Chapter 2: The Long Ride Home
Xander turned on the radio and turned to his favorite station, as they just happened to be playing his favorite song, "Alive" by P.O.D. He though it suited his plan. He was going to leave his old live behind, for now, and be a new man. He would comeback, of course, he'd call but other than that he was going to go solo. Be a demon hunter. Without having to rely on Buffy and be her little lap dog. He grimaced at the though of it. He shook his head and perished the though. He decided to get his mind off the long ride ahead of him and.sing. Even if he sounded like an out of tune guitar with three volumes: Loud and bad, louder and worse and deafening and horrible. But he was alone on this dusty in-the-middle-of-nowhere place so what was the harm of indulging a little?
"I feel so alive! For the very first time!!! You can't deny it." He sang but it even hurt his ears so he decided to stop for now. He had been driving for a while now and finally saw some paved road and buildings ahead of him. He knew exactly where he was headed, Los Angeles, the city of dreams. According to people he knew there were plenty of demons for him to practice on. A lot were street rats and weak, although they still killed humans for fun. He didn't want to go around killing innocent demons, even if those two words didn't go together or shouldn't, atleast. He finally drove into LA and smiled. He had finally gotten where he wanted to. This was the beginning of the new Xander Harris.
~*~*~
The bell rang and signaled the end of fifth period. Buffy and Willow got up from their neighboring seats. They were still a little bit confused about the early events of the morning. Cordelia sat two seats up from Buffy and Willow she got up but immediately her cell phone rang. She looked around and cautiously picked it from her purse and answered it,
"Hello?"
"Hey, Cordy! Thanks for the wheels, I will get it back to you in one piece, I promise." Xander said happily "Xander? Xander Harris!" she said getting very angry "Where the hell are you and what have you done with my daddy's car? If you mess it up I swear I'll."
"Hey! Don't get your Prada panties in a twist. The car is fine; I am fine it's all.fine. Alright?"
Cordy scoffed "I don't care about you! I care about my money!" she screamed walking down the hall, into the SHS library where a Scooby meeting was already in motion. Cordelia walked in with the phone still glued to her ear and screamed into it, "YOU'RE WHERE?!!!!!!"
"LA, Cordy, you know the place with all the shoes and stores that you like so much?" Xander asked sardonically
Buffy turned to Cordelia, now red in the face as she snapped her phone shut without saying goodbye to whomever it was she was arguing with.
"Another rough break-up, Cordy or did someone just forget to take your clothes to the dry-cleaners?" Buffy asked
"No!" Cordelia replied harshly "That stupid Xander. He took my car, he took my keys, and now.he is in LA.with all the shoes! The shoes I should be buying! I need be there." She replied meekly
Then, Willow stepped up to the plate, "Well, look at it this way, maybe he'll bring you a half of a shoe. God knows he can't afford a whole one."
Giles walked out from his office, "Excuse me Cordelia, I hate to intrude on this.whatever it is you are doing but.did you say that Xander, our Xander, is in Los Angeles?"
"Uh, duh. Where have you been this whole time, under a rock? Yes Xander took my car and left. He just called me from some pay phone. I mean, if he was so anxious to take my car, why not just take my phone, too?" she speculated
"Yeah," Buffy said as if a light clicked on, "You're right. Did he give you a contact number? Or anything? My spidey sense is really having a field day on this one." She said worriedly.
"I know what you mean!" Cordy exclaimed, "I mean, did you see his ensemble? Just deal with it for a second."
"Even though Cordelia is a bit shallow." Willow began
"HEY! Standing right here!" Cordy interrupted
Willow kept talking, "when it comes to this kind of stuff I have to say that she does have a point. Did you notice that Xander looked really sad and distraught today? And after the whole, Hellmouth opening thing only a few weeks ago and the fact that we didn't let him help might have something to do with it. What if you were him? How would you feel of you were always 'doughnut man?' He doesn't have super powers or even powers from witchcraft! He must feel pretty useless, right about now." She finished sadly
"Oh." Cordelia said, stunned, "This is all my fault! I told him he was the Zeppo! Now he is going to crash my car, to get back at me. OH MY GOD! Buffy, you're the Slayer.do something!" she screamed
Giles took off his glasses and wiped them clean with a white handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. "While I understand your anxiety, all of you, even if Cordelia's is a bit self involved." Cordy rolled her eyes "The important thing is that Xander doesn't prance off and do something foolish to get himself killed. Los Angeles is infamous in the demon world for being over inhabited by creatures anything but human. IF Xander left of his own will that means he doesn't want our help. If anything he wants to prove to us that he is highly capable of fighting for himself. I think we should leave him be."
"How do you know that?" Buffy asked
"Well, as hard as it is for you lot to understand this, I too was a young man. And know how one's brain works. I myself did something quite like this when I was a round his age." He said proudly
"Giles was a kid? When, the 1400's?!" Cordy asked herself, a teensy bit too loud.
"Yes, Cordelia, I was a child, and no, not in the 1400's. I am not that old you know." He said again in the same tone as before
"Sure.whatever." She said sarcastically
"Alright! Lets stop fighting and help Xander. We need to mount up. And." she glanced at Giles who was giving her the 'where-you-not-listening- to-me look "Let him solve his own problems. Yup, just sit on our asses and do nothing at all." She caught herself
"God, Xander.where are you?" Willow whispered, hoping for some ominous answer
~*~*~
Xander was cornered. Two huge, green, slimy demons had him backed up against an ally wall. They growled and hiss and spat some venom that ate away at the cold cement. So he figured he should stay away from it.
"God, Buffy. Help me please! Willow, help." He said silently to himself.
"Suddenly, the demon on the right lunged at him. Baring it's needle- like teeth. Xander held up his arms in defense. Not much help.
"Awwww. Man!" he said as the demon was on top of him. What was he supposed to do?
TBC.
Xander turned on the radio and turned to his favorite station, as they just happened to be playing his favorite song, "Alive" by P.O.D. He though it suited his plan. He was going to leave his old live behind, for now, and be a new man. He would comeback, of course, he'd call but other than that he was going to go solo. Be a demon hunter. Without having to rely on Buffy and be her little lap dog. He grimaced at the though of it. He shook his head and perished the though. He decided to get his mind off the long ride ahead of him and.sing. Even if he sounded like an out of tune guitar with three volumes: Loud and bad, louder and worse and deafening and horrible. But he was alone on this dusty in-the-middle-of-nowhere place so what was the harm of indulging a little?
"I feel so alive! For the very first time!!! You can't deny it." He sang but it even hurt his ears so he decided to stop for now. He had been driving for a while now and finally saw some paved road and buildings ahead of him. He knew exactly where he was headed, Los Angeles, the city of dreams. According to people he knew there were plenty of demons for him to practice on. A lot were street rats and weak, although they still killed humans for fun. He didn't want to go around killing innocent demons, even if those two words didn't go together or shouldn't, atleast. He finally drove into LA and smiled. He had finally gotten where he wanted to. This was the beginning of the new Xander Harris.
~*~*~
The bell rang and signaled the end of fifth period. Buffy and Willow got up from their neighboring seats. They were still a little bit confused about the early events of the morning. Cordelia sat two seats up from Buffy and Willow she got up but immediately her cell phone rang. She looked around and cautiously picked it from her purse and answered it,
"Hello?"
"Hey, Cordy! Thanks for the wheels, I will get it back to you in one piece, I promise." Xander said happily "Xander? Xander Harris!" she said getting very angry "Where the hell are you and what have you done with my daddy's car? If you mess it up I swear I'll."
"Hey! Don't get your Prada panties in a twist. The car is fine; I am fine it's all.fine. Alright?"
Cordy scoffed "I don't care about you! I care about my money!" she screamed walking down the hall, into the SHS library where a Scooby meeting was already in motion. Cordelia walked in with the phone still glued to her ear and screamed into it, "YOU'RE WHERE?!!!!!!"
"LA, Cordy, you know the place with all the shoes and stores that you like so much?" Xander asked sardonically
Buffy turned to Cordelia, now red in the face as she snapped her phone shut without saying goodbye to whomever it was she was arguing with.
"Another rough break-up, Cordy or did someone just forget to take your clothes to the dry-cleaners?" Buffy asked
"No!" Cordelia replied harshly "That stupid Xander. He took my car, he took my keys, and now.he is in LA.with all the shoes! The shoes I should be buying! I need be there." She replied meekly
Then, Willow stepped up to the plate, "Well, look at it this way, maybe he'll bring you a half of a shoe. God knows he can't afford a whole one."
Giles walked out from his office, "Excuse me Cordelia, I hate to intrude on this.whatever it is you are doing but.did you say that Xander, our Xander, is in Los Angeles?"
"Uh, duh. Where have you been this whole time, under a rock? Yes Xander took my car and left. He just called me from some pay phone. I mean, if he was so anxious to take my car, why not just take my phone, too?" she speculated
"Yeah," Buffy said as if a light clicked on, "You're right. Did he give you a contact number? Or anything? My spidey sense is really having a field day on this one." She said worriedly.
"I know what you mean!" Cordy exclaimed, "I mean, did you see his ensemble? Just deal with it for a second."
"Even though Cordelia is a bit shallow." Willow began
"HEY! Standing right here!" Cordy interrupted
Willow kept talking, "when it comes to this kind of stuff I have to say that she does have a point. Did you notice that Xander looked really sad and distraught today? And after the whole, Hellmouth opening thing only a few weeks ago and the fact that we didn't let him help might have something to do with it. What if you were him? How would you feel of you were always 'doughnut man?' He doesn't have super powers or even powers from witchcraft! He must feel pretty useless, right about now." She finished sadly
"Oh." Cordelia said, stunned, "This is all my fault! I told him he was the Zeppo! Now he is going to crash my car, to get back at me. OH MY GOD! Buffy, you're the Slayer.do something!" she screamed
Giles took off his glasses and wiped them clean with a white handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. "While I understand your anxiety, all of you, even if Cordelia's is a bit self involved." Cordy rolled her eyes "The important thing is that Xander doesn't prance off and do something foolish to get himself killed. Los Angeles is infamous in the demon world for being over inhabited by creatures anything but human. IF Xander left of his own will that means he doesn't want our help. If anything he wants to prove to us that he is highly capable of fighting for himself. I think we should leave him be."
"How do you know that?" Buffy asked
"Well, as hard as it is for you lot to understand this, I too was a young man. And know how one's brain works. I myself did something quite like this when I was a round his age." He said proudly
"Giles was a kid? When, the 1400's?!" Cordy asked herself, a teensy bit too loud.
"Yes, Cordelia, I was a child, and no, not in the 1400's. I am not that old you know." He said again in the same tone as before
"Sure.whatever." She said sarcastically
"Alright! Lets stop fighting and help Xander. We need to mount up. And." she glanced at Giles who was giving her the 'where-you-not-listening- to-me look "Let him solve his own problems. Yup, just sit on our asses and do nothing at all." She caught herself
"God, Xander.where are you?" Willow whispered, hoping for some ominous answer
~*~*~
Xander was cornered. Two huge, green, slimy demons had him backed up against an ally wall. They growled and hiss and spat some venom that ate away at the cold cement. So he figured he should stay away from it.
"God, Buffy. Help me please! Willow, help." He said silently to himself.
"Suddenly, the demon on the right lunged at him. Baring it's needle- like teeth. Xander held up his arms in defense. Not much help.
"Awwww. Man!" he said as the demon was on top of him. What was he supposed to do?
TBC.
