Xander went over the last of what was once a vast crypt but now seems rather empty. He just stuck the last brick under the box of all that's left.

Jonathan just looked down sadly at it. "Are you sure we can't take some of these things, I mean thy do look nice."

Kendra came in from dumping the last box of necklaces beads and broaches into Xander's truck. "Not one, Johnathan, we don't know which one one is de one we need to destroy."

"So we go old testament and destroy them all." Xander finished. "And hope we don't frack Sunnydale from blowing up an underground crypt."

Jonathan nodded as Kendra started another climb up the roof this time just to leave. "I still don't understand why you didn't ask Mr. Giles to find this place. He could have found it a lot quicker then I did."

"Yeah but Buffy would have wanted to give it Angel and insist it was wrong what we were doing with the rest." Xander finished starting his climb up the rope.

With the crypt empty Johnathan grabbed onto the rope as Xander and Kendra pulled him and the rope up. Once all three were back at truck Xander opened the glove box and pulled out the detonator. He pushed the button... but nothing.

Xander hit the button again and nothing. Xander looked at it. Stupid fate he can't check the explosive because this would give Jasmine a prime opportunity to kill him. Xander kept hitting the button until the explosive finally went off with a blast that knocked Xander off his feet.

Jonathan opened the door. "Oh by the way with all the lead down there the trigger might have a delay."

"Yeah, noticed that." Xander replied as he picked himself up.

Buffy walked into school ready for another day in the minefield. She made it to the top step when an arm reached out and grabbed her pulling her into the building. "Help me!"

Buffy wasted little time breaking free form her attacker and throwing him outside for man handling her to even more curious results. As the attacker crawled back into the building nearly boiling from the sunlight.

"What part of help me did you not understand?" Her attacker asked.

Buffy pulled out her hidden stake from her school bag. "The part where I help you." Buffy looked at the vampire confused. "What are you doing here Spike?"

"You broke it... you broke what did you... what happened to me?" The vampire asked with a far off glazed look in his eyes.

Buffy looked at Spike and for the first time really looked at him. He's in a gray T shirt. He reeks from various stenches, it also looks like he hasn't eaten for weeks... come on Summers he's tried to kill you multiple times over.

Spike looked at her and just smiled seeing the stake and rushed the attack.

"How the hell did we oversleep Xander?" A whiny voice asked.

Xander ran up the steps followed by Johnathan.. Of course he'd oversleep leveling a crypt the night before. "Hazard of the job." Johnathan went to speak up again but Xander cut him off. "And don't worry about Kendra, she was raised as a child soldier she likely woke up no different then usual."

Jonathan simply nodded. as they came into the school. Jonathan stopped and caught his breath. "Now look at that. With five minutes to spare."

Xander nodded as the two walked for the steps until Johnathan heard a noise from the office next door a disgusting snap sound.

"Did you hear that?" The teen asked.

Xander looked at him confused. "Hear what?"

Johnathan tilted his head showing the next room over. Xander moved along and opened the door surprised by what he saw as he put his hand to his mouth. Johnathan came in right behind him. Xander quickly slamming the door shut.

Johnathan looked up nauseous seeing the bloated fresh corpse of Coach Marin dangling from the ceiling on a noose with a broken neck. "Shouldn't we be calling someone?"

Xander shook his head. "No!"

"Why not?" Johnathan asked. The man killed himself

Xander focused on the room seeing the window closed. "Because he'd kill everyone else first in the name of school spirit."

Xander looked around the room trying to figure out where an attacker could possibly hide in here. Johnathan looked around. Xander turned to the sound a punch and saw Johnathan knocked to the floor as the door opened Xander acted quick and slammed the door shut only to hear a pained yell as the door bounced off thin air Xander closed his arms around air and fell back dragging the attacker back into into the coach's office.

The attacker kicked the wall forcing the attacker and Xander to flip over the couch in the office as the attacker lands first and Xander's hands collide with something soft as a feminine moan was heard.

Xander instantly pulled back his hands. "Boobs!"

The woman growled and hit him in the head with what might have been a fist or an elbow knocking him off. "Why didn't you die in the basement!"

Xander's eyes rose in a bit of terror. "Marcie!" Xander quickly kicked her in either the front or the back of the leg knocking her back down. He turned to Johnathan. "Get out of here! Go!"

Johnathan quickly opened and closed the door as Xander ran up and locked it.

Xander looked around the room frantically. He really should have trained for more then just a fight. "Why did you come back?"

"Sent here, to steal some sort of Russian chemical compound this Walsh chick thinks she can turn the navy into quite the effective army." Marcie replied.

Xander looked at nothing and replied. "That crap turns people into fish monsters when exposed to enough of it."

"Well then this has been nothing but a sad waste." Marcie replied.

Xander groaned, he wanted to do something right once, he should have just let the swim team eat the coach. "Last time I call the cops in for any of this."

Xander could only reel and fall back from what was likely a kick to the gut. Xander thought fast. "Now a punch." Xander acted quick and wrenched the arm into a wrist lock only to be pelted in the face by an elbow. "Wrong arm!"

Johnathan ran down the halls as quick as he could without having a panic attack. The library is on the other side of the school. If Buffy and Kendra are there. There is a very good chance Xander will be dead by the time he gets there and back. He has to do something different and fast but damn if he knows.

Xander coughed a bit of blood from Marcie's latest punch. Blocks one gets punched twice. "I thought invisible people were supposed to stay out of sight."

"Coach heard my foot from a squeaky board. Figured you'd be more upset honestly." Marcie replied curious. Xander seems apathetic about the coach's fate even by Sunnydale Standards.

"He had it coming." Xander replied nonchalantly. "What happened to you? Last time I saw you Buffy knocked you on your ass."

Marcie growled a bit. "Yeah, you left me in the hands of two unknown assholes just to be rid of me. Not caring what they might even want me for. Thanks for that!" She kicked him in the gut knocking him to his hands and knees.

Xander frowned in rapidly growing recognition as he got up... "They drafted you."

"More or less, I spent the last year being turned into a weapon killing who they want with only one rule. Don't get caught. Or exposed. But on the bright side I learned how to take care of myself and I will leave a body behind if I get killed. I know because they blew a guys brains out right in front of us and forced us to watch as his body reformed." Marcie answered.

Xander frowned. "I'm sorry... I-I didn't know."

Xander looked around trying to find his opponent only to feel a kick to his liver followed by a punch to his face knocking the teen down and bloodying his nose.

Johnathan ran right to the blond girl he was looking for and to the girl's surprise he snatched the jacket out of her hands and kept running.

"HEY!"

Xander got to his hands and knees only to be kicked in the side and bonelessly collapse to the floor.

Marcie looked at him in secret grabbing a pencil from the coach's supplies. Student exposes coach's secret. Coach murders student then suicide. Not much of a stretch in this pace. "If it means anything I'm sorry." And then it happened.

Xander looked up as water started raining down the office covering him from toe to toe. And more importantly hitting Marcie from head to toe giving him a very visible target as she looks in confusion.

Xander quickly got to his feet and took a fighting stance. Marcie ran to strike but Xander simply grabbed her arm and flipped her to the floor making her drop the pencil. Marcie rolled out of the way barely missing the punch.

Marcie quickly got to her feet with Xander. "When did wimpy Xander Harris become a bad ass?"

Xander stood looking at the water please keep flowing. "You've missed somethings."

Xander sidestepped Marcie's punch and went for one of his own only for the invisible girl to leap onto the coach's couch and jumped off it with a superman punch as Xander ducked under the punch and let her fall down and throw her to the floor so hard you could hear it across the hall hurting her as she slowly got up.

Xander held his side until he saw Marcie coming back and quickly went to a guard. Kicking back her low kick and using his arms to block her kicks aimed at his sides. Xander dodged the last kick feeling it in his left arm and punched Marcie in the side she left widely exposed with his right.

Xander looked at her holding her side and quickly locked one arm in front of her neck and the other on the back of her head putting her in a choke hold.

Buffy looked around the soaked library covered in water from head to toe. "Alright, as fun as that was what was that all about?"

Giles gave an innocent shrug. "I have no clue."

The two turned to their main suspect seeing Spike chained up in a chair.

Spike glared at the two. "Oh please, setting off the sprinkler isn't even evil it's just childish."

Kendra looked to Buffy. "Why can't you we use de stake again?"

Buffy looked at her. "I'm thinking of it."

The watcher and the two slayers opened the door revealing Johnathan with a red cheek and Xander carrying a shower curtain. Buffy looked at the scene. She's seen weirder things. "What's that?"

"Who." Xander answered. "And Marcie Ross."

Buffy's eyes widened. "I thought she was getting help."

Xander shook his heads. "No, we're idiots, not excusing what she's done but we're idiots."

Buffy looked at him confused as Giles opened the office for him and Xander put Marcie down on the couch. "What did we do?"

Xander rose back up. "We just gave her to two complete strangers. Whom proceeded to take an already damaged 15 year old girl, and then change her into a killer. But we didn't care because hey she's out of our hair. Hell we just ignored her all over again."

Buffy frowned hearing Xander almost tear himself apart in guilt. "We couldn't have known Xander. Not anything like this we thought she was getting help."

"We thought who was getting help?" Willow asked coming into the room with Oz and Cordelia.

Buffy looked at Willow and Oz for these two it won't mean nothing. Xander however is a soon to be very dead man. "Umm, that would be Marcie Ross."

Cordy looked at the group like they've each grown a new head. "We are not helping her."

Xander frowned. "Cordy..."

Xander watched as the cheerleader turned around a huff, not that he can blame her. Xander looks at it for the first time. He'll ask why Spike is here in a minute.

Xander ran outside. "Cordelia will you slow down."

"No!" The cheerleader said not slowing down.

"Can you at least turn around and talk to me?" Xander asked.

Cordelia turned around fuming. "Why, you're helping a girl who tried to turn me into scarface!"

"It's not like that! You don't understand!" Xander countered.

Cordelia hit him in the chest. "I understand fine, it's you that don't because you don't know anything!"

Xander looked down. "I know..."

"No, you don't know anything!" Cordelia shouted. "You don't know what it's like to be held hostage by a human being! You don't know what it's like to not be able to feel your own face because that crazy bitch shoved a needle into it! You don't know the horror of having your face cut open and barely realizing it. So let them come back and just let them take her back and as far away from here as possible."

Xander shook his head. "No, Cordy, I know she hurt you. And I never expect you to say one kind word to her, I'd be more surprised if you did. But if we give her back to them. They'll just keep using her as they have been. They'll kill her if she gets caught because good luck proving if there ever was a body when she just disappeared a year ago or continue to reprogram her into something else that will make what she did to you look like Child's Play. I wouldn't wish what she went through on my worst enemy I'm not giving her back."

Cordelia looked at him coldly and took a couple steps. She went to talk to him but just shook her head. What would be the point anymore? So she just kept walking.

Xander watched her go before heading back to the library. Xander looked back but there is nothing he can say right now that can make this crap storm alright.

Xander walked back into the library he sees Spike still chained to the chair and more importantly a redhead with a pixie haircut. "Who's the new girl?"

The redhead looked up. "My name is Morrigan, You're the one who summoned me here."

Xander's face dropped. "Ah man I messed up another spell, Mrs. McClay is going to kill me."

Morrigan smiled and shook her head. "No, an old friend asked me to collect an invisible girl."

Xander nodded blankly. "One day I'm going to have to ask Giles about all these old friends he has."

Morrigan smiled. "I assure you Ripper has quite the colorful past. Now I have to collect our friend and take her back to the coven. Hopefully we'll be able to break the hold and if not give her a glamour spell that resembles her original appearance."

Xander looked at the moving blanket but no other trace of Marcie. "Can you help her? I mean she'll be dangerous when she wakes up."

Morrigan's smile left her face knowing the ugly half of her job might come into play. "We're going to try. But if her aura is anything to go by we might need to wipe out the lass' memories of what this place did to her."

Xander never took his eyes off Marcie half afraid she'll wake up for round 2. Morrigan walked over to Marcie and just grabbed her as the two disappeared in a shimmering light. Teleporters, he turned to Giles and asked. "Coven from Ireland?"

"Devon England" Giles corrected. "Why would I be in Ireland?"

Xander nodded. "Misheard it as Dublin." He turned to the chair seeing Spike. "What the hell is he doing here?" The latest pain in his ass.

Buffy glared at him. " He asked for help... not sure with what."

Angel reached the top of the steps wanting to know why he's here. Giles called him at 7:30 in the morning. That's like 3:30 at night for him. He opened the door the the library and saw Spike tied to a chair. Angel looked at the peroxide's blond eyes and saw them glazed over half terrified half fighting for control. Angel closed his eyes and smelled the air around the vampire having 20 years in the dumps to learn this trick.

Buffy watched in disbelief as Angel freed the other vampire. "What are you doing!?"

Angel shook his head and pulled him up. "It's alright, he has his soul."

Spike looked at him. "Like hell I do!"

Xander looked away uneasy at this conversation.

Angel looked for a minute before he cracked a smile. "You got your soul back Willy!"

"I sodding did not!" Spike finished.

Angel looked at him he'll carry this moment for years to come. "Oh yeah how many people have you killed since you started acting like this?"

"Sod off!" Spike ordered. "You don't know what happened?"

"Oh I do." Angel assured him. "If I couldn't tell by looking at you. I can definitely tell by Xander desperately trying to sneak out of the room."

"YOU DICK!" The teenager shouted from the door. Buffy and Kendra looked over in surprise seeing how far he got undetected. "I was almost out of the room."

Spike growled and with a bit of speed grabbed Xander and pushed him against the wall. "Get off your butt and fix me."

Xander shook his head. "I couldn't even if I wanted to."

Spike growled and looked at Xander in cold hatred until Buffy and Kendra showed up out of the corner of each eye forcing him to let go. Spike looked at him. "Fix me!"

"I cursed you with a soul. I can't fix you." Xander finished closing the door on any argument Spike had.

Spike looked at Buffy and got a new idea. "Well how about you?"

Buffy glared at him. "What about me?"

Spike looked at her. "Come on Slayer you know there's always been an unspoken..."

Xander watched as whatever Spike was going to say next was cut off with a punch to the face by Buffy followed by one from Angel as Spike crumbled to the floor. Yeah, saw that coming. "If it means anything Spike that wouldn't have worked anyway."

Spike held his head from the floor. "Oh yeah, and what would have worked." Xander looked away. "It's a curse Droopy there has to be an escape clause other wards it's just here's a soul. Even the stupidest wanker knows that." The vampire replied as Angel and Buffy looked away Buffy turning a bit red Angel would if he could.

Xander looked at him for a moment before going to the steel weapons case. He came back his arms swarmed in bottles of holy water as he put 8 down on the table. "Here, now you have to drink all 8 of these in thirty seconds. Now given I've seen a vampire crumble with a swig, and I've killed a lot of vampires by injecting about a very tiny eyedropper's worth into their bloodstream... I'm sure you'll be fine."

Angel's face paled. All of the sudden he can understand why Xander was so carefree about him breaking the curse.

Willow sat at her seat angry at herself of course Xander would have done something like this. If he broke the curse so what. He'd be dead in two seconds anyway.

Spike looked at it and grabbed the first bottle looking at it for a moment. He quickly took the lid off and held it close to his mouth thinking about it... but just threw it to the floor. "Why would you do this to me?"

Xander looked at Angel. "We were trying to curse him. I thought of you and I guess you got hit with the first orb that we all thought just destroyed itself."

Spike looked at him. "You had no right, this, this wasn't me I shouldn't have to carry it. Not this..."

Spike pushed Xander into book cage and simply ran from the library.

Xander just watched the vampire go. "Should we go after him?"

Angel shook his head. "He has some things to figure out. Besides if he was going to kill himself he would have had a drink. I'll keep an eye out on him."

Angel left the library. Xander looked at the library clock, "Oh crap, class!"

Xander, Buffy, Kendra and Willow quickly grabbed their books and headed for their classes as fast as their legs could take them.

Giles looked at his now empty library. Well that just happened.

Xander looked at the seat in front of him. "So Snyder didn't even suspend you?"

Jonathan turned around their conversation catching Kendra's ears. "No, the girl was so surprised that it was me of all people doing it that her and all her friends said they don't know what happened. "

Xander nodded. "Well thanks for saving my life back there."

"Thank Carly Sullivan for never giving up smoking from 7th grade." Jonathan finished.

Kendra could only smile hearing that.

Xander got everyone's attention as the teacher came up and they went back to idle work. Tells you how screwed up Sunnydale High is that they're so apathetic to death that when the coach hangs himself in 'roid rage' that the school only shifts to double morning assembly schedule.

Jonathan got an A Kendra got a B Xander got a B and right behind him Amy... got a blank piece of paper that says A.

Xander looked at it as the teacher moved on. After being gutted on Valentine's day he forgot all about this. He quickly scribbled down something on a piece if paper and handed it backwards to Amy.

Xander leaned against the glass watching students come and go. He stayed there waiting. Does Amy really think he won't follow through with what he wrote? Xander turned to someone touching his shoulder. "Oh good you came."

Amy looked at him. "You threatened me by saying you'd go to Mr. Giles whom was ready to decapitate me to stop my magic last time so this seemed easier."

Xander nodded while looking at her. "So answer honestly, have you seen Rack yet?"

"Who?" Amy asked.

Xander looked at her and shook his head. "Magic 'supplier' gets witches high off their own magic and feeds off them. I'd kill him if I could find him."

Amy looked at him a little paler. "Yeah, well now I know a name to avoid. What do you want to make this go away."

Xander's tone changed. "I want you to stop abusing the magic. Before something like this happens again."

"Something like what?" Amy asked.

Xander turned around and gently tapped the glass. Amy turned around and looked over all the old trophies Sunnydale high had won.

Amy frowned seeing the old artifact that she's pretty sure her mom loved more then her.

Xander knocked the glass again and shouted. "Hey! Close your eyes or I'm melting you into a fashionable bracelet!"

Amy's eyes widened as the eyes on her mother's trophies closed causing to step back almost feeling pushed back. "What the hell was that animation spell?"

"There's an animation spell?" Xander asked.

Amy looked at the statue. "What is that?"

"That, is your mother, or at least what's left of her. Puts a whole new twist on her life ended at high school huh?" Xander asked.

Amy looked at it in awe and a bit of fright. "I always wondered what happened to her."

Xander looked at the scene. "Yeah the joys of magic huh. And she's one of the lucky ones. Some people just keep using it until they're a pile of ashes."

Amy put her hand up. "Alright, I got it. No more petty magic just meditation and good magic for the right reasons."

Xander smiled well that went a lot easier then he thought. "So, do you want me to do something about that?"

Amy shook her head looking at all that's left of her mother. "No, just leave her here. After all these are the best days of her life."

Xander and Amy leave leaving the statue to continue squirming from left to right before giving up and just resuming it's usual nothing.

At the end of the school day a quad of students from Sunnydale High walked into the Magic Shop. Amy, Willow, Tara, and Xander.

Xander shook his head but also had a bit of a smile. "And just like that my best friends is a groupie. I'm deeply concerned."

"Yeah, you've had since first grade to get her. No buyer's remorse now." Amy pointed out as her Tara and Willow laughed.

"Damn you NES." Xander joked until all four were sprayed in the face by water when they came into the room.

Tara rubbed at her face a bit not bothered like everyone else Xander wiped his face and took a sip from his hand. "Wow, wish I'd thought of that."

Lauren stayed behind the counter her nose still in the book. "You have the advantage of the invitation. You wouldn't need this. Retail however is forced to welcome all in the name of money."

"Yeah but Dawn can run her mouth at any given moment. " Xander pointed out. "Holy water humidifier, points for originality."

Lauren closed the book and looked up. "Thank you, so which girl is the one you're curious about for magic lessons."

Amy pointed over to Willow. "That one... I'm taking a break from magic for a bit. Good luck."

"Maybe you should just learn a bit more control." Xander offered.

Amy shook her her head. "I'll think about it."

Lauren nodded and went to the bookshelves and came back with what looks like a piece of coal in a gloved hand.

Xander looked at what she grabbed. "It's a rock, and a very tiny one at that."

Amy smiled and laughed. "No, it's a alkshavih stone."

Xander looked at her. "Right, how could anyone make that mistake. So, what's it do?"

Lauren threw the stone to Xander whom aptly caught it and saw it glow a little bit. "Basically the light shines under pure magic."

Xander passes the stone to Amy and he sees the stone glow much brighter then it did with him. Amy passes it off to Tara and sees about the same glow. Tara hands it off to her mother and it glows brighter then before. Her mother goes and tries to give it to Willow only for the future seer to shout. "STOP!"

Xander immediately ran out of the store and came right back in two minutes later. Five sets of sunglasses in hand after light Willow from the last episode hurt Snake's tired eyes. He gives them out to everyone before putting sunglasses on for himself as Amy, Willow, and Tara quickly followed his example.

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Xander no one can make it so that the light would ever..." Willow grabbed the stone and... "HOLY MOTHER OF!"

Xander smiled walking up to the karate school seeing Buffy there. "Hey, I thought I was getting the Dawnster today?"

"She called while I was home think she forgot you were picking her up. Thanks for recommending this for Dawn." Buffy replied knowing of her sister's crush.

Xander looked at her. Did he... yeah, after Angel... grabbed her instead of Willow... or him. Three sets of memory is going to take some getting used to. "You're welcome."

Buffy turned back to the front doors. "So is Will going to be learning magic now?"

Xander nodded. "Yeah... assuming Tara's mom can ever see again."

Buffy watched as the doors opened and all the kids ran out she can't help but notice there's 1 missing. "Where's Dawn?" Xander and Buffy walked inside and saw the teachers.

Buffy looked at them for a moment and asked. "Where's Dawn is she hurt?"

The instructor shook her his head. "No, she was doing fine. Honestly we were more concerned for you Ms. Summers."

Buffy looked at them. "Me?"

The teacher nodded. "A police officer showed up and signed her out he said he was an uncle of the family and you were attacked by a gang on PCP."

Xander nodded as his eyes widened seeing the name on the list before he quickly regained his composure. "Yeah it's a mix up we'll go get her."

Xander and Buffy quietly left the school. Once out of earshot Buffy looked to Xander with a fierce determination. "Do you know where she is?"

Xander looked at her as they ran for his truck. "The cop died on your 17th birthday. I have a pretty good idea where they are."

Xander pulled up to the shattered remains of the hotel he stayed at before the Beast showed up. They never fixed a damn thing. Now he'd be afraid to ask what would happen if Faith was around without Wes and Diana. He opened the glove box and quickly took out the lock box quickly hitting the code and getting the handgun and knife he kept locked in it for Dawn's sake.

Xander and Buffy ran over and in absolutely no time found Dawn with a metallic demon with his hand around her her neck not putting any pressure on it but they both know how quickly that can change.

Skip smiled looking at the two. "I thought we should have one last chat."

Author notes

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