Xander wander through the cemetery in the early morning light. He'd been
all over Sunnydale since he'd left Anya the night before. He got older yet
he never seemed to change. Always the Zeppo-he was part of the group but
not really essential. Like Anya had said, he had his moments, but those
were far and few between. He was nothing more than a liability, good for a
few laughs and the occasional important act.
When he'd left Sunnydale after high school, he should have stayed gone. Just kept going and never look back. And Dawn barely ever said hi to him anymore, let alone look up to him like she did in the memories he had of her growing up. He'd blown his three chances at love. Cordelia-strike! Willow-strike! Though the two kinda went hand in hand. And Anya-strike! As for Buffy, well, his chances had grown slimmer as the years wore on. Maybe if he didn't have a pulse . . . no, that wasn't fair. He shouldn't judge, but he always did, didn't he?
If he just disappeared into oblivion, they wouldn't miss him much. Dispensable. If only-
Xander was suddenly in darkness, neither standing nor falling. He was nowhere. He was nothing. At last he felt-
Then he was back in the cemetery, surrounded by an acre of stone slabs rising out of the ground like a forest of misshapen trees. He looked around unsure. He had been somewhere else-ok, nowhere to be exact. But he hadn't been here a moment ago.
Oblivion. He craved oblivion. Then he was in oblivion. Now he was back.
He shrugged it off. No sleep. That was it. But hallucinations weren't supposed to happen until after three days of no sleep; not just one night. He continued walking.
His mind drifted back to the day that he had saved the world and Willow from herself. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad to have all of this end. No more pain or worry. No more psycho nerds or vampires. Maybe stopping her had been the cowardly thing to do.
Yeah, that's great, go turn one of the few good things you've done in your life into yet another screw up. Sleep. He needed to sleep. Sleep kept the crazy thoughts at bay. Fortunately it was Saturday, so he had the rest of the day and another to sleep off his craziness.
Xander suddenly found himself face first in the dirt.
"Excellent move, Harris! When the coordination goes, you know you're in trouble," he got up, brushing himself off. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw that it wasn't general clumsiness that caused him to trip. He turned to see to bodies heaped on the ground. Ah Sweet Sunnydale, never an uneventful trip to the graveyard!
He noticed suddenly that one of the figures had brilliant red hair. "Oh God, Willow!" he ran over to the motionless figure and tried to shake her awake, but she was unresponsive. He noted that the other figure was Giles, but he too was unresponsive. Last night Cordelia had said Willow was in England and sent Giles after, but what were they doing here then?
"They sh-should wake up sssoon," a voice spoke softly behind him.
Xander turned to find himself face to face with, "Tara?!"
When he'd left Sunnydale after high school, he should have stayed gone. Just kept going and never look back. And Dawn barely ever said hi to him anymore, let alone look up to him like she did in the memories he had of her growing up. He'd blown his three chances at love. Cordelia-strike! Willow-strike! Though the two kinda went hand in hand. And Anya-strike! As for Buffy, well, his chances had grown slimmer as the years wore on. Maybe if he didn't have a pulse . . . no, that wasn't fair. He shouldn't judge, but he always did, didn't he?
If he just disappeared into oblivion, they wouldn't miss him much. Dispensable. If only-
Xander was suddenly in darkness, neither standing nor falling. He was nowhere. He was nothing. At last he felt-
Then he was back in the cemetery, surrounded by an acre of stone slabs rising out of the ground like a forest of misshapen trees. He looked around unsure. He had been somewhere else-ok, nowhere to be exact. But he hadn't been here a moment ago.
Oblivion. He craved oblivion. Then he was in oblivion. Now he was back.
He shrugged it off. No sleep. That was it. But hallucinations weren't supposed to happen until after three days of no sleep; not just one night. He continued walking.
His mind drifted back to the day that he had saved the world and Willow from herself. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad to have all of this end. No more pain or worry. No more psycho nerds or vampires. Maybe stopping her had been the cowardly thing to do.
Yeah, that's great, go turn one of the few good things you've done in your life into yet another screw up. Sleep. He needed to sleep. Sleep kept the crazy thoughts at bay. Fortunately it was Saturday, so he had the rest of the day and another to sleep off his craziness.
Xander suddenly found himself face first in the dirt.
"Excellent move, Harris! When the coordination goes, you know you're in trouble," he got up, brushing himself off. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw that it wasn't general clumsiness that caused him to trip. He turned to see to bodies heaped on the ground. Ah Sweet Sunnydale, never an uneventful trip to the graveyard!
He noticed suddenly that one of the figures had brilliant red hair. "Oh God, Willow!" he ran over to the motionless figure and tried to shake her awake, but she was unresponsive. He noted that the other figure was Giles, but he too was unresponsive. Last night Cordelia had said Willow was in England and sent Giles after, but what were they doing here then?
"They sh-should wake up sssoon," a voice spoke softly behind him.
Xander turned to find himself face to face with, "Tara?!"
