Chapter 20

…Unfinished Business…

Angel, Immortal slung across his broad shoulders like a sack of potatoes, led the way through the cavern tunnels.

Buffy and Zack were behind him as they gave support to a stumbling Xander.

"Stop, guys," Cordelia said suddenly as she was in the rear of the small group.

The others stopped and she moved her hand away from her boyfriend's wound to check it. Even though the tissues had rudimentarily fused together, there was still a small bit of blood seeping through.

"I'll feel more comfortable when we can get somewhere to either put stitches or cauterize the wound," she said clinically. She also checked his temperature, and even though he was still chilly, the transgenic was sweating.

"Cauterize?" Buffy said with a grimace.

"Since…" Xander sounded winded as he spoke, "…since we heal faster than ordinaries, not Slayer fast, it's always better to cauterize a wound to minimize blood loss. Our bodies have natural immunities to infection and disease."

"What good will that do you if you're dead?" Angel asked as he turned to the others.

"It takes a lot more than a stabbing and blood loss to kill us," Cordelia said quietly.

"If," Xander began with a pained breath, "If in the field, one of our members is injured… if we have the equipment to transfuse, we keep movin', do what we gotta do and keep going through the pain."

Zack frowned as he looked at the black haired X5, "What the shit is all that about? I've never heard anything about this."

"Gee…" the wounded young man sounded bitter, "I wonder why you don't know. Hmn, let me think…" he said sarcastically. "Perhaps it's because you twelve ran away and abandoned your mission while we stayed and got punished for it!"

"Xander," Cordy said as she placed a hand on his arm.

"No, Cor," Xander weakly failed to shrug her off, "They used body parts from other X5s when we needed medical treatment."

"We didn't know there was anyone else," Zack protested with a deep frown on his handsome face.

The black haired young man spared a glare for the big blond transgenic, "All of us twins spent six months in psyops cause of your escape for them to see if it wasn't genetic. Then another four months in reindoctrination. Then, when Brother Benny went psycho, I spent another six months in psyops. I can honestly say that was not a walk in the park." By the end of his small speech, he was breathing heavy and the wound was seeping a little more blood than Cordelia liked.

"Come on, we've gotta get out of here," she said as she mashed her already blood soaked hand down onto Xander's back one more time. "Blah, blah, I've heard it all before," she tried to joke.

"Sorry, Cor," the young man whispered to her as he began to walk, more like stumble, once more down the corridor.

…Something Wicked…

Finally, they reached the darkness outside and were blasted with cool air.

Jonathon Levinson excitedly rushed forward, but Giles, for some reason, stood back, cautious.

They noticed that Oz, Willow and Faith were further down the way with the freed captives and paramedics treating the injured while the police were taking statements.

As the group of hunters reached the van, Xander grunted and toppled forward. He would have fallen if not for the others who quickly supported him.

The May Queen dodged around to the front of him, "Xand?"

He blinked tiredly at her as though he were going to pass out.

She brushed a hand lightly down the side of his face, "Xan!"

"I'm still with you," he said with a slight smirk.

"What is going on?" Giles asked cautiously as Angel plunked the Maester, sword still embedded in his chest, down at the Watcher's feet.

"Cordy, please," Buffy said as she let the brunette change places with her.

It was not long before the police and paramedics left with those that had been freed.

Then Oz and Faith hiked their way back to the group while Willow went to the hospital in the ambulance with Amy.

The blonde Slayer looked around to make sure no outsiders were around any longer. She then moved over to her watcher and gave a slight smirk, "I come bearing gifts."

With a swift movement, the Slayer extracted the blade from the Immortal fanatic's chest.

Almost instantly, the scarlet robed man revived as he inhaled loudly and quickly moved to a seated position. He sensed another Immortal and looked around until he found the tweed suited older looking man. He growled.

Giles, sword still in hand, embedded the blade deeply into the other Immortal's gut in surprised reflex, and hauled the blade out violently. He grabbed the other by the shoulder to keep him still as he cleaved the head off in a single blow.

Buffy gasped at the violence inherent in her Watcher.

Giles frowned as he threw his own sword to the ground and told the others to remain where they were. He walked away from them rather quickly before the Quickening could take hold of him.

The others watched in different degrees of shock and interest as Giles sank to his knees.

A sudden wind blew around and stirred their clothing and hair as they continued to watch.

A blue glow rose up from the finally deceased Maester and rushed toward the Watcher with the force and speed of a bullet train.

As lightning bolt after lightning bolt struck the Immortal, Giles screamed and shook violently with each blow.

Cordelia frowned as she watched the Quickening. It seemed to last longer than the last time she witnessed one of these.

Finally, after a long, seemingly painful bout of the shakes, Giles stopped shaking and the Quickening faded.

The hunters looked at their mentor then at each other.

"I don't know which is worse," Xander observed, still out of breath. "My seizures or what he goes through."

Cordelia got Buffy to help Xander into Oz's van then moved to help the Watcher. "You okay, Giles?"

He looked up at her and frowned. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

She helped him up and supported him as they walked back to the werewolf's vehicle. "Don't worry about it, Giles," she replied as she pushed him into a seat. "Do you know where we can go to stitch Xander's wound?"

"Xander was injured?" Giles asked as he sat up and looked over to the young man further in the back.

"Yes, G-man," Xander said as he looked at the Librarian tiredly, "Unfortunately, I don't have your fast healing ability to take care of it."

The Watcher gave a half smile as he sat back in the seat, "Just head to my house, Daniel."

"Will do, Giles," the musician said as his van rumbled down the road.