Clarity -
A one part piece of fanfic based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
By Michael Dunbar
-
The red trickle ran around the inside of the basin and combined with the swirl of water as the sink emptied itself, leaving a red smear around the rusty plug hole.
The bandage was tightened and the painkillers had already started to work their magic as his head throbbed less and his eyes seemed to regain some sort of focus. Finishing the bandage off he reclined and his back hit the cistern as he let out an audible groan.
He crunched down on two more painkillers.
They seemed to work less and less these days. This in turn led to him taking more than he probably should, just to ease the pain for a while.
Thinking about staying put was an option he often entertained, just stay there and don't move. The world will pass you by whether you want it to or not.
Alexander Harris was never one to do what he wanted; his life always involved somebody else more important. The pain in his wrist was already gone, the last collection of painkillers working the magic he craved so much, just to get rid of all his hurts.
The shirt he had pulled from his back lay bloody on the bathroom floor, a testament to the night he had just endured. It was soon placed in the waste paper bin, buried under the many bathroom waste products that had already endured a safe place within its confines.
More cuts and pains than he was used to.
That's for sure.
Easing himself from his seat he stood, surprisingly to even him, and reached for the door handle.
He never made it.
The last thing he saw was the floor as his head thudded against its dull and reddened surface.
-
Buffy Summers had never been as angry in her life as she was at the present moment. She didn't know why she was angry but she definitely was. It was almost palatable as she stormed towards her destination, people moved out of her way visibly as they saw her face set in stone.
An almost aura of red unadulterated anger seeped from her every pore with each individual step she took. Her hands shaking as she was getting prepared for the confrontation ahead.
She was a slayer, one of the best in history. Slaying a seven foot Gnorkath demon with claws as sharp as any ginzu knife wouldn't even make her bat an eye, yet a confrontation with one of her best friends was something even she feared.
Buffy knew what confrontation could lead to.
She knew all too well.
Interventions never seemed to go down well in her collection of friends, even if they were for the better.
The past had a funny way of trying to teach you, but in the end you had to walk the path even if it meant going against everything you had learnt.
He wouldn't even talk to Willow and that was a bad sign.
Buffy knew the only way to find the solution was an all out shouting match, even if it meant their friendship. She couldn't live without it, of that she was sure. But knowing something is wrong with her friend and not doing anything wasn't her style and for that she could possibly pay the ultimate price.
Three whole weeks he hadn't been really speaking to any of them, Buffy knew she hadn't done anything.
Anything she could think of at least.
Willow thought the same.
Yet here it was.
Every time the group of friends met there was a thick fog of tension in the air that nothing could clear. On some occasions you could almost taste it and nobody knew why.
Except one person.
And he wasn't speaking.
Buffy had decided that it was time. The air needed to be clear and she would do it tonight.
After the slaying last night he had left without a word, just disappearing into the night like some of the very things they hunted.
So now she was determined, times would finally be good again.
They would be the scoobies again hopefully, even if it meant her voice would be gone for a day or two.
A small price to pay for a person she loved.
-
Knock.... Knock.... Knock...
Seven times she rapped that wooden door and still no answer.
His car was still in the parking lot and seemed to have been there most of the night, the engine freezing cold under the hood.
Buffy tried the door handle and to her surprise the door gave way.
Xander's apartment was baked in sunlight gleaming in through the window in the living room and spreading out in a display of rainbow-esque beauty as the light seemed to seep into every nook and cranny appearing to scare away the dark.
She stepped lightly, not making a murmur.
"Xander..."
No answer to her call.
Her nerves tingled; she was on edge and getting more worried by the minute.
"Xander..."
Louder this time, more brash and rushed.
Her heart started to pound in her chest as she rushed from room to room.
She was looking for one small sign of her friends, anything.
"XANDER..."
Her voice was loud and unwavering, a sign of absolute fear and dread creeping through her very being.
Then she spotted it.
A red liquid was oozing under the bathroom door. Buffy could smell it as she crept forward. Something she had smelled too many times before and it still managed to make her sick to the stomach each time despite her job.
It made her sick more so now than she was ever before in her life.
Hand outstretched.
Could she do it?
She had to
There was nobody else, no one else to call or help.
Just her
Her and the door
The handle twisted and the door opened slightly.
The first thing she saw was his pale skin and his dark matted hair, then she noticed the wound and the blood.
So much blood.
Buffy the friend.
Buffy the person who cared more about this person than any other.
Buffy the hero
All three almost screamed right out and the only reason she didn't, the only thing that stopped her was one single sound.
One single sound that was keeping her sane in this crazy world.
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
His heart beating, it was a bit unsteady but strong.
Just like the man in front of her.
Buffy instantly reached for her phone and called the number.
-
Buffy hated the hospital.
Too many times had she been here in her short life, either as a patient or a visitor.
Everybody was here.
Everybody was hoping.
All Buffy could see was the blood, there was so much of it.
How could anyone be okay after losing that much blood?
How could they still be alive?
Buffy didn't like those thoughts but try as she might she couldn't push them away. They had been there from the very first moment she saw his pale white skin and his dark matted hair stuck to the floor surrounded by blood.
She had reacted quickly once she had heard his heart, the most wonderful sound she had ever heard in her life bar none.
The ambulance was quick and her friends even quicker.
Willow sat at her side, clutching to Tara's arm like a life preserver but maybe she was the only thing keeping her a float.
Dawn was hugging Giles's side, in an almost sleep filled state. Her thoughts clear in her eyes.
She couldn't lose him.
Not after mom.
Not after that.
Buffy looked at Giles and his alert eyes and she felt a sense of comfort from them.
Giles was strong, as he was supposed to be.
He was strong for his children, his friends and for the young man that lay in theatre somewhere in the hospital. He could console himself later, with a very stiff drink or five.
For now he would do his job.
Buffy clutched the chair so tightly she was afraid the arm would come off in her hand if she let go, but she had no plan to let go.
Not until she knew.
One way......
Things better left unsaid.
Things better left unthought-of.
People rushed through the wards, tending to the sick or visiting loved ones.
The world went on as Buffy's world came to an almost stand still. She could hear the footsteps before she saw the man, footsteps with a purpose.
Looking at his face as he rounded the corner, she knew he was here to see them.
To tell them.
Tell her.
Buffy admitted to herself she couldn't judge this man on his facial expressions, he was good at what he did.
Whether that was in Buffy's favour or not was as of yet undiscovered.
"Miss.. Buffy Summers"
She almost jumped from her seat; she stood right in front of him her heart pounding in her chest.
"Yes..."
Was that her voice?
It sounded so small and fragile.
"Mr Alexander Harris has lost a lot of blood, but the good news is that his type is very common and we have prepared and initiated transfusions..." The man seemed to pause for a moment and look around "I'm assuming you are very close to the individual as you were the person to bring him in"
"Yes"
No hesitation.
"Well I need to, despite the rules of the medical profession, discuss with you something in private..." He outstretched his arm to an office "can we speak please"
"Sure..." Buffy replied.
-
The blinding white light didn't help the searing pain in his skull, where were the painkillers when you needed them.
Xander expected to see the ceiling of his rather dull looking bathroom but instead he was staring at the dull ceiling of a hospital room instead. To tell the two apart would take an expert.
Instinctively he looked down at his wrist and noticed the expertly done bandaging job, something to say for the touch of a professional compared with his less than stellar efforts as of late.
Waking up in this predicament he knew that he would have to answer a lot of questions, ones that he himself was unsure of the answers to.
Why was their tension in the group whenever he was there?
Why did he not tell them of his injury or the many other injuries he had been treated for in the past?
They could wait for a while. First he needed to regain his sight properly and be able to focus.
He felt like death, pardon the pun.
Still
Maybe this was what he needed.
Xander knew he'd been relying too much on his own first aid skills and the painkillers for the last month. It was something he was finding very difficult to stop.
Finally the room had stopped spinning.
The first face he saw as his focus was regained was a pretty nurse as she adjusted something on a machine at his side.
"Morning sleepyhead..."
He could only muster a grunt and slight nod as a reply and she smiled and vanished out of the room.
The doctor was next.
A young bloke that had eyes Xander could easily recognise. The doctor had eyes that had seen too much for the person's age.
Xander saw the same eyes stare back from the mirror each morning.
"Mr Harris... You're awake"
"I am..."
A reply at least
"You have many friends; they haven't left the hospital since your admittance. I'm extremely sorry but I had to divulge some information to one of your friends, the one that brought you in. Buffy Summers"
"Information?"
Xander croaked out already knowing the answer.
"Well Mr Harris we had to know the lifestyle you lead, one that made you indulge in the use of many times the recommended dose of painkillers and could have, if unchecked, lead to severe problems...." The man smiled slightly "I'm hoping they can assist you in your rehabilitation"
Rehabilitation?
It wasn't that bad, was it?
Sure Xander knew he needed a few to take the edge off, but was he addicted.
Did he need them?
Only one reply could truly be the answer.
Xander had always been trying so hard not to be like his dad, not to be dependent on anything alcoholic that he never saw this one coming.
Never in a million years.
He had visitors.
He hugged and consoled Willow and promised to talk with her when he was released from the hospitals care. He talked to Dawn and promised her a big twinkie eating contest in the near future. He told Giles that he would build that book case he had promised sometime very soon.
Then after them lot.
There she was.
It was like that very first day all over again, her hair shining brightly in the light coming from behind her.
Xander almost took a deep breath.
Almost
Before he knew it he had her hugged to his chest and for the first time in many years, he saw Buffy Summers cry.
She was crying for him and he didn't have the answers.
He didn't need any; he just needed to hug her.
Everything else would work itself out.
-
There are perfect moments in life. Moments when everything is so clear. Moments that are so vivid that you know your path from start to finish. These are moments of Clarity.
-
That as they say is the end.
Am I mean?
Did you like it?
I meant to leave it where it is, I thought it worked pretty well even if it answers nothing :)
Should I do a sequel revealing all?
Should I do a part to any of my other stories?
A one part piece of fanfic based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
By Michael Dunbar
-
The red trickle ran around the inside of the basin and combined with the swirl of water as the sink emptied itself, leaving a red smear around the rusty plug hole.
The bandage was tightened and the painkillers had already started to work their magic as his head throbbed less and his eyes seemed to regain some sort of focus. Finishing the bandage off he reclined and his back hit the cistern as he let out an audible groan.
He crunched down on two more painkillers.
They seemed to work less and less these days. This in turn led to him taking more than he probably should, just to ease the pain for a while.
Thinking about staying put was an option he often entertained, just stay there and don't move. The world will pass you by whether you want it to or not.
Alexander Harris was never one to do what he wanted; his life always involved somebody else more important. The pain in his wrist was already gone, the last collection of painkillers working the magic he craved so much, just to get rid of all his hurts.
The shirt he had pulled from his back lay bloody on the bathroom floor, a testament to the night he had just endured. It was soon placed in the waste paper bin, buried under the many bathroom waste products that had already endured a safe place within its confines.
More cuts and pains than he was used to.
That's for sure.
Easing himself from his seat he stood, surprisingly to even him, and reached for the door handle.
He never made it.
The last thing he saw was the floor as his head thudded against its dull and reddened surface.
-
Buffy Summers had never been as angry in her life as she was at the present moment. She didn't know why she was angry but she definitely was. It was almost palatable as she stormed towards her destination, people moved out of her way visibly as they saw her face set in stone.
An almost aura of red unadulterated anger seeped from her every pore with each individual step she took. Her hands shaking as she was getting prepared for the confrontation ahead.
She was a slayer, one of the best in history. Slaying a seven foot Gnorkath demon with claws as sharp as any ginzu knife wouldn't even make her bat an eye, yet a confrontation with one of her best friends was something even she feared.
Buffy knew what confrontation could lead to.
She knew all too well.
Interventions never seemed to go down well in her collection of friends, even if they were for the better.
The past had a funny way of trying to teach you, but in the end you had to walk the path even if it meant going against everything you had learnt.
He wouldn't even talk to Willow and that was a bad sign.
Buffy knew the only way to find the solution was an all out shouting match, even if it meant their friendship. She couldn't live without it, of that she was sure. But knowing something is wrong with her friend and not doing anything wasn't her style and for that she could possibly pay the ultimate price.
Three whole weeks he hadn't been really speaking to any of them, Buffy knew she hadn't done anything.
Anything she could think of at least.
Willow thought the same.
Yet here it was.
Every time the group of friends met there was a thick fog of tension in the air that nothing could clear. On some occasions you could almost taste it and nobody knew why.
Except one person.
And he wasn't speaking.
Buffy had decided that it was time. The air needed to be clear and she would do it tonight.
After the slaying last night he had left without a word, just disappearing into the night like some of the very things they hunted.
So now she was determined, times would finally be good again.
They would be the scoobies again hopefully, even if it meant her voice would be gone for a day or two.
A small price to pay for a person she loved.
-
Knock.... Knock.... Knock...
Seven times she rapped that wooden door and still no answer.
His car was still in the parking lot and seemed to have been there most of the night, the engine freezing cold under the hood.
Buffy tried the door handle and to her surprise the door gave way.
Xander's apartment was baked in sunlight gleaming in through the window in the living room and spreading out in a display of rainbow-esque beauty as the light seemed to seep into every nook and cranny appearing to scare away the dark.
She stepped lightly, not making a murmur.
"Xander..."
No answer to her call.
Her nerves tingled; she was on edge and getting more worried by the minute.
"Xander..."
Louder this time, more brash and rushed.
Her heart started to pound in her chest as she rushed from room to room.
She was looking for one small sign of her friends, anything.
"XANDER..."
Her voice was loud and unwavering, a sign of absolute fear and dread creeping through her very being.
Then she spotted it.
A red liquid was oozing under the bathroom door. Buffy could smell it as she crept forward. Something she had smelled too many times before and it still managed to make her sick to the stomach each time despite her job.
It made her sick more so now than she was ever before in her life.
Hand outstretched.
Could she do it?
She had to
There was nobody else, no one else to call or help.
Just her
Her and the door
The handle twisted and the door opened slightly.
The first thing she saw was his pale skin and his dark matted hair, then she noticed the wound and the blood.
So much blood.
Buffy the friend.
Buffy the person who cared more about this person than any other.
Buffy the hero
All three almost screamed right out and the only reason she didn't, the only thing that stopped her was one single sound.
One single sound that was keeping her sane in this crazy world.
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
His heart beating, it was a bit unsteady but strong.
Just like the man in front of her.
Buffy instantly reached for her phone and called the number.
-
Buffy hated the hospital.
Too many times had she been here in her short life, either as a patient or a visitor.
Everybody was here.
Everybody was hoping.
All Buffy could see was the blood, there was so much of it.
How could anyone be okay after losing that much blood?
How could they still be alive?
Buffy didn't like those thoughts but try as she might she couldn't push them away. They had been there from the very first moment she saw his pale white skin and his dark matted hair stuck to the floor surrounded by blood.
She had reacted quickly once she had heard his heart, the most wonderful sound she had ever heard in her life bar none.
The ambulance was quick and her friends even quicker.
Willow sat at her side, clutching to Tara's arm like a life preserver but maybe she was the only thing keeping her a float.
Dawn was hugging Giles's side, in an almost sleep filled state. Her thoughts clear in her eyes.
She couldn't lose him.
Not after mom.
Not after that.
Buffy looked at Giles and his alert eyes and she felt a sense of comfort from them.
Giles was strong, as he was supposed to be.
He was strong for his children, his friends and for the young man that lay in theatre somewhere in the hospital. He could console himself later, with a very stiff drink or five.
For now he would do his job.
Buffy clutched the chair so tightly she was afraid the arm would come off in her hand if she let go, but she had no plan to let go.
Not until she knew.
One way......
Things better left unsaid.
Things better left unthought-of.
People rushed through the wards, tending to the sick or visiting loved ones.
The world went on as Buffy's world came to an almost stand still. She could hear the footsteps before she saw the man, footsteps with a purpose.
Looking at his face as he rounded the corner, she knew he was here to see them.
To tell them.
Tell her.
Buffy admitted to herself she couldn't judge this man on his facial expressions, he was good at what he did.
Whether that was in Buffy's favour or not was as of yet undiscovered.
"Miss.. Buffy Summers"
She almost jumped from her seat; she stood right in front of him her heart pounding in her chest.
"Yes..."
Was that her voice?
It sounded so small and fragile.
"Mr Alexander Harris has lost a lot of blood, but the good news is that his type is very common and we have prepared and initiated transfusions..." The man seemed to pause for a moment and look around "I'm assuming you are very close to the individual as you were the person to bring him in"
"Yes"
No hesitation.
"Well I need to, despite the rules of the medical profession, discuss with you something in private..." He outstretched his arm to an office "can we speak please"
"Sure..." Buffy replied.
-
The blinding white light didn't help the searing pain in his skull, where were the painkillers when you needed them.
Xander expected to see the ceiling of his rather dull looking bathroom but instead he was staring at the dull ceiling of a hospital room instead. To tell the two apart would take an expert.
Instinctively he looked down at his wrist and noticed the expertly done bandaging job, something to say for the touch of a professional compared with his less than stellar efforts as of late.
Waking up in this predicament he knew that he would have to answer a lot of questions, ones that he himself was unsure of the answers to.
Why was their tension in the group whenever he was there?
Why did he not tell them of his injury or the many other injuries he had been treated for in the past?
They could wait for a while. First he needed to regain his sight properly and be able to focus.
He felt like death, pardon the pun.
Still
Maybe this was what he needed.
Xander knew he'd been relying too much on his own first aid skills and the painkillers for the last month. It was something he was finding very difficult to stop.
Finally the room had stopped spinning.
The first face he saw as his focus was regained was a pretty nurse as she adjusted something on a machine at his side.
"Morning sleepyhead..."
He could only muster a grunt and slight nod as a reply and she smiled and vanished out of the room.
The doctor was next.
A young bloke that had eyes Xander could easily recognise. The doctor had eyes that had seen too much for the person's age.
Xander saw the same eyes stare back from the mirror each morning.
"Mr Harris... You're awake"
"I am..."
A reply at least
"You have many friends; they haven't left the hospital since your admittance. I'm extremely sorry but I had to divulge some information to one of your friends, the one that brought you in. Buffy Summers"
"Information?"
Xander croaked out already knowing the answer.
"Well Mr Harris we had to know the lifestyle you lead, one that made you indulge in the use of many times the recommended dose of painkillers and could have, if unchecked, lead to severe problems...." The man smiled slightly "I'm hoping they can assist you in your rehabilitation"
Rehabilitation?
It wasn't that bad, was it?
Sure Xander knew he needed a few to take the edge off, but was he addicted.
Did he need them?
Only one reply could truly be the answer.
Xander had always been trying so hard not to be like his dad, not to be dependent on anything alcoholic that he never saw this one coming.
Never in a million years.
He had visitors.
He hugged and consoled Willow and promised to talk with her when he was released from the hospitals care. He talked to Dawn and promised her a big twinkie eating contest in the near future. He told Giles that he would build that book case he had promised sometime very soon.
Then after them lot.
There she was.
It was like that very first day all over again, her hair shining brightly in the light coming from behind her.
Xander almost took a deep breath.
Almost
Before he knew it he had her hugged to his chest and for the first time in many years, he saw Buffy Summers cry.
She was crying for him and he didn't have the answers.
He didn't need any; he just needed to hug her.
Everything else would work itself out.
-
There are perfect moments in life. Moments when everything is so clear. Moments that are so vivid that you know your path from start to finish. These are moments of Clarity.
-
That as they say is the end.
Am I mean?
Did you like it?
I meant to leave it where it is, I thought it worked pretty well even if it answers nothing :)
Should I do a sequel revealing all?
Should I do a part to any of my other stories?