David Bowie "Heroes
"Title: We Could Be Heroes(10/?)
Rating: R-ish
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Timeline: Season 2 Halloween onward
Pairings: Most canonwise, Xander/Faith
Crossover Material: Assassin's Creed
Spoilers: General BtVS and AC ending information
Summary:
After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the
assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new
skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with
that arrangement...
Giles was seated at his desk when the phone rang, interrupting the time he'd finally gotten to take another look at some personal interests of his. Only little over a month since Xander and Faith had left, and it seemed anything exciting happening had followed them out of town so he had the free time now.
Reaching over to pick up the phone, he said, "Hello?"
"G, yah gotta talk to him."
Faith's frantic tones made the near constant worry for the pair of teenagers spark up and he asked, "Are you both alright?"
There was a pause then she replied, "Both safe if that's what yah mean. But…"
"Faith, what has happened?"
Her soft sigh only increased his worry then she poured out the whole sordid story to him of their encounter with the Terakan assassin and Xander's killing of him. He was angered when she mentioned that they both suspected the Council had called them on them and made a note to call Quentin Travers as soon as he got off the phone with them.
That man was going to get an earful and several threats from Ripper if he really was the one behind this.
"Where is Xander, Faith?" asked Giles as she trailed off, the sound of tears evident in her voice.
"Starin' out tha window." He heard the faint sound of her rising and walking somewhere then, "X, its G."
A heavy male sigh and then Xander's voice was on the end of the line saying, "Hey, G-man," in a weary tone even as he heard the young man moving and the sound of a door closing.
"Where are you both?" asked Giles.
"Motel in Arizona – just got here actually. Faith drove all through the night and half the day to get here so she's exhausted."
"What about you, son? She told me what happened."
A distinct silence answered his question and Giles pressed, "Xander, killing someone…"
"Had you ever killed someone?" demanded the youth angrily. "With your own hands? Someone human?"
Giles frowned then calmly stated, "Yes. I was the one that killed our friend when we bloody foolishly summoned Eyghon."
There was a stunned pause on the other end of the line then he heard Xander slump heavily against something. "What'd you do?" he asked. "How'd you accept that you'd done that?"
"I never did really. I told myself that he would have preferred dying to his body being taken from him but that was only to comfort myself. It didn't change much of anything."
Xander sighed and Giles said, "Son, there's nothing I can say that will make this better. But I'm glad to know you're worrying over it."
"Why?"
"If you weren't, you wouldn't be the young man I know. You'd be like that man and every other Terakan like him."
"What does that matter?" asked Xander. "I mean…"
Giles frowned and interrupted him with, "Xander, if I had been in your place I would have done the same thing. Killing in self-defense is allowed."
"I ran the man down with my car, Giles. And I just killed him because he shot at Faith. Not because he shot at me. Because he shot at Faith."
The depth of love and care the young man had for the brunette Slayer was fully evident then and Giles smiled a little. If she didn't love him just as much, she wouldn't have called him.
"We like to protect the people we love. There's no sin in that, Xander."
"I killed him though! I mean, I…I thought I could be more accepting of it if it ever happened but…I'm not."
"I would be worried if you were more accepting," stated Giles. Sighing, he said, "Son, the Terakans are assassins of the highest order. If they're after you and Faith, defending yourselves is important."
Xander grunted in agreement then asked, "What about…"
"Son," stressed Giles, "its when you stop worrying about the killing that you turn into a monster. When you stop caring and beating yourself bloody like this, that's when those of us that care for you will be afraid for you."
"Yeah…" A note of confidence had entered the young man's voice now and the former Watcher smiled. He then sighed musedly and wondered aloud over the line, "I wonder how Altaïr handled what he did. Even having his memories doesn't tell me that. I can get a sense of everything else but not that one thing for some reason."
"I can't tell you his reasons, son," said Giles. "But I hope you can figure out your own now."
"Think I can," replied Xander. "Thanks, G-man. That…that was what I needed to hear, I think."
The man smiled and intoned, "Don't thank me for that. Thank that young lady who loves you for calling me."
"Yeah. I better go and get some sleep so we can switch out driving later. Figure we need to put as much space between us and that man as we can, just in case he had other Terakans with him."
"They usually work alone even if there are several on one target but that is a wise course of action." Giles then sternly scolded, "And don't you wait so bloody long to call me again. I worry."
Xander chuckled and assured, "I will, G-man. Thanks again."
"You are very welcome, son. Anytime you need me."
"'Preciate it. Bye."
"Goodbye."
Giles hung up the phone and glared at the air for a moment before he lifted it again, violently stabbing in a number.
"Hello, Mary – yes, its Rupert. If you'd be a dear and transfer me to Quentin, I would be most thankful. Yes, I'm aware I am no longer a Watcher but I suspect the man has done some terrible things against two children I care a great deal for. Ah, thank you, m'dear, I owe you dinner the next time I happen to be in London."
Leaning back in his chair as he waited, the man smiled Ripperishly as the phone was picked up.
"Ah, hello, Quentin. No, no, don't hang up. I have a few matters involving two young people to discuss with you…"
Xander slowly made his way back to their room, mulling over Giles' words in his mind as he went. Locking the door behind him in the dark room, he sat the cell phone down on top of the TV as he passed it. Shoving off his shoes and tugging his shirt over his head he then climbed into bed and leaned gratefully into the warm body already there.
"Thank you," he murmured into the back of Faith's neck as he wrapped his arm around her.
She shifted, turning over to face him, and he saw the outline of her face in the dark. Her hand gently touched his face and she breathed, "What else could I for my man? You were hurting so much…"
"Still am," he confessed. "Giles…he pointed out a few things though. Things I guess I needed to hear from someone older, someone I still look up to."
"Yah don't look up to me?" she asked. "I'm hurt."
Smiling, Xander tugged her close, enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his. It felt like she belonged here, next to him.
"Can you look up to someone you adore?" he asked. Shaking his head, he breathed, "God, I almost can't believe you're still here. After what happened with Finch…"
"You told me about that creed, yah know. 'Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent.' And he wasn't innocent, X."
"Doesn't change the matter that he was human."
"No," agreed Faith. "But you wouldn't be this kick ass geek assassin that I love if yah didn't regret killing him."
Xander smiled at that, asking, "What'd I do to deserve such a smart lady being with me?"
"Being such a damn good guy," she replied, kissing him gently before snuggling into his chest. His arms wrapped tightly around her and she felt him shudder once before he finally really relaxed.
"I love you," he murmured softly in the darkness of the room.
Faith smiled and kissed his bare chest before she breathed the same words back to him. Then she lay awake in his arms, waiting until he finally dozed off before she went to sleep herself, content that things would be okay now.
Her man would be okay.