Disclaimer. As allways, characters and settings belong to Joss Whedon and UPN, etc. Borrowed for my amusement, and I hope the amusement of others.
Authors Note: I ask forgiveness of any that I may have offended by touching on spritual matters that may not fit with their belief systems.
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"It just wigs me." Buffy sat on a tombstone, swinging her legs. "Xander, death, transitions. What happened to sweet lovable Xander?"
"Well, he still Xander, more grown up focused Xander, but still Xander." Willow sat on the stone accross from Buffy. "I don't get the whole Angel of Death thing either, but if someone has to do it, can you really thing of a better person. It does kind of make sense."
Buffy looked at her.
"Hey I just mean, the body dies, which has gotta be traumatic an all, and how does the soul, that has been in that body for years and years, know what to do, or where to go, or how to get there.."
"Yeah, anybody but Xander. I still don't want him coming anywhere near us, any one of us." Buffy hopped off her stone, and looked at Willow. Oh I know, like that's going to happen, with you being his best friend, and Giles just aching to pump him for information."
"Me too," said Willow, jumping off her gravestone. "I want to pump him too."
Buffy rolled her eyes, and headed deeper into the cemetery, looking for something to kill.
+++++
"Now what do you suppose all that was about?" Spike stepped out of the shadows, and looked at the two girls. "The whelp death. World's turnin bleedin upside down."
++++
Xander relaxed on Giles' couch and eyed the elderly man. After Buffy and Willow had left on patrol, he had stayed behind, enjoying a third cup of tea, and wincing everytime Giles eyes strayed his way and jerked away.
"Relax G-man. You're not on my list tonight."
"But I might be on someone's, er, list."
"That is possible, but unlikely. Most people, they know its happening. They may not like it, but they know."
"I ah see, and what do they see when they get to the er other side?"
"That depends on where they are going, and I can't tell you."
Giles nodded. He had no intention of quitting until he had every possible drop of information he could squeeze out of Xander. He figured that as long as he was not on somebody's list, he would have time.
"As you can imagine, I have done some research. However, the books I have researched so far, say little about um you and what you do. Well, you know what I mean."
"Amazingly enough I do, and they don't say much because we don't give them much to say. We don't usually let outsiders in on what we do."
"Then whay are you?"
"Beats me." Xander glanced at his watch. "They should be back soon."
"Back, who?"
"The girls." Xander smiled. "Right about now, they're probably wondering if it was a good thing to leave me alone with you." Xander leaned back, and started counting down. "Five four thre.."
"Giles," the door burst open and Buffy rushed in.. "Are you alright?"
"Shouldn't I be?"
"Yes, no, I don't know. Just the thought of leaving you alone with death-boy gives me the creeps."
"And you Willow? Did you also wonder?"
"Well Buffy's panic was kind of infectuous."
"I did not panic," huffed Buffy. "I was merely concerned."
"Very very concerned," Willow conceded, "Very concerned.." She completely ignored the look Buffy gave her.
"Um, Xander did tell me that I wasn't on his list tonight."
"You have a list?" Buffy turned to Xander.
"Uh yes, and it's time I went." Xander stood up and angled for the door. "Time and death wait for no man."
"What?" Buffy made a grab for him and nearly stumbled as her hand passed through his shoulder.
"Giles," Xander glanced at the older man. "You might want to call 911. Tell them to come to Apartment 3B."
"Oh dear." Giles looked lost, then turned to the phone. Only to be stopped by Buffy's hand. She seemed a little pleased that she could grab somebody.
"Giles, who's in 3B?" She thought a minute. "Tell us on the way, Willow can call fromn her cell."
+++++
"Mrs.Hoffenmeyer?" Xander apprached the elderly woman laying on her kitchen floor. Being careful not to disturb anything, he knelt beside the prostrate woman, and the air glowed around him. "Do you know me?"
The door burst open, and running feet entered the apartment.
"Xander?" Mrs. Hoffenmeyer gasped, struggling to breathe. You've come to carry me ....to....Hell."
"Xander get away from her." Buffy tried unsuccessfully to grab him and pull him away. "Willow," she cried desperately, "can't you do something?"
Giles knelt beside her an felt for a pulse. He glanced at Xander. "Heart attack?"
Xander nodded, and turned his attention back to the dying woman.
"That hasn't been decided yet. You have a few minutes left."
Mrs. Hoffenmeyer coughed a laugh. "He won't have me. Not after I turned my back, after Hiram died. Not after all that I have done."
"He did not turn His back on you.
"He should. I've lied, stolen, cheated. Not much, little things, still sins. What would he want with me."
Xander said nothing. He had said all that he was allowed to say. Mrs. Hoffenmeyer had been a good wife to her husband, a good woman, according to some standards he never understood, or thought he had long gone out of style. But then her husband died, and she changed. Became bitter, shouting at the world, angry. She had done all that she said that she had done and more. She also knew what she had to do. He waited, but a sense of finality was falling over the room.
"All right," she gasped out, her voice raspy, throaty. "For what good it does, I'm sorry for the way I lived my life after Hiram died. He was the center of my world, and when he left I had nothing. If I could I'd ask forgiveness for the harm I've done others, the slights, and I forgive those that harmed me, though there's precious few of those. I ask for His forgiveness."
Xander smiled, and stood up. Reaching down, he took the hand of Mrs. Hoffenmeyer, and raised her to her feeet. Like it had been with the child the other night, Mrs. Hoffenmeyer's corporeal form lay on the floor, with Giles still kneeling there, with his fingers on her neck, still checking for a now missing pulse. Though his eyes, as were those of Buffy and Willow, were fixed on Xander.. They watched as he held out his hand, as if holding the hand of another, though, as far as they could see, there was no one there. They saw his smile as he turned towards the door, still holding out his arm. They heard his words, and only Giles reacted with a small smile.
"Hiram is waiting for you."
+++++
"You knew." Buffy slammed Xander against the wall. He had just returned to Giles' apartment after delivering Mrs. Hoffenmeyer, and had not even had a chance to even say hello. "You knew she was going to die and you didn't do anything."
"People die Buffy," Xander choked out. "People die all the time, and I can not
Authors Note: I ask forgiveness of any that I may have offended by touching on spritual matters that may not fit with their belief systems.
+++++
"It just wigs me." Buffy sat on a tombstone, swinging her legs. "Xander, death, transitions. What happened to sweet lovable Xander?"
"Well, he still Xander, more grown up focused Xander, but still Xander." Willow sat on the stone accross from Buffy. "I don't get the whole Angel of Death thing either, but if someone has to do it, can you really thing of a better person. It does kind of make sense."
Buffy looked at her.
"Hey I just mean, the body dies, which has gotta be traumatic an all, and how does the soul, that has been in that body for years and years, know what to do, or where to go, or how to get there.."
"Yeah, anybody but Xander. I still don't want him coming anywhere near us, any one of us." Buffy hopped off her stone, and looked at Willow. Oh I know, like that's going to happen, with you being his best friend, and Giles just aching to pump him for information."
"Me too," said Willow, jumping off her gravestone. "I want to pump him too."
Buffy rolled her eyes, and headed deeper into the cemetery, looking for something to kill.
+++++
"Now what do you suppose all that was about?" Spike stepped out of the shadows, and looked at the two girls. "The whelp death. World's turnin bleedin upside down."
++++
Xander relaxed on Giles' couch and eyed the elderly man. After Buffy and Willow had left on patrol, he had stayed behind, enjoying a third cup of tea, and wincing everytime Giles eyes strayed his way and jerked away.
"Relax G-man. You're not on my list tonight."
"But I might be on someone's, er, list."
"That is possible, but unlikely. Most people, they know its happening. They may not like it, but they know."
"I ah see, and what do they see when they get to the er other side?"
"That depends on where they are going, and I can't tell you."
Giles nodded. He had no intention of quitting until he had every possible drop of information he could squeeze out of Xander. He figured that as long as he was not on somebody's list, he would have time.
"As you can imagine, I have done some research. However, the books I have researched so far, say little about um you and what you do. Well, you know what I mean."
"Amazingly enough I do, and they don't say much because we don't give them much to say. We don't usually let outsiders in on what we do."
"Then whay are you?"
"Beats me." Xander glanced at his watch. "They should be back soon."
"Back, who?"
"The girls." Xander smiled. "Right about now, they're probably wondering if it was a good thing to leave me alone with you." Xander leaned back, and started counting down. "Five four thre.."
"Giles," the door burst open and Buffy rushed in.. "Are you alright?"
"Shouldn't I be?"
"Yes, no, I don't know. Just the thought of leaving you alone with death-boy gives me the creeps."
"And you Willow? Did you also wonder?"
"Well Buffy's panic was kind of infectuous."
"I did not panic," huffed Buffy. "I was merely concerned."
"Very very concerned," Willow conceded, "Very concerned.." She completely ignored the look Buffy gave her.
"Um, Xander did tell me that I wasn't on his list tonight."
"You have a list?" Buffy turned to Xander.
"Uh yes, and it's time I went." Xander stood up and angled for the door. "Time and death wait for no man."
"What?" Buffy made a grab for him and nearly stumbled as her hand passed through his shoulder.
"Giles," Xander glanced at the older man. "You might want to call 911. Tell them to come to Apartment 3B."
"Oh dear." Giles looked lost, then turned to the phone. Only to be stopped by Buffy's hand. She seemed a little pleased that she could grab somebody.
"Giles, who's in 3B?" She thought a minute. "Tell us on the way, Willow can call fromn her cell."
+++++
"Mrs.Hoffenmeyer?" Xander apprached the elderly woman laying on her kitchen floor. Being careful not to disturb anything, he knelt beside the prostrate woman, and the air glowed around him. "Do you know me?"
The door burst open, and running feet entered the apartment.
"Xander?" Mrs. Hoffenmeyer gasped, struggling to breathe. You've come to carry me ....to....Hell."
"Xander get away from her." Buffy tried unsuccessfully to grab him and pull him away. "Willow," she cried desperately, "can't you do something?"
Giles knelt beside her an felt for a pulse. He glanced at Xander. "Heart attack?"
Xander nodded, and turned his attention back to the dying woman.
"That hasn't been decided yet. You have a few minutes left."
Mrs. Hoffenmeyer coughed a laugh. "He won't have me. Not after I turned my back, after Hiram died. Not after all that I have done."
"He did not turn His back on you.
"He should. I've lied, stolen, cheated. Not much, little things, still sins. What would he want with me."
Xander said nothing. He had said all that he was allowed to say. Mrs. Hoffenmeyer had been a good wife to her husband, a good woman, according to some standards he never understood, or thought he had long gone out of style. But then her husband died, and she changed. Became bitter, shouting at the world, angry. She had done all that she said that she had done and more. She also knew what she had to do. He waited, but a sense of finality was falling over the room.
"All right," she gasped out, her voice raspy, throaty. "For what good it does, I'm sorry for the way I lived my life after Hiram died. He was the center of my world, and when he left I had nothing. If I could I'd ask forgiveness for the harm I've done others, the slights, and I forgive those that harmed me, though there's precious few of those. I ask for His forgiveness."
Xander smiled, and stood up. Reaching down, he took the hand of Mrs. Hoffenmeyer, and raised her to her feeet. Like it had been with the child the other night, Mrs. Hoffenmeyer's corporeal form lay on the floor, with Giles still kneeling there, with his fingers on her neck, still checking for a now missing pulse. Though his eyes, as were those of Buffy and Willow, were fixed on Xander.. They watched as he held out his hand, as if holding the hand of another, though, as far as they could see, there was no one there. They saw his smile as he turned towards the door, still holding out his arm. They heard his words, and only Giles reacted with a small smile.
"Hiram is waiting for you."
+++++
"You knew." Buffy slammed Xander against the wall. He had just returned to Giles' apartment after delivering Mrs. Hoffenmeyer, and had not even had a chance to even say hello. "You knew she was going to die and you didn't do anything."
"People die Buffy," Xander choked out. "People die all the time, and I can not