New Job III

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

Two days later, Xander was at school irritated and frustrated.

That same day, after he had made it all the way to "Uncle Bob's Magic Shop", the Bob in question just sent him back, shaking his head almost disgusted, as he said, "Ain't no way in hell I'm gonna believe you're a Fiend, kid. No practical jokes here, no sirree."

I can't believe that guy, Xander thought, his jaw clenching as he replayed the memory in his head. I bust my ass to get to his shop, and he just brushes me off like I'm some punk kid playing a prank. Unbelievable.

Heading back to the Rosen Queen had him quickly head back home as Tana informed him that "Mr. Ash just went out of town, he should be back tomorrow morning. Would you like to leave a message?"

Cleared up? Sure, Xander thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the memory of Sam's message on his beeper the next day telling him "Evrythng cleared up. Go to Magic Shop." More like he just didn't bother to tell the guy I was coming. Typical.

But what the Magic Shop guy wanted him to do was the most annoying thing of all. The old guy—apparently some kind of minor wizard because why not?— said he needed a special ingredient that came from the bones of something called a Chalk Goblin.

A Chalk Goblin? Xander had thought at the time, his brow furrowing in confusion. What the hell is a Chalk Goblin?

Oh, just a six foot tall ape-like gray-skinned demon with off-white bones sticking out of not only their faces, but their arms, and their legs and their chests. Like an uglier, anorexic version of Doomsday and he, Super-Xan, had to kill one and haul it back.

Easy enough, right? Xander thought, inner monologue absolutely dripping with sarcasm.

Wrong.

First, he had to hike his way miles out of town, all the way down to the old abandoned quarry that was apparently a thing.

Then, he had to pretend to be sleeping for this demon to attack him and drag him back to its cave to eat him alive.

Joy, Xander thought, his mind flashing back to the long, arduous trek through the woods and then the desert, the cold night air biting at his skin as he stumbled over roots and rocks. Nothing like a midnight stroll through the wilderness to really get the blood pumping. And by pumping, I mean oozing out of various wounds.

As strong as the Chalk Goblin was, and it was pretty damn strong, he was stronger.

Well… slightly.

So, with a fight that took way too long and left his clothes dirty, tattered and all around ruined, he hauled the demon's carcass back in the dead of night, journeying miles back into Sunnydale to deliver it to Uncle Bob, just for the man to go, "Wow, I guess you are a Fiend, kid, or something. Really thought you bastards were a made up story, no offense. Hell, I honestly expected you to die for wasting my time."

Ungrateful asshole, Xander thought, his fists clenching at his sides as he remembered the wizard's dismissive tone. No offense, for what exactly, the 'bastard' or the 'made up story'? I risk my life to get him his precious ingredient, and that's all he has to say? Not even a thank you?

He wasn't sure if it was the devil in him, but Xander had been sorely tempted to introduce that guy to the same type of hurt he gave the Chalk Goblin. Thankfully, I have more self-restraint than that, he thought, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Barely.

The $1500 dollar check Tana gave him the next day made it a lot more tolerable, honestly. A lot, Xander admitted silently, his eyes widening slightly as he remembered the feeling of the crisp bills in his hand. Guess being a devil's errand boy has its perks after all.

If that was all, he might not be so irritable. Might, Xander thought, his jaw clenching again as he walked through the halls of Sunnydale High, the familiar sounds of lockers slamming and students chattering grating on his nerves.

But noooooo.

Now, he was back at school and this was happening.

"A Bloodstone Vengeance hex," Giles announced, the Watcher standing over Buffy in the library, the Slayer lying back in a chair with a cold compress on her forehead and Willow supporting both Buffy's head and the compress with her hands.

"A what?" Xander asked, voice flat and teeth gritted. He simply stood there and fumed, his hands gripped into tight fists by his sides.

"Bloodstone Vengeance hex," the British man repeated as he took Buffy's pulse with two fingers before shaking his head, his brow furrowed in concern. "Hits the body hard like a, a quart of alcohol, and then it e-eradicates the, uh, immune system."

"She gave Buffy magic AIDs," Xander thought, his jaw clenching as he tried to keep his anger in check. Fan-freakin'-tastic. "Tell me you're joking, Giles.

"More of a curse, really," Giles added on, more to himself than anyone else. "A vengeance curse," he clarified, as if that made it any better.

Xander just stared at him, his expression a mix of disbelief and frustration. "A vengeance curse," he parroted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "We've got a witch so obsessed with being a cheerleader she's ready to kill anyone just to get on the team." And I thought Cordelia was bad, he thought, shaking his head in disgust. At least she just uses her words to cut people down, not actual curses.

Buffy's voice was weak as she spoke up from her prone position, her face pale and lined with pain. "Also… also 'cause she knows I know she's a witch."

Willow's eyes snapped from Xander to Giles, her expression a mix of panic and determination. "We need to get her some medical help! Some morphine, antibiotics, something!" she exclaimed, her hands trembling slightly as she held the compress to Buffy's forehead.

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Xander shook his head, his expression grim. "This is magic, Wills," he said, his voice soft but firm. "I don't think some guy with a 4 year degree is gonna be able to fix this."

Magic, he thought, his mind flashing back to his own recent experiences with the supernatural. It always comes down to magic.

Giles nodded in agreement, his expression somber. "Quite," he said simply, his gaze drifting back to Buffy's prone form.

Willow bit her lip, her eyes wide and frightened. "So what do we do?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Giles sighed, rubbing his temples as he spoke. "The others she just wanted out of the running. Buffy, she intends to, um..."

"Kill?" Buffy finished for him, her voice weak but her expression deadly serious.

Giles coughed awkwardly, his gaze darting away for a moment before he met Buffy's eyes again. "In simple terms, y-yes."

Willow's voice was barely above a whisper as she asked the dreaded question that was on all their minds. "How much time do we have?"

Giles hesitated, expression pained as he tried to find the right words. "Oh, uh, I'm sure, uh..."

"Truth. Please," Buffy demanded weakly, her eyes boring into Giles with an unusual intensity for the small Slayer.

Giles sighed again, his shoulders slumping slightly as he spoke. "Couple of hours... Three at most."

Xander felt like he had been punched in the gut, the air rushing out of his lungs in a sharp exhale. Three hours, he thought, his mind reeling at the revelation. We have three hours to save Buffy's life, or she's gonna die. He could smell it around Buffy, that same bitter smell he had around Amy, like something stinging his nostrils, almost coppery.

Willow's voice was high and panicked as she spoke again, her eyes wide with fear. "How?" she demanded, her grip on Buffy's shoulder tightening slightly.

Giles blinked, taken aback by the intensity of her question. "Um, what?" he asked, confusion coloring his tone.

"How do we reverse the spell?" Willow clarified, her voice trembling but determined.

Giles's expression cleared as he understood what Willow was asking. "Well I, I've been researching that, and, uh, we can reverse all the spells if, um..." he paused, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes wearily. "...we can just lay our hands on, on Amy's spell book."

Willow swallowed hard, her face paling slightly at the thought. "And if we can't get a hold of it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Xander's expression darkened, his eyes flashing with barely contained rage. "Then we burn the witch," he growled, his fists clenching at his sides.

Giles cast a worried and frightened look at Xander, taken aback by the intensity of his statement. But after a moment, his expression shifted to one of determined resignation. "Well, among other ways, but, but yes," he agreed, his voice heavy.

"It's not Amy's fault." Buffy's voice was weak but insistent as she spoke up again, her eyes pleading as she met Xander's gaze. "She only became a witch to survive her mother."

Xander's expression softened slightly at Buffy's words, but the determination in his eyes didn't fade. "Look, I don't care why, I honestly don't really care about Amy that much," he said firmly. "You saved my life. You saved Willow's life. I owe you mine and hers. For that, I just want to make sure you keep breathing for as long as I can make it happen."

Buffy's eyes widened slightly, a faint blush coloring her pale cheeks. "Xander..."

Willow stared at Xander, her mouth dropping open slightly in surprise. "Wow," she said simply, her voice filled with a mix of awe and admiration.

Buffy tore her gaze away from Xander, her expression turning serious as she focused on Giles again. "Giles, where would she be casting these spells?" she asked, voice weak but as determined as Xander's face.

Giles blinked, his focused gaze tearing away from Xander as he turned back to Buffy. "Oh, she needs a, a sacred space. A-a-a pentagram, um, large pot."

Buffy nodded, her expression grim. "Her home. Okay. Help me up," she said, struggling to sit up in her chair.

Xander shook his head, his expression brooking no argument. "No," he said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Buffy blinked, confusion coloring her features. "What?" she asked, her voice weak but filled with surprise.

The three other occupants of the room stared at Xander, confusion written plainly on their faces.

Xander sighed, uncrossing his arms as he met each of their gazes in turn. "You and Willow stay here," he said, his voice firm but not unkind. He turned to Willow, expression serious. "Buffy's dying by the minute. You need to find something to keep her from falling apart inside and Buffy can't strain herself."

Willow nodded, her expression as determined as his even as her eyes shone with unshed tears. "I'll do my best," she promised, her grip on Buffy's shoulder tightening reassuringly.

Xander nodded, his gaze shifting back to Giles. "I'm not good at fast reading like Willow and we need someone here to keep an eye on the Buffster to keep her from doing something stupid. What I do have is youthful energy," he continued, his mouth turning up into a smirk. "Me and Giles'll check Amy's house."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Uh! No!" she protested weakly.

Xander raised an eyebrow, expression clearly amused. "Dying girl says what?" he quipped, tone dry as the Mojave.

Buffy blinked, confusion coloring her features once more. "What?"

Xander nodded, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Exactly," he said, his voice smug. "Do us both a favor and stay put, cheerleader."

He turned to Giles, his expression sobering once more. "Come on, G-Man. Let's move."

Giles blinked, taken aback by Xander's sudden take-charge attitude. "Uh, uh, certainly," he agreed, his voice stuttering slightly as he tried to regain his composure.

Xander nodded, his expression determined as he turned and walked towards the library doors, unaware of the three behind him sharing a look. Hang on, Buff. We're gonna fix this. I promise.