FicWad

It was a picturesque Saturday afternoon in the city of Sunnydale. The kids were outside with their friends having fun, the adults were scratching off their list of household chores to take care of, and nothing that could be considered... abnormal... was happening. For some enterprising individuals, it was also the perfect day to hold a yard sale. A yard sale such as the one Xander Harris found himself attending on that sunny afternoon.

"Find something that you might be interested in?" a man's voice asked.

Xander's head lifted up as his attention shifted away from perusing the neatly arrayed line of electronics in front of him and towards the man speaking to him. Standing behind the display table was a man approaching middle-aged with a graying head of hair and a thick handlebar mustache. He had a friendly smile on his face, but it was hard to keep the look of someone angling for a deal.

To be fair, it's been three hours since the man had set everything up for his yard sale and since then sales had been on the slow side. There'd been a decent number of people stopping by to browse, but the number of people taking the plunge to purchase something had been few and far in-between. When he'd spotted Xander, he could tell from the look in the young man's eyes that he was looking to buy. The man played it cool as he watched Xander out of the corner of his vision while he answered the questions of other potential customers. It wasn't until Xander had stopped at the table of electronics that held the big-ticket items, that all of his attention shifted to the Sunnydale High senior. By the time he made his way over, the man could tell that Xander had found something worth buying.

"I was just looking around when I spotted this VCR that you've got here." Xander answered.

The man somehow started to look even more excited. "You like it, huh?"

"Indeed I do." Xander replied. "The one I have now is starting to eat up my tapes. Seeing this one, made me start wondering if it would be easier just to buy another VCR, instead of trying to get the one I already have fixed."

"Well you're in luck." the man said. "All of the electronics on this table belonged to my dad. Most of this stuff is pretty well used, everything except for the VCR."

"Why? Is there something missing from it?"

"Nah, nothing like that." the man answered in a friendly tone. "It came out of the van that my dad used to own. It had a 'home entertainment system' set up in the back for passengers to use while it was on the road. I was grown and out of the house by the time they purchased the van, so he and my mom would use it to drive across the country on vacation. However, since they were always in front busy either driving or acting as a navigator, they only ever used it when they stopped at rest areas for the night. The TV and VCR were installed brand new before my dad brought the van home from the dealer, so it's still in really good condition."

"Well, I am interested. I guess the question we need to figure out is how much do you want to let it go for." Xander replied.

The man looked at the VCR for a moment before he responded with, "How about 75 bucks?"

Xander winced at the man's price. It wasn't terrible, but it was higher than what he was hoping for. "I don't know." Xander began. "I wasn't really looking to spend much more than half of that today."

The man's face dropped for a second, but he was quick to bounce back. "Listen. I don't want to lose a guaranteed sale haggling too much over price. If you give me 50 bucks, you can have the VCR. I'll even throw in a couple of videotapes on top. They'd be in a similar condition to the VCR."

Xander thought about the man's offer for a moment. Fifty dollars wasn't that much higher than what he already intended to spend, but the extra twenty was almost as much as it cost to fill up the tank in his car. He weighed the pros and cons of the VCR's price tag against the money he had saved up to fund his upcoming road trip. In the end, he decided that the extra twenty wouldn't 'break the bank' and accepted the man's offer.

********************************

Harris Residence
Later

After he got done running a couple of errands for Giles, Xander headed back home for the day. His goal was to relax before he joined Buffy and the others out on patrol later. With his new VCR all hooked up, he had the perfect way to pass the time.

Looking through his stack of tapes, Xander tried to find something that could satisfy his interests. While he perused through his extensive collection, Xander was unaware of a foreign presence settling into the back of his mind. While his conscious mind was completely unaware of its presence, the entity used Xander's subconscious desires to subtlety guide his choices in viewing material. Under the presence's guiding hand, any desire Xander had to watch something comedic was instantly discarded, along with any cartoons he had previously recorded. When his gaze fell across the box cover for his copy of Robocop, the entity made its move. Memories of the movie played out in Xander's mind before it stopped at the scene where Robocop's antagonist, Emil Antonowsky, was grievously injured after crashing into a tank of toxic waste.

After that, it took little effort on the foreign presence to sway Xander's interest from more light-hearted films to those of the more mature and violent variety.
 
While the bulk of his tape collection was made up mostly of action-oriented or comedy-oriented media, Xander did have a few horror movies in his possession. The moment that Xander's eyes landed on the tape sleeve for the movie "Scream", the presence took full control and forced Xander's attention to remain focused on that particular movie. Even with everything happening in the background, to Xander's conscious mind, his thought process felt no different than it normally would have when coming across something that piqued his interest.

After putting in the movie and hitting play Xander grabbed his bean bag chair from the corner and placed it in front of his tv. While the commercials for other movies played he headed downstairs to get a bowl of ice cream to enjoy while he watched. His timing worked out perfectly as the last commercial had ended by the time he walked back into his room with a large bowl of Neapolitan. 

Xander had just gotten comfortable in his seat when the weirdness started to kick in. The image on the tv screen began to get brighter as if someone was turning the picture settings to max. The brightness continued to increase until the light of the TV screen began to fill the entire bedroom. Xander looked away from the screen as he got up to try and turn the TV off. Before he could even stand up properly the light from the TV had consumed everything, blinding Xander entirely. A loud tone sounded in the room, similar to the alert made by the emergency broadcast system, deafening him on top of his blindness. Xander collapsed to the ground in disorientation as the dual attacks on his senses increased.

Then it all stopped. Just as suddenly as the overwhelming light and noise had arrived, it was now gone.

Xander's ears were left ringing from the loud noise and even with his eyes closed tight he could see colors flashing in his vision. However, in comparison to what he had just undergone, it was the darkest and most silent thing that he'd ever witnessed.

Rapidly blinking his eyes, Xander worked the flashing dots from his vision until he could see clearly again. Once he could see things properly, Xander learned that something was very wrong. Instead of the familiar surroundings of his bedroom, like he'd been expecting to see, Xander found himself kneeling on the hardwood floors of what looked to be someone's den or living room.

Xander stood up slowly, trying to comprehend what had just happened to him when a phone on a nearby table started ringing. On pure instinct, Xander picked up the phone.

"Moe's Tavern. Moe speaking." Xander greeted automatically.

A man's voice came across the phone line in response to Xander. "I-I'm sorry. I think I dialed the wrong number."

"That's no prob, Bob. People make mistakes." Xander quickly replied. "Keep it sleazy, okay?"

"Uh...okay?"

"Bye-bye now."

Xander placed the phone back in its cradle on the table before he started looking around at his new surroundings, trying to figure out just where the hell he was.

It wasn't Cordelia's house since, even if her parents had redecorated in the week since he'd last gone over to spend time with her, they would have never been able to finish changing the layout of the home in such a short timeframe. This wasn't Buffy, Giles, or Willow's place either for the same reason. This wasn't any house he'd ever been inside before. The one thing that he could figure out, based on the furnishings and the pictures that hung on the wall, was that whoever owned this place was very well off. Flipping a switch on the wall, Xander looked out through a set of French doors and could see a patio with a large in-ground pool. Past that was a huge sprawling lawn full of big oak trees with nary a neighbor in sight.

"Very swanky." Xander said in appreciation before he turned the light back off.

A sound nearby alerted him to the presence of there being someone else in the house. Xander's curiosity got the better of him, as he headed to where he thought the sound was coming from. As he got closer to the source of the noise, Xander found himself walking into the house's kitchen. Inside the room, Xander spotted a blonde woman grabbing something out of a cabinet. When the woman closed the cabinet and turned around, Xander got a clear look at her face. His jaw dropped as he recognized the woman in front of him.

"Who was that on the phone, babe?" Drew Barrymore or, if the outfit and hairstyle she had on came from where he thought it did, more accurately Casey Becker asked while she tore off the paper label of the item she had grabbed and threw it in the trash can.

"Just a wrong number, babe. You know how it goes." Xander answered in a daze.

Casey put the aluminum pan of Jiffy Pop Butter Popcorn on the stove and turned the control dials to the right temperature before she turned around to look at Xander. When she saw him, she found herself baffled by the strange look that he had on his face.

"Are you okay, baby? Is something wrong?" Casey asked him out of concern.

Still shocked to find himself standing in front of a fictional character, Xander went for one of the biggest of ass pulls of his life. "I-I'm fine. I'm just... taken aback by how you look even more beautiful every time I see you."

Xander's reply must have been the number one answer on the board because the look of joy that grew on Casey's face was infectious as he couldn't hold back a smile of his own. When she took his face in her soft hands he could see her eyes start to shine with moisture.

Xander started to worry that maybe he had said the wrong thing when Casey walked up to him and pulled his head down to her level as she kissed him on the lips. Xander was taken aback by the kiss from the Hollywood A-Lister, but quickly recovered and returned her kiss with equal passion. The tension between them ratcheted up as their kiss went from a gentle one of loving affection to a passionate one full of heat and desire.

The moment she felt Xander's tongue begging for entry into her mouth, Casey opened up without hesitation. She melted into his embrace as his hands grabbed her and pulled her closer to him. Even through the soft fabric of her sweater, Xander could feel her hard nipples poking against his chest as they continued their kiss. Their tongues danced with one another for dominance as Xander's hand moved from its position at Casey's waist and began to gently caress the warm smooth skin of her back under her sweater. Casey must have been ticklish because she started to squirm against him as his fingers continued their journey upward. He gave her another moment to protest his actions, but when his hands remained in the same position without moving, Casey pulled away from their kiss and looked up at him.

"You are way too good at that for it to be legal." Casey whispered.

"What can I say, you inspire me." Xander grinned before he leaned back in to capture her soft lips in another kiss.

His hands resumed their upward path underneath her sweater until he suddenly stopped, and discovered that Casey wasn't wearing a bra underneath her sweater. His hands slid from her back to the front of her body until they found their way to the two firm mounds of her breasts. Xander lifted the bottom of Casey's sweater until it rested above her breasts, leaving her exposed to his gaze. He cupped both breasts in his hands before leaning down and taking one of the soft pink nipples between his lips and sucking it into his mouth.

A sultry cry of pleasure escaped Casey's lips as she grabbed Xander's head and held him firmly in place. The sound that had escaped from between Casey's lips was like a shot of pure eroticism for Xander as he felt himself grow even harder beneath the tight denim fabric of his jeans. If he got any harder, he was pretty sure his dick would be able to drill a hole through steel. However, before either of them could get any further, the phone started to ring again. Casey pulled Xander's head away from her breast as they both looked over toward the phone.

"Fuuuuuuuuuck!" Xander yelled in primal frustration which earned a giggle from the beautiful blonde who pulled her sweater down and moved away to attend to the nearly popped popcorn on the stove.

Xander watched Casey move around in a daze. He was still in the grips of a sex-induced stupor as he made his way back into the living room and over to the phone. He took in a deep breath before releasing it slowly. Once he was sure that he had calmed down he reached over and picked up the cordless phone from its base and answered.

"Hello."

"I'm sorry. I guess I dialed the wrong number again." the same man that had called before said.

"Oh no! Casey, the voices are back again!" Xander gasped.

"Uh..." the man on the other end said in confusion.

"Oh thank god." Xander replied with visible relief. Casey just shook her head at the weird antics of her boyfriend before she resumed dumping the popcorn into a large bowl. "I thought you were that weird dog that follows me around telling me that the squirrels were plotting to overthrow the world governments."

"Wait, what?" the man on the other end asked, utterly confused.

"That guy can be such a conspiracy theorist sometimes. But enough about him, what can I do for you, good buddy?" Xander asked.

"Um... I-I wanted to apologize for the call earlier." the man replied.

Xander let out a hearty laugh before responding, "You're forgiven. TTFN, ta ta for now." Xander replied.

*Wait, wait, don't hang up.

"Hmm?" Xander hummed in response as he finally recognized the voice on the other end.

"I was thinking that we could talk for a minute or something."

"Normally, I'd be up for a gabfest like a couple of girls at a sleepover, but me and my lady have plans for the evening."

"Oh really? What do you have planned for tonight?" the man asked curiously.

"Right now we're getting all the snacks together for our movie marathon." Xander answered.

"What's on the playlist for tonight?" the man asked.

"I wanted to watch Jaws, but my girl wanted to see Jason." Xander answered. "You know how it goes, they whip out the puppy dog eyes and you're left completely powerless to fight back."

"Horror movies, huh?" the man asked, his tone switching to one that Xander had heard vampires take when they thought that Buffy was just a regular blonde. "What's your favorite scary movie?"

"Hmmm. Favorite scary movie?" Xander made various thinking noises while he pondered the question. After nearly thirty seconds, an answer popped into his head. "Well, stranger, if I really have to choose I think I'd have to go with John Carpenter's The Thing."

"T-The Thing?" the man asked, surprised by Xander's answer.

"Yeah." Xander replied excitedly. "It had a great story and the practical effects were legendary. Even today, they're still considered top tier."

While he talked, Xander began to wander around the house. First around the living room and then through the rest of the house. He stopped and looked down the hallway into the kitchen where he could see Casey dancing around in the kitchen to a song in her head.

"You know that scene where the doc gets his arms bitten off by the Norris-Thing when he tries to use a defibrillator on it?" he asked as he stopped to listen for a moment before moving on. "Carpenter used a double amputee wearing a mask as a stand-in. People were so focused on the effects for the creature and on the bloody stumps that the mask went completely unnoticed."

"The uncertainty of who had been replaced by the creature and who wasn't was pretty cool, but I've always been a sucker for a good old jumpscare."

Xander stopped when heard something moving out on the patio, the darkness working perfectly to conceal the threats that he knew were out there. He moved casually so that he was leaning against the bookshelf right next to the patio doors. He switched the phone from his left hand to his right, as he used the other to reach for what he was looking for.

The glass from the patio door shattered as a black shadowy figure exploded into the house and rushed towards Xander. The intruder tried to stab him with a Buck 120 knife, but Xander deflected the thrust off to the side with the book. Xander again managed to block an attack with the book as his attacker went for an overhand stab, but a knee below the belt weakened Xander's defense allowing the intruder to bring the blade down on him with both hands.

A pained yell was torn from Xander as the blade sunk partially into his shoulder, the bone keeping it from going in deeper. Xander retaliated with repeated palm strikes to the intruder's chest, with the third striking him in the throat stunning him momentarily. Xander's retaliatory strikes caused the blade to slip free as he twisted around and grabbed the arm holding the blade before he used the book to flick the deadly weapon out of his hand. 

Ghostface, the costumed persona of the killers in the movie Scream, grabbed Xander by the back of his shirt and pushed him to the ground. Xander recovered as he turned the fall into a slide across the hardwood floor. Quickly spinning around he slammed the book's spine into the crotch of Ghostface earning a pained cry from the psychopath. He followed up the attack by slapping the masked man across the face with the heavy book causing him to fall through the broken patio door and outside.

Casey had rushed into the living room the moment she heard the shattering of the patio door. She screamed as she saw her boyfriend fighting with someone dressed in a black robe with a ghastly white mask. As Xander was well aware

"Call the cops, Casey!" Xander ordered through gritted teeth as he fought through the pain and climbed back to his feet. In the movie, Ghostface was an alter ego created by two of the main characters to conceal their real identities. Picking up the fallen knife, Xander prayed to any god listening that the "Stu killed Casey and Steven" theory was correct as he stepped outside to follow the psychotic teenager.

Outside everything seemed calm and peaceful, as if the nightmarish events of a few minutes ago had never even occurred. Ghostface was there to quickly disabuse Xander of any such notion as he tackled the displaced Sunnydale native, knocking the weapon out of his hand with the jarring hit. He climbed on top of Xander and wrapped his hands around his throat as he tried to strangle the life out of him. Xander tried to break the hold, but he couldn't. As panic began to set in, that was when hope suddenly appeared. Standing behind Ghostface, Casey lifted one of the patio's potted plants above her head and shattered it across his back, freeing Xander. Hurt by the shattered pottery, the killer rolled off Xander and lashed out with a kick, knocking Casey to the ground. 

The fight for survival was suddenly interrupted by the sight of headlights approaching the large country farmhouse. The metaphorical timer was up for the trio. Xander's struggles had wasted all the time that Ghostface had to commit the murders and now help had arrived. For Xander and Casey, the outcome of their fight for survival no longer weighed solely on their shoulders.

Ghostface turned to Xander and landed a heavy punch across his jaw, knocking him senseless, before he raced off into the night and disappeared. A terrified Casey crawled over to her boyfriend and checked to make sure he was alive. Although relieved to find him still semi-conscious, the emotional toll that tonight had taken on them continued to provide a reason for her tears to fall as she held Xander in her arms and sobbed.

The panicked voices of Casey's parents calling out for her name eventually broke through as Casey screamed out "Mom! Dad!"

Mr. and Mrs. Becker rushed outside to the patio only for Mrs. Becker to scream in horror as they saw their daughter cradling a battered and bloodied Xander.

********************************

Xander was taken to the hospital where the doctors dealt with the injuries he sustained from the fight. They told him that he'd been very lucky that the knife hadn't hit any major arteries, given where he'd been stabbed. He received six stitches in the wound on his shoulder before they moved him to a room where he was questioned by deputies from the Woodsboro Police Department about the attack.

Unfortunately, Xander could only recount the events as they actually happened. Revealing to the police the true identity of the killers would only raise more questions since he shouldn't know the identity of the person who attacked them tonight. The film was cleverly designed to keep the killer's identity a mystery, leaving audiences guessing about the identity of Ghostface unless made explicitly clear by the movie. For instance, in the scene where Stu attacked Sidney wearing the Ghostface costume, only for Billy to suddenly appear at her bedroom window just moments after the assailant had vanished. Or at the end of the movie when Stu "murdered" Billy in front of Sidney after they were getting dressed after having sex. The opening scene was even worse since it was left completely ambiguous as to whether it was one killer or two that had attacked Casey. Even after the fight he'd just had, Xander wasn't sure if he was fighting one or two people. The Ghostface on the patio had his number for sure, but it could have been the same guy since he hadn't tried to stab him and the only knife present had been the one that he and Xander had each possessed.

In the end, Xander didn't bother wasting any more of his strength dwelling over the details. Casey Becker was alive and the Woodsboro police were now aware that a mask-wearing psycho was running around town.

Besides, if things play out the same way that they do in the movie, Xander knew he would get another shot at the murderous duo.

********************************

Woodsboro Medical Center
Morning

The next morning, Xander was awoken by the nurse entering his room. He was confused for a moment about where he was until the memories of last night trickled in. Reaching up to his shoulder he was surprised to find that his injuries, while still sore, hurt significantly less than they should have. He looked up and saw the nurse coming towards him with a tray of breakfast food.

"Good morning, Mr. Harris." she smiled as she approached his bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore." Xander answered with a slight smile.

The nurse nodded sympathetically. "I can imagine. You were lucky that the knife didn't cause more damage. The doctors said you'll need some time to heal, but you should be alright with proper care."

Xander nodded and thanked the nurse as she placed his tray of food on the side table. After she left, he turned on the TV and switched it to a repeat of "Freakazoid!" before he began eating his breakfast. Around 10:30 his doctor arrived to check in on him.

"Good morning, Mr. Harris. How are you feeling this morning?" she asked.

"Not as bad as I was expecting, given the non-consensual nature of the poking I received."

Despite its macabre nature, she couldn't help the tiny smile at Xander's joke as she checked on his stitches. Once she had confirmed that they were doing their jobs properly, she moved on to check the rest of his injuries. "Looks like you're healing pretty good. All of the rest of your tests show up as normal, so I can't find any reason why you won't be able to head home this morning. How's that sound?"

"That sounds like good news, Doc." Xander replied.

A knock at the room door interrupted their conversation as Casey entered the room. The look on her face indicated that she hadn't slept well.

"I'll go and get your paperwork started so that we can send you on home." the doctor said before she nodded at Casey and left.

"Hi." Xander said softly once the doctor was gone.

Casey smiled slightly as she closed the door before she rushed over to him and pulled him into a hug, mindful of the injury to his left shoulder. "God, Xander, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't asked you to come over, none of this would have happened to you." she said between sniffles.

"Yeah, but then you'd be dead and there's no version of this world that's better when your pretty face isn't in it." Xander replied.

Casey nodded before she gave him a small kiss on the lips and laid down in his hospital bed, curling up beside him. It was only a couple of minutes before the shaking started and he realized Casey was crying. Xander wrapped his arms around Casey, holding her tightly as she cried. He understood the weight of the trauma she had experienced, and he knew it would take time for her to heal emotionally. He let her cry it out, offering comfort in his embrace.

"It's okay, Casey. You're safe now," he whispered soothingly. "We got through it, and we're still here. That's what matters."

Casey nodded, trying to regain her composure. "I just... I never expected something like this to happen. It's like living a nightmare."

"I know," Xander said, rubbing her back gently. "But we're strong, and we're going to get through this together. You're not alone in this, Casey. I'll be here every step of the way."

Casey looked up at him with tear-stained eyes, finding comfort in his words and his presence. "Thank you, Xander," she said softly. "You... you saved my life last night."

Xander gave her a gentle smile. "I'm supposed to be your boyfriend. Pretty sure that's in the job description."

Casey let out a weak laugh as her tears began to dry. "I have to tell you something."

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Xander asked. "Because if you are, that would be okay, as long as we get to name the baby Luke or Leia."

"No, nothing like that." Casey shook her head. "I... I'm leaving."

Xander blinked a few times. "You're... what? I don't think I heard you right."

Casey sighed as she tried to gather the words she needed to explain herself. "I said that I was leaving." She said slowly. "My parents and I, we're leaving Woodsboro."

A million different thoughts swirled through Xander's mind as he tried to process what Casey had just informed him of.

"The police don't know if the guy from last night was targeting us specifically or if we were just randomly chosen, but my dad thinks it would be for the best if I was removed from the situation altogether." Casey explained. "He's taking a leave of absence from work and then we're going to be staying at my grandparents' place for awhile."

"How long before you have to leave?" Xander asked.

"We're leaving sometime today." Casey said. "My mom's at the house with a couple of her friends packing everything that we're gonna be taking with us and my dad dropped me off on the way to work to get everything situated on that end." The increase in the sniffing let Xander know that Casey had started to cry again. "I know that this is the smart thing to do, but I don't want to leave you." Casey got out before she started to sob again.

"It's okay, Case." Xander said soothingly as he rubbed her back. "Everything is gonna work out just fine. I promise." It took a little bit longer, but Xander managed to get Casey to calm down again and stop crying. Once she stopped, she lifted her hand and extended her pinkie finger in front of him.

Time seemed to pass quickly for the young couple as their conversation turned to more lighthearted topics. Once the doctor returned, Casey helped Xander to get dressed before wheeling him to be checked out. It hadn't occurred to him that he didn't have anyone to call to come and pick him up, but Casey said that her dad wouldn't mind dropping him at home since they still had to go and pick up her mom.

"Pinkie promise?" Casey asked.

Xander nodded as he lifted his finger and interlocked it with hers. "Pinkie promise."

As the young couple chatted, time seemed to fly by, filled with lighthearted laughter and sweet moments. When the doctor finally returned and told Xander that he was ready to be discharged, Casey assisted Xander in getting dressed, and together they made their way to the checkout area. It hadn't crossed Xander's mind until they were outside the hospital, that he realized that he didn't have anyone to call for a ride home. Casey came to his rescue and told him that her father wouldn't have a problem dropping Xander off at his place as they still had to go and pick up her mom from their house before they could leave.

The two sat together on a bench under the shade of a tree content to be in each other's presence.

********************************

30 Minutes Later

"What about Alcatraz? I've always wanted to go there after watching that Clint Eastwood movie." Xander offered for another potential point of interest for Casey and her family to check out while they stayed with her grandparents. "I heard that it's supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the world so there's that."

Casey laughed at Xander's attempt to cheer her up about the upcoming move. "I think that I'll just work on my tan and leave all the Scooby-Doo mysteries to you." she said with a smile.

"Ooh, that reminds me. You guys could go to the Venice Beach Boardwalk. Lots of stuff for you to do there, plus it's got the eponymous beach, which means you can work on your tan at the same time. Bonus." Xander replied as he and Casey stood up as her father's silver Ford Thunderbird entered the circular driveway of the pickup area for patients and pulled to a stop in front of them.

Casey laughed again as she leaned in closer to whisper into Xander's ear. "I was thinking more along the lines of going to someplace a little more private. Somewhere that I could work on my tan without worrying about any tan lines." Xander's brain immediately froze as it processed what she had just whispered into his ear. The resulting reaction was Xander staring wide-eyed at Casey with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Maybe take a few pictures to show off my progression." The wide grin on his face told Casey exactly what her boyfriend thought of the idea.

********************************

The world Xander found himself in, seemed to have its own set of internal logic that it followed. His dating Casey Becker probably meant that they attended the same school. The same school meant living in the same school district. Which meant that his house should be somewhere nearby. When Casey and her dad had offered to drop him off at home, Xander hadn't been sure what to expect. However, when their car finally pulled to a stop in front of a 2-story country home with a wrap-around porch, he was more than surprised.

"We're here, guys." Mr. Becker said after parking the car and turning the engine off.

"Thank you for the ride home, Mr. Becker." Xander said, his attention still focused on the beautiful house.

"It was no problem, Alexander." Mr. Becker replied. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay without your parents home?" The unexpected information finally got a gobsmacked Xander to turn away from his new home. "Casey told me that they were out of town for business or something."

"Y-Yeah, there at uh... at one of those things that people in the same industry travel around to attend." Xander lied.

"A conference?" Mr. Becker asked.

"Yeah, a conference." Xander said. "Besides if I really need anything I can always call up my uncle."

Casey got out of the front seat of her dad's car before opening the back door and helping Xander out of the vehicle.

The gorgeous blonde helped her injured paramour up the steps of what Xander considered to be a ridiculously nice house. The inside was just as impressive looking as the outside as Casey closed the door behind them and they walked into the living room. They made their way over to the couch and settled down. Xander couldn't help but wince slightly as his wounded shoulder throbbed with a dull ache, still reminding him of the harrowing events of the previous night. Carefully, he eased himself onto the soft cushion, trying to find a comfortable position.

As he looked around the room, any lingering doubts about whether this was indeed his home vanished instantly. Adorning the walls were numerous pictures of himself, clearly indicating that this place belonged to him. Each snapshot captured moments from his life, serving as a visual timeline of memories and experiences this alternate version of himself had lived.

The two of them sat there in silence, Xander's arm wrapped comfortingly around Casey.

"I don't want to leave you here to deal with this by yourself." Casey whispered, her eyes welling up with tears.

Xander nodded in understanding. "I know, Casey, but I'll be okay." he whispered back as he hugged her tighter. "What you need to do is to let your parents focus on taking care of you right now."

Casey nodded, tears streaming down her face. She leaned in and kissed Xander gently on the lips in a tender farewell. Despite the spike of pain as he did it, Xander stood back up and waked Casey to the door. She kissed him one last time before she walked over and got in her father's car.

Xander stood in the doorway waving as he watched Casey and her father drive away. He closed the door and let out a tired sigh, feeling a mix of relief and apprehension at being left alone. He walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to see what was inside. The second his eyes landed on the ice-cold can of Sprite his decision was made. He walked back over to the couch and sat down. He popped two of the pain pills the doctor had prescribed him and washed it down with a big gulp of his pop as he leaned back against the couch to rest and let the medicine do its work.

Though his eyes were open, he wasn't really paying attention to anything. Not at first. The shadows moving across the room alerted him that something was up. Turning his head to look out the patio door, he watched as the sky morphed from a bright daytime blue to a dusky evening orange. Movement out of the corner of his eye made him turn to look at the clock above the mantle and saw the hour and minute hands rapidly spinning around the clock face.

"What in the hell is going on?" Xander said to himself in a slight panic.

Eventually, the seeming rapid acceleration of time ceased as the second hand on the clock counted the seconds down like normal as the clock showed that it was now a few minutes after 7PM.

'But why 7 PM? What's so significant about that moment?' Xander wondered.

Just as the thought had finished crossing his mind, the phone in the kitchen started ringing. Xander felt a sense of dread settled well up in the pit of his stomach. Memories of the movie ran through his mind as Xander realized what scene was playing out. He hesitated for a moment before he got off the couch and walked into the kitchen to answer the phone.

"Hello?" Xander said, his voice steady.

"Did you really think it'd be over that easily?" the sinister voice of the killer laughed from the other side of the line.

A million thoughts raced through his head in an instant before a certain clarity hit him and his mind focused. Xander knew what was about to happen and his heart started to race. However, where in others the rapid beating of his heart might have been due to fear, in Xander it came from a different source.

"What's wrong? Don't feel like gabbing like a couple of schoolgirls at a sleepover anymore?" the voice taunted.

"Answer me this?" Xander said with an eerie calmness. "Stu or Billy?"

"... What?" the voice asked, caught off guard by the question.

"Stu or Billy?" Xander asked again.

"What the hell are you talking about?" the voice replied, obviously flustered by Xander's question.

"I want to know which one that I'm about to gut like a fucking fish: Stu or Billy?" The silence on the other end of the line only emboldened him. "I mean I get why Stu is doing this, I've been sliding 8 inches of Johnsonville sausage into his ex on a regular basis. Billy? Now that one's a mystery to me."

"You think you're so fucking clever, don't you? That you got it all figure out?" the voice taunted.

"No. I just now that somebody is about to die tonight and I don't give two shits about which one of you it is." Xander said as he walked into the kitchen.

His eyes quickly scanned the room before landing on the knife holder sitting on the counter. He walked over and grabbed the butcher knife before walking back towards the living room.

'Kitchen's an enclosed space so my back is protected from that direction, which leaves the patio door and the entrance off the front door as their only means of approach.' Xander thought as he started assessing the battlefield his living room was about to turn into.

"Oh, and after I get done with you two sons of bitches, I'm gonna go comfort Tatum and Sidney and make sure they get a healthy dose of Vitamin D." Xander taunted before he hung up in their face. His mind calculated how things were about to play out when he realized how dumb he was being and immediately called 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"My name is Xander Harris. There's a masked intruder at my house. They attacked me and my girlfriend, Casey Becker last night, and now they're back!"

Stay calm. We have officers on their way to your location. Can you give me your address?

"Yeah it's uh..." Xander said before he realized that he didn't even know the address.

However, Lady Luck was in his corner as a piece of mail belonging to his mother was sitting on the kitchen counter nearby. He quickly rattled off the address as his eyes darted around to make sure he would't get ambushed while he was talking to the cops.

Help is on the way, Alexander. Stay on the line with me until the officers arrive. Are you in a safe location?

"Technically." Xander answered. "I'm standing in my kitchen which is an enclosed space and I've got my eye on the only two ways into my living room from here."

Keep yourself safe, Xander. The officers are on their way. If the intruder tries to harm you, do whatever you can to protect yourself.

Xander glanced down at the butcher knife in his hand. "Already ahead of you."

Whoever was wearing the costume must have gotten impatient waiting to ambush him and they walked around the corner from the main entrance.

"Oh my god! He's-" Xander ended the call and tossed the cordless phone on to the counter. Xander gripped the knife tightly as his gaze locked on to the costumed figure and he stepped fully into the living room.

"You think a little knife can save you? I've seen enough horror movies to know how this ends." Ghostface taunted.

"This isn't a movie." Xander replied.

The two stared at one another for a moment before an eerie calmness filled the room. A split second later, Ghostface charged him. Xander leaped forward to meet the charge with his own, the two colliding with incredible force. Ghostface's knife slashed through the air. Xander dodged to the side, the knife narrowly missing the side of his neck. He retaliated by thrusting his butcher knife toward the masked psychopath's torso, but Ghostface jumped back to keep from being stabbed.

The living room turned into a battleground, furniture and belongings knocked aside, as the two fought for their lives. Just when it looked like one had the advantage, the other would manage to find a way to turn the fight around. Xander's wounds from the previous night throbbed in pain, but he ignored the discomfort, channeling his focus and adrenaline into every swing of his knife. This might have been a fight for his life, but it was one Xander knew he could win.

Despite the frightening persona he presented, Ghostface was just a regular man underneath that mask. Xander had been fighting creatures stronger than a normal person for years. All he needed was a chance and he could end this. That's when he started to notice it.

Ghostface's swings with his knife were starting to become wild and uncontrolled. Frustration at his inability to kill Xander was starting to build up inside him and it was making his fighting style sloppy. Though he took notice, Xander didn't let it distract him from what he was doing as he continued countering Ghostface's attacks.

Ghostface kicked a lamp into Xander's path causing him to stumble. That momentary lapse allowed him to land a deep cut across Xander's forearm. Xander let out a hiss at the searing pain, but he fought through it. Ghostface attempted to move in and slash across his throat, but Xander blocked the swing and his own knife sliced across Ghostface's bicep. The masked killer recoiled in pain, his grip on the knife faltering.

Xander took advantage of his opponent's weakened grip and knocked the knife out of his hand before tackling Ghostface into the wall. A heavy "oof" escaped Ghostface's lips as his back slammed into the wall. Xander leaned in close and pinned his assailant against the wall, before pulling his arm back and trying to drive the butcher knife into his foe's face. However, just before the blade plunged into his skull, Ghostface leaned out of the way causing the knife to snap off at the handle.

"Well, I guess that just evens things out." Xander said with a smile before he delivered a powerful right hook to Ghostface's side.

A grunt of pain escaped from the masked killer before he rushed forward and headbutted Xander, knocking him away. Xander stumbled backward, barely keeping his feet under him. Ghostface used the momentary advantage to rush Xander, lifting the Sunnydale native into the air and driving him through the coffee table with incredible force. Xander's back hit the hard tile of the living room floor hard, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

Ghostface scrambled over to Xander and wrapped his hands around his neck, squeezing hard enough to cut off his air supply.

"Didn't I tell you that knife wouldn't save you?" Ghostface snarled through his voice modulator. "At least this way I can enjoy watching the life slowly fade out of your eyes."

The lack of oxygen was starting to cloud Xander's mind as he felt his grip on consciousness starting to slip. That's when his left hand fell on one of the broken legs of the coffee table and his fingers closed around it. The sound of approaching sirens distracted Ghostface long enough for Xander to smash the piece of wood across Ghostface's face, knocking him off of him.

The two of them lay there in the middle of the floor, trying to catch their breath. Xander could feel his adrenaline-fueled strength quickly fading as he struggled to sit up. Ghostface wasn't in much better shape, clutching the side of his as he crawled away from Xander.

"I'll be seeing you soon." Xander's hoarse voice rasped as he watched the masked psycho recover his knife before fleeing out the front door and leaving him alone.

The house fell silent, save for his heavy breathing as Xander lay there on the living room floor waiting for the police to arrive.

Despite the new injuries he'd received, Xander saw tonight as a learning experience. Allowing Billy and Stu free reign to target him again would be a mistake. If tonight had proven anything, it was that the two of them would not stop coming after him until they succeeded in killing him. If he wanted to have any hope of surviving this nightmare, he was going to have to go from being the hunted to becoming the hunter.