Part 6

Sunnydale Memorial Hospital
December 24, 2001
7:00pm

The ambulance arrived in record time and took Xander to the hospital. After running tests, they put him in the ICU. The whole time Anya was pacing frantically in the Waiting Room.

"Is this the Harris party," a doctor asked.

"Yes," Giles said.

"I'm Doctor Charles Pepper. Mr. Harris received numerous fractures, a punctured lung, and is currently in coma," the doctor said.

"He's in a coma," Anya said worriedly.

"Yes," Dr. Pepper said. "And it doesn't look good. These next 24 hours are critical. If he doesn't wake up before then, than there is very little chance he'll come out of it."

Anya hugged Giles tightly and began to cry.

"Thank you doctor," Giles said.

"This is all my fault," Dawn said from the couch.

"No it isn't Dawn," Willow said.

"Yes it is," Dawn, said as she began to cry. "If I hadn't got into trouble he wouldn't have gotten upset and stormed out."

Giles sits between Willow and Dawn.

"Willow is right, this isn't your fault. You needn't blame yourself. But you still shouldn't have done what you did…but this has been going on for quite some time hasn't it?"

Dawn just nods. Giles sighs and stands up.

"I'm going to get some coffee," Giles said. "Willow, Tara, watch Dawn. Anya come with me, some fresh air might do you some good."

"But there's coffee in the machine down the hall," Willow said.

Giles glared at Willow, she finally got he needed to talk to Anya.

ICU…

Xander's eyes fluttered open. He began to realize he was in the hospital.



Xander stood up and called for the nurse who was sitting at her desk on the other end of the room.

"Uh…Can I go now," he called.

The nurse didn't look up.

"HEY," Xander yelled.

"You don't need to shout. She can't hear you," a voice said from behind him.

Xander turns around and sees Lorie.

"Are you a nurse?"

"No," the angel said. "I'm something quite different."

Lorie nodded towards the bed. Xander looks back and sees himself in bed, unconscious.

"Am I…dead," Xander asked?

"No," Lorie replied checking out Xander.

Xander turned around and caught her checking him out. He holds the back of his gown tightly.

"Okay, two questions," Xander, said. "Who are you, and why am I here and there at the same time?"

"I'm Lorie…I'm an angel. I was sent to help Buffy, but something in the world I sent her went wrong."

"Wait, you sent her somewhere? Where is she?"

"I sent her to a parallel universe, where you never existed. I had two choices…the G version or the NC-17 version of the world. I was nice and showed her the G version."

"Come on…I never did that much."

"You saved Buffy's life and Giles' life. Not only them, but others as well. In the really bad world, well, it doesn't exist anymore because the Hellmouth opened and the world ended. I took her there to show what a big difference you alone made in this world," Lorie said.

Xander ponders what she just told him.

"What's going to happen in the other world," Xander said seriously.

"Spike is going to kill her. She can't fight him in the condition she's in. Spike's tough. Buffy's lost that edge that made her a great slayer."

"I know."

"So you up for helping the slayer get her mojo back."

"Mojo? They have Austin Powers movies in heaven?"

"No, I died a year ago. I loved that movie."

"Before we go…I have one thing to ask."

"What's that Alexander," Lorie asked.

"Can you like give me some clothes and maybe a cross and stake?"

Lorie snaps her fingers and Xander is dressed in dark slacks, a black sweater with a white T-shirt underneath and a cross in one hand, and stake in the other.

"Let's go kick some Billy Idol wanna be ass…I mean butt…I mean…is it okay to say that stuff in front of an angel?"

"Doesn't matter to me…I'm cool like that."

Lorie put her arm around Xander's waist and walked a few feet with him, disappearing as they walked.

AU The Magic Box
6:30 pm

"Why can't I just die," Buffy said.

"That can be arranged," Spike said from the door.

Buffy jumps off the couch and assumes the fighting postion.

"Spike. What are you doing here," Buffy asked.

"I see you know me. Good," Spike said as he stalked closer.

He looks Buffy up and down.

"You look good enough to eat," Spike said. "Oh wait." He vamps out. "You really are."

Spike springs towards Buffy, but she grabs him and throws him across the room.

"You're a slayer," Spike said confused. "So much for the there's only one rule."

Spike gets up, grabs on to the gymnast rings, and flies into Buffy. He pins her to the ground.

"Let me go," Buffy said trying to get up.

"I don't think so slayer. You may have the strength, but I'm not getting much else from you," Spike said. "Oh, well. As long as the blood is good."

Spike slowly begins to move towards Buffy's neck.

Outside the Magic Box
At the same time

Xander and Lorie appear across the street from the store.

"When does it happen," Xander asked.

"Now. In the training…"

Before she could say where Xander ran across the street into the store.

"Can I help you," Wesley said.

His answer was met with Xander pushing him out of the way. Angel grabbed Xander's shoulder, but Xander decked him and continued to the back training room. By the time he got there, Spike had just bared his fangs into Buffy. Xander sprinted towards him and rushed him off of Buffy. Xander slammed him against the wall. Xander kneed him in the gut, punched him in the face and prepared to stake him, but Spike grabbed his hand and with the other grabbed the stake and threw it out the window.

"You shouldn't have done that boy," Spike said.

Spike punched Xander in the gut two times, and punched him to the ground.

"Xander," Buffy said. "How?"

Before Xander could answer, Spike grabbed him and slammed him into the vaulting horse.

"I was about to have me a nice slayer snack when you came in and ruined it," Spike said.

"You're not going to touch her," Xander said.

"Really and how are you going to stop me?"

"With our help," Laney said from behind him.

Spike turned and saw Laney with a cross bow in hand. Behind her was Jesse, Dawn, Willow, Giles, Angel, and Buffy. Spike looks back at Xander and back to the group.

"Let him go," Buffy said.

"Fine," Spike said. "Take him."

Spike hurled him into the group and ran out the back door.

"I hate that Spike," Willow said as Jesse helped her up.

"Been 4 years and you guys still haven't killed him. Why is that," Laney asked while helping up her sister Dawn.

"Because he runs away like a frighten coward before you get the chance," Xander said.

A few of them chuckle. Angel glares at Xander as he helps Buffy up.

"Who are you and why did you punch me," Angel asked.

"You punched him," Buffy said to Xander.

"I had to get here to stop Spike," Xander said.

"How did you get here? You don't exist in this world," Buffy said.

"Angel friend said I needed to be here to keep you alive," Xander replied. "Soon as I see her, I'll make sure she gets me out of here so you can continue to live in a world where I don't exist. Have fun Buffy."

Xander began to storm out towards the front of the store.

"Oh and Miss Summers," Xander said bitterly. "I got your sister out of some deep trouble. She was arrested for shoplifting."

Xander made it out of the Magic Box and runs into Lorie.

"Send me back. I can't be here with her right now…I'm too upset."

"Okay," Lorie said. "But you won't wake up from your coma until you can deal with this. If you don't do it here you deal with it in your mind."

Lorie pulls Xander into a hug and the two vanish as Buffy runs out of the shop.

"Xander wait!"

But it's too late. They are already gone.

"Damnit," Buffy said.

A hand grabs her shoulder. It's Angel.

"I think it's time you tell us the whole story," Angel said.

Buffy sighs and goes into the Magic Box with Angel.

End Part 6