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Part 3
Xander jerked up awake, on the bed in his hotel room. The TV was buzzing softly, the black and white snow filling the screen. He quickly examined himself, but there was no bullet wound, no injury at all. Going to the bathroom, he splashed water onto his face, and then looked at himself in the mirror. It was the same old face it had been this evening, not his younger self.
He went over to the hotel room calendar, and checked the date and the year was what it was supposed to be. There was no sign of Anyanka, either. “I have GOT to start laying off those anchovy pizzas...” Xander grumbled to himself, as he decided it was all just a dream.
The next day Xander went over to the dojo early, as he wanted to say goodbye to Duncan before catching the bus to Sunnydale, to see his parents about their phone call the previous day. When he got there no one was around, so he let himself in with the key Duncan had in a secret location.
A short while later, he suddenly felt a strange buzzing, like somewhere in the back of his head. A few moments later, he saw Duncan MacLeod enter, and the sensation vanished.
“Duncan?” MacLeod didn’t answer him, but simply withdrew his katana. Xander became somewhat uneasy and asked, “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Are you here to challenge me?” the Scot asked Xander tersely.
“What? No, why?”
Duncan frowned. “Are you that newly Awake? Don’t you know the Rules?”
“What rules? What are you talking about? I just came to say goodbye, I gotta go back to Sunnydale for a bit...”
“Who are you?” MacLeod interrupted him.
Xander was completely dumbfounded. “It’s me, Xander! What’s the matter with you? You’re acting like you’ve never seen me before!”
The Highlander nodded slowly. “I haven’t.”
Xander burst out laughing. “C’mon, quit kidding around! A joke’s a joke, but this is going too far...”
“I’m not joking,” Duncan said emotionlessly. “But you’re acting as if YOU know ME. Explain yourself.”
“Huh? Look, Duncan, I have no idea what’s going on here, but I’ve been training with you in the dojo for weeks! Then I have that really nutty dream last night, I felt this weird pain in my head just before you came in, and now you’re acting all psycho on me...”
Duncan frowned again, lowering his sword. “Are you seriously telling me, that you don’t even know that you’re an Immortal?”
“I’m a WHAT?!”
Duncan and Xander talked for a long time, telling each other everything. To convince the new Immortal what they were, MacLeod killed himself and quickly came back to life, disregarding the teen’s abject horror of his actions.
Later, Joe Dawson came over, and he too had no idea who Xander was, despite having met him at his bar. Xander was still finding it hard to believe everything Duncan had told him, even though he trusted his teacher implicitly. “So...explain to me again, what exactly an Immortal is?”
Duncan sighed. “Xander, I told you that we ourselves aren’t exactly sure what we are. Although we appear completely human, we’re not – for example, we can’t have children. The bottom line is that after we’re killed and resurrected the first time, we no longer age, we can’t get permanently sick or injured, and we don’t die. Unless someone cuts off our heads.”
“Gross,” Xander muttered to himself. “But when did I die? I mean, I would have remembered – oh, no. That wasn’t real, was it? It can’t have been...”
Joe said gently, “Xander, you’re babbling. What exactly are you talking about?”
“Uh, never mind for now. But if I’m an Immortal, where did I...”
“Come from?” Xander nodded. “I don’t know. You see, we’re all foundlings, none of us know where we really come from.
“What I do know is that since the dawn of mankind, we’ve lived our lives among them in secret, fighting throughout the ages for something called the Prize. But none of us know what it actually is, just that in the end the last of our kind is supposed to claim it, at the time of the Gathering. Our only refuge from all this is holy ground, we can’t fight there, it’s a major rule that not even the most evil of us can break.” He gave the teen an enigmatic grin. “This may not be the best time or place to say it, but welcome to the Game, Xander.”
“Thanks,” Xander said in confusion. They kept on talking, and eventually Joe excused himself to go back and check on his bar. Duncan then asked Xander to show him what he was capable of with a sword; he had decided to take on the teenager as a student, secretly doubting that he had done so previously.
As they fought, though, Duncan finally became completely convinced of Xander’s story; he recognized things in Xander’s fighting style that he taught to all his students, that no other Immortal did. Eventually, they stopped when Xander was completely exhausted.
“Duncan?” Xander said tentatively.
“What?”
“This thing, about the Games...”
“The Game, Xander. Call it what it is.”
“Yeah, right. WHY do we have kill each other?!”
“Because that’s our nature, that’s what we ARE, buddy boy. Kill or be killed – but don’t take any pleasure from it. My teacher and kinsman, Connor MacLeod, taught me that.”
“You know, this so-called Game sucks!”
“True. But we have no choice but to play it.”
“Well...what if I decide not to?”
Duncan looked at him, compassionately. “How long do you think you could avoid the others? There are those of us who can spend their entire lives on holy ground, but you’re not that type of Immortal, Xander, I can tell that already. Sooner or later, if you won’t defend yourself, someone WILL take your head. No, Xander,” he said sadly, “for better or worse, you’ll play the Game. You won’t be able to help it.”
All of a sudden, both of them felt the telltale pain in their heads, that signified the approach of another Immortal. Duncan turned around and hissed, “Xander, whatever happens, remember you can’t interfere. The fight is always one-on-one. If I die, get out of here and disappear, Joe will help you. Keep practicing until you’re strong enough to fight the other Immortals.”
“What? But I...” Xander started stubbornly.
The other Immortal, a swarthy forty-something man of roughly average height, appeared through the door. “MacLeod,” he said simply.
“Parisien,” the Highlander said emotionlessly.
“Who’s your young friend?”
Xander spoke up then belligerently, “Xander Harris.”
Parisien gave him a quick glance, and looked back at Duncan. “You surprise me, Highlander,” he said with a sneer. “Don’t you remember what I did to one of your previous students?”
“What do you want?”
“Can’t a man just show up to say hello to an old friend?”
“We are not friends,” Duncan said in the same emotionless voice. “If you’re here to challenge me, either do it or leave now.”
Parisien just gave him an evil grin. “I told you, MacLeod, I just dropped by to say hi,” he said in a pseudo-friendly voice. “I’m not in the mood for a fight right now. Maybe later.” With that, he left.
“Who was that?” Xander asked his teacher.
“One of the worst types of Immortal,” Duncan replied. “You’re in danger...”
“And you’re not?”
“Not as much as you are. Konstantine Parisien is a headhunter, one of those who deliberately targets Immortal infants like you, for the easy Quickenings...”
“What?”
“Quickenings, Xander. I explained it to you – our life-force, all that we have ever known and felt – and more.”
“Duncan – you just called me an infant. So, like, how old are you?”
The Highlander smiled. “I was born in Scotland in 1592, Xander.”
The younger Immortal was amazed. “Over four hundred years ago? That’s – wow!”
“I know.”
Later that night, Xander went back to his hotel. His head was still spinning, from all the things he had learned about himself. Suddenly he had so many questions he wanted to ask his parents – his adopted parents, he reminded himself – and there was also that thing with Anyanka he had to investigate. He made a decision; he was going back to Sunnydale immediately.
He composed a letter the next day to Duncan, and shoved it under the door of the dojo on his way to the bus depot. However, he failed to realize that Parisien had spotted him. The older Immortal thought to himself, < He’s not protected by the Highlander now. This should be fun, > as the bus to Sunnydale pulled away and he followed it.
As Joe and Duncan arrived at MacLeod’s dojo, they found and read the letter. Both men started cursing, as they knew he would be easy pickings for the Immortal headhunter all alone. Getting into Duncan’s car, they also started down the road to Sunnydale.
Xander arrived home, after sunset. He went to his house, and tried to open the door with his key, but it wouldn’t work. Confused, he rang the bell.
A strange man answered it. “Yes?”
Xander said, “Hi. Could I come in? I have to talk to my parents.”
The man frowned. “I’m sorry, son, but your parents aren’t here. Were you expecting them to be?”
“Well, yeah, they live here!”
The man frowned again. “You must have the wrong house. I’ve lived here for over a year, ever since the Harris people left.”
Xander was now nervous. “They left?”
The man shrugged. “So I heard. I talked to the neighbors, and apparently they weren’t exactly Mensa types, if you know what I mean. Nothing but drunken fights all the time. Also, they’d lost their teenage son in some gang fight a few years ago. They could be anywhere.”
Xander couldn’t help himself, he was fighting back tears. He choked, “I see.”
The man was not a fool, he realized something was upsetting Xander. “Are you okay? Would you like to come inside for a moment?”
Xander backed off, he didn’t want to go inside. There would be too many painful memories, and besides this wasn’t his home anymore. “Uh, no thanks. I’ve gotta be going, I appreciate your help...” he turned and left.
“WAIT!” But it was too late, Xander was gone.
Xander wandered the streets for a while, not sure where he was going. All of a sudden, he pulled himself together. < What am I doing? I gotta go see Giles! He’ll know what to do. Heck, he always does. >
He quickly made his way over to Giles’ house, praying that the man would still be there. He rang the doorbell, and sure enough, the man in question answered. “Yes?”
Xander threw himself into a big embrace with the older man. “Giles! Man, thank God you’re here! I was beginning to feel like I was in a freaking episode of the Twilight Zone or something!”
Giles managed to free himself of the teen’s hold. “May I ask, who the devil are you?”
Xander really started to panic. “It’s ME, Giles! Xander Harris! The guy from school, who always called you G-man, and you hated it? Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me, or I might seriously lose it here!”
Giles stepped back to study the boy, and suddenly he gave a start of recognition. “Good God, it IS you! But it’s been years – h-how...” Suddenly he stepped back, and brandished a cross in front of him. “Don’t come any closer!”
Xander looked confused. “What are you doing?”
“You’re a vampire, a-aren’t you?”
“Huh?”
“How else do you explain being here, a-after you ended up dead at the Bronze over two years ago?!”
“Oh man, that was REAL?” Xander said to himself. He then reached over and touched the cross...but nothing happened.
Giles looked absolutely astonished. “You’re not a...w-what ARE you??”
Xander grimaced. “I’m an Immortal.”
“What?”
“Can we go inside and discuss this? 'Cause I get the feeling it’s gonna take a long time, and I’m freezing out here,” Xander said.
“Uh, yes, of course,” and Giles gestured for him to come in.
As they entered the librarian’s home, Xander looked around and remarked, “I see things haven’t changed much around here...” when all of a sudden, Jenny Calendar walked into the room. “Rupert, who was that at the door?”
“Well, I’m not...” Giles broke off as he saw Xander was staring at Ms. Calendar. “What’s wrong?” he asked him.
Xander couldn’t stop staring. “You’re alive,” he said to her, blankly.
“Yes,” she said uncertainly. “Who are you?”
“His name is Xander Harris,” Giles said quickly. “Is there a problem?”
“No,” she replied. “I’ll just be in the kitchen, it looks like you two have a lot to talk about.” She then turned and left.
Giles turned his attention to Xander. “What’s the matter?” he asked the boy.
“It’s just – I didn’t think she’d be here,” Xander stammered. “I thought she was dead.”
“DEAD?” Giles exclaimed. “No, she’s not! Is she in some kind of danger? Tell me what you know, right now!”
“Chill, Giles, I was planning to do just that,” Xander continued. “But, maybe you oughta get all the gang over here first. No sense in having to repeat everything I tell you.”
Some time later, the doorbell rang, and Giles went to answer it. In came the so-called ‘Scooby’ gang; Buffy, Angel, Willow, Oz, Cordelia – and last of all, Jesse.
Xander got up off the couch. Willow and Jesse took one look at him and screamed, “XANDER!!!”, backing up to the door.
There was fear and pandemonium for a few moments. Giles eventually managed to restore some semblance of order, by yelling at the top of his lungs, “QUIET! EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!”
As the dust settled, Buffy withdrew a stake and asked, “What’s going on? Who is he?”
Xander flinched; although he was getting used to people not knowing him anymore, somehow the fact that Buffy was one of them made it a million times worse. Fortunately, Willow came to his rescue. “Buffy, that’s Xander! Don’t you remember him? It was when you first came to Sunnydale, and he died, a-and I...” she broke down and started to cry. Oz took her in his arms and tried to comfort her, glaring at Xander.
Buffy lowered her stake, squinting at him. Suddenly, she also recognized him. “Right! I remember now. But you...” she raised the stake again. “You must be – if you try anything...”
Angel lowered her arm. “He’s not a vampire, Buffy,” he said to her. He looked at Xander in confusion. “But...you’re not the same person as before. You’re...different.”
“Well, you got that right,” Xander remarked sarcastically.
Jesse stammered, “Xander? Is that really you?”
Xander sighed. “Yeah, buddy. It’s really me. The original Xandman, y’know?”
Jesse and Willow ran over and hugged him, overcome with emotion. Cordelia kept her distance though, and Giles, Buffy and Angel hung back, as they hadn’t known Xander very well. And Oz and Ms. Calendar just looked on in confusion as in this reality, they hadn’t known Xander AT ALL.
“Would someone please tell me what’s going on?” asked Jenny Calendar.
“Here we go again...” Xander said to himself.