Snyder hit the open door. "I will *not* be talked to by an employee, even an unpaid one."

"If I leave, that door gets locked," Di said calmly. "Per Mr. Giles' orders. I was asked to be here by the school board when he suggested me, and I will do my job to the best of my abilities, but I am not putting my actual life on hold while I do it. If you have a problem with me, I'd be glad to go with you to the school board, who will tell you I'm under their control, not yours. I'm not a teacher, nor am I a regular employee of this school. The only person who can say anything to me about how I do my job is the Superintendent and I believe he's in El Paso this week." She finished her glass of tea. "Was there another matter you wanted to discuss?" He stormed out and she turned to find both young men looking very impressed. "Dealt with an editor like him for almost three years," she told them. "Never let him see you sweat."

"So *that's* how you do it," Xander said, putting back on his cheerful persona. "Okay. Got to remember that."

"Ease up on the real you, kid," Di told him. "We really would like you."

"Maybe you," Xander countered. "But that's not the general opinion."

"I wouldn't mind," Oz said quietly. "Humor is good, but not now." He nudged the tense arm. "Be scared, I am."

"Yeah, I am too," Xander admitted. "And no offense, Di, but I really want Giles here right now."

"Hey, none taken. It's a natural thing to want your friends and family when things start to look bad. If I knew how to contact him, I would." She shrugged. "All he told me was that he would be out of contact and absolutely unreachable for the better part of the month but that he might visit the Watcher's Council near the end."

"So, why do all the bug things like Xander?" Oz asked, wincing at the groan. "Sorry, but the praying mantis then this? It's a bug thing."

Xander groaned again, holding his head. "Just don't tell the others," he begged. "I know what they'll say." He looked up to see Buffy in the doorway, the reason for the sudden quiet. "Hey, what's up? You get dreams too?"

She shook her head. "No, I got pulled out of class and told to come down and menace you three." She walked in, closing the door. "So, dreams, again?" she asked. "Same demon?"

"Female," Di said. "Unsleeping, very hard to get rid of without killing Oz."

"So, what are we doing about it?"

"Finding it might be good. Have you seen the snot-colored slug?" Xander asked, looking up, watching as Buffy shuddered. "Hey, here's a thought..." He stopped when Oz put a hand on his arm. "Sorry, majorly wigged here."

"S'okay," Oz said. "Not alone in that." He looked at Di. "So, what do we do?"

"We find it, that's always a good start. And since it doesn't need to sleep right now, it could be anywhere a six foot slug could be."

"This is Sunnydale," Buffy pointed out. "The options are limitless on that one. Wanna narrow the field?"

"Hmm, true," Di said, twisting the chair a little. "She has to eat. She's an herbivore by nature but will probably need some sort of protein additives right now. And if I remember right, it'll take about twenty pounds of greens to feed her daily."

"Okay, that I can do," Buffy said. "Look for places that sell lots of veggies at once."

"No, greens. Collard, mustard. Leafy things that she would normally find on the ground. Iceberg lettuce would be a poor substitute, but Romaine might do."

"Okay, so I go look for places selling lots of weeds?"

"It's actually food," Oz said. "But it's a Southern thing mostly." He looked toward Di. "I want to take him home."

"I can understand that..." Di started.

"No!" Xander said, jumping up. "Safety in numbers. She can't get us in here." He started to pace around the office. "I don't care if you do want me to go home, I can't, I need to be *here*."

Oz nodded, just once, then stood up, hitting Xander. Then he watched his friend fall down unconscious. "I'm taking him home. You know where?" Di nodded at Buffy. "Okay, or get Willow to tell you. We'll be fine." He picked Xander up, heading for the back door.

Buffy watched them for a second then shrugged. "So, big green slug?"

"Yup," Di said. "Big green slug that can project bad things into people's heads." She smiled slightly. "Go find the demon, Buffy, let me worry about them; but tell Willow if you see her."

"Yup, can do that," she said, walking out. She met up with Willow in the common area, sitting beside her. "Where would I go look for greens, like mustard and stuff?"

"Um, food store?" Willow suggested, looking up. "Did you find them?"

"Yeah, and Oz had to knock Xander out because he was panicking." Willow frowned. "Sad, but true. He didn't want to leave the library, said it was safe in there."

"Nowhere is safe from it," Willow said as she passed over a piece of paper. "Pertinent details of what you're looking for. Though Di's suggestion of tracking it's food is a good one."

"Then what?"

"Well, then we do it in." She patted the Slayer's arm. "That's your job."

Buffy nodded, heading for a door she knew was never guarded so she could sneak out.

***

Di knocked on Xander's door, walking in when he opened it. "Let me see," she said, removing the ice pack. "Nice bruise but it should go away soon." He closed the door behind her, following her in. "Oz, good. I had hoped you hadn't left him. Found something else out."

"What?" Xander asked, sitting down to look at her, narrowly missing his friend's leg. "Good or bad?"

"Bit of both," she admitted. "Bad is that she's stuck on you two. No others picked, which is also good because we don't have to worry about it in seventy months when the thing is done gestating."

"Good?" Oz prompted.

"Is that there is another way to kill it, but it's also part bad." She handed over the paper, watching blandly as they both read it. "As you can see, I'd rather not go that route with you two either."

"‘Scuse me," Xander said, running up the stairs to be sick.

"Let me second that," Oz said, handing it back. "That is not an option."

"Unless you could get her to focus on someone you don't like, right?" she asked with a small smile. Oz nodded, grunting as the bathroom door opened. "You okay?" she called. The bathroom door shut again and they tried their hardest not to listen to Xander being sick.

"So, if that works, hypothetically, we could do something else to distract her?"

Di sat back, frowning. "Not too many things distract this slug. She has no eyes, no ears, no limbs. But, while she's doing this," she wiggled the paper, "she won't let you know it's her, she'll project an image of the one she's chosen to be her surrogate."

"So, theoretically, Xander's already infected?"

"Possibly, but I doubt it. See, she'll send out a test dream, see who she can get, then she'll select a few and focus on them. The dreams lead up to her coming in, usually leading them someplace else so she can get free and clear access. Now, she'll come in and do her part, then over the next three nights, she'll call her surrogate to her chosen one to fertilize her offspring."

"And if it hatches?" Xander asked, walking back down the stairs and sitting down next to Oz again.

"Then I'd imagine it wouldn't kill you. When it's born, it's only about six inches long and it'll come out by nearest orifice. You probably won't notice it at all because you're usually asleep. Within six hours of being born, the baby slug-slash-demon will leave it's surrogate and go hunting for food and shelter, and it'll stay there for almost a hundred years."

"So if I was, I wouldn't know?"

"You might gain some weight," Di offered. "The demons around here would definitely start to leave you alone. Otherwise, no. No change." She shrugged at the incredulous look. "Actually, you'll start to eat healthier, lots more fruits and vegetables, and you'll start to feel incredibly healthy because the thing will *protect* you."

"So the only really bad part is the being impregnated by the slug thing?" Xander asked, brow wrinkled. "Why do I doubt that?"

"Because as soon as Buffy noticed it, you'd be dead," Di told him. "It will broadcast, she will feel it. And she will do her duty, somehow."

"And what about Oz?"

"Only if she wants twins, in which case, it'll be reversed." Oz shuddered. "Sorry."

"Hey, understand. Not a big." He looked at Xander, memorizing his face. "We should leave, separately."

"It's too late for that," Willow said as she walked in. "She's got you. She can call you back."

Di started to look at Willow like she was trying to see through her. "Thanks for the info, now who are you?"

"I'm Oz's girlfriend," Willow said, pouting.

"Nope, she doesn't make that face," Xander said, standing up. "Are you her?"

"No," the not-Willow said, shifting to form a young woman with delicate pointed ears. "I'm not the demon." She smiled at Di. "Very good, Guardian. But I mean these two no harm."

"Then what do you mean them?" Di asked, relaxing. Even she could tell a messenger when she was faced with one. Even if you usually had to figure out the messages they were given because none of them actually said what they were trying to say. As a matter of fact, the very form she chose could be the message in this case, or it could be nothing.

"What will be is," the messenger said, disappearing into thin air.

"Damn," Di swore, staring at Xander. "Sit." He did. "How long have you been having these dreams?"

"Three days," he mumbled.

"And how often are you sleeping?" Oz asked, swatting him when there was no answer. "How often, Xander?"

"Twice a week or so," he admitted. He started to open his mouth to justify it to Oz but the older man just laid a hand across it.

"How do we fix this?" Oz asked calmly. "Since, from what the person said, he's already there."

"Disney truth?"

"Fine."

"Only you can decide that. The embryo, if left unfertilized becomes a different sort of demon, a cousin is about the closest description. Not many of them survive to birth."

Xander nodded, getting up and going into the kitchen. He was opening the bottle of lighter fluid when Oz took it from him, putting it down. "Need that," he said, trying to get it back but not winning. "Need that," he said a little louder."

"No you don't."

"Need that!" Xander said, slapping his friend across the face. Oz simply hugged him. "No, need that," he argued weakly.

"No, you'll be fine. I'll make sure of it."

"No, won't," Xander said, just a little too calmly. "Need that."

"No, Xander, you don't need that," Oz said into his ear. "You need other stuff but not that. Never that." He made the younger man look at him. "Never that," he repeated, nodding.

"Why me?" he asked, sounding just like a scared little kid.

"Because fate likes you. She wanted you to be a daddy."

"Mommy."

"You don't have those parts. You'd still be a daddy."

"Like with Junior?"

"Yup, just like that movie." Oz eased his friend toward the table. "Di said you have a few days. Want to talk now?" The younger man shook his head. "No?"

"No, I'm a demon mommy. Doesn't take talking. Just lighter fluid."

"Xander, what did you dream last night," Oz said quietly. "Was it me or her?"

"You." He looked up, seeing the small amount of hope. "Why?"

"Because I dreamed about you too, no slugs in it." He brushed across the bruise he had put on his friend earlier. "I'm sorry about that."

"Needed to hurt me more," Xander said, looking back down at his stomach. "Why do giant bugs like me again?"

"Because you're very likeable. They just see stuff we don't look for." He patted his friend's hand. "Now, go rest. I'll be up to talk to you in a few minutes."

"No. Sleep hurts."

"I know," Oz said, hugging him. "I felt it too."

"You did?" Xander asked, pulling back. Oz nodded. "Really?"

"Yup, hurt lots. That's what scared me this morning. Now go sleep. I'll be up soon."

"Willow?"

"Has somebody new."

"Really?"

"Yup, caught her dreaming about him." Xander nodded, heading up to his room. Oz turned to find Di in the doorway. "Lighter fluid," he said.

"I heard. Nice save, kid." He nodded. "So, now what?"

"Now we need information. Lots of information."

"I'll call Andre tonight and see what's in my library." She smiled briefly then walked out.

Oz put his head down on the table, thinking about all he now knew and what it really meant. "Explains the blood," he whispered, getting up and heading up the stairs. He sat down in the chair beside Xander's bed, watching him sleep.

Part 4