A/N Ok, this will be a two part conclusion. First the Scoobies coming back together and starting to reconnect and second the summoning of Janus and his revelations. Then an epilogue/final thoughts. Enjoy.

The Scoobies drifted into the library in ones and twos. Oz entered first and took a seat at the back right side of the table. Alex and Cordelia came in together, holding hands. Alex sat in the seat to Oz's left with Cordelia settling her sweet weight onto his lap. Oz felt sad for a moment when he saw them, last time it been Willow sitting in his lap, before shaking it off, he was happy for them. What had happened wasn't their fault and he knew they we're just celebrating their reunion, not trying to rub their happiness in his face and he had chosen this seat on purpose anyway, so he would be away from Willow.

Willow and Buffy entered together, each taking a seat. Willow looking wistfully at Oz and annoyed at Alex and Cordelia. Faith entered alone and sat on the steps behind Alex, Cordelia and Oz. Angel wandered in through the sewer entrance and stepped up to the railing on the mezzanine level above the table.

Giles, Wesley and a woman about Giles' age was standing near them. She had dark hair with a startlingly white strip running through it, pulled into a pony tail and tattoos were visible on her arms. 'This was someone Giles knew? How?' was a universal thought from the teenagers. Willow, Buffy and Faith could feel the subtle power eminating from her.

Once everyone was gathered, Giles moved to the head of the table along with the woman.

"Everyone, this is an old friend of mine, Amelia Sullivan. Amelia and I attended high school together. She's from an old Watchers family but chose to become a white witch instead of attending the Academy. She specializes in tattooing protective symbols on people and carving art pieces with protective symbols on them, as well as in some cases into people's homes and businesses. I'll let her explain in more detail,"

"I sometimes tattoo the symbols themselves and other times incorporate them into an overall design. The protections are made to protect against malignant magics and possessions -"

"I'm in," Alex yelled. Everyone stared at him, "What I've been possessed 3 times people and yah something good has come out of each of them but, come on people, enough's enough."

Lips twitched and everyone was laughing even Oz.

"Yes," Amelia said, "I quite agree."

"What if we don't want or can't get a tattoo, my parents would kill me if they thought I got one." Willow asked.

"Then I can make an art piece for you if you wish or I can carve something small enough to wear as a necklace or pin, if you prefer."

"Ok, that sounds good."

"Well," Giles said, "that's good then, each of you can discuss which you prefer with Amelia when we have finished with our other business. Now I was able to find out some information on what being an Avatar of a god entails and specifically what abilities Alex might manifest -"

"Alex?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, that's what I have decided I want to be called Willow. You know I never wanted to be called Xander, you're the one who insisted that I be called that, way back in preschool."

"But, but it's a great nickname-"

"Why? Because you say so? Willow it's one more example of you making decisions for me, whether I like it or not. Do you remember how you got everyone to call me Xander? You kicked people, including me, I might add, anytime they called me anything beside Xander. Why are you so insistent on me being who you think I should be? As in the clown with no brain who loves you? Why can't I be the guy I want to be, the smart, capable guy in love with Cordelia? This is my life Willow, which means the right to choose for myself and if we are going to have a hope in hell of salvaging our friendship, you need to accept that and stop forcing your ideas and opinions on me."

"And Faith, where does she fit in, after the way she was bragging about having sex with you today -"

Alex glanced at Faith, "Really? Bragging?"

"Yep, boytoy, bragging, told Queenie if she ever let's you go, I'm first to the plate. 'Course I also asked if she was up for a threesome, but no go on that, she ain't willing to share."

"Well as much fun as that fantasy might be, I am most definitely Cordy-locked so I will have to take a pass on that too. But thanks for the endorsement, always appreciated."

"No probs, just the truth."

"So Faith's a friend Willow. That's where she fits in, as well as part of this team. Can you live with this, me and Cordy together, Faith a full fledged member? Or are we going to have issues? Think carefully, because everyone here has something they can contribute, including me, whether you like it or not. But we need to stop behaving childishly and grow up. No more magic used on people without their knowledge or consent, especially just because you want to. No more trying to manipulate or control people. No more thinking your intelligence makes you better than everyone else and your judgement sounder than ours. If you can't do that I am sure Giles will follow through on his earlier threat to bind your powers. You can still contribute because your the only one who understands the computer."

"Buffy you have no right to make decisions for other people either. None of us do.

"To make this work, we have to work together. Epione said we could be one the strongest teams in the world. A Team. Not Buffy and her sidekick and sycophants. Can we all commit to this? This is a question we all need to ask ourselves, because face it, if we can't we might as well forget even trying. We will just spend all our time arguing and getting no where. And the vampires and demons will win."

Silence met Alex's comments. Surprised at his eloquence and insight, everyone stayed quiet and thoughtful.

Then Oz spoke, "I'm in."

Slowly, each of them nodded.

"Ok, I'm willing to try," Buffy said, "mom says I need to stop trying to control everything and everybody or I'll end up alone, which would make those asses in Teabag Central happy and can't have that, now can we?"

"I'll try too, I realized yesterday that maybe I have been wrong and I don't want to lose you all or our friendship, Xan – Alex. That's going to take some getting used to."

Giles felt a fatherly pride in his charges and resolved to be worthy of the leadership of these courageous young people.

Giles moved back to the front of the table and picked up where he had left off. "My research indicates that as an Avatar of Janus, you could manifest any one or all of five different abilities. These include, portal manipulation, which is the ability to create and manipulate portals. At the weak end of this ability you could travel across town. At the mid-level across the country or to other side of the planet and at an advanced level, other dimensions and realities. Probability manipulation, the ability to bend the odds in your favor. A one in ten chance of victory can become a one in five, for example, this also involves the potential for new possibilities to be found. It's known as The Luck Factor. Then there is the ability to generate protective fields around doorways, thresholds and gateways. Chronokineses, the ability to move time in a localized area, to slow it down and to speed it up, which can cause objects to freeze or to move toward entropy or destruction and lie detecting, which includes the ability to see through lies and deceptions of any kind such as illusions and glamours, to see to the truth of the matter. These abilities stem from Janus' aspects which include chaos, chance, change, knowledge of time and as the protector of doorways, thresholds and gateways. He is one the oldest known gods and the only true Roman one, as all the others are the Greek gods under other names."

"As his Avatar, you would be his earthly representative; and since he is a protector deity, I imagine you would be required to be a protector."

"Does that mean I would have to stay full time in Sunnydale? Would I be able to move or even visit other places?"

"I do not know, this is something we would have to ask Janus himself when we summon him."

"You should also be aware that misuse of any of these abilities, especially for personal gain, would backlash severely on you. These abilities aren't about manipulating the energy of the Earth in the way practitioners like Willow and Amelia do. These abilities would be a part of you and as such misuse would result in the invocation of the Rule of Three, what you put out will come back on you threefold."

"Oh, wow, bet that would be painful." Alex commented, looking a bit freaked. "Giles, this a lot to think about and what if I can't handle it, what if I hurt someone. I could send someone to hell or blow someone up or,"

Cordelia grabbed Alex's face and made him look at her. "Doofus, focus. Now listen to me, do you really think you could be sloppy enough for an accident? You have too much control over yourself for accidents and you so know I'd kick your butt if you did anything on purpose. You have always worked hard at control. Control of your temper, for instance. I know you, Doofus and I know you will work hard to control these abilities. A god thinks you can handle this, heck two gods at least, since Epione willing came here to help you. Believe in yourself for once."

"Alex, for what it's worth, I too believe you can handle this," Giles said.

"Me too X."

"You've got this, dude,"

Buffy was struggling, all this didn't fit her image of Xander, but maybe that was the problem, her image of him didn't match all the things Epione had shown them. Which meant there was a problem with her image of him. Xander might not be able to handle it, but maybe Alex could. So she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "I think you can too Xan – Alex. Willow's right that will take a little getting used to."

Willow realized that this was a moment of truth, if she wanted to keep Alex's friendship, she would need to support him. So she took a deep breathe and said, "Alex, I think you should do it, you've always been a protective guy. That's the reason your known as the King of the geeks, nerds, dorks and cretins after all. It's because you were always protecting us from bullies. Heck it's why you got possessed the first time, saving Lance from those idiots at the zoo. You can do this. We believe in you, believe in yourself."

Alex looked around at his friends, his family and felt their love and support and nodded his head. "Make the call, Giles, let us see what Janus has to say. Thanks guys."

Amelia wondered if this was what Janus had seen in this young man, this strength of courage and conviction. This potential, it was impressive to say the least.