(So I wrote this chapter and the Epilogue coming next week a while ago. I've held on to it forever cause I wasn't sure where I stood on it. Too Cheesy too confusing? Too eh? A part of me was figuring maybe a rewrite or a …. Retool but honestly I've been so busy and maybe this has to be enough. That being said I hope you like it. Next week I will finish this out with Epilogue)

October 30 2018 5:13 pm

As Xander's eyes fluttered open his head was hurting like hell. He could tell he was sitting but in a tied up position. As he opened his eyes he looked around slowly. His vision was starting to come back in to focus. He was tied to one of his office chairs both his arms and legs. He looked up to find a much more aged and weathered Nigel Travers standing in front of him.

Nigel chose the attic to take him captive. It was a work in progress and mid restoration. The walk out balcony was boarded up with the rotted wood and the plywood windows. In this new history Xander had been working on fixing up the house from the first floor up and attic was quite literally the last floor of Up. Nigel stood in front of him seething with rage.

This wasn't' the man he stood in front of the library earlier, No this was a man who spent his time on the run, hiding from the law. If haggard had a face this was it. He saw Xander opening his eyes and smiled. "I was starting to wonder if I killed you."

Xander looked up glaring at him. "Nigel Travers?"

"You know who I am. I never gave you much concern but some how I caught your attention?"

"Caught your attention? You fucking piece of shit, YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!" He screamed at him practically frothing at the mouth.

"Cause of that fucking whore Summers? Oh Mister Harris she was a disgrace to the slayer lineage. My father knew what Summers was and"

"Your father was a nothing and."

He snapped at Xander. "HEY DON'T! You don't get to speak of him. You don't know how great he was." He pulled out his old knife and put it in Xander's face. "This belongs to me so I hope you don't mind I'm taking it back." He paced in front of Xander holding the knife for him to see. "I'm going to kill you but before I do I'll give you the answers you want."

Xander looked at him disgusted. "Answers?"

"You must be curious as to why I've done the things I've done."

Xander laughed a little. It started off as a chuckle but grew in to a bigger belly laugh. "You can't be serious?"

He stepped to him. "Something funny?"

He tried to stop laughing and turned to him. "You can't be serious?" He shook his head. "You stand in front of me like you are some mystery. Like you are what? A knock off James Bond Villain who is going to monologue to me how there is some deep purpose or meaning to what you did."

"You can't begin to fathom."

Xander cut him off. "Stop it. You are pathetically one dimensional"

"Is that so?"

"Before you could walk your dad groomed you to take his place. You had some twisted fucked up pedigree and training that you see as a birthright."

"My father and his father and father before him and"

"EXACTLY! It pisses you off that a girl you think is beneath you, A girl that you think should be following your orders. She did more to change the game than anyone in your family ever has."

"SHE STOLE MY DESTINY"

He just laughed again. "If my hands were free right now I would applaud and thank you for proving my point."

January 26th 2008 8:13 pm

Buffy double timed it running to find Xander. She pounded on his door "XANDER. Please God be here." Her mind was racing and panicked. She couldn't get ahold of his 2018 counterpoint. Maybe he was dead, Maybe Nigel had found some magic or a way to get to him. This Xander was still alive though and as long as that remained she could make a difference. Just than her phone rang out. She flipped it out of her pocket answering it instantly "XANDER?"

The voice on the end of the phone was not Xander. Nigel breathed in deep and slow. "Your sister is home. I'm spending some quality time with her."

"If You touch her I will"

"SHUT UP!" The sudden tone and change of his voice startled Buffy. "As I was saying little sister is all alone and if you don't save her."

"Let me talk to her."

"She is tied up right now. If only there was some slayer who could save her."

"This isn't about her. I was the one who turned you in."

"And if you want to see her alive you'll come to her place alone. You tell anyone at all I promise you she will be dead before you enter the front door." He hung up the phone and waited.

Buffy turned knowing talking to Xander would have to go on the back burner. At that moment Xander turned walking down the hall and to his room seeing Buffy in front of his door. "Looking for someone."

Her mind raced and filled with worry. What if this was the moment where Dawn died. She wanted to ask Xander for help but it was a risk she couldn't take. "Xander I have to go."

"Go? I mean you came here for a reason."

"I got a phone call and something. I mean."

"Is this about our date?"

She looked at him and shook her head. "I might need to ask for a rain check."

"Is everything okay Buffy?"

She sucked in a deep breath. She wanted to tell him no. She wanted to ask for help. She closed her eyes and just nodded. "I'm fine."

He had known Summers long enough to know her something face. She was wearing her something face big time. "Buffy you can talk to me. You know that right."

She took his hand and looked in to his eyes. "We are going to talk. I promise. We are going to talk and I'm going to make sure you are ready."

"Ready for what?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Xander I can't explain everything right now. I just need you to remember something. Remember and be ready."

"Ready for what?"

"I don't have time for you to question. I just need for you to accept what I am telling you as fact and on the day Nigel comes for you. I need you to be ready. I need you to do what ever it takes."

"Nigel? The guy from the news. Why would"

She quickly fished out a piece of paper writing down the exact date and time Travers was going to come for him. She pressed it in in to his hand. "Be ready and when he comes for you. Don't hesitate."

"Buffy?"

"I have to go."

"What is going on?"

She looked at him pleadingly. "Please Xander. Just be ready." With that she quickly turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

She shook her head. "Wait for me here."

"Buffy what in the hell?

"Xander just please. Stay here." She hesitated to leave. Was this where she met her new destiny. Is there where she would die? She turned looking at Xander one more time ran back at him and grabbed him in a kiss. "No matter what. Thank you"

Xander was a little stunned by the kiss and looked at her confused. "For what?"

"Everything." With that she turned the hallway and ran out the door to her car. Her sister was dragged in to all of this and if it meant she had to die to protect her it was a tradeoff she was willing to make.

As she pulled up to Dawn's house all of the lights were turned off. As she shut off her car the phone rang out once again. She answered the phone. She knew it was him. "I'm here."

"You came alone. Good girl."

"I want to talk to my sister. I want to know she is alive."

"Relax. If I kill your sister I want you to be there to hear her beg. I want you to hear her cry and than finally take that last breath."

"I'm not coming in unless you send her out."

"If you don't come in I promise you she will die. I'll even let you listen to all that wonderful pain on speakerphone."

"Calm down." She reached for the car door handle. "I'm coming in."

"No weapons." The line went dead as he hung up the phone.

Buffy's heels clicked on the sidewalk as she made her way up to the small apartment Dawn called home. She opened the door and stepped inside calling out to her sister "Dawn." In the center of the room with a gag in her mouth tied to a chair Dawn squealed out trying to warn her sister Before she could take another step Nigel stepped out of the shadows behind Dawn. He held a knife to her throat. "That is far enough Slayer."

Buffy froze and put her hands up showing she was defenseless. "This is about us. My sister has nothing to do with this. Let her go."

Nigel pointed to the floor. "There are handcuffs next to the door put them on behind your back." Buffy slowly bent down and picked up the cold metal bracelets.

"I want this over Nigel. If killing me keeps the people, I love safe Than do it. Do it and disappear Never show your face again." She clicked on cuffs tightening them with her hands behind her. Nigel bit his lip smirking. The slayer was vulnerable and he was not going to waste this opportunity.

He slowly stepped to her holding the knife. "You'd like that. Die a martyr or hero or even the idea of sacrificing yourself for something." He charged at Buffy with all of his rage knocking her on her back taking the breath out of her. He climbed on top of her and placed his hands on her throat. "I'm going to kill you now. I want the last thought in your head to be I will track down everyone you love and kill all of them."

He squeezed throat with such rage as she gasped for air. In the background Dawn fought kicked and did everything she could trying to free herself. She struggled against the chair but her restraints were too much. Buffy tried to counter Nigel using her years of training but he had the upper hand and was a skilled fighter himself.

As she struggled for air trying to breathe he looked in to her eyes. "That's right Bitch. Fight. I want to see the light go out in your eyes. Make it good for me"

He could feel her pulse against his hands getting weaker and weaker till it was gone. As the slayer lay dead on the floor he released his grip. He stood over her "I win." He pulled out a knife to open her throat when he heard the back door open with an angry kick.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER" Xander stood in the door way. He followed Buffy from a distance and approached from the back of the house.

No words from Nigel he just raised his knife up over his head with the fallen slayer as his target. Before he could bring his arms down Xander pulled a pistol from his coat. Firing a single shot at his hand. He blew a hole clean through his hand and sending the knife flying.

Nigel screamed in pain as his right arm was now a bloody mess. He looked at the front door and knew he had to run. If he stayed he would bleed out. He ran with everything he had out the front door leaving a bloody trail.

Any other time Xander would have chased after him but right now his concern was Buffy. He ran to her side kneeling. "Come on Buffy. You gotta be okay." He touched the side of her neck feeling for her pulse but there was nothing. "NO. Not today. Not today please." With her on her back the answer was not only obvious but familiar. "Come on Buffy we've done this before."

With the handcuffs on and her arms behind her back it made doing CPR more difficult but he still had to try. He tilted her head back breathing a breath in to her followed by chest compressions. Each breath with no response felt like an eternity each time he pressed down on her chest trying to pump blood in her heart hurt like hell when she didn't move. "Come on Buffy. You are stronger than this. You fight." He pushed another deep breath inside of her.

Than came the sound he would of given anything for. She coughed hard and her heart once again beat on it own. She gasped out "XANDER."

"Oh God Buffy. You came back."

"Nigel? Where the hell is Nigel?"

"I shot him. Where ever he is going he won't get far."

Buffy pulled herself up "We have to help Dawn."

"I'm on it Buffy but maybe you should take it easy you just."

With no other word she jumped up tucking in her knees to her chest and jumping over her hands so the hand cuffs were in front of her. "I'm fine." Xander looked for the knife to cut Dawn free but before he could Buffy stepped to her and pulled on the ropes breaking them easily. As Dawns hands were free she pulled the gag out of her own mouth while Buffy broke the ropes for her legs. "Dawn you okay."

Dawn jumped up and grabbed Buffy in the tightest hug. "Buffy I thought I lost you."

Buffy hugged her back to the best of her ability. "Xander saved me. It's what he does best."

Xander sighed and smiled. "A world with out Buffy Summers isn't a world I want to live in."

October 30th 5:18 pm

"SHE STOLE MY DESTINY"

He just laughed again. "If my hands were free right now I would applaud and thank you for proving my point."

"Laugh all you want. In the end we know how this goes." He held up the knife, the blade shining in the sun. Suddenly the blade dropped sticking in to the wooden floorboard. He stared on shocked and confused as his hand flickered. It was like something out of back to the future. His hand was there and than it just wasn't. He looked on confused. "WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?"

Xander's head was spinning like he was on a Merry go round from hell. He wasn't sure if it was from getting knocked out earlier or if it was reality once again shifting and changing around him. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and looked up as if he was running a race. His head snapped up as he locked eyes with Nigel. "You think you've won."

Nigel looked where his hand once was. It was just gone and the stump that was there had long since healed over. "Well I only need one hand to kill you." He grabbed the knife out of the floor.

"You still don't get it."

"What don't I get?"

"I always thought she was crazy. It never made sense to me. She told me 10 years ago. She gave me the date and time you would show up. She told me to be ready. She made me train for years. I had to have a plan in place for how I would deal with you. It never made sense to me. Not until the last week. I get it now."

Now it was Nigel who was laughing. "All those years of training and getting ready and yet I still got the drop on you."

"Part of that training was the research end. You know the fun stuff. I had to know your style and how you operated. You love tying up your victims."

"This is getting boring"

"Well be patient cause here comes the good part. You tied me to this chair. MY CHAIR… and guess what." One quick tug and the arms anchored to the side of the chair popped free like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. "Maybe I'm not tied up as much as you think." With his arms free he used the same force and kicked the legs out on himself completely freeing himself. "But for bonus points." He was interrupted by the sound of a police siren coming off in the distance "That is the sound of you finally getting what you deserve."

Nigel was bewildered and stunned. How did this halfwit underling pull this off. He was Nigel Travers, Son of Quentin and with a bloodline that could be traced back hundreds of years. "I don't' know how you've done this but it doesn't matter. I won't surrender. I'll die first. If I'm going to die. You can damn well bet I'm taking you with me."

"10 years I've been training for this moment. I will not let you down."

With no more words Nigel charged at him with the knife. He swiped at him in a smooth fluid motion but Xander countered with a side step and quick rabbit kick to his ribs. Nigel reached back to swing his knife again but this time Xander caught his wrist holding him in place. With his own strength and momentum Xander pushed him against the wall bashing his hand painfully against exterior doorframe.

The knife fell between them and Xander kicked the blade to the other side of the room. If this fight was to be won he wanted it to be with hand to hand and no weapons. Nigel thrust his head forward head-butting Xander. It put enough distance between them so Nigel could fall back on his own training. He reached back and punched Xander delivering a burst punches to his kidneys.

Xander responded grabbing Nigel's head and bringing it down to his knee thrusting it in his face busting open his nose. Nigel fell to the ground in pain holding his face. Xander kicked his side. "You mother fucker" KICK "I am done with" KICK "You." He screamed in anger with a primal rage that was beyond anything he had ever felt before. He delivered a kick to his face busting out more than one tooth.

"STOP." He laid there a bloody mess beaten and defeated. "You win"

With that Xander heard the front door open and a loud yell "POLICE"

Xander looked at him disgusted. He could kill him right than and there. It was no less than what he deserved. If he did that though it would change him. It would make him something he wasn't and that wasn't a victory he was ready to give Nigel. "Upstairs. The man you are looking for is upstairs." He reached down angrily yanking Travers up and off the floor.

Bloody and beaten Nigel still didn't understand it all. How did it all unfold? How did he know? None of that mattered. It was over. If the police took him the best case scenario was he'd die in a cold dark cell. The worst case scenario would have a needle in his arm. Either way it wasn't a future he wanted any part of. He scanned the room and knew what he had to do.

With the last of his energy he grabbed Xander in a bear hug picking him up and charging through the plywood covering the balcony door. Xander fought his grip trying to free himself but he was caught off guard. As Nigel carried them through the from the door frame and floor started popping and snapping like rice krispie cereal . "Like I said boy if I'm dying you are coming with me."

Xander could see Nigel's endgame. He was running for the railing in a suicide dive and he was going to pull Xander down with him. Xander thew back an elbow to the strawberry glaze mess that was bloody beaten face Nigel winced in pain and it was just enough to loosen the grip. Xander used the forward moment to whip him around pushing him against the railing.

As expected the wood snapped and Nigel was falling through it. He reached out grabbing Xander's wrist with a death grip. He knew he was falling and Xander was coming with him. Xander steadied himself doing his best to stand his ground but between Nigel's weight and the rotting wood it was a battle he was losing.

Nigel was trying to write his own Die Hard ending with him representing Hans Gruber. The smirk on Nigel's face told it all. He knew he was going to die. The drop on to the cement patio would be fatal. Xander was slipping and the lock on his wrist was going to outlast Xander clutching the rotted wood of the rail.

Xander fingers were slipping one by one. His mind was internalizing this battle. "You've done everything you could. Be okay with this. If you have to die to put an end to this monster." And like that his fingers slipped he felt gravity taking it place and he was getting pulled. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

He jerked forward but was suddenly stopped as he felt an even more powerful grip locked around his other wrist. This grip was pulling, with a strength Nigel couldn't come close to matching. Xander was stunned and confused Something or someone had reached out and given him a life line. It was than that he saw her.

Buffy was in front of him holding his wrist with a grip that conveyed she wasn't ready to lose. Xander looked on stunned. This wasn't a phone call from the past or a text message, this was the living breathing chosen one standing in front of him and saying "'I'm not letting go."

Nigel looked through the crimson mask of blood. "NO It can not End this way."

In one angry pull Buffy used all her strength to pull Xander back and out of his grip. Nigel couldn't fight it and lost grip as he fell 3 stories and crashed to the ground. As his body hit the cement his neck snapped and he died instantly.

Xander stepped back in to the house. He looked at Buffy shocked and stunned. History had changed once again. Nigel never got the opportunity to take his pound of flesh from Buffy or from anyone else for that matter. Xander's world was changing before his eyes. His mind was once again flooded with a changing history.

A history that included dating and a wedding and even a family. The cold falling apart house he lived in just a month before was now warm and lived in. Given all these changes the one fate that seemed the hardest to accept was Buffy. She was standing in front of him in this moment and he couldn't find the words. His jaw just trembled unsure what to say.

For Buffy it was different. This was the time line she had lived through. It seemed as natural to her as any other day of the week. It might have been years but she knew it was this moment that he had caught up to the time line. A single tear of pure joy escaped her eyes and she said the words that had meant so much to them over the years. "I'm Still here."

He grabbed her holding her in a hug with everything he had. Her flesh and blood pressed against him was all the proof he needed She was real and this was not a dream. The threat of Nigel Travers was gone and Buffy was alive.

The police had made their way up the attic to find a bloody and beaten Xander. Office Lomez looked to the newly reunited couple. "Travers?"

With a bloody hand Xander pointed to the busted wooden door frame. Xander cleared his throat. "It's over."

Buffy heard the familiar sound of an ambulance siren. Xander was bruised bloody and beaten but he would live. Right now her focus was getting her husband healed. "Come on Xander. Lean on me. Lets' get you to the hospital."

Xander limped slightly not arguing. "I'm going to be okay."

Buffy nodded, "Yeah all the same lets go." As they headed down the steps he leaned on her. His world was still a bit of a blur as his brain was catching up to this new reality.

"Dawn is she."

"Dawn is fine Xander. She's watching Cooper. I didn't want either of them knowing what was coming today."

She helped him out of the house as the ambulance pulled up and the medics rushed out to help him. "Thank God. But " He was ready to ask who the hell is Cooper? His mind raced though and he suddenly remembered. "I have a son."