"C'mon, Xander." The now adult version of his once best male friend spoke. He smiled warmly again, trying to appear friendly. It came off a bit disturbing. Even for those that didn't know the man. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"
Xander looked at the face of the person he hadn't seen in a long time. In real life at least. Dreams and nightmare, on the other hand, were another story. "Guys. This is Jesse McNally. One of my best friends since grade school. Right up until the minute I killed him. Jesse. This is the guys."
Jesse grinned at the stunned expressions on the group's faces. All of them except Xander's. "I don't hold that against you. I hope you believe that."
"You look good." Xander stated. He turned his head to the side, though keeping his eye on the face from his past. "I don't suppose he's a vampire or something?"
"No." Leah said. She wondered exactly what was happening. Something that was going through the minds of nearly everyone there. It wasn't like people in their world couldn't come back from the dead. The most famous slayer out there had died twice after all. It had happened before in other cases as well, but still to see confirmation of that along with the person that killed him was disturbing. Especially the apparent lack of hard feelings. "As far as I can tell."
"He's the First." Andrew exclaimed, jumping up in his seat. He picked up his napkin and threw it at the man that was apparently their enemy. As if that would do something against him even if he was the First Evil.
Jesse caught it and dropped it onto the table. He was rather bemused by the way things were going. The short and hyper man must have missed the moving chair and the eaten fry. Ironic for someone that was supposed to be called a watcher. "Not quite."
"Sit down Andrew." Xander ordered, not bothering to move his gaze to the target of his frequent ire. He didn't show any emotions in his voice or on his face. On the inside though, he was gut shot. Vampires dusted, but they could be brought back. That thing with Darla running wild in Los Angeles some years ago had shown him that. Logically, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Still, it was hardly something one is ever prepared for. Sometimes the past didn't let go so easily. "You want to tell me what you're doing here? Or rather how you're here? I mean last time, you were a vampire. And I staked you."
"You're not going to win." Jesse said. It hurt him to have to come here like this. He had mixed feelings when he asked to come back to do this particular assignment. Partly, because it meant he would have to face the man that had killed him the first time around. Though to be fair, he did understand why it had happened. The truth of the matter was, he didn't want to hurt Xander. And he knew that this was the right thing to do. "Despite all this, you're still my friend. And I don't want to see you die. It doesn't have to go like this. Just give me what I want."
"Right." Xander replied curtly. "You going to tell me what the plan is? Or exactly why I should, what give up? Or fight on your side? You and me. Best buds. Like the old days?"
Jesse chuckled. "You know better than that Xander. Rule Number Seven. By all rights, I should just kill you all right now. I can do that now, you know. Don't even have to be a vampire anymore to do it. All I need to do is call my people in, and you all die. Even with what, a slayer, a watcher, and a wannabe wizard slash watcher at your side. There's no way you're going to get out of here alive with just them on your side. I'm giving you a way out, man. Just take it."
"What is this about?" Robin said. People from the past coming to confront them. Or at least facsimiles of them. They'd seen it in Sunnydale. It usually didn't mean anything good. "Why exactly are you here?"
"When I've captured my adversary don't tell him the plan." Andrew interrupted. Clearly excited about something. "Rule Number Seven of the Evil Overlord list. Paraphrased."
Barring Xander, they all turned to look at him. Xander sighed. Leave it to Andrew to know that and then say it. He'd read the list before. Jesse and him had found it humorous at the time. Wasn't so funny right now. "That mean you captured us then? So what, you playing the part of the villain? I thought you always wanted to be the good guy. Green Lantern."
Jesse turned to face the leaders of the team. Ignoring Xander's question and Andrew's unnecessary comment. "She's coming. She's coming and she's going to take over everything. And she doesn't want to have to kill each and every one of you to do it. It's rather inefficient that way. She will if she has to though. Cause this is worth it."
"You going to tell us who?" Robin asked, interested. It was more information on their ultimate target. So far, the information was next to nothing. Nearly anything would help.
"No." Jesse stood up and adjusted his suit. It wasn't what he was used to wearing. Of course, the last time he'd been walking around on Earth full time was when he was in high school. And when Xander still had a pair of eyes. "I'm not an idiot. I'm not here to give up the plot. All I'm here for, is to tell you that you're going to die here and now unless you walk away from this. Let this go, and just wait for the tide to come in. You can't stop it."
"And so they sent you." Xander smiled. He wondered if he should be flattered. "Am I really that important to your, mission? Cause I feel touched. Really I do."
"Xander. I've been part of this for quite a while. Longer than you think." Jesse was somewhat disappointed that his friend didn't believe him. Despite everything that had happened, he still did consider the now one-eyed grown up that. A stake through the heart couldn't break that bond.
"How long?" Xander questioned. Wondering if he had ever known the person facing them now. A small and annoying part of him thought that Jesse McNally had never been his friend. But logically, that was impossible. Stupid paranoia. "Don't tell me you were helping her amass troops when you were in diapers."
Jesse laughed at that. "Xander. Always, the joker. Man, I missed that."
"So how long?" Xander asked again. Not really interested in reminiscing about the past.
"You know what happens to you when you're a vampire and then get killed?" Jesse asked. He paused. Painful memories could do that. "It's not pleasant. You can say we go to the bad place. She brought me back pretty soon after I got taken out, by you. Apparently the souls of vampires killed over Hellmouths are easy enough to bring back. Better than recruiting in other places at the very least. She showed me a better way than demons and vampires running around killing people. And people having to do those evil things right back to them. I've seen some of the things you've had to do. I know you bro. We both know you aren't a hero. I want to show you that better way. This, this is my redemption. And it could be yours too. Just give me what I want."
"And that's it?" Xander was incredulous. He glanced behind him out the window. It was darker, but he could tell that the group outside was larger. If they were smart their vehicle had been disabled. Probably not disturbed much after that since they wouldn't know if it had been rigged. "You're the good guys? I'm Sinestro now? And we're supposed to just sit back and let you do the voodoo that you're planning on doing?"
"Essentially, yeah." Jesse confirmed. "Remember how things used to be? Remember when we were kids and everything was just superheroes and villains. It used to be so simple in those days. Don't you want that back? Back like how things used to be? You're on the wrong side of things. Those powers up there watching over things here? They aren't on your side, Xander. I know the things you might have seen about what we do. The sacrifice. It's unpleasant. But, sometimes sacrifices are necessary."
He sighed and ran a hand through his now wavy hair. "Man, you more than most people should know about that. It's worth it to beat them. It's the same justification that you use."
Xander clenched his jaw. Trying to keep everything inside. Trying not to react to what his best friend was telling him. Hard to move away from that. "You're not really here are you? This place. This whole place is fake. And so are you. You're all from my head. Just images. Telling me and showing me anything to get me to stop. This crosses a line you know. You really shouldn't have done it this way."
Jesse sighed. "The town's fake. It's a psychic thing that I don't even understand, or rather I'm not going to tell you. Even wizards and slayers can't tell the difference in any real and definite way. Can't even tell how it occurs. You weren't supposed to pick up on it, but maybe if you had seen more stuff with small towns than just Gilmore Girls, it wouldn't have seemed so contrived. But, I'm really here. This isn't a trick. I'm sorry to have to be the one to put you through this."
"Really." Xander said coldly. As far as he could tell, Jesse was telling him the truth. He'd known the guy long enough to be able to see when he was lying. Still, he couldn't quite bear the thought Jesse was really here. And on the side opposite the angels. As far as he knew. "I'm supposed to believe that you being here, now, right when I'm here, is just a coincidence. That's hardly convincing me. I mean, c'mon, what's more reasonable? You being here right now? Or some shapeshifter in a Jesse suit talking to me? Or some illusion spell?"
"I know." Jesse replied, oddly hurt by the tone. And by not being believed. He understood it though. He looked up at the ceiling of the diner. "Bring it down. Just the room and everything in it."
The table seemed to shimmer for a second. As did the building and everything they could see. It solidified again, though the image was different. The table was made of hard steel. Blackened, as were the walls. The windows disappeared. In fact, the whole building looked different. It was made of stone. Odd glyphs and other symbols lined most of the walls. Like the whole place was out of some fantasy movie now. Undisturbed, until now. The townspeople inside disappeared as well. The travelers stayed. Including Jesse. Apparently, it meant that he was real.
"I'm sorry Xander." Jesse said, sympathy in his voice. He felt for the guy, he really did. "I really am real. But you have to know. This is what I do now. I'm a herald. Amongst other things. I knew you were involved. After all the things you've been doing it wasn't hard to see that you were running around playing hero. We have our own oracles. I knew that you would be tracking this, thing, down. So I just made sure I'd be involved, and therefore more likely to confront you. I thought it'd be better this way. Nobody else has to die. Not really anyway. Just as long as you get all your people to stop."
"You thought wrong, Silver Surfer." Xander said. "You think this is going to make me less willing to kill you? Again. Cause right now, all it's doing is making me really want to do more than stake you in the heart. A kid for Christ's sake. Man, what the hell? That isn't you."
"I want the crystal." Jesse ignored the more than blatant threat. And the bit of questioning. "I know your people took it. I want it back. You already know what we're willing to do."
Robin looked at Xander. He hadn't given his orders to take the crystal. That had not yet been discussed. Yet, Xander had unilaterally decided to go after it. More than that, he hadn't seen fit to inform any of them, even afterwards. Clearly the other man was doing his own thing on the side. Not being a part of his team. It hadn't been fully unexpected, but still a bit troubling. It made him wonder what other secrets the man was hiding. It was obvious that they had barely scratched the surface.
"Yeah." Xander said. "Not going to happen. By now, it's long gone. And you really should have known better. Out in the open? C'mon, that's weak. Even for you."
"Yeah, well." Jesse looked sheepish. "Sometimes things can't always be as we want them. Still, I want the crystal."
"It should have been kept inside. Out of the way. You had to have it out here." Xander said, ignoring his "friend." Concentrating instead on the facts and suppositions that were filling his head. Stream of consciousness style. "In the light. Or the fact that there is a bit more ambient magical energy here than in most places, according to the files. It's a collector. An energy source. For something you need. And well protected given your friends back there. With a psychic town for cover. Which means there probably are normal people here. Just in case official types come into town asking official questions. IRS and such."
"Very good." Jesse said. Rather impressed by the line of reasoning that Xander had just laid out. Hardly the sort of the thing the chronic underachiever used to do. "You really are much smarter than you think."
"Yeah. Well that's my super power." Xander replied. He felt that the group was still outside, waiting to be ordered in to rend them limb from limb. Still in disguise. He wondered what form they really had. Probably had glowing eyes. Thick, heavily muscled bodies. Still, the group he had seen wouldn't even account for half of the town's population. And he didn't see any kids. He wondered how many innocent bystanders there were in the town. He walked to the bar. Though it was made of dark steel as the tables were. He reached behind his back and pulled out his handgun. He pointed it at the man in the suit. "Well, I think that's our cue to get out of here. Let's go."
Jesse grinned. Unperturbed. "C'mon. They're not going to let you walk away. In the end, I'm expendable. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to die, again. But, to bring this back to us, it's worth it. It's not like you really have any super powers. You're normal. Less than even, what with your handicap. What do you think you could possibly accomplish?"
Xander eye narrowed. He pulled a pair of cuffs from a pocket in his coat, the gun didn't waver. He had brought the jacket with him from the car, it held quite a bit of equipment. And hid some too. Not a trench that was all the rage with hunters, that sort of thing was just tacky now days, but still a jacket was still something useful. At the time he had thought it a bit conspicuous, but a necessary precaution. On the other hand, desert nights could get mighty cold. He set the cuffs on the table. "Leah. Hands behind his back. Be careful. Don't forget to search him. And check the crotch."
"Xander." Robin broke in. "What do you think you're doing?"
Xander didn't spare a look. "I'm taking command. Sorry, Robin, but training's over. And I can't let you muck this one up by getting sidetracked."
"You can't…" Robin started to say.
"I can, and I am." Xander said softly. He didn't want to do this. But, things were getting out of hand. "I really am sorry. You're a good man, and could make a good field commander some day, but you need to sort out your priorities. Leah. Do it."
The slayer stood up and looked at Robin. He nodded at her, slowly. The red headed slayer picked up the cuffs. She carefully bound Jesse's hands, making sure to stay wary in case he tried anything. She didn't notice anything supernatural from him, but if he had come back from the dead, he may have other unique characteristics that could be dangerous. Like was said before, Slayer Sense couldn't detect everything. She patted him down thoroughly, making sure he didn't have any hidden weapons on him. There was nothing.
"Xander." Jesse was still confident despite now being a prisoner. "They're still going to kill you. Just give me the crystal, and you can all leave. Try again another day if you really want to. Man, I really don't want to see you die. It's over."
"You're right about that. Now get down on the ground. On your stomach." Xander said. Jesse did nothing. Just stood there, exuding confidence. He walked over and kicked the back of Jesse's right knee. He pushed him the rest of the way down. Kneeling on the back of his neck, gun pointed at his captive's head. Xander looked at Robin. "Toss me some napkins."
Robin looked at him. Xander looked back. After a moment, the head field watcher picked up the napkins and tossed them at the man that was now in charge. Xander put the gun back into place in the small holster at the small of his back and twisted Jesse's head to the side, stuffing the napkins into his mouth. He removed Jesse's belt and wrapped it around his mouth, binding it tight. He took out his gun again and stood up. He hoped the bit about calling in the guys outside and the vocal command about the illusion "spell" meant that there wasn't a psychic link. That would be troublesome. "Stay there and don't do anything stupid. You know I'll do it again if I have to."
Xander stood up and pulled out his radio. He held it to his mouth. Not exactly what he wanted to do, but he couldn't very well go to the bathroom again. He looked at Robin; one more secret revealed. "Echo One. This is Snake Eye. I need fire support to the west, just outside of my current position along an exit route. Neutralizing fire. Surgical strike. Give me an ETA."
"Roger that." There was a moment as the order was relayed. The voice came the voice in his com link. "ETA one minute. Buzzard's on its way."
"Confirmed. Give me an out." Xander said over his link. He could hear the thrumming of blades already. They'd be there pretty quickly and set up not too long after that. He wasn't all that worried about a strike so close to his own location. The GPS transponder in his radio setup meant that the fire would be directed at the target and that care would be taken to avoid the building he was in. His people were extremely well trained.
"Point Baker." The voice said. "Car's ready and untouched. Hellions are in along the path. Blazer's close in and covering. Nailer has a clear field of fire."
"Confirmed. Out." Xander said as he lowered his mike, clipping it to his collar. He was still looking at Robin. "I'd get ready to run if I was you. It's going to get real loud. Then real quiet. Be ready to run then."
"Xander. What is this?" Robin said, surprised by Xander's actions. The securing of the prisoner wasn't all that unexpected, but what Xander was doing now, was.
"Car's either already gone, or it's about to get gone, so we're going to have to foot it to one of my backup plans." Xander ignored Robin's question. He looked at all of them now, making sure they would listen and obey. "We go up the alley, and just run as far as we can up the street to the north. It's going to be about five blocks. There'll be a white van. That's our target. But, there's still going to be trouble I reckon, so stay alert."
"What did you just do?" Robin asked. He wanted more, but given the situation, he wasn't likely to get it at the current time.
"What I'm good at." Xander knelt down, making sure that Jesse was still secure. "I'd get down if I was you."
The others reluctantly followed his lead. Three seconds.
Xander looked at Robin.
"Wait for it."
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Author's Note: And that's the confrontation with Jesse. For now at least. Euphemism, Xander is a bit, Xander-stu, though to be honest, I'm having trouble coming up with a strict definition on that. I mean sure, he's good at what he does, and he gets the girl, but what exactly about that defines it as Xander-Stu? I can see the rather large deal of angst, that I hope doesn't come off as too overbearing. He comes back in pretty on top of things in the eyes of many, but in reality he's pretty much the government's bitch right now. And he knows it. Also, I thought I had described that he is hardly perfect. He doesn't dwell on his mistakes though, and does seek to make sure he doesn't do the same ones over and over again. Though his main issues are personal, since by this time most of the canon characters should be pretty combat proficient. I'm not saying he's not Xander-stu, but it makes me wonder if there is a strict definition, wikipedia isn't helping much on their Mary-Sue page. In some ways, I'm influenced by The Unit, the tv show. You have these extremely well trained and competent soldiers, and their main flaws are personal problems. Communication, intimacy, always being on the job, etc. Are they also Mary-Sue? I think it's an interesting issue. And Bolo, the Clinton picture will come up again. Though I'm not going to say yet in what fashion. Thanks for the reviews. Hope to see more of them.