PART VI - "Can what is broken be mended again?"
Buffy slowly stood up from Xander's lap and looked at him in horror. "YOU WHAT?"
Xander wanted to look anywhere but into Buffy's eyes, but after all that had happened between them, he felt he owed her at least that. "I'm from one of those parallel worlds..." Xander's heart broke at the anger and rage that appeared in Buffy's eyes with his confession. Xander slowly looked over at X-Giles, tears forming in his eyes as he realized that once again he had lost the woman he loved. He looked at Giles and with pleading eyes and a pain-filled voice made a request of the Watcher. "Giles, why don't you tell everyone how you and I came to be here?"
Giles smiled grimly at the boy he considered almost as a son. How many times will Xander have his hopes raised, only to have them completely dashed just moments from getting his heart's desire? After a short pause, he began to tell everyone gathered about the patrol arrangements, and how they came across Quinn and the others near the end of their patrol. As he described how he and Xander rushed to the aid of the Sliders, he noticed Buffy had moved over to the steps in front of the stacks. Sadly, he noticed that her arms were wrapped around her knees and tears were silently running down her cheeks. He noted with some surprise that Buffy would glance over at Xander now and again, but that her eyes contained no malice or rage, only deep longing and a muted love. I wonder what has become of the Xander of this world? And what will become of Buffy were he revealed to be no longer among the living? Shaking off his inner thoughts, Giles continued his tale with the confrontation between the groups, and how since Buffy was otherwise occupied, how they had no choice but to enter the vortex. Giles blushed a little as he described what happened after they exited the vortex.
Cordelia teasingly smiled at Xander, the malice of her otherworld counterpart nowhere to be seen. Rather the look on her face and the tone of her voice hinted that their relationship was a close one, filled with friendly bantering. "So, Romeo here is not on this world even ten minutes before he hooks up with Buffy? Makes me wonder what I'm missing."
Cordelia's comment earned a bashful smile from Xander, and caused Buffy to raise her head and thoughtfully gaze at Xander. Buffy's eyes began to grow warm again as something that X-Giles had said sunk in. She looked at X-Giles with a renewed hope in her eyes. "You said that you and that Xander are from another world, right?" At X-Giles's nod, she looked at Quinn Mallory. "Does the appearance of someone from another world affect the same person that is native to that world?"
Quinn kindly smiled at her question, giving his answer some thought so he wouldn't give her any false hope. "No, the arrival of someone on a parallel world has no intrinsic effect on the life of the native double. The only way that one could effect the life of a double is to directly interact or interfere with it."
Buffy processed his answer for a few seconds and asked another question. "So, there is no way that this Xander's appearance could have changed the existence of MY Xander?"
The emphasis on the 'MY' in Buffy's statement caused Xander's heart to sink further, almost to the point of breaking. Why do I keep letting myself fall in love with her? Every time I do, I find out that she already loves someone else. The rub of it this time is, the other guy is me. My life isn't complicated... Nope, not complicated at all.
Quinn was dubious as to where this line of questioning was leading, but was forthright nonetheless. "As far as I know, Xander's arrival has had no effect on the Xander of this world."
Buffy's face lit up with excitement. "So MY Xander could still be alive somewhere! All I have to do now is find him! And I won't quit until I do."
P-Giles turned in his chair, his demeanor strained with some hidden pain. "Buffy..." Giles glanced at the rest of the people gathered in the library. "Everyone, there is something you need to know. We've already found him." All of the other Slayerettes perked up and looked with P-Giles with hopeful expressions, just knowing that the news would be good.
Tears of joy began to run down her face as she ran over to P-Giles. "Where is he? Can I see him?"
When he saw the joy and hope written on their faces, he knew that what he was about to do was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done, or will ever do. "It seemed as though we were right when we speculated that Spike had kidnapped Xander."
Buffy looked at P-Giles curiously, thinking that it never took him this long to deliver GOOD news. The other Slayerettes seemed to pick up on the same vibe as well. "How did you find out that Spike had kidnapped Xander?"
Tears formed at the corners of P-Giles's eyes, and his face was contorted with sadness. "Because Spike himself brought Xander here tonight."
Buffy's head began to swim as the implications of what P-Giles just said hit her. "Where is Xander, Giles? Why can't I see him?"
Giles couldn't bear to look Buffy in the eyes anymore. He just couldn't bear to watch her reaction to the news he was about to give her. "Because Buffy, all Spike brought me was his head."
Buffy slowly stood up from Xander's lap and looked at him in horror. "YOU WHAT?"
Xander wanted to look anywhere but into Buffy's eyes, but after all that had happened between them, he felt he owed her at least that. "I'm from one of those parallel worlds..." Xander's heart broke at the anger and rage that appeared in Buffy's eyes with his confession. Xander slowly looked over at X-Giles, tears forming in his eyes as he realized that once again he had lost the woman he loved. He looked at Giles and with pleading eyes and a pain-filled voice made a request of the Watcher. "Giles, why don't you tell everyone how you and I came to be here?"
Giles smiled grimly at the boy he considered almost as a son. How many times will Xander have his hopes raised, only to have them completely dashed just moments from getting his heart's desire? After a short pause, he began to tell everyone gathered about the patrol arrangements, and how they came across Quinn and the others near the end of their patrol. As he described how he and Xander rushed to the aid of the Sliders, he noticed Buffy had moved over to the steps in front of the stacks. Sadly, he noticed that her arms were wrapped around her knees and tears were silently running down her cheeks. He noted with some surprise that Buffy would glance over at Xander now and again, but that her eyes contained no malice or rage, only deep longing and a muted love. I wonder what has become of the Xander of this world? And what will become of Buffy were he revealed to be no longer among the living? Shaking off his inner thoughts, Giles continued his tale with the confrontation between the groups, and how since Buffy was otherwise occupied, how they had no choice but to enter the vortex. Giles blushed a little as he described what happened after they exited the vortex.
Cordelia teasingly smiled at Xander, the malice of her otherworld counterpart nowhere to be seen. Rather the look on her face and the tone of her voice hinted that their relationship was a close one, filled with friendly bantering. "So, Romeo here is not on this world even ten minutes before he hooks up with Buffy? Makes me wonder what I'm missing."
Cordelia's comment earned a bashful smile from Xander, and caused Buffy to raise her head and thoughtfully gaze at Xander. Buffy's eyes began to grow warm again as something that X-Giles had said sunk in. She looked at X-Giles with a renewed hope in her eyes. "You said that you and that Xander are from another world, right?" At X-Giles's nod, she looked at Quinn Mallory. "Does the appearance of someone from another world affect the same person that is native to that world?"
Quinn kindly smiled at her question, giving his answer some thought so he wouldn't give her any false hope. "No, the arrival of someone on a parallel world has no intrinsic effect on the life of the native double. The only way that one could effect the life of a double is to directly interact or interfere with it."
Buffy processed his answer for a few seconds and asked another question. "So, there is no way that this Xander's appearance could have changed the existence of MY Xander?"
The emphasis on the 'MY' in Buffy's statement caused Xander's heart to sink further, almost to the point of breaking. Why do I keep letting myself fall in love with her? Every time I do, I find out that she already loves someone else. The rub of it this time is, the other guy is me. My life isn't complicated... Nope, not complicated at all.
Quinn was dubious as to where this line of questioning was leading, but was forthright nonetheless. "As far as I know, Xander's arrival has had no effect on the Xander of this world."
Buffy's face lit up with excitement. "So MY Xander could still be alive somewhere! All I have to do now is find him! And I won't quit until I do."
P-Giles turned in his chair, his demeanor strained with some hidden pain. "Buffy..." Giles glanced at the rest of the people gathered in the library. "Everyone, there is something you need to know. We've already found him." All of the other Slayerettes perked up and looked with P-Giles with hopeful expressions, just knowing that the news would be good.
Tears of joy began to run down her face as she ran over to P-Giles. "Where is he? Can I see him?"
When he saw the joy and hope written on their faces, he knew that what he was about to do was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done, or will ever do. "It seemed as though we were right when we speculated that Spike had kidnapped Xander."
Buffy looked at P-Giles curiously, thinking that it never took him this long to deliver GOOD news. The other Slayerettes seemed to pick up on the same vibe as well. "How did you find out that Spike had kidnapped Xander?"
Tears formed at the corners of P-Giles's eyes, and his face was contorted with sadness. "Because Spike himself brought Xander here tonight."
Buffy's head began to swim as the implications of what P-Giles just said hit her. "Where is Xander, Giles? Why can't I see him?"
Giles couldn't bear to look Buffy in the eyes anymore. He just couldn't bear to watch her reaction to the news he was about to give her. "Because Buffy, all Spike brought me was his head."