Chapter 8

Hey, it's Lorne...again !

Sunnydale CA, Xander's appartment (2.05 PM)

Xander couldn't believe his life. He was standing in his boxers, barely awake, with a green demon in his livingroom. Who knew about a dream he just had ten minutes ago. It was the sorta thing that just never seemed to happen in 'Friends', only on the hellmouth.

'Why...how...why ?'

Lorne smiled.

'I take it you wannna ask me how I know about the dream ?'

Xander nodded. Very enthusiastically.

'Again, the Powers told me that you would be having the dream. They would have send somebody else, but since I already knew you guys... They thought it wise to send me.'

'Ehh....why do the Powers know about a dream I'm having ?'

'Well, to be fair, they didn't. At least not until they reversed Buffy's wishes. But you see, Buffy making these wishes has changed...ehhh....curtain factors. And so the future changed too. And the first sign of that is your dream. It's a bit complicated, which is why they usually don't send me for this sort of things.'

'Why would the future be changed by my dream ?'

'Why do you think ?'

Xander wanted to answer the question when images of his dream flashed before his eyes. He shivered.

'Did I dream about something that is going to happen ?'

'No, it's a...let's just call it a dream with a hidden message. It's telling you something.'

'What is it telling me ?'

'Well...that I don't know. You see, you kinda need to tell me your dream. Because the Powers only knew this a important dream. They couldn't tell me what it was about. I'll need to analyse it from your remembrance of it.'

Xander still didn't know what this was all about. But his instincts were telling him to do what the demon told him. Somehow he trusted him. He was about to tell his story when the bedroom door opened.

'Xander, why are you not in bed, keeping my warm, and who is this green guy in our livingroom ?'

He turned to face Anya.

'It's oke An, go back to bed. This is a....a friend of mine. And he stopped by for something very important.'

'Does this have anything to do with your precious Buffy ?'

'I don't know yet An.'

He looked at her with the puppy look. The look he knew always had effect on her. This time was no exception. She reluctantly gave in.

'Alright, prefere your green friend over me. I'm going to bed. Oh, and just so you know, I woke up really wanting sex. So think about that when you talk to this guy.'

She turned around, stopping to talk to Lorne.

'And for the record. That is some ugly suit you have on your body there.'

And she was gone. He turned to Xander.

'Charming girl, you sure you want to marry her ?'

'Yeah, I'm sure.'

While he spoke the last sentence he heard that little voice inside of him again, telling him he wasn't sure at all. He quickly changed the subject. Hoping the little voice would get distracted.

'Do you wanna stay here and talk about the dream ? Because if she bothering you, we could go somewhere else.'

'No thanks, I don't really like Sunnydale at night. Already risked my life once coming here in the middle of the night. Here is just fine. Let's just make sure she doesn't hear us.'

They moved into the kitchen. The demon sat himself in one of the chairs.

'Oke, tell me about your dream, but make it a bit excited. It is late afterall, I don't think I can stand a long, boring, story.'

Xander smiled, and told his story.

'Oke, I'm back in highschool and we're in the middle of the Angelus thing. He had just turned Teresa, but we think it was a wherewolf. We find out we were wrong because she attacks us. Afterwards Buffy is upset and I comfort her. We have a moment. Until now, the dream is really just a flashback of a accurance that happened in my life. However, it changes, this time the moment doesn't just go by. We kiss. But only a second after our lips touch I'm suddenly finding myself in my basement. Anya is standing behind me, naked, and I walk over to her and kiss her. Right after that the scene changes again. This time I find myself in a big room. A room I've never seen before, and there are all these words on the wall. Written with a marker. Words like 'love, hate, passion,caring.' Al around me. And in the middle of the room is a tv screen and I see all of my friends at the graveyard. There patrolling, and Willow spots a vampire. She and Spike decide to go check it out together and they dissapear from the screen. Right after that Tara tells Buff she wants to go see if Will is oke and she leaves too. So only Buffy and Anya are left. Suddenly a very big demon comes to the scene and Buffy starts fighting it, but she isn't strong enough. She's losing. The moment I think that I find myself in the middle of the graveyard. Looking at the fight, but not being able to interfere. And I see how this demon is slowly wearing Buffy down, ready to kill them both. And I just stand there. Terrified. Suddenly, I'm back in the room, the tv screen shows a picture of Buffy and Anya. Being strangled by the demon. And all the words in the room have changed into another word. Destination. And then...well...I woke up.'

Xander looked at Lorne. Hoping that he would make sense of it all. If he was honest with himself a part of him already knew what the dream was about. But he couldn't accpet that. So he just hoped Lorne would have a different explanation.

'Well, I think this a pretty easy dream. Your torned between two women. Loving them both in different ways. And you fear both of them need you too much for you to walk away. Which is what the demom presents who is strangling them. The only thing is, you can't postpone your decision to long. Since...well...one of them is your destination.'

Lorne looked at Xander with a big smile on his face.

'Easy huh, this 'explaining dreams thing' I do ?'

Xander hardly heard him, because he was to busy pacing the kitchen up and down. Lorne had told him what the little voice inside of him had known all allong. He was torned. But the fact was he couldn't allow himself these feelings for Buffy. Because...well...he was marrying Anya. He turned to Lorne.

'So Anya is my destination right ? I mean, she's the one that actually loves me, that I wanna marry. She must be my destination.'

'I can't tell you that. You are going to have to find out on your own. The next few days will be very important for your decision, so remember that.'

'What's going to happen the next few days ?'

The demon just smiled.

'You'll see.'

'You'll see !! That's not good enough. You walk into my life, which just got back to normal, telling me that I have to choose between Buffy and Anya in the next few days. I need something here, not 'you'll see.' I need you to tell me what the hell to do.'

'Oke, let's say I tell you to stay with Anya. Will that satisfy you ? Make this problem go away ?'

He thought about it.

'No.'

'You'll have to do this yourself kid, sorry. Now, do you mind if I crash on the couch. I really don't wanna go outhere again. I mean, I had to talk two demons out of there plans to have me for dinner on my way over here.'

Xander just nodded that it was oke.

While Lorne settled in on the couch, he went back to bed. Anya snuggeld up to him once he got in. She opened her eyes.

'Hey, did you and you're friend work everything out ?'

He sighed. 'Almost.'

Her eyes were closing again.

'I'm a bit tired. Going back to sleep now. I love you Xand.'

He wispered.

'I love you too.'

He spend the rest of the night watching her. Falling asleep by dawn. Dreaming of Buffy and the night they had spend together in LA.

Sunnydale CA, Buffy's house (8.15 AM)

Buffy woke up when she heared somebody knocking on the door. At first she stayed in bed, hoping that somebody else would get it. When that didn't happen she got out of bed. Finding Anya on her doorstep.

'What did you do to him ?'

Buffy had no idea what she was talking about.

'What ?'

'Last night some green guy came over to our house. And he and Xander went into the kitchen. And, well...I kinda listened in on them. And I heared them talking about some dream, and how Xander was torned.'

'Torned ?'

'Yes, torned, between you and me. Apparantly he still hasn't really gotten over your blond 'out of a bottle' self, because he has to make a choice. Only one of us seems to be his destination.'

Buffy was a bit to shocked by the information to form a coherent thought, let alone say something back. So Anya continued.

'Well, let me tell you something. I wear the ring. Me !! Not you, and I'm not going to stand by and watch you take him from me. I mean, you don't even care about him. I do, I love him.'

Her voice lost some of it's sharpness.

'Please Buff, help me keep him.'

Buffy got out of her shock, but her voice still came in a wisper.

'I love him too.'

The two girls just looked at each other, both looking for words. Finally Anya spoke.

'So you finally see him the way I've always seen him ?'

'Yeah sorry.'

'I can't say I really blame you.'

'I don't want to break you guys up Anya, really, I don't.'

'I know, but it's a bit scary when the girl your fiancee would die for suddenly announces she loves him. And if you combine that with the information I heard last night...'

He loves you An, I know he does.'

'Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you.'

The conversation stopped again. Both uncomfortable. And again Anya spoke.

'Well...ehh..I'm gonna go, gotta open up the Magic Shop.'

'Yeah...ehhh....oke....Bye.'

'Bye.'

She left, leaving Buffy with a little hope for the first time since she found out she was in love with Xander. Meanwhile Anya had just lost all hope. She was afraid that she couldn't compete with a Buffy who actually loved Xander. An idea formed in her mind. Going back to the appartment, she found it empty.

She quickly gathered the supplies she needed. Calling for D'Hoffryn.

Tbc...