Title: Transformations
Rating: PG-14 give or take a few years
Spoilers: I reserve the right to claim that just about anything from the first three seasons is fair game.
Summary: Just the usual. Something decides to use Sunnydale as a playground and turn the scooby gang into scooby snacks but what's up with Xander?
Disclaimer: This is a fictional story. Joss & ME own the characters, I own nothing and make nothing from this story. In other words; Don't want them. Don't need them. Couldn't afforded them if I did.
Note - thoughts
Transformations
Chapter One
The cemetery was quiet. Only the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees, insects, and the occasional rat scurrying among the headstones could be heard in the darkness of the night. This tranquil setting was shattered when a figure jumped through one of the many bushes found in the graveyard.
The figure moved out of the shade of the bush and into the moonlight, slowly looking around. The faint light revealed a man in his late twentys, dressed in a black suit that was covered in dirt. He wore a look of confusion and agitation as he surveyed the area.
SNAP
The man jumped at the harsh sound. Quickly looking behind, the man started to run in the opposite direction. Fear was clearly written on his face as it morphed into the demonic visage of a vampire.
Out of the vampire's wake, a second figure stepped into the clearing. This one was shorter and more feminine in nature. Buffy Summers, The Vampire Slayer, carefully walked out from the darkness. Her whole body shifted slight to the left and then to the right with each footstep. Her attention was focused on finding any hint of where her quarry went but a small part of her mind was busy berating herself. I could've nailed it with my stake if I hadn't stepped on that small branch. Now I don't know which way the blood sucker went.
Deciding to try something different, Buffy stopped moving and began to open up all of her senses. I don't see anything moving. My spider-sense tells me he's still here so maybe I could try listening.
Standing completely still, Buffy closed her eyes and tried to listen for any sign of the vampire. Among the soft but irritating sounds of insects and rats, Buffy could faintly hear the sounds of someone running and took off in that direction.
* ~ * ~ *
A short time after the Slayer exited the area, another male figure emerged from the same set of bushes but moved around the clearing instead in entering, preferring to stay in the shadows. The man shook his head in silent laughter over Buffy's attempts to slay the fleeing vampire. Twice, the deamon slipped through her fingers just when she was about to dust him.
The man was about to continue shadowing the two when a new sound in the cemetery caught the his attention. After a short bout of indecision over whether to follow the Slayer or investigate the source of the sounds, the man slowly moved away from the path that Buffy took and disappeared into the night.
* ~ * ~ *
"Oh, this is fun." Buffy grumbled, sarcasm dripping from each word. Buffy was currently sitting on a tombstone, having decided that it was time to take a break. A few feet from her was a pile of ashes that belonged to the vampire that she was chasing earlier.
Buffy looked around the the cemetery, She was almost disappointed that she only encountered one vampire so far. She was so restless that she was beginning to feel that boredom, not the threat of vampires, was going to be the death of her. Willow's been so busy getting ready for college and spending time with Oz, she doesn't have time to hang out with me as much. she complained internally, wishing that her friends were here to keep her company.
Hopping off the grave marker, Buffy had just started the long trip to the next cemetery when she came across one grave in particular that sparked a old memory.
~Flashback~
"It's ... nice," she said, looking at a heart-shaped pendant.
"But do you think Cordelia will like it?" Xander asked, walking over to where she was sitting on a grave stone.
"I don't know," she said, cupping the locket in her hand, "Does she know what one of these things is?"
"Okay, big yuks," Xander yanked the item out of the her hand. "When are you guys gonna stop making fun of me for dating Cordelia?"
"I'm sorry. But never," When Xander lower his head with a resigned smile she added, "I just think you could find somebody more ... better."
"Uh, alternate universe, maybe," Xander said mockingly, "Here, the only other person I'm interested in is um... unavailable."
~Present~
Buffy snapped back to reality as she was tackled to the ground from behind. Her attacker then pressed Buffy face first into the grass. "You really should pay more attention at night, little girl."
Before Buffy could get her bearings, she was roughly turned over, onto her back. She looked up to see the protruding ridges on her opponents face above her. "Vampire." Buffy grated out as he straddled her waist and held both her hands above her head.
"Human." the vampire sneered.
Buffy tried to free herself but lacked the leverage as the vamp firmly moved her head to the side, exposing her neck. Through all this, Buffy keenly felt the absence of her friends. She could almost imagine Willow shoving a cross into the vampire's face while Xander pulled it off of her.
"Just like they did with Angel," she whispered.
"What did you say?"
Buffy answered the vampire's question with a forceful headbutt causing him to release his hold on her and back a few inches away from her. Using the distraction, Buffy tucked her legs up in between herself and the vamp and kicked it directly in the chest. Before the vampire knew what was happening, he was sent flying through the air.
Buffy quickly sprang to her feet, expecting the vampire to attack again but she found herself alone. She quickly looked aroud and was surprised to find that the undead creature was almost thirty feet away, lying under a bush.
Cautiously, the blonde walked to the vamp and pulled it from the bush by it's feet. Without the bush to block her view, Buffy was startled to see that the deamon's chest was completely caved in. With morbid curiosity, the Slayer paused to watch as the vampire's demonic healing powers slowly began to reconstruct the rib cage and the surrounding muscles. The vampire was almost fully healed before she remembered to stake the demon's heart.
Buffy slowly stood up as the ashes settled into the ground. In the back of her mind, a small part of her was concentrating on a feeling she was experiencing. Just on the fringe of her senses, she could feel that someone was near her. Watching her. She could tell it was male and that he was surprised about something and then nothing. Like he was never there but she knew that he was off some distance to her right.
Buffy cautiously approached where she thought the stranger was. Surveying the area, she saw what looked like signs of a brief struggle and several obvious piles of ash. "Vampires."
Buffy sighed loudly as she guessed from the lack of bodies or even blood that the vampires were the losers here. "Great! Now there's a new mystery guy in town and apparently vamps are no problem for him. Just what I need, something else to worry about besides getting ready for college." Buffy started walking in the direction of her home. "Next time I'm dragging Willow out here with me. I'm so bored that I would not be surprised if I started talking to myself. Then you know what will happen next. Yep, that's right. I will be making a trip to..." Buffy continued to rant out loud as she disappeared into the night.
* ~ * ~ *
"No!!"
Buffy bolted upright in her bed, breathing heavily as she tried to rid herself of a nightmare she just just woke up from. Buffy couldn't bring herself to finish that thought and laid back down.
Calming down slightly, Buffy decided to try to forget about the dream. She left her bedroom to walk downstairs and into the kitchen. Feeling her stomach growl, she stuck her head into the refrigerator to find something to eat.
"Buffy, what are you doing?"
Buffy quickly jerked out of the refrigerator. Turning, Buffy saw Giles standing outside his office. He walked to Buffy and knelt before her. "Buffy," He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began to dab it around her mouth. "You take a greater chance of making a mess of yourself if you are sloppy." Giles cleaned Buffy's face and pointed to the table behind her. "Now finish eating. You will need your strength when you fight the vampire waiting for you."
Buffy looked up at the vampire leaning against a bookshelf then turned back to the table in the center of the Sunnydale High Library. On it was the still form of Xander. Her eyes locked on to the open and leaking wound on his neck. Without thinking, Buffy lowered her mouth to Xander's neck and started to drink his blood.
"Buffy?"
Buffy raised her head to look at her friend. "Xander?" Buffy then looked around confused. "What.."
"Buffy!"
Buffy shot up and looked around. She was in her bedroom, in bed and her mother was sitting next to her.
"It was just a nightmare, honey. Everything is alright," Joyce cooed to her daughter and drew her into a hug. She carefully ran her hand through Buffy's hair as her daughter tried to calm down. When she thought Buffy was ok, Joyce quietly asked. "Buffy, was your dream about Xander?"
"Xander?" Buffy voice trembled.
"Yes honey. I heard you say his name when I tried to wake you up." Joyce let Buffy lay back down. "Was it one of your special dreams?" Joyce asked referring to a Slayer's prophetic dreams.
Buffy shuddered as she remembered the dream. What was that? Why was I drinking Xander's blood? What does- Buffy was shaken from her thoughts by her mother.
"Buffy?"
Joyce was now worried. Buffy could see it plainly in her face. "Mom, I don't know," Buffy could see the faint morning light shining in her window. "But I should tell Giles about it." Buffy saw her mom's face fall in disappointment. Buffy grabbed Joyce's arm as she turned to leave. "Mom, it's nothing against you. It's just.. I mean.." Buffy closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "I think Xander's gonna die and it will be my fault."
Joyce returned to her daughter's side. "Oh Buffy. Are you sure?" Buffy shook her head "What about the other dreams you have been having for the past week? Do you think that they are related?"
"No, or at least I don't think so."
"Have you told Mr. Giles about them?" Once again, Buffy shook her head. "Why not?"
Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "They don't feel like normal Slayer dreams. Hell they don't even fell like normal dreams. They're... different."
After checking the time, Joyce got to her feet and went to go downstairs. "Why don't you get cleaned up while I cook up some breakfast. I think I'll go to the gallery early today. That way I can drop you off at Mr. Giles'."
As much as she wanted to pull the covers back over her head, Buffy slowly did as her mother instructed.
* ~ * ~ *
Giles tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. He knew something was wrong with Buffy when she barely smiled at his attempt at a joke about her being awake at the crack of dawn. "Buffy, you mentioned dreams when you arrived. Are you having more prophetic dreams. Has some new malignant force come to Sunnydale?"
With a resigned sigh, Buffy answered. "I don't know and just me."
"What?" Giles was confused.
Buffy sat on the couch. "Apparently, I get to kill Xander," She paused as if remembering something. "I suppose it's not surprising since he seems to be a recurring dream guest for the last week."
Giles was shocked. "You have dreamt of killing Xander for the last week?!"
"No!" Now Buffy was shocked that he would suggest that. Calming down she continued, "Only last night, the others were different. Centered on Xander."
"How do you mean, centered?"
Buffy fell sideways on the couch. "In my dream last night, we were in the old school library. You were there, telling me to eat so I would be strong enough to fight a vampire. So I turned to Xander and drank his blood." Buffy paused to shiver at that memory and watched Giles as he cleaned his glasses for a second. "But the other ones, I guess you could say that I saw them from Xander's point of view. It wasn't me watching what was happening to Xander, I lived it through him."
Giles saw a few silent tears fall as she finished talking after which Buffy just laid there with a blank look on her face. "Do you want to tell me about them?" Buffy closed her eyes and shrugged weakly. "I may not be a god as you once called me but I might be able to help."
Buffy's face scrunched up in confusion. "When did I call you a god?"
"I believe it was just after you vanquished Amy's mother." Giles said, amused.
Buffy remembers back to the year when she first came to Sunnydale. She had just kicked Catherine's ass and Giles was regaining consciousness.
~Flash~
"Well, that was, um, interesting." She holds out her hand and pulls Giles to his feet.
"Are you guys okay?"
"I'm fine." Amy says.
"I assume the, um, all the spells are reversed. It was my first casting so..." Giles inhales sharply. "I may have got it wrong."
"You saved my life! You were a god!" She was quick to praise him.
~Flash~
"Buffy?"
Buffy's attention snapped back to reality. "Sorry Giles. My mind wandered."
"That much was obvious. Now before we discuss your dreams, was there any activity last night?"
"There were a few vamps but Giles," she paused to collect her thoughts. "I felt someone new. I didn't get a look at him but I saw his handywork." Buffy said as she moved back to a sitting position on the couch to make room for Giles.
"Handywork? Were there many people hurt?" Giles asked expecting to be told about a new evil.
"No, nothing like that. By the time I got there, I found four piles of vampire ash but there was almost no signs of a struggle. At least not the kinds of signs that you'd expect four vampires would leave."
"Really?" Giles was surprised. "Do you think this fellow could be a possible ally?"
Buffy just shrugged her shoulders. "He didn't feel a vampire or any other demon I've faced and he's like a 6.0 on the power richter scale but... Oh I don't know. I hope so. I really don't feel like taking on a powerhouse like him right now."
Seeing this display of frustration and guessing what the real source of it was, Giles laid a hand on his young friend's shoulder. "Buffy, maybe you should tell me about the dreams you have been experiencing."
Buffy sagged further back into the couch.
* ~ * ~ *
Pain lanced through his shoulder as he raised his hand to the door in front of him. Pain that reminded him of waking up to the vampires that crashed into the building he was staying in. I should have remembered that vampires could enter that place without permission. Even now his hand was shaking with the unusual effort he had to put into opening the door.
He will know what is happening to me.
That thought was all that sustained on his way over to the man's home this morning. The possiblility of help kept him going this last week.
Those vampires just walked in like they owned the place and tried to use me as breakfast... or would that be supper? He shook his head slightly at that mental question then he paused as he remembered the flash of blue light before the vampires literally disintergrated. And now I feel as weak as a kitten.
The surprisingly unlocked door opened and he shuffled inside. He immediately had the odd feeling of his energy being drained from him when he walked in the door. He could hear voices from inside and he quietly shut the door behind him as he listened.
* ~ * ~ *
Buffy had stopped talking for a moment and Giles went over in his mind about what he has just learned. Interesting. In the past week Buffy has had some very vivid and realistic sounding dreams about Xander's road trip. Everything she said sounds exactly the way he has come to expect from the young man. From his never ending bad luck when his car literally died in the middle of nowhere to his sense of duty to save a woman from being attacked by vampires. A virtue in Xander that had almost got himself killed on occasion.
Giles was interrupted from his thoughts when Buffy started up again. "... then in last night's dream, Xander was trying to stop a demonic sacrifice. He was running and then there was this flash of light and..." Buffy grimaced and cross her arms across her chest and fiercely clutched her shoulders in each hand. "Oh God. He was in so much pain Giles. It felt like it really happened."
"That's because it did."
Both Watcher and Slayer turned to the source of the quiet voice. Standing just inside the front door was a battered looking Xander. No one moved for a second and then Xander collapsed, face first, onto the floor.
* ~ * ~ *
Rating: PG-14 give or take a few years
Spoilers: I reserve the right to claim that just about anything from the first three seasons is fair game.
Summary: Just the usual. Something decides to use Sunnydale as a playground and turn the scooby gang into scooby snacks but what's up with Xander?
Disclaimer: This is a fictional story. Joss & ME own the characters, I own nothing and make nothing from this story. In other words; Don't want them. Don't need them. Couldn't afforded them if I did.
Note - thoughts
Transformations
The cemetery was quiet. Only the sounds of the wind blowing through the trees, insects, and the occasional rat scurrying among the headstones could be heard in the darkness of the night. This tranquil setting was shattered when a figure jumped through one of the many bushes found in the graveyard.
The figure moved out of the shade of the bush and into the moonlight, slowly looking around. The faint light revealed a man in his late twentys, dressed in a black suit that was covered in dirt. He wore a look of confusion and agitation as he surveyed the area.
SNAP
The man jumped at the harsh sound. Quickly looking behind, the man started to run in the opposite direction. Fear was clearly written on his face as it morphed into the demonic visage of a vampire.
Out of the vampire's wake, a second figure stepped into the clearing. This one was shorter and more feminine in nature. Buffy Summers, The Vampire Slayer, carefully walked out from the darkness. Her whole body shifted slight to the left and then to the right with each footstep. Her attention was focused on finding any hint of where her quarry went but a small part of her mind was busy berating herself. I could've nailed it with my stake if I hadn't stepped on that small branch. Now I don't know which way the blood sucker went.
Deciding to try something different, Buffy stopped moving and began to open up all of her senses. I don't see anything moving. My spider-sense tells me he's still here so maybe I could try listening.
Standing completely still, Buffy closed her eyes and tried to listen for any sign of the vampire. Among the soft but irritating sounds of insects and rats, Buffy could faintly hear the sounds of someone running and took off in that direction.
A short time after the Slayer exited the area, another male figure emerged from the same set of bushes but moved around the clearing instead in entering, preferring to stay in the shadows. The man shook his head in silent laughter over Buffy's attempts to slay the fleeing vampire. Twice, the deamon slipped through her fingers just when she was about to dust him.
The man was about to continue shadowing the two when a new sound in the cemetery caught the his attention. After a short bout of indecision over whether to follow the Slayer or investigate the source of the sounds, the man slowly moved away from the path that Buffy took and disappeared into the night.
"Oh, this is fun." Buffy grumbled, sarcasm dripping from each word. Buffy was currently sitting on a tombstone, having decided that it was time to take a break. A few feet from her was a pile of ashes that belonged to the vampire that she was chasing earlier.
Buffy looked around the the cemetery, She was almost disappointed that she only encountered one vampire so far. She was so restless that she was beginning to feel that boredom, not the threat of vampires, was going to be the death of her. Willow's been so busy getting ready for college and spending time with Oz, she doesn't have time to hang out with me as much. she complained internally, wishing that her friends were here to keep her company.
Hopping off the grave marker, Buffy had just started the long trip to the next cemetery when she came across one grave in particular that sparked a old memory.
~Flashback~
"It's ... nice," she said, looking at a heart-shaped pendant.
"But do you think Cordelia will like it?" Xander asked, walking over to where she was sitting on a grave stone.
"I don't know," she said, cupping the locket in her hand, "Does she know what one of these things is?"
"Okay, big yuks," Xander yanked the item out of the her hand. "When are you guys gonna stop making fun of me for dating Cordelia?"
"I'm sorry. But never," When Xander lower his head with a resigned smile she added, "I just think you could find somebody more ... better."
"Uh, alternate universe, maybe," Xander said mockingly, "Here, the only other person I'm interested in is um... unavailable."
~Present~
Buffy snapped back to reality as she was tackled to the ground from behind. Her attacker then pressed Buffy face first into the grass. "You really should pay more attention at night, little girl."
Before Buffy could get her bearings, she was roughly turned over, onto her back. She looked up to see the protruding ridges on her opponents face above her. "Vampire." Buffy grated out as he straddled her waist and held both her hands above her head.
"Human." the vampire sneered.
Buffy tried to free herself but lacked the leverage as the vamp firmly moved her head to the side, exposing her neck. Through all this, Buffy keenly felt the absence of her friends. She could almost imagine Willow shoving a cross into the vampire's face while Xander pulled it off of her.
"Just like they did with Angel," she whispered.
"What did you say?"
Buffy answered the vampire's question with a forceful headbutt causing him to release his hold on her and back a few inches away from her. Using the distraction, Buffy tucked her legs up in between herself and the vamp and kicked it directly in the chest. Before the vampire knew what was happening, he was sent flying through the air.
Buffy quickly sprang to her feet, expecting the vampire to attack again but she found herself alone. She quickly looked aroud and was surprised to find that the undead creature was almost thirty feet away, lying under a bush.
Cautiously, the blonde walked to the vamp and pulled it from the bush by it's feet. Without the bush to block her view, Buffy was startled to see that the deamon's chest was completely caved in. With morbid curiosity, the Slayer paused to watch as the vampire's demonic healing powers slowly began to reconstruct the rib cage and the surrounding muscles. The vampire was almost fully healed before she remembered to stake the demon's heart.
Buffy slowly stood up as the ashes settled into the ground. In the back of her mind, a small part of her was concentrating on a feeling she was experiencing. Just on the fringe of her senses, she could feel that someone was near her. Watching her. She could tell it was male and that he was surprised about something and then nothing. Like he was never there but she knew that he was off some distance to her right.
Buffy cautiously approached where she thought the stranger was. Surveying the area, she saw what looked like signs of a brief struggle and several obvious piles of ash. "Vampires."
Buffy sighed loudly as she guessed from the lack of bodies or even blood that the vampires were the losers here. "Great! Now there's a new mystery guy in town and apparently vamps are no problem for him. Just what I need, something else to worry about besides getting ready for college." Buffy started walking in the direction of her home. "Next time I'm dragging Willow out here with me. I'm so bored that I would not be surprised if I started talking to myself. Then you know what will happen next. Yep, that's right. I will be making a trip to..." Buffy continued to rant out loud as she disappeared into the night.
"No!!"
Buffy bolted upright in her bed, breathing heavily as she tried to rid herself of a nightmare she just just woke up from. Buffy couldn't bring herself to finish that thought and laid back down.
Calming down slightly, Buffy decided to try to forget about the dream. She left her bedroom to walk downstairs and into the kitchen. Feeling her stomach growl, she stuck her head into the refrigerator to find something to eat.
"Buffy, what are you doing?"
Buffy quickly jerked out of the refrigerator. Turning, Buffy saw Giles standing outside his office. He walked to Buffy and knelt before her. "Buffy," He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began to dab it around her mouth. "You take a greater chance of making a mess of yourself if you are sloppy." Giles cleaned Buffy's face and pointed to the table behind her. "Now finish eating. You will need your strength when you fight the vampire waiting for you."
Buffy looked up at the vampire leaning against a bookshelf then turned back to the table in the center of the Sunnydale High Library. On it was the still form of Xander. Her eyes locked on to the open and leaking wound on his neck. Without thinking, Buffy lowered her mouth to Xander's neck and started to drink his blood.
"Buffy?"
Buffy raised her head to look at her friend. "Xander?" Buffy then looked around confused. "What.."
"Buffy!"
Buffy shot up and looked around. She was in her bedroom, in bed and her mother was sitting next to her.
"It was just a nightmare, honey. Everything is alright," Joyce cooed to her daughter and drew her into a hug. She carefully ran her hand through Buffy's hair as her daughter tried to calm down. When she thought Buffy was ok, Joyce quietly asked. "Buffy, was your dream about Xander?"
"Xander?" Buffy voice trembled.
"Yes honey. I heard you say his name when I tried to wake you up." Joyce let Buffy lay back down. "Was it one of your special dreams?" Joyce asked referring to a Slayer's prophetic dreams.
Buffy shuddered as she remembered the dream. What was that? Why was I drinking Xander's blood? What does- Buffy was shaken from her thoughts by her mother.
"Buffy?"
Joyce was now worried. Buffy could see it plainly in her face. "Mom, I don't know," Buffy could see the faint morning light shining in her window. "But I should tell Giles about it." Buffy saw her mom's face fall in disappointment. Buffy grabbed Joyce's arm as she turned to leave. "Mom, it's nothing against you. It's just.. I mean.." Buffy closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "I think Xander's gonna die and it will be my fault."
Joyce returned to her daughter's side. "Oh Buffy. Are you sure?" Buffy shook her head "What about the other dreams you have been having for the past week? Do you think that they are related?"
"No, or at least I don't think so."
"Have you told Mr. Giles about them?" Once again, Buffy shook her head. "Why not?"
Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "They don't feel like normal Slayer dreams. Hell they don't even fell like normal dreams. They're... different."
After checking the time, Joyce got to her feet and went to go downstairs. "Why don't you get cleaned up while I cook up some breakfast. I think I'll go to the gallery early today. That way I can drop you off at Mr. Giles'."
As much as she wanted to pull the covers back over her head, Buffy slowly did as her mother instructed.
Giles tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. He knew something was wrong with Buffy when she barely smiled at his attempt at a joke about her being awake at the crack of dawn. "Buffy, you mentioned dreams when you arrived. Are you having more prophetic dreams. Has some new malignant force come to Sunnydale?"
With a resigned sigh, Buffy answered. "I don't know and just me."
"What?" Giles was confused.
Buffy sat on the couch. "Apparently, I get to kill Xander," She paused as if remembering something. "I suppose it's not surprising since he seems to be a recurring dream guest for the last week."
Giles was shocked. "You have dreamt of killing Xander for the last week?!"
"No!" Now Buffy was shocked that he would suggest that. Calming down she continued, "Only last night, the others were different. Centered on Xander."
"How do you mean, centered?"
Buffy fell sideways on the couch. "In my dream last night, we were in the old school library. You were there, telling me to eat so I would be strong enough to fight a vampire. So I turned to Xander and drank his blood." Buffy paused to shiver at that memory and watched Giles as he cleaned his glasses for a second. "But the other ones, I guess you could say that I saw them from Xander's point of view. It wasn't me watching what was happening to Xander, I lived it through him."
Giles saw a few silent tears fall as she finished talking after which Buffy just laid there with a blank look on her face. "Do you want to tell me about them?" Buffy closed her eyes and shrugged weakly. "I may not be a god as you once called me but I might be able to help."
Buffy's face scrunched up in confusion. "When did I call you a god?"
"I believe it was just after you vanquished Amy's mother." Giles said, amused.
Buffy remembers back to the year when she first came to Sunnydale. She had just kicked Catherine's ass and Giles was regaining consciousness.
~Flash~
"Well, that was, um, interesting." She holds out her hand and pulls Giles to his feet.
"Are you guys okay?"
"I'm fine." Amy says.
"I assume the, um, all the spells are reversed. It was my first casting so..." Giles inhales sharply. "I may have got it wrong."
"You saved my life! You were a god!" She was quick to praise him.
~Flash~
"Buffy?"
Buffy's attention snapped back to reality. "Sorry Giles. My mind wandered."
"That much was obvious. Now before we discuss your dreams, was there any activity last night?"
"There were a few vamps but Giles," she paused to collect her thoughts. "I felt someone new. I didn't get a look at him but I saw his handywork." Buffy said as she moved back to a sitting position on the couch to make room for Giles.
"Handywork? Were there many people hurt?" Giles asked expecting to be told about a new evil.
"No, nothing like that. By the time I got there, I found four piles of vampire ash but there was almost no signs of a struggle. At least not the kinds of signs that you'd expect four vampires would leave."
"Really?" Giles was surprised. "Do you think this fellow could be a possible ally?"
Buffy just shrugged her shoulders. "He didn't feel a vampire or any other demon I've faced and he's like a 6.0 on the power richter scale but... Oh I don't know. I hope so. I really don't feel like taking on a powerhouse like him right now."
Seeing this display of frustration and guessing what the real source of it was, Giles laid a hand on his young friend's shoulder. "Buffy, maybe you should tell me about the dreams you have been experiencing."
Buffy sagged further back into the couch.
Pain lanced through his shoulder as he raised his hand to the door in front of him. Pain that reminded him of waking up to the vampires that crashed into the building he was staying in. I should have remembered that vampires could enter that place without permission. Even now his hand was shaking with the unusual effort he had to put into opening the door.
He will know what is happening to me.
That thought was all that sustained on his way over to the man's home this morning. The possiblility of help kept him going this last week.
Those vampires just walked in like they owned the place and tried to use me as breakfast... or would that be supper? He shook his head slightly at that mental question then he paused as he remembered the flash of blue light before the vampires literally disintergrated. And now I feel as weak as a kitten.
The surprisingly unlocked door opened and he shuffled inside. He immediately had the odd feeling of his energy being drained from him when he walked in the door. He could hear voices from inside and he quietly shut the door behind him as he listened.
Buffy had stopped talking for a moment and Giles went over in his mind about what he has just learned. Interesting. In the past week Buffy has had some very vivid and realistic sounding dreams about Xander's road trip. Everything she said sounds exactly the way he has come to expect from the young man. From his never ending bad luck when his car literally died in the middle of nowhere to his sense of duty to save a woman from being attacked by vampires. A virtue in Xander that had almost got himself killed on occasion.
Giles was interrupted from his thoughts when Buffy started up again. "... then in last night's dream, Xander was trying to stop a demonic sacrifice. He was running and then there was this flash of light and..." Buffy grimaced and cross her arms across her chest and fiercely clutched her shoulders in each hand. "Oh God. He was in so much pain Giles. It felt like it really happened."
"That's because it did."
Both Watcher and Slayer turned to the source of the quiet voice. Standing just inside the front door was a battered looking Xander. No one moved for a second and then Xander collapsed, face first, onto the floor.