Title: Things Change... (1-8)

Author: Durven

E-mail: durven@yahoo.com

Category: B/X, O/W

Rating: R-for language & violence

Summary: In the future, three years after Buffy left, Xander meets a woman who looks just like her. But, then, Buffy returns and more.

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Co. own all. Except the story is mine. As well as the characters of Alexandria and Cassandra.

Feedback: Greatly appreciated.

Other Archive: Yes, but please let me know.

Author's Notes: Thanks to Taygeta and Stone Cold for their help.

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Prologue:

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He moved silently, watching his target from the shadows. A cool summer breeze blew across his face disturbing his dark-brown hair, causing several strands to fall into his eyes. He ignored them. His cold brown eyes stared forward, focused entirely on the scene before him. His jaw tightened when his target lunged from it's hiding place and snared the young woman, who had just exited her car, around the throat.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The woman screamed in fear as her captor dragged her backwards. The growling in her ear causing tears of terror to stream down her face. A sudden rush of air made her gasp as the hold around her neck vanished. She turned quickly, backing away, hands upraised to ward off anything else that might come after her. Her eyes widening as she saw a relatively tall man dressed all in black, grappling with her assailant. She couldn't see his face, but she could feel an aura of anger radiating from him.

Lynda Garrison had just recently returned to Sunnydale and had heard the rumors of the large number of gang related incidences in and around the community. She had been told by her uncle to be careful when night fell, but as usual, she had failed to listen and here she was, very nearly the victim of gang violence.

"When am I ever going to learn?" she muttered disgustedly to herself. A grunt from one of the men captured her attention again.

She watched, amazed, as her 'hero' delivered a round-house kick to the face of the man who had tried to kill her, then frowned when the blow was reciprocated with interest. Her 'hero' stumbled backward, allowing the other man to rain blow after blow onto his chest and face. Not one sound was uttered by her 'hero' who took the punishment in stride, backing away from her attacker, moving the two of them away from her. She blinked as she realized that was exactly his intent. They kept moving away until the shadows swallowed them up. Moments later, there was nothing left of them...only silence. She stood in indecision, wanting to leave but determined to find out how her rescuer was managing.

The decision was made for her, when her attacker came sailing out of the shadows, landing with a thump at her feet. She cried out in surprise and fell backwards, landing ungraciously on rear. She moved to get up and run when her 'hero' stepped from the shadows, she was still unable to see his face as he kept moving toward the prone figure next to her.

Her 'hero' stopped within a foot of her and the other man, and just stood there. She wasn't even sure he was even breathing, he was standing so still. She opened her mouth, intending to ask what the was going on, when he suddenly kicked the silent figure at his feet. Shocked, she could only stare as he did it again and again.

"What the hell are you doing?" she screamed at him. Jumping to her feet, she rushed forward, hoping to stop him. Even though this man had just saved her, she didn't feel that he had the right to beat the unconscious man. She grabbed his arm, pulling him around to face her, bringing his face into the light. For the first time she got a good look at the person who had helped her and nearly stepped back in shock at what she saw in his eyes. Or rather, the lack of anything in his eyes. They were cold and lifeless, nothing showed. Nothing.

"What--what are you doing? He's out cold. Don't you think that's enough." She said this quietly, never once taking her eyes from his.

He stared down at her, his face blank. "He's faking." Came the equally quiet reply. Her breath caught at the steel in his voice. He turned back to the man on the ground, his hand reaching into his long, black coat, removing an object about a half a foot long with a wickedly sharp point. He kicked out again.

No longer caring that the man that stood before her was probably more dangerous than the man at their feet. She grabbed his arm again, jerking him away once more. She rounded on him, furious. "Would you stop that, please. The man's unconscious. We should be getting the police--" She was cut off as the man gave a sharp laugh.

"Police? Lady, they wouldn't know what to do even if they tried." He moved away, saying. "Those idiots would probably just get themselves killed in the process." He raised the object in his hand and she knew then that whatever it was, he was going to use it on the other man. Her 'hero' was going to kill her attacker.

She rushed forward again, latching onto his arm with both hands and pulled him back. He stared at her for a moment then tried to go around her again. She brought her hands up and pushed him. Beyond mad now, she let him have it with both barrels.

"Just what the hell were you about to do, huh?" She snatched the object from his hand and brandished it at him. He looked to his empty hand then back to her, for a second she thought she saw his mouth twitching into a smile, her anger skyrocketing as a smirk emerged instead. She pushed at him again, waving the object under his nose as she continued. "What were you going to do with this--this--" Her eyes widened as she saw what it was exactly that she was holding. "Piece...of...wood?" She looked up at him. "You were going to--what--stake him?" She asked incredulously.

"That *was* the general idea." The man answered sarcastically.

Her jaw dropped, "Let me get this straight. You think that guy is a--" she was cut off once more, this time by an inhuman growl behind her. She whirled around and saw the stuff of nightmares. The man who had been on the ground was up and running, his face no longer recognizable. Demonic...was the first thing that popped into her head. She was frozen in fear now, unable to even move out of the way as this--this creature charged towards her. Two rather long, razor sharp teeth flashed as the creature's mouth gaped wide.

Something grabbed the stake out of her hand, causing her to cry out finally. She was pushed, none to gently, to the side as her 'hero' moved forward. Pivoting on his foot, he brought the stake up in a wide circle and rammed it into the creature's chest.

"Dusted," the man muttered.

Lynda would, for the rest of her life, remember the next few seconds vividly. The creature halted in it's tracks. It's mouth opening even wider as shock registered. And then...the creature exploded...

In a shower of dust.

"Vam...pire," was the last word she said as the world faded away.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

He sighed, frowning down at the woman's face. He really didn't need this. Especially, not tonight. Of all the nights, he thought bitterly, why did this have to happen now? He knew he couldn't just leave her here, it would amount to nothing more than murder on his part. Shaking his head, he scooped the unconscious woman up in his arms and headed back to the Bronze. Muttering under his breath about nosy people who couldn't just run away in the face of danger. Nooo, this one just had to interfere. An amused smile appeared as he remembered the way she went off on him when he was about to stake that vamp.

The level of noise was as overwhelming as ever, the people were practically crammed together on the dance floor. And the DJ was putting on a new selection of music as he entered. A slow song. He sighed in relief, it would be easier to get her to his office, in the back, without dozens of wildly gyrating bodies in his path. Very few people gave him a second glance as he maneuvered his burden through them. Though no one like to admit it, what he was doing was more common place than should be expected. People made way for him and his cargo without even really thinking about it. Continuing to dance as he moved through them.

He was little more than halfway to his office when the woman in his arms slowly began to wake up. Moving a little quicker, he made it to his office door and kicked it open. Startling two teenagers who had obviously been making out on his couch. He glared at them for a moment, taking small pleasure in seeing them squirm. "Out," he gritted between clenched teeth. The two scrambled for the door with his raised voice trailing after them. "And I told you people before...stay the hell out of my office. You want to play tonsil hockey, do it at home like normal people!" And then kicked the door shut.

He closed his eyes, trying to control his temper. "Why me?" he grumbled.

"Because you're special?" He jumped at the soft voice that floated up to him. Looking down, he couldn't help but fall into the clearest blue eyes he had ever seen. His gaze took in the mass of sandy colored hair that cascaded over his right arm and quelled the urge to run his hands through it. And her face--her face was the most tempting aspect of her. He really wanted to see if her skin was as creamy smooth as it looked. "Like what you see?" she asked coyly, causing him to jump again, this time in embarrassment.

"It's okay," he retorted mildly.

"Uh-huh," she giggled.

Eyes narrowed in annoyance, more at himself than her, he deposited her carefully on the couch and started for the door. Her hand shot out, catching his wrist, holding it tightly. He looked back, seeing those lovely blue eyes bright with fear and unshed tears. He kneeled down next to her and gently extracted his wrist from her grip. He placed the hand he held on top of the other, which lay on her stomach. He gave her fingers a brief squeeze, hoping to convey reassurance.

She drew in a shuddering breath before she spoke, "Please don't go, I-I don't think I can handle being alone right now." Her lower lip trembled slightly as she watched him watch her. Not really feeling up to dealing with this, he got up again. He saw the hurt in her eyes as he went to the door.

"Look, you'll be safe here. I'm just going to get you something to drink. Uh, what would you like?" he added as an afterthought. She didn't say anything, just turned her head away. He could tell by the hitching of her shoulders that she was beginning to cry. He rolled his eyes at the sight and leaned against the door. I don't need this, he grumbled silently to himself. He grimaced when her crying became more audible, running his hand through his hair, he wondered where the fiery woman who had pushed him around outside had gone.

Opening the door, he scanned the dance floor, grateful that a slow song was still playing. Finding the face he wanted, he waved him over. Turning his eyes back to the woman on the couch, he rubbed his face tiredly and hoped he was doing the right thing. It had been a long time since he had been this...nice...to anyone.

He jumped, yet again, as a hand fell on his shoulder. Her turned a lethal glare on the new arrival, who stepped back and cringed slightly. "Whoa, dude, let up there. It's just me!" He told himself to calm down. The guy didn't need his bad vibes.

"Sorry, man. Listen, would you go and get her some water."

He waited for it. Knowing it would come. The eyebrow arch, the sly smile, and of course, "Heeerrrr?" was lazily drawled out for his benefit. Ah, and as an added bonus. A knowing smile with a wink.

Life's great, isn't it?

Not.

"Don't start with me. She got jumped out front and passed out." He jabbed the now serious newcomer in the chest, hard. "Got it?" He added forcefully.

"Got it. Be right back." the other guy stated quickly and scurried off. He shook his head, doing his best to stem off his rapidly dwindling supply of patience. Closing the door, he thought for a moment and considered his next course of action.

"I want to apologize," came the girl's voice close behind him. He jumped even higher this time.

So much for patience.

"Damn it, why is this happening to me, tonight of all nights?" He yelled to the air. He didn't have to look at the girl to know that she was now on the other side of the room, shaking like a leaf, scared to death that he was going hurt her. And he didn't care what she thought, he had had enough of this crap.

He opened the door to leave.

He closed the door.

Who was he trying to kid?

"Look, I'm sorry." He turned to her and held his hand out in what he hoped was a non-threatening manner. "I'm not going hurt you...I promise." She stared at him for a long moment then slowly moved away from the wall she was bunched up against. She glanced at his hand briefly before taking it. Relief flooded him as he lead her back to the couch and sat her down.

The water arrived shortly after, followed by a strange episode with his co-owner of the Bronze doing a double-take at the sight of the young lady sitting next to him. After, rather forcefully ushering his partner out the door, he made sure she drank the entire contents of the glass. He checked his watch and nearly groaned when he saw the time. It was far too late for anything tonight, sunrise was in less than an hour. He had missed his appointment by an hour and a half. He swept away the frustrations of the evening and tried to calm himself down.

"You said something about apologizing? No need to, you didn't do anything to warrant an apology." he told her after a few quiet minutes.

"Yes, yes I did. I kept you from your appointment." she said earnestly.

Huh? How did she-- "Whoa, wait a minute--, how did--, no, forget, I don't want to know." He stood to remove his coat, placed it on the back of his chair and re-seated himself next to her. "All right. Yes, I missed my...appointment. I'm a little ragged about it. And I'm sorry for my behavior. I was total out-of-line-guy."

She touched his hand, lightly. Smiled at him and said, "You've had a bad day. I can understand that. You saved my life tonight and I didn't even thank you."

The smile she was giving him now was starting to make him feel uncomfortable. So to relieve some of the...tension...he moved to the chair behind his desk and settled in. He didn't miss the look of disappointment on her face. He congratulated himself on the move, then wondered why he had done it. It had been awhile, of course, but he was sure that this woman was interested in him and he was interested in her. Wasn't he? I mean, she really is beautiful, he thought. Really, really, beautiful. Almost as if she could read his thoughts her smile widened as she rose from her seat and started towards him.

He held his hand up.

She stopped and they watched each other for a long moment. She nodded, returning to her seat, giving him a small smile. "Am I guessing wrong or...was there *something*--"

"Yes," he shifted in his seat. "But, I--we just can't."

She rolled her eyes. "What you mean is...that you won't. Which is cool. I understand. Truth is...I'm usually not that...forward." her cheeks became a bright red as she struggled with the words. He felt a spark of amusement at her predicament. Suddenly, she stood. Her eyes flashing with anger. "I don't see anything a bit funny about this." He was instantly contrite and tried to apologize, but she beat him to it by waving her hands dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I'm still trying to get through this whole vampire thingy and I'm a tad off my usual." Plopping herself back down, she drew her knees up close to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, making herself look almost half her size as she settled a cheek on one knee.

Ah hell, I hope I didn't hurt her feelings, he thought.

"No, you were a perfect gentle...man..." she trailed off as they both realized her mistake.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Lynda, she told herself. You can be incredibly stupid sometimes. The man risks his life to save you from some monster and what do you do to repay him? Throwing yourself at him and letting him know that you've been reading his mind, practically from the moment you woke up.

"Mind-reader, huh?" he asked casually.

She blinked, her mouth gaping. "Are you one, too?"

He grinned. "No, just a lucky guess."

"Hell of a lucky guess."

He shrugged. Leaning back in his chair, he chuckled lightly. "This is the Hellmouth, lady. Stuff like this is normal. If you just open your eyes."

"It's Lynda Garrison, with a 'y', and frankly I don't see how reading minds is all that normal." she said bitterly.

"Are vampires considered normal?" She had no answer for that one. "Here, everything that can be considered abnormal is the norm. Every bit of fantasy that you could possibly dream up has probably passed through this town at one time or another. Even things you could never imagine in a million years have most likely taken up residence here." He shrugged again. "It is the Hellmouth, after all."

"You've said that before. What exactly is the Hellmouth?"

"You're sitting in it." Before she could stop herself, she leapt from her seat and fearfully looked back at where she had been sitting. The man laughed at her actions and she found herself blushing again. "I meant Sunnydale, Lynda."

"Oh," and sheepishly took her seat again.

He smiled at her and moved to sit next to her. "You'd probably get a much more lengthy and completely boring description from a friend of mine. But, basically, the Hellmouth is the center for most of the weirdness that's in the world." He looked her in the eye. "Including, vampires and mind-readers."

"You're awfully...nonchalant about all of this. Have you known long?"

"Since I was in high school. I first found out when I met--met someone who was born to fight the vampires. It was her destiny. Shortly after meeting her, one of my best friends became a vampire." He looked away. "I killed him."

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. He just shrugged it off, obviously not caring much about it anymore. How sad, she thought. "You don't care much about anything, anymore, do you?"

"I never said I didn't care."

"Well, you certainly act like you don't. Then again, you could have just left me to that vampire."

"I may not always be nice, but it doesn't mean I'm a bad guy." He stood up abruptly, crossing to the door and opening to yell out, "Hey, closing time. Get this place locked up." The music cut off seconds after his bellow and there was a general sound of disappointment, followed by several shouts of "drive carefully," from various corners of the room. He looked back to her. "It's late, Miss Garrison. I suggest you head on home...I'll walk you to your car." He held the door open for her, his expression telling her that her stay here was over.

She bit her lip, nodding. "I didn't mean anything by what I said, I was just making an observation." She gathered her things and proceeded him out the door. They headed out the front of the Bronze and walked silently to her car. The early morning sun was just beginning to show. She tried to think of something to say, but kept coming up blank. Finally, when they were only a few feet from her car, his hand caught her elbow. She turned questioning eyes up to him.

"You didn't say anything wrong." He explained softly. "You just caught me off guard... again." His smile was answered by one of her own. "Maybe that's why I've been so patient with you tonight. There have been only a select few that have managed to surprise me lately. Like last night. Usually, when I end up in a situation where someone passes out on me, I just wait until they wake up and send them home as quickly as possible. You, on the other hand, I--couldn't just--I'm not really sure why--"

"Yes, you do. You just don't want to acknowledge it." He gave her a lop-sided grin, folding his arms across his chest, his eyebrows arching as he waited for her to continue. She looked to the ground and steadied herself for what she was about to say, knowing he wasn't going to much like it. "I look like her," she whispered.

His grin faded, his face tightening into a grimace as he looked away. "Her?" he asked tentatively.

"The girl you're in love with. The one that left."

His eyes squeezed shut, a tremor racked him. He opened his eyes finally, locking them with hers. She could see the anger there, but knew it wasn't directed at her. Although, she could have been wrong by what he said next and the tone he used it in. "If you don't mind, Miss Garrison. I'll ask you not to go traipsing through my mind. What's in here..." He tapped his left temple. "Is of no concern to you or anyone else."

She opened her car door and got in, tapping on the window to get his attention, then rolling it down to speak. "If I promise not to go 'traipsing through your mind', can I see you again?"

"I'm part owner of the Bronze, Miss Garr--" he stopped, giving her a small smile at the look she gave him. "Lynda..." She smiled happily at him. "So I'm sure you'll be seeing me around sometime."

"You know what I mean."

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked down at her. "Yes, I do. But I told you--"

"That we can't. And we both know why now. Even though you still won't acknowledge it." She grinned at his exasperated expression. "Anyways, I meant as two people getting to know each other...getting to be friends. And I would very much like to be you're friend."

He appeared to give it some thought. Though inwardly she was grinning as she watched one corner of his mouth beginning to twitch upwards in a smile and his losing battle with it. He finally let go, smiling widely at her, shaking his head. "You win, Lynda."

"Great. Then I'll see you tomorrow," her eyes went wide and she pointed at him. "Early. When there's still sunlight out. Here?" He agreed, then she started the car and was about to pull away when something else occurred to her. "Hey, there are two more things I need to know before I leave."

"Oh? What are those?"

"Your name and...yes or no," she bit her lip and hoped he would tell her. "*Do* I look like her?"

He unfolded his arms and looked out over the horizon, his face carefully blank again. "It's Xander. Xander Harris." He looked back. "And yeah...you do look like Buffy. See ya tomorrow, Lynda. And welcome to the Hellmouth."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Chapter One:

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He couldn't believe it. Here he was, having just met this woman less than a month ago, freely discussing his entire life with her. Without persuasion, threats of bodily harm and on one memorable occasion...bribery. All this woman had to do was to simply ask and he was running at the mouth non-stop for hours on end.

And it had *nothing* to do with the fact that she was dead-ringer for one Buffy Summers.

Or at least that's what he tried to convince himself of.

He looked up from his drink, noting the way her head moved to the rhythm of the music. The way her eyes lit up when she recognized the song and began singing quietly along with the lyrics. The way she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Just like *she* used to do. And that sweet little smile that she sometimes gave him whenever she looked his way.

Like she was doing now.

He choked slightly on the mouthful of coffee he had just drunk as he realized that Lynda was indeed looking and smiling at him. Oh boy. Smiling awkwardly at her, he tried to control the blush that he could feel creeping up his neck. Which was another thing this Lynda Garrison found little trouble in doing to him. Making him feel like the hormonally charged teenager that he had been back in high school. Then, knowing full well what it would do to him, she just had to giggle.

Ugh.

"Uh-huh, laugh it up." Having been given explicit permission, she let loose with that full throated laugh of hers. It took her a few minutes, but she finally got herself under some modicum of control and gave him a knowing smile.

"Having nice thoughts?" she teased.

"Very," he leered.

Her eyes twinkled. "Ooo, careful there, Xander. Or else I might just have to take you up on those thoughts." They laughed at the joke. Which was all it really was. Xander had made it clear in the beginning that he couldn't and wouldn't start a relationship with her or anyone for that matter. He simply wasn't ready to maintain or even *think* of a relationship. After Cordelia had dumped him (which had been solely his fault) a couple of months before Buffy's departure. The very idea of starting another relationship sent a shiver of fear through him. It wasn't because he was afraid of women, it was the whole thing about giving one's heart to another and then losing it, that terrified him.

Besides, he wasn't about to subject a potential love interest to the kind of stuff he faced on a daily and nightly basis. And he couldn't give up what he did now anyways, he knew what the consequences would be if he were to step aside.

His friends and loved ones.

What remained of them, that is.

"Hey," Lynda called softly. She reached over, gently squeezing his hand to get his attention. He jerked at the contact, his morose thoughts shattered by her soft touch. "You all right?"

He breathed in deeply, getting himself under control again. "Y-yeah, just thinking..." he replied quietly.

"Some days are harder than others, aren't they?" she asked sympathetically.

He tightened his hold on her hand and brought it to his lips. "You have no idea," he whispered.

They both froze as his lips touched her hand, he looked up into her eyes and noted the slight flush gracing her features. The change in breathing, the gradually darkening of her eyes as desire filled them. Hastily, he dropped her hand and looked away. Controlling his own reaction. Some days are harder than others, she said. That was a gross understatement. Their attraction to each other was powerful, but manageable with distancing.

Distancing that hurt in ways he wasn't ready to face.

He took a quick swallow of his rapidly cooling coffee, grimacing at the taste. Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he felt like a heel as he saw the sadness hanging over her as she watched the band again. She wanted this. Wanted him. He couldn't deny that it was the same for him. But to acknowledge it, pursue it, would just make them both miserable.

"So," she began and he winced at the shakiness in her tone. "Are you going to let me go with you tonight?" she asked, looking at him now. Relief flooded him at the change in subject, but then abruptly plunged back into anxiety as he registered the question fully.

"We've been through this Lynda," he said. "It's not a good idea."

"Why not," she questioned, taking a sip of her own drink. "You've been training me for over two weeks now and you said that I've got a good aptitude for defending myself."

He sighed and shook his head. "Lynda--"

"Oz and Willow will be there tonight, Giles too."

"They can take care of themselves," he replied. Then stopped as something occurred to him. "Lynda, how did you know about Giles?"

She gave him a sheepish look and ducked her head. "Sorry, but it's hard to break old habits. I 'overheard' Oz talking to Willow on the phone and he mentioned that Giles' lecture was postponed until tomorrow night so he'd be able to accompany the three of you tonight on patrol."

Hmm, Giles was coming tonight, he thought. It's been awhile since the older man had tagged along on a patrol. Nearly a year. "Well...I don't know Lynda. I'll have to run it by the others first, you know."

She nodded, a full smile emerging. "Sure, but I don't think they'll have a problem with it. Well, Willow might."

She was right. He wasn't sure what was bugging Willow, but the red-head wasn't all that enthused with Lynda's presence. He'd asked her about it, but all she would say was that she felt uncomfortable with Lynda around and that it had nothing to do with her likeness to Buffy or her ability to read minds. Which was odd, she didn't like having Lynda around, but she was more than willing to trust that Lynda wouldn't be snooping around in her mind?

Oz had confided that Willow was beginning to worry him. She was becoming more secretive and spending long hours on the computer for no reason. He'd seen the screen a couple of times and wondered if she was having some kind of on-line affair. As soon as he had said that. Xander immediately went and confronted Willow about it, remembering the incident with Moloch.

She had vehemently denied it, then chastised him about not trusting her to learn from her mistakes and thinking that she could ever betray Oz like that. She'd been sincere and he had believed her. So what *was* going on? He wasn't able to find out then, because the minute he had asked her, she'd became evasive and irritable.

"Don't worry about Willow. You'll be my--" He almost said 'date', but thankfully stopped himself before that. "Guest. You'll be my guest and Will doesn't have a say in that. Just remember, this isn't a game. I want you glued to my side for the entire night and you do *exactly* what I say...understand?"

"Absolutely."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Lynda remained to true to her word and stayed close to Xander. Much to Willow's obvious displeasure. The other three had arrived shortly after Lynda and Xander. The minute Willow caught sight of Lynda, she had been sullen and downright rude to the other girl. Xander was becoming frustrated with his friend's attitude and tried several times to get her to be nice, but to no avail.

Lynda took Willow's snippy comments in stride and even attempted to start a reasonable conversation with her.

It fell flat.

Finally having enough of his friend's insults. Xander dragged Willow by the arm several yards away from the others and let her have it.

"What the hell is your problem, Willow? I know you don't like her, but your being completely out out-of-line tonight."

"I just--just don't trust her," she replied, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at him.

"Don't trust her," he repeated slowly. "I don't get it, Will. Explain it to me. You have no issues with her being a mind-reader or that she looks like Buffy..." he sighed. "So, what exactly is the deal?"

Willow continued to scowl at him, but he just stared back, not backing down. Eventually, she sighed and looked away, pursing her lips. "How do you feel about her?" she asked quietly.

He should have seen this coming. "She's a friend Willow, nothing more."

"Are you so sure of that?"

He ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. "Look, I'm not going to deny that there's an attraction there. But it's not going to be acted on, okay?"

"What about her?"

"Willow!" he clenched his fists, frowning at her. "Even if it were to happen. It's nobody's business, but mine and Lynda's."

Willow looked down, chewing on her lip and digging the toe of her shoe in the dirt. "Just... wait, before you do anything. All right? I want you to be sure that this is what you want."

"Why? You more than anyone have been nagging at me to try dating again. Why now, when I'm possibly interested in actually trying, that you get upset about it?" He tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes, pleading with her to explain.

"I-I just think you should wait."

"For what? Another three years? Haven't I been punished enough?" She flinched at that and turned her back on him. "I'm sorry Willow, but really...why do you want me to wait? What's the real reason?"

She turned to the side, biting her lip again. "Xander," she began hesitantly. "There's something you should know..."

"Yes?"

Willow opened her mouth, but was interrupted by a piercing shriek. Grabbing Willow, he pulled her along as he ran back to the others. When he caught sight of them, he saw Oz holding his own against a muscular blonde vampire and Giles using his cross to hold off two others. Assessing the situation, Xander pushed Willow towards Giles, telling her to help him hold them off and went to help Oz.

"Down, Oz!" With those words, Oz quickly dropped into a crouch and watched as Xander delivered a jumping round-house kick to the vampire's chest. Throwing the creature off it's feet and head first into a tombstone, knocking it unconscious. Oz moved in for the kill and then hurried after Xander to face the other two vampires.

Xander punched the larger of the two in the gut and kneed it in the face as it double over. Sweeping it's feet out from under it, he caught the stake Willow threw to him and staked it. Before he could stand, the last vampire kicked the stake out of his hand and slugged him hard enough to make him see stars.

Giles, meanwhile, came up behind them and took aim with his crossbow. "Xander, I've got him." Xander rolled out of the way and smiled as Giles' shot hit true and the last vampire exploded into dust.

"Nice shot," Xander complemented.

"Yes, well, I should have been able to get the blasted thing the first couple of times." He sighed. "I'm getting way to old for this," he said, smiling wryly.

Xander stood up and grinned at Giles before looking everyone over to see if they were all right. Something in the pit of his stomach twisted and then dropped as he noticed that someone was missing. "Oh, god. Where's Lynda?"

A noise sounded from the right and Xander took off. Racing around a large bush, he saw Lynda fighting with a vampire. She punched it repeatedly and kicked it a couple times in the face and knocked it down. She then withdrew a stake from her coat and staked it. Panting, Xander raced up to her and hugged her tightly. Needing to feel her close, to be sure that she was safe. Murmuring in her ear, he drew back and before he could stop himself, he kissed her.

She stiffened in his arms at first. Enough so, that he began to draw back. But then she wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her mouth to his. Driving his head back and plunging her tongue

into his mouth. He met her stroke for stroke, until they both drew back from lack of oxygen and regarded each other with wide smiles.

"I missed you," she whispered to him, eyes shining.

"Missed me?" he replied with a confused grin.

She nodded and brought his head back down, kissing him gently this time. A soft brushing of lips on lips, that was so sweet that it made him feel warmer than he had felt in a long time.

"Xander!" Oz's voice yelled out. "Where are you?"

Reluctantly, he pulled back and shouted. "Over here, Oz-man."

Moving in to place another kiss on those delightful lips, he heard Oz answer him in a more normal tone as he walked up behind them. "Hey, man. We found Lynda, she was hiding in my van until the vamps were taken...care...of..."

*They* found Lynda? WHAT?

He jerked backwards, gazing down with dread at the woman in front of him and then looked at Oz. Who was standing a few feet away, his eyes wide as he stared at them with his mouth hanging open.

No, oh please, no.

Slowly, his head swiveled back to the woman he had just been kissing and closed his eyes, whispering the name he knew without a doubt she would answer to.

"Buffy..."

"Hello, Xander."

End Chapter One.

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