Pt.10: Death Becomes You (The Final Death)
Suddenly it switched from feeling to seeing, to actually standing by while things occurred, and only being able to watch. In a darkened room Giles was tied securely to a hard wooden backed chair, he was bleeding badly and looked far too frail to be the Watcher she remembered. A new Vampire leader had emerged since she had died; he was too predictable though. Cold, calculating, monstrous in his hate. All he had to do was stand by and laugh as the heroes in town eliminated themselves from the game.
Everyone except for the one he wished to be rid of the most. Despite his successes against the boy including turning mommy and daddy Harris into vampires, the boy simply refused to die. He staggered on like a drunk too stupid or wasted to know he should already be down for the count. Even as he fell to his knees he would pull himself up with almost terminal stupidity, begging for another round, too stubborn and too damn proud to give in.
Alexander would not surrender, he wanted to die, but not in shame, he would go out fighting or he would hold onto life by his fingernails. The hold was tenuous but the heart behind it was strong.
Now finally after all this time he had the boy within his grasp, taking the Watcher was an overdone but brilliant move, now that Alex had nowhere else to turn. And he knew the boy would not disappoint. He possessed a loyal and suicidal heroic streak at least a mile wide, he would die to save his last friend and that was what Isaack was hoping for.
Buffy felt it all as Xander Alex crashed into Isaack's cliched vampire hideout, as if in a town overrun by vampires one would somehow overlook a musty, abandoned, boarded up factory as a possible 'vampire hideout.' It was really quite pathetic.
Buffy watched as Alex single-handedly took out the two guards surrounding Giles, and released her frightened watcher. Once the watcher was free Isaack approached Alex, with a chilly grin, this was all working out according to plan. This self-appointed vampire slayer would die tonight. He wanted the boy for himself, Alexander Harris had been a thorn in his side for far too long now and he intended to remedy this problem tonight. It would feel good to tear the still beating heart out of the boy's chest and show it to him as he died. He relished the idea of finally tasting the revenge he had ached for, for so long.
Buffy watched in agony as the two began to fight and she realized that Alex was out of his league. The vampire was too strong and too fast for him. But he lasted long enough to make it count. Isaack's fist connected with Alex's nose breaking it as his legs were kicked out from beneath him. Buffy could see the tide turning and was helpless to interfere so she contented herself with her tears and the sound of his name on her lips, praying against all of her slayer instincts that this fight would not end as she feared.
Alex drunkenly gained his feet and faced his tormentor with a smile on his lips, as Isaack shoved his sharpened claws into Alex's flesh, blood gushed from the vicious wound as the vampire dug and twisted his claws into the fragile flesh of Alex's chest. However the outcome was not as sweet as Isacck had dreamed it would be. There was no screaming, no begging only two simple words that rang in the silence of the basement of the spartan warehouse.
"Thank you." Alex stated calmly as he dropped the stake hidden up his sleeve into his right hand and slammed it into the vampire's chest. The look on Isaack's face as he burst into dust was most entertaining. Then Alex staggered back towards Giles who was lying in a heap beside the chair he had been imprisoned in. Blood gushed and splattered in large drops upon the concrete floor staining Alex's pants in a cacophony of blood.
Alex collapsed next to the broken watcher unsteadily and checked Gile's pulse, it was still strong, and that gave Xander hope. He could feel no pain- it was as though he was feeling the affects of a very strong sedative. He just knew he didn't want to die on the floor in the ashes of his enemy, he didn't want to die alone like all his friends had, so he took Gile's hand in his and closed his eyes.
As soon as he collapsed Buffy moved toward Xander with tears in her eyes, and touched his face with her ethereal hands, leaning her head against his forehead. Wishing this was a nightmare, because if this fate, then it was just one cruel joke after another.
"Buffy…?" Xander's voice whispered softly. She jumped at his voice, and thought for a moment that he saw her. "It's finally over. I never stopped loving you…" She watched as one tear slipped out of the corner of his left eye, but the smile never left his face as he was released from this foul world that had tortured and enslaved him.
Buffy sat there for a long time beside his cooling body, waiting to be taken back to her spot on the bluff, high above the blue mediterranean sea, where she could physically curl up into a ball and close out the darkness that now overwhelmed her. She just wanted to grieve. It still amazed her how quickly and silently change could sneak up on you and turn your whole world on its head.
Giles awoke soaked in Xander's blood, the minute he recognized the still form beside him, he gathered the boy into his arms and began to sob like his heart was breaking, and it probably was. He was the last, left all alone in this seemingly unending darkness.
But he would hold onto his promise to Xander with all his might. To bury the boy beside his lost love and return to England, and stay far away from the reach of the hellmouth. Giles had never told Xander the truth- that with Buffy's death, he'd been summarily released by the Watcher's Council.
In the end he had stayed for his children, for his sweet trusting Willow, strong, silent Oz, and the brave and faithful boy now lying dead against his chest. Giles cried for the boy he held in his arms, for the death of his innocence and the ruthless murder of all his laughter and joy on a dark, stormy night long ago. He only hoped that Xander could finally find the peace in death that had been denied him all his life.
Buffy watched the scene before her with an anguish deeper than any she had ever felt before and when she felt the disturbance around her that signaled the coming of the light she welcomed it with open arms.
Suddenly it switched from feeling to seeing, to actually standing by while things occurred, and only being able to watch. In a darkened room Giles was tied securely to a hard wooden backed chair, he was bleeding badly and looked far too frail to be the Watcher she remembered. A new Vampire leader had emerged since she had died; he was too predictable though. Cold, calculating, monstrous in his hate. All he had to do was stand by and laugh as the heroes in town eliminated themselves from the game.
Everyone except for the one he wished to be rid of the most. Despite his successes against the boy including turning mommy and daddy Harris into vampires, the boy simply refused to die. He staggered on like a drunk too stupid or wasted to know he should already be down for the count. Even as he fell to his knees he would pull himself up with almost terminal stupidity, begging for another round, too stubborn and too damn proud to give in.
Alexander would not surrender, he wanted to die, but not in shame, he would go out fighting or he would hold onto life by his fingernails. The hold was tenuous but the heart behind it was strong.
Now finally after all this time he had the boy within his grasp, taking the Watcher was an overdone but brilliant move, now that Alex had nowhere else to turn. And he knew the boy would not disappoint. He possessed a loyal and suicidal heroic streak at least a mile wide, he would die to save his last friend and that was what Isaack was hoping for.
Buffy felt it all as Xander Alex crashed into Isaack's cliched vampire hideout, as if in a town overrun by vampires one would somehow overlook a musty, abandoned, boarded up factory as a possible 'vampire hideout.' It was really quite pathetic.
Buffy watched as Alex single-handedly took out the two guards surrounding Giles, and released her frightened watcher. Once the watcher was free Isaack approached Alex, with a chilly grin, this was all working out according to plan. This self-appointed vampire slayer would die tonight. He wanted the boy for himself, Alexander Harris had been a thorn in his side for far too long now and he intended to remedy this problem tonight. It would feel good to tear the still beating heart out of the boy's chest and show it to him as he died. He relished the idea of finally tasting the revenge he had ached for, for so long.
Buffy watched in agony as the two began to fight and she realized that Alex was out of his league. The vampire was too strong and too fast for him. But he lasted long enough to make it count. Isaack's fist connected with Alex's nose breaking it as his legs were kicked out from beneath him. Buffy could see the tide turning and was helpless to interfere so she contented herself with her tears and the sound of his name on her lips, praying against all of her slayer instincts that this fight would not end as she feared.
Alex drunkenly gained his feet and faced his tormentor with a smile on his lips, as Isaack shoved his sharpened claws into Alex's flesh, blood gushed from the vicious wound as the vampire dug and twisted his claws into the fragile flesh of Alex's chest. However the outcome was not as sweet as Isacck had dreamed it would be. There was no screaming, no begging only two simple words that rang in the silence of the basement of the spartan warehouse.
"Thank you." Alex stated calmly as he dropped the stake hidden up his sleeve into his right hand and slammed it into the vampire's chest. The look on Isaack's face as he burst into dust was most entertaining. Then Alex staggered back towards Giles who was lying in a heap beside the chair he had been imprisoned in. Blood gushed and splattered in large drops upon the concrete floor staining Alex's pants in a cacophony of blood.
Alex collapsed next to the broken watcher unsteadily and checked Gile's pulse, it was still strong, and that gave Xander hope. He could feel no pain- it was as though he was feeling the affects of a very strong sedative. He just knew he didn't want to die on the floor in the ashes of his enemy, he didn't want to die alone like all his friends had, so he took Gile's hand in his and closed his eyes.
As soon as he collapsed Buffy moved toward Xander with tears in her eyes, and touched his face with her ethereal hands, leaning her head against his forehead. Wishing this was a nightmare, because if this fate, then it was just one cruel joke after another.
"Buffy…?" Xander's voice whispered softly. She jumped at his voice, and thought for a moment that he saw her. "It's finally over. I never stopped loving you…" She watched as one tear slipped out of the corner of his left eye, but the smile never left his face as he was released from this foul world that had tortured and enslaved him.
Buffy sat there for a long time beside his cooling body, waiting to be taken back to her spot on the bluff, high above the blue mediterranean sea, where she could physically curl up into a ball and close out the darkness that now overwhelmed her. She just wanted to grieve. It still amazed her how quickly and silently change could sneak up on you and turn your whole world on its head.
Giles awoke soaked in Xander's blood, the minute he recognized the still form beside him, he gathered the boy into his arms and began to sob like his heart was breaking, and it probably was. He was the last, left all alone in this seemingly unending darkness.
But he would hold onto his promise to Xander with all his might. To bury the boy beside his lost love and return to England, and stay far away from the reach of the hellmouth. Giles had never told Xander the truth- that with Buffy's death, he'd been summarily released by the Watcher's Council.
In the end he had stayed for his children, for his sweet trusting Willow, strong, silent Oz, and the brave and faithful boy now lying dead against his chest. Giles cried for the boy he held in his arms, for the death of his innocence and the ruthless murder of all his laughter and joy on a dark, stormy night long ago. He only hoped that Xander could finally find the peace in death that had been denied him all his life.
Buffy watched the scene before her with an anguish deeper than any she had ever felt before and when she felt the disturbance around her that signaled the coming of the light she welcomed it with open arms.