Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted materials contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and/or associated companies. I make no profit from this whatsoever and I have no intention of changing that in the future. I write because it's fun and because there are people who enjoy reading my stories. Therefore I would greatly appreciate it if no legal action were taken against me.

PS-Positive reviews will be appreciated. Constructive criticism will be considered but not necessarily acted upon. People looking to ruin my day by spewing their bashing bile about in their review will be ignored at the least and review blocked at the worst.

The Street Heading to the Northern edge of Sunnydale, The Next Day

Xander's POV

Why do I get the feeling that I'm stepping more and more away from my comfort zone? he thought as he made his way in the direction of where Tala had told him the Sanctum would be.

Maybe it was because that, up until Halloween, he'd only seen the life of support-o-guy in his future but with the potential he supposedly had for magic now, he stood a chance of becoming something MORE.

Of becoming someone MORE than what he'd ever thought possible.

Thanks to Tony Harris' repeated verbal and physical beat downs his opinion of his potential and what he could realistically accomplish had never been very high. It'd gone up a bit when he'd managed to get into and stay in Willow's advanced placement classes but even then he knew he was staying in by the skin of his teeth thanks to his best friend's tutoring. Now, through Giles and Tala, he was being told that not only did he have the potential to be one of the heavy hitters of the magic scene but also was the defacto owner of a Sanctum Sanctorum full of magic stuff.

There was no way anyone could take in all that and not be shocked.

At the same time, though, he felt a little excited and in favor of this development since it'd mean that in time he would be able to finally contribute something other than his sense of humor and determination. In the beginning he'd chosen to fight beside Buffy in order to get revenge on the vampires that'd killed Jesse and perhaps win her heart in the process. By the end of last year those plans had been seriously watered down to 'help protect the innocent' and 'remain her trusted friend and ally'. For some reason she preferred the affections of a demon inhabited corpse to a living, breathing teenage guy and he was educated through experience where he stood in relation to vampires where power was concerned.

Even with all that, though, he felt as though his time with the Scoobies, with Buffy, was steadily making him a better man than Tony could ever hope to be. Even before he'd met Buffy and learned the truth of the world, it had been his most desperate wish to become a better man than Tony and by fighting the good fight he was doing it. If Tony ever came face to face with a vampire, he'd probably piss himself before begging for his miserable life, saying whatever came to mind.

Assuming the asshole didn't faint.

Now… now he had a chance to finally step away from the shadow of Tony Harris but he did not know if the light would wind up being worse than the darkness.

Before Halloween, even if he worked his entire life, he'd never seen himself becoming more than half the kind of guy Giles was. Being that kind of man was feasible enough and wouldn't rate him much attention from the baddies, but if he became bigger than that because he used magic, it'd lead to one helluva spotlight being dropped on top of him. There'd be expectations and, with a treasure trove of magic stuff added on, there was no small bit of pressure involved in what he was about to embark upon. In all likelihood he'd have to become as powerful and as skilled a champion as Buffy was but that sort of thing didn't happen outside of the comic books.

Then again, considering the founding of the Justice League, perhaps it might just happen after all.

It was a minute later that he spotted the top of a house as he walked further up the hill. While he couldn't say he knew every inch of Sunnydale, he did recall going exploring up this hill once with Jesse and Willow when they were younger. That was why he could say with reasonable certainty that there shouldn't be a house up this way. While Sunnydale wasn't frozen in place, it wasn't very often that new buildings were constructed and usually those were of the public buildings and educational facilities type. So the possibility that someone would think to build a house up this way so far from the center of Sunnydale was unlikely.

As he got closer he got a better look at the top floor of the house and immediately his focus snapped to the oddly designed skylight that perfectly matched the one he'd glimpsed in his dreams. Feeling emboldened by this he picked up the pace, watching as the house got bigger and bigger until he finally stood before it and saw that it was easily size of a mansion. More than that, though, he felt something that made him think that this was more than just a house. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but for some reason he felt like the house was looking at him even as he was looking at it.

But wouldn't that imply that it was alive, or at least sentient?

In any case, what he saw pretty much settled the fact that he'd found where Tala would be teaching him so he walked up to the front door, raising his arm to knock since he figured that it'd only be polite to do so. Before his fist could touch the wood, though, the door opened, revealing an older styled interior like you'd find in a building designed in the nineteen twenties. Stepping inside, he couldn't see any of the personal touches he remembered from his memories but the rest of the stuff was present just like he 'remembered'. He jumped a little bit when the door closed behind him but didn't do the clichéd thing of turning around to look at it.

"Hey, Tala! I'm here for my lesson! You here?" he yelled since he couldn't spot the curvy woman with his eyes.

"Down here, Alexander," Tala said but her voice was a little odd.

It didn't sound like she was yelling and his instincts had a pretty good idea of where the voice was coming from but it didn't make sense that he could hear someone from that far away if they weren't yelling. He wrote it off as just being magic so, with a shrug, he began to trot towards the part of the house Tala's voice had come from. When he got to the room he could see that it indeed had been set up for the point of instructing someone, with a single school desk in the center, a large table at the front and what looked to be a chemistry set on a table off to the side.

"Well, at least you're punctual," Tala said from her position before a blackboard, a piece of chalk in hand. "Now sit down. I've created a very structured lesson plan designed to maximize the rate at which you learn to use your magic. Personally I would've preferred if you'd dropped out of that mundane school and devoted every spare moment to learning magic but I'll make due with what I have."

"If it wasn't for the fact that Willow would be mad at me for dropping out and you kinda need a high school diploma to get a job, I'd put in my two week resignation warning first thing tomorrow," he said, not liking the classes at Sunnydale High.

Personally he thought that he'd find magical studies much more interesting and therefore easier to absorb into his brain, such as it was.

"However doing so would be bothersome, let's begin," Tala said before performing motions with her right hand.

The reason became evident a moment later when a book floated over from a shelf, dropping on his school desk where a pen and paper awaited.

"For the first hour of the lesson we will be dealing with the history of magic in this world, starting from the earliest record," Tala said with three more gestures that opened his book to the relevant page. "Before one can even begin learning how to use their own magic they must come to appreciate how hard it was for the early inventors of the common spells to harness the power in the first place."

From that point on he listened to everything Tala had to say, taking notes on the paper provided in the manner that'd been drilled into him by Willow over many years. Say what you will about his bestest bud but, when it came to the tools of academia, she'd mastered them long ago while he was nothing but a bumbling amateur. Still, the form of short hand that she'd taught him allowed him to keep up with everything his instructor was saying but, surprisingly enough, that wasn't as difficult as it normally was with the teachers at Sunnydale High. Indeed, he oddly found himself listening carefully to every word, like it was a news report revealing the next installment of his favorite film franchise.

Was it the different subject that made him take interest or was it the teacher?

It was more than likely a difference in subject because, from what he was hearing, Tala wasn't talking or explaining things all that differently than any other teacher.

Not exactly learning how to make things go boom yet but it tells of a possible boom in the future, he thought as he continued to take notes.

He guessed that sometimes it just took the right subject to get a student interested.

Sunnydale High School, Library, One Week Later

Giles' POV

Looking at the clock, he took his glasses off to clean them for what had to be the thirteenth time as he waited for the Council's special operatives to arrive.

He'd been told precious little about what to expect, only that it would be two people, one Watcher and one combat specialist, but it had been made clear that he was to brief them on the current status of the Hellmouth before turning guard duties over to them temporarily. He had attempted to learn more only to be stonewalled by those who would know leaving him somewhat uneasy about who the two operatives would be.

It was no secret that Travers' traditionalist faction and the moderate faction he belonged two rarely saw eye to eye on how the Council should be run. The former had a borderline fanatical obsession with treading the same path as their predecessors, treating their methods as sacred not to mention above reproach. The latter, however, supported a more evolutionary way of thinking wherein they believed that the Council should adapt to the times and continually find newer as well as better ways of performing their sacred duty. Neither side held enough strength to completely negate the influence of the other but it meant that any changes the moderates wanted to institute took a long time to happen while the traditionalists needed to compromise more often than they'd like.

All in all, with Travers having likely chosen the operatives, they'd likely be firm members of the Traditionalist camp.

I just hope that they will at least remain civil during this meeting, he thought as he put his glasses back on. A few Traditionalists that I've spoken with have been unbearably smug.

When he heard the door open he turned to see who it was and instantly recognized the man, even if he didn't recognize the young Jamaican woman following behind him.

Samuel Zabuto.

The man was a respected Watcher both due to his knowledge of the various disciplines needed to fight the fight, as well as being one of the more reasonable members of the traditionalist faction. He was still very much a by the book person who did everything with a strict hand but, unlike Travers, the man didn't seem to be arrogant. Zabuto simply believed that the mission took priority over everything else and that the people assigned to the mission needed to operate with the utmost discipline.

While he did not disagree that the mission of the Watcher's Council was important, he believed that being too tightly wound could actually be harmful to a person's performance. Versatility and adaptability were key components to overcoming the threats posed by the demonic and the supernatural. If one became too rigid in their way of thinking, if they adhered too strongly to tradition, they would not be able to overcome the enemy.

"Mister Giles," Zabuto said, extending a hand.

"Mister Zabuto," he said, taking the hand and shaking it. "Welcome to Sunnydale and the Hellmouth. I am sure it will be an… informative stay."

"I'm sure it will be. While I have been to Hellmouths before, this is the most active one at the moment," Zabtuo said as they released hands. "I also reviewed your reports on the plane ride over and, while I believe you should have exerted a stronger hand where Slayer Summers is concerned, the fact that we are still alive to talk about it means no lasting harm was done."

"I will concede that Miss Summers has not strictly adhered to traditional Slayer protocols however she has nonetheless done her duty," he said, defending his Slayer while not directly opposing the man's position. "Early on I determined that giving her some control over her life was the best way to convince her to combat the threats present in Sunnydale."

"I am not trying to criticize your methods, Mister Giles. However consider that if you had forbade her from taking part in the Halloween chaperoning activity, she would not have been affected by Mister Rayne's spell and therefore would not be in a coma," Zabuto said politely without any recriminatory tones.

"Based on what Miss Summers told me, she did not voluntarily sign up for the chaperoning activity but rather was forced to apply by Principal Snyder. The odious troll seems to revel in abusing his power at every opportunity, he particularly seems keen on targeting Miss Summers as well as anyone associated with her," he explained, remembering what Buffy had told him quite clearly. "If she had not consented to the task, I imagine he would've assigned her quite a bit of detention and that would make both her life as well as her duty needlessly complicated."

"Have you considered the possibility that this principal might very well be in league with the nonhuman elements of Sunnydale? Human collaborators are hardly unheard of and causing her trouble in school could be an attempt to turn her attachment to a civilian's life against her," Zabuto said as he appeared to digest the information.

"I did consider the matter at first and conducted some subtle tests to determine how knowledgeable he was of the demonic and the supernatural," he said, recalling the early days of Snyder's tenure as principal. "However he showed no recognition of several arcane items or even symbols commonly used by various demonic breeds that have historically used humans as minions. Given that the man is very 'honest' with his emotions, I doubt he was concealing his true reactions during my tests."

"Hmmmm… likely this means that another human was used as a go between to the demon behind his actions with the instructions phrased in such a way so as to appear ordinary," Zabuto said before pushing the matter aside. "I will conduct a follow up investigation of the man and determine if he is truly a collaborator or merely a spiteful man who enjoys making those under him suffer."

"I look forward to learning the results of the investigation," he said with a polite smile. "Now is there anything you or your partner wish to know in particular that was not covered in my reports?"

"Nothing of great importance. You were quite diligent with regards to detail in your reports," Zabuto said, returning the polite smile. "Besides, Slayer Young and I prefer to make our own appraisal of the area we are assigned to. Words on a page can only tell you so much, after all."

"What do you mean 'Slayer Young'?" he asked, his mind locking on to the anomaly in the fellow. "Historically there has only ever been one Slayer at a time and, while Buffy is currently incapacitated due to her injuries, she is still very much alive."

"Slayer Young was Called a little over five months ago. Based on the reports I've read, it is likely that she temporarily died before the civilian, Mister Harris, resuscitated her," Zabuto said with confusion at what he'd heard. "I was certain that the main branch sent a memo to every field Watcher apprising them of the unprecedented presence of two living Slayers."

"Apparently mine got lost in the mail," he said bitterly as he suspected that Travers had intentionally ensured he did not get the memo.

He couldn't fathom the purpose of doing such a thing but he strongly believed that his suspicions were correct.

"I shall call the main branch and have them send you a copy," Zabuto said, tossing the oddity aside as though it were inconsequential.

"Thank you," he said, showing the proper manners.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, we need to get properly situated in our temporary base of operations," Zabuto said before turning to the young woman. "Come, Slayer Young."

While a bit surprised that the man wouldn't choose to use the library as his base of operations, it was still understandable to choose another location as a base of operations. Thanks to his cover as school librarian, he could come and go as he pleased without arousing the suspicion of those not informed about the town's true nature. Even Buffy and her friends would not raise too many eyebrows as there was no small number of excuses that would appease the curiosity of a passerby. However it would be difficult to insert Mister Zabuto and Miss Young into Sunnydale with such short notice.

"Oh, and one more thing, Mister Giles," Zabuto said as he reached out for the library door. "Be sure to inform those civilians who have been aiding the Slayer that for the duration of my stay here with Slayer Young, their participation is neither requested nor desired. While I commend their courage, considering how most people would react to the truth, they are still amateurs that will only get in the way. If they truly wish to join the fight, have them enlist with the Watcher Academy after they graduate high school."

"I will inform them of your wishes," he said, not verbally committing to barring Willow and Xander from fighting on their own.

With a nod Zabuto left, with Slayer Young bowing respectfully towards him before following.

Faith in tradition and a dislike of anyone who does not have the same point of view, he thought with some disappointment. I can see why Travers assigned him to Slayer Young and why Zabuto was sent here.

Indeed, it wasn't just to keep the local demons in check while Buffy recovered but also to be an example of what the Traditionalists consider to be an ideal Watcher.

Whether it was to make him feel inferior or ashamed he did not know and he very much doubted that Zabuto was aware of any hidden intent. In any case, it did not matter to him since he would not let something so petty to sway him from his chosen path of what he believed a Watcher should be. Even with the way he was treated as someone who strayed from the path of his house, he'd managed to get back some of his comrades respect. However those of high rank in the Traditionalist faction seemed unwilling to forget how he'd rejected his family Calling or see him as the equal of those who'd never strayed. He even had a suspicion that he'd been assigned to Buffy as her Watcher in the hopes that he would perish along with Buffy because Slayers who had not been raised by the Council were thought to be substandard by the members of the Traditionalist faction.

I will have to keep a close eye on Buffy until Zabuto and Slayer Young leave, he thought with a frown.

He prayed that it was just the sinister whisper of his 'Ripper' side causing trouble.

He preferred not to think of the alternative.

The Sanctum Sanctorum, One Week Later, Tala's POV

"That asshole! Just how low do you have to be try and feed someone in a coma to vampires just so you can get outta chemo!?" Alexander raged even as he worked his way through the potions assignment she'd given him.

"Everyone makes irrational choices when faced with imminent death, Alexander," she said as she continued to monitor his following of the process to make a simple mystical disinfectant. "Plus I've seen what happens to people undergoing chemo therapy. It isn't pretty."

"He's still an asshole for trying to feed Buffy to some vamps in exchange for being turned," Alexander muttered as he measured out the next ingredient.

"In that we are in agreement," she said with a sneer before focusing on the lesson at hand. "Now focus on what you are doing. Potion making bears several similarities to chemistry but the possible ways it can go wrong and be harmful are greater by orders of magnitude."

"I get it. Getting distracted leads to boom, bang and ouch," he said as he slowly administered the ingredient to the pot.

"It can lead to a great deal more than that if you're not careful," she said firmly to push down his flippancy. "Remember that both with spell casting and with potion making, the more potent your creation, the greater the consequences if you make a mistake."

Alexander just grunted an affirmative but she reluctantly conceded that he'd likely gotten the point. In truth he was doing fairly well considering his newness to actual magical instruction and was able to do simple things with his telekinesis almost without any effort. He still had trouble manipulating multiple objects at the same time, with the size of each as well as the path each had to take destabilizing his control. As far as the history of magic was concerned, it helped that a lot of it read like a big budget Hollywood movie sometimes since this managed to catch Alexander's attention and hold it. As for spell casting, she'd done what she could to keep things small to begin with, basic elemental manipulation, but if he progressed at the same rate with spells as he had with telekinesis, it would not be long before she could move on to the more advanced spells.

This 'teaching position' was proving to be easier to perform than she'd originally thought.

When she'd been preparing things for her first lesson with Alexander, she'd presumed that she would either have to force the young man to unlearn what he thought he knew or start at the VERY basics of magic. Instead her student proved to have a rather adaptable mind and, unless she was mistaken, he was smarter than he let on. He tried to play up the idea that he was an underachieving slacker who had only gotten as far as he had because of his redhead friend, but some of the problems she'd placed before him to solve were not the sort an idiot could solve. To her mind the only reason why someone would think this way would be if the slander had been conditioned into him for many years.

Probably a sibling or parent, she thought, recalling past examples of abuse. Failing in their own lives and taking it out on Alexander. I imagine that the only reason why he hasn't crumbled entirely is because of Miss Rosenberg's encouragement.

With a bit of luck, the more progress he made in his mystical studies, the more confidence that he would gain and the more dedicated he would be to learning more. By the time she finished teaching him all she knew, she was confident that no one would be able to use the words 'useless' or 'stupid' in reference to him ever again.

That train of thought, however, brought up the unpleasant detail of the secret objective that her 'employers' wanted her to accomplish: customize her lessons to bring Alexander around to their way of thinking.

What way of thinking was that?

Mostly it could be summed up with the position that the forest was more important than any single tree, that it wasn't about winning a single battle but strategically fighting to win the entire war and that, with the exception of them, everyone was expendable towards that end. Naturally, for any mortal being who lived on Earth, this was not a satisfactory outlook, especially since she doubted that her bosses were all that into explaining themselves to their troops. If her job interview with them was any hint, they preferred that their employees simply do as they were told and trust that they knew best.

Too bad for higher beings they failed to realize that its almost impossible to trust people you don't know or that only communicate through intermediaries.

Still, with her freedom at stake, she'd already begun her secret mission by specifically choosing historical entries that showed the importance of being a team player or following the chain of command. Throw in a few entries where a person who defied orders cost the side of light a significant battle or cost many innocent people their lives and she'd begun her undermining of his independent attitude. It would take time to be sure before Alexander would be completely willing to serve her employers in the capacity they desired.

Unless, of course, her own secret plan worked out as she hoped it would.

If he could advance quickly enough in his studies, faster than her mental molding could keep up with, then he would become powerful enough and skilled enough to free her from the enslavement of her employers. Whether that meant breaking the spells and wards forcing her to do as they asked or provided her with a totally free and acceptable body to transfer her spirit into, either would be okay since it meant that she would once again be the mistress of her own destiny.

Of the two options, teaching him to break the spells and wards of obedience they placed on me would be easier, she thought as she watched the young man finish putting in the last of the ingredients. Creating a surrogate body using sorcery is no easy task and likely would take longer than I am prepared to wait to make.

As such, once she felt that Alexander had advanced enough in his studies, she would begin to instruct him in how to break curses and overcome magical defenses. Both things would operate on principles similar to what ensured her obedience to her employers and therefore would allow her to plant the seeds of her own liberation right in plain sight.

Best of all, it was looking like everything she would need for her liberation was already within arm's reach. The house, Alexander's Sanctum Sanctorum, was a great deal bigger on the inside than it appeared on the outside, making her believe that dimensional magic was being used on a grand scale. In between her lessons with her student she had taken to exploring it so that she could see all that she had to work with and what she could perhaps obtain as her 'severance package'. After all, no one would know anything was missing except her and she'd need something to get her started in this new world. While she'd found enough entries in the books she'd read to know she had a counterpart, she doubted that she'd want to be mistaken for her.

A demoness by most accounts and an owner of a sizeable portion of real estate in hell, the woman's favorite past time was finding powerful men to lead to ruin or unleashing chaos on the mortal world. She had yet to find a modern day photograph of her double so she wasn't sure just how closely she resembled this dimension's Tala, but she'd prefer not to take chances. She'd spotted a few items that'd mask her visible features and keep anyone from managing a positive match between the local Tala's signature and her own. All she'd need was enough time to properly tune both when she knew that the time to depart had come.

"Okay, I think that just about does it," Alexander said as he stepped away from the pot.

"Let's see if you've succeeded in creating the disinfectant," she said as she walked over to inspect the contents of the pot.

Looking at the physical qualities, such as smell and color, Alexander's creation did match the own batch she'd put together earlier in the day. Taking a spoon, she scooped some up before tipping it slightly to watch how it flowed in order to test the texture of the liquid. That matched well with the established criteria.

However there was only one way to be completely certain.

"Alexander? Hold out your hand," she ordered as she acquired a fresh scoop.

Turning, she found her student had obeyed her order but looked a little uneasy, since he likely hadn't figured out the purpose yet.

Before he could connect the dots and plopped the entire contents of the spoon onto the palm of his hand.

"What the-?" Alexander asked, taking several steps back.

"Keep it in your hand," she replied firmly, reaching out to keep her student from tilting his hand. "If you brewed the disinfectant right it'll glow blue when it's done. Until that happens all you should feel in an intense tingle where it's made contact with your skin."

"And if I made a mistake?" Alexander asked warily.

"Then it won't change color or tingle," she replied, completely unconcerned. "Don't worry. I am not so reckless that I would place anything that could truly hurt you in your hand."

"Thank god for the little things!" Alexander commented sarcastically even as he tore off a sheet from a roll of paper towel before wiping the disinfectant off his hand.

She allowed herself a small smirk at the comment.

While not always amusing, Alexander's moments of levity did help to make an otherwise boring class a little more bearable.

Though there were a few jokes that had her rolling her eyes in exasperation rather than amusement.

He was a teenage boy after all.

The Streets of Sunnydale, A Few Days Later, Evening, Xander's POV

That settles it: Tala's a perfectionist! he thought, walking across town to the house he slept in.

He refused to call it his home.

He'd gone to the Sanctum Sanctorum earlier in the evening for another lesson but instead had gotten a pop quiz. Doing the best that he could he went from question to question, answering them to the best of his ability while still uneasy since he generally preferred to have some study time before taking a test. When he'd finished he'd turned it in and waited patiently for Tala to grade it since it'd take only a couple of minutes given that there was only one student in the entire class.

He'd passed, but only just.

Then Tala spent the rest of the class going over the questions he'd gotten wrong until the right answers were burned into his skull.

Unfortunately it'd taken a little longer than he would've liked since it'd been dark out when he'd left the Sanctum. While he didn't consider himself to be quite as defenseless as he used to be thanks to what he'd learned from Tala, he still didn't like the idea of walking home alone.

Demons of just about any breed tended to target the prey that was as alone as he currently was, so the sooner he got behind the threshold of the Harris house, the better he'd feel.

When a bright golden light flared from the front facing center of his collarbone, though, he got the distinct feeling that any plans for a swift return home had gone right out the window. Looking down, he at first only saw a mass of energy in the form of a disk but a few seconds later it made the transition to become solid matter. What he saw was something he had not seen since before the Halloween spell had kicked in and he'd assumed that he'd just lost it at some point.

The Eye of Agamotto.

Or the thing he borrowed from Giles that his mind now tagged as being the Eye of Agamotto.

From what he could see there'd been a few cosmetic changes to the item since he'd borrowed it from Giles late Halloween afternoon but it was essentially the same item.

However, when the clockwork-like mechanisms began to move on their own to reveal the mystical eye within, he realized that the amulet was capable of more than just disappearing than reappearing. With all the subtlety of a metal bat to the head the world perceived through his eyes changed and he was plunged into an environment where black smoke tinged with orange as soaked into everything, including himself. Stunned by what he was seeing, he looked at the area to find that there existed different wisps of energy floating through the air but it looked like they were either being destroyed or absorbed by the smoke.

It was only when his eyes fell upon a trail of sickly green energy floating in the air that he felt a tug from the Eye that made him think that it was this that'd caused the amulet to appear and activate. Was it trying to warn him of something? Or get him to follow the green energy for some reason? Whatever the reason his curiosity was strong enough that he decided he would track the energy back to its source because, if it turned out that it came from something or someone harmful, Giles needed to know.

Taking his school bag off, he opened it up and pulled out the only thing that Tala had told him to keep close to him at all times when he was outside: The Cloak of Levitation.

Tala believed that until he was suitably skilled in casting spells of defense and offense he would need a way to escape if vampires or demons attacked him. When he took into the fact that thing seemed to have a mind of its own to a degree and would follow him on its own if he didn't take it with him in some manner he agreed to stuff it in his book bag. It made carrying his school books to and from the school a little difficult but no one who saw him enter class seemed to pay it any mind.

Though that might have more to do with his status as the school outcast and the son of the town drunks.

Twirling the cape over his shoulders, he secured the golden clasp below his neck before willing himself into the air since it'd be safer to follow the green energy from a direction people usually didn't look. His ability to control and direct the cloak wasn't perfect but at least he no longer flit about like a bird with its head cut off, so he'd call that progress. Looking down using the Eye's enhancing properties, he locked onto the green energy and began to follow it looking for where it seemed fresher rather than faded and old.

Floating along, he saw the energy leave the residential area and cross through the business area but it was only when he extrapolated the path it might follow that he got worried and sped up.

The school!

Sharpening his gaze so that he would spot the source the second it entered his field of vision, he began to notice something based on the stuff he found along the path. Knocked over trashcans, stuff that you'd find in someone's pocket scattered on the ground near fences just short enough for a person to climb over and one pair of people that looked like they'd encountered something odd. All signs that something or someone was running helter skelter in a straight line, unwilling to take the time to slow down and find an easier route. The fact that they were knocking things over or losing stuff from their pockets and choosing not to pick them up afterwards made him think that it was a chase scenario. Someone was running from something scary enough that speed and distance matter more than picking up anything dropped.

Assuming the person running is human why aren't they running to someplace more populated? he thought, puzzled. When you're scared, you normally want help and that means going to someplace where there're people. The school's closed at night. Only a few faculty members and the janitorial staff there.

That meant to him that there was someone at the school the terrified person wanted to get to because that would make them safe.

Ceasing his scrutiny of the ground below, he willed the cloak to its top speed and headed for the school, intent on getting there in time to help the poor soul that was so terrified.

The wind parted on the surface of his face as he flew towards the school, only peripherally keeping an eye on the energy trail just in case his guess about a destination turned out wrong. However, as the school got to within sight, he heard someone crying out for help and so he dove towards where he figured the source had to be. Once close enough, he immediately spotted the source of the green energy in the form of a shambling female corpse that looked to only just be keeping itself together as it moved towards a terrified man at one of the locked school entrances.

Wanting to know more about what he was dealing with he focused his gaze on the zombie candidate and, as if in response to his wishes, the information being fed to his eyes changed. Instead of just being shown the energy the zombie was giving off, he now saw an overlay of something decidedly not human over the corpse. More than that, though, his instincts were telling him that there wasn't a trace of humanity left in the thing.

So not a voodoo zombie risen from the grave but a demon that decided to shack up in a decidedly decayed corpse, he thought as he reached out with his telekinesis before flinging the inhabited body away from the terrified man. Best keep it at more than arm's length until I get a better idea of what I'm dealing with.

"Don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me what I'm up against?" he asked the man as he watched the demon force its corpse host back to its feet.

"Its name is Eyghon! A demon from another realm!" the man babbled, willing to say anything so long as it kept him safe. "It can only exist in our reality through a host body! It doesn't need to be alive or dead, though the former lasts longer than the latter since the demon's presence will rot its host from within over time."

"Well, that makes this easy enough," he said as he reached out with both hands and seized the wobbling corpse telekinetically.

Taking it off the ground, he then channeled all the power he could into literally tearing the corpse the demon was in into as many small pieces as possible. It wasn't as hard as he'd thought it would be, most likely due to the advanced state of decay, but, based on the information the man had provided, the demon should be back in its own realm. There were no bodies around that he could see and any bodies that might've been buried on Sunnydale High grounds would be useless since most, if not all of them, would be little more than skin and bones. Since Buffy had come to Sunnydale and the Scoobies were formed, the number of fatalities on school property had dropped, so it was unlikely that Eyghon would have anything convenient to jump into.

When the various dismembered pieces transformed into piles of luminescent green goo, he took that to mean that the demon had departed hopefully for good.

Still, best not to assume anything, he thought as he turned to the older man, who looked to be calming down somewhat. Better get this guy to Giles.

"Knowing my luck, though, we just bought ourselves some time," he said, walking towards the man. "I'm assuming since you're British that you're here for Giles?"

"You know Rupert?" the man asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"For the last year and a half and before you ask I know about the things that go bump in the night," he said as he reached out, telekinetically turning the door handle from the other side to open the door.

"I assumed as much given your familiarity with sorcery," the man said as the two of them entered the school. "You are rather adept for your age."

"I've caught a few lucky breaks," he said, navigating the hallways almost without thinking about it.

A few minutes later they arrived at the library to find G-Man hard at work as usual. At the sound of the library doors opening, though, the Watcher turned towards the new arrivals, eyes widening as they locked on the fellow Brit.

"Phillip! My word, man! What are you doing here?" Giles asked, sounding both shocked as well as haunted by what he saw.

"He's back, Rupert! Eyghon is back!" Phillip exclaimed with a voice full of fear.

The look of fear and regret the exploded on his surrogate father's face, followed by a ghost of self-loathing, made him realize that this was more than just a bit of left over demon slaying.

This was personal.

"Well, it's in pieces… pools, actually, since it turned into glowing goo after I dismembered him telekinetically… and according to Phillip he needs either an unconscious body or a dead one to do anything," he said, forwarding what'd happened outside. "Unless there're a lot of bodies buried on school property, it's not coming back any time soon."

"Perhaps. However it need not be a human body to act as a host, they are simply the most useful," Giles explained, sounding a little distracted and unguarded. "If its human form is no more than it'll seek out anything ranging from a rat scurrying through tunnels to even insects. It will then look for as long and as far as he has to in order to find a more suitable host and then come for me and Phillip once more."

"Then we've got to get the two of you someplace safe until we can figure out a way of taking it out permanently," he said, already having a possibility in mind.

"There's nowhere you can take us where it can't follow," Phillip said, sounding quite certain of that fact.

"There's one place you haven't tried yet: the Sanctum Sanctorum," he said, hoping his suspicions about the house's protections turned out to be true. "If half the things Tala's told me about it are true, as long as I don't give it permission, Eyghon won't be able to get in."

G-Man considered this for a moment but his fear made him choose quickly.

"Then let's go. The sooner we get to a safe place, the clearer my mind will be to find a solution to this problem." Giles said, showing his agreement with the plan of action.

"Then let's hope that I've got the knack for this," he said as he pulled out an item that Tala insisted that he have on him at all times in case the cloak of levitation proved inadequate.

At first glance it looked like half a pair of brass knuckles with an inscribed metal plate attached to the front where it'd impact flesh if the wearer threw a punch. However the official name for it was 'Sling Ring' and it was a means by which a sorcerer could travel great distances and it did not take any of the wielder's own magic in order to be used.

True, until now he'd never tried to open a portal to someplace he couldn't see with his own eyes but thus far in practice he'd been able to consistently generate them.

Putting the item on his dominant hand, he directed it to where he wanted the portal to appear before waving the other hand in a circle while envisioning the street in front of the Sanctum Sanctorum. While he'd considered opening one inside the house, he wasn't sure if that'd even work, much less be safe. Besides once they got outside the house they'd be just a few short steps from the Sanctum's front door, so the odds that this Eyghon would be able to attack either Giles or Phillip would be small.

He ignored the gasps that came from Phillip and G-Man, focusing entirely on the destination point, the circular motions of his hand and utilizing the energy of the Sling Ring. Watching as a trail of golden sparks manifested from nowhere, moving in perfect synch with his moving hand, it didn't take long for the trail to becoming like a snake eating its own tail. A few seconds after this the air within the circle shimmered and changed to become not the interior of the library but the open air outside of the Sanctum.

"Step through. The portal will only last thirty seconds or so without the hand motions to keep it stable," he said as he strode towards the stable portal.

With only a light tremor of uneasiness he stepped through, going from the library to the front door of the Sanctum Sanctorum before he stepped aside to allow the two Brits to follow him. Looking at their faces, he could see their unease was much higher than his own but their long friendship proved enough for Giles to take a leap of faith. As for Phillip, apparently he considered Giles enough of a friend to follow and before long both older men were through, just seconds before the portal collapsed into nothingness.

"Remarkable talisman. It can take you anywhere?" Giles asked as they advanced towards the front door of the Sanctum.

"Anywhere I can clearly envision in my mind," he replied as the door to the Sanctum opened to admit him. "The stronger the image, the more likely a connection will be formed."

Stepping across the threshold of the Sanctum, he wasn't surprised to see Tala waiting for him since she'd proven strong enough to sense the forming of the Sling Ring's portal.

"Forget something, Alexander?" Tala asked with concern and suspicion.

"No. We've got a problem of the possessing demon kind and I've got two targets in need of sanctuary," he replied with the seriousness that the situation required. "Until we find a way to vanquish the demon for good, they're staying here."

For a moment it looked like Tala was going to reprimand him for making such a decision without consulting her first but she just sighed in defeat.

"And what is the name of this demon?" Tala asked, turning to lead the group deeper into house.

"Eyghon," he replied, hoping that the many books inside the Sanctum Sanctorum would hold the key to vanquishing the threat to one he'd come to consider family.

The Next Morning, The Sanctum Sanctorum, Giles' POV

Never before have I been so glad that I chose to keep something to myself, he thought as he continued to read through a book specializing in possession demons.

Initially it'd only been out of friendship with Xander and his status as the house's caretaker that'd caused him to keep the building's existence a secret from the Council. The young man might've been brash, reckless and immature but Xander had also shown courage beyond his years as well as a loyalty few could boast. Not everyone could stand fast when confronted with the darker aspects of the world, and even those who did so in the beginning frequently changed their minds once the level of danger reached a certain point.

Xander had yet to find his tipping point.

Now, though, after being exposed to mere hours worth of what the house contained, he now knew that he must do all he could to ensure that none of it ever fell into the wrong hands. Any one book likely contained secrets that few outside of the mystic community's elite knew and perhaps even some information that not even they knew. In the right hands he imagined that this knowledge could do tremendous good, allowing the light to gain some major ground in the fight against the darkness. However in the wrong hands, in evil hands, the number of lives that could be lost or made to suffer was too terrible for even him to contemplate. While he did not believe Travers and his supporters to be evil per se, he did believe that the leader of the traditionalists would wish to employ the Sanctum's contents in official Council operations. However this would attract the wrong attention from people and factions interested in finding out where their longtime enemy had suddenly acquired the extra mystical muscle.

Far from fools, the dark forces would fight the battle on two fronts, seeking to trace the new magic back to its source while attempting to acquire a sample to analyze on their own. Sooner or later they'd learn enough to go from simply gathering information to aggressively attempting to take it all for their own. He did not doubt Xander's potential, he'd seen far too much to do that, but he did believe that it would take more time than would be possible if Travers had his way with the items in this house.

For the greatest good to be gained from both Xander's magical potential and the contents of this house, both had to remain a secret until they could metaphorically stand on their own two feet.

"This house is a wonder, Rupert!" Phillip declared, laying back in his chair and taking a break from his reading. "You can almost feel the magic surrounding us."

"That is most likely because it is made of magic, Phillip," he said as he looked up from his own book. "Prior to this past Halloween this house did not exist. While I do not know the particulars of its creation, I would wager that much of the energy responsible was provided by Janus himself."

"The Roman god? Interesting. Part of a grander scheme perhaps?" Phillip proposed as he considered the information.

"Unlikely. While Ethan might have been mistaken in calling Janus a god of chaos, the Roman's other domains indicate a more hands off position once he's completed his initial goal," he replied after a moment of thought.

"Perhaps," Phillip conceded before looking back at the book he'd been reading. "Any luck finding a way out of our predicament?"

"Nothing thus far, though I am now much more informed on such beings than I was yesterday," he replied with a sigh as he looked at the words written on the page. "We were such damn fools, Phillip! Dabbling in matters we barely had the loosest grasp of in search of something as transitory as pleasure!"

"We were young then, Rupert, and the young often make mistakes," Phillip said in a comforting tone. "We learned from out mistake and became the wiser for it, though I truly wish that such wisdom had not come at such a high price."

"Indeed. On the bright side, though, we've been here for hours and have not heard even a thump on the door, never mind indications of an intruder," he said as he tried to brighten the mood a bit. "I would say that Xander's suggestion to seek sanctuary here was a good one."

"I quite agree. Short of finding someone either of us knows and using them as a Trojan horse, I would say we are safe so long as we do not step outside." Phillip said as he turned a page in his book.

"I am merely thankful that this chose to happen on a weekend and that I have not used up all my sick days. So long as Principal Snyder does not choose to share his misery with me through an abuse of power, I believe we should have time enough to resolve the dilemma we currently face," he said with measured optimism in his voice.

"Sorry to rain on your parade, Mister Giles, but it looks like you might be back to work sooner than anticipated," Tala said as she returned with a scroll in hand.

"You found something?" he asked, letting a measured bit of hope enter his heart.

"Indeed. While we currently do not possess the means the kill Eyghon, I believe with information on this scroll we may succeed barring it from this dimension." Tala cleared a portion of the table before unrolling the scroll she'd brought with her.

Looking at the contents of the scroll, he found himself confronted with a language he had not worked with since his days at the Watcher Academy. Still, he was able to make out much of it and it did indeed read like a banishment spell that could be secured to a specific entity. His only concern was that the complexity might well be a bit too much for him to pull off without assistance. Then, of course, there was the matter of the components required to properly marshal the energy needed to banish Eyghon from the mortal realm.

"And you are confident that we can perform this ritual?" he asked, hoping that some of his concerns could be allayed.

"Yes. We already have the necessary ingredients and the required practitioners," Tala replied with confidence in her words. "The risk comes with getting whoever or whatever Eyghon possesses into the target area so it will be affected by the ritual. Neither of you will be able to get close and most of my time will be spent setting up the ritual."

"Then who will lure Eyghon in?" he asked, confused as to how the last role would be filled.

"Xander will be the one to draw Eyghon into our web," Tala replied with a firm decisiveness.

Instinctively he rebelled against the idea of putting the young man anywhere near Eyghon but, upon reviewing of the known facts, conceded that so long as Xander kept his distance he would be safe.

Presuming, of course, that Eyghon had no hidden tricks up his nefarious sleeve.

While there were many books explaining how to call upon the demon and others that described the creature's characteristics, none of them could be said to truly contain all there was to know. If Eyghon possessed some manner of ability or power not previously known to mankind, something it'd been unwilling to show before, then there was no way of knowing whether or not Xander would be able to handle it. These thoughts only caused him anxiety and concern as possible negative scenarios swam about inside his mind circling his consciousness.

Enough! Fearing what is unknown aids no one, he thought, firmly chastising himself. Fear is the weapon of the enemy. Do NOT give it to Eyghon.

"So long as there's a contingency plan for Xander to escape should any …unpleasant surprises… occur, I do not object to this plan," he said, showing where he stood on the entire idea.

"Don't worry. I am not about to risk the life of my student unnecessarily," Tala said with a confident smile. "I've already briefed him on a plan and he is currently applying a series of wards and protective accessories that should keep Eyghon at bay should the demon get too close."

"He created these wards himself?" he asked, a bit surprised that wards created by a novice would be effective against Eyghon.

"No, I did. Given his insistence on protecting the innocent, I decided to take certain precautions, one of which was to create several stored spells and wards," Tala replied, implying that she found protecting the innocent to be a waste of time. "They need only be spoken or the corresponding symbol touched to be activated. The only drawback is that they're not as powerful as they would be if Alexander cast them on the spot himself. Hopefully that won't be a problem."

"Quite," he said as he finished looking over the scroll. "According to this the ritual needs to be performed at precisely midnight to achieve maximum effectiveness."

"Then I suggest that you and Phillip take the time to properly prepare yourselves," Tala said as she began walking away. "You're going to need every bit of strength you can muster."

To finally atone for his sin and to be free of Eyghon, he would ensure that his performance tonight would impress even his father.

It crept and it crawled.

It searched and sought.

It had encountered unforeseen resistance in its effort to kill and possess the one known as Phillip but it would win in the end. It had found the body of a sleeping beast after its last host had perished but it had not resumed the hunt immediately. The unforeseen obstacle, a sorcerer of some sort, had to be taken into consideration in order to ensure that his next assault did not end in failure like the previous one had. Demons would not work since their protections against possession were stronger than he could penetrate at the moment.

Instead he travelled to a place where he could sense many vulnerable humans.

It proved bothersome that it was forced to avoid the humans lumbering about but it knew that it would be less bothersome than what would happen if they became aware of it.

Little by little it explored, using what senses were available to it in order to evaluate each potential host. He looked not just for the strength of body but also for something extra that could aid it in overcome the sorcerer. It knew all too well that Hellmouths tended to attract the unusual and the powerful so its hopes were high.

Time was only loosely comprehended but eventually it found what it sought.

Indeed the host was almost perfect, with its mind almost completely withdrawn in on itself as well as possessing power that the host only barely was tapping into. Once it succeeded in taking the host it would add its power to what it already possessed, allowing it to possess might enough to overcome the sorcerer.

Once that was done taking the souls of Rupert, Ethan and Phillip would be simplicity itself.

Crawling into the room at large it approached its future host, using whatever means was available to get as close as possible. With its current host so small and rapidly decaying under the weight of its power, it could not reach very far outside of it.

Upon being ready it acted and it almost missed the pathetic wail a host often gave out once it caught a glimmer of its fate.

Almost.

Less Than An Hour To Midnight, The Skies Above Sunnydale, Xander's POV

C'mon, Eye-guy! Where are you? he thought as he flew over Sunnydale to find the latest host body that the demon had chosen to squat in.

With the Eye of Agamotto obliging his wish to enhance his vision he was sweeping the city, looking for any sign the creature. Honestly he was sort of glad to be flying because most of the day had been spent preparing the ritual components, as well as going over strategy for finally taking down Eyghon. He'd almost been worried that Willow might come looking for him, only to remember that he had yet to show her where the Sanctorum was. It wasn't that he didn't think she had a right to know where it was just in case of emergencies but rather that he wanted to build up some proficiency in sorcery before bringing her in for her own training.

He wanted to be the one to be the tutor, the one that was smart, just so he could repay her for all the times that she'd pulled his ass out of the fire in class.

If everything goes good, tonight I'll bring her in, he thought as he continued to look for the signature energy that had led him to the possessed body last time.

It was as he approached the hospital that he caught his first sight of green energy floating in the air and it looked like it was going FROM the place of healing TO the northeast. Obviously Eyghon had decided to choose an ailing human as its host since the demon could likely takeover without much of a fight. However one would think that a sick person would also be less able to sustain the possession.

Whoever it decided to hijack probably won't be showing any visible signs of possession right away, he thought as he descended to the exit point of the green energy. Still, it'd be a good idea to find out whose face it's wearing.

From what he could tell, Eyghon had left the hospital through the rear entrance, implying that whatever form it'd take it'd been in a windowless room prior to possession. Without a window, sneaking out undetected was not an option so that meant slinking past hospital employees and civilians visiting loved ones without being seen.

Not impossible given the obliviousness some people had to the supernatural in Sunnydale but you'd still think someone would've spotted something odd.

"Inuisibilitas," he said, activating the canned spell to turn him invisible as he touched down just outside of the reach of the hospital lights.

Quietly slipping in behind a male nurse who'd stepped out for a smoke, he soon was in the hospital, carefully navigating his way as he followed the emerald energy back the way it'd come. The spell concealing him from sight was limited to just that sense so, in order to remain unheard, he needed to be careful not to rustle his cape or step too loudly as he proceeded.

Just like he'd thought the trail looked to have come from the wing of the hospital where you'd find patients in need of long term care rather than having something that could be fixed up in a month at most. A minute later he turned a corner and spied the barely visible green energy coming from a door, confirming that he'd at last reached the room that once had been occupied by Eyghon's unlucky host body. He was about to approach the door when he heard the sound of two sets of feet getting closer and decided to wait until the duo had passed by before opening the door. Even if the citizens of Sunnydale were oblivious to a lot, they'd notice a door opening and closing without any visible cause and probably investigate.

A complication he DIDN'T need at the moment.

"Has there been any progress, Doctor Kelley?" a familiar voice asked, causing him to freeze with recognition.

"We are doing all we can, Missus Summers," Doctor Kelley replied with a kind tone that felt right for a doctor. "Most of her physical wounds are well on the way to fully healing but the brain and her mind… there is still so much we just don't know about both. Nevertheless, I've been catching up on the latest medical journals focusing on head injuries and comas to see if there is anything we haven't tried yet. If worse comes to worse, I would like your permission to contact a few specialists I know to see if there's anything they can contribute."

"Of course, Doctor Kelley. Anything to get my little girl back," Missus S said, throwing her full support behind anything that might wake Buffy up.

And he was right there with her on that point.

If there was someone Doctor Kelley could contact who could help, he was all for it. Ever since the first night he'd been told of Buffy's condition he'd tried visiting but, when that'd become too emotionally trying, he'd chosen to focus on his mystical studies. It'd been his hope that something in the Sanctum Sanctorum might aid in her recovery but he'd soon found out that independent reading wasn't as helpful as he'd thought it'd be. He'd gone to Tala about it in case she could do something but she'd told him that healing magic was a great deal more complicated than most fictional sources made it out to be. As for the possibility of a potion doing the trick, his teacher did concede that arcane medicines did exist but that they usually either counteracted supernatural afflictions or enhanced a person's own natural recuperative powers. When added to the existence of Buffy's Slayerness, Tala didn't want to risk mixing biological factors unless they had no other choice.

He figured he'd wait ten months before telling her that they didn't have any other choice.

Listening to them talk, he watched them advance down the hallway and decided that once they were two or three feet past him he'd go to the room Eyghon had been in. A quick look at the chart inside would at least let him know if he should be looking for a man or a woman, as well as how old the person was physically speaking.

"I just hope that I can afford to pay for the help she needs," Missus S said with some concern. "Business at the Gallery is going well but, depending on just how much the treatments cost-"

He hadn't considered that.

Every time that Tony had knocked him about hard enough to need a trip to the hospital, he'd just been taken there, treated and then released with no one expecting him to pay the bill. Tony grumbled enough afterwards about the cost of the trip and made him work himself almost to exhaustion as compensation. With Buffy in a coma, it was a foregone conclusion that her stay would be long indeed and that that stay would require regular payments to maintain. Without knowing just how much money Missus S made per month, he had no idea how close to the red paying for Buffy's hospital stay would put her but he prayed it wouldn't be too bad.

"Now don't you worry! The new Mayor Alan Finch has been making grand gestures ever since he was formally sworn into office," Doctor Kelley said, placing a comforting hand on Joyce's shoulder. "When he heard of your daughter's condition, he promised to fully fund her recovery. He even spoke with the hospital director about setting aside this room just for her."

This room? What?

The last time he'd visited, Buffy he might not've paid close attention to which section of the hospital her room had been located in but he was fairly certain it wasn't in this wing. A bad feeling began to creep into his heart and he prayed that he was just imagining things.

The wrong sort of deity must've been listening because, like a scene out of a nightmare, both Doctor Kelley and Joyce Summers came to a stop right outside the door that the green energy trail had led him to. His defiance wanted to believe that the person Eyghon had taken as a host as a hospital employee or perhaps a patient that'd been put in the same room temporarily. Still as stone he waited to hear some manner of confirmation of his personal theory so that he could get rid of the terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"AAAHHHH!" Joyce screamed in a mix of shock and worry.

"This is Doctor Kelley! We have a missing patient in the long term treatment wing!" came the doctor's voice from the speakers mounted on the hallway walls. "Patient's name is Buffy Summers: a short teenage girl with shoulder length blonde hair! Patient was comatose at last condition check two hours ago! All available hospital employees are to begin searching the building IMMEDIATELY!"

"No!" he exclaimed before whirling around and running back the way he came so he could get outside.

A terrible scenario he had not even contemplated had occurred and now his job of getting Eyghon's host to the ritual site was that much more complicated. As an ordinary human host he at most had to worry about would be twice the level of physical prowess but now with a possessed Slayer… the rules had changed.

The moment he got outside he took to the sky and established a lock on the green airborne energy, willing the cloak of levitation to carry him as swiftly as possible after the source. There was no telling what Eyghon would make Buffy do or how quickly the possession demon would home in on Phillip and Giles. Before this disaster of a development, he'd been fully prepared to use some of the more damaging spells Tala had given him since he believed there was no hope for Eyghon's host. Now that he knew it was Buffy… he wasn't so certain.

Could the fact that Buffy was the Slayer give her a chance at survival that normal humans wouldn't? Could they somehow pull Eyghon out of his blonde friend?

"Mens-loquatur," he said, activating the communications spell Tala had given him.

It only took a moment for him to feel the connection form.

Yes, Alexander. What is it? Tala thought in inquiry.

We've got a problem. I found out who Eyghon decided to take as its new host, he thought back his mind filled with concern. It's Buffy.

Silence followed for a few seconds, not that he blamed her considering how much more difficult their plan had just become.

Do you think you can still get her to the ritual site? she thought at him with limited optimism.

Oh, I'll get her there, he thought with loyal determination. What condition we'll both be in when I get her there is a little more iffy.

Do what you can but be careful, she thought with the authority of an instructor. If the ritual is to succeed we need you well enough to do your part.

Copy that, he thought to her before he shut down the communication spell.

Thank God he had the easy job!

A Bland and Unremarkable House Five Minutes From Sunnydale High School

Sam Zabuto's POV

"You are certain?" he asked into phone.

"Quite sure. I've already scrubbed the security footage of her leaving and replaced it with a recording of the same time last week," the Council source on the other end replied. "Slayer Summers had definitely become possessed by some manner of being and it looks as though it is in complete control."

This was worrisome.

The Council source had been keeping him apprised of the health of Slayer Young's predecessor on a regular basis and, while not completely hopeless, it was not encouraging. The combination of the loss of blood with the head injury sustained before her Slayer powers could fully reassert themselves had resulted a condition that normally would not be an issue. Chairman Travers had voiced the opinion that, on tactical reasons if nothing else, they should arrange for Slayer Summers to be injected with a lethal but untraceable compound immediately. His reasoning was that having a Slayer in such a vulnerable condition in such a demon infested town opened up the possibility of the young woman being abducted. If demonkind were given the opportunity to study the physiology of a Slayer more closely, it was not unfeasible that they might develop an effective countermeasure. In the past no Slayer had ever landed intact into demonic hands, whether that was due to precautions by the Council or because the confrontation that killed her rarely left a viable corpse.

The moderates, however opposed this course of action, citing that with the recuperative abilities of the Slayer, Buffy Summers could awaken at any time. They also pointed out that intelligence reports regarding Sunnydale suggested that an unknown major player had somehow been removed from the Hellmouth's power structure. As a result the various factions that had once rested comfortably in their roles were now jockeying for a stronger position in the pecking order. The moderates believed that this civil war that was brewing would be enough to keep the major players occupied for months at the very least. With Slayer Young adding to the commotion, it was tactically feasible to give Slayer Summers more time to recover from her coma.

In this case the moderates won and the motion was carried to wait until the demonic community finished setting up their new pecking order before deciding on what to do with Slayer Summers.

This latest development changed matters.

"Were there any defining features? Any signs of what might be possessing her?" he asked, hoping to narrow down possible culprits in order to decide on what to do next.

"Glowing green eyes and, while it was hard to tell for certain, I believe her ears might've become somewhat point at the tips," the Council source replied. "Not larger than normal human ears bit still pointed."

Hmmm. This does not indicate anything too powerful. At least not for the time being, he thought as he considered the information. Fledgling vampires do not distort the physical form of their host body very much at first but, given enough time, it can become much worse.

Thus he was faced with the possibility of a weak demonic force controlling the body of a Slayer or a demonic force that would only grow stronger with time, further altering Miss Summers' form to suit its desires.

"Thank you for the information. I will ensure that the necessary compensation is deposited into your bank account," he said, deciding that nothing more needed to be spoken of. "Goodbye."

Hanging up, he pondered how best to handle the situation.

Without knowing the name and agenda of the demonic force controlling Slayer Summers, it was impossible to ascertain its motives or what it planned on doing next. It could be on its own and that would make it difficult to locate, especially if it chose to remain low profile and not take full advantage of a Slayer's body. If it worked for a faction, however, they would likely it would likely be months before they used Slayer Summers' powers to achieve dominance over the others.

An even worse scenario, however, would be if the demonic force or faction chose to use a live and intact Slayer body as a bargaining chip for a deal with one of the national demonic factions.

If Wolfram and Hart got ahold of Slayer Summers' body… it could potentially become a turning point in the war against the darkness, the tide turning against the light.

The risk is too great, he thought with the grimness that came with making a difficult decision.

Reaching out with his right hand, he picked up a bell he'd brought with him from Jamaica and rang it three times. A few minutes later Slayer Young entered the room with the composure of the weapon he'd trained her to be from an early age. The moderates considered his methods harsh and overly restrictive. They, however, failed to grasp that this was a war they were fighting and it was against a foe that would use any means necessary to win that war. In order to grant them as few openings as possible, the Chosen Champion needed to keep the weaknesses that came with being human at arm's length, if not further. No friends or family to be used as leverage, if not Trojan Horses. No vices or interests that could be used as manipulation tools by the enemy. No romantic entanglements that might cause a Slayer to hesitate at a crucial moment.

In this war, the Slayer and the Watcher's Council needed to win every single time.

The enemy only needed to win once to unleash hell on Earth.

"You have a mission tonight. A demonic entity has possessed your predecessor Slayer Summers' body and taken it from the hospital. We do not yet know its intentions," he explained like a commanding officer should. "Nevertheless I have decided that we cannot take the risk of the power Miss Summers' body possesses being used against us in some fashion. You are to hunt her down and destroy the body completely."

Opening the top drawer of his desk, he withdrew a vial containing a crimson liquid that almost looked to be on fire somehow.

"This vial contains liquid dragon's breath. Pour it over the remains. Leave nothing to be analyzed," he ordered as he passed the vial to Slayer.

"Understood," Slayer Young said as she took the vial.

With that the pupil left to complete her mission and he was left with a task of his own.

It will not take Mister Giles long to learn that his Slayer has been possessed and is no longer at the hospital, he thought as he rose from his chair. He will almost certainly attempt to find her and free her from her possession. Given Chairman Travers' warning that Watcher Giles might be needlessly attached to his Slayer, there is a chance he might irrationally obstruct Slayer Young.

Better to nip that problem in the bud before it had a chance to grow into anything more.

Heading for the door, he decided he would go to his fellow Watcher and attempt to distract the man under the pretense of engaging in idle gossip about the current goings on in the Council. He personally didn't like gossip but that didn't mean he didn't overhear some from time to time. Pretending to indulge in such things would put his comrade at ease and, so long as he made sure to sever the phone line, the man should remain wonderfully oblivious. Oh, he'd find out the next day once word got around town about a missing patient at the hospital, but by then the mission would be completed.

Keeping you from seeing your Slayer's fate is the only kindness I can give you, Rupert, he thought as he walked towards the door. While the mission of the Council insists that we remain detached from our charges, that does not mean we are completely heartless.

He sent a silent prayer to the heavens that whatever posting Rupert Giles received next would be a good match to his talents while not being as trying on his heart.