Offspring Of A Former Life. by Voracity2
Summary: Sometimes, what happens in the your past life resonates into your current one. Especially when you're dealing with higher beings who want control of this earth realm.

Written long before the trailers came out for Captain America: the Winter Soldier.
Categories: Buffy Stories & Crossovers > Avengers Characters: None
Series: None
Chapters: 2 Completed: Yes Word count: 29743 Read: 60825 Published: 04/13/2014 Updated: 04/13/2014

1. Part 1 by Voracity2

2. Part 2 by Voracity2

Part 1 by Voracity2
Offspring Of A Former Life.




****

Ancient Greece Somewhere Else, Way Back When.

****


In a tiny mountain village, the people were used to quiet. Most of the residents were a bit unusual but the normal people didn't seem to mind or treat them any differently. Even the ones with horns, or cloven feet, and a few with wings or funny looking hair were treated like normal people. As long as they stayed peaceful, did their own thing quietly, and kept up their family homes it was all good. Even the tiny orphanage at one end of the village was well maintained. Most of the unusual people in the town had been raised there so the villagers knew them most of their lives. The few priestesses of Hestia that raised them were quiet sorts who liked to weave and sew things for extra money. They had a huge garden that fed the few orphans they had and the extras got donated to the village for feast days.

Everything was fairly idyllic until one day a new person appeared at the gates to the village. No one knew him. He looked angry. Everyone in the village tried to hide from him but they knew that somehow he saw them and their fears. It was like he was reading their souls. He stared especially hard at the strange ones that had been raised in the orphanage. He walked up to the gate of the orphanage, staring at it. "He's here," he stated.

The priestess in charge sneered. "This temple is protected by Hestia herself. There is no one here who would concern you."

The man sneered. "Yes there is. The scion of war is here."

"No," a young male voice said. "He's not here. He's too old to be there."

The man turned to stare at him. "It's not you."

"Doesn't mean the rest of us want you here." He stared. "Not like you're going to get my friend."

"Go home," the priestess ordered. "This is not your fight."

"Cerebus snot," the boy shot back without looking at her. "He's evil. He wants to destroy some of us. Let him get through the rest of us first."

The man smiled. "I can do that, young pup."

The boy laughed, a slightly crazy sound. "I'm no pup." The man pulled a blade. The kid shrugged. "Yay you, you have a sword. Go ahead and use it. Let's see how far you get."

The man walked closer to him, sniffing. "Your father's dead."

The boy shrugged. "So? Doesn't mean a whole lot since my mother's not." The man smirked. "And she can kick your tail."

"Then let her fight me. You're much too young."

The boy laughed. "Sure I am. Then again, anyone who would fight someone my age is automatically the bad guy of legends. Huh?" He smirked. "We all know you got sent by the invaders. You still won't win."

"I will win and so will they. Greece will fall."

"Empires all fall. It doesn't mean that you'll win today or even this year. After all, we do still have a God of War."

"He won't come if you call?" the man asked with a smirk.

"I haven't called. I'm not his." He shrugged. "Doesn't mean you'll win."

The man looked over the boy's head then at him. "Even that spell won't stop me."

The boy smirked. "It's not meant to stop you. It's meant to protect others." He shrugged. "Why don't you go home? You're not welcome in this village."

The man walked closer to him, sword held firmly in his hand. "I can kill you."

The boy shrugged. "If you think it'll work. I'm pretty sure it won't since I'm immortal." He grinned. "Did you think a normal boy would be here facing you down?"

The man sniffed his hair. "No, you're not." He took a swing but someone behind him shot him with an arrow, making him scream. He turned to look at her. "Who are you?" he sneered.

"His caregiver." She smiled. The boy pounced the guy's back, sinking his teeth into the guy's neck. The man screamed and beat at him. The woman shot the man again. This time he died. "Do you have no sense!" she demanded, helping the boy up. "You are not a warrior! Really you are not!"

"I won't have my friends harmed," he said quietly, staring at her. "Real men wouldn't." He walked off. "Are you evacuating all of them?"

"Yes. There's realms nearby where it'll be safer and you're going as well," she said, walking him to the portal that was being put up. She made sure him and his friends were all shoved through together. They might not get to stay together but they'd end up close to each other if they all fell at the same time. When the last one was gone, they looked around. They could hear the soldiers marching up the hill's road. "Go," she ordered. "Be safe. Find families." Most everyone disappeared. Some stayed. This was their homes. They'd die here if they had to. The orphanage's priestesses had taken anyone they could to the nearest temple. Anyone who could not fight would squeeze into their carts and be safe. The warrior woman made her final prayers to her god and went to stand at the gates of the village. "You will not find what you are looking for here."

"We'll find plenty that we're looking for since we're looking for Grecian blood," the war band leader sneered. "Starting with yours."

She shrugged. "If you think so but I doubt you'll get it easily." The soldiers tried to charge but she had help for now.

***

Modern Day, Modern Times

***

Xander walked up to the park where he had texted Tony to meet him at. "They're coming," he said quietly. He and Tony DiNozzo had met under...weird circumstances and now they checked in every once in a while. This time, things had to be handled by them.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Now?"

"Soon. Maybe today." He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "Stupid eye thing gave me visions."

"That sucks."

"A lot." He looked around then at Tony again. "So, any idea about them?"

"Not a bit. You?"

"Tiny bit. I'm wondering why they're after you. It smacks of a funky prophecy."

"It does," he agreed. "Which sucks a lot since I don't like them." Xander grinned. "Any of the others around?"

"Not really. I think I found one but he's not.... something's happened to him beyond all this."

"That's...." He stared over his shoulder. "Is he maybe an assassin? Or are you dating?"

Xander looked back then at Tony, shrugging. "Not dating. I'd offer but he'd just growl. I'm told his orientation is 'nope'."

"That's good. I really should try to arrest him." The guy shot at him so he ducked. Xander threw something on him, making the assassin yelp and fall down with a slight whimper of pain. Tony stood up, staring at him. "Can I have that recipe for hard arrests?"

"Sure. You have to learn how to play kitten poker for demon byproducts though." He smiled. "The same people want me taken out for some reason."

"That's interesting."

Xander shrugged. "Who knows." A woman faded into view. "You're right, it was tonight." He took something off his belt and tossed it back at the paralyzed assassin without looking at him. He missed but not by too much. The guy was wiggling toward it. "So, why did you want me to be dead?"

"You're the hinge of the prophecy, boy. Didn't you find that part out? The scion of War?"

"I'm not the Scion of War. Of Chaos, but not of War." He smirked. "Sorry, wrong one." She growled and lunged at him. Xander's axe grew in his hand and he took a swing at her. "I may be a demigod without powers, but doesn't mean you'll win. I've fought too long and hard for this realm to let it fall to you."

"I know which one you are."

"I'm the one that faced you down in the road," he said dryly with a smirk. "Clearly, someone's mistaken." Tony was calling the local slayer for help. He also kicked the squeeze tube closer to the assassin. If he was going to help, great. If not, he'd shoot him. It'd look good on his career. Xander smirked. "You still won't get him without going through me. If you thought I was and you sent him somewhere else, what does that mean about your capabilities?"

"I know who you really are."

"Xander Harris." He grinned. "Born of a priestess and a chaos god." He bowed. "You're not getting the Scion of War."

"I will and you're still him." Xander cut his upper arm and let it bleed. She gasped, flinching back. "What are you!"

"Born on the hellmouth." He shrugged then grinned, letting out a small cackle. "You're so screwed."

"What are you doing?" Kennedy complained. "You're not a slayer, Xander."

"Funny, you don't look like Buffy," he shot back without looking. "This nice goddess here thinks I'm the son of a war god."

She snorted. "You're not the son of anything. You're impotent."

Xander looked at her. "Not hardly." He grinned. "I can give you references if you want. Or did you think Anya's constant demands went away for some other reason?" She glared. "You can help or not, Kennedy. If not, go the fuck away. No one needs you."

"This is my job. I'm a slayer." She stomped forward, shoving Xander out of the way. "What are you doing on this realm?" she demanded. "The slayers don't want you here." The goddess looked at her then batted her on the head. It knocked her into a tree and they all winced when her neck cracked. She was still breathing.

"Tony, get her some help, slayers heal," Xander said quietly. He nodded, calling that in. Xander looked at her. "You're really pathetic. I mean, I can do better than that." She lunged at him with a shriek and he went back to fighting.

"You will die so we can take over," the goddess sneered. "We know you will. We have seen it."

Xander laughed. "I haven't had that vision and I have a lot of them these days. I guess maybe someone underestimated me yet again." Kennedy moaned again. Xander ducked under a swing and cut the goddess on the chest, making her scream. "Awww, you poor thing," he sneered. "Did that hurt?" She tried to stab him. He blocked it. "They really should've sent a warrior to take one out. You're not worthy of my blade being bloodied. Except you started it." He cut her head off, watching as her essence faded up and out. He waved. "Have a better next life," he called with a smile.

Tony shook his head with a sigh. "You're so warped sometimes, Xander."

Xander smirked at him. "All the bad boys say that. Right, Winter?"

"Fuck you."

Xander looked at him. "If you want to date me, I wouldn't mind, but I'm not that easy. I at least require food first. Especially after a battle." He looked at the man stomping toward them. Then at the one fading in. "Another one?" he sneered. "Wow, you're persistent."

"Scion of War," he sneered.

"No, I'm not. Sorry. My daddy was in chaos, not war." He shrugged but grinned. "You guys are so screwed up you didn't even keep track of where we got sent? Wow, I gather intel so much better." He took a swing at that being and he sneered back but fought better than the goddess had. "Huh, they finally sent a warrior." He shrugged. "Yay." More people showed up. "He's a minor god," he called when someone tried to shoot him. Xander would ignore the hissy fit throwing idiots. They weren't important. He managed to duck the next blow and then hit him with his stake that was always in his waistband. The minor god growled as he pulled it out and tossed it aside. "Thanks, we needed some of your blood."

"No minor witch can stop me," he sneered. He sniffed. "You're scared."

"No. I'm tired. It's been a long night." He shrugged and waved him on. "C'mon if you're coming." The warrior growled and lunged. Xander pulled out something else and threw it on him. The god bellowed in pain as he fell. Xander waved at him. "Hi. How're you today?"

"You sure you're not a scion of war?" the other warrior demanded. He had been in the village. He knew who this one was.

"No, I'm a scion of chaos." He grinned. "You still haven't shaved since that day on the road?" The warrior smirked. "But you're still going to lose."

"We won't. You can die."

"I may but so will you. You guys have a problem taking me out, much less someone who's better at war things." He lunged in to take the first blow. The warrior smirked at his slight limp but it was a ruse when Xander used that supposedly injured foot to trip the guy. "Damn, my baby slayers are better than you are."

"They're going to die too. All of them are."

Xander laughed. "That's not going to happen or how the slayer line works. Sorry, dude." He heard Willow appear and pointed. "There, Willow." She stomped over to where paramedics were working on her girlfriend. "Rosenburg! Focus!"

"She's...."

Xander shot her a look. "This is a nice warrior who wants to take out all the old gods to put his pantheon into their place." He ducked a blow and lunged back in. The Winter Soldier finally got up and hesitated. Xander tossed him a sword. "Please? Then if you want to kill me we can talk about it over a cheeseburger?"

"Whatever. Still not a date. I don't date." He moved in. The sword was a bit odd but it was basically a long knife, right?

"Willow, he staked the one he's frozen," Tony said with a point at the stake. "The dead one was the one that hit Kennedy when she showed her ass."

She picked it up. She felt the blood, grimacing. "That's gross. They have power."

"Yeah, they do. They sent a whole bunch of unpowered demigods off."

"Like in that book?"

"No powers," Tony said. "They were kids being raised somewhere safe. They had no anything that would draw them but one of the kids is the focus of a prophecy so they could take over."

She nodded, drawing on power. The warrior stared at her. Xander and the Soldier both cut his neck, beheading him. She sneered at the bound one. "You're full of power. That's sweet." She touched him, drawing it out of him. More beings showed up. "Hi, welcome to our realm. You're not signed up with immigration. Sorry!" She threw a spell at them. One of them caught it. It was on with her against that wannabe goddess of magic.

Xander looked at Tony, who shrugged. Then at the assassin. "So?"

"I'll see if there's still a price on your head later."

"There probably is. One of my ex's is a stupid fuck who's pouty because I wouldn't marry him."

"That's stupid. He probably would've protected you."

Xander laughed. "Why would I need protected? Especially since he's the dumbass. I'd have made him commit suicide so damn fast." He caught the bottle one of the paramedics tossed at him, gulping it. Then they fought the other interlopers before more came in.

"The scion of war," one crowed.

Willow snorted. "No he's not. He's a normal guy and he's not any good at the fighting stuff. He's not related to a war god."

"Chaos god actually," Xander said with a grin for her then he dove back in. "Why can't you guys get that through your pointy heads? I'm not the one in the prophecy. I'm the one that bought everyone enough time to relocate the kids." The others growled and lunged in. Tony dove in to help. Jets were landing nearby in the parking lots and agents were coming running. "Ward!" Xander shouted.

"Here," he called back. "Slayers, they're gods. Be careful."

"One nearly killed Kennedy," Willow said, gathering the anger. "That's my girlfriend you tried to kill." She shot another spell at the wench. "You guys are so screwed. You thought Xander was the son of a war god. You hurt my girlfriend. You're fucked."

Xander nodded. "She's going to explode," he said quietly. "Pity." Ward dove in to help him. "Thanks." He gulped air and moved back in. He slipped on some spilled blood but it let him duck a blow at his throat. He hopped back up and kicked the guy. "Asshole." He got pulled into a fight with another of the beings.

Ward looked at the guy he was fighting next to, getting a shrug. "Thank you for the help." He moved to help Xander. He was clearly tired. "Xander, you good?"

"I'll be as good as I can for as long as I can. They won't take me out today."

Ward nodded. "You can fall back and catch your breath. Other agents are here."

"Nope."

"Okay." They moved together. The others were fighting the bad guys. Willow was losing her temper, they could hear her getting huffy. He started to say something but Xander shook his head. So he let her go. Buffy could stop her. She was on her way.

"Damn," Faith said when they were let out of the helicopter. "This is bad."

"They're gods," one of the agents said. "They're looking for some scion of war so they can take over our ancient ones that may be left. They keep thinking your helper is him but he's shoved back he's more a kid of chaos?"

"Chaos loves him," Buffy said. "This is bad. Faith, get Xander and his friends." She nodded. "I'll take the blonde guy." They rushed in with the other girls. "Xander, duck." He ducked and pulled Ward down too. Faith jumped them and knocked the godling down. "Thanks for holding the line until we got here."

"One smacked Kennedy into a tree and snapped her neck but she's alive," he said. He moved to backup Faith. Ward and the assassin were helping him. Xander looked over. It was team dark and team light. All the lighter haired slayers were working with Buffy and the darker haired one were helping Faith. "Who made this plan?" he muttered.

"Buffy," Faith complained.

"Hey!" she complained. "We trained together. The ones that wanted to switch dyed their hair."

Ward sighed. "We can help the girls work on that."

"If we live, go ahead," Buffy quipped.

Xander nodded. "That would throw the ratio out since most of the still native slayers are dark haired."

Ward shook his head. "There's a better way of matching skills." He ducked and yelped when he slipped. He got up and went back to it. He had to hop over a fallen body. "Can someone do some injured removal?" he called. Agents were diving in to do that for the paramedics waiting in a nearby parking lot.

"No, Tony, stay," Xander ordered. The beings all looked at him. "He's not him either." They growled and one tried for Tony but he shot them with the new rounds Abby had gotten him. It went up in a bright orange flame. "Told you so. Some of us are just good at defense. Blood doesn't always tell."

Buffy snorted. "Why do they think you're a god?"

"Demigod."

"Why?" she asked again.

"Long time ago somewhere else, there had been a village full of offspring that was raised peacefully. None with powers. These guys decided to take out the kids because one of them was supposedly the son of War and important in their prophecy."

"Uh-huh. So then how did it come here?"

"The kids got sent away," Tony said. "To protect them. Most got saved by going to nearby realities." Buffy grimaced but nodded. "A few ended up here but not the one they want."

"I'm fairly certain he died way back in the middle ages," Xander quipped.

"So all this is because they think you're the prophesied one?" Buffy demanded. Xander nodded. "That's not right!"

"I know," Xander quipped back.


***

Another Realm, Another Time, Another Place

***

A woman opened her door, finding a toddler sitting on her doorstep. She looked around the woods then at the baby. "Where did you come from?" she asked in her native German. "Are you from the fairies?"

The boy smiled and held up his arms. "Gra!" he shouted happily. A smaller figure fussed off to his side. He looked over and patted her. "Gra!" That one blinked at him then scowled.

She sighed. "That's not a good sign but I can't leave you out here." She took both children inside, letting them get warm. When her husband came in he stared at them before putting his newly hunted dinner down beside his gun. "They appeared on the doorstep. I heard a noise and looked out, there was no one there."

He came over to squat down so he could look them over. "They're blessed by something ancient yet not evil." She sighed in relief. Her husband looked at her. "There's no sense of fairy magic."

"Thank goodness. What are we going to do?"

He shrugged. "We'll ask in town tomorrow. If they don't know, we'll raise them to follow what we used to do but with the name we chose to hide our lives." She smirked at him. He smirked back. "Not like I can have my own thanks to that final witch I got with my sister."

"Good point. Children are a blessing on the home."

"Sometimes," he agreed, smirking at her. "Sometimes not so much. That can depend on which gods blessed the child."

"You should write your sister."

"I should but her husband is uppity."

She snorted. "I don't mind if she comes here, Hansel. You know that."

"I do. She does. She says you nag."

She swatted him with her apron. "I only married you because you were pretty, injured, and needed fussing over. That way you could hide." She walked off. "Tell your sister to see your new children, the Grimm brothers."

"I can do that." He watched them. There was something odd about them. His sister would be able to tell.

***

Modern Realm In A Vastly Different Time

***

The nurse in the neonatal unit of the hospital smiled at the dying boy. The rich parents were screaming at the doctors. She looked over at the poor child, the one that the mother had snuck away from because she couldn't raise him. She looked back at the sickly one. Then at the healthy, robust, squealing baby boy. She called the doctor over and subtly pointed at the other one. "With the way she's drunk, she won't realize," she said quietly. "It'll keep him out of the orphanage. You know they'd ruin him. At least this way he'd have a chance."

"It's ethically wrong."

"So is losing your license because she's an idiot," she said bluntly but quietly. "Is it ethical to let that one go on to become a dangerous criminal due to the nuns?"

"I don't know." He walked off. "Let me try one more treatment," he said, considering the nurse's idea. For some reason it felt wrong, but it also felt *right*. The parents huffed off and he came back to check both children. Late that night, when all the nurses on shift were on lunch break, he switched them. If the nurses wondered or noticed, no one said anything. The one who had suggested it never said a word either. The doctor felt better since there was nothing he could do to save the sickly one from the fate his mother's poor habits had caused. The nurse had been right, they'd blame him for it instead of themselves.

***

Same Realm, Different Time Years Later

***

The man at the bar was staring at the guy who had just offered him an obscene amount of money. "Why would I earn that?" he asked. "I haven't done anything to earn fifty thousand dollars."

"I need someone to raise my girlfriend's kid." He shrugged. "That should pay for his upkeep until he's eighteen. Then he can go on his own way."

The man snorted. "I don't have or want kids." He drank more of his beer.

"One hundred G's."

The drunk man sneered. "Don't we have places for kids like that?"

"Not like this one. She's...special. Special in ways that people are going to wonder about in the kid. At least you'll make him seem more normal." He held up two envelopes. "You put it to raising him, you raise him like any other kid, you keep anything you didn't manage to spend." He stared at him. "I don't trust you but you're the best option we have in this town and if we move him outside of town, her family will know and try to steal the kid."

"Why can't they?"

"They'll kill the kid. I'm not their type," he said dryly, smirking some.

"Figures." He finished his beer. "Fine." He took the envelopes and the gym bag the man handed him. He looked inside. There was a sleeping baby in a t-shirt that said 'boy' on it. There were some basic supplies at his feet. He looked up but the guy was gone and there was a new beer waiting on him. He tucked the money into his pocket and drank that beer then stumbled home with the kid to tell his wife. One hundred thousand would do their lives a lot of good for a while and if the kid got too cumbersome, they'd find the parents and shake them down for more. Or give him to the grandparents. By that night, a spell had went over them so they thought the baby was theirs, the money was left to the boy's upkeeping by his wife's late mother, and they forgot all about the guy at the bar.

***

Going Forward to 2000 AD, Back To The Modern Realm.

***

Tony DiNozzo woke up with a gasp, staring around the room. That had been a weird dream. A female voice telling him that soon he would need to gather the other children. "What children?" he muttered. He looked up. "Maybe a hint?" he complained to his ceiling. He'd never had dreams like that and hated kids so he knew it wasn't from his own mind. Which left some really screwy things, though he'd seen more screwy than angelic visions in the past. He calmed himself down and got up to write down what she had said.

The Children are needed.
The Children are missing.
The Children are needed.
The Children were scattered.
Only one of the Children can gather the Others.
Before the Evil returns.

Tony stared at it. It made no sense. He wasn't special in any way. Sure he had been a kid once but not a capitalized-C Child. So why was he getting that sort of message? He didn't like things like this and it made it harder on his regular job as a new NCIS agent.

***

A bit over a year later, Xander Harris stared at the goddess who he was going to help destroy. There was something in her face when she spotted him, just an instant of confusion, but oh well. He had something he had to do. She was going to die and if she had that bad-girl-Xander's-hot feeling that was fine with him. It might distract her so she could die easier. When they finally killed her, and he was mourning, the dreams started. A village. A temple. Priestesses. He woke up in a cold sweat remembering the guy that was trying to invade their village. This was not a good thing to have happen on the hellmouth. He knew enough about prophetic dreams to look up the things he had seen, and knew enough about the people he helped to know not to tell them. It'd only cause issues. They didn't need more issues right now.

***

Three Years Later

***

Xander was out and about, free from Sunnydale. Of course, there was no Sunnydale, he was lonely, and things in his life were going from weird to worse. He was in DC for some higher level meeting with the big wigs who were now upset that a group of girls had been protecting them forever. They hadn't called him back for the invasion but they had called him back to help with the ass chewing going on. He shot a low powered glare at one of his girls for that thoughtful gesture. Then he looked at the screaming, ranting head of the FBI. "Yo," he said finally. "What did you want us to do? Not like *we* set up things originally. Not like *we* created the slayer line. We just stepped in when the old ones got blown the hell up." The ranting one gaped in horror at him. "So why are you blaming us for protecting you?"

"Who are you?" he sneered. "You weren't there at the battle."

"They didn't call me back from Africa for it. I've been in every other battle that the lovely Slayer Buffy has been in. Now I'm training the girls that managed to survive the same people that set up the system you're mad about." He stared at him, adjusting his eye patch. "So why are you complaining at us again?"

"You cannot do that in the US!"

"Bullshit," Xander said dryly. "We've been doing this in the US since I was sixteen. Where were you people? We had a hundred-year-old mayor who turned into a giant demon and made us fight a battle during our graduation. Where were you? Doing nothing. The same as you were when the group took down a special operations unit that was using torture on harmless and less than harmless species, and making a monster to take over the world. You guys did a *really* nice job covering that up by the way. How are the UN Hunting squads? I've only ran into one in Africa and the guy ran the other way when he saw me. Apparently he remembered me."

He stared at him. "If you wanted to handle it, you should've stepped in sooner. We wouldn't have minded. Not like we wouldn't have helped your people learn how to patrol. We were all tired of it by the time we graduated high school. Since our town had over at least ten different years of over thirty percent death rates before the slayer came to us, that should've probably made someone wonder what was going on and *look*. Since you didn't...." He stood up. "We had to handle it as teenagers. We're still handling it now. Not like we can undo the calling. Any of it. We can't go back to caveman days to undo the slayer line and if we did, you wouldn't be here and neither would anyone else that was human. So.... your turn to bat the pingpong back at us with an idea of how you're going to help us. Since we're going to do it because if we don't, you all die. Now, are you done ranting at us for you being willingly blind?"

"Do you want arrested, Mr. Harris?" he demanded, sneering at him.

"You go right ahead," Xander offered, smirking at him. "If I have to, I'll disappear back to Africa. Not like your people can find me there. You guys can't even find your own people there." He stared at him. "And then I'll call something that won't hurt a single slayer, kid, teenager, pregnant woman, or pet and let him have Congress." The man flinched. "There's plenty that want their pawns in Congress to finally come to them. Having them walking around doesn't get them as much power you see." He grinned. "They'd *love* to recall them. I know just who to talk to downtown to make that happen. Then *maybe* we'd have people who wanted to help us do the dirty work to protect you all from shit you don't want to deal with. Now, anything else? I only flew in late last night and I have jetlag." Willow was bright red and trying not to openly choke. He glared at her then at him. "Can we go? I need breakfast."

"You're rude."

"Yay me. No one's stopped drunks from raising kids," he said dryly. "The old Mayor sure as hell didn't care since he ate all the social workers in town before I was born." The man spluttered. "Willow, can you pull up Sunnydale's old stats?"

"Yes," she squeaked. "You need a nap, Xander."

He stared at her. "Yay," he said dryly. "I've went on less sleep recently." He looked at the higher up again. "Since you're no longer willingly blind does that mean you're going to handle the problem in Seattle that's getting about ten people eaten a month? We can't send one of the slayers because it'll feel her coming before she can ambush it. We tried already and lost her. Unfortunately. I actually liked that slayer. I would've went if I was closer but no one thought about asking one of the guys in the Council to do it." Willow moaned. "Really, some of the people in the Council could use some outside help, and possibly common sense, at times. They could also use someone who did battle plans at times since I'm not nearby." He stared at the guy, who was now bright red and ready to start screaming again. "Let it out, dude. We've heard worse. Living in a houseful of girls means we've heard worse ranting in the past." He sat back down.

Willow slid over printouts of the Sunnydale statistics. "He's sorry he's so cranky but these are the ones they reported, and they did try to make them nicer," she babbled. "We always wondered why no one saw those and looked at the town."

The higher up snatched them to look over and promptly lost all the redness, and all the rest of the color of his face. "How did they hide this?" he demanded.

"That's what we'd like to know," Xander said. He shrugged. "We did what we had to do to survive and make sure others lived too. It looked like the thing to do when we were on the nightly menu. They even nicely awarded Buffy for making sure our graduating class had the most people in it, ever." The man collapsed back into his chair. "Where were you?" He stood up again. "We're going to let you look into that matter while we go rest. Most of us are tired after the battle and I've still got jet lag. We can talk again tomorrow if you want." He walked off.

The others followed. "Xander, that was highly rude!" Giles complained in a hiss.

Xander looked at him. "Yay?" He shrugged. "I don't like being yelled at for things I didn't do, or for things I did right. If they don't like it, they can step up and do some of the job for the girls."

"We might like that," Buffy agreed. "That way we had someone to do the stuff you used to do." She looked at him. "What was the hunting team going after and was it Riley's team?"

"No. Some douche from the frat but not him." He looked at her. "They were going after the thing I had killed two days earlier."

"Why did you do that?" she demanded. "There's slayers there, Xander, and you are not one! When will you remember that!"

He stopped walking and glared at her. "When I forget how to count so I don't have a ten-year-old kid doing it." She backed off shaking her head. "Yeah, most of the ones over there are *kids*, Buffy. I may be training them to survive their unique condition and handle things that pop up, but if I'm nearby I'm damn sure not going to let some little girl do it. If I wouldn't let you do it on your own at sixteen, I'm not going to let a younger one do it at all!" He glared. "Get over yourself. Really." He walked off muttering. By the time he got outside, cars were speeding up and swerving to block off the street. "Great," he muttered. He stared at them. One looked ...familiar somehow but he wasn't sure why. "Here for us?" he quipped.

"Yes," the familiar looking guy said with a smile. "We need to talk about the demon by the Pentagon."

Xander pointed. "The slayer will be displeased if I do it for her. She tends to get huffy about that stuff." He walked around him. "But if she doesn't want to, let me know. Wouldn't be the first this week."

"Xander!" Giles chided. "What sort of demon is it, Agent...."

"DiNozzo, NCIS. There's two. They're fighting." He showed him a picture that had been sent.

"I have no idea what those are without looking them up," Giles admitted.

"I've seen the one with the bow in Cleveland. She was getting drunk at the bar," Buffy said. "I submitted a report but no one ever told me what they were."

Xander came back and looked. "They're having a divorce fight," Xander said. "He's the demon overlord of a small group of illegal shippers and she's his wife." He handed the phone back. "Tell them to take it somewhere private."

"We tried to run them off," the agent said, stopping him from moving. He smirked. "Come talk to them?"

"Yup. Buffy?"

"You apparently know it all," she said dryly.

Xander glared at her. "Kinda had to so I could teach them. Not like they'll have the sort of backup you used to have." She slumped. He followed the agent to the car. "Let the heaving higher ups yell at them," he muttered as he got in. "Can we find me somewhere cheap to have breakfast on the way back?"

"Sure," DiNozzo agreed, pulling out. "There's a Waffle House near there."

"That'd be great. You don't get normal waffles with syrup in Somalia."

"I wouldn't figure you could. No maple trees." Xander grinned. "Why the argument?"

"I'm *normal* according to them. So when the higher ups wanted to yell about the invasion I wasn't recalled to fight in, they summoned me back." Tony snorted. "Yeah, my feeling too, dude." He rubbed his forehead. "Since when do you guys have a hellmouth here?"

"We do?" he demanded. Xander pointed. "We'll look at that afterward. I'll get you breakfast to go while we look." Xander shrugged but nodded, taking out his phone to text Willow. When they got there, Xander put his phone back into his pocket and got out, walking toward where he could hear bellowing. He looked at the two pouty looking kids then at the fighting demons. He cleared his throat. Nothing. "Hey!" he shouted. Still nothing. "Shut the motherfucking hell up!" he shouted. That got attention. He pointed at the kids. "Do they need to see you doing this? And does the Pentagon really need to see you two fighting over your divorce? I could be doing something *so* much more fun than reminding you that you're turning into my parents and some day your kids can help a slayer too." The wife shuddered, hugging her kids to her chest. "Take it out of human notice. They panicked," he told the husband, who was glaring. "Before I make her a widow."

"You can't do that, Knight."

"The hell I can't since I took out your cousin a few weeks back," he said dryly. The demon roared as he tried to attack him and Xander shot it. He looked at the cowering wife and kids. "If you come to human notice and make them panic, they call a hunter or a slayer," he said more quietly. "Which none of us want. Do we?" She shook her head quickly. "Then take the kids and get out of human notice. Did you think the military guys inside wouldn't panic? I mean, really!"

"He was here. That's where I found him."

Xander nodded. "I get that, I really do. But the people in the government are panicking after the invasion. They're going to make a slayer or hunter or an agent deal with any demon that comes to higher notice for the next little bit. If you want to live, hide. It'll save you and let them grow up to be normal little demons instead of someone like me." She nodded, rushing off with her kids. Xander picked up something they had left and handed it to the agent. "It's her purse," he said quietly.

"I can have it mailed back," he said. "What about him?"

Xander looked then patted himself down. "Lighter fluid?" A guy came over with a flame thrower and burnt the body. "Thank you. Very handy, Corporal." He looked at the agent. "Let's go find that hellmouth I felt."

"Yes, let's. I can take a report about what happened on the way. The government runs on reports," he said when Xander shot him a confused look.

"Government triplicate forms I heard jokes about?"

"These days half are electronic." They got into the SUV and headed off to grab some coffee, some food for the hunter, and then find that hellmouth. They had to find it.

***

That night, Xander called the hotel. "Buffy, me. Found the cult opening the hellmouth-like portal. Well, sure, I can call agents to help me bring down the three senators and a congressman who are doing it, but I thought you might want to take out the three demons they have chained up that are now insane from the torture. No, takes a woman for two and the scythe for the other," he admitted when she complained. "Sorry but hey, I did all the legwork for you." He hung up after telling her where they were. He looked at the agent with him. "Do you guys really want to put them in jail?"

"Yes. Opening a portal to a hell dimension so they could pull demons to sacrifice for power in downtown Washington DC is treason," he said dryly. "We really want them to go to jail for it."

Xander shrugged. "You guys have fun with that. I'll be back in Africa." Buffy stomped in with agents following her. "Wow, they let you put on makeup?" he quipped. She glared at him and swatted him. He waved a hand. "All yours." He got out of the way, rolling his eye where she couldn't see him. When something else rushed in he picked up his sword to take it on. It was tiny but powerful. "No, I don't think so. She's busy," he quipped in a sing-song voice. "You have to take out me to get Buffy." She looked back and shuddered, going to kill the next demon. The demon turned into a ball of teeth and magic. Xander got bitten a few times but he also kicked the demon into the hellmouth finally. It was open, the demon screamed. All those teeth made it echo. Xander waved, then put pressure on the most recent bite. DiNozzo got a medic to treat him while Buffy finished up.

She huffed when the last one was dead. "Good, now we can close it."

Xander pointed at the crystal. "It needs to be broken by magic and I wasn't going to ask Willow." She stared at him. "She was glowy earlier when I got in."

"She was anxious about seeing you. She thought you might've healed. Instead you've become a bitch, Xander."

He smirked. "Right back at you, Buffster. At least I have my reasons." He let the medics clean up the bite marks, pointing at one. "Not too deep but it could use some neosporin and you guys won't let me put my own on."

The medic taking care of him grinned. "That's what they pay me for. I need to earn my pay, Mr. Harris." He finished up and let him sign a few papers. "You should probably get a tetanus shot."

"Had one last month," he admitted. "Rusty pirates were meanly trying to take down a village I was in." The medic stared at him. Xander grinned. "I've been in Africa training slayers."

"Sounds like you had a lot of work, sir." He let him go back to DiNozzo. "Send your boss the report, DiNozzo?"

"Please. That way we can submit it and run." He nodded, walking off after checking Buffy and the prisoners over. They'd survive until they got to jail. She was just sweaty.

Buffy hung up. "Giles is coming to smash the crystal for us." She looked at Xander. "You let it bite you? Not that fast, are you?"

He stared at her. "Next time I'll let you do that." She huffed. Giles walked in escorted by an agent. Xander pointed. "That's the only one we found and they were trying to protect it with their lives, Giles."

He looked. "It's a demon egg. It's about to hatch." He looked at the young man. "That's even more dangerous than the portal keystone. They were probably going to feed the captive demons to it so they could sacrifice it for power." He looked around and found the keystone, carrying it back to the main area with Buffy's help. He looked at the egg. "We need to shatter it and kill the thing inside. It shouldn't be near hatching age."

Xander pulled out a gun. "Will it break like regular crystals?" Giles nodded. "Move?" They got out of his way. He steadied himself and lined it up then fired on it. It chipped. "Crap. I keep forgetting these are heavier." He shot again, getting the center. The shards fell off and Buffy stabbed the demon with the scythe. "Send it through before we break the keystone?"

"We can, yes." Buffy heaved it all through for him then he cut the keystone off by scratching out the magic symbols on it. That shut the portal. "I'll need help to drain it."

"I wasn't going to call Willow," Xander said quietly.

"I told her she couldn't help," Giles agreed. "It's too delicate for her gifts to help with." The waiting member of the coven came in to help him. She nodded politely at Xander and Buffy as she walked past them. "Thank you, Agnes."

"It's best handled by someone with subtlety, Rupert."

Xander tipped his head to the side, looking at Buffy. "Do you have odd feelings?" he muttered just loud enough to be heard by the witch.

Buffy nodded, pushing her hair back. "I do, yeah, and I don't know that witch." The witch turned into a demon and lunged at them. She fought it off. "What sort of demon are you?" she demanded.

Xander frowned. It was DiNozzo who answered. "She looks like the harpy I saw in a painting once if that helps," he said.

"Cut off her head," Giles called.

"Okay," Buffy complained. "She has no neck."

"Get a wing," Xander offered. He stepped in to block the harpy's strike at Buffy with her claws and shoved her back. Buffy grabbed the scythe and stepped closer to the demon. Xander looked at DiNozzo. "Sword?"

"Not on me, the cleanup team took the one you were using. Sorry." One of the other agents tossed over the backup Buffy had brought with her.

"Thanks." He moved up behind the harpy to get her wings. It distracted her and let Buffy swing at her neck. No luck, very little neck, so she got her shoulder. Xander and she fought it until they were very close to the portal area. Then Buffy kicked her over Xander and into the suction area. Xander slid into it too but he wasn't being sucked for some reason. He walked away from the demon wiping off the sword, pulling Buffy with him. "Must react to magic stuff." She glared at him. "Slayer essence?"

"Good point." She checked on her watcher, who was breaking the portal. She stomped on it until it broke. The harpy got cut in half by the portal slamming shut. "Wow, and we have guys here who can call in someone to clean stuff up."

"Since when do you clean stuff up?" Xander asked. "You used to walk over the bodies."

"Cleveland hates that," Buffy said dryly. "Are you more injured?"

"No. You are though." She looked at herself and huffed. He looked at Agent DiNozzo again. "So?"

"Is it down?" he asked. "For good?"

"Someone with skill may be able to resurrect it," Giles said, taking off his glasses. "I doubt it'll happen though. We know where most people with that skill set are."

"We'd like that list," the agent who had brought Giles said. "Please? That way we can track them just in case."

Xander looked at him. "Most of them can't do huge things."

"Even a tiny bit of extra chaos could shut down the government," the agent said.

"Good point. You guys are one thrown cog from going off the track," Xander said dryly. "Ask the man. I only know about the three in Africa I've run into and the one behind the pirates I ran into is gone."

"As in poof up in smoke?" Buffy asked. "Did he switch realms?"

Xander shrugged. "No and no." She shuddered. "He had his thugs invade a village I was driving through to get to Amaya. I had *great* timing that day," he said dryly. "And they were starving so not all that coordinated. Then we had the sucky zombie bonfire." Giles shuddered. "Yeah, really not happy. I talked to the village and they told me where, so that's why I was late getting there."

"Did you set him on fire?" Buffy demanded. "Because that's just icky, Xander. Even for chaos sorts."

"No, I kinda took some of the explosives I had for emergencies and I blew up his work area," he said. "Which he was in. I'd never hurt someone innocent, Buffy. His whole staff wasn't like him. And when he died, all the zombies went with him." She slumped, staring at him. He smiled. "It's what had to be done." He walked off. "Agent DiNozzo, think you can find that Waffle House for lunch?"

"I can probably find one, yeah. Want to clean up?"

Xander looked at himself. "I probably should. I'm a bit messy. It's rude to show up at the sacred temple of waffles in this messy condition." He grinned as he got into his car. "Thank you for helping me escape the nagging," he said once they were far enough away.

"Not a problem. Nagging like that makes everything worse."

"Yes it does."

Back at the building, Buffy looked at her watcher. "Giles, we need to bring Xander home. He's turning mean and cold there."

He stared at her. "I don't know of anyone who could train the girls in their native environments, Buffy. None of the remaining watchers can. I've checked to see if we could give him someone to help him. I do hope we find someone who could train for that job but for right now, we don't have anyone."

"But he ...he took out a chaos guy! With explosives!"

"Yes, I presume he would've taken out Ethan that same way after Halloween," he said dryly. "Xander has never been the gentle boy that Willow imagined. That was always her...well I suppose you could say it was her rose-colored glasses moment about him." She huffed. "I'm sorry, but we have no one to give him a break. Also, the girls would have to be prevented from mimicking your attitudes when you were a teenage girl," he said, staring at her. "Because they are dreadfully annoying at times."

She pouted. "I've been working on it." She looked around then at him. "Some of that's from Kennedy."

"I've had words with her as well," he said. "And the others." She nodded. "We're done, let's go clean up and get a meal. You probably should eat soon." He looked at the agents.

"We'll come by tomorrow to take a statement," one of the agents said with a slight grin. "That way we know how this all got started."

"The first we knew, Xander reported he had felt a hellmouth on his way to the one that Agent DiNozzo picked him up to handle by the Pentagon," Giles said.

The agent had an eye twitch; Buffy thought it was adorable. "We heard about that. We'll come get one from him then. I'm sure DiNozzo is doing one but his agency won't share. Their director's the mean girl sort."

"Like the movie?" Buffy asked. "Because I can see girls like them becoming directors of agencies full of mean agents who hate us."

The agent patted her on the arm. "I don't hate you or your slayers, Miss Summers. We just feel you shouldn't have to do it on your own or with an army of teenage girls. That's why there's agents and a military." She smiled and kissed him before strolling off. He blinked a few times.

Giles patted him on the arm. "She thought you were flirting," he said quietly. "She really could use a nice man to date. One who wasn't her usual type would be grand." He followed his slayer out so they could go back to the hotel, and possibly slip back to Cleveland before others decided they wanted to chat about things.

***

Xander looked at the agent over his dinner/brunch/real first meal of the day. "Do you ever have really weird dreams?"

"Sometimes. They say dreams are the mind's way of clearing itself out. I guess you've seen enough strange stuff to have really weird ones."

"I mean like temples and shit in Greece." He saw the slight stiffening. "I've been having some of those recently and I don't know why."

"I had one like that once."

Xander nodded. "So, how do we find all the ones that got displaced when that army showed up?" He ate another bite, staring at him. DiNozzo just stared back. Xander grinned. "You seemed different to me," he said quietly. "Kind of glowy."

"Great. Is it noticeable?"

"I think only to ones that were mentioned. I'm just really attuned to that sort of thing with what I do all day."

"That's good at least. I don't know. I have no idea how to get them together or even if it's possible."

Xander nodded. "Since I'm traveling anyway I can at least note others. It might matter some day since things like that are never really done. There's always a mirrored version or a retry." He ate another bite. "This one is better than the one in Sunnydale was."

"It is, yeah. It's one of my favorites after a late case." He went back to eating, considering that. "How many are there?"

"Maybe twelve here. Not sure." He stuffed his mouth and smiled while chewing when the waitress came over. He patted her on the hand for their coffee refills, sipping some. "Thank you."

"Welcome, Knight."

Xander grinned. "The higher ups wanted to scream at us. I got recalled for this and not a battle."

She snorted, waving the hand without the coffeepot in it. "Figures. You good? We heard about earlier."

"Handled. Cleaned up. Hungry."

She nodded. "I doubt those girls let you eat."

"They're still treating me like a pet." She snorted as she walked off. Xander grinned at his new buddy. "Relax, there's a few peaceful ones in here and I'm not going to bother them if they don't bother us," he said quietly.

"Thanks." They finished up and he took him back to the hotel the group was staying in. By the time they got to the right floor, they could hear the screaming. The slayers were on the other side of the floor and you could hear them from the elevator at least a floor down. Tony looked at Xander, who shook his head with a sigh. "Girl moment?"

"Probably." He shook his hand. "I'm going back in two days."

"Good luck with that. I'll be back for the report tomorrow."

"Thanks for the saving," he quipped. He walked off, finding the girls fighting in the hallway. "Is this what respectable young women do?" he asked, making them flinch and stare at him. One sneered. Xander smacked her head into a wall. "Go back to your room. Now. You're embarrassing not only yourself but all the other slayers. Most of which wear *clothes* when they have to be in public. If you don't believe me, ask Giles."

"I don't have to do what you say," she sneered. "You're just a guy."

"Just a guy who brought Buffy back to life and hunted with her, and now I'm training some of you." She sneered. He pulled her over and paddled her then walked her to Giles' room to present her. "Already had enough of the whiny thing." He handed her over. "I paddled her because she's acting like a spoiled kid in a mall." He looked at Buffy then at Giles. "You might want to say something about *clothes* as well since they're in panties in the hallway." He went to his room and opened the door, staring at the girl in there. "How did you get into my room?"

"This is my room," she said, hopping up.

"Really? So now you're wearing my clothes?" He looked back up the hall. "Giles, come get the other one before I beat this one too."

"You can't do that," she said smugly. "I'm underage. That would be assault."

Xander shrugged, taking off his belt. "I can handle jail. Can you?" She flinched.

Giles came up to grab her. "Why did you break into his room, Melody. You know that's not allowed."

"He was going to hit me."

"I can really beat you," Xander offered, waving the hand with the belt around. "It might make you quit embarrassing everyone. Because I damn sure don't want to be associated with a spoiled bitch like you or the other one." She huffed.

"Xander!" Giles chided.

"Truth," he said. "Look at them! They're worse than Buffy on a slut patrol night, Giles! Joyce would have fits!"

He looked at his slayers. "She may at that. They're young women."

Xander stared at him. "No, Dawn's a young woman. Does she act like them?"

"No," he admitted.

"Did the young women you grew up with act like them?"

"No," he sighed.

"Do you really think they should be acting like that? And by the way," he said, staring at one. "Your baby bump shows in that outfit."

"I'm not pregnant," she said, hands going to her stomach, eyes wide. "It's a really big dinner."

"Uh-huh. A kicking dinner? What did you eat?" he asked dryly.

"Xander!" Buffy complained. "Leave her alone!"

"She's pregnant."

Buffy stared at that girl. "You're what? And you were on patrol? Are you suicidal!" she demanded. "You know you don't go on patrol if you think you're pregnant!"

"It's sad there's rules about that," Xander said. Buffy glared at him. "Would your mother like how these girls are? Really?"

"Butt out!"

"Fine. I can do that but the ones that try me I get to beat their asses." She snorted and walked that girl off to talk to her. Xander went into his room and closed the door then turned on the tv and got comfortable. When the cops came for the girls who were once again fighting in the halls he didn't go help. He wasn't welcome to help, so therefore he wasn't going to help, but his girls would *never* do that.

***

Xander looked at Giles as he walked into the buffet the next morning. "Tea's over there," he said, pointing his spoon before using it to eat some oatmeal. "You look like you need it, Giles."

"I do. I spent a horrendously long time last night extricating the girls from their own bad behavior."

"I would've left them," he said. "They might learn something." He looked at him. "Pretend to be Joyce, Giles, or hire them a mom?"

"I'm seriously considering that option." He got his tea and came back to sit at the same table. "Are you all right?"

Xander smirked. "They didn't bother me at all. Not one knock or anything." Willow came in and was huffy. She opened her mouth but he held up his spoon. "Then you should've stopped the hos," he said bluntly before she could get it out. "I tried, they ignored it and complained. None of *my* slayers will ever act that way." He used his spoon to eat another bite of his oatmeal. He looked at Giles. "They have rules."

"We need some. I need to hire a woman who they can look up to."

"Find a mom, Giles. They could all use a mom if they don't have one."

"I'll start looking later."

"Ask about retired agents so they're strong enough to be able to protect themselves."

"That's not a bad idea." He got up to get his own breakfast, walking around where Willow was still huffing. "He is correct. He did try to correct things but the girls did whine about it. Now they're all in trouble but three."

"Sometimes you gotta have a mom or a real big sister who has sense," Xander quipped. Someone else came into the buffet area and got coffee then left. Xander went back to his food. "I'm scheduled to go back in two days."

"Why would they need you?" Willow demanded.

"Because they're little kids and they need trained," Xander said. "Not like you could survive Africa, Willow."

"I can so!"

"You can't camp. You can't start a fire without lighter fluid. You can't cook over one. You can't fight so you can't train them."

"Neither can you." She glared. "You're still a normal guy, Xander."

Xander nodded. "I am and yet I've managed to do the same job you two do all by myself." She growled. "You start that shit and I'm selling you to something. I did unfortunately leave one of the people sellers I had to rescue one of the slayers from alive." He stared at her. She backed off looking scared. "You want to train some of the girls, I hear there's some in Central America that need found."

"They're in highly Catholic countries," Giles said, sitting down again. "Willow, behave. Xander, quit baiting her."

"She started it." He shrugged and finished his oatmeal then got into his toast. "Not like they like magic in Africa, Giles. There's places they burn you at the stake for that." Willow flinched. "I had to save that same slayer from them. And one from her very uptight family that thought it had ruined her honor to be chosen."

"Is she healing all right?"

"She's doing a lot better. The hospital I got her to is about midway on my rounds so I stop in every few weeks as I travel. She's due out in about two to three more weeks so I'll pick her up and bring her with me since she's no longer part of her family."

"That could help and having a slayer roaming to the other girls would help. She's one of the older ones, correct?" Giles asked.

"Fifteen. Almost sixteen. So I won't let her do anything but learn until she's eighteen."

"That's a fair rule," Giles agreed. "One we keep to for patrols." Xander grinned slightly. "Will she need specialized care?"

"No. The scarring's healing well."

"That's excellent. Her eyesight?"

"One's down but she's working on compensation. She told the nurses if I could do it she could do it too. So we'll work on that while we train the others."

"If the worst happens, she can turn into the regional watcher," Giles decided. He made that note for himself. "Update everyone's records in the next month?"

"I've got most of that ready for you. It's in my bag. You said not to bring it."

"I did. I didn't want them to get hold of it." Xander nodded. "I'll grab it on the way back upstairs." They dug into the rest of their breakfast and Willow huffed off. "I think she should have a vacation to Devon," he said quietly.

"I think that'd be great since the anti-magic protections I have inked on my arms are burning," Xander said. Giles got up to go deal with her. "Maybe I'll have them tattooed on instead," he considered, drinking his coffee. Tony walked in. "I should have my anti-magic marks tattooed on."

"I know a few places near the Naval Academy." He sat down. "The huffy people you walked away from are nearly screaming about what they found out."

"About me?"

"No"

"Good." He smiled.

"About a few incidences, including something at a mall."

"That would probably end up being about one of us," he admitted.

"I don't want to know."

"I'll see if we can arrange something." He shrugged and got back to his coffee. "If so, I'm going back early."

"That's fine. Frankly, my boss saw that incident and said he did not care how it was gotten as long as he did not ever have to see it again."

"A few of the parts are up for sale due to deaths caused by the First Evil but not all of it."

"That's good to know," Tony said, making that note. "What was it?" Xander pointed at Giles as he walked Willow back in. "We've searched out some very interesting footage."

"Of?" Giles asked with a polite smile. "You're which one?"

"Agent DiNozzo, NCIS. I'm the one that gathered Xander yesterday for that fighting couple."

"Ah. That was nice work, Xander. I've heard from the local community that you were firm but fair."

"I reminded them that there's people in charge who are panicking and they're not safe if they're in the open right now. Causing a panic, especially next to the Pentagon, was not a bright idea and I told his widow that."

"That's a good thing," he agreed. He looked at DiNozzo. "Which films did they find?"

"Something about a mall and a big blue thing."

"The Judge," Giles said. "Most of his parts are still hidden so he can't be put back together."

"Three are up for auction," Xander said.

"Charming." Giles looked at him. "He could not be killed by any weapon made by man."

"So you returned him to the parts so he'd have to be put back together again," Tony said. Giles nodded. "Not a bad plan." He texted that to his boss, who said it was probably the only workable thing and he wanted to know where the weapon had come from so they could shut that link down. He looked at him. "We're only concerned that the weapons leak that gave you that weapon might be selling to others."

"You can win some every now and then at kitten poker," Xander said. "But that link wasn't a link. That was blatantly stolen to cure the problem."

"Okay." He looked at him. "Do I want to know?"

"Only if you want to see me disappear."

"Then I don't want to know right now."

"Not like they'd do anything about that," Willow snorted. "There's a statute of limitations."

"Not in a while," Tony said. "There's no statute of limitations for arms dealing, Miss Rosenburg. Or arms stealing, even in an emergency situation. I should know, I'm an agent."

She huffed. "We needed it. Xander got it for us."

Tony held up a hand. "Unless you want to see him in jail, for life, shut up." She went pale and shut up. "Thank you. That would be something you should not speak of. Like how you nearly ended humanity. It's not something anyone needs to hear about," Tony said patiently. "It's like tact only smarter."

"I get that," she complained.

"Thank you." He sent that to his boss, who said it figured and even CID wasn't going to look at that issue. No matter where it had come from, no one cared at the moment. Unless the Council had issues then they'd use that to cure them. "There is a thread of 'we'll cut out anyone who has issues at the Council' by the higher ups," he told Giles, who sighed but nodded and sipped his tea. "So anyone who has had issues. That would include your head witch, head trainer, both senior slayers....." Giles winced. "Institute some secrecy mandates."

"I believe I can do that, yes. They can go in the same time as the new rules about conduct unbecoming of a slayer."

Willow stared at him. "They weren't that bad. They were overreacting, Giles."

"They were pornographically grappling in the hallway, Willow. Yes they were. Frankly, I was about to leave them there." She gasped.

"I would've," Xander agreed. "They needed the wakeup call. Slayers can be slutty but they can't be that bad. It looks bad on the rest, including Kennedy," he said when Willow opened her mouth. "Do you really want everyone to think that slayers are cheap, easy party girls who do porn in the hallways of hotels?"

"No," she complained. "It's not that bad. It's nothing like you playing with weapons."

"I don't *play* with weapons, Willow. I *use* them when I need to use them."

"You blew up a person."

"I blew up a chaos sorcerer who had a whole village invaded and nearly killed three hundred people to get their souls." She slumped. "Hell yes I ended him." She slumped further.

"I would've," Tony agreed.

Giles nodded. "Me as well. Who knows how many he's taken out for that reason."

"Exactly," Xander said. "Plus I was there passing through when they showed up."

"No one would take your soul anyway," Willow said. "It's not normal."

"Yet you consider me normal," he shot back. "To this day." She got up and huffed off. Xander waved at her back then rolled his eyes. "Can I help by escorting her to Heathrow?" he asked Giles.

"Perhaps." He looked at Tony.

"I figured it out without her saying it. Frankly, I don't care where it came from." Xander relaxed and grinned at him. "As long as it never happens again."

"Unless it's that sort of emergency and they refuse to help," Xander said.

Tony stared at him. "Find another way."

"Sure, next time I'll go raid the mob or something."

"If you can get the mob or cartels to take out the demons who're harmful, we'd mostly be happy with that," Tony said with a smile. "It'd mean a lot less paperwork for some of us." Giles was scowling. "Every area has their group of bad guys, Mr. Giles."

"I know," he sighed. "Frankly there's about thirteen higher level demons on this plane that could use taken out by them. I doubt we could encourage it though."

"Pity," Xander said. "I'd like the one in Zimbabwe to go out somehow." Tony and Giles both stared at him. He smiled. "Zorander."

"Shite," Giles muttered quietly.

"Do I need or want to know?" Tony asked.

"Only if he comes over here," Xander said. "He shouldn't bother soldiers any. They don't tend to be virgins that he can abuse, then possess to do his bidding. Like the one in Morocco. He got a tiny bit mad at someone who sold him an ugly rug."

"Then I need to know," Tony said.

"I'll send you a report on him. Did you run into him, Xander?" he sighed, sipping his tea.

"One of his people tried to flirt with me so I did an exorcism." Giles choked. "He knows I can do it but I haven't seen hints of him and I've warned all the girls he's around down there and what his thing is. Some are still too young but their parents know as well." Giles nodded, making himself that note. Tony did as well. Xander smiled. "Chaos sorcerers are a bigger threat. They do neat things like have you possessed by your halloween costume, which was a General at the time I wore it." Tony stared at him. Xander grinned. "It had been his old BDU's he had donated."

"Crap," Tony muttered.

"Yeah, kinda." He finished his coffee and took his cup up to get more with Giles to get him more tea. He sat back down, handing back the delicate cup of tea, earning a smile. "It'll be a long day, Giles. Get more breakfast."

"You could eat more."

"The slayer I'm working with isn't in a prosperous area and I'm sharing my rations with her family."

Giles sighed but nodded. "I know some places are bad."

"She's not in one of the really bad ones but definitely poor. Edge of a smaller city poor." Giles made that note. Xander took his notepad and pen to make his own about the girls. Giles smiled and patted his hand, tucking his notebook away so he could finish his tea. "It seems like three or four of us are doing everything," he said quietly.

"It does. Buffy does step up to help the slayers in residence. Willow's been a bit busy."

"Is she working on stuff for the Council? I've been hearing alchemy rumors. She's been watching an anime and trying their version of it." Giles huffed. "Not sure either way but that is the rumor going around."

"I'll look into that rumor, Xander. That would be quite dangerous."

"Transmutation circles," Xander said.

"Very dangerous," Giles agreed. "I'll be having a talk with Kennedy as well."

"Can we send Kennedy to somewhere like the new house in Singapore?" Xander asked. "She's probably traveled enough to know how to do that and how to work her way around a new city."

"She could, yes, and Willow might like the vacation. Though I'm a bit scared of what she'll learn." He paused to consider it then nodded. "That's not a bad idea. She's one of the better trained girls and she does have a passport. I'm working on getting them for the other slayers." Xander and Tony both nodded.

"Too many emergency reasons to have them," Xander agreed quietly.

"I'm hoping other places would jump in if they're having issues," Tony said.

Xander stared at him for a second. "That's not the only reason. There's plenty of petty people in command."

"Good point. I didn't want to think about that." He looked outside then at Giles, pointing. Giles got up to yell at the girl that was dancing around in a very tiny bikini nowhere near the pool. Tony shook his head. "I wish him a lot of luck with the girls."

"First, never wish anything. There's a good chance there's a wish demon over that and all wishes are double-edged things. Second, I suggested he hire a retired agent to be a dorm mother. That way they were strong and tough enough to hold their own against the girls if something happened and they had sense."

"Sense might be nice," Tony agreed. "There's two more."

"He can beat them. I'll lend him my belt." He smiled. "I heard Kennedy called them this morning to complain that they were giving the rest of them a bad name by being that way."

"It's nice she might help change their behavior."

Xander looked out then sighed. "Definitely a mom." He shook his head. Tony stopped him from going. "You sure?"

"Yup. The police are there."

Xander glanced out there then sent Buffy a text message. She came from the pool to yell at the girls for the police. Who arrested them anyway. Then the whole group had to leave the hotel when they got kicked out.

***

Xander made it back to Africa, and immediate problems. Someone hated slayers. Xander had to defend his girls. He was missing one but he could handle that. Her family had been burned and he had no proof it was whoever was doing this. Xander gathered the girls and their immediate families. They were already evacuating up toward one of them. He talked to them once they were in the safehouse, seeing who knew what. He had called Giles to warn him, then he went on the offensive. The local police there weren't going to get in the way. They had said it was his job to handle since they were scared of slayers. So when someone tried to break in, Xander shot him in the arm, blinking when it hit metal. He stared at the man, who was glaring. "If you're going to try to kill the slayers you've got to get past me and a lot have tried, buddy. Just run the fuck away."

The man smirked behind his mask. "I'm not."

"Then why are you sneaking into the girls' rooms?"

"I want the one who's trying to kill your girls."

"They're not *mine*. They're slayers and I'm training them to survive."

"Can you really do that?"

"Yeah, I can. I've survived a long time." He heard a noise and turned, shooting the person through the door. "Huh. You had great timing." The man stomped past him. "I need to know if he's related to any demon group. That way we can take them down."

"If he's alive, I'll ask him and tell you." He opened the door and hauled the man up. He groaned so he was alive. "Give me twenty minutes."

Xander smirked. "Sure. Want me to make coffee?" The man gave him an odd look. "I've seen worse than that. We used to work with a few master vampires. Hell, I've seen one's porn that was worse than anything you can do to him." He shrugged, making some coffee. The man shook his head as he walked off with the idiot. He handed over a note a few hours later and then disappeared into the brightening dawn. Xander read it, smiling at the information. "Hey, it's a demon gang."

He looked at the slayer who was peeking out her door. "It's safer. The main one's gone. He had other enemies who took him after I dented the door." She smiled and hugged him then went to wake the others and tell them. "There's a demon gang behind them but I can handle that." He sipped his coffee, calling a few local contacts to ask them where that group was. And who they were. That might matter in his method of handling it. One of the fathers came out. Xander let him read the note. "I'll handle it later. Let the girls rest." That got a nod and he went to talk to the other parents.

A mother came out to make breakfast. She smiled at him. "It's good to talk to the other girls' parents. We can share ideas."

"The girls need all the support they can get," Xander said with a smile for her. "Buffy herself proved that by staying with her mother. Family is important to all of us in many ways." He patted her on the arm. "Don't worry about me. Let the girls eat all they want to." She nodded, making extra. He still got fed but the girls pigged out while talking to each other about training things. "Girls, do some sparring," Xander called. They huffed but did spar against each other with their parents watching.

***

Xander met the masked man later that night after he had blown up the demon gang's hideout. One large demon had just roared, coming out of the rubble. "Thankfully I brought my axe." He lunged over to meet the demon while it was still in shock and killed it. Xander looked at the mess then shrugged and walked off. He smiled at the guy watching him. "Sorry if you wanted them too."

"No, I was going to handle it so little girls didn't have to."

"That's my job for the slayers." He grinned. "There's a ton of idiots who hate slayers for making sure humanity keeps going." He cleaned off his axe, looking at the demon body. "Good, you're not regenerating." He shrugged and smiled at the guy again, making him shake his head. "Slayers handle things that normal people hate to hear about. It's the life even though we hate it. I'd rather have them live normal lives instead of being slayers. I'll give them as long as I can."

"It's a noble ideal," the man said.

"I'm often called a knight," Xander said with a smirk. "It's a tiny bit right." He walked off. "Want coffee?"

"No. It's too hot." He watched the strange young man walk off, shaking his head. For some reason the guy gave him a headache. When someone came to try to sniff around the wreckage, he shot them. The demon only howled loudly. That was so weird. Fortunately the kid had left a delayed device and it blew up the demon. "Landmines," the guy said, coming down from his perch to look at them. "Homemade. Not bad." He went to call around about him. Someone had to know this kid and who had trained him. So far almost no one knew more than rumors of him.

***

Tony DiNozzo got visited by someone a few days later. They were a covert agent in another agency but Tony knew them. They had met during an undercover. He walked into his apartment and found the guy in there watching his movies. "Nice to see you," he said dryly, shutting the door.

"I heard you're looking at the slayer stuff. Your director hates them."

"She thinks they're evil in the making. Like comic book heros only more wild."

"Some of the girls, yup." He held up a manilla envelope. "On their trainer. There's been a few people looking at him for some reason."

Tony sat down, reading it over. His eyebrow went up and then he groaned. "So he's really more wild?"

"He's very protective of the girls. Even the ones that were here that he sniped at." He grinned, eating some more popcorn. "Kid's not bad but the agent over there that caught him handling something said he's not trained. No one has any idea how he learned that stuff." Tony stared at him. "He took out a whole street gang of demons."

"Great." He went back to reading, wincing at one thing. "How many others are looking at him to remove him?"

"Only your director to remove him. He's doing something the girls can't. Including proving that everyone else can help the slayers if they'd let them. Apparently they consider him normal, even though the DNA workup we subtly did from some of his shed hair here in DC says he's not. We heard that was because of a problem though." He ate another bite. Watching Tony's face was nearly as great as the movie. "We don't think anyone's told him that his former girlfriend left him enough stuff to set up a real house."

Tony looked at him. "Can we get anything on Sunnydale?"

"Very few people know anything from the demon underground. The few that do aren't talking so no one can ask them how they know them."

"I'd like to know, even if no one else hears." He looked at him. "Gibbs wants to know and he hates that the girls have to do it on their own."

"Seems like the boy's making sure they don't, even if the girls don't respect him for it."

"Any idea what made him dive in?"

"He's called a white knight but I don't know." He put down his bowl of popcorn. "No one's talking about those years."

"Thanks." He shook his hand. "Next time, try the dvd next to that movie. It's a better film. Less cheesy." He grinned. The other agent laughed as he left. Tony leaned back to reread the file. It was skimpy but it was a huge issue in the making. He called Gibbs. "Someone found some information on Harris. At home, Boss. He was here when I got here." He hung up, waiting on Gibbs. As it turned out the director showed up too but DiNozzo stared at her. She glared. He handed the file to Gibbs but kept him from handing it over to her. "No. If she wants to know, she should go talk to him." He walked the file off to put into his safe. He came out to look at Gibbs. "He just took out a demon gang that was trying to run guns in Somalia." She stomped off. He looked at his boss. "She'd arrest him for doing what was necessary, boss," he said quietly. "Not like we can stop them. Not like I'm going to endanger little girls to stop him."

"I get that. I agree. She still needs to know."

"The agent that gave it to me warned me about her." He smiled. "Want dinner?"

"Not really. I already ate." He followed him into the kitchen. "Do we think he's going to continue to do things like that if he comes back to the US?"

"Yup. I think he's been doing it however long he's been helping Buffy." He looked at him. "That agent said that very few agents are hearing anything about the Sunnydale years and they won't talk because people would ask how they knew demons."

"I wouldn't either." He leaned against the counter. "Do we think he's a problem in the making? Is he burned out?"

"I think he was burned out long ago and now he's just waiting on the right battle but it's not good enough yet." He looked at him. "Every now and then he does run into someone on the lists. Mostly as dates."

"Charming."

"His last one was the demon that women called when their husbands beat them." Gibbs winced. "They nearly married." He smiled at the pan he was heating up. "Someone should tell him she left him stuff."

"If I run into him I'll send him to you, DiNozzo."

"He's a nice guy, Boss. If I had been in the same situation I would've jumped in too."

"I know. I would've too. It's not right that young women have to do it on their own."

"The Director still thinking they're making all this up?"

"Yup."

"Did you see the paper in there that says she's half-demon?"

"I didn't."

Tony nodded. "Didn't say what type."

"I'll find out."

Tony looked at him. "Apparently DNA tests can tell."

"I'll have Abby help," he said with a slight smirk. "Good thinking. Now what?"

"We have people who deal with weird things in the government. Do they know about slayers?"

"I don't know who'd to ask to find out."

"Maybe we should."

Gibbs considered it. "I can ask a few contacts to see if they know someone. The girls could use all the backup they could get." He left, going to talk to a few agents he knew.

Tony got back to his dinner making. He'd talk to a few more of his contacts in the morning. They were probably off shift now if they were lucky.

***
Part 2 by Voracity2
Tony sat down across from an agent he had once dated, smiling at her. "Maria."

"Tony. You needed a meeting?"

"I did. Have you heard anything about the Watchers Council?"

She looked that name up. "That they were blown up by extremists."

"No, not all of them." He put down the files he had pulled together. "Not extremists either." He smiled. "Saw that thing in LA?" She snorted but nodded. "That's the slayers."

"What?" He nodded, shoving the file over. She looked it over, grimacing. "That's.... who's this?"

He looked then smiled. "Willow's back with the Devon Coven because she's got a magic addiction. A lot of us are more interested in their male helper. He seems to be the prototype for the agents who want to help them."

She looked at him. "I don't know many who are that insane."

"You'd rather a group of teenage girls save everyone?"

"No," she admitted. She went back to reading. She was still unhappy. He shoved over one more folder. She looked it over then stared at him. "How does he know how to do that?"

"I don't know," he admitted with a smile. "No one knows or they're not talking. Especially if they're asked how they knew someone to ask."

"I can see that. Especially with your director."

Tony grinned, sipping his coffee. "That's a problem beyond all that," he said quietly. "Notice his dating list recently?"

"I did. Why?"

"Apparently he likes them a bit mean." Someone walked over and sat down. "Willow."

"Agent DiNozzo." She looked at the other one. "I have the feeling you're Agent Hill of SHIELD but we've barely hacked your system."

She smiled. "I am and admitting that can get you put in jail, Miss Rosenburg."

She shrugged. "I'd rather we make an agreement so Xander could come home and stop doing stupid things."

"Like taking out the demon gang that was trying to kill all the young slayers in Africa?" Tony asked. Willow glared at him. "Not like you did."

"It's wrong."

"It's what agents would do," Maria told her. "We simply pay them to do that. I don't think he's being paid as much as most agents are, and it seems like most of his checks are going to help upkeep the slayers he's helping protect."

"They don't need it."

"No one's going to send little kids into a battle, Rosenburg," Tony said bluntly. "I'm pretty sure a few of the girls would destroy everyone over that idea."

"I'm not saying that. They could come over here."

"Then who'd protect their people?" Tony asked.

"We can send older girls."

"You can't. None of them could handle desert or poor area living," Tony said bluntly. "I doubt many of the older girls could handle living in a place where you're doing good if you get one substantial meal a day." Willow slumped. "Thankfully he learned the last few skills he needed to so they're helped and protected."

"I guess. He still needs to come home before he's ruined or he gets ideas."

"I doubt he's going to get any more ideas than he already has," Agent Hill said dryly. "It seems he's got the right mindset already." She stared at her. "Though we would like to set up an aid pact between our two groups."

Willow nodded. "We could like that. Especially if we get people to take Xander's place." She stared at her. "He needs to come home. The girls need sense."

"You might want to put back all the stuff you stole from him," a young, bouncy goth girl said as she came over, smiling at her. "Miss Rosenburg, I'm Abby Scuito, and I'm going to kick your butt for trying to hack NCIS." She stared at her. "By the way, you're a few years out of date. We have alarms for the method you were using. I let you go to see where you were going while I hacked you underneath your hack. I put back all the money you stole from his accounts." She smiled at Tony, kissing him on the head. "The director is having multiple herds of cows about you not being in." She bounced off and came back with a large frozen drink, sitting down. She looked at the agent she didn't know. "SHIELD, huh? At least you guys do a lot of weird stuff too so you won't freak out at demons trying to end the world." She took a drink, staring at Willow. "For someone who's supposedly good, you do a lot of bad things."

"Me?" Willow complained loudly. "I'm not doing anything bad!"

"Yeah, sure," Abby said. "Of course you're not." She stared at her while she sipped her drink. "But I've talked to some of my people at the clubs I go to about him. He's being told about his inheritance." Willow groaned. "Thankfully he's robbed a few of the people he's had to handle. That way the girls had enough food. Then again, those sort had bothered the slayers." She took another drink and shifted to face Agent Hill. "Anyway." She smiled. "There's three slayers that the demon underground has said that Xander cannot get to because he can't leave the girls in Africa. They're all pretty young. The oldest one is the one that got acid attacked by her family for not being the girl they expected. He's picked her up earlier and he's working with her to make her the regional watcher but she's only fifteen. The next oldest is just about to womanhood."

Agent Hill made that note on the file. "I can have someone talk to him to see if we can help. That's too much work for one person. I know a few former agents who could do the job very well and we'll gladly introduce them to Mr. Giles." She looked at her. "You go to their clubs?"

"My favorite rave is at a demon club. They're all nicely peaceful and I barely get groped." She took a sip and grinned. "They're really sweet and we compare new tattoos when people get them."

"That's good. Can you find out anything about the past exploits? No one's talking about the Sunnydale years."

"One thing no one wants to ask about," Tony said. "That thing in the mall."

"We figured out where it came from, Tony." She smiled. "That's fine and I'm not going to hold it against him. Very few of us would. Outside your director." She pointed.

Willow looked at the huffy redhead and created a badger on her head out of her messy, rats nest of hair. "It looked like a wig," she said when the woman started to shriek and yank out her hair.

"Undo it," Hill ordered. "Before I arrest you." Willow huffed but undid it. "Thank you. DiNozzo, go handle her. You do have a way with women."

He grinned. "She only likes Gibbs."

"That's weird." He got up to distract her and get her help anyway. She looked at Abby. "Let me know." She handed over her card.

"I have your email bookmarked." She got up with a smirk and a wink at her then bounded off.

Agent Hill smiled at Willow. "Let's work on that aid pact." She took her back with her. "Director, this is Willow Rosenburg, of the new Council." She handed over the files.

"Better than we could find," he admitted, looking at her. "What are your people doing?"

"Making due," she said. "We need people to do Xander's job so he can come home and get back to normal Xander times." She crossed her arms over her chest. "We need more field watchers as well."

"We have a few former agents who can handle that. We'll talk about it after we debrief you." Willow blushed and ducked her head. "Not that way. You're not my type, Rosenburg. I like mine good and tougher than you." He walked her off. They had many subtle methods to interrogate young women. Including truth serum in her asked for water.

A few hours later, alarms were going off as demons rushed into the building. One of them picked up Willow and was yelling and ranting at her as he walked her out, mostly about 'how stupid can you be' and 'didn't you know not to drink truth serum yet'. Agent Hill looked at Fury once the demons were all gone. "No agents injured. Not a lot of damage. It was a nice extraction plan Harris did."

Fury smirked. "I'm liking that guy more and more." He went back to his office. "Set up a formal meeting with Mr. Giles about offering some of our agents to help them. Including in their armory. I doubt they have a lot of anything we'd consider a good idea."

"Guns don't seem to help."

"We can find a way around that." He went to reread that file. His people were looking up the others that were left so he could find any other former agents. The British government had to have put spies in there to control the chaos the Council had brought. If they hadn't, he'd have to make sure everyone who could've was retired so he never ran into the stupid people.

***

Xander walked past the shady guy that had helped him a few months back, waving up at him. "I ordered you lunch at the local café," he said quietly. "You look like you need it and I need privacy." The guy snorted but Xander looked up, bouncing something in his hand. "You don't want to be that close." The guy backed off into the shadows. "Keep going. Go eat. Please."

"It'll hit you."

"I'm not normal. No matter what the slayers say." He walked into the building and set the thing off by throwing it onto the floor as hard as he could. It went up. The building started to smoke. Xander shot a few of the demons. "You went after little, tiny girls. How very great you are," he sneered. "Even if they're slayers, they're *children* and real demons don't go after little kids." He walked out with a tiny bundle. A demon tried to run out so Xander shot him. "No, I don't think so." He sneered at them. "Anyone else?" The other demons were choking and trying not to die. A few made it outside. Xander got one. The shady guy got the other one. Xander walked the kid he found in there out and to a local demon bar that he trusted. He put her on to the bar and walked off. "I don't hurt kids. I'm not like they were."

The demon bartender stared at the child then started to call her people. A lot weren't answering. He finally got an old woman of the clan. She came in to get the child and raise her properly. The bartender stared at her. "What did he do?"

"They threatened the slayer that's six because she's a slayer. The Knight got a bit upset."

"He said he doesn't hurt kids, unlike them."

She nodded, humming some. "He never has." She walked the child off. "We'll make sure you don't get sick from whatever he used."

The bartender looked at the others. "Let me know? Maybe we can talk to the Dark Slayer and she can calm him down."

They nodded, calling around to their sources. When the bartender heard he called a former coworker who had went to America. They had to know others in the demon communities until one could tell that slayer.

***

One of the younger slayers walked into the house the next night. "Faith, you're wanted at the demon bar. He won't tell me why but he looked worried that you'll be really upset," she yelled. She went to the kitchen to get a drink. Buffy was in there giving her an odd look. "I don't know. It looked like an information drop sort of worried. He'd only talk to Faith." She got some tea and walked off. "No vamps tonight."

"Thank you. Put it on the board." She sipped her tea and went to find Faith. "Let me know what he wanted?"

"If I can. It might be personal, B."

"I get that. Just tell us if it's something important so we can figure out what the girls are going to handle." She sipped her tea. "Knife." Faith smirked but picked it up to put into her sheathe. The others got strapped on various parts of her. Then she walked out pulling on her jacket. Buffy went down to wait. It had to be bad. Demons didn't do things like that without a good reason and usually it was an apocalypse. When Faith came back she didn't look too upset. "A good apocalypse?"

"News sharing. There's a former clan of demons that went after the baby slayers Xander's protecting. Thankfully it got handled."

"By who?" she asked.

"They think X did it. He used some sort of poison gas grenade." She shrugged. "It saved the three youngest ones." Buffy slumped, staring at her. "He made sure the kid he spotted in there was safe. Said he didn't hurt kids, unlike those sorts." She sat down, putting her feet up on a table. "I called him on the way back. He blew it off and asked how a few of the girls were doing."

"We need to bring him home," Buffy said quietly.

"I doubt we'd be able to find someone who could handle the girls. Which was his point. That and he's a bit pissed off that people think the girls are toys." She smiled slightly. "He didn't get that messy."

"He still.... That's soldier stuff, not Xander stuff. Unless you think he's repossessed?"

"I think he got pissed off, the same as I would," Faith said, staring at her. "If I had the same stuff he did, I would've done that."

"How did he get those?"

"Who knows with Xander. He might've made them for all I know." She shrugged. "All I know is the girls are safe."

Buffy nodded. "We still need to give him a vacation before he goes cold and frosty. That's not who Xander is."

"Find someone to go to them."

"We have those new guys in training."

"They could probably spell him for a few days. I'm sure he'd like some beach time." Buffy nodded. "He probably won't come back here. The spoiled patrol would stress him out more and he'd have to beat them all."

"I think I'd like to see him spar against one of us."

"He might not stop with a few of them." Willow walked in with Kennedy holding her hand. "Hey."

"What happened? New apocalypse?"

"Xander heard that the three youngest slayers he's protecting were in danger so he took down a demon clan," Faith said. Kennedy looked horrified. Faith smirked. "Saved the kid he found in their hangout and handed her to a demon bar."

"How?" Willow moaned, sinking into a chair.

"Grenade," Buffy said. "They said some sort of poison gas grenade."

Willow huffed. "We need to bring Xander home."

"Sure, you go protect the girls and train them," Faith said. Willow glared at her. Faith stared back. "None of us are capable of handling their lives with them. I lived rough but that's beyond all that. Especially since he had to remove two from war zones." Buffy shuddered. She had talked to one of them. "Yeah, he could use a break, but there's no one to go yet. Maybe some of the agents."

Willow grimaced. "It'll take months."

Faith shrugged. "Then send one of them to train with the girls. That worked in the way past."

"That's not a bad idea," Buffy said. She straightened up instead of slumping. "We could send a few of the new watcher trainees out there for him to show them how to handle things, plus send the girls some extra stuff like food since Giles heard he's using a lot of his paycheck to support them when things get thin."

"Don't they had aid people or like charities?" Kennedy asked. "I've donated to them in the past."

"The youngest girl's family lives on fifteen dollars a month," Faith said. "I talked to X about what the girls could use for the holidays. Her daddy's working construction. That fifteen is about what our minimum wage is." Kennedy slumped into a chair, grimacing. "They could all use some stuff. The ones that had to be removed from the war zones could use some clothes. One's pregnant," she told Buffy. Who winced. "Not her idea."

"I heard that happens," Willow said quietly. "Is she going to keep it?" Faith shrugged. "We should talk to her."

"I have," Buffy said. "We chat a lot. She's not sure." She looked at Faith. "We can send food."

"You can't ship it overseas without permission," Willow said. "Plus there's all sorts of taxes."

"The coven could send it," Faith said. Willow brightened up and nodded. "Remember, they're low water at times. Drinkable water especially."

"They make special buckets that filter," Willow said. "I can look at those. Ooooh!" She smiled, shifting some. "There's a charity that you can buy part of an animal or a whole animal to send to poor villages. It gives them more food but also lets them sell off extras. They have all sorts of animals."

"We'd have to see what they could have," Faith said. "X should know." The others nodded. "We can suggest that. It can only help." Buffy got Giles to come help them plan things. He liked the idea of sending an agent for Xander to directly train too.

***

Xander looked over at the jeep coming toward him and his slayer. They were hunting for her womanhood hunt. Her village elders said she had to have one since she was a slayer. Xander could only watch and make sure nothing else got her. So who was this? He stood up when the jeep parked. "Do we know you?" he called in English then in the local dialect.

The guy got out of the jeep, walking over. "I'm Agent Grant Ward, Mr. Harris. Rupert Giles sent me to you to train to handle things." He smiled at the girl, bowing to her. "Hi."

Xander blinked. "Why?"

"Because SHIELD is helping the slayers by giving some agents to them as watchers so you don't have to be on three continents at once." The girl giggled, shaking her head. "I'm going to be one of the ones helping with field battles and apocalypse battles. He sent me to learn from you."

"Okay, I guess," Xander admitted. "Um... you brought your own supplies?"

"I did. I brought enough for a month and I can buy more at any village market we run into. I also brought her present from the senior girls and Willow." He got into the jeep and came out with a long box. "The senior slayers sent that to you for you becoming a full woman."

She blushed and ducked her head, looking inside her present. She moaned. "Xander!"

He looked and smiled. "That's like the slayer scythe. They finally got backup ones made that aren't mystical." He looked over the other things. "You'll use them well." She smiled, taking each one out to look over and test the edges. He looked at the young agent again. "Whose idea was it that we'd make a deal with SHIELD?"

"Rosenburg."

"I thought I cured that when your boss gave her truth serum."

"You may have, but we're not the sort to let little girls do what agents and military guys should."

Xander nodded. "That's why I jumped in too." He sat back down, waving a hand. "We're watching her do her adulthood hunt."

"That's wonderful. It's an important step." He smiled at her. "My father had me go hunt down a deer on my own to prove my adulthood." She giggled and said something to Xander, who shook his head but smiled. "Did she ask if I was here to get a warrior wife?"

"She did. He's not. Giles and his boss wanted him trained to take my place at apocalypse battles."

"Oh." She nodded. "He'll do fine. He's strong." She went back to babying her new weapons while Xander made them dinner. When it was fully dark and she was full, they faded into the brush to find something for her to prove her warrior womanhood.

***

Two days later, they were back at the safehouse for the slayers. Xander walked in. "Giles sent you girls a new trainee to bruise."

"If I could spar I'd love to bruise him," one quipped. Xander hugged her. "Thank you." The younger slayer came in. She stared. "Wow, Xander, when do I get one?"

"Buffy and Faith sent them for her," Xander said. "I'll see when the new weapons come." She smiled and nodded. The two younger ones that were there came running in to look over the weapons too. "Lessons," Xander reminded them. "You girls have to be smart and capable of thinking your way out of things." They pouted. "You can look and coo over them later." They pouted but went back out to their lessons with one's mother. Xander grinned. "This is Agent Ward," he told the other staring mother. "Giles sent him to be trained to take my place in battles with the main house."

She nodded at him. He smiled and bowed back. "I'll do what I can to learn how to protect all the slayers that need me to, ma'am."

She laughed. "You're too uptight." She patted him on the cheek. "New weapons?"

"Buffy and Faith sent ones for her womanhood." He made coffee and handed Ward some.

Ward sipped. "Not bad." He sent a text message. Then he put his necklace out back, waving the girls out of the way. "Willow said to put that somewhere clear enough."

"Give him a lot of room, girls. It's Willow moving it," Xander called. They got everything out of the way, including their lone chicken - they had seen Willow sending packages before. A large, loud crate appeared, smashing some of the fence on one side. Xander walked out to stare at it then at Ward, who shrugged. "Okay." He walked around it, finding the letter on top. He settled in to read it, then shook his head. "They decided the safehouse should be a farm."

The mother smiled and they pried off the boards. The new weapons were in there. So were bags of strange cloth that held boxes of things that might be food. Xander took them into the kitchen with Ward's help. The girls and their parents moved the animals out of the way and disassembled the crate to be reused. They could always use a large crate. The two African cows were nicely fat, and both girls. There were a few crates of chickens and one was a rooster. One was dead but they could have a good dinner. There were two boxes as well. "Xander, what are these?"

He came out to look it over. "Bee hives." They got them out of the way and to the front of the house. There were flowers out there. The single sheep was a girl sheep and looked pregnant and fluffy. They could definitely handle that. Xander sighed, looking at the animals then at the mothers. "We need to decide who gets which one."

She nodded. "We can split that up." She handed the other mother the dead chicken's cage. She cooed and got to plucking with the slayers. Xander and Ward got the fences put back together. The neighbors were staring. She smiled and waved. "For the slayers. Most of them are going to the other girls who live in a more wild area." They nodded. "We got a few chickens."

"Tell us if you get extra eggs," one of the older women called. She nodded at her. "That's very nice."

Xander smiled. "They gave Amaya new weapons." That got a few laughs but they went inside to gossip. Xander called the other girls so the parents could arrange things. Before they got stolen. Or a local officer wanted a bribe to not confiscate them. Within an hour all the slayers were heading there to pick up their new gifts. Xander and Ward made sure they had appropriate food and water. When officers showed up, Xander went to talk to them. He paid the bribe and promised they were being removed by that weekend. They took a few eggs they had and left.

Xander and Ward shared a look then Xander got back to helping with dinner.

***

Eight months later, Grant Ward was back at SHIELD. He was a bit thinner, more muscled, and hungry. "Sir," he said, saluting the director.

Fury looked at him. "How was your training session?"

"A bit weird, but I learned a lot, sir. If I'm needed to help with a battle I can use everything from a stake up to artillery. I also learned some minor defusing bombs. I'd like to learn more of that actually."

"I can agree it's useful." Ward smiled. "What is the kid like up close and personal?"

"He's... he's fairly quiet. I expected someone like a zealot in a cult by what was in his file. He's nothing like that. Our profilers were very wrong on him. He's highly protective, very curious and learns things easily if he does them instead of being lectured about it. I taught him a few things I knew." He rubbed the back of his extra-long hair. He had it pulled back into a low ponytail. "He's a good man and the girls look up to him. He's an example that others are using because they're helping the slayers instead of letting them do it on their own. There's a lot of people who are going to protect the youngest slayers if Xander has to come back here for something. The missing eye doesn't make him any less effective in a battle. We had three, all with swords. They had to be beheaded. Two were higher demons with minions, so we got to shoot the minions at least." Fury blinked at him, looking confused. "He's not going to ask a young kid to handle a duty, even if she's got extra skills. When he decides the girls have passed into patrol readiness he lets them help or do patrols. Before then, they learn. He's made sure they get regular education as well."

"That's good."

"He told them repeatedly he wanted them to finish growing up, to have a normal family, and they'd last long enough to at least see their kids learn how to cook."

"It's an ideal I like," Fury agreed. He leaned back in his seat. "What else did you take from him?"

"He's still grieving for his former fiancee a little bit. I brought a letter from someone that told him she had left him things, and they had rescued it from Rosenburg. He got a bit quiet for a few days, took off on a solo hunt, then came back acting like normal. It took a few days for him to be fully normal but that's normal for grief I guess." Fury nodded once. "He's determined that he's going to do this until he can't do it anymore or it kills him. Because it's now his duty to help. He's like Special Forces for the slayers."

"Can he really do that?"

"Yes, sir. I followed him when he snuck off to go rescue one that had been kidnaped by a potential husband's family. He wasn't amused and told me I should be guarding the other girls there. He had a point because something did try but the pregnant one managed to handle it. I apologized and she patted me on the cheek and called me a dumbass. Then she reminded me Xander was over-protective like a big brother. I wasn't supposed to be. I told her I was and to consider me the same way. That way there was no flirting. She laughed and said she'd never flirt with me since I couldn't move there full time."

"Did you learn babbling from him?" Fury asked, trying not to smile.

"A tiny bit perhaps, sir." He cleared his throat. "He affected that rescue very effectively and only made a point of showing himself when the girl was safely back at the jeep I had. The family did a lot of wailing and whining but she's safely away from the potential husband. The girls are on good footing and the presents from the senior slayers was well liked. They split the animals between the girls so they each had some to help them. Their parents like them a lot."

"Presents?"

"They sent a few cows, some bee hives, a lot of chickens. Animals they can live off the products of and possibly sell the extras they don't need. Which will help everyone."

"That's reasonable I guess. Did you learn anything else about Harris?"

"Yes, sir, a lot. Including that I respect that guy who started doing all this insane stuff at sixteen without knowing how to fight back. He learned it all on the job."

Fury stared. "No military training?"

"He joked about a possession that gave him the memories of a PFC in the Army."

Fury shook his head with a sigh. "The weapons skills?"

"He taught himself, sir. He's fairly good."

"Landmines?"

"He's learned how to make his own and those gas grenades as well. One of his ex's showed him how to make the gas when he asked."

"Did you get to arrest any of his ex's?"

"No. I had no way of knowing who was on any list outside the Winter Soldier. Apparently they had similar targets in the past. Xander felt comfortable enough to offer him coffee." Fury gaped, staring at him. He nodded with a small grin. "He took out someone coming for one of the girls and dropped notes off about who they were working for. Xander offered him coffee. The other time he offered him a first aid kit because he had a few grazes. He said he'd heal and Xander joked about knowing people with that skill. So he gave him a muffin he had just baked and said 'thank you' like a nice boy."

"He... The Winter Soldier didn't try to kill you or him?"

"No, sir. He asked me if I was a watcher. I told him I wasn't, I was there to learn from Xander for later battles that the rest of the girls were going to have to go into. That no one should expect little girls to do it on their own, or big girls. He agreed, said he knew some who could but it wasn't right."

"Interesting. We don't know much on him."

"We didn't really chat, sir. Or Xander when I asked him. He didn't even know who he was. He smiled at him the next time they met in a market and patted him on the arm and said something I could not hear, getting an evil looking smirk for it then he fled the market."

"So probably information?"

"Could be, sir. I know he's taken out three problematic warlords."

"Not like I care as long as he's not touching handy allies."

"No, sir, not that I knew of."

"Good. Go get cleaned up." He looked him over. "Get a haircut, take a hot shower, get lunch and dinner. You have a week of leave."

"I'm going to Cleveland later. I have letters to deliver."

"Fine. Don't get into trouble." Ward nodded and left. Fury uploaded that talk into Harris' file. No one got that close to Harris. It was an interesting look at that person who may or may not be a problem some day.

***

Grant Ward staked the vampire coming up and walked around the falling dust to shoot the other one with his crossbow. The two girls patrolling stared at him. He smiled. "I just got back from watcher training in Africa. I have letters for a few of the girls."

"Buffy's on a date," one of them said.

"I can wait." He smiled. "When she's done she can meet me somewhere she feels safe."

"You can't kick her butt," the other said with a smile.

"You'd be shocked, ladies. Some of us were chosen because we're very good at kicking butt." They pouted. He heard a noise and looked back. "You're Spike."

"I am," he said, sniffing him. "Nummy's fine I smell."

"Mostly. He's a bit bummed. No recent dates." He turned to look at him. "He sent me with letters."

"That's fine. Smuffy's on a date but it won't take long. He's not her type."

"He's living?" one of the slayers joked.

"That too. Not dangerous at all." The girls laughed. "I don't hear any here." They walked off chatting. He stared at the young guy. "It's going to upset someone, isn't it?"

"I don't know. I didn't read them. I know he was hurt by Willow's stealing of what Anya left him. He went off on a fairly brutal solo hunt to work that out."

Spike nodded. "Sounds like him." He looked back. "Knew it wouldn't last long."

"He's an accountant and a groupie," Buffy said. "I don't know you. New childe, Spike?"

"Agent Grant Ward, Miss Summers. I was the agent training with Xander and I have letters."

She smiled. "Did the girls like the presents?"

"They did. The slayers split it up so each family got a few animals that they could handle. It's made a lot of difference. Their families can sell the extras and the girls are all eating better, which makes Xander happy." She bounced some and her smile got brighter. "Xander's also fine. He's got a slight concussion because someone military tried to get the same problem he and Amaya were taking out and knocked him on the head. We had a long talk and they backed them up instead. They were all very happy to have the lesson on how to handle higher level demons if they pop up. Xander has two soldiers there he's teaching about the demon manuals so they know what they need to know to handle it if a slayer's not available."

"That's good. He's training military guys?"

"He'll train anyone who wants to help," Ward said with a smile. "It means that the girls have their own backup from their native areas and militaries can handle things in places slayers aren't. There's only eight for the whole continent."

She nodded. "I guess that makes sense. I never thought about it."

"That's why agents are learning from the Council," Spike said.

"It is," Ward agreed, still smiling. He pulled out the bundle of letters. "I believe one is yours."

She looked. She had a thin letter, but not as thin as Willow's. Faith had the thicker one. She wouldn't pout about that. "Is he really okay?"

"He's good. He'd like someone nice to date but otherwise he's good."

"No one that evil?" she guessed.

"He's had a few dates that were dangerous but not evil."

"Huh, that's weird for Xander." She shrugged and tucked the letters into her purse. "I'll deliver them. Which one are you?"

"Grant Ward."

"Cool." She shook his hand. "Are you being assigned here?"

"No, I'm on for battles and anything huge that pops up that your girls can't get to."

"That's good. I've met a few of the agents and they were kinda...uptight."

He smirked a tiny bit. "I just spent eight months in Africa."

"Xander's enough to loosen anyone's mind up," she said. "He did mine on occasion."

"We all like how Xander handles things. He's very good and very protective of the girls, like a proper brother. He even rescued one that got kidnaped by a potential husband."

Buffy shook her head. "I heard that can happen in other areas but I'm glad it's not here." She looked at Spike. "The two on patrol?" He pointed. "Great. Two here?" she asked, spotting the dust. Grant raised his hand. "Even better. Good crossbow work." She patted him on the hand. "I'll see you at the next battle, Grant." She walked off with Spike.

Grant went back to his hotel room to relax. No wonder Xander had stayed in Africa when he could've come home. He would've stayed away from 'friends' like that too. Or dumped them. How could you be so blind? He finished his reports for the director on what he had done while in Africa. He was sure someone wasn't going to be happy but it had helped a lot. It had helped the normal people too.

***

Xander looked around the dream plane he was in, then at the woman staring at him. "So, how's that side, Tara?"

"It's nice," she said. She walked forward. "You know, right?" He nodded. "How long have you known?"

"Since Willow tried to kill me."

"Oh." She frowned, looking down then at him. "Nothing in history is ever really done."

"I know. Is it time?" She morphed and attacked but he had a weapon on him. He always had a weapon on him and this time the dagger glowed as he sunk it into the not-Tara's body. "I guess it is." He woke himself up with a sigh, looking around his tent. This was a bad time to do this. He sat up, looking at himself. "That was a really mean trick and I'm going to get you back for it," he said quietly. "This is going to be a lot prettier now that we're older." He got up and packed, calling all his slayers on a conference calls. "I'm being recalled by Ward for a battle that's not exactly slayer related but he spotted something critical starting that needs to be stopped by stopping the demon." He listened. "That's where I am. I'm heading tonight. Yup, that way. I can do that. I'm about three hours from you, and I'll be there as soon as I can. Be safe and well, ladies. Remember what I taught you." He hung up and got up to pack. He found someone sitting on his hood. "That's interesting. Are you having weird dreams?"

"I don't dream."

"Huh. Then why show up right after I got a prophetic one?"

"Someone wants me to take you out."

"Probably the same people who are going to start an apocalypse battle if I don't go stop it?"

"Could be." He stared at him. "I have no idea what you are."

"Actually, I'm a normal guy who hopped in so a girl didn't have to do it on her own."

"Not really."

"There was a swim team thing with a coach that was turning the team into monsters so I joined to see why." The assassin stared at him. "Really." He smiled. "They were using mermaid essence."

"You're so weird," he complained.

"Yeah, but I gotta be me. And I've gotta go back to the US for a bit."

"I can't let you do that."

Xander snorted, smiling at him. "You're good but I'm a tiny bit unexpected."

"I've seen you training them."

"Yeah but that's not all I can do." He set off something. The Winter Soldier ducked. Xander threw something else on him, making him scream. "Demon snot." He shrugged and packed the jeep. The snot was dried fyarl snot, which was paralyzing. Xander finished packing and looked at him. Then around then back at him. "You're welcome to follow me but I won't leave you helpless."

"I can stop you. I've mined the jeep."

Xander leaned down. "Have you ever seen me fill it with gas?" he asked. The guy groaned. Xander smiled. "Magic, dude. I deal with it every single day." He looked at him. He pulled out a little tube. "Open your mouth. Break it and the gas will dissolve the snot. Just don't inhale it. It'll eat your lungs." He stuffed it into his mouth then got into the jeep and drove off. The explosives got left there thanks to the protections on it.

The Winter Soldier smirked. "That's good to know," he mumbled and snapped the tube with his teeth. The snot dissolved and once his hands could move he removed the tube to make sure the steam hit the crystals on his legs. He'd just have to follow him. It wasn't like he was going to use magic to get back to the US. Though he later found out he had used the demon underground to get back there without notice. He could follow along. The demons were scared of him, which was very sweet of them.

***

Back To The Modern Moment.

***

"All right, these people who have the very *wrong* idea need to go home now," Buffy decided, taking a swing at her bad guy.

"Unless we wake up the gods that they knocked out, we're it," Xander said. He glanced at her. She grimaced but nodded. "Up to you, Buffy."

"Not really. Can we do that?"

"Yup," Xander said, concentrating for a moment then spreading some blood from his arm on his sword as he sent up a prayer.

A man walked through the portal yawning. "What is this?" he demanded coolly. The battle came to a standstill. "I'm not this patient, especially when I wake up."

"I have that feeling too," Buffy said, looking at Xander.

Xander bowed, but kept staring at him. The god smirked at him for that. "Unc..."

"You're not his kid, quit that," he warned.

"Fine. Though you are my uncle." He pointed. "These are the ones that were trying to get your kids and attacked the village."

Ares stared at them. "Huh." He nodded once and his sword appeared in his hand. A few of the gods looked scared. "Who's everyone else?"

"These are some of the slayers and some agents who are training to work with them during huge emergencies," Tony said.

Ares stared at him then smirked. "Which one of you did they confuse?" Tony pointed at Xander. So did most everyone else.

"Why do we need him?" Willow demanded.

"Shut up, wench," Ares ordered.

"She's on our side, Lord Ares," Tony said. "She's been fighting that goddess."

Ares looked behind him then at the witch. "Stand down. Let the real gods do it." He took a swing at one of them and they all moved to gang up on him.

Xander shrugged, moving in to help. "Kinda my duty anyway," he quipped. "Hi, Auntie Demeter."

She looked at him, then groaned. "You."

He smiled. "Yup, me."

"Wondrous." She looked at the magic battle, picking up Willow and moving her. "Let me."

"Who the frilly heck are you?" Willow demanded. "Another one on their side?"

"Willow, that's Demeter," Tony called, wincing some.

Demeter smirked at the young witch. "You're not Hecate."

"I'm damn sure going to beat this jumped up thing," she sneered back.

Demeter stared at her. "You're either very nervy or very stupid." She knocked the girl out and stripped the magic from her. "I don't think you need that at the moment." She threw the magic at the idiot goddess, burning her up. "This is all rather nasty business."

Ares looked at her. "They're the ones that wanted the kids."

"I figured that out for myself." She blasted at the other gods. Little effect. Xander had to move out of the way. "Why are you fighting?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

Xander looked at her. "Because I work with this realm's slayers, Aunt Demeter. I'm their backup."

She looked. "Why is there more than one?"

"First Evil," Buffy quipped. "Had to happen. Can't be undone."

Demeter looked at Ares. Who shrugged. "I didn't do it."

"Little choice," Xander quipped. "And then a year later there was an invasion by a demon plane so they needed them all."

Ares rubbed his forehead with his free hand. "I'll talk to you later, nephew. And grandson."

"Sure," Tony quipped. A few people stared at him. "Cupid boinked my mom during an official orgy."

Xander waved a hand at Bucky. Ares looked then frowned. "What happened to him?" he muttered as he worked against one of the warriors. Xander shrugged. The assassin hit at him. "I'll fix it in a minute," he decided. "The battle first. My hands want to be stained by their blood." He smirked and moved in to fight better.

Buffy stared. "Wow." The guy she was fighting against tried to hit her but Xander blocked his blow with his axe then smacked him back. "Thanks, Xander."

"Welcome," he quipped. They kept fighting until the last few tried to run. Ares and Demeter took care of them. Xander panted, leaning down. "Good. Finally." He stood up, looking at them. "Thanks."

"Thanks for the summons," Ares said, staring at him.

Xander pointed. "We were all tired. It's been hours."

"That's a good reason." He walked over a severed arm to look at him. "Let me see your memories, Junior." Xander nodded. "I meant lower the shields."

"The hyena will try to attack you."

"I can handle her." He did bat at her and knock her cold for a few minutes so he could read the memories. "Damn." Xander snorted then started to laugh. Ares gave his head a nudge then shook his head. "You did good without any support. Where's the me from here?"

"Sedated," Xander said.

"Wonderful," Demeter said, coming over to read them as well. "Oh dear," she sighed. She looked around at the slayers. "That needs to be fixed."

"Please don't let it call them until they're at least officially women?" Xander asked quietly.

"I saw the ones you've been protecting. That's a good idea. I'll see if I can do that." She patted him on the cheek. "Did no one talk to you about rash decisions? Or that witch?"

"No. Why would they?"

"Something I saw about rescuing her with a whole lot of demons?" Ares asked dryly.

"If we can prove he did it, he's going to jail," Fury sneered. "You're a danger to the US."

Xander looked at him. "No, just to idiots. You gave a person truth serum. Did you know how that would react to her? Or her magic? Really, we were saving you from your own arrogance then."

Fury smirked. "That's good to know. I think I have a cell just for you."

"Before you try I can be back in Africa and you'll never find me."

"Junior, go fix the village so you don't have to get into that pissing match," Ares said. He looked at Fury. "Shut up. I wear the leather better too." Fury glared at him. "You're not a God of War, mortal."

"I say we let him visit the village," Xander said with a tiny grin.

Demeter looked at him. "Your mother would probably scream."

"We need to fix that one anyway," he said, pointing at where his new buddy was trying to get away without notice.

Ares summoned him over, laying a hand on his head. "What the hell did they do to you?" he muttered. "Demeter." She put her hand on his head. Ares froze him when he tried to move again. They shared a look. "Kid, bring him to the village. It'll help." Xander nodded. He looked over. "Grandkid?"

"I'm an agent." He pointed at his director, who was stomping over.

Ares looked at her. "Wow, I didn't know any of you were still alive." She sneered at him. "Leave my grandson alone, witch. You're not even worthy of the one Demeter made normal for a bit." He gave them a shove and Xander nicely grabbed Fury on the way. Ares watched then felt where they went. "He'll be fine," he said, turning to look at the pissed off supernatural being. Then he blasted her back into a tree. "Pity you're too pathetic to help protect everyone." He looked at Tony.

"I'm hoping for a memory spell," he admitted.

"I can knock you out," Ares offered.

Tony grinned. "Then I'd never get another date again. I've had way too many concussions."

Ares walked over, staring at him. "Why?"

"The job."

Ares read his memories then smirked. "We'll talk later. When not everyone can see." He and Demeter left, going back to that village. Xander was looking at the wreckage. "Free the temple so Hestia quits complaining for once in centuries," he ordered.

"I will. We paused to check on Mom."

"I'm sure she was thrilled." He looked then at the kid. "Have fun."

Xander looked back at the portal. "Few weeks," he called, waving. "Tell my girls." The portal closed. He got to work clearing the temple. A few old people came out to watch him work but he was used to that.

Ares and Demeter went to Bacchus' temple, finding the party already going and everyone enjoying debauching and tainting the new acolyte. "Dionysus' grandson is clearing the temple. He said a few weeks."

"We can make sure it's time. The other one?"

"I'll give him to someone who can unscrew what they did." He walked off. Things were definitely getting weird again.

***

Xander finally got to the door of the temple and opened it. "It's open," he called in and then went to get some water from the well.

Hestia walked out with a broom. "That was rude, young man."

Xander sipped then smiled at her. "I only promised to clear to the door." She glared. He grinned. "What?"

"Still rude."

"I have to go home to deal with Willow."

She came down to touch his forehead then groaned and shook her head. "We'll see if we can wake up Hecate on your world." She walked off to go back to cleaning. "Can you weed the garden?"

"I did two days ago when I wanted something to eat. There's nothing but weeds." She stared at him then at the garden. It suddenly had growing food. "Sure, I could use lunch in exchange for sitting and weeding." He walked over the small fence and sat down among things to weed while nibbling on raw carrots and tomatoes.

Hestia came over to look at him. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Few days before the battle. I've had a few handfuls of that chewing grass." He nibbled on the new tomato. Then he smiled. "It's good."

"Eat your fill, Xander." She went back inside. She heard a crossbow go off and looked out there. "Nice shot."

"I learned a lot in Africa," he said with a smile. "Including how to live like this. Want me to put the entrails in the compost?"

"Please. Make some stew. It'll last you longer and the well is good." She went back inside shaking her head. Another of her boys showed up. She stared at him. "You poor baby," she said quietly. "Want a hug?"

He stared at her. "I don't do hugs."

She huffed. "What's happened to the sweet boy who used to play pranks?"

"He grew up, joined the military, and then fell off a train." She stared then pulled him closer to hug him. He went stiff. "Must you?"

"Yes I must. Go help Xander make stew and weed the garden, Janus."

He sighed but nodded, going out there. "Stew?"

"I killed a fox."

"Great. I'll skin, you weed." Xander nodded, handing him some of the veggies then going back to weeding. "You recognized it."

"Of course. You kinda shined but it was muted like something was wrong."

"Mind control."

"That sucks. Willow tries that now and then on me to make me her version of normal."

James looked at him. "Don't tell me that, I'll take out the witch."

Xander smirked a tiny bit. "Ask me the next time she changes me into something."

The assassin shook his head. "Where did you put the asshole in leather?"

"Bacchus' temple." He smiled. "Mom wanted to meet him and talk about what I've been doing."

"I probably don't want to know."

"I could use that sort of vacation," Xander said. "It's been a while."

"You have two hands."

"Doesn't mean I have enough arm muscles to soothe my bad stamina problem." His former playmate stared at him. "My almost wife, who was a former vengeance demon, wanted six and seven a night at least. So construction, then patrol, then her."

"No wonder you never sleep and eat. The three days I tracked you, you didn't do either."

Xander shrugged. "Yeah, that happens sometimes. The eight girls need me and I'm only one guy."

"What about that geek you were training?"

"He's a handling it guy for the surly one I gave to Mom to play with."

"Damn." He got back to working on the stew. "Where are you bunking?"

"In the tent I set up." James looked at him. "It's open and all mine."

"You probably could've asked."

"I'm not going to do that to an elder. If I didn't know better before, I certainly learned asking for help is a bad thing in Africa," he said quietly.

"I can go kill someone for you."

"They went down with the hellmouth when it sucked itself in."

James winced, shaking his head. "You're screwed up."

"All chaos isn't good or bad."

"Yeah, keep yapping. Watch me go talk to that witch for you."

"They're the only friends I have."

"You can make better ones." Xander shot him a dirty look but they went back to working for Hestia.

***

Two weeks later, Xander got the portal to reopen. He walked out with James, who was still having headaches. Buffy hopped up since they were in the house. Xander shrugged. "Hestia's temple was unsealed and it's all good." He grabbed his bag. "Am I going back to the girls in Africa or one of the other ones?"

"Demeter did manage to uncall everyone who was under sixteen until they turned that age," Buffy said. "We called the girls on your phone. They all said thank you and they could protect themselves until they were called. The one you were training to be a regional watcher has a boyfriend." Xander smiled. "You knew?"

"Yeah. She's not all that sneaky. He came for dinner after doing a tiny bit of work around the house." He leaned against a wall. "Beyond that...."

"If SHIELD finds you, you're in trouble," Willow said, smirking some.

"That's great. Did they get you for embezzlement yet?" She flinched away from him. Xander stared at her. "I can still go be the regional watcher. Or just an interested bystander that trains if Giles is tired of all this."

Giles cleared his throat from the hallway. "I am not but it would be a good idea if you had their director reappear."

"Mom's going to let him go tomorrow." He smiled and hugged him. "By the way, this is James. We grew up together."

"Are you like him and a kid of chaos?" Buffy asked.

"No. Kid of a few high priests." She nodded, shaking his hand. "I probably should hide too. I can get you back to Europe, Xander."

"I haven't been there." He looked at Giles.

"There's three issues that need handled that way but they need subtle work, not your usual one."

"You haven't heard about very much I've done," Xander said.

"No, I asked some of the people at the demon bar the slayers go to, and they gave me the name of someone to call. We had a *charming* chat about your last few years." Xander stared at him. "Not exactly subtle but it's good that everyone knows to avoid the girls, even now. The whole demon community celebrated that the children would be spared until they were older." Xander smiled. "However, some of what you handled made me reach for the very rotgut case of scotch. I couldn't even drink the good stuff, Xander. You are a bit...overzealous."

"They're kids!"

"I know. Why did you feel the need to take out the higher demons?"

"One picked on me about Anya. The other one kept trying to talk me into vowing to him as a slave. I got tired of him."

"I heard." He stared at him. Then at Bucky. "Can you try to help him stay out of trouble and notice?"

"I can try."

"I'll come if you get sucked into them again," Xander said. James hit him on the arm. "Still."

"I'll see if we can remove them." He stared at him. "I'm still killing your last few ex's."

"Leave Randy, he was good at it."

"Hell no. He's running chemical weapons."

"Never mind. Introduce me to others I might like?"

"Definitely. I know a few I haven't killed yet." Buffy whined a tiny sound. He smirked at her.

"Sure. I can't meet too many of them in the middle of nowhere."

"No more picking up guys down there."

"I picked up that nice guy at the college. He was studying mythology."

"I think he's contacted us for an internship," Giles admitted. He sipped his tea. "He seems pleasant."

"Has a tiny bit of a temper but never toward me," Xander said.

James looked at him then shook his head. "No." Xander rolled his eyes. "Let's go find you a place to rest and eat for the next few days."

"He can stay here and I'm sure we can find a cot for you," Buffy said. "As long as you don't hit on the girls."

Willow looked at Buffy then at Xander. "You haven't even asked about Kennedy."

"I knew she was living. The paramedics were talking about how to straighten out her neck before it set that way." Willow glared. "Beyond that, why would I care, Willow. I'm tired of the put downs. Especially from someone who was supposed to be my best friend." She hopped up and stomped off.

"Way to make peace," Buffy quipped.

"Not my job to make peace. It's hers for all the shit she's put me through," Xander said. "Because it's never stopped. That's why half the girls in the house would never respect me even with all I've done. I don't think it's healthy for anyone to put ourselves through that."

"It's not," Giles agreed quietly. "I think it's a mature decision but they'll have to learn to work with you."

Xander shrugged. "Let Grant do my battle things. I'll handle external things so we don't have these problems. I think it's wiser."

"It may be," Giles agreed. "Though it will not heal anything."

Xander stared at him. "Are they interested in it?"

"They do not understand yet."

"Some of them never will," Xander quipped. "I learned that from the queen of 'my reality is the only right one'." He shook his head. "Let me go find a spot to nap and a cheeseburger. We didn't make lunch today since we were coming back." He looked at Buffy. "My phone?"

"Charged, back in there. Your axe is sharpened and back in there. Though we stole all the chocolate granola bars and half the explosives. We had moles."

"Sure. I can make more." He grinned and walked off with James.

Buffy looked at Giles. "He's colder."

"He's learned it's protective." He stared at her. "They're your slayers."

"I'll talk to them about some of the stuff we found out he's done." Giles handed over his notepad. She went to talk to the girls and Willow.

***

Director Fury came out of the portal the next day, staring at the people on his bridge. "I'm back."

"Sir, are you all right?" Agent Hill asked. "You look well rested so I'm guessing they didn't torture you."

"I learned a lot about the kid and others." He smirked at her. "It's fine and he's not on our radar. He's handling things so we don't have to." She nodded at that. "Take him off our radar."

"What about the Winter Soldier?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. I heard that they worked on his memories. Otherwise, no idea."

"We'll watch it, sir, but we need to do the mandatory reviews. I'll have you escorted to the infirmary."

"That's fine. Walk with me, Hill."

She followed him with a guard. "You do look well rested."

"Let's call it infinity serum and leave it there." She stared at him. He smirked. He felt so much better after being tainted by Bacchus' influence. The leather felt even more right now and he was fit for duty if he had to step into a battle if something bad was coming this way.

***

Xander looked up as James came in from the balcony of the hotel room. "You look like someone fed you prunes."

"Who is the one they were looking for?"

"Went to the middle ages." He smiled. "They got raised by some demon and witch hunters." James rolled his eyes, walking off. "Interestingly enough, they do have offspring around to this day somewhere as far as I can tell."

"So it was a doomed thing?" Xander nodded. "You knew?"

"Had a really good idea. Visions suck." He grinned. "By the way, if I grab my head and suddenly collapse, then just let me have it and ask me what I saw so I can have you take notes. I'm not very good at writing it down afterward due to the migraine."

James stared at him. "Really?"

Xander nodded, touching his eyepatch. "Yup."

"Can they fix that loose wire in your brain?"

"No. It got woken up when my eye got popped."

"That really does suck and you probably shouldn't be doing things like driving."

"Can't really help it. Someone's gotta do it. Not like I have a driver."

"No, unfortunately you don't. Maybe we can find you a boyfriend who drives? Or a girlfriend who drives?"

"My last girlfriend tried to dress me up and sacrifice me."

"Did I shoot her?" James asked.

"No idea. I kicked her ass as I escaped."

"I'll have to go back to make sure she's gone. Before she takes someone more innocent and less able to save themselves." Xander shot him a dirty look. "Did he hear about you taking out the warlord?"

"Nope."

"The pirates?"

"I told them about that. I got nagged about taking out the chaos sorcerer behind them."

"Not those."

"Probably not." He looked at him. "How did you hear about that?"

James smirked. "Contacts."

Xander rolled his eyes but settled in. "I should probably nap."

"Probably."

"Think someone's going to come to pounce one of us?"

"Nope. Fury's back from what I've heard. Being more badass than usual."

"So he had fun at the temple of Bacchus." Xander smirked a tiny bit. "I knew my mom would enjoy talking to him."

James snorted, shaking his head. "That's nearly evil."

"It helps sometimes. And gets me many interesting dates that I can hit up for weapons when I need them."

James stared at him. "I'll introduce you to some I need to take out. That way you can benefit before I kill them."

Xander rolled his eye. "If you must. I'd rather have a living one around who'll want repeated bouts of sex."

"Might help since you actually sleep and eat when you're having regular sex."

"I've got that stamina problem."

"I've seen."

He stared at him. "Were you watching me?"

"Yup. Especially after someone tried to pay me to take you out." He smirked. "Sleep before I knock you out."

"Fine. Fussy." He flipped onto his side so he could rest. He missed seeing James sneak over to knock him out. Then James got himself a beer and sat down to watch the city. He needed to make sure the end of humanity didn't come without him realizing.

***

Xander walked into the first village and smiled when his slayer-to-be screamed his name, lunging over to hug him. He hugged her back. "Hi. Did you think I had disappeared?"

"Buffy said she wasn't sure how long you'd be gone. That you had went to another realm?"

"Kinda. They needed some help." He pushed her back to look at her. "What happened to your cheek?"

"A boy but I pushed him down a ravine." She smiled. "I'm not weak and no man will hit me."

"Good. No one in a relationship should ever beat another." He nodded. "So, five years?"

"Six. Just over six." She grinned.

Xander tweaked her nose. "You still need to practice and learn."

"I know." She walked him back to her parents, who smiled and hugged him. "He said I'm still supposed to train."

Xander nodded. "It'll mean less intense training later."

"That's reasonable, Xander." The mother patted him on the hand. "Are you well? You look tired."

"The scary one with the mask introduced me to a woman I could appreciate but she's cranky and doesn't want to help me do my job." She swatted him but smiled. "How is your regular education going?"

"Well enough."

"She's a girl. Does she need it?" an older woman demanded.

"Yes, ma'am. She'll be a slayer again when she's sixteen." She huffed. "We managed to uncall them until they're sixteen and fully women. That'll give them two years to reach adulthood while making sure they can finish their training. Until then, we still expect the girls to go to regular school and to learn more things over the years she now has safer. Because things can still happen." The old woman huffed. "Things have come for pre-called slayers in the past. That's why I'm a watcher. They blew up the old Council." The old woman pouted. "Sorry but she's got time to learn it easier instead of cramming it all down her throat, plus she's got time to play and be a girl."

"She could marry," the old woman said.

"She can, but having children will bring problems," Xander agreed. "As long as she takes precautions then she's more than free to have as normal of a life as she can. All slayers should have as normal of a life as they can. It's the way the new Council works. The slayers are young women who need a life, but they need to know how to protect themselves if things happen. Some have fully retired because they needed more normal life than their duties would give. One's studying to be a doctor." The old woman shook her head. "She'll be the woman she wants to grow into. Now she has time to do that as long as nothing happens. We've trained her how to protect herself if it does and no one can help her."

"She's a girl. She should not fight. They removed the calling," she said.

"No, they didn't," Xander said. "They moved it back so she had time to be a *girl*. It'll come back when she's sixteen. We unfortunately couldn't fully uncall them so it's just one girl at a time. Well, fortunately we couldn't because it's too much work and too much hell for one girl to handle, even with helpers." The woman stomped off. Xander shrugged, looking at the mother.

"She's mad. She wanted her second son to marry her some year."

Xander shrugged. "If that's what your daughter wants, that's up to her. I'll be there to make sure he knows to treat her well or else I'm going to kill him for her." He smiled. The mother laughed and swatted at him but nodded. "It's what brothers do."

"It is." She looked at her daughter. "Get your books." Xander grinned. "We like that she studies."

"All girls need education. It means they're more than a child bearing machine."

"They are," the mother agreed. "I agree it's a good idea." She smiled when her daughter came out. She sat next to Xander, who helped her with her studies. "There's a school nearby." Xander looked at her. "It's too far to commute."

"If you want her in a regular school, we can pay for tuition and what she needs."

"I'll talk to my husband about that." She looked back when someone went running past them. "The Head of the Village," she said quietly.

Xander smiled at him, getting up to shake his hand. "Elder."

"Watcher."

"Xander, please."

"She's not a slayer."

"No, not the case." The elder scowled. "We've managed to ease the calling for any of the girls under sixteen. That way they have time to be girls, more time to learn what they need to learn. When they're sixteen, it'll come back."

"I see. Why?"

"Because no child should have the worry of protecting their whole village and themselves. She's too young."

"She is," he agreed, relaxing. "She'll be sixteen?"

"As far as I was told, yes. We managed to warp the spell. All the girls in Africa but one is under that age. This gives them time to play, to learn, to learn more that could save them."

"Schooling?" he asked.

"Yes. All slayers must learn to read, to do math, all that. An uneducated slayer is without an important weapon. A sword is good but if you can't think and figure out things then you're weaker. You'll fall faster and none of us want that."

"No, we do not." He looked at the girl then at him. "Others should share her books."

"If she wants to study with some of the other children in the village, I'm all for that. Every child should have at least the basics of education. If they can't read and count, then they get cheated at the market. They can't learn new things that can make lives better."

"I had not considered that. Does she have more books?"

"I think she left them to one of the younger girls but I can call Giles tonight and ask him to send more. It's not that hard to do."

The elder nodded. "The boys could use it."

"Girls do the shopping," Xander said with a smile. "They'll get cheated if they don't know how to read and count."

The elder smirked. "It is not our usual way but I can see that point." He spotted a truck. "Do you know of them?"

Xander turned to look, frowning. "I think I went out with her once. We're not attached though. She thought my duty was boring." He looked at the elder. "Let me go talk to her. She's not particularly nice."

"A real man can cure that."

"My people don't believe in curing a woman's moods that way. That's her job. I'm there to enjoy them." He smiled. "Which is why I'll be making sure her future spouse treats her well or I'll dismember him and shove him in a small hole."

The elder laughed. "That's a proper relative's idea."

Xander walked over to meet his one-time date. "You're way out of your usual area."

"Come along, Xander. We should leave."

"I'm here with one of my future slayers. I'm not going anywhere."

She glared. "I said you are." She pulled a gun. "You're coming with me. We fit very well and I am not going to be disappointed."

Xander walked closer, letting the gun rest against his stomach. "Then shoot me. If you do, you'll never get happy from me again but if you want to be that bitchy, go ahead." She sniffled. He kissed her and took the gun. "Thanks, I needed a new one." He put the gun into his waistband. "You hated my duty. I'm still not giving it up for you. They still need me. I'm sorry but I'm not giving up the slayers for a life living around your pool."

She huffed and pouted. "But we're hot together. It's good. Others respect me more because I have you."

He stared at her. "If you want to stay and help me train the future slayers, we can talk about that."

"No!" She sneered at the villagers then at him. "That's not my way of life."

"It's mine. I'm not giving up my important duty for anyone, even someone I like a lot. My duty and my life is helping my slayers. A wife would help me with that and I'd help her with her life goals at the same time. You're not willing to help me with mine."

"No, I won't." She stared at him. "I'll have to take you out. They'll expect it." Xander shrugged. "You don't care?" she demanded.

"I don't think you'll manage it." She shrieked and lunged at him, trying to get the gun. He flipped her over and knocked her out with a punch to the jaw then handcuffed her to her jeep. "We'll see who comes to pick you up. I'm sure there will be." He walked off shaking his head. "She's still not willing to help me with my duty so she's not meant for me." His slayer hugged him. He smiled and cuddled her back. "She's mean but not my sort of mean." She laughed and went back to her books. He grinned at the elder, pulling out his phone. "Let me call someone to see who's nearby." He called Grant first. "Is anyone around here? One of my dates decided I'd be hers even if I didn't want to and tried to attack me. No, the one you didn't meet, Grant."

"Hi, Grant," his slayer called next to the phone.

"Yup. He said hi back." She smiled and told her elder about him. "We're with her village. That's fine. She's handcuffed to her jeep. Thanks, man." He hung up and sat down again, going over the lessons. "He'll see if another agent is nearby so they can pick her up." His slayer laughed. He shrugged. "It happens when you're me."

"I've heard." She patted him on the hand and got back to learning. Xander motioned a few kids over and helped them learn this same lesson. They needed to learn their alphabet first but he could help with that. The elders walked off shaking their heads. Xander was very strange to them but he had handled it like a real man would.

***

Xander made it to the next slayer in time to hear her screaming and rushed to help her. "What's going on? Oh, shit!" he said, backing out. "Okay. Um... shouldn't the women of the village be around you?"

She snorted. "They hate me. You know that."

"I have very little idea of what to do to help you."

"I don't care! Just let me yell at you!"

"Okay." He went to the jeep to grab his medical kit then came in with his phone to his ear. "Giles, me. Amaya's in labor. What the hell do I do?" He listened. "I don't know, have Willow look it up!" he demanded. "Or someone! I don't have google here." He listened. "Fine. Thanks." He hung up. "He's drinking but congratulated you on the new baby. He hopes it's happy." He called Grant. "Help, Amaya's in labor. What do I do? I don't have google to look it up, Grant." He nodded. "Sure, if you're somewhere with docs. Please?" He looked at her. "Hi, I'm Watcher Xander Harris. One of my slayers is in labor. No, she got captured in a war zone," he said more quietly. "Please. Screaming a lot. How do I find out if she's dilated?" He grimaced and looked at her. "The doctor says I have to look at the baby."

"I don't care!" she complained.

"Can I give her something for the pain?" He read off what he had and gave her a shot of what they said to give her. Then he looked quickly. "I see hair. I'm hoping it's hair. Okay, so all I have to do is catch.... I can do that. How do I tie it off?" He nodded at those instructions. "Okay. Sure. Thank you. Can you tell Grant to send me a medical text on this? I grew up reading Willow's mom's textbooks with her. I'm really good at stitching and things. It might help. Thanks." He hung up and looked at her. "Let me wash my hands so the baby comes out to clean stuff." He got a clean draping sheet from the kit he'd use for surgery then washed his hands carefully. He came back to help her guide the baby out, prompting her to breathe every few minutes, and to push the rest. Finally, the baby came out and screamed. He sighed in relief. "Oh, thank you, Goddess Hera," he mumbled. She let out a hysterical sounding laugh. He put the baby on her stomach and found his clamps to do what the doctor had told him to. "Okay, we clamp this far up," he said, using his fingers to measure. "Then higher. Then chop between." He cut the cord and sighed again. "All right, now all you have is the afterbirth." He leaned on the bed while she checked the baby over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm never doing this again and if I find a husband he can adopt." They shared a smile. "I could use cleaned up."

"Might as well wait for the rest of the birth stuff to come out." He held up the end of the umbilical cord. "The stuff this is attached to has to come out." She grimaced but got up to go to the bathroom. Xander got handed the baby. He took her to clean up and put a blanket around her. He found something on her and winced. Amaya came back, leaning on his arm. He held up the baby so she could see her back. She slumped. "She'll last even longer than Buffy has and you will," he said quietly. She nodded, leaning on his arm. "Curl up with her. I'll clean up the bed. Did the other stuff come out?" She nodded. "Do I need to bury it or anything?"

"It's in the outhouse and I wasn't going to dig it out." She blinked at him. "We need to go back to the safehouse." He nodded. "Tonight?"

"Once you're able to travel." She nodded, swallowing. He got her some broth that she had made up and changed the bed so she could rest. Then he tucked them in together.

Xander walked outside, seeing the staring. "She's given birth to a future slayer," he told one. The woman stared. "They're both healthy as far as I can tell."

"She should not have had the baby."

"Not much choice there, was there?" he asked dryly. "Not like anyone in her family helped rescue her." The woman flinched away from him. "They didn't help her when she was taken. Family doesn't do that." He looked at the village priest. "Can we bless the baby later?"

"Of course, Xander. Are you taking her back to the safehouse?"

"Soon. Once she's able to travel." The old man nodded, going to check on her. Xander sat down on the hood his jeep to call in. "Giles, me. Update on Amaya's baby. She's born. She seems healthy. She's got the mole," he said more quietly. Amaya yelled so he hopped up to help her, taking the priest away from her. "What's wrong?"

"I startled her waking her up," the priest said.

"You poked me on the breast!" Amaya complained.

Xander stared at him. "Hasn't she been harmed enough by the evil men can do?" The priest huffed off. "We'll have her blessed on the way to the safehouse." She nodded, relaxing again. "Rest. I've got your safety." She nodded, letting herself fall back to sleep. Xander sent a text message to Giles about that, then called the other girls on the same call. "It's me. There's good news. Amaya had a healthy baby girl." The girls all sent their well wishes. "We'll be moving to the safehouse in a few days, when she's strong enough to travel. Of course you can as your parents say. You know you're always welcome at my house, even if I'm no longer a watcher."

He grinned. "Good girl. Since she's lowest of all of you, we'll stop in on the way if you can't come see her. We'll need someone to bless the baby. That's great, Sia, thank you." He took the fussy baby to hold. She calmed down. "It's all right. No, she's a bit fussy. We'll see you ladies soon. I need to figure out how to do diapers." He hung up and looked at the baby. "You'll need one soon." He looked at what he had and used his towel. It was mostly clean. They could wash it. It'd do for now. They'd worry about her mom eating and the baby eating from mom later. All that came later.

***

Xander pulled into the nearest slayer's village and parked, getting out and walking around to help Amaya and the baby out. "Here we are. She should be somewhere here." He walked her into the village. The elders all stared in horror. "What? Did something happen to her?"

"No. She's not a slayer," one said.

"She'll be a slayer again when she's sixteen. We managed to give them a childhood." They all groaned but nodded. "Is the local priest here? We need to bless Slayer Amaya's baby."

"He's talking with her parents," one of them said with a point.

"Thank you," Amaya said, smiling at them. "I know some day she'll do great things as a slayer. Once she's had time to grow up." They walked that way. Xander had told her about what had been said before. They walked into the mini slayer's house to find the priest screaming at her about not being fit. Xander cleared his throat. Amaya smiled, handing the baby over. "Hold her please?" She looked at the priest. "They managed to save her childhood by pushing it back until she was sixteen. She's not unfit to be a slayer. She never will be because she knows the duty is bad and it hurts at times but it's necessary." The priest huffed off. "I suppose he won't bless my child." She sat down and took the baby back. "Thank you for holding her." She looked at that weird, smiling, happily sleeping lump of flesh she had helped create and carry. "How do I do motherly things?" she asked that one.

She patted her on the hand. "Most of it comes naturally. We can talk."

"Maybe you know why baby butts look like demon slime?" Xander asked. She laughed but nodded. The ladies sat together to go over how to care for a baby. They all spotted the mole but said nothing about it. They knew what it meant and they'd help her learn how to be a slayer as well if they were around. Xander nodded, getting up when the father came in. "We're heading back to the secondary safehouse." He shook his hand. "I corrected their thinking."

"What happened?"

"We managed to warp the calling so that the girls would be called sometime in their sixteenth year, when they're officially women. That way they could have a childhood. They had time to learn, to play, to grow up."

"That's sensible and kind. It still bothers others."

Xander nodded. "We had to ask some higher powers after a battle."

"The one you snuck off for?" Xander nodded. "That's reasonable I guess." He sat down and looked at the baby. "Amaya, you had her?"

"I did. She's the one I was carrying who would not stop kicking." She let him see the baby. "I was hoping to have her blessed where one of my future sisters could witness it and be her godmother." She smiled. "The village where I was had a priest that wanted me to nurse while he watched. This one was screaming like an old wife."

The father smiled. "There's a young priest. We can ask him." Xander nodded at that. "Why not the safehouse in town?"

"There's been a higher demon move in recently and I'm not sure why," Xander admitted. "I'd like to look that over first." That got a mass nod. Someone knocked so he looked. "It's the elders and the priest." The mother got up to let them in and sat back down. "Is my jeep in someone's way?" he asked.

"No," the head female of the village said. "Why was her calling suspended?"

"Because of her age."

"She's young, but she could handle it."

"Would you send a child into a battle?" Xander asked.

"Mine were not called."

"If it was your daughter?"

"I would have to. It's her duty."

"Her duty is to survive as long as possible while protecting people. She can do that easier as a full grown woman instead of as a child. She has a lot to learn before I would've allowed her on patrol. Now she has time to learn it before something attacks her for her gifts. They'll come back when she's sixteen. The only one that was exempted had a growth that was killing her in her stomach."

"Cancer?" the priest asked. Xander nodded. "How was the calling warped?"

"The battle I had to go help with involved some who thought they were gods." The priest moaned and shook his head. "Some of the higher beings were on the side of the slayers, most were not. Buffy and Willow asked one of the higher beings on their side to do that. That way they could have the time to be children."

"The Council usually doesn't care."

"That's the old Council. They got blown up," Xander said bluntly. Then he grinned. "Which is why I'm a watcher now instead of just backing up the slayers. The ones she saw in the dreams killed them and a lot of the future slayers. They're lucky they were too far away to get to. The new Council's way is to train the girls at home, let them protect their own people. We figure there's a reason for the way the girls are spread at birth and we're not going to correct it unless we have to remove a girl because she's being abused."

"Like me," Amaya said.

"Yes, like you." He patted her hair. She scowled. He smirked. "You have tangles."

"I've barely had the energy for a bath."

"You can do that tonight and I'll watch her." She smiled and nodded. He looked at the priest again. "Unfortunately her family didn't go to rescue her when a war broke out near her. I did. Then they attacked her because of it. So we helped her. That's when we remove future slayers from their homes and their people. If they want to go to the main house to learn there, then we don't mind but we know that most of the girls want to protect their own peoples."

The priest nodded. "That's sensible and kind." He looked at the future slayer. "So it was not her doing?"

"No. It was Demeter's doing." The priest flinched, staring at him. Xander nodded. "Totally nasty battle in Washington, DC." He smiled. "She showed up near the end and helped us with the ones who thought they were Gods."

"Oh, dear." He crossed himself. Xander nodded, sitting back down. "I will gladly bless the child tonight, Slayer Amaya. Is she in good health?"

"She's in excellent health and some day she'll have my job," she said quietly.

"I'm sure you'll make sure she lasts as long as she can."

"Yes, we will be," Amaya said. "If I fall, I'll expect Xander to take her in and raise her for me. If one of the other girls is married by then and wants her instead, they could talk about it." He nodded, getting what he needed to bless her. Xander gave the family money for dinner that night, so it was a good night. But they still ended up taking the girls with them. Another girl in the village had been born with the mole. She was three and bouncy but her mother had cried until the priest had talked to her. Xander had went to talk to her too but the mother was ill and said it was better if she was raised a true slayer. So now they had three slayers in the jeep with him and the baby.

***

Xander got to the farm and found James there staring at the cows that had appeared. "Wow, you unpacked."

"Someone had to before they starved." He looked down then at Xander. "Training time?"

"Villages are upset because the girls won't be slayers again until they're sixteen. Her mother's ill," he said with a point at the newest one. "Amaya had Coranda the other day." James stared at the baby, who fussed but settled down with some patting by her mom. "Everyone, find a bed. We'll figure out a crib for the baby later. When we go get some supplies and handle the animals." The girls looked out back and went to milk the cows and goats. Xander looked at James. "Anything good going on?"

"Your ex is an idiot but she's gone," he said in Spanish. Xander grinned at him for that. "She really came up to try to force you?"

"Yup."

"Idiot."

"Yup." Xander smiled and patted him on the arm. "Anything on that demon lord that moved in?"

"He wanted to claim the area and take out the slayers. I already burned him out and made him run home to his mommy's tail." Xander smiled. "I managed to have everything in that safehouse packed before he tried to retaliate by setting it on fire."

"Thank you."

"Welcome." He looked out back at the loud, frantic mooing. "What's going on?"

Xander looked then shot at something. "Predator. I'll up the fences tomorrow once we get supplies." James shook his head but walked off. "Are you coming with?"

"I'll stay and lounge. The locals consider me an evil spirit," he said with a mean grin.

"They considered me a witch a few times," Xander admitted. "They learned better when I shot the one who tried to burn me." He got to work on dinner, taking the milk to put into the icebox. The girls all settled in to eat, talk, play board games he had, and then go to bed. Xander collapsed onto the couch. His bed was taken up by Amaya. They'd figure it out later. The same as they'd figure out what to do with the new knowledge they had from their former lives. Because something would probably need to be straightened out, at least in the elder slayer's mind. Buffy was already throwing fits about the reborn thing and Xander really wanted to avoid that for as long as possible. So, he and James could hide here in Africa with his girls and their new cows. At least until the next apocalypse.

The End.
This story archived at http://voracity2.e-fic.com/viewstory.php?sid=63