New Job IV

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

Giles and Xander pulled up to Amy's house in the librarian's old car, both of them quickly getting out and rushing to the door. A firm expression on his face, Xander quickly knocked on the door, his knuckles rapping sharply against the wood. Come on, come on, he thought impatiently, his foot tapping against the porch. We don't have time for this.

After nobody answered after a moment, Xander quickly knocked again, his expression growing more and more frustrated with each passing second. Another second passed and the sixteen-year-old impatiently knocked again, his fist pounding against the door with increasing force.

Seriously, what the hell? he thought, his jaw clenching as he fought the urge to just kick the door down. Buffy's life is on the line here, and this witch can't even be bothered to answer the door?

Finally, an older woman who Xander could only assume was Amy's mom opened the door, a brown-haired woman with her hair in an updo. She looked at them with a mix of confusion and annoyance, her brow furrowed as she took in their agitated expressions.

"Who are you? Wha, um, uh, is there something wrong?" she asked, her voice hesitant and slightly suspicious.

Giles stepped forward, his expression grave. "Mrs. Madison, we need to talk to you about your daughter."

Mrs. Madison's expression shifted, her eyes widening slightly before she shook her head. "I'm not allow... You'll have to come back later," she said, starting to close the door.

But Xander was having none of it. He held the door open with one hand, pushing his way inside with a determined expression on his face. "Yeah, no," he said firmly, his tone brooking no argument.

Giles followed him inside, his expression apologetic but no less determined. "Excuse us!" he said, his voice raised slightly as he pushed past Mrs. Madison.

"What?!" Mrs. Madison exclaimed, her expression a mix of shock and outrage as she watched them barge into her home.

Xander stepped forward, his finger jabbing in the older woman's face as he spoke, his voice low and dangerous. "Listen, lady, your daughter is messing with someone she shouldn't be and hurting people, important people. You need to get her under control."

Mrs. Madison blinked, her expression shifting to one of confusion and defensiveness. "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about," she said, her voice wavering slightly.

Giles shook his head, his expression grim. "Oh, I think you know only too well," he said, his voice heavy with accusation.

Mrs. Madison's eyes darted between the two of them, her expression growing more and more nervous with each passing second. "You've got to go," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "She's gonna be home soon, and you..."

But Xander cut her off, his voice rising with each word as his anger and frustration boiled over. "A friend of mine is dying right now 'cause of your dumb jealous obsessive little brat of a daughter..." he snarled, his fists clenching at his sides.

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with this family? he thought, his mind racing with a mix of anger and disbelief. Who raises a kid to be so messed up that they'd curse someone just for being better than them at something?

Giles nodded, his own expression twisting with anger as he spoke. "This young man is right! You will shut up and listen right now! Your daughter has access to some very powerful magicks, and somehow your obsession with cheerleading has made..."

But Mrs. Madison cut him off, dropping to the couch with a heavy sigh. "I don't care about cheerleading!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a mix of frustration and resignation. "It's not my fault she's doing stuff."

Xander's eyes glanced down next to Mrs. Madison's feet, noticing a plate of brownies under the table. His expression shifted to one of confusion as the anger bled away somewhat, replaced by a growing sense of unease. Wait... he thought, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. What the hell?

Giles, oblivious to Xander's sudden realization, continued to lay into Mrs. Madison. "As her mother, you should assume some responsibility for her actions," he said firmly, his voice filled with disappointment and anger.

Mrs. Madison let out a laugh, the sound harsh and bitter in the quiet of the living room. "Well, you know, these kids today! I..." she said, her voice trailing off as she seemed to calm down a bit. "She's out of her mind. Ever since dad, her dad... left..."

But Xander had heard enough. "Shut up," he said tersely, his voice low and dangerous as he locked eyes with Mrs. Madison.

Mrs. Madison blinked, her expression shifting to one of surprise and fear. "W-what?" she stammered, her eyes wide.

Giles looked at Xander, his own expression confused and concerned. "Xander?" he asked, his voice questioning.

But Xander ignored him, his gaze never leaving Mrs. Madison's face as he spoke. "Amy used to show up at Willow's house all the time because her mom was such a psycho when it came to food," he said, his voice low and filled with a mix of anger and realization. "She would lock the fridge for weeks at a time and only eat broth. Amy would come over to Willow's house and I'd see her... see her eating brownies and I used to feel bad because at least my parents didn't starve me... on purpose."

Giles blinked, his expression shifting to one of confusion and concern. "Xander, what is this..." he started to ask, but Xander cut him off.

Crouching down so that he was eye level with Mrs. Madison, Xander spoke again, his voice low and filled with a mix of anger and disgust. "Hello, Amy," he said simply, his gaze never leaving the woman's face.

Giles looked between Xander and Mrs. Madison, his expression one of utter confusion. "I don't understand," he said, his voice hesitant.

But Xander knew. He knew with a certainty that he couldn't explain, but that he felt deep in his gut. "That bitch took your body," he said, his voice filled with a mix of anger and sympathy.

Amy looked down, defeated, her expression one of utter hopelessness and despair.

Giles blinked, his eyes widening as the truth finally dawned on him. "Good Lord!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with a mix of horror and disbelief.

Xander nodded, his expression grim. "She wanted her youth back," he said simply.

Amy looked back up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "She said I was wasting mine. So she took it."

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– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

They had moved quickly with Amy's help, finding and snatching her mom's spellbook from its hiding place and hightailing it back to Sunnydale High just as it was getting dark, the Sunnydale High Bobcats already a few minutes into the game and the cheerleaders doing their thing.

Xander felt the sun set more than he saw it, his new strength returning in full, and his anger only growing more and more intense as they rushed into the Chemistry lab, Buffy already in there with Willow, the blonde lying on a table, pale and clammy as ever.

Hang on, Buff, Xander thought, his jaw clenching as he took in the sight of his friend, her skin ashen and her breathing shallow. We're here. We've got the book. We're gonna fix this.

Giles had already set down the ingredients needed to reverse the body-switching curse, frogs and all. The librarian folded his coat and put it under Buffy's head as a pillow, the girl barely able to move as she let out a weak moan, the sound tearing at Xander's heart.

"I'm gonna stop this. I promise," Giles said to Buffy, his voice low and filled with determination as he met her gaze.

Xander turned to the Watcher, his expression grim. "How is she?" he asked, his voice tight with worry.

Giles shook his head, his expression somber. "We only have a few minutes left," he said with a heavy voice.

Xander felt his heart sink at the words. A few minutes, he thought, his fists clenching at his sides. Is that gonna be enough time?

He shot both Giles and Willow a firm look before turning a sympathetic one to Amy. "Then you guys do your thing in here," he said, his voice hard. "I'll keep your crazy body-snatching bitch of a mom from crashing the party."

With that, Xander left the room, his expression firm and his fists clenched as he closed the door behind him. Even from outside and down the hall, he could hear Giles chanting, his senses working on overdrive as he tried to tamp down his anger.

Focus, Xander, he told himself, taking a deep breath as he walked down the hall, his footsteps echoing loudly in the empty corridor. You've got a job to do. Keep Amy's mom away from the others, no matter what it takes.

"She's coming!"

Xander's eyes narrowed as he heard the sound of Amy's mother's voice from the Chemistry Lab, well aware of who she was referring to. Speak of the devil, he thought, his lips twisting into a humorless smirk.

And, a few seconds later...

"Amy!" Catherine-in-Amy Madison shouted, her voice echoing down the hall as she stormed towards the lab, her eyes blazing with fury.

Xander stepped forward to meet her, his expression hard as he stood in her path, his arms crossed over his chest. "Mind if I cut in?"

"Get out of my way!" the teenage woman shouted again, voice nearly a screech. She raised her hand, a ball of fire forming in her palm, the flames casting an eerie glow on her face.

"Whoa, easy there!" Xander yelped, diving to the side as she hurled the fireball at him. It blasted against the lockers behind him, leaving a faint scorch mark on the metal. Too close for comfort, he thought, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I said, move!" Catherine shouted again.

"No way, you old bitch!" Xander spat back, his fists clenching at his sides as he glared at the woman wearing her daughter's face. "Give Amy back her body first!"

Catherine snarled, the expression odd on Amy's face, seeming almost haglike. "What and let her ruin it, stuffing her fat little face with brownies and cake? I'm actually making something of her life!" She raised her hand again, electricity crackling between her fingers.

Xander groaned, throwing back his head as he dodged another blast of magic, the lightning scorching the wall behind him. "Yeah, yeah, we get it, no one likes being old. You don't feel pretty anymore, you miss highschool, this bit is older than you are, lady."

The witch flinched at the insult, her expression outright twisting into a mask of rage. "You little shit!" she spat, her voice dripping with venom. She thrust her hand out, an almost invisible burst of wind slamming into Xander's chest, sending him stumbling back a few steps.

Xander smirked, his fists raised in a boxer's stance as he stared her down, ignoring the slight twinge in his ribs. "Better than a dried up old hag," he taunted, his eyes flashing with defiance.

Amy's mother raised her arm, growling as she held up her hand like she was grabbing Xander's neck. The teenager felt a slight pressure around his throat, but didn't move, even as the pressure tightened slightly as she made a fist and twisted it.

Is that all you got? Xander thought, his smirk widening as he stared down the witch. Feels like a first grader's choking me.

For as much effort as the woman seemed to be exerting, judging from the sweat on her forehead, Xander could barely feel a thing. "That your Darth Vader impression, or was it actually supposed to do something?" he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

The witch's eyes widened, her face paling slightly as she stared at him in disbelief. "What... what are you?" she whispered.

Xander's grin widened, his teeth flashing in the dim light of the hallway. "Your worst nightmare, lady," he said simply, his voice low and dangerous as he took a step towards her.

"S-stay back!" Catherine stammered, her hand shaking as she raised it again, another fireball forming in her palm. "I'm warning you!"

"Ooh, I'm shaking in my boots," Xander mocked, rolling his eyes. "What are you gonna do, give me a bad perm?"

With a shriek of rage, Catherine hurled the fireball at him, the flames burning white-hot as they streaked towards his face. Xander ducked, the heat singeing his hair as the fireball passed over his head, exploding against the wall behind him.

Okay, that one was a little too close, he thought, his heart pounding in his chest as he straightened up, his eyes narrowing.

In a flash, Xander rushed forward and grabbed the witch from behind, his arm around her neck in a relatively light hold that had her stop struggling in only a few seconds. Taking a moment to check her breathing, Xander heaved a sigh of relief. Alrighty, body still safe for Amy, he thought, his grip loosening slightly as he held the witch in place.

Only a few seconds later, a healthy Buffy rushed out of the lab, Giles and Willow behind her carrying an unconscious and bruised Catherine Madison. Xander grinned up at them, his expression one of relief and triumph. "Hey, guys, what'd I miss?"