Once Willow and Giles had gotten on the plane, Xander finally allowed himself to collapse as he no longer needed to be strong for Willow and the adrenaline that had been keeping him going was gone. Xander just could no longer pretend and so collapsed in the middle of the airport. Leaving Buffy to dive for his body before it hit the ground while Dawn let out a scream. A frantic call to 911 later and they were being rushed to thehospital. Hours later Buffy knew that the doctor would not be able to help. Whatever was wrong with Xander, they could not figure out what it was. Buffy didn't know what had happened ob Kingsman Bluff but she knew Willow must have done something to Xander up there.
Something that Xander had kept from them until Willow was gone and then he no longer could. Buffy hated to call Giles, didn't want to take him away from Willow but Xander was getting worse and Buffy didn't know who else to turn to. All she had was hope that Giles would be able to save him, that she wouldn't be losing him as she had lost Tara.
The call with Giles was not easy for either of them but within hours he was back and with a magical healer. Who was thankful able to tell them what was wrong with Xander even if it filled Buffy with rage.
"The boy has magic coursing through hm, consuming him in a way that is... worrying."
"How did he get magic in him.. Xander isn't magical. He's the normal one."
"Judging by the burn scar on his chest, Miss Rosenberg thrust the magic in him. Attacking him but instead of killing him...it has begun to change him."
Giles cleared his throat as he began to clean his glasses."Will...will it kill him, George.?"
"The magic...its consuming him but...It also appears to be becoming part of him..The magic of the Earth and the darkness of the temple is within his body...On a level that is truly remarkable for him to have survived. The scale of the power coursing through him...Its unprecedented as it the fact that he is still fact that there is both light ad dark magic in him...That and the amount, it should have killed him tenfold and yet he still lives...I don't know how."
Buffy stepped forward."You didn't answer HE LIVE?" The last words were shouted as Buffy grabbed George and thrust him against the wall.
"I do not know...As I said I have never heard of this happening before...This level of magic being in the body of one that had never held magic in it before...I do not know if he will survive this and if he does...What the state of his mind, his spirit or even his body will be in...If there will be anything left of who he was or...If the body will just be...housing the magic with nothing in it. A vessel for unlimited power...and what we will do if that is the case. Such a vessel in evils hands would be horrific.""
Buff thrust him against the wall repeatedly, hard. "That Vessel is one of my best friends and if your not going to help him then get the Hell out." Buffy tossed him out the door.
Giles sighed." Buffy."
"NO. What he was saying...Xander is not a Vessel..He will be okay."
"Buffy...What George said...While there has never been anything like this done on this level..It has been done before...Bodies used to hold power for some ritual or..such. Its dark magic as it consumes the host...There was nothing left."
"That was just dark magic...Xander has light in him...Xander is a fighter, he will...fight and,...Willow did this. I don't believe she would ever kill Xander."
"Not in her right mind but...She wasn't when...I don't want to believe it either but, Buffy, we may have to face the truth."
"NO.. No."
In the weeks following Buffy refused to face anything but waiting for Xander to wake up, refused to even contemplate the fact that he might never wake or even if he did, he might not be Xander anymore. Giles stayed for the first week but then he returned to England. To be there for Willow. Giles believed that his son in all but blood was dead and he would be there for his daughters in all but blood when they were forced to realize it.
It was almost two months before anything changed and it was when Dawn was sitting with the comatose Xander and it was she that got to see his eyes flutter open.
"Xander."
His eyes were glowing in a mixture of white and black.
