Starting Over 6 – Lessons Hard Learnt
Riley grinned at his two buddies. After dropping off their prisoner at the holding cells they’d gone for their traditional celebratory post-op drink. Life was good, maybe Walsh would let him sit in on a few of the bitch’s interrogation sessions. He’d love to watch her scream and beg.
Suddenly his eyes narrowed. “Hostile 17!” He’d obviously returned looking for the brunette. Instantly the spotted vampire began running, dragging his left leg as if injured. Finn grinned, tonight was just getting better and better, time to tie up some loose ends. “After him boys!”
Instantly the three soldiers charged after the vampire. Immediately Spike turned and ran into a nearby alleyway. As Riley entered the alley’s mouth, he heard a noise behind him. Spinning round, he saw a huge shape tearing his fellow soldier apart.
Forrest lunged at the shape but was grabbed around the throat and thrown effortlessly into the wall behind him. Graham connected with a haymaker to little effect but the shadow snatched at his arm and yanked it violently. Graham screamed as the sound of his arm breaking echoed around the alleyway. His screeching only ended when his attacker punched him into unconsciousness with a single straight right.
Urine running a warm trail down his right leg, Riley turned to flee only to find his way blocked by a silhouette. “See Angel,” said the figure. “Told you the stupid bastard would fall for it.”
Finn’s mouth dropped open as the man stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the alley’s solitary lamplight. It was Harris, but not the Harris of ten weeks ago. He was leaner, colder, and somehow more assured than he remembered. “Xander,” he croaked.
“The same,” the younger man grinned. “Now all you have to do to get out of this alley is get past little old me.”
Riley hesitated. The soldier glanced down, somehow in the past thirty seconds somebody had removed his gun. “Need a weapon?” a combat knife clattered to the ground by his feet. “Be my guest.”
Instinctively Finn crouched down to pick the weapon up. Only for a foot to smash into his jaw, sending him crashing to the ground. Even as he attempted to shake his head clear, a pair of strong hands grabbed him around the front of his jacket, lifted him up, and slammed him into the damp wall behind him before smashing a sledge-hammer fist into his stomach.
His lungs heaving, the soldier bent over and began vomiting up the four beers he’d just drunk. In mid-vomit a fist thundered into the left side of his face shattering his cheekbone. Then he was dragged upright again and staring into the eyes of a suddenly terrifying Xander. “Please,” he begged through tears of pain, “no more.”
“This is the best the U.S. military has to offer?” his attacker taunted. “Makes you worry about the security of the nation doesn’t it? So talk, where’s the emergency exit to the Initiative HQ?”
“I don’t know argh!” the soldier let out a scream as a red-hot shot down his left hand. He glanced down in disbelief at the blood pumping out of the stump where his little finger had been.
“So now you’ve got seven fingers and two thumbs left. Or,” Riley moaned as he felt the knife jab his groin. “We could cut out the middle man, so to speak.”
“It’s located in a tunnel near the cafeteria in the old high school,” Riley babbled.
“Near the Hellmouth?” Xander shook his head. “What were you guys at school – special needs? So what security do you have on the outside and the inside of the exit?”
Riley felt tears begin to well. “None on the inside but a palm sensor on the outside.”
“A palm sensor.” The young man pinning him to the wall nodded. “Then we’ll have to take you with us. Or.”
Riley screamed as the knife tore through his right wrist, severing his hand. The last thing he saw as he teetered on the brink of unconsciousness was the knife travelling towards his neck.
* * *
“I could just take your hand.” Xander glanced up at his shocked friends as he picked the hand up from the muddy ground. Angel was staring at him with a look of astonishment, Spike with respect, Wesley was vomiting what looked to be his entire last week’s food intake, and Giles, well Giles looked pissed.
“You stupid pillock! Do you realise what you’ve just bloody done!” roared the Watcher.
“Yes I do!” Xander bellowed in return before forcing his temper under control, he needed their assistance too much to piss them off. More than that, he needed them to understand. “Look, two things. Firstly, you guys go on so much about the soldier inside me, you’ve forgotten all about the hyena spirit that possessed me. Hyenas are pack animals, you guys are my pack and Faith,” he blushed, “well she’s my mate. And hyenas will do anything for their mates. Secondly, the soldier inside me has told me plenty about what goes on in these black ops facilities what sort of things the U.S. government did to convicts inside them in the seventies. More than likely they’ll start by doing DNA tests, see if there’s anything unique about a Slayer’s DNA. Then they’re going to run tests – pain tolerance, starvation, sleep depravation, that sort of fun thing. Perhaps they’ll OD her on drugs to see how they affect a Slayer. Maybe they’ll throw her in with soldiers, animals, and assorted demons to see what she can do. Maybe they’ll pick a lucky soldier to impregnate her, see if they can breed super soldiers from her. Then maybe they’ll flatline her to see if they can control whose called next and then finally they’ll dissect her to see if there’s anything inside her that makes her different. And if any of you think I’m going to let that happen to my girl then you don’t know me at all.”
He closed his eyes only to open them at a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Angel who raised an eyebrow. “Now you’ve finished, are we going?”
* * *
“See, Riley did come in handy after all.” The others glared at him. Xander grinned coldly before throwing the hand away. “What, you didn’t expect me not to use the pun?” he grinned again as the concealed door they’d found ten minutes earlier slid open. “Spike, you and Wes stay here.”
“Bloody hell mate, I’m not missing out on the action.”
“Think about it Spike, you can’t fight the humans down here. Second, I’m going to need someone to keep this door open for me.”
“What’s this ‘me’,” demanded Angel,
“Giles and I are coming in with you.”
“You’re coming in with me. You’re just leaving an entirely different way.” Xander grinned wickedly. He really enjoyed the worried looks on the Watcher’s and vampire’s faces.
* * *
“Two heartbeats just around the corner,” Angel whispered.
Xander nodded his thanks before unslinging his H&K MP5.
“Couldn’t we just ask for their surrender?”
Xander turned towards Giles, his eyes cold. “First of all, these bastards are the guys who kidnapped my girl so I’m not feeling too merciful. Second of all, hell why does there have to be second?” the man charged towards the corridor opening, his upper body twisting as he ran. As he reached the nearest edge of the opening, he opened fire, mentally thanking Giles for the glamour he’d cast disrupting the HQ’s security cameras. His bullets tore into the guards, throwing them from their chairs, their guns undrawn.
Once his ears had finished ringing, Xander turned to his companions. “You two continue on the main corridor, it takes you up to Lowell House, the campus house that doubles as their main entrance. They hear intruders coming out there, all hell will break loose.”
“Thus drawing men off you,” Giles commented.
“Yep.”
“And what will you be doing?” asked Angel.
Xander glanced past the crumpled bodies and pools of blood. “Entering the belly of the beast,” he replied before re-loading his MP5.
* * *
One guard, no real need for guns. A bit of stealth this close to the nerve centre could come in handy. Forcing a smile, Xander stepped around the corner. “Excuse me, my good man,” he said in a passable imitation of the G-Man’s most supercilious voice, “could you please direct me to the toilet?”
“What the -,” the guard lunged to his feet only to move into a tooth loosening right cross. His legs wobbly, the guard staggered backwards. Cursing slightly, Xander chased after him. Ducking under a clumsy left, Xander hammered a knee into his opponent’s groin before following it up with a second knee, this time to his face.
“You could have just said you didn’t know,” Xander said after stepping over the body. “Ah, the labs. Maybe I’ll just find a bottle to pee into instead.”
The door flew open under the impact of a single boot. Stepping into the room, a Desert Eagle in each hand, he took out the two assistant scientists with a shot to each of their heads before striding over to a shocked Professor Walsh. “X…Xander Harris. This is a government installation.”
Xander smashed the butt of his right Desert Eagle into the woman’s mouth, knocking teeth out and sending her crashing to the floor. He crouched over her, his eyes cold. “Ask me if I care bitch. I warned your lapdog what would happen if he tried to hurt my Faith again. Now you get to reap the whirlwind. We’re going to release her.”
“No -.”
Raising his right Desert Eagle he blew a leg off a near-by table, sending the table and its contents plummeting. “Imagine the damage that could do to the human knee.” He nuzzled the weeping scientist’s thigh with the still smoking muzzle, burning flesh. “Or we could go straight to the practical.”
“Let’s go.”
“Smart lady.” Holstering his left automatic, he grabbed hold of the woman’s collar and stood, dragging the scientist with him. “I thought you’d see it my way.”
* * *
Faith huddled shivering in the corner of her cell, pulling the all-too short surgical down around her. The first thing she’d seen upon awakening was the gloating faces of Riley and his two buddies. Tears formed in her eyes as she remembered the things they said they’d do to her as ‘spoils of war’. She’d replied with bluster but she knew there were drugs they could give her that would make her helpless. She’d sworn she’d never be helpless again.
“Hey brown-eyed girl, why the tears?”
Her head snapped upwards, her heart leaping at the sight that greeted her. “Xand!”
Her boyfriend winked at her. “The one and only.” Her man turned to the Walsh bitch. “Unlock her.”
“I..I’m afraid the doors only work on a time delay.”
“Try again,” Xander shook his head. “I’m running out of patience and I hate to break it to you but you don’t have a surplus of legs.”
Walsh paled, her hand shaking the scientist punched a code into the door key-pad. As soon as the door sprang open, Faith rushed into Xander’s arms. “They said they’d rape me,” she sobbed.
“Did they?” Faith looked up to see a stony-faced Xander she’d never seen before. Her boyfriend glanced towards one of the adjacent glass cages occupied by a huge green wormlike creature with a dozen eyes and a gaping mouth filled with three inch long teeth. “That a Karlosh brain-sucker?” Faith nodded numbly. “Unlock it,” Xander growled at Walsh.
The professor quickly obeyed. The beast crawled to the entrance, its gigantic bulk filling the open doorway. “I’m coming to eat you humans.”
To Faith’s surprise, Xander just chuckled. “I really don’t think so. I’m packing two pistols filled with incendiary rounds that’ll light you up like a firework, my girl’s the Slayer and,” grabbing Walsh the young man threw the professor through the doorway before slamming the door shut. “I bought lunch.”
“Xander! You can’t -,” Faith’s words trailed off as her boyfriend turned to her, his eyes more intense than she’d ever seen them.
“That bitch would never have let it go. Her sort never learns. She’d have kept coming until either her or we were dead. And nobody hurts you.”
Faith swallowed, she didn’t like what her Xand had done but she could accept his reasoning. Finally she nodded. “Okay boytoy so where next?”
“Time to get some insurance.”
* * *
Xander glanced across at Faith stood at the other side of the door. “On the count of three. One, two, three.”
The Slayer sent the door flying open with a single kick, the drugs they’d been constantly pumping through the vents in her cell to prevent her accessing her Slayer powers already wearing off. Charging in, Xander let out a curse when he was confronted by a tazer-wielding guard. No longer consumed by his earlier homicidal rage, he decided to go a non-lethal route. Grabbing the wrist of the man’s tazer-arm he drove the butt of his Desert Eagle into the side of the man’s head. Even as his opponent dropped he saw the command centre’s engineer's lunge for the general alert button. Racing over, he stuck his automatic into the man’s face. “Don’t,” he warned. “The life you save may be your own.”
The bespectacled man’s eyes bulged. “I won’t touch it.”
“Good man. Say, what’s your name?”
“Carter, sir.”
“Well Carter, I’ve got a job for you,” Xander reached into his trenchcoat and pulled out a packet of twenty CDs. “I want you to copy the base’s database and encryption program onto these.”
“What’s this boytoy?”
Xander made sure Carter had started to do what he’d been told before pulling his girlfriend into his arms and kissing her lovingly. He felt his eyes begin to glisten. “Missed you baby,” he muttered hoarsely before answering her question. “The Initiative will have a ton of information on demons and vamps that we don’t, could come in handy. Also, this shit will be perfect to blackmail the government into leaving us alone.”
“Blackmail the government?” his Slayer grinned. “Like your thinking, Xman!”
A few minutes later, Carter looked up. “Finished sir.”
“Everything?” Carter nodded. “Start the base self destruct, then sound the general alarm. “He turned to Faith. “Girlfriend, we’re out of here.”
Starting Over 7 – Unwilling Bridges
“You killed him.”
Xander’s heart missed a beat as he recognised the small figure approaching him. He was dead, Buffy, for all her so-called morals, was going to kill him. He smiled inwardly, but Faith was still alive, that was a trade he was willing to make. He’d had an extra week with the woman he loved.
The youth dropped the shopping bag he’d been carrying and pushed it away with his feet to give himself some fighting space. His eyes still on the advancing woman he pulled off his trenchcoat and draped it across some near-by trashcans.
He was under no illusions. Thanks to the memories of Joe Dawson and Angel’s training, he doubted there were more than a handful of ordinary mortals in the entire state who could take him in a fair fight. Against a Slayer, he wouldn’t last more than a minute. He was probably the better technical fighter but Buffy’s strength, speed, durability, and agility were too much for any normal human to overcome.
“What are you doing?” the blonde facing him raised an eyebrow.
“I hope you weren’t seriously expecting me to present my head on a platter?” he replied, already his blood was pounding. God, he wished he’d told Faith he loved her before leaving this morning.
“I’m not going to kill you, not yet anyway. I want to know why first,” the blonde replied softly. “I need to understand.”
Xander glanced at the golden-haired Slayer before nodding. She wasn’t lying; he could see the sincerity in her eyes, eyes he’d spent many hours staring into. Grabbing his coat and shopping, he nodded at the Slayer. “Okay Summers, there’s a place a few streets away where we can get a little privacy.” Turning, he headed back out of the alley.
* * *
Summers. Buffy felt a wave of pain run through her at the cold way one of her oldest friends had spoken her name. Realising he was getting away from her, she rushed to catch up.
“So Xander does Faith know about this cutie?” asked the balding black man stood behind the café counter.
Her companion let out a harsh laugh that cut right through her. “Trust me; Faith doesn’t have to worry about that one little bit.” Xander shook his head. “No this is strictly business, room in the back free, Smokes?”
“For you Xander always.” The man lifted the counter top and led them through to the back. After taking their order the man disappeared.
“So how come we’re getting the red carpet Xander?”
Xander stared blankly at her for a few seconds before replying. “Three weeks ago, Faith and I were coming back from a date when we saw half a dozen vampires about to chow down on this place’s staff and customers, so we stopped them.” Her former friend’s eyes were filled with anger. “They were grateful to us for saving their lives. Some people are funny like that.”
They were dating? Buffy glanced away to keep him from seeing her shock. “So why did you kill Riley?” she was surprised at how steady her voice sounded.
“He kidnapped Faith with a dozen strong Special Forces team and took her to the Initiative HQ for testing. When she woke up your boyfriend and his two cronies touched her and threatened to rape her.” Rage filled the young man’s voice and face, shocking her with the intensity. “Nobody lays a hand on my girl without her say-so. And if you’ve got a problem with me killing that piece of crap, than that’s fine. Only let’s take it outside, I don’t want to wreck Smokes’ place.”
“I’m not going to start anything,” Buffy whispered. Her entire world had tilted on its axis, she’d suspected there was something wrong with Riley – there’d been too many muttered conversations, unexplained disappearances. She knew Xander too well to suspect him of lying. “Where are you going?”
Xander paused in standing. “I’m leaving. If you’ve decided not to kill me we’ve nothing else to talk about.”
“Please, wait.”
“What for?”
“Please, Xand. I’ve missed you, Willow misses you.” Buffy felt her eyes began to water. “Can’t we just talk?”
“I don’t see what we’ve got to talk about,” Xander growled before sitting back down. “So talk.”
“D..do you love her?”
“Faith?” the stern look on Xander’s face softened. “Love her? She’s like my oxygen. When she smiles at me it my heart beat faster, I’m never happier than when I’m holding her in my arms.”
“I’m happy for you.”
Xander chuckled. “Such sincerity, I’m touched no really.”
Buffy felt her temper flare. “What do you expect Xander? She tried to kill me, and you, one of my best friends.”
“You still don’t get it do you Buff.? You don’t get to choose for me, we’re not friends anymore and even if we were it’s my choice!” Xander retorted angrily. “Angelus butchered plenty and in ways that Faith couldn’t even dream of but that was okay by your double standards.”
Not friends anymore. Buffy felt her heart break at the words. “What happened to us?” she muttered.
“You don’t want to know.”
She wanted so much for him to hold her, tell her that they were friends again. Instead she reached tentatively across the table and squeezed the man’s hand. “Yes I do,” she insisted.
For a few seconds the man didn’t answer. Then he let out a long rattling sigh and nodded. “That first day I saw you I fell for you. Still loved you when you dated Angel. Loved you right up until that night you danced with me, used me to make Angel jealous.”
Buffy’s cheeks burned, it was one of her most shameful memories. “That night you broke my heart, humiliated me. But still you and Willow, whatever you’d done were still my friends. So I stayed by your side fighting the good fight. After all there were innocents to save.” A note of bitterness entered the man’s voice. “But whatever I did wasn’t good enough. No matter how many lives I help save or demons I killed I was still useless, a burden. Well I had my parents to tell me I was worthless I didn’t need you, my so-called friends, to tell me I was too!”
“Xander, I..I.”
“Save it Buffy. I don’t want to hear it.”
The young man tried to rise but she pulled him back down. “We were trying to protect you.”
Xander shook his head. “You still don’t get it do you? My decision to make. My decision, if I wanted to, I could have walked away at any point. You don’t dictate what I do, not anymore, you lost that power years ago.”
“Xander, come home.”
The young man lifted his head back and laughed harshly. “This is my home now. Here I have a boss who I respect and respects me, a gorgeous girl who loves me and I’m crazy about, a worthwhile job, and friends who actually give a shit about me. What would I have in Sunnydale?”
“You’d have us!”
Her friend grinned. “You know who I miss from Sunnydale? Your mom, the rest of you can go to hell for all I care.”
“We need you,” by now Buffy was close to tears.
“Flutter those big eyes, you’ll soon get some idiot kid to get the donut run.” Xander threw a card onto the table. “That’s our business number, ring us if the demons get out of hand. But don’t ring for everyday shit, I’m not interested.”
Tears blinding her, the Slayer grabbed the card and stumbled to her feet. “How’s Angel?”
“Not bad. He’s got himself a girl-friend, Kate Lockley, a cop who gets us a load of occult cases. She’s cool, knows enough not to treat people like shit.”
* * *
Xander gazed down into his cooling cup of coffee. He knew he’d been harsh on Buffy but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. That part of his life, Sunnydale, was dead. And unlike vampires hopefully it would never rise again.
“You can be a real bastard sometimes.”
He turned to see Smokes stood in the doorway, a disapproving expression on his face. “You don’t think you learn to fight how I do by being a boy scout? Besides you don’t know the whole story.”
The black man walked in and put a bottle of Jack Daniels on the table between them before sitting down in the seat Buffy had just vacated. “So talk.” Forty minutes later, the African-American was sat with a bemused expression spread across his face. “Well shit,” Smokes took a swig of the bottle before shaking his head. “If I hadn’t seen those bloodsuckers with my own eyes I’d say lock you up.”
“But-.”
“I saw ‘em.” Smokes shook his head again. “Look Xander, this Buffy and Willow made mistakes sure, but way I see it they weren’t malicious. Not the way you talked to her before. That wasn’t cool.”
The young man felt his shoulders slump. “Maybe you’re right, but I can’t go back. My life’s here, Faith’s happier than she’s ever been. And truth is, so am I.”
Smokes nodded. “The Hellmouth sounds like a dangerous place, especially if you’re the Slayer. Isn’t there anybody you could send?”
Xander nodded slowly. “Maybe.”
* * *
“Giles, can I have a word?”
The Watcher looked up at the youth, noting his unusually serious expression. “Certainly Xander.”
“In private?”
“Oh,” this was serious. The Watcher nodded before turning to an observing Wesley. “We’ll finish this translation later?” Wesley nodded. Giles smiled and led the youth into his room. “So what is so important we couldn’t discuss it in front of the others?”
“How is Wesley’s training going?”
Giles’ eyes narrowed. He didn’t particularly enjoy discussing other people behind their back but judging from the look on Xander’s face this was important. “His research skills have always been exemplary, training with you and Angel have improved his fighting skills considerably, and as for him being a Watcher,” he smiled wryly, “well Faith listens to him about as much as she does to anybody who isn’t you. Xander, what is this all about?”
”Yeah, boytoy spill.”
Giles glanced towards the open doorway where Faith stood and back at Xander. Judging from the look on his son’s face he’d definitely not wanted this conversation to over-heard. “I saw Buffy today.”
“What!” in an instant the brunette was by Xander’s side, a look of worry on her face. “What the fuck did she do? If she hurt you..”
“Relax,” Xander placed his hands on the slight girl’s shoulders. “She didn’t lay a finger on me. We just talked.”
“About what?” Faith demanded.
“About what happened with Riley and,” the youth hesitated, ”she’s scared, asked me to go back to Sunnydale.”
Now the Slayer looked heart-broken. “You’re going to leave me,” she whispered, Giles saw the tears welling in the girl’s eyes and felt a stab of anger at Xander’s thoughtlessness. It was so hard for Faith to trust anybody and for Xander to just throw away that precious gift she’d given him. Why if there was a horsewhip handy…
“Hey,” Xander placed a light kiss on the girl’s forehead. “I’m not going anywhere. But,” the young man looked towards him, “I was wondering if Giles would go back to Sunnydale.”
The librarian’s eyes widened in surprise. He was tempted, but.. He looked towards Faith. “I have responsibilities here,” he nodded at the Slayer.
“Faith’s got Wesley to act as her Watcher, you already said he was up to the job, Angel and Spike to act as muscle, Cordy as her best pal, and me to hold her coat in a throw-down. All Buffy’s got is,” Xander shrugged, “is Willow.”
“You do a damn sight more than that babe,” Faith hugged her boyfriend, her eyes shining with happiness now that Xander had reaffirmed his commitment to her.
“Yes true enough, but I’m not sure how much use I would be in Sunnydale, Buffy hardly listened to me before I left.”
“Yeah, but that was down to Cornfed and Walsh,” Xander shrugged, “she knows she made a mistake, she’ll listen to you now.”
Again Giles looked at the Slayer. “And how would you feel about me leaving Faith? I wouldn’t want to desert you-.”
His speech was cut off by a bone-crushing hug from the brunette. “I’d miss you like crazy G, you’re like the dad I always wanted, but as long as you’re on the other end of the phone, Sunnyd’s only two hours away. Like Xand says, I’ve got the others, B’s got shit.”
“Once again, you make me inordinately proud of you.”
Faith blushed. “Inordinately proud? That’s a good thing right?”
“Look it up,” he grinned at the Slayer before turning to Xander. “I’ll phone Buffy tonight, if she’s agreeable to me returning and willing to modify her attitude, I’ll leave in a couple of days. Oh, and Xander?” he allowed a little bit of Ripper out.
“Yeah G-Man?”
“You hurt Faith, and you’ll find out how just quickly I can be here.”
The youth swallowed. “Yes Giles.” The Librarian hid a grin; he still had it.
Starting Over 8 – Unwelcome Offers
“Mr. Harris?”
Xander stared suspiciously at the icily beautiful woman in a business suit barring his way. It was the middle of the day so she couldn’t be a vampire, and yet there was something about her that set his ‘spidey’ sense. “That’s me, and you are?”
“Lillah Morgan.” The woman flashed him an insincere smile. “Mr. Harris, I’m employed by Wolfram & Hart. We’ve been watching you for some time and are very impressed with your talents. We feel that your abilities aren’t being fully utilised in your current employment. In short, we’d like to offer you a job.”
“Not interested,” Xander replied flatly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a grey limo with tinted windows pull up beside him even as he heard a car stop at the corner behind him and saw the two bulky men stepping out of the alley behind the woman to flank her. Of course saying no might not be an option.
Moving quickly, Xander stepped sideways and kicked the opening car door to his left shut, trapping the fridge-sized man climbing out of the limo. Sensing a man coming at him from behind, the young man spun round and drove his forehead into his opponent’s face before following up with a knee to the groin. Even before his adversary had crumpled to the pavement Xander was onto his next opponent.
Ducking under a left hook, he came up with a right hook that appeared to bounce off his granite-faced adversary’s lantern jaw with literally no effect. “Not good,” the young man muttered as he backed away from his remorselessly advancing opponent.
And right into a thundering right to the back of his head. Rocked by the blow, Xander staggered forward and right into another left hook from the man he’d been retreating from. Instinctively he snapped out a kick to the man’s left knee. The man screamed as his kneecap shattered, pitching him forward to the pavement.
Suddenly his vision blurred as one of the men encircling him sprayed mace in his eyes. Cursing, Xander saw a blurred shape coming towards him, grabbing at the shape he twisted and threw the figure to the ground. As he straightened he was pounded by blows from half a dozen directions. His knees buckling from the impact the youth fell to the ground. Even as he tried to struggle to his feet a boot to the head sent him plunging into unconsciousness.
* * *
“I understand you brought Mr. Harris in half an hour ago?”
Lillah nodded quickly. Manners was just about the only person who made her nervous. “That’s correct sir.”
“I understand he put up quite a fight?”
“Two men injured temporarily, a third permanently.” The female lawyer was used seeing acts of extreme violence perpetrated both by her employers and those who opposed them. But to see a teenager take out three of the eight former Special Forces security men she’d been instructed to take with her had shaken her.
Manners smiled. Lillah resisted the
urge to shudder, whenever Manners smiled it invariably meant pain for somebody.
“Yes, for a mortal he has a rare talent for violence. But more importantly, his
conversion to our cause could also bring with it the Slayer Faith and the
vampire William the Bloody. Tell Re-Education to make him their top priority.”
“At once Mr. Manners,” Lillah hurried away, her face pale. The longest anyone lasted in ‘Re-Education’ without breaking was six days. Somehow she doubted the boy would last anything like as long. She almost pitied him. Almost.
* * *
“You guys have got a big problem.” Faith cast a bored glance from the back of the office to the reception desk where Cordy was dealing with one of their street contacts and occasional muscle, an African-American by the name of Gunn. He was a cutie, but now that she had her Xander she didn’t play around any more. Even as a smile formed on her lips at the thought of her man it disappeared with the gang leader’s next words. “One of my gang saw her boy being kidnapped.”
In an instant Faith was up, covering the
distance separating her from Gunn in an instant. Picking up the man she slammed
him into the wall. “He saw my Xander being kidnapped? Why the fuck didn’t he
help him?”
“Put him down Faith. Give him a chance to explain at least.”
At Angel’s firm but gentle voice in her ear she released her grip and stepped back. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“Yeah, right. Your trainer wants to cut down on the amount of raw meat he’s throwing you.” Faith glared at the gang-leader, he’d got an apology what more did the asshole want? “Way Benito tells it he saw Xander ‘cross the street from him. Was about to give him a yell when he saw this woman in her early thirties dressed in an office suit start talking to him. Next thing, these two limos with tinted windows pull up and between 6 – 8 guys the size of NFL players jump out and start beating the shit out of Harris. He gets some licks in too, takes some of them down but eventually they throw him into the back of one of the cars and drive off.”
“No.” Faith felt her legs go weak, instantly Cordelia had her arm and gently guided her to the reception desk seat. “They got Xander,” she muttered shakily
Cordelia placed her hands on her shoulders. “But we’ll get him back honey. Angel, who’s got him?”
“Two limos, woman in a power suit?” Angel smiled coldly. “I’m not looking past Wolfram & Hart.”
“Hey man, you need anything, extra muscle, whatever, just tell me,” Gunn offered. “I like Harris, lousy choice in women, but I like him.”
Angel nodded. “Thanks. You might come in handy.”
* * *
Lindsey couldn’t believe his luck as he led the stunning red-head dressed in a skin-tight rubber one-piece up to his apartment. His friends wouldn’t believe him either when he’d tell them about this flame-haired goddess with the tight ass, slender legs, and perfectly shaped tits. He grinned inwardly, maybe she’d let him take pictures.
“This is it,” he said, indicating his front with a nod.
“Good,” the girl whispered huskily. She moved closer, her scent intoxicating as her lips brushed against his as she expertly worked her tongue into his mouth. His hands worked their way up the woman’s body reaching her tiny waist until she grabbed his wrists with surprising strength given her slightness and pushed him away. “Not in the corridor tiger, I like a bed to lie on. Inside.”
After a quick lick of his lips, Lindsey unlocked the door and walked in. He’d barely stepped through the door when his jaw exploded in pain and he was lifted off his feet and thrown to the far side of his apartment. Blinking away the stars circling his head, he attempted to sit up, only for the woman’s foot on his throat to pin him to the floor. “You can come in now boys.”
Lindsey felt his breath shorten as he recognised the two vampires entering his apartment. Angel and Spike. He glanced again at the woman standing above him and groaned as he watched her pull off a wig. Faith, how could he have been so blind?
“Nice outfit luv.”
“Bite me Spike.”
“If only babe.”
Suddenly the girl removed her foot from his throat, grabbed him around the throat and effortlessly threw him onto his couch. The girl stood in front of him now had none of the seductive beauty she’d shown earlier, now her eyes were filled with a bone-chilling fury. “Ask him your questions Angel.”
Despite his situation Lindsey let out a near-hysterical laugh. “Talk? Forget it. Wolfram and Hart would kill me.”
“Spike, go boil me a kettle.”
Lindsey’s eyes boggled as the brunette began to unfasten his trousers. Minutes ago, this would have been his wildest dream. Now it was a nightmare. “What are you doing?” he croaked.
The Slayer didn’t look up from her expert ministrations of his treacherously responding member. “I’m going to pour some boiling water on your cock. You know it’s the most sensitive part of your body?”
Lindsey felt his blood freeze. “N..no please.”
“Then talk.” The Slayer’s voice was steely, leaving no doubt to her willingness to do what she’d just said.
“What do you want to know?”
* * *
The codes that Lindsey had given them worked. Angel nodded at Faith as he opened the car park entrance to Wolfram & Hart’s offices. “Make the call.”
The vampire’s plan was simple but it wasn’t like Angel had had time to think of anything else, the brown-haired Slayer thought as she dialled the number of Gunn’s cell. While they stole in the back way, Gunn’s people would distract security with a demo out front about corporate greed. “Yeah Gunn, it’s me. Time to rock ‘n’ roll.” After putting down the phone, she glanced at Angel. “It’s done.”
Angel nodded. “You two head for the holding cells. I’ll check the re-education chamber.”
Faith nodded. Already her blood was pounding; these bastards were going to learn exactly what an enraged Slayer could do.
* * *
Xander groaned as the wooden baton smashed into his already battered ribs. The man wielding it was an expert, there was no doubt about that. Thanks to his recent pounding and the beating he’d already received at the hands of the thugs who’d abducted him he felt like his entire body was being turned into ground hamburger.
After a blow to his left leg, his tormenter stepped back and grabbed his sweat-soaked hair, yanking his head back. “Are you ready to re-consider?”
Xander’s only reply was to spit in his assailant’s face. The black-robed man didn’t react with fury. Instead he simply smiled and wiped the spittle away before turning to the instrument laden table behind him. “I see the truncheon isn’t having the desired effect. I’m sure it’s the methods of teaching in the schools today that’s the fault. No respect. Perhaps the knives? Or the cattle prod? Maybe the -.”
The man’s taunting was interrupted by the screech of a klaxon. Xander grinned. His friends were here. He looked at the man through his one still open eye. “Boy, are you fucked.”
Starting Over 9 – Retrieval & Rescue
Angel moved down the corridor, a look of cold determination on his handsome face. Wolfram & Hart had gone too far this time, always in the past they’d worked through flunkies who’s missions had occasionally crossed the path of his team. But to actually kidnap a member of his team. A lesson had to be given.
The sound of a trio of heartbeats to his left pulled the vampire out of his reverie. He waited until the stairwell door was open before launching his attack. Snapping out a foot, he crippled the first guard through the open doorway with a knee-shattering kick. The second guard out stumbled gracelessly over the falling body and into an uppercut that knocked its unfortunate recipient off his feet, sending him plummeting down the stairway he’d just run up. The third man managed to duck beneath the human missile and threw a right cross that Angel took on his jaw. After raising an eyebrow to ask if that was all the man had, he snatched his adversary’s out-stretched arm, tore it out of the socket, and threw the man face-first into the wall behind the vampire.
“You just can’t get the help these days,” muttered the vampire as he continued on his way. Wolfram & Hart had far more effective weapons at their disposal than the humans they had on staff but the senior partners preferred to use demons and vampires for outside work, keeping the main office largely human only. Which made his life a hell of a lot easier.
Suddenly the vamp sensed another heartbeat around the next corner. Turning, the vampire faced his opponent. His mouth dropped open. “I didn’t realise the WWF was in town.”
The figure blocking his way was huge. So big in fact that the top of his close shaven head nearly touched the ceiling and his broad shoulders brushed each of the corridor’s walls. Angel estimated the behemoth stood nearly seven and a half foot tall and weighed in excess of six hundred pounds. Yet despite his adversary’s awesome bulk, the vampire guessed the gi wearing giant facing was nearly all muscle.
Angel growled low in his throat. This monster was blocking the way to the torture chambers where his friend could be being held. Charging forward, he morphed into his demonic face.
And straight into a crunching right that sent him flying into the air. The vampire sprang back to his feet and looked in disbelief at the impassive giant still stood in the same place. Even given his monolithic size the man shouldn’t have been able to hit him that hard. The vampire’s eyes narrowed. Of course, the man had been imbued with magic, probably strength spells. The vampire’s lips parted in a grimace, he didn’t like killing mortals, but given the choice between his friend and his enemy… Unless. “Move aside, I’ve got no fight with you.”
“Yes you have little one,” rumbled the giant.
Angel raised an eyebrow before cracking his neck. Little one, now that was insulting. “If that’s the way you want it.” Charging forward, the vampire ducked beneath a right and ran into a left body shot that splintered his ribs. Groaning slightly under the impact, the vampire lunged for the man’s trunk like neck with fangs ready.
Only for the mammoth to grab him round the neck and throw him face-first into the wall. His head ringing, the vampire staggered back into the centre of the corridor. This was getting embarrassing.
Diving back into the fray, Angel bared his fangs as he once again attempted to rip his rival’s neck out - only to change focus at the last second. After delivering a kick to the balls, the vampire bombarded the giant’s midsection with a deluge of blows. Suddenly he changed his focus again, driving his ridged forehead into the bridge of his opponent’s nose, cracking it.
Finally the man staggered backwards. Seizing his advantage, Angel lunged forward, ignoring a right cross that split his top lip open, he smashed a thunderous punch into the man’s throat before following his attack up by sinking his fangs into the man-mountain’s neck. He nearly pulled away as the man’s blood filled his mouth; it was tainted somehow either by drugs, black magic, or both. Despite the blood’s foulness and despite the fearsome blows smashing into his ribs from both sides he held on until the man slumped to the floor, dead.
His senses reeling both from the contaminated blood he’d taken and the beating he’d received, the vampire slumped against the wall. After a few seconds he realised his cellular was ringing. Groaning slightly at the effort, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Yeah?”
“It’s Faith,” the Slayer’s voice was taut with tension. “My boytoy’s not in the cells. What about your end?”
Angel winced as another wave of pain coursed through his body. “Haven’t got there yet.”
“What!” the Slayer’s screech only added to his already pounding headache. “Stop fucking around! Get in there now!”
“Yes dear,” Angel muttered as he gingerly replaced the phone. Sometimes he wondered who was in charge. Muttering slightly under his breath, he staggered to his feet. “I really need some new employees.”
* * *
Xander’s eyes snapped towards the door as it flew off the hinges. “About time,” he muttered.
“Yeah, good to see you too Xander,” Angel commented wryly as he snatched the cattle prod off the torturer and used it on him, sending the man convulsing to the floor. The vampire moved in front of him and winced, his eyes widening. “They made a mess of you.”
“Thanks for that Deadboy,” he replied dryly. “I really needed telling.”
“First his girlfriend now him,” he heard the vampire mutter as he unfastened the knots holding him to the operating table. “Nag, nag, nag.”
“You weren’t going to say you really get it in the neck were you?”
Angel ignored the remark, choosing to point at him. “Garfield boxer shots?”
“Ah,” Xander felt himself blush even as he searched his pain-addled brain for an excuse. “Would you believe they put these on me as a humiliation tactic?” he asked hopefully.
“With your fashion sense not a chance. You wear them and Faith still sleeps with you?” the vampire’s tone was disbelieving.
Xander wriggled his eyebrows, about the only part of his body that didn’t hurt. “What can I say I’m red hot in the sack.”
“And yet strangely I’m still not attracted to you.”
“Well thank god for that I’ve enough problems without getting a master vampire sugar daddy.”
The vampire smiled dryly before turning serious. “I’ll have to carry you out on my shoulder. It’s going to hurt a hell of a lot,” Angel warned.
Xander grimaced, like he couldn’t work that out for himself. “Just get me out of here.”
* * *
“I..is he going to be alright?”
Angel looked down at the terrified brunette. Physically she was so strong and yet emotionally at times she could be so childlike. Xander was her anchor, without him she could easily slip back into her old ways. Whatever happened, he owed it to both of them to make sure that didn’t happen. “He’s pretty banged up Faith,” he ignored the girl’s gasp, he was a vampire, they weren’t exactly known for their bedside manner, well except Draclua and that was down to his press. “He’s got three cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, two broken fingers, internal bleeding, a bruised kidney, and a severe concussion.”
“But he’ll be alright?” the brunette’s tearful eyes were filled with desperation.
The vampire pulled the Slayer into a hug. “He’ll be fine. It’ll be rough for a while, but Xander will soon be annoying me with his puns.” After a moment he released his grip. “I’ve got to be going.”
“Going?” the young woman’s gaze was accusatory, her liquid brown eyes burning through his soul. “But Xander needs us here!”
The vampire kissed the girl on her forehead. “You, Spike, Wes, and Cordy will be here. I’ve got to go with Gunn and make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
The Slayer’s eyes changed from molten hot to ice cold in an instant. “When do we leave?”
Angel took an unneeded breath. The last thing they needed right now was Faith getting her hands on a Wolfram & Hart lawyer. Bad things would happen. “No Faith,” he replied firmly, “your place is here with Xander.” Without waiting for an agreement, the vampire turned, nodded to Gunn and walked away, the African-American hurrying after him.
* * *
Manners sighed wearily as he climbed into his limo. The clean-up from the carnage caused by Angel and his crew had been horrific. He suspected that at least one of the senior partners would be visiting very soon. The partner shuddered, he had to find someone to blame and fast.
All thoughts of office politics disappeared when the far car door opened and Angel climbed in. His heart pounding, Manners lunged for his door only to find it locked.
“Gunn, drive.” Manners stared in horror as the car started up and drove away from the pavement. The vampire smiled before turning to him. “This is an illustration of what we can do. This time it’s you we’re kidnapping. Next time it could be your wife. Or your mistress. Or even your children.”
“You wouldn’t.”
The vampire shrugged. “You’re probably right I wouldn’t. But Faith, she so wanted to meet you after what you did to her man. She’s very protective of him isn’t she Gunn?”
“Like a den mother with her cubs,” came the answer from the front of the limo.
“Good analogy,” praised the vampire.
“I liked it,” retorted the stand-in chauffer.
“You see, as I was just explaining. Faith’s been known to over-react in the past, now hurt her Xander again and there’s no telling what she’ll do. Now if she starts wiping out W & H employees we might not help her, but what we certainly won’t do is try and stop her. Are we communicating?”
Manners searched the vampire’s eyes for any sign of a bluff, seeing none he nodded. “What are you going to do with me?” A score of images all flooded the lawyer’s mind, each one more terrible than the last.
“First of all you’re going to sign this document stating that you will personally pay all of Xander’s hospital expenses. Otherwise,” the lawyer’s eyes widened as the vampire produced a machete from beneath his jacket. “I start chopping off fingers. This little piggy went to the butcher’s.”
“Where’s the paper.” Manners quickly signed the document.
“Good man,” praised the vampire lightly as he pocketed the paper. Manners shuddered as the vampire changed into his demonic face, the vampire chuckled coldly. “Why Holland, the valet will have a devil of a job getting urine stains out of this wonderful leather, you’re a little young for bladder problems.” The vampire’s eyes grew even harder. “Now I think it’s time you and I came to an understanding. We’re the good guys, you’re the black hats, I get this. You’ll keep on planning diabolical evil, we’ll keep on thwarting you. But, you ever directly attack my team again, and I’ll make sure you and every senior partner doesn’t last out the week. You understand?”
Manners swallowed hard. There were some
days you should stay in bed. Today was definitely one of the. “I..I
understand,” he managed to stutter.
The vampire nodded approvingly. “Where are we Gunn?”
“Vamp Central.”
“Pull up, we’re getting out,” the vampire instructed before turning to the terrified lawyer. “We’re in downtown L.A., so I have to warn you, don’t get out of your limo. You better hope that you’re retrieval team gets here quick or you’ll be praying the gangbangers get to you before the vamps.”
Starting Over 10 – Crimson Rain
“Everybody get out.”
Angel looked up from his desk and into Xander’s eyes. He’d just finished telling the others that they were fired, they couldn’t accept where he was going to have to do to defeat Darla and Drusilla, they already weren’t happy with him allowing the mass-murder of Manners and his cronies. “Xand,” Angel glanced across at the teen’s pale-faced girl-friend.
“GET OUT NOW!” the Slayer jumped at the man’s roar and Angel blinked. The look in Xander’s eyes was colder than when the teen had stopped Angelus from killing Buffy at Sunnydale General. He wasn’t the coward Angelus was but there was enough rage in the youth’s eyes to make him nervous. The others moved to the door. “Faith,” Xander’s gaze didn’t move from him, his eyes continuing to burn into him, “I’m sorry I shouted at you, it’s not you I’m angry with.”
The brunette smiled wanly in response. “Five by five.”
As soon as the door had closed behind the Slayer and the others, Xander exploded again. “You bastard!” he started to look nervously around, checking that there wasn’t any sharp wooden objects in the office. “This isn’t just your home you know! It’s Cordy’s, mine, this place belongs to us all! Hell, for the last year this has been the first place that Faith has ever called home! You’re her goddamn mentor!” Xander slammed his fist onto the desk, “the one who she looks to for guidance about redemption, but no you had to decide to throw us aside for a petty feud.”
“Petty-.”
The young man’s rage overrode his attempt at a reply. “The way I see it you’ve got two choices. One, you leave,” Angel’s eyes widened, Xander was going to throw him out? “Or you let us help you.”
“It’s too dangerous -.”
Xander raised an eyebrow. “Too dangerous? Too dangerous for two demon-hunters, two master vampires, a former Watcher, a seer, and a Slayer?” the youth’s face softened. “Let us help you for god’s sake Angel. We’re friends, that’s what friends do, just ask.”
“Fine,” Angel took an unneeded breath. “What do you have in mind?”
* * *
Angel looked around the gaudy bar in disbelief. The place looked liked the place had been decorated by a member of the Village People on acid. “This was your bright idea?” he muttered in disbelief, “take me out and get me drunk in a bar owned by the Bee Gees?”
“I do so hope he’s not going to start sing ‘Staying Alive’.”
Angel loftily decided to ignore Wesley’s muttered comment. He turned towards Xander. “Care to explain?”
“Two weeks ago, me and Faith chased a Walki into here,” Xander’s explanation was interrupted by a green-skinned, horned demon wearing a red designer suit so bright Angel thought his eyes were going to bleed.
“It’s Spitfire and Melody! And who are your friends?”
“He’s Melody, I’m Spitfire,” Faith explained as Xander started to talk to the demon, “and he’s Lorne.”
Angel nodded, he’d already figured that, he’d had the misfortune to hear Faith singing in the bath and nobody would describe that screech or the lyrics she sang as melodious. “So,” he sighed, he was sure he wasn’t going to like the answer. “Why are we here?” The vampire bit back a groan, judging from the malicious gleam in the Slayer’s eyes he was right.
* * *
“You want me to sing!”
“Never thought I’d see a Master Vampire have a temper tantrum,” Xander muttered.
“Bet you ten bucks he cries,” Spike muttered back, an evil grin the twin to Xander’s on his face.
Faith chuckled. “Don’t know why you’re smirking Billy, he’s your grand-sire, it’s your family he’s showing up with this behaviour.”
“Piss off Slayer.”
After a few seconds of moaning, the vampire climbed onto stage, his head bowed as if heading towards after a guillotine. And after a few seconds the vampire’s rapidly becoming former friends knew why. “Bloody hell,” Wes muttered, “it’s not only people he’s murdered.”
“I thought ‘Mandy’ was bad when Beaky sang it,” Faith replied, her eyes widening. “Forget vamps, mages, demons, G in the buff,” conscious that everybody had turned to her, the Slayer shrugged, “hey he should have locked the door, now there’s a sight to scar an impressionable mind. But,” Faith pointed at the stage, “this is really scary.”
After what seemed a lifetime the song ended Angel climbed off the stage, his glare forcing scattered applause from the demons nearest the stage. Finally Xander found his voice. “That was really,” for once words failed him.
“Shit,” Faith finished for him.
“Exactly.”
“So what advice have you got for me?” Angel asked the green-skinned demon.
”Aside from don’t give up the career as a champion to become a club singer?”
“Couldn’t cope with the competition eh?”
“Dear god,” Wesley groaned. “Do tell me he’s joking.”
“If not I’m moving to another state,” Gunn replied with a mutter.
“Screw that I don’t care if he’s got a soul, I’m killing him,” Faith whispered. “Call it a mercy staking.”
Suddenly Lorne’s face turned deadly serious. “Dru and Darla are in Warehouse 17 on Luther King docks, they’ve got between 15 and 20 vampires with them.”
“Doable.” Xander nodded in satisfaction before turning to the bleached blond vampire. “Your turn next Spike.”
“Why the bloody hell do I have to sing? We know where they are now.”
“Because we’re going after Dru,” Xander replied, all previous humour vanishing from his voice, leaving it cold and emotionless.
After a second the vampire nodded, stood, and walked to the stage. Spike flipped before the karaoke book before pointing out of a song, a minute or so later the vampire began singing ‘Mony Mony’. “Bloody hell,” Wesley said, his cultured voice filled with awe. “He’s really rather good.”
“Well he’s better than Deadboy that’s for sure.”
“Cordelia!” Angel protested.
“Oh shut up Angel, you hired me for my honesty,” the former cheerleader snapped before turning to the green-skinned demon. “Well?”
“Well, with that voice don’t ever sing,” the demon turned a strange shade of polluted seaweed at the cheerleader’s glare. “He can be trusted and you really want him to come with you.”
“So are we off now?” Angel said.
“Hey Fang don’t you want to sing again?”
Angel let out a long-suffering sigh. “Faith shut up.” The vampire shook his head. “Xander, Faith, and Cordelia, surely I wasn’t that evil.”
“But at least you got me and Wes,” Gunn pointed out.
“Oh lucky me.”
* * *
“What’s the plan Xander?” Angel muttered.
Xander stared at the shadowy form of the warehouse from the faraway end of the narrow street that snaked its way up to its front doors. The building, veiled behind a thick swirling curtain of falling rain, was only a vaguely-shaped silhouette. And yet its brooding bulk still managed to inspire a feeling of unease in him, as if it was a living beast, watching him and his companions, and waiting to pounce. After a second he shook his head, breaking the gloomy spell the ponderous building held over him. “Faith and I will go through the front doors,” Xander looked through his binoculars, “and you and Billy Boy will come through the skylight. Wes, Gunn, and Cordy will block the mouth of the street and kill any vamps that escape the camp.”
“That’s it?” Faith muttered in disbelief. “That’s your great plan?”
“Nobody said I was Patton,” Xander shrugged. “Look we don’t have time to plan anything intricate, and if we did Dru would only sense it anyway.”
“He’s right Slayer,” Spike muttered, “how long to get to the skylight Peaches?”
“Five, maybe seven, minutes,” Angel replied, “have to take care of those two guards first though. You come through the front in ten minutes Xander. As soon as we hear you we’ll follow okay?”
“Let’s go.”
Xander started to move only to be stopped by his girl-friend grabbing him around the waist and pulling him into a hug. “Don’t you dare get hurt you asshole,” the brunette whispered into his ear, her voice trembling.
Xander winked at his girlfriend, he knew how frightened she got, not about herself but losing him. “We’ll be fine baby,” he kissed the slayer on her forehead before grinning, “it’s my plan after all.”
Faith giggled. “Why do you think I’m worried?”
Spike let out a groan. “Bloody hell you two pillocks are so sugary it’s making me diabetic.”
Faith glared at the bleached vampire. “Shut it.”
* * *
“You ready,” Xander swallowed at the Slayer’s whispered question before nodding. The brunette winked at him. “Love you,” turning she sent a heel smashing kick into the double doors sending them crashing open. Her trademark smirk in place Faith sauntered into the suddenly hushed warehouse. “Hi everybody, who wants to hop on the Faith Express? Stakings a speciality.”
“Don’t say that dear,” Xander murmured as he eyed the vampires charging towards them, “makes you sound cheap.”
Whatever smart reply Faith would have come up with was lost when the skylight suddenly exploded, sending glass flying as Angel and Spike dropped in through the window. Distracted by the sudden intrusion, the vampires advancing towards him and his girl-friend stopped in confusion. Taking advantage of the vampires’ hesitation, Xander bounded and swung his axe through the neck of the nearest vamp.
Blood burst from the vampire’s neck a split-second before it turned to dust, showering him like a crimson rain. Out of the corner of his eye he saw another vampire coming towards him, twisting round he managed to send his axe slicing through the vampire’s sword arm, cutting off its arm at the elbow. The vampire glanced down at his arm in amazement. Before the blood-sucker could regain his equilibrium, Xander reversed his swing, sending the vampire’s flying off his shoulder.
Seeing a third vampire coming at him, Xander snapped out a heel kick, shattering the vampire’s knee and sending him stumbling to the floor. Before his adversary had chance to recover, Xander’s axe came down taking the vampire’s head off. “Damn I’m on fire tonight!” he crowed.
“Oh no kitten,” Xander’s blood chilled at Drusilla’s insane babblings in his ear, “don’t be on fire, fire would burn that lovely skin.”
“Shit!” Xander spun round to face the vampire only to be caught by a haymaker to the jaw that caused his vision to blur and his legs to almost buckle. He swung his axe up, aiming to repeat his earlier success but as he moved Drusilla easily intercepted the blow, hitting his arm hard enough to send the axe clattering to the floor. Before he had time to re-group Dru had her hands wrapped around his throat, lifting his body off the floor. Xander struck at her wrists, trying to break free by hitting her nerve-clusters but it was like punching stone.
“Such pretty eyes,” the insane vampire cooed. Then she kissed him full on the lips, her ice-cold tongue slipping into his mouth. Xander struggled but couldn't budge an inch, the insane vampire’s grip inescapable. When she was done she tossed him to the ground like a rag doll. Winded, he could only watch helplessly as she advanced on him. “You’re going to be a special childe,” she simpered, “take Spikey’s place in mummy’s heart you are.”
“Not sodding likely.” A look of alarm spreading across her face, Drusilla started to turn only to explode to dust when Spike shoved a stake in her heart. “Bloody women, let that be a lesson to you boy. They’re all bloody flighty.”
“Thanks Spike, I’ll bear that in mind,” he rubbed gingerly at his chin where Drusilla had slugged him. “Going to give me a hand up?”
“Can’t take you anywhere whelp,” Spike pulled him to his feet. “You know,” the bleached vampire looked down at the dustpile at his feet, “with all her psychic powers you’d have thought she’d have seen that coming.” The vampire shook his head. “Anyway night’s still young,” Spike cast an almost hungry gaze at the carnage surrounding them, “violence still to be had.”
* * *
Xander looked at the two brooding master vampires and sighed, both had had to kill their sires and their actions were hitting them hard. “So,” he forced a cheery note into his voice, “we’ve won. How about celebration?”
“What do you suggest?” Wesley asked.
“Oh I was thinking we could back down to Lorne’s place,” Xander paused, a slight smile tugging at his lips, “Angel could tort-, entertain us with a singing of ‘That’s All Right Mama’.” The two vampires glared at him, he smiled and shrugged. “Just a thought.”