Blood Tears 16 – Slowly Breaking Heart
“Hello Faith, Jonathan asked me out!”
The vampiress glanced up from the sofa and smiled at the beaming Slayer. Ever since Kendra had started at Sunnydale High at the start of the new school year she’d been raving about the ‘sweet’ Jonathan. “That’s wicked Ken, I assume you said yes.”
The Slayer nodded before breaking out into giggles. “He was so funny, he blushed and stuttered. I thought he was going to faint when I said yes.”
“You’ll find a lot of boys do that when talking to a pretty girl,” Faith commented dryly. “So where’s he taking you?”
“To a restaurant.”
“Then you’ll need a new outfit.”
The Slayer stared at her. “Why? If Jonathan asked me out does he not already like what I wear?”
The vampiress raised an eyebrow; once again Kendra’s sheltered upbringing had left her with a somewhat unique viewpoint. “You’re missing the point Ken,” Faith explained. “When a girl goes out on a date with a boy, she gets dressed up for two reasons. To show the boy that she thinks he’s worth the effort and to show the world how beautiful she is. If you want I could give you some money to go shopping with the others at the weekend.”
“Oh,” the Slayer glanced down at the floor. “Sometimes the others tease me about my choice in clothes. Would you go with me?”
The vampiress beamed, she knew the others didn’t mean anything by their teasing; it was just that Kendra’s secluded childhood had left her ill-prepared for the rough and tumble of American high school life. “I’d love to, we’ll go tomorrow night.” Life was full of ironies, she reflected happily. Who could have guessed that a 300 year old vampiress would get the little sister she’d always yearned for in a girl fated to hunt her kind?
“Faith, there’s something else.”
Faith nodded encouragingly. “Go on Ken.”
“Willow said Jonathan might want to take me dancing afterwards. I was hoping,” the girl glanced at the floor again. “You could teach me.”
“I’d love to Ken, I really would. But the sort of dancing I know is kind of formal, not the sort that’s done today.”
“Oh,” Kendra looked disappointed. “But Willow told me you were teaching Xander the horizontal mambo. Could you teach me this dance?”
Faith’s mouth dropped open. That Rosenberg, she fumed, it’s always the quiet ones. Judging from the guileless look on Kendra’s face she thankfully didn’t have a clue what she’d said. Desperate to change the subject she asked. “Xander not with you Ken?” usually they walked home together for company and security.
The Slayer looked puzzled. “Have you forgotten? Jonathan said he gave Xander a note from you at lunch.”
The vampiress felt an icy hand grip her stomach. “K...Kendra I didn’t send -.”
Suddenly the front window shattered and a brick with a note attached hit the carpet with a thud. Her limbs shaking, Faith walked over to the brick, pulled the note off and quickly read it. A moment later she let out a pain-filled scream, dropped the note, and leapt out of the window.
* * *
“Faith. Next time you see your boy he’ll have a lot more in common with us. He’ll be one of us. Bring a stake. Love Angelus. P.S. Darla approves.” Giles put the note down, unable to quell his stomach’s nervous somersaulting. One of his children at the mercy of that fiend, they’d got lucky last time. He somehow doubted they would again.
“Darla approves.” Buffy glanced around the library looking at the hastily summonsed group. “Darla approves? What does that bitch approve of?”
Giles shifted uncomfortably. He’d guessed that Xander and Faith’s relationship had changed a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t the most natural of relationships, but it was none of his business and it did make two people who hadn’t experienced much love happy, but he had hoped the boy would have the courage to tell the others before they found out. Although the Watcher had never envisaged them finding out like this. “Em, Faith and Xander have developed intimate relations.”
Buffy’s nose crinkled up in puzzlement. “Intimate relations?”
“They’ve been doing the horizontal mambo.” Willow interrupted, rather unhelpfully in Giles’ opinion.
“Xander’s been making it with that Faith chick? Wow, he’s the man!” Jonathan exclaimed.
“They’ve been having sex! Xander’s with a vampire! That’s sick! That’s worse, that’s worse than wearing last year’s fashions!” That came from Cordelia.
Next it was Kendra’s turn. Her face paler than Giles would have thought possible, the Slayer turned to Willow. “I asked Faith to teach me the horizontal mambo because of you.”
“Hey don’t worry about it,” Oz broke
in. “Could be worse, she could have agreed then you’d really be in for a
shock.”
“Dear god,” moaned the Watcher his head clasped in his hands. He was starting to think that his predecessors had been right all along about Slayers not having a life outside of their duties. “Can we please focus?” he pleaded.
“When I get my hands on him, I’ll make him wish Angelus still had him,” Buffy muttered.
“Wait a minute,” exclaimed Jonathan, a look of puzzlement on his face. “Shouldn’t we be contacting the police if Xander’s been kidnapped?” His eyes widened. “You’re saying Faith’s a vampire. You’re all nuts, I’m outta here.”
“Kendra!”
The Slayer picked up the nerd by the scruff of his shirt. “I hope this won’t affect our date Jonathan,” she said apologetically.
The boy’s eyes bulged in shock. After a minute he managed to speak. “Well it’s not like I’m swamped with offers so no.”
“Good answer,” Oz nodded approvingly. “Blowing off a Slayer, probably not a good life choice.”
“What’s a Slayer?”
“In a minute Jonathan,” Giles replied impatiently. “What did the girl who gave you the note look like?”
“Well she didn’t come out of the shadows so I didn’t see her face too clearly. But she was blonde, blue eyes, built like a swimsuit model and -.”
“Darla.” Giles sighed. That more or less confirmed it, it wasn’t a ruse, Xander had been taken. The only question remained was how to get him back unharmed.
“Jonathan,” it was Kendra. “Do you want to help us?”
“With vampires? Well I don’t -. Well all right, Xander’s always been pretty cool to me and he did encourage me to ask you out.”
“Another civilian, bloody marvellous. “My cup runneth over,” the Watcher muttered. He wondered idly if the Council would accept his resignation. Probably not, way his bloody luck was going they’d dig another Slayer out from somewhere for him to take care of. Three Slayers, he shuddered at the thought.
“Giles?”
“Yes Buffy?”
“What does ‘Darla approves’ actually mean.”
“Ah,” Giles glanced around the room to see every one except a pale faced Jenny and a sickly looking Oz staring at him, those two had worked it out. “I suspect Darla was curious about what exactly Faith found so alluring about Xander. So,” the Englishman searched for the most palatable way of putting it. “I think she forced herself on him.”
Willow collapsed into Oz’s arms, while Jonathan comforted a shaken Kendra and Cordelia let out a most unladylike curse before starting to cry. Buffy though regained her composure. “I’m not letting them turn Xander,” she declared defiantly. “What’s the plan Giles?”
Giles paused in thought. “The first thing we must do is find Faith and prevent her from indulging in a suicide mission. The only question is where will she be?”
“Well duh,” Cordy spoke up, her mascara running and her normally healthy tan grey. “Where do we always go for info on a demon’s whereabouts?”
Giles exchanged a glance with Buffy. “Willy’s.”
Blood Tears 17 – Willy Meet Ripper
“Bloody hell.” Giles stumbled over the bar’s threshold, his eyes widening in shock at the chaos that met them.
Three different colours of blood were splattered on the bar’s walls, floor and even the ceiling. The jukebox had been thrown from one end of the bar to the other, while the pool table had been broken into two roughly halves and smashed chairs and tables lay scattered across the blood stained floor. Glancing at the liquor cabinet behind the bar, Giles saw that less than a third of the bottles remained unbroken.
On the floor there lay the bodies of half a dozen demons as well as around ten tell-tale dust piles. And on the only remaining standing table there lay Willy, pinned there by Faith’s hand around his throat, his face turning blue from a lack of air. “Where’s Angelus!” shrieked the vampiress, her eyes gleaming golden. “Tell me where he is!”
“Buffy, Kendra! Get Faith off him,” Giles ordered.
Once the enraged vampiress had been dragged off the whimpering and gasping bar owner, Giles strode over to the table and shoved the unfortunate man back down on it. “Have you seen you what she’s done to the place, killed my clientele, wrecked my furnishings, -.”
“Do you think I give a damn about your little fleapit?” Giles broke in coldly. “What I want from you is answers. Where is Angelus?”
“How much?” the all too familiar greed was back in the bar owner’s eyes.
His fist smashed into Willy’s face, breaking his nose and sending the bartender rolling off the edge of the table, falling to the floor. Ignoring the gang’s shocked gasp, he brought his foot down hard on Willy’s left hand, breaking fingers, before clutching hold of a handful of the screaming bartender’s hair. After pulling the man’s head up, the Watcher savagely drove his head back down onto the hard floor before grabbing a broken beer bottle off the floor and waving the jagged end in the bartender’s face. “Not tonight Willy,” Giles warned coldly. “One of our group is missing and I have neither the patience nor the inclination to haggle with you. Where is Angelus’ base? Or,” the Watcher moved the jagged end to the space between the bartender’s bulging eyes. “Or which eye do you want to lose first, left or right? Two questions, decide which to answer.”
“Giles -.”
“Quiet Buffy!” the Watcher roared. “Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt your elders when they’re conversing. Clock’s ticking Willy?”
“I don’t know much,” Willy shrieked when he allowed the bottle’s jagged edge to gently brush the bar owner’s skin. “Just that three weeks ago Angelus’ gang started moving out of Sunnydale. Word is they’ve forted up outside of town.”
“Damn it,” Giles muttered as he released his grip on the bartender and stood. What Willy had said made sense. Around three weeks ago, vampire activity had dropped off considerably. At the time he’d put it down to having two Slayers and an ensoulled vampiress on staff. Now it took on an altogether more ominous face.
Out of the corner of his eye, the Watcher saw Faith effortlessly throw off Kendra and Buffy before beginning to stride towards him, her gaze intent on the cringing bar owner at his feet. The Englishman swallowed hard before stepping into the vampiress’ path. “No Faith.”
The vampiress growled menacingly. “Your Slayers couldn’t stop me, what makes you think can stop me from ripping his lungs out?”
“Because,” Giles forced himself to meet the vampiress’ cold gaze. “Xander wouldn’t want it.”
To his surprise the vampiress looked away first. “Fine,” she muttered. “Then I’ll find Angelus myself.”
“I think not,” Giles glanced towards the bar entrance. “Jenny! Oz!”
On his shout, the techno-pagan and the werewolf stepped forward and fired tranquiliser darts into the vampiress. Her eyes flaming with anger, Faith lunged at him, only to fall at his feet. After sighing in relief, he’d been far from sure that the darts would work, Giles crouched over the unconscious vampiress. “I’m terribly sorry Faith, but Xander wouldn’t want you losing your life in a pointless suicide mission either.”
Standing, the Watcher glanced at the two Slayers. He’d been shaken when Faith had broken free of the duo, whenever they’d sparred, either of the Slayers had appeared roughly equal to the vampiress in power. But just moments earlier, she’d thrown them both off effortlessly. “Kendra, Buffy. Please carry Faith to the van.”
“So Giles, about my overdue books? You are still just fining and not beating students?”
“Yes, very amusing Oz. Now let’s get back to the library.”
* * *
Angelus glared at the crumpled body at his feet in disgust. The torture session was not progressing as he’d hoped. The vampire crouched and lifted the boy’s head by his hair. The boy screamed when hurt, but there was no fear or hatred in him for his demon to feed off, he was just an empty shell.
The Master vampire realised he’d made a critical error. By revealing the boy’s resemblance to Faith’s dead brother, he’d broken the boy’s spirit. Now the youth didn’t care enough about what happened to him. He should have saved the information until later, for a final crushing blow.
There were things he could do to make the boy beg, but they would cause permanent damage and he needed the boy fit for the next part of his plan. Angelus glanced across at a watching Darla. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he hid a smile. After one of her disciplining sessions, Darla was always wonderfully submissive. “Come here.”
Her gaze fixed firmly on the ground, the blonde hurried over his side. “Yes sire.”
Angelus choose to run his hand through his childe’s golden locks for a few seconds before replying, savouring both the silky softness of her hair and her nervous anticipation. “How did the boy react when you had your fun with him?”
“Sire?”
“Answer me,” Angelus grabbed a handful of the blonde’s hair and pulled, making her yelp in pain. “Otherwise.”
The vampiress swallowed. “He didn’t react at first, just took it,” she smiled. “But soon he was sobbing and begging me to stop.”
Smiling proudly, Angelus ran his finger down the blonde’s cheek. “It’s his fault you had to be punished. It’s time you got your revenge,” he laughed at the sudden eagerness in his childe’s face. “But Darla, I want to hear him beg.”
The blonde vampiress nodded dutifully before walking over to the crumpled body and kneeling beside it. Angelus smiled as he watched the boy’s face pale as the childe began to stroke the youth’s face and whisper in his ear. Whatever else she was, Darla was an expert in pain. Maybe he’d give her the boy as a play-thing after he’d turned him. And if he managed to kill Faith.
* * *
“Right Willow, what we need to do is a search for an increase in unexplained deaths in any near-by towns,” said Giles. “Only in Sunnydale would the arrival of such a large group of vampires go unnoticed. There has to be something – newspaper reports, coroner’s records or law enforcement bulletins.”
The Wicca nodded, obviously eager to do something to aid her oldest friend. “I’ll get right on it. Jonathan, you hack too don’t you?”
The newest addition to his team nodded. “I’ll get onto the coroner offices.”
“Don’t bother.”
“Why not?” Giles turned to the vampiress. Since her awakening Faith had been subdued, almost defeated. “We’ve got to do something.”
“No matter how useless it is? Madrid 1742, Rome 1744, Paris 1747, and London 1749. Our great European tour,” the vampiress paused, clearly lost in visceral memories. “In each city, we angered the local population so much that we had to go to ground for weeks at a time. To avoid being noticed we killed only vagrant, burying their bodies after we’d fed. It’s my guess that Angelus will the same now – the homeless, hitchhikers, anybody who won’t be missed too quickly. If he needs extra he’ll supplement by stealing or buying from a butchers or slaughterhouse.”
“Damn it,” Giles groaned.
“Can’t you track Angelus, with him being your sire?” Cordelia suggested her eyes filled with desperation.
“I can sense the average vampire at a distance of maybe 100 metres, my sire from three to four times that, but if they’ve left the city..”
“What makes her different?”
“Excuse me?” Giles turned to a nervous-looking Jonathan.
“Faith’s a good vampire right? If they’re trying to make him into one of them, why don’t we just turn him good like her?”
Faith’s chair flew backwards as she leapt to her feet. Her demonic face showing, the vampiress let out an angry howl. “He’ll have still been killed you little fool! He’ll still never be able to walk in sunlight again! He’ll still live to see everybody he’s ever loved die! He’ll still wear this face and carry a demon inside his body!”
“Faith, calm down!” Giles stepped between the raging vampiress and the trembling boy. “Jonathan’s idea has some merit as a last resort.”
“I can’t believe -.”
“Buffy! Now is not the bloody time! Having our friend on our side instead of a murderous rampage would be an improvement, however slight. Faith, would you be able to tell when Xander was turned?”
The vampiress hesitated before nodding slowly. “It depends, assuming that Angelus does the turning himself yes. But if another vampire other than my sire does it no.”
Giles digested that piece of information. “This is what we’re going to do. Willow, Jonathan, carry out the searches I requested in case Angelus has turned sloppy. Try one for blood-bank robberies too. Buffy, you take Faith and Kendra and search Sunnydale in case Willy was lying or misinformed. The rest of you check out the armoury, I somehow think we might have unwelcome visitors. I’ll look over the curse and its translation.”
Blood Tears 18 – Conscience
Angelus grinned down at the bloodied and battered body at his feet. Sometimes Darla even amazed him with her warped inventiveness. Once she’d finished with the boy, the floodgates had been well and truly re-opened. The last two days had been extremely enjoyable; inflicting pain on the boy had been almost as much fun as imagining the turmoil that Faith would have been enduring. But all good things must come to an end.
Knowing full well that the boy was clinging to consciousness, he turned to Spike stood beside him. “Tonight’s the night I turn him,” he smiled at the boy’s choked gasp. “I want him to have a special first meal. Send some of the boys to Sunnydale to kidnap the cheerleader and the witch.”
“Right ho boss,” Spike nodded before crouching over the boy. “Welcome to the family whelp.”
“Darla, you’ll have the job of supervising his initiation into our ways. Try and make it something special.” Angelus waited until both his children had left before turning back to the brat. “Now where were we?” His fangs elongated. “Oh of course, how silly of me to forget.”
* * *
“I’m afraid the curse is a no-go.” Giles said heavily, conscious of the devastated gazes on his charges’ faces. “We have all the essentials except one – it must be performed by a medicine man or woman of the Apache tribe.”
“No,” Faith fell into Kendra’s arms. “His last chance.”
“We have one,” it was a pale-faced Jenny. “I was sent here when Faith re-surfaced to spy on her, see that the curse was unbroken. Then,” the computer teacher smiled weakly at him. “I fell in love.”
Giles’ world collapsed, she’d lied to him. What else had been a lie, loving him? Was that just an excuse to get close to the Scoobies and Faith? Shaking his head he forced his mind back onto the important matter at hand. Xander had to be the priority. “You’ll do the curse?”
Jenny’s face fell at his tone. “Of course I will. Rupert -.”
”Good. Then all we can do is wait, unless we get a lucky break,” he refused to
look at his girlfriend. “Buffy, can you and Kendra patrol on your own
tonight?” The Watcher turned his attention to a crying Faith. “One way or
another we’ll get him back to you.”
The vampiress looked up, centuries of pain visible in her dark brown eyes. “But dead or alive Giles? Dead or alive?” she whispered.
* * *
“You bloody wankers!” roared Spike. “I wanted the Chase and Rosenberg bints!”
“You said a cheerleader,” one of the vampires said slowly. “She’s wearing the outfit.”
“And she’s a witch, she burnt my brother’s face off when we snatched her,” put in the other.
“Why me!” why were the majority of his kindred complete and utter pillocks? Spike felt a greater than usual urge to kill something – namely the morons in front of him.
“What seems to be the problem Spike?”
Spike turned to see his sire stood in the room’s doorway, a beaming smile in place. “These stupid plonkers have brought the wrong soddin’ girls,” he explained, “some tramp called Harmony -.”
“You’ll be hearing from my daddy’s att-.”
“BLOODY SHUT UP!” Spike roared, god she was annoying. Never had the phrase too dumb to be scared had greater meaning. “And that Amy Madison bint,” he pointed to the other girl, sobbing quietly in the corner. At least one of the silly bitches had the sense to realise what she was facing.
“No problem.” The two vampires he’d sent to collect the girls let out a collective sigh of relief only to disappear into dust when Angelus threw a pair of stakes into their unbeating hearts. “No stupid plonkers.” The Master vampire turned to leave only to look at the two frightened girls. “They’ll have to do. Take them to the storeroom. And Spike?”
“Yes boss?”
“No more mistakes.”
“No boss.”
* * *
“Argh!”
Xander’s eyes flew open to see Darla straddling him, her hands caressing his body. She smiled at him. “You’re awake.”
“Want you,” he growled, his eyes glittering golden with desire. He reached up to tear open the blonde’s dress only for her to knock his hand away and laugh.
“My, but death’s turned shy Xander into quite the forward man,” she giggled girlishly. “Isn’t there something you want more?”
Suddenly the newly-awoken vampire was aware of a gnawing hunger that even Darla’s charms could not sate. “Blood.”
“And blood you shall have.” The vampiress pulled him upright. “But first a kiss.” The blonde crushed her lips to his, sliding his tongue into eagerly waiting mouth. After a minute she withdrew, a radiant smile in place. “Now, dinner is in the next room.”
“So which one do you want? We tried for Chase and Rosenberg but you just can’t get good help these days, not like in the 19th century.”
“I’m glad, I want to turn Willow, and Cordelia, I owe that bitch, I want to take my time with her, teach her the true meaning of pain and the definition of fear.” Xander glanced from one girl to the other, savouring the fright he saw in both their faces. Finally he had the respect he’d always wanted and more power than he’d ever dreamed of. He shifted into his demonic face and laughed at the girls’ muffled screams of terror. He looked at Harmony and smiled, remembering all the times she’d insulted and humiliated him when he was alive. He pointed at the cringing cheerleader. “I’ll take her.” He strode towards the sobbing blonde before turning back to Darla and pointing at the gagged Wicca. “Make her watch.”
Darla laughed. “Oh you’re a natural!”
Once he’d finished his meal he threw the corpse aside and strode over to where Darla was holding a wide-eyed Amy. Exulting at the terror he saw in her eyes, he ran a hand down the girl’s body, making her whimper when he painfully groped her chest.
“Oh Xander, you’re making me quite jealous.”
He laughed at the invitation he saw in the blonde’s eyes. “Shall we?” An idea occurred to him, he looked down at Amy. “Don’t worry Amy,” he stroked the crying girl’s face with deceptive gentleness, as he unzipped his jeans, “I wouldn’t want you to be left out.”
“I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Xander glanced up from his pleased inspection of the sobbing girl at his feet. Oh the fun he was going to have with her. “Really what?” he pulled his jeans up and fastened them.
“Now if I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise would it?” the vampiress giggled. “It’s in the next room. Come on!”
“Daddy!” Xander beamed at the look of horror on the face of the man who’d made his first sixteen years a living hell. “How?”
“Mr. Harris thinks he’s quite the stud. Thought he could pull little ole me.”
Xander’s face darkened. Grabbing hold of the blonde by her elbows, he pulled her towards him and looked deep into her eyes. “Tried to pull my girl. Did he frighten you sweetie?”
“Oh yes,” the blonde purred in return. “Almost cried I did. Such nasty words, they scared me so.”
“Then he’ll have to be punished.”
Darla beamed. “And I’ve brought just the things.” The vampiress spun out of the teen’s grasp and walked over to a table in the corner and pulled the cloth off revealing a selection of gleaming surgical instruments, and garage and garden tools.
Xander’s eyes widened. “Presents for me!” he exclaimed. “As a boy I never got toys at Christmas. Daddy spent all his money on booze.”
“Oh my poor Xander,” Darla stroked his chin. “But I’ve made up for it?”
“You’re just the best!”
“Better than Faith!”
“Who?”
Darla beamed at him before making for the door. “Bye dear.”
Xander sulked. “You’re not going?”
“I thought you should have some father-son bonding time. I wouldn’t want to intrude. A young vampire’s first torture session should be special. Have fun, I’ll be back in an hour.”
“So father,” Xander glanced down at the bound and gagged figure, savouring the fear he could smell coming off the man. For the first time he was not the victim. “Bolt cutters, shears, glass, sandpaper, hammer, chisel, scalpel, surgical drill, or blow-torch? What do you think?”
* * *
A cup dropped out of Faith’s hand, shattering on the library floor and spilling blood on its carpet. The vampiress stumbled to her feet, grabbing at the library counter to aid her usually flawless balance. “Angelus has made a new childe, he’s awoken,” she said unsteadily, her eyes welling with red tears.
Giles paled, for a second he struggled for breath. All that desperate searching was in vain. Forcing his emotions under control the Watcher stood. “Right then we’ll start with the ritual. Ms. Calendar, how long will it take?”
“About an hour, maybe an hour and a half.”
“Very well, Willow and I will help you with the casting; while Cordelia, Oz, and Jonathan will help you prepare the components. Kendra, Buffy,” he cast a pained glance towards the sobbing vampiress, “Look after Faith.”
“I get to help in a spell. Cool!”
Giles’ iron self-control snapped. “Not cool at all Jonathan,” he growled dangerously. “A very brave young man had to die to provide you with this opportunity so not bloody cool at all!”
* * *
Xander stared down at the limbless corpse at his feet, a smile twisting his features. The last hour had probably been the most enjoyable he could remember, more than ample payment for the years of abuse he’d suffered at the bastard’s hands. Chuckling slightly, he turned back to the table; maybe he’d use the scalpel to carve his initials into his father’s forehead, now there was an idea.
Suddenly his knees gave way beneath him, sending him plummeting to the floor. His demon screamed in terror as something slammed into his body, enveloping his entire being in an unbelievably hot glow. After a few moments the heat passed, but what happened next caused him to roll around the dusty floor, convulsing wildly.
Visions of what he’d done since his awakening flooded his mind. Of Harmony’s shocked face as he tore into her, bleeding her dry. Of his father screaming in agony as he’d used the blow-torch to put out his eyes. But worse of all was the anguished look of bewilderment on Amy’s face as he’d forced himself on her.
“What have I done?” the man whispered as he staggered to his feet, his stomach clenching in agony and his limbs shaking as if struck by some palsy. He had to leave, get out of here. He made it half way to the door before stopping. He couldn’t leave, he’d killed twice but to leave Amy, one of his oldest friends, would mean condemning a third to the same. He couldn’t do that.
The sound of Darla’s laughter in the corridor outside ended all lingering thoughts of escaping alone. Smoothing his face and forcing his twitching limbs under control, he waited for the blonde to enter. If she sensed his soul…
The vampiress strode into the room. She smiled proudly at the body on the floor and laughed merrily. “Angelus himself would be proud of that.” The blonde grabbed his hand. “Come on lover, Angelus wants to meet his new childe.”
“Not yet.” Forcing back all feeling of revulsion Xander stepped in close to the vampiress, slid his hands beneath her skirt and ran them up her legs until they were resting on the golden-haired beauty’s bare ass. “I want to see Amy again; I want to make her scream my name.”
“Oh Xander,” the blonde cooed. “You are a quick learner. But we’ll have to hurry. Angelus doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
“What I have planned won’t take long,” Xander bit at Darla’s ear. “Besides forget Angelus, you’re mine now,” he whispered. “I want you for myself.”
As he’d calculated Darla beamed. “Oh Xander, I do hope he lets me keep you I really do. We’d have such fun together. Now let’s go and see Amy. She’ll be missing us. Maybe when we’ve finished you could turn her make her part of our family.”
“Maybe.” Xander agreed as he followed the vampiress back to Amy’s room. Once the vampiress had unlocked the door and walked in, he spoke again. “There’s just one thing.”
The vampiress turned back to face him, a look of confusion on her beautiful face. “What’s that my love?”
The splinter he’d taken from the other room flickered up, slamming through Darla’s heart. “I never liked you.” He turned to Amy and flinched.
The Wicca was laid in a far corner of the room, tears rolling down her terrified face. Her clothes lay in tatters, torn by him and Darla when they’d violated her. He could smell the blood still seeping from between her legs, she’d been a virgin and he’d taken advantage of the opportunity given to him to be a brutal as possible.
Xander took an unneeded breath, this was the hardest thing he’d ever done. But as hard as was for him it had to be a thousand times harder for Amy. Stepping forward he cringed as Amy rolled into a protective ball, the terror he smelt coming off her in increasing waves. He reached out to touch her on the shoulder only for her to pull away whimpering. Not knowing what else to do he began to talk.
“Amy, it’s me Xander. Mrs. Wells always said I wasn’t any good with words but here goes. As you’ll have figured by now I’m a vampire.” He swallowed as the impact of what he’d just said hit him before continuing. “Before when I,” he couldn’t say the word ‘raped’, “attacked you, I was soulless. You remember Faith?” At her slight nod he continued. “She’s got a soul and somehow I’ve been given one too. I know there are a million reasons you shouldn’t trust me, but if I was here to harm you why would I have dusted her?” he glanced towards the dustpile by the door. “I’m so sorry for what I did to you, more than you’ll ever know and I hope you let me apologise in some small way for what I did by helping you to escape. But you have to trust me.”
After a few seconds the girl nodded. Xander’s shoulders slumped forward in relief. He quickly removed her gag, unable to meet the raging hatred he saw in her eyes, and unfastened the ropes binding her wrists. He reached to help her to her feet only for the girl to scream hysterically. “Don’t you touch me!”
Xander sighed. “Amy, I know there’s nobody you’d rather have dead than me and I don’t blame you. But you can barely stand, much less walk. Even carrying you I can move faster than you could. Please.”
The girl nodded. “Okay,” she whispered.
“Good girl,” Xander smiled weakly before grabbing an old sack from the ground. “Wrap yourself in that, it’ll lessen the contact between us.” Once the girl had complied he gently lifted her into his arms. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, blood tears streaking his cheeks.
* * *
Xander faltered as he reached the outer door. Beyond it he could sense two of his brethren. He glanced down at the sobbing girl in his arms. “Amy, you’ve got to trust me,” he muttered in her ear, trying to ignore the way she recoiled at his voice. “There are two vampires outside the door so I’m going to have to distract them.”
Sighing at the almost total blankness in her eyes, Xander shifted into his demonic face and pushed the door open. “Hello boys, bought you a treat,” it was an effort to ignore Amy’s choked sob. “But she’s not for eating, Spike’s taken a fancy to her, wants her to take his Dru’s place. But he knows you boys could do with some fun.”
“Looks like somebody’s already had some,” remarked one of the vampires with a lecherous grin.
Xander forced a chuckle. “Can you blame me? Look at the body on that, she’s a real nice piece.”
One of the vampires grinned back at him before pulling the shrieking girl out of his arms and pushing her up against the building wall. As soon as the second vampire turned away from him to watch his companion with Amy, Xander moved. Covering the space separating him from the other in a blur, he thrust his stake through the nearest vampire’s heart.
The second let out a howl and shoved Amy to the ground before leaping at him. Xander smoothly sidestepped his charge before driving his knee into the vampire’s stomach. As the vampire doubled up, the newly made vampire thrust his stake upwards into the vampire’s chest.
Instantly the ensoulled vampire was by Amy’s side. Realising the Wicca had fainted he lifted her gently and hurried towards where the vampires parked their cars. He looked around and saw that he was in Lantern Rise, a small town some thirty miles away from Sunnydale, just over the county line. He glanced back fearfully at the building at the sound of commotion. They’d discovered their escape. He couldn’t let them hurt her again. After carefully placing the girl in the back of the nearest car, he hurried into the front seat and hot-wired the car, remembering all of his Uncle Rory’s lessons. Within a few seconds the car’s engine started.
* * *
“They’ve escaped!” Angelus’ eyes glittered golden. “But I thought you said he’d been turned.”
”He had,” Spike replied. “He’d fed, raped the other bint, and tortured his dad
to death, real promising. Then he disappeared.”
“Darla’s behind this! That little whore will pay!” Angelus raged. Oh, her torture would go down in the annals of vampire history, no vampire would even look at him wrong when he’d finished with her. He’d start with not feeding her for a month, then give her to some newbies to use, then nail her on a cross and pour holy water on her daily, maybe cut her up with a knife blessed by a priest. Or maybe..
Spike interrupted his dreams. “No boss, she’s dead. Brat dusted her.”
”What!” the master vampire paused in thought for a few seconds. “They’ve cursed
him with a soul!” finally Angelus smiled slowly. “Get the troops ready, I’m
sure we’ll be having visitors soon.”
Blood Tears 19 – Broken Hearts
Faith’s head shot up and turned in the direction of the library double-doors. She began to stand, her eyes shining. “Xander!”
The door crashed open, bringing everybody else to their feet. Through it came a haunted looking Xander carrying a crumpled body in his arms. The brunette raced up to embrace her boyfriend only for him to sidestep her. Hurt and bewildered, she watched as he walked over to his friends, the icy cold expression on his face discouraging any questions.
The newly made vampire gently placed the body on one of the couches. Willow let out a gasp. “Amy!”
“Yeah,” Xander stopped speaking for a second. “She’s in a pretty bad way. She saw me kill Harmony and then I,” the youth choked back a sob, “I raped her.”
Oh no wonder he couldn’t look her in the eye. Wanting to comfort him, to tell him that she still loved him, Faith reached out to hug him from behind. And flew across the room to land in a stunned heap when her boyfriend spun round and smashed a left hook into her jaw. She looked up at her cold-eyed boyfriend with a mixture of anguish and fear. But he couldn’t, he had a soul, and yet he was striding towards her with a stake in hand.
“You damn whore,” the youthful vampire grated. “How sick are you? Using me to ease your guilt over the brother you tortured and murdered nearly three hundred years ago. I’m sick of your games you slut!”
Whore. Slut. Tears welled up in her eyes as she heard herself called names she’d never dreamed her Xander would use to describe her. It wasn’t true, she loved him, he was the only man she’d ever loved and he hated her. If he wanted to kill her let him, she couldn’t, wouldn’t, fight him.
“Xander! Calm down!” the Watcher grabbed at the newly-made vampire’s shoulder. Xander let out a low growl before slamming his elbow into the Watcher’s face, sending him crashing into the bookcase behind him collapsing it under the impact.
The vampire stood over Faith’s crumpled body. She started to close her eyes, readying herself for the impact of the stake. “No!” Kendra hit Xander at shoulder-height sending the pair of them crashing to the floor. Xander let out an enraged roar and threw the Slayer off him before jumping to his feet, staring a hole through Faith, leaping through the window, and rushing off.
Buffy ran over to Kendra, pulling her fellow Slayer to her feet. “Kendra, you and Jonathan look after Faith. The rest of you help Giles. I’m going after Xander.”
“Buffy, please.” Faith wiped at her eyes. “P…please don’t hurt him.”
The Slayer smiled reassuringly. “I won’t hurt him.”
* * *
“Much,” Buffy muttered as she dropped through the window and out into the school grounds. In the distance she could see the rapidly receding figure of Xander. Cursing, she set off after him. After a few minutes she caught up to him. Grabbing his shoulder, she spun him round and ducked under his right cross before delivering a kick to the vampire’s knee that sent him down to the ground. “Don’t try and get up Xander,” she warned coldly, her cool eyes betraying none of the pain she felt. “I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
“Hurt me?” the newly-turned vampire laughed bitterly. “I seriously doubt anything you could say or do would add much to the pain I’m already in. In the past three days I’ve found the woman I loved was with me out of guilt, been raped and murdered, turned into a vampire, and I’ve raped and murdered. Throw in the conscience with a shit-load of guilt thrown in for free courtesy of Willow Express, the Wicca gift service that just keeps on giving, and I’ve had a bitch of a three days.”
The Slayer’s face nearly crumpled at the misery she heard in her friend’s voice. “I can’t help you with most of that stuff, but she loves you Xand.”
“Love!” Xander laughed harshly, his eyes flickered golden for a second reminding the Slayer of her friend’s new condition. “And what the hell would a slut who’s spent the last century screwing man, woman, beast, and demon for cash know about love? Hell, if I’d saved up my birthday and Christmas money I could have probably hired her and a friend – twice the fun and none of the lies.”
Enraged, Buffy drove a foot into the vampire’s stomach, cracking ribs. “If I had some holy water right now,” she fumed. “You have no idea do you? After you left just then, after Kendra had stopped you from killing her, do you know what she said? ‘Please don’t hurt him’.”
“No you’ve no idea Buff. Do you know why that slut got off her back and came to Sunnydale?” the vampire grimaced. “Because I reminded her of her brother. This is the boy who died at his sister’s hands, the same sister who tore his virginity from him before making him watch as his parents were killed, then making him beg for his life before painting the walls of his backwoods cabin with his blood. Oh yeah, Angelus can’t half paint a picture with a few words. That’s the cold-hearted bitch I shared a bed with, made what I thought was love to. Somebody who was with me out of guilt.”
“Guilt?” Buffy crouched over the crumpled vampire. “Maybe that’s why she came her. But she took you into her home to protect you from your father because she cared. She trained you, even let you move Kendra into her home because she cared. She even defied her own Sire to protect you. That’s not guilt Xander, that’s love. And the last three days,” Buffy shuddered at the recent memory. “When she found out you’d been kidnapped she really messed up Willy’s.”
“With all her experience with them you’d think she’d do a better job.”
Buffy’s fist slammed into the new vampire’s mouth, snapping his head back. “I’m cutting you some slack because of what’s happened but keep pushing and you’re going to end up slain, promise or no promise.”
“Gee, another woman who lies,” Xander snorted bitterly, “imagine my surprise.”
This time Buffy chose to ignore Xander’s comment. “I wasn’t happy when I found out about you two, but any fool can see she loves you. Each night she’s torn through the city. Every demon or crook in the city stays in at night now for fear they’ll run into her. And during the day Giles has been so worried about her, he’s had Kendra and I off school to watch her in case she does something stupid.”
“Like forget to charge?” the vampire pulled himself upright and started to stagger away from her. “Tell the bitch I said go to hell.”
“Where are you going?” the Slayer hurried after the vampire.
“Well it’s obvious you won’t let me slay Faith without going through both you and Kendra. And if I could, which I couldn’t, she’s not worth it. So I’m going to kill my sire.”
“What!” Buffy grabbed her friend’s bicep and spun him round to face him. “Are you crazy? He’s over 400 years old and has 20 plus vamps backing him up. You’ll be killed!”
“You’re forgetting I’m already dead.”
Xander pulled away from her, his eyes determined he continued on his way. Buffy moved smoothly into action, sweeping the vampire’s leg from underneath him, sending him crashing to the road’s gravely surface. Before her friend had a chance to recover, Buffy brought her foot down hard on the man’s head knocking him out. “Sorry Xand, can’t let you go.” Grunting slightly at the effort she lifted the limp body onto her shoulder.
* * *
Faith tensed as Xander’s eyes flickered unsteadily open. She’d been shocked and angered when Buffy had carried a beaten and battered Xander back to the library but then relieved when the blonde had explained what Xander had planned to do. Face Angelus? A newly turned vampire, especially one sired by him, would have been torn to pieces.
After a brief discussion it was agreed that she and the two Slayers would take Xander back to the mansion while Giles and the others would take Amy to the hospital before meeting up with them at the mansion. And now he was awake.
Forcing a smile, she approached his bed and reached across to stroke his cheek only for his hand to snap up and grab her hand in a vice-like grip. “Don’t,” growled Xander, his eyes glittering.
“Xander please,” she looked at her boyfriend with hurt in her liquid eyes. She could easily have broken his grip despite his newly augmented strength but she couldn’t hurt him. “I…I love you.”
“Love?” the man laughed bitterly before releasing her arm and forcing her back to her seat with the hatred in his eyes. “You spent a century banging anything that moved, are only with me because of guilt over the brother you tortured and murdered. What the hell do you know about love?”
The vampiress forced herself not to react to the pain her boyfriend’s words caused her. “I know I love you more than I ever thought possible,” she said softly. “All I want is a chance to explain.”
“Fine, then explain.”
Faith took an unneeded breath. Unable to meet the loathing she saw in the eyes of the man she loved, she looked down at the floor. “You’re at least partially right,” she sighed. “Six months ago I was working as a whore in Boston while still wallowing in my guilt. Then this demon called Whistler came to visit me -.”
“Client of yours?”
The vampiress closed her eyes for a second before continuing. “He told me that the Powers That Be wanted me to fight on the side of good, to be a Champion like Buffy and Kendra. I refused so he showed me photographs of you all,” she paused. “When I saw your photograph, I was freaked. Yeah, I came here ‘cause you looked like Bucky.”
“I knew it.”
“But then I met you. On that first night when you searched for me in the rain because you believed in me, I remember holding you in my arms so frightened that you were going to die but then you insisted we went to the library to warn your friends, because of your loyalty. And then you moved in here with me,” she smiled. “And your presence turned it from a house to a home. The last time I laughed before you was at another’s pain but now you made me laugh with your puns and stories. Whenever I woke screaming from a nightmare, more often than not you’d be there to check on me. I remember how determined you were in training. And I remember my surprise when you first asked my opinion about something, nobody had ever cared about what I had to say before.”
The vampiress looked up at Xander. The newly made vampire’s face was expressionless but she could sense the hatred, anger, hurt, and confusion inside him. “That first night we were together was amazing. For the first time somebody was with not just because I was a nice piece of ass but because they cared for me.” She wiped at the tears that always appeared at that happy memory. “You do look a lot like Bucky and even share his kindness and sweetness. But you’re smarter, more loyal, and determined, and braver than he ever was.”
“Don’t be too hard on the kid. After all it’s hard to be brave when the person you idolise and love most is the one torturing you to death.”
Faith gasped in pain at Xander’s coldly delivered words. It was over; he’d never love her again. She stepped towards the bed-ridden figure to slap his face only to turn and run out of the room, tears streaking down her face.
* * *
“Oh no.”
Giles looked up from the paper he’d been trying without success to read. “Buffy?”
“Xander’s awake.”
Willow jumped up, a look of excitement on her face. “But that’s a good thing!” her face fell, “isn’t it?”
“Not if you’re Faith,” Kendra replied as she practiced stabbing thin air with her stake. “She’s crying.” She looked towards him, a hopeful expression on her face. “If Xander’s hurt her, it’s my turn to beat him up right?”
The Watcher blinked. It wasn’t too long ago that Kendra had been Xander’s biggest fan. Now it seemed she’d transferred her loyalties to Faith. “I think that’s perhaps a little drastic,” he ignored Kendra’s pout. “Buffy, you and Kendra find Faith. Make sure she doesn’t attempt to harm herself. I’ll go and talk to Xander.” He started to rise.
“I’ll come with you.”
The Watcher smiled at Willow’s eagerness. “I’m afraid not,” his heart hardened as Ripper took over. “It’s time Mr. Harris and I had a man to man chat.”
* * *
“Rupert can I have a word?”
Giles turned to face the Apache Indian. “Yes Ms. Calendar?”
The woman faltered at the coldness in his voice. “We haven’t spoken since you found out about my reason for being here. I need to talk to you, to explain.”
“Well I’m afraid I don’t have to listen.”
He attempted to step around the woman but she blocked his path. “Rupert, I was sent here to spy on Faith, but my feelings for you aren’t a lie,” the woman hesitated. “I know you’ve researched the spell my tribe did on Faith and you’ll know that only the chief shaman of the tribe can sanction such a spell. I risked the tribal high council’s censure by performing the spell without permission but I did it for a lot of reasons, to help Xander, so that neither Buffy nor Kendra would have to slay him, but chiefly I did it for you.”
However much he tried to resist the woman’s plaintive tone and words tugged at his heart. Finally he nodded brusquely. “I’ll think about what you’ve said,” he said,”but no promises.”
The woman nodded reluctantly. “All I want is a chance.”
* * *
“You bloody idiot!”
Xander glanced up in surprise. He’d been so engrossed in thinking about what Faith had said he’d not noticed Giles’ approach. His eyes narrowed at the look on the librarian’s face, or should he say Ripper’s? “Giles.”
“Shut up,” barked the Watcher, his eyes cold. “What the bloody hell do you think you’re playing at boy? That beautiful woman adores you and you treat her like rubbish you bloody pillock!”
“Now hold on,” Xander growled. “You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about Watcher.”
Giles laughed derisively. The demon inside of Xander growled at the disdain he heard in the sound and he started forward only to recoil in fear when Giles produced a cross in one hand and a small crossbow in the other. “Sit down and shut your hole, I’m talking boy. So, Faith spent the last century as a whore? Has she slept around since coming to Sunnydale?”
“No, but -.”
“So that’s in the past. You’ve forgiven far worse acts. You’ve forgiven Cordelia for making your school life a living hell for ten years. You’ve managed to ignore my own acts of murder and demon summonsing. So what is the problem?”
“She never told me!”
“Maybe she was ashamed. I wasn’t exactly proud of Ripper you pillock!”
Xander grimaced, what Giles said was true, but… “That’s not the real problem is it though? She’s not with me because she loves me; she’s with me to ease the guilt over raping, torturing, and killing her brother who happens to look like me!”
Giles shook his head. “Dear god, you’re a plonker. When Faith first arrived in town, the day after you moved into her place I came round to give her your adoption papers. While there she told me of your resemblance to her brother. She felt that with you she had a chance to put the past right.”
“See, how sick is that? Being with someone because they look like someone you killed?” Xander felt no elation at being proven right only a hollow emptiness. He’d been in love with a lie.
“I hadn’t finished. Four weeks later she turned up at my apartment and asked my advice. She told me she’d fallen in love with you. That you made her laugh, listened to her like nobody had ever done before, and that she loved your bravery, loyalty, kindness, and gentleness.” The Watcher’s face hardened. “These are qualities you are showing precious little of at this moment in time. You are acting like an obnoxious and selfish wanker.”
“Now hold on -.”
“I accept that you have undergone some drastic changes in the past few days and have uncovered shocking secrets. But your attitude towards a woman who has shown you nothing but love and affection has to change. After tonight, when we’ve dealt with Angelus, you have to come to a decision. If you don’t want to continue your relationship with Faith then that’s you choice, you can either move in with me or back into your own house. But before letting Faith go you might want to consider how happy she made you feel. And if you do decide to finish with her, you will act like a gentleman towards her. Otherwise you will be forced to leave.”
Xander’s eyes glittered. “This is my hometown,” he snarled dangerously. “Let the bitch leave.”
“’The bitch’ has a life here, friends, a home, and a purpose – for the first time she has people who care about her. I wouldn’t allow you to ruin that for her, she’s not the one behaving abdominally.” The Watcher smiled coldly. “Behave yourself and grow up, or you will be slain. If the others won’t do it, I’ll do it myself.”
Blood Tears 20 – Goodbyes & Endings
Gino Romero grinned at the car pulling up outside their base. “Look at the body on that one, whoee Angelus can pull the babes!”
“Sure can,” Al Travis licked his lip, “wonder if we’ll get a taste?”
The two vampires watched avidly as the car’s driver, a shapely brunette slid out of the car dragging a pretty but terrified-looking red-head behind her. “Stop struggling you little bitch,” the raven-haired beauty growled before turning to them and fluttering her long eyelashes. “Hello boys,” she purred, “room inside for a lost and lonely gal?”
“We’ve got some trouble heading our way so everybody’s welcome.” Gino leered. “Particularly a body as fine as yours,” the vampire glanced across at the frightened red-head. “Who’s she?”
“Well now, coming to meet an important vampire like Angelus without a present would be rude,” the brunette explained before pouting. “What about you, do you want your present?”
Gino’s eyes widened. This gorgeous, sexy vampiress of incredible power was offering herself to him, a lowly newbie of only three decades? Gathering his senses, he grinned and nodded. “Well sure.”
The vampiress smirked, grabbed him round the neck and pulled him towards her. “By the way, the name’s Faith.” Gino’s eyes widened in shocked recognition. He opened his mouth to shout only for his world to obliterate when the woman slammed a stake into his heart.
* * *
Faith spun round to Willow only to find the Wicca had turned her adversary to dust with a fire spell. “You okay Red?” She hadn’t liked Giles’ plan of her and the Wicca driving to the doors of Angelus’ base and distracting and dealing with the guards. Unfortunately Willow was the only logical choice, the vampires would have almost certainly recognised Kendra or Buffy as Slayers, and Xander as their escaped prisoner, and after them, Red was the most powerful.
“Fine,” the Wicca bobbed her head
enthusiastically. “The spell worked better than I thought it would.”
“Better than you thought?” Faith’s eyes narrowed. “You mean you hadn’t -.” The vampiress stopped and counted to ten, it was moments like this she was glad she’d never have to worry about having kids. “Never mind. Call the others on the mobile.” On the other hand one thing she hated about being a vampire was learning new technology.
* * *
“So everybody knows their jobs. Kendra and Buffy, you’ll take care of Angelus and Spike. Faith, you and Xander,” Giles looked at the expressionless youth with disdain, “will take out the minions. We will cover the exits and deal with any attempting to escape.” The Watcher glanced at a pale-faced but determined looking Willow, Oz, Cordelier, Jonathan, and Miss Calendar. “Good luck everybody.”
“Just be careful with those crossbows,” Xander glanced meaningfully at the Englishman. “We wouldn’t want any accidents.”
Giles smiled coldly back. “Oh no we wouldn’t want any accidents.”
Faith glanced from Xander to Giles in confusion. Clearly something had transpired between the two men, she could sense the animosity coming off both of them. She just hoped Xander wasn’t alienating his friends. She dropped her eyes when Xander looked in her direction. She couldn’t cope with the hatred she saw in his eyes.
She felt a tug on her arm. She looked across at an understanding looking Buffy. “He’s not the Xander you loved anymore,” the Slayer whispered softly. “Xander wouldn’t treat you like that. Forget about him.”
Faith nodded slowly. She knew the Slayer was right. Either the demon inside him, what he’d done, or what he’d discovered about her had changed Xander. But that didn’t stop her from loving him. “Let’s get this over with,” she whispered. After Angelus was finished, that was it for her, she would leave. She couldn’t handle being that close to him but not with him.
Buffy nodded, walking over to the door, she kicked it open before turning to the others. “Let’s get it on!”
* * *
Faith moved smoothly under the vampire’s wild swing and thrust a stake into its chest. Now this was more like it, some vampires to work her aggression out on.
Leaping into the air, she smashed a spin kick into the jaw of an advancing vampiress, knocking her to the ground. Before her opponent had chance to regain her feet, Faith was on her, thrusting a stake deep into the vampiress’ chest.
Standing, she was rocked backwards by a left hook to her nose that shattered the bone. Blinded by tears of pain, she barely saw the right cross that smashed into her forehead, knocking her to the dusty floor. Dazed, she stared up at the grinning vampire above her. “Thought you were meant to be tough?”
“There’s rumours.” Quickly pulling a stake out of her pocket she threw it upwards and into the surprised vampire’s chest. Faith smirked at the surprised look on the vampire’s face before it exploded into dust.
Still grinning, she tensed her legs to spring to her feet. And let out an anguished screamed when a scowling vampire stomped on her right knee shattering the bone. “You killed my brother, bitch!” Faith could only watch helplessly as the vampire raised a sword.
* * *
Out of the corner of his eye Xander saw a vampire standing over a helpless looking Faith raise a sword. Suddenly his world stopped, despite all the insults he’d thrown her way, he knew he still loved her. Bellowing in fury and terror, he grabbed the vampire he was fighting and flung him into the air before racing towards the prone vampiress and her assailant.
His eyes widened in horror as he saw the blade begin to descend. Screaming, he dived between Faith and the falling blade. Even as the blade tore through his side, splintering ribs, he thrust a stake through the vampire’s heart. He hit the ground with a thud, letting out a howl of pure agony as sledge-hammer pain reverberated through his body. A second later he felt a pair of tender yet strong hands on his shoulder, easing him over.
“Xander,” it was Faith, her face drawn with pain from her own injury but also filled with happiness. “You saved me.”
“Love you too much to let you go,” he replied, his voice haggard with pain. “I’m sor -.” Suddenly his world plunged into darkness.
* * *
Angelus hid his worry behind a cocksure smile. His entire army obliterated; centuries of work gone in one afternoon. And yet it wasn’t all bad. He hadn’t joined in the fighting, allowing Spike to lead the minions into battle. As a result, his favoured childe had died at the hands of the second Slayer but in the process severely injuring her, the two traitors were incapacitated too, and the blonde Slayer was also injured. Not as badly as the others but enough to give him an advantage.
Angelus’ grin grew wider. It was a shame this bitch was a Slayer, he’d have enjoyed some time torturing her before turning her, she had the looks to even compete with his Darla, although not with the whore he’d honoured with the privilege of making his first childe. “So Slayer,” he purred, “how does it feel, your body bruised and battered, and knowing that you are all that stands between your friends and death? After all you are the Slayer who downed both the Master and Kaiktosis, if you were uninjured then I would be very worried indeed. But now..”
He smiled at the flicker of fear he saw in the Slayer’s eyes. Within a split-second it was gone; by the gods she had spirit, he’d have enjoyed hearing her scream and beg for mercy. “What it is with you Master Vamps, you’re never direct always try and talk a girl to death.”
Laughing, he gave a courtly bow. “I’ve never been one to refuse a lady, even an American version of one, en garde!”
The vampire lunged forward, the point of his blade slashing across the blonde’s chest ripping a bloody furrow. The blonde let out a grunt before darting backwards. A grin on his face, Angelus followed her, jabbing at her legs, meaning to cripple her before finally killing her. Perhaps he could have a little fun before killing her and the others.
Instead the Slayer leapt into the air, launching herself into a crescent kick that connected squarely with his jaw, staggering him backwards. Wincing at the pain, he lashed wildly at the blonde who slid smoothly under his attack, coming up within his defences with a slash at his head that he only just managed to block.
Back-pedalling furiously, he slashed at the advancing blonde’s throat only for her to sway away from his attack and retaliate with a stab that tore a bloody furrow across the bicep of his sword-arm sending a lancing pain up his arm. Grimacing at the agony he decided to play dirty and spat in his adversary’s face, momentarily blinding her. A grin on his face, the vampire sent a thrust at the Slayer’s unprotected heart. Somehow, the Slayer’s sword flickered upwards, parrying his attack and locking their swords together in a deadly embrace. Smiling, he pressed his weight against the woman’s slighter frame. “I’ve enjoyed our battle my dear,” he raised an eyebrow, “but all good things must come to an end. It’s just a shame it has to be a quick and relatively painless one. I could have done such work with your magnificent body and spirit.”
“Talk, talk, that’s all you vampires do, I know you’re immortal and everything, but long-winded much?” The Slayer sent a knee hurtling up at his groin that he deflected on his thigh but even as he did so the Slayer smashed her forehead into his face.
“My nose!” he roared in agony as his nose shattered under the impact. Enraged at the temporary damage to his handsome features, he kicked out with the toe of his steel-capped boots smashing into the blonde’s already bleeding side. Angelus grinned as the blonde paled and fell to one knee. He had her. Charging forward he brought his blade down only for the blonde to roll away and spring to her feet. Knocked off balance by the momentum of his own attack, the vampire could only scream his anger as he felt the Slayer’s blade cut into his neck.
* * *
“Are you ready Xander?”
Xander sighed; he reached up and squeezed his girlfriend’s hand, gaining strength from her closeness. Two weeks had passed since the defeat of Angelus, and they’d used the time to repair their relationship. He knew he’d hurt her terribly, if only he could take away the pain he’d caused her. “I’m sorry.”
Faith’s lips caressed his cheek before she bit his ear. “Xand honey, shut up. You’re really starting to piss me off now. We’ve been through this a hundred times, we’re together that’s all that matters.”
His face twisted in misery. “Yeah but -.”
His lover ended his speech with a long lingering kiss. “But nothing. Maybe you over-reacted but I should have told you everything. You mean more to me than anybody I’ve ever known and you feel the same about me. Right?”
“Yeah.”
The vampiress smirked in satisfaction. “Thought so. Nothing says I love you like taking a sword to the ribs.”
Xander laughed and stood. “Let’s get this over with.”
* * *
The atmosphere in the library was muted and everybody in the building turned towards the two vampires. Xander swallowed. This was the hardest thing he’d ever done but he couldn’t stay in Sunnydale and risk running into Harmony’s parents or worse still Amy; he had to have a fresh start. “Hi everybody. We’ll be leaving soon. So,” he swallowed again, “I guess this is goodbye.”
“Don’t go,” Willow flung her arms around him. “I can’t go on without you.”
“Once maybe,” Xander hugged his oldest friend. “But you’re stronger now and you’ve got Wolfie, Giles, Buff, and the others to look after for me. Heck, someone’s got to keep Cordy in line. I’m relying on you Will.”
Next came a tearful Buffy. “It’s all my fault, if I hadn’t come here -.”
“If you hadn’t come here,” the newly made vampire gently wiped away the blonde’s tears. “My Will wouldn’t be the confident and out-going person she is now. I wouldn’t have met the best dad I’ve ever had,” he nodded towards an embarrassed looking Giles. “Kendra wouldn’t have got a chance at a real life. I wouldn’t have gained the self-esteem I got from helping you and most importantly I wouldn’t have got my Faith. So you want to blame yourself for what happened to me do that, but remember the good stuff do.”
“I want to come with you.”
Xander smiled sadly before hugging Kendra. “And I want you to come with us. But it wouldn’t be fair,” he placed a finger across Kendra’s opening mouth, cutting off whatever protest the girl was about to make. “For the first time you’ve got a father, I know Giles will look after you, Mrs Summers loves mothering you, a boyfriend, loads of friends, and a chance to go to school. If you come with us you’ll have to give all that up. I won’t allow it.”
He avoided Giles’ out-stretched hand, choosing to envelop the man in an embrace. “Let’s have a manly hug, G-Man.”
The Watcher spoke, his voice choked with emotion. “I’m going to miss you son.”
“You too dad,” he whispered in reply, his own voice choking. “Look after them all,” he leaned forward and muttered in the Watcher’s ear. “Two weeks ago you told me not to be a bloody idiot. Now I’m giving you the same advice, any fool can tell you love Ms. Calendar, swallow your pride.”
The youth stepped back towards his girlfriend. “Wolfie,” he grinned at Oz. “Look after Will for me. Cordy,” he winked at the crying cheerleader. “Keep giving Buff the fashion tips – god knows she needs all the help she can get.”
“Look who’s talking.”
“Jonathan, you’ve seen how angry Giles can get. Bear that in mind when you’re with Kendra, and Miss Calendar, give the G-Man time.” He winked at the computer tutor. “For a librarian he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer.”
“I say!”
Xander’s face turned serious. “It’s been a honour knowing you all and I wish I could stay but for a ton of reasons I can’t. Look after Amy for me please.” He nodded towards the G-Man; he alone had their contact details. All he had to do was ring and they’d return.
“Let’s go honey.”
Xander turned at his girlfriend’s voice and nodded. “Good idea.”
The End