Title: Warrior of Truth
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Fifth series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and up to the Ninth Book of the Wheel of Time Series
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Wheel of Time. I would buy them but I am broke. I do own the 'new Scoobies', so ask if you want to use them.
Summary: Xander is missing after the battle with Glory and returns several years later a changed man. Crossover with Wheel of Time. (Buffy series of events)
AN: Contains spoilers for Wheel of Time series; however knowledge of the series is not needed as important details will be included. Series 6 events are ignored. This is the Buffy series of events, for the Wheel of Time series of events, read Asha'man Harris
AN2: Apologies about the break formatting, FF.net did it, not me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xander stepped through the Gateway and his Sunnydale instincts came flooding back, as he saw a blond woman fighting several vampires. Drawing his sword Xander began to kill the un-dead creatures, flowing from stance to stance.
He had released the weave for the Gateway as soon as he had stepped through but he held onto the Source. When he saw three vampires charge him, Xander channelled to make them explode. Xander channelled fireballs at the last two vampires as they ran. He released the Source as he sheathed his sword, causing some of the shadows to run together and losing the ability to see individual leaves at a few hundred yards.
Releasing the Source was like giving up on life for a pale shadow, until he saw the woman he had helped. He instantly recognised her; she had been in his dreams every night for fifteen years. Buffy had matured well, her figure was still petite and she was still a small woman but her beauty had grown. He had believed she was the most beautiful woman in the world when they were teenagers but compared to now, teenage Buffy looked awkward and miss proportioned.
Her hair was shoulder length, left loose and bobbed under at the back and her eyes still showed the mix of strength and innocence that he had fallen for all those years ago.
"Hello, Buffy." He said, genuinely glad to see her.
"Xander!?!" she responded a second later in surprise.
Xander nodded, he had noticed the glance to the gravestone and what the stone said.
"Good to see you again." He said staring into her eyes.
"You too! Where were you? How did you get back? We though you were dead. Why are you dressed like that?" Buffy started before Xander cut her off.
"Which of those would you like me to answer first?"
Buffy smiled, it was like he had never left, except she knew how she felt about him.
"Maybe we should go get the gang together. They'll all want to see you." Buffy said.
They walked through the streets of Sunnydale towards the Magic Box. Buffy was tense because she was with the man she love but had thought dead for ten years, Xander was tense because of years of warfare and because he could sense Buffy's tension.
********
Willow sat at the research table in the Magic Box, looking through the pages of old books. There was a new Big Bad, maybe even an apocalypse, and they did not know much about it. Tara was at the counter, searching the internet for any information she could find on the coming disaster, and occasionally casting glances at her wife.
Dawn, who was on vacation had come to see the old Scooby Gang and had decided to pitch in, looking through another old book. Justine and the New Scoobies, Nicholas and Sarah, were also at the table. Justine, a pretty brunet with a lithe figure, was looking bored as she looked through her book, while Nicholas, tall and well muscled with glasses and sandy hair, was avidly reading his.
"This guy likes beets." Sarah, average height with long brown hair, green eyes and a weird sense of humour, declared.
"Wrong apocalypse, sorry." Willow said, tossing Sarah a new book.
Sarah sighed and Willow shook her head. Sarah often reminded Willow of Xander, usually causing a pang of sadness, while Nicholas reminded her of herself at that age. Willow looked up when the bell over the door rang, expecting to see Buffy. Buffy did enter the room along with a tall man in black clothes about her own age.
"Hey, Wills, Dawn, Tara. Where's Giles'? And who are the new kids?" the man said.
"Xander!" Buffy yelled at him.
"Xander?" all the old Scoobies called at once and ran in for a group hug.
"Ladies, ladies, please, before I need to go have a cold shower." Xander said after a minute, giving his patented lopsided grin.
Buffy swatted him across the arm, Willow glared, Tara blushed, Dawn giggled and the new Scoobies looked confused.
"So, where is the G-man?" Xander asked.
"He's in England. I'll give him a call and tell him you're back. Where were you, anyway?" Willow said.
"Long story. Who are they?" Xander said indicating to the teens at the table.
"I'm Justine, the Vampire Slayer, and these are my friends, Nicholas and Sarah." Justine said.
"When'd Faith die?" Xander asked casually.
"About two years after Glory." Buffy replied.
Xander just nodded and Sarah's eyes lit up.
"You're that Xander. Goofy Harris, man, what happened to your clothes? You set a fashion trend in the alternative community a Sunnydale high." Sarah said.
"Zeppo?" Xander asked casually.
Buffy nodded and Willow giggled at the joke that Sarah did not get.
"I became an Asha'man and spent almost ten years on the frontline of a war that made World War One and Two look like a football game." Xander replied.
"What's an Asha'man?" Dawn asked, stumbling over the name.
"A warrior for truth and justice. Kinda like Buff, and Justine, but we're all men who can use a form of magic. So, what's been happening here?" Xander said.
Buffy, Willow and Dawn related the events of the last ten years in Sunnydale. Xander was happy for Willow and Tara, proud of Dawn and, as always, in love with Buffy.
********
Xander stood on one foot with his sword held above his head and sloping slightly downwards. It was a few hours since he had arrived back in Sunnydale and he was currently in the training room of the Magic Box. Buffy, Justine and Dawn sat in one corner, interested in what Xander was about to do. Xander stood perfectly still, striped down to his pants, his bare chest was well muscled and contained several scars from battle, some of them barely there, but several looked only a few weeks old.
Willow, Tara, Nicholas and Sarah had all gone home a few minutes ago, Willow having called Giles before she left. Giles would return to Sunnydale in a few days as he had Council business to attend to in England. Dawn was staring at Xander, thinking that he might have fallen asleep, while Buffy and Justine quietly talked when Xander suddenly and silently began to move.
The two Slayers instantly stoped talking and all three girls stared in awe. His movements flowed like a dance, smoothly moving from stance to stance and slowly increasing the pace. After a few minutes his moves became a blur and he showed no sign of slowing down. At one point a moth fluttered behind him and he spun, slicing it in half, and returned to his practice with a single flowing motion.
Xander's mind was almost blank, encased in the void, as he had been taught, but resisting the pull of the Source that shone like a pale light just over his shoulder. His senses had heightened but nowhere near the level they did when he was channelling, and his thoughts flickered across the edge of the void, mostly thoughts about Buffy. After almost half an hour Xander finished his sword practice, without slowing he flowed from a battle stance into sheathing his sword. Barely breathing hard, Xander turned to his bundle, previously hidden under his cloak, and put his shirt back on.
"Wow. That was cool." Dawn said.
"Thanks, Dawnie." Xander replied as he pulled on and buttoned up his coat, his body free from sweat. "So what did the Slayers think?"
Buffy and Justine stared at him for a minute and Buffy was about to respond but was interrupted by the front door to the shop being opened.
"Someone help!" Nicholas called as he entered the shop.
They all ran into the body of the shop and saw Nicholas laying Sarah on the table, she was bleeding badly from a gash across her stomach.
"Grab my bag. I don't know if I can save her, but I'll try." Dawn said and Justine ran for Dawn's medical bag.
"I'll take care of this." Xander said calmly.
Xander walked up to Sarah and laid his hands on the side of her head. Everyone was shocked as they saw Sarah's wound close, the tissue stitching back together, leaving no scar. Everyone, except Sarah, looked at Xander as if he had grown a third eye.
"Thank you." Sarah said weakly.
"No problem. You're weak. You need to eat as soon as possible and then rest." Xander replied. "What happened?"
"Vampire with a switchblade. I dusted him after he got Sarah." Nicholas replied.
"You trust me?" Xander asked Sarah and she immediately nodded.
"Where do you live?"
Sarah gave a rough description of where she live and Xander nodded. A vertical slash of light opened in the middle of the floor, away from everyone, and widened into a slightly wide door shape. Through the door everyone could see a porch and front door.
"That's Sarah's place." Nicholas said quietly.
"Be right back." Xander said as he walked through the Gateway carrying Sarah.
Xander carried her inside and was back out and though the Gateway into the Magic Box within a minute. The Gateway closed after Xander had returned.
"How long have you been able to do that?" Buffy asked indicating to where the Gateway had been.
"Over nine years." Xander replied, knowing what would come next.
"NINE YEARS! You could have come back nine years ago!" Buffy screamed, when she noticed the confused looks on everyone else's faces she continued. "That is how he returned. He made on of those door thingies."
"Gateway. I could and could not have returned. There was a war on and I could not leave till it was over. Just like I could never abandon you, Buff. I'm not built that way." Xander replied turning away slightly angry.
Xander stormed out of the Magic Box, moving quite fast.
"Justine, make sure Nicholas gets home alright. Dawn, you go home. I need to find him, I need ." Buffy trailed off before moving to follow Xander.
'Fool.' Buffy mentally berated herself. 'You only thought of what you wanted. His loyalty and dedication is why you fell in love with him.'
Buffy ran through the streets of Sunnydale looking for Xander, for the missing part of her heart.
********
Xander stalked the streets. He was angry. Buffy knew he could never abandon a fight. He spotted some vampires enter an abandoned warehouse and smiled. Time to vent. Looking through the window he saw upwards of twenty vampires inside the warehouse. He removed his cloak and laid it and his bundle down before entering the warehouse. He emerged into the light, but for a second none of the vampires noticed him, until he cleared his throat. All the vampires turned to stare at the intruder, stunned that a human would enter their lair.
"Kill him." the leader casually commanded, unconcerned about one man, even if he appeared to have a sheathed sword.
"Let's dance." Xander said as he casually dropped into a fighting stance.
Xander began to vent his anger upon the vampires.
********
Buffy had caught sight of Xander as he approached the warehouse and saw him go inside. Just before she opened the door she heard him speak.
"Let's dance." His voice came through the closed door.
Buffy fling open the door and stared in amazement. She recognised his skill as a swordsman but was shocked by his skill as an unarmed fighter. He flowed through the twenty-three vampires, delivering sharp blows and crippling shots. The vampires attacked independently, ignoring each other in their attempts to kill Xander.
Xander struck the vampire almost at will, hardly ever getting hit himself, using a form of martial arts that Buffy had never seen before, suited to almost any type of combat and allowing a single person to fight one or multiple opponents at once. After a few minutes Xander managed to cripple or incapacitate all twenty-three vampires, and then he did something that confused Buffy.
He stood still, without dusting a single vampire, allowing them to mend their wounds. When they had recovered the vampires again rushed Xander, this time, however, he allowed them to come to him, not touching any vampire not within two feet of him. Lashing out co-ordinately with his arm and legs, Xander managed to keep an area approximate a foot in every direction clear of vampires, again performing moves that would cripple or kill a human but not kill a vampire.
Once again he was soon surrounded by crippled vampires and again he stood still in the centre of the warehouse. As the vampires began to rise to fight again, Xander sighed. He drew his sword and began to kill the vampires and had completed the task in well under a minute.
"Like the demonstration, Buff?" Xander asked, still standing with his head down, his sword almost touching the floor from the downward stroke that decapitated the final vampire.
"It was informative. Feel better now?" she replied from the doorway.
"No."
"I'm sorry, about before. I understand why you had to stay. You were always braver than any other Scooby. Need a place to crash?" Buffy said, trying to hide the hope in her voice.
"You sure you're boyfriend won't mind?" Xander said without emotion.
"I don't have a boyfriend. I haven't had one for ten years." she replied.
'Please Xand. Take a hint. I love you!' her mind screamed.
"Sure. Who better to crash with that you and Dawnie?" Xander said with a lopsided grin.
Xander opened a Gateway but instead of leading somewhere it lead to blackness. He stepped inside and a section of floor appeared, it looked like the floor of the training room in the Magic Box.
"Step in. I don't know this place well enough to make a direct Gateway, so we'll skim. It will take a few seconds." Xander said.
Buffy reluctantly stepped onto the platform. The Gateway closed and she could still see Xander and the platform even though there was not light. About two or three seconds after the first Gateway closed another opened at the other end of the platform, showing Buffy's veranda. Xander motioned for Buffy to move off and then followed her before closing this Gateway.
"Wow." Buffy said.
"Yah. I guess it is cool. No offence but you had to leave first. The platform only existed while I was there and there, if you fall you never hit bottom." Xander said before giving Buffy another grin. "Ah, Casa de Summers. How I missed thee."
Buffy laughed as they went inside to see Dawn sitting in the living room watching TV.
"Whoa, TV. I haven't seen TV in ten years. Anything good on?" Xander said.
"Nah, just the usual." Dawn replied absently, causing Xander to break out laughing.
"We'll, I'm whacked. Where can I crash?" Xander said when he stoped laughing.
"You can take my old room." Buffy said as she led him upstairs and started giving him the tour.
"I remember, Buff." He laughed.
'How could I ever forget anything about you?' Xander thought affectionately. 'You were always out of reach, maybe now I can have a chance to be with you.'
Xander looked around the room, it had been converted into a generic guest bedroom, and he still saw it as it had been on the first occasion he had ever entered it. Buffy's room, the temple of his Goddess. Xander flopped onto the bed and sighed.
"I'm back, but everything's different." He said sadly before he fell asleep.
TBC
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Fifth series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and up to the Ninth Book of the Wheel of Time Series
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Wheel of Time. I would buy them but I am broke. I do own the 'new Scoobies', so ask if you want to use them.
Summary: Xander is missing after the battle with Glory and returns several years later a changed man. Crossover with Wheel of Time. (Buffy series of events)
AN: Contains spoilers for Wheel of Time series; however knowledge of the series is not needed as important details will be included. Series 6 events are ignored. This is the Buffy series of events, for the Wheel of Time series of events, read Asha'man Harris
AN2: Apologies about the break formatting, FF.net did it, not me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xander stepped through the Gateway and his Sunnydale instincts came flooding back, as he saw a blond woman fighting several vampires. Drawing his sword Xander began to kill the un-dead creatures, flowing from stance to stance.
He had released the weave for the Gateway as soon as he had stepped through but he held onto the Source. When he saw three vampires charge him, Xander channelled to make them explode. Xander channelled fireballs at the last two vampires as they ran. He released the Source as he sheathed his sword, causing some of the shadows to run together and losing the ability to see individual leaves at a few hundred yards.
Releasing the Source was like giving up on life for a pale shadow, until he saw the woman he had helped. He instantly recognised her; she had been in his dreams every night for fifteen years. Buffy had matured well, her figure was still petite and she was still a small woman but her beauty had grown. He had believed she was the most beautiful woman in the world when they were teenagers but compared to now, teenage Buffy looked awkward and miss proportioned.
Her hair was shoulder length, left loose and bobbed under at the back and her eyes still showed the mix of strength and innocence that he had fallen for all those years ago.
"Hello, Buffy." He said, genuinely glad to see her.
"Xander!?!" she responded a second later in surprise.
Xander nodded, he had noticed the glance to the gravestone and what the stone said.
"Good to see you again." He said staring into her eyes.
"You too! Where were you? How did you get back? We though you were dead. Why are you dressed like that?" Buffy started before Xander cut her off.
"Which of those would you like me to answer first?"
Buffy smiled, it was like he had never left, except she knew how she felt about him.
"Maybe we should go get the gang together. They'll all want to see you." Buffy said.
They walked through the streets of Sunnydale towards the Magic Box. Buffy was tense because she was with the man she love but had thought dead for ten years, Xander was tense because of years of warfare and because he could sense Buffy's tension.
********
Willow sat at the research table in the Magic Box, looking through the pages of old books. There was a new Big Bad, maybe even an apocalypse, and they did not know much about it. Tara was at the counter, searching the internet for any information she could find on the coming disaster, and occasionally casting glances at her wife.
Dawn, who was on vacation had come to see the old Scooby Gang and had decided to pitch in, looking through another old book. Justine and the New Scoobies, Nicholas and Sarah, were also at the table. Justine, a pretty brunet with a lithe figure, was looking bored as she looked through her book, while Nicholas, tall and well muscled with glasses and sandy hair, was avidly reading his.
"This guy likes beets." Sarah, average height with long brown hair, green eyes and a weird sense of humour, declared.
"Wrong apocalypse, sorry." Willow said, tossing Sarah a new book.
Sarah sighed and Willow shook her head. Sarah often reminded Willow of Xander, usually causing a pang of sadness, while Nicholas reminded her of herself at that age. Willow looked up when the bell over the door rang, expecting to see Buffy. Buffy did enter the room along with a tall man in black clothes about her own age.
"Hey, Wills, Dawn, Tara. Where's Giles'? And who are the new kids?" the man said.
"Xander!" Buffy yelled at him.
"Xander?" all the old Scoobies called at once and ran in for a group hug.
"Ladies, ladies, please, before I need to go have a cold shower." Xander said after a minute, giving his patented lopsided grin.
Buffy swatted him across the arm, Willow glared, Tara blushed, Dawn giggled and the new Scoobies looked confused.
"So, where is the G-man?" Xander asked.
"He's in England. I'll give him a call and tell him you're back. Where were you, anyway?" Willow said.
"Long story. Who are they?" Xander said indicating to the teens at the table.
"I'm Justine, the Vampire Slayer, and these are my friends, Nicholas and Sarah." Justine said.
"When'd Faith die?" Xander asked casually.
"About two years after Glory." Buffy replied.
Xander just nodded and Sarah's eyes lit up.
"You're that Xander. Goofy Harris, man, what happened to your clothes? You set a fashion trend in the alternative community a Sunnydale high." Sarah said.
"Zeppo?" Xander asked casually.
Buffy nodded and Willow giggled at the joke that Sarah did not get.
"I became an Asha'man and spent almost ten years on the frontline of a war that made World War One and Two look like a football game." Xander replied.
"What's an Asha'man?" Dawn asked, stumbling over the name.
"A warrior for truth and justice. Kinda like Buff, and Justine, but we're all men who can use a form of magic. So, what's been happening here?" Xander said.
Buffy, Willow and Dawn related the events of the last ten years in Sunnydale. Xander was happy for Willow and Tara, proud of Dawn and, as always, in love with Buffy.
********
Xander stood on one foot with his sword held above his head and sloping slightly downwards. It was a few hours since he had arrived back in Sunnydale and he was currently in the training room of the Magic Box. Buffy, Justine and Dawn sat in one corner, interested in what Xander was about to do. Xander stood perfectly still, striped down to his pants, his bare chest was well muscled and contained several scars from battle, some of them barely there, but several looked only a few weeks old.
Willow, Tara, Nicholas and Sarah had all gone home a few minutes ago, Willow having called Giles before she left. Giles would return to Sunnydale in a few days as he had Council business to attend to in England. Dawn was staring at Xander, thinking that he might have fallen asleep, while Buffy and Justine quietly talked when Xander suddenly and silently began to move.
The two Slayers instantly stoped talking and all three girls stared in awe. His movements flowed like a dance, smoothly moving from stance to stance and slowly increasing the pace. After a few minutes his moves became a blur and he showed no sign of slowing down. At one point a moth fluttered behind him and he spun, slicing it in half, and returned to his practice with a single flowing motion.
Xander's mind was almost blank, encased in the void, as he had been taught, but resisting the pull of the Source that shone like a pale light just over his shoulder. His senses had heightened but nowhere near the level they did when he was channelling, and his thoughts flickered across the edge of the void, mostly thoughts about Buffy. After almost half an hour Xander finished his sword practice, without slowing he flowed from a battle stance into sheathing his sword. Barely breathing hard, Xander turned to his bundle, previously hidden under his cloak, and put his shirt back on.
"Wow. That was cool." Dawn said.
"Thanks, Dawnie." Xander replied as he pulled on and buttoned up his coat, his body free from sweat. "So what did the Slayers think?"
Buffy and Justine stared at him for a minute and Buffy was about to respond but was interrupted by the front door to the shop being opened.
"Someone help!" Nicholas called as he entered the shop.
They all ran into the body of the shop and saw Nicholas laying Sarah on the table, she was bleeding badly from a gash across her stomach.
"Grab my bag. I don't know if I can save her, but I'll try." Dawn said and Justine ran for Dawn's medical bag.
"I'll take care of this." Xander said calmly.
Xander walked up to Sarah and laid his hands on the side of her head. Everyone was shocked as they saw Sarah's wound close, the tissue stitching back together, leaving no scar. Everyone, except Sarah, looked at Xander as if he had grown a third eye.
"Thank you." Sarah said weakly.
"No problem. You're weak. You need to eat as soon as possible and then rest." Xander replied. "What happened?"
"Vampire with a switchblade. I dusted him after he got Sarah." Nicholas replied.
"You trust me?" Xander asked Sarah and she immediately nodded.
"Where do you live?"
Sarah gave a rough description of where she live and Xander nodded. A vertical slash of light opened in the middle of the floor, away from everyone, and widened into a slightly wide door shape. Through the door everyone could see a porch and front door.
"That's Sarah's place." Nicholas said quietly.
"Be right back." Xander said as he walked through the Gateway carrying Sarah.
Xander carried her inside and was back out and though the Gateway into the Magic Box within a minute. The Gateway closed after Xander had returned.
"How long have you been able to do that?" Buffy asked indicating to where the Gateway had been.
"Over nine years." Xander replied, knowing what would come next.
"NINE YEARS! You could have come back nine years ago!" Buffy screamed, when she noticed the confused looks on everyone else's faces she continued. "That is how he returned. He made on of those door thingies."
"Gateway. I could and could not have returned. There was a war on and I could not leave till it was over. Just like I could never abandon you, Buff. I'm not built that way." Xander replied turning away slightly angry.
Xander stormed out of the Magic Box, moving quite fast.
"Justine, make sure Nicholas gets home alright. Dawn, you go home. I need to find him, I need ." Buffy trailed off before moving to follow Xander.
'Fool.' Buffy mentally berated herself. 'You only thought of what you wanted. His loyalty and dedication is why you fell in love with him.'
Buffy ran through the streets of Sunnydale looking for Xander, for the missing part of her heart.
********
Xander stalked the streets. He was angry. Buffy knew he could never abandon a fight. He spotted some vampires enter an abandoned warehouse and smiled. Time to vent. Looking through the window he saw upwards of twenty vampires inside the warehouse. He removed his cloak and laid it and his bundle down before entering the warehouse. He emerged into the light, but for a second none of the vampires noticed him, until he cleared his throat. All the vampires turned to stare at the intruder, stunned that a human would enter their lair.
"Kill him." the leader casually commanded, unconcerned about one man, even if he appeared to have a sheathed sword.
"Let's dance." Xander said as he casually dropped into a fighting stance.
Xander began to vent his anger upon the vampires.
********
Buffy had caught sight of Xander as he approached the warehouse and saw him go inside. Just before she opened the door she heard him speak.
"Let's dance." His voice came through the closed door.
Buffy fling open the door and stared in amazement. She recognised his skill as a swordsman but was shocked by his skill as an unarmed fighter. He flowed through the twenty-three vampires, delivering sharp blows and crippling shots. The vampires attacked independently, ignoring each other in their attempts to kill Xander.
Xander struck the vampire almost at will, hardly ever getting hit himself, using a form of martial arts that Buffy had never seen before, suited to almost any type of combat and allowing a single person to fight one or multiple opponents at once. After a few minutes Xander managed to cripple or incapacitate all twenty-three vampires, and then he did something that confused Buffy.
He stood still, without dusting a single vampire, allowing them to mend their wounds. When they had recovered the vampires again rushed Xander, this time, however, he allowed them to come to him, not touching any vampire not within two feet of him. Lashing out co-ordinately with his arm and legs, Xander managed to keep an area approximate a foot in every direction clear of vampires, again performing moves that would cripple or kill a human but not kill a vampire.
Once again he was soon surrounded by crippled vampires and again he stood still in the centre of the warehouse. As the vampires began to rise to fight again, Xander sighed. He drew his sword and began to kill the vampires and had completed the task in well under a minute.
"Like the demonstration, Buff?" Xander asked, still standing with his head down, his sword almost touching the floor from the downward stroke that decapitated the final vampire.
"It was informative. Feel better now?" she replied from the doorway.
"No."
"I'm sorry, about before. I understand why you had to stay. You were always braver than any other Scooby. Need a place to crash?" Buffy said, trying to hide the hope in her voice.
"You sure you're boyfriend won't mind?" Xander said without emotion.
"I don't have a boyfriend. I haven't had one for ten years." she replied.
'Please Xand. Take a hint. I love you!' her mind screamed.
"Sure. Who better to crash with that you and Dawnie?" Xander said with a lopsided grin.
Xander opened a Gateway but instead of leading somewhere it lead to blackness. He stepped inside and a section of floor appeared, it looked like the floor of the training room in the Magic Box.
"Step in. I don't know this place well enough to make a direct Gateway, so we'll skim. It will take a few seconds." Xander said.
Buffy reluctantly stepped onto the platform. The Gateway closed and she could still see Xander and the platform even though there was not light. About two or three seconds after the first Gateway closed another opened at the other end of the platform, showing Buffy's veranda. Xander motioned for Buffy to move off and then followed her before closing this Gateway.
"Wow." Buffy said.
"Yah. I guess it is cool. No offence but you had to leave first. The platform only existed while I was there and there, if you fall you never hit bottom." Xander said before giving Buffy another grin. "Ah, Casa de Summers. How I missed thee."
Buffy laughed as they went inside to see Dawn sitting in the living room watching TV.
"Whoa, TV. I haven't seen TV in ten years. Anything good on?" Xander said.
"Nah, just the usual." Dawn replied absently, causing Xander to break out laughing.
"We'll, I'm whacked. Where can I crash?" Xander said when he stoped laughing.
"You can take my old room." Buffy said as she led him upstairs and started giving him the tour.
"I remember, Buff." He laughed.
'How could I ever forget anything about you?' Xander thought affectionately. 'You were always out of reach, maybe now I can have a chance to be with you.'
Xander looked around the room, it had been converted into a generic guest bedroom, and he still saw it as it had been on the first occasion he had ever entered it. Buffy's room, the temple of his Goddess. Xander flopped onto the bed and sighed.
"I'm back, but everything's different." He said sadly before he fell asleep.
TBC