There was no sound at all in the room, except the ever-so-quiet sound of Xander's brain giving up. It had been abused enough that night, thank you, and so had decided, despite the reprieve the angel had provided, to just stop working for the moment.
"Whu?" he asked, using all the remaining brain power he had left to form that question. And what a packed question it was.
"Well, you see..." the angel explained, "I'm not really your mother."
Xander's brain paused as it was about to clock out for the night.
"Okay."
"I'm kinda your surrogate mother."
"Okay." Xander repeated, still in shock.
"You see, your father was a demon."
"A demon."
"Yes, a demon." the angel told him, "One of the nastier sorts. Evil to the core. She broke up with him after she found out..."
"Wonderful..." Xander commented as his brain started working once more, now renewed from it's break.
Saphreal looked at him and realized that she had better get going.
"Anyway, he was a demon, and your mother only found out about it after you were conceived."
"After I was-"
"So your mother, not wanting to bring a monster into the world, prayed and prayed, hoping that her prayers would be answered. You see, she couldn't bring herself to abort you because as much as she didn't wish to bring demon-spawn to this earth, she refused to immediately condemn you because of what your father was. She thought that, perhaps, you might still be good. So she prayed, and I, her guardian angel, heard her prayers and decided to do something about it."
The angel stopped speaking for a moment and looked up into Xander's face to find out what could possibly be there. She had been fearing anger, fear, or maybe even self-hatred, but instead was pleasantly surprised by what she found there. He was, in fact, smiling.
No, it wasn't a broad smile, or a strong one. But an interested smile that let her know that he not only believed her, but he wasn't mad at her.
"Anyway, I came to your mother, and together we figured out how to make sure you didn't come out an unholy terror, though from what I saw of your teething, I'm not exactly-"
"How?" he asked politely, interrupting her babble, "Or can I guess?"
"I'll tell you now..." she told him with a smile.
"Okay."
"I carefully transported you from your mother's womb into my own, and it was decided that I would keep the baby, you, within me for the remaining seven months so that my angelic aura could cleanse you of the demon's taint."
"And?"
"And I did..." she concluded, leaning back into the sofa, "I carried you around for seven months as you grew bigger and stronger, and then when the time came, I took human form, like I'm taking right now, minus the wings and the halo, and gave birth to you in Sunnydale Hospital, claiming to be Ms. Abigail Johnson, your mother's name at the time. And as planned, you weren't a demon."
"So, what you're telling me is that I'm the son of an angel..." he said, standing up and pacing, "What kind of...things... does that include?"
"Nothing..." she told him honestly, "Except that I tend to watch out for you a bit closer than any other."
"Nothing?" he asked incredulously, "Nothing? No interesting ability? No plus to all of this?"
"No, not really." the angel admitted, hoping she hadn't upset him too much, "Though from what I've watched, you have an abnormally hard head."
"You mean-"
"What?" she asked, grinning at her 'son', "You think just anybody can survive a swing from a troll hammer right on the head? You didn't even get knocked out."
"Yeah..." Xander said, feeling a little bit better.
"I've noticed that you do heal a bit quickly," the angel conceeded, "But that's probably because angels and demons both heal fast, so we weren't exactly working against each other on that score."
"So, I heal fast." Xander repeated. "That's it?"
"That seems to be it." she told him.
He sighed tiredly and fell back down onto the chair.
"Well, isn't that just great." the young man said, the comment to himself more than anything, "I've probably got one of the strangest birth stories in the history of Sunnydale, maybe even the world, and I've got nothing to really show from it!"
Even through his disappointment and anger, Xander could feel the gentleness of the touch on his shoulders as his 'mother' attempted to sooth him. Smoothly, she walked around till she was in front of him, never taking her hands from his shoulders nor her eyes from his.
"Xander..." she told him gently, "Don't say things like that. You have plenty to show for it. You have a wonderful home-"
"Which is kinda empty..."
"A great job-"
"True"
"And wonderful friends-"
"That I can never really help because I'm just a normal guy..." Xander told her, sounded defeated.
"No," she said with a shake of her head, "That's not true and you know that. Who was it that went down to the Master's lair and brought Buffy back from the dead? Brought her back because he was HUMAN and contained life and breath...
"Who was it that guarded Buffy's door while she was sick, stopping that sadistic vampire from getting anywhere near her where he could cause her serious harm? Showing his bravery because he was just HUMAN...and still facing down a vampire.
"Who was it that told the Slayer a lie, a very painful lie, that he knew he had to tell her in order to stop the end of the world? Who still holds the pain of that lie, and it's necessity, within his very HUMAN heart?
"Who was it who stopped those zombies from blowing up the library, an act which, at the time, would have meant the end of the world? Stopped them because of his HUMAN conscience which demanded that he DO something instead of just letting things happen.
"Who was it, Xander? Who? You know the answer...I know you do, because I watched all of these events, all the while praying that you would be okay.
"Xander, my son, my young man...don't think of being human as a weakness. There is nothing wrong with being human, even when you are fighting the good fight. Your mother and I, we worked so hard just to get you to be only human...and there is a reason why we did this.
"There is a strength in being human, Xander. A strength that He put there. A strength that you can always depend on. Being human is what every demon wants to be, what every Slayer wishes she was, what ever witch is at heart, and what every werewolf wishes he was again. And there's a reason for that, Xander."
"What?" he asked, finally able to speak.
"I can't tell you that, Xander..." she said, a slightly small smile on her lips, "But just know that you were given the greatest gift..."
"I..." Xander tried to speak, but he was too choked up, " I do..."
It was then that those soft hands removed themselves from his shoulders as Saphreal stepped away from him, a small grin on her face.
"Good." she told him, "I'll be watching..."
And then she was gone.
"Whu?" he asked, using all the remaining brain power he had left to form that question. And what a packed question it was.
"Well, you see..." the angel explained, "I'm not really your mother."
Xander's brain paused as it was about to clock out for the night.
"Okay."
"I'm kinda your surrogate mother."
"Okay." Xander repeated, still in shock.
"You see, your father was a demon."
"A demon."
"Yes, a demon." the angel told him, "One of the nastier sorts. Evil to the core. She broke up with him after she found out..."
"Wonderful..." Xander commented as his brain started working once more, now renewed from it's break.
Saphreal looked at him and realized that she had better get going.
"Anyway, he was a demon, and your mother only found out about it after you were conceived."
"After I was-"
"So your mother, not wanting to bring a monster into the world, prayed and prayed, hoping that her prayers would be answered. You see, she couldn't bring herself to abort you because as much as she didn't wish to bring demon-spawn to this earth, she refused to immediately condemn you because of what your father was. She thought that, perhaps, you might still be good. So she prayed, and I, her guardian angel, heard her prayers and decided to do something about it."
The angel stopped speaking for a moment and looked up into Xander's face to find out what could possibly be there. She had been fearing anger, fear, or maybe even self-hatred, but instead was pleasantly surprised by what she found there. He was, in fact, smiling.
No, it wasn't a broad smile, or a strong one. But an interested smile that let her know that he not only believed her, but he wasn't mad at her.
"Anyway, I came to your mother, and together we figured out how to make sure you didn't come out an unholy terror, though from what I saw of your teething, I'm not exactly-"
"How?" he asked politely, interrupting her babble, "Or can I guess?"
"I'll tell you now..." she told him with a smile.
"Okay."
"I carefully transported you from your mother's womb into my own, and it was decided that I would keep the baby, you, within me for the remaining seven months so that my angelic aura could cleanse you of the demon's taint."
"And?"
"And I did..." she concluded, leaning back into the sofa, "I carried you around for seven months as you grew bigger and stronger, and then when the time came, I took human form, like I'm taking right now, minus the wings and the halo, and gave birth to you in Sunnydale Hospital, claiming to be Ms. Abigail Johnson, your mother's name at the time. And as planned, you weren't a demon."
"So, what you're telling me is that I'm the son of an angel..." he said, standing up and pacing, "What kind of...things... does that include?"
"Nothing..." she told him honestly, "Except that I tend to watch out for you a bit closer than any other."
"Nothing?" he asked incredulously, "Nothing? No interesting ability? No plus to all of this?"
"No, not really." the angel admitted, hoping she hadn't upset him too much, "Though from what I've watched, you have an abnormally hard head."
"You mean-"
"What?" she asked, grinning at her 'son', "You think just anybody can survive a swing from a troll hammer right on the head? You didn't even get knocked out."
"Yeah..." Xander said, feeling a little bit better.
"I've noticed that you do heal a bit quickly," the angel conceeded, "But that's probably because angels and demons both heal fast, so we weren't exactly working against each other on that score."
"So, I heal fast." Xander repeated. "That's it?"
"That seems to be it." she told him.
He sighed tiredly and fell back down onto the chair.
"Well, isn't that just great." the young man said, the comment to himself more than anything, "I've probably got one of the strangest birth stories in the history of Sunnydale, maybe even the world, and I've got nothing to really show from it!"
Even through his disappointment and anger, Xander could feel the gentleness of the touch on his shoulders as his 'mother' attempted to sooth him. Smoothly, she walked around till she was in front of him, never taking her hands from his shoulders nor her eyes from his.
"Xander..." she told him gently, "Don't say things like that. You have plenty to show for it. You have a wonderful home-"
"Which is kinda empty..."
"A great job-"
"True"
"And wonderful friends-"
"That I can never really help because I'm just a normal guy..." Xander told her, sounded defeated.
"No," she said with a shake of her head, "That's not true and you know that. Who was it that went down to the Master's lair and brought Buffy back from the dead? Brought her back because he was HUMAN and contained life and breath...
"Who was it that guarded Buffy's door while she was sick, stopping that sadistic vampire from getting anywhere near her where he could cause her serious harm? Showing his bravery because he was just HUMAN...and still facing down a vampire.
"Who was it that told the Slayer a lie, a very painful lie, that he knew he had to tell her in order to stop the end of the world? Who still holds the pain of that lie, and it's necessity, within his very HUMAN heart?
"Who was it who stopped those zombies from blowing up the library, an act which, at the time, would have meant the end of the world? Stopped them because of his HUMAN conscience which demanded that he DO something instead of just letting things happen.
"Who was it, Xander? Who? You know the answer...I know you do, because I watched all of these events, all the while praying that you would be okay.
"Xander, my son, my young man...don't think of being human as a weakness. There is nothing wrong with being human, even when you are fighting the good fight. Your mother and I, we worked so hard just to get you to be only human...and there is a reason why we did this.
"There is a strength in being human, Xander. A strength that He put there. A strength that you can always depend on. Being human is what every demon wants to be, what every Slayer wishes she was, what ever witch is at heart, and what every werewolf wishes he was again. And there's a reason for that, Xander."
"What?" he asked, finally able to speak.
"I can't tell you that, Xander..." she said, a slightly small smile on her lips, "But just know that you were given the greatest gift..."
"I..." Xander tried to speak, but he was too choked up, " I do..."
It was then that those soft hands removed themselves from his shoulders as Saphreal stepped away from him, a small grin on her face.
"Good." she told him, "I'll be watching..."
And then she was gone.