Title: And the Saints Boweth Before the King
Author: DOKChairman
Time/Spoilers: Takes place after the events in 'Grave'.
Summary: I could write a summary, but then it would give away everything. So no summary, but I'll give you a hint. The opening I put down for the story is indicative of some of what the story might be about. Not much of a hint, I know, but it's all you're getting.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own the rights to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all of its characters. I own nothing except the story, and the Anna Kournikova poster on my bedroom wall. I just got the new Coldplay cd so now I guess I own three things.
Author's Note: Thanks for all the great feedback. I was so worried that you guys wouldn't like the last chapter. Keep reading and reviewing please, as it gives me the motivation to keep writing. Oh, and a special thanks goes out to all the people who expressed interest in being my beta. The number of volunteers surprised me; it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside to know so many people cared.
Author's Note #2: I don't want to sound desperate or anything, but I really need to know how many people out there are actually reading my story. Its not that I don't appreciate the people who take the time to give a review, but only five reviews for two weeks worth of work just isn't as motivating as it used to be. I bring this up because it is nearing December, and that is when I planned on starting to write part two of my Farscape trilogy. I know that when I start writing that I will be consumed by it, and I will not focus on writing anything else.
The point is, I will be less inclined to start writing that story if I know there are a lot of people out there interested in me finishing this story. The more people who tell me to keep writing, the more I am willing to put on hold my other projects. If not, then I will probably post new parts up till the beginning of December, and then I probably won't post again to late January or early February. I know that I sound like a feedback whore and I apologize, but a guy has got to prioritize, and right now, writing a story that while I'm proud of and enjoy writing, isn't in my top ten list of things to do this winter unless a lot of people convince me otherwise.
"People see only what they are prepared to see." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Chapter 14: A Hoot and a Holler
Xander could do nothing as the vampire leader lowered his mouth to his exposed neck. He had already tried struggling against the vampires holding him in place, but they were too strong. He was trapped, and unless some miracle happened in the next 30 seconds or so, Xander knew that he would not be spending very much longer above the earth.
Fortunately for Xander, a miracle did happen, but with all things Hellmouthy, it happened in a most unexpected of ways. Without warning, one of the vampires standing guard exploded into a cloud of dust. Soon after him, the other vampire on the right exploded into dust as well. That just left the two holding Xander and the vamp leader.
In shock, the vampire leader moved his mouth away from Xander's pulsating jugular and looked into the dark around them to see who had attacked. Xander knew that it was impossible for the mysterious attacker to be Buffy, not enough time had passed by yet for her to arrive.
However, at the moment, Xander could have cared less who the attacker was. Whoever it was, was giving Xander the chance that he needed to get away from the three remaining vamps and he was not about to let that chance slip through his fingers.
Pulling with every bit of strength that he had, Xander yanked his right arm free from the vampire on his right. Xander then brought his arm up and sent his elbow crashing back as hard as he could into the vampire's face, sending the vampire sprawling to the ground. Not wasting any time to admire his handiwork, Xander then brought his free arm across his body and punched the stunned vampire on his left in the face. The blow was not strong enough to knock the vampire to the ground like the other one, but it was enough of a blow to cause the vamp to temporarily loosen its hold on Xander's left arm. Xander was now free. All he had to do was make the most of it.
Xander immediately tried to take off; running in the direction of what he thought was Buffy's house. Unfortunately, the vampire that Xander had knocked to the ground had recovered enough to launch himself at Xander with a flying tackle. The vampire wrapped both his arms around Xander's legs and both men went flying to the ground. Xander landed hard and a loud oomph shot out from his mouth.
Xander began to frantically struggle as the vampire tried to hold him down. Xander flailed his arms, desperately looking for something, anything that he could use to fight against his attacker. He then heard a low growl come from the vamp on top of him and Xander made the mistake of looking over his shoulder. When he saw the vamp's face all bloody, he felt a flare of satisfaction at the thought that he had most likely broken the guy's nose, but that feeling of satisfaction quickly died when the vamp punched Xander in his face.
Dazed, Xander turned his head away from the angry vamp and refocused his attention on trying to find a weapon. The vampire wrapped his arm around Xander's throat and began to squeeze, cutting off Xander's oxygen flow. Xander's search became even more frantic as his vision was quickly beginning to blur.
Finally, Xander saw a rock about the size of his hand lying on the ground, and he reached out for it. His fingertips just barely reached the rock and he had to spend precious time slowly inching the rock close enough that he could palm the thing. When the rock was firmly in his grasp, Xander quickly began hitting the vampire above him as hard as he could. After a few glancing blows, Xander finally landed a solid hit on the vamp's face. The vampire let loose a pitiful sounding growl, and fell off Xander onto his side.
Xander quickly flipped over, climbed up to his knees, and repeatedly hit the vampire as hard as he could with the rock. By the time Xander felt the vampire was far enough out of the fight that he could stop, the vamp's face looked nothing more than ground hamburger meat. Normally, Xander might have spent time contemplating how disgusting the vampire looked and might even had expressed horror over what he had done, but Xander still had two vampires to deal with and he knew now was not the time for those kind of thoughts.
Xander stood up and searched the dark street corner for any sign of the two remaining vampires, but he couldn't see anything. He was pretty sure that he had not heard the tell tale sound of a vampire getting dusted, so he knew the two should still be around. He didn't think they were the kind of vamps who ran at the first sign of trouble.
Making sure that he still had his bloodied rock, he carefully began searching the area for the vampires. He contemplated just running and getting the hell away, but something inside of him was saying that running would be a very dangerous mistake. Plus there was a part of him that was curious about who his mysterious savior was.
However, if he was going to stay, he really needed to find himself a stake. A rock was a great weapon if he just wanted to bash somebody's head in, but a rock wouldn't dust a vamp. Keeping one eye on his surroundings, be began to search the ground around a large oak tree next to the sidewalk. He was hoping he could find himself a nice, sturdy tree branch.
Xander stopped his search for a stake-like weapon when he heard the sounds of a struggle happening to his right. Looking up from the ground, Xander could just make out what looked like three people involved in a fight. It was hard to tell because all three people, if they could be called that, were wearing all black and easily blended into the darkened night.
Xander gave up on his search, considering it a futile cause, and carefully walked towards the three fighters. Xander could recognize the two remaining vampires, but the third person was still a mystery. Xander was not sure if the stranger was male or female, but the person looked like it might be a he. Not that it mattered. Whatever the sex of the mysterious stranger was, Xander thought it was a pretty safe bet that whoever the third person was was also the person that had saved him. And Xander was intensely curious as to who that person was.
Xander was about to run and jump into the fight with his rock, when the newcomer seemed to gain the upper hand. With a move that impressed even him, after all Xander had seen it all, the stranger threw a high punch at the vampire on his left and the vampire collapsed to one knee. Then in one fluid motion, the stranger stood on the vampire's knee, placed his hands on the vampire's shoulders and launched himself over the vampire's body, flipping in the air and landing gracefully behind the still dazed vampire. Before the vampire could even react, the stranger made a stabbing motion at the vamp and the vamp exploded into dust.
Xander froze in place and stared somewhat dumbly at the impressive move until he heard the very angry growl of the lone remaining vampire. The vampire leader launched itself at the stranger, tackling the person, and sending both to the ground. Xander immediately began running towards the two combatants, planning on pulling the vampire off his savior.
Before Xander could get there, the stranger kicked up with his legs and the leader went flying off. But he didn't go very far, and he quickly recovered and went on the offensive. The vamp leader let loose a vicious roundhouse kick at the stranger who had just leapt to his feet. The vamp's foot connected with the stranger's face and the blow sent the stranger reeling to the ground.
The vampire leader pressed his advantage, kicking the stranger twice in the chest. Xander was still too far to get to the vampire to do anything, so he could only look on helplessly as he tried to get to the two in time. But once again, the stranger surprised him. While still on the ground, the stranger brought his arms up and trapped the vampire's leg when it tried to kick him. Still holding on to the vampire's leg, the man twisted his body around so that his legs wrapped around the vamp's other leg, and the vamp went sprawling to the ground.
By now Xander had reached the two and he immediately punched the vamp leader as he tried to climb to his feet. The leader fell back down, dazed, and Xander kicked him once in the face and once in the chest. The vampire stilled and Xander used the temporary lull in activity to look over at the stranger who had saved his life.
Xander's earlier assumption about the stranger being male was proven correct as he got his first look at the man's face. From what Xander could see in the dark, the man had a full beard of black hair, an angry looking scar that traveled from his right eye to the top of his forehead, and a fairly weathered face that showed off his age.
The man looked to be around Giles's age, which surprised the hell out of Xander, as he was sure that Giles could never do the kind of things that the man had done. The man had salt and pepper hair; with more salt than pepper, but it gave him a distinguished look that Xander couldn't help but be impressed by. And the man had brown eyes that penetrated into Xander as both men studied each other.
Xander was about to introduce himself and thank the man for saving his life, when the vampire at his feet started stirring. Xander had completely forgotten about the vampire in his study of the man, and he had also forgotten that he didn't have a stake. All he could do was kick the vampire as hard as he could. Which he did, and the vampire let out a pathetic groan of pain and slipped back into unconsciousness.
The stranger, seeing Xander's predicament, gingerly climbed to his feet, brought his hand up to wipe blood off his mouth, and spoke to Xander for the first time. When he spoke, he did so in a very thick German accent. Xander had seen enough old war movies to recognize a German accent when he heard one. The man barked out, "Stake" Xander knew that it was more a question than a demand, and all he could do was shrug his shoulders.
The man cursed under his breath and began searching the ground around him for his dropped stake. Unfortunately, the area of the street they were in was too far from the streetlight for it to be of any assistance, and the man could not find his stake. The man dropped to his knees and began to rake his hands over the ground.
Xander started looking on the ground as well, making sure to keep at least part of his attention on the vampire to his left. After only about fifteen seconds of searching, Xander's hand grabbed hold of something made out of wood. Excitedly, Xander yelled, "Found it!"
Xander hurriedly moved back to the vampire, who was once again coming to consciousness. Before the vampire could get to his feet, Xander straddled him and punched him twice in the face. Xander then grabbed his shirt and pulled the vampire's head up until both men were looking at each other. In as intimidating a tone as he could manage Xander growled out, "Tell me about my son. Why did he send you after me? Where is he?" When the vampire didn't say anything, Xander punched the vampire in the face and yelled out, "Tell me!"
The vampire spit out some blood onto Xander's shirt, but Xander was too interested in what the vampire had to say to care. The vampire let out a hysterical laugh, "I can' tell you anything you don't already know." The vampire then growled and said, "It doesn't matter. Even if you found him, you wouldn't be able to stop him. He is an unstoppable wave of destruction, and he will destroy all those who stand before him." The vampire finished, and before Xander could comprehend what he was doing, the vampire grabbed the hand that Xander held the stake in, and shoved the stake into his own heart. The stake pierced the vampire's heart, and he slowly burst into dust.
Xander was shocked beyond words as the man that he was sitting on suddenly disappeared from beneath him. He fell to the ground, and stared at the hand that still held the stake. He had never seen that before. And once again, Xander thought the thought that occupied almost all his time. Who the hell was his son?
"For the last time, I'm sorry that Xander is not here, but there was nothing I could have done to stop him from leaving. I was not about to use physical force on my friend." Buffy said angrily.
Thomas stopped his pacing in the Buffy's living room long enough to shoot Buffy a very nasty glare. "I don't think that you truly appreciate the kind of position you have put Alexander in by letting him leave. There are forces at work Miss Summers that would like nothing better than to see Alexander dead, and you just let him walk out of your house all by himself."
Buffy blustered, "Xander is not alone. My sister is with him and both of them are on there way here."
Peter, who was sitting down on Buffy's couch, let out a condescending laugh. "I'm sure the fact that your sixteen year old sister is with Mr. Harris is filling Thomas with tons of confidence."
Buffy whirled around to pin Peter with a withering glare. "Hey! My sister is not completely helpless and neither is Xander. They'll be fine." Buffy gave Peter one more evil look before turning back to Thomas, who had started pacing again. "If you're so worried about them, then why the hell don't you go out and look for them."
Thomas sighed. "I told you already that that would be counterproductive. Since your sister forgot to tell us where they were when she called, I have no idea where they are and I wouldn't know where to start looking. We would only be wasting more time. It is better to wait for them to come to us. However, that wouldn't be the case if someone hadn't let Alexander leave."
Buffy screamed in frustration and marched right up to Thomas. In a menacing voice Buffy said, "If you mention that one more time, wondering where Xander is will be the least of your worries. Do you understand me?"
While Thomas was only slightly intimidated, he nodded his head mutely. Buffy gave him a sweet smile and said, "Good. I'm glad that we understand each other. I hate having to clean blood out of the carpet. It's such a pain in the ass."
Buffy moved to sit down on the chair across from Peter, and Thomas reluctantly followed her to sit down on the couch next to Peter. Buffy leaned slightly forward and said in as pleasant a tone as she could manage at the moment, "Look, since your so worried about these people after Xan, why don't you tell me about them. I am the slayer after all, and I think that I will be able to help you keep Xander safe."
Thomas sighed. "Very well. I suppose you are right. There is very little that we know about the people after Alexander. We know that the people after him work for a man named Jesse Thomas, we know that they wish to stop him from stopping Jonas, and we know that they have very extensive resources. That's about all we know." Thomas shook his head and sighed. "We have tried for quite some time to gather more information on them, but they are very elusive."
Buffy snorted, "That was certainly vague enough. That's all you know?" Buffy said the last part skeptically.
Peter entered the conversation. "I assure you Miss Summers, that if we knew anything more, you would be one of the first people to know."
Buffy saw the seemingly genuine reassurance on Peter's face, but she didn't buy it for a second. Buffy knew that Peter didn't like her, and if she was honest with herself, she did not like the man either. Whenever Peter was around, it was as if her spider sense was always tingling. There was something about him that she didn't trust.
Giving Peter a fake smile, she said thanks. Peter in turn smiled back and Buffy felt a shiver run down her spine at the smile. She really didn't like the guy.
Buffy shifted her attention away from Peter and back onto Thomas. "If you don't know a lot about them, then how do you know they're after Xander?"
"There have been rumors floating around for some time, that Jesse Thomas was going to make a move on Alexander. That was the primary reason for why we chose now to inform Alexander of his true birthright. We could not take the chance that they would get to him first." Thomas informed her.
Peter added, "So far we have been able to…discourage the group after Mr. Harris from moving against him, but as Mr. Harris moves closer to completing his mission, the people have become more desperate. That is the reason why it is so important that we know where Mr. Harris is at all times. At least here, we could watch over him, and if necessary, protect him."
Buffy sighed resignedly, "Ok, I get it. Geeez, I'm sorry. I know I messed up but my relationship with Xander is not in the best way right now and I didn't want to screw it up any further by making him do something he didn't want to do."
Peter gave Buffy a piercing look with his eyes and he said haughtily, "That is no excuse Miss Summers. You are the slayer. It is your job to insure those under your care are protected."
Buffy got angry. "Don't tell me how to be a slayer! I've been doing it for over six years. And Xander is not under my care; I do not take care of him. He is his own man and he does whatever he wants, like taking a walk whenever everyone else tells him not too."
"I realize that you have romantic feelings towards Mr. Harris, but you should not let those feelings cloud your judgment."
Buffy looked at Peter in shock and sputtered, "I…do not have…romantic feelings for Xander. He is my friend and nothing more. Where the hell do you get off saying that I like Xander in that way?"
Peter looked smug as he said, "I just assumed from the way that you were acting. Ever since that argument that you had with Mr. Harris in the Magic Box, you have been acting in a way some might construe as being his girlfriend. You have been far too worried for being just a friend."
Buffy leapt out of her seat and marched over to Peter. In a low tone she said, "I care about Xander very much. He is the only friend that I have now that Willow is gone, and of course I was worried that he might not be ok. But I don't think of Xander like that, and neither does he. I suggest you mind your own business and stay the hell out of my personal life."
Peter only smiled at Buffy and Buffy had to restrain herself from wiping the smile off his face with her fist. With a huff, she turned around and marched back to her chair. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an amused look on Thomas's face. Quickly turning around, she pinned him with a glare. "Do you have anything you would like to add?"
Thomas quickly wiped the smile off his face and said in a mock serious tone, "No-no, I'm good. I believe you said enough for the both of us."
Buffy gave Thomas one last glare before making her way back to her chair. Just as she was about to sit down, the phone rang. Groaning, Buffy moved her way over to the coffee table and picked up the phone. Pressing the power button, she spoke into the cordless device. "Hello?"
There was a pause and then a breathy voice spoke up that Buffy recognized as Dawn. "Buffy! It's Xander! He's in trouble. Five vamps jumped us on our way home. Xander…"
Buffy cut her off, "What? Dawn slow down. Are you and Xander ok?"
Dawn yelled into the phone, "No! Xander stayed behind so that I could get away. He told me to call you so that you could save him. We have to save him Buffy!"
Buffy felt her own fear and panic threatened to overcome her. In a shaky voice she asked, "Dawn, where is he?"
Dawn was silent for a few seconds before answering; "Uh…we were only three blocks from the restaurant, so that would make it the corner of Pine and Park Street, I think."
Buffy nodded her head even though Dawn could not see her. "Alright Dawn, where are you?"
Dawn shrieked into the phone, "Who cares where I am. We have to save Xander!"
"I know that Dawn, but I need to know where you are. We can pick you up on our way. Xander didn't sacrifice himself to save you so that you could get lost and then eaten by some random vamp." Buffy choked when she had said the word sacrifice. For all she knew, that was exactly what had happened to Xander. She prayed to god that it hadn't happened, but she had to be pragmatic. Xander against five vamps were not very good odds.
Reluctantly Dawn answered, "Fine. I'm only two blocks away from Xander. I'll wait for you." Dawn paused and then said quietly, "Hurry Buffy. You have to save him. He has to be all right." She then hung up.
Buffy quickly turned the phone off and threw it in the chair. She noticed that both men were already standing and that Peter was barking into his omnipresent cell phone. She ignored both men as she moved to her weapons chest. Flipping the lid open, she picked out a sword and a few stakes. Feeling Thomas's presence behind her, she reached into the chest and pulled out another sword.
Turning around to face Thomas, she offered him the sword. He grasped it in a firm grip and she said, "I assume that you know how to use this."
With a grim smile Thomas responded, "Does a vampire still turn to dust when you cut off their head?"
At Buffy's nod, Thomas said, "Then yes I know how to use this. You're forgetting that I come from a time where the most advanced form of weaponry was the flaming arrow."
Buffy let out a small little laugh before moving towards her front door, with Thomas following right behind her. Shouting over her shoulder, "You coming Black?"
Buffy saw Peter come towards them and all three stepped outside. "Of course I'm coming. Mr. Harris's safety is my primary concern."
All three began walking down the walk and Buffy asked Peter, "Who were you talking to?"
"I was talking to Malcolm. I told him to bring the car around. We'll never get to Mr. Harris in time if we go on foot."
Almost simultaneously with Peter's comment, a pair of headlights approached the three waiting people. Instead of a limousine, this time Malcolm was driving a black Hummer. Under normal circumstances, Buffy might have taken some time to admire the impressive vehicle, but she just climbed into the massive car without comment. As soon as all three were in the vehicle, Malcolm threw the thing into high gear and the car sped off down the street.
Xander offered his hand to the man on the ground. The man grabbed his forearm in a very firm grip and Xander pulled upward. Once the man was on his feet, he placed one of his hands on Xander's shoulders to help steady himself. He was still pretty woozy from the fight with the vampire leader.
In a gruff voice the man said, "Danke. Your assistance was much appreciated."
Xander shook his head. "Don't mention it man. I'm the one who should be thanking you. I thought I was about to become an all you can eat Xander buffet. You saved my life."
The man laughed gruffly. He removed his hand from Xander's shoulder to straighten his clothes and dust himself off. Xander stuck out his hand and said, "My name's Alexander Harris by the way. My friends and the people who save my life call me Xander."
The man saw Xander's proffered hand and after a slight hesitation, grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. In a gruff voice he said, "Dietrich Hutten. You can call me Hoot."
Xander grinned. "Well Hoot, I just wanna say thanks again." Xander paused and looked Hoot up and down. "You had some pretty nice moves. I don't think I've ever seen anyone do that flip thing you did. Very cool."
Hoot gave Xander a slight smile. "You can say that I've had years of…experience. Speaking of which, you seemed to know what you were doing as well. Why were you so unprepared?"
Xander got embarrassed. "Normally I wouldn't be. But I was kind of distracted when I left my friend's house, and I forgot to pack my usual precautions. Besides, even if I had, I don't think I could have taken those five on by myself."
"It helps to have the element of surprise." Hoot said simply.
Xander said sardonically, "No kiddin. If I had been paying attention, then maybe I would have noticed them before they got close enough to do anything."
"Mein freund, you shouldn't blame yourself. They were vampires, very good ones at that, and you're only human. You wouldn't have been able to sense them even if you wanted to." Hoot said supportively.
Xander sighed. "I know. I just hope Dawn got away ok."
Hoot asked, "The girl?"
Xander nodded his head and Hoot smiled. "From what I could see, she got away fine. That was very noble what you did."
Xander shrugged his shoulders and tried to act like it wasn't a big deal. "I wasn't going to let anything happen to her. I don't think I could live with myself if I got away and something bad happened to Dawn. Besides, I don't think her sister would ever forgive me if I let something happen to her." Xander then got a big grin on his face. "Death by vampire is definitely preferred to facing a pissed off Buffster."
Hoot looked at Xander strangely. "Buffster?"
Xander laughed. "Don't ask. It would take too long to explain."
A loud groan broke the banter between the two, and both men looked to see where the noise had come from. That was when Xander remembered that there was still the one vampire left, the one who's face he had bashed in. Xander quickly made his way over to the awakening vamp, making sure to keep a firm hold on his stake.
The vampire was lying in the middle of the sidewalk, right under the streetlamp, so Xander was able to get a good look at the man's face. Thanks to his vampire healing, the vampire's face no longer looked like hamburger and somewhat resembled a human face again.
The vampire was just struggling to his knees when Xander and Hoot arrived. The vamp saw them and tried to run away, but he was way too weak to make it very far. After only two steps, he collapsed back to his knees.
Hoot moved behind the vampire and grabbed the vampire's arms, pulling them back behind its body. The vamp let out a cry of pain at the move, but he didn't try to struggle. Hoot looked over the vampire's head and said to Xander, "Stake him mein freund."
Xander studied the weakened vampire for a few seconds before saying, "No."
Hoot looked confused. "What do you mean no? He is a vampire, he tried to kill you and your friend, and you must stake him."
Xander shook his head. "I understand where you're coming from Hoot, but I can't do that. I have something more important planned for him."
Xander made sure he got the vampire's attention before talking. "Your boss is dead. You can suffer the same fate unless you agree to do what I want. Do you want that?"
The vampire croaked out, "No. I'll do what you want."
Xander smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "Good. I was hoping you'd say that. Your boss said that he had a message for me from my son. Well I want you to deliver a message to my son for me."
The vampire's head drooped and his eyes were staring at the ground. Xander moved closer until he could lift the vamp's face up. Xander gave the vampire a few good slaps across the face, trying to keep him conscious. "Hey, are you listening to me? If you're not up to this I can find someone else."
The vampire's eyes regained focus and he said hurriedly, "Noooo, I'm listening."
Xander moved away from the vampire. The vampire seemed to be more alert. "Okay then. I want you to tell my son that I'm on to him and that I'm going to come searching for him. You tell him that there is nothing on this earth that is going to stop me from doing what I have to do, and if he gets in my way, I will kill him. Do you understand?"
The vampire nodded his head vigorously. Xander seemed pleased with his response and said to Hoot, "Let him go Hoot."
Hoot shook his head, and tightened his hold on the vampire. "If you let him go, he will kill someone else. I can't let that happen. I have dedicated my life to stopping creatures like him, and I will not just let this thing go."
"I too have dedicated my life to fighting people like him, but sometimes, things happen that you don't understand. There are things going on that are far more important than just making sure one or two people are saved. I know that it sounds harsh, but I'm thinking of the world here. Besides, right now, I don't think this guy could drain a cat let alone a human being." Xander tried to explain his reasoning.
Hoot's grip on the vampire lessened, and with a resigned sigh, he let the vampire go. The vampire did not wait to see if his fortune would change, and he stumbled off into the night. Xander smiled at Hoot. "Thanks man."
Hoot said gruffly, "I only hope you are right. How do you know he will deliver your message?"
"I don't. But it was a chance that I had to take. If he is even half as dedicated as his boss, then I think he'll do what I ask." Xander said.
Hoot sat down on the end of the sidewalk, his feet resting in the street. Xander followed and sat next to him. Hoot turned his head to look at him and he asked, "How old are you?"
Xander seemed taken aback by the question. "22. Why?"
Hoot's face shone with surprise. "If you are only 22, then how can you have a son who controls vampires?"
Xander laughed and rubbed a hand across his face. He then ran his fingers through his hair. "Hoot, you just asked the $64, 000 question. I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Let's just say that my life is incredibly complicated and leave it at that."
Hoot didn't seem all that satisfied with Xander's response but he did not try to pry for more information.
Xander decided to ask Hoot a question as well. "Can I ask you something? How did you know that I was in trouble?"
"It seems that you are not the only one with a complicated life Xander. I was called to Sunnydale on business, and after getting acquainted with my temporary new home, I decided to take a walk. Lucky for you, I am always prepared for encountering vampires, no matter where I may be. I happened to be walking by when I saw some suspicious looking people following you and your friend. So naturally, I decided to follow them." Hoot said with a smile.
"Once I realized that they were vampires, I let you distract them until I could get close enough to attack. I shot the first two with my mini-crossbow, and well, you know the rest." Hoot said finishing off his tale.
"Hoot, let me say again how thankful I am for your pulling my ass out of the fire. I owe you one."
Hoot smiled and patted Xander on the back. In a fatherly tone, he said, "That is not necessary. I didn't save your life because I expected to be thanked. It is much appreciated, but you have no obligation to return the favor."
A companionable silence fell between the two and Xander looked up to study the night sky. The stars had always brought peace into his life. Something about them always being there was very calming. Unfortunately, that peace was rudely interrupted by the sound of screeching tires and a pair of blinding headlights.
The car that the headlights belonged to stopped in the middle of the road right in front of the still sitting Xander and Hoot. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, three people jumped out. Xander instantly recognized all three and he began to stand up to greet them, when one of the three launched themselves at him causing him to fall back onto his ass.
A squealing Dawn latched her arms around Xander and squeezed for all she was worth. Xander laughed and tried to pry the girl away from him but she wouldn't budge. "Dawn? Dawnie, you have to let go. I need to be able to breathe if you want me to continue on living."
Dawn lifted her head up from Xander's chest and gave Xander an embarrassed smile, but she did not let go. She did however loosen her stranglehold and said, "I'm sorry Xander but I'm so happy that you're all right."
Xander smiled tenderly at Dawn. He said jokingly, "Please Dawn, like five vamps could possibly take me down. They were so impressed by my manliness that they ran away right after you left. I wish you could have seen it."
Xander heard a snort of amusement come from Hoot. Xander looked over at him and flashed him a grin. "Well actually, I came this close to being a Scooby snack, but luckily my new best friend Hoot here saved my life."
At the mention of Hoot, both Dawn and Buffy looked over to stare at the strange man. Hoot gave the two girls an embarrassed smile. Xander gently pried Dawn away from his body so that he could stand up and make introductions.
Xander pointed to Hoot and then to Buffy and said, "Hoot, this is Buffy, also known as Buff, Buffster, and sometimes when I'm in a really strange mood, the Duchess of Buffonia." Xander leaned close to Hoot and said quietly, "Although I haven't called her that one in years."
Buffy gave Xander a strange look that Xander studiously ignored. Xander then introduced Dawn who was standing right next to him. Xander placed his arm around her shoulders and said, "And this is Dawn."
Hoot raised one eyebrow and said, "What? No name for her?"
Xander grinned. "Oh sure, I got plenty of nicknames for Dawn, but I didn't want to embarrass her."
Buffy exclaimed, "Hey!" And then smacked Xander on the arm.
Xander rubbed his shoulder where Buffy had hit him, and looked at Buffy with a hurt look on his face. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"
"You can embarrass me but not my sister?" Buffy pouted.
Xander said teasingly, "Of course I can. I like Dawn more. At least she doesn't hit me."
Dawn stuck her tongue out at her sister and Buffy returned the gesture. Xander laughed and returned his attention back to Hoot. "Guys, this is Hoot. He's the one that saved me from the vamps."
Both Buffy and Dawn smiled at Hoot, which only embarrassed him more. It was obvious that the man was not used to so much attention.
Xander was about to continue on about everything that Hoot had done when the sound of someone clearing their throat came from the car. Xander looked over at the car to notice both Thomas and Peter standing there. It was Thomas who had made the attention getting noise.
Xander became chagrined. "Ooops! I forgot about you guys. Hoot, meet Thomas and Peter."
Both Thomas and Peter stepped into the light, and Hoot saw them for the first time. When Hoot saw who they were, he went completely rigid. Xander glanced at Hoot and noticed his tense posture. He got confused and was about to ask Hoot what was wrong, when Thomas began speaking.
In a low voice, Thomas said, "Hello Dietrich."
Hoot responded in a neutral voice, "Sir."
Xander looked between the two men and asked, "You two know each other?"
Thomas nodded his head. "Yes Xander. Hoot is an employee of your uncle's company. A member of our security force."
Xander asked Hoot confusedly, "You work for my unlce's company?"
"It is correct that I work for Holcomb Technologies and Securities. But I did not know that Allistair had a nephew."
Xander grimaced. "You and me both man. I just found out a week ago that I had an uncle." Xander then paused and looked at Hoot and then looked at Peter and Thomas. "Wait a second, you said you were called here on business right?" Hoot nodded his head and Xander glared at both Peter and Thomas. He asked accusingly, "Did either one of you tell Hoot to come here? And if so, what for?"
Peter stepped forward slightly, drawing everyone's attention to him. "The Board of Directors were the ones who decided to send Dietrich here. I was merely an intermediary between the two. As for why he is here, he is to become Miss Summers replacement."
Buffy and Xander both expressed their surprise at Peter's comment. Both shouted, "What?" at the same time.
Peter sighed. "I will explain everything, but I suggest that we head back to Miss Summers home. It is not safe out here, and I'm sure it would be a more comfortable setting if we were indoors."
Buffy looked ready to argue against Peter's suggestion, so Xander placed his hand on her shoulder. Buffy looked Xander in the eyes and she could see the pleading in his eyes to wait for her blowup. She slumped her shoulders, signifying her wiliness to give in, but her eyes blazed in defiance. Xander knew it was only a matter of time before she let her stubbornness get the better of her.
Wordlessly, everyone piled into the waiting Hummer, and it sped off in the night to Buffy's house.
Buffy paced in front of the sitting group. Everyone was silent, even Xander. He was more than happy to let Buffy take the lead on this one. Buffy finally stopped pacing and focused her attention on Peter. "Explain yourself, and it better be good. I want to know why you think I need replacing."
Peter seemed unperturbed by the cold look Buffy was giving him. If anything, he was enjoying the stress he was causing the slayer. "It's simple really. The Board has requested that you accompany Mr. Harris on his journey to Germany. Naturally, we can't leave the Hellmouth unprotected, so the Board has assigned some of our best operatives to cover in your absence.
"Dietrich was just finishing an assignment for us in southern California when his presence was requested in Sunnydale. He was informed that he would be responsible for protecting the Hellmouth for an indefinite amount of time, and he came here as fast as he could, which was lucky for us as he seemed to be in the right place at the right time." Peter explained.
Buffy looked put out, "Excuse me, but what makes you think that I even want to go with Xander?" Buffy then quickly turned to Xander and said, "No offense." Xander merely shrugged his shoulders in response. "Don't you think you should have asked me what I thought first before you went off and made this ridiculous decision?"
"I just assumed that you would be eager to join Mr. Harris on his trip. You seemed to be so unwilling to let Mr. Harris come to any harm that I thought you would jump at the opportunity to make sure he was safe at all times." Peter said in as reasonable voice as he could manage.
Buffy had a hard time arguing with what Peter said. She did feel a powerful need to keep Xander safe, but it rankled her that Peter had just assumed he could make a decision of this magnitude without her consent. She was stubborn enough not to care about anything else but that. "While I don't want to see anything bad happen to Xander, I can't just leave the Hellmouth unprotected. I can't place the fate of the world on one normal human."
Peter looked horrified. "Oh no! You misunderstand Miss Summers. Dietrich is not going to be responsible for the Hellmouth on his own. He is only the advance element of an entire team. The Board is sending one of our best teams, seven very qualified men and women, to protect the Hellmouth. Dietrich is the only one here now because he was the only one in this area of the country at the time. The others should be here by this morning."
Buffy's resolve weakened at hearing that there would be seven more people coming. She really did want to go with Xander. She was getting this bad feeling that if she didn't go with Xander, something really bad would happen to him. She didn't know what, and she was afraid to find out. But the idea of leaving the Hellmouth, left her very uncomfortable.
Granted she had done it before, on numerous occasions, and everything had turned out relatively ok, but when she had left, she had left everything in the care of people she trusted. She did not trust Peter and this Board of Directors that he kept talking about, and she did not trust the man called Hoot. Sure he had saved Xander's life, but that didn't mean Buffy was willing to just accept him as is.
Xander saw the indecision on Buffy's face and so he decided to make the decision easier for her. "Buffy, if you don't want to go, then that's fine. I don't blame you. In fact I think it might actually be a good idea for you to stay."
A truer statement had never been spoken. Xander definitely did not want Buffy to come with him. His situation with his son was complicated enough as it was. Throwing an uberviolent slayer into the mix would certainly not help matters any. Xander wanted to be able to have free-reign when it came to looking for his son and he didn't want to have to lie to one of his best friends.
Buffy looked at Xander in surprise. "You don't want me to come?"
Xander tried to reassure her that he did want her to come. "It's not that I don't want you to come Buffy, it's just that I think it would be better for everyone concerned if you stayed behind."
Buffy frowned at Xander. "Are you sure Xander, because I don't mind really. It might be good to get away for a while, you know, like a little vacation?"
Xander shook his head no, perhaps a little too eagerly. "I still think it would be best for you to stay. I can take care of myself Buff. I don't want you coming with me, especially if you feel you are only doing it out some sense of duty. I don't want you to think of me as some kind of burden."
"I don't think that Xander. Why would you think I think that? I only want to do what's best for you." Buffy tried to explain.
Xander shifted his eyes to look at Dawn, and a silent plea for help crossed between them. Dawn gave Xander a faint smile and then jumped into the conversation. "Buffy, I think Xander's right. I don't think you should go."
Buffy had seen the look between Xander and her sister, and her suspicion that something else was going on rose. Since when did her sister and Xander communicate nonverbally and actually know what the other was saying? There was definitely something they were not telling her.
"Alright, what is going on here?" Buffy demanded.
Xander briefly looked guilty, but then his face changed back to being open and innocent. "What are you talking about Buff? There's nothing going on"
Buffy walked up to Xander until she was standing right in front of him. "Yes there is. There is something definitely wrong when Peter wants me to go and you two don't. What are you not telling me?"
Xander shifted uncomfortably. He didn't have a problem with lying per say, but lying to Buffy, and to Willow as well, always made him uncomfortable. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not hiding anything from you, I just don't think it would be a good idea for you to leave that's all."
Buffy searched Xander's face for any clues as to what he was really thinking, but she couldn't find any. So she made the only decision she felt she could make. "I don't believe you Xan." She then said to Peter, "You got yourself a slayer Peter. I'm going, whether he likes it or not." She would find out what was bothering her friend if it was the last thing she did.
Peter got uncomfortable. "I don't know. If Mr. Harris doesn't want you to come, then I see no reason why you should."
Xander gave Buffy a smug grin. Buffy's dislike of Peter increased even more. Xander said, "You see Buffy, if I don't want you to come, then you don't have to."
Buffy glared at Xander and said threatening, "If Mr. Harris knows what's good for him, then Mr. Harris will change his mind. Because Mr. Harris is not leaving this house until he does."
Xander saw how serious Buffy was and he felt his resolve crumble. Buffy could be so damn stubborn sometimes, and it annoyed the hell out of him. But she did kind of look cute when she was so determined. That was one of the reasons why he found himself giving in so easily. It would be ok as long as she only went to Germany with him. That wasn't the problem. It was when he went into the past that concerned him the most.
Sighing dramatically, Xander said, "Fine Buffy, you can come. God knows why you'd want to though."
Buffy gave Xander a triumphant smile that lit up the room. Xander felt that familiar flutter in his stomach whenever he saw that smile. It was so hard to remember sometimes that he was only supposed to think of Buffy as a friend and nothing more.
Xander hoped that now that Buffy was happy that she got her way, that everything would be settled, and they could move on, but of course things were never that easy. Dawn had her own two cents to add.
"Hey! What about me?" Dawn exclaimed.
Now it was Buffy's turn to say no. "Dawn, you should stay here. You don't need to come."
Dawn seemed outraged. "Like hell I don't! I'm not staying here all alone while you and Xander get to go and do all the fun demony stuff. I want to come too." She said the last part with a whine.
Xander grinned at Dawn's whiny tone. "You know Buffy, having Dawn around might not be such a bad idea." In fact, if Dawn was around, Xander could use her as a buffer between Buffy and himself. Buffy would be so occupied with Dawn that she wouldn't have time to focus on anything he was doing.
"Xander wants me to go, and I want to go, and I'm sure if Peter knows what's good for him, he wants me to go too. Give up sis, you can't win."
Buffy sighed, almost copying the exact same thing Xander did. "Fine, fine, you can go. I guess it won't hurt. School doesn't start for a few weeks anyways, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a little trip."
Dawn gave Buffy a big hug and then gave Xander a hug as well.
"Now that that is settled, I believe that we should leave as soon as possible. There is no telling when another attempt might be made on Mr. Harris's life. I can have the jet prepared and ready to leave within two hours." Peter interrupted the threesome's happy moment.
Xander rubbed his hands together eagerly and moved to the front door. Over his shoulder, he yelled, "I'm going to go pack. I'll meet you guys back here in an hour."
Thomas followed Xander out the door. Xander saw him and asked him what he was doing. Thomas replied, "I'm going with you, to make sure that you're safe. We don't want a repeat of earlier. Plus there's something that I need to talk to you about. Something in private."
Xander shrugged his shoulders. "If you want to waste your time being my babysitter, then so be it. Whatever floats your boat."
Both men got into Xander's car, and Xander headed home.
Xander collapsed soundlessly into the over-stuffed leather chair. The last three or four hours had been utterly exhausting, and it felt good to just relax and enjoy the plane ride. He had been constantly on the move ever since he had escaped his son's attempted assassination attempt. Planning an overseas trip to a foreign country in less than three hours was not his idea of fun.
He had had no idea of what to pack, because he did not know how long he would be gone, so he just brought everything. He had packed as much clothes and other stuff he figured he might need into two bags, and that was it. Then of course, Thomas had wanted to talk to him about something, and that had been seriously lacking in fun. He still had trouble comprehending everything Thomas had told him.
Thomas had dropped a bomb on him, and while that was certainly nothing new considering the last week or so, it was still overwhelming. He had trouble believing everything Thomas had told him, but Thomas had yet to lie to him, so he really had no cause to discount what he was saying. If what Thomas was telling him was true, then he was going to have to rethink his entire plan. It was looking more and more likely that bringing Buffy with him had been a big mistake.
Of course if he tried telling Buffy that, he was only more likely to make her want to stay. Xander realized now that it had been a mistake to give in so easily to Buffy wanting to come with him. He had thought that by letting her come without much of a fight, she would have been less motivated to find out what was going on. Instead, the opposite had happened. She seemed even more determined to discover what secret he was hiding, and if Thomas was correct, then it would be damn near impossible to hide the truth from her for much longer.
And to make matters worse, Buffy seemed to never want to leave him alone. He had never thought he would ever get tired of having Buffy around, but for the first time since he had known her, he just wished she would go away. As if to emphasize his point, he heard someone sit down in the chair next to him. Without even opening his eyes, he knew who the person was. He always knew when Buffy was around. It was a trick he had mastered in high school, and it just stuck with him.
Tiredly, Xander forced his eyes open halfway and gave the woman sitting next to him a slight frown. "What do you want Buff?"
Buffy seemed apprehensive about something. "Uh…nothing. I just wanted to visit my friend. Is that a crime?"
Xander sighed. "No. But I kinda just want to be alone right now. Maybe try and get a little sleep. It is a 16 hour flight you know. Why don't you go bother Dawn?"
Buffy took offense at the bother comment. She said huffily, "I don't bother people. Most people would feel lucky to talk to someone with such startling wit and perky personality."
Xander could tell that Buffy was trying to lighten the mood, but he just didn't care. "Seriously Buff, go talk to Thomas or Peter or something."
Buffy whined, "I would but they're doing some big meeting type thing and they said it was only between them. And Dawn is up in the cockpit trying to learn how to fly this thing. She says she's too busy to talk to me. So that just leaves you, my Xander-shaped friend."
Xander closed his eyes and snorted. Under his breath he said, "It's nice to know I wasn't your first choice."
Buffy exclaimed, "Oh you were, but you've been so brooding and acting like you might bite the head off of anyone who came near you, so I wanted to give you some space. But that all ended when I got bored. And besides, I'm the slayer, so what do I have to be afraid of?"
Xander just ignored her and leaned his head against the wall of the plane. Buffy started to sulk. "Fine, if you won't talk to me, then you don't have to. But I'm not moving from this seat until you do."
Xander smiled a little at the way Buffy was pouting, but thankfully, she couldn't see his face. Xander seriously doubted that Buffy would actually carry out her threat for very long. Buffy Summers was many things, but patient was not one of them.
Xander tried to go to sleep, but Buffy kept moving around in her chair. She kept changing her position in the chair, trying to get comfortable, and in the process making a lot of noise. If Xander didn't know any better, he was sure that Buffy was doing it on purpose.
The constant movement and noise finally got too much for Xander. Harshly, Xander said, "Stop that!"
Buffy stilled and said innocently, "Stop what?"
Xander pointed wildly at Buffy, and started to imitate what she was doing. "Stop moving. It's really annoying. Your ass keeps moving the chair."
Buffy's eyes brightened and she said with a teasing lilt in her voice, "I thought you said you liked my ass."
Xander blushed involuntarily and said, "I do-I mean I did. But not when it's doing that. Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?"
"I'm just trying to get comfortable Xan, so that I can sleep too. You won't talk to me, so what else am I suppose to do?"
Xander sighed exasperatedly. "Fine! You want me to talk, let's talk then. I have a question for you. Last week, before we met Thomas and all this other crap started happening, Dawn told me that you had been looking for me because you wanted to talk to me about something really important. What did you want to say?"
Buffy suddenly seemed nervous. "What are you talking about Xander?"
Xander latched onto her nervousness and felt satisfaction at seeing Buffy squirm. She wasn't so eager to talk now that the tables had been turned. "Don't change the subject Buffy. You may be blond, but that doesn't mean your stupid. You know exactly what I'm talking about." Buffy still seemed unwilling to say anything so Xander said pointedly, "Hey look, you're the one that wanted to talk. You only have yourself to blame."
Buffy sighed and gave in. "Fine." Buffy brought her legs underneath her and turned herself around in her seat to face Xander. "Its about Dawn."
Xander's interest was piqued. "What about her?"
Buffy started in, "When I came back from Heaven, I was in a real dark place. I did not want to be alive, and I didn't care about anything. I didn't care about Dawn, I didn't care about my friends, and I certainly didn't care about myself. All I cared about was trying to feel again, even if all I was feeling was pain. So I went to Spike."
Xander's face tightened and his eyes darkened at the mention of Spike. Buffy saw his reaction and tried to speed herself up. She did not want to get involved in another argument about Spike with Xander again. "Spike, despite his many, many flaws, made me feel again. It wasn't what I needed to feel, and it wasn't even what I wanted to feel, but he did show me that I could feel again. I learned that I could be that girl that I had been before I died, and I wanted to be her, not only for myself, but for Dawn as well.
"I want to take care of Dawn. I want to be there to watch her grow up. And I intend to do everything in my power to make sure that I am able to do those things. However, as the slayer, I know that that might not be possible. I know that any day, I could die, and I don't want Dawn to have to go through that again without someone to be there for her. I want someone to watch out for her, to take care of her, and to watch her grow up in my place. Of course, I want that person to be someone I trust more than anything." Buffy paused before continuing. "I want that person to be you Xander."
Xander was shocked. "Me?"
Buffy smiled. "Yeah Xan. You would be perfect for Dawn. After Willow left, you've been spending more time at my house than you have your own apartment, and I think Dawn has grown to think of you as part of the family. It's obvious that she loves you and she trusts you, and that's more than can be said for anybody else."
"But what about Giles? Or your father?" Xander asked, still overwhelmed by what Buffy was saying.
Buffy frowned at the mention of Hank Summers. "My father stopped being my father a long time ago. Besides, I'm Dawn's legal guardian now, so I decide who I want Dawn to be with, and I don't want it to be him." Buffy paused. "As for Giles, well I thought about him, but I decided that it just wouldn't work. Giles is in England, and while I know that if he had to, he would drop everything and come here to take care of Dawn, I don't know if I want to do that to him. Besides, I don't think that Dawn would be as comfortable around Giles as she would be around you."
Xander ran a hand through his hair. "Buffy, what you're asking is a big responsibility. I don't know if I'm exactly the right person to be asking this."
Buffy shook her head emphatically and she said excitedly, "That's where you're wrong Xan. You're great with Dawn. In fact, there are times where I think she would rather be with you than with me. She trusts you, she loves you, and she knows you will always be there for her. Plus, practically speaking, you're perfect. You're a responsible adult, with a good job that pays well, and well, you're stinking rich. Which let me tell you, after hearing that, if I wasn't sure before, I became sure real fast."
Xander still seemed undecided. "Look Xander, I'm not asking for an answer right now. You can have plenty of time to think about. And besides, its not like I'm planning on dying any time soon, so this will probably be all for nothing anyway. I just wanted to be sure this time that Dawn is properly taken care of if anything bad were to happen to me."
Xander really wanted to say yes, he really did. But the fact that his own son wanted to kill him, made him seriously question his parenting abilities. He wasn't all that sure that Dawn would be as safe with him as Buffy claimed. Still, he couldn't just say nothing. Buffy had probably just asked him one of the most important things she would ever ask him, and it was a huge sign of trust between the two. He had to say something.
"Buffy, I can't say that I'm not shocked. And I can't say that I think you're right, because I don't. But I will think about it."
Buffy smiled brightly. "Great! That's all I ask."
The two grew silent, and before either of them knew it, they were fast asleep.
To be continued…………………..
P.S. I want to apologize for my butchering of the German language. I haven't spoken German since high school, which even though that was only two years ago, I sucked at it then just as I do now. I like the country, the history, the food, and I definitely liked the beer, but I can't stand the language. Too many gender changes and weird syntax structure, plus the language is just too damn guttural. I should probably be more sympathetic considering at least a quarter of my genetic makeup is German, but I just can't seem to feel the urge to be. I realize English ain't exactly a walk in the park when it comes to learning it, but since it's my natural language, I can't help but be biased. Sorry if I offended anyone.
I know that this chapter was rather slow, but it was important that I lay some groundwork for later chapters. Several of the events that happened in this chapter will reverberate throughout the rest of the story. Things will begin to speed up significantly, as the next chapter will be the last chapter before Xander finally goes back into the past. Once there, I plan on having two to three chapters of action, suspense, and important character development.