Title: Only Human Rating: PG-13/R Chapter Title: Intro to the night. Author: Cobra Timeframe: two years pre season 1 Spoilers: Mostly AU Summery: Xander meets Angel at the age of fourteen when Xander is attacked by a vampire. Angel and Xander fight together. Then. The slayer comes to town. Disclaimer: Buffy: the Vampire Slayer is owned by Whedon, UPN, FOX, and Mutant Enemy.

Xander Harris stuffed his hands farther into his pockets. His parents were fighting again, which meant that he was once again on his way to Jesse's to stay the night. 'Its a good thing Sunnydale is such a quiet town. If this were a city I would be dead by now.' Xander thought as he picked up his speed. He heard the rustuling behind him. Soon footsteps thundered on the sidewalk. Xander again picked up his speed moving from a fast walk to a jog. Xander didn't look behind him, he just kept moving toward Jesses'. After turning two corners Xander's curiosity got the better of him and he looked back. Nothing. As Xander turned he bumped into someone. Looking up he saw a very large man, Xander took a few steps back before standing his ground. He was tired of running. Besides'. What did he have to live for?

"If it isn't a little snack." The large man said to Xander who raised his eyebrows.

"Um. Dude. I'm not like that." The man growled and his face seemed to change. Ridges appeared on his forehead and his eyes seemed to slant a little more. Xander took another step back before shaking his head.

"I didn't think you could get uglier." The vampire sneered and let out a growl. The growl soon turned into a howl of pain as Xander's size eleven shoe connected with the vamps groin. Before the vamps yell ended Xander was on the move. He turned quickly and ran like hell. Xander was fast. Years of running from his drunken father had turned his young legs into pure muscle. But Xander didn't have a doubt in his mind. The thing behind him was going to catch him. Xander was smaller. But the large 'man' was faster. Xander didn't know how. He really didn't care how. He was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. Hell he was still a virgin! Xander was tackled from behind and both he and the man fell to the ground.

"Get off me you sick bastard!" Xander screamed as he turned to lay on his back. He hit the thing above him as hard as he could in the throat. Nothing. Xander hit it again and again that is until the vamp became bored and hit Xander in the face. Xander heard his nose break, he couldn't feel it. Yet. The last thing Xander saw before he blacked out was a tall dark haired man shove a wooden stake into the man on top of hims chest.

~~~~~~~~~

Xander awoke with a groan. He was sore. His nose hurt, his head hurt. Hell it hurt to breath. Xander sat up and turned to survey the room. He noticed the man who had saved him sitting on a couch by a fire place. Xander stood shakily and walked over to the couch sitting beside the young man.

"It was a vampire wasn't it?" Angel looked at Xander in slight shock before nodding. Xander noticed the windows were boarded up and it didn't take much to put two and two together.

"Your one to huh?" Angel again looked at Xander in shock before nodding.

"You should be going home." Xander shook his head no at Angel's statement. He needed to know more.

"Tell me." Angel looked in thought for several seconds before he began talking.

"Vampire's and demons are real. Vampires are soulless demons inhabiting dead bodies. The kill. The need blood to survive. And they enjoy it." Xander was getting a little nervous.

"Now is when you tell me your the exception to the rules." Angel actually smiled. Be it slightly before nodding.

"I have a soul." Xander looked at him for a few seconds in silence.

"Teach me." Angels' head flew around to stare at the young man.

"What? No." Xander looked him in the eyes and spoke in an even tone. His calm visage was suprising even to himself.

"I can't just pretend they don't exist. So either you help me or I do it on my own." Angel sat back on the couch wondering how he had gotten into this mess before he finally spoke again.

"Your only human kid." Xander let the kid part slide as he looked down. He looked back up a second later.

"That gives me more of a right to fight then you have." Angel sighed. The kid was right. And Angel knew that he wasn't joking, the kid would go off by himself and get killed. Finally Angel sighed.

"We start tomorrow night. Get some sleep. You can stay here if you want." Xander nodded and moved back over to the cot he woke up on. To his suprise it didn't take long for him to go to sleep.

Thats part one. I'm going to go through Xander's training in the next few parts. No Willow or Jesse for awhile. And expect something big to go down BEFORE Buffy gets to town.