Great chapter on to the sequel!

Thanks. Let me know what you think about the sequel.

Okay, an interesting start and I suspect Xander is someplace they'd never know about, let alone consider. Life is going to get "interesting".

Yes, he is, and yes, it will. ;-)

Please let there be a follow up. We need to know what happened to Xander.

There will be. Just have to finish up the things I'm working on now. ;-)

Ooh, I like this. So many possibilities for what happens to Xander. Please continue.

Not to worry - I will be continuing this. Just note exactly sure when.

Dude....ending it like that is just cruel! You gotta come back to this or at least point us to the sequel when the time comes!

Well, thanks for the compliment.

And yes, there will be a story following up this one, but I can't give any estimate on when it will appear.

He's not getting turned, is he? Or did he just finally say 'screw it' and stepped off? He's fully within his rights, after all.

Nope, Xnader hasn't been turned, and he didn't just say, "Screw tehm!" and walk off.

Something else entirely occurred.

Working on the follow-up as my muse and spare time allow, which isn't a lot at the moment, since this is the time of year I have to do a lot of traveling for work. ;-(

Very interesting...

Of course, this begs the question what happened to Xander? My take on the character, is that he does have a Knight-complex, so I can't see him just "disappearing" without cause, whether to train on his own or something else. Whether Xander is a White, Grey or Black Knight, depends on the story though. Of course, I have this story idea of Xander falling through Acathla into Hell, and from Hell into the Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic, where Xander becomes Revan. And it's Revan that's returned to Sunnydale, Season Three.

I also believe that Season Four "Primeval" established that Xander is the Heart of the Scoobies, so without him, I can't see the Scoobies remaining as they were with him. In fact, I would think that Scoobies would not be able to function as a group at all without Xander's influence, which here seemed to have been forgotten.

So I've very curious what happens next in this set-up.

You're quite right about Xander would just not decide to disappear from Sunnydale without at least letting the other Scoobies know he was going.

You're also correct in your comment about Xander's absence having a significant effect on the ongoing cohesion of the group, and that is something that most people don't really consider when writing and developing stories concerning his absence.

I'm going to try to address that point in the follow-up story, but I also won't be getting to that for awhile yet.

Great story, but the ending leaves so much unknown!

Yes, it does, doesn't it? ;-)

Sequeal!! You left it open for a second, doooo it. To many stories get left open for seconds and they never happen!

Don't worry - there will be at least one more story to continue this arc.

THAT is where you end it!!?? With no plans for more!? You're a bastard!

Now update something else or I won't love you anymore! *g*

This particular arc of the story is finished. There will be more coming to complete the entire storyline, but it probably won't be anytime real soon.

More updates for other stories will be showing up soon.

OOh OOH OOH...know what would be cool? A sequel to this on what happened but maybe make it a prototype crossover where xander has alex mercers powers or something.

Nope, no prototype crossover here. I know what happened to him, and that isn't even in the same universe of close. ;-)

Good story. I always felt the lack of any consequences or even any comments by the characters over that scene never made much sense.
The only negative I see in this is the comparison you made between them forgetting about Xander and the lack of mention of Jesse after the second episode. This in my opinion is a bad comparison mainly because they knew what happened to Jesse they have no clue what happened to Xander. Where I can see them putting their worry about him aside while dealing with the major dangers that crop up. I can't see them forgetting about him, especially Willow.

Glad you enjoyed the story.

As far as the comparison with Jesse is concerned, I see the Scoobies as focusing their attention on whatever is the highest priority threat, and putting aside 'for later review' whatever isn't actually threatening world end-age. Unfortunately, as with a great many things, out of sight ends up equaling out of mind, and I can easily see them losing track of their investigation into what might have happened to Xander.

Not maliciously, just out of typical human forgetfulness.

And as far as Willow is concerned, I can see her very easily deciding that there are other projects that are of greater importance than spending time on finding out what happened to 'her best friend from kindergarten.' After all, it's important to keep in mind that she immediately dropped virtually all contact with him after the Fluke occurred, despite the fact that he took all of the blame for that occurrence, and ended up essentially in complete solitude and estranged from his friends, afterwards.

please tell me there will be more! You can't leave us hanging there!

Oh, there will definitely be more to this. It's just going to be a while before it show up, unless my muse's priorities change. ;-)

wow, please tell me you are going to work on what happened when he returns I would love to know

I have an excellent idea about what happened to Xander, and how things will be happening when he returns, but it's not yet written down. It will be written, though.

Really, really good. Loved the cat-fight. Would dearly love to see a sequel... *puppy eyes*

Well, a sequel is in the works, but it's still pretty much all in my muse's imagination yet, jelling, prior to being written.