Giles felt as though he had been physically struck. His greatest fear was that Buffy or one of her friends would die. Now he was being told that his fear was on the verge of coming true. He saw that Angel was no better. He was sure that his demonic visage was just barely being held back.

"Spike kills Buffy and Willow?" Angel asked.

"I wish it was that simple." Alex returned, a pained look coming over his face. "But Spike is, as you later put it, 'an abomination even to other vampires'. He wasn't satisfied with just killing them."

Alex had to stop talking, the look of emotional torment on his face was overwhelming.

"What?" Giles asked, trying to be gentle but at the same time needing to know. "What did...will Spike do?"

Alex looked at Giles with an expression that made the watcher want to cry out in sympathy.

"He turned them into vampires."

Giles had to get up and turn his back on Alex. This was too much.

(Not just my greatest fear, but Buffy's as well.) Angel finally lost it. his full vampiric nature coming to the surface.

"I'll kill him." He raged. "I'll find the bastard and I'll make him regret ever meeting Drusilla."

"I sure the hell hope so." Said Alex.

Giles turned back toward Alex, feeling as though he would burst into tears at any moment.

"Did...Did we slay them?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Not we Giles. Me. You were in the hospital and Angel was out of commission."

"Out of commission?" Asked Angel "How?"

"As you explained it to me, when a vampire takes a lot of damage it goes into a kind of hibernation to heal. At least that's would you said happened."

Angel nodded in agreement to that statement. "And only you were left?" The vampire inquired.

"I was roughed up a bit, but that's all. Spike didn't consider me a threat so he left me alone."

"And you went after them? Buffy and Willow?" Giles asked.

"I had too. They were on a rampage. Each one killed their own parents.

Then they killed Ms. Calendar, Principal Synder, and God knows how many students here. They damn near killed me twice."

Giles wanted to ask more questions, but stopped himself. Reliving the memoirs was obviously taking a toll on Alex. He was sitting with his face buried in his hands.

The silence in the room was more than Angel could take. "So what do you want us to do?" He asked.

Alex looked up at the two. He, like Giles looked like he might burst into tears at any time.

"I want Giles to keep an eye on the girls while you and I look for Spike. If we don't find him by Saturday, then we think up some excuse to keep them under wraps until we do."

"Couldn't we tell them who you are and why you're here?" Angel asked.

"We discussed that before I came here."

"We?" Inquired Giles.

"The three of us. You don't think I deciphered the ritual do you? You and Angel are the ones who sent me back here. We figured that Buffy and Willow's reactions might not be the ones we want. Remember how Buffy acted the last time we told her she was destined to die. So we decided against it. besides can you imagine my reaction to meeting myself?"

"Ah, yes I see your point." Said the Watcher. "Well I suppose I can make up some nonsense involving prophecies and alignment of stars that I can use to cover whatever we decide to do.

"Great, so when do we get started?" Asked Angel.

"Tonight, right now." Said Alex. "I don't want to give that bastard another second."

_____________________________________________________________

Giles sat alone in the library after Alex and Angel had left. There was so much to think about. Alex had disturbed him, not just because of his news, or the fact that he was a future version of Xander. No, how the man acted was also unsettling. his behavior had suggested that he was suffering from some psychological problem, most likely post-traumatic stress. It hurt for him to think that such a bright and vibrant boy like Xander would turn into that dark and pain filled man. He had to wonder what he was like in the future. If the events to come had remade Xander so much, what had the effects on him been. Alex had mentioned that one of Buffy and Willow's victims had been... would be Jenny. That meant that he was going to lose the three most important women in his life.

(No, it doesn't) he thought. (It means it could happen, but I know about it now. I can fight it, and I will.)

He got up and went to the phone in his office.

(Dear God I hope this works.) He thought as he dialed.

"Hello?" Said Ms. Calendar on the other end.

"Jenny. Oh good, I caught you at home."

"Hello Rupert. I hope that this call means you've decided to share the contents of that letter with me."

"Yes.. the letter.. Well it is connected. The letter.. well it relates to some odd prophecies, and I need your help."

"Now that sounds promising. what do you need?"

"I need for you to search of signs of significant supernatural occurences outside of Sunnydale." He said.

"Outside of Sunnydale?" she asked. "That sounds odd."

"Yes I know. But never the less that is what we need to look for."

"All right Rupert, I'll look. Why don't you come by my office tomorrow and we can look over the results."

"Yes, I'll be there."

"Good. It's a date then. bye now."

As Giles hung up he felt hopeful.

(I think I can pull this off. Hopefully Angel and Alex can pull off their part.)

_________________________________________________