Buffy went into Xander's room, while Giles went to check on Willow. She gasped at the sight before her. He was asleep, but his hands were grasping, no, clawing the sheets for support, and his face was distorted in silent screaming.
"My God," she whispered as she stared. She gently went over to shake him, and felt a deathlike grip on her throat. It was Xander's hand, and his eyes were open, but she had never seen an expression like this in his face. Not even when he was possessed by the hyena's spirit.
"You bitch! You should have gone with me, not that whiny undead wimp!" he snarled.
"Xander, stop! This isn't you!" she gasped. She was starting to see black shapes form on the edges of her sight due to the lack of oxygen. *Forgive me, Xander.* she thought, and punched a quick blow to his right jaw. He sank back, and fell back asleep. She gasped ragged breaths, her lungs screaming for air. She rubbed her bruised throat as she studied him a moment. She backed away from the bed, and hurried to where Giles was.
Giles was sitting by Willow's bedside, and Willow looked… Well, if Oz had aged a few years, she had aged decades. Buffy could almost swear she saw the thinnest strand of gray lying against the auburn waves. Her eyes looked hollow, like she wasn't even there.
"Giles," Buffy said, and by her tone, Giles could tell it was serious. She gestured for him to come out to the hall with her. He nodded, and got up.
"I'll be back in a moment, Willow," he said softly to her. He gently stroked her hair, his brow furrowed with concern at her almost lack of response. He then went back out into the hallway. Buffy beckoned him over to a side enclave for a private discussion.
"How is she?" Buffy asked.
He sighed, "She's awake, and responsive to a degree. Physically. Psychologically, however, she seems to have suffered severe trauma. It's as though our Willow isn't even there. Just a shell." He sniffed a bit and wiped his eyes at tears forming there. Buffy laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"You going to be okay?" she asked concernedly.
He nodded, "I'll have to. It's just, I've never had a child, but I've come to think of you, and Willow like daughters."
She smiled a little, "I know. " At some degree, she had noticed how paternal her Watcher had come to be. As fiercely protective of her as Buffy's own mother, and just as afraid for her every night she had to go patrol for vampires and demons. Her expression hardened, as she remembered what she wanted to tell him. "Giles, I've been to see Xander." She showed him her throat, still red in patches. His eyes widened in shock.
"Dear Lord, what happened?"
"Well, he wasn't awake, and he was suffering from a Freddy Krueger-intense kind of nightmare. When I went to wake him, he went postal. And his eyes, Giles," Buffy looked up at her watcher, with very real fear in her eyes, "His eyes had such an intense look of evil in them. He's never been like this." Buffy shook her head, still not quite believing what's happening. Giles's eyes narrowed, and he strode into Xander's room. He started at seeing Xander asleep, but having a far from restful sleep. The sheets were twisted around him, and Giles could see the sweat glistening on his forehead from the strain. He then let loose a primal howl of pure pain. Giles had heard that sound before, back in his rebellious youth. Eyghon had not been the only demon their group had summoned. There was one who almost killed Ethan, in fact, he was very different afterwards, as though the demon still remained, only suppressed. When the demon tried to consume his soul while it possessed him, Ethan had made a scream like Xander's. A cry that did not sound human, but made anyone who heard it weep in fear.
"God in heaven, help us." he whispered. He wasn't usually this religious. He attended church in his native England, growing up, but he was far from devout. But circumstances like this would make anyone pray, hoping that God can combat something so terrifying.
"Let go of me!!!" Xander then howled. He panted a few times, blinking rapidly. Giles approached him slowly.
"Xander?" Giles wondered. Xander's eyes turned toward him, at first not truly seeing him. The eyes of a trapped wild animal, terrified. He then blinked a bit slower.
"Giles?" he asked slowly, his voice that of a frightened child who wants to be reassured that the bogeyman was not really under his bed. Giles wordlessly nodded. Xander gasped a few times, and looked around, seeing his surroundings for the first time. "Where am I?" He then looked further, "Where's Willow?" Giles gently laid a hand on his shoulder, and Xander jerked back in surprise at the contact like he had been shocked. *What hell has this boy been through?* Giles thought, afraid as he withdrew his hand.
He inhaled and exhaled deeply, keeping his voice soothing, and calm to reassure the boy, "Willow's in the other room. You'll see her soon enough. Now, what happened?"
Xander breathed a few times to calm down, "I'm not sure. ...We were leaving the Bronze, and something..." He jerked, and clenched his fists as more pain consumed him, "attacked me. Aaaaghhhh! Stop it! Let me go!" He inhaled sharply as a sibilant sounding voice hissed in his mind, *Give it up, you wimp. I don't need you anymore. It's my turn now.* "Nooo!" he cried, and then his eyes changed. He looked back at Giles, and the Watcher sucked in his breath at the boy's eyes. The look of pure evil in his eyes seemed out of place on the boy's face. "Hello Giles. Shame you had to become such a tight-assed old pansy. We could have had fun together, but I guess you'll have to go too." He smiled but it came out more as though he was snarling. He then reached for Giles, but a strange light appeared in Giles's eyes. He punched the boy out cold.
"Sorry, Xander." he whispered. He then noticed the wound on the boy's chest. He reached down and pulled back on the shirt a little. The wound was a dark throbbing maw, and it seemed to be growing. *Oh my God. Xander, what has happened to you? * Something he vaguely remembering reading on this text suddenly popped into his head. *No, not that. It can't be! * Greatly disturbed now, he gently rearranged the shirt the way it was before, and left. There was a doctor coming in. Giles's eyes narrowed, "Where the hell were you? This boy is gravely ill!" he growled.
The doctor calmly replied, "I have a lot of patients to treat, and we're currently understaffed. Also, there's little that can be done for this one. His physical wounds are minor apparently. Everything else stems from a psychological trauma, and I can't treat that. I think having him committed is a strong possibility."
"A mental hospital is no place for him. I will not allow it." Giles sternly replied, and stormed out. The doctor shook his head, and went to check his patient.
"My God," she whispered as she stared. She gently went over to shake him, and felt a deathlike grip on her throat. It was Xander's hand, and his eyes were open, but she had never seen an expression like this in his face. Not even when he was possessed by the hyena's spirit.
"You bitch! You should have gone with me, not that whiny undead wimp!" he snarled.
"Xander, stop! This isn't you!" she gasped. She was starting to see black shapes form on the edges of her sight due to the lack of oxygen. *Forgive me, Xander.* she thought, and punched a quick blow to his right jaw. He sank back, and fell back asleep. She gasped ragged breaths, her lungs screaming for air. She rubbed her bruised throat as she studied him a moment. She backed away from the bed, and hurried to where Giles was.
Giles was sitting by Willow's bedside, and Willow looked… Well, if Oz had aged a few years, she had aged decades. Buffy could almost swear she saw the thinnest strand of gray lying against the auburn waves. Her eyes looked hollow, like she wasn't even there.
"Giles," Buffy said, and by her tone, Giles could tell it was serious. She gestured for him to come out to the hall with her. He nodded, and got up.
"I'll be back in a moment, Willow," he said softly to her. He gently stroked her hair, his brow furrowed with concern at her almost lack of response. He then went back out into the hallway. Buffy beckoned him over to a side enclave for a private discussion.
"How is she?" Buffy asked.
He sighed, "She's awake, and responsive to a degree. Physically. Psychologically, however, she seems to have suffered severe trauma. It's as though our Willow isn't even there. Just a shell." He sniffed a bit and wiped his eyes at tears forming there. Buffy laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"You going to be okay?" she asked concernedly.
He nodded, "I'll have to. It's just, I've never had a child, but I've come to think of you, and Willow like daughters."
She smiled a little, "I know. " At some degree, she had noticed how paternal her Watcher had come to be. As fiercely protective of her as Buffy's own mother, and just as afraid for her every night she had to go patrol for vampires and demons. Her expression hardened, as she remembered what she wanted to tell him. "Giles, I've been to see Xander." She showed him her throat, still red in patches. His eyes widened in shock.
"Dear Lord, what happened?"
"Well, he wasn't awake, and he was suffering from a Freddy Krueger-intense kind of nightmare. When I went to wake him, he went postal. And his eyes, Giles," Buffy looked up at her watcher, with very real fear in her eyes, "His eyes had such an intense look of evil in them. He's never been like this." Buffy shook her head, still not quite believing what's happening. Giles's eyes narrowed, and he strode into Xander's room. He started at seeing Xander asleep, but having a far from restful sleep. The sheets were twisted around him, and Giles could see the sweat glistening on his forehead from the strain. He then let loose a primal howl of pure pain. Giles had heard that sound before, back in his rebellious youth. Eyghon had not been the only demon their group had summoned. There was one who almost killed Ethan, in fact, he was very different afterwards, as though the demon still remained, only suppressed. When the demon tried to consume his soul while it possessed him, Ethan had made a scream like Xander's. A cry that did not sound human, but made anyone who heard it weep in fear.
"God in heaven, help us." he whispered. He wasn't usually this religious. He attended church in his native England, growing up, but he was far from devout. But circumstances like this would make anyone pray, hoping that God can combat something so terrifying.
"Let go of me!!!" Xander then howled. He panted a few times, blinking rapidly. Giles approached him slowly.
"Xander?" Giles wondered. Xander's eyes turned toward him, at first not truly seeing him. The eyes of a trapped wild animal, terrified. He then blinked a bit slower.
"Giles?" he asked slowly, his voice that of a frightened child who wants to be reassured that the bogeyman was not really under his bed. Giles wordlessly nodded. Xander gasped a few times, and looked around, seeing his surroundings for the first time. "Where am I?" He then looked further, "Where's Willow?" Giles gently laid a hand on his shoulder, and Xander jerked back in surprise at the contact like he had been shocked. *What hell has this boy been through?* Giles thought, afraid as he withdrew his hand.
He inhaled and exhaled deeply, keeping his voice soothing, and calm to reassure the boy, "Willow's in the other room. You'll see her soon enough. Now, what happened?"
Xander breathed a few times to calm down, "I'm not sure. ...We were leaving the Bronze, and something..." He jerked, and clenched his fists as more pain consumed him, "attacked me. Aaaaghhhh! Stop it! Let me go!" He inhaled sharply as a sibilant sounding voice hissed in his mind, *Give it up, you wimp. I don't need you anymore. It's my turn now.* "Nooo!" he cried, and then his eyes changed. He looked back at Giles, and the Watcher sucked in his breath at the boy's eyes. The look of pure evil in his eyes seemed out of place on the boy's face. "Hello Giles. Shame you had to become such a tight-assed old pansy. We could have had fun together, but I guess you'll have to go too." He smiled but it came out more as though he was snarling. He then reached for Giles, but a strange light appeared in Giles's eyes. He punched the boy out cold.
"Sorry, Xander." he whispered. He then noticed the wound on the boy's chest. He reached down and pulled back on the shirt a little. The wound was a dark throbbing maw, and it seemed to be growing. *Oh my God. Xander, what has happened to you? * Something he vaguely remembering reading on this text suddenly popped into his head. *No, not that. It can't be! * Greatly disturbed now, he gently rearranged the shirt the way it was before, and left. There was a doctor coming in. Giles's eyes narrowed, "Where the hell were you? This boy is gravely ill!" he growled.
The doctor calmly replied, "I have a lot of patients to treat, and we're currently understaffed. Also, there's little that can be done for this one. His physical wounds are minor apparently. Everything else stems from a psychological trauma, and I can't treat that. I think having him committed is a strong possibility."
"A mental hospital is no place for him. I will not allow it." Giles sternly replied, and stormed out. The doctor shook his head, and went to check his patient.
