Xander was walking towards the new home of the revised 'Scooby Gang', Angel had graciously handed over ownership of the old hotel to Giles after Angel was given full control of Wolfram and Hart (Now Wolfram ,Hart and Angel.)Xander had all but managed to regain most of his ability to walk in a straight line with out lurching to the left or swinging his head from side to side to have some form of ocular vision. He grinned as he remembered the first days after their leaving the newly formed 'Lake Sunnydale'.
The doctors at the field hospital in Oxnard had told him he would lose some depth perception and had given him pain killers before ushering him out to make way for some other poor SOB that managed to survive the massive sink hole that Sunnydale had become. Outside several men in suits were handing out claim forms along with business cards.
"The Government owes you money son for your loss and suffering." One man told him as he shoved the card into his hand. "We promise a no win no pay result." He boasted.
Xander shook his head and let both the card and the form fall to the ground as he passed by him and into the relative quiet of the makeshift camping ground. "I really don't know what's worse, the damned demons or the creatures that seem to be attracted by disasters."
"I'd say demons every time."
"GAH!" Xander jumped dropping his pills and scattering the water he was carrying to the others. He turned to see Faith standing there with a shocked look on her face. "Jesus H Christ don't ever do that again!"
Faith shrugged. "Sorry I thought you could see...Uhh..."
Xander tapped the patch. "Hello, I'm not wearing this damned thing because I liked The Pirates of the freaking Caribbean ya know!"
"Well at least you're alive Xand, which is more than can be said for a lot of other people." She picked up the pills and the water, handing him the water while she read the label. "Jesus their handing these things out like M&M's!"
"M&M's what?" He grinned at her then shrugged as she rolled her eyes at his lame joke. "It's the best I can do, so sue me, my freaking eye hurts like hell all of a sudden add to the fact it's not even there anymore, my head aches and I think I got some sort of rash on my..." He rubbed his thigh and saw her back off with a look of disgust on her face as she glanced at his crotch. "THIGH! And thank you so much for that little vote of confidence."
Faith looked for a way out. "Well you were out all night with that demon girl before Buffy rescued you."
Xander snatched the pills from her. "Buffy, jeez if anyone was going to catch something from demons it would have been her."
"Did you let the doc's see it?"
He shrugged again. "Why bother? It's almost gone now." He remembered how one of the Turo-Khan had bitten him there during the final battle then spat his blood out like it was curdled milk. "Ya know just once I'd like this stupid crap to happen to some one else, some one not me for a change."
They came to the bus and Giles opened the doors as he started the motor. Giles look at him with a look of pure regret; he had told him that his loss was one he blamed himself for. Xander just shook his head and had replied. "Unless your name's Caleb you got nothing to be responsible for Giles."
But he knew the old Watcher still had a lot of grief over the events that had led up to that fate full battle. Woods took the bottle of water and Xander took a seat next to Dawn. He was about to ask how she was when he heard Andrew tell one of the Slayers. "No, Xander's more like Nick Fury if you ask me ,the way he boldly jumps into battle to defend the ..urk." Andrew melted under Xander's gaze, he pointed to the girl and said. "Amanda said you were like Captain Jack Sparrow and I...shutting up now."
Xander shook his head and turned to face Dawn as she told him. "I happen to think she's right...Johnny Depp is a hunk and so are you."
Xander closed his good eye and slumped back in the seat. "Yeah, tell me that again when I won't get either thrown in jail or killed by Buffy for trying to prove I'm not."
Xander pushed open the doors of the old hotel and swept away the old memories of those days as he approached the reception desk. He handed a small box and cup from the tray over to Dawn. "Half skimmed double shot mocha latté, no sugar and one low fat blueberry muffiny type treats."
He then continued into the inner sanctum of 'Hotel Hell' as he liked to call it. "Soups on." He placed the full tray on the desk and moved towards his quiet little corner. He sat down and tried to get up enough courage to finally ask Giles the question he had been putting off for some time now.
Giles saw him glance at him as he picked up the jelly donut and he took a napkin and wrapped it around it as he walked towards Xander. "Xander could I see you in the training room for a second?" Xander sighed and made a big thing about getting out of his chair. "If you must Giles."
As soon as the door closed Giles turned to him. "Okay now I've been waiting patiently for the question you've been trying to ask but enough is enough, ask me the damned question already."
Xander glanced around as if expecting Buffy or one of the others to come creeping out of the woodwork. "Okay...here it is, now I want you to know I have not been poking around Willow's old spell books and I haven't been pestering any of Angels 'associates'..."
"Xander!" Giles flapped his arms. "Just tell me!"
"Isitpossibleforaneyetofixitself?" He blurted out.
It took Giles a few seconds to decipher his meaning and then he shook his head. "No, unless you're part axolotl then self repair is out of the question."
Xander looked confused. "Well there was that one time when I joined the swim team...Maybe?"
Giles walked towards him and gestured to his patch. "You think you're eye is fixing itself?"
Xander nods and then moves his hand to the patch. "Just before I'm fully awake I keep getting these bright flashes and I some funky crap leaking from around it too."
He lifts the patch off his face and Giles winces. "Well it's certainly inflamed." Giles gently separated Xander's eyelids and then jumped back in shock. "Good Lord!"
Xander began to panic. "What! What?"
"I think we need to get you to one of Angel's doctors." Giles tells him as Xander replaced the patch.
"You want me to go to one of..." He shook his head. "But aren't they demon type doctors. "His remaining eye went wide. "I knew it! I'm a freaking demon!" He began to pace. "I knew hanging around the Hellmouth would screw me up worse than I already was but would I leave? Nooo! Not me, not this little black duck! "He kicked a table and winced. "Ow! Pain, shit that hurt!"
Giles tried to refrain from smiling. "Oh you're a demon all right, and my Aunt Martha's my Uncle."
A tall man dressed in the latest fashion paced the room. "He survived the mouth of hell and he's here?" He turned to a smaller man whose hair happened to be red today. "Yep."
The man continued pacing as his mind raced. "All these years and he simply comes to me comes to my town."
The young man shrugged. "He never knew, we never knew." He looked quizzically at his friend. "But it does explain a few things."
The man stopped pacing and turned to him. "You're sure, no mistakes, it is him Daniel." Daniel nods. "Jeez, Lucien I knew the guy for like two years, it's him...and call me Oz please."