Chapter 2 - Angel
Xander woke up with a start. That was an incredibly strange dream. Who dreamt of roaming along great grass plains? Then there were the endless blue skies, hunting with his pride, taking down wildebeest and buffalo and… Okay, so it wasn't that strange. Xander had simply never dreamt of being an animal before. And he had never had dreams that were so vivid, not since that one in the Bronze where he and Buffy… not for a while. This dream seemed so real that he could almost taste the air.
He breathed in deeply, expecting to still smell the fresh air of the savannah. He received a lungful of his parent's predilections instead. After his coughing fit, Xander got out of bed. He had finally fallen asleep late last night but it wasn't restful. He needed to speak to Giles, maybe, and figure out how to control this. He'd managed, so far, but he didn't want to feel like he did last night.
He stumbled on the way to the bathroom. He'd killed the zookeeper last night. His hands started shaking. He'd killed a man last night. He felt bile rising in his throat. He'd killed another human being!
He'd killed a human being that was going to kill Buffy.
His shaking stopped. He knew why he'd done it. Remembering that moment, with the zookeeper moving to bite her throat, he knew he'd do it again. There wasn't any reason to angst over it. Xander took a deep breath and stepped into the bathroom to get ready for school.
An hour later, rushing out the door, Xander wondered what on earth had possessed him to spend so much time getting ready for school. He'd never spent so much time grooming himself in the mornings. Since when did he turn into a… oh. Right. Animal instincts, of course. Wait, did they really… remembering his dream last night, Xander realized that they did. Huh, now you know. And knowing is half the battle!
Xander grinned. Maybe he could wield a sword like Snake Eyes? He'd have to learn to use it first. He wondered if Giles might- school! He had to get to school!
Taking off at a sprint, Xander pushed himself as fast as he could. It wasn't until he almost bumped into someone that he slowed down. However, when he turned around to apologize he saw that he had continued for a block and a half before he had stopped. He definitely needed to talk to Giles.
*BTVS*
Giles sat in his chair, cradling his cup in his hands. There had been a lot more meetings since Principle Flutie's untimely demise. It was unfortunate that they had not been able to prevent the possessed children from murdering the headmaster. It couldn't be helped really; they had pieced the clues together as quickly as they could. Xander had been of great help last night. Hopefully this was a sign of increased maturity.
"Wots aul this then?"
Or, perhaps, it was not. Giles spun his chair around to face Xander.
"Xander that was the most overdone accent I've ever heard." Giles sighed. "Sadly, as most Yanks think they're very clever, I hear far too many. And you are most definitely not a constable."
"But I was going for Bobbie!"
Giles fought very hard to keep from cracking a smile.
"Xander."
"Sorry! Sorry. Um, I have a, uh, a question." Xander fidgeted. How was he going to ask this?
"Yes?" Why was the boy dithering?
"Yeah, you see… you train Buffy, right?"
"Yes, that is one of my duties as her watcher."
"Well, you know lots of different stuff right, like, uh, kung fu stuff?"
"I, um, I am familiar with m-many different fighting styles." Giles wondered where Xander was going with this. It was certainly an odd series of questions to ask.
"Well, I was wondering if you knew some, uh, mental stuff. You know, to be able to focus and… stuff."
"Xander, are, are you asking me to tutor you?" While not necessarily within the purview of his cover, he'd certainly be glad to help him advance academically.
"No! No, I do that with Willow. I, uh, I need to get more willpower." At Giles' raised eyebrow, Xander continued, "You know how I was there when the hyenas possessed Kyle and his gang? I want to make sure if something like that happens again I won't lose control. That and all the martial arts books mention meditating and other mental exercises."
"Oh, well, there are several things I could, I could teach you, of course. Um, tell me, Xander, why exactly are you reading books on, on, on martial arts?"
"That's easy. I want to learn how to fight. So I can help Buffy."
"A slayer is supposed to fight alone Xander, you do realize?" It was a noble sentiment, but very dangerous for a regular human being to try and take on a slayer's role.
"I remember, one girl in all the world. That's a bunch of shit Giles."
Giles started at Xander's language. As awful as most American's were, Xander usually refrained from swearing. "What, what, what do you mean?"
"No one should have to fight alone, especially a young girl. I know she's got the slayer powers, but that doesn't mean we have to throw her to the vampires!" exclaimed Xander. "Besides, how many times have we helped her already? I saved her twice just last night!" Xander stated emphatically. "And if I had known how to fight better," said Xander slowly, "I might not have needed to kill the zookeeper." Xander became silent. Giles watched as the young man in front of him collected himself.
"Giles," began Xander, "I'm in this fight for good. They killed one of my best friends. They made me finish him off! We're in danger just living here. It doesn't do anyone any good if we can't help, we'll just get in the way. Willow is smart, super smart, and she can help you on that end. I'm not that smart Giles, but I can take a hit and keep coming. I can fight; I just need someone to teach me better. And I need willpower. I don't ever want to not be in control. If I had more willpower I might have been able to resist Praying Mantis lady. Not to mention what could have happened if I had been possessed by a hyena too."
Xander watched Giles apprehensively. Giles silently considered the boy's words. He was right, he really was.
"All right Xander, you have more than made your point. I can train you, but you must remember that my focus is on Buffy. However, I can easily show you some mental exercises that would help with possessions. I even know one that the Masai use themselves. We'll start with that."
*BTVS*
"Ah, the fumigation party," said Willow. She looked around the Bronze and tried to see if Xander had arrived yet.
"Hmm?" asked Buffy as she wondered what to do about her life. On the one hand there was slaying. On the other there was boys. But after the Owen disaster, of which we will speak no more, how was she supposed to slay and date?
"It's an annual tradition," explained Willow, "The closing of the Bronze for a few days to nuke the cockroaches?"
"Oh," replied Buffy absently. Hi honey! Yes, vampires are real and I go out and kill them every night. Let's go see a movie!
"It's a lot of fun... What's it like where you are?" asked Willow.
Buffy looked up and smiled sheepishly at Willow. Wow, she thought, second night in a row spent moping. "I'm... sorry, I was just... thinking about things..."
"So, we're talking about a guy?" asked Willow mischievously.
"Not exactly a guy. For us to have a conversation about a guy, there'd have to be a guy for us to have a conversation about." Buffy thought about what she just said. "Is that a sentence?"
Willow smiled at Buffy's rambling. For once, Willow wasn't the one babbling. "You lack a guy," she pointed out sagely.
"I do." Oh my god, she did lack a guy! "Which is fine with me, most of the time, but..."
"What about Angel?" asked Willow. Why did she have a sudden feeling of déjà vu?
"Angel?" asked Buffy skeptically. "I can just see him in a relationship. 'Hi, honey, you're in grave danger. I'll see you next month.'"
"He's not around much, it's true," answered a chagrined Willow.
"When he is around..." Buffy remembered his good looks and piercing eyes, "it's like the lights dim everywhere else. You know how it's like that with some guys?"
"Oh, yeah!" Hmm, Xander-y goodness...
Xander moved through the crowd at the Bronze, trying to make his way toward his friends. He really needed to take his new grooming time into consideration. The exercises that Giles showed him had really helped with his senses. Now he could process what all the different sensations were, like the sound of the planks creaking on stage as the lead singer walked around, or the sound of bartender opening the fridge under the bar counter, or the smell of that girl in heat… hello!
In his sudden state of distraction, Xander didn't notice as Cordelia stepped back into his path and he bumped into her.
"Ouch! Please get your extreme oafishness off my two-hundred-dollar shoes!" snapped Cordelia.
"I'm sorry, I was just..." began Xander.
"…being a huge klutz, like always," Cordelia finished for him.
"Oh, so you noticed," deadpanned Xander.
"Uh-huh."
"Yeah, thanks for being so understanding."
"Sure."
"Y'know, hey, I don't know what everyone's talking about. That outfit doesn't make you look like a hooker!" Xander walked away, a smug grin on his face. Ha, he thought to himself, score one for the Xan-Man!
"Boy, that Cordelia is a regular breath of vile air," said Xander as he came up to his friend's table. "What are you vixens up to?"
"Just sitting here, watching our barren lives pass us by." Willow looked down at the floor. "Oh, look, a cockroach." Willow stomped on it. Buffy briefly looked over then resumed her moping.
"Whoa, well, let's stop this crazy whirligig of fun! I'm dizzy." Xander wondered if something had happened before he got there. Buffy looked really down to him.
"Alright, now I'm infecting those nearest and dear to me," said Buffy. "I'm gonna call it a night."
"Oh, don't go!" exclaimed Willow as she watched Buffy grab her things and get up to leave.
"Uh, yeah! It's early! Also, I just got here!" said Xander rapidly in order to keep Buffy from leaving. "We could, um, dance!"
Buffy tilted her head and considered Xander for a moment. Dancing sounded like fun, but Willow… better not risk it before Willow took her shot at Xander.
"Rain check? Good night." Buffy turned around and left.
Xander let out a breath. He didn't think this situation was good at all. There were always predators at night in Sunnydale and Buffy wasn't looking out for anything at the moment.
"Want a free drink?" Willow held up her shoe to Xander's face. Xander flinched back from her shoe. The stench of the cockroach overpowered him when he inadvertently focused on Willow's shoe.
"No, not right now. Hey, did Buffy seem really sad to you?" asked Xander.
"Well… she was kinda mope-y tonight." Willow sighed. Buffy had just left and Xander was already thinking about her.
"Was she distracted?"
"Uh, yeah, really distracted," answered a now curious Willow, "Why?"
"Don't you think it's dangerous for her to go home alone in that state of mind?"
"Oh, well, it's not like… but vampires always… oh my god Buffy is the Slayer and all sorts of bad things are drawn to her like moths to a flame and usually they get burned cause she slays them but now she won't even notice them until it's too late for her to do anything about it and then she'll be killed and we'll have to explain what happened to Giles and there'll be a funeral and we'll be sad and scared because there won't be a slayer around and I don't want to lose another friend but what can we do we can't fight vampires without her…."
"Willow! Breathe! Come on, that's a good girl." Xander wondered if she would ever grow out of babbling. In the end, he decided that she probably wouldn't. For now, he needed to get to Buffy, quickly. "Here's the plan Wills. You stay here and wait for me to come back. I'm gonna go out and find Buffy, make sure she gets home safe and sound. Cool?"
"Okay, sure, I can do that," mumbled Willow as she tried to catch her breath. Xander looked her over to make sure she was okay before he rushed off. Willow called after him, stopping him momentarily. "Be careful!"
Xander nodded and then ran out the front door. Stopping a few feet in front of the entrance, Xander closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He ignored all the people in front of the bronze and the hormones they were expelling into the air. He concentrated, visualizing all the scents in his mind and filtering them. If he could just- there! He'd found Buffy's scent! He turned left and ran down the street.
Unerringly following Buffy's route, Xander arrived at an alley in time to see Buffy and Angel come running out. Stopping in front of the alley, Xander took a breath to call out to Buffy when a growl made him turn his head.
Three armored vampires were coming straight at him. Xander hopped forward, jumped up and kicked out at the middle vampire. The other two turned to look and stopped when they saw the other vampire go flying from the human's kick. One of them grabbed Xander's left shoulder. Xander turned and caught the vampire with a straight. The vampire fell to the floor.
The last vampire growled and attacked Xander. Blood flew from Xander's mouth as the vampire's punch caught him in the side of the face. Xander awkwardly blocked the vampire's follow-up punches. The vampire pressed his attack, growing angrier with each punch the human deflected.
Xander lashed out and caught the vampire with a kick to the crotch. One of the vampires tackled Xander from behind and held him around the chest, trapping Xander's arms at the same time. Xander held his ground, keeping the vampire from taking him down. Xander twisted left and right, trying to shake the Vampire off. The Vampire jumped up, trying to get his body weight on top of Xander. Xander ran backwards at that moment and squashed the vampire in between his body and the brick wall behind them.
Xander stumbled forward and looked back. The vampire was almost embedded into the wall. Xander turned his head, spotting the other vampires moving into flanking positions. One of them went to the vampire in the wall and helped him out. Xander turned his head, trying to keep all the vampires in his line of sight while he pulled out a pair of stakes. One of the vampires growled and twitched his head to the right. The other two vampires nodded. Xander watched the vampires leave warily.
A few minutes later, Xander let out a breath and sagged as the adrenaline left his system. Holy crap that was scary! Angel and Buffy were safe and he needed to go back to Willow. Maybe they should all just call it a night?
*BTVS*
"He spent the night? In your room? In your bed?" Not good, thought Xander, not good at all. This trespasser was encroaching on his pride!
"Not in my bed, by my bed," explained Buffy.
"That is so romantic!" exclaimed Willow. She just had to know, "Did you, uh... I mean, did he, uh..."
"Perfect gentleman," answered Buffy with a smile. Willow smiled back, both girls happy that Buffy's interest was a good guy.
"Buffy, c'mon, wake up and smell the seduction. It's the oldest trick in the book." Xander could clearly tell that Buffy was interested in Angel. He needed to do something about this.
"What? Saving my life? Getting slashed in the ribs?" asked an amused Buffy.
"Duh!" Xander had to keep Buffy from moving further with Angel. "I mean, guys'll do anything to impress a girl. I-I once drank an entire gallon of Gatorade without taking a breath." There, Xander thought with a smile, now she'll see that's he's only after her body.
"It was pretty impressive," said Willow. "Although later there was an ick factor," she added.
"Can we steer this riveting conversation back to the events that happened earlier in the evening?" asked Giles as he walked down the stairs, a book in his hand. Buffy took a seat and looked up at her watcher expectantly. "You left the Bronze and were set upon by three unusually virile vampires." Giles set the book he was holding down in front of her. It was open to a page illustrating the vampires that attacked her. "Did they look like this?
"Yeah. What's with the uniforms?" asked Buffy.
"It seems you encountered the Three. Warrior vampires, very proud and very strong."
"How is it you always know this stuff?" a curious and annoyed Willow asked Giles. "You always know what's going on. I never know what's going on."
"Well, you weren't here from midnight until six researching it."
"No, I was sleeping," said a sheepish Willow.
"Uh, o-obviously you're hurting the Master very much. He, he wouldn't send the, the Three for just anyone. We must step up our training with weapons," stated Giles.
"Buffy, you should stay at my- Willow's house, until these Samurai guys are history," suggested Xander. That'll keep her away from Angel and closer to him!
"What?" asked a perplexed Buffy.
"Ah-ah-ah, don't worry about Angel, Willow can run to your house and tell him to get out of town fast," said Xander, happy that he could kill two birds with one stone. Angel worried him but these Three were the greater threat. The enemies and the male must be kept away from the pride!
"Angel and Buffy are, are not in any immediate jeopardy," supplied Giles, though he thought that Xander's idea had some merit. "Eventually the Master will send someone else, but in the mean time the Three, having failed, will offer their own lives in penance."
*BTVS*
The Three kneeled with their heads bowed before the Master. Their leader held a wooden spear in front of him. The Anointed One watched them from the Master's throne while Darla stood near the Master's side.
"Tell me, how three vampires of your age and skill fail?" asked the Master.
"We ambushed the Slayer near an alley. We had her, in our grasp, and I was leaning in for the kill when another interfered. A vampire." Darla perked up at the leader's words.
"A vampire, you say?"
"He was strong and smelt of animal blood. We thought he was hunting her."
"He was following the Slayer? Interesting. Do you know him?"
"No."
"Did he have dark hair and eyes, a handsome face, like an angel?" asked Darla. The Master turned to look at his favorite, examining her reaction, before turning back to the Three.
"Yes," answered one of the Three. Darla turned and began pacing.
"Now, why would a vampire be following the Slayer if not to hunt her?" asked the Master absently as he considered the information he was given.
"He has feelings for her," spat one of the Three. The Master and Darla spun to the speaker. The vampire shrank back from their gazes. "I could smell it on him," he explained.
"So, he feels for her. Pity. Still, you have failed me," said the Master as he glared at the three before him.
"We wounded the vampire, but the Slayer was able to knock us down and ran away," said the last of the Three as he stumbled over his words in his haste to speak.
"And you lost her-"
"No, there was another," interrupted the leader bravely. He knew that others had lost their lives for lesser impertinence. "She had another helper. They were strong, stronger than the Slayer."
"Oh, so the Slayer has a vampire entourage?" asked the skeptical Master.
"This one was human."
"Impossible, there is only one Slayer," said the Master.
"This one was male," explained the leader, "and not a skilled fighter. But he is ferocious, and strong, and tough. He withstood a hit that would have knocked out any human. He delayed us long enough to lose the Slayer's scent."
"Are you certain he was human and not a half-breed?" asked Darla.
"His blood is fully human." The second of the Three visibly hesitated before speaking again. "But… there is something in it… a small taste of animal."
"So there is a human whose blood carries the taste of an animal in it?" The Master stroked his chin with a clawed hand, "interesting."
"We failed in our duty and now our lives belong to you." The leader offered his spear to the Master.
*BTVS*
Xander ducked back from the punch, letting it pass in front of him. He leapt to the side and came in with a haymaker. His opponent stepped in and blocked Xander's strike at the elbow, and delivered a heavy uppercut to his solar plexus. Xander staggered back, trying to regain his breath. He let fly with his best combo, his one-two, giving him some breathing room, but he didn't connect. A kick to Xander's knee and a blocked jab to his eyes left Xander open for a hook that caught him on the jaw. The blow knocked Xander down but he rolled in the same direction, recovering his footing in a very deep crouch. Xander leapt at his opponent, looking to bring him down. His opponent rolled with the pounce, his foot in Xander's stomach. The throw slammed Xander onto his back, knocking the wind out of him.
"Very good, Xander, though your fighting style does need quite a bit of work."
"Never expected to get my butt kicked by a librarian," said Xander as he picked himself up off the floor.
"Well, that'll show you to return books late, young man," said a smirking Giles.
Xander stared incredulously at Giles as he dusted himself off.
"That was a joke!" accused Xander. "You have sense of humor!"
"Quite," said Giles. "Now, I noticed you move like a boxer when you fight. I can teach you how to be a real boxer. I-I-It's not very flashy, not at all like what you see in films, but it's also very different from what you'll find in a boxing ring."
"Huh? Isn't boxing boxing?"
"No, actually. As, as vicious as some boxing matches are, there are still illegal moves you cannot do in a match. Also, methods of training have changed in the last century. Today they train to fight with gloves. We will train in bare-knuckle boxing. This will include clinching, grappling and kicking."
"Whoa. Really?"
"Yes. There, there were little to no rules in London Prize Rules boxing. I-I-In fact, the only commonly enforced rule was that when the other person couldn't fight anymore, you won. Now, the first thing you have to learn about fighting Vampires Xander is not to be struck."
*BTVS*
Xander walked home in a daze. There was so much information that Giles gave him and for once he was able to learn it all. The stories Giles had told him about street fighting and demon fighting were… awesome! He couldn't believe how rough the very prim and proper librarian really was!
Xander stopped. He heard the sound of someone struggling coming from around the corner. Xander quickly ran to the corner and looked around. He could still hear the fight but there was no one there. Maybe…
Bursting into motion, Xander ran at full sprint down two streets and left one more block. Stopping at an alley, he saw two men grappling with each other. He took a quick breath. One of them was a vampire!
The vampire was in full game face, leaning in to bite his victim, when he felt an awful tearing sensation in his cheek. He growled in pain, clutching at the ruined flap of flesh. Pain exploded from the sides of his body, near his stomach, one side after the other. His body crumpled inward from the pain. He felt hands grab at his head and push him down as something hard smashed into his face, crushing his nose. He felt a sudden pain in the back of his neck before darkness claimed him.
"Run! Get out of here!" Xander yelled at the shell-shocked victim as he pushed him towards the mouth of the alley. "And go home!" he yelled after the very rapidly running man.
Xander took a few quick breaths to try an orient himself. He'd just KO'ed a vampire! A quick fishhook, two punches to the short ribs, a knee to the face and an elbow to the neck and now the new Xander was 1-0! Xander smiled. It was time to loot!
Frisking the vampire turned up a roll of twenties and hundreds in an inside jacket pocket. He pocketed the money and staked the vampire. He could count the money once he was safely home. And, maybe, he should do some research on lions, to find out if he would get any other abilities. Too bad he wasn't a lion like Lion-O. The Sword of Omens would probably kick ass against vampires.
Thunder. Thunder. Thunder! Thundercats! Ho!
*BTVS*
Xander followed the scents. It was getting easier each time he did it. Of course, he was already very familiar with the scents in question. Oddly enough, he didn't follow the scents into the school, like he did yesterday, but into the parking lot. There, he found a nervous Buffy, a concerned Willow, and a curious Giles.
"Did something happen?" asked Xander.
"How do you know something happened?" asked Buffy sharply. Xander took a step back at her demeanor.
"I don't, it's just, well, whenever we get together at odd times it's because of something odd."
"Oh. Well, something did happen, last night," said Buffy hesitantly.
"Are you all right?" asked Xander. Did those vampires manage to track her down?
"Yeah… No… I don't know. Um, well, last night…" Xander listened with growing dismay as Buffy related her story. What the hell? Why was she sniffing around Angel for? She was his… damn. He really needed to get that under control. They were just friends, no matter what his instincts were telling him at the moment, they were just friends. Sure, he'd like to be more than friends, absolutely but… where did that leave Willow? And why did he suddenly start feeling that way for Willow now? She'd always been like a sister to him. He was having distinctly un-friend-like feelings for Willow. If he could figure out if these were his feelings or just instincts- What! Buffy kissed Angel!
"Angel's a vampire?" asked a startled Willow.
Xander stared at Willow before realizing that it was his priorities that were messed up.
"I can't believe this is happening," said a still stunned Buffy. "One minute we were kissing, and the next minute..." she turned to Giles and asked him desperately "Can a vampire ever be a good person? Couldn't it happen?"
Xander furiously tried to figure out what to do about the situation. He'd already made a fool of himself yesterday, when he almost suggested that Buffy stay with him. Now there was a real threat and… maybe there wasn't a problem at all.
"A vampire isn't a person at all." Giles cleared his throat. "It may have the movements, the, the memories, even the personality of the person that it took over, but i-it's still a demon at the core, there is no halfway."
"So that'd be a no, huh?" asked Willow gloomily.
"Well, then what was he doing?" asked a perplexed Buffy. "Why was he good to me? Was it all some part of the Master's plan?" Buffy sat down on a bench and was quickly joined by Willow. "It doesn't make sense!" She looked up at Giles and Xander and hoped they could figure this out.
"Alright, uh..." Xander sat down next to Buffy and continued, "...you have a problem, and it's not a small one. Let's take a breath and look at this calmly and objectively." Perhaps simple logic would work. "Angel's a vampire. You're a Slayer. I think it's obvious what you have to do." Xander couldn't quite suppress his grin. Xander turned to Giles knowing that Giles would support him.
"Uh, it is a Slayer's duty..." a crouching Giles trailed off. Buffy was a very untraditional slayer.
Way to back me up there G-Man, not, thought Xander as he turned back to Buffy. "I-I know you have feelings for this guy, but it's not like you're in love with him, right?
Buffy looked away. How could she answer that question? She didn't even know the answer herself!
Holy shit, thought Xander, this could not be happening! "You're in love with a vampire? What, are you outta your mind?"
"What?" Xander turned and saw Cordelia, who was standing close enough to eavesdrop. As if sensing his attention, Cordelia turned from looking past the group to looking at Xander.
"Not vampire," Xander said as he thought about how to play off his outburst. He turned back to Buffy. "How could you love an umpire? Everyone hates 'em!"
They watched Cordelia pass in front of them, stalking towards a girl wearing the same dress.
"Where did you get that dress?" Cordelia asked sharply. "This is a one-of-a-kind Todd Oldham. Do you know how much this dress cost? Is this a knockoff?" Cordelia reached into the neck of the scared girl's dress and forcibly checked the label. "This is a knockoff, isn't it? Some cheesy knockoff! This is exactly what happens when you sign these free trade agreements!"
Xander looked down after the two girls disappeared into the school. Think Xander, think! How do you keep them apart? How do you get rid of Angel without looking like the bad guy?
"You think we have problems..." said Buffy, glad to have a way to change the subject. Xander was getting really worked up.
*BTVS*
The gang hadn't had more time to discuss Angel before school started. Now they were looking through Giles' books, trying to find any reference to Angel. Giles came up from behind the three teens.
"Did you find something Giles?" asked Xander without turning. Giles started at Xander's question.
"Y-y-yes. I found something at last. There's nothing about Angel in the texts, but it suddenly occurred to me that it's been ages since I've read the diaries of any of the watchers before me."
Willow turned to Buffy. "That musta been so embarrassing when you thought he had read your diary, but then it turned out he hadn't, but then he felt the same way..." Willow trailed off when she noticed the look Xander was giving her. "I'm listening."
"There's mention some two hundred years ago in Ireland of, of Angelus, the one with the angelic face," said Giles.
Buffy smiled wanly. "They got that right."
A small snarl escaped Xander. The others turned to look at him. Xander quickly coughed.
"I'm not saying anything, I have nothing to say," said Xander to cover his lapse in control.
"Does this, uh, Angel have, um, a tattoo behind his right shoulder?" asked Giles.
"Yeah," said Buffy, "it's a, it's a bird or something."
"Now I'm sayin' something," said a perturbed Xander, "You saw him naked?"
"So, Angel's been around for a while," said Willow hoping to cut off Xander before he could get started.
Xander didn't understand. Buffy was part of his pride. This Angel was butting into his pride. And he was a threat! He was a damn vampire! They killed Jesse! And now Buffy, his Buffy, was crushing on one!
"Not long for a vampire. Uh, two hundred and forty years or so," elaborated Giles.
"Huh!" chuckled Buffy joylessly, "Two hundred and forty. Well, he said he was older."
"Angelus leaves Ireland," said Giles as he sat down, "uh, wreaks havoc in, in Europe for, uh, several decades, and then, um, about eighty years ago," he continued while he handed Xander one diary and opened another, "the most curious thing happens. He, he comes to, uh, to America, um, shuns other vampires, and, and lives alone. There's, there's no, no record of him hunting here."
"So he is a good vampire!" exclaimed Willow hopefully. "I mean, on a scale of one to ten, ten being someone who's killing and maiming every night, and one being someone who's... not."
"I say that there's no record, but, uh, vampires hunt and kill," said Giles, hoping to impress this fact into Buffy. "It's, it's what they do."
"Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, lions gotta hunt," stated Xander firmly.
"He could've fed on me. He didn't," protested Buffy.
"Question: a hundred years or so before he came to our shores, what was he like then?" asked Xander.
"Uh, like all of them," answered Giles while looking at Buffy. "Uh, a vicious, violent animal."
Buffy's hopeful expression died away. The slayer spirit within Buffy recoiled from the thought of doing anything with a vampire except staking it. The girl within her, however, liked him. What was she going to do?
*BTVS*
This was an unmitigated disaster! How could they have let Joyce be attacked? Wasn't Buffy meant to be safe in her own home? Damn it, thought Xander, this could not happen again! But first, they needed to end this threat.
"Do you remember anything, Mom?" asked Buffy.
"Just, um, your friend came over, I was gonna make a snack," responded a tired Joyce.
"My friend?"
Xander opened the door to the hospital room. Giles stood in front of the door, prepared to knock. Xander waved him in then closed the door behind him.
"I guess I slipped and cut my neck on, the doctor said it looked like a barbecue fork." Joyce thought for a moment then turned to Buffy. "We don't have a barbecue fork." She turned to Giles. "Are you another doctor?"
"Oh!" Buffy is startled to see Giles. When did he come in? "Um, no, Mom, this is Mr. Giles."
"Oh, the librarian from your school!" Joyce smiled at Giles before she threw a confused look at Buffy. "What's he doing here?"
"Uh, I-I just came to pay my respects, wish you a speedy recovery," replied Giles.
"Boy, the teachers really do care in this town," said an impressed Joyce.
"Get some rest now," said Buffy. She kissed her mother and the group left the room, stopping in the hall.
"She's gonna be okay. They, they gave her some iron. Her, uh, blood count was a, a little..."
"A little low. It presents itself like mild anemia," explained Giles. "Uh, you, you were, uh, lucky you got to her as soon as you did."
"Lucky? Stupid," stated Buffy, angry at herself.
"Buff, it's not your fault," said Xander.
"No?" asked Buffy angrily. "I invited him into my home. Even after I knew who he was, what he was, and I didn't do anything about it," Buffy scoffed, "'cause I had feelings for him, because I cared about him."
"If you care about somebody," Willow glanced at Xander, "you care about them. You can't change that by-"
"Killing them?" interrupted Buffy. "Maybe not," Buffy shrugged. "But I think it's a start," she said with determination as she began to leave.
"Wait, I'm coming with you," said Xander, joining her, he turned to address Giles and Willow. "You two stay here and watch after Buffy's mom." Buffy stopped and looked skeptically at Xander. Xander frowned at her. "Don't give me that look. You'll need someone to watch your back. I'm coming." Buffy nodded and continued on her way.
"Buffy! Xander!" cried Giles as he rushed forward and blocked their path.
"You can't stop me," Buffy told Giles, "the Three found me near the Bronze and so did he. He lives nearby."
"This is no ordinary vampire," Giles looked around and dropped his voice to a whisper, "if there is such a thing. Now, he knows you, he, he's faced the Three! I think this is going to take more than a simple stake."
"So do I," she agreed.
*BTVS*
"The hospital has a lot of security and a lot of people around. Giles and Willow will be safe there," Xander assured Buffy.
"Maybe you should be at the hospital?" asked Buffy hesitantly.
"Buffy, I can handle myself. I've been training with Giles."
"Really? What for?"
"To help you."
"What? Why?"
"Buffy, I… when Jesse died I made a promise that I'd help you. When I heard about slayer's dying so young, I made a vow that you'd reach old age. When I helped against the possessed people, I vowed to get better so I could help more."
"But why, Xander? You could have a normal life."
"What does that matter?" he asked emphatically. "I still live in Sunnydale. I still have friends that are in danger every night. I don't want to be one of those guys that does nothing. I can help, I can do something." Xander took a deep breath. Maybe if he just told her? "And, and you, I…"
Buffy's breath hitched in her throat. She could read Xander's feelings easily. He'd never been very subtle about the way he felt for her.
"Xander…" came her strangled whisper. Xander shook his head. Now wasn't the time. She needed a clear head if they were heading into a fight. From everything they read about Angel they'd need every advantage to win.
"It doesn't matter right now. What matters is that I'm in this for the long haul, Buffy, and that you aren't alone in this fight. Not ever. You get me?" Buffy stared at Xander, once again seeing past the goofy façade to the man underneath. She nodded, careful not to spill the tears in her eyes.
Ignoring the way her watery eyes sparkled in the moonlight, Xander grabbed some more stakes and slid them into his pockets. Buffy loaded up a crossbow. As they made their way out of the cage, Xander spotted the knife he used to kill the zookeeper. He felt a momentary twinge that he suppressed and picked up the knife, strapping it behind his back once again.
*BTVS*
Xander fingered the stake in his pocket nervously. If he had to pull it out in a fight, it would be awkward. Maybe he could talk to Giles and get something rigged up for easier access. Or maybe he could use some of the moves Giles taught him to knock any vamps he came across silly before staking them. He eyed Buffy out of the corner of his eye. She would need his help. Her mind was still in turmoil, he could almost smell her anxiety.
As they neared the bronze they heard the sound of glass breaking. Turning the corner they found a ladder. Xander stared at the ladder suspiciously. Buffy climbed without a second thought. Xander followed, wary that this entrance was a trap for them.
On the second floor landing, Xander moved to the edge and looked over. He couldn't spot anyone on the floor. He turned to Buffy and pointed at himself, then the landing. Then he pointed at her then downstairs. Buffy nodded and moved down the stairs. Xander quietly made his way to the railing and jumped up into the rafters then moved toward the middle of the room.
Buffy reached the bottom of the stairs. The club was dark but her slayer-enhanced eyesight pierced all but the darkest of shadows. She heard a floorboard creak and turned toward the sound. Xander followed her movement from above.
"I know you're there. And I know what you are," she said into the darkness.
"Do you?" came Angel's voice. Buffy and Xander turned to face the voice. "I'm just an animal, right?" Angel's voice now came from a different place. Xander grimaced as he tried to focus on finding the vampire.
"You're not an animal," said Buffy, "Animals I like." Buffy spun around, trying to leave no blind spots. Angel growled as he stepped out of the shadows. Buffy trained her crossbow on Angel.
"Let's get it done!" yelled Angel as he ran and jumped onto a pool table. Buffy kept her crossbow trained on him but her shot missed. Angel jumped up onto a light fixture. Buffy lost track of him in the shadows. She walked forward cautiously, scanning the air above her for any signs of motion.
Xander moved toward Angel as quickly as he could. Stupid rafters, being tricky to move around on like a thing designed to trick people!
Feet impacted with Buffy's back and she tumbled forward, dropping her crossbow. The blow knocked her on top of a pool table. She lashed out with a back kick from her prone position and sent Angel into a wall. Buffy dove off the table and snatched her crossbow, rolled onto her back and took aim at a still stunned Angel.
Angel recovered and slowly rose to his feet. His demonic face receded.
"C'mon! Don't go soft on me now!" he yelled at her. The bolt flew and impacted the wall next to him. Angel stared at what should have been his death. Xander stopped his pursuit of Angel. What's wrong? Why didn't Buffy kill him? Angel slowly looked back at Buffy. "Little wide."
"Why?" asked Buffy as she rose to her feet. "Why didn't you just attack me when you had the chance? Was it a joke?" she asked angrily. "To make me feel for you and then," Buffy shook her head, "I've killed a lot of vampires. I've never hated one before," stated a tormented Buffy.
"Feels good, doesn't it?" asked Angel rhetorically, "Feels simple."
"I invited you into my home and then you attacked my family!" yelled an irate Buffy.
"Why not? I killed mine," said Angel. His voice was low, soft. "I killed their friends, and their friend's children. For a hundred years I offered ugly death to everyone I met, and I did it with a song in my heart."
"What changed?" asked Buffy.
"Fed on a girl about your age" Angel looked Buffy over, "beautiful" he said softly, unsure whether he meant Buffy or the other girl. "Dumb as a post" he muttered, "but a favorite among her clan."
"Her clan?" asked Buffy.
"Romany," Angel answered. At Buffy's blank look he answered again, "Gypsies." Buffy recognized the term. "The elders conjured the perfect punishment for me. They restored my soul."
"What, they were all out of boils and blinding torment?"
"When you become a vampire the demon takes your body, but it doesn't get your soul. That's gone! No conscience, no remorse" explained Angel. "It's an easy way to live. You have no idea what it's like to have done the things I've done," his voice is haunted, "and to care. I haven't fed on a living human being since that day."
"So you started with my mom?" asked Buffy angrily.
"I didn't bite her."
"Then why didn't you say something?" she asked, exasperated with his mysterious actions and cryptic remarks.
"But I wanted to. I can walk like a man, but I'm not one." Angel hesitated for a moment. "I wanted to kill you tonight."
Buffy stared at Angel, the man, and the vampire. She looked into his eyes, ignored the slayer instincts, ignored the feel of danger that surrounded him, and looked into his eyes. Into the soul that was forced inside. She put down her crossbow and walked up to him. She tilted her neck to the side, offering herself to him.
Xander's heart stopped. What the fuck? She's just giving up! Even with his new speed, he wouldn't be able to get to her in time!
"Go ahead," she whispered. Angel stared at her, never looking away. He was tempted, so very tempted, as he always was when he stood this close to a human. But he couldn't look away from her.
Buffy relaxed and tilted her head back. "Not as easy as it looks."
"Sure it is!" interjected another voice. Buffy and Angel turned to see Darla step out of the shadows, an odd smile on her demonic face. "Do you know what the saddest thing in the world is?"
"Bad hair on top of that outfit?" snapped Buffy.
Darla ignored her. "To love someone who used to love you."
Buffy turned a startled look onto Angel, who didn't meet her eyes.
"You guys were involved?" she asked.
"For several generations," Darla said with a smile.
"Well, you been around since Columbus, you are bound to pile up a few ex's," said Buffy flippantly, "You're older than him, right? Just between us girls, you are looking a little worn around the eyes," she added cattily. Darla smiled back nastily.
"I made him. There was a time when we shared everything, wasn't there Angelus?" she asked Angel. "You had a chance to come home, to rule with me in the Master's court for a thousand years, but you threw that away because of her." Darla glared at Buffy. "You love someone who hates us. You're sick. And you'll always be sick." Darla's mouth became set in a determined line. "And you'll always remember what it was like to watch her die." Buffy turned from watching Angel and looked at Darla sharply. Darla smiled back. "You don't think I came alone, do you?"
"I know I didn't." Buffy kicked the crossbow up into her hands and aimed it at Darla.
"Hmm, scary," said Darla facetiously. "Scarier," she said, motioning behind them with her eyes. A creak sounded behind Buffy and Angel. They spun around and came face to face with the Three. A chuckle from Darla made Buffy spin back around. She pulled her hands from behind her back, revealing the pistols in her hands. "Scariest!" she exclaimed with a predatory grin.
Xander's stomach twisted when he heard the gunshot. Looking down, he saw Buffy still standing, while Angel fell to the ground.
"Oh, don't worry;" Darla told Buffy with mock concern, "Bullets can't kill vampires. Can hurt them like hell, but..." she giggled at her own success. The slayer was now alone and at her mercy!
Buffy froze. She was surrounded and held at gunpoint. How was she going to live through this? A rustling sound drew everyone's attention upward. A large shadow crashed into one of the Three, driving the vampire into the ground with a horrifying crunch. The vampire screamed in pain.
"Xander!" exclaimed Buffy.
"Buffy, get her!" ordered Xander. He spun toward the left, leading with his right fist, and scored a powerful hook the crotch of one of the Three. The vampire crumpled to the floor, cradling his crushed testicles.
Buffy turned back to Darla, who raised her guns to full extension. Buffy dove onto a pool table, rolled over it and took cover as Darla's gunfire trailed after her. Buffy reloaded her crossbow.
Xander turned around into a kick. Blood exploded from his mouth. Xander noticed one of his teeth flying away from him. Xander staggered to keep on his feet. He raised his hands to defend himself, but was unable to block the punches that crashed into his ribs and head knocking him down. Xander caught himself on his hands and knees, but a powerful kick to the ribs sent him flying, away from Buffy and Darla's battle.
"I don't know who your other boy toy is, but the Master will take care of him soon enough," said Darla. She smiled, "Now, so many body parts, so few bullets. Let's begin with the kneecaps," she said as she advanced on Buffy's position. "No fun dancing without them."
Darla fired more shots into the pool table, keeping Buffy from moving to other cover. Buffy popped up quickly and fired her bolt. It struck Darla, who doubled over from the shot. Buffy watched as Darla straightened up, the bolt embedded in her abdomen.
"Close, but no heart," said Darla. She pulled out the bolt and tossed it aside.
Xander recovered in time to block a punch. The vampire and Xander exchanged blows and blocks. Xander was able to graze the vampire's remaining eye. The vampire flinched back, leaving himself open for Xander's kick to connect with his chest, knocking the vampire down. Xander pulled out a stake in each hand. He readied himself to pounce but stopped. The other two vampires had healed and were now ready to engage him. Xander grimaced. This was not good!
Giles and Willow entered the Bronze and crawled over to the railing. They had come once Giles learned that another vampire had attacked Joyce and not Angel. Having heard the gunshots from the outside they entered the bronze through the ladder. They looked over the railing and saw Buffy and Darla engaged in a gunfight and Xander facing off against the Three.
"We need to distract the armed vampire," said Giles.
"Buffy," yelled Willow, "it wasn't Angel who attacked your mom, it was Darla!"
Darla tuned toward Willow's voice and fired a hail of bullets into the balcony. Giles and Willow hugged the floor to avoid the gunfire. "It doesn't matter now. You're all going to die here!" said Darla as she reloaded before she fired into the pool table again. Angel, having finally recovered from being shot, pulled the crossbow bolt that Buffy fired at him earlier from the wall.
Xander's eyes turned toward Darla. A growl leaked from his throat. That bitch was dust! Xander charged at the Three. Taken aback, the Three were not prepared for Xander to throw both stakes at them. One of them deflected the blow with his forearm guard. The other took the stake in the eye. The vampire screamed and stumbled back, his hands cradling his eye. The other two watched him in shock. They turned back but were too late to react as Xander caught them in a double clothesline that flipped them both. Xander's sneakers squealed as he forced himself to stop and turn, one hand in his pocket. Xander jumped and landed on one vampire with a thud then he rolled off. The vampire turned to look at Xander and then down at the stake in his chest. He exploded into dust.
Darla hopped onto the pool table, hoping to catch Buffy still hiding on the other side. The pool table shifted under her making her fall. She lay sprawled on top of it when she felt the table slide to the side. She rolled onto her back as the table continued sliding and saw Buffy running for a glass counter. She began firing, trying to catch the Slayer, but the sliding table threw off her aim. The table hit the wall and stopped. Darla jumped off the table and advanced on Buffy's new position.
The vampire pulled the stake from his eye with a roar. He cradled his eye and forced the other open and watched as Xander plunged a stake into his heart. The vampire burst to dust as Xander cursed. That was the last of his stakes! He turned and faced off with the last of the three, their one eyed leader. The vampire moved in and blocked Xander's jab, raking Xander across the face with his claws. Xander hissed in pain.
Giles fiddled with the controls on the second floor. He managed to find the power button, at last, and turned on the system. Another switch turned on the strobe lighting.
Darla looked up at the balcony, giving Buffy a chance to change cover. Darla fired at her again but didn't score a hit.
The last of the Three was blinded by a strobe light flashing directly into his eyes. Xander kicked the vampire in the stomach and pulled out his knife. He plunged it into the back of the vampire's neck, severing his spinal cord. Xander dragged the knife downward, severing the vampire's trachea and most of the tendons in his neck.
"C'mon, Buffy. Take it like a man!" taunted Darla. A movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned and saw Xander as he dropped his knife and ripped the vampires head off its shoulders. The vampire turned to dust a moment after. Darla's eyes widened. This one was dangerous! She raised her pistols, taking aim at Xander.
Angel stalked up silently. He roared and plunged the crossbow bolt into Darla from behind. Darla dropped her pistols and turned around.
"Angel?" whispered Darla. Darla fell to the floor before bursting into ash. Buffy rose from behind her cover. Angel looked up from Darla's ashes and stared at Buffy. Buffy slowly walked out from behind the counter. Xander picked up his knife and watched Angel and Buffy stare at each other. Angel gave Buffy one last look then turned and left. Buffy couldn't speak and simply watched him go.
Xander took a step toward Angel before stopping. He looked back at Buffy. She was still watching Angel. Xander visibly sagged and then turned away, wiping the blood from the three gashes on his face with his shirt.
*BTVS*
The three friends walked into the bronze together. Xander's wounds had already healed, leaving only three faint lines across his right cheek. Xander laughed for several hours that afternoon when he realized his new scars resembled cat whiskers. Willow had been very upset at his wounds, while Giles was astonished and, and proud of his accomplishment. Xander had a terrible time trying to keep from crying when Giles told him that.
The Bronze was a very different place when there wasn't a battle happening inside of it, Xander decided. He was glad to have a chance to relax after the battle and that he healed faster now. Thankfully his parents had been too intoxicated to notice his wounds last night. Or this morning.
"Ah, the post-fumigation party," sighed Xander.
"Okay," said Buffy while she looked around curiously, "so what's the difference between this and the pre-fumigation party?"
"Much hardier cockroaches," said Xander with a smirk.
"So," began Willow, "no word from Angel?" Xander frowned at the mention of the vampire.
"Nah," said Buffy a little sadly, "It's weird, though. In his way I feel like he's still watching me."
"Well, in a way he sort of is." Willow smiled and pointed. "In the way of that he's right over there."
Buffy looked over and saw Angel, standing in a darkened corner of the club, watching her. Buffy glanced back at Willow with a small smile and walked over to Angel. Xander watched her go, each step making his heart clench. He walked over to a table, held a chair out for Willow, who smiled radiantly at him, and deliberately sat with his back to Angel and Buffy. Willow arched her brow at him questioningly.
"I don't need to watch because I'm not threatened," answered Xander flippantly, "Just gonna look this way." Willow smiled at him, clearly disbelieving. She returned to watching Buffy as she stopped in front of Angel. Angel and Buffy shared an awkward silence together. Neither was sure of where things stood, nor how to begin talking to one another. Angel broke first.
"I just wanted to see if you were okay," he said, then added hastily, "and your mother."
"We're both good," answered Buffy softly. "You?"
"If I can go a little while without getting shot or stabbed I'll be alright," he replied with a weak chuckle.
Goddamn enhanced hearing, cursed Xander in his head. I don't want to hear this, I don't, I don't, I don't!
"Look," Angel began, "this can't-"
"-ever be anything. I know," finished Buffy for him. "For one thing, you're, like, two hundred and twenty-four years older than I am."
"I just gotta, I gotta walk away from this," Angel said weakly.
"I know. Me too." Neither Buffy nor Angel made a move to leave. "One of us has to go here," whispered Buffy.
"I know," Angel whispered back.
Xander hid his fists under the table. Years of hiding behind a mask let him keep an impassive mien, but his new instincts forced him to curl his hands into fists. His knuckles went white from the pressure and a small trickle of blood dripped from his palms. He didn't need Willow's smile to know that Buffy and Angel were kissing. He could hear them. He could smell them.
They stepped away from each other. "You okay?" Buffy asked Angel. He nodded.
"It's just-"
"-painful," finished Buffy. "I know. See you around?"
Xander heard Buffy walk away from Angel. He could smell the deep burn her silver cross must have left behind. He forcibly unclenched his fists. "Hey, I'm just gonna use the bathroom. I'll be right back, OK?" he told Willow.
"Sure," Willow replied absently.
Xander quickly made his way to the restroom where he washed his already healed hands and splashed some water on his face. His hands gripped the sides of the sink as his face contorted into an angry grimace. He took a deep breath and reigned in his wild emotions. He knew the truth of his feelings now. He knew which were instinct and which were his emotions. He came to a decision, at last, and marched out of the restroom.
He smelled him before he saw him. He turned to face him when he was pushed into one of the dumpsters in the alley. His attacker held him against the dumpster, keeping him from moving.
"This is how it's going to be, Deadboy," snarled Xander. "You hurt her, or any of the others and I'll end you."
"You really think you can take-" Angel stopped when he felt the tip of Xander's stake press into his chest. He hadn't seen the boy move!
"I will end you." Xander's look bored into Angel. "Remember that." Xander released Angel and walked back toward the bronze. Angel watched him go. Xander stopped at the end of the alley and turned around. "And remember this. I'm not giving her up without a fight."
*BTVS*
The vampires scurried away from the lair. They could still hear the Master raging inside. They'd lost two vampires when the news came. He'd grabbed them and simply ripped their heads off! With one hand apiece! Now the Master was smashing everything within arm's reach: a bookcase, candelabra, and another minion. They were all loyal to he who gave them life everlasting but they weren't stupid!
The Master smashed a nearby boulder, splintering it into three pieces. He fell to his knees, his rage spent, overcome with grief.
"Forget her," the Anointed One told the Master.
"How dare you?" the Master snapped angrily. "She was my favorite. For four hundred years..."
"She was weak," stated the Anointed One firmly. "You don't need her. I'll bring you the Slayer."
"But to lose her to Angel!" said the Master despondently. "He was to have sat at my right hand, come the day. And now..." Now who would be at his side?
"They're all against you," said the Anointed One. "But soon you shall rise. And when you do," he reached and put a reassuring hand on the Master's shoulder, "we kill them all."
The Master smiled at the Anointed One, hearing the truth of his words. Did not the writings of Aurelius foretell his rise? How he would bring the Slayer to hell? How he would open the mouth of hell and reign for a thousand years?
The Master took the hand of the Anointed One. Together, they would be the downfall of the Slayer.