Leaves of Grass

Here is the next part. I'll be working on the next chapter this weekend. Tell me what you think!

Are you sure that you want to buy one of these, these, death traps?" Adam asks Xander.

They are walking around the Harley Davidson show room. Adam had said that he would get Xander anything he wanted for his birthday and Xander was going to hold him to that promise.

"Of course I'm sure, I wouldn't have had you pay for my test fees and classes to learn how to drive one of these bad boys if I didn't want one would I?" He hears Adam mumble something along the lines of 'ungrateful pup' and 'respect his elders' and just chuckles. He was really eyeing one particular bike. A FXSTD Soft Tail Deuce. It had a balanced 1450cc Twin Cam 88 engine. It was a beauty, navy blue and ivory paint job with chrome inlays. It just looked nice. When he was about seven he saw the movie "The Great Escape" when he saw Steve McQueen jump that fence on a motorcycle he knew that one day he would have a motorcycle. It was somewhat of a secret passion of his since then. He read up on engine sizes, balanced engines, makes and models, all in his spare time, and now he would own one.

Two months ago he had mentioned to Cassandra and Adam that his birthday was coming up and jokingly asked them what they were getting him. Cassandra said Adam could probably get him whatever he wanted. He chuckled every time he remembered that conversation.

"Excuse me?" Adam said, "Are you just offering my hard earned cash to buy just anything?"

"Well, its not like you can't afford it is it?" Cassandra shoots back winking at Xander. Xander know that something was going to happen and that he was going to stay as far back as possible so he wouldn't get hit by the fallout.

"Well no, but I would to at least have a say as to where my money goes. Not just to some whim or desire that he can think up of. That sounds fair doesn't it?"

"Of course, but I know you wouldn't want to have any of your desires denied to you now would you? I know that it would be really hard if your desires go unrequited for a while now wouldn't it?"

Looking at Cassandra with wide eyes and mulling over exactly what she had said he replies, "No, of course I wouldn't want that."

"I thought so. Now I'll leave you and Alexander here to discuss what exactly he was thinking about. I'm sure it won't be too extravagant now will it Alexander?"

"Of course not." And with that Cassandra walks out of the room. Xander looks at Adam who was watching her leave. "Adam, I was just kidding, you don't have to get me anything. Really you don't."

"No that's alright, I was going to get you something anyway. You just learned a valuable less today Xander."

Xander looks at him curiously, "What lesson is that?"

"Never underestimate the guile of women Xander. They can manipulate you in more ways than you can ever imagine."

Xander couldn't help it he just started laughing. He was laughing so hard he could feel tears falling down his cheeks. Adam, the most manipulative individual he had ever met was just outdone by the person he loved the one person who knew exactly what buttons to push to make him cave in, it was classic. He only wished he had a camera to capture the look on Adam's face.

"Go ahead laugh it up!" Adam says and looks back at the door to see Cassandra waving back at him sweetly. That only makes Xander laugh harder.

This is the one thought to himself, looking at the Soft Tail. Looking up he sees the salesman walking over. Well buddy, looks like you're going to make some commission today.

"Hey there guys find anything you like? I see you're looking at the Soft Tail Deuce, nice piece of equipment there. You have a good eye."

"Thanks." Is all that Xander can say before the salesman starts up again.

"Yup, this baby has a 1450cc engine that will get you off and running in no time flat. You see that there?" he says pointing to engine, "Balanced Twin Cam 88B, not going to find quality like that on just any bike I'll tell you."

Adam decides to cut in, "That is just all well and good but what about the price?"

"The price? Well I'm sure we can work it out."

Adam had a gleam in his eye, "Oh really?"

As they were leaving the dealership, Xander couldn't believe the price they had gotten for the bike. One hundred dollars above invoice, including the highest maintenance package, and all the bells and whistles. He was actually able to walk off with the show room bike!

"I can't believe what you said to them!" He said shaking his head.

"Well he told me I was buying a piece of art rather than a piece of machinery."

"Yes, and then you told him a piece of art doesn't depreciate once you leave the gallery." He paused and chuckled for a bit, "I have never, ever seen a person flounder around for an answer like that. I could barely stop myself from laughing."

"Well I figured that if I was going to buy the thing I could at least have some fun at it right? Anyway have some fun with your new bike, but make your way back to the house, Cassandra and I have one more present for you."

"Sure, I'll be back in an hour." With that Xander kick started his bike and pulled away from the dealership.

His new bike was awesome. It took him a little less than twenty minutes to get out to the city's limits where he would be able to open her up a little more on the less congested roads. He loved the feel of the wind against his face, the freedom of riding, the raw power he had with the bike. It was amazing, but short-lived. By the time he really started to get the feel of his bike he saw that it was about time to head back to meet with Adam and Cassandra.

When he got to the house he saw that the first few lights on the first story were on. Walking up to the door he pulled out his key ring and found the key they had given him and let himself into the house. When he walks into the house he can feel their presence wash over him. He had been around them for so long that at times he felt as if he could feel the differences between the two immortals. Cassandra's was softer initially, but the strength grew as he came closer to her proving that she was indeed a formidable opponent. Adam on the other hand was like a tidal wave of cold power. It didn't surprise him much considering what they had told him about their pasts. But Adam didn't look or act like an avatar trumpeting the coming apocalypse; but then again Adam also said not to believe anything you read.

"Alexander is that you?" Cassandra hollered from the exercise room.

"No! Its the other devilishly handsome student that has a key to your house!" He yells back with a grin. He may be immortal but he didn't let that get in the way of his sense of humor.

"Then this present that we have back here isn't for you then!" Came Adam's sarcastic reply.

Walking back through the finely furnished home he reaches the door to the exercise room. Walking in he sees that Cassandra is standing next to Adam and Adam has something behind his back.

"Well? Are you going to give me your present or what?" He asks with a smile.

Cassandra answers, "Yes, but for many cultures birthdays are more of a right of passage rather than a celebration of life. What we have here is something to congratulate you on your right of passage."

Adam takes a walnut box out from behind his back. It's about four and a half feet long and weighs about six to seven pounds. Looking up he sees that they are encouraging him to open the box. Not needing any more prodding he does so. What he sees leaves him speechless. There lying on top of the navy blue velvet inlay is a sword. It is about four feet long the blade catches the light and reflects it almost like a mirror. The guard has beautiful detail as they spiral out and form the cross that would protect his hand. The pommel is covered with a braided chain mail, comfortable enough to allow for easy wielding but firm and rough enough for a secure grip. At the end of the pommel there is a dark blue crystal that almost matches the color of the velvet.

Standing up he moves to the center of the room and goes through some basic movements to feel the balance of the blade. The balance is good enough for him to use one or two hands with the weapon. The grip is perfect for him. It's a little heavier than the sword he has now but with practice that will go away.

"What kind of sword is it?"

"Its German, more specifically it's a Schloss Erbach Arming Sword. Around the 15th century armor reached peak efficiency a lot of the swords that were being used weren't very successful so new sword designs were made to compensate. What you have in your hands is a great example of that ingenuity. It can cut, slice and thrust with relative ease. The only catch is that it is heavier than the black prince you use, but that shouldn't bother you for a while."

"The blue jewel is a sapphire it is supposed to bring good luck as well as fend off evil spirits, as well as provide a beautiful accent to the sword." Cassandra adds. "You like it?"

"Like it? This is the most amazing gift anyone has given me!"

"Well then, lets go have some dinner."

Xander didn't hear Adam's statement. He was still going through a sword kata familiarizing himself with his new blade. One movement flowed into the next all conscious thought was pushed away as he continued with the exercise. Almost nothing could have broken his concentration.

"Xander." Cassandra's voice echoed in his head immediately causing him to stop mid-movement. "Sorry to have interrupted you but you can practice all you want tomorrow. I have dinner waiting and I'm not about to let it go cold."

Embarrassed, Xander apologizes, "Sorry, sure lets go get some dinner."

Dinner was waiting for them on the table, it looked as if they had spent a few hours in the kitchen and by the smell of it seemed as if they had spent days on the meal. However he had seen the pair in action in the kitchen before and knew better. They make the Iron Chefs of Japan look like amateurs, between the two of them they could make a seven course meal in just under an hour. It was an amazing side of them that he was sure that not many had the opportunity to see. Conversation bounced back and forth as it usually did with the topics ranging from current international politics to the latest episode of the couple's favorite show "ED."

After dinner Xander announced that he was going to head back to his apartment.

"You have a safe drive home ok?" Cassandra says.

"Yes mom" It was a running joke between the three that they were a family. Xander on the other hand thought that it wasn't a joke, they were his family. He looked to them for wisdom advice and help, and without question or hesitation they would provide all three. There was no question about it, these people were his family in the truest sense. Adam got up as well and said that he would walk Xander to the door.

At the door Adam asked him a question, "How do you like your sword?"

"It's amazing he said holding up the case. Thanks again."

"Don't worry about it. I have one more accessory for your new bike though."

"Really? I thought I already all of them due to your amazing skills of arbitration."

"Well this is actually a special order, not many people will have use for it but I suspect that you will."

"Enough with the suspense already, what is it?"

Walking behind the sofa Adam picks something up and tosses it to Xander.

"Ok, I give. What is it?"

"It's the horse mount sheath for your sword. You can put it under your saddlebags and stow your sword while you ride. It's a lot better than having the damn thing poke your back."

"Thanks." Xander says with a grin. "I'll put it on before I go."

Adam was about to say something when there was a crash and scream from the kitchen. They both hurried to the kitchen to find Cassandra on the floor writhing and clutching at her head. Adam moves quickly to her side and cradles her head in his lap. He is saying something to her, Xander can't make it out but it sounds like Latin. He picks up half of the words. Focus, listen, stay are all he hears Adam say. Cassandra opens her eyes and whispers something that he can't hear and Adam nods.

Carefully Adam picks Cassandra up off the floor and walks to the sofa in the living room.

"Xander get an ice pack from freezer and get a piece of paper and a pen."

Xander nods and brings the said items to Adam, "Thanks Xander. Hold the ice pack on her head, it's more for comfort than it is for healing." Adam says answering the question Xander has on his mind before he has a chance to ask it. Cassandra is mumbling something still but Xander can't understand a word of it.

"What is she saying?" He asks.

"Its Celtic, a very old dialect. Quiet, I need to hear what she is saying." Adam starts to write down what Cassandra is saying. "Xander get a blanket from the closet and another piece of paper please."

Xander hurries off to get the items. Adam takes the blanket and wraps it around Cassandra carefully. "She's asleep now, lets go the kitchen."

Xander nods and follows Adam, throwing a look over his should to prone figure on the couch. Once inside of the kitchen Xander asks, "What happened to her?"

"Cassandra is a priestess, she has been trained to be in touch with, how to put it, otherworldly elements. She was a healer for her tribe before her first death so she has had these abilities for as long as she can remember." Adam pauses, "What just happened back there was a vision. I've been through this before with her, she had one of you before you washed up on our island."

"What did she say while in her vision?"

"I can't say for sure and I know that the details will be hazy for a couple of days afterwards so I'll need to do some research."

"Can I help?" Xander falls into research mode easily now, intent on helping his surrogate mother.

"Yes", taking a piece of paper from Xander he writes down an address and a list of what Xander can only think are books. "Follow me, and pick up your sword sheath."

Xander follows him out to the garage with the sheath in hand. Adam hands him the sheet of paper and takes the sheath from Xander. He proceeds to tie the sheath down to the bike while explaining what is on the paper, "On that list is an address. It's a bookstore that I own. In the back there is a large safe the combination is below the address. The key to the store is behind you hanging from the pegboard. It's the third one from the right. Once you open the safe there are four shelves of books, take the ones that are on that list and bring them back here. You'll find some boxes and string to tie them up together, that should make it easier for you to stow away in your saddlebags."

Adam places the saddlebags over the sheath and looks at his work. You can barely see the sheath beneath the saddlebags. Adam walks back into the house and walks back out with Xander's sword and sheaths it under the saddlebags. You can't even tell that it is there.

"I'll be waiting for you here, hopefully Cassandra will be awake by the time you get back. Now go."

Xander puts the list in his breast pocket and straddles his bike, kick starting it. "I'll be back as soon as I can!" He yells over the roar of the bike. Adam just nods and Xander speeds off to the store. In his mirrors Xander can see Adam hurry back into the house.

Xander walks out of a store carrying packages. Checking over his stack he walks over to his new motorcycle and puts the packages into his saddlebags. He checks to see how secure they are and checks his sword. Xander can't believe how much this reminds him of his old life. He is research boy once again, but this time he doesn't dread it, he thinks of Cassandra and knows that if there was anything he could do to help, he would do it in a heart beat.

He is about to kick-start his bike when he hears a scuffle echo from a nearby alley. Knowing that can't possibly be good he quickly moves to the mouth of the alley and sees a young woman and five men surrounding her. Now that isn't right he thinks to himself and makes his way over to his bike and brings it to life. With the tires squealing as he turns around the corner, he speeds down the alley. Turning on his lights to distract the assailants he see something that worries him much more than before. The men all have yellow eyes and ridged foreheads. Upon seeing his adversaries in a new light his entire game plan changes quickly. Reaching under his saddlebags he pulls out his Schloss Erbach sword bringing it to bear like a Calvaryman. As he nears one of the vampires he brings his sword down and lops the demon's head off of its shoulders. That's one he thinks to himself. Seeing that the element of surprise was now gone Xander suddenly clamps down on his brakes. Using his momentum he launches himself on the closest vampire. He collides violently with the vampire connecting his sword guard with the demon's face. The he smiles when he hears the sound of bone and cartilage crunching. Rolling with the fall he quickly returns to his feet and saw a very surprising sight. The young woman is holding a stake with a pile of dust at her feet. Looking at her more closely and sees that she seems familiar.

He asks her, "Are you ok?"

Then he realizes who she is just before she answers, "Everything is five by five."

Faith was worried that the man who had jumped into the fight would get in her way, but now he was a mysterious benefactor. She looks him up and down and thinks to herself not bad, not bad at all. Even though she was the slayer she still had problems going up against more than two or three vampires at once. Looking to her right she saw a pile of what was the first vampire to be killed, the man's motorcycle, an unconscious vampire and the young man himself smiling easily at her. "You know shouldn't be running with pointy objects like that, let alone riding around on a motorcycle, you could poke your eye out." She says to him.

She doesn't recognize me yet he thinks to himself, "I seriously doubt that, by the way DUCK!" She did so and the sound of metal on metal clanged in her ears. Looking up she saw that one of the Vampires had gotten a pipe and tried to club her with it.

Looking down to see if she is hurt he sees her looking at him, more intently this time. "If you would be so kind as to move out of the way so I don't trip on you I would really appreciate it." He says, concentrating on his positioning and using his leverage to make up the strength difference between him and the vampire. She didn't need to be told twice, and she deftly rolled out of the way.

She wanted to see how the young man was doing against the now armed vampire, there was something about him she couldn't place, but her attention was brought to her left towards the growling of the last vampire. "Okay, so you want to play?" She slipped into a modified horse stance and waited for what she new what the vampire would do and that was charge. The vampire didn't disappoint and rushed at the young woman at full speed. A side step and a knife edge chop later the vampire was on the ground with a stake slammed through its heart. As the dust began to fall she looked up to see how the man was faring against the other vampire. He was doing fairly well considering what had to be a huge strength difference. She looked on as the man battled against the stronger adversary.

I can't keep this up he thinks to himself. Opting to change his strategy, he decides to dodge a majority of the attacks rather than parrying them, parry or not there was still some considerable force behind the blows. Just when he thought the vampire wouldn't give him an opening, one appeared. The vampire came at him trying to club him with his pipe like it was an axe. This is my chance he thinks to himself and steps back and performs an upward swing, turning with the swing to add power and momentum. The vampire sees the blow and tries to bring his pipe down to block but was too late. The man felt some resistance, nothing then resistance again as his blade passed through the vampire's wrists holding the pipe and then again as the blade went cleanly through its neck. It was only seconds later when the pipe and the vampire's ashes hit the pavement. Breathing heavily and looking around he sees that there is one vampire left, albeit this one was probably crippled right now so he wouldn't have to worry about that one.

Xander appraises the situation once more. Only moments ago he was thinking about what it was like to become research boy again. Now here he is standing knee deep in Vampire dust with Faith staring at him.

Again he asks, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm cool. What about you? I thought your arms would break with amount of force behind those swings."

"I'll be fine." He says walking over to his bike. He looks to see if his cargo is undamaged by the fall. See that it isn't he sheaths his sword and turns back to see how Faith is doing.

Turning he sees that Faith is right behind him only inches away.

Faith is busily looking at the young man very closely. He reminds her so much of Xander. His hair is shorter, his frame is leaner more muscular but was it Xander? Or was she still holding out for one chance of redemption? Leaning closer to him he takes his face into her hands and pulls it closer to hers. His warm breath on her skin gives her shivers. She looks into his eyes and peers at the dark pools and sees warmth that only Xander had.

Pulling away, her eyes full of tears she whispers, "Xander? Is that you?" She begs to God or any god that would hear her plea, please let it be him! If he is my guardian angel please let him stay long enough to forgive me! PLEASE!

What surprises her is that his arms reach around and hold her close to his body in a warm inviting hug. She can feel his heart beating, and his skin is warm to the touch. He says quietly into her ear "Yes Faith, its me." With those four words she leans into the embrace crying into his shoulder, repeating the words, " I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!" The tears don't stop as he quietly rocks her and coos, "It's alright. Don't cry. I forgive you."

They are like that for a few moments and Xander pulls her away from him. Faith shivers with the sudden loss of warmth. Xander takes off his jacket and puts it around her shoulders. "Do you have a place to stay?" He asks her.

She shakes her, "No, I just got into town. I was looking for a place to stay when these guys surrounded me."

Propping up his bike he gestures with his head, "Hop on, you can crash with me tonight. I have to stop by my friends' house first though."

"Really? You don't hate me?" Her tone is cautious.

"Of course not. I have never hated you." Faith's heart soars at those words. Xander's friendship means more to her than anything to her right now. With his friendship comes acceptance and a chance to truly start over. With that she climbs on the bike and wraps her arms around Xander's waist and leans into his body. She feels safer now than she has felt in a long time.

Xander kick starts his bike and feels Faith's arms around him. He feels apart of him that he had forgotten about come to life. A piece of him that he shut down when he left his old life behind. Taking a deep breath he thinks once more "what if?" only this time he thinks of the possible futures ahead of him, each and everyone of them revolves around the woman holding on tightly to his body.

...