Solstice by SLynn

Chapter 8: Reborn

Nothing felt real.

Xander watched, staggering to his feet, as Narissa's body continued to contort into something it wasn't. Already he recognized Constance's form and figure breaking through. If something wasn't done soon it would be too late.

He checked the room.

Buffy, just a few feet beside him was struggling to free herself from the wall. Angel, directly across was doing the same. Debris littered the entry way, but Xander still made out Giles and Willow working to get in.

He was the only one moving. Capable of stopping this. And without thinking, he knew how.

The blade.

Every step was painful. Holding his side with right hand, he knew that it wouldn't be long till he met Eamon's fate. Already his head felt light and a familiar coldness was creeping in around this hands and feet. Retrieving the blade was worse. The blade of Osiris was hardly three feet from him, but the stooping and grasping of the handle was near impossible to do. But he'd managed somehow.

And Narissa had heard.

The noise of the blade scraping the floor as Xander clumsily picked it up had caught her attention. Dropping her attention from Angel and Buffy, she wheeled around to him. Xander had managed, in that time, to gain a few feet forward, was closing the gap between himself and her. Not anymore.

Narissa extended her hands out towards him. Her eyes were pale blue now, Constance's, and her skin was becoming paler by the moment. From her hands shot out twin blasts of light that lifted and threw Xander back into the wall where he landed and slumped to the floor with an audible thunk.

Satisfied she'd done enough, and before either of the others could advance on her, she turned round again and re-pinned them to the wall. As she did the room shook and the lights grew dimmer. Pieces of the catacombs began falling around them. It seemed the end was growing near.

Buffy felt tears slipping down her face as she turned her head towards where he lay. He wasn't moving and there was so much blood.

Angel was looking as well. There didn't seem to be anything else to do. Even Giles and Willow had stopped momentarily.

Then, amazingly enough, Xander got up. Again.

The blade was still in his hand. Despite the rough treatment, he hadn't let go. As fast as he could, before she'd have a second chance at him, he came up behind her. This time, he made it. She'd only heard him when it was too late. As Narissa had wheeled back around, Xander did the only thing he could think of doing. As quickly as she had done beforehand, he drove the blade into her stomach.

The she-demon smiled an odd smile, so familiar and so Constance like, it was scary. Xander still had a hand on the weapon. Adrenaline alone kept him standing. That and fear of her return.

Next she did something odd. Narissa put both her hands over his and pulled the blade further into her stomach, closing the gap between them. Except now it wasn't really Narissa. Narissa no longer existed. Constance was standing before him now.

"I'll be back for you later," she whispered in his ear before clasping to the floor.

Angel and Buffy felt the release of their bonds almost immediately and both watched stunned as Xander stepped backwards a few steps before falling to the floor himself.

Both rushed over.

"Xander?" Buffy asked frantically, "Xander?"

"We've got to get him out of here," Angel said quickly, looking him over. Xander was pale and still losing blood. The wound on his side appeared to have gone completely through and showed no signs of healing. The blade must have been magically treated or poisoned or worse.

At about this time, Willow and Giles had managed to bust through the door, Tara right behind them.

Giles, without a word, collected both the cup and blade, knowing they'd be leaving immediately. Willow and Tara were each asking what they should or could do. Buffy was in shock. Only Angel was thinking perfectly clear.

"Buffy," he said to her as calmly as possible, "he needs a hospital. Now."

Buffy nodded in agreement without really hearing what was said.

Xander woke in a strange room. It was dimly lit and smelled strongly of some kind of antiseptic. That and he was in pain.

"Xand?" he heard a familiar voice ask from beside him.

The room swam in and out of focus as he turned towards the sound.

"How're you feeling?" Buffy asked.

He wanted to say 'not bad' but couldn't get it to come out of his mouth. His mouth was sticky and dry and his eyes just wouldn't stay open.

"Don't worry," she said softly, "just relax. I'll be here when you wake up."

Xander gave her a weak half-smile and did as she said. He knew everything must be okay if she was here. Everything had to be.

Xander didn't remember what he'd dreamed during this time, only flashes of it. Parts with Constance, parts with Buffy. It was all a blur.

When he woke for the second time, Buffy was right where she said she'd be, beside him. Only this time, she was asleep.

He felt better. They must have given him some kind of pain killer, because his side was now only a dull ache instead of the intense fire it had been. Xander gently touched the bandages through the hospital gown he wore, wondering what had been hit and missed inside of him. He was in the middle of searching for the clock when the door crept open.

"I thought you had to be invited in?" Xander asked but without the usual venom he reserved for Angel. Xander couldn't remember it all too clearly, but knew a large part of his still being alive must be owed to him.

"Public place," Angel answered equally at ease sensing that a mini-truce must be in the making. "How is it?"

"It hurts, but not bad now," he said honestly. "How long have I been out?"

"Almost a day. I'll be heading back soon, so I can't stay long. I wanted to make sure..."

Angel trailed off and Xander got the feeling it wasn't really him he was checking on. Buffy chose that moment to stir from her sleep.

"Hey," she said smiling at Xander, "you're awake again."

"Yeah," he said smiling back at her.

"I'll be going then," Angel put in as he took a few steps back.

"Wait," Buffy said getting up, and then turning back briefly, "I'll only be a second."

Xander nodded.

It was hard to say what he felt at the moment watching Buffy walk out of the room with Angel. He knew at one point in his life it would have made him angry and at another point he just didn't seem to care. Now, it hardly affected him. He still didn't like Angel and didn't trust him the way he did the others, but he was also very tired of harboring those feelings. In time he thought he could put them behind him, just not yet.

Xander barely had time for those thoughts to run through his head when Giles popped in.

"Buffy said you were awake."

"You could call it that."

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Xander said sitting up a bit more, "better then I was."

"You had us all very worried. I think they're going to start reserving a room for you here."

Xander chuckled a bit then wished he hadn't. The wound was still pretty fresh in his side and at the movement caused some reoccurrence of pain.

"Sorry," Giles said sitting down where Buffy had been.

"I think its best I laid off the funny for awhile," Xander commented, still clutching his side.

"Yes, about that, Willow did help as much as she could. She's stepped out for a moment, has been here the whole time with Buffy. She couldn't heal it, but she did stop most of the bleeding."

"Wow. That's our Wills."

"Yes," Giles said with a bit of a smile, "quite remarkable. But you'll probably always have the scar. These types of things usually do that."

Xander nodded in agreement and for a moment neither had anything else to say.

"It's not over," Xander mused out loud.

"No," Giles answered sadly, "I don't think it is. I've spent most of today doing some research, phoning some old friends. Constance had quite a following. She was well thought out, much more then we could have imagined."

Xander nodded. It wasn't really new information to him. He hadn't known Constance was any type of cult leader or the like, but he did know she'd been prepared. It was practically her middle name.

"So you're going back?" Buffy asked, knowing he was.

"Yeah, I should. I'll stay longer if you need me too."

"No," she said, feeling somewhat guilty without knowing why, looking around her for a distraction, "I think we've got it."

They stood for a moment in awkward silence.

"Thanks for everything Angel. I really do appreciate it. We all do."

"You don't have to thank me, really."

Again, silence.

"Buffy..." Angel started and then stopped. She looked up at him expectantly. "I'm glad you're happy. I'm glad he makes you happy."

"He does," she agreed, looking down momentarily.

"Good. I don't have to go back in there then and remind him what happens if he doesn't, right?"

"No," she laughed, "I don't think that's necessary.

"Alright," Angel said easier now turning to go, "If I hear anything I'll be in touch."

Buffy nodded and in half a second, he was gone.