-----Xander-----
1999
"What was I supposed to do?"
"You were supposed to learn your lesson in the first place. Come on Buffy, how could you be so stupid?"
"Xander!? Like your lovelife's perfect."
"At least my girlfriend's never tried to end the world. My sex life never got anyone killed."
"How dare you?"
"How dare you? You were the one who slept with Angel. Because you two couldn't learn some self-control, Willow's dead and Giles... Well Giles is damn well nearly dead."
"I can't do this Xander. We need to get Giles some help."
"I'll help you get him to a hospital, but that's it. I don't wanna see your face after this."
1999
I sat up panting.
"Bad dreams?" Angelus asked me. He was sitting on the table, one knee bent with his arms resting on it, the other leg hanging down near the ground.
"Not bad exactly."
"You dreaming of the girl again?"
I nodded. "Buffy."
"A tasty morsel."
"So I've heard. Wish I could sink my teeth into her, though."
"In time, young friend. In time. She's weakening. Giving up."
"Yeah..."
1999
"Hey Xander."
"Oz."
I forced a smile at him, but I had tears in my eyes, and so did he.
"Is she here?"
"The only 'she' I care about is lying in a coffin."
Oz glared at me and seemed to growl.
"God, sorry man."
I pulled him into a hug. There's a time and place for manliness and this was not it.
We walked together over to Willow. She seemed so peaceful lying there, like she was only asleep. But I knew she was never going to wake up, and in Sunnydale, that's almost a good thing, in some twisted way. I leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. She felt cold, and I had to turn away when I stood up and waited for Oz to say goodbye.
"Come on," he said after a minute or so. "Let's get out of here."
1999
I was roughly shaken awake by Angelus.
"Get up. I've caught her scent."
I got up quickly and followed Angelus out into the street.
"Where is she?"
"Do you remember that old hotel we stayed in a while back?"
I remembered. Plenty of homeless guys, but they all tasted of alcohol.
"That where she is?" I asked.
"Has been."
He jumped and ran up the side of a building. I followed with much less ease. never could get that "Spiderman" thing going.
We ran across the city-scape until I picked up Buffy's scent too. But there was something else.
"You come this way last time?" I asked Angelus.
"No. Why?"
"Stop."
We both stood still for a moment.
"What?"
"Shut up."
He growled at me, but I ignored him.
"I smell you. From recently."
He started paying attention now.
"It does smell like me. But also... Pig's blood."
We looked at each other.
"It couldn't be."
"Angel. The rotten pig-drinking scum inside my head is out of my head and on the streets? How?"
"I don't know, but that's him. It's weak, though."
"Not weak enough."
2000
"Xander!"
Angelus seemed to have appeared out of no-where, taking me completely by surprise. I tried pathetically to fight, but I was weak, and drunk, and Angelus was strong. The fight was over almost before it had begun. When he made me drink I resisted at first, but in the last moments before death, you'll do anything to survive. It's human nature to never give up without a fight. So I drank. I don't know why he didn't just kill me, and I'll never ask. I suspect he wanted to hurt Buffy, but she doesn't care. He should have killed her, that's all she cares about. Herself.
2000
We followed the scent all the way to the old hotel.
"It's stronger here."
"Yeah."
We threw open the door and stared, gaping.
"It's a swirly hole."
"Yep."
"Walk through it."
"Huh? Why me?" I protested.
"Because." He shoved me into the hole. "I'm the sire, I'm the boss."
1999
"What was I supposed to do?"
"You were supposed to learn your lesson in the first place. Come on Buffy, how could you be so stupid?"
"Xander!? Like your lovelife's perfect."
"At least my girlfriend's never tried to end the world. My sex life never got anyone killed."
"How dare you?"
"How dare you? You were the one who slept with Angel. Because you two couldn't learn some self-control, Willow's dead and Giles... Well Giles is damn well nearly dead."
"I can't do this Xander. We need to get Giles some help."
"I'll help you get him to a hospital, but that's it. I don't wanna see your face after this."
1999
I sat up panting.
"Bad dreams?" Angelus asked me. He was sitting on the table, one knee bent with his arms resting on it, the other leg hanging down near the ground.
"Not bad exactly."
"You dreaming of the girl again?"
I nodded. "Buffy."
"A tasty morsel."
"So I've heard. Wish I could sink my teeth into her, though."
"In time, young friend. In time. She's weakening. Giving up."
"Yeah..."
1999
"Hey Xander."
"Oz."
I forced a smile at him, but I had tears in my eyes, and so did he.
"Is she here?"
"The only 'she' I care about is lying in a coffin."
Oz glared at me and seemed to growl.
"God, sorry man."
I pulled him into a hug. There's a time and place for manliness and this was not it.
We walked together over to Willow. She seemed so peaceful lying there, like she was only asleep. But I knew she was never going to wake up, and in Sunnydale, that's almost a good thing, in some twisted way. I leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. She felt cold, and I had to turn away when I stood up and waited for Oz to say goodbye.
"Come on," he said after a minute or so. "Let's get out of here."
1999
I was roughly shaken awake by Angelus.
"Get up. I've caught her scent."
I got up quickly and followed Angelus out into the street.
"Where is she?"
"Do you remember that old hotel we stayed in a while back?"
I remembered. Plenty of homeless guys, but they all tasted of alcohol.
"That where she is?" I asked.
"Has been."
He jumped and ran up the side of a building. I followed with much less ease. never could get that "Spiderman" thing going.
We ran across the city-scape until I picked up Buffy's scent too. But there was something else.
"You come this way last time?" I asked Angelus.
"No. Why?"
"Stop."
We both stood still for a moment.
"What?"
"Shut up."
He growled at me, but I ignored him.
"I smell you. From recently."
He started paying attention now.
"It does smell like me. But also... Pig's blood."
We looked at each other.
"It couldn't be."
"Angel. The rotten pig-drinking scum inside my head is out of my head and on the streets? How?"
"I don't know, but that's him. It's weak, though."
"Not weak enough."
2000
"Xander!"
Angelus seemed to have appeared out of no-where, taking me completely by surprise. I tried pathetically to fight, but I was weak, and drunk, and Angelus was strong. The fight was over almost before it had begun. When he made me drink I resisted at first, but in the last moments before death, you'll do anything to survive. It's human nature to never give up without a fight. So I drank. I don't know why he didn't just kill me, and I'll never ask. I suspect he wanted to hurt Buffy, but she doesn't care. He should have killed her, that's all she cares about. Herself.
2000
We followed the scent all the way to the old hotel.
"It's stronger here."
"Yeah."
We threw open the door and stared, gaping.
"It's a swirly hole."
"Yep."
"Walk through it."
"Huh? Why me?" I protested.
"Because." He shoved me into the hole. "I'm the sire, I'm the boss."