Disclaimer listed on First Part of the Story
Last Part
Buffy just sat there stroking his hair and holding his hand, wondering if he was gong to come back to them.
One of the nurses came in and checked his vital signs and IV lines. As she left she turned to Buffy and said. "You can talk to him softly if you wish, sometimes when patients come out of a coma, they say that they remember being spoken to. It can only help." Then smiling, she left the small room.
~~~~~**********~~~~~
Whistler popped back into the white room and noticed Xander sleeping, snoring softly as he rested.
\\ Sleep well kid, I got the time. //
Part 2
Fairlawn Cemetery
Sunnydale Ca.
June 29th 2002 2:30 AM
Buffy, Willow and Dawn patrolled quietly tonight, their hearts and minds back at the hospital where Joyce, Giles and Cordelia sat watching over Xander. Angel was patrolling the downtown area and would meet them at the park where they would finish up for the night.
So far they had taken down only two vamps, Willow dusting one with a bolt from her crossbow, and Buffy beating one senseless before Dawn pushed her away and staked it.
"Buffy! He's going to be all right!" Dawn yelled. "Talk to me. Don't just try to shove your feelings down and try to ease your frustration by beating on vampires."
"She's right Buffy, look what happened to me when I gave in to grief." Willow said sadly.
Buffy glanced back up defiantly, but backed down when she saw the looks that both her friend and her sister were giving her. Inside she knew they were right, but she was so angry and so frustrated she didn't know what to do. All she could think of was taking out her anger on something.
"C'mon Buffy, lets go back to the hospital and see if there is any change." Willow suggested.
Buffy nodded, and fell in behind her Willow and Dawn. The three young women trudged back to the cemetery entrance where they piled into Willows car and rode to the hospital.
Buffy thought back to when they first started patrol, in the cemetery parking lot.
~~~~~**********~~~~~
"Buffy, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone." Angel asked.
"Sure Angel." She replied to him. "Go on guys, I'll catch up in a sec." Buffy told Willow and Dawn.
"What did you want Angel." She asked softly.
"Buffy, about Xander." Angel started.
"What is it now Angel? Are you going to tell me not to worry, that it will be all right?" Buffy interrupted.
"No, Buffy, I'm not, because it may not be okay. I just want you to know that I think you made a good choice this time, being with Xander." Said Angel.
"But, we're not together. We're not a couple. We aren't going together. He's just a good friend." Buffy said quietly, still trying to deny her true feelings for Xander
"Oh." Angel said. A single word that carried so many meanings and questions.
"Yea, it's complicated Angel. Xander is my best friend, and if we tried to have a relationship and it failed, I don't know what I would do." Buffy explained.
"Some times you have to just try it Buffy. Xander is the kind of guy that you can't keep playing games with. He's stuck with you through everything that has happened, but there is no way to tell how long he will keep doing it." Angel paused, thinking.
"There was a time a couple of years ago, when I was Angelus. You were in the hospital, and I was coming for you, I was going to finish it once and for all. Xander was guarding the door and wouldn't let me in. I don't know why I didn't just kill him then, but I backed down and left. As
I was leaving I called him "Buffy's White Knight', he just smiled as I left. He's a good man Buffy, don't blow it this time."
Her thoughts returned to what she might have to face at the hospital.
~~~~~**********~~~~~
Buffy opened up Xanders room and nodded at her mom.
Joyce stood up and started to leave the room, Giles joined her and the two adults exited, leaving
Cordelia sleeping in her chair.
Buffy and Willow both entered and checked Xander out immediately. No change.
Soon as Joyce stepped away from the door, Dawn grabbed her hand and led her to the waiting room down the hall.
"Mom, what's up with Buffy?" she asked.
"What do you mean honey?" Joyce replied.
"Tonight on patrol Buffy went postal on a vamp. She acted like she wasn't even trying to stake him. She just kept beating on him until he couldn't even fight back. I finally had to push her away and stake him myself! It was like she was trying to punish him for Xander being hurt." Said Dawn.
"I know honey. Buffy is hurting very badly right now, she blames herself for Xanders injuries." Started Joyce. "She feels that because he has involved himself in her destiny, that it is her fault when her friends get hurt. Like when Tara died, Buffy blamed herself. But even then Xander is special to Buffy."
"How is that mom?" Dawn asked.
"Xander is in love with your sister, and has been, I think ever since he first met her. And, Buffy, well she's in love with him, but won't allow herself to admit it. I think she feels that if she did, something would happen to him, so she denies it." Said Joyce sadly. "But I don't think she can keep denying it much longer." She said, nodding toward the hospital room.
~~~~~**********~~~~~
White Room
Unknown Location
"I told you once Whistler, I am not going back. I don't care if you send me to hell or any other place. It just hurts too much to go back." Xander stated flatly.
"I know Xander, but Buffy really does love you. She is just afraid to admit it. She thinks that if she does, something will happen to you and it will be her fault. If she were to lose you it would devastate her." Whistler replied softly.
Xander snorted. "Like she would even know I was gone." He said.
Whistler stopped what he was doing and tilted his head to the side, as if listening to someone. He let out a long sigh and turned back to Xander.
"Look kid, there is a lot more going on here than what you think you know about. The PTB have been watching the Dark Forces gaining in power and numbers for the last several centuries, and put a plan together to deal with them. You screwed the whole plan up in seconds." Whistled said.
"So. Sue me." Xander replied sarcastically.
Whistler just shook his head.
"Kid. I am offering you a chance to go back to earth, an Immortal Warrior the like of which has not been seen in millennia. And all you give me are smart ass remarks." Bargained Whistler.
"So, you're going to make me a super hero and send me back to earth. What then? I get the girl, for now? No chance Whistler! Buffy just doesn't see me that way. I'm the Zeppo, remember? So even if I do have super powers, she'll still not feel the same way about me as I do about her." He cried, eyes filling with tears. "Dammit, stop it! It hurts too much."
Whistler again adopted that strange pose, as if listening to someone.
"Look Xander, if you don't go back one of two things will happen." He started out, walking over to a large wall mounted mirror. "In one possibility Buffy will not know she is going to become immortal, and will not have her mind in the fight anymore after you are gone. If that is the case, then this is her future." Whistler said as he waved his hand over the mirror.
In the mirror Buffy wandered through the cemetery, not patrolling in her normal somewhat cautious way. She tensed when she sensed a vampire, then was knocked to the ground when two jumped her.
She got in a few kicks and punches, but the four more vamps that joined in the fray left the ending no way in doubt. Using their claws, the half dozen vampires tore the slayer apart, scattering her limbs and head all over the area."
Xander stared at the scene, sweating profusely, and cursing under his breath.
"Buffy wouldn't be alone like that, she has other friends." Xander insisted.
Whistler just waved his hands over the mirror again and played two scenes. One depicted Giles being knocked down and crippled when a vamp tore off his kneecaps. Another showed the funerals of both Willow and Dawn.
"Nooooooooo…." Came the long and sorrowful wail from Xander's throat. And even Whistler felt for the young man in front of him. No one should have to see the fate of his friends like this.
"This is the other possibility kid." Said Whistler. This time the screen showed a vampire nest full of vampires. One would drain Buffy, then toss her to another who would wait for her immortality to kick in and then that one would do the draining.
"Think of her as being the vampires 'Golden Chalice', the cup that never runs dry. And she can never regain enough strength to get free. And why did this happen? Because she didn't know she was going to become immortal. Then when she did, it was witnessed by a vamp, and he took her to his master as a prize."
"What do I have to do to prevent this?" Xander demanded.
"Return to your world, we will let your immortality kick in once you have left the hospital, and you follow your destiny." Whistler explained.
"And what would that be?" Asked Xander, a 'do not bull shit me' look on his face.
Whistler sighed, and looked at the ceiling.
"Okay kid, they agreed to let me give you the skinny. You were chosen to be the leader of The Pentagram Guardians, a group of immortal warriors that will appear over the next several months. There will be five pairs of warriors, all couples who are soul-mates in everyway. Five pairs for the five external and internal points of the Pentagram. You and Buffy were chosen to be the leaders because of your loyalty, your integrity and your honor. The other four couples have been chosen for much the same reasons, although their skills will be different. And before you even think about it, don't ask, they won't tell me who they will be." Said Whistler.
"Wow." Whispered Xander.
"Yea, and that ain't all kid. Once we return you, over the next five nights, you will return here in dream state, and you will meet the five trainers who will impart their knowledge and wisdom directly into your brain. You will learn Weapons, both ancient and modern, martial arts, strategy and tactics, knowledge of the arcane and occult, as well as general knowledge, such as how to survive as an immortal. One thing. Do not tell anyone about this until you are out of the hospital and home." Explained Whistler.
"Double wow!" said Xander. "So can I ask a question?"
"Go ahead." Nodded Whistler.
"Why me?" Xander asked. "I mean, why ME? There are people out there who must be better prepared for this than me?"
"Maybe kid, but you were the only one that survived with all the qualities needed." Whistler said.
"Survived?" Gasped Xander.
"Yes survived. Fate is too fickle to trust so there were several possible leaders in place. The one that survived with the best qualities was chosen. That was you, however you messed things up a bit." Whistler Paused. "Xander as a young man you have faced everything thing that you have come up against. Were-hyenas, Angelus, The Mayor, The Judge, The Master, Dracula. And every time you have survived what most would not, and came out better for it. Now I know that there was a lot of hurt involved as well. But you are somehow a better man because of it."
"Too bad it hurt so much." Xander almost whispered.
"Time to return Xander. Now it is going to hurt at first, then they will give you some pain medication and you can rest. Remember, tell no one anything until you are out of the hospital!" Whistler reminded as he faded out.
Xander walked around the room for a few minutes, then faded out himself.
~~~~~**********~~~~~
TBC
Last Part
Buffy just sat there stroking his hair and holding his hand, wondering if he was gong to come back to them.
One of the nurses came in and checked his vital signs and IV lines. As she left she turned to Buffy and said. "You can talk to him softly if you wish, sometimes when patients come out of a coma, they say that they remember being spoken to. It can only help." Then smiling, she left the small room.
~~~~~**********~~~~~
Whistler popped back into the white room and noticed Xander sleeping, snoring softly as he rested.
\\ Sleep well kid, I got the time. //
Part 2
Fairlawn Cemetery
Sunnydale Ca.
June 29th 2002 2:30 AM
Buffy, Willow and Dawn patrolled quietly tonight, their hearts and minds back at the hospital where Joyce, Giles and Cordelia sat watching over Xander. Angel was patrolling the downtown area and would meet them at the park where they would finish up for the night.
So far they had taken down only two vamps, Willow dusting one with a bolt from her crossbow, and Buffy beating one senseless before Dawn pushed her away and staked it.
"Buffy! He's going to be all right!" Dawn yelled. "Talk to me. Don't just try to shove your feelings down and try to ease your frustration by beating on vampires."
"She's right Buffy, look what happened to me when I gave in to grief." Willow said sadly.
Buffy glanced back up defiantly, but backed down when she saw the looks that both her friend and her sister were giving her. Inside she knew they were right, but she was so angry and so frustrated she didn't know what to do. All she could think of was taking out her anger on something.
"C'mon Buffy, lets go back to the hospital and see if there is any change." Willow suggested.
Buffy nodded, and fell in behind her Willow and Dawn. The three young women trudged back to the cemetery entrance where they piled into Willows car and rode to the hospital.
Buffy thought back to when they first started patrol, in the cemetery parking lot.
~~~~~**********~~~~~
"Buffy, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone." Angel asked.
"Sure Angel." She replied to him. "Go on guys, I'll catch up in a sec." Buffy told Willow and Dawn.
"What did you want Angel." She asked softly.
"Buffy, about Xander." Angel started.
"What is it now Angel? Are you going to tell me not to worry, that it will be all right?" Buffy interrupted.
"No, Buffy, I'm not, because it may not be okay. I just want you to know that I think you made a good choice this time, being with Xander." Said Angel.
"But, we're not together. We're not a couple. We aren't going together. He's just a good friend." Buffy said quietly, still trying to deny her true feelings for Xander
"Oh." Angel said. A single word that carried so many meanings and questions.
"Yea, it's complicated Angel. Xander is my best friend, and if we tried to have a relationship and it failed, I don't know what I would do." Buffy explained.
"Some times you have to just try it Buffy. Xander is the kind of guy that you can't keep playing games with. He's stuck with you through everything that has happened, but there is no way to tell how long he will keep doing it." Angel paused, thinking.
"There was a time a couple of years ago, when I was Angelus. You were in the hospital, and I was coming for you, I was going to finish it once and for all. Xander was guarding the door and wouldn't let me in. I don't know why I didn't just kill him then, but I backed down and left. As
I was leaving I called him "Buffy's White Knight', he just smiled as I left. He's a good man Buffy, don't blow it this time."
Her thoughts returned to what she might have to face at the hospital.
~~~~~**********~~~~~
Buffy opened up Xanders room and nodded at her mom.
Joyce stood up and started to leave the room, Giles joined her and the two adults exited, leaving
Cordelia sleeping in her chair.
Buffy and Willow both entered and checked Xander out immediately. No change.
Soon as Joyce stepped away from the door, Dawn grabbed her hand and led her to the waiting room down the hall.
"Mom, what's up with Buffy?" she asked.
"What do you mean honey?" Joyce replied.
"Tonight on patrol Buffy went postal on a vamp. She acted like she wasn't even trying to stake him. She just kept beating on him until he couldn't even fight back. I finally had to push her away and stake him myself! It was like she was trying to punish him for Xander being hurt." Said Dawn.
"I know honey. Buffy is hurting very badly right now, she blames herself for Xanders injuries." Started Joyce. "She feels that because he has involved himself in her destiny, that it is her fault when her friends get hurt. Like when Tara died, Buffy blamed herself. But even then Xander is special to Buffy."
"How is that mom?" Dawn asked.
"Xander is in love with your sister, and has been, I think ever since he first met her. And, Buffy, well she's in love with him, but won't allow herself to admit it. I think she feels that if she did, something would happen to him, so she denies it." Said Joyce sadly. "But I don't think she can keep denying it much longer." She said, nodding toward the hospital room.
~~~~~**********~~~~~
White Room
Unknown Location
"I told you once Whistler, I am not going back. I don't care if you send me to hell or any other place. It just hurts too much to go back." Xander stated flatly.
"I know Xander, but Buffy really does love you. She is just afraid to admit it. She thinks that if she does, something will happen to you and it will be her fault. If she were to lose you it would devastate her." Whistler replied softly.
Xander snorted. "Like she would even know I was gone." He said.
Whistler stopped what he was doing and tilted his head to the side, as if listening to someone. He let out a long sigh and turned back to Xander.
"Look kid, there is a lot more going on here than what you think you know about. The PTB have been watching the Dark Forces gaining in power and numbers for the last several centuries, and put a plan together to deal with them. You screwed the whole plan up in seconds." Whistled said.
"So. Sue me." Xander replied sarcastically.
Whistler just shook his head.
"Kid. I am offering you a chance to go back to earth, an Immortal Warrior the like of which has not been seen in millennia. And all you give me are smart ass remarks." Bargained Whistler.
"So, you're going to make me a super hero and send me back to earth. What then? I get the girl, for now? No chance Whistler! Buffy just doesn't see me that way. I'm the Zeppo, remember? So even if I do have super powers, she'll still not feel the same way about me as I do about her." He cried, eyes filling with tears. "Dammit, stop it! It hurts too much."
Whistler again adopted that strange pose, as if listening to someone.
"Look Xander, if you don't go back one of two things will happen." He started out, walking over to a large wall mounted mirror. "In one possibility Buffy will not know she is going to become immortal, and will not have her mind in the fight anymore after you are gone. If that is the case, then this is her future." Whistler said as he waved his hand over the mirror.
In the mirror Buffy wandered through the cemetery, not patrolling in her normal somewhat cautious way. She tensed when she sensed a vampire, then was knocked to the ground when two jumped her.
She got in a few kicks and punches, but the four more vamps that joined in the fray left the ending no way in doubt. Using their claws, the half dozen vampires tore the slayer apart, scattering her limbs and head all over the area."
Xander stared at the scene, sweating profusely, and cursing under his breath.
"Buffy wouldn't be alone like that, she has other friends." Xander insisted.
Whistler just waved his hands over the mirror again and played two scenes. One depicted Giles being knocked down and crippled when a vamp tore off his kneecaps. Another showed the funerals of both Willow and Dawn.
"Nooooooooo…." Came the long and sorrowful wail from Xander's throat. And even Whistler felt for the young man in front of him. No one should have to see the fate of his friends like this.
"This is the other possibility kid." Said Whistler. This time the screen showed a vampire nest full of vampires. One would drain Buffy, then toss her to another who would wait for her immortality to kick in and then that one would do the draining.
"Think of her as being the vampires 'Golden Chalice', the cup that never runs dry. And she can never regain enough strength to get free. And why did this happen? Because she didn't know she was going to become immortal. Then when she did, it was witnessed by a vamp, and he took her to his master as a prize."
"What do I have to do to prevent this?" Xander demanded.
"Return to your world, we will let your immortality kick in once you have left the hospital, and you follow your destiny." Whistler explained.
"And what would that be?" Asked Xander, a 'do not bull shit me' look on his face.
Whistler sighed, and looked at the ceiling.
"Okay kid, they agreed to let me give you the skinny. You were chosen to be the leader of The Pentagram Guardians, a group of immortal warriors that will appear over the next several months. There will be five pairs of warriors, all couples who are soul-mates in everyway. Five pairs for the five external and internal points of the Pentagram. You and Buffy were chosen to be the leaders because of your loyalty, your integrity and your honor. The other four couples have been chosen for much the same reasons, although their skills will be different. And before you even think about it, don't ask, they won't tell me who they will be." Said Whistler.
"Wow." Whispered Xander.
"Yea, and that ain't all kid. Once we return you, over the next five nights, you will return here in dream state, and you will meet the five trainers who will impart their knowledge and wisdom directly into your brain. You will learn Weapons, both ancient and modern, martial arts, strategy and tactics, knowledge of the arcane and occult, as well as general knowledge, such as how to survive as an immortal. One thing. Do not tell anyone about this until you are out of the hospital and home." Explained Whistler.
"Double wow!" said Xander. "So can I ask a question?"
"Go ahead." Nodded Whistler.
"Why me?" Xander asked. "I mean, why ME? There are people out there who must be better prepared for this than me?"
"Maybe kid, but you were the only one that survived with all the qualities needed." Whistler said.
"Survived?" Gasped Xander.
"Yes survived. Fate is too fickle to trust so there were several possible leaders in place. The one that survived with the best qualities was chosen. That was you, however you messed things up a bit." Whistler Paused. "Xander as a young man you have faced everything thing that you have come up against. Were-hyenas, Angelus, The Mayor, The Judge, The Master, Dracula. And every time you have survived what most would not, and came out better for it. Now I know that there was a lot of hurt involved as well. But you are somehow a better man because of it."
"Too bad it hurt so much." Xander almost whispered.
"Time to return Xander. Now it is going to hurt at first, then they will give you some pain medication and you can rest. Remember, tell no one anything until you are out of the hospital!" Whistler reminded as he faded out.
Xander walked around the room for a few minutes, then faded out himself.
~~~~~**********~~~~~
TBC