Title: Vampsdread 1
Rating: R (For Language later)
Relationships: F/X
Story: Action\Adventure
Feedback: In lieu of a Faithbot yeah.
E-Mail: KeithWrestle@Yahoo.Co.uk
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters just worship at their altar.
Summary: Immediately after Chosen, Xander disappears. Five years on Giles hears a rumour that an independent hunter by the name of Vampsdread might be Xander and sends Faith to track him down.
Vampsdread 1
"So G what was the big alert for? I was on a Caribbean beach getting sun cream rubbed on me by a local stud when you rang so it better be damn good."
"Why Faith," the Head Watcher's tone held a note of wry amusement, "why does there have to be an emergency for me to call you back? After all it's always a pleasure to have your sunny personality around."
Faith flipped the bird at the middle-aged man sat opposite before laughing throatily. The Head Watcher was one of perhaps a dozen people who wouldn't get a kick in the ass for talking to her like that. In the past five years, since the vanquishing of the First, she'd grown to respect and maybe even love the older man. If her own father had been like him, her life might have turned out different. "Sorry G. Jet lag."
"Oh I just thought it was your unique charm," the Watcher chuckled for a second before turning serious. "Have you heard of Vampsdread?"
She nodded. "Yeah, he's an independent. Started up about three years ago, set up five hunting groups in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Said to be a real tough mother, word is he's killed seven Masters and avoids cities with Slayers," Faith paused in her recital, a troubling thought occurring. "Hold on, if you think I'm going to start hunting independents for you, you can go to hell!"
Giles shook his head; she relaxed slightly. "Calm down. As you know the Council likes to keep records on the independents, see if there are any likely candidates for Watchers or indeed if any are possibly undiscovered Slayers, Vampsdread had proven difficult to get any firm information on. However a contact managed to get in touch with a description." The Englishman began reading from the paper in front of him. "It appears that Vampsdread is military-trained. He is a black-haired male standing around six feet tall, with a muscular build in his late twenties -."
"Sounds just the way I like 'em," Faith grinned, her bravado hiding her uncertainty. Where was G going with this?
The Watcher looked up at her, his face grimmer than she'd seen it in a long time. "Distinctive marks include an eye-patch over his left eye."
Faith felt her stomach hollow. "X..Xander."
"Quite possibly."
Faith thought back to five years ago. After defeating the First, they'd all fled to a hotel in a near-by town she'd long since forgotten the name of. After a fortnight Xander, probably destroyed over Anaya's death had disappeared one night, never to return.
She'd always felt guilty about not helping Xander after the final battle. G, Red, and Little D had at least the excuse of helping distraught Buffy, but what has she been doing? Sucking face and making like bunnies with Robbie. They'd all ignored Xander's feelings and pushed him away.
She'd never even had the chance to say sorry for the shit she'd put him through. She'd apologised to the others upon her return but had never been able to work up the nerve to approach him. She knew how much she'd hurt and humiliated him, the first ever guy to try and treat her proper. Every time she'd entered a room, she'd sense his sudden tension and the flicker of fear in his eyes. She'd wanted to ease the hurt she'd caused him but didn't know how. And then he'd lost his eye and all thoughts of apologies were lost under more immediate concerns.
When he'd cut and run they'd all looked for him, Red had cast a locater spell but he'd somehow blocked it, all she could tell was that he was alive. The Slayers had blanketed Cleveland looking for him, hell her and B had nearly wrecked the place, Angel had took California apart, something about owing Xander big, G had spent tens of thousands on P.I.s and Cornfed had even used his connections to put out an A.P.B for him. Nothing. After six months they'd finally started to put their lives back together.
Five years on and G was the Council Head in London, Wes ran the U.S. branch from LA, as well as working as liaison to Angel Investigations, while an Oriental friend of G's ran Watcher East from Tokyo. B ran Potential training from London, Little D was a Watcher in training while Red ran the Council's Occult Research Division. As for her, she was the Council's resident trouble-shooter, helping new Slayers get the hang of being chosen, hunting down Master vamps that sort of thing. They'd all gotten on with their lives but they all missed him. She knew G sometimes got drunk over Xander, that Red never worked on his birthday and that she kept a photograph of him on a locket together with her photograph of Snooty. She'd even heard B crying about him.
Faith looked up to see the Watcher patiently waiting. "You tell the others?" she asked, surprised that her voice didn't tremble.
G shook his head. "No, I didn't want to raise their hopes unnecessarily. It might not be Xander. Or," the Watcher hesitated.
"Or what G?"
The Englishman sighed. "It's been five years, Faith. We don't know how he's changed, where he's been or what he'd done. He's made no effort to contact us; he's obviously not interested in talking to us."
Faith took a few seconds to consider what the Watcher had said. "You can't know that G," she protested weakly, "maybe he hasn't been able to find us."
The Englishman raised a sceptical eyebrow. "If he is Vampsdread he'll know enough about the Council to know that I run it and even if he doesn't, if he wanted to get in touch with us, he could try Angel. He's made a conscious effort."
"Hate it when you get all logical with me," Faith groused before nodding, "so what are you saying G?"
"I'm saying that Xander could be hostile to your approach-."
"Never had a guy hostile before," she interrupted with a grin.
"Dear god," the Watcher groaned, "what did I do to deserve getting you as a Slayer?"
"Just lucky I guess."
"Oh yes, every night I go to bed just counting my blessings," the Watcher smiled at her before turning serious. "Faith, I'm sending you on this mission because you know Xander. If I sent another Slayer, one unknown to him, I believe the meeting could have violent possibly fatal consequences. You know him, how to handle -."
Faith snorted. "Yeah, 'cause I did such a good job last time."
"Faith, you've changed, grown as a person since then," she reddened at the praise. "But be careful, Vampsdread has a quite terrifying reputation. We don't know what state of mind Xander is in, I don't want this attempt at regaining Xander to cost us you."
Faith smiled. She felt a warm glow at the concern she heard in the Watcher's voice, she'd finally found the home the scared little kid she'd once been had always wanted. All she needed, all they needed, was Xander's return to make their family complete. Standing, she nodded to the Watcher. "Thanks G, I'll head down to the library and get his file out. How's Robbie doing?"
"Very well, his experiences both as a hunter and your Watcher have made him an excellent Operations director."
She smiled again, but this time sadly. Her relationship with Wood had lasted over three years before breaking up. They'd remained friends but she couldn't help but wonder if he was the one and that she'd screwed up, just like she always did. She'd not been with another man since. She'd learnt that she was worth more than a procession of meaningless one-night stands, a notch on a smooth-talking bastard's bed-stand, something for a loud-mouthed prick to boast about the 'hot slut' he'd scored with the previous night. Something Xander had helped her to realise, another thing he had to thank her for. She'd bring him back, she owed him.
Rating: R (For Language later)
Relationships: F/X
Story: Action\Adventure
Feedback: In lieu of a Faithbot yeah.
E-Mail: KeithWrestle@Yahoo.Co.uk
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters just worship at their altar.
Summary: Immediately after Chosen, Xander disappears. Five years on Giles hears a rumour that an independent hunter by the name of Vampsdread might be Xander and sends Faith to track him down.
Vampsdread 1
"So G what was the big alert for? I was on a Caribbean beach getting sun cream rubbed on me by a local stud when you rang so it better be damn good."
"Why Faith," the Head Watcher's tone held a note of wry amusement, "why does there have to be an emergency for me to call you back? After all it's always a pleasure to have your sunny personality around."
Faith flipped the bird at the middle-aged man sat opposite before laughing throatily. The Head Watcher was one of perhaps a dozen people who wouldn't get a kick in the ass for talking to her like that. In the past five years, since the vanquishing of the First, she'd grown to respect and maybe even love the older man. If her own father had been like him, her life might have turned out different. "Sorry G. Jet lag."
"Oh I just thought it was your unique charm," the Watcher chuckled for a second before turning serious. "Have you heard of Vampsdread?"
She nodded. "Yeah, he's an independent. Started up about three years ago, set up five hunting groups in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Said to be a real tough mother, word is he's killed seven Masters and avoids cities with Slayers," Faith paused in her recital, a troubling thought occurring. "Hold on, if you think I'm going to start hunting independents for you, you can go to hell!"
Giles shook his head; she relaxed slightly. "Calm down. As you know the Council likes to keep records on the independents, see if there are any likely candidates for Watchers or indeed if any are possibly undiscovered Slayers, Vampsdread had proven difficult to get any firm information on. However a contact managed to get in touch with a description." The Englishman began reading from the paper in front of him. "It appears that Vampsdread is military-trained. He is a black-haired male standing around six feet tall, with a muscular build in his late twenties -."
"Sounds just the way I like 'em," Faith grinned, her bravado hiding her uncertainty. Where was G going with this?
The Watcher looked up at her, his face grimmer than she'd seen it in a long time. "Distinctive marks include an eye-patch over his left eye."
Faith felt her stomach hollow. "X..Xander."
"Quite possibly."
Faith thought back to five years ago. After defeating the First, they'd all fled to a hotel in a near-by town she'd long since forgotten the name of. After a fortnight Xander, probably destroyed over Anaya's death had disappeared one night, never to return.
She'd always felt guilty about not helping Xander after the final battle. G, Red, and Little D had at least the excuse of helping distraught Buffy, but what has she been doing? Sucking face and making like bunnies with Robbie. They'd all ignored Xander's feelings and pushed him away.
She'd never even had the chance to say sorry for the shit she'd put him through. She'd apologised to the others upon her return but had never been able to work up the nerve to approach him. She knew how much she'd hurt and humiliated him, the first ever guy to try and treat her proper. Every time she'd entered a room, she'd sense his sudden tension and the flicker of fear in his eyes. She'd wanted to ease the hurt she'd caused him but didn't know how. And then he'd lost his eye and all thoughts of apologies were lost under more immediate concerns.
When he'd cut and run they'd all looked for him, Red had cast a locater spell but he'd somehow blocked it, all she could tell was that he was alive. The Slayers had blanketed Cleveland looking for him, hell her and B had nearly wrecked the place, Angel had took California apart, something about owing Xander big, G had spent tens of thousands on P.I.s and Cornfed had even used his connections to put out an A.P.B for him. Nothing. After six months they'd finally started to put their lives back together.
Five years on and G was the Council Head in London, Wes ran the U.S. branch from LA, as well as working as liaison to Angel Investigations, while an Oriental friend of G's ran Watcher East from Tokyo. B ran Potential training from London, Little D was a Watcher in training while Red ran the Council's Occult Research Division. As for her, she was the Council's resident trouble-shooter, helping new Slayers get the hang of being chosen, hunting down Master vamps that sort of thing. They'd all gotten on with their lives but they all missed him. She knew G sometimes got drunk over Xander, that Red never worked on his birthday and that she kept a photograph of him on a locket together with her photograph of Snooty. She'd even heard B crying about him.
Faith looked up to see the Watcher patiently waiting. "You tell the others?" she asked, surprised that her voice didn't tremble.
G shook his head. "No, I didn't want to raise their hopes unnecessarily. It might not be Xander. Or," the Watcher hesitated.
"Or what G?"
The Englishman sighed. "It's been five years, Faith. We don't know how he's changed, where he's been or what he'd done. He's made no effort to contact us; he's obviously not interested in talking to us."
Faith took a few seconds to consider what the Watcher had said. "You can't know that G," she protested weakly, "maybe he hasn't been able to find us."
The Englishman raised a sceptical eyebrow. "If he is Vampsdread he'll know enough about the Council to know that I run it and even if he doesn't, if he wanted to get in touch with us, he could try Angel. He's made a conscious effort."
"Hate it when you get all logical with me," Faith groused before nodding, "so what are you saying G?"
"I'm saying that Xander could be hostile to your approach-."
"Never had a guy hostile before," she interrupted with a grin.
"Dear god," the Watcher groaned, "what did I do to deserve getting you as a Slayer?"
"Just lucky I guess."
"Oh yes, every night I go to bed just counting my blessings," the Watcher smiled at her before turning serious. "Faith, I'm sending you on this mission because you know Xander. If I sent another Slayer, one unknown to him, I believe the meeting could have violent possibly fatal consequences. You know him, how to handle -."
Faith snorted. "Yeah, 'cause I did such a good job last time."
"Faith, you've changed, grown as a person since then," she reddened at the praise. "But be careful, Vampsdread has a quite terrifying reputation. We don't know what state of mind Xander is in, I don't want this attempt at regaining Xander to cost us you."
Faith smiled. She felt a warm glow at the concern she heard in the Watcher's voice, she'd finally found the home the scared little kid she'd once been had always wanted. All she needed, all they needed, was Xander's return to make their family complete. Standing, she nodded to the Watcher. "Thanks G, I'll head down to the library and get his file out. How's Robbie doing?"
"Very well, his experiences both as a hunter and your Watcher have made him an excellent Operations director."
She smiled again, but this time sadly. Her relationship with Wood had lasted over three years before breaking up. They'd remained friends but she couldn't help but wonder if he was the one and that she'd screwed up, just like she always did. She'd not been with another man since. She'd learnt that she was worth more than a procession of meaningless one-night stands, a notch on a smooth-talking bastard's bed-stand, something for a loud-mouthed prick to boast about the 'hot slut' he'd scored with the previous night. Something Xander had helped her to realise, another thing he had to thank her for. She'd bring him back, she owed him.