"I should have been able to do more though," Xander said emphatically as he sat down, this was the first real chance he'd had to relax since the attack on Sunnydale. Now that he knew that the emergency services were doing their part, that Sunnydale was now safe and being looked after, it was only now that he let his guard down for a bit.
"You can't do everything son," Hammond explained, leaning on his desk for support as he looked down at the young man who was coming to him for advice. "Don't try, sure, the world needs it's heroes. But there are some things that you just can't fix. People will always show you the worst side of humanity, trust me, I've seen enough to know that there are some seriously dark people out there, and if you don't believe me, ask your father. I'm sure he's got more than enough stories to tell you."
"Maybe," Xander conceded. "I just feel... ugh," Xander threw his arms up in the air and started pacing the room. "It's like I should be doing more, I know I should be doing more. The world has enough problems, gangs, bank robbers, murders. I could be stopping them all."
"You can't save everyone," Hammond said softly, his voice carrying through the room.
"I should have," Xander said, staring at General Hammond. "Someone should have been there, in Sunnydale. This shouldn't have happened." He paused, looking at Hammond. "You remember, the last time we talked."
Hammond let out a small laugh before looking over at him. "Been trying to forget it." He smiled, rubbing his head softly before looking at Xander more intently. "What are you thinking son?"
"Just that it shouldn't have happened," Xander paused in thought. "With Faith and Buffy here, and, I was dealing with something else. I should have been there; I could have prevented this somehow..." He trailed off quietly, slumping back into his chair.
"If you were there, then yes," Hammond said softly. "But you weren't. Even you, with all your power, can't be everywhere when things are going wrong."
"But there should have been someone there," Xander sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Someone should have stood up to Ethan, stopped him from doing what he did."
"From what I understand, your friend, the kryptonian. She was there and did stand up to him, long enough for you to get there." Hammond explained, almost surprising Xander with the accuracy of his information.
"She couldn't though," Xander said quietly. "She nearly died because I wasn't there." He raised his voice at the last before remembering who he was talking to and looked away.
"From what you've told me, about these power rings, the ones you gave Faith and Buffy. Little on earth could stand up to one, let alone stop someone using one for destruction." Hammond continued, pausing for a moment so Xander could think about what he was saying. "You can't protect the whole world, not even with your friends. In the end, you are only one man, just as Faith and Buffy are only young girls. In the end, countries have armies and entire police squads to take care of things like this..."
"Which is what the Corps were designed for," Xander broke in. "The Corps, the Green Lanterns. It's what they are there for, to police the galaxy, to protect planets like this from people like Ethan, from the Goa'uld and other threats out there."
"The Corps aren't here though..." Hammond trailed off, realizing what Xander was getting at now. "You want to build them, don't you?"
"It's the right thing to do," Xander said firmly. "If they were here, they could have protected earth, prevented god knows how much destruction."
"And just who were you thinking of giving a power ring to?" Hammond asked in honest curiosity. He couldn't actually think of anyone he would honestly trust not to abuse the power of the ring.
"I..." Xander floundered, trying to figure out exactly what he was trying to say. "I don't know." He finished lamely, failing to actually follow through on his thoughts to create the Corps that he envisioned.
"You'll find your own place son," Hammond said with a smile. "But now, I think we could do with your help here more than anywhere else."
"Here?" Xander asked, looking around. "What's happened, where's Faith and Buffy?"
"That's what we've been trying to figure out..." Hammond trailed off as he started to explain what had happened on the planet that SG1 had gone to and everything that had happened since.
The patrol had been pretty quiet for a change, Jenny and Wesley had barely seen any sign of vampiric or other demonic activity the whole night, even with Jenny's enhanced sight.
"You're sure there's nothing behind us?" Wesley asked, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the crossbow tightly while he looked deep into the shadows behind them.
"There's nothing there," Jenny replied, a hint of exasperation in her voice. Her entire body was still tingling from the sun dip that Xander had used to revive her, it felt like she had just woke up from a years sleep, her entire body was racing with energy and she felt more alive than she had in years. "Come on, the hospital area isn't far ahead."
"I know the way," Wesley frowned as he span around, crossbow still in hand as he walked along. He was still trying to figure out exactly what was going on in this town; the emerald sorcerer was the main thing he was trying to place. How could one mage have amassed so much power without the council knowing about it? There were other things as well; something that Mr Giles wasn't telling him. He could see it in the sideways glances between the group, the way he would change sentences half way through and cover up what he had started to say.
"I said; get the hell away from her!" Giles shouted again as he watched the vampire snarl as him, not even moving from where it was crouched above Willow. He could feel the energy of the ring snaking around him, the visible golden glow was now lighting up the area and casting shadows along the vampires face, making it's already demonic visage seem that more terrifying. "You won't get a second chance," Giles bluffed, inwardly he was terrified for Willow's safety, not to mention the fact that he was now wearing the ring that had almost levelled Sunnydale, a weapon he had no knowledge or training on how to use, and it was the only weapon he had available that could even hope to stop Angelus.
The vampire snarled again, obviously glaring at the ring this time and not Giles himself. He seemed to be actually weighing his options up for a second before he jumped off Willow at lightning speed and tried to disappear into the night.
"Giles, stop him!" Willow shouted, trying to get up from where Angelus had barrelled her into the ground.
"And how the bloody hell am I supposed to do that?" Giles shouted, thoughts running through his head at a mile a minute.
"Focus, the same way as Buffy and Faith do," Willow shouted back, watching as Angelus was quickly disappearing into the shadows. "Think of something, focus on it, then just... I don't know..." Willow whispered the last, realizing that while she had done an inordinate amount of research into Ion and the Green Lantern rings, Sinestro's ring had never actually come up, it wasn't something that she had actually ever considered researching.
Whatever else Willow had been thinking was immediately blanked from her mind as a blast of pure golden energy whipped out from Giles' fist and impacted the back of the vampire, sending him crashing to the floor where he skidded along the floor for a moment before coming to a rest, his back smoking in the soft glow of a streetlight.
"Giles..." Willow whispered, looking over to see the origins of the energy blast. Giles was just standing there; a look of pure hatred on his face as held his fist out, still aiming towards the now unmoving form in the distance. "Giles," She said a bit firmer this time, standing up now so she could try and see exactly what had happened. "Giles, we should get out of here, before he comes around."
"It's a vampire Willow," Giles said firmly, slowly now walking towards where Angelus had fallen. "We let it live, how many people would he kill?" Giles snapped out, turning to Willow. "How many people did he kill before, before Xander finally did what Buffy couldn't?"
"Giles, this isn't you, think, Xander sent Angelus to hell, think, how could he come back?" Willow practically begged, in the back of her mind she knew that this was a problem, a vicious killer that had come back from hell, though another side of her mind desperately wanted to see if they could fix this, see if they could put Angel's soul back in so he and Buffy could be happy again.
"I don't know," Giles bit out as he advanced on Angel, this time his fist practically sparking energy as he walked. "He shouldn't, couldn't have escaped."
"So think," Willow begged, jogging up behind Giles and putting her hand on his shoulder. "Something must have happened, something big, it's not every day that someone escapes Hell."
"Willow," Giles almost stumbled, blinking for a second as he forced the world back into view. "He, he could kill all of us, we should finish it now."
"And he could save us," Willow argued back. "He's done it before, saved Buffy's life. We should at least see if we can help him."
"How?" Giles asked, the golden glow from the ring now slowly dissipating.
"There has to be spells, something, somewhere, I don't know, someone must have an idea of how to put his soul back in." Willow practically begged, her eyes never leaving Giles' as she fought for her idea of true love and soul mates.
"There..." Giles stumbled again, reaching up be wiped his hand across his brow. "Willow, what..."
"Please Giles, someone must know the magic they used originally, the curse to put his soul back in, there has to be a way." Willow stared over, watching in confusion as Giles seemed to be a bit lost for a second before he caught sight of Angelus' still form.
"What..." Giles mumbled for a moment before staring down at the yellow ring that was still flickering on his finger. "Willow, what just happened?" He asked, never taking his eye off the ring.
"Giles, what are you talking about?" Willow asked after a moment, watching as the older man played with the ring on his finger for a moment. "Angel attacked, you used Ethan's ring to knock him out."
"Angelus," Giles whispered the memories of the past year when Angelus had roamed free now coming back to his mind, the amount of deaths that he had seen in the papers alone that he knew could be attributed to the vampire. Every death that could have been saved if Buffy had just done the right thing, the thing she had been trained to do.
"Yes, Angel, we can help him, right?" Willow broke into Giles' concentration again and forced him to look back at her instead of at the golden ring again. "There must be a spell; you must know someone, somewhere that can help him."
"Willow," Giles paused, raising his hand to his head in a feeble attempt to shrug off the migraine that was slowly building. "There... there maybe someone that can help, but we have no way of containing him until I can know for certain."
"Yes we do," Willow said, hope finally building inside her that she could get the two star crossed lovers back together. "The ring, it can do anything, you used it already, just focus, try and think of something that could stop him, something to hold him until you can fix him."
"Willow... it's... it's just not that simple." Giles ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to think this through. "I can barely remember using the ring, it's like a blur. Without Xander's assistance, I wouldn't like to try using the power again, there's no telling what sort of affect it may have."
"But..." Willow tried to interrupt.
"No Willow," Giles said firmly, taking off the ring and placing it inside his pocket. "Ethan created this using the darkest chaos magic known; I dread to think what sort of deals he would have had to make to create something this powerful."
"But, there has to be a way, something we can do..." Willow practically begged as he looked over at the still body a few feet away from them.
"Now, I never said we wouldn't try," Giles said with a soft smile. "Just that we wouldn't use the ring; see if you can find some rope, something to bind him with. We should try and get him back to the library before he wakes up, there I can get in contact with some old friends, see what I can do."
Willow just nodded before running off to see what she could find, happy in the thought that they would get Angel's soul back. She knew it was the right thing to do, just knew it.
"Buffy and Faith are where?" Xander almost shouted, standing up to face General Hammond.
"Out there, they went to rescue SG1, Teal'c and Daniel are safe, but we have lost contact with the world they were last on." General Hammond explained slowly, not wanting to make the most powerful teenager on the planet angry.
"You haven't heard anything from them?" Xander asked sharply. "What about the Stargate, can't you just redial and see where they went?"
"We tried," General Hammond said calmly. "The 'gate on the other side isn't responding, the only reason for that to happen is if there is already a wormhole at the other side, or if the other Stargate isn't there anymore."
"If it's been destroyed." Xander filled in in a soft voice. "Where were they?" He asked, mentally trying to create a link with the rings he had given to Faith and Buffy. "Doesn't matter," He grinned, establishing the link. "I'll get them myself." He smiled before saluting General Hammond casually and then teleporting himself out of the office towards where he knew the rings were.
"What the..." Xander paused as he looked around, he was sure he had followed the link correctly; he should be exactly where Buffy and Faith were, not, in some sort of coffee shop. Glancing down he could see he was still in his casual clothes, and he had obviously appeared in his customary flash of green light.
"Hello?" He shouted, looking around the deserted shop, pausing when he saw one woman at the end of the service counter just smiling at him. "Uh, hi?" He asked feebly, wondering exactly where he was.
"Hello," The woman smiled softly at him. "Well, aren't you a puzzle."
"Um, yeah," Xander shrugged. "Look, sorry to flash and run," He grinned. "But I've got to go." He nodded to her before teleporting out.
Again, after another flash of emerald light, he found himself back in the coffee shop, the brunette woman just smiling at him patiently.
"Ok, I'll give, what's going on here?" He asked, facing the woman completely now as she seemed to be the only one around.
"Your friends are safe Alexander," The woman said as she nodded her head slightly. "We've been watching you for some time; the others felt that you were not ready for a meeting like this however."
"The others?" Xander asked, trying to get his bearings on this conversation. "Where am I anyway? And how do you know my name?"
"You are in another place," The woman said by explanation. "And we have always known your name, though you go by many."
"Um, nope, just Xander here." He smiled over, giving the woman one of his trademarked lop sided grins.
"Or the Torchbearer, the White Knight, Ion," She smiled, ticking off her fingers as she went. "And the one we know you as, the one that belongs to only you. The Nexus."
"Look, I can admit to the Torchbearer and Ion," Xander shrugged, he remembered using those two himself. "Angelus was the only one to call me the White Knight, so I think that's out."
"But I does suit you," The woman smiled. "Sit, would you like a coffee?" She asked as she started to pour one in a separate mug for him.
"Uh, sure," Xander said, still a bit confused on his surroundings. He paused as he sat down, looking at the woman across from him now intently, trying to figure out exactly what she was. "What are you, I mean, you're not human, I can see that."
"I was," The woman said as she finished making the coffee for him, adding sugar and milk exactly how he would have made it back home. "A long time ago."
"What happened?" Xander asked, taking the mug as it was offered to him. He had to smile at the logo on the mug, and the name that was under it. "Radu's coffee?" Xander grinned.
"Another place," The woman shrugged with a small smile. "One to help you adjust."
"Adjust to what?" Xander asked warily. He was already getting edgy here, wanting to know that his friends were doing alright.
"The future," The woman said enigmatically. "The changes that you are bringing and the changes that are coming. You will need to be ready for them, the multiverse is changing, and we are not sure if it for the better."
"What do you mean changing?" Xander asked, looking at the woman intently as she seemed to reach around for something before dropping a newspaper on the table in front of him.
"Read," She said simply. "Do not worry, you will keep your memories from this place, we cannot mask the past with you as we once did."
"Once did?" Xander asked. "I've been here before?"
"Not to this place, we have talked before however but the changes are so great, the danger is so great that we will need to act soon, sooner than we would have liked." The woman smiled, taking a sip of her own coffee.
Xander frowned, trying to digest this information as he glanced at the newspaper. At first his brain refused to register what he was seeing, then slowly he focused on the words again. "The green lanterns of earth, helpless under Apophis attack?" He read off the paper, staring at the woman. There was even a black and white photograph of two Goa'uld vessels fighting each other with a smaller ship caught in the middle.
"We are always watching, observing, and waiting." The woman said slowly.
"Waiting for what?" Xander asked, half realizing that he actually didn't want to know the answer to that question.
"The Crisis," The woman replied, making Xander cringe as he could already hear the capitals in the words. "The change is coming, there is nothing we, or you, can do to prevent it."
"I need to go," Xander frowned, not wanting to really go into anything at the moment until he was sure that Buffy and Faith were safe.
"You can't leave," The woman said softly, not menacingly, just a matter of fact sentence. "Not until you have seen what we brought you here for."
"Then show me." Xander said impatiently. He couldn't do anything from here, for all he knew Buffy and Faith needed him, Earth needed him.
"The future is fickle, we can only show you what could be, even we cannot predict the outcome of The Crisis," The woman smiled, reaching forward and taking hold of Xander's hand. "I will not be there for you, however, when you wish to return, simply focus on my name."
"Which is?" Xander frowned, wondering exactly where this obviously powerful woman would be sending him.
"Oma Desala," The woman said with a smile before she gripped Xander's hand tightly and he vanished into a flash of blinding white light.
Onboard the small shuttle craft, Faith shuddered slightly as she gripped on to the dashboard for support.
"What, what is it?" Jack asked, taking his eyes off the display for a second to see what was wrong with the brunette slayer.
"It's Xander," Faith whispered. "He's gone."
