Hi guys. Sorry it took me so long to update one of my stories. I guess I
already said it once, but I didn't have much time in the last few months to
write and with the holidays coming up, it'll be even less time.
So, I hope you like the new part.
Bye and happy Christmas in advance.
Tobias
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"Xander," Buffy managed to croak out out after a few silent moments.
"Don't Xander me Buffy. We're a long time passed that," the assassin replied with a snarl. "I mean, what did you suppose I would do? Be all friendly once this all is over?" he asked with a dry laugh. "After all, you tried to kill me. I'm just returning the favour, with a bit more success on my part."
"I never tried to kill you," Buffy exclaimed and a lone tear ran down her left cheek. "It was an accident."
"Yeah. I bet after a while you believed that yourself," Xander spat out. "But it was no accident when you beat the living shit out of me. Face it Buff. You lost it, therefore you're responsible for what happened to me. You cost me the use of my legs and three years of my life to get the use of them back."
"None of us forced you to join the Brotherhood," Buffy returned. "That was your decision, not mine."
Xander considered that for a second and finally nodded. "You're right. My decision, my responsibility. I really can't blame you for any of that. I still could have refused their offer. But three years is a long time to bottle up a lot of hate. And I'm finally looking forward to releasing some of it."
But before he could make his threat true, they heard the sound of footsteps outside the house.
"X-Man? B?," Faith's voice called out as the dark slayer carefully climbed through the hole Glory had left behind, Giles following close behind. "Are you two ..oh shit," she exclaimed when she spotted Xander with his knife at Buffy's throat.
"Damn," Xander muttered. "I wanted to do this without an audience."
"Please Xander," Giles called out and aimed his shotgun at the assassin. "Don't do something you might regret."
"I'm sure that I won't regret this," Xander replied. "It's a pretty simple equation as far as I see it. She hurt me so I'll hurt her."
"Ain't that right Buffy? After all, it worked for you when you had to take care of Faith," Xander asked, his attention returning to the surprised slayer. "She told me a bit about what happened between you and her." He paused a second to let that sink in. "I've known her now for two days. But I already respect her more than I ever did you. And you know why?" he asked. "Okay, she killed people. But she at least took responsibility for what she did. She voluntarily went to prison to pay for her crimes. But you? You felt sorry for yourself before moving on with you life, like nothing had happened. You never took responsibility for your actions."
"I tried," Buffy whispered so quiet that Xander had trouble hearing it.
"What?" the assassin asked confused and removed the knife from her throat.
"I said that I tried," the slayer replied, a little louder this time.
****************************Flashback****************************
Buffy and the two police officers had been inside the interrogation room for nearly two hours now. All three were exhausted and went over the events for the eight time.
"Let's get this straight Miss Summers," Detective Stein said and rubbed his temples to prevent the upcoming headache. "You're telling us that the accident Mr. Harris was involved was not really an accident. That you were responsible for the various wounds that were inflicted on him and that it was due to your assault that he fell down that staircase, which resulted in his paralysis," he recited Buffy's previous statements. "Is that so far correct?"
"Yeah," Buffy whispered, barely audible for the policemen.
"Yes right," Stein exclaimed frustrated, still rubbing his temples "Could you excuse us for a minute?" he said and stood up, his partner following him close behind.
"What do you think?" he asked, after he had closed the door.
"She is crazy," his partner stated without a doubt. "I mean, let's just look at the facts," he said, but the look on Stein's face told him that he wasn't convinced. "Come on. You can't believe the story she told us. Just look at her. Do you think that such a small girl could beat up that boy? He is stronger than her, taller than her and also weighs much more than her."
Stein shook his head. "I know that. But it's also a fact that Summers has a pretty long track record when it comes to causing trouble. And let's not forget the orderly's arm she broke at the hospital."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Stein's partner asked after a moment.
"We can hardly ignore what she told us," the detective finally decided. "But I'd say that we consult the police psychologist before we decide what do with her."
His partner nodded and both just wanted to return to the interrogation room, when the caught sight of a man in a business suit as he walked up to them.
"Can I help you Sir," Stein asked with a frown.
"Yes, you certainly can," the man said and handed Stein his id. "As you can see I'm representing the Mayor."
Both men paled at the mention of Mayor Wilkins. "What can I do for you?" Stein asked worried and handed him the id back.
"As I know you have a certain Buffy Summers in your custody," the man stated. "The Mayor wants you to stop investigating her case and drop all charges you have against her."
"What?" Stein's partner asked surprised. "You can't be serious."
"I'm deadly serious," the man said and glared at the policeman. "If you have a problem with that, I suggest you speak with the Mayor personally." When no response came from the young policeman, the Mayor's messenger, turned back to Stein. "I hope I won't have to repeat that order. It could have serious consequences for both of you."
Without another word, the man turned around, leaving two confused policemen behind.
"Do as he said," Stein ordered after a second. "Tell her whatever you want, just get her out of here."
Stein's partner nodded at that and went back into the room.
****************************Flashback****************************
"We later found out that the Mayor was a demon worshipper, who wanted to ascend to a pure demon on Graduation Day," Buffy explained. "He used his influence to stop all investigations on me. A process that would have drawn too much attention to Sunnydale's nightlife."
Xander looked disbelievingly at her. In the end he turned his head in Giles' direction. "Is it true?" he asked. "Did she tell me the truth?"
Giles looked at the young man and finally nodded his head. That brought his attention back to Buffy. Xander just stared at her for several long seconds. Nearly all emotions that were humanly possible flashed over his face. Finally anger took the upperhand.
"You stupid bitch," he yelled and backhanded Buffy, sending the slayer to the ground. "You have some nerve. My only purpose for living over the past three years was so that I could get back at you," he screamed, while Buffy looked stoically at him. "And now you're telling me that you actually wanted to pay for your crimes?"
Buffy continued looking at him, her tears now streaming freely from her eyes. Finally she nodded, answering Xander's question.
"Fuck," Xander yelled and rammed his fist into the nearby brick wall, blowing a large hole into it.
Finally he focused his anger back on Buffy. He grabbed her by her throat and lifted her up.
"Do you think that this will change anything?" he asked her through clenched teeth. "You're still guilty for what you did to me."
"Yeah. I'm guilty," she replied honestly. "And I wish everyday that I could go back to that horrible day and change what I did. But I can't. I regret with every fibre of my being what I put you through. All I could do was to work everyday to be a better person, so that one day I would be worth to ask you for your forgiveness."
Buffy looked Xander directly in the eyes. "If you still think that my death will satisfy your thirst for revenge, just go on. Kill me. Just make it quick," she said and closed her eyes in anticipation of the Xander's next move.
The assassin meanwhile had a hard time deciding what to do next. On the one hand he wanted nothing more than to make Buffy pay for what she did to him. On the other hand he couldn't ignore what Buffy had obviously been through during the past few years. But finally he made his choice.
"You know, the only suitable solution for this would be if I put you through the same pain I had to endure," he said and released her from his grip. "I'm not a saint, but not even I'm that cruel."
"Feel yourself lucky Buffy," Xander told her after a long moment. "Today's not the day you're going to die. And as far as I'm concerned, that day will never come."
Xander turned around and walked in Faith's direction. "Maybe I'll even forgive you one day. But don't expect it in the near future," he said over his shoulder and joined Faith, while Giles rushed to Buffy's side.
"Where are the others?" Xander asked the dark slayer.
"They're at your van," she replied. "Just in case Glory was still alive and they had get out of here."
"And you two stayed just in case Glory wasn't already dealt with," Xander said with a nod. "What happened to you?" he asked and indicated the wound on her stomach she covered with her hand.
"One of those punks slashed me when I wasn't looking," Faith replied with a shrug. "Nothing bad. Needs some stitches though."
Xander passed another look at Buffy and Giles, who examined the slayer's wounds, before he finally walked out of the building. "We should get back to the magic shop. To lick our wounds."
Faith nodded and joined him on his way out of the construction site. "You okay?" she finally asked.
"No," Xander replied honestly. "But I'll survive."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
On the other side of the road, a lone figure sat on top of one of the buildings and watched with the barest hint of interest as the Scoobies and their allies mounted the black van and drove down the road.
"That's it?" he asked outraged and stuffed another hand of popcorn in his mouth. "That was the most boring Apocalypse I ever saw," he muttered and dropped the now empty bowl of popcorn down on the road.
With a shake of his head he snapped his fingers and instantly vanished into thin air.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"What happened back there?" Willow finally asked, breaking the silence in the van. "We were really worried when the noise stopped and you guys didn't come out there."
"Uh..," Buffy started and exchanged a brief look with Xander through the rearview mirror. "Nothing bad. Xander and I we just...talked."
"Oh," Willow exclaimed and grew silent again.
No other word was spoken, until Xander parked the van in front of the Magic Box
"Okay, we're here," he announced. The Scoobies quickly left the car, Xander and Faith following them close behind.
Unseen from them, another person witnessed their arrival. Mr. Jones watched from inside his car as the group entered the shop. He waited a few more moments and then he finally pulled his cellphone out of his jacket.
"This is Jones," he said into the phone. "I have contact."
So, I hope you like the new part.
Bye and happy Christmas in advance.
Tobias
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"Xander," Buffy managed to croak out out after a few silent moments.
"Don't Xander me Buffy. We're a long time passed that," the assassin replied with a snarl. "I mean, what did you suppose I would do? Be all friendly once this all is over?" he asked with a dry laugh. "After all, you tried to kill me. I'm just returning the favour, with a bit more success on my part."
"I never tried to kill you," Buffy exclaimed and a lone tear ran down her left cheek. "It was an accident."
"Yeah. I bet after a while you believed that yourself," Xander spat out. "But it was no accident when you beat the living shit out of me. Face it Buff. You lost it, therefore you're responsible for what happened to me. You cost me the use of my legs and three years of my life to get the use of them back."
"None of us forced you to join the Brotherhood," Buffy returned. "That was your decision, not mine."
Xander considered that for a second and finally nodded. "You're right. My decision, my responsibility. I really can't blame you for any of that. I still could have refused their offer. But three years is a long time to bottle up a lot of hate. And I'm finally looking forward to releasing some of it."
But before he could make his threat true, they heard the sound of footsteps outside the house.
"X-Man? B?," Faith's voice called out as the dark slayer carefully climbed through the hole Glory had left behind, Giles following close behind. "Are you two ..oh shit," she exclaimed when she spotted Xander with his knife at Buffy's throat.
"Damn," Xander muttered. "I wanted to do this without an audience."
"Please Xander," Giles called out and aimed his shotgun at the assassin. "Don't do something you might regret."
"I'm sure that I won't regret this," Xander replied. "It's a pretty simple equation as far as I see it. She hurt me so I'll hurt her."
"Ain't that right Buffy? After all, it worked for you when you had to take care of Faith," Xander asked, his attention returning to the surprised slayer. "She told me a bit about what happened between you and her." He paused a second to let that sink in. "I've known her now for two days. But I already respect her more than I ever did you. And you know why?" he asked. "Okay, she killed people. But she at least took responsibility for what she did. She voluntarily went to prison to pay for her crimes. But you? You felt sorry for yourself before moving on with you life, like nothing had happened. You never took responsibility for your actions."
"I tried," Buffy whispered so quiet that Xander had trouble hearing it.
"What?" the assassin asked confused and removed the knife from her throat.
"I said that I tried," the slayer replied, a little louder this time.
****************************Flashback****************************
Buffy and the two police officers had been inside the interrogation room for nearly two hours now. All three were exhausted and went over the events for the eight time.
"Let's get this straight Miss Summers," Detective Stein said and rubbed his temples to prevent the upcoming headache. "You're telling us that the accident Mr. Harris was involved was not really an accident. That you were responsible for the various wounds that were inflicted on him and that it was due to your assault that he fell down that staircase, which resulted in his paralysis," he recited Buffy's previous statements. "Is that so far correct?"
"Yeah," Buffy whispered, barely audible for the policemen.
"Yes right," Stein exclaimed frustrated, still rubbing his temples "Could you excuse us for a minute?" he said and stood up, his partner following him close behind.
"What do you think?" he asked, after he had closed the door.
"She is crazy," his partner stated without a doubt. "I mean, let's just look at the facts," he said, but the look on Stein's face told him that he wasn't convinced. "Come on. You can't believe the story she told us. Just look at her. Do you think that such a small girl could beat up that boy? He is stronger than her, taller than her and also weighs much more than her."
Stein shook his head. "I know that. But it's also a fact that Summers has a pretty long track record when it comes to causing trouble. And let's not forget the orderly's arm she broke at the hospital."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Stein's partner asked after a moment.
"We can hardly ignore what she told us," the detective finally decided. "But I'd say that we consult the police psychologist before we decide what do with her."
His partner nodded and both just wanted to return to the interrogation room, when the caught sight of a man in a business suit as he walked up to them.
"Can I help you Sir," Stein asked with a frown.
"Yes, you certainly can," the man said and handed Stein his id. "As you can see I'm representing the Mayor."
Both men paled at the mention of Mayor Wilkins. "What can I do for you?" Stein asked worried and handed him the id back.
"As I know you have a certain Buffy Summers in your custody," the man stated. "The Mayor wants you to stop investigating her case and drop all charges you have against her."
"What?" Stein's partner asked surprised. "You can't be serious."
"I'm deadly serious," the man said and glared at the policeman. "If you have a problem with that, I suggest you speak with the Mayor personally." When no response came from the young policeman, the Mayor's messenger, turned back to Stein. "I hope I won't have to repeat that order. It could have serious consequences for both of you."
Without another word, the man turned around, leaving two confused policemen behind.
"Do as he said," Stein ordered after a second. "Tell her whatever you want, just get her out of here."
Stein's partner nodded at that and went back into the room.
****************************Flashback****************************
"We later found out that the Mayor was a demon worshipper, who wanted to ascend to a pure demon on Graduation Day," Buffy explained. "He used his influence to stop all investigations on me. A process that would have drawn too much attention to Sunnydale's nightlife."
Xander looked disbelievingly at her. In the end he turned his head in Giles' direction. "Is it true?" he asked. "Did she tell me the truth?"
Giles looked at the young man and finally nodded his head. That brought his attention back to Buffy. Xander just stared at her for several long seconds. Nearly all emotions that were humanly possible flashed over his face. Finally anger took the upperhand.
"You stupid bitch," he yelled and backhanded Buffy, sending the slayer to the ground. "You have some nerve. My only purpose for living over the past three years was so that I could get back at you," he screamed, while Buffy looked stoically at him. "And now you're telling me that you actually wanted to pay for your crimes?"
Buffy continued looking at him, her tears now streaming freely from her eyes. Finally she nodded, answering Xander's question.
"Fuck," Xander yelled and rammed his fist into the nearby brick wall, blowing a large hole into it.
Finally he focused his anger back on Buffy. He grabbed her by her throat and lifted her up.
"Do you think that this will change anything?" he asked her through clenched teeth. "You're still guilty for what you did to me."
"Yeah. I'm guilty," she replied honestly. "And I wish everyday that I could go back to that horrible day and change what I did. But I can't. I regret with every fibre of my being what I put you through. All I could do was to work everyday to be a better person, so that one day I would be worth to ask you for your forgiveness."
Buffy looked Xander directly in the eyes. "If you still think that my death will satisfy your thirst for revenge, just go on. Kill me. Just make it quick," she said and closed her eyes in anticipation of the Xander's next move.
The assassin meanwhile had a hard time deciding what to do next. On the one hand he wanted nothing more than to make Buffy pay for what she did to him. On the other hand he couldn't ignore what Buffy had obviously been through during the past few years. But finally he made his choice.
"You know, the only suitable solution for this would be if I put you through the same pain I had to endure," he said and released her from his grip. "I'm not a saint, but not even I'm that cruel."
"Feel yourself lucky Buffy," Xander told her after a long moment. "Today's not the day you're going to die. And as far as I'm concerned, that day will never come."
Xander turned around and walked in Faith's direction. "Maybe I'll even forgive you one day. But don't expect it in the near future," he said over his shoulder and joined Faith, while Giles rushed to Buffy's side.
"Where are the others?" Xander asked the dark slayer.
"They're at your van," she replied. "Just in case Glory was still alive and they had get out of here."
"And you two stayed just in case Glory wasn't already dealt with," Xander said with a nod. "What happened to you?" he asked and indicated the wound on her stomach she covered with her hand.
"One of those punks slashed me when I wasn't looking," Faith replied with a shrug. "Nothing bad. Needs some stitches though."
Xander passed another look at Buffy and Giles, who examined the slayer's wounds, before he finally walked out of the building. "We should get back to the magic shop. To lick our wounds."
Faith nodded and joined him on his way out of the construction site. "You okay?" she finally asked.
"No," Xander replied honestly. "But I'll survive."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
On the other side of the road, a lone figure sat on top of one of the buildings and watched with the barest hint of interest as the Scoobies and their allies mounted the black van and drove down the road.
"That's it?" he asked outraged and stuffed another hand of popcorn in his mouth. "That was the most boring Apocalypse I ever saw," he muttered and dropped the now empty bowl of popcorn down on the road.
With a shake of his head he snapped his fingers and instantly vanished into thin air.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
"What happened back there?" Willow finally asked, breaking the silence in the van. "We were really worried when the noise stopped and you guys didn't come out there."
"Uh..," Buffy started and exchanged a brief look with Xander through the rearview mirror. "Nothing bad. Xander and I we just...talked."
"Oh," Willow exclaimed and grew silent again.
No other word was spoken, until Xander parked the van in front of the Magic Box
"Okay, we're here," he announced. The Scoobies quickly left the car, Xander and Faith following them close behind.
Unseen from them, another person witnessed their arrival. Mr. Jones watched from inside his car as the group entered the shop. He waited a few more moments and then he finally pulled his cellphone out of his jacket.
"This is Jones," he said into the phone. "I have contact."