Title: Like Old Times (2/3)
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: Crossover
Description: A few days after Angel fires his staff, Xander comes to town to find that old habits die hard.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a fuzzy piece of ancient cheese that looks suspiciously like Abe Lincoln and a crayon rendering of Jesse Jackson as Papa Smurf. Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and the WB own Buffy and all related characters. I just screw around with them.
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"We've been doing this for how many nights now?" Cordelia asked.
"Just two," Xander said, looking ahead to where Oz was kneeling in the alley. "Disturbance in the force?"
"She was here," Oz said. "Not long ago."
"I'm not sure where that falls in the luck continuum, but it's a start," Xander said.
"Can you track her?" Cordelia asked.
"Possibly. The scent is fairly strong, but I'm not used to using my senses like this," Oz said.
A scream pierced the night. It was coming from less than a block away. Cordelia, Xander and Oz all looked in the direction it was coming from.
"I'm gonna go with instinct and say, 'That way,' though," Oz mumbled.
"Cordy, go get the car," Xander shouted as he and Oz took off running toward the scream. "And call the others."
Gunn was cutting off the gentleman's breath. That much was obvious to Wesley. Unfortunately, Gunn was unaware of the Pyn'kesh demon sneaking up behind him.
"I would advise against that," Wesley said, stepping out of the shadows. He lowered his crossbow, aiming directly between the creatures eyes. "Gunn may be a bit impetuous, but he is my friend. I wouldn't fancy having to replace him."
The creature backed down.
"Now one more time," Gunn said to the little troll of a man he held by the throat. "Lady vamp... super strong... full of herself... Tell me where she is."
"I don't know," the man rasped, his face contorting into that of a vampire. "Please. I know nothing."
Wesley's cell phone rang. "Yes? Of course. We'll be right there."
Gunn let go of the vamp's neck. "They find her?"
"Three blocks over," Wesley said. "Behind the Krispy Creme."
The two men turned and left the demon bar. Wesley slid behind the wheel of Xander's rental car, and they were off. Within a minute, they were facing the alleyway Cordelia had described.
"You sure this is it?" Gunn asked. "It's dark down there. I can't see any fight going on."
"Yes. Surely we could at least hear something," Wesley added.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he caught sight of something flying straight at them. Xander landed on his back in the middle of the windshield. It immediately shattered and gave way, landing him on top of Wesley and Gunn.
"Man, that was fierce," Gunn said. "You okay, X?"
"Just thanking the heavens my insurance premiums are paid up," Xander moaned. "Go. Oz and Cordy are down there. I'll follow as soon as I find my spinal column."
Wesley and Gunn hopped out of the car. From the trunk, they produced assorted weapons. In seconds, they were at ground zero. The vampire they had encountered only two nights earlier had Oz by the throat. The boy was turning blue. Cordelia was sneaking up behind her with a stake. At the last second, the woman whirled around and kicked Cordelia in the face.
"You are not the Slayer," she screamed. "I thought I was going to get a workout."
"Try this," Gunn said from behind her. He let a throwing knife fly. It stuck in the woman's wrist, forcing her to drop Oz. He landed on the pavement with a thud.
"You know nothing," the woman screamed. "A knife is nothing but a pain. It can do me no real harm."
"How does this feel?" Wesley asked as he fired a bolt from his crossbow. The vamp caught it in mid flight.
"Feels just fine," she said with a wicked smile. Behind her back, Cordelia was helping Oz to his feet. "Now where did the other one go? The other boy had the stink of Slayer about him. Perhaps he can see if she will come out to play."
"Sorry," Xander said, stepping back into the fray. "The Slayer might be a little overkill for one pesky little vamp."
The vampire laughed. "Oh, you will tell her," she said. "She will know that Lucia has come to call."
"Doubtful," Xander said. "Saying that dust has come to call just doesn't frighten her the way it used to."
"You have a sharp tongue," she said. "I wonder how it will taste."
"Probably like chicken. Everything else does."
"You interest me, boy."
"Yeah. I get that a lot. So're you ready to die now or what?"
"I was just getting ready to ask you the same thing." She jumped at him faster than anyone else could react. She knocked him on his back, pinning him with her knees. "Come any closer and he's already dead," she said to the others. "I have plans for this one."
"Sorry," Xander said, sticking a cross into her face. She was in agony as it touched her flesh, so he pressed the advantage. As fast as he could, he pulled a roll of duct tape from his coat pocket and began wrapping in in earnest around the vamp's head.
Lucia came out of her panic enough to realize what was happening. She struck blindly, knocking Xander down the alley. Wesley and Gunn moved to hold her down, but she ripped the tape and cross away before they could get to her. The was a cross-shaped burn mark on her face, ruining the beauty that was present only moments earlier.
"My face!" she screamed. "Look at what he's done to me!" She hit Wesley so hard that he thought his jaw might be broken. She then took off running back to the entrance of the alley.
When she had punched Xander, he went skidding back toward the entrance of the alley. His flesh scraped against the rough pavement, cutting him in places. He just laid there for a moment and let the pain settle in. Before he could even think of getting back on his feet, the vamp ran past him.
"You will die, young one. I swear it. By the time the sun sets on another day, your friends will be dead, and you will be next."
"Promises, promises," Xander mumbled. The others came running up, trying to get a feel for which way she was headed. Oz offered him a hand up.
"I think she likes you," Oz said with half of a smile. "You should probably tell her you're involved with somebody."
"I'll take that under advisement," Xander said. "The real question is what we do now."
"Well," Cordelia said, checking out his thoroughly abused form. "I'd say we get you to a hospital so they can patch you up, and then see if we can use her name to research a possible weakness."
"Yes," Wesley agreed. "There can't be many super strong vampire women named..."
"Lucia," Cordelia read. "Back in 1837, a Slayer named Percy Langlais fought and was killed by a vampire named Lucia." She handed the book to Wesley so he could continue. He walked across her living room and took a seat on the sofa.
"It seems Lucia had been an extremely wicked sorceress who was willingly turned into a vampire to further increase her power. She's killed three Slayers in all," Wesley added.
"Then she's not getting anywhere near Sunnydale," Xander said. "The last thing Buffy needs is to face her and Glory. We have to stop her ourselves."
"But how?" Oz asked, handing Xander a cup of coffee. "Assuming I can find her again, I'm still no help in the power department."
"And thus far, our combined skills have proven fairly worthless," Wesley said.
"That's British guy for 'we got our butts handed to us', if you didn't catch that," Gunn clarified.
"But we decided that we were going to continue the good fight," Cordelia said. "And some of us still have friends in Sunnydale." She smiled at Xander before continuing. "Let's keep researching and see if we can find a weakness."
"You do that," Xander said. "I've got something else to take care of."
"What can you do?" Cordelia asked. "You have two cracked ribs."
"I know. Hopefully, it won't require any physical action."
"Need me to go with?" Oz asked.
"No. I'm good," Xander said. "But..."
"What?" Gunn asked.
"If something happens and I'm not back by the morning, it would probably be safe to assume the worst."
"I don't like the sound of that, Xander," Welsey protested. "Whatever you are up to sounds extremely dangerous. It would be better if one of us went with you."
"Not really," Xander said. "That would only make it more difficult. Trust me."
They all stared at him for a moment.
"I do," Cordelia said. "But if you get yourself killed, I'm gonna say that I told you not to go."
"I wouldn't have expected anything else," Xander said with a smile.
He moved through them silently. It was like some deadly ballet in which he was the star. They came at him in twos and threes, but it mattered little. He made it look easy. Xander shook a little inside just watching him. It was over in moments. There was ash and demon blood everywhere. He was death to all that opposed him.
"Bravo," Xander said, stepping out of the shadows. "You always were good at killing things."
"What are YOU doing here?" Angel asked, without bothering to turn and face him.
"I'm here," Xander said. "Because you and I need to have a little talk."
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: Crossover
Description: A few days after Angel fires his staff, Xander comes to town to find that old habits die hard.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a fuzzy piece of ancient cheese that looks suspiciously like Abe Lincoln and a crayon rendering of Jesse Jackson as Papa Smurf. Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and the WB own Buffy and all related characters. I just screw around with them.
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"We've been doing this for how many nights now?" Cordelia asked.
"Just two," Xander said, looking ahead to where Oz was kneeling in the alley. "Disturbance in the force?"
"She was here," Oz said. "Not long ago."
"I'm not sure where that falls in the luck continuum, but it's a start," Xander said.
"Can you track her?" Cordelia asked.
"Possibly. The scent is fairly strong, but I'm not used to using my senses like this," Oz said.
A scream pierced the night. It was coming from less than a block away. Cordelia, Xander and Oz all looked in the direction it was coming from.
"I'm gonna go with instinct and say, 'That way,' though," Oz mumbled.
"Cordy, go get the car," Xander shouted as he and Oz took off running toward the scream. "And call the others."
Gunn was cutting off the gentleman's breath. That much was obvious to Wesley. Unfortunately, Gunn was unaware of the Pyn'kesh demon sneaking up behind him.
"I would advise against that," Wesley said, stepping out of the shadows. He lowered his crossbow, aiming directly between the creatures eyes. "Gunn may be a bit impetuous, but he is my friend. I wouldn't fancy having to replace him."
The creature backed down.
"Now one more time," Gunn said to the little troll of a man he held by the throat. "Lady vamp... super strong... full of herself... Tell me where she is."
"I don't know," the man rasped, his face contorting into that of a vampire. "Please. I know nothing."
Wesley's cell phone rang. "Yes? Of course. We'll be right there."
Gunn let go of the vamp's neck. "They find her?"
"Three blocks over," Wesley said. "Behind the Krispy Creme."
The two men turned and left the demon bar. Wesley slid behind the wheel of Xander's rental car, and they were off. Within a minute, they were facing the alleyway Cordelia had described.
"You sure this is it?" Gunn asked. "It's dark down there. I can't see any fight going on."
"Yes. Surely we could at least hear something," Wesley added.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he caught sight of something flying straight at them. Xander landed on his back in the middle of the windshield. It immediately shattered and gave way, landing him on top of Wesley and Gunn.
"Man, that was fierce," Gunn said. "You okay, X?"
"Just thanking the heavens my insurance premiums are paid up," Xander moaned. "Go. Oz and Cordy are down there. I'll follow as soon as I find my spinal column."
Wesley and Gunn hopped out of the car. From the trunk, they produced assorted weapons. In seconds, they were at ground zero. The vampire they had encountered only two nights earlier had Oz by the throat. The boy was turning blue. Cordelia was sneaking up behind her with a stake. At the last second, the woman whirled around and kicked Cordelia in the face.
"You are not the Slayer," she screamed. "I thought I was going to get a workout."
"Try this," Gunn said from behind her. He let a throwing knife fly. It stuck in the woman's wrist, forcing her to drop Oz. He landed on the pavement with a thud.
"You know nothing," the woman screamed. "A knife is nothing but a pain. It can do me no real harm."
"How does this feel?" Wesley asked as he fired a bolt from his crossbow. The vamp caught it in mid flight.
"Feels just fine," she said with a wicked smile. Behind her back, Cordelia was helping Oz to his feet. "Now where did the other one go? The other boy had the stink of Slayer about him. Perhaps he can see if she will come out to play."
"Sorry," Xander said, stepping back into the fray. "The Slayer might be a little overkill for one pesky little vamp."
The vampire laughed. "Oh, you will tell her," she said. "She will know that Lucia has come to call."
"Doubtful," Xander said. "Saying that dust has come to call just doesn't frighten her the way it used to."
"You have a sharp tongue," she said. "I wonder how it will taste."
"Probably like chicken. Everything else does."
"You interest me, boy."
"Yeah. I get that a lot. So're you ready to die now or what?"
"I was just getting ready to ask you the same thing." She jumped at him faster than anyone else could react. She knocked him on his back, pinning him with her knees. "Come any closer and he's already dead," she said to the others. "I have plans for this one."
"Sorry," Xander said, sticking a cross into her face. She was in agony as it touched her flesh, so he pressed the advantage. As fast as he could, he pulled a roll of duct tape from his coat pocket and began wrapping in in earnest around the vamp's head.
Lucia came out of her panic enough to realize what was happening. She struck blindly, knocking Xander down the alley. Wesley and Gunn moved to hold her down, but she ripped the tape and cross away before they could get to her. The was a cross-shaped burn mark on her face, ruining the beauty that was present only moments earlier.
"My face!" she screamed. "Look at what he's done to me!" She hit Wesley so hard that he thought his jaw might be broken. She then took off running back to the entrance of the alley.
When she had punched Xander, he went skidding back toward the entrance of the alley. His flesh scraped against the rough pavement, cutting him in places. He just laid there for a moment and let the pain settle in. Before he could even think of getting back on his feet, the vamp ran past him.
"You will die, young one. I swear it. By the time the sun sets on another day, your friends will be dead, and you will be next."
"Promises, promises," Xander mumbled. The others came running up, trying to get a feel for which way she was headed. Oz offered him a hand up.
"I think she likes you," Oz said with half of a smile. "You should probably tell her you're involved with somebody."
"I'll take that under advisement," Xander said. "The real question is what we do now."
"Well," Cordelia said, checking out his thoroughly abused form. "I'd say we get you to a hospital so they can patch you up, and then see if we can use her name to research a possible weakness."
"Yes," Wesley agreed. "There can't be many super strong vampire women named..."
"Lucia," Cordelia read. "Back in 1837, a Slayer named Percy Langlais fought and was killed by a vampire named Lucia." She handed the book to Wesley so he could continue. He walked across her living room and took a seat on the sofa.
"It seems Lucia had been an extremely wicked sorceress who was willingly turned into a vampire to further increase her power. She's killed three Slayers in all," Wesley added.
"Then she's not getting anywhere near Sunnydale," Xander said. "The last thing Buffy needs is to face her and Glory. We have to stop her ourselves."
"But how?" Oz asked, handing Xander a cup of coffee. "Assuming I can find her again, I'm still no help in the power department."
"And thus far, our combined skills have proven fairly worthless," Wesley said.
"That's British guy for 'we got our butts handed to us', if you didn't catch that," Gunn clarified.
"But we decided that we were going to continue the good fight," Cordelia said. "And some of us still have friends in Sunnydale." She smiled at Xander before continuing. "Let's keep researching and see if we can find a weakness."
"You do that," Xander said. "I've got something else to take care of."
"What can you do?" Cordelia asked. "You have two cracked ribs."
"I know. Hopefully, it won't require any physical action."
"Need me to go with?" Oz asked.
"No. I'm good," Xander said. "But..."
"What?" Gunn asked.
"If something happens and I'm not back by the morning, it would probably be safe to assume the worst."
"I don't like the sound of that, Xander," Welsey protested. "Whatever you are up to sounds extremely dangerous. It would be better if one of us went with you."
"Not really," Xander said. "That would only make it more difficult. Trust me."
They all stared at him for a moment.
"I do," Cordelia said. "But if you get yourself killed, I'm gonna say that I told you not to go."
"I wouldn't have expected anything else," Xander said with a smile.
He moved through them silently. It was like some deadly ballet in which he was the star. They came at him in twos and threes, but it mattered little. He made it look easy. Xander shook a little inside just watching him. It was over in moments. There was ash and demon blood everywhere. He was death to all that opposed him.
"Bravo," Xander said, stepping out of the shadows. "You always were good at killing things."
"What are YOU doing here?" Angel asked, without bothering to turn and face him.
"I'm here," Xander said. "Because you and I need to have a little talk."