Always a Bridesmaid 2

Part 1: More Fragments Chapter 15

"And here we are," Evie said as she pulled up in front of a familiar mansion and parked the large, black hummer she'd chosen for a local vehicle.

"Doesn't this bring back memories?" Xander muttered softly, more than a little amused at the thought of evicting Angel.

"I know it may seem like a bit much, but it ensures we have sufficient room to train and research, where vampires can't trespass like they have in Mr. Giles' reports."

"Excepting the one who already lives here," he spoke up as they exited the vehicle.

"You can sense one from all the way from here?!" she burst out excitedly.

"No, I just know this place because we've fought here before and this is Angel's current lair. Buffy kept him chained up in the basement when he was still feral after his return trip from hell. He mopes in the basement most days."

"This is that mansion?" she asked as she unlocked the front door and they entered.

Upon entering the main room and seeing Acathla with a sword through it standing in the center of the room, Xander nodded. "Yup, same decor, same decorations."

"I can't believe that's still here," Evie said in horror, as she recognized Acathla from the pictures in Mr. Giles' report.

"We really should destroy it," Xander agreed. "Be hard for it to inhale the world if we reduced it to gravel. A quarter of a brick of C4 should do."

"What if that opens up the portal again?" Evie asked.

"Then it's a good thing Angel is here," Xander said with a grin.

"Watcher Giles' reports state that Angelus' help has been invaluable," Evie said. "From providing rare manuscripts, to his efforts that led to there being two slayers."

"Really?" Xander asked, glaring at Acathla and wondering if he could destroy it by hand.

"There's a lot of speculation on him being a champion like the slayer and that allowed him to call back her flagging spirit while you attempted CPR," she said, recalling the still-raging debate over the issue back in England.

"Doubtful," Angel said, startling the pair. Evie eeped and jumped behind Xander, pressing a stake and cross into his hands from behind. "The only help I was in that situation was to lead Xander to where he needed to be when he shamed me into acting like a man."

"Angel," Xander said tonelessly, returning the stake and cross to Evie with a sigh.

"Acathla is nothing more than a statue now. I had it sealed and blessed just to make sure, but that also made it a bit more difficult for me to get it moved to where I could have it destroyed," Angel explained.

"Got a sledge hammer?" Xander asked.

"I have some tools in the garage," Angel offered, "but we'll have to move it into the back to destroy it and I can't touch it without getting burned. I may have gone overboard with the blessings I had done on it, but I didn't want to take any chances."

Xander grabbed the statue.

"Be care...ful?" Angel finished in shock as Xander lifted the massive, calcified demon.

"It's a bit heavy, but not as bad as I expected," Xander said with a grunt.

"Let's take it out the front and circle around to the back," Evie said. "You'll need to stick to the walkway because the amount of weight you're carrying will make wood crack under your feet and cause you to sink in dirt."

"Makes sense," Xander agreed, following her out the door.

Angel moved further back to escape the sunlight coming in the door. "Makes sense? None of this makes sense," he muttered, retreating to the basement so he could call Giles and find out what was going on. The fact that his weapons were there was just a coincidence, he told himself. He wasn't feeling threatened by Xander, seriously!

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Tell us about this new watcher," Cordelia demanded.

"Evie?" Wesley asked, backing up until his back was against a bookcase while the three girls cornered him.

"Evie Crestwood comes from a long line of watchers," Giles said, drawing the girls' attention away from the nervous young watcher.

"So she's on the up and up?" Buffy asked.

"Very much so," Giles assured her. "Apparently her study of various signs and portents related to the slayer line, led her to the writings of Drusilla the Mad Seeress and, according to a friend of mine, it was felt by the more conservative members of the council that letting her chase after the male slayer myth would keep her occupied and discredit her family's more progressive views on slaying."

"Progressive views?" Buffy asked. "What, like wanting slayers to have a life and get paid?"

"She's not that far gone," Wesley said before wincing at Buffy's glare. "I mean, being a slayer should never be treated like a job. It's a sacred calling. It should BE your life!"

Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia exchanged glances, surprised to hear the amount of passion Wesley had projected compared to the usually reserved and slightly incompetent persona he seemed to project.

"The Crestwoods have always maintained that while slaying should be the slayer's main focus, they should also have time off to decompress and connect with what they were protecting," Giles explained. "And no, they have never suggested the slayer earn a paycheck, but that it was the watcher's duty to take care of all of the slayer's physical needs so they could concentrate fully on their duty."

"So only work clothes and such?" Buffy asked.

"No, the slayer has to fit in, so yes, fancy clothes could be bought when needed," Giles explained.

"And so, 'Evie' will be taking care of Xander's physical needs from now on?" Cordelia demanded suspiciously.

"Undoubtedly," Giles agreed, missing Cordelia's innuendo completely.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Why are you grinding it into powder?" Evie asked curiously.

"Well, if Deadboy gets burns from just touching it, then a hand-full in a demon's eyes should make it a lot easier to kill them. Plus, it makes it impossible for anyone to try any sort of resurrection ritual on it," Xander explained as he used a fist sized chunk of demon to grind up a smaller one.

"Well reasoned," Evie said, impressed by his idea. "Might I assume you're also more open to modernizing your slayer arsenal?"

"How do you mean?" Xander asked curiously.

"Most slayers resist using more modern weapons and tools, only feeling comfortable with swords and bows," she explained. "Now, I'm not suggesting we use machine guns or anything, but would you object to things like tear gas, tasers, and more advanced designs of your standard slayer weapons?"

"Anything that lets me kill more demons I am heavily in favor of," Xander assured her. "The only factors to consider are noise and collateral damage. I'd like to avoid cops, and civilian casualties."

"Brilliant," Evie said, giving him a dazzling smile. "Let me find a bucket – or twelve – for all this sand."

"Probably a good idea," Xander agreed. "And see about a hose!" he called out when he noticed he was covered with powdered stone, before returning to grinding the dead demon into powder. It felt weird being covered in powdered demon. It felt like... regret? He shrugged it off and continued working.

Early that evening...

Buffy noticed Acathla was gone and there were crates filling the first floor. 'Wonder if Angel's redecorating,' she thought to herself as she slipped down the servants' stairs hidden in the kitchen to reach the basement.

"Buffy," Angel said, his eyes lighting up as he saw her before he schooled his expression.

"Having some work done upstairs?" she asked with a bright smile.

"No, Xander's watcher bought this place and is setting it up so they can live and train here," Angel replied.

"What?! But then where will you go?" she demanded.

"I have some places set up," Angel assured her. "I stayed here because it reminded me of the need to be on guard against Angelus and to keep watch over Acathla until it was destroyed. Xander destroyed Acathla so I can move to some place more comfortable."

"Oh, OK," Buffy said, calming down.

"Besides, I really don't want to be around a slayer who doesn't like me, much less Xander, and I really don't want to know about his love life," Angel said, shaking his head.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Cordelia has already stopped by twice today, Willow four times, and Wesley has come to the front door twice only to leave rather than knock," Angel groaned. "It's like Melrose place!"

Typing By: Ordieth