I was so absorbed in the text that I became fairly oblivious to
     everything else. After a short while, I heard Giles mentioning
     something about getting another volume from his office, but I didn't
     really pay attention until I heard a tremendous crash coming from
     the direction he had gone. As I looked up to find the source of the
     sound, some sort of cloth bag was jerked down over my head and
     something grabbed me from behind, trying to pin my arms to my
     side. Fortunately, whoever it was didn't get a good hold and I
     squirmed away from my would-be abductor. I ripped the bag off
     my head and whirled to face the smaller of the two men that we
     had been assaulted by earlier. They must have followed us to the
     library! They had probably waited outside until they figured they
     could sneak up on us and overtake us by surprise. What they
     hadn't counted on was Willow taking off. Now, they were pretty
     much screwed. I only hoped that Buffy took enough time to
     convince her to return that they would be long gone before she
     came back. In the meantime, it looked like the thugs were going to
     take their frustration out on me. Or maybe they were planning to
     use me to bait her...I didn't really have time to contemplate it.

     The thug tackled me, knocking me to the floor. I felt him grabbing
     at my leg as I quickly scrambled to get away from him. I kicked him
     as hard as I could and was rewarded by the sound of his howl of
     pain. Served him right.

     "Xander?" heard Giles calling my name. "Xander, what is
     happening?" I looked toward his office and was astonished to see
     that an entire bookcase had been pushed over in front of his office
     door. That would explain the loud crash...Currently free from my
     attacker, I hurried to the bookcase and tried to shove it out of the
     way. It was much too heavy, and I was out of time; the thug was
     coming at me again.

     I quickly ducked out of the way of the thug as he made a dive for
     me. I had to find a way to get Giles free...I couldn't leave him
     trapped like that. But the bookcase was too heavy for me to move
     alone, especially in a hurry...A fire ax! I could break my way
     through the door. Dodging my pursuer again, I hurried toward the
     hallway. I could grab the fire ax and return to help Giles...it would
     also make the thug think twice about attacking me. I threw open
     the library doors and ran full speed...into the larger man. Before
     he could grab me, I spun around and went back into the library. I'd
     have to come up with an alternate plan, and quick!

     Buffy's weaponry...If I could make it to the storage cage, there
     would definitely be something in there that could help me fend off
     my attackers. I skidded past the first thug and raced for the
     cabinet.

     Unfortunately, I hadn't quite made it when the big guy barreled into
     me, slamming me into the stacks with such force that the shelves
     started to topple over. The wind rushed out of my lungs and for a
     few moments I couldn't breathe. I felt my legs buckle beneath me
     and I collapsed to the ground. The giant jerked me to my feet and
     pinned me against the wall, his large hand circled my throat
     crushing my windpipe.

     "Now, are you going to come quietly, or am I going to have to hurt
     you?" he questioned menacingly. I nodded and he lessened the
     pressure on my throat. I had no intention of going with them, but I
     would stand a better chance of escaping if they thought I was
     going to be cooperative. I knew that they were going to try to use
     me to get to Willow, and there was no way that I would ever put
     her in that position. Not if I could help it, anyway. He stared at me
     unwaveringly, and for a moment I could see my own death
     reflected in his eyes. Finally he seemed to decide that I was going
     to be subservient. "All right, then, let's go." He relinquished his
     hold on my throat, and stepped back, allowing me to move. I
     casually started to move past him, but I didn't even get the chance
     to attempt to flee. He seized my arms and proceeded to steer me
     toward the library exit.

     "Xander?" Giles called again from his office prison. "Are you all
     right?"

     The moment of distraction caused by the Watcher's question was
     all I needed. I stomped down on the thug's foot and he released
     me, momentarily. The other guy was still between me and the exit,
     so I lunged for the cabinet. This time, I reached it and managed to
     get it open before my captors reached me. I pulled forth Buffy's
     machete and whirled to face them again.

     I thought the threat of the big knife would deter them, but it didn't
     faze them. They both came at me, obviously angered by my
     insubordination. I hadn't considered the idea that they wouldn't be
     discouraged from attacking me, and I wasn't quite sure if I could
     justify killing a human being...of course they were servants of a
     demon...and they intended to do me and Willow a lot of harm. But,
     they were still human. I swung the blade, purposely missing them
     narrowly, hoping that they would believe that I was a serious
     threat. I must not have been convincing enough because they
     continued to advance. They were forcing me to make a decision
     that I never wanted to have to make...could I take another human
     life?

     Yes. I swung again, this time cutting the smaller one across the
     chest. To my astonishment, he kept coming. I stared at the knife
     blade, which somehow remained free of blood. His clothing had
     been torn, and I was sure that there was no way I had missed him.
     Oh, god, they weren't human!

     As soon as the realization struck me, they began to change--as if
     they were only able to maintain the illusion of human form only as
     long as people believed them to be human. The machete slipped
     from my grasp as I incredulously watched the transformation.
     Human skin gave way to slimy green coats as their appendages
     seemed to outgrow their human shells. Their eyes began to glow
     a dangerous orange, as if they were made of fire.

     I tried to dodge as the larger beast grabbed for me, but I was still
     kind of dazed by the turn of events, and my timing was off. Its claw
     slammed across my back knocking me to the floor. My back,
     where the beast had hit, felt like it was on fire, but I didn't have
     time to fully acknowledge the pain. I rolled out of the way as the
     smaller beast pounced. His claw barely grazed my chest, but I
     could feel it slice my skin. I grabbed the machete as I scrambled to
     my feet. In one fluid movement I swung the knife high into the air
     and brought it down with all the strength I could muster, plunging it
     into the littler fiend. Before I got a chance to see what sort of
     damage I had done, I was blown backwards by some sort of
     energy blast originating from the larger hulk. I was thrown halfway
     across the library, and was stopped only because there were
     tables in my path. The force of my body broke the table and I
     wound up on the floor amid the rubble of books and shattered
     wood.

     I must have blanked out for a moment, because the next thing I
     knew, the beast was standing over me, reaching for me. I grabbed
     the nearest book and beamed it at the brute's head. The book hit
     its mark, but did little to deter the fiend. It kept coming.

     I rolled to my feet and tried to make a break for it, but I wasn't able
     to get far. Again I became airborne as I was hit by another energy
     blast. This time, only the library wall stopped me. I slid down the
     wall and landed in a heap on the floor. The beast was upon me
     almost immediately. I tried, but I was too weak to fight any
     more...my injuries were too severe and I was losing too much
     blood. The fiend was only amused by my feeble attempt at
     resistance. "Now, you will be coming with us," it hissed in my ear.

     I wanted to argue, but I was already fading from consciousness.
     Within moments I felt myself being slung over the beast's
     shoulder, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Willow,
     forgive me, I silently pleaded as my vision clouded over and I
     succumbed to the darkness.