The sharp clack of high priced shoes on the marble floor alerted Xander to someone else's presence. He didn't look up though. He kept his head down.
The clacks stopped right next to him.
"This is the last place I thought we would have found you"
"Funny, in our line of work. I would have thought it had been the first"
"They're worried about you"
"Yeah… well, I'm worried about them. That's why I'm here. That's why I'm always here" He finally looked up at Giles with his one eye, shuffled over and patted the bench.
"You know, I always thought that given the proof of the ultimate evil people would have more faith, finally realize that there must be a greater good. Maybe even show it a little."
"I cant speak for them Xander, but I have to admit my faith is running a little short."
"Who in Giles? Buffy? My faith in her disappeared a week ago, with my eye. But in God…" He glanced at the churches alter "No, that'll never go."
"I wish I had your conviction" Giles sighed, looking at his hands and then at the alter. It was one of Sunnydales nicer churches. High ceiling, nice marble floor, stain glassed windows, and a large crucifiction right behind the alter.
"How could you not?" Xander asked calmly.
Giles stumbled a bit, searching for a legitimate answer, before he just sighed and gave the simple answer.
"I don't know," He said softly, looking at his hands. Xander just smiled at him.
"Don't worry G-man, I don't think anybody's cross at you. I aint going to bible bash you or anything" He nudged Giles playfully in the ribs before looking back at the alter, hands clasped in front of him.
A quiet silence settled on them, as both men were lost in their own thoughts.
"When did you… ah… start coming?" Giles asked nervously. Put off slightly by Xanders unseen depth.
"The very day after, I saw my first vampire. Scared the shit out of me, that all the myths all the evils, gods were real."
"Any sane person would be scared by their first vampire Xander" "It wasn't the vampire that scared me Giles. It was the realization that God was real."
"God scares you?" Giles asked a bit surprised.
"Yeah, you know, the big guy. The one that could end it all with a thought. Holding my ticket through the pearly gates"
"Yes, well…."
"Hit me like a brick wall Giles. Straighten up fly right or it's a one way ticket to that sunny spot about 500ft below the library."
"And here I thought you were misbehaving for the last seven years"
"Hey, I may have done a few thing I aint proud of by I'm here every Sunday morning saying sorry. Which is more than I can say for the rest of you guys"
"Yes, well…" Giles really didn't look comfortable "Buffy has a plan"
"Yeah?" Xanders eyebrows rose in surprise.
"She going to get Willow to use the scythe in a spell, and activate all the potentials"
"Make them all slayers?" Xander rubbed his chin in thought "Could work… but didn't Buffy say there were like, thousands of these super vamps? We've got maybe thirty potentials."
"It's the best we have so far. They're taking the fight to them in 5 days." Giles said rising laying a hand on Xanders shoulder.
"Well I guess this is the right time to ask then"
"For what?"
"A miracle"
Giles just smiled sadly and gave Xanders shoulder a small pat before walking out of the church.
Giles echoing footsteps had barely disappeared, when two more started up. This time Xander did look up, expecting another of his friends or maybe even Giles return. What he found was a smartly dressed Blackman. He was wearing a light tan trench coat, smart black pants a nice white shirt with black jacket as well, and expensive black leather gloves finished off the outfit. His head was hairless and his lips were a thinly drawn line across his face.
He headed straight towards Xander with purposeful strides, arms swinging slightly. His eyes were cold but not hostile.
'At least it isn't Bringer,' thought Xander off handedly, palming the axe inside his jacket for just a second.
The stranger stopped next to his pew before facing the alter, going to one knee and bowing his head. He rose steadily to his feet before turning to face Xander again.
"Can I help you?" Xander asked as he gave the man a friendly smile.
"That would not be within your power, but I do believe I could help you" The stranger spoke, his lips tilting ever so slightly up.
Xander gave him a puzzled look.
"Do you know what these are?" The stranger drew his sleeve back over his arm and reveled several strange raised tattoos.
Xander puzzled over them for several seconds before the memory of what he had read in one of Giles tombs leapt out at him. His mouth slowly opened in shock as he cast a quick glance at the stranger who was starting to grin at him. Xander almost knocked over his pew trying to get to his knees quick enough.
"They, they're, they're… you're an Angel!" Xander stuttered looking up from his knees.
"Very quick Alexander. Now get up, I need your full attention and right no the floor has half of it." Xander scrambled back up to his feet and stood at attention, but he couldn't stop himself glancing at the Angelic tattoos on the Angels arm. The Angel seeing this quickly slid his sleeve back down.
"Now Alexander, I believe you are currently in a rather dire situation. I am here to help 'you' fix it as you are currently the only one with the power to do so."
"Buffy already has a plan," Xander said cautiously.
"Stupid, and ultimately destructive to this planet. You see Alex, there is balance in all things; black and white, chocolate and strawberry, love and hate, Good and Evil. Always there is this balance. One force may tip the scales for a short while but eventually the other gains on them. It is the way and always has been…." He paused for a moment to see if Xander was still with him. "Right now the scales are teetering, it could go either way, if the vampires escape from their underground prison it will tip in the favor of evil, if the slayer and her witch manage to pull off the spell, than the balance will tip in the favor of the light…"
"Isn't that a good thing?" Xander interrupted earning him a glare that caused him to flinch.
"For a short while it would be, until the forces of evil manage to catch up and balance is restored. Than, again would the powers be balanced. But the power each side wields would be a thousand times greater. It would spill over into the streets into the public eye. Innocents would be pulled in and killed, cities would crumble in the fighting, the destruction would be… biblical." The angel gave a small smirk. "What we need is a solution that involves neither situation occurring and that is where you come in."
"Why me?" Xander asked timidly, unsure if he could ever be able to do what he was asked of.
"Currently, you are the only one…'clean' and informed enough for us to use. The rest would not survive the ordeal. Here." The Angel laid his hand on Xanders head.
Flashes of memory, started sliding through his mind .It took Xander a moment to realize that they were memories he'd had before. Memories from his Halloween experience. Battles, codes, layouts, equipment, training and memories of hours of standing on watch all flooded his mind. The Angel pulled his hand back causing Xander to blink in shock for a few moments.
"Do not worry, they will be removed once you have completed your task. Now, the person whose memories you just absorbed spent the last few years of his career as a guard at a warehouse. Can you pull up that memory?"
It took Xander a second of concentration but he trawled the memory up and nodded.
"Do you remember what was in that warehouse?"
"Ahhhh, Military Intelligence from ahhh World War two."
"Very good. Inside that warehouse is the very thing you need. I want you to locate and obtain the crate with this on it." He handed Xander a card with a series of letters and numbers on it. "Once you see what's in the crate, you'll know what to do, but just to be on the safe side we will talk to you again after you have acquired it. Good luck Alexander." The Angel gave Xander a clap on the back, which caused him to look up from the card he'd been given. There was no sign of the Angel anywhere.
He looked back at the card in his hand and started to dawdle out of the church.
"Be quick about it Alexander! That means leave NOW!" The voice echoed around the church loudly and from nowhere. Xander started than almost tripped over his feet trying to get out of there.