Disclaimer: I own no one, most especially the characters in this story. I'm merely borrowing them and putting them through the proverbial blender I call story.

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June 19, 2001

"I never said I didn't know what to do next," Spike admonished Xander.

"Do you?"

"I do. If the kids are still around, and I know that they are, and Menckar's got them, and we know that he does...we need to go to Menckar." Spike shook his head and laughed. "Definitely been spendin' too much time with you lot. Sound just like you." Xander rolled his eyes.

"Great plan, blondie. I suppose Menckar's listed, we'll just dial demon 411 and it'll send us right to him."

"Don't be daft. I have my sources. Not to worry, Harris, we'll find the bastard and get your brood back. And just maybe I'll get to settle an old score." There was raw pain in Spike's voice, Xander noted with surprise. He was curious, and also a little concerned. He consoled himself over his sudden consideration for the vampire by reminding himself that right now Spike was the only ally he had. When he got back to his own time, he could go back to treating the vampire with disdain.

"What old score?" Spike said nothing, but Xander could tell by the set of his jaw that this was something that meant a great deal to the vampire. "Does this have something to do with what happened to Buffy?" Xander guessed tentatively. Spike snorted in response.

"Hell no, not Buffy. I admire the girl, don't get me wrong, but she's not the one that Menckar's..." Spike trailed off and Xander realized who Spike was upset about. Not Buffy, but...

"Dawn? You and Dawn were...please tell me you didn't..."

"God, is everything about sex with you, Harris? No, of course we...the girl's like a kid sister to me! She was the first one of the lot of you that treated me like something other than dirt, too. And if wasn't for Dawn, I would never have found out..."

"What did you find out? Come on, I'm too much in the dark here as it is. We could write a novel of the things about my own life that I don't know."

"Fine. I would never have found out that I'm good with kids. There. Happy?"

"Wha?"

"I like kids! I like talking to them, and playing with them, and Sesame Bloody Street. Before Dawn I thought of you all as nothing more than part of a balanced diet."

"Happy Meals with legs, Buffy quoted you once."

"Yes, and kids were snack food. Dru used to love to take them and...never mind, anyway, I never had the fascination with them that she did. Dawn and I got really close; she was like a sister to me. She's got me my first babysitting gig. I loved it so much I ended up opening Sunnydale Safe Haven. Kid care for parents that work nights, or that just want to have an evening out and know the kids are in good hands."

"Good hands? Allstate hiring vampires now?"

"Wound up opening a whole chain of them across California and the Northwest," Spike continued as if Xander hadn't spoken. "Made a bloody fortune. Your brood alone is pretty much responsible for this lovely transport."

"Okay, about that...no one else seems to want to answer this question for me."

"You want to know about your eldest, about how it was that you and the Princess wound up doing the horizontal. What with you being all in love with Little Miss Vengeance."

"Yeah, that sums it up."

"Well, we've got time...relax, Harris. Let me tell you a story..."

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December 9, 2001

He was dying. Ben could feel his essence slipping away, and for the first time in his life he wished that the hellgoddess, the parasite, the bane of his existence would take over. She could have gotten out of the sinking car easily, but he was trapped behind the steering wheel. As he felt consciousness slipping, he consoled himself that at least he wouldn't be going alone. With a great final effort he turned his head towards to passenger seat. Xander Harris had killed him, but he would get to watch him die...

Ben's head lolled to the side, his dead face showing his final expression of shock. He was alone in the car as it sank deeper into the murky water, his other half sharing his fate. At the same time a bedraggled figure crawled up onto shore a mile away. As he lost consciousness, the Xander Harris from the future spoke aloud into the growing darkness.

"S'wrong. Not s'posed here. Need help. Need Amy...bad...need Will. Need you, Willow..."

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December 9, 2000

The faces of the Scoobies were almost a parody of disappointment as Buffy was led back into their midst. The doctors fixed all of them with suspicious glares as they departed, and a large contingent of security guards took up positions in the hallway.

"You were caught?" Giles asked unnecessarily. Buffy glared in response.

"Did you see Xander? How is he?" Anya asked before Buffy could make with a sarcastic retort. She swallowed, not sure how to tell the others her news.

"Xander's gone," she said, then at the grief-stricken expressions on the others' faces and the deafening howl that came from Anya, hastened to add, "no, no, no! Gone from the hospital. He's disappeared. No one knows what happened to him. They found me in his room, now they think we're some kind of circus freaks."

"Well, that's insulting. I mean, look at our hands!" Willow mumbled. Tara and Giles fixed her with a puzzled look, and then decided not to pursue it. They were all upset.

"How could he have gotten out of the hospital?" Tara asked.

"Maybe he's not as sick as they thought," Dawn said hopefully, but Buffy shook her head.

"Maybe like we did with Buffy, some kind of magick?" Tara asked Giles, who shrugged.

"Perhaps. But he couldn't have done something like that alone; someone else would have to be involved. Which brings us to the main question. Why? To what purpose?"

"Glory? Using him to get to me." Buffy offered. They all exchanged uneasy glances.

"I'll kill her," Anya muttered. "If she harms one hair on his head, she's a dead hellgoddess, I don't care if she does kick Buffy's ass regularly..."

"Uncalled for, okay?" Buffy interrupted sharply.

"Giles, the doctor said Xander was muttering something about Amy. Could she have anything to do with this?" Willow asked thoughtfully.

"Have you managed to reverse the spell that's transformed her?" Giles asked.

"No, but I'm close, I know it." Tara started, remembering something Willow had told her recently.

"You said you made her s-smarter. Do you think she could...?" Willow shook her head, then shrugged.

"I don't know what to think. All I know is that Amy appears to possibly be involved."

"She's a rat, they carry diseases, right? Plagues? I know I used them to spread plagues..." Anya said, glaring at Willow, whose returned stare was deadly.

"Amy's a very clean rat, who's been in a cage for years. And is well cared for," Willow began huffily. "She's not carrying any diseases. Besides, I'm the one who spends all the time with her, and Tara. We'd have been sick before Xander." No sooner had she spoken Xander's name than Willow paled and swayed, starting to fall over. Tara grabbed her arms to steady her and found herself nearly supporting her weight.

"Willow? Willow, what's wrong?" Tara cried. Willow's eyes were half-closed and unfocused, and she was unresponsive.

"What's wrong with her? Is she sick?" Dawn asked Buffy in a small voice, and her sister put a comforting arm around her.

"I don't think so...Giles? What's happening?" Before Giles could answer, doctors and nurses in protective gear suddenly flooded the room, pushing a wheeled gurney. Two doctors pulled Willow away from Tara a bit roughly. They laid her on a table and began stripping off her clothes.

"What in heaven's name is the meaning of this?" Giles attempted to interrupt the doctors who were rapidly taking all manner of vitals from Willow, as well as numerous blood samples. He and the rest of Willow's friends were completely ignored.

"Her temperature's normal." one nurse called out, her voice slightly muffled by her headgear.

"I'm rushing these to the lab," called out a doctor, holding up the vials of Willow's blood as she hurried from the room as fast as she could hampered by the protective suit.

"All vitals are normal," a young intern that vaguely resembled Oz added, removing his stethoscope with a look towards Dr. Gray. Buffy could tell he was frowning even through his protective suit. He leaned over Willow.

"Miss Rosenberg? Can you hear me?" Willow's eyes snapped fully open and she let out a little scream, jumping up from the table and pushing the doctors and nurses away. She looked down at her underwear-clad form and gave another little shriek. Tara ran to her, with Buffy close behind.

"Willow, it's okay!" Buffy said as they reached her, flanking her on both sides and putting their arms around her quivering shoulders. The redhead instantly began to calm down, but Buffy could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Whatever had just happened had scared Willow badly, but it was clear she did not want to discuss it in front of the doctors.

"Oh...oh!" Willow stammered, her eyes straying from face to face nervously. "Sorry I screamed, umm, I just was a little surprised...but I know you're wondering what just happened to me, and so I'm gonna tell you, because you need to know, as doctors and other medical people. I was...I was meditating. Yes, just harmless meditation, which I do sometimes...but I forgot to tell my friends I was gonna do it, so...oops...but it's all okay...I'm okay. Feel great, don't feel sick, nope not at all. Just a little cold, cause I'm sort of naked." One of the nurses handed Willow a blanket, which she accepted with a grateful nod. Tara and Buffy let go of her so she could wrap it around her shoulders.

"You don't look sick. You look great. Meditation, it's good for the complexion and stuff. She meditates a lot. Doesn't she look great," Buffy chimed in quickly.

"But she should know better than to not tell us, because she goes into these deep trances and it's scary if we don't know what's going on," Tara followed Willow and Buffy's lead, but her eyes met Willow's in confusion. A nurse handed Willow her clothes, now collected from the floor, and she turned away from them all to change quickly.

"Yes, well..." Dr. Gray began, but Dawn cut him off.

"When are you going to let us go? Our mother just got out of the hospital and she needs us to help her," she whined, grabbing hold of Buffy's arm. Buffy glared at the doctor, who although he knew nothing of the Slayer still blanched under that severe gaze.

"Xander's out there, and he's sick, and he might be hurt, or worse. You have to let me go! I have to find him!" Anya cried, nearly hysterical.

"We're of no use to you here, and I'm certain your tests have all come back negative," Giles added firmly. "Whatever Xander Harris has, we do not have. We're probably his best chance right now."

"All right!" Dr. Gray almost shouted, holding up his hands in protest. "I'm inclined to agree with you. If this last series we did on Miss Rosenberg comes back negative, once we've completed the necessary paperwork I'm inclined to let you all go home. You need to promise me you'll return immediately if any symptoms develop, and that if you do locate Mr. Harris you will bring him back to the hospital without delay."

"Fine," Giles said, speaking for the group.

"How long?" Willow asked. She had just finished putting all her clothes back on; there were buttons now missing from her blouse that required her to hold it closed with one hand. At the doctor's puzzled expression, she clarified, "How much longer do with have to stay here?"

"Just a couple more hours, Miss Rosenberg. Bear with us, we should have you out of here soon." It was all Buffy could do to contain herself until all of the various hospital people had finally left them alone again. When she was sure they were gone she almost exploded.

"Spill, Will. What's with the freaky fit?" Buffy asked.

"Are you alright?" Dawn asked quietly, and Willow nodded with a half-hearted smile. Her eyes were wide with excitement as she spoke.

"I saw Xander. I think I know where he is."

"Oh my God, you saw him?" Anya asked, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Is he all right?" Willow shook her head, and Anya nearly collapsed in Giles' arms.

"We should tell the doctors then, let them go get him..." Dawn began, but trailed off at Giles and Willow's looks.

"Not until we're sure, Dawnie. I've never had anything like this happen...I could be wrong." Willow's voice indicated she clearly doubted that she was wrong about this, but that there was more troubling her. Buffy sighed, wishing that Willow would just tell them everything at once. She knew that the witch was just working it through.

"How? Was it a spell?" Tara asked quietly. Willow turned to her and spoke in earnest. She felt like only the other witch might understand her experience.

"I'm not really sure. It felt kind of like a spell, but not like one I've done before. It felt like he reached out to me with his mind, somehow...it was strange. The closest thing I can think of to it was when you and I did that spell to find Buffy." Tara nodded as Willow continued. "It was really different, though. And there's something else, but I'm not sure how I can explain it. I know that I'm right about it. About it being wrong."

"What are you t-talking about?" Anya hiccupped, looking up from Giles' now sopping wet shoulder. "If this is about Xander, j-just say it!" Willow just shook her head, frowning.

"The man I touched minds with...Xander...he's Xander, but he's not our Xander."

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June 19, 2001

"So then the mean ugly troll says to Daddy, 'Choose who will live, Aunt Anya or Aunt Willow?' and Daddy says, 'I will not choose, you can't make me. I'll die first!'" Frankie had the younger children enthralled in his retelling of the story, even though most of them had heard it repeatedly. Tara was glad that something was taking their mind off of what was happening. She was also glad that they had been given food so that none of the children was hungry. In fact, she had just finished feeding the baby. Burping him on her shoulder, she looked over at Amy, who grimaced. Neither of them wanted to admit it aloud, but the stress had taken its toll on the heavily pregnant witch. She was in premature labor.

"Did the troll hurt mommy?" Danny asked, wide-eyed, but his older sister Jenny put a comforting arm around him, looking every inch her mother. Tara had to smile, watching her. Thinking about Willow was almost more than she could bear. She missed her so.

"Daddy wouldn't let the troll hurt mommy or Aunt Anya, that's why he's a hero," Jenny stated confidently.

"What's a hero?" Savannah asked shyly.

"Someone who helps people," Ross answered, looking at his older brother Jesse for confirmation.

"People in trouble," Jesse agreed.

"Trouble," Missy echoed sagely.

"And who comes in and rescues people and kills the bad guys," Frankie said softly, and all the children nodded.

"My mommy was a hero once. But Daddy's gonna rescue us," Joy whispered to Savannah.

"When is Daddy coming?" Danny asked plaintively.

"When?" Missy echoed. The children were starting to get agitated again, and Tara placed the baby back in his bassinet and moved to gather Missy in her arms.

"Soon," Frankie soothed. "He'll be here soon. Anyway, the troll started to hurt Daddy, but he still wouldn't choose. Finally, Aunt Buffy, Aunt Willow and Aunt Anya helped Daddy beat the troll, and they sent him away forever." Mocking applause met the end of his story, and the eyes of everyone turned towards Menckar. All the children except Frankie and Jesse shrank back towards Amy and Tara as the demon approached.

"Such a wonderful story, Frankie. And never fear, children, your daddy is certainly on his way."

"Daddy's going to beat you. He's going to send you away forever!" Jesse cried from behind Frankie's shoulder, and Menckar did the most terrifying thing that Frankie could think of in response. He laughed. His clawed hands brushed the two oldest boys faces almost gently, and they shuddered.

"I do believe you're right, my boy. In fact, you might say I'm counting on it!"

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