A Fresh Start Part 3
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fanfiction
by DaBear
This story is a work of (fan)fiction. The characters of Buffy The Vampire Slayer in no way belong to me, they belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. In other words there is no intent to make money here, so don't sue me.
Rating: R for violence, sexual situations and language
Spoilers: Up until the end of season 2 then I am off into my own little AU
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Xanders POV
She regains her feet and slowly rises up to her full height, which is still a good six inches shorter than me, but her height has nothing to do with the sheer presence, the anger, that she radiates. A grimace replaces the scowl on her face for a moment, as she rolls her shoulders and arms, trying to regain sensation and control over them. //Crap,// I thought, //So much for a minute. Less than ten seconds and she's shrugging off a nerve strike...// That thought was quickly chased from my head as her, uh… lets just call them 'prominent assets' were being shifted and shimmied by the Slayer's range of motion as she recovered. //Damn, she is a stone cold fox isn't she. Shit!! She's starting to come at me again...// I chased away any irrelevant, but entertaining thoughts, as... Shit, what is her name anyway? Well, whatever, she's pissed and coming at me like an enraged, well, Slayer... Now, how the hell am I gonna get out of this without getting either of us beaten, maimed or killed?
"Now, Miss Congeniality, this little meeting of ours does not have to turn into a bad comic-book, ok? The two Heroes don't always have to bang their heads when they first meet. Besides I am pretty sure you'd kick my ass in hand-to-hand. Sooooo, look. If your Watcher knows anything about the situation in Sunnydale they should know about me." Frowning at the girl who is glowering at me I mutter softly to myself "I hope."
Her hands are clenching and unclenching at her sides and I just know she wants them wrapped around my neck, strangling the life from my twitching body. Her glare is trying to melt the gun out of my hand by sheer willpower as she snorts at my statement "And my Watcher knowing about you is supposed to reassure me how? She only ever knows about the bad guys anyway." I can tell she would gladly rip my spine out and beat me about the head with it.
Sighing I reply "Look I fought at both Buffy's and Kendra's side," pausing I add "When they let me. There was a... misunderstanding with Buffy's ex-boyfriend. I kinda sent him to Hell... sorta." Grimacing to myself I continue "Anyway she got a bit pissy, so I left town, which does not make me a bad guy, Ok?" Trying to use some logic I ask her. "Do I set off your... your slay-dar, spider sense... whatever you call it?"
"Look asshole, you're the one pointing a gun at me. I don't care if your Mother Fucking Teresa, you are not getting out of this with out some pain." And so, with saying that she takes a step towards me with a wicked looking grin on her face.
I take a quick two steps back up the alleyway and say in a slightly panicked tone, "Please, do not make me shoot you Slayer. This is a Desert Eagle 50 caliber pistol, if I shoot you with it, it will put a hole in you the size of a pie plate. There is no safe place for me to shoot. If I shoot you in the arm it'll come off, same with the leg. In the chest? It'll put a hole in you big that you could drive a train through. Not even you could survive something like that."
She takes another step forward and resignedly I let the darkness slip it's leash. It steps jauntily out of its cage and into my psyche like an old friend coming to visit. The instincts rise up and slip around my mind, washing away the fear and pain. I feel my eyes go blank and dead, no emotions showing within them now, as all emotions slid away, the doorway to my soul is now closed and locked.
My face slips into a neutral expression as I stop the ever so slight trembling in my hands. Taking one step back my body turns to face the threat and my left hand comes up to cup my right. My vision narrows down to the sites of my gun and the beautiful brunette creature centered in them. The sites line up with her center of mass and the thought flits lightly across my mind that the bullet will shatter her spine if I aimed it a little more to the left of its current location. The gun adjusts itself and I am ready to deal death and walk away. I feel the change occur inside my head and I have given up trying to fight it. When I fight the shift of focus I end up hurt by the things that the focus was called upon to fight. And I refuse to be hurt anymore. I am no longer Xander Harris, 17 year old high school drop out and all around funny guy. I am lethal and cold, death is my companion and friend.
She seems to have sensed the change. Her forward momentum comes to a stop and she frowns at me quizzically. She sees the light seep from my eyes and she tenses up, her breath speeding up and I can see the thought flash across her face that I may be telling the truth, that maybe, just maybe she won't be walking away from this if she continues.
She takes a step back, keeping watch on my eyes. Another step back as her hands come up to her shoulders in the classic 'Don't shoot me,' gesture. Taking a few more steps back until she seems to feel comfortable in the distance she lowers her arms. Her eyes flicker back and forth between the gun and my eyes and she slowly licks her lips. Not in a come hither type of way, more along the lines of a nervous gesture before speaking. Opening her mouth no words come out at first, then with a cough she says "Ok, I'm calm now."
Nodding my head I lower the gun to my side, but the darkness once in control stays that way till there are no threats. And the Slayer is still a threat, simply by being who she is and what she is. The coldness still in my eyes I step back towards my fallen axe and bag keeping a steady eye on her. I reach my fallen axe and crouch to pick it up with my left hand before standing up. The Slayer hasn't moved since speaking and is just watching me back away from her. A fascinated look in her eyes as she watches me, her eyes seemingly drinking in my movements.
As I reach my bag she opens her mouth and licks her lips again this time in a seemingly unconscious seductive manner. "So, now what?"
Dropping the axe into my bag I straiten up and sling the strap over my shoulder all while never taking my eyes off the beautiful and dangerous girl in front of me. "Now Slayer…"
She interrupts me at that point to say, "My names Faith."
Nodding to her "A beautiful name, as I was saying, Faith; I bid you goodnight and farewell." The darkness is much more formal then I would ever be, the words coming from my mouth almost archaic in their utterance. I feel the darkness slipping away as it comes to the conclusion that Faith would not be any more trouble, and I am able to slip the pistol back into its holster as I nod my head to the dark haired slayer.
Stepping back once more I turn the corner to the alley and walk away, doubting to myself that that would be my last encounter with Faith the Vampire Slayer.