::It’s none of their business,:: Wesley replied sharply. ::We don’t want their pity.::

“We?” Spike murmured.

::Sorry, you,:: Wesley corrected. They’d only been joined a day or so and already it was difficult to differentiate their feelings. Spike considered his newly returned soul a rather intimate, personal issue, so telling others about it would hurt him. Those emotions spilled over into Wesley, and to a lesser extent, Xander. The younger man thought that the presence of the soul was such a good thing he was excited to tell others about it. Spike and Wesley had more reservations, however.

“So how much ya wanna bet they try separate us?” Xander inquired, changing the subject.

Spike shrugged. “We all know they’re going to try.”

Xander shuddered as something flickered across his eyes. He could’ve sworn he saw a bunch of vampires in front of him. When he blinked, they were gone. “Did you guys…”

::I hear something,:: Spike thought. ::Yeah, there’s something in front of us.::

They were a couple of blocks from the shop, crossing side streets and avoiding the occasional car, when a pack of fledgling vampires decided they looked like easy targets. Then again, six against three didn’t seem like bad odds to most people. “Vamps,” Spike said softly. Wesley nodded his understanding.

::So that’s what the wiggy feeling was?:: Xander asked silently. He’d felt this weird tingle in his head, right behind his tongue on his throat. It startled him, to say the least. ::I didn’t think you’d be able to tell that kind of thing, now that you’re, uh… whatever it is we are now.::

::I can’t, not the old way,:: Spike replied. ::But one of them’s in gameface.::

::Oh,:: Xander murmured, feeling really stupid. He knew that! He really *knew* it from Spike’s mind.

The young vampires approached them, acting like drunken college students. Spike moved in front of the other two men, still on automatic. He was used to being stronger and faster. When the first one reached out, pretending to stumble, he was ready. One hard fist was sent straight into the vampire’s midsection, doubling him over. Wesley and Xander jumped into the fray, fighting as best they could. They both had stakes, but the weapons weren’t being used effectively. All three men were too concerned with staying together.

Spike backed off the one vampire, making sure to not stray too far from the others. They were holding their own, but not for long. One vampire dragged Wesley off into an alleyway. The blonde ran towards him, shaking off a vampiric pursuer. He could already feel the pain starting to wind around his gut.

“Spike:: Xander screamed, his voice fading away as Wesley was drawn too far off. Spike lurched, his vision dimming. Damn it! He was going to have to go back to Xander; without the boy he couldn’t make it to Wesley. Even if he could, what good was a blind and dumb ex-vampire? ::Spike, get back here!:: Xander begged. ::They’re-::

Spike turned on his heel and ran back. He grabbed Xander’s arm and pulled him away from a vampire, kicking the attacker in the groin to encourage him to leave. They staggered towards Wesley, staking two vampires on their way. The demons were sloppy, thinking they had the three men at their mercy. Still, there were four left, two of whom were about to rip Wesley’s throat open.

Wesley tried to get away from the vampires holding him. It was almost impossible, without being able to see or hear them at all. The excruciating pain he was suffering didn’t help either. One of the vampires yanked his head back, grazing sharp fangs down his throat. Wesley screamed hoarsely when he felt them start to slide into his skin.

Xander and Spike were about ten feet away from Wesley when they felt pressure on their throats. They ran faster, knowing they were almost out of time. Then a sharp cry burnt through the night air—and the vampires surrounding Wesley disappeared in two puffs of ash. Neither man stopped, continuing to run until they reached their third. “Wes?” Xander murmured, happy to be able to speak again.

Wesley looked up at them. “You staked them?”

“No,” Xander replied. The two remaining vampires caught up to the men and they dropped their questioning and began to fight again. This time they used their position to their advantage, keeping the vampires in front of them and unable to separate the threesome as easily. The two were quickly dust, thanks to a pair of well-placed stakes.

“So, if you didn’t stake them, who did?:: Wesley asked, panting. His question faded into telepathy as he tried to catch his breath.

::Dunno. You screamed, then they just sort of disintegrated,:: Spike replied. ::I’m not sure I like this weak, vulnerable thing.::

::Me either,:: Xander agreed. ::We almost died!::

Wesley shook his head. ::I believe our difficulties are because we don’t understand the Altenalium.::

::Don’t understand?:: Xander echoed, confused. ::Oh, we haven’t really looked into what we can do now.::

::You’ve got a point,:: Spike conceded. ::I think we’ve been avoiding it.::

::Unfortunately, we do not have time to do so now. We need to get to the shop,:: Wesley replied.

::But they’re gonna want to know what we-the Altenalium-can do,:: Xander protested.

::Why don’t we just stop for a bit and figure it out?:: Spike suggested. ::Tell ‘em we left later than we did. It might keep them from trying as hard to separate us, if we know what we’re about.::

::Got any hidey holes around here?:: Xander shot back. ::Oh yeah, you do. Duh.:: He wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to being able to recall all of Spike’s memories.

::Shall we?:: Wesley asked, turning to walk back up the street. Spike knew of a fairly safe abandoned building they could use for an hour or so.

•••

“Well, at least now we know what happened to the vamps,” Xander muttered. “Opera from hell.”

“Very funny,” Wesley replied flatly. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”

“If we’re going to learn to use this, yeah,” Spike agreed. They’d just figured out the mechanics of their newfound powers. Wesley’s voice was quite the weapon—with practice he’d be able to use it to effect great destruction—or good, depending on what he wanted. Xander, likewise, could use his sight as a weapon, or as a warning. He was able to focus on possible future events, as well as on different locations in the current time. Added to that was the ability to channel the nearly infinite energy of the Altenalium through his eyes.

Spike felt a bit shortchanged; his enhanced hearing could do the same as Xander’s sight in some ways-he could hear things in the future, as well as from very far away. However, instead of being able to defend himself actively, he could only use his ears to provide information. Specifically, he couldn’t ever be lied to… well, not and not know about it. Handy, yes, but…

::You can still channel power,:: Wesley reminded him. ::We all can. We just didn’t know how.::

::We’re gonna have to practice so much,:: Xander moaned. ::So…do you think they’re waiting for us at the Magic Box?::

Spike grinned. ::Let’s see.:: He cocked his head and thought about the shop. Slowly but surely, he began to hear the low buzzing of voices.

“They’re supposed to be…”

“Probably just running…”

“Never should have let Wesley go…”

Spike shook his head in frustration. Yeah, he could hear voices, and even understand some of what they said, but it wasn’t clear enough. ::Xander?:: He asked, having felt the boy try the same thing with his sight.

::They’re all there,:: He answered, showing the others what he saw. ::But it’s really fuzzy, and they move funny.::

“I believe that is where practice comes in,” Wesley murmured. “We should go, now that we have some idea of what we’re capable of.” He stood up, automatically reaching down for the others. They snuck out of Spike’s hiding place and continued on towards the shop, this time a bit more guarded about their whereabouts. It just wouldn’t do for the most powerful force currently residing in their dimension to be destroyed by a few fledgling vampires.

::We’d never live down the embarrassment,:: Spike commented on Wesley’s thought.

::We wouldn’t care,:: Xander retorted. ::We’d be dead!::

“Oh yeah,” Spike murmured. “Point.”

•••

“They’re supposed to be here by now,” Buffy said angrily. “Where are they?”

“They’re probably just running late,” Willow offered. “You know, ‘where’s my blue shirt?’ ‘Oh, I think it’s with the dirty laundry,’ that kind of thing.”

“They didn’t have any clothing with them,” Angel replied.

“If I recall correctly, we did not set an actual meeting time,” Giles murmured.

“I never should have let Wesley go with Xander,” Angel growled.

Gunn, Fred and Connor congregated in a corner at the front of the shop. “Are we going back to LA soon?” Connor asked the older man.

“Yeah, I hope so,” Gunn replied. “Soon as Angel gets his head out of his rear.”

“I heard that,” Angel shouted over his shoulder.

“It’s true,” Gunn retorted. “You’re being a dumbass about Wesley and the others. Can’t you just wait until you hear what they have to say?”

That comment was met with uncomfortable silence. Willow and Giles consulted over a dusty old book while Angel, Cordelia and Buffy commiserated in a seething heap of contempt for the three absent men. The atmosphere of the shop was completely miserable. Gunn and Fred wandered over to Willow and Giles, trying to strike up some sort of conversation. The five of them sat there for several minutes, desperately trying to think of something neutral to talk about.

“What’d we miss?” Xander chirped as he, Wesley and Spike walked into the shop.

“Where the hell have you been?” Angel demanded. “We’ve been waiting for hours!”

“We, ah, didn’t say when we’d be here,” Xander reminded the vampire. The three men leaned up against the counter, facing the others. “So, what’s new?”

“The Vraiyl are attacking here in Sunnydale,” Giles said quickly, hoping to cut off any possible tirades from Angel. “We need to know how to use the Altenalium. The demons are otherwise undefeatable.”

The three men frowned. ::So, do we tell them we need to practice a bit, or just lie and say we can handle it?:: Xander asked the others.

::They’ll want to watch,:: Spike answered.

“Hello?” Buffy said sharply, waving her hand in front of Xander’s face. “Weapon? Where is it?”

“We told you before, we are the Altenalium. Can’t hand it over,” Xander replied absently. The three of them were still conversing mentally.

“Right, so how are we supposed to fight the Vraiyl? Let *you* do it?” Buffy sneered. “If they give me a bit of a workout, they’ll slaughter you.”

“It isn’t your call,” Xander spat.

“As Xander said, we cannot give you the Altenalium. You must let us fight the Vraiyl,” Wesley added.

“You’re not strong enough,” Spike told the Slayer. “Nor is Angel. We’re the only ones who can do it.”

“I’m still not liking this ‘we’ stuff,” Buffy muttered. “Xander, stop being such an idiot. You and those two can’t beat the demons.” She reached for him, grasping his arm. He resisted her, but she was the Slayer and had quite a strong pull.

“Stop it, Buffy,” He hissed as she tried to drag him across the room.

“Get away from Spike!” She growled. “He’s evil, remember?”

“No, he isn’t,” Xander said, reaching back for the others. They grabbed onto his arm and started to bring him back to them. ::Guys, more help, hmm?::

::We can’t use our powers on them until we can control them better,:: Wesley replied. ::I know I’m able to make her desist, but I’m not sure how yet.::

Meanwhile, Angel moved in to help. This was the perfect opportunity to get Wesley isolated. Then he could get the smaller man to admit what was going on and stop this stupid game. He reached for Wesley, yanking the man across the room with a single pull. The smaller man was caught by surprise and let go of Xander as he flew sideways.

Xander and Spike knew instantly that Wesley was too far away. They staggered momentarily before recovering somewhat. The pain was nearly overwhelming, and they could tell that Wesley was much worse off-the ex-Watcher was in a heap on the floor, blind and deaf. ::Hold on, Wes,:: Xander thought.

“Angel!” Gunn shouted, running to intercept the vampire. “What the hell are you doing?” Fred stepped up to Wesley, trying to get him to stand. He lurched in her arms, but managed to find his feet. He hid his condition by shuffling backwards until he found a wall. He leaned against it, acting like he was more winded than he was. Between his incapacitated condition and the pain, he was almost worthless in a fight. It was far better to retreat.

“Get out of my way. This ends now,” Angel growled. “I knew I shouldn’t have let him come.”

Cordelia reached out and restrained Angel with one hand. “No, Angel. He’s part of this, whether you like it or not.”

While the LA gang was fighting over Wesley, Xander and Spike were struggling against Buffy. By now Giles had joined the fray, trying to get Buffy to let go of Xander. Spike finally gained some ground by kicking low at Buffy’s knees, unbalancing her enough that she lost her grip on Xander’s arm. They took several quick steps backwards, away from the still fighting Slayer. Giles and Willow both moved in front of her, giving the two men a chance to get away. They immediately moved over to Wesley’s side.

::Wes?:: Spike thought worriedly. ::Better?::

::Getting there,:: The man replied. ::This isn’t going well.::

“Giles, move,” Buffy ordered. “Whatever game they’re playing has to stop. That weapon thing is making them evil! Spike kicked me and Xander’s… Xander’s fighting me and siding with Spike!”

“Xander?” Willow called. “Are you ok?”

Xander looked over at his friend. He saw actual light and clarity in her eyes for the first time since Tara died. “I’m ok for now, Wills, but…” She walked over to him quickly, avoiding both Buffy and Angel, who were still being waylaid by Giles, Gunn and Fred. Connor, too, went to join the threesome.

“So, what is going on?” She asked the men. “I know something’s weird. I can see it. You’re all…fuzzy,” She tried to explain. It was difficult to describe how they looked to the magically enhanced witch.

::Think she’ll understand?:: Spike inquired.

::She was not very involved before,:: Wesley warned.

::She’s been through an awful lot,:: Xander defended. ::And I bet she’d get more of this than the others. Except maybe Giles.:: Spike and Wesley gave the go-ahead to explain things to Willow, although they remained wary.

“Well?” She asked tentatively. Connor leaned forward, growling slightly.

“You don’t look human anymore,” He muttered. “Demon?”

“Not exactly,” Xander said. “We weren’t kidding when we said we were the Altenalium. It’s more than a weapon, Wills,” He continued, struggling to find words. What he and the others knew was implicit knowledge and very hard to put into words. “It’s like a living thing. It changed us, permanently. It made us what it is.”

Willow frowned. “It possessed you?”

“Not precisely,” Wesley answered. “The Altenalium is an extremely powerful… thing. Three of us were required to get it because it is so great that one person alone, no matter how skilled, could contain it. We do not possess the Altenalium, nor does it possess us. We are the Altenalium.” He knew he was bungling the description, but he couldn’t help it.

However, Willow’s face cleared. “Oh. So you’re not human, or vampire, anymore. You’re just this…thing. All three of you?”

“Yeah,” Xander agreed. “Only, we’re only sort of three people. I mean, yeah, we’re three bodies, but we’re one thing.”

Willow nodded. “Tripartate. That’s why you don’t want to be separated.” She thought for a moment. “Or is it that you shouldn’t be separated?”

Xander grimaced. “The second. We have to be together, all the time.”

“But you’re not demons?” Connor pressed.

“Not precisely,” Wesley repeated.

“We’re not demons, but we’re not not demons either,” Spike murmured. “The Altenalium isn’t a human entity, but neither is it demonic. It just is.”

“So the Xsha who had it,” Willow began, “It could’ve been anyone?”

“We’re not sure,” Xander admitted. “But… well, we’re still learning things. We’ve got lots of information about it, but we’re still sorting it out.”

“Are you evil? Do you have a soul?” Connor inquired.

“We’re not evil and we have souls,” Wesley assured him.

Willow looked oddly at Spike but said nothing.

“So you’re going to fight the Vraiyl?” Connor asked quickly. “Before they start killing more people?”

“Yeah,” Spike replied. “That’s what we’re here for.”

“Then ignore Angel and the girl,” Connor said. “They’re wrong.”

The three men and Willow looked at Connor with growing respect. The young man didn’t say much, most of the time anyway, but he knew what he was about. “We’ll keep that in mind. Looks like the others have our hotheads cooled down a bit, though,” Spike murmured. They all turned to see Angel and Buffy glowering at them from across the shop. Giles, Gunn and Fred stood around the pair, obviously not happy with their friends.

::This is going to be so painful,:: Xander moaned.

::You’ve got mint chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer,:: Spike reminded him.

::And hot fudge sauce,:: Wesley continued. ::So all is not lost.::

::And I won’t even touch the Haagen-Daz,:: Spike promised.

::No, you won’t!:: Xander swore. ::I can’t hide anything, not even my prized praline ice cream.::

“Xander?” Giles said quietly. “Is there anything we should know about the Altenalium?"