep into the sky, but with Angel keeping a vamperic eye on the boy, it would be safe enough.

Not that Xander knew he'd asked the Vampire to be stalking about.

He spun to re-enter the school and collect his own things, only to come face to face with a very disturbed looking Wesley. "Pryce," Giles words were cold, the politeness he usually put off when the children were around nowhere to be found. "I haven't seen you all day... don't tell me you actually managed to find some semblance of a life?"

"Ha," Wesley's response was just as dry. "Were you going to tell me, Giles?"

"Tell you what, exactly?" Rupert pushed past the younger man, grabbing his coat with the air of a man who was about to walk out on this conversation. "Is there something about with Buffy? She hadn't told me, either."

"About the boy."

"Which boy?" Giles looked around the room innocently, "There's only us, Wesley."

"Again, ha." Wesley looked honestly angry now. "He's a Grimm. And you're planning on training him."

"There is no way we could know that... so it's all rather moot, no?"

"You might not know it, but you suspect. He can see. I overheard what I overheard."

"Hiding in the stacks..." Rupert frowned, "Such behaviour doesn't agree you, Wesley. And the Hellmouth does odd things, at any rate. Being able to see doesn't necessarily mean-"

"You wouldn't have said a damn word to me, or the Council!" the anger thick enough to cut through with a knife. "The boy is a Grimm."

"...Probably," Giles hrumphed, "It has nothing to do with you, at any rate."

"It's the council's business."

"In other words, you'd have no idea what to do about it even if Xander were a Grimm," Giles scoffed. "Wesley, do try and understand as an adult for once. I don't know. Not for certain. Explaining the possibility of it to the boy was simply prudent. And even if I did, I wouldn't bother telling you because you don't know either. Neither of us are versed in matters of Grimms. Neither of us have heard anything but stories- they are a secret the council knows very little real information about, even if they won't admit it."

"There are books."

Giles rolled his eyes skyward. "Oh yes," he spat. "The whole four I have access to. And you?"

Wesley sighed. "...One, I'll admit. And it's rather short."

They stared at each other for a moment, the anger dissipating as fast as it had come up. "I hate being in the dark, Giles," Wesley admitted. "I hate not understanding what's happening."

"I think that's something all Watchers have in common," Giles responded. He too sighed, deeply. "I'll be researching. If there's anything solid I can come up with... I'll tell you."

"And I'll contact the council-"

"You won't. You can't."

"Perhaps not until we have more solid evidence... but I'll ask for information," Wesley relented. "For now."

Giles left then. It would have to be good enough.

It was just unfortunate that he didn't truly trust the other man.

* BTVS GRIMM BTVS GRIMM BTVS GRIMM *

When Buffy came in the next morning, an early Saturday that could have been better spent sleeping in, the library wasn't set up quite the way it usually was. Normally she'd have her stepping stool, a few pads for Wesley, and the boombox he'd managed to hold onto throughout the evolution of a CD's and MP3 players.

Normally Giles would be sitting in his office, ready to poke out his head and tell Buffy when her form was actually off, or whenever he felt that Wesley was being particularly unfair. Today her things were set to the far end of the library on a personal mat, out of the way of what was turning into a very busy library. Faith, who normally didn't join them for a morning workout, going through her beginner kata poses. And Wesley warming up, obviously trying to ignore the sound coming from the other end of the library.

Giles.

And Xander.

"Good," Giles was huffing a little, his hands held up in a surrender pose with the hand guards covering them. "But you're still leaving your left open. Keep your other first up, and strike out-"

"Buffy," Wesley's words cut through her like a knife, though it didn't seem to phase Giles or Xander at all. "You are going to join us, yes?"

Faith smirked.

If that's how they wanted to play it, fine. She'd pretend like she knew what was going on too.

About an hour later they were heading out to the showers, Xander and Giles already gone for almost twenty minutes. She walked through the silent school with Faith behind her, not entirely sure how to ask what she wanted to.

"It was weird, huh?" Faith started the conversation all on her own. "Having Xander there. I gotta say, him in gym clothes? Pretty nice sight. Wasn't really expecting that. I mean, I know he's all out there with the group and all, but somehow I always thought he'd have more of a gut or something."

Buffy grunted in response, looking back at the dark haired girl with a frown. "He shouldn't be learning how to fight though. He's just going to be in danger. Xander has this thing about being in the way and making himself a target."

Faith rolled her eyes, making no attempt to hide it from the blonde. "Which is kind of why he's learning to fight. ...Duh. And it's not like he's not in danger either way, now, is it?"

"But he doesn't have to be."

"Not really the way the world works, Buff." Faith frowned at her. "And anyway, what business is it of yours?"

"Giles-"

"Isn't your watcher anymore then he is mine," she spat out. "Face it. Your daddy figure had to pass you off, and he's getting himself a new hobby. Kind of... grim, don't you think?"

But Buffy just looked at her with a shot of hatred, not noticing the play on words; and Faith knew that she didn't know. Didn't understand.

They hadn't told Buffy.

That was interesting.