Title : The Witness

Author: Marc D.

Disclaimer: I own neither Buffy or Stargate SG-1 (it's short but concise)

PROLOGUE

Xander had been driving for hours. The depression he felt was almost all consuming. He had hurt someone that he fully and truly cared about, someone that he loved. He may not have harmed her physically, but he may as well have killed her emotionally.

If the guilt of leaving Anya at the alter was slowly, and painfully, destroying him, he could only imagine what it would be doing to someone like her. Would she still be crying? Perhaps she would be calling out for Vengeance.

'She'd be deserving of it.' He thought morosely while driving in a daze. 'And I'd be deserving of receiving it.'

Sure, he had his reasons. He had all but lived an entire lifetime within those visions. Everything was so real. He had grown up in a relationship that he considered worse than his 'parents.' And that was saying a lot.

To him it was much worse. As far as he knew his mother, and father, had always been faithful. Drunks perhaps, well, drunks definitely, but faithful nonetheless. Even worse than the resentment he had felt coming from the visionary version of his Anya was his reaction when the final curtain call came.

He had killed her. He couldn't believe he had hit her with the frying pan like that. Even though it had been in a vision, the emotions were real to him. They were real inside of him.

As much as he wanted it to be untrue, when he saw her, he could still feel those emotions playing havoc within him. So he did the only thing he could think of. He ran. He ran to make sure that she would be safe. And in the process he may have killed her emotionally. And that thought was killing him as well.

His self inflicted depression began to slowly boil into anger. Before long the top had boiled over and he was brimming with pure rage. Rage at himself, at the world, at the Gods themselves. He wanted nothing more than for this to all be over.

xxxxxxxxx

It was the extremely bright and colorful lights that brought Xander out of his daze and into the land of the conscious. 'Oh crap! I hope I didn't hit anyone.' Truth be told, he knew that his reaction timing from fighting for so long would have made that an improbability, but his ability to worry about anything and everything was still strong within him.

When he finally took stock of all the pretty lights he realized something. 'What the hell? When did I get to Vegas?' He must have been driving fast, and for a while now. He knew that because his stomach was telling him that, like his car, he was riding on empty.

'Hmm, alcohol or food? Alcohol or food? Hey! I know, how about Alcohol as food?' He smiled to himself. 'That's a great idea self! Thanks!' He shook his head. Perhaps he should get to the alcohol quicker if he is already starting to talk to himself. 'Another great idea! Thanks Again!'

He needed Alcohol, and he needed it now.

xxxxxxxxxx

He had wanted to get totally smashed. He was allowed, wasn't he? But he wasn't drunk, a little tipsy might be understating his current condition a bit. Let's just say that he wasn't feeling any pain right now.

He was walking along the street, more like stumbling along the street, and attempting to enjoy the nightly breeze that was washing against his face. He was beginning to go back into his introspective thoughts when a cry of utter shock laced with a good deal of fear pierced the night air.

From years of mental and physical conditioning, the alcohol that was impairing him was temporarily displaced leaving him as lucid as could be expected.

He was running, yet still stumbling, towards the vampire that had a woman pinned against the wall. She was struggling with all her might and no longer screaming. He pulled a stake from where he had it tucked under his shirt and charged the vamp.

Sensing him at the last moment, the vampire turned slightly. Xander cursed his luck. He no longer had an open line on the heart. Instead of stopping, he simply plowed into the vampire.

Using its speed and strength, it smashed Xander into the brick wall of the alley. With a loud crunch, Xander hit the wall before it began to rough him up a little. It was pure instinct and luck, for all conscious thought had left him moments before, that allowed Xander to place his stake in a strategic position. Had he been able to think about it, the fact that he still had the stake clutched in his hand would have been beyond him.

The vampire moved forward to drain the pesky human that had disturbed its meal. With a little help from Xander, the vamp had impaled itself onto the stake turning itself into dust along with the stake.

Due to the alcohol and probable concussion, Xander never noticed the attractive woman with short blonde hair. He simply began to limp his way out of the alley. He was so out of it that he never noticed the man walk past him calling out, 'Sam!'

He didn't notice any of this as his world became dark, and the sweet embrace of unconsciousness overtook him.

xxxxxxxxxx

Colonel Jack O'Neill, of the United States Air Force, strolled past some drunk kid. 'For cryin' out loud, everyone is drunk in this city. Wait…why aren't I drunk?' He shook off the thought as he approached Carter, Doctor Major Samantha Carter with a PHD in Astrophysics. His steps faltered as he noticed her expression that was intently following the man he had just past. It was comparable to the first time someone saw the Stargate go active.

This gave him pause. Did he do something to her? He didn't think so. He would bet good money that she could beat the crap out of that guy when he was sober, let alone while he was drunk. Still, that expression coming from her was quite unnerving.

"Carter, you ok?" There was no response. "Christ Carter! You look like someone told you that Apophis really was a god!" He tried to put some humor into his voice, but she was really beginning to freak him out. Luckily, that little comment brought her partway out of her hypnotized stare.

"S-Sir…He, he, I mean. I"

Oh crap, this was not good. Carter never stutters. "Carter!" he snapped. This seemed to gather more of her attention. "Did that man accost you?" His voice became progressively darker as he finished that statement. No one messed with his teammates.

If it were at all possible her eyes became even wider. "No!" She almost screamed it. "He saved my life!"

Jack looked around the alley. "Saved you from what?" He glanced around once more. "Where the only ones here."

She glanced in the direction the pile of dust had settled. "I don't know sir." She heard a muffled thump and looked toward the mouth of the alleyway where Xander was now lying on the pavement.

"Sir, whatever it was," That got a strange look from him. "He'll know whatever it was." She was pointing to the now unconscious form. "We have to help him." There was almost pleading in her eyes. "He saved me and because of that he was forcefully shoved into the wall!"

With a sigh he went to check on the young man. He needed to calm Carter down. He had never seen her like this, and it was quite unsettling. The man was out cold, most likely a concussion, if not alcohol induced.

Pulling out a cell phone he called Doctor Janet Frasier. 'Damn she's going to be pissed. We're supposed to be on vacation. She wanted to spend more time with Cassie.' As Janet's voice could be heard over the small speaker of the phone, Jack couldn't help but think, 'Hammond is not going to like this at all.'