It has been fours months since Vicky and Alpha joined up. They have fought many hard battles and many close calls. Alpha still has control but it is going less and less. Xander is becoming stronger and starting to actually do stuff like while they eat or talk. Alpha is mostly there for quite moments or fights. Maybe a few more weeks and Xander will be well in to the healing process. Not over or even through but still the beginning of it all.
Xander looks around and it is surrounded by darkness. He can see only Alpha sitting across from him. Alpha is the first to speak, "So Xander do you think we can actually do something useful this time around. I got it how about we realize Faith is dead not coming back and then start to heal. I am sick and tired of this. What don't you understand? We need to get living or just end it all and let what we have done be enough to not get sent to hell for killing ourselves. What do you want to try?"
"Boston," he says in a quiet whisper.
"What, say that again a little louder please."
Xander looks at him with no hate or anger just pain. "I would like to go to Boston to say goodbye. She was from there and we had her body shipped there after her death." He hitches on the word death but manages to say it.
"We can do that but you have to drive completely there on your own power and control. I will still be there if you need me but you have to do it yourself. Why do you want to do this?"
"If she isn't coming back then I need to see it one finally time. She did it all for me. I can't get the last smile out of my mind. She tried to look happy to take away my pain so I would remember that look. Not one of pain and torture but of her almost laughing at death like she would. I want one more time to see it and read her name on the tombstone. We do this and I will take full control and you can fade to where ever you belong."
"Okay Xander one last time to say goodbye then we start to trudge back to SunnyDale to fight with our friends and family. You know maybe Vicky would be interested in dating you after awhile. You can smell her after a fight. She gets a similar look in her eye. She could also love you. She wouldn't be Faith but she would be something that could become something else. Think about it."
"Not her, she is a bit too young and by the time I would even be ready she should have moved on."
"If that is what you think. Okay well let's sleep for a little bit longer and when you wake up tell her where we are going and tell her why."
"What ever." After that Alpha just kind of fades away and Xander stars dreaming of a lost love and missed friends.
It is nine in the morning when Xander wakes up and gets Vicky up. "Vicky you need to get up." Xander says quietly to Vicky because to startle her awake would put in attack mode and it is too early in the morning to get thrown across the room.
Vicky is just mumbling in her sleep "Xander lo….Always."
Xander jumps back away from Vicky not sure if he heard her correctly and not wanting to deal with it if he had. No today was about Faith but really how was that different from any other day he wasn't sure.
Vicky awoke quickly to the quick moment around her and started at Xander, "Alpha what do you want? It is too early to have to get up and after last night's 8 demons and 4 vampires us Slayer girls need more sleep. I am sure you and him know that right?"
"Not Alpha," is all he managed to get out. Taking a deep breath if goes for a full statement. "I am not Alpha and yes I know what happens when you wake up cranky Slayers. It is what you do to them that will get them out of being cranky that can make it worth it. But for now I need you awake. I need to talk about where we are going next." With that he walks out of the room and heads to take a shower.
Vicky just stares at the door with a slight smile on her face, "Xander is awake in the shower and I think he just flirted with me. I think today is going to be a good day. After that dream I guess anything can happen." She gets out of bed to gather her own clothes to dress in when she gets a sneaky idea. She is sitting there in just her panties with a towel draped around her neck that manage to hide her breast but not the fact that with a quick tug of the towel she would have them out for viewing. "I hope he lives through this." So sits and waits. She hears the shower stop and waits. With her hearing she hears him dress and put on his deodorant. The door opens and out walks Xander.
"Shower is all……," that was all he got out as he just stared at her. His mind couldn't get past the sight before him. Vicky sitting there in panties and a towel to cover her. Somewhere there is a god laughing at him and he wasn't sure he wanted to think what Faith was doing looking down on him.
"Thanks Suga'," was all she said as she stood and walked by him. His eyes never left her and when her back was to him she took the towel from her neck and flung it on her arm. She stopped and did a kind of half turn back towards him giving him a profile look of her. The towel around her arm again covered her breast from few but left the imagination to run free. "I will be out in a few. I just need to soap up really nice and wash off." She turned back to the bathroom and walked in shutting the door behind her.
As Xander stared at the door his eyes shifted to Amber, "Told you but you wouldn't listen to me. Don't drag her around much longer. Tell her now one way or another." His eyes shifted back to brown.
"Yeah she is going to be the death of me. I am more sure of that now then ever." With that Xander gather up the rest of the stuff and cleaned the room. 15 minutes later the shower stopped. And the door opened with a soaked Vicky standing there in her towel held loosely around her chest.
"Xander dear can you get me my pile of clothes next to the bed. I forgot to bring them in with me." She said to him with the most innocent eyes and smile she could manage. "If not I can get them myself but with this towel so tight around me I would either have to go slowly or risk it slipping off me."
"Yeah I will get them for you," He gets the pile of clothes and notices on the top or her bar and panties which are very suggestive in themselves let alone. Now with the last show he got and now knowing what she had on this was going to be one of those days. "Here you go Vicky."
"Thanks dear," she grabs for the clothes and turns around to shut the door but the towel falls and Xander is hit with a close up view of her cute round ass. "Whoops," she says as she pushes the door close quickly.
"It has to be a Slayer thing. All this fighting and no release like Faith and I had has driven her insane. That's it. I will talk to her about it later." He says this as he walked away from the door getting further and further with each word. He stops at the door out of the room and turns back to the bathroom. "Vicky I am going to breakfast. Join me when you are done." He turns and scurries out the door before he even gets a response to his statement.
Vicky hears him call out and quickly leaves the room. She finishes getting dressed with a huge smile on his face. "There I did it. He knows I am interested and soon as we talk about what he wants to do I am going to ask if he would like to go out on a date. Faith was this aggressive and he loved it from her. So I can do that without being her." She looks her self over in the mirror and is satisfied with what she sees. "He wont know what hit him."
When she gets down to the lounge Xander is already sitting down with coffee and her soda is waiting. "So Xander what brings you out this early in the day?"
"We are heading to Boston tonight. I would like to be there by the end of the week baring any hot zones or end of world type things. She is buried there and I want to see her finally spot in the world. You don't have to come along with me. I can get you setup to fly out to L.A. with transportation to SunnyDale after that."
"You think you could get rid of me that easy. We have a deal going. I get you back to the foreground then we do some serious hunting and then hit SunnyDale unless we are given message we are needed there sooner. So don't go changing this yet. Besides you are the closes thing I have to a watcher after what happened to my last one. I would like to keep you around."
"I will try to be there for you Vicky but I have to tell you this and you are not going to like it. I am not ready for a relationship. I needed more time and I don't know how long it will be till I am ready to try anything again. Yes you are attractive and I am still recovering from this morning but I can't say if I will ever be ready again."
I cold glare came to Vicky's eyes as she looked Xander up and down. "Here is what we are going to do. We get to Boston you do what ever you need to do. We start on are way back to SunnyDale. From when we leave Boston and get to SunnyDale you have to think about moving on from Faith and when we get there you and I are going out for dinner and dancing. After that you can do what you will and how you will but you will give me that much after everything we have done and fought you will do that. You know what happens when Slayers don't get what they want dont cha Xander." She tells with a smirk on her face.
Xander just looks stunned at her. "Okay but after that date you shouldn't expect anything from me."
"I would never do that Suga. I just want one good night free of vampires and our past. Just one night us together on a nice date." She was giving that innocent smile which tried to hide ideas that were many things but not innocent.
"Sure. Breakfast then, you know it is the most important meal of the deal. Let's see I want eggs, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and bacon that is a good start. What would you like?"
"I think eggs and bacon will do fine. And Xander maybe your others girls let you switch subjects on them but I tell you now we will talk about it again and again till you talk to me. For now breakfast needs to be ordered and I need a refill on my soda."
"Okay. I will talk while we drive."
"One more thing I want you to understand. I am not Faith. I am not trying to be Faith but you are a single cutie and so am I We both have some baggage to deal with but we can get through it. I don't mind the wait but do think I will always wait."
Xander just nods his head as the server arrives to take their orders. After she walks off they continue to talk about the trip to Boston and where to stop along the way.
SunnyDale
"So what is wrong with her?"
"I don't know. She seems fine just a little distant."
"Distant you call that distant. Willow Cleveland is closer then she is right now."
"Well what were you like after coming back, oh yeah you were a bitch that almost got us all killed. At least she isn't doing that."
"That was low and I also wasn't gone that long. A few minutes is a lot less then 2 months. She just sits around like she is waiting for something. We told her Lex would be back when he was done. She understands that but still she looks so alone."
"Well you are head slayer go talk to her and invite her out to patrol or something. Me and Tara will swing by after patrol with a late dinner and we can sit and talk about anything. We both know that Lex will be back and as soon as he gets word Faith is here again he will be on the express road trip back."
"Okay that sounds like a good idea." Buffy leaves the back room of the Magic Box and head to the table to talk to Faith. "Faith you think you could be up for a patrol tonight. Vampires are on the rise and we need to get back in to the heavy of it. You with me."
"Sorry B not tonight. I was just going to go back to your place and crash. Maybe talk to Dawn for a bit. She still seems a little freaked with me being back and all. Any word from or about Lex?"
"Not yet but he seems to have caught up with the new Slayer and they are just traveling around. It seems that Giles missed them by a few days in Oklahoma. Why would they be in Oklahoma was beyond me but they were last heading North East towards Michigan. Giles can't find any reported hotspot along the route to try and figure out where they are going. He is going to be okay Faith. He is going to head back here and see you and probably both of you will disappear for awhile." Buffy finishes with a smile.
"Maybe B maybe." Faith just stood up and walked out the door head home in the dark.
"I am sorry Faith. I though we were doing what was right. Maybe not fully but once he gets back then you will see there is still things to live for in life."
Faith just keeps walking in a general direction of home. She cuts through a cemetery towards a familiar crypt. She gets to the door and opens it up to see Spike just watching TV.
"You come back for more love? Just can't get enough of me. You should have stayed with me then the whelp. He could never please a Slayer like I can," Spike says while he stands and turns towards her. "Of course see he already has left you to get with the new Slayer. Maybe he was using you just to make himself look better. Look at the girl I got the real Slayer. But that isn't true anymore. You are like Buffy now. He left her after knowing her for three years and it look likes your three years is over also."
Faith removed her shirt and undid her pants. "Can we do this without all the talking?"
Spike approached her and pulled her in for a rough kiss and started to undress himself as the moved over to his bed. Faith still has a very distant look but her eyes show ones of disgust for doing this.
Two warriors pull in to a gas station in the middle of a night just outside of Toledo. The red haired woman has a short hair cut. She is wearing a low cut black shirt and low rider black leather pants. The burnet man has a black t-shirt, dark blue jeans and a black leather trench coat. The both of them get out of the truck at the same time. The man heads over to the gas pump while the woman heads into the station.
"Need anything other then some Twinkies Xander?"
"How about some Jolt to wash it down. We might need the sugar rush tonight. There is something in this town setting my hair on end."
"Gotcha Suga. One Jolt and couple of Twinkies. I will pay the attendant for the gas. We also need to raid a few crypts in the next week to restock up in the cash. Getting kind of low."
"No problems Vicky. After Boston I am going to call Giles and get him to wire us some money to get us back. I will also tell him that he now has two Slayers again so the Watcher Council can up his pay a little."
"Why does he get paid to watch us fight? I mean really other then reading books and practice dummies what do they do to get paid while we have to fend for ourselves."
"I couldn't tell you Vicky. I tried to get that through his head with Buffy and Faith. I didn't work so well. And that is why we are so good at going through vamp lairs to get the cash and sellable items."
"Okay Suga let's get this going." Vicky turns to walk to the station while Xander starts to pump the gas.
A few minutes later Xander has filled the tank and Vicky has returned with the snacks when a voice breaks out of the night, "What do we have here? Looks like…"
The other two vampires looked on as their leader crumble to ashes. They all had shocked look in their eyes and the saw the woman head to their side of the truck and the man stood there looking at them with disgust.
"He actually used the look what we have here line. I am so god dam sick of the fucking line used by you leeches. I have been trying to figure out do you get a hand book when you rise about the stupid phrases to use. You know if you just flat out attacked me you might have at least gotten a few hits in before me and the Slayer killed you guys. But now you just killed. Ready Vicky."
"So ready Xander." The started towards the other vampires with stakes ready.
One just looked at them in shook then almost a sense of awe" You are them. The two warriors. The Slayer and the Hunter. You guys have been together since what '99 2000. All over this side of California. Killing demons and vamps alike. Man I head about you a year ago when in Kansas. You guys left a week before we got there and the demons that were still living warned us of you two. They were right. That Slayer of yours is a babe. Why the hair change? She would look good as a burnet."
It was the last statement that drove Xander over the edge. His eyes flashed a bright glowing amber has he raced towards the vampire. Vicky head towards the other and staked him while Xander pummeled the other one.
"You don't ever talk about her again," punch to the head and a sweep the cracked one of his knees. "You hear me. Don't even think about her. She was so far beyond you that you couldn't even have a clue." Xander just kept punching and kicking. "When you get to hell tell I sent you." Xander then grabbed the vamp's head and with a scream of rage twisted the head right off the body. He dropped the head as the vampire dusted. He looked back to Vicky and she had a worried look on her face.
"Xander are you okay?"
"Keys are still in the ignition so you can drive." With that he head over to the passenger side and opened the door got in and buckled up.
Vicky went to the driver and repeated the process. "Xander are you okay?" She looked to him with concern and worry.
"Right now it is Alpha. In ten minutes if he isn't back head North to Michigan at the next Interstate."
"Wait what about…"she was cut off when Alpha turned to her and gave her a very hard look.
"Trust me Red; he knows what I am doing. He also knows why I am doing it. We have a deal and right now he is getting some leeway but only for another ten minutes."
Vicky looked at Alpha and just nodded her head. She started the truck and continued east with out speaking. They just sat in silence with the minutes clicking on. The count down was head into the last three minutes when he spoke up.
"I am here Vicky we can go on like planned."
"Good to have you back. Going to tell me what the hell just happened or what?"
The truck was silent for a few more minutes till Xander spoke again. "We were together for about a year at this point when we came across some demons. Nothing new for us but when we started attacking the a few demons ran away. We got the leaders of the group and saved some hostages and buried a few that were tortured to death before we got there. The pain in her eyes after we buried them took a while to fade. A few months later we fall in to an ambush by these same demons telling us about how the Slayer and her Hunter were not walking away from this. Somewhere in the middle of it she was hit very hard from the back and fell to the ground. I saw here there with this demon getting ready to take her head off with a sword. I really am unsure what fully happened I know I attacked him and kept attacking it. The warriors around us just seem to stop and watch in horror as I start to change. Faith said it was kind of like watching the hulk but brown not green. I grow a few inches but my arms and legs almost doubled in size from muscle mass. My canine teeth length an inch and my jaw extend a few inches. Most notable was my eyes going from bright amber to a reddish color. They gave off a glow that seemed to scare these demons to a halt. I slaughter at least 20 before they ran off. I am not talking taking heads I put hands through bodies and ripped out hearts. I ripped off arms and heads. After it was done I looked to Faith and she saw what I had become. I walked towards her to hold her and make sure she was alright. She actually jumped back from my touch. Not much just enough to stop my progress towards her. I remember looking in to her eyes and seeing fear of me. I turned and ran from her. When I found her the next morning she was just sitting by the truck waiting for me. I could still smell the tears from the crying that she did." Xander stops for a moment and looks out the front window as a few tears fall down his cheek. "We never talked about it. I don't know if I could ever do it again. A few weeks go by and we are in Minnesota for some ungodly reason. We smash our way in to a vampire lair. They look to us and start screaming about the Slayer and The Hunter were here. The started running away for us, some ran into the sun to get away thinking it was less painful that way. We just smirked at each other and killed the rest. When we walked out of the warehouse we just looked at each other and laughed. It was when I looked deep in her easy I could still see a little fear towards me. Not a lot just some to make it hurt at what I had done and what apparently I can become. We took patrols more safely. Did more for long range weapons instead of constantly up and close combat. But every now and then we would be in a fight and someone would call me the Hunter. After wards I could still see the fading fear in her eyes. I haven't been called that in almost half a year from hunting in to new areas and just roaming the past few months. When he mentioned it all those times came back to me. That little amount of fear in her eyes after it was mentioned and how she died…." Xander just trails off.
"You don't have to continue Xander. I am not afraid of you or Alpha. I will never be afraid of you as long as you are alive."
"Sometimes Vicky I think she smiled at me just so I wouldn't go over that edge again. So I wouldn't scare my friends like I did her. She knew what would happen to me. Of curse the side effect is now this side of me being active and conscious at all times. Even right now I can feel him live those moments again. He and I enjoyed what we did to those demons but what it cost me/us was something I was never able to get back. I just never really though about it till it hit me when he called me it. She died afraid of me. I will never be able to change that. Sorry Vicky to dump this on you but with the deal I have going I have to stay active and I needed to talk about it because brooding makes me like someone else and I will never be that."
"Okay Xander. At the next exit we are getting off and going to a motel for the night. I need my beauty sleep. You know what I got a better idea. We can get it for two days and kind of relax. In what two more days we will be in Boston if that. We can relax do some swimming and just enjoy ourselves."
Xander just looked at her smiled and nodded his head.
"Sweet you are going to love this we can sleep in till noon then walk around out in the sun and do normal things like window shop and such. You will love it."
"Sure Vic what ever you want to do." With that Xander just leaned back a little and closed his brown eyes and wiped away the last few tears.
Vicky just smiled at him. This was the first time he called her something other then Vicky. Alpha almost always called her Red but Vic was Xander's first nickname for her and she treasured it.
The stopped off at the next exit and got a room with a hot tub for two nights. They both soaked in the hot tub that night and took long showers the next day. Just enjoying and relaxing during their moment of peace. They went out that day to do some shopping and went to a sci-fi movie. Xander just seemed so different to her like this. Smiling and joking about things around him. He wasn't cold before but not a very warm cuddly person to be around. She could see how people could fall in love with this side of him. It was the other side the Alpha as it was now being called that only a few people could. Ones that could accept the need to go out and fight and defend others against evil. The cold hard edge of a predator that only a Slayer or some other fighter of this fight could accept. She was really starting to understand what Faith was to him. She was the person that would walk down the street on a sunny day with a fuck you and a finger to anyone that would make a comment about them. She would always be there for him and never leave him. In return he offered her the same. They had home lives that made them almost crave that kind of loyalty like a drug. They would also fight tooth and nail to keep it. She also realized the root of the problem with him. Would he let go of her and try to find it again. Could he possible move on even if to only to be hurt in the next relationship? She would look to those answers for another time.
"Come on Xan lets go back to the room and rent a flix to watch." She waited for his response as she grabbed his hand. He pulled out of her grasp and looked at her with scared brown eyes that fade to amber but return to brown just as fast.
"Sorry Vicky I have to go," Xander turned around seemed to almost run to back to the room himself. Vicky was left standing there trying to figure out what just happened and if she should be pissed or concerned. She choose concern as she chased after him. Pissed can happen later if she didn't like the answer.
She got back to the room opened the door and look for Xander. He was there sitting in a chair facing the bed with tears in her eyes. "God Xander what happen? I am sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you." Vicky just started babbling on about being sorry.
Xander just started laughing. It was a bitter laugh but a laugh none the less. "I haven't been called Xan in a while. She called me it every now and then. Mostly like on days like this to get away relax. She dragged me to the beach one time but I didn't really want to go. She looked at me and pouted. God could she pout. Then she says in a very sexy deep voice 'Xan if you come to the beach with me we can swim later.' I am looking at her of course we can swim it is a beach. She leans in to my ear and whispers 'Not if we want to do it naked.' I slipped out of the chair I was sitting in looked at her and got ready for the beach. We went all day just relaxing and swimming. Then we went all night not relax and partly swimming. I am sorry Vicky. For almost an hour today I didn't think about her or our loses, I just lived for a bit. When you said that I was flooded with memories of her and it hit me all again, she is dead and nothing is bringing her back. Alpha was going to take over for a moment to get me out of there but I stopped him. I took control of this and ran like a coward. I am sorry for that. Please forgive me."
"Suga I am not going to hold it against you. We have just the rest of the day here. I will tell you about some of me to balance all the info of you and her I have. She was very special Xander. I am glad I can help you along. I am very proud that you kept control and dealt with the situation. Running away like a coward may not have been the best choice but it gave you the time to sit and think about it with out doing anything rash or foolish."
"Thanks Vicky. We can watch TV and do a pay per view night. Thanks again Vicky." Xander gets up and goes to Vicky and gives her a hug. She can feel herself molding to his form. She had a wide happy smile on her face. This was their first moment like this. No thinking about the past but just right now this moment about comfort and togetherness. And as movies and TV shows (and fanfics) go it was the knocking at the door that parted them. "I will get it then we can do the movie thing okay."
"Sure Suga I am going to take a quick shower and join you in the room." She left him with a smile and a wave.
Xander walks over to the door and looks out the peep hole. You can't be to sure when you aren't expecting visitors. It was the face of Giles behind the door that shook him. He opens the door and looks hard at Giles. "I believe he said not to track me down. You are lucky you found me now. Finding him earlier would have cost you. What do you want Giles?"
"Oh yes well I have come to get you and request of 6 women. And you know when a Slayer asks you for something in a certain way it means do and won't suffer bodily harm. I would like to get you to come back to SunnyDale. You are needed in a very desperate way."
"Why does Willow's mom want me back in SunnyDale? I get the rest but why even bring her up?"
"What, oh yeah the 6th women. No it isn't Mrs. Rosenberg. It is another woman from you past."
"Cordy. You brought Cord to SunnyDale to bring me back. You should have sent Cordy just so I would leave this area. I am not ready to go back. I am heading to Boston and I need to go there." Xander was about to speak again when Giles stops him.
"Not Cordy you stupid git. It is Faith. She has been brought back and really needs you with her." Giles watches as Xander for the first time since he has known him can't find a word to say. It is when Vicky walks in with a towel and nothing else that moment passes.
"Suga you going join me in the shower anytime soon?" She laughs a little but looks at the two now looking at her and watches the older man turn to Xander and hits him across the jaw.
"You prat, you waste of human garbage, this is how you get over her, by bedding down with some trollop and wasting your time away." He keeps yelling at him and strikes him again. Giles picks him up and goes for a third strike. Xander's eyes open to reveal the feral amber again and grabs Giles fist in mid strike.
"Nice timing Red. Next time you think it might be fun to do this make bloody well sure that Ripper isn't on the other side of the door. Now Giles the red head if Vicky Johnson the current Slayer. She is either going to finish her shower or get dressed right now and join us for talking at the dinner table. I hope you can control yourself a little longer because right now you're alive because Xander thinks you can be forgiven for the miss understanding hear. And if what you say about Faith is true then we will be leaving tomorrow after we pack." Alpha squeezes his hand and can see the pain on Giles face. "Move it Red this guy has pissed me off and I want to take a break from fighting Xander. It feels good to be doing it though. I do have to thank you for that Giles. He still has loyalties." Alpha then lets go of his fist and as Giles takes a step back to rub his hand as the fist across his jaw knocks him to the ground. "Honor also has a price remember that." Alpha's eye shift back to brown as Xander offers his hand to help Giles up.
"Thanks and sorry for hitting you Lex it was wrong of me. For my defense she did come out of nowhere with a very suggestive theme going on about her. Is Vicky going to be moving anytime soon?"
The both of them are now looking at her as she blushes a red that seems to be matching her hair. She turns around and bolts out of the room to get dressed.
"Nice girl but she has been doing things like that lately. I have told her a lot about Faith and myself. She knows that I am not ready to move on but she likes to have fun at my expense. And we both know what a Slayer will do at our expense. Let's sit. I will make some tea for us. You can tell me what the fuck is going on in SunnyDale that Faith is back. She shouldn't even be there now. I left instructions to have her body shipped to Boston to have it buried there. I was on my way there to say good bye to her and head back." Xander says as he walks in to the kitchen and gets some tea for tea bags. He puts the water on to boil and sits down at the table with Giles. Vicky comes out of the bathroom and sits across from Giles.
"Hi Mr. Giles. I am the new Slayer Vicky Johnson. Xander has told me a lot about you and I would like you to be my watcher also."
"Well Ms. Johnson I would be happy to. I will file with the Council when we get back to SunnyDale. And please cal me Giles.
"Thanks you Giles. Did I hear correctly that Faith was alive and still in SunnyDale?"
"Yes we are asking Lex to come back to her. She is in a bad place right now and she really is waiting for you to comeback. She won't be able to last much longer. She isn't doing all that well. She seems distant and non responsive to a lot of things. She hasn't patrolled in the two months she has been back. She just sits in the Magic Box and we believe she is waiting for you to return and make her happy again. So it is Xander again and not Lex. What brought this on?"
"Glory did. I drew on so much of the Hyena in me with out becoming something else, that he was created." Xander's eyes shift amber, "Hello Giles I am Alpha. I am all the strengths of the Hyena. Xander still has some gifts but he is closer to what he was before the zoo that day then after it. He mostly has the heighten senses and reflexes but not the strength. And I can out do Vicky any day of the week. Probably Buffy and our mate once we get her back up and running." His eyes shifty back to brown. "Pretty cool sometimes Giles."
"My word Xander that definitely can be usefully from time to time. So can we head back to SunnyDale then?"
"Sure I want to talk to Vicky then we will check out and head back with you." Giles stands to leave and says his goodbyes to Xander and Vicky. Then walks down the hallway to the elevator then out then out the door. "I am sorry Vicky for doing this to you. I was starting to think going out with you would be great but with Faith……"
"……Don't say it Xander. I already understand it but it won't make it easier. I am going to take a shower alone and get ready to go." With that she turned and walk in the bathroom. She disrobed and turned on the shower when it was hot enough she got in and just stood under the water. It was able to hide the tears coming down her face and muffle out some of the sobs. She was unsure what was hurting the worse, losing him to the only woman that could take him, or just losing him with out ever having him. She wouldn't debate it she would just lived with it.