“Willow?” Giles gently said. The young witch looked up. She was trying to use magic to pinpoint where Hannah was. A map of Sunnydale was spread out on the watcher’s living room table.

“Yes?” Willow absentmindedly answered while she held the pendulum over the map.

“Did you…” Giles started “Did you cast a spell on Xander before he left for his road trip?”

“A-a spell?” Willow said and looked around her as if the watcher might be asking someone else.

“Yes. A protection spell of some kind.” Giles clarified.

“Um…No?” Willow tried and looked over at Dawn. The girl was flipping thru an old book trying to find the demons Cordy had described in her phone call.

“Is that an answer or a question?” Giles asked and looked Willow in the eyes.

“Both?” Willow attempted and Dawn chuckled. Giles shook his head.

“This is really very serious, Willow, and it could turn out to be important.” the watcher tried.

“No…he’s gone so why would it matter if I tried to give him some extra protection.” Willow sniffled and tried to hide the tears running down her face.

“You guys find out where she’s at?” Gunn asked as he came down the stairs.

“No, not yet.” Giles said “According to Angel, Cordy said the young woman looked like Hannah.” Giles looked down at the map “But Buffy and the others have had no luck finding her at Green Meadows Cemetery.”

”I just talked to Cordy.” Gunn said and waved his cell phone back and forth ”She said she saw a sign that said Green Meadows Cemetery and she described a young woman getting attacked there. Sounded a lot like Hannah to me.” the street fighter finished.

”Show me where Hannah Weissman is.” Willow mumbled and held the pendulum high over the map. Nothing happened. ”Show me where Hannah Weissman is.” Willow repeated. Still nothing. ”I don’t understand…” the witch mumbled and sprinkled some more dried sage over the map. She made another attempt and then just slumped in her seat.

”That one always works.” Dawn said ”Maybe the pendulum is broken.” Willow shook her head.

”If the pendulum isn’t showing us where Hannah is then it’s because she isn’t in Sunnydale anymore…or…b-because she’s…dead.” Willow whispered.

”I used to do this spell over a map of Oxnard.” Willow said and smiled sadly. She lifted the pendulum over the map ”I used to do it once or twice a month…Where is Alexander Harris?…I…” Willow stopped suddenly when the pendulum swung in a wide circle and then settled over the map of Sunnydale. Giles reached out and gently pushed Willow’s hand down until the pendulum touched the map.

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”Okay!” Angel said as he closed his cell phone ”Giles says X…Hannah is somewhere close to Xander’s parents’ house.”

Buffy looked confused. ”But didn’t Cordy see her getting attacked at the cemetery?”

”Yeah…well…most of the time she sees things in a blur…maybe a street name or a significant building.” Angel tried to explain while the two vampires and the slayer changed direction ”And then she has to filter out the physical pain she suffers when she gets the visions.”

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Willow stared at the map. Her hand was shaking so badly that the pendulum danced over the streets of Sunnydale. She looked up at Giles expecting him to explain. Her eyes filled with both fear and hope.

”Xander is here? In Sunnydale? Alive?” she whispered.

”It isn’t quite as simple as that, I’m afraid.” Giles gently said and took the pendulum from the witch. Willow’s hand still hovered over the map.

”You need to concentrate.” Giles told her. ”You need to tell me what kind of spell you used.”

”Just…a-a spell to secure h-his soul.” Willow squeaked.

”Oh dear.” Giles said.

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Xander was watching his parents’ house. It looked like it always had. It was in need of repairs and the small garden could use some tender love and care. Even the raised voices coming from the house were the same. Some of the words shouted sounded familiar as well.

Hannah and Joshua had always spoken of their parents with great affection. David and Margaret Weissman had been good parents. They had done their best to ensure that their children had the best start in life. They had cared enough not to hate each other or their kids.

Standing there on the sidewalk outside the house, listening to his father screaming at his mother, Xander suddenly understood why he had loved being a part of Joshua’s and Hannah’s little family.

He looked down at the notepad in his hands and sighed. Lost in contemplation he never noticed the three vampires lurking in the shadows.

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”I cast a protection spell on Xander as well.” Giles admitted to a stunned Willow.

”But Xander’s dead.” Dawn said uncertainly.

”Not if the pendulum located him…The spell I cast only locates humans…It’s much harder to locate a vampire because they don’t have a ….” Willow’s eyes widened and she looked up at Giles. ”Xander’s soul?” the witch asked.

”Xander isn’t dead?” Dawn looked from the watcher to the witch.

”Xander’s soul isn’t.” Willow said and looked at the map ”But I couldn’t find Hannah…” the witch’s voice trailed off. ”Is…does…” Willow attempted ”Does this mean what I think it means?”

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