Chapter Text
Xander kneeled, his body racked with shudders. His hands, cuffed behind his back, had long ago lost all feeling. Though the pain from his two torn rotate cuffs more then made up for it. His knees had long ago become more bone and blood then tissue and skin. He had been kneeling for so long. He didn’t know how long he had been here; they only ever asked one question.
Right on cue someone walked through the door behind him. At one time the breeze would have raised goose-bumps on his naked skin. But any cold sensitivity had died when the fever of infection had taken hold hours or day ago. Xander had long ago become numb to the cold.
“Where is the key?” Xander said nothing. He always said nothing. He never thought about her, about his Dawn. They were mind-readers; they could pluck the thought right from his head. He concentrated on the numbness, and the pain. That’s all he thought about anymore. He let him mind cloud over with the sickness and every time they came it became that much easier. Xander knew that his time on this plain was coming to a close, he couldn’t’ wait.
“Where is the key?” Xander just knelt there. No one was coming. No one was left to come. They were all dead, Buffy, Willow, Giles, Angel, Cordy, so many more. Baby slayers all grown up and in the ground. All dead. Just Spike and Faith left to protect his girl. To keep her safe. They wouldn’t’ come for him, because they had to keep her away. Spike loved no one more than his Dawn and Faith would do this for him, would keep his baby girl safe knowing that it would be what Xander would want more than his own life.
“Yes, where did they take her?” Xander’s mind flooded with memories of his nights with Anya, Cordilla, and Spike. The sexual memories making the creature behind him pull back in revulsion. They were creatures of the mind, everything was done with their minds, things like physical pleasure was some of the most revolting for them. Xander took great pleasure showing them what he had experienced, you didn’t have lovers among thousand year old demons, vampires and a slayer and not have many experiences to share. It was only a bonus that they were some of Xanders most treasured memories.
Xander allowed himself to smile as he fell into the memories for a second before his mind fell blank once again. It was only a matter of time till they came back. Time he knew he didn’t have. It would be soon, Xander could feel it, death would come for him very soon. Xander looked forward to seeing his family again, he missed them dearly.
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Anita clenched her comforter around her, as she sat huddled in the corner of her room. The room was dark, the curtains pulled tight against the light of day, the doors locked and warded with magic to keep the rest of the house out. To keep the rest of the house safe. Blood washed through her mouth as another wave of convulsions hit rocking her body. The withdrawal symptoms became worse and worse. No addiction to any natural drugs would leave her body running so hot, her temperature spiking to well in the hundreds. Sweat beaded down her naked back even as with shaking hand she clench the thick comforter even tighter around herself.
Gods she just wanted this to stop. Her mind screamed with desperate please to any and all that would listen. She wanted to be able to go two days with out having to suck the sex out of someone, or multiple someone’s. She wanted to live her life, not be bond to so many people that she was being to forget who she was. She couldn’t hold up to the pain, sorrow and fears of those around her any longer. The weight of their lives baring down on her shoulders leaving her feeling crippled.
She would have to give in soon. Though a part of her wished for death she knew that it would lead to the death of those around her as some would be forced to follow her into the beyond and others would louse themselves to the darkness only she seemed to be able to control for them. Even now she could feel the walls she had built up around her crumbling. Could feel the tiniest tread of her pain seeping to the others.
“I wish I didn’t have so many people to look after. I wish I had someone who could completely understand me.” Anita’s prayer was barely a whisper, more in her head then spoken out loud. It took longer than it should have for Anita to see the rip like opening in front of her. She watched, barely conscious of it as D’Hoffryn, a large demon like creature step through the magical vortex. Unmoving Anita watched through clouded eyes as D’Hoffryn leaned down and brushed taloned fingers across Anita face tilting her head further up towards him.
“Wish Granted!”
Anita knew nothing as a white light so intense that the ceiling, walls and floors began to smoke around her washed over her. She felt nothing as her body rose into the air and pieces of all shapes, sizes and colors were pulled from her form. Some of these pieces had shape or light color, all of them had ties to something Anita was, or someone she ‘owned’. A blinding light seared through the room, over taking Anita causing a layer of steam to waft from her over heated skin.
D’Hoffryn looked towards the door as pounding began to resonate through the room. The magical force-field wouldn’t hold long against ware strength. He used a bit of his own power to hold the door closed as the light and heat grew in intensity in the small room. A wave of his had put out the small fires that broke out around Anita. It was only as the power began to recede that D’Hoffryn pulled his own power from the door allowing the weras outside to burst through. He took one more look at Anita, checking over the changes made to both the outside and inside of the petit women before disappearing back through the whole in the dimension he had caused.