Knightcurse

By Starway Man

Part II: De-Bewitched

Sunnydale, California. February, 1998

Within the halls of the Sunnydale High School, Ms. Beakman's American Literature class was coming to a close. The bell rang, and Ms. Beakman said, "Papers on my desk. Anybody tries to leave without giving me a paper, is looking at a failing grade."

As all the students got up, Willow Rosenberg confidently walked down the classroom aisle and stopped next to Amy Madison, greeting her friend. "Hey, Amy."

The 17-year-old Amy smiled. "Hey. Are you guys going to the Valentine's Day dance at the Bronze? I think it's gonna be a lot of fun."

Willow turned to look at Buffy with a huge smile on her face, as the Slayer joined them. The blonde Chosen One just looked at Willow, who was bursting to share the news about her new boyfriend Oz, and so she said, "Go ahead. You know you wanna say it."

Willow faced Amy again, grinning broadly, and replied, "My boyfriend's in the band!"

Amy smiled and laughed, glad that her friend had found someone. "Cool."

Buffy said thoughtfully, "I think you've now told everybody."

Willow corrected her at once. "Only in this hemisphere."

Amy turned to face the other blonde present. "What about you?"

The Slayer just waved off the question, not wanting to deal. "Oh, Valentine's Day is just a cheap gimmick to sell cards and chocolate."

The young witch could sense the truth behind Buffy's words, though. "Bad breakup, huh?"

Buffy was too tired to try to fake it anymore, about how she felt about losing her lover - the vampire once known as Angel. "Believe me when I say, 'uh-huh'."

As they all walked up to the teacher's desk, Buffy handed in her paper and got a curt "Thank you," from Ms. Beakman. The Slayer then headed out of the room, as Willow submitted her paper as well.

"Thank you," Ms. Beakman said again, as Willow followed Buffy out.

As Amy stood in front of the lit teacher, she felt a slight tingle of anticipation. The blonde-haired girl was about to perform her first feat of magic to get out of getting a failing grade, and didn't notice Xander Harris standing behind her ready to submit his own paper.

But as she was about to start her magic mojo, suddenly her vision wavered, and the blonde daughter of a psychopathic witch found herself in a completely white place, like in those cheesy movies about the afterlife.

Amy then saw a brunette girl, with completely black eyes float towards her. And at that point she seriously started to wig out, because the brunette looked like an older version of herself.

"Who the hell are you?" the Amy from 1998 asked nervously.

The ex-rat Amy smiled. It was not an expression of humor, but more a heartfelt grimace of pain. "I'm sure you've already guessed. I'm you. Amy Madison. From the future."

"No way!"

"Yes way. Now listen to me, I'm here to warn you-"

"Hold it," the younger Amy demanded. "Where are we? And why'd you bring me here?"

"This is the nether realm, you know that," the brunette snapped impatiently. "And like I said, I'm here to warn you about..."

"Wait," the blonde interrupted again. "Prove that you're me, first. Looks aren't everything - and if you're me, you should know that."

The future Amy frowned, having forgotten how stubborn and impatient she could be after all those years of living as a rat. "Our mother Catherine - she switched bodies with us, sophomore year."

The blonde schoolgirl countered, "A lot of people - well, at least some - know about that. You'll have to do heaps better."

The brunette's face went cold. "You remember that night when Mom came back from the Bronze, majorly pissed? She was in our body, and this hot guy hit on Willow Rosenberg instead of her. She came home, and beat the crap out of me - us."

Amy shivered, convinced. "Okay. I promised myself never to tell that to anybody. So, shoot - what's the dire?"

Her future self sighed, and told her everything. Her involvement with magic. Her relationship with the so-called Slayerettes and, finally, her ending up as a rodent.

"What?" To say the young blonde was a little incredulous, was like saying the earth was a little bit round. "I end up as a rat, if I become a Wiccan? Are you seriously spaced?"

The older Amy then brought out her ultimate weapon. She floated towards the other girl, merging their bodies for a moment, including memories of the future.

Amy Madison, the naive high school teenager, screamed in absolute horror.

As they separated, Future Amy sliced one of her nails across one of her younger self's palms. "This was no dream," the brunette warned her, as she vanished.

The blonde girl blinked, and then suddenly found herself back in Ms. Beakman's class. "Well?" the teacher snapped at Amy, waiting for her paper. Behind her, Xander was beginning to get impatient too.

Amy collapsed forward onto the floor, her head colliding with the wooden boards with a huge thump. As she tried to get up, her head bleeding, Xander assisted her to rise in concern. "You okay, Amy? That looked like a way nasty collision!"

Amy just looked at the small scar on her palm, and knew it hadn't been a nightmare.

Destiny came to a grinding halt, and then lurched off into a new, currently unknown direction.

"I-I'm sorry," Amy stammered to the teacher. "I, I didn't do the work. I know this means I'll fail, but I can't-"

Ms. Beakman interrupted her, looking at the blood, "We can discuss that later. Right now, you need to go see the school nurse. Mr. Harris, can I count on you to assist her there?"

Xander nodded, handed in his paper and helped Amy out of the room.

***

Los Angeles, California. February, 1998

At that moment, in the temple of the channels to the Powers-That-Be, the brother and sister Oracles suddenly materialized. Wearing gold-painted bodies, and clothes with an unmistakable ancient Greek influence, they stared at each other.

"Well," said the male.

"Well," replied the female, in the same tone.

"Not even we saw this coming."

"What was to be, will no longer come to pass - all on account of one mortal girl?" asked the sister in amazement.

The brother looked aside for a moment. "The Auguries say 'yes'."

The woman looked frightened. "The demon with a soul will now not come to us? Who then will take his place, as the warrior for the cause?"

Her male counterpart suddenly relaxed. "Another has been - will be - chosen. In my opinion, a more suitable candidate than the lower being to whom you refer."

The sister looked at him. "And what of Vocah?"

The brother looked content. "Our deaths one day, at the hand of the warrior of the underworld...are no longer prophesized."

The female Oracle smiled. "Good. Death was not something I was looking forward to. I'm sure neither of us would have liked it." They then vanished.

***

Sunnydale, California. The next day

Xander Harris was feeling very depressed. The previous night at the Bronze, his sort-of girlfriend Cordelia Chase had dumped him, right after he had given her an expensive locket for Valentine's Day.

< How can this be my life? > the young man thought, as he walked along within Sunnydale High. < What am I, cursed? >

A young man passed him in the hall. "Dude," the jock said briefly, having heard the news and patting Xander's shoulder. "Way to get dumped."

He continued down the hall, and Xander did the same - his misery growing. He then looked up, and saw Buffy Summers coming the other way. "Oooh, Buffy, my bud, you will not believe..."

The Slayer barely looked at him. "Can't talk right now. Angel."

Xander knew that any situation involving the formerly good vampire, was more important than some self-pity trip. "Do you need help?"

Buffy shook her head, not wanting him to get involved. "It's alright," the Chosen One muttered, as she quickly made her way towards the library and the meeting she had scheduled with her Watcher.

Xander watched her leave, then continued down the hall. A group of girls passed around him, staring and giggling at him.

Knowing he was the butt of all the jokes, the boy just exhaled and watched them disappear. But then he heard Harmony Kendall, one of the snobbiest girls in the entire high school start talking to him, and looked over at her.

Harmony said simply, "Gee, Xander, maybe you should learn a second language so that even more girls can reject you," as she and the other girls around her laughed in his face.

Xander was about to move off and mope, when he saw Amy Madison. A girl he had actually helped the previous day.

So, feeling a change of heart the teenager turned to face the Cordettes and said confidently, "Pardon me, ladies - but there's a damsel who was in distress, that I currently need to see."

Ignoring the scowl on Harmony's face and the astonishment on the faces of the other girls, Xander joined Amy. "Hey, Amy. What's the up?"

"Xander," Amy said nervously. She didn't know why, but suddenly his presence made her uncomfortable. "Uh, nothing much."

Xander noticed her discomfort, but decided to ignore it. He pointed to the bandage on her forehead and asked, "How's the head?"

"Hurts a little," the blonde girl admitted. "But I'll get over it."

"Right," the dark-haired boy then replied, a little unsure of how to continue.

"Thanks for the concern," Amy finally smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze, before walking off.

"Huh," the young man grunted, before spying Cordelia with her sheep and deciding to exit stage left, having had enough of their insults for one afternoon.

The next day, the high school library was like a war room as Giles sat on the main table, looking through one of the Watcher diaries and researching with Buffy.

The subject of their scrutiny being the vampire Angelus' old behavior, at this time of year.

The British Watcher said, "Look, here's another. Here. Um, 'Valentine's Day'. Yes, uh...'Angel nails a puppy to the...'"

Buffy was in no mood for such a gruesome story, even though she had asked for details about her former love's behavior during this time, so she interrupted him. "Skip it."

Giles looked flustered. "Uh, but it..."

Buffy didn't look at her father figure. "I don't wanna know. I don't have a puppy. Skip it."

Giles simply closed the book, understanding what his Slayer was going through. "Right you are. I'll get another batch."

As he got off the table and headed into the private office, Xander walked in and headed for Buffy. "Hey, Buff."

"Hey yourself, Xand," the blonde Slayer looked at him. "Where's Willow?"

He shrugged. "Probably with Oz. Again. Where's G-man?"

"Where else?" Buffy almost snickered. "Getting a book."

Xander shrugged again. "Maybe I can help out? I mean, it's not like I have a steady squeeze to waste my time on anymore."

Buffy looked at him. "Yeah. I heard about you and Cordy. That's her loss."

Xander grimaced. "Right. Not really the popular theory."

Buffy looked up at him, and smiled. "You'll find someone else. Remember what you said to me in the graveyard, the other night?"

The boy grinned. "You mean, finding someone better from a parallel universe? Oddly enough, given the possibility with this being the Hellmouth and all, not a major comforter here."

Xander suddenly remembered that he had class. "Tell Giles I gotta go, but I'll come back," the teen then said to the Slayer, as he walked out.

True to his word, after lunch Xander returned to the library and offered his help to the Watcher. But just at that moment, Jenny Calendar walked in.

The technopagan/computer teacher had been 'persona non grata' with the rest of the Scooby gang for some weeks now, on account of her lies about her background and her part in that business of Angel losing his soul, and reverting back to Angelus.

And so far, all her efforts towards reconciliation had failed. But she who had been born Janna Kalderash, of the tribe of gypsies that the female vamp lord Darla and her troupe had massacred in 1898, was determined now to succeed.

She strode to Giles, and started talking. "Rupert, we need to talk. Hey, Xander. Look, Rupert, I know that you're angry at me, and I don't blame you, but I am not just gonna go away."

"Uh..." the Englishman started to say.

Jenny then looked at Xander. "Could you give us a minute?"

The boy nodded, and headed for the door. Stopping outside though, the young man couldn't help himself - he looked through the glass window, and listened in on the rest of the conversation.

Jenny tried to pick up where she'd left off. "I know you feel betrayed..."

Giles interrupted her mildly, "Yes. Well, that's, that's one of the unpleasant side-effects of betrayal."

The beautiful gypsy looked down at the table. "Rupert...I was raised by the people that Angel hurt the most..."

She paused and looked aside, then she said, "And my duty to them was the first thing I was ever taught. I didn't come here to hurt anyone, a-and I lied to you because I thought it was the right thing to do. I...I didn't know what would happen. And I didn't know I was gonna fall in love with you."

Jenny paused again for a moment, before looking back up at Giles. They exchanged a meaningful stare, but then she looked away again. "Oh, God. Is it too late to take that back?"

Giles looked anxious. "Do, do you want to?"

Janna looked at the Englishman steadfastly. "I just wanna be right with you. I don't expect more. I just want so badly to make all this up to you."

Rupert Giles then looked at her, remembering his own pleas after the affair with the creature known as Eyghon, in which Jenny had almost been killed due to his actions.

The fact was that he still loved this woman, despite what she'd done; and now Rupert knew that she loved him back. He put his hand on Jenny's cheek and stroked it, as the woman closed her eyes for a second in sheer pleasure.

And the next moment, they were kissing like a pair of high school teenagers.

Xander watched the show with a huge grin on his face, and then noticed Willow and Oz coming down the corridor. He motioned to them to join him, and look inside; and as soon as they did so, Willow's jaw nearly fell to the ground.

Oz - the werewolf, the musician, the unfazeable guy with often-changing hair color - merely raised one eyebrow.

As Xander led his friends away, they started chortling and giggling amongst themselves. "The Watcher Man is gonna be seein' some action tonight," the teenage boy quipped with the knowing grin still intact, and felt better than he had ever since Cordelia had dumped him.

***

Later that night at an abandoned factory, three vampires were about to embark on a path that would change their unlives forever. Their names were Angelus, Spike and Drusilla, and once the most feared pack of the undead in Europe.

In this era, Spike was not yet the chipped, lovesick, even heroic White Hat he had become; he was the original 'William the Bloody', one of the worst killers humanity had ever been plagued with, and only had eyes for his beloved undead companion - Drusilla.

Granted, he was in a wheelchair right now because of Buffy and her friends, but the 'Big Bad' - as Spike liked to call himself - knew that that wouldn't last for too much longer.

Someone else who also understood that was Angelus, the vampire Spike had once considered his sire, his 'Yoda'.

A vampire who had been cursed with a human soul for nearly 100 years but was now free, the reborn Scourge of Europe had delighted in teasing and tormenting Spike over his injuries. Also, lately Angelus had started rubbing the fact that he could satisfy Drusilla's every need, right into the cripple's face.

And his childe was definitely in need right now, as Dru had been tossing around and groaning nearly all day.

"Can't you get her to shut up already?" Angelus grumbled to Spike, as he walked around the factory in annoyance, waiting for sunset and trying to ignore Dru's moaning and babbling.

Spike shrugged. "She's havin' a vision," the British-born vamp said to the Irish-born one. "You DO remember about them, don't ya mate? Wouldn't wanna think that soul you once 'ad, caused ya memory to become full o' holes or whatever."

Angelus just grinned, knowing Spike couldn't beat him in their insult matches. "Sure I remember about the visions. Sit 'n Spin."

Spike glared, but then Drusilla let out a very loud moan and the bleached-blonde vampire wheeled himself over to her. "Dru? What is it, luv?"

"It's all different," the black-haired vampiress whispered, as she finally got up off the table and started to sway to music only she could hear. "It's all so different now, it's like a whole new world. Miss Edith says there's a world of possibilities, even."

"What possibilities?" "What are you talking about?" Spike and Angelus asked respectively at the same time, then glared at each other.

"The wicked witch didn't cast that naughty love spell," Drusilla then said, before shutting up.

Angelus waited, but when it appeared she would say nothing more, he got mad. "I had to listen to her ranting all day, just for THAT? I'm out of here," he snapped, before the dark-haired vamp swept out.

"Good riddance, bloody wanker," Spike mumbled, before focusing back on Drusilla. "Tell me more, pet. What's all this about a spell?"

"My kitten," Drusilla said dreamily, in her British accent. "The White Knight..."

"Who?"

"The darling boy who went 'n made a big mess, but now he didn't, 'cause that 'orrid little girl told herself not to practice magic no more," the vampiress finished up happily.

Spike was still completely puzzled, and like Angelus before him quickly lost interest. "Whatever ya say, Dru..." he said, shaking his head and turning away.

The crazed vampire paid him no attention - Drusilla made a decision based on her vision, and quickly ran out of the factory.

***

Later that night at the Bronze, Xander Harris came out of the nightclub alone, in a fairly good mood. He had hung out with Buffy, Willow and Oz, they had spent a pleasant evening together, and now the Slayer was going to walk him home.

The male teenager had been a little over-protective around Willow at first; but after Buffy had glared at him and not-exactly-subtly kicked him in the shin to back off about Oz, they had all relaxed and all had gone well.

In fact, the best part of it - at least in the dark-haired young man's opinion - had been Harmony spotting Xander's locket, being worn by Cordelia.

"Cordy, oh my God!" the blonde airhead had exclaimed, her mouth wide open. "When did you get that? Wait - I bet it's from Devon, to win you back...Valentine's Day, and all that! And it's from Tiffany's, am I right?"

"Puh-leaze," Cordelia Chase had sneered, taking off the article of jewelry and holding it out. "Devon? Like, I'd ever go back to that musical retard. And Tiffany's?! Harmony, does this look like it's ever been anywhere near a blue box? I don't even know why I wore it - I mean, it so totally doesn't go with my shoes..."

The leader of the pack of Cordettes had then surreptitiously slipped the locket away into a pocket, and unconsciously looked in Xander's direction.

Unfortunately for her, the Slayerette had witnessed the whole thing, and could not stop grinning at the momentary horrified expression on his ex-girlfriend's face.

But as the old saying goes, all good things come to an end, and now it was time for him to go home and get into bed...before his drunken parents started screaming at each other.

Suddenly though, as Xander came out, a hand grabbed him.

One completely lacking human warmth.

Covering his mouth, the hand plus the body it was attached to dragged the struggling boy away, with supernatural strength.

And as they reached the enclosure where a Slayer named Faith had been destined to kill her first vampire in Sunnydale, the teen was let go and he turned around to see Drusilla, smiling at him in full game face.

"Don't fret, kitten," she said, mouthing the words from her vision. "Mummy's 'ere."

"Drusilla..." Xander said nervously, starting to reach for the stake he always carried with him.

"I finally found you...so, how do you feel about eternal life?"

It was one of Xander's worst nightmares.

"Your face really is a poem," the insane British vamp continued, not noticing the horror that was now on the dark-haired boy's features. "And there's no mob of girls around to stop me, this time..."

Xander finally brought out his stake and rushed the female vampire, but he was doomed even before he started moving. With inhuman speed, Dru knocked his arm aside and threw him violently against the wall.

The young Mr. Harris was stunned, and in a second Drusilla was there, growling and biting him on the neck. He struggled, but it was no use.

As she finished feeding and Xander started to lose consciousness, the vampiress used a claw to open up a wound near her bosom - and forced the boy to drink.

When the becoming ritual was complete, Xander collapsed - dead. Drusilla simply giggled - just like the madwoman she was - and picking him up, the undead creature carried the teenager's corpse off into the night.

***

The next day at Sunnydale High, Willow and Oz were walking along, discussing the previous evening. "I had a lot of fun last night," the redheaded hacker giggled, as she held onto her boyfriend's arm adoringly.

"Me too," Oz replied in his short, monosyllable way.

"Really?" Willow asked.

"I say it, I think it," Daniel 'Oz' Osborne shrugged.

"It's just that...I mean, you were with the 'Dingoes' a lot for your sets, and at the start Xander was sorta..." the girl trailed off, gesturing helplessly at what her childhood best friend had done.

"He's just protective," the young werewolf looked at her and smiled. "It's cool."

Willow smiled and nodded, before the two of them started to make out. And they might actually have needed to get a room, if Buffy hadn't found them a few seconds later.

"Hey! Knock it off, you guys!!" the Slayer decided to have a little fun. "People are staring!"

Willow instantly broke off the kiss, looking around in fear. Buffy just grinned, as Willow and Oz then stared at her when they got the joke. The musician just shrugged it off, but Willow...

"Buffy!" the young woman hissed at her best friend, in semi-anger.

"Sorry," the blonde giggled, as they started walking along. "Couldn't resist."

Willow snorted, as she calmed down. In truth, she was glad to see her friend smiling, even if it was at her expense - because ever since they had lost Angel, the Slayer had had precious little to smile about.

"Have you seen Xander?" the computer nerd asked her friend, changing the subject as they entered the school building.

"Not since last night," Buffy frowned, her smile vanishing. "Guess he bailed on me, 'cause I kicked him under the table."

"You okay?" Oz then asked the Slayer, noticing how uptight she looked.

The Chosen One shrugged. "Uh, it's just that I found a bleeding human heart nailed to my front door this morning," she stopped, noticing their expressions. "Valentine's Day gift from Angel, or so I'm guessing."

"Gross!" Willow said sympathetically. "Uh, did your mom..."

"Giles kinda warned me a while ago that this sorta thing might happen, so, I managed to deal before Mom could find it and wig. Last thing I need right now, is a case of her backseat mothering."

The others grimaced. "Buffy..." Willow started to say. "You think maybe you should..."

"Tell her the truth?" the Slayer finished the question sardonically. "Giles would have an absolute cow, if I so much as brought it up - you know, secret identity, sacred duty, 'you are the Chosen One', blah, blah, blah ..."

The three friends then saw Giles and Jenny walking down the corridor, chatting and laughing together. They looked very happy in each other's company, and the Slayer felt her stomach roil as she witnessed what they had...and she had lost.

"Buffy...!" Willow started to say, but the blonde girl just turned and walked away.

Giles and Jenny saw her doing so, and quickly joined the teenage couple. "Uh..." Giles started to say.

"Before you stammer about it all day, Giles, we like already know," the redheaded girl told him simply.

"W-w-what?" the librarian looked at the technopagan, who simply shrugged as if to say, 'It wasn't me.'

Oz stated deadpan, "That you're back together."

"Who-?" started the Romany woman.

Willow giggled. "Xander stayed behind and eavesdropped on you guys from the hall yesterday, and he-he invited us over to watch the show."

Giles looked annoyed, in his own special British way. "Um, typical behavior for him, I-I suppose. Uh, well, well, where IS Mr. Harris, as a matter of fact? I-I-I could do with an assistant today to, to help me research."

"You haven't seen him?" Willow asked, a definite notch of worry in her voice now.

"No, not this morning," Jenny said quickly. Looking at Rupert Giles, the computer teacher then said uncertainly, "Maybe he's sick today..."

Willow noticed Cordelia walking along on the other side of the hallway, and broke away from the group to question the cheerleader. "Cordy!" she called out.

The brunette girl looked around, hoping no one had noticed. "Willow, could we NOT do this in public?" she hissed at the hacker.

Willow shrugged. "I just wanted to know if you've seen Xander."

The teenager who had been May Queen then looked VERY uncomfortable. "Not since the Bronze last night..." Cordy muttered, before quickly walking away. Leaving Willow behind, staring at her retreating back in confusion.

***

Night had fallen, and at the factory Drusilla was a manic whirlwind of energy. She rushed about here and there, fixing this and that, and spent a great deal of time talking to her dolls.

"What's going on here?" Angelus asked, as he came back after an early snack and witnessed the activity.

Spike turned around and grunted, "Dru turned someone last night."

Angelus looked annoyed. "Why didn't she say anything about it to me first?"

The bleached-hair vamp grinned. "Gee, I dunno mate - maybe 'cause the only thing you got on ya mind lately, is the damn Slayer?"

Angelus silently snarled at him, but before he could say anything Dru started clapping her hands. "It's time, it's time!!" the vampiress chanted, as she raised her eyes to the ceiling.

She then dragged Angelus and Spike over to a shallow grave, near the rear of the factory. Spike looked at it and then said to Dru, "Cor blimey, ducks, ya buried 'im HERE?"

Angelus shrugged, already bored. "Dru's a traditionalist, you know that. This is like giving birth for her."

"QUIET!!" Drusilla yelled, startling her sire and her beloved. "HE'S COMING...!!"

And then, the Xander vampire burst out of the ground, snarling in pain and looking around in confusion as he dusted himself off.

Angelus and Spike both groaned at seeing him. "Oh bloody hell, not that wanker from Parent-Teacher Night!!" Spike swore.

Angelus was about to add his own scathing comment, when Dru grabbed Xander and forced him to look at her. "It's alright, kitten," she said soothingly, as the newborn looked at his sire and calmed down a little. "Let's get you a bite to eat..."

Drusilla then took Xander, who was still in his game face, to where two human captives were waiting.

Two young men, whose names were Hogan Martin and Jack O'Toole.

Drusilla pointed at them, and Xander knew what to do. A newly-risen vampire needed the taste of a fresh kill as soon as possible, and so the former teenager quickly sank his fangs into Hogan's screaming body, draining him dry.

Jack initially just watched in horror, and then started struggling to get free. But it was pointless - as soon as Xander was done with the high school basketball player, he started on the amateur psycho, killing him in less than a minute.

Xander wiped his lips clean of the blood, and then reverted to his human façade. "Drusilla," he then said to his sire, as the vampiress came close. "The answer is, I love it."

"What?" asked Dru in confusion.

"What you asked me before," the dark-haired vampire said softly, coming closer. "How do I feel about eternal life? The answer is, I love it!" And then Xander grabbed Drusilla, and started kissing her full on the mouth.

"HEY! That's enough o' that!" Spike said angrily, wheeling himself closer. His jealousy soaring, the cripple looked ready to tear Xander apart. "I'M the only one who does that to her, peaches!"

As Xander and Drusilla ignored him, Angelus chuckled and said to Xander with a sincere grin, "Welcome to the family."

Spike looked at him in astonishment, but the 245-year-old master vamp ignored that. He was already thinking ahead, plotting how to use this development to his own advantage.

Initially, he had been just as annoyed as Spike, but Angelus now felt differently. < Okay, so the kid was a complete loser when he was alive. But hell, now he's not Xander any more than I was Liam, after Darla made me in that alley. >

Angelus chuckled again. < This just might be the best way to throw Buffy off-balance - to use Xander, to destroy them all... >

***

At the Bronze, Willow, Buffy and Oz were sitting together at the Scooby gang's favorite table. Their mood tonight was very grim, as they were very worried about Xander.

Willow looked around and saw Cordelia holding court in the nightclub, but the redhead had gotten to know the bitchy cheerleader too well not to realize when the brunette was worried about something - or someone.

Harmony and the sheep, although not the sharpest tools in the shed, also knew something was wrong with the leader of the pack.

"Cordy? Could we talk outside for a minute?" Harmony asked.

The head cheerleader shrugged. "Sure," and with that the two girls left the club, as the rest of the Cordettes spread out in search of hunks and gossip.

Outside the Bronze, Harmony wasted no time. "What is wrong with you?"

Cordelia was confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You haven't danced with anyone all night! AND you rejected John Lee's invitation to the pledge dance on Thursday - so what is wrong with you?!"

"Nothing!" Cordy said hotly, feeling her cheeks starting to flush. But Harmony could smell blood, and went for the jugular.

"You're not thinking of taking that dork back, are you?!?"

Cordelia froze, at the other girl's reference to Xander. Then she scoffed, "Harmony, don't be such a sheep!" before angrily going back into the club.

Harmony shook her head and was about to follow, when she heard a woman singing.

Drusilla then appeared, stopped singing the old nursery rhyme her mother had taught her, and stared at the human girl. The blonde cheerleader stared back.

< What a ho! > Harmony thought in disgust. < Where did she get those clothes, the Salvation Army? And her cosmetics sense is such a crying... >

But the airhead was unable to finish that thought, as Xander Harris came out of the darkness to stand at Dru's side.

She almost didn't recognize him, because of the clothes - gone were the baggy shirts and trousers, as the guy in front of her was wearing a form-fitting white T-shirt, black leather jacket and pants. < Hmmm, not bad... >

Xander didn't say anything - he just grabbed Harmony and kissed her deeply, with a lot of tongue.

He tasted cold and dark, and the blonde girl was shocked - but after he let her go, Harmony grinned. < Yummy... >

"Xander? Huh, I'm beginning to understand what Cordy saw in you! I LOVE the new look - y'know, with my help, I could make you popular within a month. This is a one-time offer though, of course. What do you say?"

Remaining silent, Xander just smiled. And at that moment, Harmony became afraid.

The young man vamped out, and as the girl turned around to run he grabbed her and just cleanly snapped her neck. Dead, Harmony fell to the ground.

Drusilla asked, "Kitten, why didn't you feed?"

Xander looked at the corpse of his old tormentor, and angrily kicked the dead body before turning around to leave. "I wouldn't touch her blood, if she was the last human on Earth!"

Drusilla tittered, and then followed him away.

Part 3