Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue....PLEASE!!!!! I have nothing, well except the mints in my pocket but they're kinda fuzzy and fluffy so you wouldn't want them......right? Yes I did just copy this from the first chapter but hey, gimme a break all right?

Pairings: Xander/Anya, Xander/???,

*Yadda, yadda, yadda* = Thoughts (+ Dreams)

*Yadda, yadda, yadda* = Flashbacks

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Deep Down

Tara glanced down at the girl in her arms and couldn't decide whether she was annoyed or relieved that Dawn was asleep. To be honest Tara was desperate to find out what was wrong with Dawn and help her fend off her demons (so to speak), but the best thing for her at the moment probably was sleep.

"Why won't you talk to us Dawnie?", Tara murmured softly under her breath before gently laying the girl onto her bed and getting up to head downstairs, casting a final, concerned look back at Dawn just to be sure that she was all right. Sighing, Tara quickly descended the stairs, her mind in turmoil and her body exhausted.

"Hey Buff, looks like Faith rubbed off on you more than you thought", Xander wise cracked as he and the slayer crumpled onto two of the chairs at the edge of the dance floor, "Didn't know you could dance as...sexily as that".

"Down boy", Buffy smirked, Xander returned it with an exaggerated wiggle of his eyebrows before his face slid into a more serious expression, not often seen on the joker's face. Buffy sat up, a little concerned at the depth of emotion she could read in Xander's eyes.

"What's up Xand?", she asked gently, reaching out and squeezing her friend's hand. Xander sighed and licked his lips nervously.

"Is it wrong to be in love with two people at once...is it even possible?", he asked, his eye twitching slightly, a sure sign of his nervousness.

"Well...it's obviously possible...I mean you are...right? And uh...well it's not right...but it's not wrong...hard to explain", Buffy trailed off into silence for a few seconds before regaining her tongue, "It's just something that happens, I mean...I've always been in love with Angel but it doens't mean I can't be in love with other...guys at the same time". She noticed the angry flinch at the mention of Angel's name and hurried to try and divert the conversation. The matter was taken out of her hands as a grubby, flustered and down right annoyed Anya stormed back into the Bronze. She scanned the room, blatantly ignoring the odd glances she was receiving, before spotting Xander and Buffy and stomping over to them.

"Buffy...", Anya started dramatically.

"Anya...", Buffy smirked, awaiting a barrage of whining or insults from everyone's favourite ex-demon.

"Ok...explain this to me, is this like, another human thing that I don't understand?", Anya demanded, Buffy sighed and stood up.

"Well I may be able to tell you if you tell me what you're babbling about", Buffy asked, there was only one person's inane babbling she could put up with.

"You mean I didn't tell you? This stuff is driving me mad!", Anya stomped one foot in a sudden temper tantrum and glared at anyone who stared at her.

"Tell Buffy what's wrong An', we can't help you otherwise", Xander sighed, getting more than a little annoyed with his 'girlfriend'.

"I was getting to that part honey, don't interrupt me", Anya replied, "As I was going to say there's some big, ugly, freaky monster out there pounding on this guy in the street, and then he started on me, I wanna know how come it's me that gets pounded when you're the one who goes around killing all of its friends?". Buffy was up and halfways across the Bronze dance floor by the time Anya had finished her ranting.

"Just great, now I'm going to be awake all night trying to figure it out", there was a short silence, "As I'm going to be awake anyway do you want to go home and have mind blowing sex in the shower?". Xander choked on air as a few people turned around to stare at them, not even bothering to be subtle anymore.

"Yeah...why not?", he replied, blushing crimson. Anya sighed happily and pulled him to his feet before dragging him away with a range of catcalls and remarks following them.

"Okay big, ugly, freaky monster guy, where are you?", Buffy muttered to herself as she patrolled the alleyways behind The Bronze. She slowly turned the corner, her slayer sixth sense going crazy for some reason and tingles shooting up her spine. Squinting into the darkness she spotted someone lain on the floor, surrounded by a liquid that appeared to be glowing...or maybe it was water reflecting the bad street lights, she couldn't be sure. She carefully approached the body, rightly suspicious that this was going to turn out being a trap laid by some smart ass demon who thought cockiness made him a god.

"Bunch of egotistic morons", Buffy muttered, subconsciously tapping her stake off of her hand. She crouched down beside the body and rolled it onto it's back to have a better look at it. He was middle aged, with pale, creased skin and wide, blue-grey eyes filled with dread. His clothes had been torn from his body and his skin ravaged in a vicious flurry of attacks, the blood trickled down onto the alley way floor and stained everything it touched red.

"Shit", Buffy cursed, if only she'd gotten here quicker, got Anya to talk faster, then this wouldn't have happened. She hung her head and sighed, not even noticing the person slowly walking up behind her until they reached down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She spun around and caught the person by the shoulders, jumping up and slamming them hard against the alleyway wall, suddenly her head caught up with her slayer instincts and she realized that the trembling individual in her hands was actually a very pale and shaken Willow Rosenburg.

"Nice to see you too Buffy", Willow whispered, Buffy sighed in relief before pulling Willow into her arms and hugging her tightly.

"Don't do that", Buffy whispered, not too sure why she was so keen to hold onto Willow but not pulling away either.

"Not too keen on trying it myself either", Willow replied, "So what's up Buff? There bad stuff coming?". Buffy stepped back out of Willow's arms.

"Yep, big, ugly, freaky guy killed the poor guy behind me", she replied, tucking her hands into her pockets. Willow glanced at the body briefly before looking back at Buffy.

"Big...ugly...freaky guy?", she asked, raising an eyebrow. Buffy shrugged nonchalantly.

"Anya's description not mine", she replied, "Come on we better go see the G-Man, where are Xand and Anya?". Willow laughed suddenly whilst going the same colour as her hair.

"They went home to have mind blowing sex in the shower, as Anya gladly informed the entire Bronze", she mumbled, still a little flushed.

"You were in the Bronze?", Buffy asked, she furrowed her brow and thought back to the Bronze, she hadn't sensed her friend. Willow nodded as they continued walking in silence. Buffy shot her a concerned look before gently looping her arm through Willow's.

"What's up Will? You're not usually this miserable", she asked, Willow sighed and lowered her eyes.

"Me and Tara had a fight", she mumbled, "It's nothing serious, just a slight tiff". Buffy rolled her eyes and pulled her arm back to wrap it around Willow's waist.

"If it's upsetting you, it's serious", she replied, Willow opened her mouth to reply but they were interrupted by a thud on the floor behind her, both girls spun around, Buffy in fighting stance. In front of them was a lumbering, dark figure with a grungy mass of long black hair covering his shoulders.

"Big, ugly, freaky guy I'm presuming", Willow said softly.

Well there you go, the next chapter. I really am having trouble to get this flowing so throw any decent ideas my way! I may remodel this chapter.

Review guys! Makes me happy, gotta be a good thing!