TITLE From Bad to Worse
Disclaimer. Usual, I own nothing but the plot. All else belongs to Whedon, UPN, Foxt etc.
Xander groaned as two familiar shapes flanked him. Last night had been a particularily bad one. A good part of it spent wondering why the Big Man Upstairs wanted him to have an audience. Not just an audience, but his two best buds, and the man he looked up to as a father figure. Not that he was ashamed of what he did, no he was kind of proud of it. He made the girl comfortable eith the transition, as he prefered to think of it. He had placed her in the arms of her waiting Grandmother, and watched as she was led away into an envelloping mist, before turning back. Sometimes he wondered if here would b somebody waiting for him when his time came, but until then he would do whatever he could for those he must gather.
"Giles Xander, we're going to Giles' place and your going to tell me all about last night." Buffy looked determined, and all slayer like. Willow looked equally as determined.
"Fine girls, we caan do that and I'll tell you as much as I can, as long as we go by the hospital first."
"Why, so you can help someone else die. Xander you know I can't let you."
"You also know you can't stop it. I just try to make it easier."
"I died twice. Nobody was there for me, either time."
"Albert was there the first time, you just don't remember him."
"There's an Angel named Albert?" Willow looked confused.
"More of a librarian these days. But yeah, he was a transitioner."
"Who did I get the second time."
"There was no one then. You chose to die then, we don't help suicide. Kind of defeats the purpose."
"Suicide," Buffy yelped. "I gave my life for the world. That's not suicide."
"You gave your life for Dawn, Buffy." Xander spoke evenly, knowing the effect of his words. Knowing also the message that he was to give. "The world didn't need your sacrifice."
Buffy reacted by grabbing Xander and spinning him around to face her. "You think I should have sacrificed Dawn?"
"Im saying that you made a choice. You, me, all of us, we have to live by the choices we make. You made a choice that seemed right to you at the time. Maybe it was, but don't kid yourself. You didn't die to save the world. You died so that Dawn would not have to. Just pointing out the difference."
"Uh Buffy," Willow tried to interrupt in a small voice. "Maybe you better let him go."
"What," Buffy tore her eyes away from Xander, to looked at Willow. "But you ..." She stopped in confusion, her mouth gaping. They were no longer on a sidewalk, walking towards Giles, as they had started out to do. They were in the waiting room at Sunnydale General, and people werewatching. She released Xander's shirt, and stepped back, looking around her, totally confused.
"I just wanted a nice quiet walk over here to sort of psyche myself up for this, but nooo. I had to get side tracked, and this happens." Xander looked at Willow, who stared back at him. "When she comes to her senses, tell her I'll meet her at Giles' later."
Without another word, Xander turned and walked down a hall.
+++++
"Mr. Steadman." Xander looked at the parchment like face resting on a sea of pillows. Sharp blue eyes looked back at him.
"Took you long enough to get here."
"Mr. Steadman, we have a few minutes before we have to go. Is there something you'd like to do first."
The aged man cackled. "You mean confess my sins? No need my boy. I paid good money, and lots of it to get to where I'm going."
"Mr. Steadman, that's, er, not quite the way it works."
+++++
Xander was not happy. Most of the time, folks could be persuaded that what they had done in life was no guarantee of heaven, what they believed heaven to be. Mr. Steadman had refused to believe that the money he spent, in this life, would not purchase him a place in the next. So when the time had come, Xander delivered Mr. Steadman to his destination, and there was no joy n the delivery.
He was deep in melancholy when he lifted his hand to knock on Giles' door. He barely had time to knock a second time before an angry Slayer pulled it open and hauled him inside.
"Okay Xander," she said, depositing him on the couch. "Spill."
Disclaimer. Usual, I own nothing but the plot. All else belongs to Whedon, UPN, Foxt etc.
Xander groaned as two familiar shapes flanked him. Last night had been a particularily bad one. A good part of it spent wondering why the Big Man Upstairs wanted him to have an audience. Not just an audience, but his two best buds, and the man he looked up to as a father figure. Not that he was ashamed of what he did, no he was kind of proud of it. He made the girl comfortable eith the transition, as he prefered to think of it. He had placed her in the arms of her waiting Grandmother, and watched as she was led away into an envelloping mist, before turning back. Sometimes he wondered if here would b somebody waiting for him when his time came, but until then he would do whatever he could for those he must gather.
"Giles Xander, we're going to Giles' place and your going to tell me all about last night." Buffy looked determined, and all slayer like. Willow looked equally as determined.
"Fine girls, we caan do that and I'll tell you as much as I can, as long as we go by the hospital first."
"Why, so you can help someone else die. Xander you know I can't let you."
"You also know you can't stop it. I just try to make it easier."
"I died twice. Nobody was there for me, either time."
"Albert was there the first time, you just don't remember him."
"There's an Angel named Albert?" Willow looked confused.
"More of a librarian these days. But yeah, he was a transitioner."
"Who did I get the second time."
"There was no one then. You chose to die then, we don't help suicide. Kind of defeats the purpose."
"Suicide," Buffy yelped. "I gave my life for the world. That's not suicide."
"You gave your life for Dawn, Buffy." Xander spoke evenly, knowing the effect of his words. Knowing also the message that he was to give. "The world didn't need your sacrifice."
Buffy reacted by grabbing Xander and spinning him around to face her. "You think I should have sacrificed Dawn?"
"Im saying that you made a choice. You, me, all of us, we have to live by the choices we make. You made a choice that seemed right to you at the time. Maybe it was, but don't kid yourself. You didn't die to save the world. You died so that Dawn would not have to. Just pointing out the difference."
"Uh Buffy," Willow tried to interrupt in a small voice. "Maybe you better let him go."
"What," Buffy tore her eyes away from Xander, to looked at Willow. "But you ..." She stopped in confusion, her mouth gaping. They were no longer on a sidewalk, walking towards Giles, as they had started out to do. They were in the waiting room at Sunnydale General, and people werewatching. She released Xander's shirt, and stepped back, looking around her, totally confused.
"I just wanted a nice quiet walk over here to sort of psyche myself up for this, but nooo. I had to get side tracked, and this happens." Xander looked at Willow, who stared back at him. "When she comes to her senses, tell her I'll meet her at Giles' later."
Without another word, Xander turned and walked down a hall.
+++++
"Mr. Steadman." Xander looked at the parchment like face resting on a sea of pillows. Sharp blue eyes looked back at him.
"Took you long enough to get here."
"Mr. Steadman, we have a few minutes before we have to go. Is there something you'd like to do first."
The aged man cackled. "You mean confess my sins? No need my boy. I paid good money, and lots of it to get to where I'm going."
"Mr. Steadman, that's, er, not quite the way it works."
+++++
Xander was not happy. Most of the time, folks could be persuaded that what they had done in life was no guarantee of heaven, what they believed heaven to be. Mr. Steadman had refused to believe that the money he spent, in this life, would not purchase him a place in the next. So when the time had come, Xander delivered Mr. Steadman to his destination, and there was no joy n the delivery.
He was deep in melancholy when he lifted his hand to knock on Giles' door. He barely had time to knock a second time before an angry Slayer pulled it open and hauled him inside.
"Okay Xander," she said, depositing him on the couch. "Spill."