Blood Tears 2: A New Home
"So what do you think of him?"
Faith turned to the balance demon, a thoughtful expression on her face. "He was brave," she said finally. "He guessed I was a vampiress but although I could feel the waves of fear coming off him but he didn't flinch or beg. He just looked me straight in the eye."
"Brave? Good, he'll need that tonight."
"Tonight?" The vampiress' face paled even more than normal. "What happens tonight?" she demanded, her stomach clenching tight with fear.
"A trio of Angelus' minions have been instructed to take one of the Slayers' friends as a hostage. The others are safe but Xander is busy searching the streets for a beautiful vampiress who his friends have told him is evil to prove them wrong."
"No." Faith croaked. The sweet boy who reminded her so much of her long dead brother was going to be hurt because of her. And after she'd come here to protect him. She couldn't let it happen. Staggering to her feet, she made for the door. She'd save him.
* * *
"Well lookee here, it's the Slayer's friend."
Xander paled as he glanced at the three vampires who'd stepped out of the shadows to surround him. He'd been so consumed with thoughts of the woman he'd met earlier in the evening that he'd failed to notice their approach. "I don't suppose it would make any difference if I told you I was on a garlic diet?" he asked hopefully as he pulled out his stake.
"Sorry," replied their leader, a male standing several inches over six feet tall. "See, we're not going to eat you. Our master wants a friend of the Slayer's to play with."
"You could always tell him play-time was over."
"A comedian?" The tall vampire laughed. "I like gnawing on their funny bones."
"Man, your puns are worse than mine."
All three vampires morphed into their demonic faces and surged forward. Knowing that to turn and run would be futile, Xander braced himself against the nearest wall and waited for their attack.
It wasn't long in coming, the leftmost vampire was first to reach him. Thrusting his stake, Xander caught the creature in its shoulder. The monster howled in pain but kept on coming, the fist of his uninjured arm smashing into the boy's mouth.
His vision blurring in pain, Xander swung out blindly at the shapes around him only for his stake to be snatched away from him. A split second later, he was punched in three places at once - the nose, the chest and the stomach. Winded, he could only gasp for air, the sound of his heaving lungs drowned out only by the roaring in his ears.
A hand grabbed his hair and threw him face first onto the stone ground. His head bleeding from the impact, he struggled to his knees. "Remember," he dimly heard the gang leader say. "Angelus wants him alive, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun first."
A barrage of blows reined down on him, knocking back down to the ground. His body screaming for mercy, he pulled himself back up onto his knees only to forced down again. From a distance he heard a banshee like scream.
* * *
Faith hurried through the town streets, unmindful of the downpour that had soaked her to the skin. She had to find him, he had to be safe. Her pace increased at the sound of a brawl in a near-by alley.
What she saw froze her blood and unleashed an animalistic scream from deep within. Leaping into the air, she propelled herself forward to land feet first in the back of the vampire nearest her, sending her opponent flying into some near-by trashcans.
Upon landing, Faith sent a side kick into the belly of the second vampire, doubling her up. Ducking under the third's lunge at her, she thrust a stake deep into his heart. Without waiting for him to explode, she pulled out her stake, turned to the recovering second vampire and thrust the stake into her heart. Next, she stalked over to the surviving vampire and grabbed him round the throat, lifting off the ground. "Tell Angelus from Faith the boy's off limits." She glanced at the groaning figure curled up on the stone ground. "On second thoughts," she plunged a stake into his heart. "Don't bother."
The vampiress rushed over to the youth lying on the ground. He was a complete mess. Three fingers on his right hand looked to be broken, his left eye was swollen shut, a cut in his forehead was bleeding heavily and both lips were bloodied. And that was just the injuries she could see. "Oh, Alex," she muttered softly as she cradled the boy in her arms.
The youth shook his head. "Don't call me that," he slurred. "My name's Xander, my friends call me Xander. Only my dad calls me Alex before he beats me."
"Okay Xander it is then," Faith forced a smile even as her heart darkened. "Nobody's going to hurt you again I promise. Now let me take you to the hospital."
"No, no," the boy shook his head again. "The school library first. Have to warn the others."
She hesitated before nodding. "Okay Xand." She gently lifted him in her arms, wincing slightly at the pained expression on his face and the strangled groans he uttered. "You'll be five by five, you'll see."
* * * "Help him!"
Giles' head snapped up at the anguished scream from the doorway of his library. An amazing sight met his gaze. The woman stood in the open doorway carrying Xander's torn body was soaked and bedraggled from the night's raging storm. Yet even with her jet-black hair plastered to her distressed face and her clothes soaked to her curvy frame, she was still strikingly beautiful. Even with the blood red tears that streaked down her sculpted cheeks. "Bring him over here." The Watcher sensed Buffy starting to rise beside him. He grabbed her arm and shook his head. "No Buffy."
She turned to him, her eyes filled with confusion. "She's a vampire and she's hurt Xander," she growled dangerously.
"No she hasn't. Trust me." The watcher turned to the waiting woman. "Put him on the couch."
The vampiress gently placed the battered body down. Giles' breath caught as he saw the youth's condition and beside him he heard Buffy give a muffled cry. Gathering himself, the Englishman spoke calmly. "What happened?"
The Watcher saw guilt in the vampiress' deep brown eyes, she looked towards the floor. "He was looking for me when three vampires jumped him. I found him and killed the vampires before they took him."
"This is your fault!" screeched the blonde Slayer.
The vampiress' head snapped up, her eyes were now cold and hard. "My fault? If you did your damn job and actually gave a damn about him, maybe he wouldn't have been walking the streets alone!"
"You want me to slay more of the grateful undead?" the Slayer rose from her seat. "Why don't I start with you?"
The brunette laughed harshly. "Go for it little girl. You're so out of your league it isn't funny."
Giles' temper snapped. Not caring that either of the females could effortlessly break him in two, he stepped between them. His face thunderous, he glared angrily at them both. "You're both acting like bloody pre-schoolers. Show a little decorum! Remember our priority is Xander!"
Both of the women fell silent. Relieved, Giles glanced down at Xander and flinched. The boy had taken a hell of a beating, yet somehow clung gamely to consciousness. The boy's eyes fluttered weakly in recognition. "Giles, be careful. The vamps who attacked me were looking for any of Buffy's friends. Angelus wants us. Faith saved me. I asked her to come here to warn you all."
"Hush son, just rest." Giles said comfortingly. Typical Xander, thinking of others first. "Thank you for your help, Faith, Buffy, could you please carry Xander out to my car."
"I'm coming with you."
Giles opened his mouth to argue with the raven-haired woman but seeing her determined look he nodded reluctantly. "Very well."
* * *
"Where's that stupid little bastard! There was a game on tonight and I get called out for this!"
Giles glanced upwards with disgust at the man who had entered the ward. It was Xander's father, who he suspected beat the boy, all too often the Watcher had seen the young man move gingerly or with bruises on nights that he'd either not patrolled or the patrol had been trouble-free. He'd tried to talk to the youth about his injuries but Xander would either storm out or deflect his inquiries with a joke.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the dark haired woman pacing impatiently outside the door of Xander's room move into the centre of the corridor blocking the man's access. "You're not going anywhere near him," she said flatly.
Anger flared in the thickset man's eyes. He snorted. "That little bastard might jump to your tune, but I don't. Get out of my way bitch!"
A split second later and the man was pinned against the wall, Faith's forearm pressing against his throat. Beside the Watcher, Buffy began to stand, only for Giles to pull her down. "Wait," he ordered. He guessed that Ripper was going to enjoy what happened next.
"Listen very carefully," snarled the enraged vampiress. "You're going no- where near Xander. Or should I say Alex?"
The Englishman saw fear flicker in Mr. Harris' eyes. "You can't stop me from seeing my son, tramp!"
The vanpiress slammed his left fist into the man's distended belly, causing him to croak in pain. "I think I can," Faith glanced towards Giles and Buffy, causing the Watcher to shudder at the coldness he saw in her eyes. "Cause if you turn up here you'll find one of us waiting for you, and they might not kill you. But," she leaned towards him until she was inches away from his face. "I have no such compunction."
"I'm going to see you -."
Giles winced as Faith slapped the man across his face, drawing blood from the bully's bottom lip. "You're not listening," he heard the vampiress growl menacingly. "You're son's under my protection now, and neither you nor anybody is going to hurt him again. One night there's going to be a knock at your door and it'll be me and Xand to pick up his things. And you'll smile nicely and invite us in. Understand?"
The terrified man nodded quickly. The brunette smirked and tossed him aside. "Good." The vampiress turned her back on the retreating man and resumed her position
"What was that about?"
Buffy's whispered voice caused Giles to turn away from the vampiress and back to his Slayer. "I've believed for some time that Xander's father beats him. Apparently Faith found evidence that backs up that theory."
The Slayer's mouth dropped open. "I never knew."
"No, abuse victims often become adept at hiding the signs, somehow feeling they are to blame."
"How do you know we can trust her?" The Slayer was staring at the vampiress with animosity. For her part the vampiress was looking back with a look of studied indifference.
"The blood tears."
The Slayer tore her gaze away from the vampiress to look at him, a look of total incomprehension on her face. "Eh?"
"When she came into the library she was crying tears of blood," the Watcher explained patiently. "You've all seen vampires crying normal tears but they're just fakes. Because of their lack of a soul vampires cannot cry sincere tears because they cannot experience true sorrow. Legend has it that one day there will be an ensoulled vampire of tremendous power who will fight on the side of good. One of the signs of this vampire will be the tears of blood."
"But how is this possible?"
"I don't know, but I intend to find out."
"So what do you think of him?"
Faith turned to the balance demon, a thoughtful expression on her face. "He was brave," she said finally. "He guessed I was a vampiress but although I could feel the waves of fear coming off him but he didn't flinch or beg. He just looked me straight in the eye."
"Brave? Good, he'll need that tonight."
"Tonight?" The vampiress' face paled even more than normal. "What happens tonight?" she demanded, her stomach clenching tight with fear.
"A trio of Angelus' minions have been instructed to take one of the Slayers' friends as a hostage. The others are safe but Xander is busy searching the streets for a beautiful vampiress who his friends have told him is evil to prove them wrong."
"No." Faith croaked. The sweet boy who reminded her so much of her long dead brother was going to be hurt because of her. And after she'd come here to protect him. She couldn't let it happen. Staggering to her feet, she made for the door. She'd save him.
* * *
"Well lookee here, it's the Slayer's friend."
Xander paled as he glanced at the three vampires who'd stepped out of the shadows to surround him. He'd been so consumed with thoughts of the woman he'd met earlier in the evening that he'd failed to notice their approach. "I don't suppose it would make any difference if I told you I was on a garlic diet?" he asked hopefully as he pulled out his stake.
"Sorry," replied their leader, a male standing several inches over six feet tall. "See, we're not going to eat you. Our master wants a friend of the Slayer's to play with."
"You could always tell him play-time was over."
"A comedian?" The tall vampire laughed. "I like gnawing on their funny bones."
"Man, your puns are worse than mine."
All three vampires morphed into their demonic faces and surged forward. Knowing that to turn and run would be futile, Xander braced himself against the nearest wall and waited for their attack.
It wasn't long in coming, the leftmost vampire was first to reach him. Thrusting his stake, Xander caught the creature in its shoulder. The monster howled in pain but kept on coming, the fist of his uninjured arm smashing into the boy's mouth.
His vision blurring in pain, Xander swung out blindly at the shapes around him only for his stake to be snatched away from him. A split second later, he was punched in three places at once - the nose, the chest and the stomach. Winded, he could only gasp for air, the sound of his heaving lungs drowned out only by the roaring in his ears.
A hand grabbed his hair and threw him face first onto the stone ground. His head bleeding from the impact, he struggled to his knees. "Remember," he dimly heard the gang leader say. "Angelus wants him alive, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun first."
A barrage of blows reined down on him, knocking back down to the ground. His body screaming for mercy, he pulled himself back up onto his knees only to forced down again. From a distance he heard a banshee like scream.
* * *
Faith hurried through the town streets, unmindful of the downpour that had soaked her to the skin. She had to find him, he had to be safe. Her pace increased at the sound of a brawl in a near-by alley.
What she saw froze her blood and unleashed an animalistic scream from deep within. Leaping into the air, she propelled herself forward to land feet first in the back of the vampire nearest her, sending her opponent flying into some near-by trashcans.
Upon landing, Faith sent a side kick into the belly of the second vampire, doubling her up. Ducking under the third's lunge at her, she thrust a stake deep into his heart. Without waiting for him to explode, she pulled out her stake, turned to the recovering second vampire and thrust the stake into her heart. Next, she stalked over to the surviving vampire and grabbed him round the throat, lifting off the ground. "Tell Angelus from Faith the boy's off limits." She glanced at the groaning figure curled up on the stone ground. "On second thoughts," she plunged a stake into his heart. "Don't bother."
The vampiress rushed over to the youth lying on the ground. He was a complete mess. Three fingers on his right hand looked to be broken, his left eye was swollen shut, a cut in his forehead was bleeding heavily and both lips were bloodied. And that was just the injuries she could see. "Oh, Alex," she muttered softly as she cradled the boy in her arms.
The youth shook his head. "Don't call me that," he slurred. "My name's Xander, my friends call me Xander. Only my dad calls me Alex before he beats me."
"Okay Xander it is then," Faith forced a smile even as her heart darkened. "Nobody's going to hurt you again I promise. Now let me take you to the hospital."
"No, no," the boy shook his head again. "The school library first. Have to warn the others."
She hesitated before nodding. "Okay Xand." She gently lifted him in her arms, wincing slightly at the pained expression on his face and the strangled groans he uttered. "You'll be five by five, you'll see."
* * * "Help him!"
Giles' head snapped up at the anguished scream from the doorway of his library. An amazing sight met his gaze. The woman stood in the open doorway carrying Xander's torn body was soaked and bedraggled from the night's raging storm. Yet even with her jet-black hair plastered to her distressed face and her clothes soaked to her curvy frame, she was still strikingly beautiful. Even with the blood red tears that streaked down her sculpted cheeks. "Bring him over here." The Watcher sensed Buffy starting to rise beside him. He grabbed her arm and shook his head. "No Buffy."
She turned to him, her eyes filled with confusion. "She's a vampire and she's hurt Xander," she growled dangerously.
"No she hasn't. Trust me." The watcher turned to the waiting woman. "Put him on the couch."
The vampiress gently placed the battered body down. Giles' breath caught as he saw the youth's condition and beside him he heard Buffy give a muffled cry. Gathering himself, the Englishman spoke calmly. "What happened?"
The Watcher saw guilt in the vampiress' deep brown eyes, she looked towards the floor. "He was looking for me when three vampires jumped him. I found him and killed the vampires before they took him."
"This is your fault!" screeched the blonde Slayer.
The vampiress' head snapped up, her eyes were now cold and hard. "My fault? If you did your damn job and actually gave a damn about him, maybe he wouldn't have been walking the streets alone!"
"You want me to slay more of the grateful undead?" the Slayer rose from her seat. "Why don't I start with you?"
The brunette laughed harshly. "Go for it little girl. You're so out of your league it isn't funny."
Giles' temper snapped. Not caring that either of the females could effortlessly break him in two, he stepped between them. His face thunderous, he glared angrily at them both. "You're both acting like bloody pre-schoolers. Show a little decorum! Remember our priority is Xander!"
Both of the women fell silent. Relieved, Giles glanced down at Xander and flinched. The boy had taken a hell of a beating, yet somehow clung gamely to consciousness. The boy's eyes fluttered weakly in recognition. "Giles, be careful. The vamps who attacked me were looking for any of Buffy's friends. Angelus wants us. Faith saved me. I asked her to come here to warn you all."
"Hush son, just rest." Giles said comfortingly. Typical Xander, thinking of others first. "Thank you for your help, Faith, Buffy, could you please carry Xander out to my car."
"I'm coming with you."
Giles opened his mouth to argue with the raven-haired woman but seeing her determined look he nodded reluctantly. "Very well."
* * *
"Where's that stupid little bastard! There was a game on tonight and I get called out for this!"
Giles glanced upwards with disgust at the man who had entered the ward. It was Xander's father, who he suspected beat the boy, all too often the Watcher had seen the young man move gingerly or with bruises on nights that he'd either not patrolled or the patrol had been trouble-free. He'd tried to talk to the youth about his injuries but Xander would either storm out or deflect his inquiries with a joke.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the dark haired woman pacing impatiently outside the door of Xander's room move into the centre of the corridor blocking the man's access. "You're not going anywhere near him," she said flatly.
Anger flared in the thickset man's eyes. He snorted. "That little bastard might jump to your tune, but I don't. Get out of my way bitch!"
A split second later and the man was pinned against the wall, Faith's forearm pressing against his throat. Beside the Watcher, Buffy began to stand, only for Giles to pull her down. "Wait," he ordered. He guessed that Ripper was going to enjoy what happened next.
"Listen very carefully," snarled the enraged vampiress. "You're going no- where near Xander. Or should I say Alex?"
The Englishman saw fear flicker in Mr. Harris' eyes. "You can't stop me from seeing my son, tramp!"
The vanpiress slammed his left fist into the man's distended belly, causing him to croak in pain. "I think I can," Faith glanced towards Giles and Buffy, causing the Watcher to shudder at the coldness he saw in her eyes. "Cause if you turn up here you'll find one of us waiting for you, and they might not kill you. But," she leaned towards him until she was inches away from his face. "I have no such compunction."
"I'm going to see you -."
Giles winced as Faith slapped the man across his face, drawing blood from the bully's bottom lip. "You're not listening," he heard the vampiress growl menacingly. "You're son's under my protection now, and neither you nor anybody is going to hurt him again. One night there's going to be a knock at your door and it'll be me and Xand to pick up his things. And you'll smile nicely and invite us in. Understand?"
The terrified man nodded quickly. The brunette smirked and tossed him aside. "Good." The vampiress turned her back on the retreating man and resumed her position
"What was that about?"
Buffy's whispered voice caused Giles to turn away from the vampiress and back to his Slayer. "I've believed for some time that Xander's father beats him. Apparently Faith found evidence that backs up that theory."
The Slayer's mouth dropped open. "I never knew."
"No, abuse victims often become adept at hiding the signs, somehow feeling they are to blame."
"How do you know we can trust her?" The Slayer was staring at the vampiress with animosity. For her part the vampiress was looking back with a look of studied indifference.
"The blood tears."
The Slayer tore her gaze away from the vampiress to look at him, a look of total incomprehension on her face. "Eh?"
"When she came into the library she was crying tears of blood," the Watcher explained patiently. "You've all seen vampires crying normal tears but they're just fakes. Because of their lack of a soul vampires cannot cry sincere tears because they cannot experience true sorrow. Legend has it that one day there will be an ensoulled vampire of tremendous power who will fight on the side of good. One of the signs of this vampire will be the tears of blood."
"But how is this possible?"
"I don't know, but I intend to find out."