General Disclaimer of Everything: I own nothing.
Author's note: I know, I know. I said I wouldn't post a story until it was finished. This one is finished, or almost. The end just needs some touching up. I think that since I was planning this story in parts anyways, I'll go ahead and post the first one. Let me know if you like it.
Xander had chased the demon all the way to Port Angelus, Washington. It was dark, smallish, and out of the way. The perfect place for a monster to go underground. However the place was very, very damp; which made it a poor choice for this particular demon. One garden variety demon would not normally be worth the road trip. After all, they were a dime a dozen back in Sunny D. However, this one had gotten ahold of the Amulet of Ra, an ancient Egyptian artifact that allowed it to walk in the sunlight, and gave it limited control over burning. Fire, Giles supposed. Which is exactly why Xander had forced it up coast to Washington State. It never stopped raining here. He chased the demon down the street and cornered it in a back alley. Xander hefted his battle-ax. The chase was over and the fight about to begin.
Alice stared into space, her eyes glazed over, seeing something that the rest of them couldn't. Jasper held her tenderly, supporting his wife, sending her waves of comfort. Edward frowned as Alice shared her vision with him. The Cullen Family had gathered in their living room. The image, large glass windows, polished wooden floors, pastel colors, a grand piano; did not match the atmosphere.
"Someone is coming." Alice told them, frightened. "Someone with the power to destroy us all." The Vampires shared worried glances.
"Who is coming?" Rosalie asked. "What is this power?"
"A Slayer," Edward replied. "A very angry Slayer. One that will set out to destroy every supernatural thing between here and California." He pulled Bella closer and she gave him a reassuring hug.
"Whatever happens, we can face it as a family." Bella told them. "We will survive this."
"A Slayer is death, Bella" Emmett told her. "She was born to kill Vampires. It is her calling. Her sacred duty, if you will." Bella shuddered at the thought. "We need to protect Renesme."
"We can leave her with the wolves when the time comes," Esme said, "She will be safe enough with them."
"Jacob should be happy with that" Edward growled.
"Is there any way to prevent this calamity?" Carlisle inquired.
"Yes," Alice replied, "But we must move quickly."
Xander lunged at the demon, slicing at it with his ax. He dodged out of the way when it tried to bite him. "Naughty, naughty" Xander taunted. The demon snarled at him. It tried to launch a fireball at him but the rain extinguished it before the fire left its claw.
"You can't use your fire out here," Xander pointed out helpfully. It snarled again. This time, when Xander closed in it changed tactics kicking at him and catching him in the ribs. Xander heard a sickening snap and was thrown against the wall. He landed in a heap. It leaped at him, racking him with its claws. They left burning trails down his shoulder and back. Another scar for the collection. The demon hissed in satisfaction.
"I don't just have fire. I control anything that burns," it said, "And what could burn more than acid, slowly eating through your skin?"
Xander gritted his teeth, pulled out a stake, and stabbed the arrogant demon in the heart. It crumbled into dust, leaving behind only the pendant. Xander grabbed the golden chain and stuffed it into his pocket; Giles would want a look at it. He staggered to his feet, and tore strips from his shirt; using them to form a makeshift bandage. He applied pressure to his shoulder until it stopped bleeding. Unfortunately, there was nothing that he could do for his broken ribs. Then he started to limp out of the alleyway. He felt flushed, and feverish. Work of the acid, he supposed. He would have to find a hospital quickly. Suddenly, he sensed presences approaching from behind him. Four of them to be exact. Turning around slowly, Xander peered into the darkness. Fog had set in, making it even harder to see in the gloom.
"Show yourselves," He called, hoping that he sounded stronger than he felt. "I'm not in the mood for games tonight." Four slender figures materialized from the gloom. They walked casually down the street.
"Oh, good. We almost didn't make it." The short, pixy like girl spoke softly to her companions, but her voice echoed in the fog. A man was escorting her down the street, the perfect gentleman. There was no other word to describe the way that she clung to his arm. He was tall and lean. Xander noted the heavy scars on his arms, neck, and jaw. This one had been in fights.
"Hello there!" He called. His voice held a slight southern twang. "Are you alright?" The other man was a young giant. His frame was large and broad, every inch of it muscle. The woman with him was beautiful. Tall and blond, with all the right curves. She wore delicate pastel colors, and strongly reminded him of Cordelia.
"Now is not the time." Xander muttered. He leaned heavily on his ax, trying to stand straighter. "I'm fine." He replied. "I was just…" his mind whirred, trying to come up with a plausible reason to be limping around a back alley with a wooden stake and a battle ax at so late an hour. Instead he stumbled, catching himself on the wall behind him. The four closed in around him.
Then he caught his mistake. It was not just the fog that made them look pale. Their yellow eyes were more than a trick of the light. Their flawless grace and beauty were real, not a product of the imagination.
"Vampires." Xander cursed softly. He tried to pull his battle ax into a defensive position, tearing his wounds further open in the process. He was too weak from blood loss to hold the ax for very long, however, and the ax head took a dive towards his feet. Xander gave it up as useless, and dropped the ax. He pulled out his stake once more, feeling that it was a highly inadequate weapon against four fast, strong, blood suckers. The blood running down his arm made the stake slippery, and soon, he had dropped that as well. It rolled away, into the darkness. The Vampires watched silently, sharing incredulous looks. Xander cursed some more, regarding the useless ax at his feet. He had just made himself defenseless. A self-delivered happy meal for monsters with the munchies. For a moment he imagined himself wrapped up in a giant McDonald's box, before shaking the thought off. The grim reality set in. He was not going to walk out of this one alive. Xander suddenly felt very tired.
"Right then," Xander said. "Are you going to eat me now, or do you have other plans for me? Perhaps you have a sacrifice in mind, or a special ritual to create hell on earth. It's not ritualistic torture, is it? Because I have a rather low pain tolerance, and if it's going to be torture, I'd prefer it for you to just kill me now." He leaned against the wall, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes. He braced himself for the bite. Xander flinched as a cold hand grasped his uninjured shoulder; but the anticipated pain never came. He opened his eyes to see the southern gentleman and he suddenly felt reassurance and sincerity. There was something not quite right with those feelings but Xander was too exhausted to fight it.
"Please," the gentleman said softly. "We mean you no harm."
"Let us help you." The blond Cordelia suggested in her honeyed voice.
"We aren't going to kill you, and we certainly aren't going to eat you." The second man added.
Xander gave in and let himself succumb to his injuries. He blacked out, the world around him spinning slowly into darkness.