X Woman Chapter Four

Sunnydale, California 2 days after the last chapter

……………………………

It had been three months since Buffy's birthday; 3 horrible months since Angelus was let lose and everyone seemed to sink into themselves with the weight of the world like a solid weight on their shoulders gaining more pound by the day. Buffy had been missing for weeks and everyone was worried.

Sometimes, Giles wanted to curse Buffy for leaving and abandoning them to the struggles on the hellmouth, but that was when he was mad and stressed, which seemed to be a lot of the time now. He knew that, If she had really resorted to running away, she was in a lot more stress then any of them had witnessed. Sometimes, he just wanted to scold her and slam the door shut in her face for leaving him alone to pick up the pieces. He just knew she had left to die.

But there were times when he resisted temptations. When looked at his beloved Jenny, who was resurrected by her gypsy clan, he couldn't help but feel warmth inside of him. He was told that it wasn't her time to die, and that the PTBs expected something of her in the future, something she needed to do.

Those are the times when he straightens up, and knows not to curse Buffy, but to curse her birthday and her bad luck. But he keeps himself busy.

He worries over his slayer, his almost-daughter, his charge. Since she ran away, no one was getting much sleep, too busy worrying about her and trying not to think of the multiple ways she could have been eviscerated even off of the hellmouth.

He couldn't help but think that she was off dying in some gutter somewhere, and that it was his fault; that he could help her and should be by her side, holding her up as she did him when he first lost Jenny. She was there for him even when a monster wearing her lover's face was chasing and taunting her, preparing to kill her.

Giles couldn't help thing that he needed to look harder and longer for her and that she was gone and never coming back.

But he shut off those thoughts to make sure that there were no apocalypses to face, or demons to slay. But he couldn't help but think of her, and what had happened to make her run away. The others, Buffy's scoobies or slayerettes were apparently having just as much trouble coping with her disappearance.

It's not like anyone knew anything anyway. It was obvious that Acathla lay dormant. But no one knew if it was temporarily opened and if she sent Angelus to hell; or if Willow did in fact restore his soul, and they ran off to be alone.

Somehow, he highly doubted the second option. The first one seemed more life-like, as if it may have happened.

So Giles searched books looking for references of things to come, or looking around the country for his daughter-at-heart. Jenny, Willow, Oz, Cordelia, and Xander were backing him and keeping him up as much as possible along the way. He couldn't help but worry.

But every time he came back empty handed, they all lost a little hope of finding her. Mrs. Summers seemed to just make it worse every time she came by and asked them on his progress. Sometimes, the woman could be a menace.

……………

Xavier Institute

Buffy lay in her bed, in the room they had given her. She wasn't feeling well. Hell. She wasn't feeling. She was just enveloped in a numb feeling that somehow hurt in a way that was torturous, but at the same time wasn't because it wasn't really feeling. It was an absence of feeling.

When she had seen Scott, she hadn't recognized him. But he sat there and talked to her silently, her still form just lay there on the bed for a while as he droned on, and eventually she could see past shadows and bad memories to the person she had once known as a dearest friend next to Celia, their CeeCee.

When she had pointed her eyes at him her mind had concentrated at him, and finally saw him. She wondered what the freaky glasses on his face were for in a brief moment as her old self, before trying to make out his words when the numbness/pain returned.

She couldn't understand what he was saying. She had heard a sound like a throbbing; it was giving her a headache. But she didn't know because she couldn't feel it. She only felt dizzy, a sensation that just seemed to throw her back into the nightmares, uncontrolled like when a person is on a boat moving across an ocean.

A bit later, the professor came in the medical lab only to find Buffy awake but not really aware. He called for Jean and asked if she would help him try to penetrate her mental shields. He had never seen anything so strong, so able, so constructed. He didn't see much of a need for it usually. Had Ms. Summers come across mind readers before?

When she had agreed and gotten ready, Buffy was still just trying not to feel dizzy. She couldn't think straight. Everything was jumbled. But even if she could manage to sort anything out, it was too hazy inside her consciousness to really think anything through.

When the professor and Jean were ready, they stood over her, and held hands, letting their power flow through her. For the first few moments, they were fine, but then they hit the heart. A bubble-like forcefield of power stood there and threw them back when they came in contact with the mental shield.

Their eyes flew open and Jean gasped as they were both forced out of concentration with the feeling of a harsh shove to push them out of Buffy's mind. The professor knew more about this then her, but he was still flabbergasted. They allowed themselves to continue moving into her and through her, but the pain continued, and increased. Eventually, they had to break contact. Jean was looking exhausted and horrified, but the professor looked puzzled. He didn't look as bad, but they were both wiped. And everyone in the room (professor, Scott, Storm, Jean) except for Buffy of course, knew it.

The professor sighed. "I think we've been wrong about going into her like this. I'll just go into her mind instead, and not try to flow through her."

Before he could, Storm stopped him. "Do you think that's a very good idea though professor?" she asked.

He thought about it a moment and said, "Storm, I don't know. If you could feel the pain radiating off of her, you'd know what I mean." He shivered unconsciously at the sharp memory. He could still feel the waves coming off of her.

Jean unconsciously nodded her head at his assessment. "But I have no idea. And I'll never know if I don't try." He finished.

She sighed, knowing she could never find another way to change his mind. She stood behind his chair to watch, while Jean and Scott were on the other side.

The professor breathed in and out to calm his nerves and rested his hand on her head. Physical contact was not required, but it helped. He felt his power flow through himself, and into the girl's mind, instead of just over her.

………………………

Buffy's mind

She sat huddled in the corner of an unnatural darkness. She looked as if she didn't care, but the pain melded onto her skin let him know otherwise. There was a blending of three rooms; One looked like a library, A dead girl lay in the floor, never having gotten up from the fall. Her throat was slit. Blood was seeping around her and a puddle was eerily sinking around her.

In the same room, but away from the Jamaican girl, he noticed a redhead lay under a stack of books, and a dark haired boy lay on the other side of the table, with a head wound bleeding steadily but not too heavily.

Near a cage, lay a boy who had also been hit over the head. He wasn't bleeding too badly but the wound would need to be looked at. He was out cold. It might have been a concussion, but the professor couldn't really tell.

In a second room was a staircase. It ended before the third stair could start; and on the bed lay a woman, dead. Her neck was broken, a professional kill used for a passionate murder. He had no way of knowing that it was a meaningful kill; the murderer was very passionate about what it was he was doing. She was a manikin, posed for a duty. Her's was to break the heart of a man that Buffy was fond of, in a fatherly way. It had been a staged body. He saw an elderly man staring at it. He looked grief stricken, shocked, and angry.

In the third room, was a stone statue of a demon? Near it, was a garden, with two people on the patio, fighting. He saw the first one, a man, a vampire actually. He was a little taken aback. He didn't know such things existed, and he had pretty much doubted t until the thought ran around in her mind and into him simply. He tried not to think about and decided to wonder on it when he had the time.

He heard a voice, and movement. "What's left? No friends. No watcher. No hope. Take it all away, and what's left?"

There was the metallic sound that he knew was the weapon sliding straight through the air. The wielder knew what he was doing. Then there was a clap sound as the second person caught the edge, stopping the blade from going any further. "Me."

There were then sounds of a brawl starting and eventually swords clashing. He didn't see the rest of that scene, because it changed, almost fading into the scene he did come across.

A figure kneeled, angry. The blonde stood up, ready to behead him and defend herself, when a force went through the two of them, and she dropped the sword. "Angel?" she asked, not sure she should believe. The man's eyes glowed and he was replaced in all but body. Even his manner was different to that of the one the blonde girl was battling against before.

Professor X saw the rest of that scene, including where she lay limp on the ground, seizuring by the force of the powerful closing, and heartbreak. He watched as she twitched, and screamed a sound so bizarre, he hopped he would never hear it again. He knew that it was blocked out by the rest of the world. Everyone else had forgotten that moment when her soul broke. And the ancient cry of the soul mate's parting. Even the professor forgot it when he saw her in the corner, crying her eyes out, trying to stay away from toe horrible scenes.

"Ms. Summers?" Professor X asked politely. There was no answer. "Buffy?" He tried again.

Her gaze shot up, and she saw him. She looked around, confused, unable to really contemplate anything. She hadn't had anyone else in her dreams lately. She only had the reoccurring one with Angel on the beach, looking out at the waves.

"How did you get here?" she managed to ask, as he slowly wheeled towards her. She looked around again, confused. Who was he? What was she doing in her nightmares? Was Angel coming?

He looked at her, smiling nicely. "I am Professor Xavier, and I am here to try and get you to wake up. You're in some kind of vegetated state, and we're not sure why. Scott is here, your cousin. You could talk to him if you wanted."

"Scott?" She asked dumbfounded. She hadn't seen him in almost three years. She did miss him sometimes, when Xander and the others failed to understand or give a shoulder.

He nodded. Ms. Summers, you do realize that this is your mind that you're in right?" He asked, uncertain if she did or not. She was kind of out of it, event though it was her mind.

She looked round. "Yeah. My mind has always been a little bit hell-ish." She gave a bitter snorting laugh and stared straight ahead again, no longer focusing on the professor. She was snapped out of them when he spoke again.

"Buffy- I can call you Buffy right?" He continued when she nodded, giving her uncaring approval. "You're trapped in your mind right now. We can't reach you in your body."

She thought about it for a minute. 'Why not, can't hurt any worse.' "Got a way? My head hurts."

He nodded, "As long as you'll come willingly."

Buffy shrugged and let a little humor show through. "Be me up-to Scotty." She laughed humorously but still didn't really care.

They both managed to give a quick smile at that bit of pop-culture humor, though.

He nodded, and the next thing she knew, she was blinking at the too-bright ceiling. "Anybody get the name of that vampire?" She asked weekly. She winced and rubbed her eyes at the white light surrounding her.

"Vampire?" Scott asked.

She just stared at him. "You're into this –this mutant genes thing, and you don't even know about vampires... demons... and the bogedy-boos in the world?" 'Wow, guess Sunnydale isn't the only capital of denial.' She thought to herself.

He just looked at her curiously. "So those things exist?" He asked, a bit on edge. She nodded. But he wasn't sure if he was going to accept that yet. Jean and Storm had left for a few moments, and weren't aware of the conversation they were having. They still lived in the innocent world of humans, canine, and spiritual help.

Buffy took a look around and moaned at where she was. "Can I pleeeeeease get-outta-here?" She whined. Scott gave a small chuckle and mentally groaned at the thought of keeping her here. She said it playfully, but at the look of her act, he knew she was anxious to escape and do something else.

Scott looked at the professor for permission. The professor looked slightly amused and mentally chuckled. He looked at the two girls that walked in before replying. "Why don't you get Storm and Jean to finish your tests and then you can go to your room." Buffy didn't question about her room, she didn't question a lot of things. It was just like her to get involved in the supernatural with out even being aware.

She groaned again at the word 'tests' but shrugged and jumped up. "Tests now-need to leave." She was standing upright, confusing the two older girls. She shrugged, knowing they were curious as to her sudden amount of power, since she was malnourished, she didn't really care. She had energy to burn and the only thing she was looking to doing is getting away from the hospital room, even if it wasn't in an actual red cross building.

When Jean got to her, she told her "You need to eat something." Buffy shrugged and looked at the soup Storm was carrying.

Buffy saw the table off to her right, and wheeled it over next to the bed. She patted the top, making sure it was sturdy, and Aurora put the bowl and spoon down on it. Buffy sat down and slipped at it slowly. She didn't feel hungry. But hey, free food.

"So, how long have I been here?" she asked, nicely, making small talk after a few minutees of silence.

"A couple of days. You were pretty out of it. The morning after we brought you in, your heart stopped, so we took you in and resuscitated you.

Buffy's few sips stopped as she heard this, and she spit a little out, bringing everyone's attention back to her directly.

"So... did I die?" she asked. She wasn't afraid of dying, but she waited for it.

For a moment there, she wasn't sure she wanted to know, but she might as well. She would be the first known slayer to die, and be brought back, twice. She shrugged and regained sipping. After a moment, she looked up, still sipping.

Jean answered. "Yeah actually, you flat-lined... Four times." Buffy stopped eating her chicken noodle soup for a moment, again.

Everyone looked a little curious, confused, and startled when she burst out laughing. After a moment, she stopped laughing and went to her soup, saying she was sorry by smiling nicely and looking at them for more information.

"Ms. Summers...-"

"-Buffy" she corrected.

"Buffy. You have an extraordinary gene pool, and your molecular make-up is, unnatural." Storm said.

Buffy didn't look fazed. 'Nothing new here.' She thought. And then she saw Storm's face. "What is it? You guys... uh, girls are being all avoidy."

There was a pause while they waited for Scott to tell her the news. It was his job, seeing as how he was a some-what close relative.

When he did, a few minutes had passed. "You're pregnant." He blurted out.

Buffy choked on her soup. When she swallowed her soup, she squeaked out "What!"

He said it again, and all she could think was, 'At least I get a part of him to keep.' If it wasn't for her unnatural wall around her mind, then the professor would have heard everything about her 17th birthday zip through her mind. She was shocked. 'Uhm. How?' She thought dumbly. Her face was blank.

And as she took all this in, she shrugged and finished her soup. She wasn't any fuller, but she wasn't hungry either. She felt empty, even as the news hit her.

When she finished her soup, Scott and the professor left, and Jean and Storm finished their tests, and made small talk. Buffy was careful not to let anything supernatural to personal, or odd come out. All she wanted to do was take a walk or something and get out of the medical areas…