Title: Transformations
Rating: PG-14 give or take a few years
Spoilers: I reserve the right to claim that just about anything from the first three seasons is fair game.
Summary: Just the usual. Something decides to use Sunnydale as a playground and turn the scooby gang into scooby snacks but what's up with Xander?
Disclaimer: This is a fictional story. Joss & ME own the characters, I own nothing and make nothing from this story. In other words; Don't want them. Don't need them. Couldn't afforded them if I did.
Note - thoughts
Chapter Four
The sun had just started to fall below the horizon. What light that still could be seen were blocked by trees standing on a large hill. The road behind the hill was covered in shadows as was the wooded area beyond it.
A car flew down the road, scattering fallen leaves in every direction. It's headlights briefly illuminated the form of Xander Harris before continuing past him. Once the car's tail lights faded from view, the whole area was shrouded in silence that was interrupted periodically by sounds of small animals or insects.
Xander felt a kind of peaceful innocence on this stretch of road that he hasn't know for a long time. It conjured up memories in Xander of a time when he was younger. Feelings of simple joy when he, Jesse and Willow were children.
Children... That thought brought Xander back to the present and the reason he was out here in the first place. While in Oxnard, Xander learned of several kidnappings that took place during the previous week. Even though it was something that would normally be a matter for the police, Xander couldn't just stand by and watch.
Xander was getting increasingly frustrated. In his mind, he could still see the pictures of the children that were missing. Each one was pinned up on a bulletin board at the local police station. Six of them. Three girls and three boys ranging from eight to thirteen years of age. The youngest was taken from Oxnard where Xander, quite literally, ran into a woman by the name of Shay.
Xander wasn't quite sure what to make of her during their first meeting. At first glance, she was beautiful. She had long, almost blood red hair tied into a pony tail. She was a couple of inches shorter than him and in many ways she was like a mixture of Buffy and Willow with a dash of Cordelia. Shay was intelligent and brave but at the same time arrogant and stubborn.
Xander found out that Shay had been trying to find information on the kidnappers when they met and she asked for his help. That was two days ago and he hadn't felt like he's been much of a help.
"DAMN!" Xander kicked at the small rock in front of him, sending off the side of the road and into the darkness. He stopped and looked to the heavens. "Situations like this is what I'm trying to take a vacation from but do you guys care? Nooooo."
Shaking his head, Xander moved further down the road. Despite his complaints, Xander was worried. He grumbled under his breath while scanning the ground by the road for clues. All he knew was that the truck they were following earlier was found a couple miles further north. It was empty, with nothing to tell him why it was abandoned on this road or where his quarry went.
On the other side of the road, he turned on the flashlight in his hand and started to search the grassy area to the south. Before Xander could get far, he heard the sound of someone coming from the direction of the abandoned truck. Seconds later Shay came into view. She was staring at ground in front of her as she walked. Hope flared in his heart as he called out "Any luck?"
The woman's head shot up, her eyes glowing brightly with an intense white light. Recognizing Xander, she closed her eyes and, after a brief look of concentration, opened them again to reveal a pair of light hazel colored eyes.
That was the thing that had surprised Xander the most about the woman. Shay knew magic. Not the kind that Willow was practicing before he left for the summer but something more... simple. That was the only way that Xander could describe it. There wasn't any intense preparation or long sentences in a dead language. Most of the time she didn't say a word and a few times, all she did was hum.
"No," the woman responded, breaking Xander from his thoughts. As she drew closer, Xander could see the small leather bag that she always carried with her. "There was some blood near the truck but nothing to indicate whose it was or where they went."
"Can't you just use your..." Xander trailed off as he made some obscure gestures with his hands.
Shay laughed a little at his display. "No. I tried a couple of times back at the truck but I only got the sense that they were alive, nothing more." Shay picked up a rock that was roughly the size of a baseball. She stared at it for a second before crushing it with her hands. "Where are they?!"
The mixed look of aggravation and anger in her eyes reminded him of Buffy. He could remember seeing a similar look on Buffy during the time when Angel was soulless. He didn't understand the full range of emotions that caused those looks but they never failed to tug at his heart.
Xander was jerked from his thoughts by a small hand that was waving in front of his face. His attention was brought back to the fiery redhead. Her previous frustration forgotten, Shay was wearing a smile that made Xander nervous. "What's that look for?"
The smile turned into a smug grin. "I was just thinking that, someday, I've got to meet these girls that I remind you of. What were their names again? Buffy? Willow?"
Xander chuckled. "Oh yeah. I'm really looking forward to that day. Can you say 'catfight'?" The indignant look on Shay's face prompted Xander to start making hissing sounds.
Shay pinned Xander with a dark stare. "You sure are full of yourself, aren't you? Do you really believe that your friends and I would fight over you?"
Xander shook his head. "No. I have no illusions about that happening," he said, a smile on his lips. "I just know that most of the women in my life have some of the biggest egos on the planet."
"Hey, I don't have a big ego," Shay protested.
"Like hell you don't. You outright laughed at me when I said that I could take you over my knee the first night I met you," Xander grinned. "Now correct me if I'm wrong but I don't remember you doing much laughing after I proved that I could." Xander could almost see the irritation rolling of her in waves. Knowing that he struck a nerve, Xander watched as her eyes narrowed and her lips became a thin line.
Despite the seriousness of their current situation, Xander couldn't stop himself from barking out a short laugh at Shay's expense. It served to relieve some of the tension he was feeling. Xander could almost picture what forms of torture that were probably going through Shay's head at that moment.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and.. Xander grinned as Shay opened her mouth but the scathing retort that he was expecting from her was cut short by what sounded like an explosion, further off in the dense wooded area that covered the right side of the road. Relief flooded Xander's system at the sound because it possibly meant that the ones they were looking might be responsible for the noise.
Xander looked at Shay with a big grin on his face. Noticing that she wore a similar smile as well, Xander motioned for her to take the lead. The moment she turned away, Xander gave her bottom a hard swat. Shay's body went rigid and in the short time it took for Xander to run past Shay, he could see that both her eyes and mouth were wide open in surprise.
Glancing over his shoulder as he ran, Xander saw that Shay was still standing in the road, staring at him. When he felt goose bumps move up his back, Xander stopped for a moment, just in case there was something wrong. Shay only shook her head and started towards him, prompting Xander to begin running again. Now that was fun and the look on her face was priceless. Ohhh, she's gonna make me pay big time for doing that... but it was worth it.
Shortly, Xander came upon a small hill that overlooked a clearing below. As he neared the top, Xander could hear voices coming from below. Xander had just started to make his way closer to try to hear what was being said when a sharp pain lanced through the lower half of his body.
Grabbing his butt, Xander barely stifled a scream as he turned around to find Shay standing behind him. She had the look of pure innocence on her face that even the small smile that tugged at the corners of her lips couldn't shatter. But what did spoil the look was the long, thick tree branch that she held behind her back.
Yep, I'm going to pay BIG.
With a scowl and a mutter, Xander gently rubbed his butt and slowly walked to the top of the hill. There he could see several people spread out around a large bonfire. There were nine of them. Two were standing guard over a small group of children, Three were standing next to the fire while the remaining four were spread out around the bonfire with one facing each direction; north, south, east and west.
Focusing on the three in the middle near the fire, Xander began to have a sinking feeling about this. Damn, I was afraid of this. It almost looks like a -
"We've got to get those kids out of there."
Xander glared at Shay. She had the tree branch stuck in the ground before her and was casually leaning against it. "No, really? And how are you gonna do that, your worshipfulness?"
Shay just shrugged. "I'm not. You are."
"What?!"
"Between us, you are better suited to survive anything that they might throw at you. I'll try to keep the others distracted and you go in and grab the kids."
"What do you mean that I'm 'better suited'?" Xander pointed at the scene before them. "Take a look down there. That is clearly a sacrifice. That means magic's involved, which by the way, happens to be your specialty."
Xander thought he saw a confused look on Shay's face but he was distracted by a low humming sound coming from below. Turning away from Shay, he looked at the people around the fire. He couldn't make out what was being said but their meaning was clear to him. "Damn, they're starting," he muttered as he faced his companion. "Fine. We don't have anymore time to argue about it so we'll have to do it your way."
Shay looked past him at the scene below and nodded. She walked a few feet away, gathering small pieces of wood as she went. After setting the wood into a pile, she pulled out a book of matches and started a small fire. Shay then opened her bag and pulled out several jars that were filled with, what looked like to Xander, insects and pieces of plants. Chanting softly, she removed a several items from the jars and threw them onto the fire.
Xander alternated from glancing nervously at the group below to watching Shay in fascination. This was the first time that he saw Shay cast a spell in the traditional way that Giles and Willow did. But Shay had the aura of light surrounding her that flashed with a multitude of colors. In the distance, Xander heard a soft buzzing noise. That sounds like.. Xander focused back on Shay herself when he realized that she had stopped chanting. She emptied a bottle of water on the fire, extinguishing it then nodded to Xander.
Xander took off down the hill as fast as he could without being noticed. He headed in the direction of the kids but kept his attention focused on the two men that were guarding them. Xander was trying to decide on how to get past the guards when a startled gasp from behind him.
Shooting a glance over his shoulder, Xander found Shay a few feet away. She had a frightened look on her face. Turning in the direction she was facing, Xander came to a halt when he saw what had scared her. Several feet above the bonfire, a gaping hole had formed in the air. Inside the hole, twin flashes of bright light appeared in the shapes of eyes and a larger light formed a mouth in the darkness below them.
One of the men by the fire shouted. "MASTER! I have brought the sacrifices you required."
Time's up. Disregarding his safety, Xander openly ran to the kids.
Suddenly, there was a loud buzzing in the air and the men guarding the kids started to wave their arms wildly about them. As Xander got closer, he realized that each man's head was surrounded by a small swarm of bees.
Then shouts of alarm erupted from the men around the fire. Xander looked over and saw that similar ' bee clouds' covered their heads too. This caused most of the bad guys to run from the attacking insects leaving only the three by the fire. They were obviously not bothered by the bees at all.
As Xander got closer to the scared kids, he watched the trio of bad guys out of the corner of his eye. They had turned to their Master, begging that he accept their sacrifices immediately. The creature's voice rumbled out in a language that Xander didn't understand and slowly a hand pushed it's way through the portal. The pure black hand opened with the palm facing the group of kids.
Xander felt the hairs on the back of his head stand up. He was less than ten feet from the kids when he saw the hand begin to glow an angry red, releasing a ray of magical energy at the intended sacrifices.
Xander didn't know if he would make it in time to save the kids.
Then Xander felt an electric shock race through his body. Time began to slow down to Xander. He was firmly focused on saving the children but part of his mind noticed that every thing and body slowly stopped moving except for him and the beam of magic, which was still moving but had slowed down considerably.
Within his mind, Xander was calm. It was the same type of calmness that he felt when he faced Jack O'Toole over a home-made bomb. He was at peace with himself because he knew what he had to do. What Buffy would do.
He was almost there. Just a few more feet. Xander could see pure terror in six sets of young eyes that were transfixed on what they believed to be their killer. Not today. Xander stepped in between the oncoming energy bolt in front of him and the children behind him. Xander thought he heard Shay call out his name just as time resumed it's normal speed.
When the beam struck Xander, he was instantly consumed by the magic. Pain, like he never felt before, filled his body till it felt like bursting and scorched his mind, threatening to destroy it. One image came to his mind before he succumbed to the darkness.
Buffy...
* ~ * ~ *
"Meow?"
"Uhh.."
"Meow?"
"Wha.." Xander felt the pain he experienced in the dream slowly fade. It took him a couple seconds to register that something was rubbing against his face. Opening his eyes, Xander found a pair if sky blue eyes staring back at him.
"Hey, what are you doing here, little lady?" Xander looked around the room. "Where is here?" Xander moved to sit up and in the process, dislodged the cat from her perch on his chest.
"MEEOOWW!"
"Oh settle down." When Xander went to scratch the feline's ear, she wrapped her front paws around his arm and began to playfully chew on his hand with her little, but sharp, teeth. Xander smiled down at the cat then looked around. This place was vaguely familiar to him.
Xander untangled his arm from the cat's clutches and walked to the room's open doorway. Suddenly it hit him. This is Giles' bedroom! Xander could hear Giles' and Buffy's voices coming from below. He was about to head downstairs when the cat hissed.
Xander turned back to the bed to see the cat sitting at the foot of the bed. The cat looked at him, then swiveled her head towards the window. Following the cat's gaze, Xander walked to the window. Looking outside, Xander saw nothing unusual except for a large black bird sitting on top of the street light. The bird just seemed to be watching him, not moving at all.
A sudden movement down on the street caught his attention. Underneath, leaning against the street light was man dressed in a black trench coat. He looked familiar but Xander couldn't place where he had seen him.
The man raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The bird then jumped off the light and dived down to him. The bird landed lightly onto the man with one clawed foot on each shoulder then it began flapping it's wings again. The man waved at Xander as the bird carried him up into the air.
Xander opened the window. He leaned out slightly and stared blankly as the two flew farther away. Then the bird banked sharply back into his direction and, still holding the man, dove straight for him.
"Aw crap."
CRASH
* ~ * ~ *
Rating: PG-14 give or take a few years
Spoilers: I reserve the right to claim that just about anything from the first three seasons is fair game.
Summary: Just the usual. Something decides to use Sunnydale as a playground and turn the scooby gang into scooby snacks but what's up with Xander?
Disclaimer: This is a fictional story. Joss & ME own the characters, I own nothing and make nothing from this story. In other words; Don't want them. Don't need them. Couldn't afforded them if I did.
Note - thoughts
The sun had just started to fall below the horizon. What light that still could be seen were blocked by trees standing on a large hill. The road behind the hill was covered in shadows as was the wooded area beyond it.
A car flew down the road, scattering fallen leaves in every direction. It's headlights briefly illuminated the form of Xander Harris before continuing past him. Once the car's tail lights faded from view, the whole area was shrouded in silence that was interrupted periodically by sounds of small animals or insects.
Xander felt a kind of peaceful innocence on this stretch of road that he hasn't know for a long time. It conjured up memories in Xander of a time when he was younger. Feelings of simple joy when he, Jesse and Willow were children.
Children... That thought brought Xander back to the present and the reason he was out here in the first place. While in Oxnard, Xander learned of several kidnappings that took place during the previous week. Even though it was something that would normally be a matter for the police, Xander couldn't just stand by and watch.
Xander was getting increasingly frustrated. In his mind, he could still see the pictures of the children that were missing. Each one was pinned up on a bulletin board at the local police station. Six of them. Three girls and three boys ranging from eight to thirteen years of age. The youngest was taken from Oxnard where Xander, quite literally, ran into a woman by the name of Shay.
Xander wasn't quite sure what to make of her during their first meeting. At first glance, she was beautiful. She had long, almost blood red hair tied into a pony tail. She was a couple of inches shorter than him and in many ways she was like a mixture of Buffy and Willow with a dash of Cordelia. Shay was intelligent and brave but at the same time arrogant and stubborn.
Xander found out that Shay had been trying to find information on the kidnappers when they met and she asked for his help. That was two days ago and he hadn't felt like he's been much of a help.
"DAMN!" Xander kicked at the small rock in front of him, sending off the side of the road and into the darkness. He stopped and looked to the heavens. "Situations like this is what I'm trying to take a vacation from but do you guys care? Nooooo."
Shaking his head, Xander moved further down the road. Despite his complaints, Xander was worried. He grumbled under his breath while scanning the ground by the road for clues. All he knew was that the truck they were following earlier was found a couple miles further north. It was empty, with nothing to tell him why it was abandoned on this road or where his quarry went.
On the other side of the road, he turned on the flashlight in his hand and started to search the grassy area to the south. Before Xander could get far, he heard the sound of someone coming from the direction of the abandoned truck. Seconds later Shay came into view. She was staring at ground in front of her as she walked. Hope flared in his heart as he called out "Any luck?"
The woman's head shot up, her eyes glowing brightly with an intense white light. Recognizing Xander, she closed her eyes and, after a brief look of concentration, opened them again to reveal a pair of light hazel colored eyes.
That was the thing that had surprised Xander the most about the woman. Shay knew magic. Not the kind that Willow was practicing before he left for the summer but something more... simple. That was the only way that Xander could describe it. There wasn't any intense preparation or long sentences in a dead language. Most of the time she didn't say a word and a few times, all she did was hum.
"No," the woman responded, breaking Xander from his thoughts. As she drew closer, Xander could see the small leather bag that she always carried with her. "There was some blood near the truck but nothing to indicate whose it was or where they went."
"Can't you just use your..." Xander trailed off as he made some obscure gestures with his hands.
Shay laughed a little at his display. "No. I tried a couple of times back at the truck but I only got the sense that they were alive, nothing more." Shay picked up a rock that was roughly the size of a baseball. She stared at it for a second before crushing it with her hands. "Where are they?!"
The mixed look of aggravation and anger in her eyes reminded him of Buffy. He could remember seeing a similar look on Buffy during the time when Angel was soulless. He didn't understand the full range of emotions that caused those looks but they never failed to tug at his heart.
Xander was jerked from his thoughts by a small hand that was waving in front of his face. His attention was brought back to the fiery redhead. Her previous frustration forgotten, Shay was wearing a smile that made Xander nervous. "What's that look for?"
The smile turned into a smug grin. "I was just thinking that, someday, I've got to meet these girls that I remind you of. What were their names again? Buffy? Willow?"
Xander chuckled. "Oh yeah. I'm really looking forward to that day. Can you say 'catfight'?" The indignant look on Shay's face prompted Xander to start making hissing sounds.
Shay pinned Xander with a dark stare. "You sure are full of yourself, aren't you? Do you really believe that your friends and I would fight over you?"
Xander shook his head. "No. I have no illusions about that happening," he said, a smile on his lips. "I just know that most of the women in my life have some of the biggest egos on the planet."
"Hey, I don't have a big ego," Shay protested.
"Like hell you don't. You outright laughed at me when I said that I could take you over my knee the first night I met you," Xander grinned. "Now correct me if I'm wrong but I don't remember you doing much laughing after I proved that I could." Xander could almost see the irritation rolling of her in waves. Knowing that he struck a nerve, Xander watched as her eyes narrowed and her lips became a thin line.
Despite the seriousness of their current situation, Xander couldn't stop himself from barking out a short laugh at Shay's expense. It served to relieve some of the tension he was feeling. Xander could almost picture what forms of torture that were probably going through Shay's head at that moment.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and.. Xander grinned as Shay opened her mouth but the scathing retort that he was expecting from her was cut short by what sounded like an explosion, further off in the dense wooded area that covered the right side of the road. Relief flooded Xander's system at the sound because it possibly meant that the ones they were looking might be responsible for the noise.
Xander looked at Shay with a big grin on his face. Noticing that she wore a similar smile as well, Xander motioned for her to take the lead. The moment she turned away, Xander gave her bottom a hard swat. Shay's body went rigid and in the short time it took for Xander to run past Shay, he could see that both her eyes and mouth were wide open in surprise.
Glancing over his shoulder as he ran, Xander saw that Shay was still standing in the road, staring at him. When he felt goose bumps move up his back, Xander stopped for a moment, just in case there was something wrong. Shay only shook her head and started towards him, prompting Xander to begin running again. Now that was fun and the look on her face was priceless. Ohhh, she's gonna make me pay big time for doing that... but it was worth it.
Shortly, Xander came upon a small hill that overlooked a clearing below. As he neared the top, Xander could hear voices coming from below. Xander had just started to make his way closer to try to hear what was being said when a sharp pain lanced through the lower half of his body.
Grabbing his butt, Xander barely stifled a scream as he turned around to find Shay standing behind him. She had the look of pure innocence on her face that even the small smile that tugged at the corners of her lips couldn't shatter. But what did spoil the look was the long, thick tree branch that she held behind her back.
Yep, I'm going to pay BIG.
With a scowl and a mutter, Xander gently rubbed his butt and slowly walked to the top of the hill. There he could see several people spread out around a large bonfire. There were nine of them. Two were standing guard over a small group of children, Three were standing next to the fire while the remaining four were spread out around the bonfire with one facing each direction; north, south, east and west.
Focusing on the three in the middle near the fire, Xander began to have a sinking feeling about this. Damn, I was afraid of this. It almost looks like a -
"We've got to get those kids out of there."
Xander glared at Shay. She had the tree branch stuck in the ground before her and was casually leaning against it. "No, really? And how are you gonna do that, your worshipfulness?"
Shay just shrugged. "I'm not. You are."
"What?!"
"Between us, you are better suited to survive anything that they might throw at you. I'll try to keep the others distracted and you go in and grab the kids."
"What do you mean that I'm 'better suited'?" Xander pointed at the scene before them. "Take a look down there. That is clearly a sacrifice. That means magic's involved, which by the way, happens to be your specialty."
Xander thought he saw a confused look on Shay's face but he was distracted by a low humming sound coming from below. Turning away from Shay, he looked at the people around the fire. He couldn't make out what was being said but their meaning was clear to him. "Damn, they're starting," he muttered as he faced his companion. "Fine. We don't have anymore time to argue about it so we'll have to do it your way."
Shay looked past him at the scene below and nodded. She walked a few feet away, gathering small pieces of wood as she went. After setting the wood into a pile, she pulled out a book of matches and started a small fire. Shay then opened her bag and pulled out several jars that were filled with, what looked like to Xander, insects and pieces of plants. Chanting softly, she removed a several items from the jars and threw them onto the fire.
Xander alternated from glancing nervously at the group below to watching Shay in fascination. This was the first time that he saw Shay cast a spell in the traditional way that Giles and Willow did. But Shay had the aura of light surrounding her that flashed with a multitude of colors. In the distance, Xander heard a soft buzzing noise. That sounds like.. Xander focused back on Shay herself when he realized that she had stopped chanting. She emptied a bottle of water on the fire, extinguishing it then nodded to Xander.
Xander took off down the hill as fast as he could without being noticed. He headed in the direction of the kids but kept his attention focused on the two men that were guarding them. Xander was trying to decide on how to get past the guards when a startled gasp from behind him.
Shooting a glance over his shoulder, Xander found Shay a few feet away. She had a frightened look on her face. Turning in the direction she was facing, Xander came to a halt when he saw what had scared her. Several feet above the bonfire, a gaping hole had formed in the air. Inside the hole, twin flashes of bright light appeared in the shapes of eyes and a larger light formed a mouth in the darkness below them.
One of the men by the fire shouted. "MASTER! I have brought the sacrifices you required."
Time's up. Disregarding his safety, Xander openly ran to the kids.
Suddenly, there was a loud buzzing in the air and the men guarding the kids started to wave their arms wildly about them. As Xander got closer, he realized that each man's head was surrounded by a small swarm of bees.
Then shouts of alarm erupted from the men around the fire. Xander looked over and saw that similar ' bee clouds' covered their heads too. This caused most of the bad guys to run from the attacking insects leaving only the three by the fire. They were obviously not bothered by the bees at all.
As Xander got closer to the scared kids, he watched the trio of bad guys out of the corner of his eye. They had turned to their Master, begging that he accept their sacrifices immediately. The creature's voice rumbled out in a language that Xander didn't understand and slowly a hand pushed it's way through the portal. The pure black hand opened with the palm facing the group of kids.
Xander felt the hairs on the back of his head stand up. He was less than ten feet from the kids when he saw the hand begin to glow an angry red, releasing a ray of magical energy at the intended sacrifices.
Xander didn't know if he would make it in time to save the kids.
Then Xander felt an electric shock race through his body. Time began to slow down to Xander. He was firmly focused on saving the children but part of his mind noticed that every thing and body slowly stopped moving except for him and the beam of magic, which was still moving but had slowed down considerably.
Within his mind, Xander was calm. It was the same type of calmness that he felt when he faced Jack O'Toole over a home-made bomb. He was at peace with himself because he knew what he had to do. What Buffy would do.
He was almost there. Just a few more feet. Xander could see pure terror in six sets of young eyes that were transfixed on what they believed to be their killer. Not today. Xander stepped in between the oncoming energy bolt in front of him and the children behind him. Xander thought he heard Shay call out his name just as time resumed it's normal speed.
When the beam struck Xander, he was instantly consumed by the magic. Pain, like he never felt before, filled his body till it felt like bursting and scorched his mind, threatening to destroy it. One image came to his mind before he succumbed to the darkness.
Buffy...
"Meow?"
"Uhh.."
"Meow?"
"Wha.." Xander felt the pain he experienced in the dream slowly fade. It took him a couple seconds to register that something was rubbing against his face. Opening his eyes, Xander found a pair if sky blue eyes staring back at him.
"Hey, what are you doing here, little lady?" Xander looked around the room. "Where is here?" Xander moved to sit up and in the process, dislodged the cat from her perch on his chest.
"MEEOOWW!"
"Oh settle down." When Xander went to scratch the feline's ear, she wrapped her front paws around his arm and began to playfully chew on his hand with her little, but sharp, teeth. Xander smiled down at the cat then looked around. This place was vaguely familiar to him.
Xander untangled his arm from the cat's clutches and walked to the room's open doorway. Suddenly it hit him. This is Giles' bedroom! Xander could hear Giles' and Buffy's voices coming from below. He was about to head downstairs when the cat hissed.
Xander turned back to the bed to see the cat sitting at the foot of the bed. The cat looked at him, then swiveled her head towards the window. Following the cat's gaze, Xander walked to the window. Looking outside, Xander saw nothing unusual except for a large black bird sitting on top of the street light. The bird just seemed to be watching him, not moving at all.
A sudden movement down on the street caught his attention. Underneath, leaning against the street light was man dressed in a black trench coat. He looked familiar but Xander couldn't place where he had seen him.
The man raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The bird then jumped off the light and dived down to him. The bird landed lightly onto the man with one clawed foot on each shoulder then it began flapping it's wings again. The man waved at Xander as the bird carried him up into the air.
Xander opened the window. He leaned out slightly and stared blankly as the two flew farther away. Then the bird banked sharply back into his direction and, still holding the man, dove straight for him.
"Aw crap."
CRASH