*****

"What type of demon is this again?" Xander asked bored. They had been researching for hours and no one could find anything on it.

Giles tiredly looked up from his research, "It is a Mk'Th demon Xander. I have told you that several times tonight."

"Right sorry. Um, I think I found something. It says here that the Mk'Th demons are solitary by nature and only come out of seclusion to mate. They have one eye in the middle of their foreheads, which if looked into by the naked eye, severe consequences can occur. As a mate they take a young human male to breed their offspring. The human then dies after childbirth. Ewww! That is so disgusting. The only way to kill them, according to the book is to stab them in the eye with a silver sword. That doesn't sound that hard." Xander read from the book.

Giles nodded his head. " Ok then. Here's the plan. Xander, you'll be the bait since you are the only young male here. After you draw out the demon, Buffy will kill it. It's all very simple and nothing can go wrong."

They agreed, picked up weapons, and left The Magick Box.

***

But things were never simple and it always goes wrong.

Everything was going fine until Xander was left alone in a cemetery. The others hid behind some bushes.

Xander tried to make himself look appealing but he just couldn't do it scared shitless. If things didn't he could end up mated to a demon so he had plenty of reason to be scared.

He was startled out of his thoughts when a large purple demon stepped in front of him. He tried to look nonchalant but his quaking knees were giving him away.

"Hello there pretty. How are you?" The demon spoke up.

Xander gulped and kept his eyes to the ground." Um okay and you?"

The demon smiled showing rows of jagged teeth. "I'll be a lot better if you look into my eye."

Xander's eyes were drawn up against his will. The glowing blue eye was the last thing he saw before darkness overcame him.

***

The gang looked on in shock as Xander fainted. Before they could do anything, the demon had Xander over his shoulder and was carting him off.

Knowing there was no use in following them and that this was supposed to happen, the gang went back to The Magick Box.

As soon as they entered the shop Giles made a beeline for the phone and dialed a number he had memorized before they left.

"Hello Angel Investigations. We help the hopeless this is Cordelia." Cordelia announced over the line.

"Um hello Cordelia? This is Giles. There is something that I am sorry to inform you of. Xander was captures by a Mk'Th demon earlier tonight. It was no use going after him because he is surly dead by now. Goodbye." He hung up the phone. There was no use crying over someone that was useless he thought.

***

Cordelia sat in shock. She couldn't believe it.

"What's wrong Princess?" Doyle asked seeing the shell-shocked expression on her face.

She turned to look at him. " My friend Xander was killed by a Mk'Th demon earlier. I just found out about it from Giles."

Doyle frowned. He knew about Mk'Th demons and knew that Cordelia's friend wasn't dead. " Cordelia, are you sure it was a Mk'Th demon?"

"Of course I'm sure. That's what Giles said."

"Then princess, he's not dead yet. He won't be either if we can get to him in time."

"Really?" Cordelia asked hopefully.

"Really. Let's go get your frie." Doyle was cut off as a vision hit him.

He saw a Mk'Th demon carrying a young man. They were in a warehouse and he could smell brine and water. The demon laid the young man down and left.

Through the pain he told Cordelia, " I know where he is. Let's get Angel and go."

"Okay. I'll go get him."

***

After explaining to Angel what was going on they jumped into his car and headed towards the place Doyle had seen in his vision. It was in Santa Monica so they knew that the demon had made good time.

Doyle was sharpening the sword they would use to kill the demon when he smelled the same smell from his vision.

"Stop here!" he yelled. As soon as the car stopped they jumped out and headed in.

They spotted Xander easily. He was propped up in a chair in the middle of the warehouse unconscious with a worried Mk'Th demon huddled uneasily before him.

The demon must have been really preoccupied with Xander because he didn't even notice them until Doyle ran the sword through its eye and it exploded.

They untied Xander and carried him out to the car. Angel started the engine and drove towards LA. Every now and then he'd look into the rear view mirror to see Doyle and Cordelia fussing over Xander. He still hadn't woken up and that worried him. He pulled up in front of the office and hauled Xander into it. Setting him on the couch they waited for him to wake up.

*****
Part 2:

He came awake slowly and blinked at the light. He groaned and looked blearily around the room he was lying in.

Cordelia noticed Xander getting up and ran to the couch.

"Oh my god Xander! I was so worried." She gushed.

He became confused. Who was this girl? " Who are you?" he asked.

Cordelia's face fell. " What, what do you mean who am I?"

He smiled gently at this girl. " I'm sorry but I don't who you are. I don't even know who I am. I can't remember anything"

"Nothing?" Cordelia asked.

"Nothing. It's one giant hole in my head. I know what four times four is so I know I remember stuff like that. Just not memory stuff." He explained.

"So you don't know who I am?"

"No. I'm sorry." He apologized.

"It's okay. Anyway this will give you a chance to start over. I'm Cordelia Chase."

"Um. I'd introduce myself but like I said I don't know who I am."

"Your name was Alexander Harris."

"It was? I don't like that name very much. How about Alex? Is that what I went by before?"

"Alex is fine, and no you went by Xander."

"Xander? That's a strange name."

"Not really." Cordelia disagrees.

Alex notices a beautiful man walk into the room. He walks over and stands in front of the couch that Cordelia and Alex are sitting on.

"Well hello there. I'm Doyle you must be Xander. Cordelia never mentioned how cute you are."

Alex blushes. " It's Alex and she never even mentioned you. We could have met before but I don't seem to remember anything from before waking up here in regards to personal things. I actually don't want those memories. I don't want to know that I might have been a bad man. I think this memory loss thing might actually be a good thing."

Doyle gives Alex a small smile " That it might." Turning to Cordelia he asks, " Do you want me to go get Angel?"

Cordelia nods. " Yeah. Explain to him what's going on too. Ask him if it would be ok if Alex could stay here."

"Okay I'll be back in a few."

Alex turns to Cordelia and announces, " He's cute. Is he single?"

***

Doyle walks into Angel's office. The vampire gives his seer a half smile. " I heard everything. It's okay with me if he stays here until he decides to go elsewhere."

Angel then walks back into the room that Doyle just came from, introduces himself to Alex, and proceeds to explain things to him.

*****
Part 3:

Cordelia couldn't believe it. Alex had been with them through so much in the short period of time. He had only been with them for four months, but he was already a good influence on the employees at Angel investigations. Like, he had mothered and bullied Angel till he was social and went out, and he had forced Doyle to give up drinking.

They hadn't known why Alex wanted Doyle to stop drinking and he couldn't tell them with his memories gone. Doyle had refused saying that drinking was the only way to combat the visions. Alex hadn't believed that and put his foot down. No matter what Doyle did Alex wouldn't go out with him until he gave up the drinking. Naturally Doyle stopped drinking.

That had not come as a shock to Angel or Cordelia. Doyle tried everything to get Alex to go out with him. He tried candies, flowers, and even serenaded him, but nothing had worked. For Doyle Alex was his one love; he just had to convince Alex of that. Not that Alex wasn't interested.

Cordelia had to laugh at the two of them. They had their own brand of flirting where Doyle would ask Alex on a date and Alex would either turn him down gently or avoid the question. She knew it frustrated Doyle.

She had asked Alex once why he did it and the reply he had given her had been because it was fun toying with Doyle's mind. She knew she would never understand them.

***

Alex was walking in the door of Angle Investigations when he saw Doyle collapse to the floor. He rushed to Doyle's side and took him into his arms. He cooed soft comforting words and stroked Doyle's forehead trying to ease the pain. Doyle struggled in his arms to get vision out of his head.

Cordelia and Angel came running from the inner office. "What did you see?" Angel asked Doyle.

"Sunnydale, a big blue demon, slaughter." He managed to gasp out.

"Okay. Here's what we do. Cordelia you go search for anything like this. Alex, you tend to Doyle. I'm going to call Sunnydale." Angel says taking charge. He stalks to his office to make the phone call.

Alex helped Doyle up and over to the couch. "Is there anything you need right now Doyle? I hate seeing you in pain."

Doyle smiles. " Come sit by me. You make the pain go away."

Alex smiled back. " Okay, I can do that." He sits on the couch and pulls Doyle into his arms. Kissing Doyle on the forehead he asks, " So, what did you do today?"

"Organized the books mostly. Oh and I missed you." Doyle answered leaning up and placing a kiss on Alex's mouth. Alex responds by deepening the kiss. They are deep in a make out session when Angel interrupts them.

"Ahem. As happy as I am that you two have gotten together we need you in the office."

The two get up and follow Angel into the office.

Cordelia looks up from her searching long enough to say "I'm not going back to Sunnydale with you and you'll need someone here just in case so that'll be me."

Angel says, " The guys in Sunnydale are willing to let us come so you two need to go home and pack some clothes. We leave at dusk."

Alex and Doyle nod and walk out into the lobby where they part ways.

*****
tbc