Part XIV - "Prozac works on Slayers too."
ON XANDER'S HOME EARTH
Angel walked out of Giles's office, leaving Buffy sleeping peacefully on the couch behind him. As he fortified himself for the onslaught of questions that were to come, Willow and Oz were sitting next to each other looking towards him expectantly. Of course Willow was the first one to speak up. Angel sighed before he spoke. Willow always asked too many questions in these kinds of situations.
"How is Buffy? And how did you finally get her to calm down?"
Angel frowned when Willow asked her second question. He knew that neither she nor any of the others would like his answer. "Buffy's OK physically, she's just resting with a little chemical aid. Which, incidentally, is how I got her to calm down. I had to use a few of the darts for Oz's tranquilizer gun. And I'll have to say it takes quite a few of them to knock her out."
Willow somehow was struck speechless for a few seconds. "Umm, ok, I guess you had to do SOMETHING to get her settled down." Mentally she shifted her gears to concentrate on what Buffy had been incoherently mumbling earlier in the night. "Since you took Buffy out of the running, you're the only one left who can clue the rest of us in on what she was babbling about!"
"I'm not really sure. As you know, Buffy, Xander, Giles, and I were patrolling in the cemetery. At Buffy's insistence, we split into groups."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Let me guess. You and Buffy were alone in a group right? Leaving Xander and Giles without a heavy hitter to patrol with?"
Angel could only look guilty. "Well, Giles and Xander didn't protest."
Willow smacked her forehead. "Well duh! Giles probably still hasn't forgiven you for what you've done. And Xander was probably just as happy to not see you and Buffy make goo-goo eyes at each other."
Angel had nothing to say in reply, so he continued with his tale. "Well, it was pretty quiet until we got near the rendezvous point. Off in the distance, we could see five vampires surrounding Giles, Xander, and four other people. We were about to rush to their aid when four vampires jumped us. I could see that Xander's group was in trouble but there was nothing I could do to help them, seeing as I was occupied. But, you'll have to ask Buffy why she didn't help them. I never could get it out of her."
Willow got up out of her seat with tears forming in her eyes. "Are you saying that you and Buffy let five vampires kill all of them?"
Angel could only sigh in frustration. "That's just it. The vampires DIDN'T get them. Just as we were down to our last vampire, I saw this big flash of light, and this giant blue... vortex. All six of them jumped into it, and the next thing I knew, there wasn't a trace of any of them. "
No matter how had she tried, Willow couldn't help but let a few tears fall. "So what happened? Did you even look for them?"
Angel only looked defeated. "After we dusted all of the vampires that were still around, we searched right up until we came back here. And that's all I know."
Willow collapsed into Oz's arms crying. "I just hope that Buffy wakes up in time to save Xander and Giles!"
Angel muttered under his breath, "If she even can."
*****
ON THE ALTERNATE EARTH
Buffy looked at Xander like he'd grown a second head. "I'm sorry, could you speak into my good ear?" She turned her head to the side dramatically. "Because I could have sworn you said I was in love with Angel!"
Xander slowly slipped out from beneath Buffy leaving her alone on the chair. The memory of the past was too great and too recent to have her in that kind of proximity. He slowly walked over to the living room window facing the street. He leaned up against the frame with one arm propped above his head. "No Buffy, you heard me correctly, you were in love with Angel."
Buffy looked like she was about to throw up. "What happened? Did you and I break up? I mean it MUST have been bad if I ended up with Angel. Because there is NO way I would have chosen him over you otherwise. Because the very thought of being with Angel is just WRONG! I mean... he's dead, it's... necrophilia!"
Buffy looked on in aghast as she saw Xander's shoulders begin to hunch in silent sobs against the backlighting of the moon. "Xander?" Buffy turned Xander around by force to face her, and in that moment she saw the deep pain and rejection in his eyes.
Tears streamed down Xander's face. "No, there wasn't a messy break up Buffy. Nothing like that at all."
Buffy's eyebrows rose in confusion. "Then what happened Xander?"
Xander only shook his head sadly and began to move towards the stairs. "I think it's time for you to show me where my room is Buffy."
Buffy stood in his way and crossed her arms in defiance. "Not until you tell me what happened to us!"
Xander was only able to meekly respond to her. "What 'us' Buffy? We never were together. Once Angel and his mysterious brooding caught your eye, all I ever was to you was your 'Xander-shaped friend'. Now show me to my room Buffy, I've dredged up enough bad memories of the past for one night."
All Buffy could do was nod and numbly lead Xander to his room. All the while she was looking at him and thinking how much misery one person had to suffer before finding a small amount of happiness.
ON XANDER'S HOME EARTH
Angel walked out of Giles's office, leaving Buffy sleeping peacefully on the couch behind him. As he fortified himself for the onslaught of questions that were to come, Willow and Oz were sitting next to each other looking towards him expectantly. Of course Willow was the first one to speak up. Angel sighed before he spoke. Willow always asked too many questions in these kinds of situations.
"How is Buffy? And how did you finally get her to calm down?"
Angel frowned when Willow asked her second question. He knew that neither she nor any of the others would like his answer. "Buffy's OK physically, she's just resting with a little chemical aid. Which, incidentally, is how I got her to calm down. I had to use a few of the darts for Oz's tranquilizer gun. And I'll have to say it takes quite a few of them to knock her out."
Willow somehow was struck speechless for a few seconds. "Umm, ok, I guess you had to do SOMETHING to get her settled down." Mentally she shifted her gears to concentrate on what Buffy had been incoherently mumbling earlier in the night. "Since you took Buffy out of the running, you're the only one left who can clue the rest of us in on what she was babbling about!"
"I'm not really sure. As you know, Buffy, Xander, Giles, and I were patrolling in the cemetery. At Buffy's insistence, we split into groups."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Let me guess. You and Buffy were alone in a group right? Leaving Xander and Giles without a heavy hitter to patrol with?"
Angel could only look guilty. "Well, Giles and Xander didn't protest."
Willow smacked her forehead. "Well duh! Giles probably still hasn't forgiven you for what you've done. And Xander was probably just as happy to not see you and Buffy make goo-goo eyes at each other."
Angel had nothing to say in reply, so he continued with his tale. "Well, it was pretty quiet until we got near the rendezvous point. Off in the distance, we could see five vampires surrounding Giles, Xander, and four other people. We were about to rush to their aid when four vampires jumped us. I could see that Xander's group was in trouble but there was nothing I could do to help them, seeing as I was occupied. But, you'll have to ask Buffy why she didn't help them. I never could get it out of her."
Willow got up out of her seat with tears forming in her eyes. "Are you saying that you and Buffy let five vampires kill all of them?"
Angel could only sigh in frustration. "That's just it. The vampires DIDN'T get them. Just as we were down to our last vampire, I saw this big flash of light, and this giant blue... vortex. All six of them jumped into it, and the next thing I knew, there wasn't a trace of any of them. "
No matter how had she tried, Willow couldn't help but let a few tears fall. "So what happened? Did you even look for them?"
Angel only looked defeated. "After we dusted all of the vampires that were still around, we searched right up until we came back here. And that's all I know."
Willow collapsed into Oz's arms crying. "I just hope that Buffy wakes up in time to save Xander and Giles!"
Angel muttered under his breath, "If she even can."
*****
ON THE ALTERNATE EARTH
Buffy looked at Xander like he'd grown a second head. "I'm sorry, could you speak into my good ear?" She turned her head to the side dramatically. "Because I could have sworn you said I was in love with Angel!"
Xander slowly slipped out from beneath Buffy leaving her alone on the chair. The memory of the past was too great and too recent to have her in that kind of proximity. He slowly walked over to the living room window facing the street. He leaned up against the frame with one arm propped above his head. "No Buffy, you heard me correctly, you were in love with Angel."
Buffy looked like she was about to throw up. "What happened? Did you and I break up? I mean it MUST have been bad if I ended up with Angel. Because there is NO way I would have chosen him over you otherwise. Because the very thought of being with Angel is just WRONG! I mean... he's dead, it's... necrophilia!"
Buffy looked on in aghast as she saw Xander's shoulders begin to hunch in silent sobs against the backlighting of the moon. "Xander?" Buffy turned Xander around by force to face her, and in that moment she saw the deep pain and rejection in his eyes.
Tears streamed down Xander's face. "No, there wasn't a messy break up Buffy. Nothing like that at all."
Buffy's eyebrows rose in confusion. "Then what happened Xander?"
Xander only shook his head sadly and began to move towards the stairs. "I think it's time for you to show me where my room is Buffy."
Buffy stood in his way and crossed her arms in defiance. "Not until you tell me what happened to us!"
Xander was only able to meekly respond to her. "What 'us' Buffy? We never were together. Once Angel and his mysterious brooding caught your eye, all I ever was to you was your 'Xander-shaped friend'. Now show me to my room Buffy, I've dredged up enough bad memories of the past for one night."
All Buffy could do was nod and numbly lead Xander to his room. All the while she was looking at him and thinking how much misery one person had to suffer before finding a small amount of happiness.