Title: Deja vu
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to UPN, Joss, etc....
Distribution: Yeah! like you'd want this.
Summary: Xander gets a feeling of Deja vu.
Setting: Season 5, right before I Was Made to Love You.
Feedback: No pressure, but I NEED IT!!
Rating: R for violence, that's all I swear.
Part 2
After wiggling his way out of training with Buffy, lying actually. Xander planned on going back to bed, but the phone ringing interrupted that plan as he sighed, rolling over and answered the phone, "Yeah."
[Xander!] Anya said with a little too much excitment for Xander's liking as he pulled the phone from his ear for a second.
[What are you doing?]
"Well, I was trying to sleep, but it seems that's not going to happen." Xander said a little too harsh, but Anya didn't seem to catch it.
[Good, then you can meet me for breakfast. It'll be fun!]
"Anya, I told you that I wanted to sleep in today. Remember, I said we would go out tonight. You know, tonight as in the opposite of da..y." Xander said stringing out the last sentence with a look before shaking it off.
[But Denny's is giving away things with their meals. I saw it on TV!] she said in happy manner.
Xander let out another breath, "Okay, give me about forty five minutes to shower and clean up, then I'll come by and pick you up."
After hanging up the phone Xander stood up and looked around the room for a minute with a puzzled expression. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something just didn't feel right. Something...
Xander ran his hands through his hair as shook his head and let out a sigh while making his way to the bathroom. Xander turned the hot and cold water knobs as water came rushing down from the shower head. Slowly Xander stepped into the shower and closed the door. A minute later his scream could be heard throughout the apartment complex.
..........
Denny's
9:00 A.M
It had taken longer than Xander thought it would to go get Anya, mainly because after taking a cold shower he called the landlord, who said something about a hot water pipe busting. {No kidding} he thought to himself while looking at his goosebumps that looked like a demon Buffy described fighting about a week ago. Then, on his way out of the apartment complex Xander had accidently ran over a cat that resembled Mrs. Peterson's as it wobbled off down the street. Top that off with a speeding ticket on his way to pick up Anya and today wasn't going very good. However, things were looking up as Xander scraffed down his Grand Slam breakfast while Anya looked on.
"Xander. Xander!"
"Huh?" Xander said looking up at her with a mouthful.
"What does this do?" she said holding up one of the toys that she got with her meal.
"Uh...well,..." he said taking the toy that resembled something on a string.
"Oh, it's a cartoon character An. It's DaffyDuck." he said handing it back to her while continuing his meal until he heard a scream come from Anya.
Xander looked up just in time to see a frantic Anya throwing something across the room, "Xander where have you taken me?"
"What? Anya calm down. What's wrong? What did you thr..." he cut himself off when a man came along side their table. Actually, Xander wasn't sure whether it was a man or a seven foot demon. At the moment it was too hard to tell because Xander hadn't made it to the face. He was too busy staring at the man's stomach, a stomach that almost resembled one of a sumo wrestler. Xander swallowed what was left of his breakfast in his mouth with a gulp.
The man slammed down the object that Anya had thrown across the room on the table as Xander looked the Bugs Bunny figure in the eye before looking up at the man.
"You've ruined our meal, not to mention my girlfriend's dress!" the man said just as a slender woman in her thirties came up behind the man. She had on a white shirt that had what looked like a coke stain on, "Look what did! You made me spill my drink! You're going to pay for it. Tell them Rocko!"
The man looked agitated at the woman for a second before turning his attention back to Xander, "You heard the lady. Your going to pick up the bill and you're going to fork over enough money to pay for my girl's shirt." he said looking at Xander.
Before Xander could respond Anya beat him to it, "Yeah, like new clothes could help her. I mean, I've seen hell hounds with better looking skin."
"Ahhh...Anya honey, don't help." Xander said as the man seethed in anger just as an employee came over and tried to break up the confortation, "Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"Oh, really." the man said before picking up the waiter and shoving him into a couple seated at a table knocking all of them, along with the table's contents, to the floor.
Until now Xander never thought that Bugs Bunny would have something to do with his death.
"Anya, have I ever mentioned how fun it is to go out with you." Xander said drawing a smile from her just before he dove at the man, knocking them both to the ground. The man knocked Xander off of him as he got up and threw Xander up against a wall. The man was choking the life out of Xander until something flew across the room at the man and connected with his temple causing the man to flinch as Xander heard Anya yell something. The flinch gave Xander his opening as he kneed the man in the stomach, causing the man to release his grip on Xander and double over in pain.
Xander grabbed Anya and ran past the man doubled over on the floor beside a Bugs Bunny figure as they ran out of the Denny's.
..............
The Sunnydale Mall
Around 1:00 P.M.
After his fun with Anya, Xander decided to take Willow up on her offer to go to the mall. Well, actually he wanted to go back home and sleep, but he was afraid of the wraith he would have to face from Mrs. Peterson if she found out he ran over her cat. Then there was also the trying to avoid Buffy's training session at the Magic Shop. So, shopping with Willow it was.
Just as Willow and Xander walked into one of the stores in the mall Xander stopped causing Willow to do the same, "What?"
"Uhh...nothing. I, uhh...nothing." he said following her deeper into the store.
"Huh." Xander said hearing Willow say his name as he turned towards her.
"What do you think?" Willow asked holding up a pair of black shoes.
"Uhh...they're nice." Xander said turning back around.
"Xander." Willow said a little annoyed.
"I'm sorry Will, I'm just...it's..." he stopped as he looked around the store again before continuing, "Haven't we been here before?" he asked turning back to Willow.
"Well, since it just opened I'm thinking no." she said before eyeing what he had in his hands.
Xander looked at his hands to see a pair of silk, red stockings.
"A present for Anya?" Willow asked with amusement written on her face.
Willow was waiting for Xander to come up with some sort of joke or something, but he just stood there with the stockings in his hands, along with a blank expression written on his face.
"Xander, are you okay. Has all the blood rushed somewhere else?"
Xander looked back at Willow, "What...uhh...yeah I'm fine. I just...had this feeling."
"Feeling?"
"Yeah, this is the second time I've had it today. First time was this morning when I got out of bed to get ready to go have breakfast with Anya." he said tossing the stockings back down on one of the shelves before following Willow out of the store.
"Well, can you describe it, this feeling?" Willow said taking a seat on one of the benches in the center of the mall, while motioning for Xander to take a seat beside her.
"Well, it's almost like...I don't know, a feeling of Deja-vu? Xander said standing a few feet from her as he continued to look around with his hands in his pockets.
"Deja-vu, huh? I've had that before. This one time I had this dream about..." She cut herself off as she saw the expression on Xander's face, "Xander, are you okay?"
"Dream. I'd almost forgotten about my dream." he said out loud.
"Oh, a dream! Ever since taking Psych I've always wanted to interpret someone else's dream. Shoot!" Willow said focusing her attention on Xander even more.
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain..." she cut him off, "Uhh, this doesn't have a horizontal Anya in it, does it?."
"No, I promise. No horizontal Anyas."
"Okay, shoot." Willow said as she shifted on the bench, now knowing why no one else in the whole mall seemed to be sitting on them.
"Well, you know when you have a dream and it can be so vivid, yet you only remember parts of it."
"Yeah."
"Well, this is one of those." Xander said looking back at Willow before continuing, "I remember the ending, though."
"Really, and how was that?"
"Well, lets just say it didn't involve a vertical Anya either." he said before turning around slightly as he caught sight of the Peanut Shack across the mall.
"You want anything?" Xander asked looking at Willow as he started backing up.
Before she could answer Xander ran smack dab into a woman, knocking the woman down. Xander stood over a blondhaired woman, who looked to be in her thirties as he tried to help her up while apologizing. However, after helping her up, he stopped after catching sight of her red and black attire. He suddenly started looking her up and down as if trying to place her familiarity to him. Let's just say his stare didn't go over to well with the woman as she swung her purse into his midsection, sending waves of pain throughout his whole lower body as he fell to the ground.
The woman walked away, muttering out loud just as Willow kneeled down beside Xander, "Oh...Xander."
"She**cough**was in my**cough**dream." Xander choked out as Willow helped him up.
"Uhh, Xander?"
"Yeah." he said, leaning on her for support.
"She wasn't horizontal in it was she?" Willow asked as they slowly walked towards the mall entrance.
.....................
The Magic Shop
About thirty minutes later
Giles was leaning back in his E-Z chair with two ice packs on his each of his knees, one by his groin and another in his hand as he held it to his head. Just when he felt his eyes starting to close the bell above the door rang, making Giles wish he had a rocket launcher. Well, until he saw who it was as Willow and Xander entered the shop.
"Dear lord." Giles said looking at Xander as Willow helped him into the other E-Z chair across from Giles.
"What happened?" Giles asked.
Xander didn't answer. Instead, he let Willow do all the talking as he reclined in the chair with his head back and eyes closed.
"Xander bumped into his dream girl who obviously didn't share his affections, hence the painfilled, reclining Xander." Willow said looking at Giles' state of almost being a freezer before continuing, "You didn't dream about her too, did you?"
"What, No. I'm afraid my pain deals more with my profession."
"Huh?"
Giles made what Willow would call a british face at her, before nodding towards the training room.
"Oh." Willow said hearing Buffy pummel what she guessed was the punching bag. {Unless, Hmmm...could Spike being pummeled make that noise} Willow thought as she remembered Buffy telling her about Spike professing his love to the slayer a couple of days ago.
Giles looked at Xander as he remained reclined in the E-Z chair, "Perhaps we should....." Giles cut himself off when he heard Buffy come out of the training room.
Buffy had been training hard the last few days. She usually trained with Giles, but lately Giles had talked Xander into helping, thus giving Giles a break every once in a while. Today was suppose to be Xander's day, but he said he had to work so when she came out of the training room she was surprised to see a reclining Xander. {Men, hmmm...I'll teach him to skip out on me.} she thought.
"Catch!" Buffy yelled.
One word.
Somehow it triggered an instinct in Xander as his eyes flew open just in time to catch one of the boxing gloves Buffy had thrown at him. However, like so few things do, boxing gloves usually come in pairs. Xander would soon find this out, the hard way.
Willow looked at Xander with a grimace on her face, "Xander?" she asked as she waved a couple of fingers in front of him before continuing, "How many fingers I'm I holding up?"
No response.
"Close enough." Willow said looking at Giles, who looked on with sympathy for the young man across from him. Willow then turned towards Buffy with a look.
"What?" Buffy asked innocently.
"Buffy I was just at the mall with Xander and..." Buffy interrupted Willow, "The mall?"
As soon as the words were out of Willow's mouth Xander was making a dash for the door. Only problem was his body wasn't responding as he continued to recline in the EZ-chair. Xander started to relax, thinking since he looked like a corpse Buffy probably wouldn't kill him. Then he went over that thought and it made him even more worried.
"I thought you said that you had to work today?" Buffy said, her gaze directed at Xander even though by now she had pretty much figured out that he was just using that for an excuse this morning so that he wouldn't have to train with her.
Upon Buffy's glare Xander's toe twitched.
"Buffy please, can't you see Xander's in serious pain." Giles said.
Upon Giles' tone Buffy smiled, "Relax Giles, I knew Xander was just using his work excuse to get out of training with me." she said not realising how much it stung until she said it out loud.
"Uhh, Buffy if it's any consolation I found you some shoes." Willow said.
"Really! Where are they!" Buffy said, her whole attitude seeming to change.
"Well, uhh...at the mall." Willow said a little ashamed before continuing, "But I would've if, well, you know." Willow said talking about Xander's condition.
Buffy sighed, turning around as she grabbed a bottle of water off of the counter and headed back into the training room.
Willow nudged Xander's arm.
"Willow, could you come hold the punching bag for me. It doesn't seem to want to stand still." Buffy said, peaking her head back around the corner at Willow.
"I'll go get those shoes for you now!" Willow said dashing for the door.
Buffy smiled as she went back to training.
After Willow left in a hurry, Giles saw Xander's left eye blink.
==========================================
Magic Shop
Around 10:00 P.M.
Buffy had left with Dawn, who came by after school about five hours ago. Xander had actually been able to wave bye to them as they left and was now starting to feel better as he reclined in the EZ-chair with his head back, and eyes opened as he stared up at the ceiling.
"Don't you think it's about time we called it a night?" Giles said coming out from behind the counter after locking up the cash from the draw into a special safe behind an old painting on the wall that Xander remembered Giles saying use to belong to a Warlock that he once knew.
When Xander didn't answer him Giles walked up to him and looked up to where Xander was staring, "Or we could just sit here all night and stare at the ceiling."
"Have you ever felt like our lives are too boring?"
Giles looked at Xander for a second before walking away without saying a word. This got Xander's attention, "Giles, are you listening to...what are you doing?" Xander asked as Giles picked up the phone.
"I'm calling an ambulance because it's obvious you're not alright." Giles said before smiling as he put the phone back down.
"It's too late at night for british humor G-Man." Xander said before continuing with a more serious tone, "No, what I mean is that we get up, do our thing, go to bed and get up in the morning to do it all over again."
"Our thing?" Giles asked with eyes raised.
"Yeah you know, getting up, going to work, saving the world...our thing." Xander said simply.
"Well, I think that's what they call life Xander." Giles said walking over and taking a seat in the other EZ chair across from Xander before continuing, "Well, except for saving the world part. That's just our life."
Xander let out a sigh as he got up and started walking to the door.
"Where are you going?" Giles asked, still seated in the chair.
"Home, maybe Anya's. Why?"
"I thought we were going to have a good old chat." Giles said with a little disappointment in his voice before smiling at Xander.
"Perhaps when I'm more alert." Xander said smiling back at him before continuing, "Well, unless this is *the* talk."
At his comment Xander saw Giles have an expression of fear that would've rivaled any look that Anya had upon seeing a bunny.
"Night Giles." Xander said as he opened the Magic Shop door and left, leaving a still fearful looking Giles seated in the EZ-chair.
======================================
10:40 P.M.
Downtown Sunnydale
Xander was now driving home. He decided against going over to Anya's because he felt she would be asleep and he didn't want to wake her. Well, actually he thought that after already going over there and letting himself in to see snoring beauty herself. To which he fought the urge to wake her. He then left, deciding that he'd make up their dinner plans to her tomorrow. So, here he was at {Xander looks down at his clock in the car that reads 10:45} as he drives home trying to shake off the sleepiness that is trying to overtake him as he stops at the redlight about a block from StoneRidge Park. Xander decides to use the steering wheel as a pillow while waiting for the light. However, the sudden scream of a girl vetoed that idea as his head shot up. After hearing the again Xander suddenly didn't care about the light as he shifted the car into drive and headed towards StoneRidge Park.
He pulled along side the curb and got out while grabbing a cross and a couple of stakes before crossing the street and heading down the sidewalk leading into StoneRidge Park. Hearing another scream only made him run faster as his adreline started pumping while he remembered what Giles had said less than an hour ago about saving the world being part of their lives.
When Xander came to the clearing he saw a herific scene. Three vamps were feeding on a woman, while three others were feeding on a man. {Damnit! I'm too late} Then, Xander caught sight of two kids, a boy and a girl. They were huckered down behind some bushes trying to hide. The only problem was the bushes were sparse and provided little, if any at all, cover. This was only proven by two vamps grabbing the kids from behind and dragging them out into the open as they kicked and screamed. The two vamps shoved the kids to the ground while two other vamps salivated nearby.
{Nine vamps. How I'm I supposed to take on nine vamps?} However, hearing the kids cry out for help pushed those thoughts aside.
Whoosh...
The two vamps that had pulled the kids out from the bushes looked up in surprise as one of their comrades turned to dust. What they saw was a young man standing about twenty feet from the dust clearing.
{Oh My God! I did the cool throwing the stake thing! Damnit! Where's a witness when you need one?}
**Oooph**
The next thing Xander knew was that he was on his back with a vamp pinning his hands to the ground. Xander looked up into the face of a female who at the moment had seemed to choose not to show her vamp visage as her human face smiled down at him, while her red hair flowed down her shoulders. Xander, however, knew the truth because he could feel her powerful hands pinning him to the ground.
What puzzled Xander even more was the fact that this one had seemed to come out of nowhere because she wasn't one of the nine he spotted just a second ago. {Which means there's no telling how many of them there are.} he thought looking up into her face before something clicked in the back of his mind. Something... like this morning. Something... "I know you." Xander said still pinned down as he looked up at the now amused female on top of him.
"Oh, really?"
Xander just kept staring up at her. He knew that face he just couldn't remember whe... A realization came over Xander, "My dream."
"Nooo baby, your worst nightmare." the female vamp said as her face changed.
Xander looked to his left to see his cross about five feet from him, but he couldn't see his other stake. When Xander looked back up the female was making her descent towards his neck. At that moment Xander knew the only way out of this, so he acted. Just when the female's head was close enough to him, he brought his head forward and headbutted her. She grabbed her head in agony which freed Xander's hands as he pushed her off of him. Xander then got up as he tried to wave off the dizziness that was trying to overtake him, "Buffy makes that look so much better." He said out loud to no one inparticular as he shook the cobwebs in his head. After hearing growling coming from behind him he reached down and picked the cross up and spun around shoving it into the face of an approaching vamp, making the vamp snarl and back up with a couple of his buddies behind him. Xander then heard a laugh from behind him as he looked over his shoulder quickly, before refocusing his attention on holding the vamps away with the cross.
"You are something. I'll give you that. Coming in here and rushing to the aid of another." the female said eyeing Xander from about twenty five feet away.
"I bet you don't even know them, do you? So heroic." another slight laugh from the female. She looked so young and innocent, yet her eyes held another truth.
Xander didn't say a word, mainly because he was too busy concentrating on not letting the vamps around him close in as he continued to hold his cross up in front of him. Then, he surveyed the area quickly before slightly turning his face towards the female behind him as he smiled, "Looks like."
The redheaded female looked around and found the reason for the young man's smile as she noticed that the kids were gone before returning Xander's smile with a small one of her own, "Perhaps you are a hero, but you know what? She said, her vamp visage coming to the surface, before continuing, "Hero's can die."
Xander's smile faded as one of the vamps knocked away his cross. However, the vamp got a fist to the face for his troubles as Xander tried to fight his way out of a battle he knew he couldn't win. All in all, Xander had knocked off four vamps before he was grabbed around the throat by the redheaded female as she savored in her victory with a smile, "I like you, Hero. Perhaps you could be of use." She said grabbing Xander's arm as he attempted to swing it at her, "You see I could use another minion, seeing that you killed one of mine and all. An eye for an eye as they say." the female vamp said before sinking her fangs into Xander's neck.
Xander felt the dizziness once again overtake him, as his eyes became heavy and he began to sick into unconsciousness just as a bright light engulfed everything in a split second.
===================================================
The morning light...so bright, so warm, so...
"Ahhh!" Xander leaped out of bed as he fell to the floor. He quickly got up, halfway wrapped up in the covers as they had fell to the floor with him. He looked around as he poked at his neck with his hands.
{Oh My God! I'm a vampire!} Xander rushed to the bathroom as he ran in front of the mirror.
A heavy sigh came from Xander as he saw his reflection in it. "Then, what am I?" He asked out loud to no one inparticular.
A knock at his front door brought him out of his thoughts as he stood at the bathroom entrance, "W-who is it?" he called out.
"It's Buffy, now come on and open the door."
============================================
Disclaimer: The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to UPN, Joss, etc....
Distribution: Yeah! like you'd want this.
Summary: Xander gets a feeling of Deja vu.
Setting: Season 5, right before I Was Made to Love You.
Feedback: No pressure, but I NEED IT!!
Rating: R for violence, that's all I swear.
Part 2
After wiggling his way out of training with Buffy, lying actually. Xander planned on going back to bed, but the phone ringing interrupted that plan as he sighed, rolling over and answered the phone, "Yeah."
[Xander!] Anya said with a little too much excitment for Xander's liking as he pulled the phone from his ear for a second.
[What are you doing?]
"Well, I was trying to sleep, but it seems that's not going to happen." Xander said a little too harsh, but Anya didn't seem to catch it.
[Good, then you can meet me for breakfast. It'll be fun!]
"Anya, I told you that I wanted to sleep in today. Remember, I said we would go out tonight. You know, tonight as in the opposite of da..y." Xander said stringing out the last sentence with a look before shaking it off.
[But Denny's is giving away things with their meals. I saw it on TV!] she said in happy manner.
Xander let out another breath, "Okay, give me about forty five minutes to shower and clean up, then I'll come by and pick you up."
After hanging up the phone Xander stood up and looked around the room for a minute with a puzzled expression. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something just didn't feel right. Something...
Xander ran his hands through his hair as shook his head and let out a sigh while making his way to the bathroom. Xander turned the hot and cold water knobs as water came rushing down from the shower head. Slowly Xander stepped into the shower and closed the door. A minute later his scream could be heard throughout the apartment complex.
..........
Denny's
9:00 A.M
It had taken longer than Xander thought it would to go get Anya, mainly because after taking a cold shower he called the landlord, who said something about a hot water pipe busting. {No kidding} he thought to himself while looking at his goosebumps that looked like a demon Buffy described fighting about a week ago. Then, on his way out of the apartment complex Xander had accidently ran over a cat that resembled Mrs. Peterson's as it wobbled off down the street. Top that off with a speeding ticket on his way to pick up Anya and today wasn't going very good. However, things were looking up as Xander scraffed down his Grand Slam breakfast while Anya looked on.
"Xander. Xander!"
"Huh?" Xander said looking up at her with a mouthful.
"What does this do?" she said holding up one of the toys that she got with her meal.
"Uh...well,..." he said taking the toy that resembled something on a string.
"Oh, it's a cartoon character An. It's DaffyDuck." he said handing it back to her while continuing his meal until he heard a scream come from Anya.
Xander looked up just in time to see a frantic Anya throwing something across the room, "Xander where have you taken me?"
"What? Anya calm down. What's wrong? What did you thr..." he cut himself off when a man came along side their table. Actually, Xander wasn't sure whether it was a man or a seven foot demon. At the moment it was too hard to tell because Xander hadn't made it to the face. He was too busy staring at the man's stomach, a stomach that almost resembled one of a sumo wrestler. Xander swallowed what was left of his breakfast in his mouth with a gulp.
The man slammed down the object that Anya had thrown across the room on the table as Xander looked the Bugs Bunny figure in the eye before looking up at the man.
"You've ruined our meal, not to mention my girlfriend's dress!" the man said just as a slender woman in her thirties came up behind the man. She had on a white shirt that had what looked like a coke stain on, "Look what did! You made me spill my drink! You're going to pay for it. Tell them Rocko!"
The man looked agitated at the woman for a second before turning his attention back to Xander, "You heard the lady. Your going to pick up the bill and you're going to fork over enough money to pay for my girl's shirt." he said looking at Xander.
Before Xander could respond Anya beat him to it, "Yeah, like new clothes could help her. I mean, I've seen hell hounds with better looking skin."
"Ahhh...Anya honey, don't help." Xander said as the man seethed in anger just as an employee came over and tried to break up the confortation, "Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"Oh, really." the man said before picking up the waiter and shoving him into a couple seated at a table knocking all of them, along with the table's contents, to the floor.
Until now Xander never thought that Bugs Bunny would have something to do with his death.
"Anya, have I ever mentioned how fun it is to go out with you." Xander said drawing a smile from her just before he dove at the man, knocking them both to the ground. The man knocked Xander off of him as he got up and threw Xander up against a wall. The man was choking the life out of Xander until something flew across the room at the man and connected with his temple causing the man to flinch as Xander heard Anya yell something. The flinch gave Xander his opening as he kneed the man in the stomach, causing the man to release his grip on Xander and double over in pain.
Xander grabbed Anya and ran past the man doubled over on the floor beside a Bugs Bunny figure as they ran out of the Denny's.
..............
The Sunnydale Mall
Around 1:00 P.M.
After his fun with Anya, Xander decided to take Willow up on her offer to go to the mall. Well, actually he wanted to go back home and sleep, but he was afraid of the wraith he would have to face from Mrs. Peterson if she found out he ran over her cat. Then there was also the trying to avoid Buffy's training session at the Magic Shop. So, shopping with Willow it was.
Just as Willow and Xander walked into one of the stores in the mall Xander stopped causing Willow to do the same, "What?"
"Uhh...nothing. I, uhh...nothing." he said following her deeper into the store.
"Huh." Xander said hearing Willow say his name as he turned towards her.
"What do you think?" Willow asked holding up a pair of black shoes.
"Uhh...they're nice." Xander said turning back around.
"Xander." Willow said a little annoyed.
"I'm sorry Will, I'm just...it's..." he stopped as he looked around the store again before continuing, "Haven't we been here before?" he asked turning back to Willow.
"Well, since it just opened I'm thinking no." she said before eyeing what he had in his hands.
Xander looked at his hands to see a pair of silk, red stockings.
"A present for Anya?" Willow asked with amusement written on her face.
Willow was waiting for Xander to come up with some sort of joke or something, but he just stood there with the stockings in his hands, along with a blank expression written on his face.
"Xander, are you okay. Has all the blood rushed somewhere else?"
Xander looked back at Willow, "What...uhh...yeah I'm fine. I just...had this feeling."
"Feeling?"
"Yeah, this is the second time I've had it today. First time was this morning when I got out of bed to get ready to go have breakfast with Anya." he said tossing the stockings back down on one of the shelves before following Willow out of the store.
"Well, can you describe it, this feeling?" Willow said taking a seat on one of the benches in the center of the mall, while motioning for Xander to take a seat beside her.
"Well, it's almost like...I don't know, a feeling of Deja-vu? Xander said standing a few feet from her as he continued to look around with his hands in his pockets.
"Deja-vu, huh? I've had that before. This one time I had this dream about..." She cut herself off as she saw the expression on Xander's face, "Xander, are you okay?"
"Dream. I'd almost forgotten about my dream." he said out loud.
"Oh, a dream! Ever since taking Psych I've always wanted to interpret someone else's dream. Shoot!" Willow said focusing her attention on Xander even more.
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain..." she cut him off, "Uhh, this doesn't have a horizontal Anya in it, does it?."
"No, I promise. No horizontal Anyas."
"Okay, shoot." Willow said as she shifted on the bench, now knowing why no one else in the whole mall seemed to be sitting on them.
"Well, you know when you have a dream and it can be so vivid, yet you only remember parts of it."
"Yeah."
"Well, this is one of those." Xander said looking back at Willow before continuing, "I remember the ending, though."
"Really, and how was that?"
"Well, lets just say it didn't involve a vertical Anya either." he said before turning around slightly as he caught sight of the Peanut Shack across the mall.
"You want anything?" Xander asked looking at Willow as he started backing up.
Before she could answer Xander ran smack dab into a woman, knocking the woman down. Xander stood over a blondhaired woman, who looked to be in her thirties as he tried to help her up while apologizing. However, after helping her up, he stopped after catching sight of her red and black attire. He suddenly started looking her up and down as if trying to place her familiarity to him. Let's just say his stare didn't go over to well with the woman as she swung her purse into his midsection, sending waves of pain throughout his whole lower body as he fell to the ground.
The woman walked away, muttering out loud just as Willow kneeled down beside Xander, "Oh...Xander."
"She**cough**was in my**cough**dream." Xander choked out as Willow helped him up.
"Uhh, Xander?"
"Yeah." he said, leaning on her for support.
"She wasn't horizontal in it was she?" Willow asked as they slowly walked towards the mall entrance.
.....................
The Magic Shop
About thirty minutes later
Giles was leaning back in his E-Z chair with two ice packs on his each of his knees, one by his groin and another in his hand as he held it to his head. Just when he felt his eyes starting to close the bell above the door rang, making Giles wish he had a rocket launcher. Well, until he saw who it was as Willow and Xander entered the shop.
"Dear lord." Giles said looking at Xander as Willow helped him into the other E-Z chair across from Giles.
"What happened?" Giles asked.
Xander didn't answer. Instead, he let Willow do all the talking as he reclined in the chair with his head back and eyes closed.
"Xander bumped into his dream girl who obviously didn't share his affections, hence the painfilled, reclining Xander." Willow said looking at Giles' state of almost being a freezer before continuing, "You didn't dream about her too, did you?"
"What, No. I'm afraid my pain deals more with my profession."
"Huh?"
Giles made what Willow would call a british face at her, before nodding towards the training room.
"Oh." Willow said hearing Buffy pummel what she guessed was the punching bag. {Unless, Hmmm...could Spike being pummeled make that noise} Willow thought as she remembered Buffy telling her about Spike professing his love to the slayer a couple of days ago.
Giles looked at Xander as he remained reclined in the E-Z chair, "Perhaps we should....." Giles cut himself off when he heard Buffy come out of the training room.
Buffy had been training hard the last few days. She usually trained with Giles, but lately Giles had talked Xander into helping, thus giving Giles a break every once in a while. Today was suppose to be Xander's day, but he said he had to work so when she came out of the training room she was surprised to see a reclining Xander. {Men, hmmm...I'll teach him to skip out on me.} she thought.
"Catch!" Buffy yelled.
One word.
Somehow it triggered an instinct in Xander as his eyes flew open just in time to catch one of the boxing gloves Buffy had thrown at him. However, like so few things do, boxing gloves usually come in pairs. Xander would soon find this out, the hard way.
Willow looked at Xander with a grimace on her face, "Xander?" she asked as she waved a couple of fingers in front of him before continuing, "How many fingers I'm I holding up?"
No response.
"Close enough." Willow said looking at Giles, who looked on with sympathy for the young man across from him. Willow then turned towards Buffy with a look.
"What?" Buffy asked innocently.
"Buffy I was just at the mall with Xander and..." Buffy interrupted Willow, "The mall?"
As soon as the words were out of Willow's mouth Xander was making a dash for the door. Only problem was his body wasn't responding as he continued to recline in the EZ-chair. Xander started to relax, thinking since he looked like a corpse Buffy probably wouldn't kill him. Then he went over that thought and it made him even more worried.
"I thought you said that you had to work today?" Buffy said, her gaze directed at Xander even though by now she had pretty much figured out that he was just using that for an excuse this morning so that he wouldn't have to train with her.
Upon Buffy's glare Xander's toe twitched.
"Buffy please, can't you see Xander's in serious pain." Giles said.
Upon Giles' tone Buffy smiled, "Relax Giles, I knew Xander was just using his work excuse to get out of training with me." she said not realising how much it stung until she said it out loud.
"Uhh, Buffy if it's any consolation I found you some shoes." Willow said.
"Really! Where are they!" Buffy said, her whole attitude seeming to change.
"Well, uhh...at the mall." Willow said a little ashamed before continuing, "But I would've if, well, you know." Willow said talking about Xander's condition.
Buffy sighed, turning around as she grabbed a bottle of water off of the counter and headed back into the training room.
Willow nudged Xander's arm.
"Willow, could you come hold the punching bag for me. It doesn't seem to want to stand still." Buffy said, peaking her head back around the corner at Willow.
"I'll go get those shoes for you now!" Willow said dashing for the door.
Buffy smiled as she went back to training.
After Willow left in a hurry, Giles saw Xander's left eye blink.
==========================================
Magic Shop
Around 10:00 P.M.
Buffy had left with Dawn, who came by after school about five hours ago. Xander had actually been able to wave bye to them as they left and was now starting to feel better as he reclined in the EZ-chair with his head back, and eyes opened as he stared up at the ceiling.
"Don't you think it's about time we called it a night?" Giles said coming out from behind the counter after locking up the cash from the draw into a special safe behind an old painting on the wall that Xander remembered Giles saying use to belong to a Warlock that he once knew.
When Xander didn't answer him Giles walked up to him and looked up to where Xander was staring, "Or we could just sit here all night and stare at the ceiling."
"Have you ever felt like our lives are too boring?"
Giles looked at Xander for a second before walking away without saying a word. This got Xander's attention, "Giles, are you listening to...what are you doing?" Xander asked as Giles picked up the phone.
"I'm calling an ambulance because it's obvious you're not alright." Giles said before smiling as he put the phone back down.
"It's too late at night for british humor G-Man." Xander said before continuing with a more serious tone, "No, what I mean is that we get up, do our thing, go to bed and get up in the morning to do it all over again."
"Our thing?" Giles asked with eyes raised.
"Yeah you know, getting up, going to work, saving the world...our thing." Xander said simply.
"Well, I think that's what they call life Xander." Giles said walking over and taking a seat in the other EZ chair across from Xander before continuing, "Well, except for saving the world part. That's just our life."
Xander let out a sigh as he got up and started walking to the door.
"Where are you going?" Giles asked, still seated in the chair.
"Home, maybe Anya's. Why?"
"I thought we were going to have a good old chat." Giles said with a little disappointment in his voice before smiling at Xander.
"Perhaps when I'm more alert." Xander said smiling back at him before continuing, "Well, unless this is *the* talk."
At his comment Xander saw Giles have an expression of fear that would've rivaled any look that Anya had upon seeing a bunny.
"Night Giles." Xander said as he opened the Magic Shop door and left, leaving a still fearful looking Giles seated in the EZ-chair.
======================================
10:40 P.M.
Downtown Sunnydale
Xander was now driving home. He decided against going over to Anya's because he felt she would be asleep and he didn't want to wake her. Well, actually he thought that after already going over there and letting himself in to see snoring beauty herself. To which he fought the urge to wake her. He then left, deciding that he'd make up their dinner plans to her tomorrow. So, here he was at {Xander looks down at his clock in the car that reads 10:45} as he drives home trying to shake off the sleepiness that is trying to overtake him as he stops at the redlight about a block from StoneRidge Park. Xander decides to use the steering wheel as a pillow while waiting for the light. However, the sudden scream of a girl vetoed that idea as his head shot up. After hearing the again Xander suddenly didn't care about the light as he shifted the car into drive and headed towards StoneRidge Park.
He pulled along side the curb and got out while grabbing a cross and a couple of stakes before crossing the street and heading down the sidewalk leading into StoneRidge Park. Hearing another scream only made him run faster as his adreline started pumping while he remembered what Giles had said less than an hour ago about saving the world being part of their lives.
When Xander came to the clearing he saw a herific scene. Three vamps were feeding on a woman, while three others were feeding on a man. {Damnit! I'm too late} Then, Xander caught sight of two kids, a boy and a girl. They were huckered down behind some bushes trying to hide. The only problem was the bushes were sparse and provided little, if any at all, cover. This was only proven by two vamps grabbing the kids from behind and dragging them out into the open as they kicked and screamed. The two vamps shoved the kids to the ground while two other vamps salivated nearby.
{Nine vamps. How I'm I supposed to take on nine vamps?} However, hearing the kids cry out for help pushed those thoughts aside.
Whoosh...
The two vamps that had pulled the kids out from the bushes looked up in surprise as one of their comrades turned to dust. What they saw was a young man standing about twenty feet from the dust clearing.
{Oh My God! I did the cool throwing the stake thing! Damnit! Where's a witness when you need one?}
**Oooph**
The next thing Xander knew was that he was on his back with a vamp pinning his hands to the ground. Xander looked up into the face of a female who at the moment had seemed to choose not to show her vamp visage as her human face smiled down at him, while her red hair flowed down her shoulders. Xander, however, knew the truth because he could feel her powerful hands pinning him to the ground.
What puzzled Xander even more was the fact that this one had seemed to come out of nowhere because she wasn't one of the nine he spotted just a second ago. {Which means there's no telling how many of them there are.} he thought looking up into her face before something clicked in the back of his mind. Something... like this morning. Something... "I know you." Xander said still pinned down as he looked up at the now amused female on top of him.
"Oh, really?"
Xander just kept staring up at her. He knew that face he just couldn't remember whe... A realization came over Xander, "My dream."
"Nooo baby, your worst nightmare." the female vamp said as her face changed.
Xander looked to his left to see his cross about five feet from him, but he couldn't see his other stake. When Xander looked back up the female was making her descent towards his neck. At that moment Xander knew the only way out of this, so he acted. Just when the female's head was close enough to him, he brought his head forward and headbutted her. She grabbed her head in agony which freed Xander's hands as he pushed her off of him. Xander then got up as he tried to wave off the dizziness that was trying to overtake him, "Buffy makes that look so much better." He said out loud to no one inparticular as he shook the cobwebs in his head. After hearing growling coming from behind him he reached down and picked the cross up and spun around shoving it into the face of an approaching vamp, making the vamp snarl and back up with a couple of his buddies behind him. Xander then heard a laugh from behind him as he looked over his shoulder quickly, before refocusing his attention on holding the vamps away with the cross.
"You are something. I'll give you that. Coming in here and rushing to the aid of another." the female said eyeing Xander from about twenty five feet away.
"I bet you don't even know them, do you? So heroic." another slight laugh from the female. She looked so young and innocent, yet her eyes held another truth.
Xander didn't say a word, mainly because he was too busy concentrating on not letting the vamps around him close in as he continued to hold his cross up in front of him. Then, he surveyed the area quickly before slightly turning his face towards the female behind him as he smiled, "Looks like."
The redheaded female looked around and found the reason for the young man's smile as she noticed that the kids were gone before returning Xander's smile with a small one of her own, "Perhaps you are a hero, but you know what? She said, her vamp visage coming to the surface, before continuing, "Hero's can die."
Xander's smile faded as one of the vamps knocked away his cross. However, the vamp got a fist to the face for his troubles as Xander tried to fight his way out of a battle he knew he couldn't win. All in all, Xander had knocked off four vamps before he was grabbed around the throat by the redheaded female as she savored in her victory with a smile, "I like you, Hero. Perhaps you could be of use." She said grabbing Xander's arm as he attempted to swing it at her, "You see I could use another minion, seeing that you killed one of mine and all. An eye for an eye as they say." the female vamp said before sinking her fangs into Xander's neck.
Xander felt the dizziness once again overtake him, as his eyes became heavy and he began to sick into unconsciousness just as a bright light engulfed everything in a split second.
===================================================
The morning light...so bright, so warm, so...
"Ahhh!" Xander leaped out of bed as he fell to the floor. He quickly got up, halfway wrapped up in the covers as they had fell to the floor with him. He looked around as he poked at his neck with his hands.
{Oh My God! I'm a vampire!} Xander rushed to the bathroom as he ran in front of the mirror.
A heavy sigh came from Xander as he saw his reflection in it. "Then, what am I?" He asked out loud to no one inparticular.
A knock at his front door brought him out of his thoughts as he stood at the bathroom entrance, "W-who is it?" he called out.
"It's Buffy, now come on and open the door."
============================================