Apparition: 2: A funny thing happened . . .
by Timan
“You’re dead Xander,” Buffy repeated to the confuse boy, “as in not alive.”
Xander stood motionless in front of his two female friends. After a long pause he began to laugh.
“Oh I get it this is some kind of joke isn’t it? You’re paying me back for that time a put a frog in you locker aren’t you Buffy.” Xander replied
Still keeping a cautious distance Buffy tried to look reassuring.
“No Xander this is not a . . . Wait. That was you!? . . . Anyway, not important, we’re not joking Xander.” Buffy replied
Xander shook his head in disbelief.
“No you’re lying,” he said as he picked up the magazine, “See I can touch stuff. See!”
He waved the magazine triumphantly. After a few seconds the magazine passed through his hand and fell on the table. Xander looked at his hand, then the magazine and then the girls. Suddenly the realization hit him. He slumped down onto the sofa.
“Ah crap.” He said miserably.
Giles placed some books back on the stacks when Buffy and Willow looked in sheepishly. Giles looked at his slayer happily.
“Good morning Buffy how did patrolling go last night?” he asked
“Good,” Buffy replied nervously, “Giles . . . we have a problem.”
“Oh really? What’s the trouble?”
Buffy and Willow separated and Xander stepped forward.
“Oh good lord!” Giles exclaimed as he stumbled backwards into the bookshelf.
“Hey Giles. A funny thing happened to me on the way to school. Turns out I’m dead.” Xander said miserably
“Oh, well, I’m sorry for you, ah, loss.” Giles said nervously as he wandered down the stairs.
Xander flopped down in the nearest chair. He took a moment to wonder how he’s able to do it but that thought quickly passed.
“So . . . how did I, I mean, how did this happen?” Xander asked sadly
Giles sat opposite. He stared carefully at the ghost.
“I was about a week ago. We were tracking a Canatu Demon who was attacking teenagers all over Sunnydale. We confronted him in his cave and he tried to attack Buffy. You jumped in the way and . . . Well.”
“Yeah and what happened?” Xander asked interested
Giles, Buffy and Willow looked at each other uncomfortably.
“You remember that talk about you being dead?” Buffy prompted
“I remember,” Xander replied a little annoyed, “I just want to . . . oh . . . right.”
The awkward silence flowed though the group like a river. Just then Jenny Calendar walked in. she held a large pile of manila folders.
“Rupert I’ve been going through some of these check out and OH MY GOD!” she exclaimed as she saw Xander sitting at the desk.
She stopped in shock and puts the pile on the check out desk. Slowly she walked up to the group and joined in the awkward staring.
“Hey . . . Xander.” She said awkwardly
Xander glared at her. He sighed heavily and put his hands together.
“Okay were gonna solve this right? Giles break out the books it’s heavy research mode time.” He said
Again the group looked uncomfortably at each other.
“I kinda got to get to class.” Willow said nervously
“Yeah I, sorta, have to do that to,” Buffy included, “if I’m late for biology Mr. Jenkins is going to ki . . . Ah, I mean, I’m going to be in real trouble.”
Xander frowned anxiously.
“We’ll do this after school Okay?” Xander asked
The other Scooby’s folded their arms uncomfortably and looked away.
“Okay?” Xander prompted
“You see Xander I promised Angel I’d meet him at The Bronze.” Buffy said guiltily
“I really have a lot of homework.” Willow said more guiltily
Xander looked around his friends in disbelief.
“Great! This is just great!” Xander said in frustration
Giles coughed nervously.
“I’m sure we could this for you Xander. If we all meet here tomorrow . . . “
“No, no,” Xander said insistently, “not later! Now, look now! Me dead, you alive! Is anybody else having a problem with this?”
The group shifted on the spot guiltily. Xander rolled his eyes and folded his arms.
“Fine! Don’t let your fun be ruined with me dieing and everything!” He yelled
“You have to understand Xander, There’s no mystery here. The demon killed you, Buffy killed the demon that was it,” Giles said as reassuring as possible, “look on the bright side how many humans get to die and live to tell the tale.”
“Yeah that makes me feel all warm inside.” Xander replied in frustration, “what am I supposed to do now?”
Buffy shrugged,
“You can come with me to the Bronze if you like.”
Buffy and Xander sat in an awkward silence. They had been like that for an hour with neither one of them wanting to say the first word.
“How’s you coffee?” Buffy asked
Xander poked at it. Occasionally his finger passed through the mug.
“I can’t drink it,” he replied, “every time I try it spills onto the seat. I’m getting angry looks from the security guards over there.”
“Oh.” Buffy replied stirring her drink
The awkward pause returned. Xander looked over to the slayer.
“So . . . did anything happen while I was, you know, away?” he asked
Buffy shrugged.
“Not really. We though there was a huge spider demon in the library last Friday.”
“Really?”
“Turned out a spider just walked onto the lamp.”
Xander nodded.
“Right,” He replied with a forced interest, “I think your mistake was thinking it was a demon.”
“That’s what Giles said.” Buffy replied not looking up.
The door to the bronze opened and Angel walked in. he saw Buffy looking sad at one of the tables and ventured over.
“Hey Buffy. I know this probably won’t mean much but I’m sorry to hear about Xander.”
“Hi Angel.” Xander said from across the table
Angel jumped back with a start. Like everyone else he looked at Xander curiously.
“I thought you said he died?” He asked Buffy
“He did,” Buffy replied cautiously, “he just hasn’t stopped moving.”
“Yeah, I’m some kind of ghost now,” Xander replied, “guess we have something in common after all don’t we Angel.”
“That’s great Xander,” Angel replied uneasily.
Xander looked at the both of them then the penny dropped.
“You two want some alone time huh. It’s cool I’ll go walk through a wall or something.” Xander said getting up from the seat.
Buffy watched sadly as he walked away from the table.
“Hey,” she called out to him, “You gonna be alright?”
Xander turned and shrugged,
“We’ll see. I’ll catch you tomorrow Buffy.” he replied
Xander wandered across the club then walked through the front door. Angel looked at this scene curiously. He walked over to Xander chair and sat down. Moments later he jumped back up again.
“What’s all this stuff on the chair?”
Xander walked home quietly. He put his hand in his pockets and hung his head low. He was at a loss for what his next move was or even if he had one. He felt adrift like he was caught in stormy seawaters. Suddenly from down an alleyway he heard a scream. He lifted his head curiously and dashed down to investigate. At the end a Vampire was attacking a girl.
“Hey!” Xander called out and charged at the vamp.
He swung out with a punch but it passed through his opponent. He looked at this scene hopelessly. He started to head back down the alley when the girl screamed for help again. Xander turned back. He couldn’t leave this girl to end up like him. He took a deep breath and focused himself. He strode back up to the vampire and grabbed him by the collar. Pulling sharply he wrenched him off his victim and sent him flying half way down the alley. Xander looked at his hands again excitedly.
“Cool! Ghost powers.” He said to himself
The vamp flipped back into his feet and rushed up to Xander. He tried to lay in some punches but they passed through the smug ghost.
“Not so much fun when you can’t hit back huh?” he quipped
Xander punched the vampire across the jaw then finished with an uppercut. He picked up a piece of a broken wooden box and plunged it into his chest. The vampire exploded into dust. Involuntary Xander dusted off his clothes. He turned back to the girl.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
The girl smiled at him and jumped up to give him a thank you hug. She passed right through him and turned back scared. Before Xander could explain she ran down the alleyway and out of sight. This was something he was going to have to work on. Xander smiled to himself.
He might have just found his purpose.
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