Starts on page 61 Xander got up and bowed, then blew out the candles and cleaned up his mess, going out to get a drink. He hadn't found any resurrections that had happened but he had felt some wrongness. The same sort that had tipped them off about it being Buffy's resurrection. The bad thing was that it was centered on the house. He had checked, doing it in a smaller scale, and it wasn't him. It wasn't Tony. He could tell it wasn't Tony when he ran into him napping on his bed. The others in the house weren't wrong either. All but one. He looked at Willow when she came in. "I've got to run out for ten minutes. I'll be right back, okay?" She nodded, smiling at him. "There is hope but I'm not sure how much at the moment. That other weapon looks really hard to get to." He took his soda with him, going up to check on Tony, finding him snoring. He kissed him on the temple and got a sleep smile. "I'll be right back," he whispered, grabbing his phone and bike keys, heading out into the night. Once he got far enough away he opened his can and looked at his phone, putting in the numbers to Gibbs' phone. "I've got a moral dilemma," he said quietly. "No, it can't wait. Because there are some remaining Bringers, Jethro," he said quietly. He sighed and turned to rest his back against his handlebars, stretching across his bike since he had remembered to put down the kickstand. "No, I'm not at the house. I'm in the park. Yeah, there. Yeah, it's important. Trust me, just this once," he said quietly, hanging up. Then he called Ethan. "It's me again. Tell me how a wrongness calls to the First Evil and gives it an access panel," he ordered calmly. "Because there's one in town, Ethan. No, no one raised Buffy again." He rubbed his forehead. "It's Willow. Doing the spell changed her, Ethan," he said quietly. "That makes her a small gateway and LA has Bringers. Angel's sure of it. That means we're getting some here soon." He sipped his soda, listening to the quiet traffic off to his right, about a block over. "Ethan, I don't know...no, that's a lie, I know how to solve this, but I'm not sure it's the right thing." He listened to the advice. "Ethan, I helped with that spell. Then I did a check for the resurrection and the wrongness. It focused on my house. Go ahead. I'm in the park and I didn't see any in me, but...." He took a deep breath. "If it is, I need to know. Yeah, it's important, Ethan. Think about it. If I'm a gateway too, then what happens?" He nodded. "Please. That's all I'm asking for." He hung up. He waited until Gibbs pulled up, looking at him. "We've got a major problem," he said once he was out of his car and on the hood, looking at him. "A huge problem actually. Did you go over the reasons behind the First Evil battles?" Gibbs nodded. "You know that wrongness?" He got another nod. "Willow has it now." "It transfers?" "No, she did the spell. I did a small part in it but she took her blood innocence and did the spell," he said quietly. "That makes her a gateway, Gibbs." He stiffened. "I'm having Ethan recheck my findings and check me, just in case. If so, we've got a real problem." "The wrongness does what exactly?" "It gives the First Evil a way into the world. A spot of energy that she can latch onto to call her minions, the Bringers and the others. If so, DC could end up like the last scene of that battle," he said quietly. "And I can't kill her to stop it if it is. I don't know what to do here." "First, we check the findings," he reminded him. "How long will that take?" Xander looked at his watch. "Within ten minutes if he did it right away." He looked at him. "Secondary problem. If there's Bringers, we need the scythe to kill them and the Initiative has it." Gibbs groaned. "They confiscated it from Ethan, along with most of his altar set." "Why?" "Do you think they believe in magic?" Gibbs shook his head. "Ethan's one of the strongest chaos people." His phone rang and he answered it. "Harris." He listened and held his head. "Are you *sure*, Ethan? One hundred percent *certain*?" He slumped. "Thank you. Do you need help out of the city?" He nodded. "Good deal. No, they're trying to move it back to Sunnydale. Thanks." He hung up. "Ethan's gathering power to leave the city." He looked at him again. "It's not me." "It's her," Gibbs finished. He nodded. "Is there a way to stop this? Could they be residuals in LA?" Xander shook his head. "Are you sure?" "They all went to dust when we defeated the First Evil," he said quietly. "I just don't know what to do." "Have you talked to Giles?" "Not yet. I came to you first. I know what Giles will do. He'll waffle. He'll want to save her but he'll try to be realistic. Of course, he can't do it." "She could do it herself," he offered gently. "You could tell her." "She already feels guilty about bringing Buffy back. It's an option but I'm not..." He sighed and looked at him. "This is the canyon of my fucking oncoming mental insanity." "Call Giles first. We'll talk about this tomorrow. Tonight, go comfort Tony." "Was his place trashed?" "A bit. They raided his whole complex. The same gang." "Would it be wrong to point some vampires in their direction?" "Yes," Gibbs said, "but amusing," he smirked. "Thank you, I needed that thought." "Not a problem. Thank you." "That's what I'm here for. The hard decisions. We'll talk tomorrow, ten. Not in the office." "I'll be at home. Tell me where to meet you." He shrugged. "I don't start the Academy classes for another week." "Good. Maybe we'll have it settled by then." He got into his car and went home to work on his boat and think. This was not what he was expecting. Not in the least. Xander opened his phone and hit the button for Giles' office, getting him. "Put down the fork, move the tea away, and sit back," he said quietly. "We've just run into a major First Evil issue here." He heard the spluttering and the click that meant he was now off speaker phone. "Who was in there?" He smiled. "I didn't think you were having sex in your office, Giles. No, the wrongness. It's in Willow." He felt his stomach clench at the next words. "I can't do that, Giles. Giles. Giles!" He listened. "Fine. That's what we're trying to figure out. Oh, I don't know, how about a moral compass at the moment?" he snapped. The 'if we don't, we'll have another situation like Sunnydale in downtown DC' didn't make him feel any better. "I know that, Giles. There's already Bringers in LA. No, but do you have a copy of _Slayers and Hunters_ by Froust?" He listened while he called for it. "It talks about another weapon. One gifted to male slayers. Which would be me, Tony, Gibbs, and Robin Wood. Yeah, and when she did the spell I did get faster and stronger, plus my eye healed faster, remember?" he asked bitterly. "I'm guessing if it's genetic it's in both sexes. We both have 'x' chromosomes, Giles. Because they never looked?" he snorted. "Think about your former bosses, would they have been able to bully a son the way they did a daughter? There's how many early Chronicles that say things about making girl children useful? Exactly. They never looked because it was easier to cow and take girl children. They were basically slaves anyway. It's the narrow male viewpoint. Exactly!" he said sharply. "Really? Does Wood still do his katas every morning? Ask him then. Giles, if the only way to keep them from fully coming is to get rid of the wrongness, then I'm rather fucked. Do I tell her and let her do it? 'Cause I sure as hell can't! Not even if she were turned!" He calmed himself. "Never mind. Gibbs and I will deal with it." He hung up and slid back around, getting back onto his bike and heading for a drive to think. Outside the house, he called Gibbs again. "Do I tell her?" he asked quietly. "Giles suggested I dose her food." He listened to the wise words. "Thank you." He got off and went inside, going to talk to Tony first. He looked at the bouncing Abby. "Not a good moment unless you have good news." "I have good news," she admitted, smiling at him. "McGee wants kids." "Right now?" "No!" She swatted him. "Later. That means you can be a godfather with the others." She kissed him on the cheek. "What's wrong?" "Where's everyone else?" "Home. Willow went back to LA." He nodded and went to seal the house from magic coming in or going out, then went to wake Tony, Abby following him. He nodded her in, sitting next to Tony to gently nudge him. "Hey." Tony woke up and looked at him. "We've got a group issue and Gibbs suggested I tell you this, Tony. Abby, I don't want to tell you but I'm going to have a breakdown soon and you can be the Watcher for a bit." She nodded. He shifted to look at both of them. "We know what caused the First Evil to have entrance." "I saw those files," Abby noted. "It was the wrongness that was in Buffy when she was brought back. Did someone do another one?" "No, but it transferred onto the spell caster." "You helped in that," Tony said, sitting up suddenly. "You?" "Willow," he said quietly. He looked at Tony. "I found it earlier during my check, which is why you got so long of a nap. Then I called Ethan and had him recheck me and to do a full check on me. I only helped with part of it." Tony slumped and nodded. "It's not me. It's not in me as far as we know." "But it's in her," Abby sighed. Xander nodded. "Then what do we do? There's already Bringers in LA. Where's the scythe?" "The Initiative has it." "Fuck," he muttered. He looked at Abby. Then at Xander. "What're we doing?" Xander shrugged. "Okay, when are we having that meeting?" "I told Gibbs and Giles earlier, trying to get a clue. Giles said he can't. Gibbs said to think about it and to comfort each other tonight," he said honestly. "We're meeting at ten tomorrow." Tony nodded. "Then we'll think tonight. Abby, not one word to McGee," he warned. "Not an issue. He likes Willow like a sister." She sighed and slumped down. "We could tell her, let her make that decision." "That was one of my thoughts," Xander admitted. "I just.... Sometimes I'm so sick and damn tired of this life, ya know," he said, looking at her. "The losing people, the hunting. All of it." She nodded. "This is one of the moments that sucks the worst." "I agree," she assured him. "It sucks the big one. I couldn't do this. For that matter, that's my only suggestion," she told him, standing up. "Should I even warn him?" "No. If she goes, let him think the grief and the magic addiction stuff got too strong and she gave up," Xander said quietly. "It's kinder than having her ...failure for lack of a better word, shoved at him." She nodded and left, locking the house after herself. He looked at Tony. "I can't." He pulled him closer, laying down to hold him. "You won't have to. She will. She'll do it herself. She said she's thought about it a few times thanks to the magic stuff." He stroked his back. "Gibbs tell you I got trashed by the same gang?" "Yeah, and I suggested we point some vampires their way." Tony chuckled, giving him a squeeze. "Not very ethical, but it suits my sense of justice for my big screen tv." He kissed him and Xander seemed almost desperate but he understood. Sometimes you needed to be grounded back to reality and what better way than making love. *** Xander sat down across from Gibbs, who looked like hell. "Didn't get any either?" Gibbs shook his head, sucking down more coffee. "Abby suggested we tell her," he said quietly. "What about those who're already here?" "Theoretically they should dust once the portal is closed," he said quietly, glancing around. "If not, there's an option for a second weapon somewhere or we can get back the original." "I have no idea where they are," he admitted. "Ah, but I might." He pulled out the two maps he had printed. "Last month and this one. See a pattern?" Gibbs looked, frowning at the deviation around Arlington. "They're near the cemetery?" Xander nodded so he looked at him. "How do you know?" "The demons will be drawn to the wrongness. That means more death. Now the only question is *how* they're attracting them." "A club?" a familiar voice said from beside them, sitting down. She looked at them, then smirked and held up the bracelet on her arm. "Mossad had it for special occurrences," Ziva noted. "Like the Ring of Amara?" Xander asked. She nodded. "Cool." He shrugged. "It makes her immortal," he told Gibbs." "Interesting." He looked at her. "What do you know, Ziva?" "I know that there's a spy inside NCIS for that group. I know where their hideout is this week. They do move it now and then, but they've only got so much room to roam. She's using some CIA contacts for that." She handed him a sealed envelope. "From my bosses. Who are not pleased," she said with a smirk for him. She looked at Xander. "I was dumb." "It happens. Buffy dated more vampires than people," he noted dryly. "She *really* knew better." She smiled at that. "You doing okay?" "I'd be better if I didn't nearly get killed by a Bringer the other day. Who was brought back?" "The spell caster was touched with it during," he said quietly, glancing around again. "They left a few minutes ago. That seems to happen around me a lot." "It's the demon," Gibbs told her, looking up from his reading. "If she's turned, will it matter?" "We can't soul her," Xander said dryly. "She's the only one with that spell memorized. I can't be sure it won't come back either." Gibbs nodded. "A good thought. How bad would she be?" Xander snorted. "You didn't read about Cordy's wish?" he asked dryly. Gibbs nodded, remembering that apparently. He looked at Ziva. "I know the cause. I know what should be done. It's the who and how and that stuff." "Who?" "Rosenburg," he said quietly. She slumped and nodded. He nodded. "Which is my main sticking point. I've known her since we were five." She nodded at that. "Does that have any good news?" "Some," he admitted, looking at him. "We can pinpoint their location and at least watch them. How long before Giles attempts the move?" "Six weeks. Just before I head to England." "Wonderful. If it doesn't work?" "It'll snap here. We've already got two guys in New York and Cleveland watching theirs. Family members and retired guys." "Are there others?" Ziva asked. "Vegas has one but it's been sealed since the early Native American days. There's some tribal histories that speak of Coyote and Fox coming down to seal it with Wolf's help to save the Nations they had created. There's supposed to be one on the Maine/Canada border somewhere but that could be rumor, I'm not sure. There's about thirty other sites around the world." She nodded. "We know it'll stay in the US. It's a matter of does it snap back where it was if it does snap or not." "Good point," she agreed. She looked at Gibbs. "Now what?" Gibbs looked at Xander. "Tell her. I'm going to agree that it's the only course of action." Xander nodded. "Okay." "If you need it, I'll let Tony have a few days off," he said quietly. "Or at least allow him to work from home." "I told Abby to tell McGee it was her addiction problem coming back," he offered. "They're like siblings, Gibbs." He nodded, saying he'd deal with that end. "I'll go tell her today." He walked off, heading back to the house. He hadn't trusted himself to drive so he took a cab both ways and once inside looked around. "Willow?" he called. Nothing. He called her the normal human way. "Dawn? Why aren't you in school?" He grimaced. "Fine. Tell Willow I need her ASAP here. Thanks." He turned off the anti-magic wards, waiting on her, then turned them back on one she was inside them. "We gotta do something, Willow." She nodded and he took her into the altar, handing her the spell. "I need confirmation. You can zero down to the person and the room. I'm going up to the bedroom." She nodded and got down to do the spell again while he went to get away from her. He paced around, trying to stay calm until he heard her scream, then her stomping up the stairs. He looked at her. "It's in the house, isn't it?" She nodded, glaring at him. "Do it again, you can see the room." "I saw. It's you." "It's not me." He walked over and did the spell they used to see what the wrongness was in Buffy on the bedroom mirror, then stood them in front of it. He looked normal but she looked.... She had green and black swirls with red flashes now and then in her aura. She burst out crying and he held her for a minute, then pushed her back. "Willow." She looked at him. "There are Bringers in LA and wherever Ziva was. She showed up today to give Gibbs some information." "They all know?" she whispered. He shook his head. "Who?" "Me, Gibbs, Tony, Abby, Giles." She swallowed and hung her head. "Now, we've got a problem. Giles' answer was assassination. Which I can't do. Not to anyone but especially not to you." "But..." She turned back around and he moved out of the way, letting her see herself fully. She started to tear up again. "How?" she asked, begging, turning to look at him. "I'd say during the spell. I was so worried it was me," he told her, sitting on the bed to look at her. "I don't know what to do. All we've agreed on so far was to tell you you're the reason the Bringers are back." "But we defeated it," she said, moving closer. "No, Willow, you can't defeat something like that or Glory. We didn't kill them, we only put them on hold until their next opportunity. Glory's back in a suspended animation state until the next approach starts and then she can take over another host body if one of her priests calls upon her like the last time. The First Evil was just as powerful. Yes, we trapped her. We weakened her and trapped her. But now she's got an opening again and it could mean another run." "So we need to move the hellmouth back since there's still almost no one in Sunnydale," she said flatly. He got up and got another book, handing it to her. "Wes's," he said at her confused look. "The blue ribbon." She opened it and looked at the passage, reading it out loud. "I fear when the spell is broken by Willow's death, the great number of slayers will fall back to a reasonable level, as it should be," she read. She swallowed. "Those who are weak, too old, too young, and those who should not serve will be removed from the lineage once again, and the balance will be partially restored. I fear what may come in the meantime but I know that others have that problem well in hand." She looked at him, closing it. "Huh?" "There's a balance in nature, Willow. All Wiccans and practitioners know that." She nodded slowly. "You had to add a great weight to the side of good and never canceled it out. I doubt it's going to be bad hair monsters that come after thirty-two slayers." "Thirty-three." "Chia died." "Oh." She looked down at the journal. "So, my death will snap the spell and take those who shouldn't be out of the lineage?" He nodded. "Are we sure?" "Yeah, he was. His final letter said we only had to hold on for a bit. He wrote it before the incident where he died and mailed it. I got it a few days before I heard he died." She swallowed and nodded, tearing up again. "I don't know what to do, Willow. I really don't. I know what I have to do, what I should be doing, but I can't. I can't even guarantee that if you're turned and souled it won't come back, or it might not negate it at all." "So I have to die," she said flatly. She looked at him. "I can't be with Tara if I do it to myself." "You can't ask it of me," he said firmly, shaking his head. "I can't. I won't. Maybe you can get Angel to drain you. Or Spike?" He shrugged. "I don't know, Willow," he said desperately. "I have no fucking idea here!" She nodded and handed back the journal. "I'm going to talk to Angel and them." She went to walk out the backdoor and disappeared from out there. He curled up in a little ball of misery. The phone rang a while later and he ignored it. Then someone pounded on the door. He wasn't moving, everyone who knew him would have a key. Sure enough, someone came in and he looked at the door, seeing McGee. "What?" he asked quietly. "Willow called." "I told Abby not to tell you." "I heard that." He walked inside. "What's going on?" "Did you see the First Evil background files?" he asked, sitting up to face him. McGee shook his head so Xander led him down there and got him into them, letting him read them while Xander went to find a bottle. McGee slammed something downstairs and broke it so he headed back down with the bottle. "We weren't going to tell you why." "Why her?" "She cast the spell and it changed her," he said quietly. He handed it over and McGee took it, sitting down to drink from it. "I'm sorry, Tim. The only thing we agreed on was to not tell you since you were so close to her, and to tell her." He looked up at him. "Abby was going to tell you it was her addiction getting too strong." "That would've been nice, instead she told me she's got a week to live." He took another drink. "How?" Xander shrugged. "You don't know?" "I told her and I told her I couldn't kill her," he said quietly. "I gave her the truth that we know. If she was turned and then resouled it might not go away. If she was just turned it might not go away since some vampires can use magic." He sat on the bottom stair, looking at him. "There's some days when I wonder if Willow isn't really a chaos sorcerer." Tim looked at him. "Any time something bad happens to us, or something odd, she's there in the middle of it, and whenever I make plans she somehow manages to change them without me knowing." Tim snorted and took another drink, shaking his head. "I know, but it's the truth." He reached over to tip his face up. "Call off work, Tiger." "Tiger?" he asked bitterly. "You're no longer as fluffy as you were, McGee. The same as I wasn't when Jesse died." "You staked him," he reminded him. "Yeah, and now you're watching someone plan their suicide and you can't stop her." Tim nodded, hanging his head again. "We'll get through this, Tim." "Can I be Fluffy again?" "Sure. Call Gibbs and call off, Fluffy." He shook his head and took another drink. "Then go nap on the couch before you pass out down here. You'll freeze." That got a nod and he headed that way. Xander picked up the phone ad dialed his cellphone. "Gibbs, Xander. McGee's here sleeping it off. No, she didn't tell him, and neither did I. Willow did." He let out a bitter snort. "I don't think he's going to be in shape to do anything but ache tomorrow, but probably. He took the fifth of scotch and he's guzzling it. Of course I'll keep an eye on him. Later, of course." He hung up and got the broom to clean up the mess from the glass statue McGee had thrown. *** Tony walked into the townhouse, hearing the silence. "Guys?" he called, reaching for his gun. He heard a sudden snore and relaxed some. "Xander?" He looked through the house, finding him asleep on the bed. He laid down next to him. "Hey," he said gently, waking him. Xander looked at him. "Was it a bad dream?" "What dream, Xan?" he asked, stroking across his forehead. "Tara came for Willow and chewed her a new one, but took her with her to fix her." "No, it wasn't a dream," he said gently, letting Xander cry on him. "I'm sorry." Xander nodded, clinging to him. "The world is safe and she's with her soulmate," he soothed, stroking his back now. "She's happier with Tara, you know that." Xander nodded, still clinging to him. "I can't take this away, no matter how much I want to," he whispered, keeping him calm and letting him grieve. He heard the door slam and winced. "Up here, boss." Gibbs came up the stairs. "He saw it in a dream." Gibbs nodded. "Marquez and Eliana are both uncalled. How?" Xander said something too low for him to hear. "Huh?" "Wes's last journal," he said, visually finding it and pointing at it. "The blue ribbon. He said he thought Eliana would stay." Gibbs walked over to pick it up, leaning on the dresser while he read it. "What's going on?" Xander whispered something else so he gave him a squeeze. "Now what?" Xander lifted his head, looking at him. "Eliana should've stayed. I'll test her later to make sure she didn't just feel it. We know that she felt the one slayer's death the other day." He looked at Gibbs. "Tara chewed her a new one but took her with her." "Then she's at peace and happy," Gibbs noted calmly. "McGee is still living?" Xander and Tony both nodded. "Good. We're off for the next two days." Xander sat up and wiped his face off. "Giles is moving the hellmouth Sunday. It's the anniversary of the town's founding. He thinks it'll be sympathetic and move back then." "Good." He nodded. "That could be very good. How many are left?" "Four. Faith and two of the girls with her and one in LA with Angel. Faith's in Europe but heading back this way." Gibbs nodded. "What do we have on the Initiative?" "A lot," he admitted. "That's why we're off. Since we're so involved and close to some of the members, meaning Jen, we can't go," he noted bitterly. "They think they'll blow themselves up first." "Is Oz still in town?" Tony asked. Gibbs shook his head. "We're sure?" "Yeah, I am. He called just before getting on the plane with his girlfriend. They were heading back to LA." Xander nodded at that. "Did he know?" He shook his head. "Are you going to be okay?" "No." He shifted so he was sitting unsupported. "I'll add her to the same place as Jesse is. I'm the one who told her, and showed her." "It was her choice to do the spell," Tony reminded him. "We all wanted her to do it, even if we were upset as hell with her for doing it," Xander told him. "The town was being overrun, Tony. We were losing and were probably going to die within weeks. She went after Buffy." That got a displeased grunt. "That doesn't help me since I still found it and told her. I'm the one who made her choose death by Spike." Tony gave him a hug and a gentle kiss. "I'll be here while you grieve, you know that." Xander nodded, resting against him. "Boss, McGee isn't snoring any more." He went down to check on him and Tony whispered in his ear, getting a nod. "Okay?" "Yeah, I'll be okay. It's just going to take a few days. I'm from Sunnydale and we're used to a lot of death." He looked in his eyes. "I'm sorry. This isn't fair to you." "Once it's back there, we'll move on," he told him. "Once the grief is gone and all that good stuff." Xander nodded and hugged him again. "We'll survive, Xander. It's what we do." He stroked his back, soothing him the best he could. *** Xander sat down in front of his altar Sunday morning, sitting his iced tea next to him and carefully laying out everything he would need. Tony came in and curled up in the corner to watch him. He finished and drank some of the tea, wetting his throat for what he was about to do. "We locked down?" he asked quietly. Tony nodded. "Thank you." He closed his eyes and let out a breath, then inhaled and started on the spell to channel the witches that would need to help Giles move the hellmouth. There was no way he could do it on his own. He felt them come down next to him and kept going, sending a silent prayer of 'sorry' at the same time as part of it. They both climbed into him and settled in for a while. It was warm and comforting to him but they needed to help. He could appreciate the comfort they were giving him later. He stopped chanting and bowed, then got to work on the spell to help Giles. He hadn't told him he'd be trying to help, but he would need it. There was no way he could do that on his own. They got the second spell sat up and looked at Tony. "Out," they ordered. "No." The Xander merge smiled and shook their head. "The energy will be enormous and it could hurt you." "Then let me help." She looked him over. "I know I can feel magic. Use me as a battery or whatever." "We can't," Tara's voice told him. "This level of magic will change you, as it once did Willow. You're untrained and unknowing." "Xander's still mine and he's not doing this without me in here with you." She smirked at him. "I approve of you, but not in this instance, Anthony. For now, we are protecting you, then you can come back and make sure that we leave him alone. The spell needs to be done by those who already know, not by those untrained and untried. You can sit outside and make sure we are unbothered by everyone, but you cannot be in here." "Tough." Willow's voice sighed. "Tony, out." "No!" "Tony, it could turn you into me." "So? I'm not leaving him." She glared at him out of Xander's eyes, then swatted him. "I'd never let him be hurt, Tony. Out!" He stared back and she changed hers, adding a touch of magic to the command. "Go and take up position outside the door to protect us." "Fat chance," he snorted. "You don't do that nearly as well as Gibbs, plus you're wasting time and energy." "If you stay," Tara's voice told him, "you will be harmed. Xander wouldn't want that. He's trained and knows the ways that magic will move through him. He'll be able to keep it from warping him or harming him. He can't do it to you and we can't take the energy to shield you. Your instincts are sound but in this case he can't, Tony. Please. Xander trusted us with his life. You know that. Let us protect him this time. Go and wait on us. It will be hours and nothing can bother us." He nodded and left them alone, sitting with his back against the now closed door, legs stretched across the hall. Tara finished off the tea. "Thank you, Xander. You remembered." She and Willow mentally joined hands and took Xander with them. The second spell was more intricate and they were leading it. He was there as a battery and backup if they got stunned. It was their spell. Xander didn't have magic like they had when they were alive; he didn't have the same strength. Tara felt the hellmouth respond through Willow, who had touched it magically more often than anyone else presently in existence. They worked on coaxing it back where it used to go, making the energy flow that way. But not stick. Tara was there to nudge and herd the energy from behind while Willow's part of the spell drew it on. Giles was there calling out to it to come home. She felt Willow's magic connect to the old one, feeling the sullen flame of energy spark and shift toward her energy. It liked her. It liked Xander's energy as well, calling out to its children. He pushed forward a bit and they helped the magics join. The hellmouth welcomed its old power back with a roar of pleasure. The three let it go and watched as it wobbled between wanting to go back to its current spot and stay where it was welcome and comforted. Willow gave it another nudge and the last of the local energies followed the mass, making it snap back. All that was the hellmouth, all the complexities of magic and physics, of light and dark, of power and substantial consciousness that made it up, slid home and the world groaned a bit as the power wiggled back into the old hole to make sure it still fit the same way. The girls got to work on the third part, cleaning up any remaining mess left at the current hellmouth and where it had opened. They felt the remaining taint and shut it down gently, coaxing it back into the ground. That area would ever be a spot that drew things and violence but it wouldn't open again. Not with the way they sewed it shut. When they were done, they were panting and sweating heavily, dripping wet and their t-shirt was so wet it could be wrung out. They looked around, then at the altar. "Tony, can we have a drink?" they called together. They relaxed and lowered the shield around the room, wincing at the snap of power back into them. It was too much too soon but he wouldn't be able to get in without it. Tony came in with a glass of ice water and the pitcher, handing it over silently and taking his spot back up again. They drank two glasses before the girls gathered themselves. They sent one last comforting mental hug at Xander before sliding out of him, leaving nothing of themselves to further taint him. He collapsed against Tony's leg while they watched, and they were sorry, but it couldn't be helped. Willow had to stop Tara from going back, taking her hand and walking her back to their spot. She ended the last of the spell that had called them, freeing them back to their watching and waiting for the rest of their family to join them. Tara looked back, watching Tony take care of him, starting by running a hand through his hair while he woke him back up. She nodded. He would take care of her Xander-buddy. She could wait for him to come so Xander could have as much time as possible with his love. It's clear Tony loved him as much as she had Willow. She kissed the back of Willow's hand when she turned back around, taking her back to the spot where they were gathered. Cordelia stood up but she held up a hand. "It's done. He's fine." She nodded and sat down, lips pursed. "Tony's taking good care of him." "Finally!" she complained. "At least he's got someone," Wes pointed out quietly, glaring at her. "It's about time that he found a true mate, Cordelia. Plus I *like* Tony, he's a decent sort who kept him from hunting alone. Any man that can make Xander see sense and that Xander listens to, plus makes him happy enough to have sex in public, is welcome to my friend in my book." "I wasn't complaining about the hellmouth going back, Wes, I was complaining that it took Tony so long to realize he needed to take care of the big dufuss." "He knew before," Tara assured her. "Xander's proud and fussy. He wouldn't let anyone fuss over him. Not even when his eye was popped." She nodded at Willow. "Or don't you remember the fight when she tried?" "Oh, I so very muchly do," Willow said dryly, shaking her head. "I agree, from what I saw in his mind, I like him with Tony, Cordy. He loves Xander. Enough to make him quit doing stupid stuff." "Fine, then it's a good thing," she agreed. They tuned back in, watching as Tony carried Xander up to the bathroom, settling him in his lap while he started a bath. "Think we should find him the book on how to deal with someone who's over-magiced it?" she offered. Wes smirked. "He knows, it appeared during his randy dream last night. I made sure of it." She smirked back at him, a wicked, evil look. "Yes, I was eavesdropping, dear. Like you, I wanted to make sure he had real feelings for my little friend." "Oh, he definitely has feelings," Tara said dryly, shaking her head and sitting down with Willow next to her. "If he had any more feelings for him, they'd have sex in front of Gibbs next time." Willow blushed at that. "So, when they all come up, we're bringing the whole group here, right? Since they're part of the hunting thing? Xander did train them as the Scoobies TNG." "He did," Willow agreed. "I wouldn't mind hanging with Xander and Tony, or Timmy again either. Plus Abby would make a kick-ass poker partner." That got a smirk from Wes, that same wicked, evil look Cordelia had given him. "What?" she defended. "I think you'd like the dear one for a bit more than that." "Well, yeah, but Timmy likes her that way too and I'd never poach." She shrugged and smiled as their occasional companions came in. "Hi, Kate, Doyle. Xander's fine. He called on us to help." "Good. What's Tony doing?" Tara looked at the picture they had going on. "Well, right now he's easing him back into sleep the natural way," she said with a red-hot blush for the tender handjob going on. She squeaked and hid her face. "Damn, he's hot doing that," Cordelia said, staring without blinking. Kate blushed too. "Let's hope it stops there and they just cuddle until Xander's better." Wes snorted and shook his head. "Tonight he'll be bent over the bed while Xander burns off the excess energy his body will be gathering. One of them will not be sitting well tomorrow." Kate blushed darker and walked over to hide her face with Tara's. The rest of them watched how he took care of Xander, even bathing him gently once he was back asleep. Tony smiled at Xander when he was done. "I'll let you tell Gibbs tomorrow, once we're sure it's staying," he whispered. "And if I hear one more giggle, I'm going to call them back myself and spank them." He looked up. "No peeking!" he ordered quietly. "It's mine now, you didn't use your chance when you had it." The giggling and commentary he could vaguely hear in the back of his head faded out. "Thank you!" He got back to work pampering his lover. He needed it. He was so tired. He left him long enough to get the water pitcher and cup, plus a bag of chips for him. He knew how Xander ate. It'd be more welcome than anything but chocolate and he did not want to see Xander bounce today. Maybe later if he was going to fulfill the male voice's promise of being bent across the bed..... Back To The Story. The End.
voracity is the author of 70 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 1 members. Members who liked Piece removed from Prettyboy part 3 also liked 12 other stories. This story is part of the series, List Only Stories. The previous story in the series is Meeting of the Evils 3: Evil Sickness. The next story in the series is Dressing Down.. |
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