Sorry for delay and shortness of update. Ouch, arm, sore. But on the bright side, my stitches come out on Monday, so yay!!
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"So you're a vampire now," Buffy said as they walked towards the warehouse where they had last seen Boromir. "What's that like?"
Xander shot her a look. He understood the malice she had towards vampires, but he thought they were friends and was hurt by being lumped in with the evil she'd fought against for so long.
"You know. Bite people, drink blood, its all fun and games," he replied sarcastically.
"I was just asking," Buffy said. "You didn't have to bite my head off, no pun intended."
Xander stopped walking and looked at her. "How do you think it is?" he asked. "I'm dead, no longer alive. I have to watch day after day as the people I love grow older and head towards their deaths knowing I will still be here, forever 18. It sucks bigtime. But what sucks more than that is knowing all this is my fault."
"No its not," Buffy said in a small voice.
"Isn't it?" he snapped. "You don't get it do you? I was, am, the first vampire Buff. I started it all. The only reason you fight for your life night after night is because of what I am and what I did. If it wasn't for me..."
"Then it would have been someone else," she finished. "Its not your fault Xand. Its the demon inside you that did all this, not you."
Legolas had been silent throughtout the exchange. He was disturbed by what he had heard of the destruction of Middle Earth by the demons Xander had made. He also couldn't believe Galadriel, his queen, would betray Xander as he had said. He had listened, along with Buffy, to Xander's story before they had set out to find Willow, and it worried him. Galadriel would have had a reason for doing what she had done. A reason that went beyond revenge. All would become clear in time.
"Easy for you to say," Xander said finally. "You don't live with the guilt I live with."
"You think its easy for me?" she shot back. "I can't always save everyone I try to save. Remember Jesse? I failed him and god knows how many others. But I still try night after night. Without thanks, and without any payment except the knowledge that maybe, just maybe, someone else might be safe from the evil for another night. Its not easy for me."
"I'm sorry," he said.
"So you should be," she said as she hit his arm.
"Hey, ow!" he exclaimed.
"The first vampire, and still a wuss," she laughed.
"I'm not a wuss," he said indignantly. "You just have a hard hit is all."
"Time is moving onwards," Legolas said, interrupting the laughter. "We should continue."
"Blondie's right," said Xander. "Willow..."
"Xander," growled Buffy. "Be nice."
"I was," he replied as they started walking again.
Why did she always fall for the weird ones, he thought to himself. Then it hit him. He was now in the 'weird ones' catagory. Maybe, finally, he would have his shot at the slayer.
"Mammen uuye sina?" the woman repeated.
"Sunnydale," Richard replied.
"I understand you," the woman said.
"And I understand you," Richard smiled. "But that doesn't explain who you are and why you ruined my carpet."
"He called me Mara, and he loved me."
Richard was intrigued by the look in her eyes, and by her knowledge of the ancient language. He needed to know more.
"He?" he asked. "Who is he?"
"Xander," Mara said so softly he almost didn't hear her. "The one who made me, that gave me a new life and a new name. Then he left me alone and afraid in a place of emptiness." She raised her icy eyes and caught Richard's. "Until now."
"Well isn't this a piece of good luck," Richard chuckled. "I might just be able to help you find your Xander and you might be able to help me out with something."
Mara smiled. She had waited forever to find Xander, and get her revenge for being abandoned to the nothingness.
"Help," she said slowly. "Yes, help would a good thing."
It was Richard's turn to smile. "Lets get you a chair and then we shall talk."
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"So you're a vampire now," Buffy said as they walked towards the warehouse where they had last seen Boromir. "What's that like?"
Xander shot her a look. He understood the malice she had towards vampires, but he thought they were friends and was hurt by being lumped in with the evil she'd fought against for so long.
"You know. Bite people, drink blood, its all fun and games," he replied sarcastically.
"I was just asking," Buffy said. "You didn't have to bite my head off, no pun intended."
Xander stopped walking and looked at her. "How do you think it is?" he asked. "I'm dead, no longer alive. I have to watch day after day as the people I love grow older and head towards their deaths knowing I will still be here, forever 18. It sucks bigtime. But what sucks more than that is knowing all this is my fault."
"No its not," Buffy said in a small voice.
"Isn't it?" he snapped. "You don't get it do you? I was, am, the first vampire Buff. I started it all. The only reason you fight for your life night after night is because of what I am and what I did. If it wasn't for me..."
"Then it would have been someone else," she finished. "Its not your fault Xand. Its the demon inside you that did all this, not you."
Legolas had been silent throughtout the exchange. He was disturbed by what he had heard of the destruction of Middle Earth by the demons Xander had made. He also couldn't believe Galadriel, his queen, would betray Xander as he had said. He had listened, along with Buffy, to Xander's story before they had set out to find Willow, and it worried him. Galadriel would have had a reason for doing what she had done. A reason that went beyond revenge. All would become clear in time.
"Easy for you to say," Xander said finally. "You don't live with the guilt I live with."
"You think its easy for me?" she shot back. "I can't always save everyone I try to save. Remember Jesse? I failed him and god knows how many others. But I still try night after night. Without thanks, and without any payment except the knowledge that maybe, just maybe, someone else might be safe from the evil for another night. Its not easy for me."
"I'm sorry," he said.
"So you should be," she said as she hit his arm.
"Hey, ow!" he exclaimed.
"The first vampire, and still a wuss," she laughed.
"I'm not a wuss," he said indignantly. "You just have a hard hit is all."
"Time is moving onwards," Legolas said, interrupting the laughter. "We should continue."
"Blondie's right," said Xander. "Willow..."
"Xander," growled Buffy. "Be nice."
"I was," he replied as they started walking again.
Why did she always fall for the weird ones, he thought to himself. Then it hit him. He was now in the 'weird ones' catagory. Maybe, finally, he would have his shot at the slayer.
"Mammen uuye sina?" the woman repeated.
"Sunnydale," Richard replied.
"I understand you," the woman said.
"And I understand you," Richard smiled. "But that doesn't explain who you are and why you ruined my carpet."
"He called me Mara, and he loved me."
Richard was intrigued by the look in her eyes, and by her knowledge of the ancient language. He needed to know more.
"He?" he asked. "Who is he?"
"Xander," Mara said so softly he almost didn't hear her. "The one who made me, that gave me a new life and a new name. Then he left me alone and afraid in a place of emptiness." She raised her icy eyes and caught Richard's. "Until now."
"Well isn't this a piece of good luck," Richard chuckled. "I might just be able to help you find your Xander and you might be able to help me out with something."
Mara smiled. She had waited forever to find Xander, and get her revenge for being abandoned to the nothingness.
"Help," she said slowly. "Yes, help would a good thing."
It was Richard's turn to smile. "Lets get you a chair and then we shall talk."