And I'm scaring the hell out of myself. I burst out of my room and run for the door. I don't want to see my parents and I have to get out. I'm driving myself crazy. I go to the Bronze and decide to play pool. Aggressive, but cultured. I can knock the shit out of some balls and then the anger will be gone.

I set up the table. Normally there'd be dozens of people clamoring around wanting to play, but I think something is telling them to stay back. I remove the triangle and go to line up my shot. Why is it that everything I become - a hyena, a soldier - all have this aggression? This anger? Is this what my father feels right before he hits…

I take my shot. And sink the cue ball. Nice to know the King is still in residence. I pick it up and walk back to line up the next shot. Faith walks up and I realize we forgot to add the other Slayer to our little party.

"You look pissed."

I pick my shot. "Rough day."

"Tell me about it."

"Rather just shoot." I don't want to talk about it anymore.

"Don't think I don't know what you and your pals were talking about behind my back today."

I see. The end of the world is hinged on Angel's next erection and her *feelings * are hurt. "Yeah? And what was that?"

"More about this glove deal than you're saying."

"The Glove of Myhnegon?" Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. "Right." I aim, nonchalant as all hell, and shoot. "How'd you like a hit of some real news? Angel's still alive."

I start walking the table, looking for my next shot. She looks like she just got punched in the stomach. "The vampire."

No. The other Angel. "Back in town. Saw him myself. Toting the popular and famous glove." I ignore her now and aim again.

"Angel."

I shoot and watch the balls careen about the table. Wondering what she's going to do. What kind of Slayer is she?

"Guy like that, with that kind of glove, could kill a whole mess of people."

Could kill someone I love. "Said the same thing to Buffy myself. Weird how she didn't seem to care." I aim. Maybe I'll actually sink something this time.

"Buffy knew he was alive." I shoot. Score one for Faith. She's a quick one. "I can't believe her."

Join the crowd. "She says he's clean."

"Yeah, well, I say we can't afford to find out." I look at her intently. I think I know where she's going and I realize I want to go along for the ride. "I say I deal with this problem right now. I say I slay."

"Can I come?"

We don't speak the entire way to the library. We walk quickly, our anger and betrayal fueling our steps. We get there easily. As a Slayerette, I know the quickest way to the library from any spot in town. We burst in and head for the cage.

"Good old Sunnydale library. Fully equipped with reference books, file cards…" I open the cabinet and smile. "and weapons."

"Beauty."

"I call crossbow." I reach in. I'm not the Slayer. I want the long distance weapon.

"You got it."

We each grab a handful, not wanted to be caught empty handed. I close the doors and look at her. "All right, ready to go?"

"That I am."

I would think, as determined as I am, I wouldn't hear things like this, but I do. A low moan comes from Giles' office and I'm scared to death. "Wait."

"What?"

I run in, afraid of what I'm going to find. Visions of my friends, drained of blood and of life are filling my eyes. Giles is lying on the floor. I toss the crossbow down and kneel down. "Oh, my God. It's Giles!" I lift his head to my knees. There's blood on his head and he's barely conscious. "Giles, can you hear me?" I look around, frantic. "What the hell happened?"

"Gee, let me guess."

"Stop. Hold it. Just think a minute."

"Yeah. I'm thinking. Thinking Buffy's ex-meat did this."

I realize in a flash that all my anger's gone. I'm thinking rationally for the first time since I saw them kissing. "It's not Angel's style." I dial 911, not analyzing the fact that I'm defending the thing I hate most in this world.

"The guy's a demon! How much proof do you need?"

"Bite marks would be nice." All right, so he didn't bite Miss Calendar, but that one was for effect. This wasn't artistry. This was sloppy. "Yeah, I have a medical emergency. Sunnydale High." Bet they aren't surprised to hear that.

"Screw this waiting crap." She starts to leave and I start to panic.

"Faith, if we leave, Giles could die!"

"Yeah, and he's gonna have a whole lot of company, unless I do something permanent." She heads out again and I have to stop her. I have to explain that I'm wrong and I don't know how to do it.

"Wait!"

"For what? You to grow a pair? You handle the baby-sit, and I'm gonna kill Angel."

She leaves, and I'm sitting here with Giles' head in my lap. I want to cry. I want to scream. But all I can do is whisper, "Damn it."

After what seems like an eternity, the paramedics show up and bandage up his head. One of them tries to reassure me that head wounds always look worse than they are, but I can hear the others talking and they're worried. They load him onto a gurney and all I can do is watch as they start to wheel him out.

"Giles is gonna be psyched that we showed up stuffy old Mrs. Post."

I freeze, staring at the stacks when I hear her voice. This isn't going to be easy. I hear something clang behind me and then Buffy is there at her Watcher's side.

"Oh, my God."

One of the paramedics is talking into her radio, sending his information on ahead. I turn my attention now to Buffy.

"What happened?" She looks so scared. So lost. "Giles…" She looks at the paramedics, needing them to talk to her. "What happened?"

"No time for this." She starts to wheel him out.

Giles' voice is weak. "Wait…" The paramedic stops, probably afraid something's wrong. Boy, she doesn't know the half of it. "Buffy, you must…must destroy the glove…"

Realizing that it's not medical, the woman glares at Buffy. "You want him to live? Get out of the way." They roll him away, but the Watcher's not done.

"Use…living…flame."

"Move!" They push him out the doors and he's gone.

Welcome to my day of reckoning. Willow is staring at me, concern in her eyes. She knows something is going on, and she knows she's not going to like it. Buffy joins in. All I can do is stare back, trying to fight the guilt and shame inside.

"What happened?"

The $64,000 question. "You boyfriend's not as cured as you thought." Why did I just say that?

"What makes you think that Angel had anything to do with this?"

"We saw what you saw." And I don't. I just don't know how to tell you. And I want you to be angry, so maybe you can save the bloodsucker's life. Or lack thereof.

"So you just assume?"

I hear the tears in her voice and my guilt washes over me. I tried to defend him, Buffy. Do you think she'd believe that one? "I didn't. Faith did."

Willow looks over at Buffy and I know we're all thinking the same thing.

"What did you tell her?"

"Only what everyone knows. She's a big girl. Came to her own conclusions." Right after I opened the door and showed her right where they were.

She's angry now. Maybe Dead-boy will have a chance. "How much of a head start does she have?"

"Ten minutes."

She steps over to Willow, her eyes pleading. "Go through Giles' research. Figure out how to destroy the glove."

She glares at me and then she's gone. I've hurt her tonight. I never thought I could do that. Willow stares after her for a moment then looks at me. Her glare pierces my heart. Oh God, I hope I can make this up to them somehow. I start to speak, to justify myself.

"Shut up and help me."

I follow her into the office and we split up. She takes his desk and I take the small table. I can't look at the floor where I found him. I'm quiet, afraid to speak and give her a reason to yell at me.

"Xander?"

There are tears in her voice and, for a moment, she sounds like the little girl I used to know. "Yeah, Will?"

"Is Giles going to be okay?"

"We all are."

She nods and brushes her tears away. Lifting some papers, she makes a small noise. "Found it. Living Flame. Help me."

We gather ingredients and Willow mixes them. I read through bits and pieces of the books that are in English, trying to make sure we have the right amount of each powder. We work silently for the most part, the sexual tension that has been surrounding us for days gone for the moment.

"Think we got it?"

Will shrugs. "Well, it's either the catalyst for Living Flame or just some really smelly sand." She looks at me and I see the worry in her eyes. "We'll have to test this."

"I'll double check." I look at the book in my hand, the last from Giles' stack. My eyes widen.

"What?"

"I know what the glove does." I show her the passage I've just found. She takes it in.

"There's no time to test this." She grabs the bag we had set aside while I blow out the candles. Picking up the mixing bowl, I dump the mixture in the bag. She's closing it up and we're both out the door. We've got no time to waste.

I think I know what eternity is going to feel like now. The trip from the library to the mansion was the longest of my life. But we ran, full of fear and of hope. I held her hand tightly, so afraid to let go.

We ran into the mansion and Mrs. Post was against the wall, looking worse for wear. We knelt beside her to make sure she was okay.

"The glove! It's in the trunk."

She's really upset. Guess she reads the same books I do. "We'll get it."

"Help Faith."

I rush to the atrium where the two Slayers are locked in battle. If it weren't so horrifying, it would be beautiful. I remember the passage from the book and charge out to interrupt them. "What are you…" They face off and I realize to make them listen, I'm going to have to jump into the middle of this fight. "Stop! Guys! Listen!"

Faith grabs me and the next thing I know, I'm getting a little too intimate with a lamppost. I ricochet off and land on the sidewalk. As the view starts to fade, I make a mental note. *Never * get between two Slayers.

I come to and quickly realize it's all over. Buffy is just headed back into the room, so I struggle to my feet and follow her. The five of us that are left - Buffy, Angel, Willow, Faith and myself - make our way to the middle of the room. The Glove of Myhnegon is lying there; part of Mrs. Post's arm still attached.

I really have to find a new job.

The tines in the glove unhook from her flesh with a sickening sound. Angel picks up a blanket and wraps it around both.

"I…" Willow freezes as everyone looks at her. "I brought the Living Flame."

Angel nods and motions her toward a small cauldron he has set up. Whoo-boy. He's one of the good guys. I hate it when I guess wrong. Buffy doesn't look at me, instead heading over to Faith. The other girl refuses her attention. "I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

I walk over to Willow and Angel. He's lit the wood under the cauldron and is taking the powder from Willow's hand. The last time she was this close to him, he had his fangs at her neck. She's amazing, my Willow.

He begins to chant, sprinkling the powder in at various times. I feel Buffy standing next to me and reach over to squeeze her hand. It's not much but it's a start.

It's before school, and I'm exhausted. I really need a decent night's sleep. One without vampires or gloves or Slayers or sexy best friends haunting my dreams and waking hours. I summarize the night for Oz and Cordy, letting Willow throw little bits in. I notice she leaves out the part where she was knocked unconscious. I think she's a little embarrassed.

After I'm done, Cordy sums everything up for me. "So there's no more glove thingy?"

Hell. I could have just said that. "No. Little Living Flame, little mesquite, gone for good."

"Sounds like we missed a lot of fun."

What does Willow see in this guy? I take my arm from around Cordelia's shoulders, leaning forward to emphasis my point. "Then we're telling it wrong."

"What do you think Buffy and Angel are gonna do?" Willow and her romantic streak.

"Boy, do I don't know."

Cordelia gives me a strange look, but Willow speaks before she can say anything. "Well, he saved me from a horrible, flamey death. That sort of makes me like him again."

She smiles sadly and I realize I now owe her life to that jerk. Why is it everybody gets to save Willow's life but me? Oz takes a bullet; Angel almost takes a lightning bolt. What do I do? I get to walk her home from the library. "Well, as long as she and Angel don't get pelvic, we'll be okay, I guess."

I can tell Cordelia's not comfortable with that or the fact that I've accepted this. Buffy steps up to the couch to join us and I sit up straight.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Oddly enough, your boyfriend. Again."

Was that only a couple of nights ago?

"He's not my boyfriend." She sits next to me, the sadness radiating off her in waves. "Really, truly, he's…" she sighs and I can tell this is hard for her. And this time, I care. "I don't know." She looks over at Cordy and me. We meet her gaze. "Are we cool?"

Okay. I can do this. I can be honest and noble. I can put my jealousy and anger aside. I'm a better man than my father. I'm a better man than I think. "Yeah. Just seeing the two of you kissing after everything that happened, I leaned toward the postal." I pause and consider what to say next. "I trust you."

"I don't. Just for the record."

Are any of us surprised?

Giles comes up to us and clears his throat. He's got a huge bandage on his head, but he's okay. That's all that matters.

Buffy tilts her head a little. "Let me guess. Gwendolyn Post - not a Watcher?"

"Yes, she was." He slowly makes his way up the steps and stands nearby, leaning on the railing for support. "She was, uh, kicked out by the council a couple of years ago for misuses of dark power. They swear there was a memo."

All in all, everything worked out okay. A black eye for me, scrapes and bruises for Willow, a gash on the forehead for Giles and a broken heart for Buffy. Figures, the one thing that gets hurt on the Slayer is the one thing her accelerated healing can't fix.

"Well, I'd better go." She looks at me, her eyes still sad. "Little more damage control."

She leaves and Giles sits in her vacated spot. Willow sighs, the romance of it all still getting to her, "The whole Angel thing is so weird."

"Yes, well, we'll have to see how that unfolds, won't we?"

Giles doesn't say it. But we all think it. We're all afraid we've seen the unfolding - the ending - before. And we're all praying we're wrong. Except for me. I'm pretty sure we are. Because as sad as Buffy's eyes were just a moment ago, they were still filled with the greatest weapon any Slayer, Watcher or Slayerette has.

Hope.