***sorry it took me so long to post, but I did manage to put some more of my plot on paper, but this chapter is regretfully short, but I promise to get some more uploaded reeeeeeeeel soon if anyone is still interested. Lets just say this chapter is a promise to you guys that I'm still writing and I'm not begging for reviews, I write for my own enjoyment, I just hope anyone that reads it enjoys it too***
"Xander?" Giles puts a steadying hand on his shoulder.
"No, I'm fine…" Xander replies, blinking to clear his vision.
"Xander, something is happening to you…" Giles starts.
"You have to tell us how to help you," Buffy adds. "I can't lose another friend, Xan."
"I don't know…I really don't know what's going on…all I know is that it hurts…" Xander replies, walking unsteadily toward the bedroom.
"Xander, wait," Buffy pleads. "Just wait a second."
Xander shakes his head, putting his hands up. "Buffy, I don't know, I just don't know…"
"Xander?" Anya's voice freezes him. "Xander, come here."
He turns and raises his eyes cautiously. "Hey, Anya."
She makes her way toward them, slipping her arms around him as he stands in the doorway to the bedroom they used to share.
"I want to do this now before…" She whispers in his ear, holding him tightly against her.
"Before what?" Xander asks, shaking her slender body with his uncontrollable tremors.
"Before you go away again…I've been thinking a lot about what I wanted to tell you…" Anya starts.
"He's not going anywhere!" Buffy says, loudly. "I'm not losing any more of my friends!" Giles puts a hand on her shoulder, to calm her.
"Anya," Xander breathes, returning Anya's emotion.
"I just wanted to tell you that you are important to me." Anya holds his face in her hands, forcing the impact of her words into his eyes.
"I want you to fight them, Xander, I don't want you to give up because you will always have something here for you. Me. Even though we're not together…you'll always have me…" Anya says, pulling him into another embrace.
"Thank you…" Xander whispers, kissing her gently on the forehead.
Suddenly, a breeze seems to pass through the room, chilling everyone with a wave of pure sadness. Dawn gasps, as Willow crumbles in her arms. Anya pulls away from Xander as she realizes that the pain is emanating from him. Everyone is shaken by the pure emotion that fills the room.
"Xander, you're…" Anya gasps, backing away into Buffy and Giles.
"Anya, what is it?" Giles questions, staring at Xander. Xander is staring at his hands, shaking violently.
"He's changing…can't you feel it?" Anya says.
Xander starts to sink to the floor but Willow disentangles herself from Dawn and catches him.
"Xander? Xander, don't go…please stay…just a little while longer…I need you…" Willow pleads. Her tears fall onto his face.
"Shh…Willow, hush now…I'm going to make it better…do you trust me?" Xander brushes her hair from her eyes, his mind swirling too much to focus. He doesn't know how, but he knows that he can help his best friend.
"Xander…" Willow cries, nodding sadly.
Xander takes her face in his hands and winks at her, playfully. He kisses her softly on the lips and a flash of light blinds everyone.
"What the hell…" Giles gasps, as he blinks to regain his focus.
"No, Xander!" Anya drops to her knees beside his unconscious form. Willow is sitting beside him, stunned.
"Xander, Xander, come on…" Anya shakes him gently.
"He took it away…he took away the addiction…the cravings and the cramps…it's all gone…" Willow speaks slowly, disbelieving.
"It's going to kill him, it's going to kill him, it's going to…" Anya begins. Dawn is the first to realize that Anya is unusually upset.
"Anya? Anya, come here," Dawn pulls Anya away from Xander's sleeping body.
Buffy, Willow and Giles lift Xander onto the bed once more.
"At least he's not glowing," Buffy sighs, lines on her worried face.
"Anya, what did he do?" Willow asks, joining Dawn and the pale demon.
"It's going to kill him…" She repeats, twitching slightly.
"I think he's some sort of empath…he can take other people's pain…" Giles offers.
"He must be able to give it off, too…didn't you guys feel that sadness earlier?" Dawn asks, her thin arm around Anya's trembling shoulders.
"It's going to kill him…it's just too much," Anya whispers, loud enough to be heard. She looks at Giles with tears in her eyes. "He's not strong enough…"
Willow goes to the girl and takes her shoulders. "Anya, I promise you that Xander will not die. He's stronger than you think…" She begins.
"No. He's stronger than you think. He's stronger than any of you think," Anya interrupts. "Xander has survived everything, without magic, without being the key, without being a Slayer…he has made it through it all and picked every single one of you up when you were down…he's got scars from battles that we never knew about…he's the heart of you all…you have no idea what will happen if you lose him…if I lose him…"
"Anya." Giles says her name and she closes her mouth.
"I think we all need some air," Dawn suggests. She pulls Anya from the room. Buffy, Willow and Giles stand over Xander's body.
"I don't know…Buffy, he took my pain away and…look at him…" Willow wraps her thin arms around herself, steadier than in recent days, but shaking.
"He's sleeping. He's not dead. He's not glowing. He's going to be fine. I'll slay anybody that tells me different. Okay? Okay." Buffy hugs her redheaded friend and tries to convince herself.
"I'll stay with him. I want you two to go sit with Anya. You may not like her but she has proved that she's a part of this family and she…" Giles starts.
"Giles, it's fine. We'll give her something shiny…joking, Giles, just calm down…" Willow smiles slightly, trying to lighten the mood.
"I won't be calm until everyone in this apartment is conscious and not crying," Giles replies.
"That's been a rare thing around these parts on a good day," Buffy remarks, leading Willow from the room.