Watcher 13
Giles hid a sigh at the obstinate look on the blonde Slayer's face as she led the others out of the stacks to confront him. He knew how pig-headed she could be, Angel's continued existence was proof of that. "Buffy," suddenly a thought struck him. Whirling round he glared suspiciously at the vampire. "Why didn't you sense them?" he demanded.
An unrepentant-looking Angel shrugged. "I did."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Giles felt his blood pressure rise. "I thought we agreed that they should be kept out of this?"
"No," the vampire corrected with a shake of his head. "You said they should, I disagreed."
"You bloody idiot!" he roared. "You know how delicate the -."
"Mr. Giles, if I may make a suggestion?" After a second scowling at Wesley for daring to interrupt him he nodded brusquely. The junior Watcher swallowed before continuing. "Obviously the others cannot be involved directly in the vanquishing of Legion; the prophecy is quite explicit in that. However," Wesley glanced towards a still dazed-looking Xander. "We only have a month before Legion's return. Surely it would make sense to intensify Xander's training by Angel and give both Angel and Faith more time to concentrate on what's coming. If Buffy, ourselves, and the others took up the slack on patrolling in the next month, aiding us only in emergencies, it would give their mission a much greater chance of success."
Giles nodded slightly. Much as he hated to admit it Wesley had a point. "Very well, Angel, you and Faith will supervise Xander's training, the rest of us will do as Wesley suggested-."
"No way are we being sidelined!"
Giles ground his teeth together at Buffy's shout. If she would just learn to take bloody orders things would run a lot more smoothly. Turning, he opened his mouth to rebuke the blonde Slayer. And then the library windows shattered.
* * *
Wesley's heart dropped. When the senior Slayer had strode in, he'd feared things could have got heated, but he'd thankfully managed to defuse things with a few diplomatic phrases, always a talent of his, but somehow he didn't feel that the most recent band of intruders would be so easily dissuaded.
The muddy brown-skinned interlopers were a swarm of demons, maybe twenty- five in number, each standing perhaps four foot in height with bulky, hunched figures and short arms and legs that ended in vicious-looking claws. Their faces were the things of nightmares, their lidless eye- sockets were completely empty, their noses pig-like-snouts, and gaping maws filled with greenish fangs. Wesley shuddered, disgusting.
"Hey chill Wes," he started at the purr of the raven-haired Slayer in his ear as she passed him a sword. "Stop looking all green around the gills ya limey girly-man. A little bit of violence, what day's complete without some?"
"Quite," Wesley allowed himself a thin smile. A few weeks ago the words would have been cutting, humiliating, but now, accompanied by the slight wink and grin the Slayer had been giving him and the increased respect he'd received since saving her life during Xander's rescue, the jibe had the opposite effect of lifting his spirits, making him feel part of the group. "Violence is always the thing to get a Neanderthal's blood racing."
"Yeah -," the Bostonian's cupid shaped mouth dropped open in realisation. "Hey!"
"Now, Faith," Wes reproved as he moved around the table, and away from the glaring brunette beauty. "Violence awaits. And that's a good thing, right?" he mocked.
* * *
"Fuck," Faith muttered as she single-hand vaulted the table separating her from the on-coming demons, a rueful grin playing on her full lips. "This sitch is worse than I thought. The world is going to end if Wes manages to get me with a zinger. I'll have to get him back later, maybe beat him up a little in sparring."
Smirking at the thought, she launched herself into the attack.
* * *
Buffy's eyes glittered as she drew her sword. After her conversation with Giles she could do with something to take her frustrations out on. How dare he cut her out? She was the Slayer, they needed her!
Snarling furiously, she dived at the nearest demon. At least she didn't have to hold back like she would if she had to spar with Giles.
* * *
Angel changed into his vampiric face. "Stay close Xander," he growled. There was something about the demons that nagged at his sub-conscious. They reminded him of something. Whatever they were.. Pushing aside his worries he launched himself forward.
* * *
"Back to back Mr. Giles?"
Giles looked at the younger Watcher with ill-concealed amusement. For all Faith had begun to wear down Wesley's stiff upper lip ways he was still a tad pompous. "Bloody hell Pryce," he growled. "You're hardly asking me for a sodding dance!"
His fellow countryman in the land of savages face took on an injured look. "I'm well aware of that," he replied loftily. "You're simply not my type."
"Oh yes," Giles had to conceal a snigger. "Of course. I forgot Miss. Chase."
The younger Englishman reddened. "Oh bugger off!"
* * *
As soon as the windows had shattered, Xander had knocked open the weapons cabinet and pulled out a double-bladed axe. Nodding at Angel's growled command, he moved closer to his friend. "Sunnydale," he muttered. "Where the fun never ends." Looking out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Angel. "What's the plan?" he asked as they moved forward.
"Let Buffy and Faith take the centre, Giles and Wesley take the left, we'll take the right, the rest of you make sure they don't get behind us," Angel ordered.
Xander nodded approvingly. The vampire's plan made sense, the right side was furthest from the sunlight and provided the most cover for his undead friend.
* * *
Faith moved smoothly towards the demons, picking out her targets, a pair of demons just ahead of the rest of the pack. The one to the right reached for her with its taloned hands but Faith's sword flashed up, slicing the creature's hands off at the wrists. Ignoring the monster's screeching and the grey viscera erupting out of its stumps, she smoothly decapitated her adversary.
The other beast bounded towards her, leaping its falling companion, its cavernous mouth held open to tear into her throat and its claws shredding the air separating them. Faith dropped to her knees, ducking under the two- pronged attack. Seeing her chance, she thrust her blade upwards, the point of her sword impaling the demon through its stomach, causing it to vomit blood.
Sensing a demonic presence behind her, Faith moved into a forward roll away from her assailant before springing to her feet and twisting round to see a snarling demon charging her. Realising her sword was still wedged in one of the monster's corpses, Faith changed her tactics. Steeling herself, she waited until the last second before smoothly sidestepping the on-rushing beast, leaving behind a knee that slammed into the creature's heavily ridged stomach with bruising impact. Wincing slightly at the pain in her knee, she moved gracefully behind her doubled-up adversary, hooked its thickly muscled neck with her right arm, grabbed the beast's forehead and twisted violently. Hearing the sound of the creature's neck snapping, she dropped its limp carcass. "Who's next?"
* * *
Instead of charging to meet the demons, Xander waited with Angel for the demons to come to them. When they did Xander crashed his left heel into the creature's distended yet muscular belly, gasping in surprised pain at the resistance he met. Ignoring the throbbing in his leg, he brought his axe down in an overhead swing, slicing the demon's head from bald forehead to chin, spewing brains out as it pitched to the ground.
As he dragged his axe out he saw another demon approaching him out of the corner of his eye. His elbow shot out instantly, the point catching the demon full in its snout. The demon's nose shattered, blood exploding from the ruined muzzle. Before his dazed adversary could recover, he sent his axe slicing through the beast's trunk-like neck, its head bouncing as it hit the floor.
Xander risked a glance around, a slight smile tugged at his mouth as he saw his love moving gracefully from the demons, leaving devastation in her path. Suddenly his world exploded in pain as one of the demons raked him down his back, its claws shredding his lats almost to the bone as blood pumped out...
He heard a demonic half-hiss, half-snarl in his ear. "The Trinity Of Champions will not stand!" And then he plunged to the floor, his senses reeling as he plummeted into a dark pit.
* * *
Faith grinned as the final demon fell, her seventh. Another battle won, another enemy defeated, and another day survived. She looked around to check that everyone was five by five, her heart stopping as she saw Xander's crumpled body on the ground, a weeping Willow knelt beside him. "Nooooooo!"
Giles hid a sigh at the obstinate look on the blonde Slayer's face as she led the others out of the stacks to confront him. He knew how pig-headed she could be, Angel's continued existence was proof of that. "Buffy," suddenly a thought struck him. Whirling round he glared suspiciously at the vampire. "Why didn't you sense them?" he demanded.
An unrepentant-looking Angel shrugged. "I did."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Giles felt his blood pressure rise. "I thought we agreed that they should be kept out of this?"
"No," the vampire corrected with a shake of his head. "You said they should, I disagreed."
"You bloody idiot!" he roared. "You know how delicate the -."
"Mr. Giles, if I may make a suggestion?" After a second scowling at Wesley for daring to interrupt him he nodded brusquely. The junior Watcher swallowed before continuing. "Obviously the others cannot be involved directly in the vanquishing of Legion; the prophecy is quite explicit in that. However," Wesley glanced towards a still dazed-looking Xander. "We only have a month before Legion's return. Surely it would make sense to intensify Xander's training by Angel and give both Angel and Faith more time to concentrate on what's coming. If Buffy, ourselves, and the others took up the slack on patrolling in the next month, aiding us only in emergencies, it would give their mission a much greater chance of success."
Giles nodded slightly. Much as he hated to admit it Wesley had a point. "Very well, Angel, you and Faith will supervise Xander's training, the rest of us will do as Wesley suggested-."
"No way are we being sidelined!"
Giles ground his teeth together at Buffy's shout. If she would just learn to take bloody orders things would run a lot more smoothly. Turning, he opened his mouth to rebuke the blonde Slayer. And then the library windows shattered.
* * *
Wesley's heart dropped. When the senior Slayer had strode in, he'd feared things could have got heated, but he'd thankfully managed to defuse things with a few diplomatic phrases, always a talent of his, but somehow he didn't feel that the most recent band of intruders would be so easily dissuaded.
The muddy brown-skinned interlopers were a swarm of demons, maybe twenty- five in number, each standing perhaps four foot in height with bulky, hunched figures and short arms and legs that ended in vicious-looking claws. Their faces were the things of nightmares, their lidless eye- sockets were completely empty, their noses pig-like-snouts, and gaping maws filled with greenish fangs. Wesley shuddered, disgusting.
"Hey chill Wes," he started at the purr of the raven-haired Slayer in his ear as she passed him a sword. "Stop looking all green around the gills ya limey girly-man. A little bit of violence, what day's complete without some?"
"Quite," Wesley allowed himself a thin smile. A few weeks ago the words would have been cutting, humiliating, but now, accompanied by the slight wink and grin the Slayer had been giving him and the increased respect he'd received since saving her life during Xander's rescue, the jibe had the opposite effect of lifting his spirits, making him feel part of the group. "Violence is always the thing to get a Neanderthal's blood racing."
"Yeah -," the Bostonian's cupid shaped mouth dropped open in realisation. "Hey!"
"Now, Faith," Wes reproved as he moved around the table, and away from the glaring brunette beauty. "Violence awaits. And that's a good thing, right?" he mocked.
* * *
"Fuck," Faith muttered as she single-hand vaulted the table separating her from the on-coming demons, a rueful grin playing on her full lips. "This sitch is worse than I thought. The world is going to end if Wes manages to get me with a zinger. I'll have to get him back later, maybe beat him up a little in sparring."
Smirking at the thought, she launched herself into the attack.
* * *
Buffy's eyes glittered as she drew her sword. After her conversation with Giles she could do with something to take her frustrations out on. How dare he cut her out? She was the Slayer, they needed her!
Snarling furiously, she dived at the nearest demon. At least she didn't have to hold back like she would if she had to spar with Giles.
* * *
Angel changed into his vampiric face. "Stay close Xander," he growled. There was something about the demons that nagged at his sub-conscious. They reminded him of something. Whatever they were.. Pushing aside his worries he launched himself forward.
* * *
"Back to back Mr. Giles?"
Giles looked at the younger Watcher with ill-concealed amusement. For all Faith had begun to wear down Wesley's stiff upper lip ways he was still a tad pompous. "Bloody hell Pryce," he growled. "You're hardly asking me for a sodding dance!"
His fellow countryman in the land of savages face took on an injured look. "I'm well aware of that," he replied loftily. "You're simply not my type."
"Oh yes," Giles had to conceal a snigger. "Of course. I forgot Miss. Chase."
The younger Englishman reddened. "Oh bugger off!"
* * *
As soon as the windows had shattered, Xander had knocked open the weapons cabinet and pulled out a double-bladed axe. Nodding at Angel's growled command, he moved closer to his friend. "Sunnydale," he muttered. "Where the fun never ends." Looking out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Angel. "What's the plan?" he asked as they moved forward.
"Let Buffy and Faith take the centre, Giles and Wesley take the left, we'll take the right, the rest of you make sure they don't get behind us," Angel ordered.
Xander nodded approvingly. The vampire's plan made sense, the right side was furthest from the sunlight and provided the most cover for his undead friend.
* * *
Faith moved smoothly towards the demons, picking out her targets, a pair of demons just ahead of the rest of the pack. The one to the right reached for her with its taloned hands but Faith's sword flashed up, slicing the creature's hands off at the wrists. Ignoring the monster's screeching and the grey viscera erupting out of its stumps, she smoothly decapitated her adversary.
The other beast bounded towards her, leaping its falling companion, its cavernous mouth held open to tear into her throat and its claws shredding the air separating them. Faith dropped to her knees, ducking under the two- pronged attack. Seeing her chance, she thrust her blade upwards, the point of her sword impaling the demon through its stomach, causing it to vomit blood.
Sensing a demonic presence behind her, Faith moved into a forward roll away from her assailant before springing to her feet and twisting round to see a snarling demon charging her. Realising her sword was still wedged in one of the monster's corpses, Faith changed her tactics. Steeling herself, she waited until the last second before smoothly sidestepping the on-rushing beast, leaving behind a knee that slammed into the creature's heavily ridged stomach with bruising impact. Wincing slightly at the pain in her knee, she moved gracefully behind her doubled-up adversary, hooked its thickly muscled neck with her right arm, grabbed the beast's forehead and twisted violently. Hearing the sound of the creature's neck snapping, she dropped its limp carcass. "Who's next?"
* * *
Instead of charging to meet the demons, Xander waited with Angel for the demons to come to them. When they did Xander crashed his left heel into the creature's distended yet muscular belly, gasping in surprised pain at the resistance he met. Ignoring the throbbing in his leg, he brought his axe down in an overhead swing, slicing the demon's head from bald forehead to chin, spewing brains out as it pitched to the ground.
As he dragged his axe out he saw another demon approaching him out of the corner of his eye. His elbow shot out instantly, the point catching the demon full in its snout. The demon's nose shattered, blood exploding from the ruined muzzle. Before his dazed adversary could recover, he sent his axe slicing through the beast's trunk-like neck, its head bouncing as it hit the floor.
Xander risked a glance around, a slight smile tugged at his mouth as he saw his love moving gracefully from the demons, leaving devastation in her path. Suddenly his world exploded in pain as one of the demons raked him down his back, its claws shredding his lats almost to the bone as blood pumped out...
He heard a demonic half-hiss, half-snarl in his ear. "The Trinity Of Champions will not stand!" And then he plunged to the floor, his senses reeling as he plummeted into a dark pit.
* * *
Faith grinned as the final demon fell, her seventh. Another battle won, another enemy defeated, and another day survived. She looked around to check that everyone was five by five, her heart stopping as she saw Xander's crumpled body on the ground, a weeping Willow knelt beside him. "Nooooooo!"