Choices and Sacrifices
If you haven't read From Seven to Two, this will not make any sense, so go read that first.
Plus I don't own any of it, just borrowing and twisting the characters to fit my own twisted vision. :)
Xander watched as the dark haired young man turned down the side street, he gripped the knife in the pocket even harder. Inside his mind there was a war between conscience and reason. It was a few weeks since Halloween, and Xander had, had five years worth of memories dumped into his head. Xander ran his free hand over the eye patch that covered the empty eye socket which had been his left eye. It served as a reminder to him that what he was doing was the right course of action. Giles had explained to him why it was still needed. It seemed that it was very simple to remove an eye with magic, but to return it required more power than the spell reversal had available. As far as the others were aware it was the only thing Xander had retained from that night, and if Xander had anything to say about it, it would be all they would ever know.
He always hid it very well, but there was a darkness to Xander, one he channelled into the protection of those he considered family, and since he'd received the memories of his future self this had only increased. Everyone else just saw a joking, slightly geeky kid, but it was just a mask to cover who he really was. That was a fiercely loyal, protective young man with violent tendencies. They never understood that you couldn't grow up in the family that he had without lasting effects of your psyche, even Willow with all her book smarts couldn't understand what it meant to grew up the way Xander had. They had only met at school, he'd only experienced what it was to have true parents once he'd met hers, and by then the damage was already done, he just hid it very well. Even fooling himself at times.
He'd been given the chance to stop so much of the pain that will fill the lives of the people he cared about in the years to come, before it even happened. All he had to do was cross a line he'd promised himself he'd never cross. However that wasn't what was causing him the biggest doubt at the moment. It was that if he followed through with his plan a very important person to him would never exist. Could he really do it? At the moment she only existed in memories two years ahead of where he was. But at the same time he knew her just as well as Buffy or any of the other Scoobies. Could he do it? There was only one way to find out. Xander gripped the knife harder, and crossed the street and into the alley.
They in front of him was someone that will cause them more pain than anyone else and cause the death of one of his friends and eventual fall into darkness of the best friend he'd ever have. It would be so easy. Stepping up behind the man. He slipped a gloved hand round the man's face cutting off any yell before it could come. Xander leaned forward, so his mouth was by the guy's ear.
"Sorry." Xander said as he brought the knife up and in one quick movement cut the man's throat. It was much easier than he'd thought. Xander let go of the man, who life was rapidly leaving him, the guy eyes were filled with confusion, pain and fear. As the life finally left Ben Wilkinson, Xander fancied that his hair flashed blond, before the blood stopped flowing from the neck wound and life left him for good. Xander stared at the dead body, the death of which he'd caused, he'd watched the life leave the man. He trembled as an unexpected thrill coursed though him. He could do what was needed, and he would do it again. His mind made up, he turned and walked away, as a single tear fell from his one good eye. He mourned, not for the life he'd just taken but for the one that would never come into being. She'll only exist in his memories now.
"I'm sorry, Dawn." He said, as he turned towards the entrance to Bronze, to met up with friends.
Hmm, must be feeling very dark at moment.
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