L.A. 1996
"She's gonna have it bad, that Slayer. World's full of big bad things," Whistler said.
Angel slowly walked closer to the Demon. The dank surroundings helped to make up his mind. He was a vampire, but he knew Whistler was right. What kind of Vampire was he? He couldn't even look after himself. He needed to make a change and here it was being offered up to him.
"I wanna help her," he said slowly. "I want...I want to be someone."
Whistler looked at him.
"God jeeze, look at you," he said. "She must be prettier than the last Slayer. This isn't gonna be easy. The more you live in the world, the more you see how apart from it you really are. And this is dangerous work. Right now you couldn't go three rounds with a fruitfly."
Angel knew he was right, but still he wanted to help her. His dead heart broke when he remembered how sad she looked in the mirror. He watched the tears streaming down her cheeks and all he wanted to do was wipe them from her face and hold her close.
"I wanna learn from you," he said quietly, but he meant every word. He did want to learn. He did want to help.
Whistler nodded. "Alright." He turned and started walking down the sewer tunnel. Angel followed.
"But I don't want to dress like you," Angel added.
Whistler stopped walking and looked back at the Vampire.
"Hey kid, you're annoying me," he chuckled. "You're lucky we need you on our side."
Sunnydale 1996
It felt like a slow tickle at first. It steadily grew stronger until Xander could no longer stand it. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a large crypt, and it took a while for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep. Last thing he remembered was Galadriel's soft voice speaking the spell to put him to sleep. He hoped it hadn't been too long. He was anxious to see everyone again. Especially Gandalf. He missed his old friend.
He walked around the crypt, running his fingers over the cold marble. It was beautiful craftmanship. He wondered how long it had taken to make. They couldn't have built in the few weeks he had decided to sleep. It must have belonged to someone of importance.
He found the door. It was stuck tight. Straining, he pushed harder against it but it wouldn't budge.
Great, he thought to himself. Where's the open switch? Had they overlooked it, or was this deliberate? He pushed harder, not giving up. He'd wasted enough time. He just wanted to be back out in the world, wherever and whenever he now was.
He lost count of how long he tried to open it. Hours, days, weeks. Time still meant nothing to him. When he finally gave up, he just sunk to the floor and sat with his head in his hands.
He sat like that until he heard a scratching at the door.
"Who's out there?" he yelled.
There was no reply, but the scratching got louder. He heard the creaking of the door as it slowly opened. A thin stream of light flowed through the small opening, casting a soft glow about the dark crypt. Xander's eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, found the sudden influx of light painful. He was happy to find that sunlight still had no effect on him. That had held.
The door opened wider. He blinked as sunlight flooded the room. A shadow passed in front of the doorway. An Elf? Galadriel? Gandalf? He hoped the latter. He stood and waited as the figure stepped into the room. He didn't recognise the person standing before him.
"Who...?" he asked.
"The name is Whistler," the figure replied, stepping closer.
Xander looked at him. He was dressed like a 70's pimp. Was he a Vampire? The daylight outside answered that question. So what was he?
"A Demon," Whistler replied to the unspoken question in Xander's mind. "Not one of 'those' kinds though. There are many kinds of Demons, and not all are dedicated to destroying life on Earth. I'm here to help you kid."
Xander was lost. A Demon was here to help him? Help him how?
"You do realise you were fooled right kid?"
"I wasn't fooled," Xander snapped. "I chose to come here, and stop calling me kid."
Whistler chuckled as he jumped up on a ledge carved into the wall and sat there.
"Sure you were. How long were you to sleep for?"
"Until I was needed," Xander replied, not liking where this was going.
"Until you were needed," Whistler repeated. "She fooled you ki...Xander. She cursed you again."
Xander watched, speechless, as Whistler jumped down from the ledge and slowly walked around the room softly muttering in another language to himself. It sounded vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't place it.
"Elvish," he said. "Its what Galadriel said as she put you to sleep that final time, all those years ago. Want to know the translation?"
Xander nodded, but he half feared the Demon was right.
"Sleep demon father, in eternal torment, until the day, one of yours with a soul, comes home to you."
Xander was stunned. The Demon was right. She hadn't done as she promised. She had betrayed him.
"Until the day, one of yours with a soul..." Xander looked over at Whistler, the question in his eyes.
"She cursed you with something she thought would never happen. You were supposed to sleep forever. She never counted on another Vampire with a soul arriving back here. But its happened and its time for you to awaken and take your place Xander. Its time for a new beginning for you."
"Where am I?" he asked, afraid of the answer he knew was coming.
"You're home Xander. You're back in Sunnydale."
"She's gonna have it bad, that Slayer. World's full of big bad things," Whistler said.
Angel slowly walked closer to the Demon. The dank surroundings helped to make up his mind. He was a vampire, but he knew Whistler was right. What kind of Vampire was he? He couldn't even look after himself. He needed to make a change and here it was being offered up to him.
"I wanna help her," he said slowly. "I want...I want to be someone."
Whistler looked at him.
"God jeeze, look at you," he said. "She must be prettier than the last Slayer. This isn't gonna be easy. The more you live in the world, the more you see how apart from it you really are. And this is dangerous work. Right now you couldn't go three rounds with a fruitfly."
Angel knew he was right, but still he wanted to help her. His dead heart broke when he remembered how sad she looked in the mirror. He watched the tears streaming down her cheeks and all he wanted to do was wipe them from her face and hold her close.
"I wanna learn from you," he said quietly, but he meant every word. He did want to learn. He did want to help.
Whistler nodded. "Alright." He turned and started walking down the sewer tunnel. Angel followed.
"But I don't want to dress like you," Angel added.
Whistler stopped walking and looked back at the Vampire.
"Hey kid, you're annoying me," he chuckled. "You're lucky we need you on our side."
Sunnydale 1996
It felt like a slow tickle at first. It steadily grew stronger until Xander could no longer stand it. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a large crypt, and it took a while for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He had no idea how long he'd been asleep. Last thing he remembered was Galadriel's soft voice speaking the spell to put him to sleep. He hoped it hadn't been too long. He was anxious to see everyone again. Especially Gandalf. He missed his old friend.
He walked around the crypt, running his fingers over the cold marble. It was beautiful craftmanship. He wondered how long it had taken to make. They couldn't have built in the few weeks he had decided to sleep. It must have belonged to someone of importance.
He found the door. It was stuck tight. Straining, he pushed harder against it but it wouldn't budge.
Great, he thought to himself. Where's the open switch? Had they overlooked it, or was this deliberate? He pushed harder, not giving up. He'd wasted enough time. He just wanted to be back out in the world, wherever and whenever he now was.
He lost count of how long he tried to open it. Hours, days, weeks. Time still meant nothing to him. When he finally gave up, he just sunk to the floor and sat with his head in his hands.
He sat like that until he heard a scratching at the door.
"Who's out there?" he yelled.
There was no reply, but the scratching got louder. He heard the creaking of the door as it slowly opened. A thin stream of light flowed through the small opening, casting a soft glow about the dark crypt. Xander's eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, found the sudden influx of light painful. He was happy to find that sunlight still had no effect on him. That had held.
The door opened wider. He blinked as sunlight flooded the room. A shadow passed in front of the doorway. An Elf? Galadriel? Gandalf? He hoped the latter. He stood and waited as the figure stepped into the room. He didn't recognise the person standing before him.
"Who...?" he asked.
"The name is Whistler," the figure replied, stepping closer.
Xander looked at him. He was dressed like a 70's pimp. Was he a Vampire? The daylight outside answered that question. So what was he?
"A Demon," Whistler replied to the unspoken question in Xander's mind. "Not one of 'those' kinds though. There are many kinds of Demons, and not all are dedicated to destroying life on Earth. I'm here to help you kid."
Xander was lost. A Demon was here to help him? Help him how?
"You do realise you were fooled right kid?"
"I wasn't fooled," Xander snapped. "I chose to come here, and stop calling me kid."
Whistler chuckled as he jumped up on a ledge carved into the wall and sat there.
"Sure you were. How long were you to sleep for?"
"Until I was needed," Xander replied, not liking where this was going.
"Until you were needed," Whistler repeated. "She fooled you ki...Xander. She cursed you again."
Xander watched, speechless, as Whistler jumped down from the ledge and slowly walked around the room softly muttering in another language to himself. It sounded vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't place it.
"Elvish," he said. "Its what Galadriel said as she put you to sleep that final time, all those years ago. Want to know the translation?"
Xander nodded, but he half feared the Demon was right.
"Sleep demon father, in eternal torment, until the day, one of yours with a soul, comes home to you."
Xander was stunned. The Demon was right. She hadn't done as she promised. She had betrayed him.
"Until the day, one of yours with a soul..." Xander looked over at Whistler, the question in his eyes.
"She cursed you with something she thought would never happen. You were supposed to sleep forever. She never counted on another Vampire with a soul arriving back here. But its happened and its time for you to awaken and take your place Xander. Its time for a new beginning for you."
"Where am I?" he asked, afraid of the answer he knew was coming.
"You're home Xander. You're back in Sunnydale."
