*****

Jack Cloud was sitting behind his desk in his office at the Cloud Technology in San Francisco, California. His business was not only in computer web designs but also behind closed doors he was the front man for all the men and women that worked for him as bounty hunters. He didn't know who they were since they only communicated through the Internet and they didn't know who he was either. He contacted them and let them know whom to kill. Some of his people killed only demons and a few just killed humans and some killed both. Jack was a sleazy smelly guy who didn't give a shit who was getting killed as long as he got paid. Some one with the right kind of cash could just contact him and he would draw up a wanted poster and sent it to who ever was going to bite and when the job was done collect his money and pay the bounty hunter who did the job. Ok so they were nothing better then a hit man or women but bounty hunter had such a better name. Jack didn't even have to pull a trigger and he got rich. No one ever question were all his money came from they all thought he had a real business and that was how he wanted things. He had his favorite bounty hunters they were the ones that did the job quick and easy. They could go in and get the job done and he could count on them. His best bounty hunter was Alex. Alex could go in and kill any demon professionally and quick. He knew every demon and how to kill each one. Jack wanted him to kill humans too but he knew by just talking to Alex on the computer he was the type of guy that believed in what he was doing was of the good. So Jack never brought it up, he didn't want to lose him he was the best after all.

" So we have a new target good, great!" Jack was rubbing his hands together just picturing the money going straight to his bank account as he typed to a customer on his computer.

" Just tell me who and where to find this person and then I will contact you when the job has been fulfilled." Typed Jack.

Jack logged out of the Instant Messenger and went to all his contacts to find the list of hunters that were under his employee. He needed a vampire to go down and he knew the perfect guy for the job, Alex. The vampire was living in Los Angeles and he knew Alex just finished a job in Long Beach so he wasn't to far away and he could have the job done by sun up tomorrow. He left an Instant Message for Alex and then went out of the office to go to the coffee shop around the corner to get a cup of coffee. He knew Alex wasn't sitting around his hotel room waiting for Jack to contact him. Some times it would take a good hour before he heard back for him. But never more then that. After all Alex was the best. Jack came back to his office and went straight to his computer. Like clockwork there was Alex saying hello.

" Hello Alex. Are you up for another job? I have an easy one for you. He is just a vampire living in L.A. He is trying to kill a bunch of lawyers. They have tried to kill him but they haven't been successful they want you to just bring him to them and they will pay you. I know you don't like being seen so all you have to do is wrap him up in chains like a present under the tree and drop him off at the offices. No questions asked. They will take care of the problem from there."

"How much, who, and where?" Typed Alex

Jack e-mailed all the information that Alex needed for the job. And then he got a reply back that Alex would take the job and would leave with in the hour. He told Jack that he would contact him when the job was done.

Alex packed his bag as fast as he could. He always traveled light because he didn't know when he had to leave quickly to his next target and if you only had a couple pairs of jeans and a few shirts then it was easy to pack in a hurry. He went to the bathroom and grabbed his shaving kit bag and tossed his toothbrush and paste in the bag then walked out of the bathroom. He sat down on the bed for a minute to collect his thoughts as he looked in the vanity mirror at the dresser he was facing. He was wondering when he got so old. It just seemed like yesterday he left Sunnydale and not seven years ago. He wondered were the time went and he thought about the friends he left behind. He missed them and even though he loved them he was never going home. He had a job to do and he was good at it. No they didn't need him any more. If they ever did. He knew that somewhere done the line in his life that the past was going to come back to him and slap him in the face but he didn't think that it was going to happen today. No he didn't wake up this morning and say today is a good day to go to L.A and find Angel and take him to these lawyers and have him willingly killed. Shit how fucked up is my life thought Alex. He needed to go and find Angel and tell him that there is a contract out on him. Alex also knew about Jack and he also knew that some of his targets weren't always bad. He also knew that he was basically a hit man but to him they were demons and there for, they were evil. He only saw in black and white and turned his head on the gray. But now it was different. It was some one he knew. It was Angel. Ya he hated Angel but not enough to have him killed. Angel was fighting the good fight now. He had a soul. So Alex made up his mind that he would go to Angel and tell him and ask him to not tell anyone that he saw him and then leave L.A. as soon as he can. Then contact Jack and tell him that..he didn't know what to tell Jack yet but he will find a good excuse when he got to that part. Alex left the hotel and got in to his car

*****
Part 2:

Alex arrived in L.A just after the sun set and looked up at the huge hotel. He was trying to get the courage to walk in but he was so nervous. He didn't want to have to tell Angel his career choice and have him be look down on him in disappointment. Well fuck him thought Alex he was no better right, he some times got paid, thought Alex trying to analyze it. Alex walked though the door and looked around. Nice, he thought. He had never actually been here but Buffy and Willow both had and they told him that it was really nice and big. He finally thought he had better get this over with and so he yelled out hello in hope that some one would show up and lead him to Angel.

" Hold your kit on. I'm coming mate."

Alex froze at that voice and he held his body stiff waiting for the familiar person to notice him standing there.

Spike stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes got wide and his jaw dropped. He blinked his eyes several times not believing that right in front of him was Xander Harris. The same Xander Harris that left Sunnydale seven years earlier and haven't written or called any one in that whole seven years.

" As I live and breath it's Xander Harris. Ok so I'm dead and I don't need to breath but here you are."

" Ya here I am. Hi Spike. How you been?"

" Good I'm working for Angel now. I went and did some thing stupid like get a soul and he helps me deal."

" Wow a soul. They must give them out freely now. Did you get a good deal or does it to come with a curse?" Said Xander making a small joke but not even cracking a smile.

" Why do you want to find out?" Asked Spike letting that leer of his travel down Alex's body before he brought his gaze back to Alex's face to notice the amusing twinkle in his eye.

" Maybe later Spike, right now I have to see Angel. Is he around? It's really important that I speak to him." Said Xander putting his resolve face back on.

" Ya follow me down stairs. Boy is he going to be real surprised to see you."

" Ya I bet he will." Said Xander with a sigh.

They walked down to Angel's apartment so Alex could talk to him. They found him leaning against his kitchen counter holding an empty mug brooding of course.

" Hey Angel you will never guess who just walked off the street and right to our front door."

Angel looked up and he too was in total shock.

" Xander Harris? I thought I recognized that heart beat."

Angel put out his hand and shook hands with Alex and asked him to have a seat at the kitchen table.

" Wow, What brings you here?"

" Well a long story short. I came here because I was hired to kill you." Said Xander with a straight face set in stone.

" WHAT?" Yelled Angel confused.

"Now see here Xander." Said Spike

" I'm not going to but you have to realize that your life is in grave danger. If it's not me then it will be some one else. Some one wants you dead. Well dusted." Said Xander not breaking his stone cold face.

" Who?" Asked Angel.

" Have you ever heard about a bunch of lawyers at Wolfram and Hart?"

" Ya they are like my archenemies. I have been in a feud with them for years. They are constantly trying to kill me or to get me to lose my soul."

" Well it sounds like they have finally found a way to do it. I don't know what they exactly want but I am to deliver you bound and gagged with chains and leave you on their front door step. They are willing to pay thirty G's to get the job done."

Spike was quite though the whole conversation. His mind was moving a mile a minute. He couldn't grasp that the boy he used to know was sitting across from him and casually talking about killing Angel and he was just sitting there with confidence and with a air of coldness like killing some one was an every day thing for him. But he did say that he was hired to kill Angel. Which brought up a new set of questions.

" Xander you said that some one hired you? What exactly do you do?" Asked Spike.

" Well first of all I'm a bounty hunter but I some times don't think that is entirely true. As much as I am a hired gun. A hit man." Said Xander harshly.

" Oh!"

" Oh!"

Angel and Spike gave each other a look and they both came to the same conclusion that this man sitting at the table with them was definitely not the same Xander Harris they remember.

" So Xander the hit man. Wow, have you been doing this for long? And how did you get in to this job?"

" Well first of all its Alex now. I haven't gone by Xander since I left and my last name changes a lot. Right now it's Collins. I travel by a lot of names really but mostly just Alex. And as far as how long, about five years or so. And how. Well let's just say by accident. I was in Montana when a Deikertins demon caught me and you know how they are. They are real ass holes when they are in heat and let me tell you he wanted to mate with me real bad and I had to disappoint him by telling him even though I was bisexual there was no way in hell I was going to do the whole mating ritual with him and let him pregnant me and then have him devour me after I have birth to his devil spawn. So I stabbed him in his back. You know where his heart is located and killed him. Well the next thing I know this tall and mysterious guy came up to me and thanked me for killing his target for him and gave me a card and said if I needed a job killing demons to log on to a computer and get a hold of this guy. So I e-mail this guy from the local library and he offered me a job. I figured I already knew so much about demons I might as well get paid for some thing I was already doing." Xander not breaking his cold posture once while he talked.

" And you said that if it wasn't you then someone else. What did you mean?" Asked Angel.

" Well if I don't get the job done in the time period that was set then someone else will show up and take the target." Explained Xander.

" How long do we have?"

" I will start by contacting my boss and telling him I hit a snag that you are harder to find then I thought. Then we have about seven days. Hunters have the same time period to get their target before another is called."

" Ok contact your boss and then we will sit down and make up a plan to save my ass." Said Angel.

" Do you have a telephone line I can use for my lap top?"

" Ya I have one in my office. You can use that." Said Angel.

They all got up from the table and went back upstairs to Angels office so Alex could get hooked up and they could set the first part of their plan in to motion.

Spike looked over at Alex when they get to the office and he was watching him set up his lap top he set up a bit and took a quick peek in to Alex's briefcase and noticed all the passports, driver license and different currency that was in there. And he couldn't take his eyes off the automatic pistol with a silencer lying there too.

" Hey Xander I hope you aren't expecting me to call you Alex because that don't sound right." Asked Spike.

" No you guys can call me Xander. But if only I can call you guys Liam and William." Joked Xander trying not to smile.

" Hell no" They both said at the same time.

Xander throw his head back and laughed. It had been a while since he laughed and it felt good to just be around someone. His job kept him from having friends and he knew he was lonely and lacked company. Spike watched Xander laugh and it put a smile on his face. He had a feeling that Xander hadn't had a reason to laugh in a while. When he first walked in the door there seemed some thing off with Xander. Like he was emotionless, cold and a bit ridged. He wondered what happened to Xander all these years to make him so cold. He thought it was his job but he felt deep down inside it was bigger then that. But what was it? Something changed him and made him in to an uncaring almost hateful person. Xander stopped laughing and let out a sigh. He put back on his stone face that he wore almost all the time now and finished setting up his laptop and letting it boot up.

Xander got a hold of Jack and told him that he looked for the target and he has was a bigger challenge then first thought and it would take him a couple more days to finish the job. Jack told him that every thing was fine but he reminded Xander that he now had the required seven days to finish the job before another was called.

" Ok we need to put our heads together and form a plan." Said Angel.

" I can call some people I know and they can tell me who did the actual hiring and give me a list of all the players in the law firm. And then I will one by one knock them down." Said Xander coldly.

Angel and Spike realized then that the boy they knew from Sunnydale was now a cold-blooded killer and he was worse then any demon. He was a human with a soul. They didn't know what changed the boy but who ever this man was he wasn't Xander he was some thing else. He was more sinister and more evil. The Xander they knew would never kill a human; he didn't have it in him.

" Xander I thought you said you only kill demons?" Asked Angel.

" Well now it seems like a good time to change my M.O." Said Xander.

" We can't kill them. No matter how evil they may seem they are still human." Said Angel.

" I have to agree with Angel on this one Xander. We can't go in there with guns a blazing and kill them."

" Ok, Then we find a different way. Maybe we buy them dinner and flowers and set them down and ask them in our really nice voice if they will not kill the champion for the Powers That Be." Said Xander sarcastically.

" Ok but no killing and I mean that Xander." Angel was getting really frustrated and he was beginning to get agitated with Xander and how he wanted to just go in and kill everyone. It reminded him of his childe Spike before he got his soul.

" Fine no killing now lets just all sit down and work out a plan." Said Xander feeling tired all of a sudden and right at that moment all he wanted to do was get something to eat and go to bed. They all set there for several hours throwing out plans back and forth trying to come up with a good one to save Angel.

*****
TBC