Title: Oceans of time
Author: Adalisa Zarate
Email: [email protected]

Feedback: I can't live without it.
Distribution: Mama Chelle's site, XanderSlash's site and my site. Anywhere else, just ask. I won't say no.
Web site: http://members.tripod.com/luxshine/

Summary: Xander almost dies... And Angel meets an old friend again.
Rating: PG-13 (I think.. At least this part is)

Disclaimer: Xander, Angel, the Watchers and Slayers are creation of Joss Wheldon and are owned by Warner Brothers and Mutant Enemy. However, LaVelle is mine.

Content: I'm afraid that you will have to read it. But the Disclaimer is a good clue.
Notes: I wasn't going to do a sequel of A toast to life. I swear. But after seeing Anne... Well... It just began by itself. And, for no other reason than to help the plot, although Buffy did send Angel to Hell, and then ran away, Willow, being incredibly cool, managed to bring him back a week later. Only that no one found Buffy. So, at the beginning of this, Willow, Oz, Xander and Angel are fighting the vampires. And a little more successfully than in the series. But just a little.
Spoilers: Becoming and Anne. Sort of.
Dedication: To Meredian, whose wonderful feedback for A toast to life gave me the idea of a title.

The Scooby Gang (Also known as the Slayerettes) had had a busy summer. After three weeks of fighting Vampires, they had found a demon waiting to awaken in Sunnydale.

And they didn't had a slayer. It all was somehow going fine, as they fought the pit snake demon inside the wishing well... Angel and Oz tried to set it ablaze as Willow and Xander fought it with swords. They were learning to use them in that very moment, but the snake demon didn't know that. Suddenly, just as his green scaly hide was finally in ire, the demon grabbed one of Xander's legs, pulling him down with him. Willow shrieked, and the only one who acted fast enough was Angel, who managed to grab the boy's hand just in time. He saw Xander's terrified face, as the tentacle dragged him, as the fire got closer... And it was enough to give the vampire strength to carry him back. The color had left the boy's face, as he stared in shock, and began to slip into unconsciousness...

"Xander!"

"Xander!!"

No response... His eyes were beginning to close. Oz and Willow dashed to get the van, leaving Angel alone.

"Xander, come on... Don't faint..." The vampire felt as if his heart was breaking again. Although he had been involved with the Slayer, he had never stopped caring for the boy, ever since they saved Buffy from the Master. Losing him was more than he could bear. Forgetting himself, he kept shaking Xander's body, trying to keep him awake.

"Alexander!! Come on!! Don't fall into a shock..."

This seemed to get Xander's attention, as he opened his eyes, watching the vampire. "I told you... I hate my name... Too long..." He said, before getting to his feet. "I am fine, Angel... Do not worry..." Angel smiled as he saw how the boy stretched his back, still a little dizzy.

"I always worry about you guys... after what I did..."

Xander turned around, looking at him surprised. It was then when Angel registered that there was something different in the boy's posture, but he couldn't pinpoint it.

"What do you mean, Angel?"

"Xander! You're o.k.!" The female voice made Xander turn suddenly, as he tried to grab something to defend himself, to no avail. Willow hugged him, but the boy only tried to extract himself from the embrace.

"Who are you?!" He asked, seeing Willow and Oz as if he had never seen them in his life.

"Xander..." Oz began, but his friend wasn't really listening. He seemed too interested studying both Willow and Angel. And, before anyone could do any other question, the boy fainted, calling Angel's name.

Alexander LaVelle woke up, feeling unusually disoriented. He was laying down in a strange couch, in a living room he had never seen before. It was full of books, some of which he could recognize just for their covers, but most of which were odd to him, and the ceramic figures and furniture wasn't really like the ones he knew. And there was electric light. A luxury he had only seen in the most rich, extravagant houses.

And there was no sign of Angel.

He barely remembered being in a cell, mortally wounded, telling Angel about the truth of his feelings...Begging the vampire to kill him, so his beloved could survive. And after that... things got weird. There were glimpses, mere moments of him and Angel together, but so brief that he could easily dismiss them as dreams...Because he knew that he had to be dead. That by all means and logic, he was dead. But he felt very much alive... Worried, he placed his hand over his chest, where he discovered his pulse. He breathed in, and out, trying to calm himself.

With a slight pain on his head, which nevertheless was much better than the terrible pain he remembered on his chest, he managed to get to his feet, to walk and explore the strange place. As he was doing this, marveling at one of the lamps in the side table, he heard footsteps, and from another room came an older man, dressed in a strange attire that seemed like being made of tweed, two younger persons, both wearing trousers and a strange combination of shirts and jackets that made impossible to him to know if one of them was a girl... and behind them, Angel, looking impossibly gloomy.

Since LaVelle had seen Angel's brooding moods, and what he could try to do while in one, he worried.

"Good." The old man said, in a British accent. "You're awake. Can you tell us if you recognize anybody?"

LaVelle frowned, but something told him to trust the older man, so he pointed towards the vampire. "He is Angel... We live together."

One of the youths, the one with longer red hair, turned to see Angel. "You do? Why I didn't know that? Why nobody ever tells me anything?" Female voice, LaVelle noted.. although her English sounded queer.

"Who are you?" He asked, starting to feel dizzy again.

"Stop playing games, Xander" She said, walking towards him, worry painted in her face. "It's me, Willow. Your best friend."

"I am sorry, miss. But... I had never seen you before in my whole life. Perhaps you are mistaking me for somebody else." As LaVelle talked, nervously, his French accent began to show. Angel took a step closer, recognizing that as a sign of fear from the mortal, but the older man talked first.

"If you're not our friend Xander... then, who are you?"

"LaVelle... Alexander LaVelle... Please, tell me... where am I and who are you?"

Before anyone could answer, Angel spoke, his voice strained. "LaVelle... Which year is this?"

"1896... you know that yourself Angel... You are the one who keeps a perfect track of time. What is going on here?"

Hearing LaVelle's conviction, the older man took off his glasses and looked at the young confused man, a little worried.

"My name is Rupert Giles... I am a Watcher, a man who..."

"I know what a Watcher is." LaVelle interrupted, sharply. "Is this a new trial? Is the Council not happy enough with my resignation?"

At Giles surprised expression, Angel saw fit to interfere. "LaVelle was trained to be a Watcher. That's how I meet him... and the council threw him away because of my friendship."

"If he is a Watcher, he should know that." LaVelle insisted, feeling dizzier, sitting down.

"The Council has changed a lot..." Angel took a deep breath, looking at his friend with mixed emotion. "This is 1998..." LaVelle looked at Angel with horrified eyes, as the world began spinning around and everything turned black again.

When the shadows began to diminish, LaVelle heard voices. He didn't want to open his eyes, all to sure that if he did, the questions he couldn't answer would began again. So he stayed quiet, hearing the discussion, hoping to get some answers for himself.

"Are you saying that this LaVelle is an earlier incarnation of Xander?" That was the Watcher's voice, easy recognizable by the accent. "How can you be so sure?"

"I... I have seen this happen to him before," Angel's voice said. "At least, I'm sure it happened twice... and almost sure of other five times."

"But... he never said anything..." The Lass' voice. LaVelle was surprised of the nervousness of the girl. Slayers were usually the only women around Watchers... and they were more... aggressive. "I would have noticed it..."

"They were never like this... Xander would do things that were uncommon for him. Or say things that only LaVelle could know. But in the same instant, he was Xander again."

"That could be helpful..." The Watcher again. "But... If those were brief moments, Why now it has lasted this long? Were there anything special in those past times?"

There was a silence, which LaVelle used to think. The whole concept of reincarnation was not new to him, but he had only associated it to Slayers, never to Watchers. Other than that, he considered himself lucky... he had found Angel again, after saying his final good bye.

"We were in danger... and in situations similar to what I lived with LaVelle in the past. When we followed Buffy to the Master's lair... that was the first time. Xander said a couple of things that were, well, some kind of private joke between LaVelle and I. The other time was when Spike came... And I offered Xander as a vampire's toast..." Hearing this last admission from the vampire, LaVelle couldn't stay silent any longer, and opened his eyes, sitting fast.

"You did it again?! I thought that we had agreed on not having me as an entree for your bloodsucking friends!" He said, looking at the vampire angrily. Then, he turned to see the Watcher. "I am not sure of what is happening now, Mr. Giles... But if this traitorous bloody fiend is right about your friend Xander being my reincarnation... then perhaps we are facing a psychic regression."

"Traitorous bloody fiend?" Angel shouted, before Giles could answer. "You did many similar things to me! Or have you forgotten the 'Immortal aged soul sacrifice' in New Orleans? You still owe me that one!" As the vampire shifted to his game face, Giles and Willow looked at each other, nervous, and Oz held up one stake, discretely. But the two friends only looked at each other, and suddenly laughed. "I missed you." Finished the vampire, sitting at LaVelle's side.

"But... But he can't stay... Can he?" Willow asked, obviously uncomfortable at the ease between vampire and human.

"No... I can not." LaVelle said, suddenly serious. "This is Xander's life, is not it? But I do not know how this happen... I merely read a few texts on the subject of regression, and sincerely I do not understand it. Even if this has happen before... Angel said that in all the other times, my mind returned to its right moment in mere seconds. Maybe... maybe we just have to wait..."

The following silence was interrupted by Oz wrist watch, that startled everybody. The young man looked around, a little ashamed. "I'm sorry but... I have to go home... I have to get ready for tomorrow's full moon."

"We all need to rest, it has been a long day..." began Giles "But LaVelle can't go to Xander's home..."

Willow opened her mouth to say something, but Angel interrupted her. "There are plenty of empty rooms in the Mansion. He can stay with me tonight. And that will give us time to think.. or to give LaVelle some insights on the '90's..."

Everybody except Willow agreed, and as they left the Watchers house, no one noted the girl's gloomy face.

"You live here?" LaVelle walked inside the mansion, looking at everything that looked from his era. "It is a big change from our place in Chicago."

"I guess..." Angel said, nervously as he tried to calm his trembling muscles. "I wasn't really myself when I got it..." He watched as his young friend walked around, smiling. In the last few hours, LaVelle had grown less scared, and become more as the curious young man that Angel remembered and loved. His reaction to Oz' van had been amazing, as he began muttering something about the folly of allowing a kid to use such a dangerous machine, and ended asking Oz if he could teach him to drive. He seemed amazed of everything that Angel now took for granted.

"This must be difficult for you..." LaVelle said, taking the Vampire off his musings. "Hearing my voice in a strange face."

Angel kept on smiling, and walked towards him. "Come here," he directed the young man to one of the few decorative mirrors in the house, where only the mortal reflection could be seen.

Angel watched amused, without letting his friend's body go, as LaVelle's eyes grew wider and the young man touched his face in the reflection.

"I... It is my face... the same one I..." He stopped, touching his hair, his face a mask of shock. "What happened to my hair?!"

"Xander likes it short..." Angel answered, half hugging LaVelle, and stepping closer.

"What did he use to cut it? An Ax?" As LaVelle fidgeted with his hair, Angel took a step closer and buried his face in the younger man's neck.

"It was hard for me... to see your face and know it was not you..."

"Angel..."

"I know you remember what we talked in that cell, LaVelle.... I haven't forgot either...."

Angel turned LaVelle around, to meet his eyes. Both leaned at the same time, and their lips almost touched. But when Angel could feel the other's nervous breath, LaVelle backed away.

"I... I am sorry, Angel... I can not do this..." The young man walked away, his face shadowed. "My feelings have not changed... The hundred years that have passed for you do not exist for me... but..."

"What's the matter then, LaVelle?" Angel almost yelled, full of frustration. He tried to get closer to his friend, but the young man kept his distance. "Tomorrow you might not be here..."

"Exactly. This is not my body... Not really. And I can not use it as if it were." As he finished, LaVelle walked up the stairs. Just as he got to the second floor, he turned again. "I am very glad you kept your promise... And I hope you understand."

Angel closed his eyes, not willing to see LaVelle going away. By the time he opened them, there were tears in his eyes. "I did not kept it, LaVelle... And I know that you will hate me when you find out."

Willow arrived to the Mansion, very nervous, almost as it dawned. She knew that Angel wouldn't be up, and she wanted that exactly. Maybe Xander was himself again, and he would be terrified of what he had done, or maybe he still believed himself to be a watcher wanna-be from a hundred years in the past.. but for his own safety, Willow had to get him home before Mrs. Harris awoke.

She used her spare key to get in, not very sure of what to do next, when she saw LaVelle walking down the stairs. She knew immediately that it wasn't her friend, as his posture was different from Xander's... a little more sure.

"Miss Willow?" He asked, looking very surprised. "What are you doing awake this early in the morning? Surely Mr. Giles does not appreciate his Slayer loosing her few sleep hours..."

"Slayer? I... I'm not the Slayer... You... I mean... Xander knows that Buffy is the Slayer.. I'm not..." She began babbling, surprised. She still couldn't get used to the idea that Xander didn't remember her. "I have to get you home now..."

"I know. I figured that in this time, parents do not like their sons away for a long time..." LaVelle walked to the door, opening it for Willow, who was still a little shocked of the calm portrayed by him.

"Won't Angel be worried if he doesn't find you?"

"No. We both know that this can not last long." As they leave the house, Willow couldn't help but feel a little guilty for wishing LaVelle gone, and she followed him with mixed feelings.

They made most of the way in silence, as LaVelle simply admired the sunny streets of the town. Finally, a few steps away from their destination, he turned to see her. "You do not like me, do you, Miss Willow?"

Willow turned to see him, surprised and a little ashamed. "I... Well... not really..." She never meant for him to notice, and now that he had, she felt childish. "...I'm sorry... It's just that... Xander and I... we have been friends since we were children and..."

"I understand Miss Willow... It is strange for me, too." LaVelle waved around, to mark his words. "This time, this town.... You, Mr. Giles, Oz... If it was not for Angel's presence... I would go insane..."

Willow smiled, feeling a hard weight of her chest. "Don't call me Miss. I feel all old and wrinkly." Then she offered him her hand "I guess we just started with the wrong words. Hi, I'm Willow Rosenberg, your present incarnation's childhood friend."

"I never had a childhood friend before... I am glad I had the opportunity to meet you." LaVelle said, and kissed Willow's hand, gallantly, making her blush. Trying to change the subject fast, she pointed to the Harris' house.

"You live there. If we're lucky, your mother will be asleep... but anyway, we have to say that you have amnesia..."

"Since I do not even know their names... I suppose that is very much the truth."

Smiling, LaVelle followed Willow to the door, looking around his pockets for something resembling a key, when the door opened and a worried man came out.

"Alexander!" He half whispered, ushering them inside. "Where were you? Your mother is still upstairs but..." He looked at both of them and then to the stairs before continuing. LaVelle could tell that he was very worried. "You know very well what is waiting for you... I let you hang with Willow and the others, no matter what your mother thinks of Buffy, I let you date Cordelia... but I hoped that you would show some responsibility..."

"Responsibility?" A female, drunken voice called from the top of the stairs, as Mrs. Harris came down, a white robe covering her body. "That irresponsible pup? This failure of son? I don't think so... He is a good for nothing, just like you... And I will teach him to behave in my house!" She raised her fist, ready to hit the boy as she had done countless times before, the dark secret of the Harris family, only shared by the Rosenbergs, who had been swore to secrecy by the friendship bonds. But, since LaVelle didn't know this, and had been hit one too many times in the past, his years of training with his father, the abusive Slayer called Maia, and he had learn that there was no reason why someone should hit their flesh and blood. He swiftly avoided the punch, at the same time he managed to get a hold on the woman's strong arm, at the shocked face of Mr. Harris and Willow.

"Madame," he said, trying to maintain a calm tone. "I do not believe in any kind of violence, especially when directed to one's family... But if you do not refrain from hitting me... I would find myself in the shameful need to defend myself."

Mrs. Harris looked at him, surprised and half shocked, an almost hurt look in her face, that made him loosen his grip a little... just enough so she could free herself and connect the long delayed hit with his eye, before hitting his ribs, making him fall to the floor.

"Insolent Pup!" She yelled, as she ran upstairs again, furious... and maybe a little scared. Xander had never stood up for himself. "I'll show you some respect!!"

They heard a loud crash, as the woman closed her bedroom's door. After that, there was a long silence, and Mr. Harris turned to see LaVelle, who was standing up, his left eye rapidly swelling.

"Alexander?" He asked, nervously. "What got into you to talk to your mother like that? And what happened to your voice? You never..."

"She is not my mother..." LaVelle said, tears escaping his eyes. "Mon Maman would have never treated me like that. She loved me..." The last words were choked in sobs, and Mr. Harris looked at Willow, not understanding what was going on.

Two hours later, LaVelle was in Xander's room, packing with Willow's help. They had explained everything to Mr. Harris, who still wanted to know why his son had been fighting demons and monsters and never told him a word, but who also suggested that it would be better if LaVelle stayed somewhere else until the regression could be reverted. Even when he wanted his son to stay, he knew that his wife would never understood. Besides, her simple presence made LaVelle deny Xander's life, clinging to his own memories of the past with a fierce resolution.

So, until he became Xander again, LaVelle was going to live in the Mansion with Angel, where his father could go and check him from time to time. As he finished packing, only clothes as every memento of Xander's life seemed alien to him, he turned to see Willow.

"Is it always like this?" he asked, his voice almost a plea. "Does she always hits me and... and treats her husband like that?"

"Yes... my dad tried once to make Mr. Harris go away with you... but he didn't want to leave her... I'm sorry... You must... feel awful..."

"My Mother did not want to leave my father either," LaVelle said, flatly. "She was a British Lady, who fell in love with a disgusting, rude violent French man. She taught him about the Watchers, and when I was born, he was training to be one... he liked the fights, but never touched her... except when he drank... then he would hit her with any excuse, and me... he hit me almost all the time. But she never mentioned leaving... she loved him too much..."

"That's why you are training to be a Watcher? Because of her?" Willow asked, softly.

"Non," He hold a small crucifix that he found in one of the drawers, and put it on his neck, before closing the bag that Willow had choose. "Mother never wanted me to be a Watcher... That was my father's choice, after she died. But to honor her memory, I fought demons and vampires at Angel's side."

Before going to the mansion, Willow thought that it would be better if they briefed Giles about what had happened, and see if the Watcher had any new insight on the problem.

The librarian had managed to find some more text on the subject, and he passed two books to LaVelle, as Willow took out her laptop and plugged it as she had always done.

"Unfortunately, only the most recent are in English," Giles began saying, as he got ready to start the session, with his usual research tone. "I'm afraid I will have to look up most of the ancient texts..."

"Pardon me, Mr. Giles..." LaVelle interrupted, looking at the 'Mysteries of the Souls' book that the librarian had give him with some distaste "But I can read English, French, Latin, Greek, Rumani, Mandarin, Korean and Japanese. You do not have to do all the work alone..."

"Oh." The librarian looked at the boy, a little startled and even slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry... I keep thinking of you as Xander..."

"It is understandable.... I am sorry about this..." LaVelle sat at Willow's side, and for a few moments stared at an ancient Latin manuscript before blinking, confused. As Willow and Giles looked up from their respective texts, he blushed, ashamed. "I... I used to... wear glasses... in my own time... I thought... since Xander did not had any on himself... that I would not need them anymore but... I... I cannot read... the writing seems.. covered with fog..."

Willow half smiled, before reaching her pack, from where she pull out a pair of male glasses, in a thin silver frame. "Xander does wear glasses... but he hates them since he thinks they make him look geeky, so he gave them to me... when we began researching to use them if no one was around..."

LaVelle took them, surprised at their lack of weight... But except from that, they were just like the ones he had used in his own time. As he immersed himself in the Latin words, he frowned. How many more similarities were there between Xander's and his own body? So far, they were the same... And in every case of reincarnation he knew, there were usually a complete change of body... he could not remember a single case that included an exact copy of physical appearance. And although he had yet to see himself naked, he was sure that there would not be any difference.

He concentrated in his reading, and only a strange beep from Willow's direction pulled him out from the information, an hour later.

"What is that?" He asked, looking at the laptop that rested in the table. "What kind of book is it?"

"Ah... It's a computer... It's like..." Willow stopped for a moment, wondering how to explain something that she took for granted to a man who lived 100 years in the past. "It's like... a super-brain... it stores information and searches it a lot faster than the human brain..."

"I am sure that LaVelle prefers to keep his research to the books," said Giles, a little hopeful since he liked having someone who read other languages, someone who might understood his own rejection of computers.

"It can look at information faster than us?" LaVelle asked, fascinated by the scrolling screen. "Teach me how to use it... Please, Miss Willow..."

The girl smiled, and moved the Laptop so LaVelle could see what she was doing. Giles watched the exchange with more than little surprise. LaVelle's curiosity and almost easy adaptation was not common at all in the cases he had found, where the victim of psychic regression denied every sign of the passing of time. Intrigued by the new idea, he left them alone to see if he could find the diary of LaVelle's parents among the Watcher's diaries he had.

It was late at night when Angel found LaVelle, deeply asleep in a couch in the living room of the recently furnished mansion, with an antique Japanese text in his lap. He couldn't help but smile, thinking back to all the times LaVelle had fallen asleep like that when they lived together. The young man always tried to keep up with Angel's time, but couldn't sleep all day, and so, always fell asleep at nights, especially when researching. Carefully, Angel wrapped him with an old coat he had kept from their life together, the one he had given LaVelle as a gift for his 18 years, right before his father threw him away.. For 100 years he had kept it, ready to be worn, unable to let it rot away.

When he had woken up that afternoon, and there wasn't a sign of LaVelle, he had thought that everything was over, something that his rational mind told him was for the best... And for that same reason, when LaVelle appeared on his door, with a bag in his hand and Willow behind him, when Angel discovered that he still was his old friend, the vampire had felt his body fill with an almost perfect happiness. Only the knowledge that it couldn't be forever, the memory of LaVelle's death, kept him for breaking the curse that held his soul.

Now, it wasn't clear how much time they got, as they hadn't found either a reason or a solution for LaVelle's presence... That made Angel's will weaken. He wanted to kiss, hug, caress LaVelle... To tell him all about Buffy, and beg for his forgiveness, to take him away from the pain that he had suffered, to keep him safe... to be with him forever.

Sighing, he placed a small cold kiss on the boy's forehead, before leaving the room.

"So... no joy at the Cemetery?" Giles asked, as he and Willow walked down the library's stairs. It was the first day of the new year, which made the library busier than usual.. still, they could talk about slaying at ease. None of the students ever noticed the supernatural aspect of their usual chats.

"No... he escaped," Willow sighed, looking at the main research table where LaVelle was immersed in a history book. "LaVelle still blames himself for that...But I think it's just a glitch in the system. We'll work it out."

Two weeks had passed since Xander's regression into LaVelle, and although they still hadn't found any cause for it, the young man had begun to adapt to the life in the 90's. In fact, since most of his habits closely resembled Xander's, from time to time the gang had had troubles remembering that they were still dealing with a soul from 100 years in the past. After spending a week locked in the Mansion, only going out to Giles' house as everybody still treated him as a baby, telling him of the different adventures he had had as Xander, researching to find an answer to the trouble they were into, LaVelle had finally decided to try and keep his reincarnation routine as close as possible to see if that could trigger the regression back. That meant that patrol nights had been reinstalled and even when they hadn't show any improvement, at least there were no more injuries; LaVelle showed more concern about Willow's and Oz's welfare than to slaying vampires, and Angel was very occupied keeping LaVelle safe. Sometimes, his worries turned to overprotection, and that had caused the gymnastic vampire to escape the night before, as Angel rushed to help LaVelle, who had been thrown to the floor by a kick, instead of helping Oz to throw the stake in the right direction. The reasons for his actions, however, were unknown to the rest of the Slayerettes, since both Angel and LaVelle refused to talk about their past life together, since the young would-have-been-Watcher insisted that remembering the past would not help him to return to the present.

"Did you gave LaVelle his class schedule?" Giles asked again, as he gave Willow the books she wanted. "The teachers can get suspicious and..."

"Don't worry, Giles" Except from his accent and the fact that he is incredibly respectful with everybody, I don't think anyone will notice a thing...I briefed him about everything and everyone I remembered." Willow waved to left the library, just to come face to face with Cordelia.

"Hey, Willow" the girl began, smiling as she took her sweater from her shoulders to put it on her hips. "How was summer?"

"Cordelia...fine... as always..." the red-head stuttered. She had forgot to tell LaVelle's about Xander's girlfriend, and now she had to get Cordelia as far as she could from the boy. Fast.

"Good to see you're still as talkative as ever. Where is Xander?" Cordelia looked around, not giving Willow a chance to answer, and her face lightened with a smile as she found him. "Oh. There he is. Since when does he wear glasses?... It doesn't matter. I'll make him forget those books in a minute."

"Ah... Cordelia... wait..." Willow's half muttered warning came too late, as her friend was already on her way to the table, towards the unsuspecting LaVelle, as she displayed all her charm.

"Hey Xander, Missed me?" LaVelle turned to see her surprised, blinking behind the glasses.

"Miss..." He trailed off, trying to remember everything Miss. Willow had said to him. However, she had only mentioned a close friendship with a girl, Buffy Summers, the Slayer. And all he knew was that Miss Summers was his friend, the slayer, and that she had been away. In fact, he had the idea that she was somehow a subject to be avoided. Still, the girl seemed to know him, and to be his friend, so he simply smiled. "Summers. I am glad to see you again."

"What?!" The girl looked at him, obviously angry. LaVelle knew immediately that he had done a mistake. As he tried to utter an apology, she stopped him with a wave of her hand. Whoever she was, she obviously knew that the world did not deserve her. "You're not joking, are you?" LaVelle shook his head, not sure what the girl wanted him to say. "You don't know who I am. Wait here, just one second." Then she went away, looking for Willow. Sensing a storm in the making, LaVelle closed his books and waited for her to come back.

"WILLOW!!" Cordelia practically yelled, making her friend pale, as she smiled nervously. "What did you do to Xander? Or was that Amy again? Why doesn't he know who am I?"

"Ah... well... You see... It's not as if Xander doesn't know who you are... it is that.. he isn't Xander... he is... kinda... well... he will be Xander, in a 100 years.. but now he is not... and I am not making sense, am I?"

Before Cordelia could answer, LaVelle was at their side, giving the girl her first good look at him. Although he was physically identical to Xander, the clothes he was wearing made him look different. He was wearing black pants and boots, and a white silk shirt that she had gave him after the fiasco in Valentine Day, over it, a beige coat she had never seen before. His hair was carefully combed back, a combination of his normal hairdo and Angel's. As she stared, amazed, he took her hand gracefully.

"I am sorry mademoiselle, it was not my intention to anger you."

"What?" Cordelia asked again, turning from LaVelle to Willow to LaVelle again, surprised.

"Cordelia... this is Alexander LaVelle... Xander's past incarnation" Willow introduced, knowing that the long explanation would have to wait. "LaVelle, this is Cordelia Chase... your.. ah.. .Xander's girlfriend."

"Enchante, mademoiselle." he smiled, and kissed her hand with the same gracefulness he had used with Willow days ago. "Although I am not your boyfriend, I hope we can become good friends."

"Ah... oh... hi..." Cordelia began, blushing. "Where is Xander then?"

"It is a long story..." Willow began as the three of them walked down the aisle, where Oz waited.

The vampire caught LaVelle, pinning him down with his body, as the young man struggled to place the stake in position. Hearing Miss Cordelia scream and Angel yell, LaVelle wished for again that Mr. Giles had allowed him to use the crossbow, or the staff... or any of the weapons that he knew how to use better than the stake. As he thought of changing the battle plan, Angel caught the vampire and threw it away, helping LaVelle to stand.

"Merci Angel, I think this has..." LaVelle could not finish, as Cordelia screamed again. The gymnastic vampire had apparently decided that the girl was an easier meal, since she was the only one without a stake.

With not more than a passing glance to Angel, LaVelle used his stake to club the vampire, who turned around growling. Then, using his watcher training, LaVelle managed to both duck as the undead creature attacked him, and stake him in the same movement.

"Cool!" Cordelia said, as LaVelle tried to get the ashes off his coat. "That was even better than Buffy's moves!"

"You saw her fight too, Miss Cordelia?" the young man asked, while his friends closed in. He was feeling very curious about the Slayer, since the determination of the others to avoid the subject had left him convinced that Buffy was dead and that the Watchers' Council, in their usual lack of wisdom, had decided to leave Hellmouth without a Slayer. "I wonder what kind of creature was able to slay her..."

"Buffy is not dead." Cordelia answered, very surprised. "She just ran away after sending Angel to Hell, two months ago. Didn't anyone tell you?"

"Sending... Angel to Hell? Why would anyone do that?" LaVelle asked, now completely lost. The vampire walked forward, not wanting his friend to find out about Angelus.

"Cordelia... I don't think that's something that we should talk about now..." He interrupted, but Cordelia only turned to see her, truthfully amazed.

"Why? I thought you had come over the fact that you lost your soul, tried to kill all your girlfriend's friends, and she having to try and kill you."

"Girlfriend?" LaVelle's voice was barely heard, a whisper. Even so, Willow was able to see in his face a hurtful expression, that was almost immediately replaced by a sincere smile. "But... Angel, you never told me you had found your lady love!" He managed to say, in a cheerful tone. "We have too much to talk about then, and you have spend all this time talking about me. I am very glad that you finally will stop brooding and let yourself be happy."

Angel just stood there, not knowing what to say. He had seen LaVelle do that before, hide his suffering in a mask of happiness so perfect, that even LaVelle could be fooled by it. Even worse, Angel knew that his young friend was very sincere in his congratulations, that he could be happy for the vampire, even if that killed him. After all, LaVelle had once given his life for him. Before he could think of something to say, something that would explain his actions, Cordelia spoke again.

"Oh, no. He can't be happy, LaVelle. If he is, the curse will be broken and he will turn again into a psychopath killer named Angelus."

LaVelle's smile disappeared again, this time turning into a concern frown. Willow walked towards him, but he dismissed her with a half wave.

"I am sorry, Miss. Willow, Miss. Cordelia... I seem to have a headache... I... I hope to see you in the morning. Please, brief Mr. Giles without me." He walked away, not waiting for Angel, who simply stared, recognizing his friend's need to be alone.

"What's his problem?" Cordelia asked, confused. LaVelle was a charming gentleman, who treated her like a queen... but there was also something very strange on him, his way of talking to people, about people. She also missed Xander. She missed their jokes, their friendship... something that she knew she couldn't have with LaVelle, even if she managed to get him into a broom closet. Most important, she couldn't understand LaVelle like she understood Xander. Nobody knew that her relationship with him was more about friendship than anything else. When he had a problem, emotional or physical, he always came to her... she knew all his secrets, his family troubles, his dreams... his secret love. She didn't know LaVelle... and she didn't know how to help him.

"It is my fault." Angel said, flatly and half-defeated. He sat in the bench where Cordelia had been sitting, waiting for the vampire to attack. He felt as if his heart was breaking in two, pulled by the love he still felt for Buffy, and the love he had never forgot for LaVelle... and he couldn't find the courage to tell that to his new friends. "When we lived together... we were very close friends. He accepted me knowing that I was a vampire, but not knowing about the curse... when his father found out that I was a vampire... he threatened to stake me, and LaVelle put his body between us... By the time he died, there wasn't a single secret between us. He knew everything about me, and I knew everything about him. But now... I didn't mention Buffy, or the curse... nothing..."

"Then you're stupid." Cordelia said, matter of factly, causing Willow and Oz to look at her, shocked. "What?! It's not as if Angel had been unfaithful, is it?"

Angel just sighed inwardly, wondering if the girl knew how close she was from the truth.

LaVelle sat in the roof of the Mansion, looking at the stars. It was the only place there where he could feel as if he belonged. Where he did not feel as an outsider. **Even if I am one.**

The grim thought rose and refused to dissolve. LaVelle knew perfectly well that he did not belong in the twentieth century, that he was usurping Xander's life. But even so, he had had little joy, joy from the fact that he was with Angel again, with the only man he had ever really loved. Joy from the fact that Angel loved him.

But that had been long ago.

**He has someone else now. A hundred years have passed for him... And probably he forgot me. He loves someone else... even if he can not be happy with her...** Tears gathered in his eyes, as he lowered his gaze. He did not want to cry, many beatings from his father had taught him that men did not cry, but even so, the tears ran through his face. ** ... even so... we will always be separated by an ocean of time...**

The End.