"Xander? Xander, I gotta talk to you about something..."

The young man looked up to see his best friend gazing down at him. Immediately, Xander's heart dropped. Ash looked so tired, so world-weary. The look in his eyes was haunted and drained, the kind of expression that tells you that it's bearer wishes he could forget a lifetime.

Xander, seeing the seriousness in his gaze, put down the research book he was using and stood.

"Sure, Ash, what is it?"

Ash ushered him over to one of the back shelves, where they would have a little  privacy. The scarred man put his real hand on the boy's shoulder, and Xander wasn't sure if it was to comfort him or the older man's attempt to steady himself. Ash put his head down for a moment, took a breath, then brought it up. Looking straight into Xander's eyes he told him the one thing he wished he would never had to say.

"You're the Apprentice..."

"No," Xander shook his head, "We already went over this...I'm just a normal guy."

"No, Xander, you're not..." Ash replied, his voice telling the young man that he wished it wasn't so, "Buffy saw you fight, and I have to agree with her. What you can do isn't human. It's the traits of a Keeper. I mean, you have all the indicators: the strength, the speed, the lasting power, the survival instinct, the ability to sense those creatures..."

"I-"

"Don't lie, kid, I know..." Ash said with a lopsided grin, "I saw you scratching your neck before. I know what it feels like. I know that itch. It's the feeling of a deadite near you, of the evil of the book. It's kind of familiar, dark and unpleasant, right?"

Xander nodded reluctantly.

There was silence for a moment as the two considered what had been said.

"So, I'm the Junior Chosen One..."

Ash smiled at Xander. It was a good sign. He knew that you needed a sense of humor for the job. In fact, Ash was pretty sure that laughing was the only thing that had kept him sane all these years. That and being very angry.

"Well, now that that's all done, let's get to work arming these bozos." Ash said, patting Xander on the back, "Let's hope they know which end of the gun to point..."

"I think Buffy will, but I'm not sure about the rest of them." Xander admitted, "We'll just need to show them. Trust me, this group's good at learning."

"Really?"

"Yeah, as I told you before, in this town, you learn or you die..."

"Amen to that, brother..."

The two of them exchanged another grin, and then walked out from behind the shelves, only to find the others waiting for them in an excited bundle.

"Okay, Peanut Gallery, let's hop to it..." Ash shouted, his voice friendly but serious, "Xander and I will be teaching a 5 minute course on how to use a gun without killing or maiming yourself."

He looked to Buffy. "You don't need this, do you?"

Buffy shook her head, then picked up the one-barreled gun Ash had tried to give Xander that night. She sighted it, and then lowered it. "Can I get this one?"

The two Keepers shared an amused glance. "Come on, Buffy, I think you'll want something a little better..."

"Looks fine to me." The Slayer replied, looking at the gun from all angles, "I don't like guns, but this one looks nice and simple."

"Yeah, whatever...take that one." Xander said tiredly. When Ash gave him a questioning glance, Xander just shrugged.

"You either?" Xander asked Giles.

"No, I've used such weapons before..." the Watcher replied, picking up one of the Winchesters.

"Good man..." Ash said to Giles with a grin.

"All right now, the rest of you..." Ash said as the Slayer walked off to do something or other, "Gather round and learn from the master..."

Within ten minutes, he had the group armed and as ready as they could be. At least they wouldn't shoot themselves. Ash considered it an achievement, especially when the brunette nearly took his head off with his old Remington in the first two minutes.

Ash had taken command, with Xander as his second. Every one of them was armed to the gills with Ash's best stuff, and they looked scary enough to make Rambo think twice. All in all, Ash had a feeling they actually had a chance against an entire city of possible deadites.

During training, they had come up with a plan. Actually, they couldn't call it a plan. It was too simple to be a plan, but it was all they had. Xander, Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia would be part of one group, and Ash, Giles, and Oz would be the other. Xander had jokingly called one team "Team A" and the other "Team B" in a half-baked knock-off of South Park. Each group would search the town, using their Keeper's ability to sense the book, and try to get it, without dying, back to the library.

Luckily, they did have walkie-talkies, due to the fact that S-Mart had had them on sale a month ago. But the range on them was pretty short, only a mile. So they had to rely on the power of their own team for the most part. No one liked the plan that much; it was too dangerous. But no one could think of anything better.

So they set out a few minutes later. Ash headed south, towards the main cemetery, while Xander went north, in the direction of the Mansion and the smaller cemetery. Before they split though, Ash took his pupil to the side for a moment.

"Trust your instincts, kid..." Ash advised him, "And kick some ass..."

"I'll try my best..." Xander replied with a grin.

"Don't try, kid...To quote that little green dude from those movies, 'there is no try'" his mentor told him, "You make it back here, kid, or I will find a way to bring you back and kill you again in the worst possible way..."

"Would it include a great deal of washing dishes?" Xander asked, wincing.

"Tons. Bundles. Bunches. Oodles. And no KFC breaks either!" Ash replied with a straight face before it cracked into a smile, "Just take care of yourself, okay, kid? If anything happened..."

"I know, Ash. I'll be careful..." Xander replied, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder, "Now we better go before the others yell at us..."

"Damn straight." Ash said, his macho front up and running, "Let's teach these screwheads not to invade out goddamned town!"

"Groovy..." Xander nodded with a grin, cocking his head.

"All right, let's head out. I'll take the front and you two cover the rear." Xander told them, "Buffy, keep that shotgun up. The best way to live is to be ready at all times. These aren't some everyday bloodsuckers; these are deadites."

Buffy snorted at him, but did as he asked.

"Willow, I'd feel better if you had that blade in your hands. I know from experience that when you're rushing, you can get tangled in the sheath."

Willow did as Buffy had, obviously not liking Xander's commanding attitude, but doing as told.

"Cordy, could you please put the chainsaw back in the holder before you kill yourself..." he told his girlfriend. She 'humphed', then nodded.

"Look, I know you don't like being ordered around, but it's necessary!" The young man said, his frustration apparent, "I know you still think I am some clueless idiot, but I have been studying under Ash for the last three months, and I think I know what I'm doing. Not to mention the stuff from Halloween..."

The three girls were silent, and then Buffy finally said, "Okay, Xander, we understand. It's just-"

"Weird?" Xander said, almost hurt, "Unnatural that Xander, the Jimmy-Olsen wannabe is in charge?"

"No," Willow jumped in, trying to calm them, "It's just that, you're so different. We don't resent it. Goodness knows, we are happy for you, if a bit worried about the whole Keeper thing..."

"Look, being the Keeper just means that I'll be beating the un-living crap out of deadites instead of vampires...No big deal..."

"No, it is a big deal...I should know, Xander" Buffy told him, her voice sympathetic now, "You are now one of the Keepers. It's not no big deal..."

Xander looked at her, trying to gauge how serious the discussion was going to get, then told her "Listen, we don't have time for me to work on this crap. For right now, let's keep our guard up, stop thinking and just kill any of these bastards that are dumb enough to try and attack us, all right?"

"I smell something..."

"I know..." Ash answered quietly, looking around, "I don't know exactly where they are, but they're out there, waiting for us..."

The three men glanced nervously around the area, then something seemed to click in Ash's head.

"You smelled them?" He asked skeptically.

"Yeah." Oz replied.

When the boy offered no additional information, Ash looked to Giles, who explained with a shrug, "He's a werewolf."

"Oh, of course he is!" Ash retorted sarcastically, "You people have everything here, don't you? Should've told me to bring a chew toy along..."

Oz glared at him, but didn't say anything; Giles elbowed Ash.

"I don't care if you're the bloody Christ come back to save us. If you don't stop being a colossal idiot, I will break your nose!"

Ash frowned for a moment, then grinned back at the peeved Watcher. It had taken ten minutes of bickering and insults to do it, but finally the Brit was showing some backbone.

"I'm sorry, all right?" Ash answered quickly, "I'm just a little touchy at the moment...If you had any idea how much I hate this damn book..."

"Well," replied Giles, a little more calm, "That is certainly understandable..."

Oz nodded, then smiled at the scarred Keeper, letting him know he forgave him for the chew toy comment. After a moment, they continued.

"That reminds me..." Giles said a moment later, "Do you sense anything? Any particular change in the location of the book? Are we getting closer?"

"It's hard to tell..." Ash replied, scanning the surrounding area, "The...evil, for lack of a better word, is all around, so finding the book is like finding a pail of smoke in the fog..."

"What?"

"Well, it's a little easier to find, but not much..."

"Oh." Said Oz.

"But I do think that that warehouse up ahead would be an excellent hide out..." Ash told them, pointing.

Giles chuckled under his breath, and Oz cracked a small smile.

"You wouldn't be the first to think so, Mr. Williams..." The Watcher told him, "Over the years a remarkable number of creatures have called that place home..."

"Then I say we check it out."

"Xander, do you really think we should check the Mansion?" Buffy asked nervously, looking up to the building that had caused her so much pain. That's why Xander thought she was nervous, but there was another reason.

"Yes...I do. I told you before, I can't really pinpoint the location of the book with the...presence around. We'll practically have to trip over it."

"But the Mansion-"

"Has deadites in it, okay?" Xander said, getting irritated, "That I can tell you..."

"So, if there are monsters in there, why are we gonna go in?" Willow asked, fingering her sword fretfully.

"Because deadites don't go into groups unless they have a purpose..." Xander told her, rolling his eyes as if it were common knowledge, "And the only purpose a deadite has is to get the book, or keep the book..."

"And exactly how do you know so much about these things, Mr. I-just-found-out-I-was-the-Keeper?" Buffy asked accusingly, trying to pull him away from the large house.

"Ash told me so...well, that's not true...I just know..." Xander replied, exasperated at not being able to explain.

"Fine...But I don't think we should go in..." Buffy insisted.

"Well, I'm telling you that we are going in..." he retorted vehemently, his glare daring her to contradict him.

"Fine." Buffy said at last, returning the glare with interest, "Just don't be surprised if you find something you don't like in there..."

Xander looked at each one of the girls with him. Willow, scared but willing. Cordelia, willing but clueless. Buffy, angry at him, but on his side. "All right then. Weapons out, folks...we're going in..."

"Do you really think it would be wisest to go in there?" Giles asked, looking at the Keeper.

"Well, all I know is that there are more than a few deadites in there, and deadites only groups up when they're trying to get the book, or to keep the book."

"How do you know that?" Giles asked.

"Experience, uh...a feeling...a good guess..." Ash said nervously, then he got angry at his own lack of knowledge, "I just know!"

The Watcher and the werewolf exchanged glances. "So being the Keeper is mostly instinct?"

"I guess..." Ash answered, tired and unsure, "Haven't really thought about it much... when I do... what I do, I try not to think. It would hurt too much if I thought, and besides, thinking can get you killed..."

The Keeper was quiet for a moment, then looked at Giles. "Why do you ask? I mean, you seem to know everything about this stuff. I just found out about it an hour ago..."

"Actually..." Giles admitted, "No one knows all that much about what you and the Necronomicon can do...The Watchers as a whole know very little about what you can do. The Council isn't interested in much that isn't Slayer-related. And the book was lost for centuries until I received it in the mail the other day..."

"Oh." Replied Ash, a little crestfallen, "Too bad."

"However, I believe that there are passages in the book that tell all about the Keeper. When we regain the book, I will try my hardest to get some information for you so you may better realize your potential."

"Just don't read anything out loud..." Ash warned, "That's how I got into this mess in the first place, remember? Promise."

"I swear I will not read the book out loud..." Giles replied, placing his hand on his heart.

"Good" Ash said; then he looked at Oz, "Do you have any idea where the entrance is?"

Oz nodded, then said quietly, "Follow me."

The two older men did as the werewolf told them, and within a few minutes, they were at the back entrance of the warehouse. Near the door was a small window, which Giles promptly peaked through.

"There's at least twenty in there..." he reported, "and they seem to be guarding something..."

"Tell me something I don't know..." Ash muttered angrily. Now was not the time to talk. It was not the time to think. It was not the time to let anything but rage through his mental passages. This was a time Ash knew well, the time to kill everything in your way.

"All right, we go in at the count of ten..." Ash said, readjusting the sword attachment on his arm and pulling out his trusty old Remmington.

"What do you mean, 'we go in at the count of ten'!" Giles asked in an excited whisper, "We need a plan! You don't just-"

Ash's expression told the Watcher exactly what he 'just'.

"But that's suicide!" Giles hissed.

"No, trying to sneak up on these bastards is suicide." Ash answered, "You can't. Maybe me, they don't seem to be able to sense me...But anyone else, they can sense you and take you like THAT!"

"Take you?" asked Oz.

"Make you one of them..." Ash explained, "I don't know if they can get fur face here, but you, Giles..."

The Watcher took in what Ash was saying and his face went white.

"I promise..." the Keeper assured him with half a smile, "If it happens, I'll try my best just to lock you in the cellar or something..."

"Oh dear..."

"Yeah, it kinda sucks..." Ash agreed.

The three were silent for a moment (which wasn't much of a change for Oz), then Giles turned sharply to Ash.

"Is Xander aware of this fact?"

"Yeah, I told the kid..." Ash said, "made it real clear right from the beginning..."

"Thank God for that, at least..."

"I'll thank God..." Ash replied sourly as he checked the chambers of his gun, "When he stops making me clean up his crap..."

"Let's get going then, shall we?" Giles said.

"Sure" the Keeper replied, snapping the gun closed, "Let's go."

Then he kicked in the door, and the word 'chaos' gained a whole new meaning.

"Damn, this place never changes..." Xander said, looking up at the Mansion that had caused so much trouble, or rather had contained beings that did.

"Yeah..." Buffy answered nervously.

"We better use the back entrance..." Xander thought aloud.

"Good idea, MacGuiver..." Cordelia said tiredly, "And I was thinking of just ringing the doorbell..."

"I don't think there is one..." Xander said, his mind occupied with something else. The tingling itch had gotten worse as they came closer, and at this point, only the willpower he had forged during training kept him from scratching the skin off the back of his neck. But now, as they approached the one door, the feeling had a tinge he couldn't truly identify. It was almost...red. Dark red, if you could describe an itch like that...He'd felt the same sort of thing before at some time, but he couldn't place it really.

"So..." the aggravated Slayer said, tugging on his sleeve, "Let's go..."

A second later she mumbled, "get this over with..."

Xander heard her mutter, and wondered what it was she had said, however, he was busy with other things. Such as what that strange reddish presence was...

"No. No, don't think." Xander mumbled to himself, "Just feel. Feel angry. Those damn bastards have taken over your town...Don't think. Attack. Trust your instincts, that's what Ash said...Don't think..."

"BASTARDS!" Xander screamed, kicking in the door in rage as he pulled the cord on his chainsaw.

The young Keeper ran into the room, slicing at the beings before they could even think. They fell in pools of multicolored blood, all a blur to his enraged senses. Xander didn't think. He just attacked. He attacked everything that made him itch. He could feel others dying as his friends plunged into the room, but they were but shadows to his own gory reality. Finally, there was only one left. The red one. The wrong one.

The blood pounded in his ears as he brought the chainsaw up for the blow that would send the creature huddled on the floor straight to hell. But as he was bringing the blade down, something hit him in the back and sent him flying. He hit the wall a moment later, the blood there having no affect on his already destroyed clothing.

The knock woke him up. Xander looked around, but the view was blurred. The young man shook his head, feeling the wet sticky droplets fling themselves off of him. Finally, after a moment, he saw the scene he had created.

There were pieces of bodies all over the large stone room. Many of them were twitching, which was disturbing to say the least. He worried for a moment that the pieces might cause trouble, but then he realized that he pieces were too small for any life to be in them. Around the dismembered parts were pools of oddly colored blood. Some of it was the familiar red, but some were bizarre greens and blues. It was a disgusting scene, one that his mind refused to attach him to. But to his horror, he could see the ragged trademarks of his chainsaw on the majority of the bodies. His mind rebelled. How could he have...

Finally, Xander realized that he wasn't alone. Looking up from the littered floor, Xander could see Willow, who was gazing at him with eyes full of concern. Beside her was Cordy, who despite her repulsion looked very worried about him. She seemed to be ignoring the majority of the carnage in a self-protective sort of way. Vampires, he knew, were never this bad.

Lastly, he saw Buffy. She was also covered in blood, but the look on her face was more anger than revulsion. And beside her, panting in exhaustion, pain and shock, was the one person he thought he'd never see again. Angel.

Part 9