"Perhaps you should check us to determine the influence being exerted on us." Giles said. "As I am just now realizing that you are correct, I don't know any of that information about Faith and I should know it. It seems not to have occured to me to even ask and for the life of me I can't understand why."

"Is that the only part about what he said that you heard, Giles?" Buffy asked, staring at him.

"It's the only part that is relevant to me." Giles replied. "The rest he simply said to prove his point on how much you girls are inadvertantly broadcasting and he's picking up, even with his efforts to block it out. Which suggests, either his abilities are compromised or something about all the energy that was discharged tonight is also affecting the rest of you."

"I think it actually is me." Alexander said. "It really shouldn't be such a struggle for me. It's as though I've never tried to block thoughts before even though I have twenty years of experience of doing so. It's confusing and annoying and I'd very much like my own answers."

"Scan me." Xander offered. "I give you permission to do a deep scan and find what those spots are. I'm with you on the not liking being controlled or manipulated and you've made your point about what you can do. I'm going to trust that you're not a bad guy who's going to mess with me even more. So do the scan and see what there is to see."

"Xander!" Willow protested.

"Not yours or Buffy's call, it's my mind, my choice. Both of you need to learn that lesson." A comment that had them both glaring at him.

"He is correct." Giles said. "Both on the fact that we need to know and that it's his right to decide for himself."

"Give me your hand." Alexander said, holding out his own. Xander placed his hand over Alexander's and Alexander dropped the barriers he'd been working to establish. What happened next startled them both. After a moment, Alexander withdrew his hand.

"A door once opened - ."

"Can be walked through either way." Xander finished the quote. "As bad the Psi - Corp was, it's better than what I had." Xander said.

"So I saw. He does have his own abilities and he read my mind too. And this reality does have Shadows, as in the beings my reality fought. The spots of influence I saw are because there's at least one here in this town and it's influencing him, possibly the rest of you as well."

"They're out of phase with us." Xander said. "And telepaths can fight them."

"Your ability would indicate that the Vorlons are here too." Alexander pointed out. "Since they created telepaths in our reality to counter the Shadows and they're big on order and discipline."

"Scan me as well." Giles said. "I want confirmation." He held out his own hand and Alexander took it. After a moment he withdrew.

"Well, that confirms that."

"I saw it too." Giles agreed grimly. "And I see why it's called a shadow, it seems ancient and dark."

"It is. They're believed to be functionally immortal."

"I don't believe we would have been able to detect their presence or influence with our normal means of investigation." Giles said. "But now that we know, we need to choose to block their influence."

"They may influence, but they don't force compliance." Alexander said. "Except for the ones they force to be the computers of their ships. I don't believe they ever forced anyone else. They're more like chess players and plan moves well in advance. You chosing not to go along with the moves they've designated for you means they'll try to counter with other moves."

"Then we'll need to be on our guard." Giles stated firmly and returned to his books. After a while he rubbed his eyes and then said. "I've found it. It's a Toth and they forge that device. It's called a Ferrula-Gemini and it's meant to split a being into two parts, it's strong and it's weak side. Kill the weak side and the strong dies. It was an assassination attempt on you, Buffy."

"What again? First the Terrakans and then that Slayers fest thing and now this."

"First time is an accident, second time coincidence, third time is enemy action." Xander commented. "Someone seriously wants you dead, Buffy. As if you dying once wasn't enough."

"Which may have been the original plan." Alexander pointed out. "Her dead and since you revived her, they keep trying to kill her. Her being alive messes up whatever their plan is. You did say there's only usually one Slayer and I pointed out that the title would therefore belong to Faith. You being alive causes problems."

"Oh bloody Hell!" Giles exclaimed. "If Buffy had stayed dead the whole Angelus and Acathla thing would never have happened! Whistler told you he thought Angel was meant to stop Acathla and then you unleashed Angelus and instead of stopping Acathla, he activated it."

"So they knew this Acathla thing would be in play, maybe even arranged for it to be in play." Alexander said thoughtfully. "In my reality they instigated wars, in this one they may have a different strategy. What does this Acathla do when activated?"

"Creates a portal to another dimension, a seriously bad one. Like the one that is under our feet and was briefly opened tonight." Xander replied. "Maybe the struggle to keep them closed is the equivalent of starting wars. Maybe even everything we have to deal with on a nightly basis is part of it. Maybe they're actually the ones that created vampires. The Old Ones were driven out, you called them the Elder Races. What if those terms refer to the same thing? And what if Buffy's sudden desire to push me out is because I keep saving her from things that she doesn't see coming? More attempts to kill her off."