Author: MagnusXXN
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: BTVS doesn't belong to me, it's Joss
Whendon's baby as is Angel. I don't own X-Men or the concept of
mutants that's Marvel's baby. I just own this story but I don't have
any money so sue someone else. Part 7

Rise of the Juggernaut

The next days were strained for everyone. After the gang told Giles
what happened he fired Anya on the spot. But it didn't make
everything ok again. There was a tension in the air and everyone
could feel it. Buffy and Willow were gloomy more often then not.
Tara had reverted to her shy quiet self, it was like she had never
came out of her shell. Even Riley was short tempered with his
troops.

The worst was that Xander didn't come out of the backroom in days.
Not to eat or for a bath and whenever someone knocked or asked to
talk with him he told them to go away. That's why Giles had called
them all together for a meeting.

"I don't know what to do. He hasn't eaten in almost a week." Giles
was distraught. His hair was unkempt and he looked like he had aged
a decade in a week.

"He'll come out when he's ready." Willow didn't even believe her own
words.

"Maybe we should make him come out? It's not healthy to stay in
there all the time." Buffy looked almost as bad as Giles.
"Sh... should we bust down the door? Make him come out." Tara's soft
voice rang through everyone's minds. That was the most she'd said in
days.

Everyone nodded at the idea. "Alright then. Let's go." Without
another word Riley stood up from his seat next to Buffy and marched
right up to the storeroom door and kicked it in.

The noise didn't seem to bring Xander out of his thoughts. In fact
he was sitting in the same place he had been since he closed the
door. "Xa...Xander? Are you alright?"

Only silence greeted them. "Xander, please say something." Willow's
words came out trembling. Maybe he's dead? Those words echoed
through everyone's minds but they were all too afraid to voice it.
Giles walked over to the young juggernaut and touched his
shoulder. "Son? Say something. You're scaring everyone." Your
scaring me, Giles thought to himself.

"I'm alright. I've....just been thinking." His voice was even more
gruff then normal, or normal for him now.

"Eat something. You'll feel better." Riley sounded calmer then he
had been in days. Fear that maybe his friend was sitting behind that
damned storeroom door dead for the last week weighed heavily on him.
But just seeing him there alive made him feel somewhat better.

"That's alright. I'm not hungry." Tara made her way over and stood
next to Giles who hadn't taken his hand off the young man's shoulder
yet.

"You haven't eaten in days, son. You have to be hungry." His words
were soft but strong. He wasn't going to leave until he was sure
Xander had at least drank some water.

"I don't need it. I haven't been hungry since I changed. I guess I
don't need it anymore." His words didn't put anyone at ease. Quiet
the opposite; he hadn't eaten anything for longer then they all
thought.

For the first time since they kicked in his door he looked up at his
friends. He could see the worry plain on their faces. "It's alright
guys I really don't need to eat. Or sleep or even breath."

"Don't talk like that, please. You don't want to die." The slayer
sounded sickly, small. Xander's heart fell at her words. It was his
fault his friends were all so scared for him.

"It's alright, Buff. I don't want to die. I just don't need to eat
or sleep. I even held my breath to see how long I could. I held it
for almost four hours before I got bored."

Their faces changed from worry to shock. "Really? Yo....your not
just saying that?" Tara sounded hopeful. More hopeful then she'd
allowed herself to be in days.

Xander finally stood up; they were all still amazed at how he could
tower over them so easily. He bent over and picked Tara up and
hugged her. "I'm not just saying it. I'm alright really." He gave
her and the others a warm smile, not that it reached his eyes.
Tara could cry she was so happy. She smacked his shoulder softly.

"You had us all so worried." He saw the truth on everyone's faces,
they all had been worried. That made him feel better, a little. In
one swift move he grabbed everyone in his arms and picked them up in
a hug.

They all laughed at his actions. Even Riley and Giles who weren't
used to someone picking them all up in a big group hug.
"Alright now you big lug, put us down." Buffy sounded a lot more
cheerful. With a soft laugh he did as she asked.

"So what do you want to do tonight? I'm up for a patrol." He might
not be able to eat or sleep to make them feel better but he could
leave the shop for a few hours.

"I could get into that." Buffy smiled so brightly it could light up
a room.

"Cool. So who's coming? Riley? Willow, Tara?" They all shook their
heads in agreement. "Giles you up for it?"

"No, you all go ahead. I'll be waiting here doing paperwork. And
there will be takeout waiting on you Xander. You might not need to
eat but humor me on this, ok?" The young mutant told him he would.
Then they were all off heading to the nearest graveyard to scare up
some baddies.