He had been here for two weeks now - two weeks in a place where everything was familiar but different. He wondered if he'd ever get home. As he showered, Xander thought about that first day.

::Two weeks earlier::

Xander yawned, opened his eyes and rolled over. He knew it was too early to get up because his alarm hadn't gone off yet. So why was he awake? Better yet why was he on the floor?

Xander stood up and stretched. He was still fully dressed just as he had been when he fell into bed last night. Patrol had been hard, two vamp nests and a coven of witches trying to open the hell-mouth.

As soon as the fact registered that he was in his bedroom, his completely empty bedroom, Xander began to worry. There was no way someone could have taken every last stick of furniture out of here while he was sleeping and not wake him. Something hell-mouthy was at work.

He left the bedroom only to find the rest of the apartment in the same shape - empty. It was as if he had never lived here. Even the paint was back to the same plain white that had been there before he signed the lease. He and Anya had the place painted in soft pastel tones. Her idea, but it did look good. With no phone and no electricity, Xander figured he'd have to walk over the magic shop to see if any of the others were experiencing weirdness.

The walk through Sunnydale was like something out of the 'Twilight Zone'. He swore he saw faces from his graduating class. Faces of people he knew hadn't survived the mayor's ascension. Shrugging it off as more of the same weirdness that took all his furniture, he continued on to the shop.

Xander walked through the front door of the magic box and was pleasantly surprised to see Giles there.

"Hey G-man! When'd you get back from the mother country?"

The crossbow aimed at his chest and the small brunette girl with a stake were not expected. Xander swallowed hard and tried again.

"Uh? Giles? I know you hate the nick name but is this necessary?"

Giles slowly approached Xander and opened the door. The morning sunlight poured into the shop and surrounded Xander in its brightness. Giles frowned and then withdrew a cross from his pocket. He pressed it to the side of Xander’s neck. Nothing happened.

"Who are you?"

"What? I'm Xander. Who else would I be?"

Giles took several steps away from him and motioned for the brunette to come closer. Xander couldn't hear what was being said but he knew it was about him. He waited with a growing sense of wrongness. This was all wrong. Giles thought he was a vampire? Why? And who was the slayer wannabe?

"Xander?"

"Yeah G-man? Uh sorry, habit."

"What are you doing here?"

Xander sighed and motioned toward the research table.

"Can we sit? This might be kinda hard to believe but I don't think I belong here."

Giles nodded and the three of them took a seat.

"First off. I'm Xander. Do you know me?"

"Yes. You were one of Buffy's closest friends."

"Were? As in we aren't friends anymore? Or as in, one of us ain't breathing anymore?"

"You were turned. Last year as a matter of fact."

"How? Who? Why?"

"Well the how is pretty obvious. The who? Angelus. As for why? I can only assume to hurt Buffy."

"Which leads me to my next question. Where is the Buffster and who's the brunette?"

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. The brunette shot Xander a hate-filled look.

"Buffy was killed. This is Deanna, the new slayer."

Xander sighed and put his head on the table.

"Looks like I'm not in Kansas any more."

"Why don't you tell me what you remember. What's the first thing you remember that seemed different?"

Xander began talking, he told him about waking up in his empty apartment on the floor and everything that had happened between then and the moment he walked through the front door.

"And you say that Mayor Wilkins ascended? Fascinating. Buffy and Faith killed him before graduation in this reality. I assume that's why you recognised some of your former classmates. What else can you tell me about your reality?"

Xander and Giles talked for the next couple hours. Xander learned that in this reality Angelus had never been re-souled, as Willow had been vamped with Jesse in high school. Angelus had turned him, killed Buffy, and they had left town with Spike and Dru.

"What about the Initiative?"

"The what?"

"Riley Finn and his commando boys? Not ringing any bells?"

"Er, no actually. Please explain."

Xander went on to tell him about the military operation that had based itself in Sunnydale, how they had chipped Spike and he had come to them for help. How he had become somewhat of a colleague and had fallen in love with Buffy. He then asked about Glory and Dawn.

Giles told him that while he wasn't sure who this Glory person was, that Dawn had been killed by Drusilla. Xander assumed that because the key no longer existed, Glory had no reason to come to Sunnydale seeking it.

Giles couldn't believe some of the things he had heard. Faith being a rogue slayer, Dawn being a key that would destroy the barriers between worlds, Buffy dying and then being resurrected. Angel running a detective agency in LA with Cordelia Chase working for him. It was too much.

"And you say that Willow was a powerful witch in your reality? Fascinating."

"What happened to Willow and Jesse? Are they still vampires or did Buffy dust them?"

"Er, Jesse is still a demon as far as I know but Willow was dusted by Drusilla. It seems that Spike took a special ... interest in her and Dru got jealous."

"Oh. What about Cordy? What about Anya?"

"Cordelia left after graduation. I believe she is modelling in New York. As for this Anya? I'm afraid I don't know who she is."

"Of course! If Willow was vamped, there would never have been any kissing and Cordy wouldn't have made that wish and Anyanka would never have been here."

Giles spluttered.

"Did - did you say Anyanka? As in the vengeance demon Anyanka? The patron saint of scorned women?"

"Yep. She owned half this store, we almost got married."

Giles looked like he was about to faint.

"If it makes you feel better, she was human. You smashed her necklace and she lost her powers."

"I see. I must say, your Sunnydale seems like a very odd place indeed."

"Welcome to the hell mouth."

"Hell mouth? What hell mouth?"

Xander groaned. It was going to be a very long day.

::Present::

It had turned out to be a long couple of weeks. This Giles was just as obsessive as the one he remembered. They had read through countless magical texts trying to find a way to send him home. They had discussed the differences between their worlds, the possibility of endless realities existing. Xander knew there were at least four. This one, his reality, the wish-verse that Anya created and apparently a world without shrimp.

It made sense that there would be more. His inner geek told him the possibilities were endless. Every time you made a decision you created a reality in which you chose to go left instead of right, but somewhere, there was a reality where you chose the opposite. It was a scary thought. With that many possibilities he might never get home.

Xander finished his shower and got dressed. He felt a bit dizzy for a moment and closed his eyes. As he headed back downstairs he heard voices in the kitchen. As he got closer he recognised one of them as Buffy's. He grinned like an idiot and barged into the room.

Everyone fell silent and stared at him. He did the same. 'Cause there at the table sat Giles, Buffy, Willow, Spike, Tara, Dawn and.... himself.

"Well this is going to be fun."