Starting Over 14 - Re-Building
Angel glanced warily at his ex-girlfriend's back as he followed her up the road that led to her house. When they'd entered Willy's, Buffy hadn't even bothered to ask any questions at first, just wrecked the place, then dragged a shell-shocked Willy over the counter and demanded answers. As an interrogation tactic it was effective, brutal but effective.
He allowed the ghost of a smile to flicker across his face. He'd never seen Buffy act so psychotic. "Xander, you really have a way with the ladies," he chuckled. The chuckle died when Buffy let out a cry and started running. Cursing, he chased after her. "Buffy! What's wrong?"
The Slayer didn't appear to hear his question but in a few seconds he could see for himself what had terrified her. The front door to the Summers' house lay in the middle of the garden while the lounge windows had all been shattered.
"Damn it," he hurriedly followed Buffy through the wrecked doorway and into the lounge. The room looked like a small war had been fought there, glass lay scattered across the carpet, an over-turned sofa was in the middle of the floor surrounded by a number of demonic corpses while the usually pristine walls were marred by gunpowder burns and the patio doors shattered.
Peering into the dark back garden Angel watched as Buffy rushed over to Xander's crumpled body, knelt down, and cradled his head in her laps, tears streaking her cheeks. His mouth dry with fear, Angel moved towards his friend only to catch a slight form hurrying towards an oblivious Buffy.
"Xander!" the screech that came from the figure was animal-like, almost recognisable as human. Seeing the tell-tale glint of a knife in the shape's hand, Angel leapt towards the figure, tackling the intruder around the waist, bundling them both to the ground.
"Faith!" he bellowed into the writhing girl's ear as he struggled to restrain her, his muscles straining and writhing with the strain and his body shuddering under the blows he was receiving from the enraged Slayer. He knew he couldn't contain her for a long, she was just too strong, he had to make her understand. "Buffy was with me! It's not her fault!" he had to repeat his shout three times until some semblance of intelligence returned to the girl's coal black eyes.
"Honestly?" the girl asked, her voice trembling and her face streaked with tears.
Too exhausted from his struggle, Angel could only nod wearily before rolling off the Slayer. Faith immediately sprang to her feet and rushed over to her injured boyfriend, pushing aside a stunned Buffy.
The blonde Slayer snarled and stepped towards Faith. "Buffy!" Angel intercepted the older Slayer's advance, "what about Dawn?"
Buffy paled, her eyes widened with terror. "Dawnie!" she screamed before rushing back into the house.
Angel turned to follow her only to stop as he sensed a presence behind. Turning, he looked at his grand-childe, noting how his fellow vampire's face was even paler than normal and devoid of its normal cockiness. "Watch over them," he nodded towards Faith and Xander. "And phone Wes and the others, tell them to get over here now."
Spike nodded. "Get right on it."
* * *
Faith heard none of the conversation going on around her. Her concentration, her entire being, was centred on watching the slight rising of her boyfriend's chest, willing it to continue. When she'd seen Buffy holding her head, her first thought was that she'd attacked him for talking back to her earlier and was about to snap his neck until Angel had interfered. Now though her only concern was looking after her man.
She'd nursed him back to health on a number of occasions in the past sixteen months, but he'd never looked so bad. His jaw looked like it was broken, as did his left arm, both wrists, and left cheekbone, his right shoulder appeared to be dislocated while he had a four inch gash across his forehead and a two inch one on his right cheek. Worse still was his body, his clothes were torn to shreds and her love appeared to be bleeding from a score of wounds. "You can't leave me baby," she whispered.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to an unusually pensive looking Spike. "Whelp's tough lass," the vampire gruffly comforted, "he'll be alright." The vampire winked. "Too bloody frightened of you not to be."
Faith's answering giggle died at the thought of Xander dying. No, the thought was too frightening to face. He couldn't, he was her reason for living. Once again she felt her eyes begin to burn with tears.
"What's this? Tears from super girl?"
Xander? A delighted smile spread across her face as she regarded her boyfriend's pained but awake face. "Guess you're my kryptonite baby," she replied as she fought back tears of joy.
"Oh bloody hell, if you two get any sappier I'll have to find a nice picket fence to impale myself on." The bleached blonde crouched over the injured youth and grinned. "How you feeling mate?"
"Like I was in a handicap match against Angelus and old Spike."
The vampire nodded slowly. "That Glory packs one hell of a punch."
Glory. Faith felt a surge of her old homicidal fury at just the mention of the bitch's name. For what she'd done to her Xander, she'd tear the cow limb from limb.
The Slayer realised her boyfriend was trying to get to his feet. She firmly but gently restrained him. "No Xand," she said softly. "Don't risk any further injury by moving. Rest."
"Damn it," the young man growled, his voice weak. "I have to know what happened to Dawn."
"She's been taken." The words came from Angel as he supported a dazed- looking Buffy. "We found three dead demons in the basement but no Dawn or Gunn."
* * *
"Good lord." Spike had said things were bad, but this was several stages beyond. The house looked like something out of the blitz. Giles staggered dazedly through the house, followed by his fellow Watcher and the others.
All thoughts of the house were forgotten when he saw the state of Xander. "What happened?"
The youth grinned weakly. "Hey G-Man you know me and parties."
Giles' lips quirked up into a smile. "Why do you think I never let you hold any parties at my place?" after a nod to Faith, he knelt beside the battered teen. "How do you feel son?"
The youth grimaced. "Been worse. Course with the head trauma I can't actually remember when."
He glanced up at Angel. "Dawn?"
"She's gone."
He sighed. All their efforts undone. He felt a hand on his arm and looked down to a tearful Xander. "I couldn't stop her Giles."
For once he could not find anything to say to comfort the young man. "It's not your fault," Giles glanced up in surprise at Buffy.
Xander's face twisted in misery. "I'm sorry Buffy, I am a screw-up. You were right -."
"No," the Slayer shook her head. "I was wrong, you killed a ton of demons tonight and I'm guessing it was Glory who stopped you. And I haven't been doing much better against her, the only difference is I heal quicker."
Tears fell from the young man's eyes. "Thanks Buff." Giles smiled, perhaps some old bridges were at last being re-built.
His Slayer leaned over Xander and placed a gentle kiss on her old friend's forehead. "Just concentrate on getting better. The ambulance will be here soon."
"Cancel it. G-Man's going to do a healing spell."
"I beg your pardon?" Giles turned a shocked face towards Xander. Such spells were dangerous in the extreme and involved taking life-force from the spell caster, or the spell's subject, or both.
"Giles, guys. I'm coming with you tomorrow. Gunn is my buddy and Dawn is one of my girls. And nobody hurts one of my girls."
"I know a spell." Giles felt his eyes roll back in his head. Bloody yank teenagers, didn't they ever learn to keep their gobs shut? He turned to look at a nervous looking Amy, silently willing the girl to keep silent. Instead she spoke again, her tone nervous but growing in confidence as she continued. "B..but it takes years of life from the subject. Judging from your injuries maybe as many as five."
"No!"
"Faith, hon I'm doing this," Xander's voice was weak but he managed a grin. "Look at it this way. My great-grandpa lived to be eighty-one, my grand- pa's still annoying the hell out of us at seventy three. I'm only twenty, do you really want another sixty years with me?"
Only Giles was close enough to hear Faith's muttered reply. "Six hundred wouldn't be enough."
"Ditto," the young man muttered back. "But there's no way in hell you're facing her without me."
"Five by five," the brunette's voice was shaky.
"Thanks for understanding."
Something occurred to Giles, turning he shouted to Wesley. "Get the Sword of Rinaldo out of my car!"
"The Sword of Rinaldo?"
Giles turned to a curious-looking Angel. "It is the sword that Rinaldo used to defeat Acathla the first time he rose. I had it flown over here from England care of the Council."
"And will it work on Glory?" Buffy broke in, her eyes hopeful.
"I don't know," Giles replied, "the fact the sword banished a demon of similar strength to Glory is hopeful but some of these weapons are effective only on particular demons. However Xander's injuries give us an increased chance."
"So glad to be of service."
Giles ignored Xander's grunt. Instead he turned to the red-eyed Slayer knelt at the other side of his son. "You love him?"
Anger flared in the brunette's eyes. "How can you ask me-."
"Faith," he interrupted, "it's important."
"Yes I love him," the brunette snapped back at him, "more than I ever thought possible."
Giles smiled. It was good that this former wild child had found peace with his son and that Xander had found someone who completed him. "And you Xander, do you love her?"
"With all my heart."
"Good," he turned back to the watching crowd. "Legend has it Rinaldo's lover was a Slayer who died at Acathla's hands. He dipped the point of his sword in one of the dying woman's wounds and swore an oath to avenge her death. If we change the wording -."
Faith's eyes slowly filled with understanding. "Uh, uh, no way! I'm not sticking a sword into Xander."
Giles opened his mouth to argue his case was beaten to it by Xander. "Faith hon. You want to get this bitch for me right?" The Slayer nodded unwillingly. "Well according to G-Man this gives you best chance of doing that."
"Five by five," Faith whispered with a nod.
Giles nodded in approval. After thanking Wesley for bringing the sword to him. He turned to Faith and quickly scribbled Rinaldo's oath for her. "This is what Rinaldo said according to legend."
The Slayer nodded quietly before turning to Xander. "Is there any wound that would hurt less Xand?"
Xander grimaced. "No, just do it."
"I'm sorry sweetie," Faith kissed Xander on the forehead before gracefully rising and easing her sword into one of the young man's gaping wounds in Xander's right side. The youth shuddered with pain but didn't cry out. "For justice. For the world. And for the love that has fallen I will rid the world of Glorificus." As soon as she'd finished speaking the girl dropped to her knees and began crying. "I'm sorry Xand."
Giles hugged the girl around the shoulders. "Faith he's going to be alright." He turned to the others, more exhausted than he remembered being in months. "Angel, Spike, Buffy, Cordelia, take her inside. The rest of us will do the spell now." He glanced down at the body lying on the garden. "I'm afraid this is going to hurt a lot Xander."
The injured youth arched an eyebrow. "What even more than the one time Faith used a riding crop?"
Giles flushed. "Oh thank you so much for that most edifying image."
Angel glanced warily at his ex-girlfriend's back as he followed her up the road that led to her house. When they'd entered Willy's, Buffy hadn't even bothered to ask any questions at first, just wrecked the place, then dragged a shell-shocked Willy over the counter and demanded answers. As an interrogation tactic it was effective, brutal but effective.
He allowed the ghost of a smile to flicker across his face. He'd never seen Buffy act so psychotic. "Xander, you really have a way with the ladies," he chuckled. The chuckle died when Buffy let out a cry and started running. Cursing, he chased after her. "Buffy! What's wrong?"
The Slayer didn't appear to hear his question but in a few seconds he could see for himself what had terrified her. The front door to the Summers' house lay in the middle of the garden while the lounge windows had all been shattered.
"Damn it," he hurriedly followed Buffy through the wrecked doorway and into the lounge. The room looked like a small war had been fought there, glass lay scattered across the carpet, an over-turned sofa was in the middle of the floor surrounded by a number of demonic corpses while the usually pristine walls were marred by gunpowder burns and the patio doors shattered.
Peering into the dark back garden Angel watched as Buffy rushed over to Xander's crumpled body, knelt down, and cradled his head in her laps, tears streaking her cheeks. His mouth dry with fear, Angel moved towards his friend only to catch a slight form hurrying towards an oblivious Buffy.
"Xander!" the screech that came from the figure was animal-like, almost recognisable as human. Seeing the tell-tale glint of a knife in the shape's hand, Angel leapt towards the figure, tackling the intruder around the waist, bundling them both to the ground.
"Faith!" he bellowed into the writhing girl's ear as he struggled to restrain her, his muscles straining and writhing with the strain and his body shuddering under the blows he was receiving from the enraged Slayer. He knew he couldn't contain her for a long, she was just too strong, he had to make her understand. "Buffy was with me! It's not her fault!" he had to repeat his shout three times until some semblance of intelligence returned to the girl's coal black eyes.
"Honestly?" the girl asked, her voice trembling and her face streaked with tears.
Too exhausted from his struggle, Angel could only nod wearily before rolling off the Slayer. Faith immediately sprang to her feet and rushed over to her injured boyfriend, pushing aside a stunned Buffy.
The blonde Slayer snarled and stepped towards Faith. "Buffy!" Angel intercepted the older Slayer's advance, "what about Dawn?"
Buffy paled, her eyes widened with terror. "Dawnie!" she screamed before rushing back into the house.
Angel turned to follow her only to stop as he sensed a presence behind. Turning, he looked at his grand-childe, noting how his fellow vampire's face was even paler than normal and devoid of its normal cockiness. "Watch over them," he nodded towards Faith and Xander. "And phone Wes and the others, tell them to get over here now."
Spike nodded. "Get right on it."
* * *
Faith heard none of the conversation going on around her. Her concentration, her entire being, was centred on watching the slight rising of her boyfriend's chest, willing it to continue. When she'd seen Buffy holding her head, her first thought was that she'd attacked him for talking back to her earlier and was about to snap his neck until Angel had interfered. Now though her only concern was looking after her man.
She'd nursed him back to health on a number of occasions in the past sixteen months, but he'd never looked so bad. His jaw looked like it was broken, as did his left arm, both wrists, and left cheekbone, his right shoulder appeared to be dislocated while he had a four inch gash across his forehead and a two inch one on his right cheek. Worse still was his body, his clothes were torn to shreds and her love appeared to be bleeding from a score of wounds. "You can't leave me baby," she whispered.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to an unusually pensive looking Spike. "Whelp's tough lass," the vampire gruffly comforted, "he'll be alright." The vampire winked. "Too bloody frightened of you not to be."
Faith's answering giggle died at the thought of Xander dying. No, the thought was too frightening to face. He couldn't, he was her reason for living. Once again she felt her eyes begin to burn with tears.
"What's this? Tears from super girl?"
Xander? A delighted smile spread across her face as she regarded her boyfriend's pained but awake face. "Guess you're my kryptonite baby," she replied as she fought back tears of joy.
"Oh bloody hell, if you two get any sappier I'll have to find a nice picket fence to impale myself on." The bleached blonde crouched over the injured youth and grinned. "How you feeling mate?"
"Like I was in a handicap match against Angelus and old Spike."
The vampire nodded slowly. "That Glory packs one hell of a punch."
Glory. Faith felt a surge of her old homicidal fury at just the mention of the bitch's name. For what she'd done to her Xander, she'd tear the cow limb from limb.
The Slayer realised her boyfriend was trying to get to his feet. She firmly but gently restrained him. "No Xand," she said softly. "Don't risk any further injury by moving. Rest."
"Damn it," the young man growled, his voice weak. "I have to know what happened to Dawn."
"She's been taken." The words came from Angel as he supported a dazed- looking Buffy. "We found three dead demons in the basement but no Dawn or Gunn."
* * *
"Good lord." Spike had said things were bad, but this was several stages beyond. The house looked like something out of the blitz. Giles staggered dazedly through the house, followed by his fellow Watcher and the others.
All thoughts of the house were forgotten when he saw the state of Xander. "What happened?"
The youth grinned weakly. "Hey G-Man you know me and parties."
Giles' lips quirked up into a smile. "Why do you think I never let you hold any parties at my place?" after a nod to Faith, he knelt beside the battered teen. "How do you feel son?"
The youth grimaced. "Been worse. Course with the head trauma I can't actually remember when."
He glanced up at Angel. "Dawn?"
"She's gone."
He sighed. All their efforts undone. He felt a hand on his arm and looked down to a tearful Xander. "I couldn't stop her Giles."
For once he could not find anything to say to comfort the young man. "It's not your fault," Giles glanced up in surprise at Buffy.
Xander's face twisted in misery. "I'm sorry Buffy, I am a screw-up. You were right -."
"No," the Slayer shook her head. "I was wrong, you killed a ton of demons tonight and I'm guessing it was Glory who stopped you. And I haven't been doing much better against her, the only difference is I heal quicker."
Tears fell from the young man's eyes. "Thanks Buff." Giles smiled, perhaps some old bridges were at last being re-built.
His Slayer leaned over Xander and placed a gentle kiss on her old friend's forehead. "Just concentrate on getting better. The ambulance will be here soon."
"Cancel it. G-Man's going to do a healing spell."
"I beg your pardon?" Giles turned a shocked face towards Xander. Such spells were dangerous in the extreme and involved taking life-force from the spell caster, or the spell's subject, or both.
"Giles, guys. I'm coming with you tomorrow. Gunn is my buddy and Dawn is one of my girls. And nobody hurts one of my girls."
"I know a spell." Giles felt his eyes roll back in his head. Bloody yank teenagers, didn't they ever learn to keep their gobs shut? He turned to look at a nervous looking Amy, silently willing the girl to keep silent. Instead she spoke again, her tone nervous but growing in confidence as she continued. "B..but it takes years of life from the subject. Judging from your injuries maybe as many as five."
"No!"
"Faith, hon I'm doing this," Xander's voice was weak but he managed a grin. "Look at it this way. My great-grandpa lived to be eighty-one, my grand- pa's still annoying the hell out of us at seventy three. I'm only twenty, do you really want another sixty years with me?"
Only Giles was close enough to hear Faith's muttered reply. "Six hundred wouldn't be enough."
"Ditto," the young man muttered back. "But there's no way in hell you're facing her without me."
"Five by five," the brunette's voice was shaky.
"Thanks for understanding."
Something occurred to Giles, turning he shouted to Wesley. "Get the Sword of Rinaldo out of my car!"
"The Sword of Rinaldo?"
Giles turned to a curious-looking Angel. "It is the sword that Rinaldo used to defeat Acathla the first time he rose. I had it flown over here from England care of the Council."
"And will it work on Glory?" Buffy broke in, her eyes hopeful.
"I don't know," Giles replied, "the fact the sword banished a demon of similar strength to Glory is hopeful but some of these weapons are effective only on particular demons. However Xander's injuries give us an increased chance."
"So glad to be of service."
Giles ignored Xander's grunt. Instead he turned to the red-eyed Slayer knelt at the other side of his son. "You love him?"
Anger flared in the brunette's eyes. "How can you ask me-."
"Faith," he interrupted, "it's important."
"Yes I love him," the brunette snapped back at him, "more than I ever thought possible."
Giles smiled. It was good that this former wild child had found peace with his son and that Xander had found someone who completed him. "And you Xander, do you love her?"
"With all my heart."
"Good," he turned back to the watching crowd. "Legend has it Rinaldo's lover was a Slayer who died at Acathla's hands. He dipped the point of his sword in one of the dying woman's wounds and swore an oath to avenge her death. If we change the wording -."
Faith's eyes slowly filled with understanding. "Uh, uh, no way! I'm not sticking a sword into Xander."
Giles opened his mouth to argue his case was beaten to it by Xander. "Faith hon. You want to get this bitch for me right?" The Slayer nodded unwillingly. "Well according to G-Man this gives you best chance of doing that."
"Five by five," Faith whispered with a nod.
Giles nodded in approval. After thanking Wesley for bringing the sword to him. He turned to Faith and quickly scribbled Rinaldo's oath for her. "This is what Rinaldo said according to legend."
The Slayer nodded quietly before turning to Xander. "Is there any wound that would hurt less Xand?"
Xander grimaced. "No, just do it."
"I'm sorry sweetie," Faith kissed Xander on the forehead before gracefully rising and easing her sword into one of the young man's gaping wounds in Xander's right side. The youth shuddered with pain but didn't cry out. "For justice. For the world. And for the love that has fallen I will rid the world of Glorificus." As soon as she'd finished speaking the girl dropped to her knees and began crying. "I'm sorry Xand."
Giles hugged the girl around the shoulders. "Faith he's going to be alright." He turned to the others, more exhausted than he remembered being in months. "Angel, Spike, Buffy, Cordelia, take her inside. The rest of us will do the spell now." He glanced down at the body lying on the garden. "I'm afraid this is going to hurt a lot Xander."
The injured youth arched an eyebrow. "What even more than the one time Faith used a riding crop?"
Giles flushed. "Oh thank you so much for that most edifying image."