"Future Shadows" - part3
Xander trudged home miserably from the video store after being thrown out for scaring one of the employees (Cassandra) with his babble about unrequited affection and the meaninglessness of life without your one true love. He had however, convinced them to let him rent 'Apocalypse now' and an old Bruce Lee movie free of charge. They also promised not to have him banned if he returned them early and didn't bother Cassandra anymore.
He closed the door to his 'basement bachelor pad' behind him and sat down on the corner of a not-quite-made bed, dropping the videos he had brought back with him on the floor. He then turned on his stereo and listened to the wails of heart-broken country western singers and lying silently on his bed for an hour or so, staring up at a mirror ball that hung motionless from the ceiling. After what seemed like days, he reached over to his bedside table and finished the last of that mornings Pizza (it had been a plain cheese one at one stage but now appeared to be a vegetarian...not a good sign). *I've got to get over this; she's just a girl. I mean sure, she's the most beautiful one I've ever seen with a great personality and intelligence to boot, and she doesn't let it go to her head, plus she's the only gal I know who's feared by vampires, demons and muggers alike- but hey. she's not the only one out there. There's got to be at least two or three. but she is special * Then he did something he hadn't since asking out, but more importantly- being turned down by Buffy...... he fell into a deep sleep, though she was still in his thoughts.
He awoke later that night to find his vision blurred, and thought he saw a fuzzy 1:25am on his clock. His room began to swirl and distort as the walls leaned inwards and the floor dropped away. The door swung violently open as a blinding light shone in. *What the hell is going on? * "Hey ". Through the light he could just make out the silhouette of a girl- but he knew who it was, *Buffy? * Suddenly the bed he had been lying on dissolved into drops of blue paint, and he fell into a solid brick wall, only to pass through it as if it were water.
He fell out of the other side and landed face down in sand. *I swear I'll stop eating pizza before I go to sleep if I can start having normal dreams again...this had better be a dream* "Hey". He got up and looked around, finding himself in the centre of a vast desert wasteland. A hand tapped him on the shoulder. "Xander, how you feeling?" Buffy stood there in an alluring dress with a hand on her hip seductively. *Oh, just peachy... look, can I ask what's going on here? * She stared at him coyly. "It's pretty simply Xander, I just wanted to stop by and say sorry about the other day" She put her hand on his shoulder. *I know, it's not your fault...you know we haven't talked much since you killed the master and I'm, well I'm worried about you Buff* "Hey" she smiled "You know we'll always be friends, tell me what you're really thinking" He shifted uneasily unable to stop himself from responding *You look really hot in that dress*. She smiled at him mischievously. "What was that Alexander Harris?" He blushed. *What I meant was that it's really hot out here* "Sure, oh I almost forgot" She took her hand from his shoulder and held it up in the air. A bright green flame burst from the middle of her palm *What the-* "Neat trick huh" She pointed a flaming finger at his heart. "I just figured that you won't be needing this old thing anymore, nothing personal". Seconds later his chest burst into flames...a boiled glob of flesh, formerly his heart. dropping out of it to the sand below. *But* He choked *Buffy I-* He grasped at the gaping wound he now sported, staggering back. "Oh, don't worry Xander" She reached out into thin air and pulled Angel toward her and into a passionate embrace. "Angel can take care of me" They kissed. *This cannot be happening* he cried out as the shock and confusion of it all caused him to loose his balance, falling backward down a tall dune. "Nice neck by the way!" Angel shouted after him. He screamed.
He fell for what seemed like forever, landing abruptly on his bed and afraid to move for several minutes. *Am I alive??... Oh God let me be alive, there's so many things I haven't had a chance to do yet- graduate, meet a nice girl and settle down (Ok so I'd settle for a make-out session), check out the female locker room after cheerleading practice...beat principle Snyder over the head with a frozen fish of some kind...*. "Do not worry Alexander". He sat up, rubbing his head in confusion and patting at his chest trying to find a wound that was no longer there. At the foot of his bed stood what looked like the same cloaked figure that he had seen earlier that night. "Don't worry, you are dreaming, and I must say that with you being a teenager and all, I'm quite impressed by the lack of nudity in your subconscious". Xander got up uneasily, still a little dizzy from the fall and looked over at the cloaked figure, whose face was covered by shadow. *I've had a rough few days.You should check back on Tuesday after 'Baywatch'*. An awkward pause followed. *...On the other hand maybe -*. The cloaked figure gestured for him to stop. *I need to speak with you about something of great importance. Not now, but soon*.
*Oh that's right, barge into my dream and start making appointments...I have a phone you know*. Even behind a cover of shadow, Xander could tell that the figure was giving him a look that he had repeatedly received from Giles, he knew what it meant. *Fine, Ill just be shutting up then...* "I am aware that you have undergone difficult times these last few weeks, personal troubles with the Slayer...the Master's atta-". Xander interrupted him. *Ok, who said you could go rummaging through my personal head library?* "I know more about you than you realize, and I saw the Master's attack from my own dimension". The figure stepped back toward the door as a faint knocking began from the other side. "I am here to help. You, my heat-broken young friend, are another one chosen to stop evil...the prophecy awaits you".
Before Xander had a chance to question, the figure disappeared into a cloud of smoke that blew underneath the door and disappeared. *His dimension? ... Prophecy ... wow, heavy.* A voice stirred him. "Wake up Xander!" The voice had changed into that of a girl.
"Xander, if you're eyes aren't open in the next 5 seconds, I'm going to have you declared legally dead!" He opened his eyes and squinted his distorted vision into focus, seeing Willow sitting at the foot of his bed. Sheets lay strewn around the floor and he sat up, cupping his face with clammy hands. "Xander, I was worried". Willows familiar voice calmed him a little. "You left kind of suddenly, and I know this Buffy thing is getting you down but-". He stopped her. "What are you doing here Will, its unnaturally early you know.. She smiled "Yeah, I snuck out. I'm a bad girl, you're not the only rule breaker around here buster" She held her head triumphantly, now grinning openly. The grin suddenly changed back into .a worried frown, and she leaned over far enough to hit him on the arm "I was worried, you-you left so suddenly, and with the not answering the phone thing I thought you might be kibbles and bits for some hairy monster"
"No Will, and thanks for the imagery. I'm fine, and it's not the Buffy thing now...I just had the freakiest dream, and I'm talking Rick James freaky here...beyond Springer..." She looked at him "Your not sleeping with your cousin are you Xander?" He continued "There was this guy in a big black cloak...and...And I think he was mocking me!" She stood up and walked around to his side of the bed, sitting next to him and putting her arm around his shoulder. "I think you should stop eating those late night pizzas". She smiled at him earnestly, tapping the box on the floor. "Especially ones that should be considered a biohazard". "Seriously Will" His expression deepened as he grabbed her by the arms "Someone is gate-crashing my dreams". He shook her a little to emphasis his point. "O-K Xan-der". She said between shakes "I believe you". She looked a little alarmed. "Oh, right, the shaking thing, sorry". He apologized and let go. "It's ok I guess; I wanted to let you know that Giles wants everyone at his apartment tomorrow morning...some developments on the big demon convention. Buffy was going to call you but you weren't answering your phone". He looked over at the cordless that lay underneath his pillow, dial tone still beeping. "Are you sure Buffy's up to dealing with another...you know-" She finished his sentence "Big nasty?" "Well yeah, you know... so soon after she drowned, that still sounds strange saying it out loud". She shivered a little "I'm sure she is...once you've been dead, there's pretty much nothing else that can scare you...80's work-out fashion making a comeback being excluded.". He half-smiled as he said it. "Yikes, I should get back home" She looked at her watch and got, walking slowly toward the door. "You really are nuts about her aren't you?" Xander leaned forward, cupping his hands around his face and running them through his hair. "Well, yeah.typical isn't it, to want the one thing you can't have. hey thanks for caring". He glanced over to a picture of Buffy, Himself and Willow sitting at the beach during a long weekend earlier that year. "I need to tell her that we're still ok though" "Good idea. just make sure you actually ready for just a friendship before you offer one." She smiled at him again and reached for the door handle. Before she could turn it, the door swung open and standing there was a militant looking Angel, a little shocked to see Willow. "Oh, hi" he said. "Hi" She nervously replied. "I'll see you tomorrow Xander, get some sleep".
He waved to her as she left and stood up, draping himself in the remaining sheet covering his mattress. Angel stepped back to allow Willow to leave before stepping back up to the doorway. "You know I wasn't kidding when I said I'd put a bell on you...And what brings you to this fine nec- um, part of the woods anyway?" He gestured to his fridge "I'd offer you some blood but I only have normal people drinks, sorry". He made little effort to hide the hostility on his voice. "That's ok" Came an undaunted reply. "I'm not here socially..." Xander looked him up and down before smiling smugly "That's right, you can't come in unless I-". Angel stepped in casually. "Actually you invited me in last week ...when I carried you in here after a giant slug almost swallowed you whole". Xander jumped back a little, grabbing a spatula from the floor (why it was there he wasn't quite sure). "Alright, back-off neck boy! I've had a really weird night". There he stood, draped in a bed sheet and brandishing a spatula...still rather unnerved after his dream.
"...Ok". Came another dry response "I wouldn't want to mess with a man armed with cooking utensils". He stepped back slowly and gestured toward the now open door. "I'll let you to get some rest ...didn't mean to startle you, I was just nearby and heard a woman's scream". Xander blushed. "It wasn't me I was asleep!" He answered a little too quickly, and he knew it. "And I wasn't startled...just surprised a little" "- ". Angel left as silently as he had entered.
Xander was left standing in the centre of his room, holding a bed sheet and spatula, only now realizing what he looked like.
*Oh great, I feel like the savings brand version of the statue or liberty.could have been worse......At least Buffy didn't see me like this*
Xander trudged home miserably from the video store after being thrown out for scaring one of the employees (Cassandra) with his babble about unrequited affection and the meaninglessness of life without your one true love. He had however, convinced them to let him rent 'Apocalypse now' and an old Bruce Lee movie free of charge. They also promised not to have him banned if he returned them early and didn't bother Cassandra anymore.
He closed the door to his 'basement bachelor pad' behind him and sat down on the corner of a not-quite-made bed, dropping the videos he had brought back with him on the floor. He then turned on his stereo and listened to the wails of heart-broken country western singers and lying silently on his bed for an hour or so, staring up at a mirror ball that hung motionless from the ceiling. After what seemed like days, he reached over to his bedside table and finished the last of that mornings Pizza (it had been a plain cheese one at one stage but now appeared to be a vegetarian...not a good sign). *I've got to get over this; she's just a girl. I mean sure, she's the most beautiful one I've ever seen with a great personality and intelligence to boot, and she doesn't let it go to her head, plus she's the only gal I know who's feared by vampires, demons and muggers alike- but hey. she's not the only one out there. There's got to be at least two or three. but she is special * Then he did something he hadn't since asking out, but more importantly- being turned down by Buffy...... he fell into a deep sleep, though she was still in his thoughts.
He awoke later that night to find his vision blurred, and thought he saw a fuzzy 1:25am on his clock. His room began to swirl and distort as the walls leaned inwards and the floor dropped away. The door swung violently open as a blinding light shone in. *What the hell is going on? * "Hey ". Through the light he could just make out the silhouette of a girl- but he knew who it was, *Buffy? * Suddenly the bed he had been lying on dissolved into drops of blue paint, and he fell into a solid brick wall, only to pass through it as if it were water.
He fell out of the other side and landed face down in sand. *I swear I'll stop eating pizza before I go to sleep if I can start having normal dreams again...this had better be a dream* "Hey". He got up and looked around, finding himself in the centre of a vast desert wasteland. A hand tapped him on the shoulder. "Xander, how you feeling?" Buffy stood there in an alluring dress with a hand on her hip seductively. *Oh, just peachy... look, can I ask what's going on here? * She stared at him coyly. "It's pretty simply Xander, I just wanted to stop by and say sorry about the other day" She put her hand on his shoulder. *I know, it's not your fault...you know we haven't talked much since you killed the master and I'm, well I'm worried about you Buff* "Hey" she smiled "You know we'll always be friends, tell me what you're really thinking" He shifted uneasily unable to stop himself from responding *You look really hot in that dress*. She smiled at him mischievously. "What was that Alexander Harris?" He blushed. *What I meant was that it's really hot out here* "Sure, oh I almost forgot" She took her hand from his shoulder and held it up in the air. A bright green flame burst from the middle of her palm *What the-* "Neat trick huh" She pointed a flaming finger at his heart. "I just figured that you won't be needing this old thing anymore, nothing personal". Seconds later his chest burst into flames...a boiled glob of flesh, formerly his heart. dropping out of it to the sand below. *But* He choked *Buffy I-* He grasped at the gaping wound he now sported, staggering back. "Oh, don't worry Xander" She reached out into thin air and pulled Angel toward her and into a passionate embrace. "Angel can take care of me" They kissed. *This cannot be happening* he cried out as the shock and confusion of it all caused him to loose his balance, falling backward down a tall dune. "Nice neck by the way!" Angel shouted after him. He screamed.
He fell for what seemed like forever, landing abruptly on his bed and afraid to move for several minutes. *Am I alive??... Oh God let me be alive, there's so many things I haven't had a chance to do yet- graduate, meet a nice girl and settle down (Ok so I'd settle for a make-out session), check out the female locker room after cheerleading practice...beat principle Snyder over the head with a frozen fish of some kind...*. "Do not worry Alexander". He sat up, rubbing his head in confusion and patting at his chest trying to find a wound that was no longer there. At the foot of his bed stood what looked like the same cloaked figure that he had seen earlier that night. "Don't worry, you are dreaming, and I must say that with you being a teenager and all, I'm quite impressed by the lack of nudity in your subconscious". Xander got up uneasily, still a little dizzy from the fall and looked over at the cloaked figure, whose face was covered by shadow. *I've had a rough few days.You should check back on Tuesday after 'Baywatch'*. An awkward pause followed. *...On the other hand maybe -*. The cloaked figure gestured for him to stop. *I need to speak with you about something of great importance. Not now, but soon*.
*Oh that's right, barge into my dream and start making appointments...I have a phone you know*. Even behind a cover of shadow, Xander could tell that the figure was giving him a look that he had repeatedly received from Giles, he knew what it meant. *Fine, Ill just be shutting up then...* "I am aware that you have undergone difficult times these last few weeks, personal troubles with the Slayer...the Master's atta-". Xander interrupted him. *Ok, who said you could go rummaging through my personal head library?* "I know more about you than you realize, and I saw the Master's attack from my own dimension". The figure stepped back toward the door as a faint knocking began from the other side. "I am here to help. You, my heat-broken young friend, are another one chosen to stop evil...the prophecy awaits you".
Before Xander had a chance to question, the figure disappeared into a cloud of smoke that blew underneath the door and disappeared. *His dimension? ... Prophecy ... wow, heavy.* A voice stirred him. "Wake up Xander!" The voice had changed into that of a girl.
"Xander, if you're eyes aren't open in the next 5 seconds, I'm going to have you declared legally dead!" He opened his eyes and squinted his distorted vision into focus, seeing Willow sitting at the foot of his bed. Sheets lay strewn around the floor and he sat up, cupping his face with clammy hands. "Xander, I was worried". Willows familiar voice calmed him a little. "You left kind of suddenly, and I know this Buffy thing is getting you down but-". He stopped her. "What are you doing here Will, its unnaturally early you know.. She smiled "Yeah, I snuck out. I'm a bad girl, you're not the only rule breaker around here buster" She held her head triumphantly, now grinning openly. The grin suddenly changed back into .a worried frown, and she leaned over far enough to hit him on the arm "I was worried, you-you left so suddenly, and with the not answering the phone thing I thought you might be kibbles and bits for some hairy monster"
"No Will, and thanks for the imagery. I'm fine, and it's not the Buffy thing now...I just had the freakiest dream, and I'm talking Rick James freaky here...beyond Springer..." She looked at him "Your not sleeping with your cousin are you Xander?" He continued "There was this guy in a big black cloak...and...And I think he was mocking me!" She stood up and walked around to his side of the bed, sitting next to him and putting her arm around his shoulder. "I think you should stop eating those late night pizzas". She smiled at him earnestly, tapping the box on the floor. "Especially ones that should be considered a biohazard". "Seriously Will" His expression deepened as he grabbed her by the arms "Someone is gate-crashing my dreams". He shook her a little to emphasis his point. "O-K Xan-der". She said between shakes "I believe you". She looked a little alarmed. "Oh, right, the shaking thing, sorry". He apologized and let go. "It's ok I guess; I wanted to let you know that Giles wants everyone at his apartment tomorrow morning...some developments on the big demon convention. Buffy was going to call you but you weren't answering your phone". He looked over at the cordless that lay underneath his pillow, dial tone still beeping. "Are you sure Buffy's up to dealing with another...you know-" She finished his sentence "Big nasty?" "Well yeah, you know... so soon after she drowned, that still sounds strange saying it out loud". She shivered a little "I'm sure she is...once you've been dead, there's pretty much nothing else that can scare you...80's work-out fashion making a comeback being excluded.". He half-smiled as he said it. "Yikes, I should get back home" She looked at her watch and got, walking slowly toward the door. "You really are nuts about her aren't you?" Xander leaned forward, cupping his hands around his face and running them through his hair. "Well, yeah.typical isn't it, to want the one thing you can't have. hey thanks for caring". He glanced over to a picture of Buffy, Himself and Willow sitting at the beach during a long weekend earlier that year. "I need to tell her that we're still ok though" "Good idea. just make sure you actually ready for just a friendship before you offer one." She smiled at him again and reached for the door handle. Before she could turn it, the door swung open and standing there was a militant looking Angel, a little shocked to see Willow. "Oh, hi" he said. "Hi" She nervously replied. "I'll see you tomorrow Xander, get some sleep".
He waved to her as she left and stood up, draping himself in the remaining sheet covering his mattress. Angel stepped back to allow Willow to leave before stepping back up to the doorway. "You know I wasn't kidding when I said I'd put a bell on you...And what brings you to this fine nec- um, part of the woods anyway?" He gestured to his fridge "I'd offer you some blood but I only have normal people drinks, sorry". He made little effort to hide the hostility on his voice. "That's ok" Came an undaunted reply. "I'm not here socially..." Xander looked him up and down before smiling smugly "That's right, you can't come in unless I-". Angel stepped in casually. "Actually you invited me in last week ...when I carried you in here after a giant slug almost swallowed you whole". Xander jumped back a little, grabbing a spatula from the floor (why it was there he wasn't quite sure). "Alright, back-off neck boy! I've had a really weird night". There he stood, draped in a bed sheet and brandishing a spatula...still rather unnerved after his dream.
"...Ok". Came another dry response "I wouldn't want to mess with a man armed with cooking utensils". He stepped back slowly and gestured toward the now open door. "I'll let you to get some rest ...didn't mean to startle you, I was just nearby and heard a woman's scream". Xander blushed. "It wasn't me I was asleep!" He answered a little too quickly, and he knew it. "And I wasn't startled...just surprised a little" "- ". Angel left as silently as he had entered.
Xander was left standing in the centre of his room, holding a bed sheet and spatula, only now realizing what he looked like.
*Oh great, I feel like the savings brand version of the statue or liberty.could have been worse......At least Buffy didn't see me like this*
