Title: A Rogue's Heart – Part 10, Chapter 5

Author: Wicked Raygun

Summary: For Xander Harris, the Hero of Ferelden, sacrifice is only the beginning. He ends the Blight, only to return to the home he no longer has a place in. Xander/Leliana.

Disclaimer: Based on characters created by Joss Whedon, and Bioware. I am merely borrowing them to put on a puppet show. Watch them dance.

Notes: This story is mostly a series of character pieces with sporadic action thrown in for variety. There's no real plan for this. I'll post chapters as they come to me. I'll be referring to events in the "Dragon Age: Origins" video game using Interludes. Chapters will actually continue the story forward.

Spoilers: And how! Events take place in the summer after season 3 of BTVS, moving into season 4. And all the events of "Dragon Age: Origins", possibly including the various DLC are up for grabs. If you aren't familiar with Dragon Age, then lower your head in shame. Go on. Lower it.

Distribution: Ask and you shall receive. Just email me and I'll get back to you quickly using new-fangled technology. See, I get email on my phone now. Surely jet packs and flying cars are just around the corner.

A Rogue's Heart

Part 10, Chapter 5 – Will Rogue for Food

Two women sat in a graveyard. They were young, beautiful, and dressed fashionably in vibrant colors – the perfect vampire bait.

They were two of the most influential people in Xander's life. Without them, there wouldn't be a Xander Harris. Period. He had once thought that he had lost them forever. And that depressing thought had led him to make some very reckless choices. But now, they were barely more than twenty yards away from him.

They might as well be a million miles away.

In theory, it would be so easy to just walk on over and say, "Hello." In reality, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to do it without breaking down. As it was, he kept wiping moisture away from his eyes.

His girls – his girls – were right in front of him, alive and well. The very thought made him want to pump his arms and dance wildly like a blissful idiot.

He almost took off, then and there, but then the fear kicked in again.

What would they say, once they knew? Would they be angry and disappointed, like Giles? Or would they just be so thrilled that he was alive, that they wouldn't care?

But, of course, they would care.

His blood was tainted. He was going to die. Hell, he wasn't even completely sure a Grey Warden qualified as human anymore, especially considering his unique little "mutation."

He would have to face the music, eventually. He knew that on an intellectual level, but he just wasn't ready yet. He still needed more time.

Xander did his best to stifle a sigh. He needed to keep quiet, or else his reunion might happen a little faster than he intended.

As it was, he was slightly amazed that Buffy hadn't found him out already. He knew he was good at being quiet, when he wanted to be, but he had his doubts that he could pull that off against a Slayer.

He had a feeling that Buffy was off her game. And he didn't have to think too hard to imagine why. Angel, college, the Hellmouth – any one of those things alone might be enough to distract your average mortal, so the full-on combo was probably a bit overkill, even for Buffy.

Maybe he should mention it to Giles, when—

Great googly moogly!

Xander watched for a moment, dumbfounded, as a vampire began digging himself out of a grave, while Buffy and Willow were turned around, talking about – well, who the hell knew what! But whatever they were talking about it couldn't possibly be more important than a freaking vampire rising from the grave to feast on their blood!

Quicker than thought, Xander notched an arrow and aimed. If it was anyone other than Buffy, he would have fired already and not given it a second thought. But there was a legitimate possibility that Buffy was fully aware of what was going on, and was just trying to lull the vampire into a false sense of security. And if Xander fired, he might hit her, when she finally made her needlessly dramatic move.

So Xander waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And—what the hell?

Okay, this was officially beyond lulling. Buffy obviously had no clue that she was about to become puppy chow. The vampire was practically right on top of her.

Xander steadied his breathing, preparing himself to take the shot. He was just about to let loose, when the most unpredictable thing happened.

The vampire simply turned around. It was trying to slip away.

Wow.

A vampire that wasn't dumb enough to take on Buffy? Well, now, he had officially seen "everything."

He was so rattled by the very concept that he almost didn't take the shot.

Almost.

Buffy frowned.

"Did you hear that?" she asked Willow.

"Huh? Hear what?"

"I thought I heard something."

"What was it?"

"I don't know – but I could have sworn I heard something."

They both remained quiet, allowing Buffy to try to focus her hearing. For a second, she thought she could almost hear breathing, which meant either someone was watching them, or there was an animal nearby.

After half a minute, Buffy decided that it was probably an animal. Not too many people in Sunnydale were dumb enough to hang around in a graveyard after dark. And the few that did, were her friends, and knew enough to at least bring a cross and stake.

Buffy shrugged.

"Must have been an animal," she told Willow. Buffy sighed and glared at the grave they were waiting on.

"Man, this guy is taking forever."

At about four in the morning, Xander walked into his new home, which, coincidentally, used to be Angel's.

The old Crawford Street Mansion looked as beat up and miserable as it always did. The only difference was the new locks that had been put on all the doors.

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like a squatter's home.

Despite being back more than a week, Xander hadn't bothered to see his parents. He had gotten as far as the door, but then simply turned around and walked away. He didn't want to face them. But unlike Buffy and Willow, where his hesitance was rooted in profound fear, with his parents it was more of a profound indifference.

Walking around Ferelden, camping under the stars, had given him a lot of time for reflection, and of all the things he had missed, his parents hadn't really been one of them. They weren't bad people, he supposed. It wasn't like they beat him or anything. And, despite coming close a few times, he had never actually starved.

It was just that the two of them seemed destined to hurt each other. Oh, the shouting was bad. No doubt about that. But it was the quiet moments that really sucked. His folks, would trade hurtful, snide, underhanded barbs at each other, in a weird game of one-upmanship.

And they weren't above putting him in the middle of it either. And maybe that wouldn't have been so bad, except that it was really the only time the paid any attention to him.

With the drinking getting steadily worse and worse every year, it just hadn't felt like home. Sadly, he couldn't really remember a time, when it ever had.

He didn't hate them, although a part of him wanted to. That would make his life so much easier. But he didn't really pity them either. They had pretty much dug their own hole, and he just didn't really have it in him to help them out of it.

So, instead of asking his parents for help, he decided that he would rather squat in a vampire's former hideout, where one of his friends was tortured and the world was nearly dragged into hell.

Xander smiled, wryly.

He made his way upstairs, and walked into one of the spare rooms where he had been sleeping. It had been used mostly for storage, but it was organized well enough that he had enough space to lay out comfortably on his sleeping bag.

Only the master bedroom had a bed. But when he first got there he took one look at it, and idly wondered if Buffy and Angel had ever, well, done anything on it. With that less than pleasant thought, he had simply closed the room and vowed to never open it again.

Ever.

He put away his weapons, taking particular care to loosen the drawstring of his new compound bow. The bow had a fascinating mechanism designed for that purpose that he wished he had back in Ferelden, because stringing up a longbow could be a pain in the ass, even when you knew what you were doing. He set it aside, and laid down to get some rest.

Xander sighed. He was really going to have to find some money soon. That meant he had to find a job. And while he was now skilled in many things, he doubted he would be able to put them on a résumé.

He chuckled as he pictured himself holding a cardboard sign, saying, "Will Rogue for Food."

After a few minutes, Xander fell asleep and dreamt of a very flexible, red-headed bard.

It was a very nice dream.

A few hours later, Xander was awake and standing outside Giles' house. He knocked on the door. The door opened, revealing the Watcher in sweat pants and a t-shirt.

"Wow, Giles, loving the look. I got to say, though, I didn't think you had any clothes that weren't librarian sheik."

Giles rolled his eyes. "And, of course, now that you know my secret, you'll simply have to be killed." He backed into his house and indicated for Xander to come in silently.

Once he was inside, he continued speaking.

"And speaking of being killed – I went to sleep last night, and you know what I noticed? That Willow and Buffy hadn't called my frantically to tell me that you were dead. So, I suppose, I can safely say you still haven't spoken to them."

"Point taken. Xander is a cowardly lion. Now, can we speak about the reason I'm here?"

"Fair enough."

"And just as an aside, just how long do you plan on staying angry with me?"

"I haven't ruled out infinity yet. So what is it you need?"

"The Killer of the Dead."

"I hear she goes by 'Buffy', these days."

"I meant the poison."

Giles gave him an odd look.

"You mean the one that Faith used on Angel before Graduation?"

"Yeah, that'd be it."

"What in the world would you want with that?"

"Curiously, I was thinking I might kill a few vampires with it. Or start my own fragrance line. I'm kind of on the fence about the whole thing, right now. But, hey, I like to dream big."

Giles shook his head, and then took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What brought this on?"

"I'm a really good shot with a bow and arrow, Giles. But, while hitting a vampire from long range in the heart isn't impossible, doing it every single time kind of is. With the poison, I don't have to worry about the one that got away, seeing as they'll be dead in a few hours."

"Did one get away?"

"No. Not yet. But they will."

Giles sighed. "I don't know, Xander. Using poison of all things, just seems so, so—"

"Underhanded and sneaky? Yeah, but I'm surprisingly comfortable with that," Xander said, finishing for Giles when he started to trail off.

"You do realize, that if the vampires catch on, it'll make Buffy a target," Giles said, referring to the fact that the only way to cure the poison, was for the vampire to drain a slayer of her blood.

"Pfft! More than she is now? Besides, a vampire with a high fever and falling over himself trying to take on Buffy for the Heavyweight Slayer Championship doesn't exactly color me with worry."

"There's something else you're forgetting."

"What?"

"Faith."

Xander winced. If word ever got out on the poison, and the vampires figured out what it was, it could potentially make her a target.

"Hold on. I need a moment to process this. I'm trying to see if I care – and, alas, I do. Being a good guy kind of sucks some times."

Xander continued to mull the idea over in his head, and considered something else.

"But, hey, didn't you and Willow do your mojo thing so that no baddies could get in her room."

"Well, yes. We did."

"Then it should be okay. After all, aren't slayers good for like a thousand different spell components, anyway? And no one's hacksawed Faith, yet."

Giles shook his head.

"I still don't like the risk."

"Well, what if we could increase the potency? So the big death takes minutes instead of hours? That would pretty much guarantee folks will leave Faith alone. Come on, it's got to at least be worth researching."

Giles perked up at the word "research" in an almost pavlovian way.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt. I believe I have some notes on the poison in my Watcher Journal that we could start off with"

"That's the spirit!"

An hour later, Giles and Xander were going through the books. They were working on translating the recipe for the poison from some sort of Gaelic into English. Well, Giles was mostly doing this part on his own.

When it came to research, Xander could cross-reference like no one's business. Actual translation, on the other hand, while doable, was a painfully slow process. So it was generally best to just let Giles do it.

Xander decided that on this front, he was best left providing moral support, which he chose to express by getting something to eat.

He went to the fridge, knowing it was almost assuredly a waste of time. Giles didn't keep food there, unless it was some sort of leftover takeout. Still it was worth a shot. Maybe there was some peanut butter or something.

But Xander was pleasantly surprised to find that he was wrong.

"Hey, Giles?"

"Yes."

"There's something wrong with your fridge."

"What?"

"It's full – as in, of food. Did a burglar break in and take pity on you?"

Giles sighed, and then replied, indignantly, "Believe it or not, I do occasionally go to the market."

Xander chuckled, sarcastically.

"Since when?"

"Since I became an adult."

Xander ignored him, deciding to rummage for something edible and quick when he noticed something odd.

"Wait – hold on a second. Wine, cheese, chocolate, strawberries, whip cream? – Hey, this is sexy food! You're trying to get laid! Eww!"

Xander closed the refrigerator door.

"The cookies were tainted with sin," he said mournfully.

"Do you absolutely have to make a scene?"

"Yes. I do. I want you to admit that you're trying to get your Watcher swerve on."

"Fine, then. Yes. I'm having an old friend over tonight. Better?"

"A sexy old friend?"

"Don't make me shoot you with a crossbow."

The ingredients for the Killer of the Dead poison were surprisingly harmless. Mostly it involved dried flowers, holy water, a type of fragrant oil and a few simple to find herbs. All of which could be bought over the counter at the local magic shop.

The preparation itself only involved a mortal and pestle. After that, all you had to do was finish up with a quick prayer in Latin, and you were in business. Just about any idiot could pull it off.

For something that had been so potent, Xander had expected that something much more demanding would be involved. Not that he was complaining, at all. Hell, he was practically giddy. It was a relief that for once a ritual didn't require the blood of some virgin.

The poison was originally designed to kill vampires, but according to the texts they found it would also work on zombies and a few lower level demons. Although with demons the results could vary wildly. For some it worked the same way it did on vampires, while on others all it did was cause a headache or a sneezing fit. But, most amusingly, there were a few documentations of demons literally bursting into flames.

That would be so cool.

Xander had decided that he wanted to whip up a batch right away, so he left immediately to go to the magic shop. He was no stranger to mortar and pestle. Back in Ferelden, he had mixed more than his fair share of poisons. That should be a snap.

His Latin was a little rusty though. He was going to have to practice that part phonetically. But at least it was Latin, and not something utterly impossible to pronounce, like Sumerian. He'd watched Giles perform a Sumerian ritual once, if it hadn't been for all the swirling lights indicating magical power, he would have sworn the guy had just been making it all up.

So, in general, things were looking up.

But then he turned a corner and saw all the police.

Crap.

There were three cop cars and a coroner's van surrounding the outside of the magic shop. And that meant bodies.

"No. You're not listening to me, officer. Kent was his first name. Todd was his last. Spelled with two d's," said the owner to one of the police officers.

Xander did the concerned citizen thing and hung back, listening to as many of the details as he could. So far it was sounding like you're standard vampire feeding frenzy. Someone was going to have to stake out poor Kent Todd's grave to make sure he didn't wake up.

The owner, a man named Mr. Willis, went over to a discreet area and started ranting out loud to himself. Luckily, Xander was nearby, so he could listen in.

"Unbelievable. That's the fourth employee this year. Why the hell do gang members keep coming here, anyway? I don't keep more than fifty bucks in the register at all times. It's store policy. How much PCP could you possibly buy with that, anyway?"

Xander sighed.

Yeah, the old magic shop was pretty much a death trap. All stores in Sunnydale attracted their fair share of vampires and demons; it was the nature of doing business on the Hellmouth. But for some reason, working at the magic shop was like wearing a giant neon sign, saying, "Eat me!"

Everybody knew it, too. Even the most oblivious of Sunnydale citizens would comment on it. Only a complete and total moron would willingly work there.

Xander took a deep, calming breath.

"Mr. Willis?"

The owner turned toward him.

"Are you hiring?"

End of Part 10