"Noooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed, and as his energy returned, he got up, and picked up Willow's body. Her blood seeped out, staining her garments and tarnishing his armor. He didn't care though. "Come on, hold on, please don't leave me. I love you." His hand smoothed back a few strands that lay over her eyes.
She smiled, and said, "I know. I'll never leave you. I am you after all."
"What?" he asked in shock.
She explained, "This is your mind's way of representing this side of yourself. That, and you and Willow have always been a part of each other. She.......,"her eyes changed, and suddenly it was Willow in his arms, dying, whispering, "I love you. Fight back, Xander. I believe in you." She struggled to get in breath, despite the blood filling her lungs, and trickling out of her mouth. She inhaled once more, only to make gurgling noises in her throat, and then he felt her go limp.
"No, Willow! No, please, don't go." he cried as he shook her lightly as though to wake her.
"Oh, boo-hoo! Whiny fool crying over that mousy thing? Hah! She's nothing." the other Xander sneered at him.
Xander looked up at him, and the other Xander suddenly grew afraid of the expression in his eyes. The inner strength that burned there, the till now hidden potential for courage. Xander then said in a low voice that echoed with power, and it did not sound like his own, "No, she is everything. You. Are. Nothing!!!" With a battle cry, he rushed toward him. The other Xander brought the dagger up to parry, and the sound of clashing metal reverberated across the plains. The two circled each other, then a thrust here, blocked; a stab there, parried. Back and forth, the pair dueled. Light and dark, good and evil personified. And thunder rang in the virtual sky overhead. Then, Xander managed to knock the dagger away, and bring the sword to the other Xander's throat.
However, before he could go in for the killing blow, the other Xander than scoffed, "Fine, kill me. But know this. You kill me. You become me. So do it! Save me the trouble." He gave a harsh laugh.
Xander shook his head, "No, you are me. However, I can bury you." He gave a large shout, and then drove the sword deep into the ground. The earth split and an abyss appeared in the widening crack. The other Xander looked down at his feet where the fissure was widening, his legs straddling the divide.
"No! No! No!" he shrieked as the fissure widened past his feet, and he fell through. As his screams faded, the ground then remerged together. Xander fell to his knees and panted a bit, tired from the exertion. He blinked in surprise as Willow walked toward him.
"I thought you died."
She shook her head, "I am you. I cannot be killed. Just like you saw that your dark side couldn't be destroyed. Only locked away. Look." she then gestured to the wound in his chest. He looked down, to find it gone, with just clean, healthy skin in its place.
"I'm cured then?"
"Of that affliction, yes. For now. But the curse is such that the pain never leaves, not entirely. But you can conquer it as you learned. As for the rest, well, that is something must always be dealt. Everyone has their demons. Even those who don't live on the Hellmouth." She smiled. "I'll see you soon, my love." Then, she bent down, and kissed him lightly on the lips. She backed away slowly as he looked at her with wonder. She then vanished from his view. He blinked as his surroundings brightened around him. He shut his eyes closed for a moment, and then opened them again.
She smiled, and said, "I know. I'll never leave you. I am you after all."
"What?" he asked in shock.
She explained, "This is your mind's way of representing this side of yourself. That, and you and Willow have always been a part of each other. She.......,"her eyes changed, and suddenly it was Willow in his arms, dying, whispering, "I love you. Fight back, Xander. I believe in you." She struggled to get in breath, despite the blood filling her lungs, and trickling out of her mouth. She inhaled once more, only to make gurgling noises in her throat, and then he felt her go limp.
"No, Willow! No, please, don't go." he cried as he shook her lightly as though to wake her.
"Oh, boo-hoo! Whiny fool crying over that mousy thing? Hah! She's nothing." the other Xander sneered at him.
Xander looked up at him, and the other Xander suddenly grew afraid of the expression in his eyes. The inner strength that burned there, the till now hidden potential for courage. Xander then said in a low voice that echoed with power, and it did not sound like his own, "No, she is everything. You. Are. Nothing!!!" With a battle cry, he rushed toward him. The other Xander brought the dagger up to parry, and the sound of clashing metal reverberated across the plains. The two circled each other, then a thrust here, blocked; a stab there, parried. Back and forth, the pair dueled. Light and dark, good and evil personified. And thunder rang in the virtual sky overhead. Then, Xander managed to knock the dagger away, and bring the sword to the other Xander's throat.
However, before he could go in for the killing blow, the other Xander than scoffed, "Fine, kill me. But know this. You kill me. You become me. So do it! Save me the trouble." He gave a harsh laugh.
Xander shook his head, "No, you are me. However, I can bury you." He gave a large shout, and then drove the sword deep into the ground. The earth split and an abyss appeared in the widening crack. The other Xander looked down at his feet where the fissure was widening, his legs straddling the divide.
"No! No! No!" he shrieked as the fissure widened past his feet, and he fell through. As his screams faded, the ground then remerged together. Xander fell to his knees and panted a bit, tired from the exertion. He blinked in surprise as Willow walked toward him.
"I thought you died."
She shook her head, "I am you. I cannot be killed. Just like you saw that your dark side couldn't be destroyed. Only locked away. Look." she then gestured to the wound in his chest. He looked down, to find it gone, with just clean, healthy skin in its place.
"I'm cured then?"
"Of that affliction, yes. For now. But the curse is such that the pain never leaves, not entirely. But you can conquer it as you learned. As for the rest, well, that is something must always be dealt. Everyone has their demons. Even those who don't live on the Hellmouth." She smiled. "I'll see you soon, my love." Then, she bent down, and kissed him lightly on the lips. She backed away slowly as he looked at her with wonder. She then vanished from his view. He blinked as his surroundings brightened around him. He shut his eyes closed for a moment, and then opened them again.
