Something in Common Part IV: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfiction
See Part one for disclaimers.
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Flashback
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Harris Household
Sunnydale, CA
March 27, 1997
23:12 PST
Xander's room is in disarray as usual. He would tell you there is an underlying order to the chaos, that pile over there is clean... and that one over there is dirty, or maybe vice versa. Xander at the moment is not thinking about the chaos that is his room though. His thoughts are on other matters. On other people, truth be told. In specific two people. Buffy Summers and Natalie French. One that won't notice him due to his being "one of the girls" and the others interest turning out to be rather predatory in nature. Well, not rather more like extremely, but that's not the point. The point is, that having an attractive female try to mate with you and then kill you isn't bad enough, but having her be a bug... Add to that the fact that she only goes after virgins and his rather fragile male ego is just a tad bit bruised.
Even knowing for a fact that Blayne was nothing more then hot air didn't seem to comfort him. He feels so stupid, after his little speech that maybe someone finding him attractive wasn't so strange, and then the Hellmouth had to go and make her a flesh eating giant insect. Wow! His life isn't whacked, no.
Notice the sarcasm.
Looking up at the clock on his desk he sees that it is a little after 11 at night. He had skipped school today to try to think, to figure out what was up with him and his joke of a life. He is starting to come to the realization that he had spent the whole day in his room staring at the walls without coming to any revelations about his life, other then the fact that it sucked. Anyone could tell you that, though. And with out spending 16 hours thinking about it.
Standing up Xander begins to pace across his room, having too much nervous energy after sitting all day. Finally coming to a decision, he stalks across the room and grabs his jacket off the chair, putting a stake in one pocket and a cross in the other he leaves his room and goes downstairs. Spotting his father still awake in the family room on the couch watching TV, Xander turns and heads to the kitchen and exits the house via the back door and walks into the night.
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Now that he knew about the nightlife in Sunnydale spotting the vampires is easy, astonishing him that he had never noticed them before. Then again no one was ever going to call him Mr. Observant, at the best of times. Finding the leeches was easy, finding one alone was another matter. His plan was to find one vamp and stake it. Just one. All on his own. No Buffy to back him up. Thus proving to himself that he is a man... and giving him a much needed ego boost.
He decided against going to the Bronze, not wanting to run into Buffy or Willow and opted instead for the park. Hopping the fence into the park was easy, it seems he always was more athletic when no one else was around to see it. Once over the fence Xander takes out the stake and cross and heads off into the park looking for some stress management.
Within the first five minutes he had found his target. One lone vamp, obviously newly risen. He still had dirt on his jacket for crying out loud. Sneaking up on him was as simple as pie. One thrust and the newly risen vampire was gone. With a flippant attitude Xander jokes, "Ashes to ashes / Dust to dust. Now that wasn't so hard. I wonder what all the fuss is about."
The grin is wiped of Xanders face as a hand grips his neck from behind and lifts him bodily into the air. It feels as if a steel band had wrapped around his neck, slowly squeezing the air from his body. A low, gravely voice comes from behind Xander, the words seemingly revertibrating up from the depths of Hell itself. "Filthy human, that was one of mine. With a slayer in town the Master demands more and more warriors be made. How am I supposed to keep up with his demands if you stupid bloodbags keep killing them, huh?" The hand releases Xanders neck and he falls over a foot to the ground. His knees failing him he collapses to the ground coughing. "You're a little scrawny, but I guess you'll have to do for a replacement."
Looking up from the ground Xander finds himself surrounded by five vamps in full game face. The one speaking is almost as large as Luke, standing at 6'4" with shaggy brown hair and looking as if Hell's Angels were initiating demons now. Leather jacket, jeans, black leather chaps and steel toed boots all combine to make the vampire truly frightening to behold. Chains and spikes festoon his jacket and a tattoo of a spider web is prominent on his left cheek. The other four are your regular mis-match of business suits and high school kids. Leering down at him, the leader casually brings his foot back and kicks Xander in the side, full force. Hearing his ribs snap with a sickening crunch, Xander curls into a ball to try and protect his head as the other four vamps begin kicking him as well.
"Lovely thing about bringing a new vampire into the world..." Begins the leather clad vamp as he stomps on Xanders lower leg, breaking both bones and causing Xander to scream out in agony. "No matter the damage done to the body before the change, once it rises there are no wounds." Chuckling as he hears more and more bones snap and break as the five vampires stomp and kick the boy. "So you are tonight's entertainment bloodbag. Once you are too broken to play with anymore, we'll drain you and leave you to rise. Hope your soul is in order, boy." The vamp may have said more, but Xander didn't hear it. One of the permanent teenagers had kicked him in the temple with a steel toed boot, rendering Xander unconscious.
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Xander wakes up to pain beyond any that he had ever experienced, a ripping, tearing pain; a pain felt in every fiber of his being. Every muscle, bone and tendon in his body feels as if it had been ripped out, torn to shreds and reassembled with a few pieces missing. He is unable to focus his mind beyond the pain at first, the agony coming from every point in his body. Trying to open his eyes takes a major effort of will, especially considering what was happening to him the last time that he was conscious. After an eternity, his vision swims into focus and he finds himself staring at his chest. Staring at his very bare chest. Staring at his very bare and very bloody chest. Glancing at the ground he sees his shirt had been torn off and it was a few feet away lying in the dirt. **Funny I seem to be standing up...** Xander thinks to himself. **Which is strange since I can't feel anything below my waist.**
Then the tearing pain in his arms and shoulders seems to hit his brain full force and overrides the other aches, rips and tears coursing his nervous system. The pain causing him to tilt his head painfully to the side to try and see his hands. They are not at his side, though. Tilting his head even further he finds his shoulder, and then following it he sees his arm stretched out to his side, and... At first his mind can't determine what he is seeing... or maybe won't determine is the better way to say it.
**That's a stake. That's MY stake. That's my arm... with a stake in it. SHIT!** Xanders' head whips around to stare at his other arm, ignoring the streaming agony in his neck. It's there. It's there and it is impaled as well, not with a stake though. With a rather nasty looking knife. Impaled through the wrist. Crucified to a tree in the park. **That's not good...**
"Ahhh, your awake! Good, I wouldn't want you to miss the next act in our little drama."
Xanders eyes slowly focus forward and onto the biker vamp standing not 2 feet from his crucified body. Chuckling at Xanders obvious disorientation the vampire steps forward and grabs Xander by the hair. Tilting the dark-haired boys head to the side he exposes Xanders neck to his hungry gaze.
"Welcome to the Family, m'boy."
The unconsciousness brought on due to blood loss was a mercy to the young man. His agony disappeared and his thoughts became as calm and as quiet as a mountain lake. Xanders brown eyes close and his mind slips lightly into the welcome oblivion.
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End Flashback
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Xanders truck pulls up in front of the pizza parlor just as he is finishing up his narrative. Pulling into a parking spot in front of the parlor Xander stops the truck and turns off the ignition. Sitting back in his seat he stares out the front window and slowly rubs his hands up and down the steering wheel.
"That first death was truly the worst for me. Being beating and crucified isn't high on anyone's fun-o-meter I'm sure. But most people don't miraculously wake up the next morning remembering it all. Remember it all in every pain filled Technicolor instance." Xander observes with a dry chuckle.
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TBC...
DaBear