Blood Roses
It was one of those rare dreary days in the city of Angels. Xander muttered certain exclamations against Giles for sending him here on one of the few days of the year that it actually rained. He was careful to keep the plastic bag with books out of the water. They were books on demonology, written in languages he didn't even have a clue about. The young man had been moaning about his lack of success in jobhunting, now he regretted ever mentioning any of it to Giles The ex-watcher had immediately taken the chance to order him to LA, to Angel. He knew he should have said no, but at the time he just couldn't find a suitable reason to do so.
He was driving by an alley when he was sure he heard something, he stopped the car, knowing he was being stupid, stopping in this block was like committing suicide, but he couldn't help himself. Then he heard the scream. He didn't even think twice and jumped out of the car, running straight into trouble.
A young girl was lying on the ground, surrounded by three brutes.
Xander swallowed the lump in his throat and marched on. He'd faced
worse than this without flinching, right? He knew he didn't stand a
chance but at least he managed to give the girl a chance to get away.
They got furious when they noticed she was gone. Xander was lying on
the ground, his face in a puddle, he was battered and bruised but
still he managed to make a quick joke about their ressemblance to
neanderthals. If you were gonna die, you might as well leave with a
smile on your lips.
The grim smirk on the biggest of the brutes face send him trembling.
"You think you're better than us, let's see." Xanders eyes
froze as the man started pulling his zipper down." Hold him
boys, I'm going to teach our little joker here a lesson he won't forget."
Xander tried to back of, but he hurt to much to move. "Since you let the slut get away, we'll have to find our pleasure elsewhere." Xander tried to slip away, to ignore the pain of what they did to him, the image of his father appeared before him, looming over him with the same evil smirk that showed on these men. He didn't even try to keep from screaming as the men took him one by one. Someone must have heard him, but noone responded.
At the end he was a bloody mess. The men didn't stop until the sound of a siren broke through the air. One of the guys pushed a knife through their victims guts for good measure before running of. Xander lay there, his face in the mud, nearly drowning, unmoving, not even capable of crying. He hoped for the cops to come, but the men in the patrollcar didn't even notice him.
"This wasn't the way things were supposed to end." He
thought. "I don't want to die. Not alone."
He kept repeating the same words in his mind, forming a kind of mantra.
I don't want to die.
He opened his eyes looking straight in te face of a beautiful young
woman kneeling over him.
"Do you want to live?" she asked him.
Xander couldn't respond, he just nodded yes.
Suddenly his eyes went wide as he watched the womans eyes turn
golden. It was to late to refuse as she drank from his blood. He
noticed a smile appearing on her face. "You'll do just
fine." At that she slashed her wrist open and put it in front of
his mouth, letting small drops of blood fall on his lips. He tried to
refuse, keeping his mouth closed, this couldn't be happening, but
involuntary a drop touched his tongue and after that he couldn't stop
himself as she forced him to drink from her wound. His mind yelled
no, but his body just couldn't stop.
Part One
Jeanette held her young fledgling against her chest. Forcing him to drink from her wrist. He was as good as dead by now and wouldn't wake up for quite some time. She picked the boy in her arms. His weight was no problem for her vampiric streinght. The memories in his blood still flowed through her mind. So brave, so kind, yet flawed.
He was a lot like her brother Nicholas. To heroic for his own good. She hadn't expected to meet one like him in this day and age. Still further taste of his blood showed her more than she had dared to find. A purity and innocence of heart, as she'd expected, yet he'd seen more of the darkness of the night than she could have ever thought possible. He'd faced both the darkness in man and that in demons and yet he kept hope. Incredible.
She flew them both to her appartment, placing him on the bed on top of the sheets. He was still dirty with his own blood. She considered cleaning him up but decided against it. That could wait for later, first she had to find him a prey. A fledgling needed the feeling of a kill, preferably as soon as possible, besides, he needed the blood. But where to find one, someone suitable. The wrong prey could bring attentions she didn't desire. Her smile brightened up as she knew just the right one.
*******
She returned only a few moments later, dragging a large man along in her grasp. The same one who'd almost killed the boy earlier. As Xanders eyes opened for his first time as a vampire, they fell on the brute in front of him, when his hearts thumped in fear, instincts took over. He could smell the stench of fear hanging from his victim and his predatory nature spoke up for the first time. Before he could even think he grabbed the man in a hold and placed his fangs in his throat, draining him to the last drop. It wasn't until then that he realised what he'd done.
He'd killed a man.
"Oh God, no!"
He started trembling, completely out of controll, backing away as he
saw the vampiress who'd sired him. The sultry tones of her voice ran
through his ears. "Don't fear my son. I'm here."
Xander didn't understand it, but part of him called out to her, was
pulled in by her. As if she held a piece of him. He resisted the
sensation and jumped out of the window.
******
Cordelia sat waiting behind her desk. She was wearing a new
mantlesuit, one she'd bought as soon as she heard Xander was coming.
Sure, she told herself, that wasn't the reason, but even then that
sounded like the lame excuse it was.
He was late.
She started tapping on the desk in front of her. He was supposed to have been here hours ago. She was about ready to get up and start pacing, sorry, to walk dignified through the room while continuing to wait for that lazy bum to arrive, when the vision hit her.
Xander
His eyes golden
A woman hanging over him, his blood on her lips
Xander alone on the street, golden eyes, fangs out
Blood
The woman again, escorted by two men hidden in shadows. Their golden eyes glowing in the darkness.
Angel ran up to her as soon as she started trembling. There was
nothing he could do until the vision was finished but at least he
could keep her from falling while Wesley ran for Asperin, anything.
At least she didn't drink away the pain, the way Doyle had.
"Xander."
Angel was startled, this wasn't normal, usually her first word was to
ask for a painkiller. He looked at her, waiting for her to elaborate.
She didn't.
Wesley gave her the a painkiller, she swallowed it whole, grabbing a
second one to do the same thing and then poured it down with the water.
"What about Xander, what did you see?"
Wesley picked up a notepad, ready to write down, whatever she told them.
"He was with this woman in a really classy outfit. Then he was a
vamp and the woman and two men came after him."
"Who was a vampire?"
"Xander, I think.
I'm not really sure, he didn't have the whole wrinkle deal like you,
but his mouth seemed smeared with blood and he had fangs and glowing
eyes. It was way weird." She scrambled up
"We have to save him!"
Both men gave Cordy an odd look at her words.
"Well uhm, off course. But ..." Cordelia interrupted him
before he could mutter any more.
"I used to date the guy. I wouldn't want it said that an ex of
mine is some icky bloodsucker."
The souled vampire could see she was just trying to keep from showing her concern over Xander and even though they'd never been what you could call close friends, he'd never want the young man dead either.
******
"Lucien, please. I really need your help." She waited for
an affirmative response before placing the horn on the hook. It was
lucky he was already in LA, LaCroix didn't usually like coming to
places this far south, the sun stayed up way too long for his fine sensitivities.
Jeannette straightened up her dress and started combing her hair.
"Where are you Alexander?"
She tried calling out through the bloodlink, but he seemed unwilling
to listen. She could feel he was still alive, his fear and confusion
hit her like a brick and she grew more and more worried over her
errant newborn son. Even here in LA, where the Enforcers were known
to be lax in their duties, a young fledgling shouldn't be out on his own.
Soon LaCroix and Nicola would be here. They'd help her with the boy. She hoped he'd be alright, he was to fascinating to loose, especially so soon.
*******
Xander wandered through back alleys. HIs head hurt with the invasion
of new scents and sounds. All around him the night shined brightly to
his new vampiric vision. There were colors he hadn't even imagined to exist.
'Was this what it was like?'
It wasn't like he'd expected to be. Not at all.
But he'd killed a man, drained him dry.
The sun would be up soon.
It was better if the guys didn't find out, better to just die and
turn to ashes before they found out, before he killed anymore people.
He couldn't make Buffy or one of the others kill him. That would be
cruel to them. So waiting for the sun would be the best way, the
simplest one at least.
He had no real idea what was happening to him. The scent of blood was all around him. He tried to ignore it, to say no to it. But the more he denied its call, the stronger it got. He didn't even notice as he ran into a gang, he didn't saw them until he was right on top of them.
"Pretty boy." Their sounds, their leers, the grins on their
faces, all of it lumped together, forming a load so big that it
exploded, he couldn't handle it.
Five boys against a very hungry newborn vampire, they didn't stand a
chance. Xander watched with shocked detachment as his body cut
through the gang as if they were nothing, swallowing their blood,
tearing them limb by limb. It wasn't until he was sated, when he was
splattered with their blood and gor that the young fledgling regained
a semblance of controll over his actions. He nearly threw up as he
saw what he'd done, as he recalled the sensation going through him,
the pleasure he'd had in the massacre. He understood now what it had
to have been like for Angel. To kill without remorse, even if only
for the moment, it was addicting. But now that he could see what he
had done all he could do was hate himself for it, feeling nothing but
guilt. Guilt and pain.
And through it all, his soul screamed out in agony.
Part Two
"I still can't believe you let him get away."
Nick threw her a hard glance. "A newborn fledgling. Don't you
realise what risk he's in." Jeanette had to hold in not to shout
at him. She wasn't a child, she was older than he was, how dared he
to talk to her that way. "How could this happen."
She tightened her fists and relaxed them before turning back to him.
Nicolas de Brabant, currently known as Nick Knight gave his sister a
look of disbelief.
"I didn't expect him to run." Only when she said it she
realised it wasn't a lie. She hadn't expected it. Most fledglings
were to out of it to run, to desperate to find any kind of solid
ground, any anchor. It was one of the reason why the master had so
much power over them. New vampires tended to feel so lost that they'd
turn to their maker for guidance, whatever that guidance inheld.
She'd never had one run before. The bond alone should have prevented
it, even without the confusion of crossing over.
She calmed her breathing before facing his eyes. "I'm sorry mon
frère. I just wasn't ready for it."
Nick pretended to be angry, but it was more a case of being worried
about her and her son than any true anger. LaCroix was the one she
had to fear. Who knows what he'd do if he found out the boy was
connected to the Slayer. That in itself had been a surprise. She
decided not to tell Nick. Even though his loyalties tended to be
mixed, he wouldn't risk a threat to the community. And whatever else
they were, Slayers were definitely a threat to the community.
Only this one seemed so ... interesting.
No, if LaCroix found out he'd explode, and then he might just kill Alexander for it. Anything to prevent the Slayer from finding out about them. It wasn't so bad, as long as she kept busy with the demonbreed, those fools were a waste of good blood anyway, but if she found out about them, that there were other kinds of vampires. No ... LaCroix would not allow her to gain that kind of knowledge, he'd destroy or kill anyone or anything to prevent that from happening.
Jeannette feared for her sons life, but she knew that there was no way in hell that she could have kept the boys existence a secret from either her overbearing father or her overprotective brother. They both knew her too well, and LaCroix would have sensed the boy the moment she brought him across.
All she could do now was explain, but how without revealing to much. Alexander's
presence was so strong, so pure, she just couldn't have
let him go, let him die. "Ou etes vous mon petit?"
Where are you my little one?
Her calls to him remained unanswered.
What was wrong with the link, what was it, that made it so weak, so
... disturbed. Could the stories about the Hellmouth be true and
could its influence stretch even here, miles away from it.
"Nicola, you will help me protect him, won't you?"
Her brother remained silent.
*******
Angel paced through the streets, his ax tied on his back, hidden under his jacket. His ears stood waiting for a sound, any kind of sound that might lead him to Xander. He froze in his tracks when the scent of fresh blood hit him. Human blood and lots of it. He followed his nose, homing in on the site. He had to admit that the sense of fear and panic brought him a kind of lust that he couldn't suppress. Even as much as the massacre revolted him, the demon inside him reveled in the destruction and pain. He dipped his fingers in the blood, the victims had been surprised, pumped up to attack probably, and then they'd been attacked themselves. There was something tantalizing about it all, the sensation of power and fear, something animal blood would never have.
It wasn't really a sound that made him turn around, more like a kind
of knowing.
"My my Angelus. How low have you fallen.
You, once the Scourge of Europe, turned into the lowest of the
lowest, a carouche, worse a human lover. Out to protect the weak and defenseless."
"LaCroix.
Angel recognized the taunting tone before he even turned around to
look the other vampire in the eye. The Nightflyer was quite a legend
in his own right. At almost 2.000 he was one of the most powerful
vampires in the world.
"Did you cause this LaCroix?" He didn't believe it.
The master vampire didn't answer. Instead he kneeled down next to the
corpses and sipped his finger in the blood, almost imitating Angels
earlier action.
He startled when the vampire finally spoke up.
"And leave such a waste? I think not." His voice sounded
almost insulted at the very idea that he could have anything to do
with the mess in front of him. Angel was inclined to believe him.
"Then who?"
LaCroix lifted his head as if to better grasp the flagrance in the air.
"A young man, a fledgling, " The elders nostrils flared at
the idea. "A mere child that better learn some discretion."
Angel could hear the unspoken threat.
"One of yours?"
"Actually one of my daughters. You do remember Jeanette, do you
not Angelus?"
A memory of a beautiful brunette with dark brown eyes filled his
mind. She and the demon had had their pleasures. Then she left and
Angelus had been furious, going on one of his less thought out
killing sprees, ending with the death of a Romani-favorite. The rest
as they say was history.
He pulled himself out of the past.
"What's his name?"
"Alexander, something or other."
Angels eyes shot wide open, "Xander," he couldn't help whisper.
"Don't tell me, you know the boy." The Nightflyer looked at
him, checking to see how far the aquaintance went. "I am going
to have a very long talk with Jeanette over this. She should have
known better."
At that the Nightflyer shot up in the air, leaving Angel staring
after him.
Part Three
The docks were empty. The workers had left, either to cold empty motel rooms, their cabins on various ships or to warm happy family
lives. Wherever they'd gone, they weren't there anymore. Xander
stumbled out of the alley's shadows, just far enough from any
building, not to be tempted into running when the sun came up. He
whispered softly, a last prayer, hoping for forgiveness from a God
he'd never really believed in.
He didn't even think about it.
Then he heard it, two men, vampires if their lack of heartbeat was
any indication, were running after a young girl. He didn't stop to
think, he just ran as fast as he could.
The girl was losing, actually she'd been lost since the first moment
the vampires had laid sight on her. Her long black hair was waving
alongside her head, slipping out of the clamps trying to hold it
together. She was starting to breath heavy, unable to run much longer.
Xander could see now that the vampires were only playing with her. They could have easily gotten her moments ago but they made her believe she still had a chance to get away.
He looked at them in avid fascination, hardly believing his own predatory instinct at the sight and scents. There she went, her heel broke and she fell, crawling backwards, still trying to get out of the way, begging for mercy. He just watched.
Suddenly a dark figure fell down from the sky. Xander could feel his blood pulse with his presence. He looked the stranger in the eye. Recognition.
The young vampire gasped, despite his lack of a need to breath. Then it was his turn to run. He was gone before the stranger was finished, turning to the girl to make her forget whatever she'd seen. Leaving him to get nothing but a look at the fledglings back.
The sun would be up soon, he could feel it now. He felt ice-cold,
confused. Not sure what to do, hoping for some kind of peace.
'Why am I feeling like this. Is this even normal?' He wasn't sure
about anything anymore, every bit of his body utterly confused. In
the end he rolled up under a few crates, hoping to hide out from the sunlight.
*******
LaCroix was waiting for Jeanette and Nick to return. The look in his eyes was ice-cold. Neither of his children heard anything but absolute silence coming from him.
"LaCroix I ..." She didn't get a chance to finish.
"How dare you." The words came out in a low rumble,
breaking the silence like thunder.
"Off all the stupidity in the world. To take a friend of the
Slayer. Don't you think."
He got up in less than a second, grabbing his daughter by the throat. She tried to struggle, Nick wasn't sure what to do or say, how to help his sister best. Then the words hit him. The Slayer; the ultimate bogeyman, or woman, claimed to be the scourge of vampires.
"You brought a friend of the Slayer across." The words left his mouth before he could even think. "Oh my god, if she finds out." He didn't need to say the rest.
"The boy must die. Preferably before Angelus tells her on our kind."
"Angelus. He's in town?
I thought he was working with her?"
The ultimate treason, a vampire working alongside a Hunter. And the
Slayer at that.
"He was, apparently he left and is now helping humans here in
LA. If I didn't have that business with Wolfram and Heart to take
care of, ..."
Nick nodded. This was bad. He hated the idea of the boy having to die, but what else could they do to protect the community?
*****
The door of the basement creaked softly as Angels dark figure emerged through the sewer entrance. He'd almost stayed out too long yet Xander was still missing. He cringed at the idea of having to tell Giles. It had to happen, he knew that, but it fell him hard to do so. Warning the gang would get them here and he wasn't sure wether he wanted that. There was still that one slight hope. If Xander were really La Croixs grandchilde, then he was a Nightflyer, a souled vampire. Buffy had no idea about that variety of vamps. He hadn't dared to risk telling her about them before and hadn't planned to ever do so. Maybe it was better to wait, at least till he found Xander. He just hoped it would be on time. A single prayer echoed through his still heart. "Please don't let me be too late."
Chapter Four
Evening came hard as Xander woke up to the sound of rats scurrying past his face. He grabbed one before his mind was awake enough to stop his instincts. Its blood sipped on his tongue, the drops of it touching his cheeks. He wiped it off with the back of his hand.
The sun had almost gone into hiding as he stared into the early darkness, still lurking in the shadows. The voice was chanting in his mind again, calling on him to return. He used every bit of his stubbornness to refuse. Sounds could be heard in the other side of the alley.
His eyes turned golden and he faced whomever came his way. Cold, silent, a predator. A group of kids were coming his way, their heartbeats pumping, their scents, ... he forced himself not to move to it. They caught sight of him first. He was surprised to see two of them pull out stakes. Amateur vampire hunters, didn't they realise how dangerous this was?
He wanted to warn them, to tell them of the dangers, but then he realized, he was the enemy now, one of 'them'. A vampire. Maybe this was for the best, to die by the hands of strangers and be rid of it all before the others found out. "Please end it." he whispered.
The first kid looked at him, a mad grin on his face, eager to put himself in danger. Xander didn't move as the kids threw a net over him, pinning him down, holding a crucifix in his face. The pain of it, he snarled in pain. The first kid pulled back his stake, ready for the kill, Xander just looked up, gazing in the eyes of his liberator.
*******
Footsteps echoed to the hall and Cordelia turned to face their visitor. She gasped in jealousy as the beautiful
dark-haired woman
entered the offices. She was dressed in the finest Gucci fashions,
her long black panties lining her legs, seemingly adding two inches
to her length.
"Angelus." she whispered in soft husky tones, a predator on
the hunt for something.
Angel looked up at her, "Jeanette." he replied.
He grabbed the table, seemingly holding himself from attacking the
woman. Cordelia could see marks appearing in the part of the desk
where the vampire was holding on to. Who? Then it hit her, the woman
from her vision. She pulled out her crucifix in an instant. Wesley
followed her lead, grabbing a bottle of holy water.
"You killed Xander!" Angels words came out hard and heavy.
The woman didn't seem stilled by it in the slightest.
"Mais non, I am trying to save him."
"What?" Cordelia couldn't stop herself. "By turning
him into a bloodsucker."
That seemed to be the first time the woman noticed her.
"He was dying when I found him, mon pauvre garçon, killed
by a human streetgang I might add. His will to live, to survive was
so strong, so pure, I answered its call."
"So you turned him?" Angel asked in softer tones.
"Oui."
"What do you want?"
"To get him to safety."
Angel gazed in her eyes, looking for the truth behind her words.
"Why should we care?" Cordelia's words rang in between,
Angel ignored them.
"He's still souled isn't he?"
"C'est different pour nous. It's different for us, you know
that." The vampires came closer, her fingers brushing past his
cheek. "There is the demon, oui, but there is the man, or woman,
the soul as well." Angel pulled back.
"But will Xander realize that?"
"He is ... confused, scared." She searched out for the bond.
"Mon dieu non!"
"What's wrong?"
"Alexander!" Jeanette ran out of the door, angel ran after
her. She threw him a glance, grabbed his hand and pulled him up in
the air with her. Leaving Cordelia and Wesley gawking after them.
Chapter Five
Gunn stared in the vampires eyes. It didn't even vamp out as it should. Just the eyes and the fangs. He stared in the things face, lifting his stake to finish the job. The vampire didn't even resist. Where was the fun, the thrill in it if they didn't even fight.
"Gunn, no!" he stared up. Great, dead boy. What the hell
was the vamp doing here?
"He's not the enemy."
"You know pal, I think you're losing it here. Vampire, enemy,
staked, dust. Or did you forget."
"He's souled Gunn. If you plan on killing him, you might as well
try and kill me.
Gunn stared in the vampires eyes, he was being serious.
"Oh allright, take him already, but if he kills anyone, it's on
your head."
He left, turning his back on the mess and taking his gang with him.
*******
"They were right you know. You should have let them kill me."
The defeat in Xanders word hit him like a brick, flooding him with
memories of a certain hillside where he'd asked Buffy the exact same
thing, to be allowed to die and be rid of it.
"You're not evil Xander. Whatever you may think yourself."
"Then what am I?" the boy lashed out. "I'm a vampire.
You remember, the things we've been fighting for the past four years."
"It's not the same thing Xander."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're not that kind of vampire."
The boy startled back. "Then what am I?"
"You're like me, mon garçon."
Xander stared in the eyes of his sire, his mother, his master. He
staggered back, hitting a wall.
******
I'll deal with LaCroix." the words barely left her mouth when
she regretted them. His voice resounding through the warehouse.
"And how would you do that?"
She nearly choked.
Angel took place in front of Xander, so did Jeanette. How had they
gotten here so fast, him and Nicholas.
"I didn't ..."
"Is that the boy?" he stared at Xander. The young
fledgling stared back, part of him still hoping to die and know
peace. LaCroix checked Angel over and grinned.
"Do you really want to die Angelus?"
"I won't let you harm him."
So brave, so confident of his skills, no matter how much stronger his opponent
was.
The Roman vampires assessed his determination. He could kill the demon vamp in a second if he wanted to, but was it really
necessary?
"A deal. The boy lives ..." He could see a glimmer of hope
dawn in his daughters eyes. "...on one condition."
"Which one?"
"The Slayer, nor her Watcher find out about us, ever." He
pointed at Xander. "The boys my collateral. My bound for your
silence." Angel didn't hesitate a second.
"Agreed." LaCroix could see it in his eyes, he hadn't told
her yet, and probably never would have. The Slayer wouldn't have
liked to know that some of her enemies, some of the ones she'd killed
with impunity had been souled. The shock of it could destroy her.
"To them he's dead." he added.
The boy seemed in shock, stunned. "Don't I get a say in
this?" he tried.
"No." Both the older vampires announced simultaneously.
Tag
Xander stared at Angel, still trembling. Angel just grabbed his hand
trying to sooth his nerves.
"It'll be alright."
"Sure." He didn't really mean it. His new family were
waiting for him at the gate, his master and her family. "I
guess." Angel strapped the his bag over his shoulder. Xander let
him. The vampires touch being almost familiar, something from his old
life. "Will you ..."
"I'll tell the others you ..."
"died." that's for the best. I guess."
"Be careful Xander."
The boy nodded, turned and left.
"Xander! Be strong. I'll see you."
A small sparkle of hope filled his lips. With Angel at least he might
still have one friend left. "Same here here." he whispered
without even turning around.
Becoming more comfortable with each step he took. Closing his eyes at the overwhelming sensations. Him a souled vampire, who would have guessed.
The End?