"So what exactly are you thinking this is?" asked Harry sotto voce as he and Xander followed Murphy through the crime scene towards the body. "And you never actually answered the question about the Watcher's Council."

"Oh. Basically they're there to watch the Slayer and guide her after she's chosen. Back when I first got involved with them, they were a bunch of worthless assholes that sat back congratulating themselves on a job well done while girls went out and died fighting."

The wizard's jaw clenched at that and he growled, "Really."

"Yeah," spat Xander. "Just before my hometown turned into a crater, most of them got blown up when their headquarters decided to spontaneously combust."

"Convenient."

"Potential Slayers were dying around the same time too so not so much. But, anyway, up until a few years ago the Council was running good – the girls were taken care of, we had Watcher's that could handle themselves, and hunting was running smoothly. Then Buffy came back."

"Buffy?" questioned Harry.

"First Slayer I ever met," replied Xander with a small, nostalgic smile. "I'd have done anything for her back in those days. Over the years though, she changed – got cocky. Now she's turning every girl into her General Bitchiness, as I like to call it, and the whole Council's gone to hell since she doesn't listen to a damn thing any of us say." The smile turned bitter then as he finished, "Hence my leaving. Hopefully my girls though, they'll get the hell out of there."

Harry blinked and the conversation paused as Murphy had a brief conversation with one of the officers before they continued on. "Your girls?" he asked as she opened a door in the small apartment complex they were in.

"I spent a few years in Africa finding Slayer's. Trained 'em up to be the best the Council has and they're more loyal to me than anyone since I treat them like the people they damn well are. Christ."

Xander stopped in the apartment, staring at the body spread-eagled on the floor, and closed his eye. Then he turned to the side, opening his eye to look down at the pieces of paper scattered on the desk near him. Using the sleeve of his jacket, he moved a few about then cursed violently under his breath.

"What?" asked Harry. The one-eyed man shook his head in response and slowly moved to where the corpse lay, kneeling down next to it. He stared down at the girl for a long moment, specifically at the runes carved over her eyes, then rose and walked swiftly out of the room without another word.

Murphy frowned at Harry, who shrugged, then rushed out after his newly discovered cousin. He found him sagged against the outside of the building, obviously having been sick in the nearby bush judging by the way he was wiping his mouth.

"You okay?"

"No," replied Xander wearily. "I'm really not." Sighing, he looked towards the wizard and said, "She was a Slayer – there was a contact letter from the Council on her desk."

Harry frowned and asked, "What about her eyes?"

"That's where things go apocalyptic on us. Remember when I said potential Slayers were getting killed before they were all called through a spell?" Xander ran a hand wearily through his hair as Harry nodded, then saying, "They were being killed by these things called Bringers, which had their eyes sewed shut and runes carved over them."

"Just like the girl."

"Yeah, just like that."

"Which means what?" asked Murphy as she suddenly appeared, arms crossed.

Xander sighed at that and pushed himself away from the wall, looking wearily at the both of them.

"It means that the First Evil, the biggest bad of them all, isn't so defeated as we thought it was. And I have to tell the Council, which is going to be so much fun."

Murphy frowned then asked, "Can we expect any more deaths like this?"

"I don't know," replied Xander honestly. "Last time I saw them, we had a portal to Hell underneath our town. So far as I know, thereis one under Chicago but its inactive and not likely to come up any time soon. There's always only one active at a time and its in Cleveland."

"Always only one?" repeated Harry.

"So says the Council."

"I thought you didn't trust the Council."

"Point made. I'll see if I can find where it's at. Other than that…I have no idea, Sergeant Murphy."

She blinked at him and he said, "I heard someone say whilst we were coming in."

"Ah."

"Anyway, I need a phone."

"Right now?" asked Harry, looking around. "Er, we'll grab a cab back to my apartment, I guess. That okay, Murph?"

Sighing, she replied, "If that's all you both can give me, I suppose it'll have to be. And you had damn well better call me when you figure out what's going on, Harry. I want to know what's going on in my town."

"I'll call the second I know."

"You promise?"

"Yeah," replied Harry, smiling, "I promise, Murph."

"Good. You break that, I'm going to break your legs."

With a grim smile, she turned and walked back into the building, leaving Xander blinking after her. Then he looked at Harry and asked, "Er, is she serious?"

"I'm not going to not call her and find out. She has a mean punch."

"Ah, 'discretion is the better part of valour,'" quoted Xander. He then spat into the bush and grumbled, "Anyway, can we go? I don't like staying so much around the corpse of a woman."

Harry nodded and slowly they walked off together towards the road. As he managed to flag down a taxi, he asked softly, "You want to beat the shit out of whatever did that to her too, don't you?"

"Yeah. Good guess."

"Nope," replied the wizard. "Seems pretty tempting to me too."

Xander smiled at that as they got into the cab then fell silent as Harry gave his address. He leaned back into the seat and wondered just how he could convince the Council and Buffy that this was real. And just what he could do otherwise if they didn't believe him.

It took slightly longer for them to get back to the apartment that it had leaving but that was mainly from the fact that the taxi driver didn't drive as maniacally as Murphy had. Xander obliged to pay the fee as Harry went to open the door then followed him inside, immediately walking over to the phone. Mouse barked in greeting and earned a pat before he picked up the phone and started dialing as Harry settled onto the couch in a flail of long limbs with a Coke in hand.

"Hallo, Watcher's Council Headquarters, London," chirped a voice on the other end of the line.

"Luca," said Xander quickly, "I need to talk to Giles immediately. We have an apocalypse."

There was a pause then Luca whispered, "We were told not to talk to you."

"I couldn't give a flying fuck about General Buffy's orders. And what are you doing answering the phones? You're one of the best damn Slayer's I trained!"

"We are all out of the field!"

Harry leaned forward as Xander's expression went stony and asked, "Something's wrong?"

"Bitch," spat the one-eyed man in response to both people. He then pinched his nose, eye shut, then said into the phone, "Luca, just transfer me, please. This is seriously an apocalypse situation…"

"I…"

"Luca, there are Bringers here!" he snapped, practically roaring now. "You remember Bringers, I know, because I remember every damn horror story you and the other girl's told. Now transfer me to Giles!"

Luca gasped, seeming to struggle to breathe, then whispered, "Yes, sir." There was a crackle then and Xander struggled to keep his temper under control. "Damn Buffy!" he spat under his breath. "Damn, damn, damn!"

Harry frowned and started to say something when his cousin exclaimed, "Giles!" in a relieved voice. "Thank God, I…what?!"

Xander blinked a few times then snarled, "What the hell do you mean you can't help me?! Giles, it's me! What the fuck do you mean Buffy ordered you not to talk to me – you're the head of the damn Council, not her!"

"Xander, I simply can't…" began Giles but the one-eyed man snapped, "Where's Faith?"

"…what?"

"Where. Is. Faith?" repeated Xander in a growl. At no immediate answer, he hissed in a dangerous voice, "Giles, where is my girlfriend? Because, so help me, if Buffy did something to her, I don't give a shit about our friendship since she killed that years ago. And I will come back there right now, apocalypse or not, and I will hurt her."

"Faith is fine," assured Giles quickly. "She…"

"Shewhat?"

"She's in one of the holding cells.'

"One of the…" Growling, Xander snapped, "Let me talk to Willow."

"Xander."

"NOW!" roared Xander into the phone, shocking the man on the other end of the line and Harry sitting on the couch. The wizard arched an eyebrow but didn't say anything since he had no idea what was going on.

Giles sighed then said, "Very well," and the conversation ended in a buzz of wires. Then it was picked up again and Willow started babbling, "OmiGod,Xander,itsyou.Faith'slockedupandIdon'tknowwhattodoandBuffy'snothereand…"

"Buffy's not there?" repeated Xander, still the only one who could understand his Wills when she started babbling.

"Y-yes."

"Good. I've got something I want you to do for me then, Wills. Something to get Faith and my girls the hell out of there…you too if you want."

"Really?" said the witch and he smiled into the phone. "Leave my best friend behind to General Buffy?" he asked. "You know I'd never do that. Now, I know you can get Faith out, those cells are magic linked and Buffy can't block you out of them. Do that first then get the girls wherever they are – I know Luca's at the front desk phones."

"How are we going to get there?" asked Willow.

Xander grinned wickedly as he replied, "You've got the info for the Council accounts, don't you?"

"Yes…"

"Empty 'em. Drain them fucking dry and let Buffy sort it out. Buy plane tickets for all of you and get over here to Chicago quick as you can. Oh, and raid the weapon stores too – take the best. I don't really care if you actually bring them or not, just take them. Hell, leech everything you can out of the library too."

He heard the sound of a pen scratching against paper on the other side of the phone then Willow asked, "What about Dawnie?"

Xander blinked then replied, "Well of course I want my Dawnster out of there too. And she'll come, trust me. Now get to work, Wills. I'll see you all when you get here, right?"

"Right," assured Willow. "Be careful, Xander."

"You too. And if Buffy tries to stop her, tell Faith to get her gun."

He hung up over Willow's exclamation of "Faith has a gun?!" then sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. Harry leaned forward on the couch, asking, "Just what do you just do?"

Xander paused then laughed, replying, "I just pulled out the best witch, linguist, and the woman who was the last single Slayer out of the Council along with a good portion of the Slayer girls. Plus their weapons, books, and money." Laughing again, he finished, "I think I just declared war on the Watcher's Council from within!"

"So it looked," said Harry. He then asked, "So what exactly are we going to do now?"

"Well," replied the one-eyed man, "I don't know about you, cousin, but I think I need a drink."

The wizard smiled at that and set his Coke aside, saying, "I know just the place." As he rose, he frowned at Xander and asked softly, "A drink for this…or the girl?"

"Both," came the stiff reply. "More the girl though…I hate seeing them like that."

"There's something we share then. C'mon," said Harry, tugging on Xander's sleeve briefly. The man nodded then cocked his head to the side as they walked towards the door.

"Y'know," he said slowly, "I never noticed the glove before. What happened to the hand? Or are you just trying to impersonate Michael Jackson before he began to look like a pixie?"

Harry grinned over his shoulder at that, replying, "It'd be white if I were going that."

"Good point."

"And it got burned," answered the wizard as he locked the door behind them.

Xander winced in sympathy, muttering, "Nasty," before he ground to a halt outside. He blinked at the one vehicle sitting there then turned to look up at his cousin.

"You drive that?"

"Hey," said Harry, "don't diss the Beetle. It may be old and break down but it's about the only thing I can drive. Or afford."

"Seriously? Man, we are so buying you a new car."

The wizard smiled as he folded himself into the driver's seat, saying, "No thanks."

"'Kay," said Xander as he got in. As Harry coaxed the engine to life, he asked, "So why can't you drive anything else?"

"Magic screw with anything made after the second World War, pretty much."

"Bummer."

"Yeah," agreed Harry as he angled the Beetle out into the street, "doesn't help in our super technological mad world. Anyway, off we go."

Xander grinned then pulled out his wallet as the Beetle puttered away.

"Um…you wouldn't happen to be able to pay for me, would ya? Cousin? Old buddy, old pal?"

Harry groaned then chuckled, replying, "Sure. You're lucky I just got off a big case a few days ago." He then jabbed a finger at Xander as he pulled up to a red light, adding, "And you owe me dinner now."

"It's a date," said the one-eyed man with a wicked grin and Harry laughed before pressing his foot on the gas as the light turned green, puttering away towards McAnally's.

---

Note: Went back and did a few touch-ups on the previous chapters…nothing major. Mostly going through and finding where I kept accidentally typing that Xander had 'eyes' and not 'eye'. Silly me for writing two Xander fics at once, one with eyepatch and one without. I get so confused…

And this chapter has been giving me fits in figuring out how to finish it! But now it's done…time to figure out Chapter 6!

Also Faith, Willow, Dawnie, and the Slayer girls won't be appearing for maybe another chapter or two (Kennedy will probably be the only potential there from the show, but dunno yet). And there will be fights with Buffy and the rest of the Council alongside the Big Bad – which won't be the First Evil alone! Or maybe it won't even be the First at all!

//wicked grin// You never know, y'know, heheh.