The Paladin Project (21/23)
“I think he’s coming round. Get Angel and Colonel O’Neill.”
“Angel’s with Faith.”
”Oh,” the vaguely familiar voice paused. “Just get the Colonel.”
Xander bolted upright, his head pounding in protest. “Oh shit,” he groaned as he stared at the man until he finally managed to force his name from his memory. “Hi G-Man. What’s happening?”
“What’s happening?” the middle-aged Watcher shook his head. “That’s what I’d like to know you bloody pillock! What were you playing at!”
Xander winced as the Englishman’s bellow. “Please G-Man, don’t shout, my head’s killing me. How long have I been out?”
“Three days.”
“THREE DAYS!” he recoiled as his own shout reverberated through his skull. “Note to self, don’t shout,” he muttered. Ignoring G-Man’s gleeful look he spoke, his voice held low. “Why didn’t Leo heal me?”
“He did physically. But your consciousness was buried too deep for him to risk pulling it without damage. Although given your behaviour at times…” The librarian’s face took on a look of scholarly interest. “What did you do to yourself?”
Xander grimaced, he somehow suspected his surrogate father wasn’t going to like this. “Doctor Strange taught me a trigger for a spell that would unleash the hyena-.”
“WHAT!” Xander winced at the Watcher’s shout, he wished the Englishman would stop bellowing. “You allowed yourself to be taken over the hyena spirit.”
“Actually no.” He swallowed. “The spell infused me with the power of the entire pack-.”
“XANDER!” Oh yeah, he remembered that bulging eyed look. “How could you be so bloody reckless? Do you realise how dangerous that was?”
Xander nodded. Doctor Strange had told him the risks, that the spell would give him the power of the entire pack but at the same time robbing him of his self-control and independent thought. He’d resolved only to use it when the world was at stake but at the thought of Caleb hurting Faith… His head snapped towards Giles. “Giles, how’s Faith?” the former black arts mage’s face tightened. “Giles?” his voice trembled.
After a second the middle-aged man began to talk. “Leo healed her physically at least. But,” the Watcher’s face grew anguished. “She hasn’t left her room since she awoke. Only Angel, Leo, and Dawn can go into her room without sending her into hysterics -, Xander where are you going?”
“To see her.”
“Xander -.”
“Damn it Giles, she’s suffered too much. I’m not going to allow her to suffer anymore.”
* * *
“Xander.” The vampire rose at his entry.
“Angel.” Xander nodded towards his best friend but didn’t move his gaze from the huddled, shaking figure wrapped up in the bed sheets. “Can you leave us alone please?”
“N…no.”
Angel looked from the Slayer to him before rising. “Faith,” he whispered. “It’s Xander he won’t hurt you.” As the former Scourge of Europe passed by him, he grabbed him by the crook of his arm. “It’s good to have you back,” suddenly the vampire’s eyes flashed yellow. “But harm her and you’ll wish Angelus was here instead of me.”
“Well that was bracing,” Xander muttered as the master vampire eased the door shut behind him. After a moment he sat down on the chair beside the bed. “Sunnydale’s always been babe central – Buffy, Cordy, all the cheerleaders. But even amongst them you were different – your spirit, heart. I couldn’t help be drawn to you, you know why?” he waited for a second but when the brunette didn’t answer continued. “The way no matter what you kept on coming. Your mom told you were worthless, you proved her wrong. Your Watcher was killed, you took out the vamp that did it. You went evil, with Angel’s help you came back. You faced Angelus and took him down. That’s the spirit I,” he licked his lips nervously. “Fell in love with.”
The raven-haired beauty’s pool-like eyes peeked out from beneath her protective covers. Xander’s heart bled at the uncostumary uncertainty he saw there. “Y..you shouldn’t say that if you don’t mean it.”
Xander felt a cold rage overtake him at the nervousness he heard in his friend’s voice, if he could resurrect Caleb, he’d kill him a thousand times for the pain he’d caused her. Comforting himself that at least it was a response, he ploughed on. “I do mean it. When you came back to Sunnydale, I got the old feelings back but I tried to push them away, told myself that there was too much history, that being a demon hunter meant it wasn’t a good idea to be involved. That was bullshit. Truth was I scared.”
“Scared?”
“Of being hurt. After first Buffy beating me up,” he winced at the memory. Deciding not to mention her trying to strangle him, Faith had enough problems, he continued. “And seeing Cordy in a coma, I couldn’t face being hurt by you. But I realised even if I wasn’t with you I’d still love you. But,” he swallowed nervously. “You’ve got to prove you’re still the same Faith.”
“W..what do you mean?”
“The Faith I fell for wouldn’t let Caleb beat her.” Faith flinched at the preacher’s name. “She’d be showing the world how she didn’t back off from anybody. If you don’t get out of this bed, he’s still got a hold on you.”
“H..he took away my power.”
Oh that was it, Xander nodded in understanding. That was what Faith feared above everything else – being powerless again. “And he won’t do it again,” Xander replied softly before taking the girl’s hand in his. “So where’s that ‘don’t take no bullshit’ spirit that I fell for?” Suddenly the brunette burst into tears. Instantly he scooped her into his arms and held until her sobbing subsided. “That better?” he asked softly.
“I’m scared.”
“You’ve got a ton of people out there who are in your corner, rooting for you. And I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“Promise?”
He kissed the lithe Slayer on her forehead. “If you want me?”
“Can you give me two minutes to dress?”
Xander beamed. “I’ll be outside.”
* * *
As he left the room he was met by his smiling father. “Good to see you Xander,” the soldier slapped him on the arm.
“You too dad,” the word still felt strange coming out of his mouth yet somehow right. “Thanks for your help. If you hadn’t…”
The Air Force Colonel’s smile widened. “Not a problem. Well,” the middle-aged man grinned. “Aside from my massive laundry bill.”
Xander grinned. “I’ll pay it.”
“A son with money to keep me in my dotage, every parent’s dream,” the grey-haired man chuckled before turning serious. “How’s Faith?”
“She’s strong,” Xander replied, his voice quiet but determined. . “She’ll be okay.”
“You’ll make sure of it uh?” the Colonel nodded. “She seems to have a good heart. You really care about her don’t you?” After a second Xander nodded. “Well make sure you look after her. She doesn’t have your -.” The soldier smiled as the Faith’s bedroom door opened. “Faith, it’s good to see you up and about.”
* * *
Faith smiled as she entered the conference room with Xander and his pop flanking her protectively. On the way to the meeting close to a dozen people had stopped her to ask how she was and seemed real happy to see her too. When she’d first come to Sunnydale she’d been looking for something to end the loneliness that had blighted her life. She’d been snubbed the first time, contributing to her desperate descent into darkness, but maybe, just maybe she had something to belong to.
And even better, she looked adoringly at Xander, she had a chance with him. The door to the front of the room and G walked in, his face splitting into a huge grin when he saw her. “Faith! It’s simply wonderful to see you up and about. Things have been much too quiet without you or Xander to liven things up.”
She returned the librarian’s smile with a smirk. “You leave things to a tea drinker like ya things are bound to get boring.”
“Quite,” the Englishman chuckled before turning serious. “We’ve been researching the amulet.”
Faith tensed as the former librarian pulled the amulet that the preacher had hung her neck. In an instant she was covered with sweat and shaking. “Giles, put that away for god’s sake!”
The Watcher’s face fell at Xander’s terse order. “Oh, bloody hell.” His face chagrined the Englishman shoved the amulet into his tweed jacket’s inner pocket. “I’m so sorry Faith.” She nodded a trembling acknowledgement. “Wesley and I have been researching the artefact to find its significance. As you are all aware, originally there was a series of active hellmouths,” Faith’s mouth dropped open. She didn’t know that, but then she’d been out of the loop. “Legend has it the Balcoro the Magnificent, a sorcerer of unequalled power then or since, crafted the Medallion of Mercy’, and with the willing sacrifice of Naglar the Bloody, a notorious bandit chief, used it to close the hellmouth chain. Unfortunately for the world Naglar expired before the Sunnydale hellmouth could be closed, and without his life-force to power the spell, it was left open.”
“Wow,” Xander looked as wiped out by this news as she felt. “But how does this help us now?”
“There is a myth relating to something called ‘The Merciful Medal’, which it is logical to assume is in fact the ‘Medallion of Mercy’, Wesley interrupted. “How it will be worn by a soul battling for redemption to close the Hellmouth from within and defeat the First’s hordes. But-.”
“Fuck,” Faith croaked.
Unmindful of her interruption the younger Englishman continued, his face drawn. “In the process lose their life.”
Her world came crashing in. Just as she’d got what she’d always wanted, it was going to be snatched away from her. Before she even had chance to savour it. “How do I do this Wes?” she asked, her face set. She wouldn’t cry, she silently promised.
“Not going to happen.” Across the room Angel stood and shook his head. “I hate to break it to you Faith, but you’re small potatoes next to me.”
“N..no,” Faith shook her head. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, let her mentor die for her, she owed him too much.
“I fear you are both incorrect.” It was the immortal knight. “While both of you have sinned, neither of you have started a war, brought down the kingdom you had sworn to protect, or the king you had promised to serve.”
“Ladies. Gentlemen. We have a winner in the ‘Whose The Worst Reformed Bad Guy Competition’,” Xander interrupted. Her boyfriend rubbed at his forehead. “Is there anyway we can be sure it’s Lance.”
“The fables refer to a ‘knight once thought lost’,” Wes replied.
“Damn,” Xander closed his eyes in pain. In that moment Faith realised how difficult Xander found the burden of leadership. After a second she squeezed his shoulder, getting a wan smile in reply. Finally her boyfriend squared his shoulders and turned to the knight. “I’m sorry Lance.”
Faith was surprised when the knight smiled. “Do not grieve for me Alexander. For 1,500 years I have been waiting for final judgement. And now I will have it.”
“Okay,” Xander looked back at the two Watchers. “How does the ritual go?” An hour later Xander and the others ran out of questions for the pair of Watchers. “Any other comments?” Xander looked around the room. When nobody spoke her boyfriend nodded. “Okay. Let’s break up.”
“Xander,” it was Giles. “Could I speak to you in private?”
Xander nodded before turning to her, his concerned expression filling her with a warm glow. “Is that alright with you Faith?”
“We can go spar,” Angel offered.
Faith nodded at the vampire and smirked weakly. “Yeah, it’s always handy having a vamp near-by to take a girl’s frustrations out on.”
“Oh goody,” Angel looked less than enthusiastic.
* * *
Giles waited until the conference door had closed behind the last of the Project members before speaking. “It’s good to see Faith up and about.”
His remark was rewarded by Xander’s familiar lop-sided grin. “Isn’t it,” the young man agreed.
“And I assume,” Giles paused. Good lord, he hated talking relationships. “From the way she was clinging to your hand that you are together?”
Xander smiled softly. “Yeah,” he confirmed.
“You will look after her? You know she’s very emotionally fragile and has been hurt in the -.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about.”
“But I do worry Xander,” he retorted, a warning note in his voice. “Not only is that girl the Slayer and I the de facto Council Head, I failed to protect her in the past, I won’t fail again.” His warning delivered he smoothly changed the subject. “This battle is going to be exceptionally difficult,” that was a bloody understatement. “I would suggest we need all the help we can get.” Encouraged by Xander’s nod he continued. “To that end I would recommend tracking down Buffy and Will-.”
“Not going to happen,” he was interrupted by Xander’s firm voice. His protégée sighed. “I know how you feel G-Man but let’s get real here. Buffy’s not a team player, she never was. If she’s not barking orders she’s not interested. Do you seriously expect the likes of Blade, O’Neill, Crow, or Bond to listen to her. They’re all highly experienced combat veterans, she cops an attitude with them and Slayer or not she’ll end up getting the ass kicking to end all ass kickings. And that’s without considering her past history with me, you, Faith, and Angel. As for Willow,” Xander’s face tightened. “She’s proven how unstable she is, she can’t be trusted with the sort of power we need. It’ll have to be up to the Charmed Ones.”
“And if they don’t have enough power?” Giles countered.
”Yeah, thought about that.” Xander grinned. “I figured Justice’s mystical
energy could be used to energise the spell.”
“A fair strategy,” Giles nodded. “But we will be heavily out-numbered. We need more help.”
Xander pulled a mobile out of his pocket. “The wonders of new technology. A few calls and help will be on its way.”
“Really who?” Giles was intrigued.
“You’ll see.”
Giles shook his head. “You really are an infuriating fellow.”
Xander grinned. “I know, it’s part of my charm.”
The Paladin Project (22/23)
“Hello, Tony Stark speaking.”
“Hi boss.”
“Oh wonderful, the bane of my existence. And how can I help you?”
“We’ve got a situation, I was wondering if you could send the mobile team to help us?”
“They’ll be there in two days.”
* * *
“Det. Pezzini.”
“Hi Sara.”
“Xander!” the woman’s voice went from professional to warm in an instant. “How are you?”
“Things have been interesting,” he replied dryly. “I was wondering how soon you could get to Sunnydale?”
“Why Xander,” the woman’s voice grew husky. “I’d fly to the other side of the world for you.” The cop laughed then turned serious. “Big trouble?”
“The biggest.”
“I’ll be there by nightfall tomorrow.”
“Thanks, I’ll have someone meet you.”
* * *
“Hello Xander. This Faith seems to be a fine young woman.”
Xander winced. It was creepy when the professor did that. The psychic on the other end chuckled, sensing his discomfort. “Can you send any of your family?”
“We’re stretched a little,” the learned man apologised. “I can only spare Logan and Piotr.”
“Good enough. Thanks Prof.”
* * *
“Bonjour, Boudreaux Investigations.”
Xander smiled at the heavily accented voice. “Hi Chance, it’s Xander. How’s things in Cajun country?”
“Oh hello Xander, things are hectic. And I somehow think they’re going to get worse.”
“You could be right.” Xander smiled, remembering the time he’d met Chance Boudreaux. It had been two years ago, the Cajun had been hunting a child kidnapper who also happened to be the voodoo high priest that he was tracking. After dealing with the black arts sorcerer Xander, impressed by the Louisianan’s martial arts skills and cool, had offered Chance the job of running a Project unit in the Cajun state. “If I send a jet for you and your team-.”
“We’ll be there.”
“Thanks.”
* * *
“Six-Killer Enterprises.”
“Hi Bobby, it’s Xander.”
“Hi kid,” the bounty hunter sounded delighted and then worried. “Trouble?”
“Of the worst sort,” Xander replied grimly. “How’s things in Texas?”
“Something’s got the creatures of the night real heated.”
“Yeah and I’m at the centre of why. If I send a jet for you, Reno, and the others?”
“We’ll be on it.”
* * *
“Gecko Security Agency.”
“Seth, what’s happening?”
“That you kid?” Seth Gecko, former bank robber and now the leader of the Project’s Arizona’s branch asked.
“It is, I need help. If I send a plane-.”
“Tell me when and where.”
* * *
Faith’s brow furrowed as she watched the fifteen men in black cat-suits march out of the jet, the warrior within her noting their cool professionalism. “Who are they Xman?”
“You heard of STARS?”
“Yeah they’re some sort of private disease control aren’t they? They dealt with that plague outbreak in where was it? Beaver City?”
She smirked at Xander’s long-suffering sigh. “Racoon not Beaver City,” her boyfriend corrected. “You know you can get treatment for that obsession of yours?”
“Yeah, but then what would we do?” Faith teased before turning serious. “What help will a disease control team be?”
“Because what happened in Racoon,” her boyfriend emphasised the word, “City wasn’t a plague outbreak. It was an experiment that went wrong, creating a town of zombies.” Faith’s eyes widened, holy shit. “STARS were sent in by the company bosses to deal with it. They did and soon after Tony took over the company. He put their best scientists to work on legit medical research and the STARS team to work dealing with overseas demon outbreaks. In the past twenty months they’ve dealt with problems in Paris, Melbourne, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Toronto, Mexico City, and Rio.”
Faith’s eyes widened as Xander hurried to greet the team’s leader. She knew how big the Project was in the US. from what Xander had said but she didn’t realise it was international. “Hey,” a smile played on her full lips. “I’m boning the head of a multi-national. You go girl!”
* * *
Faith stood on the mansion’s back porch grateful for the peace. The day had been wicked busy, what with all the new arrivals. Their effect on the wannabes had turned the adolescent girls into something close to a bunch of toddlers on a sugar-high.
Faith chuckled between puffs of her Lucy Strike. Truth be told she secretly enjoyed her time with the potentials, playing big sis, it gave her a sense of importance that was a hell of a buzz. But today…
“Can I bum a cig?”
She started at the deep voice behind her before calming herself, Caleb was dead, Xman had seen to him. Turning she saw the blue-eyed guy that led the Project’s Arizona team. He was in his late-thirties, about the same age as Wes and Wood, and like Wes, but unlike the former principal, he seemed to be the real deal, a legit bad-ass. The Arizona team leader was tall, with a muscular build, and tanned, rugged features. “Sure,” she passed over a cigarette and lit it for him. “How you know the Xman?”
“Xander?” Seth Gecko cocked his head and smiled, damn she just bet he had the girls just crawling over broken glass to get to those pearly whites. “Growing up, I had this brother, Richard.” The man’s smile disappeared. “Richie was a real piece of shit but he was blood you know?” Faith nodded, yeah with her mon she knew. “Anyway I broke out of prison-.”
Faith laughed. Her companion looked at her quizzically. “Kind of a trend,” she explained. “Done the same myself.”
“We headed for Mexico, we were both wanted for a ton of shit. We were meant to meet up with this guy in a bar ‘The Titty Twister’.” Faith hid a grimace. It sounded a lot like the places her boyfriends had ‘encouraged’ her to work back in the day. “Only when we got there it turned out to be a vampire den and the humans were dinner. I got out but,” the man swallowed, his tanned skin suddenly grey. “I had to stake my brother.”
Shit. “You mean like -,” her voice trailed off.
“Like Xander?” Seth nodded. “Yeah. Something changed for me that night. I don’t know if it was finding out about vampires or killing Richie. Whatever it was I knew I had to get my shit together, not just live for myself.” Gecko took a long drag before continuing. “So I set myself up in a small town just south of the border and started hunting vamps, no more than a couple at a time.”
The Arizona team leader dropped his cigarette and stamped it out. Faith passed her companion another lit cig. “Thanks. Then sixteen months ago Xander turned up at my hacienda, told me about killing his friend, gave me a pardon, and asked if I wanted to make a difference.” The man shrugged. “And now I’m here.”
* * *
“Hi babe.”
“Faith.” Xander felt his breath shorten as his girlfriend began to undress. His attention focussed on the shapely form before him he failed to see the gaping pit created by the Slayer’s next words.
“That NY cop, Pizza or whatever the fuck her name is, seems like a real babe. You ever do her?”
“A couple of -,” he winced at the fear that flickered across the brunette’s face. “It didn’t mean anything,” he hastened to reassure her.
The sultry Bostonian nodded uncertainly. “But we do right?”
“We do.” Xander promised, his sincere expression masking the fury inside him. If he ever got his hands on the bastards who’d used Faith, made her so frightened yet so desperate to be loved.
”Five by five,” Faith slid beneath the bed covers, the sheets rustling at her
entry, and rested her head on his chest, her liquid-brown eyes up at him. “How
ya meet her?”
Relieved to be on safer ground he began to talk. “Three years ago there were rumours of some crazy Brit in NY with an ancient weapon. I went after him, turned out to the weapon belonged to Sara and is called the Witchblade-.”
“The Witchblade?”
“An ancient gauntlet that chooses a
female wielder every three decades to use it to fight for good. Boudicca, Joan
of Arc, and Cleopatra have all carried it.”
“Wow. What about the muties?”
“Faith,” he reprimanded with a groan.
“Sorry lover, not PC. What about the mutants?”
“Just over a year ago I heard the rumour
of a demon in Nashville. Turned out it wasn’t a demon but a mutant with a sort
of sonic scream. I rescued the mutant from a bunch of anti-mutant hillbillies
and took him to this mutant academy Stark told me about. That’s where I met
Professor X and his crew.”
Faith nodded. “And we’re still five by five?”
Xander kissed his girlfriend on the temple. “We’re still five by five.”
* * *
Quelling his nervously quelling stomach, O’Neill knocked on the room door. “Hello?” came the cultured British voice from inside.
“It’s Colonel O’Neill.”
“Come in Colonel.”
At the Englishman’s invitation he entered. “It’s quite a selection of warriors that Xander has gathered together,” he commented carefully.
“It is rather,” the Watcher agreed.
O’Neill nodded. “Xander’s a remarkable young man. And from my conversations with him it would appear you have a great deal to do with that.”
The librarian smiled proudly before shaking his head. “Xander deserves rather more of the credit,” the Englishman retorted before staring him in the eye. “Do you plan to play an active role in his life?”
“I intend to,” he confirmed.
“Then perhaps you should bear in mind that being a sperm donor doesn’t automatically make you a parent-.”
“Now hold on!” O’Neill felt his ire rise.
“No, you bloody hold on,” Jack felt his rage dissipate at the Watcher’s cold gaze. “You hurt that young man, and the military, the U.S. government itself won’t stop me from ripping your guts out.” Jack swallowed, he’d been threatened by aliens masquerading as gods but somehow none of them had carried anything like the menace of the bespectacled Englishman.
* * *
“Okay, this is what we’re going to do.” Xander took a breath, he hated being the one with the plan. Thinking was definitely not his strong point. “The spell has to be done at night, so we’re going in tonight,” he nodded to Faith who after fumbling with the remote control managed to turn the projector on, illuminating the wall behind him with a blueprint of the school. What sort of idiot built over the hellmouth anyway? After smiling his thanks he looked through his notes. “Staying outside the school will be STARS, Dawn, the potentials, Leo, Fred, Andrew, and Marshall. Your job will include preventing any Bringers getting in to aid the Ubers-.”
“Xander-.”
He shook his head at the Potential leader’s protest. “No Kennedy,” he replied, his tone firm. “All of you have done well with your training over the past few weeks but none of you have the experience or ability to face an uber.” The beautiful lesbian opened her mouth but he shook his head. “Final.”
Turning back to the others he continued. “The Charmed Ones will be in this classroom directly above the hellmouth,” he pointed on the blueprint. “Wes and Giles will assist them in the spell casting and SG-1 will run guard duty.” He glanced at the plans. “There’s three exits from the basement. Each will be booby-trapped with Claymores and further covered by a team to prevent them from getting out. Exit A will be covered by Bond, Crow, Reno, and his boys. Exit B’s guarded by Croft, Ryback, Gecko, and his team. Exit C will be dealt with by Castle, Bristow, Gunn, Boudreaux, and his gang. Everyone else will be in the hellmouth waiting for Lance’s amulet to do its mojo. All of us will be equipped with Kevlar vests and shotguns, and those inside the hellmouth will be equipped with four M79s to use when the ubers are at a distance. Any questions?”
* * *
Xander sighed wearily as he dropped onto his bed. He was alone in his room, Faith having gone to train with Blade and Angel, his girl needed a release valve to let out the pain she’d suffered at the hands of Caleb and the demon hunters had been volunteered.
Which unfortunately gave him time to think. About all the people who might die in a few days, about if he failed…. “You’re going to lose you know.”
He sat bolt-upright when Caleb appeared in his room only to relax when he realised it was the First. “First the mad rev,” he replied evenly, surprised he could hear his voice over the thundering of his heart. “Now it’s your turn.”
The First chuckled. “I’m ageless, I’ve been around since the dawn of time. And you think a pup like you can defeat me.” Caleb’s smile widened. “I did enjoy watching my minions work with the Slayer. After I’ve killed you, I think I’ll give your girl to my army of ubers. A fitting end for the Slayer line.” Suddenly the First disappeared.
Xander’s eyes flickered dangerously. “You’ve just lost.” No way was he going to allow the First to hurt his Faith again.
The Paladin Project (23/23) – Final Battle
“X..Xander,” Faith’s voice shook as she stared at the door to the basement where she’d been tortured. She closed her eyes but that didn’t help; her ears roared with Caleb’s hoarse laughter, and her tortured gasps and sobbing pleadings. “I…I can’t.”
Xander looked around. “Angel, can you take the others into the basement for me? I’ll join you in a minute.”
Once the door had closed behind the others, Faith spoke. “I…I’m sorry.” She refused to look up from the floor, unwilling to meet Xander’s commendatory gaze, she was such a fuck-up.
“It’s okay.” She looked up, surprised. Xander smiled sympathetically. “I’m proud of you. For the way you’ve changed. For the way you’ve fought back against Caleb. For having the good taste to want me.” Faith giggled tremulously. “If you’re not ready for this,” Xander produced a knife and a plastic bottle. “Fill this bottle with some blood. I’ll do the spell, you go up and help G-Man with the Charmed Ones.”
Faith looked from her boyfriend and then towards the exit. If she left she wouldn’t have to face that room but if she went and Xander or Angel died because she wasn’t there… “Kiss me,” she whispered. “Just kiss me.”
“As you wish mi’ lady.” Faith shivered with delight as Xander wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her towards him as he lowered his head to her upturned face. Her boyfriend eased the tip of his tongue down her nose, the sensation causing her to moan deep in her throat. Next he turned his attention to her mouth, first running his tongue across her top and then bottom lip, even as his right hand glided up the curve of her back to tousle her hair. Finally Xander crushed his lips to hers, plunging his tongue into her eagerly waiting mouth, her own tongue springing up to meet his, wrapping itself around his. Eventually Xander pulled away, an affectionate smile in place. “See you later.”
“No,” she shook her head and took his hand, squeezing slightly. “I’m coming with you. By your side right?”
Xander’s smile widened. “Right,” he confirmed.
* * *
Faith swallowed as she entered the basement, her legs trembling. “You okay Faith?” Xander asked. Faith gulped before nodding and walking towards the seal. She smiled up at Angel’s comforting squeeze on her shoulder, drew her knife, and sliced her palm open – apparently less blood was needed from her if it was given willingly. Wincing at the pain she turned her hand over and allowed the blood to splatter down on the glowing seal – the seal she’d been hung over. Forcing away the terrible memories she quickly intoned the short spell Giles had taught. For a second she thought she’d got it wrong but then the seal slid soundlessly open. Her stomach flip-flopping she started towards the opening. “You sure about this Faith?” Xander muttered.
Faith looked around, saw all the fellow Project members, some she’d fought beside for weeks, others who’d once been her enemies, and others who were new to her. But all who were now her allies. She’d spent too much of her life running away from things, and she couldn’t let them down, they’d taken a chance to trust her on Angel’s say-so. She couldn’t let them or her mentor down. “No,” she admitted in a whisper. “But I’m going in anyhow.”
* * *
“Proud of you,” Xander muttered before hurrying down the rock-carved steps. His heart stopped as he reached the cave’s floor. “Oh boy,” he muttered. The place looked like any cavern but Xander’s ears could pick up the screaming of tortured souls and the stench of evil hung heavy in the air, pressing down on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. “Oh yeah I’m definitely going to be a good boy from now on. No way I’m ending up here.” Seeing Faith flinch at his muttered comment, he took her hand and squeezed. “Hey, neither are you,” he hastened to reassure her.
The Bostonian smiled weakly. “Thanks
lover, but that wasn’t what I was worried about,” the smoky-eyed brunette
pointed. “Look.”
“Oh shit,” Xander’s heart dropped as he peered over the chasm’s rim and into the gaping pit beneath them. It was filled with a seemingly infinite numbers of snarling ubers. He swallowed, mustn’t panic. “Maybe they don’t won’t notice us until the Charmed Ones have done -.”
“Oh I don’t think so.” Xander grimaced as The First appeared in the guise of Jesse, stood in the centre of the horde of ubers. “Boys, get them!” Instantly the ubers began to surge forward.
“Fuck Xand,” Faith muttered. “You just had to flap your gums and jinx us.”
Xander ignored the east coast native’s comment, choosing instead to flip open his jacket and pull out the first of his M79s. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw his companions do the same. “On my mark.” He waited until the rampaging ubers were 500 yards away. Judging that they’d be in the range by the time the WPs exploded he let out a hoarse bellow. “FIRE!”
The incendiary grenades flew through the air to explode into the front rank of the howling demons, tearing and ripping dozens of them apart, reducing them to ash. Xander nodded in satisfaction, if they were going down, they were taking plenty of the bastards with them. He pulled out his second grenade launcher and fired, further decimating the howling, snorting beasts below but still they continued to surge ever closer. “This is going to be a bitch.”
* * *
The Bringers crept up to the oblivious soldiers watching the front of the school, using the army trucks behind the troops as cover. Suddenly the covers on the back of the trucks flew open and the sound of machine gun fire filled the air. The rounds tore into the unprepared Bringers, ripping them apart, sending them crashing soundlessly to the ground.
Dawn fought back the bile rising in her throat. Her plan to hide herself and the potentials in the back of the tracks to catch any possible attackers unawares had worked. Too well, Dawn swallowed as she looked at the hundred or so bodies on the floor, the stench of cordite clogging up her lungs. “Us or them,” she muttered. They’d done the right thing, she had to believe that.
* * *
Throwing aside his last M79 Xander drew his Mossberg-590 and began blowing the heads off the nearest ubers. Finally he ran out of ammo. Not having the time to re-load, he flung aside his shotgun and unsheathed his sword. Hand to hand with an army of freaking super-vamps. “You couldn’t just be the Zeppo could you?” he muttered before grunting as a vampire raked its claws across his chest, his Kevlar vest protecting from serious damage. He wondered how his vest would last. “Oh no, you had to get ambitious. Idiot.”
* * *
Even as he decapitated his third vampire, Angel took a second to admire the skill of the 1,500 year old swordsman beside him. He’d fought alongside and against humans, Slayers, Immortals, and demons but none of them came close to the legendary knight thrusting, slicing, and ripping demons apart beside him. And yet he was 100% human. “Amazing.”
* * *
Logan growled his delight as the demons charged him. This was what he lived for, no complications, no worrying about right or wrong. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Colossus grab a pair of demons by their necks, hold them at arm’s length and squeeze. After a half-second the demons’ head exploded off their shoulders.
An uber slammed into Logan’s thickly built body knocking him back a half step. Chuckling slightly at what he guessed was surprise on the uber’s face he shoved his claws through the beast’s bull-like throat, ripping its head off. Another vampire collided with his shoulder but he shrugged his attack off before spinning round and slamming a trio of left jabs into the beast’s face, smashing it to a gory ruin, before slicing its head off with a right-handed claw through its neck.
* * *
“Shit!” Faith screamed in half-terror, half-rage as she was hit by a trio of ubers diving at her from differing directions. The force of the first, hitting her on the left side knocked her off-balance, the second took her legs from under her at the knees, and the third caught her across the throat, hastening her descent.
She hit the ground with bone-jarring impact, the force of the blow driving the air from her lungs and her head slamming into the concrete, stars exploding in her vision. Immediately she attempted to rise but was restrained by the three demons on top of her, ripping, and tearing at her, slashing her vest to shreds. Panic rose in her throat, making it difficult to breath, as she struggled in vain. She was so fucked. She should have known, she gets just a little bit of happiness and this happens. Fucking typical.
And then the demons were torn from her and Xander was easing her to feet, a terrified look in his eyes. “You okay?”
In truth she felt like shit, bleeding from several wounds, and bruised all over but she forced a smile. “Five by five Xand,” she drawled. “Thanks for the save.”
“Xander!” she heard her boyfriend’s earpiece crackle into life. “They’ve broken through.”
Xander and her exchanged a worried glance. “Not good,” he commented.
* * *
Gecko lifted his shotgun at the sound of the claymore booby-trap at the far end of the corridor exploding. “They’re coming,” he drawled, his casualness masking the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. “Get ready.”
He heard the upper-class British archaeologist behind him mutter a curse. “Oh bugger, I rather think I’ll need a manicure after this.”
Seth raised an eyebrow and snorted. Oh to have such distractions. All he could think of was reminding himself to wring Xander’s neck when he saw him next. Seth’s eyes widened as the first of the ubers came into view. “Oh shit,” he muttered. If, god willing, they both lived.
* * *
As the vampires swarmed around him Draven shifted into his Crow persona and leapt to meet them, his hands and feet flicking left and right as he shattered bones, tore limbs from bodies and heads from shoulders. An uber bit down on his left forearm, tearing a chunk out, lumps of his flesh and blood splattering onto the ground even as the wound began to heal. Twisting round, he shoved his left fist through the monster’s chest, splintering ribs, before grabbing its unbeating heart and tearing it out of its cavity. Instantly his assailant exploded into dust.
This was the fight of his unexistence; Draven mused as he slid beneath a claw attempting to rip his face off, grabbed hold of his rival’s out-stretched arm at the wrist and elbow, and snapped it back, dislocating the shoulder and shattering the wrist and elbow. He cut short the monster’s scream by tearing its head off. Even as the vampire exploded into dust, another took its place, barrelling into him, knocking him to the ground.
Oh yes, this was the fight to end all fights.
* * *
Faith pressed her back to Xander’s. At least when they died they’d, Faith took a shrieking uber’s leg off at the knee with a downwards slash before driving the pommel of her blade into the next vamp’s face, die together. Damn it, she risked a glance at Amore, when was the Frenchie’s amulet gonna do its shit?
* * *
“Oh no,” Jack felt his limbs grow shaky as he slumped against the classroom wall, inside of which the Charmed Ones were magicing up a storm.
Just a second ago, a huge dog, the size of a pony, with blood-red fur and midnight black eyes had appeared out of nowhere, the drool dropping from its gaping maws sizzling where it hit the floor. But as bad the monster was it wasn’t that that turned his limbs to jelly. It was the image of his long-dead son stood beside the demon, a most uncharlie like smile on his face. “Kill.”
With an ear-slitting roar, the monster bounded forward. After a half-second O’Neill shook off his shock to join his teammates in firing round after round into the beast. Their hot lead tore into the beast’s flanks but the bullets bounced off its body and it continued eating up the distance between them at a frightening rate. Teal’c let out a shout. “Cease fire!”
O’Neill’s mouth dropped open as his friend charged forward, drawing his K-Bar and dropping on his ass to slide the last few yards separating him from the beast. As Teal’c skidded to a halt underneath the monster he thrust his dagger hilt-deep into the creature’s throat. Yellow viscera spewed out of the wound, scalding the man underneath. The creature’s mouth snapped open as it let out a keening screech. Ignoring his own discomfort, Teal’c’s hands snapped up to grab hold of the creature’s jaws and hold them open. Blood running down his hands from the ravages of the monster’s teeth, Teal’c looked back at him, his face strained with pain. “O’Neill, grenade!”
Jack’s eyes widened in realisation even as he pulled a frag grenade of his belt, primed, and flung it into the beast’s gaping mouth. Immediately Teal’c rolled away from the creature, but not fast enough to get out of the blast zone as the demon exploded, some of the grenade’s red-hot fragments peppering his friend’s body. Jack yelled into his earpiece as he hurried towards his convulsing friend. “Leo, get here now!”
* * *
Faith side-kicked an uber in the gut, even as it began to double up her sword flashed up, slicing its head from its thick shoulders with a single practiced swipe. She took a second to take a rattling, weary breath before quickly wiping the sweat from her soaked forehead, uncomfortably conscious of the combination of sweat and blood, staining her clothes, causing them to stick to her body like a second skin. “We’re so fucked.” She was aching all over, more weary than she’d ever been and every single one of her comrades were injured in some way. It wouldn’t be long now. “Unless” Faith smirked as she realised that a light had started to flash out of Lance’s medallion. “Xand!” she head butted a snarling uber while kneeing it in the groin. “It’s started!”
* * *
Xander’s eyes widened at Faith’s scream. He glanced over his shoulder and grinned when he realised she was right. “Faith, get out of here!”
“No way I’m leaving without you.”
“Go! I’ll be right behind you!” Without waiting to see if his order was obeyed he rushed over to the French knight, dropkicking an uber out of the way. “Lance, what’s happening?”
“Alexander’” as the knight spoke through gritted teeth he exploded into a pillar of fire that danced around him while engulfing near-by ubers. “This is my salvation. Leave!”
A tear in his eye he turned to see a pale-faced Faith awaiting him. “I thought I told you to leave with the others,” he growled, his voice hoarse.
“If ya expect me to obey ya this relationship’s gonna be real rocky.” The Slayer’s dirt and dust covered features softened. “Come on Xman, leave him to -, shit!” Suddenly the entire cavern began shaking, flames bursting out everywhere, obliterating the already retreating ubers. “Run!”
* * *
No matter how many times Faith saw it she couldn’t believe a crater enveloping a whole town. Shit, when she was bad she was dangerous, but when she was good she was fucking lethal. “What’s gonna happen next?” she asked casually but her heart was thumping. She knew it was selfish, plenty of people had died for Christ’s sake, but Xander had promised her so much, a home, a life, a purpose – all of it lying in Sunnydale’s ruins. “Guess the Project’s over uh?”
Her companion shook his head. “No, we’ll set up again.” Faith grinned at Xander’s reply. “But it’ll take a few weeks to get the money and resources together. So we’re taking a month’s vacation.”
“A vacation?” Faith’s eyes widened. She’d never been on a holiday before. “Somewhere foreign? Europe maybe? Hell, I wouldn’t mind a few days in London city.”
“If that’s what you want.”
Faith smirked. “We sure whupped evil’s ass uh?”
She was shocked when Xander shook his head. “Only temporarily. Evil exists in every angry thought, every evil word, and every jealous action. Only one thing can beat it.”
“Yeah,” Faith felt her stomach hollow at Xander’s grim words. “What’s that?”
Xander grabbed her around the waist and pulled her towards him, his one word answer floating down to her just seconds before he pressed his lips to hers. “Love.”
The End.