In the nightmare landscape Xander's mind had become, he screamed as he felt another piece of him be ripped off of him. He was being held down, tied in vines covered with thorns, surrounded by creeping darkness. Blood tickled freely from the numerous pricks of skin on his limbs. However, compared with the agony he felt, the thorns were a minor nuisance in comparison. His dark, till now hidden self, strolled up to him.
"Admit it, you scrawny fool. I'm growing stronger, and the goody two shoes you are is weakening further. Which is pathetic considering how weak you were anyway. Actually you should be grateful for this. I'm going to see to it you get everything you yearned for. Deadboy dusted. Wolfboy neutered. And the Slayer... Oh, she's such a great piece of ass. I don't know why you let her go. You should have just took her. I hear she likes it rough anyway." the dark Xander chortled. Xander's eyes narrowed.
"Shut up you bastard. You don't know her. You are not me!"
"Ooh, I hit a nerve. Well, you do have some fire left. Good. We're supposed to work together anyway. I am you. A superior you. I haven't had fun like this since that old hyena wanted us to play. Running with the pack, no, leading the pack." his other self strutted back and forth before him, savoring his sentences like a fine wine, " See, you're meant to be the leader. The alpha male. Yet, you always let Buffy and Willow whip you like the scared puppy you are. Pathetic." He shook his head in disgust.
"No, he isn't. You are." another voice answered. A female one. Xander turned and looked, but the figure was too bright for him to see clearly. Their body glowed gold rays of sunlight, and their head was surrounded in flames. A guardian angel?
"Hey, get out of here! This is my domain!" the dark Xander commanded.
"No, it's Xander's. You are not him. Leave demon!" the angel's voice sternly ordered as she stepped closer to Xander. Her breath was a cool breeze that eased his wounds. Who was she? And why did her voice sound so familiar?
"Demon! Oh, that's a good one! Demons are nothing to me. And newsflash, bitch, I am Xander. His true self, you could say." he laughed again, and gestured to Xander. Xander screamed again as his soul continued to be rent in two. However, as another piece left him, he felt something bright. Something reassuring him that he could stop this. He had the power to end this pain. He willed the brightness outward, and then the thorns around him vanished. He stood up, and saw he was now clad in silver armor. When Angelus was around, tormenting them, he had called Xander, "Buffy's White Knight." Now he had become one. An armor that shone brighter than most stars adorned him. Then a sword appeared in his hand, and somehow he knew how to wield it. Not just as a weapon, but as an extension of his arm. The knowledge almost sang in his blood. Interestingly enough, it looked the same as the one Buffy had used to impale Angelus. The dark Xander turned around, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Well, Sir Xander in a can. But you are still a fool." the dagger that originally started this, then appeared in his hand. He was now clad in armor, not just black, the metal seem to suck all light in, and give none off. A black hole manifested. He pointed it at Xander, and the pain was now of flames, heating the metal, and cooking his flesh. He screamed in agony. Then, the bright figure stepped in front of him, bearing a jug of water. He turned to look at her, and he then recognized her.
"Willow?" he whispered.
She smiled warmly, and poured the jug over him, extinguishing the flames. She then bent down and kissed his fevered brow. Her lips were soft, and cool, like gentle snowflakes. He looked up at her as she backed away, still smiling at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement.
"Willow, look out!" he cried, and as she turned, the other Xander plunged the dagger into her breast, and twisted it savagely before withdrawing it.
"Admit it, you scrawny fool. I'm growing stronger, and the goody two shoes you are is weakening further. Which is pathetic considering how weak you were anyway. Actually you should be grateful for this. I'm going to see to it you get everything you yearned for. Deadboy dusted. Wolfboy neutered. And the Slayer... Oh, she's such a great piece of ass. I don't know why you let her go. You should have just took her. I hear she likes it rough anyway." the dark Xander chortled. Xander's eyes narrowed.
"Shut up you bastard. You don't know her. You are not me!"
"Ooh, I hit a nerve. Well, you do have some fire left. Good. We're supposed to work together anyway. I am you. A superior you. I haven't had fun like this since that old hyena wanted us to play. Running with the pack, no, leading the pack." his other self strutted back and forth before him, savoring his sentences like a fine wine, " See, you're meant to be the leader. The alpha male. Yet, you always let Buffy and Willow whip you like the scared puppy you are. Pathetic." He shook his head in disgust.
"No, he isn't. You are." another voice answered. A female one. Xander turned and looked, but the figure was too bright for him to see clearly. Their body glowed gold rays of sunlight, and their head was surrounded in flames. A guardian angel?
"Hey, get out of here! This is my domain!" the dark Xander commanded.
"No, it's Xander's. You are not him. Leave demon!" the angel's voice sternly ordered as she stepped closer to Xander. Her breath was a cool breeze that eased his wounds. Who was she? And why did her voice sound so familiar?
"Demon! Oh, that's a good one! Demons are nothing to me. And newsflash, bitch, I am Xander. His true self, you could say." he laughed again, and gestured to Xander. Xander screamed again as his soul continued to be rent in two. However, as another piece left him, he felt something bright. Something reassuring him that he could stop this. He had the power to end this pain. He willed the brightness outward, and then the thorns around him vanished. He stood up, and saw he was now clad in silver armor. When Angelus was around, tormenting them, he had called Xander, "Buffy's White Knight." Now he had become one. An armor that shone brighter than most stars adorned him. Then a sword appeared in his hand, and somehow he knew how to wield it. Not just as a weapon, but as an extension of his arm. The knowledge almost sang in his blood. Interestingly enough, it looked the same as the one Buffy had used to impale Angelus. The dark Xander turned around, and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Well, Sir Xander in a can. But you are still a fool." the dagger that originally started this, then appeared in his hand. He was now clad in armor, not just black, the metal seem to suck all light in, and give none off. A black hole manifested. He pointed it at Xander, and the pain was now of flames, heating the metal, and cooking his flesh. He screamed in agony. Then, the bright figure stepped in front of him, bearing a jug of water. He turned to look at her, and he then recognized her.
"Willow?" he whispered.
She smiled warmly, and poured the jug over him, extinguishing the flames. She then bent down and kissed his fevered brow. Her lips were soft, and cool, like gentle snowflakes. He looked up at her as she backed away, still smiling at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement.
"Willow, look out!" he cried, and as she turned, the other Xander plunged the dagger into her breast, and twisted it savagely before withdrawing it.
