Part One

William sighed as another one of his plant experiments died, an acute pain springing to life in his chest. Sometimes he wished he wasn't an Earth Mage. Ignoring the pain in his chest, he slowly lifted the plant and walked out of his dorm. He watched as Anya, the new foreign girl from next door, almost plowed into him and he barely got out of the way in time.

Sighing in relief, he began to walk down the hall, holding the dead plant carefully in his arms. Seeing his roommates he walked over to them, ready to run away if anything seemed… well, intimate. Alexander quirked an eyebrow at him as he came over, and Angel turned around as well. Angel's black robe almost contrasted with Alexander's blue one, but neither seemed to want to move from their position; Angel's arm slung around Alexander's shoulders, seemingly friendly but intimate at the same time. William blushed slightly, he loved the two of them together.

"Hey, Spike." Alexander greeted his roomie with the familiar nickname, smiling warmly. Angel merely nodded at William, they didn't mesh together
that well.

"Hey, Xand. Look, I'm gonna go out for a bit then head to class, all right?"

Alexander's eyes seemed distant for a moment and his eyes looked troubled. "Be careful."

William laughed. "Don't worry about it! I'm strong enough to protect myself, really!" William continued down the hall with a little wave and he missed
Alexander's comment. "But from what?"

*

William had just finished burying the plant, when he felt it.

There was something out of alignment in the Earth, and it was going to erupt soon.

Wishing once again and probably not for the last time, that he was less of a failure as an Earth Mage, he checked the clock before hurrying to botany class. Yet, when he arrived the teacher, Giles, had yet to arrive. Sighing in relief, he walked to the back of the tables in one of the rooms in the greenhouse; sitting next to Drusilla and Tara, who were both talking quietly. "Hey Spike!" Tara greeted happily, and William greeted them both.

"You're late." Drusilla's voice held an edge of annoyance and William laughed nervously. Drusilla and him might of broken up two years ago, and
since then she had taken on the roll of elder sister. William who had lost his family a few years past, had never more pleased when she had started
looking after him. Some people might think she is a little weird, but William knew the truth.

"I know. Another one of my experiments died this morning." Tara laid her hand over his and smiled encouragingly at him. "You'll get better, Spike. I
have no worries there."

William smiled at the blonde witch, happy that Giles had paired them together a year ago for a project and the two had instantly clicked. William
had a suspicion that something was going on with the teacher and the girl, but she played innocent.

Then seemingly as one the class snapped in attention, and all faced the front of the room as Giles walked into the greenhouse. William could of
sworn he saw a look pass between the blonde mage and the teacher, but when he blinked, Giles had already started teaching the lesson. "Today class, we will be…" Giles trailed off, and wiped his hands on his green robe for a reason.

He took his glasses off and placed a hand down to the floor of the greenhouse. His eyes widened and he stood up. "Everyone out of the
greenhouse!" he began to shout, while he summoned up a cube to contact the other teachers.

Everyone piled out of the room, wondering what was going on and just before they got out Tara gasped. "I left my spell book! My grandmother will *kill* me if I don't get it back." Before William or Drusilla could say a word she began to push through the people and back into the greenhouse.

Drusilla and him were swept forward with the crowd and Drusilla gave William a look as they were a few feet from the greenhouse. Both anxiously waited for their friend to come out, when the ground began to shake. "EARTHQUAKE!" He heard the water teacher shout, and he tried to get a grip on something as the ground began to rumble.

The shaking lasted roughly a minute and when both he and Dru had gotten their bearings, fearful eyes were turned to the greenhouse where Tara still was.

It had been leveled.
 

Part Two

Drusilla's brown eyes widened and she stumbled forward towards the leveled greenhouse before falling to her knees. William walked towards her but
something made him walk on. He went right on up to the  rumble, his hands laying down on the crushed plants and crumbled plastic.

He heard a noise that sounded a little bit like an argument and he began to walk around the rumble of the greenhouse where he found Giles, angrily
talking to someone.  William's heart fluttered in an inane hope and he began to walk closer to the professor.

". you should have known! Do you expect me to be there all the time? You must think, girl!" William rounded the corner just when Giles grabbed the
girl and hugged her. "Thank god you weren't hurt!" When he let her go, his eyes turned to William, and the girl's face was finally shown.

Tara's face was bright red and she scratched the back of her head. "Hey Spike."

William ran at the girl and scooped her into a big hug. "Gods above, Tara! Don't scare me like that! Dru is practically - Dru!" He grabbed the girl's
hand and he ran over to where Drusilla was still in shock. When Drusilla saw the girl she jumped up happily and gave her a big hug. "Gods above, Tara!"

The girl was hugged from the opposite side from a relieved William and the girl raised a hand. "Okay, breathing becoming a necessity here."

*

With a relived heart the three strolled the campus. The healer's were swamped with people who had been injured and the three pushed through the
crowd to witness the destruction that had taken place near the fire mages buildings. The tower itself had fallen, and the dorms had been leveled. The mages who lived in the dorms by the fire buildings were all muttering darkly as the headmaster, Wesley, was giving out new accommodations for the mages. Two earth mages were stuck with a fire mage and they watched as the argument started to heat up between a earth and the fire.

Everyone steered clear of them and William had a sharp feeling in the black of his mind. His blue eyes scanned the masses for Alexander and when he spotted him he nearly died. Alexander was limping, holding tightly onto a fellow water mage friend, Faith who was telling him not to lean on it as
much. Then William watched as Alexander's other side was taken by an air mage friend of his, Buffy. He watched as Alexander grimaced through the pain and all heads turned to look as, Gunn, the head of the Weather mages took up a position, using the winds to carry his voice. "Students - you are as of now confined to your quarters. Please separate into your rooms and try to stay inside unless it's an emergency."

The forum was buzzing with accusations as William went over to where Alexander was. He took his arm and waved goodbye to Tara and Dru who headed off to their own dorms. When they were walking he heard a muttered conversation fragment, ".not natural earthquake."

William frowned and he helped Alexander up the stairs. Once they had gotten to the door the door was practically ripped open form the inside and Angel's face was angry. "Where the hell have you - what the hell happened to you?" He picked up Alexander and carried him into the room as William strolled him after the two.

"The east quad of the main building broke off and I got hit in the ankle by one of the smaller pieces of rubble. It's no big deal -"

"WHAT? NO BIG DEAL?" Angel nearly screamed, interrupting.

"Some people got stuck fully - from head to toe - under the rubble. I'll be fine, Angel."

"Like hell you will!" Angel muttered darkly, and he stalked over to the window. Alexander sighed heavily and said lowly, "Angel."

William grabbed a book and cleared his throat. "I'll go and stay at Tara's."

Alexander looked at him, "No, Spike, you don't -" William held up a hand to silence him and smiled. Then he nodded at Angel, who was thanking him with his eyes and he left the room.

It wasn't that long of a walk to Tara's room. The two dorm buildings were connected, but it was eerily empty and silent. He felt that every foot step echoed around his ears and his eyes searched the halls. He had just walked into the building Tara was staying in and he saw a student down the hall. It looked like the student was hurt and he hurried to help him.

When he got nearer to the student he stopped, looking at the student. He knew no mages wore yellow robes. He didn't even hear the evil chuckle before he found himself in bonds of metal.
 

Part Three

William found himself struggling in his metal bonds, trying to find some way to get them off. The yellow robed student stepped in front of him, and
William couldn't figure out it's sex or it's element of magic - metal might be it's magic but that wasn't one he had heard off.

William felt the finger slide down his cheek, drawing blood. "Tsk, tsk. Didn't you know that everyone is supposed to be confined in their chambers
due to the unnatural earthquake? What a bad boy you are."

William swallowed down the putrid taste in his mouth as the hand started to caress his chest. "Leave me alone." he said finally, and the yellow robe's eyes slanted. William found a bar of metal over his mouth while the capturer hissed, "Stay quiet!" The hand stopped an William saw the evil smirk. "Perhaps you need to be taught a lesson." The yellow mage tore his shirt, and his hands reached for his pants, only ripping them slightly before the hands were taken away, and William kept in a sob of relief.

The yellow robe's eyes darted around and widened for a moment before it disappeared. William fell to the floor, released from his bonds and looked
up gratefully at his savior. William wiped his mouth, and kept his eyes on the floor after a moment, his mind instantly knowing who it was.

He had been saved by Willow.

Willow was the most powerful mage at the university, some say stronger than the teacher's themselves. Willow was the only kind of mage known to man at this moment who could use more than one kind of magic. And it seemed the rumors were true about her incredible beauty. Her red hair was pulled back into a bun; it's ribbon matching the color of her robe, a dark red. Her green eyes were cold, and she pressed up her hands together, her sleeves seemingly bowing down away from her hands, as she focused on where the intruder's magic had gone.

Sighing she opened her eyes, and looked down at William, who once again kept his eyes on the floor. "Are you alright?" Her voice was soft and sweet, yet had an unyielding edge of steel to it.

"Y-yes." he stammered, aghast that she was talking to him. He could feel her intense eyes on him and then he felt something being draped over his
shoulders. A dark red robe, Willow's own robe. "You might want to cover yourself up. Come along now." She began to walk away as William slipped on the robe - surprised that it was right size for him. He looked down the hall where Willow was walking, a dark red tank top with of her black pants. She turned around to look at him and he hurried up to catch up with her.

"Keep your manners in check." She murmured and then she opened the door to the council room.

No regular student was allowed in here, only teachers and Willow herself. The walls were seemingly glowing as the arguing reached my ears. Willow held up her hand, and suddenly all arguing stopped.

"It seems that not only did we have an irregular earth phenomenon but apparently an intruder as well. This boy -"

"William." Giles cut in, and he smiled at the boy. Then he looked at him and waved him hand for him to come over. William hurried to his teacher's side and continued to listen to the conversation. ".yellow robes. He had the boy trapped in a metal alloy which the intruder formed into bonds - nothing I couldn't break but the question is how he did it."

"Hm." Cordelia, head of the white mages, frowned. "I can not recall of the top of my head what level student and which kind of student can do such
things. Maybe. Lindsey do you know?"

Lindsey, our one handed head of the black mages shook his head. "No, Cordelia, I don't remember. But then again, you are the one who handles all
of that; you should know."

"What are you trying to say Lindsey?" Cordelia practically growled out.

"Nothing, Cordelia. What are you trying to have me imply?" Lindsey gave her an innocent glance and Cordelia seethed at him. Everyone knew the two heads of the opposing mages, didn't go all together well.

"Stop it you two." Wesley commanded from the head position of the table. "This is no time to get down each other's throats - we have more serious
issues at hand."

"Maybe," Buffy, the best student of the air mages, added; "Maybe he was something else. Not human, maybe a demon of sorts or even part of the Morai - you know how they can be."

"The Morai?" Gunn questioned, surprised. "I hadn't even thought to look there."

Buffy grinned happily and gave a look Willow. Willow gave her the barest hint of a smile, before Buffy stood up. "We all have to think and reflect on
this. I say get some sleep and we'll get together in the morning."

Everyone agreed and William walked out with Buffy. "You head for the air mages?" William asked, his eyes probing the halls for the yellow mage.

"Yeah." Buffy said, "And Faith might be taking over for the water sector. Both of our teachers. were caught in the rubble as the fire tower fell."
Buffy seemed to get a little choked up, but she brushed it aside. "No time to mourn, we have other things to do, right?" She gave him a thumbs up and left him standing in the hall.

"Right." William agreed and began to walk to Tara's room, clutching Willow's robe around him.
 

Part Four

William was anxious. It wasn't the normal day. no week. Tara almost *died * and he himself was almost. and Willow. A picture of a red-haired cold woman was imprinted in his mind. Sighing he began to pace again and Alexander groaned from the desk he was hunched over. "Spike. Sit down or else you'll dig a hole!"

"I'm sorry, Xand. I'm just. full of this nervous energy."

Alexander swiveled around in his chair, pushing his glasses further down his nose, studying William. His foot lay in a waddle of bandages thanks to his over protective lover. "Spike, I know you are a little shaken up but I agree with Tara. Pacing around all day, biting your nails will not help solve this any further. Why don't you use this extra time to practice or study? ANYTHING except that god-awful pacing!"

William sighed, and sat down on the edge of Alexander's bed, putting his head in his hands. "Maybe I should go see Dru -"

"Spike, you can't leave this room. Do you think if we were allowed to walk freely around Angel would be in his -" The door opened then closed behind him, showing Angel's devilishly handsome smiling face and Alexander sighed. "Okay, bad example. Now, do you think -" Angel leaned down a kissed his lover quickly and then sat down next to William.

"What's wrong?" Angel asked, and to William's surprise it was directed to him. William didn't miss Alexander's bright smile to Angel, and he restrained the urge to chuckle.

"It's. well. have you ever seen Willow?" Angel nodded, and William waited a moment for a vocal response, but soon continued after he got the message of Angel's silence. "Well I hadn't until the other day when she saved me from. well, she helped me out. And now, now. she's always in my mind. It's so weird! I don't. I don't know what to do with myself."

Angel looked thoughtful, as always, and William sighed. Alexander had long since turned back to his work, and soon William was mesmerized by
Alexander's hand. Alexander was doing a simple water spell, having the water float around after his fingers but every once in a while he would freeze one and shatter it, or spell something in the air with the water where it would stay until his hand passed by again.

" - sound good?" Angel had been talking, and William snapped in attention away from Alexander's long dancing hands. "I said," Angel repeated in a
semi-sour voice, (Maybe he saw me watching Alexander's hand), "that maybe you should go down to her rooms, and return her robe."

"Hm? Yeah, maybe I should . . . but we aren't allowed to leave our rooms."

Angel nodded, "Then maybe you should think about what you want to say to her. You don't want to sound like an idiot, right?"

William smiled, "Yeah. I should do that!" William nearly skipped over to the desk, took some of Alexander's papers, making him loose his concentration, and the water falling. "What in the -"

William skipped over to their bathroom, and closed the door behind him. It locked with a resounding click.

"What did you say to him?" Alexander asked, his voice full of mirth, only a little sour.

Angel walked over behind his lover, an arm wrapping around his shoulder. "Nothing really." Placing a soft kiss on the boy's head, he drew the chair
out and began to unwrap the bandages surrounding his ankle.

"Angel, my ankle is fine now. I swear." Alexander said leaning down to push his lover's hands away from his delicate ankle.

Angel practically growled at him, and swats his hands away. "If you were fine, you would let me touch that ankle, Alexander."

Sighing at Angel's use of his full name, he leaned back in his chair, studying his lover under half-lidded eyes. His lover's frame was muscular, broad shoulders, strong arms. sighing quietly over his lover's figure he failed to notice that his lover's hands were almost touching his bruised ankle. But thankfully for Alexander, Angel hear his content little sigh and quirked an eyebrow at him. "What are you thinking about in that twisted mind of yours?"

Alexander smiled down at him, and noted with alarm that Angel's hand were almost touching his bruised ankle and decided the best way to steer him of would be. "You." Alexander caressed Angel's cheek softly putting an inviting smile on his face.

Angel was no fool. He knew exactly why his lover was doing it and he would let himself play along just 'till he got the upper hand. Or so he told
himself. Alexander's cold hand pushed some of his hair back and Angel nearly gave in right there. Both he and Alexander knew his biggest weakness was his hair, and he loved it when those hands soothed his scalp.

Angel took the hand away from his hair, mournfully, and shook his head. "I have to examine your -" his voice was abruptly silenced by that inviting
mouth closing over his. Alexander's cold hands cupped his face and he took Angel's hands and places them on his own hips.

Alexander was never one to be shy, as Angel found out soon enough after the boy had asked him out without a passing thought. Their age difference had no affect on Alexander, the six years that separated the two of them, making Angel nearly a *teacher* and the boy a student. Every time he was with the boy he felt guilty like he was taking something away from the youth. Alexander's grace was something extraordinary in a male, making him seem more effeminate than most would suspect of the young male.

Angel wanted to get himself out of the water nymph's cold hands, but he really didn't want to. Alexander was all he had ever wanted in a mate,
friend and companion. The cold hands pushed at his black robes, and he took his hands away to help. Breaking apart with a shattering breath on
Alexander's part they both quickly divested Angel of his robe and shirt. Picking Alexander up to help him get as undressed as he, he watched as a
fleeting look of pain washed over the mortal boys face as he rested down on his ankle.

Angel sighed and placed one hand under his lover's knees and one on his upper back and lifted the boy from the ground and walked him over to the
bed. Placing him down, Alexander reached up to pull Angel down with him, but Angel shook his head instead approaching it from another angle. He kissed down from the knee and when he finally made it down to the ankle he applied slight pressure. Hearing Alexander's sharp intake of breath replace the one of contentment, Angel glanced up at his lover, not amused.

"I know, I know." Alexander held up one hand and stopped him right before he said a word. "You should have someone heal you. I'm fine, Angel. I just need to start walking on it more often, you know?" Seeing Angel's face he sighed. "If I knew someone who could heal me, I'd ask. But I don't feel right asking Cordelia to heal my wounds. We - "

" - used to play with each other when we were little. She was the princess and you were the dashing hero. I've heard it, Xander, and frankly it's
getting tired you will go tomorrow or else."

"Or else. what?" Alexander replied, a slight smirk crossing his features. Angel grinned down at him, moving closer to his lover so his lover would
lean back. Holding his weight on his arms which were placed on either side of Alexander's head he leaned on the bed.

The door opened suddenly and the two males whipped around to glance at it. With a sleep grin on their features, Dru and Tara stood, giggling quietly. "Are we interrupting something?" Dru asked, her voice full of mirth, and Angel glared at her, standing up next to the bed and helping Xander into a sitting position. "Nothing that my little sister's ears can hear about, Dru."

Tara giggled. "Ang you do know that I am older than 4 now, right? It's not that I haven't done what you are."

Angel's face twitched and his nostrils flared out in anger. "WHAT? Who the hell is doing this with you? I swear I'll hunt him down like the dog he is
and strangle him until - " Alexander's hand covered his mouth, and he smiled at the girls. "William is in the bathroom, writing love sonnets. And Tara,
be nice to your older brother - he's fragile."

Tara gave an evil giggle and she and Dru left the half of the room. Alexander quirked an eyebrow at Angel. "I kind of like it when you are silent." Angel bit his hand playfully but didn't do anything to protest that statement.
 

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