"He doesn't have to stay dead." Xander's words stopped everyone except Cordelia in their tracks, as she knew what he was going to say. "The blood of a Mohra demon can revive the dead, that's how it can make Angel human again. We just need a Mohra demon and we can kill two birds with one stone."

"How do you know that'll work?" Giles asked.

"Your own books say it will." Xander answered. "That's where I first got the idea from, I used it when Ethan Rayne's Halloween prank left Willow dead and again in another reality where the curse had broken. Willow was planning to do the soul curse, but I summoned a Mohra and made him human again, so she didn't have to. She didn't understand either what she was doing when it came to that damn curse."

"But I studied the curse." Willow protested. "I did it exactly right, I know I did."

"You still aren't understanding, Willow. Magic isn't just saying a spell, it has to be powered by something. You didn't have the power to do it yourself, but you opened yourself up to gaining power by doing the curse and something responded to your request for power."

"I didn't know I was requesting anything."

"I thought you understood, Willow." Giles stared at her. "I told you that you could be opening yourself up to a door you couldn't close. I meant that literally, you had to open yourself up to receive the power you requested just by doing the curse."

"I-I guess I didn't understand. What do I do? I don't want demon powers!"

"Especially since Magic answers to the unspoken, as well as the spoken." Xander pointed out. "And power influences intent, just like emotions can fuel power. Dark power makes it easier to give into dark impulses."

"What do you mean?" Willow frowned, confused.

"Magic responds to emotions, will, imagination, as well as spoken words." He told her. "How can you practice Magic and not know the fundamental laws of Magic?"

"I've been learning spells, I didn't know there were laws."

"Willow, everything is governed by laws." Xander shook his head. "From nature to the speed of light and Magic works on a cause and effect system, haven't you figured that out yet? It's the basis of the Threefold Law, what you put out comes back on you threefold."

"No, I don't know any of that. I thought Magic was like a computer program or a math problem. A + b equals c. Words plus spell components equals outcome."

"Try borrowing power from a celestial source or another dimension, just not a Hell dimension. Do it enough to clean up the power you've already got." Xander suggested. "But study Magic, not spells, so you understand what you're doing."

"Where did your power come from?" Buffy asked. "Because that was some fancy fireworks you did, not to mention that cage thingie."

"My initial power was left over from Ethan's stunt, I dressed as a Magic user from a comic book. Did that happen here?"

"Xander went as a soldier here." Buffy told him. "And yes, Ethan played his game here too and Xander remembers what soldier him knew."

"Huh, Dawnie met a version of me that went as a soldier on her first portal trip. Anyway, I can summon a Mohra, we can revive your Xander. Angel can decide if he wants to be human again or if he wants to play Russian roulette with the soul. And Angel, if you do become human, I hope you don't run off like you did in our reality after becoming human. Broke Buffy's heart."

"You know," Cordelia said softly. "this might explain Xander's regret."

"What regret?" Buffy asked.

"The message for his Cordy, he regretted how he'd messed things up with her by kissing Willow. Only he didn't understand why he kissed her."

"You're saying I maybe influenced him, without realizing it?" Willow asked. "Because of my crush? The one I thought I was over because I love Oz and then Xander looked so handsome in his suit and I asked him to help me remember the dance steps and I wanted to kiss him and we did. I - made that happen?"

"No way to know." Xander shrugged. "But speaking for myself, I've thought of you as a sister since we were little. And I love my Cordy."

"He has been fighting awfully hard to get her back." Buffy pointed out. "And he's not taking the break up at all well. Neither is Cordy, she's been vicious."

"I'll get Xander's body." Cordelia headed for the doors. "You summon the Mohra, Xander. We need to get this done fast and track down Dawn before something happens to her. If she landed here still sleeping she could end up hurt bad." She pushed though the doors. "Oh, Hell no!"

"What?" Xander asked, joining her at the door. "What the -?"

"What's going on?" Faith, still standing near the door, leaned out to see what had upset the reality travelers and blinked as she tried to process what she was seeing. Or not seeing. "Where'd his body go?"

"What?!" Exclamations came from the people behind them and Willow surged passed them and into the hall, staring at the pool of blood and blank spot where she knew she'd seen Xander's body.

"Oh, gods, what if there's more Jhe demon's around and one of them stole his body?!"

"Crap, spread out and start searching!" Faith snapped. "We cannot let demons have Xander's body!"

They scattered to search the school, praying they'd find him before it was too late to bring him back.