FIC: Over Protective Parenting (1/4)

Warner licked his lips, his blood pounding with desire as he watched from the shadows as a lithe, loose-limbed brunette swayed her oblivious way towards him and his companions. She looked to be a very tasty morsel indeed.

He turned to his companions and grinned. "Time to party." His words were rewarded by a pair of smiles gleaming back at him. He waited until their unwary victim was just feet away before stepping out in front of her. "Hi babe, wanna have some fun?" he leered. Not that she’d enjoy it much.

At least not until she turned her.

* * *

"Not really no." Sara stared evenly at the man in front of her. Her uncle had taught her showing fear to this sort of man would only encourage him. Not that she was scared, her uncle had trained her well, one unsuspecting street thug would be no match for her.

Her heart sank as she sensed two other men stepped out behind her. She was so screwed. Forcing a confident expression, she attempted to step around the man only for him to block her path. "That’s not very friendly is it?" the man taunted, his smile not shifting an inch.

Sara responded by stepping into the man’s space and slamming a headbutt into his nose. Her eyes widened when the man’s smile widened. "Not friendly at all."

A half-second later the side of her head exploded in pain when the man back-handed her, knocking her into the wall. Shrugging off her shock, she stepped back into the attack, leading with a palm strike.

Unfortunately the trio’s leader sidestepped with a smooth speed that her uncle would have been proud of before grabbing her out-stretched arm in an astonishingly strong grip. "You really are," her assailant emphasised his comment with a winding right hook to the stomach. "A rude little girl." Another right hook crashed into her forehead, knocking the back of her head into the wall.

Dazed, she slid down the wall to the wet ground and looked up at her attackers. "And," her assailant licked his lips. "Naughty girls need to be taught a lesson." The group’s leader glanced at his companions. "Hold her for me boys."

Now completely panicked, Sara screamed. "Help!"

The trio’s boss laughed the mocking sound sending shivers through her. "No one can help you girl."

"Oh," a flinty voice cut through the night like a knife. "I don’t know about that."

* * *

"You’re telling me you’ve seen Star Wars how many times?" the east coast Slayer’s beautiful features creased in disgust. "Fuck, I can’t believe my best bud is a geek. And a major league honey like me," Faith shook her head and sighed theatrically. "How the mighty have fallen."

"Is that right?" Xander raised an eyebrow, stopped, and turned to the sultry Bostonian. "Or could it be you’re just a barbarian?" he asked before turning away.

"Barbarian?"

Xander howled when Faith slammed her foot in his ass, knocking the teen face-first to the ground of the Denver graveyard they were patrolling. "That hurt!" he protested.

"Meant to," Faith cheerfully replied before grabbing hold of Xander by his collar and lifting the Californian to his feet. "You hurt my feelings."

"Not as much as you hurt my ass," Xander winced as he rubbed his butt.

"Ah," Faith cooed, pouted, and fluttered her long eyelashes. "Does baby want mummy to kiss it better."

"Now that’s just disturbing."

Tara couldn’t help but giggle at her friends’ antics as she walked beside them and wondered at how much her life had changed over the past few months. Once, she’d believed herself to be worthless, fit only to cook and clean for her loathsome father and brothers. But now, she smiled at her bickering companions, she had a purpose, and best of all two friends she loved more than she’d loved anyone since her Ma’s death.

Faith glanced towards her and winked. "What ya say Tar?" her friend demanded. "Is Xan a nerd or what?"

"He’s a nerd," she confirmed with a smile at Xander’s injured expression. "Dune’s much better."

Faith threw her hands up. "I give up!" the east coast native dazzled her with a grin. "You having fun Tar?"

"Great fun," she nodded before looking at Xander. "Especially when Xander fell over."

Faith’s smirk widened. "Clumsy of him wasn’t it?"

Xander’s mouth dropped open. "Clum-."

The Californian was cut off by virtue of Faith clamping a palm over his mouth. "Hush dear, the ladies are talking."

"Ladies?" Xander managed to wriggle free. "I’ll be quiet when I find -," Xander broke off to stare at a suddenly serious looking Faith. "What’s up?"

"Trouble, someone screaming!" Faith hurdled over a near-by gravestone before racing off to the left, her pony-tail swinging wildly. "Come on!"

"She never waits does she?" Xander commented to her before starting off after their raven-haired friend.

* * *

The moment the vampire began to turn towards her, Faith slammed a right cross into her jaw, snapping his head to the side and splattering his blood against the alley wall. She grinned cockily at the dazed demon. "You like picking on defenceless honeys?" she purred. "Try me. ‘Course," she tilted her head to one side. "Being as I’m the Slayer not so much with the defenceless."

"Slayer?" the demon’s yellow eyes filled with a combination of terror and rage before he lunged at her with a thrust kick.

"Hitting a girl." Faith shook her head as she twisted away from the attack and hooked the out-stretched leg in the crook of her right before reaching across, grabbing the foot, and twisting. "How rude." The vampire screamed as his ankle snapped like a twig. "Bet that hurt," Faith commented as she drew her stake and thrust it into the vampire’s heart. "Still," she beamed as the demon exploded into dust. "I got the best vamp pain-killer." Faith glanced around to make sure her buds were five by five.

* * *

Sensing his approach, the nearest vampire spun to face him and threw a right cross. Xander slipped under the punch before retaliating with a left hook to the demon’s right armpit that elicited a grunt. Smiling victoriously, he slammed a knee into the vampire’s groin staggering it. Pulling out his stake, he went for the killing blow.

"Damn!" he cursed when his wrist was grabbed by the other vampire. He shot out an instant side kick to the demon’s stomach.

The vampire grunted, released his grip, and stumbled backwards. "Thanks." He spun around to face the first demon and grunted when he caught a left to his mouth, sending blood trickling down his face. "Shit!" Shaking the blow off, he feinted with his stake. The moment the vamp’s eyes moved to follow his attack, he heel-kicked the demon in his right knee. The monster’s eyes widened in shock a half-second before he fell forward onto his stake.

Feeling the other vampire’s hands on his shoulders, he drove his foot back in a heel kick to the demon’s groin. The monster grunted and released his grip on his shoulders. Xander spun around and thrust his stake home. "You five by five X?"

Xander smiled at his friend through the vampire’s falling dust. "Fine thanks Faith. You?"

The raven-haired Slayer smirked. "Natch. Tar?"

"F…fine."

Xander grinned at the Wicca protectively standing over the crumpled body of a lithesome young woman a couple of year’s older than him. Their strategy of Faith taking on the biggest or leading demon, him keeping the minions off her back, and Tara taking care of any innocents had worked again. "Is she okay?"

"Just bruised," the Wicca replied.

"Got a name for us Tar?" Faith asked.

"Neve Campbell."

Xander exchanged a confused look with Faith. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"Y..you asked for a name," Tara informed him, an all too innocent expression on her face. "I gave you one, my first crush."

"Ah," Faith nodded in understanding. "Good taste Tar, I approve."

Faith was definitely rubbing off on the previously timid wicca. After giving himself a mental smack to rid himself of the images that particular thought had conjured up, he shook his head. "Women." If they started talking make-up, he’d hang himself. Xander counted to ten before continuing. "I meant hers."

"W…why didn’t you say?" Tara crouched over the girl and rummaged through her pockets. The witch pulled out a wallet, flipped it open, and looked up. "Her name’s Sara Ryback."

FIC: Over Protective Patenting (2/4)

"Okay," Xander nodded. "Got an address?" If Tara gave him Neve Campbell’s he was getting the Wicca locked up. After he’d gone round to charm Neve himself.

Instead the New Mexican wordlessly passed him the crumpled girl’s driving licence. He quickly read the address before passing it back to the honey-blonde. "We’ll take her back to her place," he decided. Normally they dropped off any seriously injured at the hospital, but there were always awkward questions. The girl wasn’t seriously hurt and her place was much closer than the hospital. Reaching into his jacket he took out his keys and passed them to the honey-blonde. "You drive."

"Hey!" Faith sounded outraged. "Tar drives like she’s driving Miss Daisy, no offence."

"None taken," the Wicca muttered sarcastically.

"But she needs to get home fast," Faith finished, gesturing towards the crumpled body.

"What she needs is to get home in one piece," Xander corrected. Ignoring Faith’s outraged glare, he scooped the almost vampire victim into his arms. "Let’s get her home."

* * *

"Sure boss," Faith replied lightly, shooting off a jaunty salute. Inwardly though she was in turmoil.

She hated seeing Xander looking after another girl. On one level she knew it didn’t mean shit, but on another it made her seethe with jealousy. The way Xander was now, the new body combined with his old personality, girls were bound to notice him.

Unless she got him for herself. But she daren’t.

It was beyond dumb. Since before she hit her teens she’d been attracting both welcome and unwelcome attention from both genders. Now, less than five years later, she knew every trick in the book and some that weren’t to get her man. But she was scared to use them with Xan.

Life hadn’t prepared her to feel the way she did about X, about anyone. If he said no, or they didn’t work out, she didn’t know what she’d do . But if he got with another girl…. She decided she had to get X for herself and soon, before some skank got their claws into her man.

* * *

"T..this is it Xander." Tara announced as the SUV eased to a halt outside a small one-storey building.

"Thanks Tara," Xander looked down at the unconscious girl he’d cradled in his arms through-out the ten minute drive to her home. Satisfied that the young woman’s breathing was fine, he opened the car door. "I’ll just be a few," he said before lifting the girl out of the car and shoving the door shut with his foot.

He carried the girl up to the house. "Oh damn." Realising he hadn’t got the girl’s keys out, he put her down, leaning her against the door, her back brushing against its buzzer in the process. "Now where are your keys Sara?" he muttered as he started to rummage his way through the girl’s pockets. Hearing the sound of the front door opening, he looked up.

"You bastard."

* * *

Hearing the front door buzzer, Casey glanced up from working on the restaurant weekly specials. Dropping his plans on the lounge table, he strode to the front door and opened it. His eyes widened when he saw a young hoodlum leaning his dazed-looking niece against the door frame, his hands travelling her body. "You bastard," he growled.

The teen looked up, his eyes surprised. "What?" Paling, the young man shook his head. "Oh no, sir." His fist slammed into the kid’s forehead, staggering him. He was going to rip the bastard apart.

* * *

"Whoo!" Faith bounced up and down in her, her voice bubbling with excitement as the house-owner caught Xander with a world-class right. "That had got to be hurt!"

"W…we should go and help him."

"Relax sis," Faith grabbed Tara’s forearm as the New Mexican started to climb out of the car. "X should be able to handle an old hombre like that." Besides to her thinking seeing X get an ass-kicking wouldn’t suck after seeing him caring about another girl.

* * *

Xander looked up to see a tall, well-built man in his late forties with stern eyes and a widow’s peak stood in the doorway glaring at him. His heart dropped as he realised what the man must be thinking. He shook his head and opened his mouth to explain.

And caught a thudding right to the forehead. Dazed, he stumbled backwards. "Sir," he tried again. "You’re making a mistake." Although given Mr. Chase’s reaction when Cordy had taken him to meet her parents for the first time, maybe not.

"Only mistake was you touching my niece," the man snarled as he advanced on him.

"Sir," Xander ducked a left hook to the face only to catch a right to the gut. Winded, he was helpless to avoid the older man grabbing him in a front facelock. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the bigger man around the waist and straightened, throwing his opponent over him to the neatly-trimmed lawn. "I can explain."

He turned to face the older man only to be kicked in the left thigh. Wincing at the pain shooting up his leg, his temper snapped. Leaning away from the bigger man’s follow-up right he grabbed his opponent’s wrist and yanked him forward while simultaneously bringing a knee up to crash into the man’s stomach.

Except he ended up on his back when his rival swept his grounded foot from beneath him.

Grunting his frustration, he rolled up and slammed his head into his rival’s face, knocking him back a step. "Finally," he threw a right at his adversary’s head.

His opponent’s lightning-fast hands shot up to grab his wrist. A half-second later he was flying through the air to land on his back. Again.

Now he was pissed. Rolling back to his feet, he glared at the advancing man. This was getting embarrassing. "No! Uncle Casey, he helped me!" The big man half-turned at the girl’s shout. Seizing his chance, he connected a right cross to the man’s jaw, knocking him to the ground. "I hate being cheap shot," he coolly informed.

* * *

Sara groaned as her eyes fluttered uncertainly open. The last thing she remembered was a pretty blonde stepping over her body and a boy and a girl her own age engaging her attackers. Ignoring the pain, she shook her head to clear it. Her eyes widened when she saw her uncle pummelling one of her rescuers. "No! Uncle Casey, he helped me!"

Her uncle started to turn at her shout. Instantly the young man slammed a fist into her uncle’s jaw before stepping back. "I hate being cheap shot."

* * *

"Hey, you’re getting into dirty fighting. Way to go!"

Xander looked over his shoulder and glared at the unrepentantly grinning Bostonian. "Thanks for the help Faith, no really," he replied.

The Slayer’s smirk widened. "But you looked like you were having so much fun."

"Fun!" Xander glowered at his friend. "Why-."

"Thank you for helping my niece and sorry for attacking you."

Forcing a smile, he turned back to his assailant. Comforting himself with the thought that he’d at least bloodied his rival’s nose, he held out a hand. "No hard feelings, I’m Alex Carter, the brunette’s Faith Spenser, and the sweet-natured one’s Eloise Lewisham."

The older man smiled as they shook hands. "I’m Casey Ryback and this is my niece, Sara," Casey hesitated. "Would you like to stay the night? I can make up the spare rooms?"

It was on Xander’s lips to refuse. After all he had no real desire to spend any time with some one who’d come so close to beating him. Except, Xander’s brow furrowed, the man had almost defeated him. "Sure, we’d love to," Xander glanced to the others. "Let’s get our stuff out of the car."

"Why we staying X?" Faith asked as she pulled her bag out of the back of the car, the majority of their belongings in the Always Pocket. "You hoping to pick up some tips from Granpa?"

As usual his glare bounced off Faith. Sighing long-sufferingly, he turned to Tara. "When you get a moment, contact Angela, get her to do a search on Casey Ryback."

"You thinking of recruiting him X?"

Xander turned back to the Bostonian. "He’s good, really good. If he’s just a martial artist then no, but if he’s military trained maybe."

* * *

Casey watched the trio of strangers. They were interesting, Alex fought well, exceptionally so for a teenager, nobody had gone toe to toe for him in years. Even more intriguing was Faith. Quite apart from the girl’s striking beauty if possible, there was something about her than marked her as even more dangerous than Alex.

But that was ridiculous.

"Sara," he decided to distract his niece. "Could you take Faith and Eloise through to their room," Casey smiled at Xander as his niece led the two teens away. "If you’ve got a minute, I’d like to ask you where you learnt to fight like that?"

"Here and around." The youth shrugged, his expression unreadable.

"Really," he raised a sceptical eyebrow. He’d learnt his skills in the Special Forces, here and around just didn’t cover it. Deciding to press it would be rude, especially considering his earlier behaviour, he changed the subject. "What about Sara’s attackers? Did you get a good description?"

"Look," the youth shuffled from foot to foot, "I’m tired. Can we talk about this in the morning?"

Another unanswered or evaded question. "Fine," he conceded with a nod before adding a warning. "But we will talk." No way were those bastards getting away trying to hurt his girl.

* * *

Xander sighed wearily as he closed the door of the room Ryback had shown him to and turned the light on. "What a day-," his voice trailed off when he registered the curvy body lying in the room’s only bed. After a second he found his voice again. "Faith."

"Hi X," Faith’s voice trembled and her smile lacked its usual easy confidence. "Wanna get in?" Her friend threw the sheets aside revealing she was completely naked. "Bed’s all warmed up."

Instead he stayed by the door, rooted to the spot, wanting to bolt but unable to tear his gaze from the tantalising sight before him. "F…Faith, what are you doing here?"

Faith bit her bottom lip. "I’d have thought that was obvious. I want you."

"Faith," Xander mentally kicked himself for he was about to say. "You’re sexy, amazing, funny, and beautiful, but I’m not going to just use you for sex."

Faith licked her lips. "It doesn’t have to be just sex. Ever since that night you saved me from making the biggest mistake of my life, I realised that you were different from all the other guys I’ve known, that you really cared, and I wanted your heart. But," Faith laughed nervously. "I’ve been too scared to do anything about it. ‘Til today when I saw you with Sara and realised I’m even more scared of losing you to another girl."

Xander smiled. "Faith."

"Yeah X?"

He stepped towards the bed. "You’ve already got it."

FIC: Over-Protective Parenting (3/4)

"Good morning Alex," Casey hid a smile as the bleary eyed young man stumbled into the kitchen. "Sleep well?"

The youth coloured. "Uh, bed was comfy."

"O…oh you did sleep," the blonde sat opposite him had a sly look on her face. "All that moaning and groaning, I thought you were in pain."

"Weren’t pain sis," an amazingly bright-eyed and beaming Faith commented as she entered the room to stand behind the blushing youth and wrap her arms around her shoulders. "That was pleasure."

The male teen’s blush deepened as he rose. "I’m going back to bed."

"Want me to come with?" Faith asked, her expression innocent.

"No I don’t," the youth grunted.

"Ah," the brunette winked at the blonde, "you heartbreaker X."

"Women!"

Casey chuckled. "I hear you kid."

* * *

"Have you got those reports for me Tara?" Xander asked in a mutter.

The Wicca nodded before glancing around the deserted lounge. "Where are they?"

"Faith volunteered to ask to go for a jog with them, give us some time to discuss our hosts in private. Speaking of which?" Xander hesitated. "Casey’s aura?"

"Good. He’s very centred."

"Yeah." Xander raised an eyebrow. That’s what he’d been thinking when Ryback had been kicking the crap out of him, how centred he was. "What have you got for me?"

"Casey’s a retired Navy SEAL. He was decorated several times during Vietnam and is a multiple black belt. In the nineties," the Witch’s eyes widened, "he won two Congressional Medals of Honour."

"Oh yeah," Xander felt his own eyes widen. "That is interesting. What for?" The Wicca wordlessly passed him a printout. Xander grinned as he began to read the highly-classified reports. Oh yes, Ryback was definitely a Brotherhood candidate.

* * *

Casey discreetly checked out the Bostonian beauty as the three of them turned the corner leading back into his street. They’d almost finished his and Sara’s customary early morning six mile run, but while he and his niece were lathered in sweat, their guest was barely breathing hard. And all this after, judging from the noise that had come from the guest bedroom, an exceptionally long sex session.

First a teenager giving him the closest fight in decades. And then this kid with the stamina an Olympic triathlete would kill for. Just what were they?

Of course he’d attempted to question the girl on their run, but she’d just responded with a sly wink and a cheeky grin before commenting ‘if you’ve got enough breath to be yapping we ain’t running hard enough’. And then she’d just picked up the speed.

But now, he looked up as they turned into the drive. Now, he was getting some answers or, saviours of his niece or not, he was kicking them out. Unlocking and opening the front door, he walked in to see Alex and Eloise sat in the lounge. "Okay," he put a firm note into his voice. "Mind telling me what your business in Denver is?"

Alex glanced at the blonde. She nodded and smiled. "I..I’ve read him." Casey’s brow furrowed, read him, what did that mean?

"Okay," Xander shuffled nervously. "You said you had a basement gym?"

His curiosity compelled him to nod. "This way."

* * *

The former Navy SEAL led them downstairs. Xander let out a whistle as he followed the Special Forces soldier into his gym. "Impressive."

The fluorescent lit basement was filled with a variety of equipment. The nearest wall had a rack of dumbbells ranging from 10 to 100lbs stacked against it, and rest of the near third was filled with weight-lifting equipment specifically designed to torture a body into growth. The room’s central third was filled with a variety of heavy and light bags, practice dummies, sparring pads, and head guards while the far third was populated by treadmills, stationery bikes, and rowing machines.

"Wicked cool!" Xander groaned as Faith launched herself into the air, executing a flawless leaping spin kick into a heavy bag, folding the bag in two, tearing it off its ceiling chain, and flinging it into the far wall. The Slayer winced as she landed in a crouch. "Oops."

"Faith," Xander shook his head. She always had to show off. "You break it, you replace it."

"No big," Faith grinned and straightened. "I’m dating money now," she winked at him.

He grinned back at her. "Gold-digger."

"How did she manage that?"

Xander glanced at the stunned soldier stood with his equally dazed-looking niece. Then he looked towards the squat rack with a bar loaded up with 440lbs. "Faith, can you press that over your head?"

"Oh goody," Faith smirked, an extra sway in her well-rounded hips as she sauntered over to the rack. The brunette turned to them and winked. "I love showing off." His friend grabbed the bar and pressed it over her head six times before placing it back in its uprights. "Easy as."

"How," Casey swallowed, "did," the former Navy SEAL shook his head, "she do that?"

"There is more in this world etc, etc," Xander smiled before turning serious. "It’s like this."

* * *

As Xander began to talk to the Rybacks, Tara grabbed her other friend by her elbow. "Over here," she whispered.

Her friend cast a curious glance her way before shrugging. "Sure sis." Once they’d moved out of hearing range, the Slayer raised an eyebrow. "What’s the stich?"

Tara nervously licked her lips. It wasn’t in her nature to be nosy, but she cared very deeply about both Xander and Faith. To all intents and purposes they were her family and she wanted to be happy. "H…how did things go last night?"

She inwardly groaned at the mischievous glint in Faith’s eyes. "And there was me thinking you batted for the other side," Faith teased with a grin. "You want positions? Measurements? Say," Faith stared at her speculatively, "maybe X would be interested in a little two on one action? Been a while.."

By now Tara could feel her cheeks burning. "F…Faith! I meant was it okay?"

Her sister’s face softened. "Sorry Tar, you know I’m just playin’," Faith grinned. "It was pretty good. I mean he’s kinda got a clumsy technique but he’s wicked strong now and got real stamina. A few weeks training at the hands of the master," Faith winked, "and he’ll be a wicked lay."

Tara sighed. As usual Faith had missed the point. "B…but how does he make you feel?"

She was shocked when Faith reddened and looked down at the floor, her hands half-raising to her eyes almost as if to wipe away tears. "Safe, warm, protected." Faith laughed and looked up at her, her eyes glistening with emotion. "And happy. Pretty dumb, eh?"

"No," Tara put her arms around the smaller girl’s shoulders and pulled her into an embrace. "Finding someone to love isn’t dumb at all," she declared. And she hoped to find someone to love her soon. Real soon.

* * *

Xander finished explaining about Slayers, Witches, vampires, and Mithras. "And," he swallowed, the nervousness he always got asking someone to join the Brotherhood afflicting him. He always thought people were going to laugh and point at him, the son of the town drunk thinking he could save the world. "I’d like you to set up a local branch."

The older man stared thoughtfully at him. "And what sort of resources would I have Xander?"

Xander nodded. "First of all, a trust fund paying eight million dollars after tax per year. I’ve also got a contact set-up to legally supply arms and an electronics specialist to supply communications, surveillance, and counter-surveillance equipment." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a sheaf of papers that Tara had printed off before. "And these are the details of three independent hunters and an expert occultist in Colorado who could be useful team members."

The Navy SEAL squinted. "What sort of people do you want in the team?"

Xander shrugged. "Ex soldiers, former cops, and hunters. Once you’ve set up I’ll send you to cross-train with my LA. Branch. Their leader’s been in the business longer than me."

Ryback nodded. "And their objectives?"

Xander opened his mouth to reply. He was interrupted by Sara’s hysterical giggling. Concerned, he turned towards the slightly wide-eyed girl. "Sara," the chef stepped towards his niece. "What’s wrong?"

"You can’t believe this!" the girl babbled, staring past her uncle to him. "You’ve never even seen a vampire."

"Actually," Casey paused. "I have."

FIC: Over-Protective Parenting (4/4)

Xander’s stare snapped from Sara to the former military operative. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Faith and Tara rushing up to them, drawn by the commotion. "Where have you seen a vampire before?" he demanded.

"Seen a vampire?" Casey smiled wryly. "I’ve not just seen one, I’ve killed one. Didn’t realise what it was until now though."

"Really?" Xander gaped at the SEAL. How do you kill a vampire without actually know what you’re fighting? "Do tell?"

* * *

Nam ‘73

Ryback used the back of his hand to wipe away the sweat glistening on his forehead. Even though it was night, the jungle’s sweltering heat was unrelentingly oppressive, causing his uniform to stick to him. "Anything?"

"No sir," he muttered back. He looked from side to side, but couldn’t see far into the dense, shadowy undergrowth. There could be dozens of cong surrounding them, he mused, and they wouldn’t have a clue. Until they struck.

"Damn it."

Ryback glanced at his commanding officer, noting the tension in his companion’s face. But no wonder, their mission was intense to say the least. Over the past four months someone had ripped half a dozen US. patrols in the locality apart and as a result morale was shot to hell. So they’d been sent to locate and destroy the assholes who’d been butchering Uncle Sam’s troops.

If it was men. He’d heard the natives’ whispers, they called it ‘Demon that walks the night’, and had seen some of the ripped apart corpses. He’d some bad stuff during his Nam tours, but nothing had made him vomit before. But those bodies.

Resisting the urge to shudder, he knocked his assault rifle safety off. Suddenly their scout stopped, turned, and signalled to them. In an instance, Ryback’s three companions had also readied their weapons. A half-second later, their commanding officer gestured to the scout to check it out. The scout swallowed before disappearing into the undergrowth just ahead.

The seconds ticked slowly by, every jungle sound making him twitch. Sweat trickled down his face, the salt from it stinging his eyes. Glancing around, he saw the tension he felt reflected in his companion’s haggard faces. "AHHHHH!"

His head snapped back to the undergrowth at the inhuman scream. Heart pounding, he started towards the shrieking but he’d barely taken a step when his team-mate’s body flew out of the jungle to land in a heap on the muddy path before him.

Eyes bulging, his commanding officer pointed into the bushes where the scout had been flung out of. "Fire at will!" the officer screamed.

Ryback was first to react, a half-second later he was joined by his comrades-in-arms. The bullets tore into the undergrowth, ripping the foliage to shreds, momentarily deafening him and his companions and filling the previously clammy air with the arid stench of cordite. Finally though, their guns ran empty. "Jonhson! Clark!" You two check the fucker’s dead," the now wild-eyed lieutenant ordered. "Ryback with me."

After exchanging nervous looks, Johnson and Clark quickly re-loaded before melting into the now decimated undergrowth. Swallowing slightly. Ryback hurried over to his commanding officer. Bile rose in his throat when he reached him and got his first clear view of their team scout. "Oh god," he muttered, his legs suddenly weak.

The man had had his face torn off, his right hand was missing two fingers, and his skull looked like it had been crushed in a vice. His head snapped around at the sound of shots and screams. "What the?" Realising that in his shock he still hadn’t re-loaded, he quickly pulled out his empty magazine and slammed in a new one.

Re-loading only took a matter of seconds but by the time he’d finished the screams had ended. He let out a rattling breath before turning to his commanding officer. "I’ll check that -."

His voice trailed to a croak when he was confronted by the sight of his CO. being fed upon by a yellow-eyed monster. Even as he stared at the beast, it flung his commanding officer’s corpse aside and leapt at him, blood-stained fangs bared. Shocked out of his stupor, he raised his gun. Before he had chance to get off a shot the creature grabbed hold of his gun by its muzzle, tore it out of his hands, and threw it into the bush. A half-second later and it hit him in the jaw, the force of the blow flinging him into a tree some ten feet away. Ignoring the pain coursing through him, he reached for his side-arm. Before he had time to draw the creature was on him, a barrage of bludgeoning blows bringing him to his knees.

More desperate and scared than he’d ever been, his flailing fingers somehow managed to find the hilt of his machete. Drawing it, he slashed out wildly at the monster, an increasing fear robbing him of his usual finesse. Despite that, he got lucky. His blade sliced through the monster’s left thigh, spraying him with its blood.

His opponent screeched and stumbled forward, falling over his shoulder and towards the tree behind him. His eyes widened when he looked over his shoulder to witness a branch piercing the creature’s chest. The monster’s scream ripped through the night before it disintegrated, its dust falling on him.

* * *

"Somehow I managed to get back to base, despite a concussion, broken collar bone, and a dislocated jaw. When I made my report well no-one believed me," Casey grinned wryly. "But it was obvious that the patrol had run into something and I was one of their best operatives so were I would usually have been pulled out of active ops for a while but instead I was just ignored. But I always wondered."

Xander stared at the former Navy SEAL. "Well now you know," shaking his head to clear it, he continued. "So are you interested in leading an unit?"

He was pleased when the ‘Nam vet nodded. "Definitely."

"Wait a minute!" Everybody turned towards a pale-faced Sara. "Don’t I get a say?"

"Sara," Casey glanced at him before turning to his niece. "I would never do this without your approval. But it’s important."

"I’m not saying you can’t, but I want to see a vampire before I decide."

"Okay." Xander sighed. "Vampire hunting tonight." Why couldn’t anything be simple?

* * *

Faith watched Xander out of the corner of her eye as they strode through the silent graveyard, X and Ryback just ahead of her, Tar, and Sara. Her earlier elation at claiming her man was slowly being eroded by a wave of insecurity. Why would a great guy like Xan want to stay with a skank like her? If guys not fit to lace his boots hadn’t stayed around long enough for morning coffee, why would a guy like the new improved Xander want her? With all his new smarts and resources he could have women with real manners and breeding, who didn’t cuss like pissed off sailors or have reps as easy. How was the daughter of a Boston whore meant to compare with that?

"You’re really lucky you know?"

"Uh?" Faith looked up at Sara. "Yeah," she nodded distractedly. "Having powers is wicked cool." Especially considering the hellish life her special abilities had saved her from.

"I guess it is." The older girl replied. "But that’s not what I meant. I was talking about the way Xander loves you."

Faith stared at the taller woman trying to detect any hint of insincerity. "You think?" If Ryback was making fun of her she’d introduce her to a world of hurt.

"Oh, the way he looks at you, he’s totally into you," the other girl replied.

"T…told you," Tara whispered in her other ear.

"Yeah," Faith smiled slowly. If two other people thought Xan cared about her, maybe he really did. Maybe.

"FAITH! Vampire rising, show us what you got!"

"Yes sir!" Faith muttered as she drew her stake and rushed towards the vampire rising out of a near-by grave. Didn’t mean X wasn’t a bossy asshole at times though.

* * *

Casey’s eyes widened as Xander called to the lithe brunette even as the vampire punched its way out of the ground, its yellow eyes shining through the night and its fangs drooling. "You can’t just let her…"

His voice trailed off when the girl launched herself into a picture-perfect dropkick that crashed into the monster’s face and chest, lifting it off its feet with a grunt and throwing it over the headstone. The demon was up instantly and charging the dwarfed girl. Suddenly Faith was swaying away from the monster, her stake slamming into its chest. The monster’s mouth opened and then it exploded into dust. "Oh boy," he croaked. Shaking himself, he turned to Sara, his eyes expectant.

* * *

Sara stared with open mouth to where Faith was stood. Just moments ago she’d been reassuring the seemingly insecure girl about how her friend felt about her. And then, she’d watched the Bostonian tear a terrifying demon apart.

And the demon. Sara shuddered. She could only imagine what would have happened to her last night if not for Xander and the others. She glanced towards Xander and then at her uncle. But Xander and his friends couldn’t be everywhere. They needed people to help, and they didn’t come much better than her Uncle. "Do it," she whispered.

Sometimes you had to stand against the darkness.

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