Title: Vengeance Satisfied is Justice Served 9/10
Author: 3D Master
Feedback: 3d.master@chello.nl
Website:
Rating: R
Keywords: X-over BtVS/The Crow, drama, action.
Time frame: S7, starts during dirty girls.
Summary: Buffy has a choice to make: Xander or Spike? Who gets to live? XanderZone Challenge response.
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its characters do not belong to me, but to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy Productions. The Crow and related concepts are created by James O'Barr.
Vengeance Satisfied is Justice Served
Chapter 9: Preparations
"Fuck," Xander commented, flooring the pedal all the way down. His executive car drove with great speed across the road just outside of Sunnydale. "Jumping off the wing of a plane and sweeping down, has its shortcut advantages," he added in irritation.
"Can't this go faster?" Alex asked with the same annoyance, he had his crow visage back on once again. The moment they had gotten in the car, he had wiped away the irritating make-up and wondered how the other two managed to put the face on every time.
"Why didn't you buy a sports car?" Eric added. All three of them had seen what Xander's crow had seen and neither liked it. The other two birds were sitting patiently on their charge's laps.
"One of you wouldn't have fit?" Xander suggested. The other two resurrected beings looked at each other for a moment, and then shrugged their ascension.
*****
Buffy walked through the cemetery that was on the map, and she was carrying the scythe. A tumult of emotions boiling into her. She knew she had made some mistakes, but she was determined to show everyone, Xander predominantly that she wasn't useless. She hated sitting at the sidelines, she was better than that. She opened a gate and walked up to a pyramid shaped tomb and then kicked down the door.
She walked into the tomb carefully, looking around, going down a few steps. The tomb was dimly lit, and all kinds of hieroglyphs and other writing was all over the walls. She walked onward, and noticed a sarcophagus in the middle. There were drapes on one side, they didn't quite meet, allowing a glimpse of a bed behind them.
"I'd forgotten. I'd forgotten how young you would be," a woman's voice suddenly came from behind the drapes. The drapes were pushed aside, and a very old woman with long white hair emerged. She spoke onward, "Comes from the waiting. Mind plays tricks. I see you've found our weapon."
Neither woman noticed a crow land on a crossbeam higher up. Buffy simply asked, "Who are you?"
The woman answered cryptically, "One of many. Well . . .time was. Now I'm alone in the world."
Buffy didn't quite understand, so she asked, "So what are you? Some kind of ghost?"
The woman chuckled softly, and shook her head, before answering, "Nope. I'm as real as you are. Just . . . well . . . let me put it this way - I look good for my age. I've been waiting." The women held out her hands, and Buffy handed over the Scythe, laying it in the woman's hands. "You pulled it out of the rock. I was one of those who was present when it was lost in there."
"What is it?" Buffy asked, feeling hopeful. Here was someone who was helping, someone who didn't dismiss her as useless, perhaps she could prove to her friends she hadn't lost it after all.
The woman admired the scythe, as she answered, "A weapon. A scythe. Forged in secrecy for one like you who - I'm sorry. What's your name?"
Buffy blinked once, and answered, "Buffy."
"No, really?" the woman answered a little surprised. Buffy shrugged. The woman once again continued, "We forged it in secrecy and kept it hidden from the Shadow Men, who . . ."
Buffy interrupted her, with a sour tone, "Yeah. Met those guys. Didn't really care too much for 'em."
The woman smiled, and added, "Ahh, yes. Then you know. And they became the watchers. And the watchers watched the slayers. But we were watching them."
"Oh!" Buffy exclaimed, her eyes widened with revelation and good cheer, and then they went down again. "So, you're like . . . what are you?"
"Guardians. Women who want to help and protect you. We forged this centuries ago, halfway around the world," the old woman answered patiently.
"Hence, the Luxor Casino theme," Buffy quipped, feeling good about actually making a witty comeback again.
The woman nodded, and added, "Forged there, it was put to use right here . . . to kill the last pure demon . . ."
"Yes, yes," Buffy interrupted tiredly, somewhat annoyed at once more old news, "but the demon took the Slayer with it, buried beneath rock, where it lay until the First dug it up. I know all this . . . How is it possible that we didn't know any of this?"
The woman handed the weapon back to Buffy and answered calmly, "We hid, too. We had to until now. We're the last sur . . ." With an audible snap, the woman's head was yanked to Buffy's right, and she slumped to the floor. Buffy looked down in shock, and then more when the drapes parted to admit the demonized Tara, in her orange demon form.
"Oops," she said in mock shock, looking down at the body for a moment, before looking back up to Buffy. "Ever since I crawled out of my grave, I forget my own strength. Really sorry about that, were you two having a pleasant conversation?" Buffy backed up, looking at Tara in shock. She had heard of the demonized Tara's power, how it had beaten Faith even if she did have the weapon she now held in her hand. She hoped the demon hadn't brought another three bringers chanting a shield spell outside. "I know what you're thinking, Buffy," Tara told her, as she slowly stepped forward, Buffy backing up in response until she hit the sarcophagus. "Did she come here with a new shield or not? The question you've got be asking yourself, bitch, is this: do you feel lucky?" Tara laughed out loud. The horrible demonic laugh echoed throughout the pyramid. "I've always wanted to say that. Let me put your mind at ease, no shield. Master told me it wasn't necessary to take you out . . . oh, darn, there goes the ease."
Tara lunged, and Buffy trapped by the sarcophagus was unable to get out of the way. The back of the demon's hand connected with Buffy's face, and she was launched up and over the sarcophagus. Pain blossomed in the blond Slayer's cheek as she sailed through the air, and crashed to the floor. She skidded along until she slammed into a pillar; a new source of pain coursing through her spine.
"The mighty slayer, how pitiful," Tara hissed, as she walked around the stone coffin. Buffy looked up weakly, and saw the demon charge her. She rolled aside just in time, and the punch missed her, but hit the stone pillar. It shattered, and a large hole formed. A whole side of the pillar crumbled to the floor. Tara turned around, and looked down at Buffy, and said, "If I knew you were this weak while I was still alive, I'd have kicked your ass back then."
Buffy's face changed to one of anger. She jumped up smoothly, and swung the axe with all her might at the demonic Tara. The demon casually grabbed the handle before the axe could hit home. Tara grinned, and ripped the magical weapon from Buffy's hand. The slayer stepped back in shock, as Tara commented, "This belongs to the master."
Tara swung the weapon at Buffy, and the Slayer ducked beneath the swing, and then with a powerful yell of rage she kicked Tara against her upper leg, and continued with a quick combination of punches across the demon's face and torso, before jumping out of the Scythe's range. Buffy looked with astonishment as Tara laughed. "Was that all you have to offer?" the demon asked mockingly, then tsked at Buffy. The orange demon charged, and hacked the axe down. Buffy swerved to the side, grabbed Tara's arm that was holding the weapon, and then kicked with all her might at the wrist. Tara grunted, and the grip loosened just enough for Buffy to yank the weapon out of Tara's hand.
"Now, you're going down," Buffy hissed out at the overextended Tara, and swung her axe. "You won't defile her body anymore!"
Tara's eyes widened. Quickly she pointed her hand, and mumbled a spell. An instant later an pink energy ball shot from her hand, straight at Buffy. Instinctively Buffy brought the axe down to block the blast. The energy impacted, and did nothing to the weapon, and thus nothing to Buffy, except that the following explosion was powerful enough to throw Buffy off her feet and send her flying through the air, until she landed painfully on the stone floor.
Tara walked over to Buffy, and said sweetly, "When you're out of the way, me and Willow will be an item again. A witch and her demon; it's so romantic. Just like a Slayer and her vampire. Don't you agree?" Tara raised her foot, sharp nails came through the front of her shoes, like a cat's. "Time to die, bitch," she whispered eerily.
"Hey!" Tara was surprised at the voice, and turned toward it. Still standing on only one foot, she was imbalanced. All she saw was a fist sailing at her face. The impact was mild, but already imbalanced, she staggered back, away from Buffy, and then dropped to the floor.
Buffy looked up, and saw Angel standing there, a smile on his face. He helped her to her feet, saying, "I never liked orange."
"Angel," Buffy said with a mixture of emotions.
"You look good," Angel said, smiling down at her.
Buffy smiled, it was good to see someone of old who didn't think she was an idiot. "You look timely. And also good."
"Heard maybe you needed a hand," Angel replied with a smile. Tara rose to her feet with a growl, and Angel looks over at her. He started toward her, but Buffy stopped him with a grave face. Angel looked over at her, and said in understanding, "Ah, one of those things you have to finish yourself."
"Willow's dead girlfriend, animated by a demon," Buffy explained gravely, looking over at Tara. "It really kinda is." Angel nodded. He slunk over to a pillar, leaned against it, and crossed his arms over his chest, looking gravely.
Buffy walked over to Tara, and the demon smiled down at her. "If you think the vampire will make a difference, you're dead wrong."
"No difference, you're going to die either way," Buffy stated vehemently, and kicked against Tara's knee with everything she had. Tara grunted, and Buffy grinned in triumph. She lunged the stake end of the weapon at Tara. The demon raised her arm in defense, and the magical stake sliced into the demon's arm with ease. Tara roared out, and threw her arm wildly, catching Buffy in her face. The Slayer staggered back under the onslaught, losing grip of the axe. She stopped when she bumped against the wall. Tara yanked the weapon free from her body with her other arm.
"You will pay for that," Tara hissed and charged forward with the stake end of the weapon. Buffy jerked aside just in time, and the weapon got lodged deeply into the wall. Tara yanked, but the weapon wouldn't come out with the first lunge. With a yell Buffy kicked into Tara's stomach, and she staggered back some.
"God, I missed watching this," Angel told himself with a small smile, conscious of Buffy having to face a former friend. Buffy ripped the weapon from the wall, and in one smooth motion sliced it across Tara's belly. The demon looked shocked at the large gash across her stomach, and then green blood welled up from her mouth, while it poured from the large wound.
"Th-th-that's n-n-not f-fair," Tara answered and slumped to the ground.
Buffy walked back over to Angel, and looked at him. "Under control," she whispered hauntedly.
Angel walks forward to Buffy himself, and said, "It never gets easier facing a possessed friend, does it?"
Buffy shook her head, and then threw the weapon to the floor. She wrapped her arms around Angel's neck and kissed him deeply, and passionately.
Laughter. It echoed throughout the tomb, and Buffy and Angel broke the kiss, looking over at the drapes from where the woman had come from earlier. "Xander," Buffy whispered, seeing her black-clad friend - or once friend at least - leaning with crossed arms against a pillar.
Xander shook his head, and said, "Look at that. I'm gone not three days, and you're already indulging your necrophiliac urges with the next vampire." Xander stood straight, unfolding his arms, and started sauntering over to the two. Buffy looked with anger, and resentment at him. "You know, Buff," Xander continued casually, "I think you should just dig up a corpse and have your fun with it. At least it won't turn into a soulless, sadistic, killing machine after you get your happy."
"You fucking bastard," she hissed at him.
"Harris," Angel growled at the same time.
Xander stopped in front of the two, and bore his gaze into Angel's eyes for a moment, and then looked back at Buffy. "And while your happily kissing your ex-dead-boyfriend, we drop one of the most powerful, magical weapons, that the First Evil himself dug up, to the floor like it's worth shit. So while you're indulging yourself, oblivious to the world, one of his minions could push you off balance," Xander pushed, sending the two who were still loosely holding onto each other staggering back. Xander then rapidly picked up the Scythe, adding, ". . . pick up the weapon and slice both your heads off with one move . . ." Xander demonstrated, swinging the axe viscously, stopping short only barely from Buffy's neck. " . . . and casually walk out of here, secure in the knowledge he's won." The two looked at Xander with wide eyes, filled with fear and mortification. "I know you're stupid, Buffy," Xander told her with a subdued growl, "but you really keep surprising me by lowering yourself steadily down, right when I think you just can't sink any lower."
The corner's of Buffy's mouth were pulled down, tears threatening to slip from her eyes. Angel came to his ex's defense, growling, "Harris, who do you think you are? Last time I checked, she's still the slayer."
"Last time I checked, you don't belong here anymore," Xander answered coldly, lowering the weapon down. "And last time I checked, /I'm/ in charge here, right, Buffy? I do believe I told you to stay in the house, because the First wouldn't dare blow it up while you're there." Buffy shrank back into Angel's arm. "If they're all dead when we get there, I will torture you for the next eighty years and beyond." Angel's head was spinning, he had no idea what was going on here. "Oh, and Angel, you're wrong, she's just a wannabe. Faith is the Slayer."
Buffy shook her head weakly. "Caleb told Shannon he had a message for me, the real Slayer."
"Yeah, and he also stabbed her in the exact same place you stabbed Faith, dimwit. You're not /the/ Slayer after lying dead six feet under ground for several months. The First was toying around with you, but you don't notice anything do you? Anything that isn't 'All hail, Buffy' is just ignored," Xander said angrily.
"Now listen here," Angel started to say angrily.
"Shut up, bitch," Xander interrupted him with blazing eyes, "since when do I give a damn about what a vampire says?"
"ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT!!" Tara's voice roared out, and everyone looked over. The orange demon was standing again, with no wound on her. "I DON'T CARE WHO'LL BE FIRST, BUT YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!"
Buffy and Angel got ready to fight, but Xander swivelled the weapon and held it out to her. "Take it, and give it back to who it belongs to," Xander ordered, leaving no room for negotiations. Buffy took the weapon gingerly, and then Xander added, "Now the both of you; /Get/ /out/!"
"What? No guns?" Buffy asked half mockingly, half surprised.
"No time to pick them up," Xander answered with a determined look, as he turned around, "And unlike ancient weapons, it's practically impossible to bring guns along in the luggage for your plane trip, believe me."
"Now, Xander . . ." Angel started.
"GET OUT!" Xander yelled looking back at them, and then walking toward Tara, who took a deep satisfied breath. Buffy grabbed Angel's hand and pulled him along, somewhat afraid of Xander's wrath.
"He'll never be . . ." Angel started, as Xander walked over to Tara.
"Things have changed," Buffy cut him off as she started up the stairs. Angel looked over and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw Xander landed a devastating punch to Tara's abdomen, doubling her over, and adding an uppercut that sent her flying through the air.
Tara growled, her black eyes glowed with an unholy non-existent light, and mumbled a spell. A powerful blast of energy left her hands, and impact with Xander. He flow back, screaming in pain, as he felt his entire body burn. He smacked against the wall and hung there, the skin of his face horribly burned, blackened in places even. When the wounds disappeared almost instantly, Angel uncharacteristically muttered, "Fuck."
A moment later Xander landed back on the floor, and Tara looked surprised. "You heal fast," she stated sourly.
Xander walked over, looked into Tara's face. Sad at first, and then his face contorted in rage. "You're going down," he growled, and charged.
Surprised by the straight up charge, Tara didn't react, and got a vicious knee into her stomach. Xander rammed his hands on her back, sending her down, before adding an uppercut to her chin, which made her fly up into the air and landed on her back a meter further. Xander jumped toward her, but she had managed to raise her leg, and kick Xander in the face. He stumbled back. Tara had joined her hands, and made an arc with them, intending to bash Xander in the head with them. Xander managed to jerk back, and she missed, hitting the sarcophagus instead. The stone coffin shattered, leaving only a small little bit of it standing, revealing the remains of an old woman. Mummified once, some of her long white (and now dusty) hair was still visible.
Xander got up, and charged forward. He grabbed Tara by her collar, picked her up, and ran forward. With a roar he rammed her into a pillar, shattering it. Tara retaliated with a double handed uppercut, that sent Xander staggering back. She lashed out with her claws, and opened up large gashes on Xander's face. He grunted in pain, and then the wounds closed almost instantly. Tara mumbled another spell, and this one Xander deftly avoided. Tara threw herself forward, and grabbed Xander. The two grappled with each other for a few moments, before Xander yanked them a quarter of a circle to the left, and pushed her away from him. Tara's arms were apart, trying to keep her balance, and Xander saw the opening. Instantly he pulled the katana from within his long leather coat, and stuck it right where her heart should be.
Shocked, Tara looked down at the curved blade. It was in only a few centimeters, and the blood that came flowing from the wound was nowhere near enough to really kill her.
With a grin, Xander told her, "Tough hide you got there."
Tara laughed out loud, and grumbled, "Did you really think a simple sword could take me out?"
Xander grinned at her, saying, "This isn't a simple sword, let me demonstrate the difference." Xander adjusted his grip, and pushed suddenly. The sword sliced deeper inside Tara's body, and then emerged on the other side. The demon looked even more shocked, then she groaned, and slowly sank to her knees. She looked up, as she transformed down to Tara's normal look, with the exception of the black in black eyes. She coughed, and green blood welled up from her mouth, and oozed out. Then her eyes widened, and they returned to her normal look.
Xander looked shocked at the dying demon. He saw the life flow from her eyes almost physically, and now that the black was gone, she looked so much like an actually souled, living Tara. "X-x-xand . . ." she whispered, tears flowing from her eyes. Xander's eyes widened in shock at her words, through the connection with her via the sword, he got a mild sensation; her soul, this was not a demon faking. " . . . T-t-tor . . . f-f . . ." Tara coughed, red blood now coming from her mouth, and leaking from the sword down, " . . . i-in h-h-el-hell . . . t-t-tri-tried . . . k-k-ki . . . W-w-w-will-will . . . why?"
"Ssh, don't speak, it'll be over soon, no more pain then," Xander soothed, anguished tears flowing from his eyes. How could anyone be so cruel to return a soul to a dead body only to have it animated and controlled by a demon.
Tara's eyes widened somewhat in revelation, more tears flowing from her eyes, "D-d-dem-m-mo . . . deca-ca-capi . . . o-o-or . . . r-re-re-ret-t-ret . . ."
"I understand," Xander whispered gently stroking her hair. "I'll set you free," Xander whispered. Her eyes became less anguished, and radiated with relief. Xander became overwhelmed with grief, realizing he never got the chance to grieve for her; first there was psycho Willow, then there was arranging Tara's funeral, mixed with and followed by bringing Buffy and Dawn back to some semblance of normal, apparently he failed with Buffy. Xander pulled the sword from her body, and lifted it above his head. "Goodbye," he whispered. Tara kept smiling serenely, silently encouraging him with her eyes. And then, with a powerful stroke, he severed her head. He jumped back to avoid the geyser of blood, as her head bounced once on the floor of the tomb.
Xander staggered back, and maneuvered himself to a pillar, and sank down against it, tears flowing freely, not just for Tara, but for the whole mess he found himself in. He felt both relieved, and burdened with greater sadness when he noticed her body did not turn to dust, or dissolved in some other manner.
Some flapping of wings signaled the arrival of his two fellow crow's, who he had told to stay behind for this one. They arrived from behind the drapes, having used the same entrance as Xander and earlier Tara had. He looked up at them, and asked, "Her name is Tara McClay. The cemetery in which she lay buried is one mile due east. Would you two lay her back to rest for us? I have to deal with them." Xander made a motion with his head in the direction of the exit through which Buffy and Angel had left.
"No problem," Eric answered, and then he gently picked up the body, while Alex did the same with the head.
Xander watched Tara's body rise of the floor, and he was suddenly gripped with fury over what was done to her. He got up, and growled out, "That fucking bitch went too far!! /Now/, I'm going to make her /SUFFER/ /before/ /we/ /kill/ /her/!!"
His companions nodded, and then they left with the body. Then Xander picked up his sword, put it away, and stalked to the exit, his fury at everything and everyone mounting with every step.
*****
Angel and Buffy emerged from the pyramid, where he questioned, somewhat confused, "What's going on?"
"Things have changed," Buffy repeated to him weakly.
"I don't remember Xander being like that, he was always an annoying prick, but never like this, so . . . so . . ." Angel tried, as they walked slowly to the fence surrounding the pyramid.
"Confident? In charge? Confrontational?" Buffy supplied painfully, going over her real memories and the fake ones.
"Exactly," Angel said, confused. "You're the Slayer, you're the champion, why are you following his orders?"
The two leaned against the fence. Buffy took a deep breath, and then answered, "He took over."
"Took over?"
Buffy looked up at her ex, and answered, "Took over, as in kicked my but, told everyone I'm stupid, and put himself in charge."
"That ungratef-" Angel started, but Buffy put a halting hand on the arm he had clenched in a face.
"Don't, I got people killed, I walked into traps, he's probably right, so don't piss him off. He would beat you into a pulp without breaking a sweat anyway," Buffy told him beseeching. When Angel looked at her with a questioning gaze, Buffy explained, "He died, but he didn't stay dead." Angel looked at her quite shocked. "Apparently his soul carried so much pain inside of him he couldn't rest, and so a crow returned his soul to his body, and he got resurrected. He's a spirit of vengeance now, here to set the wrong things right."
"A vengeance demon? Him?" Angel questioned incredulously.
"No demon, something else altogether," Buffy answered, and then looked down at her feet. She stayed silent for a moment, and then piped up, "He has his memories back." Angel looked at her, confused once again. "Dawn isn't real, she was an interdimensional key given form. We didn't tell you, because we thought it'd be safer for her and you, if you didn't know. Every memory you have of her before three years ago are fake, she didn't exist back then. Xander has his memories back, so do I, and the others. Xander got it from dying and being resurrected, Willow performed a spell on the rest of us . . ."
"What has that got to do with anything?" Angel asked gently.
Buffy looked up, somewhat anguished. "This is him, the real Xander. The fake history, and the real history; we weren't that much affected, but Xander . . . you remember the fake somewhat subdued Xander, but this is the real one. I remember him . . . exactly like this, self-sacrificing, strong, fighting-capable, not afraid to speak his mind . . ."
After a few moments of silence, Angel spoke up again. "So, what's going on here, anyway? Xander mentioned the First Evil? The thing that tried to get me to kill myself?"
Buffy nodded, saying, "It's got more ambitious. It's raising an army."
Angel pulled a yellow envelope from his coat, and offered it to Buffy. "I found this."
Buffy took it gently, and asked, "Reliable source?"
"Not remotely," Angel had to admit. Buffy nodded, her face drawn, the stress visible. "I, uh, I brought something else." He rummaged in one of his pockets, and then pulled out a medallion on a chain, in its middle a sparkling crystal. Buffy looked at him questioningly, not offering one of the quips that sparked in her mind, with Xander fighting Tara inside, she didn't feel like joking. "I don't know everything. It's very powerful and probably very dangerous. It has a purifying power, a cleansing power, possibly scrubbing bubbles. The translation is, uh - anyway, it bestows strength to the right person who wears it."
"And the right person is?" Buffy questioned, holding out her hand. He handed over the medallion for her to look at.
Angel answered her a little reluctantly, "Someone ensouled, but stronger than human. A champion. As in me."
"Or me," Buffy replied, thinking it over. Angel was about to protest, when she added, "Or Faith, or Xander . . . or Spike."
"He's got a soul!?" Angel asked incredulously, a hint of jealousy slipping in. "Are you and him . . . I mean Xander said . . . and I can smell him on you."
Buffy was about to comment on grossing out over the smelling thing, when she noticed two figures, carrying something speeding away from the crypt. Both he and Buffy stood straight, more alert, and Buffy said distractedly, "We're not, but he's in my heart. Xander has him chained in the basement, wants to torture him to death later, I think he's making a mistake: Spike is good now, he could make a difference."
Xander's laughter brought both their heads down to the figure stalking out of the pyramid. "Yeah, he'll stab us in the back, and help the First to victory, there's a difference."
"How do you know that? He could be a good man," Buffy told him, as Xander reached the two.
He grinned and explained, "I've seen his mind. There's no difference in his thought patterns, before are after the soul. He thinks the same, his wants are the same, to such an extend he himself doesn't notice any difference, he doesn't even think he has a soul. He has one though, and it's as black as his demon." Xander switched his attention to Angel, and asked him with a grin, "Well, hello, Dead Boy. Tell me, just who gave you that little trinket."
Angel looked at him with resentment. "Dead Boy?"
Xander grinned, "Yeah, loved that nickname, too bad I got to use it only once, but then you wouldn't remember even that one time, would you?"
Angel growled, and started forward, but Buffy restrained him with a gentle hand. "Tell us," Buffy demanded softly.
He looked down at her for a moment, and then answered, "Lilah deMorgan . . ." Buffy and Xander frowned, wracking their brain when they heard the familiar voice. Willow had named it, so did Cordelia when Xander had her on the phone, or via e-mail on occasion. What was it again? "Yes, she's the Wolfram & Hart lawyer."
"The company that wishes to destroy the world?" Xander asked incredulously.
"I already told Buffy it was from an unreliable source," Angel defended himself.
Xander gave a laugh. "Unreliable he says, I think it's a bit more than unreliable, don't you think?"
"What's your point?" Angel bit at him, while Buffy examined the crystal in her hand.
"My point is," Xander told him with a grim smile. "I find it a little too convenient for an evil company to hand over the key to victory over evil in the bottom of the ninth . . . She wouldn't have been dead by any chance now, would she?"
Angel's eyes widened with surprise, saying, "How did you know that? She died earlier, decapitated to be certain she wouldn't rise. Wolfram & Hart resurrected her, she had a contract beyond death." Xander laughed, and shook his head in disgust.
Buffy suddenly looked with different eyes at the trinket, and whispered, "The First." She then threw the medallion to the floor, and she crushed it beneath her heal. A quick flash of energy escaped, indicating the destruction of the medallion.
"My god, Buffy, the prophecy says . . ." Angel started out in shock.
Xander interrupted him with a snort and said, "According to the Codex it's wrong, because Buffy is dead and six feet under." He turned toward Buffy, and said, "So there's still one working brain cell left, huh?"
"That's it!" Angel growled angrily. "I will not have you abuse her anymore." He lashed out with his right fist, which Xander casually blocked, smiling.
"AAAH!" Xander screamed out, staggering back, and grabbing his head as he received another flash. He steadied himself, as Angel looked shocked and Buffy looked astonished. Xander looked down with wide eyes as the flash took his course, and then he looked up, at Angel. "You, stinking bastard," Xander whispered out in disbelief.
Angel took a step back in disbelief. "Not possible, you can't do that. Vampire demon, no reflection, no telepathy possible."
"Physical contact doesn't require a reflection, you filthy piece of shit," Xander whispered in disbelief, and mounting anger. "You killed your own son," Xander stated in disbelief.
Buffy turned to face Angel and looked at him in shock, and asked, "You killed Connor?"
"Part of a deal, he was resurrected," Angel defended himself, and Buffy looked shocked.
"Resurrected?" Xander exclaimed incredulously. "He has no knowledge of you, lives with a family, no longer has the little trace demon DNA. That isn't Connor, that's just someone else wearing his first name and face. You killed your own son, just because he was a little difficult to deal with.
"You really are some piece of work, you sickening asshole," Xander continued in disbelief. "You had the minds of your friends wiped of him. You raped the minds of your friends, and tore out their memories. And you call yourself their friend?"
"H-how do you two know?" Angel asked weakly, not knowing what to say. "Nobody should know."
Buffy figured it out. "Willow's memory restoration spell, it restored all broken memories, not just the one's the monks created."
Xander continued onward, his eyes blazing with anger, "Now you /run/ Wolfram & Hart. I wonder what Cordelia would say, but then she's conveniently in a coma, isn't she?"
"I won't be judged by . . ." Angel retorted angrily, more than a little niffed at the truth in Xander's words.
"SHUT UP!!" Xander roared out, silencing the vampire. "You will leave here," Xander growled, pointing an accusing finger at Angel. "I don't need you around here. You're in luck I've got more important things to do than dust you, which means you have a chance to right the part of the wrongs you can right. You'll restore their memories, and see if they still consider you a friend. Once I'm done here, I'll come wake up Cordelia. If you haven't cleaned up your own mess by then, I will clean it up for you . . . and my preferred cleaning tool is the dust buster, if you know what I mean." Angel nodded, and backed away some.
Xander whipped his head around, and looked at Buffy, "As for /you/, what in blazes did you think you could do here without someone that can read ancient writing?" Buffy shrank back, at Xander's blazing eyes. He was fed up with this, every step he took forward, Buffy tried to take a thousand steps back. "Did you expect them to magically turn into English or something? Look, I'm the Slayer, so of course ancient chalk will rearrange itself for me to read it?"
"It helped, didn't it? I talked to the old woman, the guardian?" Buffy tried.
"Oh, for crying out loud, just when there was some hope, there fries the last brain cell," Xander muttered out in irritation. "Exactly what did she tell you we didn't already know?" Buffy's mouth opened, and then closed, having no answer. "And exactly what has she been guarding, a tomb?" Xander asked bitterly. Buffy stayed silent. "Watching the watchers, she said, who? Her? She was locked in a damn tomb, Buffy, she was the only one left. If she was the Slayer's guardian, please tell me where she was in the past seven years when we fought off one apocalypse after another?" Buffy didn't have an answer. "She was sitting in her little tomb, doing nothing, apparently for centuries, or even millennia, waiting to go extinct. That's not a guardian, that's a coward."
"I . . ." Buffy tried but faltered.
"Pay attention, Buffy," Xander continued, raising his right index finger warningly. "So I can spell it out for you. You come here, to a nice little tomb, that's conveniently housing an old woman. Tell me something, where did she get her food, her drink, her cable hookup?" Buffy looked over at the pyramid and then returned to Xander. "If she wanted to stay alive Buffy, she'd had to have been going out for everything out there, just how likely is it she's here right at the moment you arrive?" Buffy stayed silent, wheels turning in her head, and looking up with a little shock at Xander. "Then just as she's about to give some useful information, the First's minion arrives and snaps her neck. Now just how did she now you'd be right here, right now?" Xander waved a hand in front of Buffy's face, "Hello, somebody awake in there? It was a trap, Buffy. It was the First, Buffy. Don't believe me, go find her corpse, you'll notice it isn't lying at the place where her neck got snapped."
"But Tara touched her, she held the Scythe," Buffy said confused.
"The little bitch can fake being touched, fake dying, I saw her do it for Caleb, let him relive one of his kills," Xander answered her. "As for the /magical/ weapon, she probably didn't hold the metal, she held the magic."
Buffy kept her eyes locked on his for a few more moments, and then ran passed him, back into the pyramid. Her corpse wasn't present. That was, until Buffy looked over at the destroyed sarcophagus, and saw the skeleton, and the wisps of long white hair still attached to the skull. Buffy stayed there, staring for several long moments, until she realized something else. She quickly walked back out the pyramid, and said urgently, "Tara's body is gone."
"I know, she being put back in her grave, now move, go back home, QUICKLY!" Xander ordered her, running out of patience. Buffy nodded, and started running off toward the house. Xander watched her go for a moment, then turned his head back to Angel. "You still here?" Angel looked up, and then quickly left as well.
When both of them were gone, his crow rejoined him, landing on his shoulder. Xander took a deep, calming breath through his nose, and then ran off, also toward Tara's grave.
*****
Buffy ran toward the house. Half-way there she slowed down to a jog, tears streaming from her eyes. She slowed down even more, and stopped, holding her stomach and bending over in an effort to quench the hollow, queasy feeling.
"So, now you're all alone," her own voice called to her. She looked up, looking into the face of the First wearing her own body.
"Go away," she whimpered, and started walking.
The First laughed. "Ah, poor thing. All alone, and nobody to talk to. Your friends don't like you, hate you, or just think you're stupid - which you are - or all of the above," the First mocked her, grinning. "Now you finally really are the Slayer. All alone and hunting the demons without help or backup. There's no hope anymore now. My plan went perfect, now that you're separated from your friends, all hope is lost."
"Shut up," Buffy told it.
The First morphed into Xander, paint and all, and added, "He killed my right arm, and he killed my left arm. But then I don't need arms, I've got armies. And you all alone, and unable to stop it. Or do you think a few tanks can stop me? Or your little wanna-slay pals, huh?" Buffy's lower lip pulled down in anguish, looking at the First in Xander's guise, who just stood there grinning. "Those sluts will never know power unless you are dead. You know the drill; Into every generation a Slayer is born, /one/ girl in /all/ the world, yada, yada, yada."
"Go away!!" Buffy yelled, and then ran onward.
"I'll be seeing you in hell when I destroy it!" the First called after her, then laughed and disappeared.
After a few more meters, certain the First was gone, Buffy slowed down, and then got an epiphany. Her face lighted up, and she said, "We're gonna win." Then she ran onward.
*****
The three resurrected beings lowered themselves to the roof of the unfinished building and peeked over the edge. Down below was the construction site. Xander held a pair of binoculars in front of his eyes, and peered down. Down below there was the obsidian black demon, the First's native monstrous form next to him. All around were smaller demons, some flying, with similar bat-like wings as the bigger one. Xander offered the binoculars to Alex, and he peered down as well, noticed large egg-shaped objects on the ground all around.
"Shit," Alex whispered, seeing all the demons. If someone would have asked him a week earlier if he thought demons were real, he would have answered no. Now he was going to take them on. "What do you think?"
Alex passed the binoculars onto Eric, who peered down as well. Xander whispered in answer, "I think the bitch wants to kill our birds and then kill us."
"Yeah, how did you know they were here anyway?" Eric asked, and then looked as one of the eggs cracked open, and one of the demons emerged.
Xander answered with a proud smile, "Gave Willow a call with the old cell phone to reassure her about Tara. She gave me the location, they haven't just been sitting still in the few days I was gone."
Eric nodded, and then handed the binoculars back to Xander, as he asked, "What do you think of the demon?"
Xander looked down, and watched as the demon lay another egg. "I pissed the First off, I think it's safe to expect the very worst. That hide of his seems pretty much impenetrable."
"Yeah," Alex commented annoyed. "Unlike his kids though, I guess they haven't reached puberty yet."
"Have you noticed the wings?" Eric asked softly, a grin on his face. Xander and Alex looked at him. "They're folded up, he needs to spread them in order to fly, so it's safe to assume they don't just look leathery."
Xander smiled broadly, nodding, and said, "Which means they're not impenetrable." The three of them nodded, each sporting a grim smile.
*****
"The seed has been planted," the monstrous First told his new big shot. With the demon he didn't need to look human.
"Do you think they will fall for it?" the demon asked for it.
"The blonde bitch will, but I doubt that for the others. The death and resurrection of that Harris saw to that. Still, it couldn't hurt to try anyway," the First answered introspectively.
The demon tilted his head, and asked, "Then how do you propose to complete it."
The First's face twisted into a grin, and said, "Simple, just because Willow is the only one on the planet powerful enough to perform such a spell, doesn't mean I can't get several people who can perform the spell together. They probably won't survive, but then I don't really care. You just get that weapon, get the blonde alive, and slaughter the rest."
"Of course, master," the demon answered respectfully.
*****
Buffy walked into the yard, the soldiers on guard looked at her with poison in the eyes. But Buffy didn't care, she had the solution to all their problems. She quickly went up to the door and opened it, revealing Faith, Dawn, Giles and Willow standing there. Dawn and Faith had their hands crossed over their chests. Faith reached out her right and waited.
Buffy reluctantly handed over the magical weapon. "What were you thinking!?" Willow demanded.
"I . . ."
"Save it!" Faith called out with authority. "We've got more important things to do that bicker over spilled milk. I'm certain Xander has already rubbed her nose in it."
"I have an idea," Buffy stated forcefully. Everyone looked at her. "I know how we can even the odds, call the potentials, that way I can explain it."
"All right," said Giles, before the others had a chance to say something and then Giles went off to do exactly that. Buffy smiled.
*****
A short while later Xander arrived at the house as well, the crow perched on his shoulder, Eric and Alex beside him. The female corporal who had arrived first, Denise Badcock, stepped up to him. "Sir, permission to speak freely?" she asked respectfully. Xander gave her a nod. "Just how much do you trust Rupert Giles?"
"With my life. Why?" Xander answered while a smile crept up on his face.
"We captured a Bringer, sir, for interrogation. We went to destroy an arsenal, it was a trap. Obviously, really, in retrospect," she explained in quick short points, "the Bringer said he was part of a whole, as if the Bringers have a hive mind, in constant telepathic connection. Mr. Giles killed the Bringer too early and abruptly for my liking, sir. We should have asked more, allowing us time to understand what it meant with what it said."
Xander nodded, "Yeah, that sounds about right." Both she and the soldiers around them looked taken aback. She reached out and touched Xander: no First. "Next time touch me before talking, you don't want to divulge any sensitive information, do you?" Xander added, a little sternly.
"Yes, sir," Denise answered, going rigid.
Xander turned to his two companions and said, "You two go in the back, I'll take the front." The two nodded, and quickly went.
*****
Buffy stood in the middle of the living room, surrounded by the potentials and the rest, of the soldiers there was only a handful. "I know how we can even the playing field," Buffy said enthusiastically, most people present just looked annoyed. "For millennia there has been only one Slayer because a few men - who have been dead for thousands of years - said so. Well, Willow here is more powerful that all of them combined. She can use Scythe to activate all of you." There were several skeptically raised eyebrows. "Don't you see? With all of us active, all of us Slayers, you'd be like me and Faith. You'd be strong, powerful, we'd defeat them."
Giles who was sitting by the window said, "It's a lot more than that." He got up and walked over to the middle, to Buffy, and continued, "Buffy, what you said, it - it flies in the face of everything we've ever - every generation has ever done in the fight against evil." Suddenly he broke into a big smile, and finished, "I think it's bloody brilliant."
"Yeah, Giles, you would," Xander voice called out, and everyone looked over to see him. He had slipped in characteristically silent, and was leaning against a door post. Xander straightened and casually walked through the crowd, to join Buffy and Giles. The crow on his shoulder cawed once, and then flew over to the mantel and placed himself there, surveying the room. "Would you explain this to her, Willow?"
"Buffy," Willow started, exasperated, and also horrified, "you can't do that, /I/ won't do that. The First would win, I would do exactly what he wants me to do. The Slayer essence is damaged, imbalanced. I split it up even more than it already is, and I completely destroy whatever little balance that still exists, and the First wins."
"We have to do the exact opposite, than what you want to do, Buffy," Xander added as clarification, shaking his head at Buffy.
"Worse," Willow picked back up, seeing Buffy looking anguished, "you always hated being the Slayer, when you returned from your trip to the Shadow Men, you said they did this against the girl's will, you said they basically raped her. Now you want me to commit mass rape, rape every innocent potential, however many, that are still out there? You want me to push part of a demon inside all those girls? I won't do that, ever."
"Which leads us to you, Giles," Xander said, turning around to face the watcher. "Exactly why do you think handing victory over to the First is 'bloody brilliant'?" Giles didn't answer. "You know," Xander went onward, taking a step closer to Giles, "the Giles I know wouldn't have made an elaborate scheme to get a revenge driven guy in one room with Spike, he would simply have set the bastard ablaze, or staked him and be done with it. Hell, the Giles I know wouldn't have gone out of his way to get that trinket to get rid of Spike's trigger, he would have dusted him right away. The Giles I know, wouldn't have been so quiet while took over this place, he would have said at least something, pro- or againt. The Giles I know wouldn't have cut short a Bringer's interrogation by abruptly killing him.
"You know what I think, Giles?" Xander finished, stepping right up to the watcher. "I don't think you're Giles, Giles." There was a shocked silence in the room at that statement. "Or should I call you The First?"
"Oh, bloody hell, not this again," Giles told him, somewhat annoyed. He touched Xander, then rapped his knuckles on the wood of the chair he was standing next. "Have you finally lost your mind, Boy? I'm not the First, see?"
Xander smiled, and then suddenly both his hands shot out, and grabbed Giles on either side of his head. Giles screamed as Xander pored his telepathic abilities in his mind, and sank to his knees. "Xander, no!" Buffy called, and several similar sentiments came from the people in the room, amidst yells of shock, and surprise. Some of them went for Xander, trying to stop the 'insane' man. Smoothly Eric and Alex got in between Xander and the mob. Alex - the only one with his (non-painted) crow face on - wiggled his finger warningly at Buffy who was the most adamant about Xander stopping hurting Giles. Their two birds joined Xander's own on the mantel.
"Xander, please!" Buffy yelled, taking a step back, afraid of the two crows, knowing what kind of power they had. "You can't do this, stop hurting him."
Xander didn't listen, his gaze became more intense, his grip tightened, and he bared his teeth. Giles screamed in ever mounting pain. Finally a shimmering light started to detach from Giles, and people quieted down, shocked. Giles screams increased, and slowly the light got a humanoid shape, and a second screaming came from the figure, simultaneous with the first. Finally, with a defiant scream, the energetic figure detached from Giles, stumbled back, and then fell straight through the floor until it was lying on his ass, only the upper part of its rump visible. Xander loosened his grip, Giles screams went away, and he slumped forward into Xander's arms exhausted.
Everyone looked with dropped jaws, as the First got up from his undignified position with a growl, morphing into a painted Xander. "You, fucking bastard," the First growled out in anger. "You think this changes anything? You think you're going to win now that you've forced me out of him? You will lose, fool, you have no idea of what's coming for you!"
"Black guy with wings, goodbye," Xander answered, waving a hand.
The First growled, and then morphed into a beautiful woman, looking over at Eric. "Shelly," Draven whispered.
"Please, Eric," ShellyFirst pleaded him, as Eric took several steps forward to her. "Why are you not with me? Don't you love me anymore?"
"No, of course I still love you," Eric answered anguished, the pain on his face silenced everyone instantly
"That's not Shelly, Eric, you know this," Xander told him forcibly, but Eric didn't seem to listen.
"I'm waiting for you, come back to me," the First said with feeling. Eric's crow cawed, as Eric's complexion paled, and he started to slump, a happy smile formed on his face.
*He's dying,* Xander realized helplessly. Eric was going to his grave, he was falling for it.
Eric reached out for the First's hand, and his passed through it. Eric jerked back up straight, his eyes widened, as the flash passed through his system. Then his face contorted in anger, and hate. "YOU ARE NOT SHELLY!!" he raged, his weakness gone instantly.
Shelly laughed an evil laugh and then morphed into another girl, turned to a shocked Alex, and said, "Well, look at that. So you're still here huh? Killer of my killers. How pathetic. If I really loved you, if I thought you were anything of worth, if I thought you could protect me, don't you think I would have told you about what I was doing? And then killing innocent men too, raped and stabbed to death, best orgasms I've ever had . . ." the First turned into a bloodied version of herself, blood oozing from multiple stab marks, and she rubbed a hand suggestively across her crotch.
"Lauren," Alex said shocked, losing his resolve, and he started to slump as well.
The First added, " . . . something you could never help me with."
Alex went rigid, and took a step forward. With blazing eyes, he growled at the First, "/You/ will /pay/."
"Ah, well, was worth a shot," the bloodied girl said casually, and then the First morphed into the Mayor. He turned to face Faith, and pointing, he said friendly, "Faith, you'll join me in hell soon, I'm looking forward to it already." Faith paled, and then the mayor laughed, and disappeared.
Eric turned to Xander, and said, "Suffering isn't enough."
Alex nodded in ascent, and added, "That thing must feel pain like no one has ever felt before or will after." Xander nodded his ascent. Then the two crows stalked out of the room, so they could contemplate their encounters in private.
Xander slowly helped Giles up, who finally looked into Xander's eyes, and said, "Thank you."
Xander nodded, and said, "Sorry, I couldn't do that before. I wanted to mess with the bitch's mind the same way it was messing with ours."
Giles grinned a scary smiled, that could only have come from the Ripper within him, and said, "Glad to able to have been of help." Then Giles steadied himself fully and looked over to the shaken Faith, saying, "Faith, he's bloody well lying, even if you were to die, you won't go to hell." Faith looked grateful over at him, and pulled herself back together, then everyone was silent.
"All right," Xander called out. "Now that the excitement is over, everybody go get a little time to cool down, and rest. We'll reconvene here later, to go over our battle plan for tomorrow."