Devil's In The Details

“That I agree with.” Spike said came at Xander, Xander countered not to hitting Spike.
“You’re holding back!” Angel barked, Xander came at Spike harder.
“I’m not going to hurt him.” Xander countered as he and Spike sparred more.
“Why not, you afraid to hurt me?” Spike asked as he almost connected to Xander’s ribs.
“No,” Xander said as he lightly hit Spike.
“Because in a fight, they’re going to show no mercy.” Angel told him, Angel looked behind him and Alyria was coming down the stairs, she had a light smile on her face.
“Where’s Wesley?” Angel asked.
“Sleeping, he has given me enough pleasure for the evening, anymore and it might kill him.” Alyria said and she watched Spike and Xander spar. Xander was taken aback for a moment with hearing her statement, so he barely missed Spike trying to take his knee out.
“Go after him Xander!” Angel said and Spike tried harder to get the boy to hit him, but Xander just wouldn’t connect.
“The vampire, he is not willing to kill?” Alyria asked as she watched the vampire moving with and against the white-haired one.
“He doesn’t want to hurt anyone.” Angel growled and Alyria watched him.
“Wesley has said that it is wrong to kill.” Alyria said and Angel looked at her.
“Well when it’s kill or be killed it’s a little different.” Angel said and he watched Xander continue to not connect. He knew Xander could do it, Xander had been fighting demons, all be it with Buffy’s help, for ten years and now with his new found power he should be wiping the floor with Spike.
“Will Spike kill him,”Alyria asked and Angel began to get frustrated.
“No, but..we’re training him for when it does happen, he wants to protect Buffy he’s going to have to learn how to fight like an animal.”
“I AM NOT AN ANIMAL!” Xander yelled and turned and looked at Angel.
Spike almost socked Xander in the face but Xander grabbed his fist and crushed it with his own hand. Spike actually felt himself going to his knees, Xander was stronger than he expected. He looked at Xander that was exactly what he wanted people to think. People had come to underestimate Xander, and that was his strength, and that was why Xander was slowly crushing all the bones in Spike’s hand. And Xander hadn’t even changed his face.
“You proved you’re point.” Spike said and Xander let go of his hand. Spike grabbed his purple and blue hand.
“Understand, I’m not either of you, and I never will be.” Xander went to leave but Spike grabbed him with his broken hand.
“Don’t go, Angel promises to stop being a prig.” Spike said as his hand screamed in pain in his head. Xander looked at Angel and Angel nodded his head.
“But since you shattered my hand someone else is going to have to spar with you for a little while.” Spike said and a smile came over Xander’s lips.
“I will do it.” Alyria said and Xander’s smile faded.
“I’m not going to fight a god.” Xander said and Spike looked at him.
“It’s not like it would be the first time.” Spike said as he held his hand with the other.
“Fine.” Xander said and Alyria a shadow of a smile on her face. They began to round each other.
“Don’t worry vampire, you can’t hurt me.” Alyria said and Xander smiled at her.
“I didn’t want to hurt him because I was worried.” Xander said and Alyria looked at him like the way an insect looks at a meal.
“I will try to kill you; if you want to live then I suggest you try to survive.” Alyria told him and Xander looked at Spike.
“She’s tried to kill me on many occasions.”
“And sometimes she even did it on purpose.” Angel said and Alyria flew at him. Xander countered her every move, he moved faster and faster, Alyria smashed him in the face, his face changed. He hit her hard, she flinched but didn’t stop coming at him. Angel began to worry, Spike was just as experienced as he was with fighting, and why was Xander still conscious if after one bout. In about ten seconds Spike was on his back when he first fought Alyria. Her lowered powers might have something to do with that but it have to be something else.
“XANDER!” Angel yelled and Xander turned to look at him and his face had changed, Alyria knocked him across the room into the weapons. Alyria went after him but Angel stopped her. Xander lay unconscious on the floor.
“What the hell was that?” Spike asked Angel and Angel looked back at him.
“The kid’s hiding something, I don’t know what it is but he’s something more than what we are.”
“Are you sure? Maybe he’s just better.” As Spike said that he knew that it didn’t make sense.
“No way, he’s got something in him that makes him stronger.”
“He was a suitable opponent, much stronger than I anticipated, but not greater than Hamilton.” Alyria said as she breathed slightly heavier. Spike and Angel looked at each other.
“There’s something he’s not telling us.”
“Duh,” Spike said and he watched as Xander began to wake up, his face returned to it’s normal shape. He looked at them with a pained expression then a worried one.
“What?”
“It’s time to play twenty questions my boy, and you’re the victim.” Spike said.
Xander went to scurry up but Spike and Angel used they’re legs to pin him down.
“I don’t know what you want to know, and even if I did I don’t think this is the best way to get me to talk.”
“How did you best the girl?” Spike asked and Xander looked at him curiously.
“I did what you told me, I felt what she was going to do before she did it. It was instinct, I felt her blood move inside of her, and countered where I knew the blood was rushing to. We could have kept going if you hadn’t distracted me.”
“Was that you’re best?” Angel asked and Xander didn’t answer right away, Spike and Angel pushed down harder on him, pushing him into the floor. Then all of a sudden they felt what they thought for a second was a strong wind, but then they flew back in the air.
“Is there a reason you two are holding my best friend down?” Willow asked as the two vampires lay on the floor.
“That was impressive.” Alyria said.
“Next time I suggest you mess with someone who doesn’t have a bad ass wicca in their corner.” Xander said as he slowly got up.
“He’s not like us Willow, he’s something more and we need to know why.” Angel said as he stalked closer to Xander. Willow put her hand up, she didn’t use magic but Angel stopped walking.
“Is it true, what they’re saying about you?” Willow asked Xander and Xander shrugged.
“Xander is there something you’re not telling us?”
“Usually,” Xander countered but no one was in the mood.
“I don’t remember anything all right? I remember I was fighting vampires, the next minute I was in a crypt and felt the side of my neck, and someone had bitten me and felt blood on my lips. I felt my body surging with energy and I knew that I was different, plus the fact that the place was dead silent and I couldn’t hear my heartbeat. I tried for like two hours to hear it, but I just couldn’t.” Xander felt his soul burning a little as he spoke about it, even though he was evil he cried when knew that he was dead and he had become the thing that he most hated. Vampires had killed or taken everything that he had loved, and now he was one of them. Willow looked at his face and put her hand on his shoulder.
“That’s enough for right now guys.” Willow said. She could tell Spike and Angel wanted to probe him further. “We’ll try some stuff to get his memory back later all right?” Willow said, she and Xander began to go up the steps. Xander came up the steps and he saw the sunlight in a window down the hall. He wanted to go into it so badly, to feel its warmth, but he knew if he did it would kill him.
“ I have to go talk to Buffy Xander, I’ll see you later.” Willow said and quickly made her way up the stairs before Xander could ask her any questions. Xander went to follow her but he saw Dawn on the foyer steps. Her look was so pained that he could barely look at her.
“Dawnie...” He began but she put her hand up

“Buffy wouldn’t let me see you while you were evil, but she said it was ok now, now that you have a soul.” She said as she slowly made her way down the steps.
“I’m so sorry Dawn.” Xander told her and she looked at him.
“I thought you were never going to be super hero, like me. You were supposed to stay normal, like me..” Dawn said and tears began to roll down her face. Xander moved to get her before she collapsed on the stairs. He held her in his arms.
“You were supposed to stay with me.” Dawn said as she cried into his shoulder.

“I’m never leaving, you or Buffy, ever.” Xander told her and she looked at him.
“ But you can’t stay like this, you’ll have to leave like Spike and Angel. She can’t be with you, you’ll leave, like they did.” Dawn told him and Xander ran his hand over her head.
“I’m not going to stay like this. One way or another the whole thing is going to be ok. I promise what ever it that comes after us, after that I’ll come back to you, both of you. I swear.” He told her but she wouldn’t stop crying. He pulled her away from himself a little and looked at her.
“The only thing that I want to do with my life is take care of you and your sister, ok? And I don’t care if I have kill every demon in the world I’m going to find a way to come back to the two of you.” He told her and she nodded her head but she wouldn’t stop crying. Xander just held her as he held her more closely in his arms. Angel watched quietly from the basement door thinking that Xander belonged there a lot more than he did.