So out of nearly five hundred hits on chapter 10, only 9 people reviewed… I've got the next chapters ready and they won't be posted until I get at least over the hundred mark (laughs evilly)

Twice Lucky

Boca Del Inferno

Chapter 11: Welcome to the pack!

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Giles knew the exact time and place that he needed to meet Xander. The young man had finally come clean about who, and what, he was. Giles didn't know if he was more surprised by the fact that Diana had known before him or by what Xander had done. Xander was effectively messing with causality, something that could've - could still be - incredibly dangerous. Giles sighed, had a large glass of whisky and cleaned his glasses.

"There are a couple of things I want to know. First off: Why?"

Xander sat back in his seat with a can of Coke he'd been drinking. "We were undermanned, unprepared and a complete bunch of amateurs at best, and completely in the dark at worse."

"Surely things weren't that bad…"

"Giles, the Watchers Council fired you and then had the audacity to turn their backs on Buffy," the young man's face darkened. "They hunted Faith down like she was an animal instead of trying to help her."

"She killed someone, for goodness sake. That sort of thing should not be left unpunished!" Giles argued.

Xander was in complete agreement. "I agree and, in my opinion, things shouldn't have been left to get that far of the beaten track. If they'd helped her and provided for her like they're supposed to, she wouldn't have gone wacko."

"Fair enough," Giles mumbled and took a sip. "I still can't believe we managed to close the Hellmouth."

Xander winced, "We didn't come out lightly."

His eye.

Anya…

Giles saw the grimace on the young man's face and wondered what the costs were for such a battle. At least now they had several advantages, an ace up their collective sleeve. He only hoped the Master didn't act before they could prepare. "Has anything changed?"

"Yes, the Order of Taraka didn't attack me; they went for Buffy, and they didn't attack until much later." Giles nodded.

"Is there anything else we can expect?"

Giles pulled the car up to the entrance of the Zoo, managing to get in through an opening he'd seen that had, obviously, been made by Xander. The young man certainly had talent. He ran to the area where the Hyenas were being held and lifted up the quarantine plastic markers then he ran toward the viewing area and heard a dull 'thud.'

It was the silencer he'd been expecting to use. He just wished that Xander had at least waited for him before going off half-cocked on his own.

He saw Xander on the floor, with the gun lying next to him. Harris was curled up in a foetal position with his hand wrapped around his stomach, his face grimacing in pain. Giles didn't have time to worry about that as he stopped and looked down.

'Shit.' The markings that Xander had described were already there, as was the body of the zookeeper. The only thing more macabre than the grim mask on his face, was the perfect red hole in his head. Giles flinched and sighed, knowing what needed to be done. He hefted the body up and walked it over to the rails, the hyenas smelling the blood. He then pushed it over and heard it drop against the ground. The hyenas yelped and yipped with joy and started gnashing and gnawing at the dinner handed over to them, conveniently taking care of the evidence.

Giles scooped up the gun and placed it in his belt, making sure, beforehand, that the safety was on. The last thing he needed was the gun going off and shooting himself somewhere private. He then picked up Xander and moved as quickly as he could to the car, opening the back door and put Xander in. He had to drive carefully so that he didn't draw attention from the police. After all, the last thing he needed was the coppers to catch him, with Xander in his present state, in the back.

Giles pulled up his driveway without incident and took the young man into his living room, where he placed him on the couch. It was a mistake, as after a few minutes, Xander puked all over his floor. Giles grimaced and got the materials needed to clean it up.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Xander was, once again, in a white place. He looked around and wondered if, perhaps, he was travelling in between time and space. There was no time pole, no breaks or branches. Just nothingness. It was weird and disorientating. He heard a distant growl and then a voice.

"Alexander Harris." A hyena. The large creature slowly walked up to him and started laughing. Not a high-pitched chuckle, but a slow, almost-human laugh. "I know what you're thinking," the spirit said.

"Yeah, think this…"

The hyena laughed and morphed into a person, stepped closer and turned out to be him, with the same sick, twisted smile that he had on the first possession.

"It doesn't have to be like that. I can join with you fully, give you all of the powers and strengths with none of the weaknesses. Remember the speed you had, the strength to overpower even the Slayer herself?

He could see himself on top of the blonde-haired slayer, mocking and teasing her. He could feel the blood rushing to his groin.

"Yes, I sense you like it, the power you had over her. Let me join with you and, together, we could truly hunt."

"No, my body. Not yours!"

"Of course, I would simply be a part of you, as the soldier is…" He saw a flash of military uniform. "You are already an alpha, you would need no help from me."

The first thing that he became aware of was the incredible smell that assaulted his nose. He was in Giles's house; he could smell sugar, flowers, alcohol... Hell, even dust had its own, unique smell. Everything, all at once, was too much. He upchucked onto the floor and groaned. His hearing was also incredibly advanced, as could hear Giles muttering under his breath as he walked into the kitchen.

Xander cracked open his eyes and winced at the brightness of the lights. He winced again when Giles slammed the door to one of the cupboards shut. What he needed to do was get out, and that he did with incredible speed.

He was out the door before he realised it, and into the fresh air of the world around him. Xander breathed in and took in all of the scents. At least, this time, now that he was prepared, he didn't upchuck.

… … … … … … … … … … … … …

Giles came back from the kitchen with some paper towels and a bowl of water and stopped. The sofa was empty and there was no sign of Xander. He looked at the door and sighed.

"Oh, bollocks…"

He got to cleaning, as there was no point in worrying about Xander now. The child was probably half way across Sunnydale.

Giles had no idea how close to the truth he was. Xander was, indeed, halfway across town, and heading toward the school. He felt alive for the first time in years, as his senses were ablaze with the new information that he was ingesting. The Hyena had been right: it was like nothing he had ever experienced.

He skidded to a halt as his ears picked up a scream in the night. It sounded about half a mile away, so he decided to belt it. He understood what Jessie had meant in the other timeline; he was connected to the world, but not to the dirt or the worms that ate the bodies of the dead.

He smelled them before he saw them: a group of vampires that had surrounded a young girl, roughly about his body's age. They were all laughing and jeering and teasing her. He stopped in the bushes and stared for a moment.

They had grouped around a terrified-looking, blonde cheerleader, none other than Harmony. Damn, she wasn't supposed to become a vampire until the end of the school. If he could change that, she could become a useful tool.

'And a member of the pack,' the husky voice said inside his head.

That settled, Xander stepped out of the bushes and 'tutted' loudly. "Bunch of freaking amateurs."

One of the fledglings turned around and growled loudly, "Way I see it, mate, five of us against one of you."

Xander shook his head in amusement, "Never judge a book by its cover."

The vampire snarled at him and lunged with a poorly-aimed fist. Xander took it mid-swipe and snapped it upwards. The vampire shrieked loudly. Xander always had a stake handy, which he now used to plunge down into its heart, making him burst into flames.

The other four widened their eyes when they realised they were dealing with a predator, and the group attacked. Xander retaliated with punches, kicks and stabs, taking them out one at a time until all that was left was dust.

And now that all was said and done, he'd hadn't even broken out in a sweat. The only problem that he could fathom from this was that he felt horny as hell. He opened his pants and, yup, he had a raging boner.

"Jeeze."

Good thing there was a terrified blonde nearby.

"Xander?" It was a cross between a moan and a question, and it made him even hornier. He wanted her, like now; his member straining at his pants. He walked over and sniffed her neck. Damn, she smelled good. He could see why the vampires were attracted to her, not just because of her obvious looks and, well… assets, but the smell that lingered on his lips and his nostrils. He ran his hands over her firm body, feeling and caressing. He melded himself to her back, letting her feel his readiness.

She moaned again, but didn't try to escape.

Xander took her then and there, in the dust of the dead vampires. Harmony moaned loudly when he moved inbetween her legs.