Disclaimer: I own no one, most especially the characters in this story. I'm merely borrowing them and putting them in bizarre situations for the amusement of myself and others.

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"One of these days, one of these blokes is gonna have a shred of originality," Spike snorted.

"Well, dark sulfurous hell-cave does make a statement," Xander replied.

"It's been done," Spike retorted. "It's like the whole abandoned warehouse at the edge of town gig all the demons in Sunnydale kept doing until the city council finally had them razed."

"As fascinating as Better Demon Living 101 is, shouldn't we be getting a move on here? And isn't that supposed to be mine?" Xander asked, indicating the katana Spike still held. Spike handed it over grudgingly.

"Don't accidentally cut off anything important, or these kids really will never have a daddy."

"Funny," Xander said shortly, as he tested the weight of the sword in his hand. His next remark was stopped by the sound of an agonized cry. "That was..."

"Human. Definitely." Spike sniffed the air, his mouth tightening. "I smell blood, Harris. This way."

*****

"So help me, if he says very, very bad one more time I'm going to make a very personal wish," Anya growled. Willow wanted to glare at the demon, but the truth was she felt very much the same way. Xander was quite obviously in big trouble, and their only source for answers was an injured madman who was practically catatonic with shock.

"Wes, please, you've got to tell us what happened. How can we help Xander?" Wesley simply stared back at her blankly. Willow huffed in frustration, and all the pictures on the walls of the waiting room simultaneously fell off the walls and crashed to the ground. The witch looked around herself guiltily, but no one seemed to be looking in their direction.

"Why would fake Wesley want to give Xander a sword?" Anya asked suddenly. "He was obviously one of Menckar's minions. Why would he want Xander to have a weapon...unless it's cursed! If Xander uses it something bad will happen to him!"

"So Wesley goes to get the sword, the minion knocks him out, and substitutes an evil sword?" Willow said slowly.

"Not a sword," Wes said weakly. Both women turned to him excitedly. "That's the last thing I wanted Xander to have."

"Why?" Willow asked.

"Because he'll try to kill Menckar."

"Isn't that why he's going in the first place?"

"No, no, no. He mustn't kill him. He must defeat him. It's not the same thing. If he kills him we'll all be destroyed. Menckar won't be dead, just displaced. And much more powerful."

"Displaced?"

"The children." Willow and Anya both moaned in anguish.

"No!" sobbed Anya.

"He can't," Willow whimpered.

"He can. If Xander stikes a killing blow with that katana, he will. We're all doomed."

*****

Xander held the katana at the ready as he stepped carefully over the bodies of two minions Spike had quickly dispatched. Another agonized cry echoed through the chamber. The two men exchanged glances and then followed Spike's nose further into the darkness. There were clear signs that of inhabitation here. Spike and Xander exchanged a meaningful look when they saw the empty crib.

"Over here," Spike said softly. Xander nodded, and the two approached an area obscured by blankets. Gulping down the lump in his throat, Xander pushed the makeshift curtain aside with the sword.

"Get that out of my face," Amy said weakly. Xander hastened to comply, kneeling beside his friend.

"Amy. It's really you. You're having the baby?" he squeaked.

"What does it look like?" Amy hissed in response. Spike growled, and Xander saw he was struggling to stay with his human face.

"She's lost a lot of blood, mate. And something's wrong." Xander reached out and took Amy's hand as she moaned.

"Xander, the children. You've got to get to them."

"We can't leave you like this. I know this is never exactly a beauty pageant moment, but this looks bad, Amy."

"But Menckar has Tara and the children. They need you," Amy responded. Spike growled again, and Xander pulled him away from Amy. He had to think fast.

"I'm gonna find the kids. I need you to stay here and help her."

"What? I can't-"

"Wes said this is my show. Remember, I get to face down the demon all by my lonesomeness. I think you're here for Amy."

"I think you're as mad as Wesley and I won't do it."

"Spike!" Xander grabbed the vampire by the jacket in frustration.

"I'm a bleedin vampire, you stupid git. What the hell do I know about having babies? Sure, I take care of the little brats, but I make it a rule that they have to be hatched first."

"Look, I don't know how I know this, but I know that if I don't get to those kids right now, everyone that you and I care about is going to die. I've got to go, and you've got to help her! What you don't know, you'll just have to improvise." Spike glared at him for a long moment, then gave him a shove.

"Why are you wasting time arguing with a vampire, then? Get your ass moving, Harris. And give the bastard my regards when you take his bloody head off."

"I'll make sure he knows you cared enough to want him dead."

"And I'll try not to snack on the witch and her whelp." Xander knew that Spike was saying he'd try to help Amy, and he nodded. He hurried away without looking back, instinct or something else taking over his senses. All he knew was that somehow he knew exactly where he had to be.

*****

“Why would Menckar want to be human? And why children?”

“I can’t be certain, but when he’s done I don’t think they’ll be either children or human.” Willow paled.

“What about Tara’s baby? He wouldn’t...?” She trailed off when Wesley shook his head sadly.

“I’m sorry.”

“There must be something we can do! I...I was able to communicate with Xander before, mentally. Maybe I could do that again. Warn him...”

“You won’t be able to,” Anya said sadly. Willow clenched her fists in anger.

“I can try. It’s better than doing nothing!”

“Magickal energy,” Wesley said absently. The women saw he had wandered off into his mind again by the smile on his face. “In order to do what he’s trying to do, he needs to tap into a great deal of magickal energy...”

“Wyndham-Price?” called the nurse. Willow waved, and two orderlies approached. Wesley looked at Willow earnestly as they helped him into a wheelchair.

“If Xander were able to remove the source of the energy...I’m not sure what would happen, actually, but it might stop Menckar.” Willow nodded solemnly as Wesley was wheeled out of sight.

“Removing the source...oh goddess, are you thinking...?,” she said to Anya, who nodded, having drawn the same grim conclusion as the witch.

“I think we know what happened to Dawn.”

*****

Xander shielded his eyes. After spending so much time in the overall darkness, he had emerged into a cavern full of light. Crystal formations of different shapes and sizes were everywhere. He blinked rapidly, blindly waving the sword as he spun around.

“I see you finally found us, Mr. Harris,” a velvety voice said. Xander turned towards the voice. He was shaken by what he saw, but when he spoke his voice was steady.

“I don’t care what anyone says, I like what you’ve done here. Very Superman 2.” The children were standing in a ring of crystal formations. The crystals were each placed a few feet apart, their even spacing evidencing the unlikelihood of their natural origin. Tara was standing in the center of the children, holding the baby to her. She was slack-jawed and unresponsive, as were all the children. To one side of them stood Menckar, pretty much looking like Xander had expected. Bigger than he was, scaly and nasty looking, with sharp looking claws. To the other side was something he hadn’t anticipated; the seemingly lifeless form of Dawn Summers.

Dawn had been spread-eagled and chained to something that looked like a giant crystal X. Her head was down, her hair obscuring her face completely. The crystal was emitting a pulsating humming sound. Catching movement in his peripheral vision, Xander risked a quick look in that direction. He caught a glimpse of the strange spot that Tara had seen earlier, now as large as a person, still growing and contracting at regular intervals. He looked back at Dawn. The rhythmic humming of the crystals matched the movements of the hole.

“You’re insincere. I like that in a human,” Menckar said. He reached over and snatched the baby from Tara’s arms. The infant immediately began to scream, squirming in the demon’s grasp. Xander raised the katana angrily.

“Put him down. So help me, for every hair on his head, I’ll be removing a hundred of yours.”

“I don’t have hair.”

“Then I’ll remove something else.” Menckar regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, then threw back his head and laughed. Xander grew red as he steeled himself for a fight.

********

“Try to reach him,” Anya urged. Willow nodded. She was sitting on the floor of the waiting room in lotus position, trying to reach a state of trance. After a few calming breaths, she opened her eyes, panicking.

“Even if I can reach him, I don’t know what to tell him to do. Other than not kill Menckar.”

“Don’t you?” Anya said softly. Willow shook her head.

“I can’t tell him to kill Dawn. We don’t even know that’s what he should do!” Willow exclaimed, hiding her face in her hands helplessly.

“Well, if you don’t tell him something, I think the point is rather moot, don’t you?” Anya’s words were annoyingly true, as usual. Willow closed her eyes again, calming her breathing and reaching out for one of the only minds she would know by feel alone...

******

“So fierce, Xander Harris, but it’s all words. No action. I grow weary of waiting. I think I’ll just eat your children now!” Menckar raised the crying child to his lips, pulling the blanket off to reveal dark black hair covering his head. Xander howled in rage and ran towards the demon, katana raised and at the ready. It was time for him to end this once and for all.

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