The last five hours had truly been the longest of Rupert Giles life. First nearly losing Buffy and Willow to Spike and then having to enduring the horrible waiting as a team of surgeons struggled to save Xander's life. They had managed to stabilize him, but he was still in grave danger. The only good news was that Willow only had a mild concussion and would be fine. Giles was glad she had gone to sleep before anyone had told her about Xander.

"Want some company"

Giles looked up from his brooding and saw Jenny Calendar. The look of concern in her eyes was evident.

"Yes, please."

"So what really happened?" She asked as she sat down beside him. She looked across the waiting room to where Xander's parents were standing with Joyce Summers. "Mr. Harris said something about Xander hurt defending Buffy from a wild dog."

"It was the most believable story we could tell. Spike's claws did considerable damage before he crumbled to dust." Giles went on to tell her everything. When he was done she sat there for a moment trying to process everything he had told her. "I can see why you didn't want to let on what was really happening. I'm not thrilled that you left me out mind you, but I do understand." She finally said.

"I'm glad to hear that. I can only hope that Buffy will be as understanding."

"Where is Buffy?" Asked Jenny.

"She's at Xander's bedside. She absolutely refuses to move. She isn't taking this well."

"I can't say that I blame her. What do you think will happen?"

"I don't know." Admitted the Watcher. "My conduit to the future is no longer here. I just hope that where ever he is that he is at peace."

____________________________________________________________________

His first conscious that was that no one could be in so much pain and still be alive. As he tried to gather his thoughts together he became aware of voices, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He tried to open his eyes but the brightness of the light forced him to close them again. As more of the pain subsided he could make out the voices more clearly now. They were calling something out. If he concentrated he could almost understand them.

"Xander? Xander can you hear me?" One of the voices said.

Xander; that was his name. No wait, that's not right. It used to be his name. He went by Alex now. Why was the voice calling him Xander?

"Xander can you move?" The voice said. It was a male voice.

"Why are" Alex trailed off for a moment "Why are you calling me Xander?"

"That's you name. You're Alexander Harris. Do you remember that?"

Alex opened his eyes. The light was too bright but it was getting better. His head was clearing too. He was on a bed, in a room that was unfamiliar to him. He looked at the man speaking to him. It was Giles, but something wasn't right. Giles was standing next to him.

"What happened to your wheelchair Giles?" He asked.

"I've never had one." Answered the Watcher.

Alex sat up and looked at Giles.

"Yes you have. You've been in once since.."

(Since Buffy put you in one.) Alex finished in his head.

"Xander, listen to me. You're suffering from a kind of temporal jet lag. You still have the memories of the timeline you left. In a few days those memories will fade until they are like a kind of half remembered dream. Your memories of the current timeline will slowly take their place. Until then I would recommend pretending that you have the flu and stay here at your home, otherwise people will think you've gone right around the bend."

Alex sat back and took in what the watcher was saying. He had survived and succeeded in changing the timeline.

"But what about Buffy?" Asked Alex anxiously as he tried to stand up.

"What about me?" said a voice behind him.

Alex whipped around at the sound of the voice and almost lost his balance. Giles steadied him. Alex looked at the source of the voice. Buffy stood in the back of the room smiling at him. He looked at her in amazement. His mental pictures of Buffy were either the girl she was or the vampire she had become. The woman he looked at now was neither of those. She was a beautiful woman in her thirties. Alex felt as if he had misplaced his lungs.

"I'd have to say that the reaction was definitely worth the wait." She said as she approached him.Alex was overcome with emotion. Tears started to roll down his face at the sight of her. He had done it. She was alive. And soon his memory of what had happened would fade. The nightmare he had been living since he was sixteen was over.

Buffy stopped right in front of him. He thought she was going to pull him into an embrace. Instead she pulled him forward and kissed him passionately on the lips. As their lips parted Alex... Xander was to stunned to say anything

"Welcome home Xander." Said Buffy