A small crowd of people pushing their way into the office forced Xander to get his mind back on business. He pulled up the reservations on the computer while Harry filled out the registration cards and handed out keys.

And they kept coming. Soon every cabin, suite and room was full. They didn't do anything obvious, but Xander knew without a doubt that they weren't human. He stayed calm, but it wasn't easy. Having all of these people show up on the same day as the Hellmouth chose him to be Guardian was too weird to be a coincidence.

Harry got everyone settled into their rooms and met Xander back in the office. He shut the door and pulled the younger man into the apartment. "Xander, I want you to stay here. Don't leave the apartment for any reason. I don't like this. Some of those vampires are members of the Council. They obviously know that something is going on with the Hellmouth. I'm not sure how, but I don't like it."

Xander's knees gave and he fell on the couch. "Do they know I was the one chosen?"

Harry shook his head, "No. And since you were working with me in the office, I'm sure they don't even suspect you. A Hellmouth Guardian wouldn't be working at a hotel."

Harry sat on the coffee table and looked Xander in the eye. "Have you made a decision yet? We're running out of time."

Xander gave his boss and new friend a weak smile. "I don't see how I can say no. What do we need to do?"

Harry sighed in relief and hugged Xander for a moment. "We'll go to the island first thing in the morning. Once you accept the Guardianship, you'll be safe. They won't be able to touch you."

"Why don't we do it now? Before I have a chance to change my mind." Xander said, his voice a little shaky.

Harry shook his head, "I'd rather wait. There are too many vampires running around and I'd prefer they didn't find out what we're up to until it was too late for them to do anything."

Harry heard the bell over the door ring and sighed. "Now what? Stay here, Xander. I'll be back in a minute." Harry walked into the office and found two vampires waiting for him there.

The taller one smirked at him, "Warden. The Council requests your presence."

Harry shook his head. "Get lost. I don't answer to the Council."

Both the vamps laughed at him, "Everyone answers to the Council. Besides, your wife is already there waiting for you."

Harry went pale and stepped around the counter. He grabbed the vampire by the throat and pushed him against the wall, "What have you done with her?"

The vamp tried to push him off, but the human was a lot stronger than he looked. The smaller of the pair grabbed Harry by the arm. "Nothing. Yet. You have to come with us now."

Harry glared at the two of them, and then called out. "Xander. Come here please."

Xander stepped out of the apartment; he'd heard the whole thing. "Harry?" Xander said quietly.

"Xander, take care that problem for me will you? I don't think it can wait til morning. I'll be back later." Harry glanced over at the boathouse and then back at Xander.

Xander nodded. "Sure, Harry. No problem."

The vampires led Harry away and Xander waited for a few moments before running for the dock. He found the keys to the boat and jumped on board. He released the mooring lines and headed across the lake as fast as he could.

Xander bumped the hull against the dock and tied off one line. He ran to the gazebo, occasionally slipping on the loose gravel. He fell to his knees at the edge of the Hellmouth. Panting for breath he said, "I agree. I want to be your Guardian."

The Hellmouth swirled, "Guardian, thank you."

"Yeah, you're welcome. But we have a problem. The Vampire Council is here and they have Harry and his wife Cheryl. We have to save them."

The floor of the gazebo shook and the Hellmouth's voice ripped through the night. "They dare to threaten the Warden? They shall be punished for such impertinence."

Xander nodded, "Good idea, but what do we do?"

The Hellmouth laughed, "The one thing they would least expect."

**********

The vampires led Harry into the conference room at the hotel. The room was full of vampires and were-creatures. He could see Cheryl sitting on the floor in the middle of the room. She was surrounded by a group of people, strange people. They paced nervously, never staying still for a moment and their eyes darted rapidly around the room. Harry cursed when he heard them giggling. "Were-hyenas. Son of a bitch."

Were-hyenas were really hard to kill. They could shift forms faster than other were-animals and their jaws could bite through bone in a second. There was no way he could get to his wife before they killed her.

Harry glared at the vampires sitting at the far end of the room. He recognized Padma and Belle Morte, two of the most powerful vampires in the world. He guessed that the third one was the Traveler. This was not good.

"What is the meaning of this? Why has the Council come here?" Harry asked rudely.

Belle Morte frowned at him. "You dare to speak to us in that tone?"

"I'm the Warden of the Hellmouth. I don't answer to you. I answer only to the Hellmouth. What do you want here?"

Padma laughed, "We want the new guardian, what else? Tell us where he is and you and your lovely wife are free to go. Of course, if you don't tell us, my pets are hungry. I'm sure she'd do as a snack."

Cheryl turned pale but didn't cry. She looked Harry in the eye and smiled weakly.

Harry smiled back and then glared at the Council. "There is no Guardian. And killing my wife won't make one appear any faster. If you kill her, you'd better kill me too or I'll make sure the new Guardian's first act will be to destroy you. And killing me will make the Hellmouth shutdown. Permanently."

The Traveler smiled, "Come now, there is no need for this to be painful. We know that the other Guardians have left their temples. We merely want to greet the new Guardian and get to know him."

Harry folded his arms across his chest. "There is no Guardian."

Padma waved his hand at the group of people surrounding Cheryl. They slipped out of their clothes and shifted into their were-forms so rapidly no one really saw the transition. They began circling Cheryl, coming closer with each pass. Harry heard a commotion at the rear of the room and turned to see a small, dark haired woman pull a large gun out of a shoulder holster. She pushed the vampire standing beside her. "I'm not just going to stand here and watch that woman be slaughtered Jean-Claude. You know I can't do that."

Jean-Claude tried to reason with her, "Anita, please. They haven't hurt her. They're merely trying to scare her. Please, don't turn this into a blood bath."

Belle Morte's voice rang out. "Seal the circle." The vampires leaning against the wall formed a ring around the center of the room. "Jean-Claude, if you can not control your servant, then you can not control your city. We will deal with you and your position later. But for now, only servants of Master Vampires may enter the circle. Come, Executioner, entertain us."

Anita pushed her way through the ring of vampires and took aim on the were-hyena closest to the woman on the floor. Four other servants entered the ring and stood waiting quietly. Belle Morte smiled, "These are the rules, if Jean-Claude's servant Anita can save the woman, Jean-Claude retains control of his city. If she fails, she dies and the city of Saint Louis will be given a new Master. My servants will, of course, ensure that she has no chance of winning."

Xander burst into the room just in time to hear the 'rules.' He pushed his way into the ring and was immediately grabbed by one of the servants. Two other hands settled on his shoulders and a wave of dizziness hit him hard. Only the people holding him kept him from sliding to the floor. A deep voice snarled at the man holding his arm. "He is my servant. You will not touch him."

The servant backed off quickly and Xander turned his head to see the blue eyed man, obviously a vampire, that had been staring at him in the office. The vampire smiled at him, "I am Asher."

Xander nodded, "I'm Xander."

Belle Morte's smooth voice rang out. "Asher, what have you done? I did not give you permission to take a servant. You would dare to prevent my servants from performing their duty to me?"

Asher looked at his Sire and smiled coldly. "You made me, but I no longer answer to you as Sire. I haven't in a very long time. I believe you said that you wanted nothing to do with me since I was too hideous to be seen in your presence."

Belle Morte's perfect face hardened for an instant, but then her features smoothed out. Turning her impossibly violet eyes to Xander, she gestured for him to come closer. Xander stepped around the were-hyenas and stopped in front of the chair she was sitting in. "Come child, wouldn't you rather be my servant? I can do so much more for you than Asher can."

Xander shook his head, "Thanks, but no thanks."

Belle smiled and Xander could feel a slight tug on his mind, "Don't you find me beautiful?"

Xander took a step back, "Yeah, you're gorgeous. Perfect in fact. But you smell like a three day old corpse."

Padma and the Traveler both laughed while Belle hissed in rage. "Very well, child. Stay with that scarred freak for the rest of your life, which won't be very long."

Xander moved to Harry's side and whispered, "As soon as I tell you, get Cheryl and get out of here."

"Xander, what are you going to do?" Harry asked under his breath.

Xander actually giggled. "We have a plan." Then he walked over to the dark haired woman with the really big gun. "Hi. I'm Xander. It seems like we're on the same side."

She never took her eyes off her target. "I'm Anita. I don't suppose you know how to use a gun?"

"Actually, I do. But I don't think I'm going to need one. Can you keep the other servants off of me?"

"Yes. What do you have in mind?" Anita asked.

"I'll get the hyenas under control, after I do that, they'll be helping us." Xander stated calmly.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Anita asked as she moved to target one of the servants.

Xander shrugged. "Watch."

Xander strolled through the throng of were-hyenas like he was taking a walk in the park. They bumped against Xander's legs, but none of them even tried to bite him. One of Belle Morte's servants rushed the young man and Anita shot him in the hip. The servant dropped to the floor with a scream and three of the were-hyenas attacked. When the three blood spattered animals rejoined their pack only a decimated corpse remained.

Xander wrinkled his nose at the sight, "Eeewww. Principal Flutey all over again." Xander hopped over the body and was only a few feet away from Cheryl when Padma got into the game.

He smacked the young woman kneeling at his feet across the face. Her hands were tied behind her back and she couldn't catch herself. Her head bounced off the floor and she groaned. "Kill him!" Padma yelled. "Kill Asher's servant!"

The first were-hyena was on Xander before Anita had time to move. Xander didn't try to duck. He grabbed the hyena by the throat and snarled in its face. "Mimi ni Afriti Kikuto! Kwenu Mwenyeji!"

Xander dropped the were-hyena and it cowered at his feet. Xander's voice echoed throughout the room. "Fuata sheria! Mama dhibiti!" Xander pointed at Cheryl and Harry, "Dhibiti!"

The were-hyenas started giggling loudly and then made strange calls. It sounded like a 'oooh-WHUP!' Everyone in the room shuddered, that call reached deep inside their bodies and woke the most atavistic fears. Five of the largest animals fell into step with Xander and moved as a unit towards the members of the Council. Padma stood up, pulling the young woman up with him. He held her battered form in front of his body and wrapped one large hand around her throat. "Stay where you are or she dies!" Padma shouted.

Xander stopped moving and looked the young woman in the eye, "Mimi ni kaki. Kwenu kaki. Fuata Sheria." He said in a quiet voice.

The woman grinned and shifted in Padma's hand. Startled, he dropped her and she crawled forward to crouch at Xander's feet. Padma growled at the human defying him. "I am the Master of Beasts, all were-creatures are mine to call! Who are you to defy me?"

Xander just grinned, "I'm Afriti Mwenyeji, and the hyenas are mine to call, not yours. They never have been and never will be."

"We'll see about that." Padma leapt forward and grabbed Xander by the throat, "I'll call your beast and you'll have to obey me."

Xander laughed in his face. "Go for it, but you aren't going to like what you find." Xander leaned closer to Padma, so close there was no way the vampire could miss the darkness bleeding into his eyes and whispered, "Welcome to the Hellmouth."

Asher stepped out of the circle and made his way unsteadily to the wall. He leaned back against the cool surface and closed his eyes, trying to sort through the chaos echoing in his mind.

Power, raw power, danced and sang through his new human servant and by proxy, through him. Asher gulped in an unneeded breath as he realized that he'd marked the new Guardian of the Hellmouth. If he were lucky, he'd just be killed. But nothing was ever that easy, at least not for him. He was quite sure that the Hellmouth would enjoy torturing him for an eternity. His only hope for mercy was the fact that he'd only marked the boy in an effort to save his life. Not that he needed saving...there was nothing on this Earth that could harm him in any way. The Council didn't even rate as a minor annoyance for the Hellmouth, which was exactly why the Council wanted control over the Guardian so badly.

For all their power, their centuries of knowledge and their countless minions, the Council was helpless before a young man whose only gift was that immeasurable quality that made the Hellmouth choose him as its Guardian.

Asher opened his eyes when he heard the were-hyenas giggling. His life may be forfeit, but there was no way he was going to miss seeing the Council get what they so richly deserved.

**********

Xander pulled Padma's hand from around his throat and turned his head to look over his shoulder. His eyes found Harry, Cheryl and Anita in the center of the room, surrounded by the were-hyenas. Xander smiled at the way two of the were-hyenas leaned against Anita's legs and gazed adoringly up at her. "Hey, Harry! You and Cheryl should leave now. I'll catch up with you later." Xander smiled at Anita, the Hellmouth whispering in the back of his mind telling him the best way to get the Executioner out of the way without having to fight her. "Anita, would you go with them and make sure they're okay? Please?"

Anita shook her head; "I'm not going to leave you here alone, Xander. You have no idea what these people are capable of."

Xander sighed; sometimes it was really annoying when people treated him like he was helpless. "Anita, I was born and raised in Sunnydale, CA. I met the Master, helped send Angelus to Hell, have been possessed, twice. Then I blew up the entire school to prevent a demonic ascension. Not to mention the fact that my ex-girlfriend was Anyanka, the vengeance demon and my roommate was William the Bloody. Trust me, these guys aren't anything to worry about."

Anita's eyes got bigger and bigger as Xander told her about some of his life in Sunnydale, the very fact that he'd made it out of that cursed place said a lot for his survival skills. Anita nodded once, "I'll take care of your friends for you, but I really don't like leaving you here alone."

Xander reached down and put his hand on the head of the were-hyena sitting next to him. "I'm not alone. Anybody tries anything and these guys will have them for lunch." The were-hyena giggled insanely and licked its lips while it gazed hungrily at Padma.

Anita smirked and led the innkeeper and his wife towards the exit. "I see what you mean. We'll be outside, if you need help, yell. I'll coming running."

Xander turned his gaze back towards the Council, "Oh, I think they'll behave themselves."

As soon as he heard the door close behind them, Xander sealed it with a thought. None of the monsters in this room could harm him, and while Anita was feared far and wide as the Executioner, he wasn't willing to take any chances with her life. Or with Harry and Cheryl.

Xander crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the three vampires. "You wanted to meet the Guardian, well, here I am. What do you want?"

It wasn't actually possible for Belle Morte to turn pale, but she gave it a good try. "That's impossible! The other Guardians haven't arrived yet. There is no way the bonding ceremony could have been completed without them!"

Xander shrugged, "The Hellmouth asked, I said yes. That's all there is to it. No bonding ceremony required."

Xander kept up his nonchalant attitude, but inside he was scared to death. He didn't want to face down the Council, all he wanted to do was go somewhere quiet and puke.

The Hellmouth felt the panic raging through its Guardian and tried to calm him. 'Guardian...Xander, calm yourself. They cannot hurt you. We will not allow it. Just do as we say and all will be well.'

'I'm trying. Forgive me for being a little nervous. I've never been locked in a room full of pissed off vampires and were-wolves before.' Xander thought sarcastically.

'Just do what we tell you. All will be well. Now, sit down.'

'On what?'

'Just sit. We will take care of the rest.'

Xander swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth and felt his stomach roll. He took a shallow breath, hoping his stomach would stay where it belonged, and sat down.

Padma growled when the so-called Guardian sat down in mid-air as if he were taking a throne. The boy squirmed a little to get comfortable and threw his leg over a non-existent chair arm. One lightly tanned arm extended and a gold goblet appeared in his long fingered hand. The Guardian took a drink and tossed the goblet into the air where it vanished as if it had never been there.

Belle rose from her chair and approached the young man while pushing her power of illusion to its limits. What had been perfection became something unworldly. Golden blonde hair cascaded over milk white shoulders in artful ringlets while violet eyes shadowed by lush black lashes opened wide and took on an expression of hopeful innocence. Every male animal in the room stood straighter and took notice.

Except for the Guardian, he slumped in his invisible throne and smirked at the vampire. "Nice try, Blondie. But it won't work. You still stink and the illusions won't work on me. I see what you really look like, and it ain't pretty. In fact, you're nasty looking."

'Xander, show them. Show them what she really is.'

'How?' Xander questioned.

Images and instructions flowed into Xander's mind and he laughed. 'Good one.' Xander waved his hand in a circle in front of Belle Morte and then snapped his fingers. An immense black mirror filled with mist formed in the air. The mist swirled and eddied before it cleared. Belle's reflection was as flawless as she appeared in person.

But then the reflection changed. Belle's features began to sag and her hair turned a mousy brown. Lines and wrinkles covered her suddenly gray skin, skin that became covered with oozing pustules.

The men how had been panting after her just moments before, now turned away, sickened by what they saw. The smell of decay filled the room and several people gagged at the stench.

Belle Morte, Beautiful Death herself, screamed in horror at her own reflection. She turned away in disgust and saw the Guardian pinching his nose closed.

"Wow. You're making my eyes water over here. Ever heard of deodorant?" Xander said in a nasal voice.

Belle screamed and leapt for his throat, hands extended. Xander sat up and threw his hand up in front of the swiftly moving vampire, freezing her in her tracks.

'Xander, we must make an example of these who would threaten us. It is time that the world learns what we are and what we are truly capable of.' The Hellmouth's mind voice was implacable.

'What do you want me to do?'

'We will not destroy them, they will live for eternity, but they will live without that which they treasure the most.'

'Got it.'

The Guardian glared at the other members of the Council. "What you tried to do here today is forbidden. The Hellmouth will not be controlled. Not by you and not by me. I am the Guardian, I guard and act as a voice for the Hellmouth, we are bound together for all time. What threatens us will be destroyed."

The room erupted in angry shouts and Xander folded his hands in front of his face and waited patiently for the noise to die down. Once the voices had died down to a few murmurs, he continued.

"Because the Vampire Council is so important in the general scheme of things, the Hellmouth has decided to be merciful and spare your lives, such as they are. But...you will be punished."

"Belle Morte, from this moment onward, you will no longer be able to use illusions to hide what you truly are." The vampire dropped to her knees and covered her face with her shriveled hands. The middle-aged man that had been standing behind her chair ran to her side and hugged her tightly. "I still love you, I will always love you. No matter what."

Xander felt his stomach clench, 'Do we have to leave her like that? Can't we just take her power away?'

The Hellmouth sighed in Xander's mind. 'Very well, Xander. We will have pity on her.'

Xander crossed the floor and crouched down next to the couple on the floor. "Because one person loves you, even without your illusions, the Hellmouth has decided to be merciful." Xander put his hand on her brittle hair and closed his eyes. When he pulled his hand away, Belle had been transformed. She was no longer stunningly beautiful, but she was no longer hideous either. Xander stared into plain, blue eyes. "On the day you learn to be as beautiful on the inside as you were on the outside, the curse will be lifted. Now go."

Belle's servant helped her to her feet and led her to the other side of the room, away from curious eyes. Xander then turned his judgmental eyes onto the Traveler.

"And as for you, Traveler, what you do is nothing more than rape. No more." There was a wail and the vampire who had been possessed by the Traveler collapsed when the spirit controlling him was forced to leave his body. "If you want to inhabit a body, Traveler, you must ask, and be given permission freely. Permission may not coerced. That is the Hellmouth's judgment."

Xander returned to his invisible throne and smirked at the remaining Council member. "And as for you, Monkey Boy, you will never, ever, call any were and force them to serve you." Xander waved his hand and removed the seals on the doors. "Now, get out of our sight and never return."

Padma turned to Thomas, the were-tiger he controlled and snarled, "Kill him!"

Thomas grabbed the collar that Padma had locked around his throat so many years before and snapped it. He dropped the pieces on the floor saying, "Do it yourself." Thomas walked away from his former master and never looked back.

"Get back here!" Padma screamed. "Obey me! I am the Beast Master! You must obey me!"

"It appears that we are not needed after all."

Xander turned to see who was talking and saw two men standing just inside the doors. One was Chinese and the other appeared to be Egyptian. Power literally flowed from them.

The two men bowed in Xander's direction, "Greetings, Brother."

Xander bowed back clumsily, "Uh, hi."

Harry stood outside the gazebo, watching the three Guardians become better acquainted. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but it looked like they were getting along well, or playing nice as Anita put it.

Harry had to smile as he thought about the diminutive woman known as the Executioner...she wasn't nearly as terrifying as he'd imagined she'd be. She was actually quite nice, but he still wouldn't want to get on her bad side. The sheer determination locked in that tiny frame was formidable. Even the elder Guardians backed down when she and Cheryl insisted that everyone get some food and some sleep before heading over to the island. Harry grabbed one of the chairs scattered around the courtyard and got comfortable, it looked like Xander and the others would be busy for quite a while yet.

Xander was making small talk, trying to delay the inevitable questions, but Ling Si refused to be put off.

"Xander, please, we need to talk about what you've done and how you've done it. This could be very important." The Chinese man said firmly.

The Egyptian just smiled, "Ling Si, do not push the boy, he is new to this." Turning to Xander he said, "We know that you were using the power of the Hellmouth, but we also know that you haven't bonded with it yet, at least not completely. If you had, you wouldn't have been in any shape to take on the Council last evening. I, myself, spent almost a month trying to adjust to the power flow."

Xander turned a little pale and both men reached out to him. "Xander, you have done nothing wrong, nor are you in any kind of trouble. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression." Ling Si shrugged, "I'm sorry, but I do not spend much time getting to know strangers, I'm afraid my social skills leave something to be desired."

The Egyptian laughed, "Well said, Ling Si. I, too, find myself flustered when I must interact with outsiders. But Xander, while you may not be well known to us, you are not an outsider. We, the three of us, are unique in all the world. Brothers in a common cause if you will. We just want to make sure that nothing goes wrong with the transfer of power. Please, let us help you."

Xander looked down into the Hellmouth, "Well, you're being awfully quiet, do you want to tell them? Or should I?"

Ling Si's eyebrows arched up in surprise. "You talk to it?"

Xander darted a confused glance at him, "Uh, yeah. Don't you talk to yours?"

"No, all I get are feelings, but it never speaks. Egypt, how about you? Does yours talk?"

"It hasn't yet. Are you saying that your Hellmouth actually speaks to you, Xander?"

Xander shrugged, "The first time I came in here it talked to me, then it told Harry that it wanted me for its Guardian." Looking back down at what appeared to be a black mirror in the floor Xander said, "Hey, you're embarrassing me here, these guys are going to think I'm crazy if you don't speak up."

"What do you wish me to say to them, Xander?"

The elder Guardians looked at each other in amazement as Xander said, "Could you tell them what we did and why? I mean, I know what we did and why we did it, but I'm not sure if I can explain it to them."

Ling Si actually giggled with the Hellmouth sighed, then clamped both his hands over his mouth, trying to maintain the pretense of solemn dignity. The Hellmouth just sighed again. "Very well, I will explain it to them."

"I knew Xander would need time to adjust to our bond, but time was something we did not have the luxury of. The Warden was in danger and the Council was trying to get its hands on the one I had chosen for Guardian. Xander allowed me to work through him to further our cause. That way he could be protected, but still be able to function. Now that the Council has been taken care of, we shall complete the bond."

"Tell them the rest of it." Xander said forcibly. "They might be able to help me. Even you said you weren't sure what would happen."

"Xander will not only be bonding with me, but he will also bond with the Other, the wounded one. With his help, the Other will be able to heal itself and will no longer be a danger."

Ling Si looked concerned, "Thank you for explaining it to us, we may indeed be able to help you with this." Looking up at Xander he said, "This will not be pleasant for you I'm afraid. If you link with the Other, you will feel its pain until you are able to heal it. I'm sure this one will help, but I'm not sure if you will be able to handle the strain."

Seeing the look on Xander's face, the Egyptian hastened to reassure the young man. "We're not saying that we think you are not a good choice for Guardian, but when I first accepted the bond, it was a staggering experience. The sheer amount of power involved is indescribable. And bonding with two at the same time? And one of the wounded?" The Egyptian grew quiet and thought carefully about what he and Ling Si could do to aid the newest member of their fraternity.

"Ling Si, do you think we could ask our Hellmouths to aid us in this? We both know that the Other has been a cause for great concern for both of them."

The Chinese man nodded thoughtfully, "Yes, that might work. If the three of us worked together...we two could help filter the power surge while Xander worked on healing the Other. But there is no time to travel back to our temples."

"I can link you to your bonds."

"You can?" The Egyptian asked incredulously.

"Yes. We are all connected at the most primitive level. Yours, the Elders, asked me personally to share my link to Xander with the Other. Its pain is causing them great distress."

"Do you think mine will actually speak to me now?" Ling Si asked quietly.

"Yes. They have been wanting to, but the Wardens that were their caretakers refused to speak with them, they had thought you would feel the same, so they stayed silent."

The Egyptian clapped Xander on the shoulder, "It was a good day when you were chosen, Xander. Being able to actually communicate will make things infinitely easier on everyone. Come now, let us go partake of some of the food that your Warden and his charming wife have so kindly provided for us. Then tonight, you will complete your bond."

Xander followed the two men out of the gazebo and finally asked the question that had been bugging him since he'd first learned of the Egyptian Guardian. "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude, but can I ask what your name is?"

The Egyptian looked at him in surprise, "It has been centuries since anyone actually thought that I may have a name other than Guardian. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier."

Ling Si smacked him on the shoulder, "I have know you for an incredibly long time, Egypt, and never once have you offered me your name."

"You never asked. Besides, the Warden that I took over for thought it would be better to keep my name a secret, he didn't want a war to start because of my being chosen."

"Yes, yes." Ling Si said impatiently, "But what is your name?"

"Tutankhamen. I was a Pharaoh of Egypt a very long time ago. That is until I was chosen to be Guardian."

Xander stared at the aristocratic features and wondered why he'd never guessed that this was King Tut. "Wow. You're like, famous. Really famous. Do you miss being king?"

Tutankhamen laughed, "No. Not in the least. Being Pharaoh was not a lot of fun. But then, politics rarely are. If I hadn't been chosen, I probably would have been assassinated by one of my siblings."

"But, who was buried in your tomb? And what about the curse?" Xander asked avidly.

Tut's face grew dark, "My friend, Achep. We had grown up together. My priests were angry that I accepted the Guardianship, so they killed Achep and buried him in my place."

Ling Si squeezed Tut's shoulder in sympathy, he, too, had lost friends and loved ones.

Xander shook his head, "That sucks. I hope you got even with them for that."

Tut's smile was slightly chilling, "Have you ever seen that movie? The Mummy?"

"Oooohhh, yeah. That was creepy, but really cool...You didn't." From the smirk on Tut's face, Xander knew he had. "Oh man."

Ling Si looked at both men, not understanding the reference. "The Mummy? Movie? You go to movies? What happened? What are you talking about?"

Xander laughed, "I saw the video in the store. As soon as we get a chance, we'll watch it. Trust me, you're going to enjoy the hell out of it. Come on, let's eat. I'm starving."

Xander looked at the two men crouching next to him, one on either side, "You guys ready for this?"

Both nodded and each placed one hand on the shoulder nearest them. "Okay, let's do this."

Xander took a deep breath and shoved both hands into the swirling mass that was the Hellmouth. He shuddered when he felt the power flowing up his arms and bleeding into the two men next to him.

***

Ling Si felt the almost familiar presence of a Hellmouth reaching into his mind, it wasn't his, but it was close enough to be disturbing.

Guardian, Ling Si, follow.

Ling Si saw a path in his mind's eye, there was a presence on the path before him, leading the way. They began to move, faster and faster, until the path blurred under his feet. Sooner than he thought possible, he was standing in his temple, his own Hellmouth before him. 'How is this possible?' He asked the presence in his mind.

You see what your mind wants you to see, Guardian. You may speak, it will hear you.

'Can you hear me?' Ling Si sent silently.

There was the feeling of shocked surprise that quickly turned into a feeling of contentment. 'Greetings, Guardian. How may I assist you?'

'I seek to aid the new Hellmouth and the Other bond with the new Guardian, will you assist me?'

'Forever, Guardian.'

'When I return, may we speak? I had not known this was possible until this Hellmouth spoke to it's Guardian.'

'I had thought you were displeased with me, Guardian, I am pleased that is not so. Return quickly, Guardian. We have much to discuss.'

Ling Si felt Xander's Hellmouth dragging him back to his body, but he was eager to go, the sooner they finished, the sooner he could return home.

***

Tut actively reached out with his mind, eager to connect with his Hellmouth. That familiar presence had been a part of his life for so long that when it was absent it seemed that part of himself were missing.

Guardian, Tutankhamen, follow.

Tut easily kept pace with the presence he felt in his mind, not the least surprised when a vision of his temple in Egypt appeared before him. He knelt at the edge of his Hellmouth. 'Hello, my old friend.'

'Guardian, Tutankhamen, greetings. How may I serve?'

'Not serve, never serve, but I do ask for your aid in assisting the new Guardian to bond with his Hellmouth and the Other.'

The presence of his Hellmouth was almost a caress in his mind when it replied, 'Of course, Guardian.'

***

Harry knocked on the door of cabin number five, and waiting impatiently for someone to answer. He was about to knock again when the vampire he was looking for opened the door. "I need you to come with me please."

Asher nodded, he'd been expecting someone to come for him and it made sense that it would be the Warden. "I'm ready."

Harry cocked his head sideways, "Ready for what? Never mind, listen, Xander is getting ready to complete his bond with the Hellmouth and he's going to need help. The other Guardians are there, but there's only so much they can do. But since you marked him, you're the best option we have right now. Come on, they'll be starting soon."

Asher followed the Warden out to the dock, "If I may ask, best option for what? I thought he had already bonded with the Hellmouth."

Harry shook his head and pulled off the mooring lines. "No, what you saw before was the Hellmouth working through Xander. When a Guardian bonds, it usually takes awhile before he has any kind of control. And Xander's case is a little different. He's going to bond with the Hellmouth in Sunnydale too, we aren't really sure what's going to happen."

Asher would admit to being shocked, "The Hellmouth in Sunnydale is damaged. Why is he going to bond with it?"

Harry started the boat and pulled away from the dock, "Xander is from Sunnydale, and if he bonds with that Hellmouth, he'll be able to heal it. But no one has ever bonded with more than one Hellmouth and with one of them being so out of control...well, this could get ugly."

"What would you like me to do?" Asher asked.

"When a Guardian bonds with a Hellmouth what he's basically doing is filtering the power flow and keeping it from doing any damage. He has to be able to burn off that energy or he could burn out. Normally there'd be an entire temple full of people waiting to help, but nothing about this bonding has been normal. Ling Si thinks that because you marked him, you'll be able to handle more than most. And the fact that you're a vampire helps."

"How exactly do I help?" Asher asked curiously and was surprised when the Warden blushed. "Ah, I see. That won't be a problem, but there are others here who would be willing to help."

"Who?" Harry asked, knowing that the more people there were to handle the flow, the better.

"My companion Nathaniel would be willing, I'm sure. There is also the pack of were that Xander freed. They would do anything for him."

Harry grabbed his cell phone and called back to the main land, "Cheryl? Is Anita still with you? Anita? It's Harry. I need a favor."

***

Xander saw a growing crowd of people outside the gazebo, but he was too distracted to pay much attention. Ling Si and Tut stood on opposite sides of the Hellmouth and Xander could feel the power in the air building to a breaking point. Tut nodded once, Xander took a deep breath and stepped into the Hellmouth, then everything went black.

***

Buffy was doing a good job of keeping the demons busy while Giles and the witches worked on their spell, but when she saw a bunch of vamps running through the cemetery towards her, she knew they were in trouble. "Giles! You better hurry!"

"Five more minutes." Giles said, not looking up from the heavy leather tome he cradled in his hands.

"We don't have five minutes, Giles. We've got a minute, max!"

The sound of panic in his Slayer's voice was enough to get his attention. The Watcher looked up and saw the vampires heading their way, along with several different breeds of demons. "Dear Lord." He muttered, knowing that this may well be the end of the them all.

No one was more surprised than Buffy when the pack of demons and vampires split, ran around the group and kept going. The pack of demons Buffy had been fighting dropped their weapons and joined the fleeing mob. Buffy was a little put out that they had all run away. "What's that all about Giles?"

"I'm not sure, but they appear to be heading to towards the high school. I think we should follow them, that many demons heading for the Hellmouth all at the same time can't be good."

***

Spike was heading for Willie's when it happened. Someone was calling him, and he could no sooner ignore that call than he could ignore fresh blood. He found himself in the library at the old high school without really remembering how he'd gotten there. A mish-mash of demons and vampires stood huddled around the gaping wound in the floor, staring into the blackness. The call got stronger and Spike pushed his way through the throng until he could see what was happening.

***

Buffy and the others snuck into the library, but they needn't have bothered. No one was paying any attention to them, they were all focused on the Hellmouth.

Giles hissed through his teeth, "This can't be good. There are several demons here that have swore blood feud against each other and they aren't fighting. Can you see anything, Buffy?"

The Slayer shook her head, "No. Want me to get closer?" She didn't wait for a reply, but started pushing and shoving her way to the Hellmouth, Giles and the witches had no choice but to follow.

Buffy pulled Mr. Pointy out of her jacket when she saw Spike standing on the edge of the Hellmouth. None of the others were as close, Buffy just knew that the blonde vampire had something to do with this. "Giles, look, it's Spike."

"So it is. You don't think..."

"I do think. I wouldn't put anything past Spike. I'm going to dust him before he can finish whatever it is he's doing."

"That may be for the best, but please be careful, Buffy. There's no way to know how the others will react."

Buffy nodded, her eyes already locked on her target.

Xander couldn't see, couldn't hear, but he could definitely feel. The pain was intense, but was completely overshadowed by the pleasure. Xander laughed to himself, or tried to, this was better than sex. Better than sex with chocolate even. He reached out and explored this new sensation. It was endless.

Guardian, Xander, it is time. Reach out. Find the Other, it is waiting for you. There will be pain Guardian, but I will help all that I can. The Hellmouth said, interrupting Xander's explorations.

Xander pulled away from the pleasure, released it from his keeping and plunged headlong into agony. He had a split second to wonder if anyone could hear him scream.

***

Asher wasn't sure what to expect by the bonding, but he certainly hadn't expected this. He watched Xander plunge into the Hellmouth and then rise back up, a torrent of black flame lifting him into the air and holding him aloft.

The flames slid across his body in a fleeting caress, touching but not burning. The look on Xander's face spoke of nothing but pure ecstasy, Asher could feel a faint echo of the pleasure throbbing through their link, making him wish for a moment that he'd had time to give Xander the second, third and fourth marks.

The pleasure increased threefold, but only for an instant, then Asher was forced into the past to relive his maiming. Once again he could feel the Holy Water eating into his long dead flesh and he screamed harshly. He could vaguely feel Nathaniel's warm hands holding him and there was a voice, but he couldn't understand what it was saying.

Asher didn't see the smooth black flames turn ragged with flashes of a sullen red eating through the darkness. Nor did he see Ling Si and the Egyptian stagger and fall to their knees inside the gazebo, each man struggling to send power from their own bonds to strengthen the Guardian.

***

Spike watched in utter amazement. He could see flashes and swirls of light deep inside the Hellmouth. And the very feel of the energy in the room was changing. He'd always avoided the Hellmouth when he could, being near it always made his skin itch and his demon didn't like it either. If Spike didn't know better, he'd swear his demon was afraid of the Hellmouth.

But now, now his demon was drawn to this place. His enhanced hearing could pick up a faint whisper, one that was slowly growing louder.

Pain. Fire. Hurt. Heal. Guardian.

Spike could feel the Slayer coming closer, but he couldn't move. He knew he had to leave, get away, but the harder he struggled, the more entranced him became. Then the world exploded.

***

Buffy was only a couple of feet away from Spike's unprotected back when a tower of flame shot out of the Hellmouth. Strange black fire that seemed to be almost alive. Small flickers danced out of the central core and touched various demons, making them shake as if awakening from a dream. One such flame touched Buffy, but pulled back instantly.

The main fire shot up higher and seemed to loom over her. Being a Slayer allowed her to sense a threat, and this definitely was a threat. Every time she tried to move, the flame would follow. She finally dove to one side and rolled, coming to a stop right behind Spike. She dove for the vampire's back, stake extended, but never touched him.

The black flame reached out and engulfed Spike in its embrace, then he was gone.

***

Xander instinctively knew that he had to smooth the jagged edges of the flame that represented the Hellmouth. Using the power being fed to him by the other Guardians, he soothed and strengthened the flow of the flames. It wasn't easy to concentrate, the pain was distracting him, but the voice of the Hellmouth kept him grounded.

Move with the pain, Xander. Follow the flow back to the source.

Xander didn't really understand, he just did it, and it was working. The pain was getting more manageable. He dumped more and more power into the link until the pain was completely replaced by the mind numbing pleasure.

Xander opened his eyes and realized he could see again, but everything was reversed, it looked like the negative of a picture. And interposed over the negative was another picture, one he recognized all too well, the library at the old high school in Sunnydale.

Xander reached out to the demons he could see standing on the edge of the Hellmouth, touching them with small sparks of power, telling them to return to their families, their homes and to never return to this place. The demons obeyed, realizing that the power that had been attracting them would soon be gone.

Then Xander saw Buffy, he reached out to touch her with the power, and the Hellmouth reacted. The Slayer had been a threat to it in the past, it wanted to destroy her for that. Xander showed it how she had saved him many times in the past, allowing him to live long enough to become its Guardian. The Hellmouth agreed to let her live, but it wanted her gone.

Then Xander saw Spike, motionless, standing on the very edge of the Hellmouth, and Buffy using a move she'd used so many times before to allow her to come up behind him undetected.

Xander wasn't really thinking at that point, he was overloading, trying to hang on to control of the bond. The Hellmouth looked through the bond, saw that its Guardian knew this vampire, had offered it his protection. And since the Guardian could not act, the Hellmouth acted for him. It grabbed the vampire, pulled it inside itself and protected it in a cocoon of power. It would keep this vampire safe from all harm until its Guardian told it what it wanted with this vampire. Perhaps this one was to be one of its Guardian's concubines.

The Hellmouth reached deep inside the vampire and found something that did not belong. The wrongness of the thing in the vampire's head reminded the Hellmouth of the spells used to hurt it. It crushed the thing and consigned it to the abyss. Then the Hellmouth read the vampire's mind and found sheer animalistic brutality, but a brutality that was tempered by intelligence. It also found memories of its Guardian. The Hellmouth settled in to study these memories until its Guardian adjusted to the bond. Much could be learned from the past, and the vampire had had a very colorful one.

Asher pulled himself to his feet with Nathaniel's help. The young were-leopard was staring at him as if he'd never seen him before. "Asher...your face." Nathaniel said softly.

The vampire raised his hand to cover his maiming, but instead of the ridged scars he was used to, he felt nothing but smooth skin. Asher ripped his shirt open and stared in shocked disbelief, the scars were gone, all of them. "What? How?"

The Warden smiled at him, "Xander. When he healed the Other, he took you along for the ride. Come on, we need to get him inside."

Asher turned back to the gazebo and saw the young Guardian on the floor, the elder Guardians crouched beside him. Asher ran into the gazebo with Nathaniel and the Warden hard on his heels.

"Xander, how do you feel?" Tut asked anxiously.

Xander shook his head, "Weird, really weird. Everything looks funny."

"What do you see?" Ling Si asked.

"Everything keeps changing, first it's in color, then black and white, but it's reversed. And I could see the library in Sunnydale, and a bunch of demons. I told them to go home." Xander scratched his head and giggled, "My hair is growing."

Ling Si looked at the intruders with a worried expression on his face. "He's completely overloaded, we have to move quickly now. Warden, are his chambers ready?"

"Yes, Guardian." Turning to Asher he said, "You'll need to carry him, I doubt he could walk right now."

Asher scooped Xander up in his arms and followed the Warden into the main temple and down the corridor. The Warden opened a pair of heavy double doors at the end of the hallway waving Asher and Nathaniel inside what appeared to be a throne room.

"These are the Guardian's personal chambers, his bedroom is through that door there. I have to leave now or I'll get caught in the backlash."

"But..." Was all Asher managed to say.

"I'll explain it to you." The Egyptian said as he entered the chambers. "Warden, please send in the others if you would please, and thank you. You have done well."

The Warden nodded and hurried from the room, knowing that they were running out of time.

"Now, what are your names?" The elder Guardian asked.

"Asher, and this is Nathaniel."

"It is a pleasure to meet you both. Now, as a Guardian, Xander's natural instincts are telling him to hold on to the power he gets from the Hellmouth to prevent it from causing any damage. The problem is that the build up of power can literally burn him out, but it can't kill him. And as long as he's alive he is the only one that the Hellmouth will accept as Guardian, if he's burned out the escaping power will be free to do whatever it wants. Until Xander becomes accustomed to his new position and handling the power flow, he must be forced to give up control of that power. This can be done through either pain or pleasure, most choose to use pleasure, that is why we have concubines. If you choose to use pain and hurt him unduly, the Hellmouth will react, and react violently."

Xander frowned from his position in Asher's arms, "Don't like pain. Pain is bad. Hurt me and I'll turn you into a toad." He said right before he passed out.

The elder Guardian opened the door leading into the bed chamber and said, "He is going to try to fight you, you can't allow that. I cannot help him or you with this or he will never learn control. Goodluck."

Asher just stood there, having no idea what to do or where to start, at that point Nathaniel took over. "Come on, let's get him into the shower." The young were-leopard quickly and carelessly stripped off his clothes and went into the opulent bathroom to get the shower started. When he returned, Asher was standing where he'd left him. "Come on, Ash, put him on the bed and get undressed."

Asher did as he was told while Nathaniel quickly and efficiently stripped Xander. The new Guardian opened his eyes and stared curiously at the young man hovering over him. "Hi, I'm Nathaniel. You're pretty sweaty so we're going to get you into the shower, okay?"

Xander nodded but didn't speak, he was too busy watching Nathaniel's waist long auburn hair sway back and forth with his movements. Xander reached out and tugged on one long strand. "Pretty." He muttered.

Nathaniel laughed, "Oh yeah, he's gone. You ready, Ash?"

The vampire smiled at his young friend, "I'm glad you're here, Nathaniel." Then he picked up the Guardian and carried him into the bathroom, making Xander giggle drunkenly.

"Wow, you're really strong."

Asher stepped into the shower and put Xander on his feet, letting him lean against the wall to keep him upright. "Xander, I'm a vampire, you remember that don't you?"

Xander nodded, "Yep. Why am I wet?" He then asked with a frown.

Nathaniel stepped into the shower and stuck his head under the flow of water to wet his hair down. Xander looked at him then back at Asher, "He's wet too. Why are we wet? Is it raining?"

Nathaniel pulled Xander further under the spray, "We're in the shower, Guardian." He told him as he poured some shampoo on Xander's dark hair.

"Xander, Alexander LaVelle Harris." Xander said with a slight slur to his words. "You can call me Xander." Then he grabbed the shampoo from Nathaniel and dumped most of it on the were-leopard's head. "You have a lot of hair." Xander mumbled.

Asher was really starting to get worried, "Xander, do you feel all right?"

Xander tipped his head back to look at the vampire, "I feel great, but why are you upside down?"

Nathaniel just started laughing again, "I think we'd better get started, Ash, before he passes out again. Hang on to him, okay?"

Asher pulled Xander back and wrapped both his arms around his waist. Nathaniel smiled and started washing the sweat from Xander's body. Once he'd reached the Guardian's rather impressive erection, he stroked it slowly and carefully. Xander groaned and let his head fall back on Asher's shoulder.

Nathaniel rinsed the soap off Xander's body and sank to his knees. Holding Xander's erection by the base, he lapped at the copiously drooling head, causing Xander to suck in a breath. Nathaniel grinned up at him, staring into Xander's eyes as he slowly slid Xander's hard-on into his mouth, slurping and sucking avidly. Xander swayed drunkenly, Asher's arms the only thing keeping him on his feet.

Xander let the pleasing sensations sweep over him, the strong body at his back, holding him close and the tight, wet heat nursing at his groin. He held back his orgasm, letting the power inside him build, knowing that if he could just hold out a little longer, the overwhelming rush of mindbending pleasure he'd felt earlier would return.

Xander let the power build to an alarming degree and knew he should be worried when he could no longer feel his body, but he couldn't really bring himself to care. His links to the Hellmouths were wide open, and he could feel them sharing his pleasure. Xander reached out with his mind and pulled even more power, the sensations increasing a thousand-fold.

Nathaniel looked up when he felt every muscle in the Guardian's body go stiff as a board. Xander's eyes were wide open, but Nathaniel knew Xander couldn't see him. The Guardian's soft brown eyes were totally black now, no white, no iris, just a deep swirling blackness. "Asher? I think we have a problem." The were-leopard said softly.

"What is it? What's wrong?" The vampire asked urgently.

"Look at his eyes."

Asher turned the Guardian's face towards him and cursed when he saw the black eyes. "Let's get him out of here and in bed, we're running out of time." Nathaniel cut the water flow and grabbed some towels, drying himself and Xander off hurriedly.

Asher carried the Guardian into the bedroom and placed him in the center of the bed, crawling in on the right side while Nathaniel took the left. The were-leopard opened the nightstand and pulled out a large tube of lubricant. "Looks like they were ready for this. Here, Ash, help me roll him onto his side. You get him ready, and I'll see if I can't get his attention."

Once they had Xander positioned on his side facing Nathaniel, the redhead snuggled in as close as humanly possible and pulled Xander's leg up over his hip. He started kissing Xander's face, hoping for any kind of response, but the newest Guardian remained insensible. When he nibbled on Xander's ear lobe and then blew softly across the moist flesh, he got a twitch, he repeated the caress and got a very faint moan.

Asher heard the Guardian moan and opened the tube of lubricant, coating one finger, he very carefully brushed it across the puckered opening to Xander's body. Xander groaned louder and Asher could see the muscles in his back flex, the vampire repeated the caress and got a stronger response.

Nathaniel looked up and saw a glimpse of life returning to Xander's eyes. "Hi." He whispered, before gently flicking his tongue over the Guardian's lips. Xander opened his mouth and captured that tormenting tongue, sucking on it lightly.

Now it was Nathaniel's turn to groan, he wiggled closer to Xander's very warm body and ran one hand up to tease at a nipple. Xander jerked, rubbing their two cocks together, and then repeated the move purposely. Grabbing two hands full of luxurious auburn hair, Xander held Nathaniel's face close to his and kissed him greedily, rocking harder against the lithe body in front of him. Then Xander froze for a second, before groaning into Nathaniel's mouth.

The were-leopard pulled away just long enough to glance over Xander's shoulder at Asher. The vampire's eyes were glazed and he panted lightly. Xander rocked back and Nathaniel saw Asher gently slide two fingers into Xander's body.

Xander shuddered and pulled Nathaniel's mouth back to his, kissing him deeply before breaking away to bury his face in Nathaniel's neck. "Xander?" Asher asked suddenly. "Do you want me to stop?"

Xander shook his head, and gasped out, "No...want."

Nathaniel made Xander open his eyes and look at him. "What do you want Guardian? Hmmm? Do you want Asher to take you? Make you feel things you've never even imagined? He can, you know. Look at him. He's beautiful, isn't he?"

Xander turned his head to look at the vampire, really look. Nathaniel was right, Asher was beautiful. Long, wavy, golden hair, startling blue eyes, a face that was just too perfect to be real and a body other men would kill to have.

Xander could feel his breath deepen to match his increasing heart rate. Reaching out he touched Asher's chest and the vampire arched into his hand like a cat seeking its master's caress.

Xander turned back to Nathaniel and smiled at the young man. Nathaniel's breath caught in his throat, the Guardian's gaze was intense and he began to feel as if he were a very tender morsel being offered to a starving man.

Xander let his eyes travel down the length of Nathaniel's body and back up again. His eyes darted between the two men surrounding him and felt a sensation that could only be described as greed. "Both." He muttered.

Nathaniel laughed, "I do like a man that knows what he wants. Very well, Xander, if you want both of us, then both of us you shall have." The were-leopard grabbed the lube from Asher's slack hand and quickly ran a thick coat of the cool gel over Xander's cock. Settling on his back, he pulled Xander over his prone body and swung his legs up onto the Guardian's shoulders. Nathaniel leaned up for one quick kiss before squirming impatiently, "I want you, Xander. Not the Guardian, just you."

Xander glanced over at Asher, he knew the basics, but didn't want to hurt Nathaniel by doing something wrong.

Asher understood what he was asking, he retrieved the lube and coated Xander's fingers before moving to kneel behind him. "One at a time." He whispered in Xander's ear as he gently thrust his own finger back into Xander's body.

Xander shuddered at the sensation and did as the vampire instructed. Asher added a second finger into play and Xander copied the move. "He's tight, isn't he?" Asher said quietly, his breath ghosting across the rim of Xander's ear. "And hot. Can you imagine what it's going to feel like when you sink into him? How hard it will be to not let go at that very instant? To try to drag it out as long as possible?"

Xander whimpered at the erotic images the vampire was painting in his mind and thrust his fingers into Nathaniel a little faster, making the were-leopard moan deeply. Asher grabbed Xander's wrist with his free hand and turned it a little, Nathaniel let out a shout and thrust back onto Xander's hand. "Now! Quit teasing!"

Asher let go of Xander's wrist and took a firm grip on the Guardian's erection. "Pull them out and hold his legs."

Xander slid both hands up to Nathaniel's knees, clutching them tightly as Asher guided his cock to where it so badly wanted to be. Xander started the slide into nirvana and Nathaniel threw both hands against the headboard and thrust back hard, completely engulfing Xander's cock. Xander let out a strangled shriek as Nathaniel's muscles gripped him tightly. "Oh fuck!"

"Yes! Now!" Nathaniel shouted back, pushed beyond patience.

Xander released his death grip on Nathaniel's legs and leaned forward, bracing his hands on the bed next to Nathaniel's shoulders as he tried to thrust in even deeper.

Asher pressed a lingering kiss on Xander's shoulder before whispering, "Take a deep breath, let it out slowly and relax."

Xander did as Asher said, fighting against his instinctive desire to tighten up as he felt Asher's hands spread his ass cheeks before his cock pushed its way into Xander's body. There wasn't really any pain, more of a deep burning sensation, but Xander was too far gone to care.

Asher pulled back, giving Xander room to move. "Start slow, Xander, I'll match you."

Xander didn't want to leave the warm, tight place he was resting in, but he couldn't not move. He pulled out and at the same time Asher thrust forward. As Asher pulled back, Xander pushed back into Nathaniel's body. It was awkward at first, but no one was complaining.

Xander felt each thrust echo through the Hellmouths, his wards were enjoying this almost as much as he was. He started moving faster, Nathaniel and Asher keeping pace.

Xander could feel the power building and closed his eyes, reveling in its intensity. He could hear the odd double echo of the Hellmouths ringing in his mind when suddenly, unexpectedly, a third voice was added to that echo.

He was no longer pounding into Nathaniel, but pounding into Spike. It was Spike's voice he heard begging for more, wanting it harder and faster. But at the same time, Spike had taken Asher's place, gleefully using Xander's warm body to achieve his own satisfaction.

Xander's eyes snapped open when he felt the power reach a breaking point, Spike's face was interposed over Nathaniel's exceedingly pretty features. He watched as Spike/Nathaniel's face contorted with pleasure and the power snapped, rolling over them like a wave.

Xander felt Asher convulse inside his body, but it was Spike's voice he heard calling out his name.

Giles hung up the phone and collapsed into his chair, his face pale and strained.

"Giles?" Buffy asked, "What's wrong?"

"That was the Council. The Hellmouth in St. Louis has opened and its Guardian is in place. The lead Council members went to welcome the new Guardian and he attacked them. He stripped them of their powers and now we're defenseless."

"What do you mean, Giles?" Willow asked, sounding scared.

"The Council lost it's power, that means they can't call the Slayers. Buffy, you may well be the last Slayer ever, unless we can do something about this." Giles said.

"Why would this Guardian person attack the Council, Giles, that doesn't make any sense." Buffy said, totally confused and not a little frightened.

"The Guardians are totally amoral. They have absolutely no regard for human life. Their link to the Hellmouth makes them immortal and invulnerable to harm."

"What can we do then, Giles?" Willow asked, huddling against Tara.

Giles walked over to his bookcase and pulled out a slim, black volume, "There is a spell, it's very dangerous, but it should sever the link between the Guardian and the Hellmouth, weakening him enough that Buffy should be able to deal with him. We're going to need additional backup, however, the Guardian is always surrounded by servants, they will try to protect him."

Buffy shrugged, "So? We call Angel and the gang. You, Willow and Tara do the spell, we take out the servants and then I kill the Guardian."

Giles shook his head, "Buffy, those servants are people who have been forced against their will into sexual slavery. We need to contain them if possible, killing them should be the last resort."

"Sexual slavery?" Tara muttered in a sick voice.

"Yes. The Guardian uses them to bleed off the excess energy and then discards them when they are no longer of any use to him." Giles said in disgust.

Buffy picked up the phone, "I'm calling Angel, we need to tell him about Spike anyway. You guys start working on that spell."

Willow raised her head from Tara's shoulder when she heard what Buffy said. "What about that, Giles? What happened to our Hellmouth? Did that Guardian do something to it?"

Giles shook his head, "The Council has been working to contain the Hellmouth. Thankfully, they had succeeded before the Guardian attacked. I believe what we saw was the spell the Council was using take effect. It was basically a warning for the demon's in Sunnydale to leave or else. Spike obviously got too close and was destroyed for it."

"See? The Hellmouth was good for something after all." Buffy said as she dialed Angel's number from memory.

*****

Xander was wide awake after sleeping for only an hour or so. Nathaniel was cuddled up against his chest and Asher was snug against his back. Xander waited for the shock and embarrassment to set in, but it never did. When he looked at the two men wrapped around him all he felt was affection tempered with a healthy dose of lust.

Xander crawled over Nathaniel and pulled the blankets up from the foot of the bed to cover the two sleeping men. Grabbing his jeans off the floor, Xander dressed quickly and opened the door leading into the other room. He closed it just as quickly. The were-hyenas were scattered over the room, all of them in various states of undress. Xander had a quick impression of Tut and Ling Si surrounded by naked bodies, both male and female. They'd obviously had a good time.

Xander walked over to the glass doors leading out into the garden and headed for the gazebo. He needed to talk to the Hellmouth about his vision of Spike, for some reason he knew it was important to find out why he'd seen the vampire in his mind.

Xander grabbed a couple of the cushions off the benches lining the walls of the gazebo and threw them down onto the floor. Getting comfortable on the cushions, Xander let his hand trail in the black water rising to the top of the Hellmouth's opening.

"Hey. You awake?" He asked quietly.

'Of course, Xander, we have no need for sleep. How may I aid you, Guardian?'

"When I was...with...Nathaniel and Asher, I saw Spike in my mind. He's someone I knew from before." Xander explained.

'Yes, Xander, we saw this. When we bonded and you healed us, the call went out. The demons and other worldly creatures were warned to leave or suffer the consequences. The one you call Spike answered the call, as did the Slayer and others. Spike was in danger. We saw in our mind that you had spoken for his safety. Your word is ours. We took him inside us, protected him. Do you wish him now? Will this one become one of your concubines? He is an excellent specimen. The vampire is strong, intelligent and most aesthetically pleasing.'

Xander buried his head in his hands, "You ate Spike? He's inside of you? Oh shit. Spit him, quick, before you get sick."

'We do not understand, Guardian. We did not 'eat' your concubine. We merely wanted to protect him. Did we do wrong?'

Xander hastened to reassure his charge, "No. That's all right. Can you bring him here? He's got to be freaking out."

'He was most distressed, but he is calm now and resting peacefully. He shared in the release of power and seemed to enjoy it a great deal. We can bring him here, but it would be best if you were to retrieve him yourself.'

Xander sighed and stood up to strip off his jeans, "How do I find him?" he asked just before he jumped in.

'We will lead you. You will be the first, Xander. The first to ever see us in our true form.'

"Really? Cool!" Xander jumped in feet first, eager to actually meet his new friends. Once inside he opened his eyes, surprised when he realized that he could breath normally in the thick, black water. He saw two light forms coming closer and closer. Xander waited, letting them come to him. He smiled when they came into view. The Hellmouths looked like miniature, transparent dragons with butterfly wings and faces like a cat's. Each one was only a couple of feet long, their wings bigger than their bodies.

"You're beautiful." Xander whispered in his mind as he reached out to touch them.

His charges curled their sinuous bodies around his upper arms, resting their heads against his. 'Thank you, Guardian. We feared you would find us hideous.'

"No way! You guys are totally cool looking. Why don't you ever show yourselves outside?" Xander asked. He was sure if they were seen even once, little girls the world over would be begging for them as pets and a whole new line of dolls would emerge to drive their parents crazy.

'We cannot exist in this form outside of this place. Guardian, what is Toys R Us?'

Xander started laughing as they pulled him along, pulling up the memories of 'Tickle Me Elmo' and other campaigns, he allowed them to see what he meant. "You should think about it, guys, we could be rich."

'We can give you all the jewels and priceless objects you could ever desire, Xander. Do you wish for these material things?' they asked.

Xander thought about it for a minute, "Not really. I mean, it would be great to be able to buy whatever I wanted, but it's not like I can go shopping or anything."

'We do not understand, Guardian. You may have whatever your heart desires. Simply tell us and we will get it for you. The Warden also has a great deal of money set aside to purchase things you require, such as food and clothing. It is also possible for you to create those things. We will teach you to manipulate the excess energy. The Doc Martens and leather jacket you are thinking of would good to practice on.'

"Really? You mean I could even get a computer and a bunch of games to go with it?" Xander asked, mentally making a list of everything he'd ever wanted and knew he would never get. Not realizing that his charges saw everything in his mind. They also saw what his life had been like when he was young and determined that their Guardian would never be sad or lonely again. They would see to that. And the vampire Spike would be a good place to start.

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