New Order

A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting but I'm just not happy with this chapter and was trying to play around with it. It still isn't what I wanted but I don't know what to do with it at this point so I'll let you guys tell me what you think.





It was easier than Xander thought to avoid the topic of Willow’s arrival. They slept for most of the day and then his lovers kept him distracted for several hours. When they finally emerged from the bedroom, Angel and Spike headed for the office to take care of some mysterious business and Xander headed for the kitchen for some much needed food.



Realizing that it was only hours until Willow arrived seemed to make the day fly by. Xander watched his lovers work, admiring again the seamless way they communicated. It was so disjointed to an outside listener, but Xander could understand every word, every grunt and every gesture.



He couldn’t help but sigh as he watched them, worrying and wondering what the next day would bring. Time rushed forward as Xander settled into the office, waiting for a moment that never arrived.



When he finally heard voices in the lobby, he bolted from his chair and ran from the office towards the sound. Angel and Spike were startled by his sudden movement and raced after him, catching him quickly and pushing him behind them.



They were stunned by the visitors in the lobby. Willow. And Faith.



Willow took one look at Xander’s face and knew he hadn’t told Angel and Spike that they were coming. She helped him cover and quickly said, “Xan! We couldn’t leave you here fighting the big fight without us. We thought you guys could use some super powered help so here we are!”



She followed her cheerful greeting by hugging Xander to her, squeezing him tightly and holding him for longer than she needed to. Xander returned her embrace and felt the fear and tension start to ease.



Faith watched the reunion for a moment before turning her attention to Angel and Spike. “So, Willow tells me you guys needed Xan-Man’s help with some big bad. Thought you could use a little slayer action as well. Of course with all the vamps that are cowering out of the lobby at the moment, I’m not real sure who the big bad actually is.”



Angel and Spike shared a quick glance before moving together towards Xander. Angel answered Faith’s unspoken question. “Faith, a lot of things have changed since you were here last. I’ve had to make some changes but everyone here is fighting for good. They all work for me now.”



“Somehow, Angel, I’m just not reassured. You see, you’ve got one of my only friends here, with obvious bite marks on his neck and you’re inching closer and closer to him as we speak. Now, if you don’t want this to get bloody real quick, you’ll tell me what the hell is going on.”



Angel moved to grab Xander but Willow was ready. She already said a spell that would keep the vampires from touching Xander while she was holding him. Xander started to pull away at Angel’s howl of rage, which was quickly joined by Spike’s when he too failed to reach Xander.



Willow held Xander tighter and he turned to look at her. She shook her head and mouthed the words, “Wait for Faith.” Xander stilled and hoped that Willow explained the situation well enough to the slayer. He didn’t want Angel and Spike hurt.



Faith stepped closer to the enraged vampires. “I’m waiting.”



Angel and Spike turned to her and shifted into their true face. They were enraged. Spike spoke first. “He’s OURS.” Angel added, “I suggest you let him go, NOW.”



Faith glanced at Willow before answering. “Here’s how this is going to work. Willow here has put the mojo on all of us. You can’t touch us. Now, we’re going to take Xander here upstairs, somewhere real quiet and away from you. He’s going to tell us what the hell is going on. If we’re satisfied, Willow will take off the mojo and you can join us. If we aren’t, we’ll be taking Xander and leaving.” She paused for a moment to remove a pair of stakes from behind her back. “Any questions?”



Neither vampire was impressed with her speech and both started towards her only to be repelled by Willow’s spell. She watched them get even more pissed before they finally realized that they weren’t going to break through the magical barrier.



“Now, we’ll be right upstairs.” And with those words, she moved through the lobby. Xander turned towards his lovers. “Angel. Spike. It’s okay. We knew something like this might happen. Just let me have a few minutes with them to explain. Everything will be fine and I’ll come get you in just a bit.”



Willow started leading him behind Faith. “Remember guys, these are my friends. They only want to protect me, too.” Xander’s words helped calm Angel and Spike a little. They knew he would try to explain to his friends. It made sense that they would want to protect Xander. But they weren’t happy to let him out of their sight.



Xander led his friends into an unused room down the hall from the bedroom he shared with Angel and Spike. It didn’t seem right to have his friends in their private space. When they reached the room and shut the door, Willow released the spell.



“Wills! What were you thinking? They’re enraged.” Xander started to rant but Faith quickly interrupted. “Look Xan, we needed to get an idea of what was going on here. The best way to do that, unfortunately, was to provoke them a little so that we could see their response. Now, be quiet a second.” Faith gestured again to Willow and the witch began chanting.



When she finished, Willow turned to Xander. “That will just keep what we’re saying private. I realize that you didn’t tell them that I was coming but Faith and I wanted to talk to you privately anyway.”



“A Slayer, Wills? Not that I’m not happy to see you Faith, but seriously, did we need to break out the big guns here?”



Faith chuckled at his description of her but Willow just stomped her foot at him. “Xander Harris. Do you really think that you aren’t important enough for me to bring everything I had to keep you safe? Get over yourself, already buddy. You are my best friend and I love you. If there’s something going on here, Faith and I are here to help.”



Willow’s words caused Xander to tear up again. “God, I’m such a girl these days, crying over everything. Uh, present company excluded.” Xander looked up at his friends, hoping they weren’t insulted by his girly comment. When they didn’t respond, he continued. There wasn’t any need to beat around the bush. “So, what did you think?”



Faith and Willow shared a glance before Faith answered. “Well, they were really protective of you and were enraged pretty quickly. But it’s hard to tell if that’s just them protecting their lover or if there’s more to it.”



Willow added. “I sense magic around all three of you, but with the binding and claiming that is to be expected. I’ll need a little more time to sort out if there is anything else at work.”



Xander was relieved to know that nothing jumped out at either of his friends. Maybe this was all in his head after all. “Sounds good. I feel like I should tell them that I called you guys. I don’t like lying to them.”



Faith responded. “I know it’s weird, but for me it would be best if they didn’t know I suspected something more than the obvious. What about you Will?”



Willow agreed. “We need to see how you guys normally interact. If you really think you need to tell them, I won’t stop you. But maybe if you give us a little time to see what we can come up with?”



Although he was hesitant, Xander agreed. He hated lying to Angel and Spike but he had promised himself to do anything to make sure they were okay. If that meant keeping the truth from them for the moment, it was a small price to pay.