Title: And the rest is.
Author: Charlie Timeline: Post BtVS S7 & AtS S5. Sequel to "Best Laid Plans" and "A Fair Exchange.
Summary: The face we see isn't always the one that is visible?
Feedback is always appreciated.
Author Notes: Round and round, the ship goes. Where it lands, the Author doesn't know. Will it be (A)my, (B)uffy, (C)ordelia, (D)awn, (F)aith, (F)red, (H)armony, (K)ennedy or (W)illow that wins the Xandman? Vote now.

"Hello Ms?"

"Uh, yes... You said he's coma-like?"

"Not coma like. He's in a coma. A very deep one it appears. I was hoping to talk with Ms. Summers more about the nature of his accident. That way we could figure out more about his condition."

"Yeah, can they call you back?"

"Why yes... Or they can come talk to me or the doctor on duty at the hospital."

"Okay, bye."

Harmony hung up the phone.

"Now what?"

A little bit later

"He's WHAT!"

"In a coma. The doctor was very specific about that. He said that Xander had slipped into a deep coma."

The faint dark rings under Buffy's bloodshot eyes seemed to deepen as she absorbed this news. She didn't move for a few minutes and privately Harmony was wondering if she had fainted on her feet again. Finally she took a deep breath before turning around to her right.

"Willow, we have to go see him."

The red head, still seemingly out of it, nodded.

"Buffy, the school,"

"Will be fine." She crossed the distance between herself and Travis. "I need to see him, to see if I can help him."

His hand, briefly enveloped hers as he met her eyes, "and Are you sure you can help? If the doctors say he's slipped into a deep coma, then there is very little that can be done."

"Yes."

He watched the two of them leave in silence. Then his gaze shifted to the faces of the two vampires in the room. Travis noted the jealousy and anger flash across each's face.

"And you?"

Angel resisted the urge to growl at the half-breed. "Spike and me are going to check the alley, Andrew managed to find the police report online."

"He did, did he? That was enterprising of him."

"Little whelp used the door the witch made. Says that police found another corpse at the girl's place."

"I suppose you two would be the best choice to investigate that."

Angel's eyes narrowed as he bit off his retort, turning on his heel he left the room trailed by Spike.

Sacred Heart Hospital

"Buffy, I don't know if I can do this."

"Willow you can do this. You did it before."

"That was different. You were different. Xander is-"

"Willow please."

At last the red head nodded and took Buffy's hand in her left hand as her right sought one of Xander's hands. Buffy likewise took his remaining hand in her own. Silently each girl looked at each other and then at their friend, then closed their eyes. Then there was flash of white light...

Elsewhere

Buffy's eyes opened and she found herself in a familiar setting, Sunnydale, California. Or rather a version of it, that existed inside Xander's mind. She was standing in what was the main street that ran through the town. But instead of the shops that had lined the street in the real Sunnydale, here she saw the Magic Box, the entrance to Revello drive, and what looked like two high schools. Looking on the other side of the street, she saw Willow's house, Xander's home, the apartment complex where he lived, she even saw UC Sunnydale and Giles's residence.

Tentatively, she started walking down the street, looking for well anything. There was one thing she noticed the whole 'town' was deserted. The eerily quiet streets heightened her sense of unease.

"Well hello Blondie."

Buffy jumped nearly a foot in the air and whirled around to find Cole quietly smirking at her.

"Been a while slayer. How ya been?"

"I'm here for Xander."

"Well seeing as how this is his mind, I'd say you're in the right spot to be looking."

"Where is he?"

Cole shrugged then frowned and nodded in a direction, "Check over there, the construction site. I think that's where he might be."

Buffy turned her gaze to where he was looking and after a bit of searching found what he was referring to. She could faintly make out a figure working there and turned her head to thank the other man but he was gone.

Taking a deep breath she started walking towards the site. Seemingly in seconds she arrived, looking around she spotted whom she was looking in for in a corner. Cautiously she approached Xander from behind, her eyes dipped slightly as she saw what he was doing, brick-laying. Methodically, he laid down a row of wet cement and then brick by brick he made a row of them. Unfortunately as he added each new layer, the one on the very bottom seemed to sink into the ground.

"Xander..."

The carpenter stopped working and turned back to look at her for a few seconds before resuming his work.

"Xander..."

"Just say what you've got to say Buffy."

She walked around until she was in front of him. Then she reached out and touched his hand irritated he stopped.

"Okay Buffy what is it?"

"Xander, I want to say that I'm sorry."

"And?"

"And I'm sorry that I hurt you like this."

"'Like this?' is that ALL you came to say"
"I... I don't understand."

"Let me give you a piece of news Buff. The world doesn't revolve around you. Other people have lives and problems too you know. Or have you forgotten that?"

"I'm trying the best I can Xander."

"Really? Were you trying your best when let them take Willow? Or put Robin's life in danger?"

Buffy remained silent in the face of his rant. Abruptly the one-eyed man looked down at her and shook his head. "This is pointless. Just get out of here, I've got a lot of work to do."

Saying that, he resumed his brick laying and after a few minutes of watching him at his apparently never-ending task, Buffy walked away. She replayed their conversation in head, trying to make sense of it. In the distance, she caught site of her old high school and set off in that direction. Right before she reached the area she remembered as the quad, there was another flash of white light.

Buffy blinked at first thinking she was back in the hospital room but then she saw she was actually in a snowy plaza area. To her left she could see a large outdoor skating rink. On her right were numerous picnic tables and benches, at least twenty by her count. Then she noticed all the signs and writing were in ...Japanese?

"What is going on?"

A sound caught her attention and she turned to see a young Japanese girl running from a group of men. She could see the girls breath visible in the cold winter's night. A second later she noted the girl was carrying a katana with her as she ran from the pack of young men and boys. They caught up with her just as she reached the plaza and the closest grabbed her by the shoulder. Surprisingly she dropped her shoulder, grabbed the man by the wrist and threw him into a table, bouncing his head off the concrete in the process. The move surprised the others as they stopped and watched.

Abruptly the man popped up his face changing to that of the familiar one of a vampire. Likewise the other men's faces changed to that of vampires. With quiet and murderous intent, they stalked towards the girl, driving her back into a corner. Buffy felt sick to her stomach as she prepared to watch what would be a one-sided battle.

And a very large sack bounced off the heads at least two vampires. The others paused to watch the sack hit ground spilling...presents. The apparent leader of the vampires snarled in Japanese though strangely Buffy could understand him, "What the hell?"

The sound of jingling bells drew everyone's attention a figure standing on top of a light pole. He was dressed in red with white trim. He had long white beard and appeared slightly overweight. Even so, it was a fairly long time before the young girl broke the silence.

"Santa-san?"

"Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas" Santa spoke in Japanese accented English. He looked down at the mass, smiled broadly then with one hand grabbed his beard. Abruptly there was the sound of fabric tearing, as he seemed to tear his clothes off and fling them from his body. Buffy blinked in surprise as she recognized the figure now standing on the light pole.

"And a HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Cole grinned as he casually flipped off the pole, landing beside the girl.

"Greetings, young maiden," he spoke in Japanese to her, "I was in the neighborhood passing out good cheer when I saw these things chasing you. Being the gentleman I thought I would lend my assistance in this matter. What say you?"

The girl looked from the kind face of the man in front of her to the snarling and twisted faces of the vampires. Quickly she made her mind up, "My answer is... yes."

Cole nodded and took his place beside her, putting his back to hers. He withdrew the handle of his sword from within his coat and ignited the green, pulsing energy blade. The girl likewise unsheathed the razor sharp blade of her sword.

"I'm Cole by the way."

"Sakura."

"Cool."

The vampires choose that moment to charge and Cole and Sakura started their attacks, cold steel and green light weaving a deadly pattern through their ranks. Buffy stared at the light show until she had to blink and suddenly found herself back in the quad area of Sunnydale high again.

Confused she looked around and found she wasn't alone in the quad. Cole was laying peacefully on one of the tables. Silently she approached him, intent on getting answers.

"Meeting didn't go very well, did it?"

Crap, he had heard her after all. Sighing her defeat, she trumped up to the table where he was and plopped down the bench.

"No. I don't understand what's going on. I apologized for hurting him. I want to make amends but he doesn't seem interested."

"Hmm..."

"I didn't even get a chance to ask him about the pills."

At that Cole's eyes opened and he turned his head and looked at her. "Pills?"

"Dawn found a bottle of pills in his room. They were the same prescription as my mom had before she..."

"Oh, those pills. They're for the pain."

Buffy's head shot up and she focused more intently on him. "Pain? WHAT pain?"

Cole sighed, "When you get done after a night's patrolling and slaying, you're probably pretty sore, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well considering X doesn't have your accelerated healing, durability or anything else. How do you think HE feels after going along on one of your patrols?"

"I told him, he shouldn't come-"

"Please, after he followed you into the sewers, it should have been obvious that he was coming along come hell or high water. So why didn't you bother training him?"

"I didn't think about it."

"Uh huh, and the Troll? You didn't think anything MIGHT be wrong after he got pummeled by the same hammer you used to beat down the Hell-bitch."

Buffy didn't say anything.

"At least tell you took him to the hospital after he stopped Red Wreaking Hood?"

"No...He didn't want to go."

Cole sat up and looked at her with a mixture of surprise and disgust on his face.

"God you really are clueless", Cole sat up as he glared down at her, "Okay Summers, here's the deal. X's body has been thru seven years worth of physical abuse without the benefits of any real training or even regular checkups. Part of that is his own stubbornness but a part of it belongs on you, his alleged 'friend' for not helping. And don't get me started on Books-a-Million. On top of that, he's just buried his OWN parents."

Buffy's voice was barely above a whisper, timid, lacking in her normal strength.

"Can't you help him?"

"Hell no I can't help him. I can't even make the change, if I want."

She looked up at him in surprise, "You can't?"

"Nope. Per the terms of the spell it has to be consensual, he has to want the switch when he's in control and vice versa. If one of us tries to force the change, there is a chance it seriously damage one or both."

"He's in a coma now"

"Great, do you want to turn him into a brain-dead, drooling vegetable too? Because that's what will happen if I try to force the change."

"But can't you lend him your strength or someone?"

"Again No, I can't. In the first place, it's extremely dangerous for him as is. And in the second, I don't know how. I'm not THAT familiar with magic that I'm willing to alter thousand year old enjoining magic on a whim. Sheesh."

Buffy looked downcast again.

"Look you want to fix things? The solution to all of Xander's problems is in that school locker over there," He gestured to a group of lockers standing alongside the wall. All but one were open, their doors ajar revealing the empty contents within. "You open it, you'll find all the answers."

The slayer stood up and walked over to the lockers with Cole watching her. She reached and touched the cool metal door of the locker and tried the handle. It refused to open and she tried harder. Again the door refused to open. She kept pulling on the door handle, using all her slayer strength on it and the door stubbornly refused to open.

Finally she gave up on trying the handle and started fiddling with the combination lock. First, she tried Xander's birthday. Then Willow's, then her's, even Dawn's. The locker stubbornly refused to open. Then she felt something tugging at the back of her mind and was just about to remember it when she heard Cole's voice behind her.

"Oh, looks like your quarter's up."

There was another flash of bright light that blinded Buffy and she found herself back in the hospital room, holding hands with her best friends. She smiled sadly down at Xander and then looked at Willow while still wearing the same sad smile.

"We have to talk."