"....Waiting for the animals to die out, and the old ones to return."
Xander looked away from Giles speech and gave Glyndaf a questioning look, from under his dark glasses. His friend nodded, confirming everything Giles was saying.
Anger began to well up in Xander. He hated this. After what Giles had just told them and what he'd read last night.... He knew his best friend was dead. Dead or turned.
'Please him, let him be dead'
*****
"So whats the plan? We saddle up right?" asked Xander. He was eager to get some payback, and hopefully bring his friends body back.
"There's no 'we' ok. I'm the slayer, you're not"
"I'd thought you'd throw that back in my face. Do you really know who you're talking to?" Xander really wasn't use to being put down. He wasn't about to start taking it.
"Who? The lone ranger?" came the sarcastic reply.
"Ahh Buffy, Xanders probably been in more fights than you have. He's fought nearly every jock in the school, and won."
"And hey, at least I'm still pretty" Xanders anger was starting to get the better of him. That last remark of his seemed to make Buffys blood visibly boil.
"Want to try your luck and step up then?" Buffy stepped right up and try to get in Xanders face. It really didn't work as she was almost a foot shorter than him. But she glared up at him anyway.
Xander glared right back at her. He knew he couldn't beat Buffy yet. But he wasn't gonna let her push him around.
He gave her something that was half smirk, half sneer and cracked his neck to the side.
"No. Not yet." He stepped back, the tension in the room almost visibly reducing as he did so.
"I didn't think so" Her arrogance was astounding.
"Buffy you may not want us out there fighting with you but we want to help. There has to be something we can do?" Willow was almost pleading with Buffy.
"There is. You can help me research this harvest. It seems to be some preordained massacre. Rivers of blood, piles of dead, hell on earth. It's quite charmless. But I'm a bit fuzzy, however, on the details. It may be that you can wrest some information from that dread machine"
Everyone looked at him.
"That was a bit British wasn't it?"
"Dont worry. Me and that dread machine have much in common" said Willow with a smirk.
"Then I'm out of here. If Jesse's still alive, I'll find him." With that she left.
Xander paced a bit. Just getting angrier as he did so. He finally snapped and kicked the small metal waste paper basket into the wall with a wordless yell. Causing Giles to give him a very reproaching look that he just ignored.
"Dont worry Xander, Buffy will save Jesse. You dont have to worry. As she said she's the slayer."
"You think thats what I'm upset about!?!" He swung around to look Willow in the eye's. "I'm upset because my best friend is Dead. DEAD Willow!"
Willow stared at him with unbelieving eye's.
"Do you really think vampires are just gonna grab Jesse and take him home for a cup of tea? Not even you are that naive ?!" The words came out harsher than he had wanted them too. He saw Willow lower her head and just knew she was about to cry. He cursed himself and bent down and enveloped her in his arms. She obviously hadn't come to terms with the past couple of days events.
"I'm sorry Will, I didn't mean it. It's just ..." he trailed off. The words didn't need to be said. She just looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, and nodded and they hugged each other with renewed vigor. Holding on to what was left of their past lives.
******
He found Buffy pretty easily. For 300 yards the hidden tunnel from the crypt ran straight ahead. The tunnel got to dark for his glasses half way down, so he just had to hope she didn't notice his eye's.
Buffy gave a small startle as he gave her a tap on the shoulder.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Looking for my friend"
"Listen I told you, I'd handl.."
"You really think I'd do nothing? That I'd sit up there while my friend is down here?"
Buffy turns and continues down the tunnel with an angry yell.
"Aagh You are so annoying. And to think thought you were a nice guy"
"Hey I'm a nice guy! Your just stubborn"
"Aaagh. Look just stay behind me and stay out of my way. You probably didn't even bring a cross or anything" She waved a dismissive hand his way.
"I'm a quick learner" he said holding up a stake and cross. Buffy seems a bit put off and just continued down the tunnel.
Silence reigned as they searched.
The tunnels started twisting, they took several side tunnels and got a bit twisted around before they found Jesse.
"Jesse!" Buffy gave a short shout in enthusiasm and rushed over to him. He gave a small groan and managed to get to his feet as she rushed over to him. Xander stood back watching.
"Are you alright?!" she asked the really obvious question, with the really obvious answer from someone lying in a sewer.
"On an epic level...No" he groaned one hand clutching his back, the other his head.
"Ahhh Buff" Xander nodded towards the dark figures approaching them on several fronts. Their pale yellow eye's visible in the dark.
"Lets Go" They dragged Jesse along searching for they're way out. Vamps seemed to pop out of the woodwork every where. Forcing them down side tunnels .
"They knew you'd come, they said I was bait" spurted out Jesse
They were completely lost. Yet they still ran.
"Hey I recognize this place! They brought me down this way. Come on." Jesse suddenly rushed ahead, leading the way.
Xander wondered why Buffy didn't notice, why someone who they found unconscious on a sewer floor, and who had just been kidnapped by vampires was able to run ahead of them.
Jesse led them into a dead end room.
"I'm sure they had brought me this way?" He seemed to be pulling of confusion rather well. The Vamps had already blocked off there retreat back up the tunnel.
"We cant fight our way back through that many" said Buffy a bit worried, looking around. She grabbed hold of the steel door to the chamber they were in and started to try and close it. It gave a sharp screech as the heavy door scraped the ground.
"Help me!" Xander and Jesse ran over and they begun to get the door closed. It was just about shut just as a vamp got an arm through the gap. Buffy smashed her fist into the arm and it recoiled and they got the door shut. Lock slammed in place.
"That won't hold them for long" Buffy started to look around for another way out. "Help us find another way out!"
"Yeah, just a sec." Buffy looked at Xander quizzically, as he looked his best friend up and down. The banging on the steel door seemed to fade into the background.
"Whats wrong Xan?" Jesse asked innocently.
"For Him" Jesse eye's widened as he heard those words. He knew what they meant. He vamped out just as the stake pierced his chest, his mouth opened in a silent scream.
Xander leant in.
"Sorry..... brother" it was just a whisper. Softer than the sound of the ashes hitting the ground.
Buffy gaped. She hadn't known.
"Lets go" Xanders words seemed to break Buffy out of her stupor. The banging on the steel door seemed louder than before.
******
Willow looked up as Xander and Buffy entered the library. She looked at Xanders face and she just seemed to crumple. Xander rushed to her side and just held her as she cried, kissing her forehead and murmuring comforts.
Buffy looked on at them in sadness. Sad for them. Sad she couldn't share that moment with them.
Giles also looked down at them in sorrow.
He finally walked over to Buffy and pulled her to one side and started whispering furiously to her about the coming harvest.
"Any idea where this little get-together is being held?
"There, there are any number of possibilities"
"The Bronze. There going to the Bronze" Xander startled them both with the hatred in his voice.
"We'll kill them all" Willows tear stain face was a mask of rage.
Willow scared them.
******
Xander looked away from Giles speech and gave Glyndaf a questioning look, from under his dark glasses. His friend nodded, confirming everything Giles was saying.
Anger began to well up in Xander. He hated this. After what Giles had just told them and what he'd read last night.... He knew his best friend was dead. Dead or turned.
'Please him, let him be dead'
*****
"So whats the plan? We saddle up right?" asked Xander. He was eager to get some payback, and hopefully bring his friends body back.
"There's no 'we' ok. I'm the slayer, you're not"
"I'd thought you'd throw that back in my face. Do you really know who you're talking to?" Xander really wasn't use to being put down. He wasn't about to start taking it.
"Who? The lone ranger?" came the sarcastic reply.
"Ahh Buffy, Xanders probably been in more fights than you have. He's fought nearly every jock in the school, and won."
"And hey, at least I'm still pretty" Xanders anger was starting to get the better of him. That last remark of his seemed to make Buffys blood visibly boil.
"Want to try your luck and step up then?" Buffy stepped right up and try to get in Xanders face. It really didn't work as she was almost a foot shorter than him. But she glared up at him anyway.
Xander glared right back at her. He knew he couldn't beat Buffy yet. But he wasn't gonna let her push him around.
He gave her something that was half smirk, half sneer and cracked his neck to the side.
"No. Not yet." He stepped back, the tension in the room almost visibly reducing as he did so.
"I didn't think so" Her arrogance was astounding.
"Buffy you may not want us out there fighting with you but we want to help. There has to be something we can do?" Willow was almost pleading with Buffy.
"There is. You can help me research this harvest. It seems to be some preordained massacre. Rivers of blood, piles of dead, hell on earth. It's quite charmless. But I'm a bit fuzzy, however, on the details. It may be that you can wrest some information from that dread machine"
Everyone looked at him.
"That was a bit British wasn't it?"
"Dont worry. Me and that dread machine have much in common" said Willow with a smirk.
"Then I'm out of here. If Jesse's still alive, I'll find him." With that she left.
Xander paced a bit. Just getting angrier as he did so. He finally snapped and kicked the small metal waste paper basket into the wall with a wordless yell. Causing Giles to give him a very reproaching look that he just ignored.
"Dont worry Xander, Buffy will save Jesse. You dont have to worry. As she said she's the slayer."
"You think thats what I'm upset about!?!" He swung around to look Willow in the eye's. "I'm upset because my best friend is Dead. DEAD Willow!"
Willow stared at him with unbelieving eye's.
"Do you really think vampires are just gonna grab Jesse and take him home for a cup of tea? Not even you are that naive ?!" The words came out harsher than he had wanted them too. He saw Willow lower her head and just knew she was about to cry. He cursed himself and bent down and enveloped her in his arms. She obviously hadn't come to terms with the past couple of days events.
"I'm sorry Will, I didn't mean it. It's just ..." he trailed off. The words didn't need to be said. She just looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, and nodded and they hugged each other with renewed vigor. Holding on to what was left of their past lives.
******
He found Buffy pretty easily. For 300 yards the hidden tunnel from the crypt ran straight ahead. The tunnel got to dark for his glasses half way down, so he just had to hope she didn't notice his eye's.
Buffy gave a small startle as he gave her a tap on the shoulder.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"Looking for my friend"
"Listen I told you, I'd handl.."
"You really think I'd do nothing? That I'd sit up there while my friend is down here?"
Buffy turns and continues down the tunnel with an angry yell.
"Aagh You are so annoying. And to think thought you were a nice guy"
"Hey I'm a nice guy! Your just stubborn"
"Aaagh. Look just stay behind me and stay out of my way. You probably didn't even bring a cross or anything" She waved a dismissive hand his way.
"I'm a quick learner" he said holding up a stake and cross. Buffy seems a bit put off and just continued down the tunnel.
Silence reigned as they searched.
The tunnels started twisting, they took several side tunnels and got a bit twisted around before they found Jesse.
"Jesse!" Buffy gave a short shout in enthusiasm and rushed over to him. He gave a small groan and managed to get to his feet as she rushed over to him. Xander stood back watching.
"Are you alright?!" she asked the really obvious question, with the really obvious answer from someone lying in a sewer.
"On an epic level...No" he groaned one hand clutching his back, the other his head.
"Ahhh Buff" Xander nodded towards the dark figures approaching them on several fronts. Their pale yellow eye's visible in the dark.
"Lets Go" They dragged Jesse along searching for they're way out. Vamps seemed to pop out of the woodwork every where. Forcing them down side tunnels .
"They knew you'd come, they said I was bait" spurted out Jesse
They were completely lost. Yet they still ran.
"Hey I recognize this place! They brought me down this way. Come on." Jesse suddenly rushed ahead, leading the way.
Xander wondered why Buffy didn't notice, why someone who they found unconscious on a sewer floor, and who had just been kidnapped by vampires was able to run ahead of them.
Jesse led them into a dead end room.
"I'm sure they had brought me this way?" He seemed to be pulling of confusion rather well. The Vamps had already blocked off there retreat back up the tunnel.
"We cant fight our way back through that many" said Buffy a bit worried, looking around. She grabbed hold of the steel door to the chamber they were in and started to try and close it. It gave a sharp screech as the heavy door scraped the ground.
"Help me!" Xander and Jesse ran over and they begun to get the door closed. It was just about shut just as a vamp got an arm through the gap. Buffy smashed her fist into the arm and it recoiled and they got the door shut. Lock slammed in place.
"That won't hold them for long" Buffy started to look around for another way out. "Help us find another way out!"
"Yeah, just a sec." Buffy looked at Xander quizzically, as he looked his best friend up and down. The banging on the steel door seemed to fade into the background.
"Whats wrong Xan?" Jesse asked innocently.
"For Him" Jesse eye's widened as he heard those words. He knew what they meant. He vamped out just as the stake pierced his chest, his mouth opened in a silent scream.
Xander leant in.
"Sorry..... brother" it was just a whisper. Softer than the sound of the ashes hitting the ground.
Buffy gaped. She hadn't known.
"Lets go" Xanders words seemed to break Buffy out of her stupor. The banging on the steel door seemed louder than before.
******
Willow looked up as Xander and Buffy entered the library. She looked at Xanders face and she just seemed to crumple. Xander rushed to her side and just held her as she cried, kissing her forehead and murmuring comforts.
Buffy looked on at them in sadness. Sad for them. Sad she couldn't share that moment with them.
Giles also looked down at them in sorrow.
He finally walked over to Buffy and pulled her to one side and started whispering furiously to her about the coming harvest.
"Any idea where this little get-together is being held?
"There, there are any number of possibilities"
"The Bronze. There going to the Bronze" Xander startled them both with the hatred in his voice.
"We'll kill them all" Willows tear stain face was a mask of rage.
Willow scared them.
******