Connections
By Kalystia
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. There might be an original character in a later chapter, but as of right now, I don't own anything.
Author's Notes: Thanks so much for all the reviews from the first chapter! It got me writing this so much faster then I normally would. I very much appreciate it, if I didn't send you an email to tell you. Please leave your emails when you review so I can answer questions or just say thank you. Also, this is not betaed at the moment. If anyone would like to be a beta for this story let me know at kalystia1983@yahoo.com Anyway, enjoy and review!
*******************************
Xander Harris is in a state of shock. No, shock is putting it mildly, he is in a state of ....well he doesn't know what he is in a state of, and just that it is something not pleasant. He leans back against the seat of the cab he is in and again stars at the print off the email in his hands. If only he had checked his email a few days earlier.....
He stops that thought quickly. He knows it wouldn't have done him any good to do that, to have checked his email before the destruction of Sunnydale, or to get this specific email before then. It would have created more questions for them too answer, and possibly more resistance for the spell to activate all the Slayers.
As the cab driver pulls up outside the hotel they are all staying at while in London, Xander runs a hand through his hair, hoping Giles is there when he got up to his room. He needs to know if Giles had any idea about this, about what his mother had been, about what he might be.
He makes his way quickly through the lobby, noting a few of the new Slayers leaving while he is coming in, trying to look normal for them. The grapevine in the Slayer group is quick, and he knows that if he walks in to the hotel stressed, it will get around.
As the lift doors close, Xander again looks at the email from his mother. He closes his eyes, mourning her death for a few moments, the email now making it a fact that she was in Sunnydale when it did its whole sinkhole, Grand Canyon impression. Three people he loved were lost that day, his father having been there too.
Xander steps out of the lift and knocks on Giles's door.
"I told you that you are able to.......Oh hello Xander," Giles says looking a bit frazzled.
Xander forces a grin, "Having a bit of trouble with the newbies?"
"Yes, quite a bit." Giles studies the man in front of him, "Xander?"
"I need to talk to you."
Giles steps aside and lets Xander in. Xander sits down on the bed, and Giles takes a seat in one of the chairs in the room. He waits for Xander to start speaking, knowing that is probably one of the best ways to get all the information out of him, a way to get him not to retreat into the jokes he uses to hide all the time.
Xander looks at the paper in his hands, then at Giles. "I was around Piccadilly Circus, doing some sight seeing, and I saw an internet café. I realized that I hadn't checked my email in weeks. You know really I hadn't since my accident, now that work stuff wasn't there, I didn't see the need to, not much other then that lately, and since we were so busy....." Xander shakes his head. "Anyway, I checked it. And I had an email. From my mother. And, well, let's just say I don't know what to make of it."
Giles looks at him, "Did your mother leave?"
"No," Xander closes his eyes, "No she and my father were both still in Sunnydale at the end, it sounded like she knew it in the email too, but she wanted it to end I think."
"I'm sorry Xander. How do you believe that she knew?" Giles asks slightly perplexed.
"Well, you see that brings me to my real problem with this whole email." Xander looks Giles straight in the eye, "Have you ever heard of a Slayer by the name of Jessica Leonard?"
"Yes, of course, she was a Slayer in the Northwestern US for about a year and a half during the late 70s or early 80s," Giles looks at Xander, "why do you ask?"
"It was my mother's birth name, Leonard."
"Are you saying that you are related to a Slayer Xander?"
"No Giles, I'm saying that according to this email my mom sent, she was a Slayer. She was Jessica Leonard."
Giles immediately removed his glasses and started wiping them clean. "How is that possible?"
"According to what she said to me in the email, she died, but was brought back. Her Watcher was close enough to her to revive her and get her to a hospital after she was killed by a Vamp called Tanner. When he called the Council to tell them about what had happened, they immediately gave him their condolences. Apparently one of the Potentials that the Council had been called. He decided to keep it a secret from the Council, because he always felt that Jessica wasn't cut out to be a Slayer. He is called back to London, and doesn't leave before he sets her up with a new everything, including a new last name. After she gets out of the hospital, she goes to LA tracking down this Tanner guy and ends up killing him. In the process, she meets my dad. Her dream, sort of like Buffy's for a while, was to have a normal life. So she settles down to have the whole dream family." Xander looks up at Giles. "Everything Ok so far?"
"Yes, do go on."
Xander nods and continues, "She kept in contact with her old Watcher, but she was already pregnant with me. He argued with her when he found out, because he was afraid of what I would be. No Slayer that had already been called had had a child. Wood was born, as I'm sure you know before his mother was called, and her old Watcher was afraid of what I would be. If I would be evil, or super powerful or something. He wanted to confess everything to the Council and have her bring me to them. She refused and she and Dad moved to Sunnydale. It was the one place she could think of where her old Watcher, James Bartlett by the way, wouldn't find her. She never wanted to go to the Hellmouth; she repeatedly told him that, it scared her. So she moved there." Xander pauses, thinking about something, "How much....how much do you know about my home life?"
Giles sighs, "Enough to know it wasn't good, and I apologize for that immensely, I should have done something...."
Xander cuts him off, "Not your fault, don't apologize for it. I handled it, and besides you had more important things to handle, we had a crisis almost every week for a few years there." Xander looks down at the email before continuing, "Mom started drinking to get over the fact that she was on the Hellmouth. She wanted to protect me from the Slayer lifestyle, but she says the years started to escape her. Every time that she brought up moving to my father after living in Sunnydale for a while, he refused, so they stayed. I know now that she realized what was going on with Buffy and you. She said that she wanted me to know many times, but she didn't say anything. She was too afraid of what I might be, and she just hoped that I would get out of it. I never did, I don't think I could even if I wanted to. And she was also afraid of you, what you might do if you found out, to both her and me."
"Xander I know you feel strongly about helping people, but even you can take a break once in a while, you can get out of this as you say."
Xander lets out a laugh, "No G-man don't think I could. This email made a few more things make sense to me, actually made a lot more things make sense to me."
"Such as....."
"Such as I didn't come back from that road trip after senior year because my car broke down and couldn't make it any farther then Oxnard. I was almost dieing if I went farther then Oxnard with the overwhelming need to get back to Sunnydale. I couldn't handle it, I was having panic attacks. It happened again when I "went away" after the whole wedding debacle. I think it might have something to do with this."
"It quite possibly could," Giles sits in thought for a moment, "If your mother knew something was wrong, why didn't she leave?"
"This is the part I hate about all of this," Xander says, "Apparently she had a vision of herself, telling her that it was the end and that she was done, and that because her Watcher rescued her she brought the evil into the world. I'm guessing it was the First. But I'm also guessing this little rift that brought the first out wasn't just activated by us."
"We'll look into that later. Did Mr. Bartlett have any theories on what he thought you might be? And has this desire to be back in Sunnydale come back?"
"She didn't say what the theories were; just that she didn't like what he had to say. And no, I've been fine since Sunnydale sunk."
Giles looks at the younger man. "Xander, I can do a few things right now. We can keep this between you and me, and keep this as a side project, research it whenever we can. We could let everyone know and turn it into a full-fledged research project. Or we can find Mr. Bartlett, find out his theories, if you would like contact with him."
Xander leans his head into his hands for a second, thinking, and then looks over at Giles. "I don't want to worry everyone. We just came out of so much; I want them to relax for a while, especially Buffy, Dawn, and Willow. But I need to know. I need to know what affect this has on me. I need to know why I was drawn to Sunnydale. I think we need to find Mr. Bartlett."
"I'll go over to the temporary headquarters and do it now," Giles says in his most reassuring voice, hoping that James Bartlett is still alive, or at least has left records. "Right now, why don't you go to your room and try to get a bit of sleep."
"Sleep might be a good idea," Xander says heading out of the room. As his hand reached the doorknob, he is stopped by Giles's voice.
"I am sorry for your lose Xander."
Xander offers him a tight smile, "thanks." And with that, he leaves the room.
Giles stands there staring at the door for a moment. "I'm also sorry for what you have gained with this."
By Kalystia
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. There might be an original character in a later chapter, but as of right now, I don't own anything.
Author's Notes: Thanks so much for all the reviews from the first chapter! It got me writing this so much faster then I normally would. I very much appreciate it, if I didn't send you an email to tell you. Please leave your emails when you review so I can answer questions or just say thank you. Also, this is not betaed at the moment. If anyone would like to be a beta for this story let me know at kalystia1983@yahoo.com Anyway, enjoy and review!
*******************************
Xander Harris is in a state of shock. No, shock is putting it mildly, he is in a state of ....well he doesn't know what he is in a state of, and just that it is something not pleasant. He leans back against the seat of the cab he is in and again stars at the print off the email in his hands. If only he had checked his email a few days earlier.....
He stops that thought quickly. He knows it wouldn't have done him any good to do that, to have checked his email before the destruction of Sunnydale, or to get this specific email before then. It would have created more questions for them too answer, and possibly more resistance for the spell to activate all the Slayers.
As the cab driver pulls up outside the hotel they are all staying at while in London, Xander runs a hand through his hair, hoping Giles is there when he got up to his room. He needs to know if Giles had any idea about this, about what his mother had been, about what he might be.
He makes his way quickly through the lobby, noting a few of the new Slayers leaving while he is coming in, trying to look normal for them. The grapevine in the Slayer group is quick, and he knows that if he walks in to the hotel stressed, it will get around.
As the lift doors close, Xander again looks at the email from his mother. He closes his eyes, mourning her death for a few moments, the email now making it a fact that she was in Sunnydale when it did its whole sinkhole, Grand Canyon impression. Three people he loved were lost that day, his father having been there too.
Xander steps out of the lift and knocks on Giles's door.
"I told you that you are able to.......Oh hello Xander," Giles says looking a bit frazzled.
Xander forces a grin, "Having a bit of trouble with the newbies?"
"Yes, quite a bit." Giles studies the man in front of him, "Xander?"
"I need to talk to you."
Giles steps aside and lets Xander in. Xander sits down on the bed, and Giles takes a seat in one of the chairs in the room. He waits for Xander to start speaking, knowing that is probably one of the best ways to get all the information out of him, a way to get him not to retreat into the jokes he uses to hide all the time.
Xander looks at the paper in his hands, then at Giles. "I was around Piccadilly Circus, doing some sight seeing, and I saw an internet café. I realized that I hadn't checked my email in weeks. You know really I hadn't since my accident, now that work stuff wasn't there, I didn't see the need to, not much other then that lately, and since we were so busy....." Xander shakes his head. "Anyway, I checked it. And I had an email. From my mother. And, well, let's just say I don't know what to make of it."
Giles looks at him, "Did your mother leave?"
"No," Xander closes his eyes, "No she and my father were both still in Sunnydale at the end, it sounded like she knew it in the email too, but she wanted it to end I think."
"I'm sorry Xander. How do you believe that she knew?" Giles asks slightly perplexed.
"Well, you see that brings me to my real problem with this whole email." Xander looks Giles straight in the eye, "Have you ever heard of a Slayer by the name of Jessica Leonard?"
"Yes, of course, she was a Slayer in the Northwestern US for about a year and a half during the late 70s or early 80s," Giles looks at Xander, "why do you ask?"
"It was my mother's birth name, Leonard."
"Are you saying that you are related to a Slayer Xander?"
"No Giles, I'm saying that according to this email my mom sent, she was a Slayer. She was Jessica Leonard."
Giles immediately removed his glasses and started wiping them clean. "How is that possible?"
"According to what she said to me in the email, she died, but was brought back. Her Watcher was close enough to her to revive her and get her to a hospital after she was killed by a Vamp called Tanner. When he called the Council to tell them about what had happened, they immediately gave him their condolences. Apparently one of the Potentials that the Council had been called. He decided to keep it a secret from the Council, because he always felt that Jessica wasn't cut out to be a Slayer. He is called back to London, and doesn't leave before he sets her up with a new everything, including a new last name. After she gets out of the hospital, she goes to LA tracking down this Tanner guy and ends up killing him. In the process, she meets my dad. Her dream, sort of like Buffy's for a while, was to have a normal life. So she settles down to have the whole dream family." Xander looks up at Giles. "Everything Ok so far?"
"Yes, do go on."
Xander nods and continues, "She kept in contact with her old Watcher, but she was already pregnant with me. He argued with her when he found out, because he was afraid of what I would be. No Slayer that had already been called had had a child. Wood was born, as I'm sure you know before his mother was called, and her old Watcher was afraid of what I would be. If I would be evil, or super powerful or something. He wanted to confess everything to the Council and have her bring me to them. She refused and she and Dad moved to Sunnydale. It was the one place she could think of where her old Watcher, James Bartlett by the way, wouldn't find her. She never wanted to go to the Hellmouth; she repeatedly told him that, it scared her. So she moved there." Xander pauses, thinking about something, "How much....how much do you know about my home life?"
Giles sighs, "Enough to know it wasn't good, and I apologize for that immensely, I should have done something...."
Xander cuts him off, "Not your fault, don't apologize for it. I handled it, and besides you had more important things to handle, we had a crisis almost every week for a few years there." Xander looks down at the email before continuing, "Mom started drinking to get over the fact that she was on the Hellmouth. She wanted to protect me from the Slayer lifestyle, but she says the years started to escape her. Every time that she brought up moving to my father after living in Sunnydale for a while, he refused, so they stayed. I know now that she realized what was going on with Buffy and you. She said that she wanted me to know many times, but she didn't say anything. She was too afraid of what I might be, and she just hoped that I would get out of it. I never did, I don't think I could even if I wanted to. And she was also afraid of you, what you might do if you found out, to both her and me."
"Xander I know you feel strongly about helping people, but even you can take a break once in a while, you can get out of this as you say."
Xander lets out a laugh, "No G-man don't think I could. This email made a few more things make sense to me, actually made a lot more things make sense to me."
"Such as....."
"Such as I didn't come back from that road trip after senior year because my car broke down and couldn't make it any farther then Oxnard. I was almost dieing if I went farther then Oxnard with the overwhelming need to get back to Sunnydale. I couldn't handle it, I was having panic attacks. It happened again when I "went away" after the whole wedding debacle. I think it might have something to do with this."
"It quite possibly could," Giles sits in thought for a moment, "If your mother knew something was wrong, why didn't she leave?"
"This is the part I hate about all of this," Xander says, "Apparently she had a vision of herself, telling her that it was the end and that she was done, and that because her Watcher rescued her she brought the evil into the world. I'm guessing it was the First. But I'm also guessing this little rift that brought the first out wasn't just activated by us."
"We'll look into that later. Did Mr. Bartlett have any theories on what he thought you might be? And has this desire to be back in Sunnydale come back?"
"She didn't say what the theories were; just that she didn't like what he had to say. And no, I've been fine since Sunnydale sunk."
Giles looks at the younger man. "Xander, I can do a few things right now. We can keep this between you and me, and keep this as a side project, research it whenever we can. We could let everyone know and turn it into a full-fledged research project. Or we can find Mr. Bartlett, find out his theories, if you would like contact with him."
Xander leans his head into his hands for a second, thinking, and then looks over at Giles. "I don't want to worry everyone. We just came out of so much; I want them to relax for a while, especially Buffy, Dawn, and Willow. But I need to know. I need to know what affect this has on me. I need to know why I was drawn to Sunnydale. I think we need to find Mr. Bartlett."
"I'll go over to the temporary headquarters and do it now," Giles says in his most reassuring voice, hoping that James Bartlett is still alive, or at least has left records. "Right now, why don't you go to your room and try to get a bit of sleep."
"Sleep might be a good idea," Xander says heading out of the room. As his hand reached the doorknob, he is stopped by Giles's voice.
"I am sorry for your lose Xander."
Xander offers him a tight smile, "thanks." And with that, he leaves the room.
Giles stands there staring at the door for a moment. "I'm also sorry for what you have gained with this."