Title: Vengeance Satisfied is Justice Served 6/?
Author: 3D Master
Feedback: 3d.master@chello.nl
Website:
Rating: R
Keywords: X-over BtVS/The Crow, drama, action.
Time frame: S7, starts during dirty girls.
Summary: Buffy has a choice to make: Xander or Spike? Who gets to live? XanderZone Challenge response.
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its characters do not belong to me, but to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy Productions. The Crow and related concepts are created by James O'Barr.
Author's Notes: In this chapter, I'm paying homage to the story Dirty Mind by Tobias Spiegler, by mirroring (basically I'm stealing from the best) a scene from this great, but sadly still unfinished (hint, hint) story.
Vengeance Satisfied is Justice Served
Chapter 6: Faithful Reunion
Xander sat in one of the trees and looked incredulously at the group lead by the two Slayers stalking forward to the vineyard. He shook his head, clinging the magical axe between his stomach and knees. He pulled the small detonation device from his coat and pushed the button. With a big explosion the entire vineyard went up in flames. Several strategically placed charges would collapse the hewn out cave in on itself, completely destroying the place.
He watched the Slayers and some of the others fall to the floor from the shockwave. Then he put the detonator back, hefted the axe, and with Jennifer's dead body slung over his right shoulder he jumped to the next tree, lowered himself to the ground, and ran after the crow.
Some time later he arrived at the morgue. Getting into the deserted, and left open building was easy. Xander went to the cold storage, and placed Jennifer's corpse inside. Xander took a deeply saddened breath, before turning around and leaving. There was another person that deserved a proper burial.
*****
Back at the Summers' place, the group that had gone out to fight Caleb a second time had just returned to the house. A few of the potentials sat shakily in the living room, still reeling from the puking they did after seeing the remains of Caleb.
Buffy stood in the middle of the group of people; everyone was present, from Andrew to Robin, and from Anya to Willow. "All right, listen up," Buffy stated forcefully. "The guy who 'saved' us a few nights ago, the same guy that attacked Spike has shown his true colors now. He hit the vineyard first, and killed Caleb. And when I say killed think Hannibal Lector killed, decorated with guts, decapitated, heart cut out, the whole enchilada. He's even drawn a sign of a bird with Caleb's own blood. He's evil, nobody good can do something like that, at the very least he's a psycho." Anya perked up at Buffy's statement, and started going a little white.
Willow got uncomfortable and became doubtful. "Uhm," Dawn spoke up strongly, and coldly, lifting a finger, interrupting Buffy's speech. "This guy is evil because he killed a disciple of the First Evil? From where I'm standing Caleb got what he deserved, doesn't really make the guy evil." Dawn's eyes flickered to Spike, a moment of hate burning in them, she'd never forget what he tried to do to her sister. She was good, and there were times she dreamed of doing to Spike what Caleb had gotten done to him. Willow looked over at the stern Dawn, and she felt her uncertainty diminishing a little. She felt Kennedy's hands around her waist tightening, and she looked at her girlfriend.
"Yeah, Buffy," Kennedy answered vehemently. "After what that bastard did to Jennifer, I wish I'd be the one who had wrapped his guts around his neck."
Buffy sighed, and continued, much more strongly now, "Whatever was present at the vineyard, which I was right about being there, is now in this guy's hands to do with, whatever he pleases. Spike said he was evil, he knew the guy. What's so difficult to understand? One bad guy slaughtered, nothing left at the vineyard; the guy blew up all the evidence. Obviously he's evil, and we need to find him, and stop him, as fast as possible!"
With a loud sound, the front window of the living room shattered, and with several thuds something round bounced off the table, then the floor, until it finally landed right smack in the middle of the room, right at Buffy's feet. Buffy looked at the plastic bag, along with everyone else. She bent down, and pulled the plastic aside, revealing Caleb's head. Buffy gasped, pulled back, and took an involuntary step backward. The other people present looked shocked at first, and then all of them looked out the shattered window.
Moments earlier, outside the window, after Xander threw the head through, he pulled out a match box, and lit one. He let it drop and the grass around him that he had soaked in gasoline lit up in flames. He grabbed the cannister and jumped high, and landed softly on the roof of the Summers' residence.
The people inside had completely missed Xander, and only saw the fire burning. They went to take a look, and saw the sign of the bird they had seen at Caleb's remains, but now in fire. The moment Anya saw it, she screamed, turned even paler, and stumbled back, until she tumbled over a chair.
Outside Xander walked over the roof, until he reached the garden. While everyone else was still wrapped up in the spectacle, he reached into Chloe's grave and effortlessly pulled her decomposing body out of the ground. Xander took a deep sad breath, and then jumped over the backyard fence, disappearing into the night.
Inside everyone looked astonished at the terrified Anya. "Wh-what's wrong?" Willow was the first to ask.
"Th-that's th-the s-s-sign of th-the Crow," Anya stuttered out fearfully.
Most people looked blankly, but Giles looked up in recognition, and recited, "People once believed that a crow carried the souls of the deceased to heaven. But sometimes something so terrible happens that a soul cannot rest, and just sometimes the crow can bring that soul back to set the wrong things right."
"So, it's kind of like a vengeance demon then?" Faith asked, translating to normal English.
Anya looked incredulously. "Quite," Giles confirmed.
"So why are you so scared? You were one yourself?" Buffy asked Anya dumbfounded, everyone else looked silently and expectantly at ex-demoness.
Anya stood up, angry now, but still afraid. "Are you insane!? That thing is not a demon, and certainly not a justice demon as we call ourselves!" Anya exclaimed, eyes wide. "It's far worse. Do you know how we distinguish ourselves?" Everybody looked at her without an answer, most didn't really understand the question. Any continued, "When we enact our 'vengeance' - our 'justice' - it's contained to just the guilty parties, very few exceptions aside. The Crow's different."
"How is it different?" Willow asked intrigued, but not really believing Anya's hysterics.
"You need to ask?" Anya asked sheet white. "The Crow is not a demon, it's the embodiment of vengeance, and vengeance isn't simple payback, which is what we were all about. Vengeance is a force of nature, it's a living thing, it transcends generations. I once saw a crow slaughter the reincarnations of the ones who hurt her, two centuries down the line, three of them were just as bad. The fourth was innocent, had never done a single thing wrong in his life, the Crow slaughtered him anyway. Vengeance kills, it knows no mercy, no remorse, and no compassion. The Crow is virtually indestructible, immortal really, it will go through anyone, and anything - be it children or demons - to set the wrong things right, which usually comes down to brutally killing some people . . . and it /absolutely/, will /not/, /ever/ stop until it's finished with what it came here to do . . ." Anya trailed off, and looked down at the head, then out the window at the now scorched crow sign. "It wants someone in here, it sent a message," she whispered fearfully.
"See! I'm right! This thing is evil, and we've got to kill it," Buffy exclaimed triumphantly.
"EVIL!?" Anya shrieked out. "HAVEN'T YOU BEEN LISTENING!? This thing isn't evil, it's beyond evil, beyond good. It's empowered by a force of nature that has most gods on both sides quivering in fear! You can't go up against it! It'll kill you all! It even uses guns for Christ' sakes! You all go up against it, and you'll be dead before you're even halfway to him!"
Dawn remembered the way Xander had held her, and with crossed arms she said strongly, "I don't believe it. Crow yes, remorseless no, merciless no. He would have killed us by now if that was the case. Besides, he's been saving all our asses, I'm not fighting this guy, whoever he is."
While the discussion burst loose, Faith looked distracted at the wall across her, a frown on her face. ~Choose!~ she remembered, then seeing the sword slice through Xander's chest. ~ . . . something so terrible happens that a soul cannot rest.~ Would having your best friend, supposed savior of the world, choosing to save a dead thing over you qualify? Stealthily she slipped from the living room, her heart beating hard in her chest, not daring to articulate in a thought what she was hoping for fervently.
She went into the backyard, and carefully walked over to Xander's grave. The stick was still standing, unlike that afternoon. She stood in front of the grave, not daring to do what she wanted to do. She shook her head; it was nuts. Then she sank through her knees, and quickly dug into the soil. Deeper and deeper her arms went, she rolled up her sleeves and continued, only after mulling in the sand far deeper than Xander could have been lying did she stop. *He isn't in his grave,* she thought, her heart beating even harder in her chest. She became dizzy as the implications hit her hard, and she looked over to Chloe's grave noticing the stick lying on the ground. Faith's eyes widened and she dug again; empty as well.
Faith stopped, and just stared ahead for a few seconds as her heart beat harder than she could ever remember. Then she stood up and quickly went back into the washing room, that lay adjacent to the kitchen. Quickly she found a faucet, and listening to the discussion becoming more and more intense in the living room, she quickly washed away the dirt on her hands and arms. Finished she went back outside, ran, and jumped straight over the fence, then she continued her run: straight toward Xander's apartment.
*****
The mental caw alerted Xander from his reverie. He was only just back from putting Chloe in the cold storage along with Jennifer, and he had been thinking about how exactly to proceed next. He smiled at seeing Faith running across the street with her Slayer speed. With a mental summons, the crow started its return flight, answering audibly.
Not long later the crow streaked through an open window and landed on Xander's shoulder. He stood calmly in the middle of his apartment waiting. A minute later the door to his apartment opened, and he said, "Hello, Faith. How's it going?"
Faith was shocked, in more ways then one. It was Xander's voice al right, but was it also Xander? Could be the First, and part of her had continued to doubt her own hunch. But how in blazes did Xander know it was her. She walked onward circumventing a corner and came face to face with the smiling, and scary looking Xander, painted deathly pale, with several darker lines that make him look like sadness, rage and death all rolled into one. The scary bird cocking its head at her, only enhanced the effect. "'S that really you?" Faith whispered in awe. Xander nodded, and walked forward.
The crow flew off Xander's shoulder and placed himself on a counter. Xander cocked his head, giving the bird a weird look for just a moment, but quickly returned his look toward Faith, who stood rooted to the floor looking at him not knowing what to do. Xander reached out his hand and said, "Just in case you're thinking I'm the First." He grabbed the side of her face lightly, thumb on her cheek, and the rest of his fingers underneath her jaw. "AAH!" he screamed out suddenly, pulling back from Faith as mental images assaulted his mind. The crow cocked its head, following Xander as he stumbled back until finally falling on his ass and against a chair.
"Xander? What's wrong?" Faith called out shocked, and deeply hurt.
"You could've warned me!" Xander groaned on in frustration as he rode out the mental assault, realizing the bird had known what was going to happen.
Faith walked to him, feeling hurt by the accusation, "Warned you? What do you mean?"
"Not you," Xander said, then opened his eyes and looked up at Faith with wide eyes. Faith looked around confused, completely not understanding what had happened, and who else Xander could have been talking to.
"What's going on?" Faith whispered as she saw him get up, and look at her with infinite sad eyes.
Tears started falling from Xander's eyes, and he started saying, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I had no idea." He suddenly lurched forward, and took the confused and somewhat terrified Slayer in a fierce hug. "I'm so sorry. We screwed up, we should have payed more attention to you. I should have visited you sooner, I should have noticed the hell hole you were in when I was there, I should've . . ."
"Please stop," Faith whimpered, feeling guilty and undeserving. "I killed people, I did much worse than anything you did. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I tried to kill you . . ."
Xander pulled back from her, holding her by her shoulders gently, and looking her deep in her eyes, saying, "We could have payed attention, help you, instead of ignoring you. You would never have . . . What you went through, the loneliness, the horrors before you even came to Sunnydale. Makes my parents look like Angels."
"How . . .?" Faith looked down at the place where Xander had just sat.
"Telepathy, clearvoyance on touch, I get these flashes from things and people," Xander whispered in explanation. "I can't control it, it just happens."
"Do you hate me?" Faith asked softly, fearfully, her lips quivering and eyes glazing over.
"Hate you!?" Xander asked incredulously, amazement written on his face. "Where does this come from?"
Faith looked with a mixture of relief, happiness, and fear and uncertainty at Xander. She said softly, bottom lip still quivering with barely contained emotion, "The First . . . it came to me . . . as you. I-It said it /was/ you, t-that it d-didn't just take your appearance . . . y-you said you hated me, t-that you couldn't possibly forgive m-me, t-that I was sickening, and there was no redemption for me."
"Faith, I'm right here," Xander answered her, gently, than continued more forcibly. "See, right here, I've been here since only a few hours after I died. How could the First possibly be me, if I've been right here all this time?" Faith looked at him, revelation on her face, somewhat shocked. "It lies Faith. Even if its telling the truth it isn't true. You get that? You shouldn't let anything the First says get to you. Even if it /does/ access a small part of me floating around out there somewhere, it's lying through its teeth. I don't hate you, I've never truly hated you. You needed to be stopped, resentment, anger, yes, but hate you? No. Best way to deal with the First and anything it says is to just ignore it." Faith stared into his eyes, feeling herself fill with elation. "You went to jail for what you did, you've shown repentance, there were a lot of mitigating circumstances . . . I've already forgiven you."
Faith felt the happiness make her soar, and then her mood came crashing down again. She wrenched herself free from his hands still holding her shoulders supportively. She hugged herself, and said, "I don't deserve this. I'm evil, I still am, only just now I had the urge to kill Dawn."
Xander laughed out loud, and Faith looked at him in surprise. "You think I haven't had the urge to smash my fist through her skull on occasion, or many other people's? Sometimes people get on your nerves, and you get urges, and flashes of fantasies. Nothing evil about that Faith, it's human nature. Evil would be acting out those urges." Faith watched him for a moment, and she couldn't control the onrush of emotions. Tears came from her eyes, not just from grief, a tidal wave of repressed emotions poured forth and she started crying again. Xander took her in a gentle hug, pressing her against his chest, and he held her hand, stroking her hair gently. He shushed her with soothing sounds as Faith broke down against him in her relief.
After a short but heavy cry, Faith mumbled, "Look at me, I'm pathetic. I promised myself I wouldn't do this, I promised myself I would stay cool. Nothing the matter, just me breezing back in town and helping to save the world. Nobody would notice anything about me, I'd be support, and muscle gal all the way . . . this the second time in one day I'm crying like a little girl."
Xander gave her a gentle kiss on top of her forehead, and told her, "You're not pathetic, Faith. Is being a little girl for once in your life really so bad?"
Faith couldn't help but smile, and she commented, "It is according to feminism. Needing big strong men to comfort you promotes ancient gender roles that should be abolished."
Xander chuckled, "When did you start placing yourself in little boxes?" He could feel her indecision, on the one hand she really wanted her independence, her strong unflappable self; on the other for a rare occasion she just wanted to bask in indulgence. Xander made the decision for her, tightening the hug, and he felt her smile deepening against him. For a few minutes they stood there, drawing strength from each other. It had been ages for both of them to just hug someone like that, neither could really remember when, not even Robin's comforting holding earlier was quite like this. Faith wondered if she had ever been hugged quite like that. Finally the two broke apart, and Faith for one was actually embarrassed.
Xander just grinned, and said, "I have a present for you." He walked back to the center of the living room, with Faith watching him in curiosity. He reached behind the couch and pulled out the magical weapon he liberated from the vineyard. Faith's eyes widened when she saw it, some primal recognition flowing through her. Xander twirled the Axe and stake combination once as he walked back to Faith and presented it to her, "I believe this belongs to you."
Faith stared at the weapon in awe for a few moments, and said to Xander, "Wow, i-it's like its calling to me." Xander nodded, and urged her to take it with a gesture. Faith reached out, hesitated for a moment, and then took the weapon from Xander's grasp. "Whoa," Faith whispered as she tested the weapon, she twirled it around, and looked at it with reverence. "This is weird," she said softly. "It belongs to me, I somehow know it."
"I took it from the vineyard," Xander explained casually. Faith looked up, and was struck with how unthreatening the fearful paint mask was now. The spite his much darker eyes, they were still as gentle as when she had first looked into them. "Be very careful with it, the First and Caleb taunted Buffy to come get it several times over. It wanted Buffy to have it, so don't do anything drastic with it, it's probably exactly what the First wants to happen."
Faith nodded, and then looked up at Xander. "Come back to the house," she suggested. He raised his eyebrows at her pleading look. "Please," she almost begged. "I think Buffy is insane, the rest don't know what to do, moral is at an all-time low, and I certainly am no leader."
"Is it really that bad?" Xander asked, and Faith nodded. He sighed, "I was planning on pushing a few more of Spike's and Buffy's buttons. I'm gong to make them pay for what they've done," Xander growled out the last part, and Faith was struck with the intensity of it. His face darkened even more, to an almost scary level, and he continue to growl, "Some people who've wronged you and every other living being - most notably their so-called friends and family - so much, they deserve everything they get."
Faith kind of agreed on the Spike part. It was obvious the little bastard had been lying just to save his own ass, and apparently couldn't care if the whole world went to hell because of it. "You could push their buttons there as well, I think."
Xander grinned, the dark gaze was gone instantly, and he told her, "True, but keeping myself in the dark makes the threat so much more unknown, and that always heightens the fear." He looked at Faith's pleading look, and said, "Yeah, I was planning on saving the world before I make them pay, better do it properly and teach a bunch of kids several valuable lessons on the way. Lessons we had to learn the hard way, except Buffy, she doesn't seem capable of learning anything." Faith grinned, relief flooding through her, things were finally looking up. "You go on ahead, I've got to put on some clothes that aren't riddled with holes."
"Can't I stay?" Faith pouted.
Xander grinned, "And get your free jollies seeing me naked? Don't think so." Faith gave him a comical, mocking disappointed face, and then turned around.
"Hurry," Faith said with a smile disappearing out the door.
As Faith walked back to the Summers household, a calm settled over her. A calm she hadn't felt since she left LA. With every step she took she became more confident, the magical Axe sending an additional comfort through her body. Her inner walls rebuilt themselves, not to keep things in, but to keep things like the First Evil out.