Summary: A few years after graduating, Xander returns to the Hellmouth. Only things don't seem to be right, as his friends soon find out. PG13 for mild language and violence.

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine, although there might be a couple of minor OCs that are mine. Xander, Buffy, Willow and anyone else from the series are NOT mine, they belong to Joss.

AN- This story was originally intended to be a darkfic, and focusses on an idea that I had at three o'clock in the morning two years ago. A 'What if?' scenario which shows a darker side of Xander unlike what is shown on the show. On an extra note, I have trouble writing Xander, usually whenever I write him he is really, really, really OOC, so this is kind of a test for me as previously I have left him mostly out of a story. Please review if you are reading, I love hearing from people. (Edited on 25/1/07)

Soldier

Chapter One

Somehow, it was good to be back.

Xander Harris couldn't help but smile as he drove into Sunnydale in the jet-black Toyota he'd acquired on the road. But when he glanced in the mirror, he decided thefull smiledidn't look right on his recently unshaven, slightly scarred face. Instead, he settled for a slight smile instead.

The town was mostly the same as it had been when he'd left, over three years ago. Some things, he thought, would never change. He cruised past several familiar haunts; the mansion, where Buffy had hid Angel for those few months so long ago; the Bronze, quiet in the early hours of the morning, most of the patrons either lying dead in the alleys behind the club or safe at home, wrapped tight in their covers; the high school, nothing but a complete wreck that no one had bothered to clean up, and eventually he found himself in territory he probably knew off the back of his hand, despite how long he'd been gone.

Giles' old apartment, he briefly considered knocking, but as it was four in the morning, he doubted the Watcher would actually want to hear from him, no matter how long he'd been away for. So he moved on and found that Willow's home had no lights on, and most of the windows had been boarded up anyway, so he couldn't actually tell if it had lights at all.

He stopped there and wandered what had happened. Where was Willow now? Was she okay? The house looked like no one had lived there in years. He climbed out of the car to investigate, but after twenty minutes of trying to wrestle the boards off the windows and enter, he gave up andheaded back to the car, silently wandering what had happened. He looked round before climbing into the car, something didn't feel right, but then again, in this town, nothing was ever right.

So lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the teenager sneaking up along the sidewalk. Moonlight glinted off the pistol the youth held in both hands. Xander was looking the other way, out the passenger window and didn't notice the teen until he raised the weapon and cocked it.

"Get out of the car." The boy said, keeping his voice low.

Xander turned round in his seat to look at the boy. The teen was wearing t-shirts and jeans that were several sizes too big and had several chains around his neck. He seemed shifty as well, like he was waiting for something, or someone to attack or something. His eyes flicked all over the place before settling back on Xander again.

"Get out of the car." The kid repeated.

Xander resisted the temptation of rolling his eyes.

"I'll shoot!" The teen said, his voice slightly higher now. He glanced round again, nervousness seemed to come off him in waves.

"Okay, okay." Xander said, reaching for the door handle. He really did not need this shit right now. The teen stepped back slightly, and kept the gun level with Xander's head. Xander shoved the door open suddenly and grabbed the gun from the youth's hand as the door slammed against his stomach. The kid bent over in the open window and Xander flipped the gun over in his hands with the ease of someone used to handling such weapons.

The teen's eyes widened as he found himself staring down the barrel of his own gun. He gulped, raised his gaze and met the cool glare on Xander's face. His face was like stone when the teenager burst into tears, pleading with Xander not to kill him.

Xander whispered two words and pulled the trigger. "Too late."

He tugged the door away from the headless corpse and watched in disgust as it fell to the ground. He looked at the gun, contemplating for a second whether to keep it or not. It was a fine pistol, a Colt as well.

The weapon landed next to the corpse's hand a few moments later and Xander muttered under his breath as he drove off. "No one's going to take my baby away from me."

He didn't notice the vampire step out of the bush and look from the car that was swiftly disappearing into the night to the body in the middle of the road.

"Look's like there's a new player in town." He said, lighting a cigarette.

Tbc…