"Someone tell me why,
I do the things that I don't want to do?
When you're around me, I'm somebody else.
Someone tell me why,
I act like a fool when things don't go my way?
When you're around me, I'm somebody else" - Guided by Voices, Teenage FBI
"Now the velocity of the first car is variable, 'v initial', and the velocity at impact is, 'v final'," the teacher said, explaining the equations on the board. He looked around for a victim, as keen as a hawk seeking a mouse. He found a sizeable rodent slumbering on a desk toward the back of the room, "Now, uh, Mr. Harris? Care to wager what variable of the car's mass would be? Mr. Harris?"
Xander slowly raised his head, and blinked a few times. Upon noticing the teacher staring right at him, he instantly sat up straighter, faking an attentive pose.
"Welcome back to the living." This dry comment got a few titters in the class, and then the Physics instructor added, "Again, what would the variable representing the mass of the car be called?"
"Uh, 'm'?"
"Yes. Glad to see you're paying attention in your dreams at least. Yes, 'm'." He added the new variable to the equation. "Notice that it is just m and not m initial or final since mass is constant." He continued teaching the class, forgetting Xander again, who was relieved by this. He groaned and sank his head back down on the desk. Yet another sleepless night. He was getting a bit better at the lack of the sleep, but it was still a struggle. Next class was free period, which usually means time at the library aka Slayer HQ. But Xander was wary of heading there. He didn't want to admit to Giles about his problem. He was afraid to admit it to himself. He groaned as he noticed Willow walking towards him. Just as he was about to duck out of sight, she spotted him. *Damn!* he thought as she came over to him.
"Hi Xander," she smiled, and gave him a quick peck on the lips, "Heading to the library?"
"Um, yeah, Will, was just on my way there," he sheepishly grinned. Willow gave him an odd look, suspecting something being up, but uncertain as to what. The two then entered the library, and Xander winced as a jolt of pain stabbed up his right arm as he pushed the door open. Willow immediately noticed this, "Xander? The pain's returned?" He just nodded with gritted teeth, clutching his arm with his left hand. She helped him to a chair further in. Giles came out of the office, and noticed the pair right away. He had been waiting for Buffy to finish her history class. Particularly, he noticed how much Xander was wincing from pain.
"Xander, what is the matter?"
Xander took a couple of deep breaths, as the pain finally ebbed away again. "It's nothing. Just old war wounds." He gave a dry chuckle.
Willow shook her head, "It isn't. He might be relapsing." She gazed up at Giles' face, lines of worry etched into her face.
"The curse?" The Watcher wondered.
Xander denied it, "I'm fine. I beat that thing a while ago, remember?"
"How do you explain the recurring pain, and the nightmares then?" Willow asked accusingly.
"Will, please! Not now!"
Giles' eyebrows shot up in shock, "What?!? Xander, you can't hide something this serious. If you're relapsing, we must do something, and quickly to try to stop it. Obviously, you haven't beaten the curse. It's a miracle you survived at all. Anyone else, short of a Slayer possibly, wouldn't have lasted a week, let alone months from such an ordeal." Giles said gravely.
"Yeah, I know, mere mortals aren't supposed to survive. Well, guess the warranty must have ran out on the thing. Cause I'm still here, and I'm mortal, right?" He glanced up at Giles' face, and stopped at the sight of his thoughtful face, "What? Giles, I'm just a puny human, right? Right? I'm certainly not the 'leap tall buildings in a single bound' type, though I would like the x-ray vision for certain key areas." He grinned a little, momentarily distracted by the idea of watching the girls getting changed in the locker room without them noticing. An "ahem" noise interrupted his hormone-driven daydream, and he blinked innocently.
"As I was about to explain, I found something unusual mentioned in the Codex. A rather strange passage that might explain things." Giles opened the book and read, "'In the twilight of the old millennium, there shall come a Slayer who is different from her predecessors. She shall die, but shall be saved by one of her companions, and live. Her champion and rescuer shall be one who walks between two worlds. One with the blood of the heavens flowing in their veins.'"
I do the things that I don't want to do?
When you're around me, I'm somebody else.
Someone tell me why,
I act like a fool when things don't go my way?
When you're around me, I'm somebody else" - Guided by Voices, Teenage FBI
"Now the velocity of the first car is variable, 'v initial', and the velocity at impact is, 'v final'," the teacher said, explaining the equations on the board. He looked around for a victim, as keen as a hawk seeking a mouse. He found a sizeable rodent slumbering on a desk toward the back of the room, "Now, uh, Mr. Harris? Care to wager what variable of the car's mass would be? Mr. Harris?"
Xander slowly raised his head, and blinked a few times. Upon noticing the teacher staring right at him, he instantly sat up straighter, faking an attentive pose.
"Welcome back to the living." This dry comment got a few titters in the class, and then the Physics instructor added, "Again, what would the variable representing the mass of the car be called?"
"Uh, 'm'?"
"Yes. Glad to see you're paying attention in your dreams at least. Yes, 'm'." He added the new variable to the equation. "Notice that it is just m and not m initial or final since mass is constant." He continued teaching the class, forgetting Xander again, who was relieved by this. He groaned and sank his head back down on the desk. Yet another sleepless night. He was getting a bit better at the lack of the sleep, but it was still a struggle. Next class was free period, which usually means time at the library aka Slayer HQ. But Xander was wary of heading there. He didn't want to admit to Giles about his problem. He was afraid to admit it to himself. He groaned as he noticed Willow walking towards him. Just as he was about to duck out of sight, she spotted him. *Damn!* he thought as she came over to him.
"Hi Xander," she smiled, and gave him a quick peck on the lips, "Heading to the library?"
"Um, yeah, Will, was just on my way there," he sheepishly grinned. Willow gave him an odd look, suspecting something being up, but uncertain as to what. The two then entered the library, and Xander winced as a jolt of pain stabbed up his right arm as he pushed the door open. Willow immediately noticed this, "Xander? The pain's returned?" He just nodded with gritted teeth, clutching his arm with his left hand. She helped him to a chair further in. Giles came out of the office, and noticed the pair right away. He had been waiting for Buffy to finish her history class. Particularly, he noticed how much Xander was wincing from pain.
"Xander, what is the matter?"
Xander took a couple of deep breaths, as the pain finally ebbed away again. "It's nothing. Just old war wounds." He gave a dry chuckle.
Willow shook her head, "It isn't. He might be relapsing." She gazed up at Giles' face, lines of worry etched into her face.
"The curse?" The Watcher wondered.
Xander denied it, "I'm fine. I beat that thing a while ago, remember?"
"How do you explain the recurring pain, and the nightmares then?" Willow asked accusingly.
"Will, please! Not now!"
Giles' eyebrows shot up in shock, "What?!? Xander, you can't hide something this serious. If you're relapsing, we must do something, and quickly to try to stop it. Obviously, you haven't beaten the curse. It's a miracle you survived at all. Anyone else, short of a Slayer possibly, wouldn't have lasted a week, let alone months from such an ordeal." Giles said gravely.
"Yeah, I know, mere mortals aren't supposed to survive. Well, guess the warranty must have ran out on the thing. Cause I'm still here, and I'm mortal, right?" He glanced up at Giles' face, and stopped at the sight of his thoughtful face, "What? Giles, I'm just a puny human, right? Right? I'm certainly not the 'leap tall buildings in a single bound' type, though I would like the x-ray vision for certain key areas." He grinned a little, momentarily distracted by the idea of watching the girls getting changed in the locker room without them noticing. An "ahem" noise interrupted his hormone-driven daydream, and he blinked innocently.
"As I was about to explain, I found something unusual mentioned in the Codex. A rather strange passage that might explain things." Giles opened the book and read, "'In the twilight of the old millennium, there shall come a Slayer who is different from her predecessors. She shall die, but shall be saved by one of her companions, and live. Her champion and rescuer shall be one who walks between two worlds. One with the blood of the heavens flowing in their veins.'"
