When Willow saw Xander the next day, she was shocked by his appearance.
"Xander? What happened? You practically had your head bashed in yesterday and today there's no sign that you were hurt."
"Yeah, kinda of freaky isn't it? The doctor asked me if I got the x-gene test done. I didn't know what he was talking about. He reminded me that my arm was broken last May and I healed in just a couple of weeks. I told him I don't remember that. He thinks the blow to my head yesterday is affecting my memory. He suggested I get the test done. He's convinced it will come back positive. Only mutants heal this fast, he said."
'Oh no!' Willow thought. 'I totally forgot. This isn't good. All the reasons I had before for him to not have that test still stand. Him being a mutant could put us all in danger. I don't have any choice, I have to make him forget again. Aren't the vampires and demons enough? We don't need more danger in our lives!'
'He's still being selfish.' That voice whispered across the back of her mind again. 'Make him forget about the test, about being a mutant. It's the only way to keep us safe. Buffy can protect us from the vampires and the demons, who would protect us from the crazy humans?'
'That's true.' Willow thought. 'Buffy fights monsters, not humans. I have to make Xander forget, it'll keep us safe.'
"Xander, look at me." She ordered and she recited the memory erasure spell again. His eyes flashed and then he said. "What were we talking about?"
"I asked you about Cordelia."
"Oh yeah, she's out of surgery. I'm going to get some flowers and go see her. Explain to her something that still doesn't make any sense to me."
'Whoo.' Willow thought. 'That was close. But if he continues to be involved with the Slaying it could come up again. I can't let the others find out. Buffy might actually welcome Xander being a mutant, especially if he can help more. That could attract the wrong kind of attention. We don't need more trouble in Sunnydale. So that means I need to convince the others to keep Xander out of Slaying. He's so stubborn, he just refuses to understand the kind of problems him being a mutant could bring.'
'It's not like he can do Magic.' The voice whispered across the back of her mind again. 'Magic is more important for fighting vampires and demons anyway.'
'Yeah, it is.' Willow agreed. 'I can help more then he can. It's not like he can do Magic, he doesn't have a gift for it like I do. I'll talk to Buffy. Once she understands that Xander shouldn't be involved with Slaying for his own good, she'll help me convince him. Giles will go along with what Buffy wants anyway.'
Xander left the hospital after trying to talk to Cordelia feeling just as heartbroken as she was. 'I could hear her crying.' He thought. 'I did that. I made her cry. Something else I always swore I wouldn't do to a girl. First I cheated and then I made her cry. And I still don't understand why I kissed Willow. I'm not giving up on me and Cordy though. Eventually she might let me explain. I'll give her some time and then try again. We were happy, I know we were. What happened to us? And how do I fix it? If it can be fixed.'
At the Xavier Institute Scott Summers noticed his wife Jean was looking concerned.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"I haven't felt anything from that young mutant for awhile. Then there was a blast of anger not long ago."
"I remember. You said normally when you feel something from him it's terror and pain. I take it something changed?"
"Yes, now he's hating himself again and really confused. I'd dearly love to know what causes the things I feel from him. What's happening in his life that causes bouts of terror, pain, anger and self hatred? It's more, much more then normal teenager feelings."
"More then two years since this first started and we're still no closer to finding him or understanding how he can connect to you. The Professor has even tried reaching out telepathically using Cerebro and gotten nowhere. Something is blocking him from us, from getting anything more then impressions or actually finding him. I don't think I'm going to like the answer to whatever is blocking him, Jean. I think that's going to be something terror inducing all on its own."
"Anything that could block like this can't be a good thing, that for sure." She agreed. "And he still won't accept my attempts to help him. He's still instinctively rejecting me."
"He's associating you with everything that's happening to him. At least at an instinctive level he is. And since he won't let you in, you can't explain that you're not part of the problem."
"Yes, what will it take for him to let me in?"
"Something that doesn't remind him of terror, pain, anger or self hatred." Scott suggested.
"You might be right. All I can do is just what I have been doing, reaching out and trying to help him. Eventually I hope he'll let me in."