Backstory & Episodes

Episode 10 – Heartfelt Truth

Slayers Virtual Season 8

Episode 10 – Heartfelt Truth

Starring:

Matt Long as Alex Sanders
Lizzy Caplan as Eliza Sanders
Nanako Matsushima as Shina Taji
Jennifer Ehle as Jennifer Sanderson
And Johnny Depp as David, the Archangel
Navi Rawat as Dana Monroe
Christa B. Allen as Anna Monroe

Written by Kelley Hawkins
Edited by Melody Nation

Disclaimer: The major characters in these episodes/stories are the creations of Joss Whedon and any and all entities who have a share in them such as Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, Warner Bros or Mutant Enemy Productions. The stories are written by fans and are not intended for profit or to infringe upon or undermine the established copyright of those mentioned above. The situations depicted in these stories (sexual or otherwise) are not intended to harm the reputations of those actors associated with the characters involved. The only things that are ©2004 are those characters that are the creation of the Slayers VS8 staff and the original plotlines of the stories.

Teaser

While Xander lay sleeping in his bed, Buffy curled against him warmly. Suddenly, Xander tossed toward the other side of the bed. He dreamed about a demon with a red jewel in his forehead. He saw Buffy fighting the demon. The demon threw Buffy against a brick wall. She was in an alley and she was with...Spike! Next, he saw Buffy down on her knees in pure agony as she cried out with her pain. Xander heard her say, “I remember it all! I remember it all!” Xander saw Spike moving toward a crouched Buffy and he reached out and stroked her back with concern. Xander squirmed in his sleep. He was angry at this dream. Xander saw Buffy run away from Spike suddenly. Tears streamed down her eyes as she ran. He saw Buffy running toward an elaborate office building. He saw the name on the sign. “Wolfram and Hart.” He watched as Buffy ran into the building and then took an elevator to the top floor. He saw her expression as the elevator doors opened. Angel stood on the other side of the door. He wore no shirt. Xander actually growled in his sleep. Xander heard her say it again, “I remember, Angel. I remember everything.” Then he saw Angel take his beloved Buffy in his arms. This all seemed to play out in slow motion. Suddenly, the scenes between Buffy and Angel started to play out before him. He saw Angel throw Buffy on top a kitchen table and he saw them as they made love. He saw them curled up together in a bed afterwards. Everything was very fuzzy in his dream but he knew the truth now. Xander knew that Buffy made love to Angel while she was in L.A. to bring Anna home.

Xander awoke with a start and sat straight up in bed.


Act One

6 Hours Before...

Dawn sat in the middle of her sacred circle. She decided to do a truth spell so she could find out if Willow had any romantic feelings for her at all. The spell was supposed to reveal the truth to her. She lit a white candle and began her incantation.

“Moon and tide save help me now,
I seek the truth here not yet found,
For underneath the fog there lies,
new possibilities for I,
So let this night be unlike others,
And let the noble show their colors,
And let the meek and cowards run,
For now the moon seeks out her sun,
And by the power that is three,
So as I will it, so mote it be.”

When Dawn finished saying the incantation, she quickly blew out the candle and smiled widely.

* * * * *

Willow tossed around in her bed that night. She had some wicked dreams in her time but this once took the wedding cake. Willow could see an open book. It was a journal. She could see handwritten words written there. She began to read the words.



Willow turned over in her sleep not believing what she just read in Dawn’s diary. She began to see another vision. She saw Dawn watching her and Liz while they ate chocolate covered cherries in her living room. She could also feel a strong jealousy rising from Dawn. It was as if Willow could see into the living room as Dawn. She could feel all of Dawn’s feelings. She knew that Dawn was in love with her.

Willow awoke with a start and sat straight up in bed.

* * * * *

Faith sat by Jade’s bed. Jade had been in a coma since Xander, Willow and Dawn and herself brought her back from David’s mansion. Faith could not remember what happened to her sister.

Faith held Jade’s hand and began to talk to her.

“Jade, can you hear me. It’s me, Faith. I wanted to tell you that you were very brave. I want you to come back to me. Please, Jade!”

Jade lay motionless on the bed. Not a single movement did she make. Faith frowned at her sister. She suddenly felt one tear trickle down her cheek and she angrily wiped it away.

Xander stayed with her for several days until he heard that Buffy was back with Dana and Anna. Then, he obediently went to her side again. Faith couldn’t help feeling bitter about Xander’s relationship with Buffy. For so many years, Xander had feelings for Buffy and she ignored his “puppy love” to be with vampires for God’s sake! Now that Buffy lost Spike to the Hellmouth back in what was left of Sunnydale and Angel was Mr. Bad Guy in L.A. she wanted Xander. Faith quickly dismissed her feelings because she wanted to keep a positive energy flowing in this room. Willow told her that positive energy was very important to Jade right now.

Willow thinks that the spells that her and Dawn performed to rescue them had some kind of mystical effect on Jade. Willow thinks also that Jade has Slayer powers as well. It is yet to be determined just as it is yet to be determined in Anna possess these powers as well.

Faith looked back at her sister and made a decision. She would ask Willow if she could somehow help her with a spell so she can talk to Jade. She knew that Willow had done this type of thing before. If Faith could find out what happened to Jade, she might be able to help her better.

* * * * *

Buffy woke up and instantly felt that something was amiss. It was still completely dark in the room and Xander was no longer beside her in bed. Buffy looked at the bedside clock. It was 4:14 am.

She got up from the bed and walked into Xander’s living room. She could see Xander sitting on his couch facing away from her.

“Xander?”

Xander did not say anything to her. She thought for a moment that he was asleep while sitting there but as she approached him, she saw the look on his face. The look was dead serious as if he were thinking very hard.

“Earth to Xander...errrrk...come in Xander!”

Xander looked at Buffy then. He did not smile at her as he normally did. Buffy felt suddenly sad when his intense gaze was upon her.

“I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to wake you so I came out here,” Xander said, suddenly deciding not to tell her about his dream. It was only a dream after all, right?

Buffy walked toward him and then sat close beside him. Instinctively, Xander moved over a bit, away from her. Buffy looked at him with a shocked expression on his face.

“Is everything okay, Xander?”

“Yeah, yeah. I am going back to bed. Suddenly I am feeling kinda tired.”

Buffy looked at him with a confused expression on her face and watched Xander leave her side to go back into the bedroom. Should she follow him? Buffy wondered.

In the end Buffy decided to sit right where she was until morning.

* * * * *

Willow still puzzled at the dream she had the night before as she made herself some hot cocoa. The teakettle began to announce its readiness so she forgot for a moment about the dream as she poured the hot water into her mug. Willow brought the mug to her small breakfast bar and looked into its dark, creamy depths. Once again she thought about the diary entry she read. She saw a diary entry written by Dawn. Willow shook her head in confusion. How serious should one take dreams when they are not prophetic Slayer dreams? Willow wondered.

Her phone rang at that moment. Willow glanced at her clock. It was 7:20 am. As Willow walked to her living room she silently prayed that nothing was wrong with anyone.

“Hello?” Willow asked.

“Willow, it’s Faith. I need your help.”

“Sure, Faith what can I do?”

“I need you to do a spell for me. Buffy told me once that you were able to help Buffy while she was in catatonic state.”

“Yes. Oh! And you think you can get inside Jade’s head to help her. That’s brilliant. Why didn’t I think of that?” Willow asked.

“I guess you’ve had a lot on your mind lately,” Faith told Willow.

“You would be correct about that!”

Faith laughed but it was a laugh of necessity not one of true emotion. “Can you come over as soon as...well...as soon as you are ready.”

“Yes, I will have to hit the books again though. It has been awhile since I performed that spell with Buffy and I need to brush up on it a bit.”

“Yeah, sure. And Willow?”

“Yeah, Faith?”

“Thank you!”

Willow heard Faith’s voice crack a little and frowned as she replaced the phone into its cradle.

Act Two

Giles sat at the kitchen table sipping her hot tea as she read the front page of the paper. He had been in a perpetual joy for the past three weeks or since him and Jennifer began to dating. He was simply smitten with her. There was not other word for how he felt.

He took Jennifer out to nice restaurants and they always found interesting things to talk about. Jennifer has a fascination for books just as Giles did. She also abhorred the computer and the Internet. She had to use the Internet and her PC for work but she would prefer to pick up a book a read. She also liked to hold a book and to smell its pages.

The phone rang and Giles moved toward the annoying instrument to answer.

“Yes?”

“Giles, its Willow. I need you to cross reference a spell for me.”

“Yes, certainly. What spell would that be, Willow.”

Willow proceeded to tell him about the spell she was going to help Faith with. He wrote some things down on the pad beside the phone. As soon as he hung up the phone with Willow, Giles eagerly moved toward his study. At last a project he could immerse himself in so as not to constantly think of Jennifer. Giles giggled to himself and went in search of the spell for Willow.

* * * * *

Buffy awoke on Xander’s couch. She looked around the room. Xander was not in the living room at the moment. She still puzzled over Xander’s earlier behavior. She walked into the bedroom in search of him. He was not in the bedroom either. Buffy made her way into the bathroom and was further puzzled not to find him in there. She knew he was not in the kitchen either but she decided to see if he left her a note taped to the frig.

Buffy saw the note as soon as she walked into the tiny kitchen.

“Buffy, I’ve gone out. Be back shortly. Xander.”

Buffy frowned. Something was wrong with Xander and she began to worry about it. She decided not to tell Xander about Spike and Angel yet. She wanted to wait until everything settled within her own mind first. She couldn’t quite get her mind round Spike being alive and Angel deciding to be a vampire again rather than be with her. It was all too complicated to comprehend and she didn’t want to worry Xander about anything. Now she worried that he knew about it somehow. Why else would her be so aloof towards her?

Buffy walked back to the bathroom to take a shower and a nagging feeling lingered within her.

* * * * *

Xander approached the Slayer School. He decided that he couldn’t face Buffy so he left to see how Jade was doing. He unlocked the front door with his key and stood in the entry hall for a moment. The school seemed practically empty this morning. It was Saturday. The school was usually quiet on Saturdays as all the Slayers either went home for the weekend or went out of town somewhere. Cleveland was not the party town the girls hoped.

He walked toward the Slayer’s quarters. The doctor decided to move Jade from the infirmary to a spare room until she completely recovered...or worse.

Xander walked in the room and saw Faith with her head bowed as she clutched her sister’s limp hand.

“Faith?”

Faith looked up to see Xander standing in the doorway. She smiled at him and this time her smile reached her eyes. She was always relieved to see Xander.
“I’m glad you’re hear Xan but didn’t Buffy just get home?” Faith asked him, her tone almost teasing.

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to wake her so I decided to come by and see how Jade is?”

“Still the same. I called Willow though and her and Giles are researching the spell she used to help Buffy when she was catatonic after Glory took Dawn that time. We think that she can teleport me somehow inside Jade’s mind. You know to find out what happened to her over there. I’m at a loss and so are the doctors.”

Xander smiled vaguely and then he had a thought. “Is it dangerous for you, Faith?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Good”, Xander said and he seemed to breath a sigh of relief.

Faith noticed that Xander did not seem his chipper, wrapped around Buffy’s finger, self.

“You okay, Xan?” Faith asked.

Suddenly, Xander found himself telling Faith all about the dream he had the night before. Faith listened quietly until he was finished.

“So you think that that these things actually happened while she was in L.A?”

“Yeah, I do. Kinda crazy, huh?”

“Crazier things have happened, dude.”

Willow walked in then and Xander and Faith dropped the subject for now.

“What do you think happened in L.A?” Willow asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Xander said.

“Don’t “oh” nothing me! I had a strange dream last night and I want to try to forget about it.”

“You too, then?” Xander asked.

“Yeah! So you had a dream last night, too. Was it about Dawn?” Willow asked nervously.

Faith and Xander looked at Willow strangely.

“No, it wasn’t. And since I have the “ever there witch there was” before me now, I guess I can tell you about the dream.”

Willow laughed and then listened to Xander as he once again explained his dream. When Xander got to the part about Spike being alive, Willow quickly gasped and then started pointing her finger behind him. Xander and Faith turned around and saw Buffy standing in the doorway. She heard what he said about Spike.

“So, you know?” Buffy asked Xander. “Well, I guess you all know that Spike is alive.”

The three shook their heads in unison.

“Can we talk?” Buffy asked Xander.

He simply nodded to her and followed her out of the room. Faith and Willow watched the couple retreat.

“Faith, that dream Xander had. It is real. Spike is alive!”

It was Faith’s turn to gasp.

* * * * *

Buffy led Xander to an empty classroom. He followed her in the room and then closed the door behind him.

“How did you know about Spike?” Buffy asked no emotion in her voice whatsoever.

“Well, I kinda had a dream about it. It felt real somehow. I could tell you were kind of distracted when you came back. I also know your distraction isn’t about Spike. It’s about Angel. How could you?” Xander asked as his earlier reasonable voice suddenly changed to accusatory.

“How could I what?” Buffy asked suddenly angry herself.

“How could you sleep with him after all we’ve been through?”

“Sleep with him! Xander, what in the hell are you talking about!” Buffy asked, her tone now demanding.

“It was all in the dream!” Xander said and then he proceeded to tell her about the dream. Buffy gasped when he began to tell her how he saw everything that happened. She was shocked that he knew everything that happened. However, she was appalled when she got to the part about Angel throwing her across a table and making love to her.

“First of all, Spike is alive! You know that part. Secondly, I did not SLEEP with Angel. I fought with a Mohr demon and its blood mixed with mine and I was given a “revelation” about a time when Angel became human.” Buffy said, stopping for a moment to catch her breath. She saw Xander’s shocked expression.

“Yes, HUMAN Xander! And he gave it all up to be a hero. Saving the world was more important than being an ordinary Joe, yadda, yadda, yadda!”

“So my dream had some recent past mixed with the past past?”

“Yep, that’s it in a nutshell!” Buffy told him still angry that he could think she would sleep with Angel in L.A.

“Why did you tell me about any of this?” Xander demanded of Buffy.

“Because...dammit....I didn’t know WHAT to talk about yet. I had to get this all straight in my mind first. God, I go off to L.A. to help a fellow Slayer and I am faced with a vampire who I thought was dead and memories of a time I was with Angel when he was human. Do you think I am going to rush home and be all “confidy” with you?”

Xander looked away. Buffy knew she hurt him but she didn’t care. She was hurting, too. She turned away from him and walked out of the room.

Act Three

Willow had another hospital bed moved into the room with Jade. Faith now lay in the extra bed beside Jade.

“Okay, Faith, hold Jade’s hand and close your eyes. Concentrate on Jade’s essence, her aura.”

Faith closed her eyes and tried not to laugh. She succeeded. Faith began to think about Jade and how close they used to be when they were in their pre-teens. She could envision Jade’s heart melting smile and suddenly she saw a picture of Jade in her mind. There was a glowing light around the figure. Faith could barely hear Willow’s incantation and then couldn’t feel the fragrant herbs being sprinkled on both her and Jade. She felt the weight of her body sinking into the hospital bed as if she were drifting into a deep sleep. It felt as if she were simply having a dream. She could see Jade sitting in chair at her apartment and Faith sat in front of her.

“Jade,” Faith whispered, and then Willow smiled.

* * * * *

Xander stayed at the school to work for a little while in his workroom. He used the circular saw to cut a piece of particleboard. He was making Buffy a weapon’s closet for her birthday. Although Buffy’s birthday was last week, Xander still worked hard trying to complete the weapon’s closet. He wanted to surprise her for her birthday but he couldn’t finish it time. He used a very expensive maple wood that he sanded to a smooth finish. He used a dark stain on the wood and the results were phenomenal. He used his router to carve intricate patterns in the two doors and then burned an image of her precious scathe in each door. The closet was a masterpiece equal to the quality of the best cabinet builders. Despite being angry at Buffy, he still planned to give her the weapon’s closet at the end of the week. He should have it completed by then.

Xander pulled the safety glasses over his eyes and sawed another piece of particleboard. He became lost in his work and didn’t notice how late it was getting until it started to get dark outside. He sighed and continued his work.

* * * * *

Buffy found the house empty when she walked in. She hung up her coat and walked into the kitchen. She decided she would make her some tea. It had always soothed her when Giles made it for her. She filled the teakettle with water and placed in on the stove. She turned around and found Giles standing behind. Buffy jumped.

“You startled me. I didn’t think anyone was home.”

“Sorry, Buffy”, Giles said and then noticed her red, blotchy face. “Are you all right?”

Buffy smiled up at him but the smile never reached her eyes.

“I’m...devastated to be honest.”

“What’s happened?”

Buffy shrugged. “Xander, Angel...Spike.”

“Buffy you know that you can talk to me about anything”, Giles said and then quickly looked at Buffy’s face. “What’s this you’re saying about Spike?”

“Spike is alive.”

Giles stood there for a moment. His face registered shock but then quickly changed to one of relief. Buffy smiled.

“According to him, Angel received a package one day and out fell the sacred amulet that Spike wore to save us all. The next thing Angel and company knew, Spike was standing in front him. He was trapped in the amulet or something like that.”

“Please continue.”

“He was also standing in the middle of Angel’s desk?”

“What’s that?”

“Yes, he wasn’t corporeal when he poofed from the amulet. Fred, that chick in the Science Lab at Wolfram and Hart worked to try to figure out how to make him solid again. He was a ghost, Giles.”

“A vampire ghost! Who’d a thought,” Giles exclaimed.

Buffy laughed then. “He was in his non-corporeal state for weeks and then finally Spike said he received a package that was delivered to Wolfram and Hart. He opened a blinding light flashed at him. He’s been corporeal ever since.”

“Didn’t Andrew see him when he went to retrieve Dana?” Giles asked.

Buffy looked confused for a moment and then instantly angry. “Willow received his report and filed it. Why didn’t she tell me.”

“I think it highly unlikely that Andrew didn’t mention Spike was...well alive. He worshiped Spike,” Giles said matter-of-factly.

“Yes, my thoughts, too”, Buffy said.

“So, what about Angel. Did anything happen in L.A?”

“Well, yes. A lot happened in L.A.”

The teakettle began to whistle and Giles pointed to the dining table indicating for Buffy to sit down. He took the teakettle off the stove and made the tea preparations. Buffy allowed him to coddle her again. She missed the attention. Giles brought the tea over to Buffy and sat down across from her.

“Please tell me what happened, Buffy. Maybe I can help.” Giles told her and he smiled one of his knowing smiles.

Buffy sighed. “Well, it all started when I had to fight a Mohra demon. Spike was with me. He followed me when I went out for a walk.”

“Yes, a Mohra demon. Their blood has regeneration powers.”

“Yes, I know. Four years ago, after Angel came to help with the Chumese Indians I went to L.A. to visit my father. I went to see Angel, too.”

Giles eyebrows rose in surprise. “You never told me that.”

“Well, at the time there was nothing really to tell. I went to see him. We argued. Then decided it was best to keep our distance. Then I came back home.”

“So after you fought the Mohra demon?” Giles prodded.

“Yes, during the fight the Mohra demon cut me with his sword. I cut him with his sword as well. Our blood must have mixed together. Then I had I...” Buffy trailed off.

“Had what, Buffy?” Giles asked, strongly curious now.

“Well, all of these memories started flashing through my mind. The memory of being with Angel in L.A. shortly after my visit. He and I fought a Mohra demon then as well but for some reason my memory blocked that out. Angel found the Mohra demon on his own and his blood mixed with the demon and...” Buffy stopped speaking then continued. “he became human.”

Giles gasped. “But he’s a vampire now.”

“Yes, well...he and I spent one wonderful day...er...and night together. Angel found out from Doyle that the Mohra demon was still alive. Angel didn’t kill it when he stabbed it. It had to be killed by smashing the jewel in his forehead. Angel went to hunt it. He was so vulnerable, Giles. He couldn’t fight like he used to. He was a man again.”

“So, you killed the Mohra demon then?”

“Yes, and we barely escaped with our lives. We went back to Angel’s apartment and while I was sleeping, he went to visit the Powers That Be. He asked them to turn him back into a vampire. He couldn’t help humanity in his weakened human state.”

“They turned back the day?”

“What?” Buffy asked looking directly into Giles’ eyes. “How did you know that?”

Giles gave her a knowing, watchery look.

“So you do research when there is no research needed. Ah, yes. A Watcher’s life.”

Giles smiled. “So Angel was the only one who held the memory of that day?”

Buffy nodded and looked down at the floor.

Giles reached out and touched Buffy on the shoulder. “So after...y-you had this memory you went to Angel?”

“Yes, I couldn’t get there fast enough. Angel and I talked about it. We gave each other our final kiss goodbye. It is finally over, Giles.” Buffy said as she raised her head to gaze into his eyes. “I’m free.”

Giles smiled. “And Xander?”

“Well, I wasn’t ready to tell him about it. I had to get my head around all these new things. Turns out that he had a dream about it. I think the dream included some recent events as well as some past events that he actually thought happened while I was in L.A. last.”

“Oh, God!” Giles exclaims.

“What?”

“A mystical truth spell?”

“What? Mystical truth spell?”

“Yes, someone has performed a Mystical truth spell.”

“Willow?”

“No, he powers are very strong. That spell would have never backfired on her.”

“Stranger things have happened,” Buffy said.

“No, it wasn’t Willow. Dawn perhaps?”

Buffy’s shocked expression said it all.

Act Four

Faith stood up in the mystical dream and walked toward her sister. She touched her shoulder. “Jade?”

Jade looked up at her sister but didn’t really see her.

“What happened to you, Jade?”

“I saw the future,” Jade whispered.

“What future, Jade? What are you talking about?”

“While I slept in the basement I had a dream. I saw what David’s plans are for all of us!” Jade squirmed in her seat. “He is evil Faith. So evil!”
“But we’ve face evil before. In fact, we defeated the ultimate evil. The First.”

“You can never defeat the First,” Jade said. “You defeated his army. More will come.”

“I need you back with me Jade. Wake up, please, wake up!”

“I will when it’s time. You need to see beyond the truth. It will show you the way.”

Instantly, Faith awoke. He eyes opened and she gasped for a breath. She looked around her and saw Willow sitting beside the bed.

“Jade had a dream about the future and it’s bad!”

Willow frowned.

Faith slept.

The clock about Willow’s head ticked toward dawn.

* * * * *

Dawn walked into the house. She sat her shopping bags near the door and went into the kitchen. She and Liz went shopping with Liz’s Mom. They had such a good time. She didn’t even think about Willow and Liz or her and Willow. She decided to forget about it for the day.

As she walked into the kitchen, Giles and Buffy sat at the table. It was almost as if they were waiting for her to get home.

Suddenly, Buffy spoke. “A truth spell Dawn?”

“What?”

“We know you did a mystical truth spell. It did not affect only you. It has affected you and Xander. Let me see the incantation you used.”

Dawn rolled her eyes and ran upstairs to retrieve her Book of Shadows. She brought the book to Giles. He read it.

“Did you do this spell with two others?”

“No, just me.”

“The power of three, Dawn. You inadvertently reached out and used the power of Xander and possibly someone else. “Willow!”

“What’s happened?”

“The spell made Xander have a truth dream about Buffy and Angel...and Spike.”

“Spike?”

“Spike is alive, Dawn.” Buffy said.

Dawn smiled as tears flowed down her cheeks.

“What, how?” Dawn asked.

“We will talk about that later. For now, we need to reverse that spell. What truth were you seeking?”

Dawn looked away and said nothing.

“Oh I see. You wanted to find out if a boy at school likes you. Dawn, how many times have I told you...”

“Buffy, no one was physically hurt. No harm done. Let’s reverse it and forget about it.”

Buffy glared at Giles. “No harm done? No harm done? What about my relationship with Xander?”

Giles looked at her closely then. “It wasn’t the spell that caused that trouble, Buffy and you know it. If you would have talked with Xander about it, the details of the memory wouldn’t have been so...jumbled.”

Dawn listened to them but had no idea what they were talking about. She ran to her room, threw herself down on her bed, and began to cry.

* * * * *

After Dawn and Giles reversed the spell, Buffy went up to bed. She lay in bed for the longest time. Sleep failed to wash over her. She began to think about Xander and then the next thing she knew she had drifted off to sleep.

Buffy began to dream. She saw Xander in a hospital bed. His eye was covered with a patch. He talked to Willow. Buffy heard him say, “Buffy is out of control, Willow. She should have never led us to that wine cellar. We lost a potential and...my eye because of her.” Buffy felt the sting from his words. Willow spoke then. “Buffy wouldn’t put you in danger for anything in the world. See didn’t know about Caleb’s powers. How could she know?” Buffy saw Xander look away. Buffy’s dream changed and then she saw another room appear before her. She was no longer in a hospital but she stood in a room with a hospital bed. She saw Xander sitting beside Faith. Jade lay in the hospital bed. It appeared that Xander stayed with Faith all that night. His clothes were rumpled and he hadn’t shaved. This must have been when Buffy and Dana were in L.A. Then she saw Faith grab Xander’s hand. Xander took her small hand in his own and clasped it with his other hand. He hung he head and looked at Faith. “She’ll be all right, Faith. I know she will.” Faith looked up at Xander, stood up, and embraced Xander. Then the dream changed and she saw Faith on top of Xander in a seedy motel room. Buffy gasped. It was Faith’s room back in Sunnydale. She saw as Faith had her way with virginal Xander. It didn’t take long. Buffy held back a laugh. She saw Faith lead him to the door saying she had to take a shower. Xander was out on the doorstep with a silly grin on his face.

Buffy awoke with a start and sat straight up in bed.

She understood what Xander dreamed. How he must have felt seeing her and Angel together and thinking, that event took place when she was last in L.A.

Buffy quickly leaped out of bed and dressed. She had to see Xander and apologize. She had to explain to him what happened in L.A. He had to understand because she couldn’t lose him now.

* * * * *

Buffy knocked on Xander’s door but there was no answer. She pulled his key out of her pocket and inserted it into his lock. When the door swung open, Buffy gasped. She saw the beautiful weapon’s closet sitting in the middle of the living room. It was the most beautiful peace of craftsmanship she had ever seen. As she walked closer to the cabinet, she saw the scathe burned into the wood. She opened one of the cabinet doors and saw the scathe proudly displayed there as well as many of her weapons. She also saw a note taped to the inside of one of the doors.

"Buffy, I some time. I will call you once I decide where I am going. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I made it with all the love I have for you. Take Care, Xander."


Buffy stood in the middle of the room as one tear began slowly falling down her cheek.

THE END

Stay tuned for the next Slayers premiering on February 8, 2005.