After stopping the bus at the rim of the crater, the survivors had briefly stopped and taken stock. They were alive and that was about it. Everyone's worldly possessions had disappeared into the crater, people were exhausted, wounded and just damned shell-shocked. It was Giles that reminded them that Robin would need surgery and that they needed to get moving.
After stopping earlier for less than a minute to buy a LA street directory, Xander climbed in the front to give directions to Giles. They were almost at their initial destination.
"Here it is" said Xander "Gracie Allen Drive. Ok take this right and the left at the crossroad up ahead".
"How is he holding up?" asked Giles.
"He's unconscious, but still alive. Don't worry, we're virtually there" replied Xander.
"Here, on the left, pull into this driveway" said Xander as he signalled with his right hand at the sign ahead.
Cedars-Sinai Emergency Dept
Giles worked the lever to open the front door, and Faith leapt out like a cat, a badly wounded Robin Wood cradled in her arms. Faith rushed through the automatic doors and was met by an ER nurse who directed Faith to a nearby gurney. As Faith was laying Robin down on the bed the doors opened again and the nurse's eyes widened at the group, mostly teenage girls who looked like they had been in a war.
Buffy read the look on the nurse's face and said "Don't worry about us, we look bad but we'll live."
The nurse began wheeling the gurney away just as a Doctor and an Intern came through the double doors leading to the Intensive Care Unit.
The Doctor quickly examined the wound, noting the bandaging had been almost soaked through with blood. He turned to the intern and said "another LAKC, get him typed and give him 2 units and a unit of plasma. I'll be in shortly to stitch him up".
The Doctor made his way over to Faith to get some quick medical history before he began surgery.
"Hi, I'm Doctor Walsh. I'm going to be operating very soon on your friend, so I need to know a couple of things, ok?"
Faith nodded quickly, hoping that this man could save Robin's life.
"Has your friend taken any drugs?"
"No! No way Doc" said Faith, louder than she realised.
The indignant way in which she replied made Dr Walsh think that she was probably telling the truth, but they would do a blood test just to be sure.
"Alright, thats fine, Now, how long ago did this happen?"
"It's been at least 90 minutes. We drove as fast as we could to get here."
"90 minutes?" asked Dr Walsh, trying not make it not sound like an accusation.
"Yeah" replied Faith with a sigh. "We had a fair way to come"
The Doctor nodded and started heading toward the ICU to begin prepping for surgery. Just as he was about to push through the swinging doors, he turned and asked one last question. "So where have you come from anyway?"
"Sunnydale" said several voices.
The look on the Doctor's face when he heard that piece of news didn't escape the gang, who assumed that the Doctor had heard the reports of the collapse of their hometown. In fact, Dr Walsh had been in and out of surgery for the last five hours and hadn't been near a TV since the start of his shift at 6am that morning.
Faith slumped into one of the waiting room chairs, having nothing else to do after a brief burst of activity. Xander had a quick word with Buffy, Giles and Willow before heading over to speak to the nurse at the reception desk.
"Hi, I'm Xander. I came in with the walking wounded over there. There are a couple of girls who might need minor medical attention, and...."
"Yes, I'll call for a Doctor" interrupted the Nurse. "Do you mind filling in these forms for your friend who was taken to the ER?. Also, if you don't mind me asking, why did you come all this way from Sunnydale?"
Xander looked at the nurse with shock. "You mean you haven't heard?"
"Heard what?" asked the nurse.
In reply Xander gestured to the TV that was fitted to the far wall, currently showing cartoons. "Change it to CNN and turn up the volume."
The Nurse fumbled with the remote, and eventually managed to bring up CNN and then turned it up so she could hear what was being said...
Repeating earlier breaking news, the town of Sunnydale, California has imploded leaving only a giant crater where the town used to be. The governor has mobilised the National Guard, and it is understood the President has been notified. This is a natural disaster of unparalleled proportions. It's not yet known how many people were killed, or if there are any survivors."
"Minutes ago these pictures were taken from the CNN helicopter..."
The nurse was standing with her mouth wide open, in complete shock. Eventually she said the first thing that came to her. "Holy moly!"
Xander nodded in understanding and started herding the unscathed back onto the bus. When Buffy tried to leave with the others he gave her a fearsome glare and just pointed to the chairs in the waiting room. Buffy took the hint and waited with Rona and a couple of the others to get patched up.
Xander had everyone back on the bus and Giles was just about to pull out when Xander asked him to hold for a moment.
The sound of the doors opening was not enough to draw the nurse's attention away from the TV. She noticed someone approaching in her peripheral vision but kept her eyes glued to the box. Even when Xander spoke she didn't, couldn't turn away from the pictures being broadcast.
"Ah, just one question. LAKC?"
"Los Angeles Knife Club. ER vernacular for a stabbing victim" the nurse explained.
"Gotcha" Xander nodded, his curiosity satisfied.
Giles stopped the bus for what he hoped was the last time. He looked out the front door at the Hyperion, wondering what it was about Angel and grandiose living quarters.
The girls entered into the foyer, with Giles, Dawn, Willow and Xander following at the rear. Noticing that nobody was about, Xander pinged the bell sitting on the reception desk, expecting Cordy to come out and rip him a new one any second.
Instead, Wesley appeared from the office behind the desk, and Angel came down the stairs, both were surprised to see this many people milling around in their foyer.
"Yes I believe we had a booking under the name 'Hellmouth'" said Xander in a tired voice.
"What happened?" asked Angel. "Is...."
"Buffy's fine" interjected Xander. "She's keeping Faith company at the hospital, Faith's man-friend was wounded."
Angel tried to keep a straight face, but his relief was evident.
"Look not to be rude, but we've just been through Hell, literally, and these girls could use some rest, while I could do with sleeping until 2005." said Xander.
"Of course" said Wesley. "Let me get Fred and we'll sort out accommodations"
Wesley motioned for the girls to follow him upstairs, while Angel came down and intercepted the Scoobies before they could follow.
Willow noticed that Angel had 'something' face, and wondered what it was that couldn't wait till they were rested after what they had just been through.
Angel cut straight to the point. "Look, I've got some bad news, and it's probably better that I tell you now rather than you find out by accident later. It's Cordy. She's in a coma, so far we've tried everything, but.." Angel left it there, not willing to go through all the things they had tried.
Angel took an unneeded breath and continued "I'll let you get some rest, and if you want I'll take you to see her". This last comment was directed mainly at Willow and Xander, who had been closer to her than either Giles or Dawn.
Reluctantly the foursome headed upstairs to individual beds that were calling to them more every minute. Willow especially was zonked after her spell earlier in the day, while the other three were just plain tired after the adrenaline rush left their bodies needing to recharge.
A couple of hours later the rest of the gang who had remained at the hospital arrived at the Hyperion. Angel was sitting on the couch talking to Wes and Fred when he perked up. He turned toward the doors just before they opened and his eyes lit up as Buffy and the rest of the crew entered.
Fred turned to Wesley and mouthed 'Buffy?' silently. Wes nodded and they both turned to see Buffy and Angel hugging each other. Faith had clear streaks from her eyes down her otherwise dirty face, but they were tears of joy resulting from the Doctors news that Robin would be fine and she could see him tomorrow.
Angel asked Wesley and Fred to show the new girls to their allocated rooms while he told Buffy and Faith about Cordy.
Yesterday Xander, Willow, Buffy and Dawn had gone to see Cordelia. Buffy had pointed out that Dawn had actually never met Cordy, to which Dawn replied that she had never met Angel or Wesley either, but they seemed to remember her just fine. Dawn had said "so if Cordy is aware or watching somewhere, she won't be weirded out if I turn up, because she has all these memories of me from before."
Dawn had gone on to point out that Cordy had always complimented her fashion sense, to the obvious amusement of Willow and Xander who had been following the argument.
When they had arrived at her bedside, Willow teared up and was comforted by Dawn as she rubbed her back and then held her when the tears became too much. Xander looked on in stony silence, his face unusually showing no emotion whatsoever. Buffy was never Cordelia's best friend, but she was still visibly upset to see what had happened to the former Queen of Sunnydale High.
The morning after visiting Cordelia, Xander had given Kennedy, Buffy, Dawn, Rona and Vi tickets to the Madonna concert that he had organised through Angel. Xander had called it a 'stress-buster' and a thank you for defeating the first. He figured that owing Angel a favour was preferable to Buffy finding out what he was going to talk to Willow about, even if the guy you owed was now the CEO of an evil law firm. And so to make it look natural he had gotten tickets for the other girls as well. It was a bonus that Willow absolutely loathed Madonna.
Willow knew that something was up, but wasn't sure exactly what it was. Using patience she didn't normally possess, Willow decided to let Xander make the move rather than confronting him about it. Because she realised that as much as Xander knew that Willow hated Madonna, Willow bet that she was the only one that knew Xander was a huge Madonna fan.
Willow didn't need to wait long. Half an hour after the girls left for the concert, there was Xander knocking on her door on the second floor of the Hyperion. Willow didn't hesitate, "Come in Xander" she called out.
"Hey Will, how'd you know it was me?" asked Xander.
"Come on Xan, you go and organise tickets for a Madonna concert, through Angel of all people, you don't go yourself and you know I hate Madonna!"
"Ok then I'm busted" Xander smiled. "I need to talk to you about something" said Xander seriously.
"You know you can talk to me about anything. You know how sorry I am about Anya" confessed Willow.
"Thanks Will. That does mean a lot. I know you weren't her biggest fan, but I made a decision after losing her and seeing Cordy in that coma, and I need you to help me"
"Xander I'll do what I can, but why do I get the feeling that you want witchy help?" asked Willow.
Xander laughed. "I never could get anything past you could I?"
"Damn right buster!" said Willow. "Now spill"
"Ok, how do I say this?" said Xander mainly to himself.
"I've made a decision" Xander continued. "A conscious decision, I'm going to dedicate myself to fighting vampires and demons. None of this stake in one hand and Twinkies in the other. In Sunnydale I got caught up in fighting, but mainly I went along with the flow. It took me a long time to get to sleep our first night here. I debated going somewhere by myself and starting over, a new town, new job, no Hellmouth. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to make a difference. I can't do that by working in a hardware store in Cupcake, Iowa. I can't just turn my back on what I know is evil. I want to make a difference Will, and I won't take no for an answer."
"Uhh, wow." said Willow. "First off I can see why you wanted Buffy to be elsewhere. She would freak if she heard you right now."
"Maybe" said Xander. "But she has never understood that this is my decision, nobody else's. I could walk out of here and get hit by a bus. I could move away and live till I'm 90 and never see another vamp or demon ever again. Nobody knows what will happen in the future. All you can do is what feels right, and this feels right to me. Are you going to help me?"
"I'm not sure what exactly you want me to do" replied Willow.
"Well technically it's nothing you haven't done before. I want you to make me into a Slayer"
"You what!" screamed Willow. "But, Xander, you're a guy. You don't want me to change you into a woman do you?" asked Willow somewhat fearfully.
"Nope, I'm happy being a guy, with my, uh - guy parts." said Xander.
Willow blushed heavily at Xander's comment, and her face was still red when she began talking half a minute later.
"Look, Xander, I don't know if I can do that. What you're asking is complicated and a little dangerous. There may be a very good reason why all Slayers are female. I don't know what it would do to you." said Willow after some thought.
"You mean, other than make me stronger and faster?" said Xander with a gleam in his eye. "Well, lets research this. That should give you an idea how serious I am about this Will, that I'm willing to volunteer to research without an impending apocalpyse looming over us. Oh crap, I sounded like Giles just then didn't I?"
"No stuffy accent though, so overall not too bad. Let's research this just for now, but I'm not saying yes or no until we have more info!" said Willow forcefully.
"Yes Maam" said Xander and saluted at the same time. They both stood up and Xander hugged Willow.
"You know I love you Wills. Please, think it over - I'm really serious about this" said Xander.
"Oh I love you too Xander. I just don't want you getting hurt you big lump" said Willow, and kissed Xander on the cheek before leading the way out of her room.
"So you're here to do some research?" asked Wesley.
"That's right" answered Willow.
"But you don't want my department's help?" continued Wesley.
This time Xander answered. "Let's just say that we want to keep this between ourselves. We're going to be researching any possible side effects of Willow's spell to turn the potentials into Slayers."
Willow was impressed. Normally Xander couldn't get away with telling any fibs, you could read it too easily in his face. 'He must really be serious about this' thought Willow.
"Yes, I see. I realise that you would want this kept quiet for the moment." said Wesley as he beckoned Willow and Xander forward and explained how to use the source books he had on his desk.
A couple of hours later and they had searched through several hundred years of Watcher Diaries, as well as other historical volumes containing tales of the Slayer through history. Not once was there any reference to a male slayer, or anything resembling a male slayer. Willow looked up and was about to suggest that they take a break, but looking over at Xander made her think twice. He was still ploughing through the 1500's Watcher Diaries (in English) and the concentration etched on his face made Willow bite her tongue and get back to her own research.
Later still and Willow heard a "hmmm" from Xander as he read through another medieval tome called forth via the source book.
"Xan? Have you found something?" asked Willow.
Xander handed over his book. "Have a read of this Will and tell me what you think" asked Xander.
Xander waited patiently while Willow read and then re-read the relevant passages. Finally she looked up at him with surprise and said "Geez, who would have thought huh?"
"Yeah, pretty freaky stuff. What does it mean for me though?" asked Xander.
"Well at least it means the Slayer essence can exist in a male body. That's definitely a start" replied Willow. "But this girl was already a Slayer when she was turned into a man. We still need more info."
"Then more info we shall find" said Xander with gusto.
It was late at night when Xander finally looked up again and said "We'll have to continue this tomorrow. Buffy and the others will be back from the concert soon, and I don't want to raise any suspicion just yet." said Xander.
"What are you going to do tomorrow, Xander. Send everyone to Disneyland?"
Xander smiled conspiratorially. "Leave that to me" and picked up the phone.
Willow woke from a deep sleep to find Kennedy had snuggled up next to her without her even realising. "Morning sleepyhead" said Kennedy, her eyes sparkling with amusement at Willow's early morning confusion.
Down in the kitchen, Buffy, Dawn and Xander were eating breakfast. Xander took a spoonful of cereal and turned to Buffy, "Hw wth the cnct Bffy?"
"Huh? Xander do you have to talk with your mouth full?" asked Buffy in her mothering voice.
Xander swallowed and replied "Yep, sorry. It's part of my early morning charm" at which Dawn tried to stifle a giggle but failed, and received the Buffy glare as if to say 'don't encourage him'.
"I asked how was the concert?"
"Oh is that what the mwf mwf mwf was?" said Buffy smiling but shaking her head. "It was awesome. She has so much energy, she could be a slayer. Or maybe a singing demon like the one you summoned, but female" continued Buffy, seeing Xander cringe.
"Yeah, plus with all the hot dancers" said Dawn.
Dawn, looking at the surprised look on Xander's face, asked "What?"
"You thought the dancers were hot?" asked Xander
"Yeah, sure. Some of them were too skinny, but there was a really toned black guy and he had.."
"Oh I get it!" said Xander. "She had male dancers this time."
It took a second before Dawn realised what Xander had been thinking. "You thought I was into females?"
"Well Dawnie last time she toured she only had female dancers. And then I started thinking if you were into girls and perhaps you wanted to invite a few friends over and..."
"And if you finish that sentence Xander Harris I'm going to slay you" said Buffy only half seriously, while Dawn swatted Xander on the arm while on the way out of the kitchen.
Dawn turned and waited until Xander had taken another mouthful of cereal before she spoke. "If I was into girls, do you think I'd let you watch?" said Dawn in a tease as Xander spat his food all over the kitchen table.
"Ohh gross!" said Buffy before she started laughing.
Xander turned to Buffy with a pleading look "That's just not fair and you know it!"
While he got a rag to clean the table, Xander recalled his conversation with Giles the previous night...
"Hello"
"Giles, it's Xander"
"Xander, is there a problem?"
"No, but Willow and I are just researching that spell she did to activate the Slayers. Making sure that there aren't going to be any side effects later on"
"That's an excellent idea"
"Well thank Willow, it was her idea, I just thought I would let you know what we are up to"
"Good, have you come across anything of note yet?"
"Nope, but we will be continuing tomorrow, so I'll let you know if we find anything"
"Excellent. Tell Willow well done. Bye-bye"
"Bye Giles"
As he was wiping down the table, Xander turned to Buffy "Buff, Giles has asked Willow and me to research the after effects of the spell Willow did. Are you busy today or can you help?" asked Xander in an innocent voice.
"Oh geez Xand, I'm sorry. I need to, uh, well Dawnie and I have absolutely NO clothes, and so we'll need to go shopping today to get that sorted, and also...."
Xander put a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok Buff. Willow and I have got it covered" said Xander with a smile.
Just then Willow came into the kitchen and was taken aback as Buffy quickly made her excuses and left in a hurry.
Willow turned to Xander "What was that all about?"
"Oh nothing, I just invited Buffy to our research party. She made some lame excuse about having no clothes and she won't be seen for the rest of the day."
"Xander I'm surprised, you really are a man of many talents" said Willow with a grin.
Xander looked up "Anything yet Will?"
"Nope" said Willow, and closed her book. She looked over at Xander and asked "Xander, are you really, really serious about this? I mean have you thought through the pro's and con's. This could turn you into a demon magnet." Willow, looking at Xander's face, continued "Alright, stupid analogy. You already are a demon magnet."
"I've decided I'll do the spell for you" said Willow.
"You have?"
"I've seen you researching for almost two full days without a break. That's enough to give me a major wiggins by itself."
"Thanks Will, for agreeing to do the spell, not for the wiggins. So, now we just need to work out how to actually do it."
"Pffft. I knew that five minutes after you first mentioned this. It shouldn't be hard at all. I just wanted to make sure you were serious about this" said Willow with a straight face. "There is one complication though"
Xander, not liking the sound of that, asked the question anyway "And that is?"
"Well because you don't have the potential inside you to be a slayer, you'll need to 'borrow' it from a current slayer or potential" answered Willow.
"and in English that means what, Will?"
"It means you'll have to have sex with a slayer"
"Will please tell me that you're joking" pleaded Xander.
"Nope. But this might be your best chance to get Buffy into the sack" Willow said in amusement.
"I'm not even going to reply to that. But please, explain to me in small words why I need to have sex with a Slayer for this to work" asked Xander.
Willow hesitated while she went over it mentally before she finally spoke.
"Think of it like this. All potentials have a seed inside them. Before, when a Slayer died, that seed could flower and turn them into a Slayer. Except it's less like a seed and more like an essence. And when you have sex with someone, mystically and magically your essences combine, you become 'as one'". So when you're connected like that to a Slayer, I can channel that essence into your body."
"Wow" said Xander. "But answer me this Will, cos I never got this part. With this 'essence' spread across so many Slayers, how come it's not diluted, it seems to be in full strength in all the girls."
"That's where the Scythe comes in" answered Willow. "It's like a 2 litre bottle of Mountain Dew that never gets empty. We use that and 'bingo' you become a fully fledged member of the Slayer club".
"The hardest part of this is going to be asking a slayer to have sex with me" said Xander, rubbing his chin.
Willow began giggling at Xander's comment, but stopped when she saw Xander lost in thought.
"Xander, it's ok, we'll work something out. Hey, you could get Faith. She's uhh, been there and done that."
Xander shook his head. "No Will, she's involved with Robin. Definitely off the list".
"Yeah but Robin, in hospital. Faith might be getting frisky and just jump your bones for the hell of it".
"Nah, I saw her sneaking into Giles' room last night" said Xander with a straight face.
"What!" screamed Willow. "Faith, and... and Giles!!"
Willow saw that Xander was laughing at her indignation and realised she was still too gullible sometimes for her own good. She picked up her source book and hit Xander on the arm with it.
"Hey, ow!" cried Xander.
"That's for giving me mental images of Giles having sex. I won't be able to sleep for weeks." said Willow, in mock anger.
"Ok, I really do need to make a list. Slayers over 18 who I can have sex with". Xander stopped, thinking about how that sounded. "Ok I'm shocked at myself that I don't already have such a list, and Buffy does NOT hear about this until the deed is done, uh the spell is done - you know what I mean."
"You could always ask Kennedy" said Willow.
"Huh? WHAT?" Xander had trouble believing his ears.
"Well she is over 18. And I know that it would only be for the spell, it wouldn't bother me" explained Willow.
Xander hesitated, images of having sex with Kennedy flooding his mind. He was about to say 'Let's ask her' but quickly changed his mind. "Will, she's your girlfriend. I can't ask her to help with this. I don't want to come between you. Um, rephrasing that last part, I don't want to do something that might split you up."
"Xander you doofus. Kennedy likes girls. If she did agree to this, and it would be her decision and hers only, then I would know it would mean nothing except helping me cast the spell. Come on, lets go back to the hotel and we can ask her".
"Alright" said Xander hesitatantly, "but you better do the asking, I don't rate my safety if I turn up and ask Kennedy to have sex with me"
Willow and Xander hesitated outside her room. They had checked below with Andrew who insisted that Kennedy was still upstairs and hadn't left the hotel.
Willow turned to Xander. "Let me do the talking for now, ok" Xander nodded his approval.
Willow opened the door to find Kennedy lying on the bed reading and listening to her new discman. Kennedy turned and smiled when she saw Willow, and then saw Xander following and mentally frowned, she would have to wait for smoochies for a little longer.
"Hey babe" said Willow, and kissed Kennedy softly on the lips.
"mmmm Hi yourself" returned Kennedy. "So, what's up?"
"Well that's the thing" began Willow nervously. "Xander has asked me to help him out with something, and I've agreed. But we need someone else's help, someone who is a Slayer."
"Ohhh, is it a demon?" interrupted Kennedy. "Let me get my sword!"
"Sorry hun, not a demon. In fact, there is no actual slayage required. I'm going to do a spell to help Xander, and for it to work a slayer kinda has to be involved." continued Willow.
"Uh huh. Why am I getting the feeling there is more to this spell" said Kennedy warily.
"Probably because you're a very beautiful and intelligent young lady who would never hurt a guy with only one eye" said Xander quickly.
"Ok, just tell me. I won't be offended" said Kennedy in exasperation. Her curiosity was piquing and she wanted answers.
Buffy and Dawn arrived laden with bags from at least five upmarket stores, courtesy of Angel and W&H, or their money at any rate. Buffy spied Andrew loafing around and was going to ask him if he had seen Xander or Willow, but Andrew spoke first.
"Hi Buffy, you've just missed Willow and Xander. They went upstairs to talk to Kennedy, it looked serious."
Buffy frowned. 'They must have found something in their research. I'd better head up and find out what's the what'. Buffy turned to Dawn "Dawn I've gotta head upstairs for a moment, just leave the shopping there and I'll help you out with it later" and Buffy ran up the stairs before Dawn could reply.
Dawn was about to sit down when Andrew spoke "Hey Dawn, you wanna play Dragonball Z?"
Buffy made her way to Willow and Kennedy's room, but slowed as she entered the hallway. She could hear voices coming from the room, not loud, but loud enough for her enhanced hearing to pick up. She heard Kennedy say "Ok, just tell me. I won't be offended".
Buffy moved closer to the door, feeling a bit guilty for eavesdropping but wanting to find out why Xander and Willow had gone to Kennedy. If there was a problem with the Slayer creation spell why not go to Giles?
Buffy heard Willow explaining that part of the spell required Xander to have sex with a Slayer. 'ok, I definitely would have remembered that!' thought Buffy. 'What is going on here?'
Then she heard Kennedy ask "what the heck is this spell for anyway". Buffy listened as Xander replied "It's to turn me into a Slayer". Later Buffy never remembered consciously moving towards the door, but she did recall the looks on Xander and Willow's faces as she entered, and how Xander turned to Willow and muttered one word "busted".
For the first few minutes everyone was talking over each other and their voices were getting louder every second. Finally Xander screamed at the top of his lungs "QUIET". Shocked, the three women stopped yelling and listened as Xander began to explain his motivations and reasoning for wanting to do the spell.
After over an hour of intense discussion, Kennedy and Buffy were silent as they weighed their own thoughts. Finally after a long period, Buffy spoke "So Xand, you're really sure this is what you want. You've seen my life, so you know what being a Slayer involves. Are you positive you've thought this through?"
"Buff, think of it like this. If you suddenly lost your Slayer-ness, could you stop being involved in the fight against evil, knowing what you know? We both know the answer to that. The reverse of that is, knowing what I know, knowing that I'll be fighting evil regardless - if I could become a Slayer, the question is not 'Why would I' but 'why wouldn't I'.
"I wish you had come to me with this from the start Xander. It kinda hurts that you didn't want me to know" said Buffy.
Xander took Buffy's hand in both of his. "Buff, you know how you've been with the getting me out of the action. I figured you wouldn't take it too well. I'm sorry that I kept you out of this, but this was, is, something where I just will not take no for an answer. I'm going to do this".
"Yeah but you still need someone else to agree to it" said Buffy.
"I'll help" said Kennedy in a softer voice than she meant to.
Everyone turned to her in shock, including Xander.
"Xander saved my life when he lost his eye. I think it's the least I can do" continued Kennedy, now in a stronger voice.
"Wait just a second!" said Buffy, as all heads turned to her. "You're....well, gay. And in a relationship."
"What are you suggesting Buffy?" asked Willow "that you be the one instead of Kennedy?"
"Well I was kinda coming round to that" said Buffy. Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, she went on "look he saved my life too, and it was before yours. Plus there's noone else over 18 who isn't Faith. And I just want to stress that this is only for the spell, and it does not mean you are getting lucky buster" finished Buffy, looking harshly at Xander.
Xander was finding it difficult to breathe at the moment. He had two slayers arguing over having sex with him. Quietly he pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Finally he spoke up "Sorry, just had to make sure I was still awake. Buffy you know you don't have to do this."
Surprisingly it was Willow who answered. "Xand you've been in love with Buffy since you first met her and now she's offering to help you by having sex with you and you're questioning her are you sure you're ok and since when..."
"Will, you're babbling" said Xander.
"Sorry, but it's just... what have you done with Xander?" asked Willow.
"I'm right here Will. I just don't want this to cause any friction between me and the Buffster, with all the... non-history that we have. I'll tell you what. I'm grateful for both of you volunteering to help me. I'll let you both come to a decision among yourselves. When it's sorted come and let me know, and then we can go over the spell with Wills." Xander stood up and quickly and quietly left the room.
As he reached the foyer, Xander tuned out Andrew talking about the Star Trek convention that was in full swing nearby, and instead went to the office behind the reception desk. He noticed Angel had returned from Wolfram and Hart and was busy reading a large volume of some sort. Xander knocked and then opened the door. "Thanks for those tickets the other day, the girls all had a great time" ventured Xander.
"It wasn't a problem" said Angel, carefully. "But I don't think that's why you came to speak to me'
"You're right. Have you got anything to drink here, because when I tell you this story we are both gonna need it".
The three women sat in stunned silence as Xander exited the room. It was over a minute before anyone spoke.
Buffy turned to Willow, "Will, are you sure that this is gonna work? We won't end up with a female Xander who has Slayer strength or some other weird outcome?".
"Buffy I think it will work. There was only one question I had, but based on our research yesterday we covered that. There was a slayer in the middle ages who was cursed by a witch and turned into a man. From the Watcher Diaries we read, it had no impact on her, uh, him being the Slayer. I think it's sorta all systems go. You two just need to decide, about, you know..."
"Who does the nasty with Xander?" interjected Kennedy. "Look goodness knows I normally wouldn't be lining up to have sex with Xander, or any man for that matter. I mean it doesn't appall me, I'm just not attracted to guys. But he did save my life, and I feel I ought to help if I can".
"Yeah", said Buffy softly "He does that a lot, saving people."
"Is bourbon fine?" asked Angel.
"Sure" replied Xander, and took the offered glass. "Thanks".
Xander took a large sip from his glass and inhaled deeply. 'Better get this over with' he thought.
"Angel, I've asked Willow to help me with a spell, and for the spell to work, uh, I have to have sex with a Slayer" said Xander.
Angel stared at Xander in shock, the silence lingering as Xander began to fiddle with his drink. Eventually Angel spoke. "I'm assuming that the reason you're telling me this is that Buffy is the Slayer in question. Is that right?"
"Maybe. When I left them, Kennedy and Buffy were discussing it between themselves. I just wanted to warn you in case Buffy does decide to go through with it and to make sure you don't get the wrong idea from someone else."
"Is this about healing your eye?" asked Angel. "I don't have a problem with that at all".
"Not so much" replied Xander. "It's more to do with turning me into a Slayer. Let me explain..." began Xander.
"Just a minute. I need to get a bigger glass" said Angel as he rifled through the cabinet on the side wall, then poured a generous amount of bourbon into a tall glass. "Ok, go ahead.."
Dr Walsh paused at the door of his next patient, Robin Wood. Since performing surgery on him he had heard the news of the collapse of Sunndydale, and wondered if it had anything to do with what his sister had been involved in. If these folks were among the last people out, maybe they knew something.
Robin saw the Dr standing at the doorway. It had been a few days since the surgery and he was feeling almost back to normal, except for the searing pain in his gut whenever he shifted in bed. Robin called out "Doc, please - come in".
Walsh came over to check the chart, and was pleased to see everything indicated a healthy recovery. He put the chart back onto it's holder and came round to the side of the bed, opposite where Faith was sitting.
"I have to confess, this is less of a medical visit and more of a, let's say personal one. I had a sister who was working in Sunnydale a few years back, and I understand it's not a bed of roses there." At this Faith and Robin shared a look but said nothing.
Dr Walsh continued "So I'm wondering out loud, is there more to what happened in Sunnydale than meets the eye?"
Robin answered "I'm not sure what you mean by that Doctor. Yes we were probably the last people to make it out of there, but as for what caused the implosion - I have no idea". Robin sat back, the effort of talking was sapping his energy quickly.
"I'm sorry, let me be more clear. My sister died in that hell-hole working for the military, and the only information I ever received was a death certificate with the cause left blank" said Peter Walsh in an angry voice.
Faith gasped "The Initiative!. Buffy told me about that. I wasn't in Sunnydale when that happened, so I can't tell ya what I don't know. Sorry Doc" said Faith sincerely.
"Would you mind speaking to, uh, Buffy, was it? Please. It would mean a great deal, at least give me a sense of closure" said Dr Walsh as he headed for the door. "I just hope she wasn't turned into a vampire" said Walsh as he left the room.
Robin turned to Faith in amazement. "Maybe you better talk to Buffy after all"
Faith just nodded in reply.
"So how are we gonna do this" asked Buffy, before slowing turning to Willow.
"Uh huh, no way. You aren't making me choose between my best friend and my girlfriend."
Kennedy spoke up "Lets just toss a coin or spin a bottle, or something. Or Buffy if you really, really want to do it then it's all yours."
"Wait up. It's not that I want to take this off you, or anything like that. It's just, when you said you felt you ought to help it made me think that I should step up too. Now it feels not like something I want to do, but something that I should do. Ohhh I don't know what to do!"
"Guys, it doesn't matter who participates in the spell. I think it's great that you both want to help, and I'm proud of you both. Let's just choose randomly, and then do the spell, ok!" said Willow, taking control.
"Done". "Deal" said Kennedy and Buffy respectively.
"You got a coin?" asked Kennedy.
"A dime" answered Buffy. "Call it"
Kennedy watched as Buffy flicked the dime in the air. As it reached the apex, Kennedy called out "Heads"
Buffy caught the coin and slapped it down on her other wrist, her right hand still covering the coin. She lifted her hand towards herself and saw the familiar profile of Roosevelt and sighed. "It's tails" before flicking the coin over to Kennedy. "It's your lucky coin now, you get to keep it"
"Alright then, looks like I'm contestant number one on the make Xander into a Slayer tv show. What's the plan from here Will?" asked Buffy.
"Right. The spell. Your, um... participation, that's all you need to do. I have to do all the chanting and stuff. You two just need to be, well, joined while I do the chanting. Taa-daa, one male Slayer. I'm ready when you and Xander are. Plus you need to bring the scythe" confirmed Willow.
"Okay. I'll find Xander and tell him. Lets try and get this done before I start getting more wiggins than I already have" said Buffy as she headed toward the door.
Xander had finished explaining his motivations and the necessary involvement of a Slayer in the spell Willow had agreed to cast. Xander sat pensively while he waited for Angel to say something. They were both interrupted by the office door opening.
"Hi guys" said Buffy brightly. "Xand can I speak to you for a sec?" asked Buffy.
"Buff, it's ok. I told Angel. I'd rather he heard it from me than from say, Andrew" said Xander evenly.
"Oh, ok then" said Buffy, slightly taken aback. "Well in that case Kennedy and I came to a mutual arrangement, and it's me, I mean I'm going to be your... I'm assisting in the spell" said Buffy, getting a brighter shade of red every second. "Willow said to say she was ready when you were, or we were, or something. Just let me know when you want to do it." Buffy looked over at the glass on Angel's desk. "Is that bourbon?"
Angel just nodded.
Buffy reached over and took two large gulps. "Thats better" she said, shaking her head and pulling a face. Buffy turned to Xander "we'll be in Willow and Kennedy's room" and quickly left the office.
Xander kept a straight face as he said to Angel "That went well".
Xander sat fidgeting for half a minute before he stood to leave.
"Xander, good luck. But know that if you hurt her in any way, they will never find your body" said Angel.
Xander laughed. "Deadboy, that's one thing I always liked about you. I always knew where you were coming from" said Xander, and then headed upstairs.
Xander paused as he approached the door to Willow's room. Then without letting his thoughts turn into doubts, knocked twice and opened the door. Buffy, Willow and Kennedy were sitting on the bed laughing, and that was when Xander began to hyperventilate. The realisation that he was going to have sex with Buffy while Willow watched was just too much. "Uh, I'll come back later" Xander mumbled, and shut the door.
The girls shared a look before Buffy stood up "I'll go. If he's as nervous as me I don't blame him for not coming in".
Buffy opened the door and looked out into the hallway. Xander was leaning against the wall taking deep breaths. Buffy smiled despite herself.
"Hey Xand. You ok?"
"Not so much. It finally hit me, what you and I need to do for this spell. I think that's why I went to Kennedy first. Not only that Willow suggested it, but because I wouldn't have the same level of... anxiety about the whole thing. Buff you know I love you, I always have in one way in one form or another, but I don't want to lose what we have together, our friendship."
"Xander you could never lose me." said Buffy, close to tears. "I'm nervous about this too, more than I thought possible. C'mon, lets turn you into a slayer" said Buffy with more confidence.
"After you m'lady" Xander gestured at the closed door.
Buffy opened the door and Xander followed close behind. Buffy blushed slightly before she spoke "We're both, uh, ready now Will"
"Ok, I'll go stand guard out front" said Kennedy, and slipped out the door leaving Buffy, Xander and Willow to perform the spell.
"Okey dokey then" said Willow to break the silence. "I'm going to be here, on the floor with the scythe. I don't need to be looking at you while you... you know. So I'm here facing the door, and you two are, uh, on the bed."
"Right" said Xander.
"Sure" replied Buffy.
"C'mon you two, lighten up. For this to work properly, it's better if you just go with the flow."
"Uh, Will. What about protection?" asked Xander.
"Probably best without it. It's a mystical connection as well as magical, so no condoms" said Willow, assuming her role. "Don't worry about Buffy, she's on the pill"
"Willow!" Buffy was glowing bright red now.
"Well you are aren't you?" asked Willow, and seeing Buffy nod slighty, went on. "Ok, thats settled. The rest is up to you two. I'll even dim the lights"
Buffy and Xander shared a smile at Willow's madam-esque dimming of the lights. Xander reached out to brush a lock of hair from Buffy's face and their eyes met.
From the moment Buffy had walked in after eavesdropping to this moment with the dimmed lights in Willow's room, two very conflicting thoughts had been running through her mind. The first was that she was crazy to get involved with this, even though there was a lot to gain, there was also a lot to lose. Xander was her rock, no question. Buffy prayed that both of them could be as adult about this as they had vowed to be beforehand. The other thought running through Buffy's mind was an almost insane curiousity about what it would be like to have sex with Xander. Sure, at one time or another they had all heard Anya's screaming, and the girls had all idly wondered whether it was just Anya or if Xander really was a viking in the sack.
It was the second thought that prompted Buffy to lean up and chastely kiss Xander on the lips. Xander's eyes were wide like saucer's as Buffy whispered in his ear. "Xand, if we're going to do this, lets do it properly. I want you to make me scream your name"
Xander laid Buffy down on the bed. They were both already naked, and Buffy shifted slightly to open her legs to Xander. In the back of her mind she could hear Willow start the Latin incantations, and she let out a soft gasp as Xander slowly entered her.
It was all Xander could do not to groan in pleasure as he slowly pushed himself into Buffy. Willow had said the spell would take around 3 to 4 minutes, no time at all really. Except that with the anxiety and the new sensation of Buffy underneath him he felt like he could pop at any moment. Xander turned his mind to what the spell would achieve, and unconsciously maintained a slow steady rhythm in tune with Buffy.
Willow felt the familiar rush hit her just as it had earlier in the week over the hellmouth. She took hold of the scythe and uttered the final invocation, and bathed in the brilliant white light that enveloped her and briefly coloured her hair.
Outside Kennedy had been fighting the urge to pee. Seeing the bright light coming from under the door, she whispered "thank goodness" and ran down the hallway to the toilet.
Xander and Buffy were still having sex, and Xander felt a tingling throughout his body.
"Buffy, I think it's worked!" said Xander, trying to keep his excitement down to a minimum.
"Do you feel any different?" asked Buffy.
"Nope, not a jot. But I felt a tingle go through me and Wills is on the floor giggling like a loon. So something happened."
"Should we stop then?"
"Well that's the part I'm not sure about. Willow? Will?"
Willow stood up slowly and looked over at the couple who were still otherwise engaged. Being on a magical high, this scene started the giggles again, and it was almost a minute later when Willow regained enough composure to tell them both that the spell had worked, Xander was now a slayer.
Giles made his way up to the second floor. If Willow and Xander had found something, he wanted to know sooner rather than later. Frankly he was a bit annoyed that they hadn't come to him first, but Giles figured there may be a valid reason for that. He approached the door and heard the distinctive giggling of Willow, along with other shouts of joy coming from the room. It never crossed Giles' mind that he should think about knocking, he just opened the door and walked right in.
Buffy and Xander disentangled themselves from each other and Xander climbed off the bed to get dressed. Xander held his hand out to help Buffy. "Buff, I don't have the words. Thanks for what you did for me tonight" said Xander with heavy emotion.
"Oh Xander, come here" said Buffy, and eveloped him in a hug. At that moment the door opened, and Giles appeared.
There was an interminable second of silence before Buffy screamed "Giles! Don't you ever knock?". Xander was busy trying to cover his privates with one hand and reach for his clothes with the other. Giles, to his eternal credit, said nothing and simply closed the door and walked back downstairs. He reached Angel's office and spied the bottle on the table. Giles took a glass from the wall cabinet and turned to ask Angel, "do you mind?'
"Please, Rupert. Help yourself" gestured Angel.
Giles filled the glass with a shaky hand and took a large gulp. "Oh God, that's better".
Angel's Office - The Hyperion
"Just come from Willow's room?" asked Angel, trying not to smirk.
"Yes, how do you..." started Giles.
"Xander came down to speak to me earlier. Told me what would be happening and exactly what would be involved" explained Angel. "I'm guessing you walked in halfway through the performance".
"If we can seperate the issues of the, ah, performance, which by the way is likely to have a less than stellar impact on my mental well-being, and perhaps you could tell me what on God's earth was going on up there".
"In a nutshell. Willow was doing a spell to turn Xander into a Slayer" said Angel evenly.
"Dear Lord." Giles sat, paused in thought. "My immediate reaction is to reach for that bottle again. I would never had thought it possible."
"Do you think Giles is having a major wiggins right now?" asked Xander as he finished getting dressed.
"I think he will be polishing his glasses for the next ten years" said Buffy with a grin.
"Guys we should really go down there and tell him what's up. Hey I wonder if Giles could be your Watcher too Xander!" said Willow with way too much enthusiasm.
Xander looked up as he finished tying his shoes. "Will, the poor guy has been through enough already. You're right though about talking to him. We need to tell him and the others, and someone will probably need to talk to Dawn."
Buffy blushed slightly at the mention of her sister. This whole deal had taken on a life of it's own and events had happened very quickly. Not that she regretted what had happened, not in the least. But Xander was right. She needed to speak to Dawn, and soon.
The trio made their way downstairs, thankful that Andrew was nowhere to be seen. Xander lead them over to the main office behind the reception area. Giles and Angel were seated either side of a large desk, a bottle of Jack Daniels and two glasses sat on an otherwise empty surface.
Giles half turned as the door behind him opened and Buffy, Willow and Xander came into the office. Buffy and Xander had the good grace to look embarrassed, while Giles moved his chair around to face them fully before removing his glasses and polishing them one last time. Buffy and Xander shared a smile at this, and Xander took a deep breath before speaking.
"Giles we have some news that we thought we should share with you" started Xander. "You see, what you saw may have been ... uh, misleading. I mean Buffy and I aren't actually... Willow help me out here will ya?"
Giles for his part was content to let them blubber their way through this. It would give him a perverse satisfaction to see how they handled the explanation.
"Giles" began Willow "it's like this. Xander came to me a couple of days back and he told me he had been thinking about things, so then he said he had made a decision and he wanted to know if I could help him with it but I decided that we should research first so we went to..."
"Will. Thanks, I think I'll just take over or we'll be here for hours" Xander smiled over at Willow. "Giles I asked Willow to do a spell to turn me into a Slayer. For it to work I had to be joined with a Slayer. Something about seeds and essences, Willow can explain it better than me. That's why Buffy and I were naked, we weren't putting on a show for Willow's benefit."
Giles sat in stunned silence. It was foolhardy. It was brilliant. It was crazy and yet it made sense. "Xander, I really don't know what to say. I applaud your resolve to help, but this is a lot to take in right now." Giles stopped for a moment in thought.
"Thanks Giles" said Xander sincerely. "But it's not so much offering to help as wanting to make a difference."
"Isn't that kinda the same thing?" asked Buffy.
"Again, not so much. Helping is when you show the fire brigade where the fire is. Making a difference is actually putting the fire out" said Xander.
Giles nodded. There was a sea change in attitude between the two scenarios. Giles prayed that Xander would make a good Slayer and figured there was only one way to test that at the moment.
"Xander the Watcher in me right now is overly eager at the moment and it's time that, what is the expression, you show us what you've got" said Giles, pointing out to the foyer.
Buffy chimed in as well "Yeah, I'm kinda curious as well. You ready for a fight, Xander?" asked Buffy, smiling.
"Sure Buff. I guess that's the best way to know for sure if this worked or not. So, bring it on!" gestured Xander with his hands, walking out of the office.
Space was quickly cleared by moving the circular couch over to the wall. Angel and Giles both came out of the office and sat on the couch, while Willow pulled herself up to sit on the reception desk with the scythe laying next to her. Buffy and Xander shaped up to each other, Xander's head turned at an slight angle to compensate for his missing eye.
There was the briefest of moments when everyone was still, and suddenly Buffy lashed out with a lightning quick left jab that Xander dodged just as quickly. And then the fight was on.
Both Slayers let loose with a combination of kicks and punches which were mostly blocked by the other. Occasionally one would get through, and Xander found himself flat on his back after he stopped when one of his punches connected with Buffy's head.
"Never drop your guard Xand" said Buffy with amusement.
To Giles and Angel watching from the sidelines, it was incongruous. Xander Harris, for all his admirable qualities had never been the most skillful or graceful fighter. That was now at odds with the picture unfolding before their very eyes. Xander was matching Buffy strike for strike. What Buffy had was more experience though, and had this been a fight to the death Buffy eventually would have triumphed.
Buffy attacked with a flurry of punches that had Xander on the defensive, and he wasn't able to avoid the leg sweep that put him on his ass. Faith was returning from the hospital and opened the door at exactly that moment, and immediately ran over to intervene.
"What the heck is going on here B?" asked Faith in shock. Then she noticed Willow sitting calmly on the reception counter and Giles and Angel relaxing on the couch. The only thing missing was a bag of popcorn and a drink.
Buffy and Xander took a time out to quickly explain to Faith what had happened, although Giles noted they took a wide berth around the more intimate details of the spell. Faith took the news with interest, and her face lit up suddenly. "The scythe! Xan you have to have a go with it. Do we have any apples?"
"Apples?" asked Xander.
"Blind Fury" was all Willow said in reply.
"Sorry, no apples" said Buffy. "But.... Xand pick up the scythe, I'll be back in a sec"
Xander walked over to the counter where Willow sat next to the ancient object. When he got close to it he felt a strange attraction to the object, like it was asking to be picked up. Xander did that, at first holding it tenderly like a new born child and examining the scythe close up. Then moving away from the counter he gave the weapon a few swipes in the air. "Wow, this kicks all forms of ass" said Xander in awe.
Buffy returned from the kitchen with 12 muffins on a tray that Dawn had baked earlier in the afternoon. She was less concerned about breakfast and more curious to see what Xander could do with the scythe.
"Ready Xand?" asked Buffy, handing some muffins to Faith.
"Sure. But much reduced depth perception, remember" returned Xander.
"Better to find that out now X-man. Batter up!" cried Faith.
Before the first blueberry muffin could be thrown, Dawn and Andrew walked through the front doors. Andrew had convinced Dawn to go and see a movie with him, which they were arguing about in earnest. It took them both a second to realise all eyes had turned to them.
"Hi guys" said Dawn. "Whatcha all doing?" she said, looking around.
Xander replied. "Better stand back Dawnie, this could get a little messy." Then to Buffy and Faith "Ready when you are"
The first four muffins came within half a second of each other. Without thinking about it Xander swung the blade in smooth fluent arcs, and each muffin fell to the ground sliced cleanly in two.
Dawn was not amused. Hands on hips, she cried out "Hey! Those are my muffins."
"Dawnmeister, I'll make it up to you, ok" replied Xander without turning to face her.
Andrew was less focused on the muffins and more on what was really happening in front of him. As the next volley were just as quickly dispatched, Andrew realised there was something else going on here. "Holy guacamole Batman. It's Luke Skywalker after his Jedi training" said Andrew in awe.
As Buffy rolled her eyes at the geek reference, Xander spoke up "You know for once Andrew you pretty much hit the nail on the head".
"Alright for all the new people here who aren't Andrew, I say huh?" said Dawn in confusion.
"There's a new slayer in town Dawnie. Me" said Xander.
"Oh" said Dawn. "OH!" as the news finally hit her.
"When did this happen? Did someone die? And how come Xander.... I mean... you're a guy!" fired off Dawn.
"Dawn, this is something I need to talk to you about" said Buffy, walking over to her sister. " You want to come upstairs with me, I'll tell you all about it"
"Sure" said Dawn, still looking at Xander "that would be good".
As Buffy and Dawn were heading upstairs, Andrew asked "So, how did you get turned into a Slayer?"
"It was a spell. A very complicated and painful spell" answered Xander.
"Really? Cos I think that with Slayer powers I could be like Robin to Xander's Batman" continued Andrew.
Giles, seeing where this was going decided to nip it in the bud as quickly as possible.
"Andrew if you want to be turned into a Slayer, I've got no problem with that. When you've been fighting on our side for 7 years, and are prepared to dedicate your life to fighting evil until you die, we will be happy to cast the spell" Giles said in his most intimidating voice.
"I'll be in the kitchen, making some more muffins" replied Andrew before making a fast exit.
Buffy had spent the last five minutes explaining what she knew of Xander's reasons for wanting to become a Slayer. She related what Willow had said to her about their research, and how she came to be involved almost by accident. This was the tricky part, the spell. As much as she wanted to not talk about this with her sister, Buffy knew that within a day everyone in the Hotel would be talking about how she 'did it' with Xander and turned him into a Slayer, at least if Andrew was anything to go by. Better to dish out the facts now and deal with it.
"So Dawnie, we cast a spell that turned Xander into a Slayer. Willow did the chanting, but that wasn't enough. Since Xander didn't have the essence inside him, she had to borrow it from another Slayer, which was me. Anyway, Xander had to be joined to a Slayer and sharing of her essence. You with me so far?" asked Buffy, a little timidly.
"Yeah, spell, essence, Xander and you joined. But.... you're not talking about like tied up joined are you? Are you?"
"For the spell to work we, I mean Xander and I, had to.... you know" ventured Buffy, hoping Dawn would get the hint without her actually having to say it.
"You and Xander... what?" asked Dawn, not normally this blind to the obvious.
"We, uhhh, had sex."
"YOU HAD SEX WITH XANDER?" screamed Dawn.
"A bit louder Dawnie, they couldn't hear you across the road" said a very red faced Buffy. "It was only for a few minutes anyway".
"Oh that's good Buffy, SO much better. That didn't fly when Mum asked you if you died, and it's still an emu now. Big and flightless." Dawn stopped for a moment. "Do you care about him?" asked Dawn softly.
"Of course I do Dawnie. You know that" said Buffy, indignant.
"That's not what I meant. I mean do you like him, you know, as more than a friend"
"Oh good, my younger sister is giving me the 'you lead him on and slept with him' talk. Dawn, Xander knows that I'll always love him, but not in a romantic type way." said Buffy.
Both girls stopped when there was a knock at the door. "It's open" said Dawn.
Xander poked his head in and then walked inside the room. "Well you both seem calm, and unhurt. That's a good start" said Xander with a smile as he pulled a chair over and sat in it.
"I realise I'm probably interrupting an important sister to sister discussion, so I'll be quick. First, Giles has something to tell us all and he is asking if you both can come down in ten minutes or so." asked Xander.
"Yeah sure" said Dawn.
"Ok" confirmed Buffy "We'll be there".
"Good" stated Xander, "that's good. The second thing is, Dawn, has Buffy told you the details of the spell?"
"Yeah" said Dawn, not sure what else to say.
"Fine. Because the last thing I want Dawnie in all the world, is to hurt you. So if you're upset or whatever at me, please don't be."
"No! Xander, I'm not upset at you. I mean, sure it's still completely freaky, and gross. And I realise it was just for the spell. But it could change you guys, your friendship. And I don't want to see that happen. So I think you should talk it over, and I'm going downstairs to get a glass of water because my mouth has that icky taste you get when you talk to your sister about her sex life." said Dawn, and promptly left the room leaving Buffy and Xander staring at each other in silence.
"So..." began Xander.
"Yeah?" Buffy asked.
"One thing's for sure. Dawn is a hell of a lot more mature than us" said Xander.
"Normally I would say 'hey', but I'll just go with uh-huh instead." returned Buffy.
The room descended into silence once again. It lasted for over a minute.
"This is ridiculous" said Xander.
"It is?" asked Buffy, confused.
"We've been through everything that two friends can go through, we've both dated demons, we shouldn't let this get between us."
"You're right Xand. Are we good?" Buffy looked up at Xander.
"We are Buff. Good to go!" started Xander."But... in the spirit of clearing the air, there is just this one thing."
"Go on" said Buffy, quite sure she knew what Xander was referring to.
"It's just that, during the spell you whispered something in my ear, and what better time than now to..."
"Yeah that. Ok, time for complete honesty here I guess. First when Kennedy offered to help, and what she said. It made me feel guilty. I mean you saved my life with the Master, and the only time I ever mentioned it was when we danced at the Bronze. Not my finest hour."
"Buff, you don't have to apologise for that. It's old news - really" said Xander in sympathy.
"Thanks, but that's the thing. What Kennedy said made me think, and suddenly I'm offering to help with the spell too. Then while we waited for you to come up Willow and I were joking about the stories that Anya used to tell us, and all of a sudden I'm embarrassed but curious at the same time. And so what I said, totally way out of line. Willow said to go with the flow, but I took her a bit too seriously, and I wish I hadn't said that. It wasn't right" said Buffy, looking at the floor.
Xander softly reached over with his hand under Buffy's chin, and lifted her head to him. "Buff, don't tear yourself up about it. It was a cheesy line that you'd rather not have said. Do you know how many times I practised with Willow before I asked you to the spring fling, and you still shot me down in flames" said Xander with a big grin.
Buffy laughed and suddenly the tension in the room eased considerably. "I did, didn't I" said Buffy.
"Buffy, I love you, but I'm not in love with you. You don't have to worry about me taking what you said too literally" said Xander, closing the subject. "Shall we go and find out what news Giles has to share. Five bucks says it's a prophecy"
"You're on buster" said Buffy linking her arm with Xander and walking out of the room with a spring in her step.
Giles noticed everyone hanging around the hotel foyer, lounging about in the way people do when they are waiting for something but don't want to make it too obvious. Everyone had one eye on the staircase, and when they saw Buffy and Xander coming down side by side and sharing a common joke most people breathed a sigh of relief, and Dawn's frown was replaced by a large grin.
Giles cleared his throat "Thanks everyone for being here. It's been a few days now since we fled Sunnydale, and I felt it was best to give you all that time before moving on to discussing our future. As most of you are aware, there is another Hellmouth in Cleveland, and it would seem to be the most logical place to base our operations. As for me, I'm flying back to England the day after tomorrow to get things started over there."
"You're leaving us again?" asked Buffy.
"Only temporarily" began Giles."I have no choice but to return to England. The Council bank accounts can't be accessed by computer, it needs to be done face to face. Buffy I would like you and Willow to fly up to Cleveland as soon as you can, an advance party if you like. If we are going to be based there, we will need to secure a place where we can all live and train without stepping on each other's toes. Now if there are any questions?" finished Giles.
Nobody had any questions for Giles. At least publicly. Xander waited till most of the people dispersed and Giles was by himself reading a book on the couch.
"Hey Giles" said Xander, sitting down.
"Xander. You and Buffy seem to be handling things ok" stated Giles.
"Thanks. And sorry for... you know. Kennedy was supposed to be on lookout, but she had a call of nature."
"Yes. So, what can I do for you?" asked Giles, sensing that something else was on Xander's mind.
"Giles, I want to go to England with you" stated Xander.
"I see. And this has nothing to do with what's just happened."
"Not between me and Buffy, no. We talked our issues out earlier, and we're cool. I just want to get away from things for a couple of days, and if I can scam a flight as your official bodyguard, so much the better" said Xander.
"Something like a working vacation?" ventured Giles.
"You read my mind. I'd like to see a bit of the world that we are all fighting for. That's all"
"Xander I think we can scare up a plane ticket for you. What about your passport?"
"Aww crap! It would have been with my parents. I know they got out of Sunnydale, but I have no idea where they are" said Xander in frustration.
"Xander, let me have a word with Angel. Dare I say it he owes me a favour or two, and as head of a multi-million dollar law firm he might just be able to sort something out for you" offered Giles.
"Thanks Giles, you're a star" said Xander, genuinely happy. He bounded up the stairs three at a time, humming 'Rule Brittania' all the way.
The morning after Giles' announcement, Faith had pulled Buffy over during breakfast to have a quiet word. After a couple of minutes of intense conversation, Buffy had been happy to come along with Faith to visit Robin, and to have a word with the mysterious Dr Walsh.
Buffy and Faith entered Robin's room just as the duty nurse was examining the stitching around the wound.
"Here we are, Mr Dissect-a-rama" announced Faith, placing some flowers in a vase by the bed.
"Faith, Buffy, arrggh" said Wood, grimacing in pain as the nurse felt around the wound."You bought me flowers?" he asked in surprise.
"It was B's idea" said Faith, pointing at Buffy.
Buffy smiled and shrugged "How are you doin Robin? You're gonna have a nice big scar there".
"Yeah, thank goodness I'm still pretty, hey?" said Robin in jest. It didn't stop the three females in the room from rolling their eyes at him, but nobody said anything. The nurse finished up and left after saying that the Doctor would be in shortly to go over his chart.
"Is this the Doctor Faith told me about this morning?" asked Buffy.
"Yeah, I found out he's on mornings today and tomorrow. He mentioned he had a sister who was killed working for the military in Sunnydale" said Robin.
"Yep, sounds like the Initiative. Poor guy, not knowing what happened. I'm not gonna tell him the truth though, he's better off without all the gory details" declared Buffy.
"So Wood, you will NEVER guess what happened last night at the Hotel" challenged Faith.
"Lemme guess... Giles asked Dawn to marry him, and she said no because she is in love with Andrew, but Andrew's gay so...."
"You scare me" said Buffy, half seriously.
"Boy, that big ol' brain of yours gets cranky when it has nothin to do, doesn't it?" said Faith with a grin. "What happened is probably weirder than that, so go figure. B here and the Xan man did a spell with Red, and she turned Xander into a Slayer".
Robin tried to suppress his laughter and failed, then groaned in pain. "Faith" said Robin seriously. "Don't make me laugh, it stretches the stitching."
"No shit, it's God's honest truth. Tell him B" ordered Faith.
"It's true Robin. Xander is a Slayer now. We tried him out on the scythe and even with one eye he killed all of Dawn's muffins" confirmed Buffy.
"Holy crap. You're Serious?... Xander..... a Slayer! It's a little hard to come to terms with. What brought all of this on anyway?" asked Wood.
"I think it's his way of dealing. Rather than get mopey he becomes action-figure Xander. When I first met him, his best friend was turned and Xander ended up staking him. After that he threw himself into fighting, I never saw him grieve then either" concluded Buffy.
"That's not exactly a great frame of mind to be in, making decisions like that" said Wood.
"It's not all that B says. He does the grief thing, but in private. First night here I heard him crying in his room. He just keeps that stuff to himself is all" offered Faith. "I suppose you're gonna ask to be next in line, huh?"
"Me? A Slayer" said Robin, startled. "No, no I don't think so. I won't lie and say I've never dreamt about it, or idly thought 'what if'. But at the risk of sounding like Andrew, 'with great power comes great responsibility'. I'm quite happy where I am in the scheme of things. I think my calling lies in teaching, and I'm planning on asking Rupert if he would like to have me on board to help train the new Slayers."
"Wow" stated Faith. "I thought you would have jumped at the chance to kick some ass".
"You mean I can't do both?" asked Robin with a grin.
Any answer Faith was going to give was silenced by Dr Walsh knocking on the door and then walking into the room. He glanced at Wood's chart on the end of the bed, and made a couple of small notations before he looked up.
"You're healing well Robin. How are you feeling?"
"Fine thanks Doc. Still tender around the stitching, but I've got a lot more energy today. When can I get out of here?" Wood asked the Doctor.
"I think it will be a few days yet. I'd like to have that stitching out before you think about leaving us. Aside from being stabbed you're doing very well" confirmed Dr Walsh.
"Ah, Doc. This is Buffy, she came in with us when we brought this big lug in a few days back" said Faith.
"Buffy is it? How do you do, I'm Dr Peter Walsh"
"Hello Doctor. Faith said you had a sister working in Sunnydale. Was she a Professor of Psychology by any chance?" asked Buffy, tentatively.
"Yes" replied Walsh eagerly, "Did you know her?"
"Yeah, for one thing I was in her Psych 101 class at Sunnydale". Buffy pulled up a chair "Look Doctor, this could take a little while, you might want to have ah4seat"
Giles checked his coat pocket to make sure he still had it with him. He was about to head upstairs when the person he wanted to speak to came charging down them.
"Xander" called Giles.
"Hey Giles. What's up" returned Xander.
"About that question you asked me last night. Going to England?" said Giles, watching Xander nod. "Well I'm afraid I have some bad news"
"Oh really" said Xander, his tone of voice indicating his disappointment.
"Yes" started Giles, reaching into his coat pocket and handing the item to Xander "Angel insisted on using a dreadful photo for your new passport" finished Giles, grinning mischeviously.
Xander opened the passport and grimaced when he saw the stupid look on his face. Angel had collected on the debt Xander owed him for the Madonna tickets earlier in the week.
"Are you going to be ready for tomorrow? We need to leave here by 10am at the latest" stated Giles.
"Sure Giles, I'll be ready" replied Xander. As Giles was turning away, Xander continued "and Giles.... Thanks".
Giles, hearing the feeling in Xander's voice, replied with equal sincerity. "Xander, you're welcome"
Xander woke to his alarm at 8am. He was still a little tired after the impromptu 'going away' party last night with Willow, Buffy, Faith and Kennedy. It had started when Buffy and Faith had come in with a six pack of beer each and a pizza. It had ended after midnight and a lot of storytelling. Buffy had earlier gone upstairs to include Giles, but she returned alone as Giles was soundly asleep and Buffy didn't think it was a great idea to wake him.
Dawn's mouth was full of cereal when Xander entered the kitchen, so she waved at him rather than try and say hello.
"Hey Dawnie, you're up early. Big day today" said Xander.
Dawn just nodded, still chewing away. Eventually when she was able to talk, she fixed Xander with an intense stare. "So, you and my sister are ok again?
"Sure we are" answered Xander. "Although I'm not really sure we were ever not ok. Things got a little, uh awkward for a moment, but that will happen sometimes between friends" finished Xander.
"You mean between friends who have sex with each other" stated Dawn.
Xander grimaced. "Dawn, someday you're going to have sex too. And when I've finished breaking the arms and legs of the guy who took your virginity, I'm going to handle it maturely and not tease you about it".
"Who's to say I haven't lost it already" said Dawn in a sultry voice.
"Dawn, are we buds?" asked Xander.
"Sure we are" said Dawn, suddenly serious.
"Good. But if you keep this up you're gonna give me a heart attack, and I don't wanna be resuscitated by someone with Rice Bubble breath" joked Xander.
"You better send me a postcard. And I want you back in one piece too, you hear!" said Dawn, and got up to hug Xander.
Xander nodded. "You know I never disobey a Summer's woman".
Giles handed Xander his ticket. Everyone at the Hotel had turned out to wish them well, and Giles left some parting instructions about what he wanted Buffy and Willow to scout for in Cleveland. To nobody's surprise there were now three people on the 'advance party', as Kennedy had insisted on going as well.
"You've got your passport?" Giles asked Xander.
Xander patted the bum bug around his waist "Right here." Xander looked up at the departure boards "So, we need to find our check in gate. British Airways flight 2080 - there, gate 38."
"It's not that one" said Giles.
"Huh, but that's our flight, and it says here check in, gate 38" said Xander, now confused.
"Yes, and that would be right, if we were flying economy class. But as we are in business, our check in gate is gate 36" said Giles with a glint in his eye.
"Have I ever mentioned how much of a fan I am of the Watcher's Council?" said Xander as they made their way to check in.
"Mr Giles, Mr Harris, would you like something to drink before takeoff?" asked the stewardess. "We have champagne, orange juice or water, natural and sparkling."
"I think we'll both have some champagne" answered Giles for the both of them, while Xander just nodded. The glasses were placed on their seat trays and the quite attractive stewardess moved on down the aisle. Giles lifted his glass and turned to Xander, "to new beginnings" toasted Giles. "Absolutely" said Xander, "new beginnings."
The flight was uneventful. Xander tried out all 20 games available on his seat entertainment unit after lunch was served, then slept for the last four hours of the flight. Giles woke Xander for the landing, and it was a rare few minutes until they were ready to disembark.
Giles and Xander stood at the baggage carousel to collect their luggage. "So Giles" asked Xander "this Robson guy is meeting us you say?"
"That's right. Since our flight is actually on time, he may still be parking the car" confirmed Giles.
"Do you think he has one of those fancy signs, maybe one with a picture of a cow on it?"
"A cow?" Giles stared at Xander in complete confusion.
"Yeah, you know, C - O - W, Council Of Watchers. But it would be undercover because of the cow" continued Xander.
Giles simply shot Xander a withering look. He was tired after sitting in the same place for several hours, and was looking forward to his hotel room and a nice comfy bed.
Xander on the other hand was feeling fresh after his sleep on the plane. "Maybe the Council needs to change it's image. Like, say a name change. 'Association of Slayer Supervisors', or what about ...."
"Xander, please." pleaded Giles.
"Sorry, just trying to bleed off some nervous tension. It's my first time overseas and all that" Xander said. "And now I know why Buffy likes to hit things all the time".
Giles smiled at that, and spying their baggage on the conveyor gestured to Xander to collect it. He picked up both the suitcases as though they were empty and set them down on the trolley Giles had collected a few minutes before.
The duo walked through the green door, having nothing to declare, and Giles spotted Robson waiting for them on the other side of the metal barriers. Introductions were made all round, and soon they were in the car and heading into central London. Xander was a little disconcerted at being on the wrong side of the road, but that soon gave way to gawking out the window at the changing scenary.
Robson took the car onto Knightsbridge, through Hyde Park corner and onto Piccadilly. "Ahh, we're almost there" said Giles.
"Where are we staying anyway Giles. You wouldn't tell me on the plane" complained Xander. Looking ahead he could see Robson's smirk in the rear vision mirror.
"I said that I'm sure you would be comfortable with the accommodations and that there was no need to worry. And here we are" finished Giles, as Robson turned around and then pulled into the drive at the front of the ornately decorated hotel.
"The Ritz?" said Xander in disbelief. "We're staying at the Ritz?"
"Yes" said Giles "you've heard of it then?" trying not to laugh openly at Xander's reaction.
"Only in the sense of the song 'Puttin on the Ritz', that and what little I read on the plane lists this as one of the top hotels in London" said Xander as they were getting out of the car.
A porter had come over and opened Giles' door for him, while another porter came to attend to the luggage in the already open boot. The concierge had then introduced himself and then scurried off to organise their rooms and keys. All this was before they had even entered the hotel proper.
Xander walked around to the hotel side of the car where Giles was standing. "They sure know about service in this place" Xander said, clearly impressed.
"This is the Council's preferred lodging" stated Giles as if that was explanation enough of the Ritz's standards. "Now when we check in we are listed as employee's of one of the Council's front companies" continued Giles when the porters had finished their business.
"Right, secrecy etc etc.." nodded Xander, tapping his nose.
"Yes.... anyway, we check in with our real names, but as far as anyone is concerned, you and I are employee's of a personal security firm called Van Helsing Limited" said Giles.
"You're kidding right... what about 'secrecy etc etc'? Why don't we just have a t-shirt that says 'Watcher's Council - we slay vampires' on it?" asked an incredulous Xander.
"The best lies always have an element of truth to them. You should remember that next time Buffy and Willow want details of your escapades at 'The Fabulous Ladies Night Club'" said Giles, leaving Xander standing there in shock.
Giles and Xander farewelled Robson before breezing through the check-in, and were guided to their respective rooms by one of the porters. Giles knocked on the interconnecting door to Xander's room, and entered when Xander unlocked it from his side.
"I'm going to take a nap, but if you can manage it I advise staying awake until it's bedtime here in London. That means it's a very long day, but it will help you adjust to the time change a lot easier. Now, here is the company credit card for VH Limited, you are now an authorised signatory. Go out, take your guide book and map, see the sights. Also you will need to get yourself a suit for the day after next. I'd like to send you to Saville Row but we haven't the time to get it tailored. Make sure you get something decent though, and have it delivered to the hotel. I'll see you back here for dinner at half seven, or 7.30 in American" rattled off Giles.
"Ok. Uh Giles, thinking about tonight is there anywhere where..." started Xander.
"Patrolling? There aren't any cemetaries nearby. Hyde Park is at the end of this road, or can try Green Park, it's right behind the hotel. It leads to St James's Park on the other side of the Palace." said Giles, anticipating Xander's question.
"The Palace?. Are we near Buckingham Palace?" asked Xander.
"Yes you dolt" said Giles good naturedly. "Look out the window. Also don't forget sunset at this time of year is about 9pm".
The rooms they had been given overlooked Green Park and behind it Buckingham Palace. Xander could also see Big Ben in the background. "Wow. Alright I'm gone. See you later" said Xander, now excited.
Xander spent the next few hours seeing the sights of London, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Xander was in awe of Westminster Abbey, he frequently had to pinch himself at the wonder of it all, not to mention picking his jaw up off the ground. Giles also spend the same time with his mouth open, seemingly catching flies as he slept in his king sized hotel bed.
Xander returned to the hotel just before 7pm. It had been a great day, just wandering around and seeing the sights. His eye patch had received a few suprised looks, but nobody had given it more than a fleeting glance before they looked away, embarrassed. The assistant serving him hadn't even blinked, but Xander suspected that was largely because he had just spent well over a thousand pounds on a suit, three shirts and two ties.
Xander showered and changed, and was ready at 7.25 when Giles knocked on the connecting door. Dinner at the Ritz is something to be cherished, and Giles and Xander savoured every bite, from the soup through to the dessert cart. Surprisingly Xander waved off a second helping of the Chocolate Tort with Jersey Double Cream, as he wanted to be ready if he encountered anything on patrol later in the evening.
Giles and Xander were sitting in the latter's room just prior to him heading out on patrol. Xander had changed clothes for the third time that day. Gone were the formal trousers for dinner, or the white t-shirt from sightseeing. It was dark khaki jeans, black army-style boots, a plain black t-shirt and a dark green surplus jacket. Xander also carried 6 homemade stakes and 2 bottles of holy water. There was one thing missing, but Xander had no idea what it was.
"Xander I asked Robson to procure two items for us before we flew over. I'm sure you're familiar with their operation" said Giles as he handed a mobile phone to Xander. "It's been preprogrammed so dialing hash-1 will call me, it's fully charged and most importantly, I want you to use it if you get into any trouble. Is that clear?" said Giles in a voice not to be brooked.
"Sure is Giles. Do you want me to report when I get back or in the morning?" asked Xander.
"The morning is fine, but call me when you are back in the hotel so I know you're back in one piece" stated Giles.
"Ok then, I'll head down through Green Park and then the other one past the palace. If nothing is happening I'll head over to Hyde Park and then back here" concluded Xander.
"Good plan. Be careful" said Giles.
"Gotcha. Night Giles" said Xander as he headed out of the room and into his first patrol as a Slayer. The usual feelings of not wanting to run across any vamps were conflicting with the urge to try out his Slayer skills for the first time in a real battle.
By the time Xander left the Ritz and walked out onto Piccadilly it was closer to 10pm than 9, and no trace of the sun remained in the sky. Xander looked briefly at the advertising signs flashing in Piccadilly Circus, before turning and walking in the opposite direction past the tube station and into Green Park.
Xander walked slowly and headed off the concrete path and into the unlit centre of the park. There were more people than he expected still walking through the park, so Xander decided to wait until the numbers dropped off. Heading to a large tree, Xander looked around to make sure he wasn't being noticed and then jumped the 10 feet to the nearest overhanging branch. He pulled himself up with ease and sat on the branch with his back against the trunk. With his dark clothing it would be virtually impossible for someone to notice him unless they already knew he was there.
Xander waited for half an hour, and absolutely nothing of interest happened. There was the odd wino, the quick walking office worker heading for the tube station, and occasionally a jogger or power walker. Not even a hint of any supernatural activity. Sighing, Xander slid off the branch until he was hanging and then dropped to the ground in silence. He resumed his slow loping walk and headed for the Palace before crossing The Mall and into St James's Park.
Almost immediately Xander could sense the difference. There were no late night commuters walking through this park, and most of the centre was shrouded in complete darkness. Xander spied through the darkness that there was a small house further down by a road. A house meant electricity, and it meant plumbing. So there was almost certainly sewer lines running under the park and most likely an access point nearby. Instinctively Xander heightened his awareness, going from a slow walk to actively hiding while still searching for vampires.
Xander had been patrolling the area around the lake for the last hour like a sniper stalking his target. Each step was carefully measured, and he kept a constant lookout for trouble. For all that, when trouble came he was in the wrong place. A girl who was about to cross the footbridge over the lake in the centre of the park had obviously encountered something lurking on the other side. Xander was prevented from seeing exactly what it was because of the hedge running parallel to the water. What he did see was a vampire emerge from behind the hedge and come up behind the girl unseen. Xander was over 200 metres away when the vamp bit into her neck.
At school Xander would have taken more than 30 seconds to cover the distance. In that interval a vampire can drain a human to death and still have time to brush his teeth before leaving. It was lucky for the girl in question that Xander covered the distance in a tick under 12 seconds.
Without the time to stop for witty repartee, Xander launched a flying kick at the feeding vamp at an angle that would pull his teeth directly out of the wound, hopefully without tearing it. The vampire was caught unawares and was still on the ground stunned when Xander came out of his roll and staked it.
The other vampire who was originally obscured by the hedge came forward to attack. Xander turned to face him, quickly glancing at the girl who was now lying where she fell on the grass, unmoving. Without waiting another moment Xander rushed forward and threw a quick left to the vamp's body, followed by a severe right to the side of the vamp's head. He ducked a clumsy right hook from the vampire and struck out with his left hand. The stake found it's target and the vampire was still for an instant, and then it turned to dust.
Xander ran over to the girl and immediately checked for a pulse. It was there, and not as weak as he expected. Xander hoisted the girl onto his shoulder, and began running back towards the hotel. The phone was in his hand in an instant, and a second later it was ringing.
"Hello Xander, are you.." begin Giles.
"Giles, I'm coming back with a girl, unconscious, about 18, lost some blood, pulse medium but steady" interjected Xander.
"Will you need an ambulance?" asked Giles.
"Don't think so. She shouldn't have lost much more than 2 pints" said Xander in between breaths.
"Alright, there is a fire escape door on the Green Park side of the hotel. The Council keeps it unwired so it won't catch the alarm. I'll get things ready at this end" said Giles, pressing to end to call. Quickly he gathered the first aid kit he always packed in his luggage, cursing the fates that he had finally need to use it.
Xander hit the fire exit at a run and kicked it open with his left foot. He raced up the five flights of stairs and barged through the slightly ajar door of Giles' hotel room. "Set her down on the bed" indicated Giles.
Xander laid the girl on the bed, noting that Giles had placed some towels to stop the blood getting all over the bed covers. After checking her pulse the Watcher worked quickly and efficiently, first disinfecting the wound and then bandaging it.
Giles turned to Xander who had just recovered his breath. "Xander, you saved a life tonight. She will be fine, but I've taken the liberty of having room service specially prepare two chocolate milk shakes and a slice of lemon tart. Hopefully that will go some way to replacing the blood that she has lost. What she needs now is rest, and until she regains consciousness all we can do is keep an eye on her" said Giles.
"Ok. Giles, do you mind, I'd like to.." Xander started to say.
"Yes of course" said Giles, anticpating Xander's request to stay and watch her. "Stay with her, and I'll be in your room. When she wakes up let me know"
Xander took a chair and set it next to the bed. He picked up the book Giles had left on the nightstand 'The Mythology of Vampires - Fact or Fiction' and began to read. Before he had finished the introduction there were two sharp knocks on the door. Xander opened the door and the porter set the tray on the table just inside the room. Thankfully the opening of the door blocked any view of the bed, and Xander signed as R Giles before thanking the porter and closing the door. Sighing at the delicious looking lemon tart, Xander placed the milkshakes and the tart in the mini fridge and went back to reading.
After almost an hour, during which Xander asked himself numerous times why Giles would bother reading such gunk, there was a hitch in the breath of the girl on the bed. Then she groaned softly before her eyes flew open, looking quickly around the room. She made to sit up but was still lightheaded after losing so much blood, and reluctantly lowered herself back to the bed.
"Hi", said Xander softly. "You gave us a scare, but it looks like you're going to be ok. Is there anyone we can call for you to let them know you're ok?"
The girl groaned again, seemingly ignoring Xander's question. Then she fixed him with a intense gaze "what happened to me?".
"You were attacked by muggers" answered Xander. "One of them cut you on the neck".
Immediately the girl's hand flew to the side of her neck where she was bitten, and this seemed to kick start her memories. Then she quickly checked her inside jacket pockets, not liking that she couldn't find what she was looking for. "Where's my w... never mind" she said.
"You're safe here. My name's Xander, short for Alexander" he said, trying to calm the girl.
"Well, Xander. Not that I don't trust you, but if I was attacked by muggers why didn't you take me to the hospital" the girl started, and then spied the book Xander was reading, "and why are you reading a book about vampires?" finished the girl.
Xander was doing an excellent impression of a goldfish, his mouth opening and closing several time but making no noise. This was not going anything like he had anticipated. Finally he spoke "what do you know about vampires?"
"Well a lot more, since I was just attacked by two of them. But yes, in theory I know about vampires" she said.
"Right. Ok. I know about them in theory and in practice, and let me tell you, you had a very close call tonight. You really should rest" pleaded Xander. He stood and went to the fridge and took out a milkshake and the lemon tart. "If you're not going to rest, then at least drink this, it will help you replace the blood you lost" said Xander as he brought the drink and the tart over to the bedside table.
"Where are we anyway?" the girl finally asked.
"Sorry, it skipped my mind. We're at the Ritz hotel, my room is actually the one next door, but I volunteered to watch over you, so my colleague is sleeping in my room at the moment" said Xander.
"So, once again, what happened? The last thing I remember was feeling a cold stale breath behind me, and then being bitten. I must have blacked out right after that" the girl recounted.
"That's pretty much what went down. Look, I'll do you a deal. Finish that shake, go back to sleep and then when you wake up I'll answer all your questions for as long as you want. How's that?" asked Xander.
"I'm sorry but I can't. I uh, must have dropped something when I was attacked. And it's quite important to me. I need to go back and get it before anyone else picks it up" insisted the girl.
"You know, you seem like an intelligent girl. Yet you want to do something silly like go back to the spot where you were attacked while you're still weak from blood loss" stated Xander.
"I know it doesn't make sense, but I need my w.... my watch, I dropped my watch. It's very sentimental to me" pleaded the girl.
"If it's that important to you, I'll go back and get it" offered Xander.
"No! uh, no... thanks. You've done enough. Was it you that saved me?" asked the girl before sipping on the milkshake.
"Uh.. yeah" mumbled Xander, now a little embarrassed.
"Well thank you Xander. You're a brave man" said the girl, which caused Xander more embarrassment.
Just then Xander heard Giles knocking on the door connecting their rooms, and he rose to open it.
"Giles!" said Xander in the hope that he could convince her to rest. "Our patient has recovered"
"Uh, this is Giles, Rupert Giles but we just call him Giles, or G-man. And you never told me your name" Xander said, facing the girl.
"I'm sorry. Where are my manners. I'm Hermoine Granger"
"Pleased to meet you" said Giles "although under the circumstances I'm sure you'd rather be elsewhere".
"Thank you. But I feel so stupid now, cutting through that park late at night. It's almost asking for trouble. I really should have known better" said Hermione, feeling self conscious.
"Don't sweat it, you're going to live and that's two less vamp's in the world" said Xander to comfort her.
"I'm sorry, Xander did you say 'vamps'? Was this poor girl mugged by some sort of gothic duo?" said Giles, trying to cover for Xander.
"Relax Giles, she knows. Hermione called me on it when she didn't buy the mugger story. And how is it that you know about vampires anyway?" asked Xander, now very interested.
"Well, I work at the Ministry of course" started Hermione without thinking, "the uh, Ministry... Of Sound. And my friend, who works there, with me, at the Ministry of Sound, well she told me about a guy she saw biting someone in Hyde Park, and she ran off. She told me about it at work the next day, and it was in the papers that a man had been murdered in Hyde Park. And that's how I know".
"Really?" said Xander to Giles in exaggeration. "Hermione, that was a nice try. I'll give it a 6 out of 10 though, extra point to compensate for the blood loss" Xander told her.
"What on earth are you talking about?" asked Hermione in utter confusion. Americans were positively weird!
"What he's saying, my dear, is that your cock and bull story doesn't hold up under it's own weight" said Giles in a soft voice. "However if you have reasons of your own to keep that information to yourself, we are certainly not going to pry" said Giles, emphasising the last word as he looked at Xander. "Now sit up for me would you so I can take your pulse"
While Hermione sat up so Giles could take her pulse, Xander stood up and stretched his arms into the air. Hermione noticed through the opening of Xander's jacket there were two sharpened stakes hung through loops.
"You weren't out there by chance were you? You were hunting them" she said to Xander in surprise.
"Huh?" was Xander's well formed response.
"You were out in the park, hunting vampires" pressed Hermione.
"Sorry, what makes you think that?" Xander asked.
"Well it all makes sense now. Those wooden stakes on the inside of your jacket, the dark clothing that you're still wearing, your army boots. You weren't just out for a stroll were you" stated Hermione.
"Well, umm, it's a thing" mumbled Xander.
"A thing? I'm sure half the time I don't understand a word you're saying" said Hermione in confusion.
"My dear girl, you have no idea of the abuses this boy can inflict onto the English language" said Giles in empathy. "Now, your pulse is definitely stronger, although I imagine you would still be feeling a little weak" concluded Giles.
"A little, yes. But I am feeling much better than when I woke up Mr Giles. As I was telling Xander a few moments before you came in, I've misplaced something of sentimental value during the attack and I should very much like to go back and retrieve it" insisted Hermione.
"Of course, although I must insist that Xander accompanies you. It wouldn't do for you to be attacked again". Giles noticed the look of frustration on Hermione's face and interpreted it as doubt. "Xander will look after you. As much as it pains me to say this, Xander is one of the most capable men I know, even more so because of recent... events".
Hermione nodded in resignation. There was no way they were going to let her outside by herself, which was perfectly reasonable except she had her wand to retrieve. Exposing herself to a muggle would not go down well at the Ministry, especially as she had only been working there for six months.
Giles checked her bandaging, and Hermione pulled the collar of her coat up to cover it as best she could. After thanking Giles profusely, she left with Xander to go back for her wand. As they left the hotel Hermione baulked slightly at the cold air. Even though it was almost summer, it was after midnight and the temperature had dropped sharply since she had left on her way home just a couple of hours ago.
They walked in silence, Hermione alone with her thoughts and Xander content to leave her with them. They walked in silence through Green Park and across The Mall into St James's Park. The lull continued until they were almost upon the site where Hermione was attacked. Suddenly the whole event came flashing back to her, and it hit her like a wave - she had almost DIED! Hermione couldn't get past the fact that, had it not been for a complete stranger she would be dead, gone forever and never to return. And then the tears came as the delayed symptoms of shock set in.
Xander was walking beside Hermione thinking about what Willow and Buffy were up to, and the next second he was at Hermione's side as she lost all emotional control.
"Oh....God......I...almost...died" wept Hermione in between sobs.
"Hey, it's ok. Remember, you're safe now" Xander said, comforting her.
The tears kept on flowing, and the stricken witch found herself enveloped in two strong arms. She buried herself in Xander's chest, not coming to terms anytime soon that she had been just a few seconds from losing her life. Unfortunately for them, the two vampires who Xander had dusted earlier had a friend who had stayed behind in the sewers. After getting bored he had chosen this moment to come looking for them. He emerged from the access hole behind the hedge, and immediately heard the wracking sobs as Hermione cried out her pain.
"Well isn't this touching" said the vampire as he came upon the two figures. "I think I'll turn her, she's cute" the vamp continued as he kept walking towards them. "But you, well I'm just gonna kill you" he finished, his face changing and baring his fangs. The blood was so much richer when adrenaline caused the heart to pump faster.
Hermione was staring in utter horror, completely paralyzed with fear. Xander feared for her mental well being, but that would have to wait. Xander held her at arm's length, looking into her eyes. "Stay right here" he ordered, and turned to face the vamp.
Hermione's utter anguish at almost losing her life had touched Xander, moved him deeply. It had started a fire in him, a furious conflagration that could only be extinguished by the painful death of this creature in front of him.
"You know, right now it sucks to be you" said Xander in a venomous tone.
"Oh an American!" mocked the vamp. "I'm going to rip out your throat and bathe in your blood you one-eyed poofter" the vamp said, and charged Xander.
Xander stood his ground, waiting for the vamp to enter striking range. As soon as he did, Xander let loose with a high front kick with his right leg that connected with the vamps face. Continuing with the motion Xander executed a perfect reverse roundhouse that impacted on the side of the vamps head and sent him to the ground.
"And I'm gonna kick your fucking pale ass up and down this park before I pour holy water all over you and set you on fire, you unholy prick" said Xander slowly, his rage coming to the surface.
It took five minutes, which during a normal day is no time at all. But five minutes of constant fighting is an eternity, and it took that long for Xander to work out his rage. In the end, he poured a large vial of holy water over the vamp's face, but lacking a match or a lighter to set it on fire, he staked it instead.
Xander walked back to where Hermione was standing, holding herself in terror. She hadn't moved an inch. It reminded him of Buffy's reaction to almost dying at the hands of the Master. Fear and shock did different things to different people, and right now it had Hermione in it's thrall.
"Hey, it's over now. Let's get this watch of yours and get you home, alright" said Xander. Hermione just nodded blankly.
"So, it should be somewhere over here" indicated Xander at the footbridge over the lake. Even with one eye, his eyesight was enhanced enough to spot a watch lying on the ground in the dark.
Hermione realised that in the circumstances there was no way she was going to hide finding her wand from Xander. She was just not up to it in her current state. "It's not a watch Xander" said Hermione softly.
"Sorry?" replied Xander, wondering what she meant.
"It's not a watch that I dropped" Hermione repeated. "It's a wand. And if it's close enough to me..... 'Lumos'" the witch invoked, and a short distance away near the hedge a glowing light appeared on the ground. Hermione walked over and finally retrieved her wand.
"Whoa. You're a witch?" said Xander in disbelief.
"Yes" Hermione replied. There really wasn't much else to say, was there? But Xander's next comment surprised her.
"Cool. I thought I felt that there was something about you, but then I thought it was just me because I'm so new to this. The vibes I got from Will were completely different" rattled off Xander.
"I'm sorry, but you will have to run that by me again, I have no idea what you're talking about" Hermione said in sincerity.
"Sure, seeing as it's confession time at Secrets 'R' Us" Xander conceded. "My friend Willow is also a witch. She cast a spell on me that gave me, uhh, the strength and skill to hunt vampires" said Xander, and muttered "Geez I sound like Giles" to himself. "I can also sense vibes off other people, werewolves, witches, vampires, yada yada yada. At least that's the theory. I'm still workin on the practice" admitted Xander.
"Now how about I get you home safely, which was the whole point of me coming with you" said Xander with a smile.