Disclaimer: Hellboy is the property of Dark Horse Comics and Mike Mignola. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are both the property of Mutant Enemy and their affiliates. I own neither, and am writing this neither for commercial distribution nor profit. If they so require I will take this down whenever they ask. Original Characters are my property and may be used only with permission. Seriously folks, all you have to do is ask. I'm writing Fanfiction for crying out loud.
10. The Jackals
Xander Harris was awake. Next to him his fiancé slept peacefully. He looked down at her almost angelic face and smirked to himself. Boy was the reality different from the image. Still, he loved her, really loved her, and it confused the hell out of him. She was abrasive, loud mouthed, vicious. She was honest, strangely compassionate at times, and let's face it, a demon in the sack. What a bundle. But he still was kicking himself over all the things he never really did tell her.
Like when the moon was dark, how he could barely restrain the urge to prowl around town. One night a month, the new moon, he was a complete insomniac. Of course, hardly anyone noticed. They did so much at night it was hardly ever an issue. Plus he wasn't the only one who never slept. Plenty of others couldn't because of the nightmares or the demons. For him it was because on that night, Africa would sing in his blood. And that scared him so much that he hadn't ever told anyone about it. He hardly admitted it to himself, unless he couldn't deny it.
Like tonight.
He got out of bed, careful not to wake Anya. Of course she slept like the dead, so that wasn't terribly hard. Quietly he put on his clothes and went to retrieve the box that he got out on Saturdays; the one that the Scoobies other than Anya had no idea he owned. Walking into the kitchen, he started the coffee maker and sat down at their little table. Opening the box he carefully inspected the contents.
He slid his nine millimeter pistol out, and in a series of quick motions ejected the magazine, removed the slide and slid the barrel apart. Taking out a rag and oil, he carefully cleaned the weapon, his meticulous care helping to soothe the part of his mind that just wanted to run around rutting and fighting with everything that wouldn't bend knee to him.
In this town it meant he would probably get into a fight with over half the population; and most of it was a lot scarier than he was.
Finishing with the first pistol he set it aside, working through his quite illegal sawed off shotgun and onto his other nine millimeter. Finally he packed everything up into the box and walked out onto their little landing to watch the sun crest the horizon. It was time for his Saturday morning ritual, after all.
0oooo0oooo0
Xander parked his pickup where he usually did on Saturdays, and walked onto the range. The other regulars knew him now. He'd been coming here for almost two years now, after all. He had his habits too. Walking down range he fixed his targets at three different ranges, one at the very edge of his pistol's effective distance, and walked back to the line.
He waited for the all clear with his eyes closed, one pistol laying on the table in front of him and one in a shoulder holster under his jacket. The all clear sounded and Xander's eyes snapped open. He swept the automatic on the table into his hand and settled into a textbook perfect Weaver stance. The barrel came up. Sharp reports, one after another, as he fired and allowed the barrel to settle before firing again, as fast as was truly possible with any prayer of hitting anything.
The second the receiver clicked on empty, he dropped the weapon to the table and drew his other pistol, barely breaking his pace. Again, the pistol sang in his hands. Thirty seconds and thirty two rounds later Xander settled himself, placing the second weapon down with care and waiting patiently.
Joe Cain, the owner of the Sunnydale Firing Range walked over and sat down next to Xander while they waited. Xander shot him a look and Joe smiled at him.
"You shoot fast son," Joe said. Xander shrugged.
"I figure I won't have time to buff my nails if something bad happens."
"Well that's God's honest truth," Joe said. They waited in silence for the others to finish. Finally the all clear sounded again and Joe followed Xander out.
His groupings were tight. Incredibly tight, by and large. Most of them were less than half an inch apart, and all of them were in the target zones. All three paper targets looked alike as Xander took out a black marker and circled various things on the concentric rings.
"That's some aim you have there," Joe said. Xander nodded, his eyes distant, remembering another man. Who fought in a jungle hell and learned how to fight the hard way; the sneaky way. A man whose memories Xander had stolen what seemed like a lifetime ago.
"It's what keeps your family alive and safe," Xander replied. "And the other guy dead."
Joe nodded, and the two of them walked back to the line again. Xander pulled out two fresh magazines and locked them into place, one after another. He looked over when Joe cleared his throat.
"You ever think about teaching that?" Joe asked. "I know a few cops that could stand to learn how to shoot the way you do."
"In Sunnydale?" Xander asked, racking the slide of his pistol. "Who'd believe it?"
Joe laughed. "True. But still, you could make some money on the side, and we need someone to teach the pistol safety course out here."
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline," Xander said. "Family doesn't really want me out here like this. Something like that would really get to them."
"Son," Joe said after a moment of silence. "I love my family, but you... you have a gift. And sometimes family ain't always right. You think on that, eh?"
Xander nodded, tucking his spare pistol into the box and the other into his shoulder holster. "I can't promise I will; I'm not much for thinking most days frankly. But I'll leave that for another day. Right now I've got to go; have a date with a pretty lady."
Joe watched Xander walk away and shook his head. Some folks just didn't even want to help themselves. Maybe there was a balance to it, Joe mused. Maybe for every man like Harris, there was someone else out there who went for everything, accepted who he was and his talents. Joe wondered what a man like that would look like.
0oooo0oooo0
The bar was a sleazy roadhouse. Most of the inhabitants of Sunnydale knew full well that the "Pig Roaster" was a place you steered clear of if you valued keeping your hide intact. Or if you were interested in some of the various recreational pharmaceuticals that were available, you made your buy and then you booked.
Fast.
Still, the place managed to be full of raucous bikers on that Friday night. Most of them were harmless, but a few of them were very much 'upstanding' members of the local Hell's Angels, which included far more actual angels from Hell than most could boast. Still, even the hardest of these customers weren't bothering the white haired man and his beautiful pale companion with her short ponytail.
Perhaps it was the way the white haired man openly wore an archaic Winchester slung over his back or the strange necklaces that the woman had around her neck. Maybe it was the obvious scars that both of them sported, not so much marring their unusually fit bodies so much as accentuating them; much the way that the bikers in the smoky bar sported tattoos that were a poor imitation of the real deal.
Ezekiel picked up his beer mug and looked at the contents dubiously. "Sarah, I do love you, but why on God's green earth did you pick this particular establishment for this meetin'?"
"Because no one will ever want to remember us here," Sarah said with a smile. She patted Ezekiel's hand. "And because our lovely contacts said this was a good place to meet them."
"What're they, wild dogs?" Ezekiel groused. A bar fight was moving towards them, a tussle that would have quickly smashed into their table if Ezekiel hadn't intercepted one of the thug's jaw with his outstretched fist.
"More than you might think," Sarah said. She narrowed her eyes. "They're young, but watch them. They're not fully... human."
"Hm," Ezekiel said, but made no further comment. He didn't have much longer to wait when the doors of the bar were smashed open and four very lean and scary looking people walked in. They were a motley bunch, two men, two women. Brunette and blonde of each one. There was something about them though; something that marked them with a sameness that their gaudy biker look couldn't achieve. They moved together.
Like a pack, Ezekiel realized. But there was something else. The brunette male and female exchanged a look, and they pushed their way through the crowd. One very large biker got in the way of the brunette girl. She couldn't have weighed over 140, and her pixie haircut and hawkish face made her look even more delicate than she actually was. She didn't even break stride towards the table, just backhanded him. The biker flew a good three feet and landed on one of the makeshift tables, crushing it.
Several of the guy's friends looked like they might try something, until the rest of the group were behind them. They growled a little, and the would be fight simply dissipated. The brunette girl and boy sat down. The blondes watched the crowd with their predator's eyes.
"You Ezekiel?" the girl asked. Ezekiel smiled thinly.
"I might be called that," he said. "You are the Jackals."
"Very good," the man said clapping. "Kyle DuFours, and this lovely lady is Rhonda Kelley."
"And I'm Sarah," Sarah said pointedly. She took out a photograph and slid it across the table. "And this here is the mark. Goes by the name Dawn Summers."
"Summers," Kyle said thoughtfully. "Hm. Couldn't be. She was an only child. All right, what's the order?"
"Straight old fashioned kidnapping," Ezekiel said. "Now the girl must be brought in alive. Tranqs only. No live ammo. If she dies, I kill you. Understood?"
"Crystal clear," Rhonda said. She looked over at the rest. "We ride out tonight, make the hit, and deliver her to you at this address right?"
"Exactly that," Sarah said. She took out a duffel bag and smiled, putting it on the table. "This is your 25 upfront. Enjoy."
Kyle snatched it up with a smile and slung it over his shoulder. "Oh we will. Alright guys, looks like we're going home for real. Gosh it'll be great to see the old 'alma mater'."
The strange cackling laughter of all four of them made even Ezekiel's hair stand on end a little. Sarah had a troubled expression but she shook her head.
"If they're as good as their rep, this will go off without a hitch," Sarah said.
"Unless something awkward happens," Ezekiel added. He gave Sarah a look and for a long moment their eyes were locked. Both of them spoke together in stereo.
"... And we're on the Hellmouth."
0oooo0oooo0
"...and one for the Dawn-patrol," Xander said, handing a sandwich over to Dawn. They were sitting on a park bench under the weakening noonday sun of the early October sky. The two of them were having lunch, as had become their habit, on Saturdays. Xander did it to get away from Anya for a bit; he loved her but she could be clingy as hell when she was in the mood. That and she kept bugging him about the engagement announcement. It was nice to get away for a little.
Dawn, well Xander wasn't entirely sure why she came, but he thought that she needed time to herself too. After all, she was a sixteen year old girl who headed up a company that now had seven employees and was without any previous experience. Though Slade and Buffy did a lot of the work too, she was the one who made the lion's share of the actual 'directing' decisions. Slade was happy to follow and Buffy... well, Xander knew deep down that Buffy hadn't been quite right since she came back.
He kept hoping that she'd change back to the, well not exactly fun loving Buffy of the past few years, but a reasonable facsimile. But she wasn't. He knew it in his bones. She was different; and he honestly wondered if she really did hate them for bringing her back. So that left them here, in the park. Dawn picked up her sandwich and looked at it much the way a lion would a gazelle. She took a huge bite out of it and grinned.
"Thanks Xander," she said. "Nummy as always."
"I am a man of many talents," Xander said, leaning back with his arms crossed behind his head, looking smug and superior. Dawn laughed.
"I bet," she said after swallowing.
"So, how's life as the big evil corporate boss lady?" Xander asked, adjusting his Carheart jacket to ease up on his shoulder holster.
"Evil and corporate," Dawn shrugged. "Mostly paperwork. Buffy did a surprisingly good job guarding that guy from Dubai last week. He was heading towards pissed, I think because of Buffy's 'unique' attitude, until a bunch of Frey-Lyn demons jumped him. Boy did that change his opinion in a hurry. If he's ever back in the area, he's going to request her by name."
"Aah Buffy," Xander said wistfully. "Bringing diplomacy and harmony wherever she goes."
Dawn pulled a face at that and took another bite of her sandwich. She was leaning over when Xander spotted it. He didn't even have time to register what 'it' was. He simply reached out and jerked Dawn's shoulder to the left. She squawked at him in indignation, but Xander simply pointed down. A long dart was buried where her back had been, deep into the wood of the park bench.
Dawn was just working through her shock; Xander though, had reached behind himself and pulled out his automatic pistol, and brought it around. With a snarl he pulled the trigger once. There was a shout of outrage and then there was silence. Dawn turned around to look at the utterly shocked face of a young blonde girl looking down at a rifle laying on the ground. Dawn could see the ding on its barrel from where Xander's bullet had hit.
"Weapons, now," Xander gestured with his free hand to the ground.
All four of them acquiesced. Xander smiled thinly.
"Good, now all four of you come over here together."
She frowned, and flicked her eyes to the side. She'd regained enough awareness after Warren Mears' 'stunt' that she could at least feel within a hundred yards or so now. There was no risk of surprise. But it was Xander's hard eyed expression that drew her attention the most.
"Howdy," Xander said as all four of them pulled to a stop, their arms raised. "I'd ask how you're doing, I mean you seem to be a little better; but I don't know if shooting girls with tranquilizer darts is a step up on cannibalism. Why don't you tell me?"
"We're sorry Harris," the brunette girl sounded truly apologetic. "We didn't know she was yours, or we never would have taken the job. Honest boss."
She did something slightly odd then, moving her head to the side a little and then back. Xander relaxed just a tad. "She's one of my girls, yeah. So, why don't we play the question game? Starting with this one; why were you going to tranq her?"
"Job," the male responded this time.
"So you're mercs now?" Xander asked. The blonde guy snorted.
"What were we gonna do Harris? Become rocket scientists? Work for the normal military? That ain't our way and you know it."
Dawn watched a number of alien expressions cross Xander's face. It finally settled in an unusually intense glare.
"Yeah," Xander said quietly. "I know. Who sanctioned this one? Who's the front man?"
"I..." the blonde trailed off. Xander smiled slowly.
"You remember who I am right?" Xander said. Dawn noticed something... strange. Xander's stance had changed, his entire demeanor. He was like... Riley, she realized. The snaps that she had seen, the moments of professionalism; he was a soldier. Somewhere deep inside her mind she was kicking herself. How the hell had she missed this? I mean suspicions were one thing, but that pistol shot had been... almost impossible. You only saw things like that in movies.
"We remember," the blonde replied. "We remember."
"Good," Xander said, narrowing his eyes. "Who? Now."
"Some guy named Ezekiel," the blonde crumbled. "But honest, it was..."
"I understand, even if I'm not happy," Xander said, holding up a hand. "But this isn't the way we do things here folks. You don't want to be the guys responsible for changing the rules, do you?"
"No sir," the blonde said. "I... we didn't mean any disrespect."
Dawn stood up and glared at the four around her. "You taking the contract then?"
"No ma'am," the blonde girl said, still rubbing her arm from where her own rifle had hit her. "We'll give them back the money, walk away."
"Good," Dawn said. "All right you four. Come with us. I think we have some things to talk about."
She kept her eyes on Xander as she spoke, and Xander flinched away from her sight, but nodded. Picking up their weapons and slinging them, the four mercenaries walked in front of Dawn and Xander. It was a long and very quiet walk.
0oooo0oooo0
"I... I still don't believe it," Andrew whispered, looking at the 3S R&D and fabrication room. "This... I didn't even know there was anything like this in Sunnydale. It's so beautiful, like Reed Richards' lab brought to life!"
"I can only hope," Fred commented with a small grin. She looked over at Jonathan who was still speechless. "How about you?"
"Lady, I'll work for you for food alone to get a chance to work with things like this," Jonathan said finally. "I... this is like what we were dreaming of. And we don't even have to rob a bank."
"That's the hope," Fred shook her head. " 'cause if you ever do that again, I figure Aurora really will do something horrible to you."
Both of them looked quite nervous, but they nodded. Fred laughed once, shaking her head. She walked over to her bench and pulled out some of the sketches that she'd done, along with a few technical components blown up and further detailed. She handed the blueprints over to Jonathan, Andrew hovering over Jonathan's shoulder.
"So boys," she said. "What do you think?"
"I... this is incredible!" Jonathan said, looking over the blueprints that Fred had handed him. "This... this is like the holy grail of sci-fi combat! And... it's only a little way away from being finished."
"Holy Heinlein," Andrew whispered. He looked over at Fred. "You modified this from one of Warren's robo-girlfriends, didn't you?"
"How'd you know?" she asked. Andrew giggled self consciously.
"I was the only other person who helped him make the cores," Andrew explained. He looked suddenly thoughtful and turned to Jonathan. "But I never thought of using it like this. I feel like an idiot."
"Well the last bit is always the hardest," Fred stated, leaning against a bench in her white lab coat and her arms crossed under her chest. However, her smile was genuine and sweet at the two boys' awed expressions. "I need help workin' on the articulation. It just isn't functioning right and I don't know enough engineering to make it do what I want."
"This will be easy," Jonathan said after a moment of consideration. He shot Fred a look. "We've already done this before, it's just a larger scale."
"Then why don't you two show me what you can do?" Fred smiled. She gestured to the parts on the workbench. The two looked at each other, then at the bench. Then they sat down and started working.
Fred was startled by a slamming door. She stood up straighter and reached a hand inside her coat. She relaxed when Tara stuck her head inside. They'd hired her on as a receptionist for half the week. Fred had gotten to like her over the last few days. Both of them were shy, but there was a kind of solidity to Tara that Fred found comforting. She was probably the sanest person other than Aurora around. Though she could admit that she was not in the most objective position.
"W-we have a problem," Tara said. Fred blinked.
"What kind of problem?"
"Dawnie's a bit angry right now. She just came in with a bunch of guys wearing weapons and dumped them in the conference room. Should I call Slade?"
"I think that'd be best," Fred stated after a second. She looked at Tara. "Shotgun?"
"N-no thanks," Tara said, holding her hands out. Fred shrugged and walked over to a nearby cabinet. She punched in a series of numbers on a keypad set into the solid door. It popped open with a hiss and Fred hoisted a twelve gauge out of it.
"Fine," Fred acknowledged. She rocked the slide, catching the round that flew out of the ejector with a nod. With an ominous click she reloaded the round into the weapon. The sound was awfully loud in the very quiet laboratory. "Your loss. But me? I'm a fan of being prepared."
0oooo0oooo0
Dawn walked into her office, Xander trailing behind her. She shut the door as he passed through and turned to face him.
"Okay," Dawn said in a level voice. "Honesty time. What was that?"
Xander fidgeted, and opened his mouth, but Dawn raised her hand.
"See this?" she stated, making a dark expression. Xander nodded. "Good. This is my 'I don't want bullshit from Xander' face. Like the resolve face, but with an extra dose of 'what the hell?'. Now, I know this isn't just a simple one time thing. You slip up too much Xander. Truth. Please?"
"I don't like the truth," Xander said, uncharacteristically quiet. Dawn shook her head.
"Neither did I, but I had to face it anyway," she replied. "Xander, I love you like a brother. Please don't do this to me too. One sister who won't talk to you is bad enough."
Xander smiled a little, but it faded as his eyes became almost blank looking. Dawn felt a chill go down her spine. The real Xander, stripped of that mask he wore, stared out at her. And what was underneath was almost terrifying. "Fine. So you know how in our sophomore year I was possessed by the Hyena spirit?"
"I remember something about it, yeah?" Dawn stated. Xander nodded.
"Those four guys," Xander said, pointing down. "Were the others. They... they ate Principal Flutie Dawn. They managed to get the spirits off of us, but... it doesn't just leave you."
"I thought you couldn't remember it," Dawn said slowly. Xander shook his head.
"I remember everything Dawnie," Xander said. "And somewhere it's still in there. Africa... you know? It's a part of me. A part of them now. Back then I was their alpha, you see? I was the head man, the boss."
"What about the guns?" Dawn asked. Realization hit her hard and she collapsed back into her chair, looking at the desktop. "The soldier thing; it stuck too didn't it?"
"Yeah, it did," Xander said. Dawn looked up and there were tears in her eyes. Her voice was hoarse. A single word, full of pain and understanding.
"Why?"
"Because they didn't want it to be true," Xander said with a sad smile of his own. "Because they wanted me to have a normal life, and they wanted to keep me safe. Because Buffy wouldn't get it, you know? She's all 'I'm save the world chick, stay out of my way'"
"Yeah," Dawn said, feeling completely exhausted. "I do. God."
She got out of her chair and walked around her desk to hug him tight. He returned the hug. "How much of your ability have you been hiding?"
"A bit," Xander said. "But less than you might think. The thing is, I'm better with guns; Buffy didn't want anything to do with them. I went to the range every morning for the last two years. Had to keep in practice, it's sticking just fine. I'm stronger than most guys, you notice I look pretty buff?"
"Yeah," Dawn smirked.
"Never worked out a day in my life," Xander said. "It's all Hyena. I heal and move faster too; it's the only way I can even hope to keep up with her. Even then, it's so small a difference that next to Willow or Buffy you'd never notice."
"The soldier's memories... who was he?" she asked. Xander shut his eyes.
"His name was John Lucas," Xander said. "And he died in Vietnam. He was a hell of a soldier. Died saving his platoon. A hero."
"You know that I still love you Xander," Dawn said. She looked up at him, relaxing her hug. "But I want you to stop this. Stop hiding things from us; from me. Please. I... look I'll tell you this. I'm afraid okay? I like Slade a lot, but there's a lot of things I don't know about him. Buffy is being stupid like she always is. And Willow..."
Xander's head snapped around as she trailed off. She frowned in thought.
"I'm worried about her Xander," she said finally. She looked over at him. "This magic, it scares me when it's in her hands. I'm scared enough of myself, and I spent a whole year honing this as best I could. You're the only person I know I can trust Xander. So don't you ever lie to me, okay? I love you, no matter who you are, and I'm proud of you."
Xander said nothing, but looked thoughtful. Dawn's frown slid into a look of resolve.
"You're still their alpha, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Xander said. Dawn looked up.
"How would you like to be someone working for us part time? If these guys will just follow you, then maybe we can make this a real advantage..."
"You don't know what you're asking me to do," Xander said, catching on instantly. Dawn smirked to herself. He really did have the soldier buried down there. "I..."
"Look, you're lying to my sister, lying to your best friend, lying to your girlfriend. Please just stop. If they can't accept you for who you are, then please let the rest of us. I mean, Slade would be thrilled. I figure Anya would too."
"I don't think you understand," Xander said. "I don't want to be a killer Dawn, and if I..."
"What?" Dawn cut him off. Her eyes blazed. "Do you think I want to be a killer? Huh? Do you think that I actually enjoy all this? I killed Ben, for God's sake Xander. I snapped the neck of an innocent man; I did something Buffy couldn't do. As a fifteen year old. So don't you dare preach at me about being a killer."
Xander flinched and looked aside. There was silence for a moment, and then Xander looked back at her. However, there was a flicker of something behind his eyes. There was determination there and for the first time in a while, Xander looked a little more steady and a little less torn.
"If I open myself to this though, I may... I know who I am Dawn," he said in measured tones. "If I... If I start to go bad, please."
"I know you too Xander," Dawn said, walking forward. "And I know what you are inside; you show it every day when you help us, fight to keep us safe. And I am not afraid of you. Neither is Anya; come to think of it, I'm not sure she's actually truly afraid of anything."
"Other than bunnies," Xander laughed and looked a little thoughtful as Dawn trailed off.
She raised her voice again. "But if you do go bad? Then I'll do it myself."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
0oooo0oooo0
Dawn and Xander walked down the stairs to see a slightly nervous looking Tara standing there. She was shifting from foot to foot, but relaxed a little when Dawn smiled at her.
"I couldn't get Slade, I don't know how to reach him if he doesn't have his cell," Tara said. Dawn shook her head from side to side.
"I don't think we'll need it," Dawn replied, but she gave Tara a thankful nod. "Thanks for trying though. Where are our guests at the moment?"
"Still where they were," Tara said. Dawn nodded.
"Thanks," she said. She motioned to Xander. "Come on. Chat time."
The two of them pushed the doors aside and walked into the downstairs conference room. She looked at the group and frowned.
"You guys have a name?" she asked. The blonde guy, Tor Hauer according to Xander, smirked at her.
"We're the Jackals, girl," Tor replied with a lazy roll of his head.
"Like good old Carlos, has a nice ring; for a bunch of hired guns," Dawn mused. Suddenly her hair flared into white light and her eyes glowed at them. "And my name isn't girl, animal, it's Aurora. Remember it."
The four of them inched away from her, looking extremely uncomfortable. Dawn let the light fade away and her frowned deepened. "Now, I understand you guys work for money right?"
"Yeah," Tor replied slowly. Dawn nodded.
"Fine," she said. "I have a negotiation for you then. I want to hire you, if only to keep you out of our hair."
"I don't think you can afford us," Tor replied. Dawn shrugged.
"Maybe, but not every form of payment is money. Tell me, when was the last time you guys actually lived in one place? Had a home for more than a few nights huh?"
The four of them started shifting nervously. Dawn smirked. "I think you'd like to have a territory, wouldn't you? We have one right here, and it's infested with things that need to die. Sounds like your kind of work."
She noticed all four were paying much closer attention now. She leaned forward and planted her hands on the table. "How about this? I get you legit security jobs; here and L.A. mostly, and you get a home base; a place where people won't just take your heads or stab you in the back. Downside? You do what he tells you to."
She pointed at Xander. It was very strange to see the look of hopefulness on the faces of his former pack. Xander took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"That's right," Xander said. "You work for me. I'm the boss now."
"You always were," Tor said, bowing his head a little. Dawn sighed a little and turned to walk out. She paused at the door, looking over her shoulder.
"Xander, you know what you have to do," she said. "Now, I've got some other things to take care of now. Let me know what you decide, and we'll work it out."
Not for the first time, Dawn wondered if other CEO's has to fly as much by the seat of their pants as she did. Because if they did, her respect for Corporate America would be taking a massive upswing.
0oooo0oooo0
The dark echoed with sounds of dripping water wearing away the limestone that capped the surface of the Hellmouth. The being that called itself Winston Slade knelt at the base of an ancient statue. One buried for millennia. The Temple of Ngg-Thsathq-hem.
The temple of his father.
He remembered when you could still see the sky and sea from here. His father had always loved the skies and sun. Ngg-Thsathq-hem had spent its days flying in the skies. The temple had once been constructed like the grasping arms of the Ogdru Hem itself, clawing at the vault of the heavens. Now, however, there was no one left to sing the old songs. No one left to hear the rush of the winds and the power of the Uncaring Sun. Ngg-Thasthq-hem was interred in a floating prison-coffin within the Deeper Well and none of his children remained to call to the heavens.
It had taken him a month to find it in the labyrinth of Hellmouth. Buried by the foes of his father, long ago. Perhaps Illyr-na-hem had done it. She was vengeful, and ruled the lands with a clawed fist the size of a mountain. Others had corrupted it, followers of the Fallen One, the greatest other than Anum- Lucifer Morningstar. It disgusted him to see his racial foes having desecrated this place.
"I am sorry," he said to the statue of his father. His hissing speech would be indecipherable by all but Aurora. "I failed you all. I am all that remains."
The whispered echoes twisted back on him, and his ears heard something other than his reflected words. He narrowed his eyes and looked up.
"I swear to you," he said quietly. "She will never reign over your world. They will stop her Ascension. It has been foretold that she would walk free from her prison. When she does I will be there."
The angry echoes seemed satisfied with this, subsiding. Slade stood up when a glint caught his eyes. Wonder filled him as he strode forward, brushing dust aside from the base of his father's statue. He began to frantically dig, his hands shoveling sand aside as quickly as possible. He stepped back when it was revealed, a slight tear in his aged eyes.
Laid before him was the raiment of his father's champion. The bronzed armor glinted in the half light cast by the flames that sputtered around Slade's hands. He knelt slowly, gathering it up in his arms. His smile grew broader, his jagged teeth revealed in their inhuman glory. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes.
"Thank you," he whispered. "I will do what is necessary- they will be protected."
The light that was cast upon the statue of a long dead alien god faded as Slade left the temple. The life that the dragon had brought left with him. The temple once again was quiet, empty, and still. Until the day that the Black Sorceress would raise it to destroy the world. But until Hecate, iron of skin, dark of power, and oh so human of heart called upon the temple, it would rest.
0oooo0oooo0
Xander was sitting still, looking at the far wall of Mr. Wink's training circle. Across from him were the Jackals. His Jackals, potentially. Now all he had to do was prove it the old way; a no shirt, no shoes good old fashioned knife fight. He flexed his shoulder around, loosening himself up for this, and allowing the memories of another man that he kept so far away to surface.
But, as they say, first things first. The imposing Mr. Wink stood with his arms crossed in the center of the circle. Keeping the peace until the fight. Then, the thing that Xander was waiting for happened. A beautiful heart shaped face and a fall of blonde hair that he knew so well now came around the corner.
"Xander?" Anya asked. She gave the Jackals a sidelong glance. "Who're they? And not that I mind but why aren't you wearing a shirt? Is this some strange male Californian thing?"
"They're why I called you," he said. He looked down at his fists and clenched them. "I... I've been hiding some things from you. And I'm not happy about it, but I'm tired of hiding it."
He went on to explain how the Hyena still sang in his blood when the moon was dark, and how the soldiers memories kept threatening to overwhelm his own. She seemed to accept this; in fact she seemed like she was able to make sense of a lot of the past few years when he explained it all. She only had one real request.
"Next time you go to the range, take me huh."
"What?" Xander asked. She gave him a wolfish smile.
"I like shooting things, sure it's primitive, but it's great stress relief."
Of course the magics weren't really the tough one. Then he got to the hardest part of all.
"I... I know where I'm coming from Anya," he said after a moment. "I'm afraid. I... somewhere in me is this animal, the shell shocked soldier, and..."
Anya, who had been uncharacteristically quiet overall for the past fifteen minutes, spoke up with a raised eyebrow. "Anthony Harris?"
Xander stopped. He turned to look at her with an expression of shock. Anya gave an exasperated sigh.
"Look, Xander," she said in irritation. "You think I haven't seen this before? I've lived a thousand years. Your daddy issues aren't anything new to me. Geeze, what kinds of men do you think ended up causing all those problems I used to avenge huh?"
"Alright," she said, shaking her head at Xander, who still appeared to be in shock. She knelt down next to him and pulled his face close to hers. "Xander, I was a demon for years. I've seen evil. I've seen more evil than you'd ever want to see. But you know what? In all those years I've never met another guy who's braver or had done more genuine good in this world. Hyena spirits, soldier's ghosts, drunken louts of fathers, I don't care. I know who you are Xander. And I'm not afraid of you. I love you, you idiot."
And she kissed him. In a way that left absolutely no doubt what she felt for him. She leaned back. "You're a better man than him. If you turned into Darth Vader tomorrow, you'd still be a better man than him."
"Then... then I want you to do something for me," Xander said. He reached into her pocket, where he knew she kept it. He opened the box and slid the ring onto her finger. "Wear this."
The look on her face was priceless. Any other woman would have cried. Anya wasn't most women. Her grin was almost Slade-like in it's broadness, and her eyes flashed with the fury that was always a few inches from the surface. She leaned in again and kissed him with a fierce heat.
Backing off she turned to look at the wary forms of the Jackals standing there and smiled. And there was something in that smile that carried across the power of a Greater Demon that had once rested within her. She raised her hand and waved at them cheerfully, prominently displaying her ring. "Hey there guys! Meet the new Alpha Bitch. Now Xander, get your lazy butt up here and show these puppies what you can do."
0oooo0oooo0
"That's a cool suit of armor," Dawn observed. She was sitting with her legs crossed on top of Slade's desk. His own office was the smallest of the three by a significant margin. However, his walls were already filling with various weapons and artifacts. Some Dawn knew. Others, like the bronze armor Slade was now polishing meticulously, were completely foreign.
It was a beautiful piece. An articulated breastplate made of something that looked like bronze, it was covered in carvings and reliefs. Coiling serpents and dragons' faces created the impression of pauldrons. The gauntlets were almost like paws of a great beast, sweeping back away from the wrist.
"It is that," Slade replied with a mysterious smile. He maneuvered the gauntlet to the side and did something. A two foot blade sprang from it, causing Dawn to jump back slightly. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the glittering edge of the forearm sword.
"Where did you get it?" Dawn asked, mystified. "It isn't like anything I've ever seen."
"It belonged to the champion of the City of the Dragons," Slade said quietly.
Dawn's eyes widened, and Slade put the gauntlet gently on his broad oak desk. He looked up into her eyes, dancing with a thousand questions. He smiled just a little more and spoke.
"This was not always a Hellmouth," Slade said. "And humans do not hold the monopoly upon hubris. The Ars Draconis were just as arrogant, and it cost them. Now all that's left is me and this armor."
"I'm sorry," Dawn said, looking away.
"It isn't your fault," Slade said. His voice was raspy, and very tired. "If anything, you saved us all. But that is a story for another time I think. Where's Xander? Don't you usually spend your Saturday nights with him and Fred at the bar?"
"He ran into some old High School friends," Dawn shrugged. "We're trying to strike a deal with them. They seem like they could be good contractors. And Fred is busy breaking in the newbies. Emphasis on breaking. But she's such a sweetie that they'll be fine. I think now they're halfway between terror and goddess worship. She's like their dream woman – Seven of Nine or something. And this project has Andrew and Jonathan really excited. Apparently she really was working on something revolutionary."
"Fred is a genius," Slade said. He lifted the breastplate to hang it on a peg set into the wall. "It was said by some that the humans are pathetic. But I have come to believe that they are far more powerful and even worthy than the First Ones ever gave them credit for. Never in my life have I encountered minds like that of Fred or Willow. Their genius is inherently human; and those who scoff at it will pay for it."
Slade smiled grimly into the now gleaming surface of his armor. "And I want to be the one to collect on their misfortune."
"You know you never told me why you decided to help me," Dawn said. Slade lowered his head.
"Because I know who you are Aurora," Slade said after a long silence. "And I can see what you would become."
"And what is that?" Dawn asked, intrigued. Slade turned around slowly.
"Something this world hasn't seen in a very long time," Slade replied. His face became completely expressionless as he looked into her eyes. "Hope."
Dawn blinked. "But why... the Key?"
"No," Slade said with a shake of his head and a grin. "Not the Key. Maybe one day you'll see it for yourself. But I can't make you understand, can't even really explain it unless you have the context to understand it."
Their conversation was interrupted by a breathless looking Jonathan opening Slade's office door. Both of the Senior Partners looked over at him with some surprise.
"Xander," Jonathan wheezed. "He's in a fight with them or something down in the ring."
"It isn't a spar?" Dawn asked. Jonathan shook his head.
"No, too many knives and too much blood for that," Jonathan said. Dawn cursed as Slade gave her a questioning look.
"Tell you later," Dawn said. They rippled and phased into Mr. Wink's room. Drawing her spear from her coat, extending it, even as Slade curled his fists and the two of them ran into the room.
The scene they came upon was pretty hard to decipher. Xander was standing inside the circle, knife in his hand, blade down. Opposite him, Tor circled around, his fangs bared. The other three Jackals were on the ground, propped against a bench. They were covered in cuts, but they were watching the fight with tremendous attention. To Dawn's surprise, she saw Anya leaning against the wall closest to Xander, directly opposite the Jackals with a decidedly predatory look on her heart shaped face.
Dawn picked her way over, not wanting to interrupt, but she looked on in wariness. "What's the hell is this?"
Xander and Tor were just staring at each other. Anya, turned her demon smile on Dawn. "My man is proving that he's the biggest of them all. Not that that's gonna be hard. I've seen a lot of men over the years, and I have to say that he's one of the most well en..."
"Enough!" Dawn nearly shouted. Not that it seemed to matter to the two combatants. "How many times do I have to say it? No. More. Xander. Sex. Analogies."
"Well anyway," Anya said breezily. She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "He's proving that he's still Alpha. So far so good. Plus it will be nice to have minions."
"Is that what I think it is," Dawn interjected, looking at the ring on Anya's finger. Anya didn't do anything but smile further. Dawn's smile was quickly growing to match hers. "Then congratulations."
"What?" Slade asked in confusion. Dawn had almost missed his approach he was being so quiet. She turned towards her fellow Senior Partner.
"The ring symbolizes intent to marry," Dawn explained. Slade shook his head in exasperation.
"Not that," he muttered. "I know what an engagement ring is. I meant that comment about minions."
"Simple really," Anya sighed. "Xander beats the last of them and then I'll be the Alpha female of course. I could use someone to do the heavy lifting. It'll be fun."
Xander and Tor were moving now, and Slade had a suddenly neutral expression as he watched Xander handle the knife. Three quick slashes rendered Tor's knife hand useless. Tor switched hands when he backed off, but it was pretty clear that Xander was going to win this.
"How?" Slade asked, his voice almost deadly quiet. His eyes were focused on the fight completely.
"They 'encouraged' him to hide who he was," Dawn said. She frowned and stood up straight. Slade edged away a little and gave her a sidelong glance. "Of course if he wasn't so insecure about... pretty much everything, then he would have stood up to them. Whatever the case it ends now; we need a guy like that. Two of us override Buffy now. If she puts up a fight we just do it."
"Agreed," the dragon spoke. "He is too valuable to waste. He is much better than I ever thought him to be. He is skillful at making people underestimate him."
"More than I ever knew," Dawn said in a dark voice. "Makes me wonder what else I've been missing."
"You have enough to worry about without jumping at bunny shaped shadows," Anya spoke up with a shake of her head. "You miss some things, get others. I'm just glad you're taking my man seriously."
"Yeah," Dawn said quietly. "But I'm not so sure that he is."
Xander stood tall, blood from a few nicks and cuts on his bare muscled chest dripping to the floor, a red stained knife in each hand. Tor was on the floor, clutching his other forearm. Tor gave a whimper and got to his feet. Xander sheathed the knives in his belt, and helped him up, throwing an arm over him to support him. Gently he walked them over to the pack and set him down. All four of them looked up at him now and he nodded.
"Get yourselves cleaned up," he said. "I think obvious bloodstains are out, even for mercenary chic. We got a message to deliver to this Ezekiel. I want to deliver it in style."
"What style is that?" Dawn asked. All five of them turned to look at her and Xander laughed.
"My personal favorite," Xander said with a wide smile. "Blow them up while you're half a mile away, hiding under a table like a frightened girl."
Tor and Heidi joined in with laughter as Xander explained what he had in mind. Anya shook her head. "Cowardice and practicality. And that is why I love him. Well that and..."
"ANYA!"
0oooo0oooo0
Ezekiel and Sarah carefully entered the building. The place was dark, and just about every danger sense the he'd developed in his short and violent life was warning Ezekiel that he shouldn't be here. But it was the agreed upon rendezvous. Sarah walked beside him, her arms loose at her sides. Ezekiel stiffened as he heard a strange whirring noise. Whipping his rifle around he watched in shock as a small plastic remote control truck pulled up and bumped into his foot.
He blinked and cocked his head to the side. It was dragging the duffel that he'd given to the Jackals. His 'oh shit' senses were tingling again. Cautiously he looked at Sarah, who made a few gestures over the bag. She frowned as well.
"Looks clean. Only thing in there is a radio and the money. All of it."
Ezekiel frowned and leaned forward. Carefully he opened the bag. The radio crackled to life.
"We're sorry," a voice came through, one that Ezekiel didn't know. "But due to unforeseen complications the Jackals will be unable to complete the task you gave them. But, hey, here's your money back. No problems or anything. Go on, take it."
Carefully, Ezekiel hefted it onto his shoulder. He looked over at Sarah, who was already forming the mudras that he expected her to.
"Of course," the voice said in an offhanded manner. "I never did say anything about the building did I?"
"Sarah!" Ezekiel yelled. Her hand flashed through the last mudra and they vanished in a pop just before the first of the shrapnel from the shack exploding into a giant fireball would have hit them. On a hill, probably half a mile away, Xander Harris smiled to himself and looked over at Anya.
"You know, I'm sorry," Xander said. "This whole vengeance thing? I can see how you could get into it."
"Oh, lover boy, you have no idea," Anya said with a satisfied smile. Her eyes glittered in the firelight from the explosion and her grin was worthy of a dragon. "No idea at all."