Title: Superheroish – Part 2a (The Harvest Part 1)
Author: Michael Dunbar
Summary: Everyone's got their take on a Xander with super powers; in
fact I've got a few myself. Here's another one.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Buffy is owned by Joss and UPN. Dark Angel
is owned by somebody else. I only have my kick ass PC and charming personality.
-
The brain of Xander Harris ran faster than most, especially when under stressful conditions. It was one of the many elements implemented through the DNA manipulations of him when he was nothing more than a fetus. Upon entering a building his immediate thoughts ran through several various scenarios that could play out, his secondary thoughts went to vantage points, exits and any blind spots within the building that could not be seen from the doors.
He was the embodiment of a man prepared for any eventuality.
However upon hearing Willow scream his instincts were almost forgotten for the briefest of moments as he dove through the doors of the mausoleum without a second thought. He immediately saw the blonde vampire leaning over Jesse and that the other vampire was holding Willow against the wall. His first scan of the room showed that Jesse was losing blood from his neck very quickly and also seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness. The vampire leaning over him seemed to take great satisfaction in the blood tricking down his neck, as she dipped a finger in it and brought it to her mouth.
That alone was enough for Xander, he shoulder barged the vampire as hard and as fast as he could. She was thrown clear into another wall with a sickening thud and without even looking Xander pulled the cross from its imprisonment within his pocket and slammed it into the cheek of the other vampire. Not knowing the effect the holy icon would have upon the vampire he was surprised when the creature fell to the floor clutching its cheek, the smell of crisply burnt skin hung in the air as the vampire backpedaled in something almost akin to shock. That however was the creature's downfall as he reversed into the slayers legs, she immediately dispatched of him with a stake to the heart.
To Xander the vampire's body seemed to go limp for the smallest of moments before flames over rode the creature skin and it disappeared into dust that scattered across the floor of the mausoleum. He couldn't hide the gasp even if he had tried, it was amazing to witness.
The blonde vampire had managed to erect herself and had pulled her shoulder that had been dislodged back into place with the swiftest of movements. She looked on worried. She was Darla, one of the masters very own children and here stood two humans opposing her. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen anymore, they were supposed to be oblivious to their surroundings and not fight back. They owned this town and who did these humans think they were to interrupt that?
Her first reaction was to of course to fight, it was her demon telling her so but she wasn't an inexperienced vampire and didn't always allow her primal urges to take control of her. She was quite the thinker when the moment was upon her and she immediately took the blonde girl for a vampire slayer. The way she held herself in pure confidence as she stared down at the vampire she had just dusted and the way that she moved gracefully about. It told Darla all she needed to know.
However the mystery was the boy. On the outside he was perspiring, he even looked nervous to look upon and yet she could not smell the fear that she was so used to coming from humans. It came from his friends in almost palatable waves and yet he wasn't perturbed or scared of these events. His heart did not race and his breath was not irregular. Something very unusual for a human to have was complete control under these sorts of circumstances.
Since she didn't know what or who this boy was she wasn't willing to risk the lives of anymore vampires, even if they were expendable. Luke could sort this slayer out no problem but later, at the harvest. For now her thoughts should be more focused on a plan of escape. .
The secret door to the lair was slightly ajar; it wasn't a very worrying fact simply because very few humans would dare to venture into the catacombs beneath the small town. If the slayer knew what was good for her she wouldn't either, and that's what Darla counted on when she dove through the door as quickly as she could. She vanished into the darkness.
The time would come again, of that she was sure.
"Wimp..." Buffy muttered then turned to Xander "I hate it when they run"
Willow was in shock, her mind unable to comprehend all that had happened in such a small time. She was shaking back and forth clutching at her pant leg with a far away look in her eyes. It was the way the mind protected itself, shutting itself off from all outside stimuli so it could process the events to a certain degree. Buffy had seen it plenty of times before, it was the way a human reacted to finding their little world had just gotten a whole lot larger.
She gently grabbed Willow's hand and smiled reassuringly at the redhead; pulling her up to standing she hugged her slightly to comfort her. Xander had already picked Jesse up from the floor into his arms and looked worriedly at Buffy.
"His pulse isn't very strong Buff..."
The slayer looked at her new friends pained face as they walked from the mausoleum without saying another word. The hospital luckily wasn't far away from the graveyard but the trip seemed to stretch on forever as the quietness of the night almost deafened them somewhat. Not one of them knew what to say to any of the others, the night had brought far too many worries for experienced and inexperienced alike However while they were quiet each was thinking of what had transpired, realizing that their lives would probably be never the same again.
Buffy looked at Xander as he looked through the darkness with an intense gaze, his friend held into him and his fingers always on the pulse of his arm. He had impressed her tonight, more so than any other human upon first contact with vampires. It took a lot of loyalty and courage to do what he had done and Buffy didn't know if that comforted or worried her. The fact that he would risk his life so willingly for his friends was both endearing and scary. Buffy also realized that her first judgments of him were incorrect and if what was true about him tonight was true all the time then he would no doubt keep his word to her and Giles.
Xander's mind was more focused on the supernatural parts of the night; he had witnessed something he thought would never and could never be possible. Yet there it was in his minds eye. The evil feral yellow eyes and the ridged forehead and the smell of sizzling skin, it was all true. He looked at Willow worriedly, she was usually quiet but for her this was an extreme. However he also knew shock when he saw it and hoped that she would come out of this night unscathed, unlike their friend Jesse.
He hated vampires, he was going to take a stand and say they're not good.
The hospital was quiet at this time of night but that didn't belay the promptness at which they tended to Jesse and rushed him down for a transfusion. Something told Xander and Buffy they were far more used to this than they should be. They were pushed into the friends and family waiting area as the hospital went through the boy's records and went to call his parents.
Willow sat down quietly and brought her knee up to rest her head on it as she looked around. The waiting area was empty apart from the three friends. Buffy sat to her left and Xander took a seat to his right, his eyes never left the doors for a second.
"What... What were them things...." A slight whisper from the middle.
Xander looked at his friend and sighed knowing that the explanation could cause more problems than solve. Humans don't react well to knowing they are in danger, it's a survival trait.
"What were they?" Willow asked with more conviction, her shakes had all but gone.
"Vampires" Buffy replied in an almost whisper.
Willow's face was stone, unknowing what to think or even say. A month ago she would have laughed it off as a joke. That was before this night, before she had seen her friend bit and before she had seen the yellow eyes that would haunt her dreams for the months to come. She couldn't laugh it off now; it was a reality she would have to come to terms with.
"Who...Who are you, how do you know about them...?"
Secrets be damned, Buffy thought, she wasn't going to keep anything from her friends anymore and the watcher would have to accept it. It was hard enough fighting for her life every night without having to make up damned stories for her friends to accept.
"I'm the chosen one... The vampire slayer" Buffy replied, realizing how stupid that sounded not for the first time "Giles can tell you more..."
"Giles?"
"The new librarian, he's my watcher..." Buffy looked at her and sighed "He trains me, tells me what is on the horizon, that sort of thing"
Willow nodded, her mind trying to find the punch line to the joke for the night but failing miserably and she looked at Xander wondering why he wasn't shocked about any of this. Why he wasn't a shocked ball of emotions like her but his eyes told her all she needed to know, it wasn't the first time he had heard of vampires or the things that go bump in Sunnydales nights.
"You knew..." An accusation, with a bit of an angered undertone.
"Only today... believe me, only today.." He assured her, not wanting to deal with the repercussions of lying to a friend. Willow took trust as the main support upon which a friendship is found. She would be supremely hurt if he had known something and not told her.
That alone was a realization in itself to Xander and why he could never divulge his own past to her and the demons that lived their. She couldn't understand the dangers that knowledge of his past could bring.
Willow seemed to scrutinize him for a second but relented, tonight had brought far too many pains without adding to it. She looked at them both not really knowing how to continue and silently thanked god when the doctor interrupted them.
"You are the people that came in with Jesse McCormick... right?"
Xander stood up and shook the doctor's hand in greeting, he didn't know what to expect unfortunately.
"Yea Doc...I'm Xander, this is Buffy and Willow. We are his friends"
The doctor nodded "Well I'm glad to say although he lost a lot of blood that we are well stocked in that area and were able to stabilize him, he probably won't be well enough to leave for at least the rest of the week."
"Ok... Can we see him?"
"He isn't awake, he needs his rest. Come tomorrow and see him, he should be awake and in a better condition to talk to you by then..."
Xander just nodded as the doctor left, Jesse was going to be fine which was a good thing and they could see him tomorrow. Tomorrow seemed a whole lot farther away than it did two hours ago.
"So... I guess we leave.. Right?" Willow asked unknowingly. She might be quiet but she's also naïve sometimes, when it suits her at least anyway.
"Right" Xander replied.
They all filed out of the hospital and walked through Sunnydale's streets, the night had fully taken its toll on all three of them as they walked tiredly on the pavement.
"I guess I should tell you the weaknesses right... of vampires... I mean" Buffy said unsure of herself, the first time Xander had seen her like this.
"Stakes right... holy water.. garlic?" Willow asked quizzically, hoping it would be as easy as she had seen on the bad horror movies her and Xander had watched over the duration of their lives.
"Well Garlic doesn't work I don't think, I think they just don't like the smell or something, Crosses, stake to the heart, holy water burns them. Moving water doesn't do a whole lot" Buffy announced then turned to each of them "Also make sure your weary of who you invite into your home after dark, a vampire can't enter unless invited."
Xander seemed to let out a light breath, small mercy's after all "So no pulse no pass sorta deal."
"Exactly" Buffy said smiling for the first time in what seemed an eternity.
Willow just nodded her head, still reeling slightly from the news. It was a whole lot to take in for just one night.
They stopped outside Willow's house and she shook her head free of any stray thoughts and walked to her front door
"Cya.. at school tomorrow" came quietly to their ears.
She disappeared into her house as quick as she could, almost like the night itself was after her. In Sunnydale that could be a true fact.
"I guess this is the part where I walk you home.. Right?"
Buffy smiled slightly then shook her head "I walk you home... "
Xander nearly objected but had to concede to the knowledge she had of him, and also to the knowledge that he now possessed of her abilities. She could definitely take care of herself.
He nodded at her smile "Fine... But don't expect to get lucky" Buffy's laughter alleviated some of the stress of the night as they walked "I wouldn't presume to think you were easy... I know all men are easy"
"You know know... or pretend to know?" Xander asked with a wink in her direction, some harmless banter never hurt anyone.
The slayer blushed in response "Pretend... believe me its only pretend."
Quietness struck again, new friends trying to find the words but failing miserably.
"You... You impressed me tonight" Buffy said out of the blue and looked into Xander's eyes "Its not often I'm impressed."
"Guys got to do what a guys got to do"
Buffy looked at him with a raised eyebrow then smiled slightly. It always made him happy if he could make a friend laugh or smile, even if it was at his own expense.
Xander suddenly noticed the quiet. It had always been quiet in Sunnydale but for some reason the quiet now seemed so much more silent than he could ever remember it been. He knew that his entire world had just been skewed, that he would never look at night the same way again. He could never walk through the park at midnight just because he lived in a small town and was sure nothing would happen to him. The only sounds were their footsteps on the gentle brickwork of his street as they walked to his gate and stopped.
"Tomorrow... at school" Buffy suddenly said and looked at him, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones.
"Right... Will you call me when you get home" Her eyes went slightly wide and he smiled "Just to make sure..."
He wrote down his number on the back of a receipt he found in his pants pocket and handed it to her. Buffy smiled and nodded then set off slowly down the road, occasionally looking back towards him.
Xander watched her for a small while till she disappeared out of sight then walked into his house. His mother smiled as he walked in, totally unaware of the nights events just like most of Sunnydale. But he smiled back, no need to take her innocence as well as his own.
His room was the way he had left it but for some reason it looked different to him now, less like home, less comfortable to just sit in. He didn't have much chance to deliberate over the psychology of it all before his phone rang. He picked it up from its cradled and placed it gently to his ear.
"Hello..."
"Hi it's me, just to put your mind at rest" Buffy's voice was clear and concise down the line. "Well you did, thank you"
"Your welcome, I'll see you tomorrow right?"
To Xander her voice sounded almost like a plea for help, like she was unsure if he would want to be friends with somebody whose life was so dangerous. His life was his own, his dangers were many. What were a few more to add to them?
"Definitely, I'll come by yours before school... We can walk together, maybe catch Wills too..."
"I'd like that..." If he pictured her now he was sure she would be smiling.
The phone was set back down and he fell backwards onto his bed so his head rested on one of his pillows and slightly on the duvet, a bit lopsided. The day had been long, emotional, tiring, painful and revealing.
He couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow would bring.
- Time: 7:30 AM
Beeeeeeeeppp!!!
Beeeeeeeeeeeeepppp!!
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppp!!
Xander's alarm was loud and obnoxious, just the way he liked to be waked up. His hand slammed down hard on it, the clock croaked then stopped almost instantly as he sat bolt up right. He was wearing the same clothes as he had done yesterday, a few droplets of Jesse's blood still lingered on the bottom of his shirt. A reminder of all the things Willow was probably trying to forget. Sleep had claimed him faster than he thought it would, the emotional effects far greater than the physical.
Cleaning took little effort. After a shower he pulled on fresh smelling clothes, one of his wild T-shirts and some cargo pants and grabbed his bag before tackling the stairs and entering the living room. His moms cooking could always make him smile, even at times like these.
"Hiya hon" She smiled at him softly and ruffled his hair "sleep well?"
"Yea... yea" He replied and grabbed a piece of toast "I don't feel like a full breakfast today mom, I can't face it."
She looked at her son with slight worry; if he didn't want breakfast then something was definitely wrong with the world. However she could read her son well, so well that she knew that the thing bothering him was something he didn't and wouldn't share. He could be stubborn as a mule when the mood took him.
"Okay darling... "
Xander looked at his tweety bird watch then muffled a goodbye to his mother before heading out of the door. The streets were quiet on the morning, a few cars buzzed passed him but didn't warrant attention, the world still turned while his own private world had almost come to a stand still just ten hours ago. He stopped in his tracks and looked back at the mailbox he had just passed.
Summers.
He couldn't help the small grin from playing on his lips before he backpedaled and walked to the front door. Xander rapped his knuckles softly on the dark wood of the door and it opened almost instantly.
"Hey..."
Such a simple greeting he surmised then smiled at Buffy. Her hair was in a ponytail with a few stray hairs framing her beautiful face, her back pack on and ready to rock the school.
They walked in silence for a few houses, neither one knowing what to say to the other. Xander cast a glance at her, she was looking down worried a frown upon her brow. He could almost see the thoughts passing through her head; she was worried that they wouldn't want to be her friends anymore. That last nights realizations would forever damn her to be alone in the world.
The same worries occupied his thoughts in relation to his own secrets, that some day everyone would abandon him because he was a freak of nature and nothing more. An abomination created by man to destroy man. But he knew the worries were unfounded, that his friends wouldn't desert him over anything and neither would he them.
It was the way they were.
So he felt the need to alleviate a few of her fears; he didn't want her to believe that anything was her fault. Life was the way it was, whether they knew or not they'd still be her friends.
"It's not your fault you know. "
Buffy looked up with sad eyes and nodded her head, not like she was agreeing with him more like she was humoring him.
"I'm serious, whether we know or don't know that doesn't change the fact that you are mine, Willow and Jesse's friend. New friend, old friend... It doesn't matter, what it comes down to is the fact that we are loyal to each other and now we will be loyal to you too"
She didn't know what to say really. All of her worst fears in the world came down to rejection from others, friends, boyfriends and even her family and yet Xander had almost alleviated all her worries in one simple sentence.
Buffy could only say "Thank you"
Xander nodded and grinned "We get to see Jess today, that's a good thing... right?"
She nodded in reply and found the smile infectious.
Willow was standing at her mailbox and even gave them a small smile as she stepped into formation at their side. A night's sleep and a lot of thinking can do a whole lot for a person.
"Hey..."
"Wills, sleep well?"
"Yes, after some thinking"
Buffy and Xander nodded, understanding all too well.
"So.. Buffy... do we get to meet your watcher today? The librarian"
The slayer winced as the reminder ticked in her brain, it wasn't going to be a pretty thing. "Yea, I'll need to smooth things over with him first though. He's all stuffy and too into the rules"
Willow nodded, not really understanding but just going along for the ride anyway.
The school loomed up ahead, a lot of people stood on the grass out the front discussing what was new, what was hot, who slept with who. These were the things that made life normal. Buffy envied normal so much these days. They walked into the large halls and looked around, Xander and Willow half expecting it to have changed overnight but realizing it was just them that had changed.
Never be the same again Willow mused.
"I've got to check in with Giles... He'll be worried, or something more Britishy." Buffy smiled and waved before heading in the direction of the library.
"So... You like her huh?" Willow asked with a slight smile, she had seen the way he had watched her leave and it only provided a well earned distraction from her own thoughts.
-
"Watcher guy... Giles... LIBRARIAN"
Buffy heard a small mutter and some small thuds accompanying it as the man in question popped up from behind the counter, a glare on his face. She couldn't help but snicker at him before she walked to the table and sat down, her back pack placed in her lap.
"How did last night go, seen as you didn't take the time to come back to that dreadful club and fill me in?"
Buffy pictured the old man sat at one of the booths with a coke in his hand, a funny image accompaniment to the actual night she had endured.
"Sorry... "
"Well sorry doesn't get me not worried, you must be more punctual Buffy if you are to slay.. "
She decided to cut him off their, fearing a watcher lecture. One she could vastly do without "I never said I was going to slay, you came to that conclusion after last night and the reason I didn't have the time to check in with you was because I had to take one of my new friends to the hospital for blood loss..."
Giles face went slightly pale and he stammered out his next words "Oh.. Well.. I'm sorry... Will he be okay?"
"Yes, the doctor said so" Buffy replied, undecided on how to broach the subject with him about informing Willow of her chosen status.
"Small mercy's" he said and grabbed one of the books from the counter, starting to leaf through it as he walked towards Buffy.
"I believe I have found this harvest thing... Our friend... told you about. 'For they will gather and be gathered. From the Vessel pours life. On the night of the crescent moon, the first past the solstice it will come...'" Giles looked up to see the less than enthusiastic expression the slayer's face then smiled some what "It's tonight..."
"Tonight? "Buffy said disbelievingly "As in the night at the end of today? Don't these things ever give me a break?"
Giles was about to say something but didn't get the chance.
"They are inconsiderate, that's their problem. They have no respect for my sleeping pattern. "
"Well that aside I believe that we should be prepared, some light training after the school day is out should suffice. Hopefully I will have more on this harvest before then and we will be better informed."
"Right.. So after school." Buffy got up, slightly chickening out at having to tell him "I'll invite Willow and Xander because they know about my abilities, maybe they can help in some way.."
"Yes invite this Xander if you must..." He turned around then looked up slightly "Who's this Willow?"
Buffy had already vanished from the library, the doors swaying at her quick exit and an un-British like response came from Giles.
"Shit"
Author: Michael Dunbar
Summary: Everyone's got their take on a Xander with super powers; in
fact I've got a few myself. Here's another one.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Buffy is owned by Joss and UPN. Dark Angel
is owned by somebody else. I only have my kick ass PC and charming personality.
-
The brain of Xander Harris ran faster than most, especially when under stressful conditions. It was one of the many elements implemented through the DNA manipulations of him when he was nothing more than a fetus. Upon entering a building his immediate thoughts ran through several various scenarios that could play out, his secondary thoughts went to vantage points, exits and any blind spots within the building that could not be seen from the doors.
He was the embodiment of a man prepared for any eventuality.
However upon hearing Willow scream his instincts were almost forgotten for the briefest of moments as he dove through the doors of the mausoleum without a second thought. He immediately saw the blonde vampire leaning over Jesse and that the other vampire was holding Willow against the wall. His first scan of the room showed that Jesse was losing blood from his neck very quickly and also seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness. The vampire leaning over him seemed to take great satisfaction in the blood tricking down his neck, as she dipped a finger in it and brought it to her mouth.
That alone was enough for Xander, he shoulder barged the vampire as hard and as fast as he could. She was thrown clear into another wall with a sickening thud and without even looking Xander pulled the cross from its imprisonment within his pocket and slammed it into the cheek of the other vampire. Not knowing the effect the holy icon would have upon the vampire he was surprised when the creature fell to the floor clutching its cheek, the smell of crisply burnt skin hung in the air as the vampire backpedaled in something almost akin to shock. That however was the creature's downfall as he reversed into the slayers legs, she immediately dispatched of him with a stake to the heart.
To Xander the vampire's body seemed to go limp for the smallest of moments before flames over rode the creature skin and it disappeared into dust that scattered across the floor of the mausoleum. He couldn't hide the gasp even if he had tried, it was amazing to witness.
The blonde vampire had managed to erect herself and had pulled her shoulder that had been dislodged back into place with the swiftest of movements. She looked on worried. She was Darla, one of the masters very own children and here stood two humans opposing her. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen anymore, they were supposed to be oblivious to their surroundings and not fight back. They owned this town and who did these humans think they were to interrupt that?
Her first reaction was to of course to fight, it was her demon telling her so but she wasn't an inexperienced vampire and didn't always allow her primal urges to take control of her. She was quite the thinker when the moment was upon her and she immediately took the blonde girl for a vampire slayer. The way she held herself in pure confidence as she stared down at the vampire she had just dusted and the way that she moved gracefully about. It told Darla all she needed to know.
However the mystery was the boy. On the outside he was perspiring, he even looked nervous to look upon and yet she could not smell the fear that she was so used to coming from humans. It came from his friends in almost palatable waves and yet he wasn't perturbed or scared of these events. His heart did not race and his breath was not irregular. Something very unusual for a human to have was complete control under these sorts of circumstances.
Since she didn't know what or who this boy was she wasn't willing to risk the lives of anymore vampires, even if they were expendable. Luke could sort this slayer out no problem but later, at the harvest. For now her thoughts should be more focused on a plan of escape. .
The secret door to the lair was slightly ajar; it wasn't a very worrying fact simply because very few humans would dare to venture into the catacombs beneath the small town. If the slayer knew what was good for her she wouldn't either, and that's what Darla counted on when she dove through the door as quickly as she could. She vanished into the darkness.
The time would come again, of that she was sure.
"Wimp..." Buffy muttered then turned to Xander "I hate it when they run"
Willow was in shock, her mind unable to comprehend all that had happened in such a small time. She was shaking back and forth clutching at her pant leg with a far away look in her eyes. It was the way the mind protected itself, shutting itself off from all outside stimuli so it could process the events to a certain degree. Buffy had seen it plenty of times before, it was the way a human reacted to finding their little world had just gotten a whole lot larger.
She gently grabbed Willow's hand and smiled reassuringly at the redhead; pulling her up to standing she hugged her slightly to comfort her. Xander had already picked Jesse up from the floor into his arms and looked worriedly at Buffy.
"His pulse isn't very strong Buff..."
The slayer looked at her new friends pained face as they walked from the mausoleum without saying another word. The hospital luckily wasn't far away from the graveyard but the trip seemed to stretch on forever as the quietness of the night almost deafened them somewhat. Not one of them knew what to say to any of the others, the night had brought far too many worries for experienced and inexperienced alike However while they were quiet each was thinking of what had transpired, realizing that their lives would probably be never the same again.
Buffy looked at Xander as he looked through the darkness with an intense gaze, his friend held into him and his fingers always on the pulse of his arm. He had impressed her tonight, more so than any other human upon first contact with vampires. It took a lot of loyalty and courage to do what he had done and Buffy didn't know if that comforted or worried her. The fact that he would risk his life so willingly for his friends was both endearing and scary. Buffy also realized that her first judgments of him were incorrect and if what was true about him tonight was true all the time then he would no doubt keep his word to her and Giles.
Xander's mind was more focused on the supernatural parts of the night; he had witnessed something he thought would never and could never be possible. Yet there it was in his minds eye. The evil feral yellow eyes and the ridged forehead and the smell of sizzling skin, it was all true. He looked at Willow worriedly, she was usually quiet but for her this was an extreme. However he also knew shock when he saw it and hoped that she would come out of this night unscathed, unlike their friend Jesse.
He hated vampires, he was going to take a stand and say they're not good.
The hospital was quiet at this time of night but that didn't belay the promptness at which they tended to Jesse and rushed him down for a transfusion. Something told Xander and Buffy they were far more used to this than they should be. They were pushed into the friends and family waiting area as the hospital went through the boy's records and went to call his parents.
Willow sat down quietly and brought her knee up to rest her head on it as she looked around. The waiting area was empty apart from the three friends. Buffy sat to her left and Xander took a seat to his right, his eyes never left the doors for a second.
"What... What were them things...." A slight whisper from the middle.
Xander looked at his friend and sighed knowing that the explanation could cause more problems than solve. Humans don't react well to knowing they are in danger, it's a survival trait.
"What were they?" Willow asked with more conviction, her shakes had all but gone.
"Vampires" Buffy replied in an almost whisper.
Willow's face was stone, unknowing what to think or even say. A month ago she would have laughed it off as a joke. That was before this night, before she had seen her friend bit and before she had seen the yellow eyes that would haunt her dreams for the months to come. She couldn't laugh it off now; it was a reality she would have to come to terms with.
"Who...Who are you, how do you know about them...?"
Secrets be damned, Buffy thought, she wasn't going to keep anything from her friends anymore and the watcher would have to accept it. It was hard enough fighting for her life every night without having to make up damned stories for her friends to accept.
"I'm the chosen one... The vampire slayer" Buffy replied, realizing how stupid that sounded not for the first time "Giles can tell you more..."
"Giles?"
"The new librarian, he's my watcher..." Buffy looked at her and sighed "He trains me, tells me what is on the horizon, that sort of thing"
Willow nodded, her mind trying to find the punch line to the joke for the night but failing miserably and she looked at Xander wondering why he wasn't shocked about any of this. Why he wasn't a shocked ball of emotions like her but his eyes told her all she needed to know, it wasn't the first time he had heard of vampires or the things that go bump in Sunnydales nights.
"You knew..." An accusation, with a bit of an angered undertone.
"Only today... believe me, only today.." He assured her, not wanting to deal with the repercussions of lying to a friend. Willow took trust as the main support upon which a friendship is found. She would be supremely hurt if he had known something and not told her.
That alone was a realization in itself to Xander and why he could never divulge his own past to her and the demons that lived their. She couldn't understand the dangers that knowledge of his past could bring.
Willow seemed to scrutinize him for a second but relented, tonight had brought far too many pains without adding to it. She looked at them both not really knowing how to continue and silently thanked god when the doctor interrupted them.
"You are the people that came in with Jesse McCormick... right?"
Xander stood up and shook the doctor's hand in greeting, he didn't know what to expect unfortunately.
"Yea Doc...I'm Xander, this is Buffy and Willow. We are his friends"
The doctor nodded "Well I'm glad to say although he lost a lot of blood that we are well stocked in that area and were able to stabilize him, he probably won't be well enough to leave for at least the rest of the week."
"Ok... Can we see him?"
"He isn't awake, he needs his rest. Come tomorrow and see him, he should be awake and in a better condition to talk to you by then..."
Xander just nodded as the doctor left, Jesse was going to be fine which was a good thing and they could see him tomorrow. Tomorrow seemed a whole lot farther away than it did two hours ago.
"So... I guess we leave.. Right?" Willow asked unknowingly. She might be quiet but she's also naïve sometimes, when it suits her at least anyway.
"Right" Xander replied.
They all filed out of the hospital and walked through Sunnydale's streets, the night had fully taken its toll on all three of them as they walked tiredly on the pavement.
"I guess I should tell you the weaknesses right... of vampires... I mean" Buffy said unsure of herself, the first time Xander had seen her like this.
"Stakes right... holy water.. garlic?" Willow asked quizzically, hoping it would be as easy as she had seen on the bad horror movies her and Xander had watched over the duration of their lives.
"Well Garlic doesn't work I don't think, I think they just don't like the smell or something, Crosses, stake to the heart, holy water burns them. Moving water doesn't do a whole lot" Buffy announced then turned to each of them "Also make sure your weary of who you invite into your home after dark, a vampire can't enter unless invited."
Xander seemed to let out a light breath, small mercy's after all "So no pulse no pass sorta deal."
"Exactly" Buffy said smiling for the first time in what seemed an eternity.
Willow just nodded her head, still reeling slightly from the news. It was a whole lot to take in for just one night.
They stopped outside Willow's house and she shook her head free of any stray thoughts and walked to her front door
"Cya.. at school tomorrow" came quietly to their ears.
She disappeared into her house as quick as she could, almost like the night itself was after her. In Sunnydale that could be a true fact.
"I guess this is the part where I walk you home.. Right?"
Buffy smiled slightly then shook her head "I walk you home... "
Xander nearly objected but had to concede to the knowledge she had of him, and also to the knowledge that he now possessed of her abilities. She could definitely take care of herself.
He nodded at her smile "Fine... But don't expect to get lucky" Buffy's laughter alleviated some of the stress of the night as they walked "I wouldn't presume to think you were easy... I know all men are easy"
"You know know... or pretend to know?" Xander asked with a wink in her direction, some harmless banter never hurt anyone.
The slayer blushed in response "Pretend... believe me its only pretend."
Quietness struck again, new friends trying to find the words but failing miserably.
"You... You impressed me tonight" Buffy said out of the blue and looked into Xander's eyes "Its not often I'm impressed."
"Guys got to do what a guys got to do"
Buffy looked at him with a raised eyebrow then smiled slightly. It always made him happy if he could make a friend laugh or smile, even if it was at his own expense.
Xander suddenly noticed the quiet. It had always been quiet in Sunnydale but for some reason the quiet now seemed so much more silent than he could ever remember it been. He knew that his entire world had just been skewed, that he would never look at night the same way again. He could never walk through the park at midnight just because he lived in a small town and was sure nothing would happen to him. The only sounds were their footsteps on the gentle brickwork of his street as they walked to his gate and stopped.
"Tomorrow... at school" Buffy suddenly said and looked at him, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones.
"Right... Will you call me when you get home" Her eyes went slightly wide and he smiled "Just to make sure..."
He wrote down his number on the back of a receipt he found in his pants pocket and handed it to her. Buffy smiled and nodded then set off slowly down the road, occasionally looking back towards him.
Xander watched her for a small while till she disappeared out of sight then walked into his house. His mother smiled as he walked in, totally unaware of the nights events just like most of Sunnydale. But he smiled back, no need to take her innocence as well as his own.
His room was the way he had left it but for some reason it looked different to him now, less like home, less comfortable to just sit in. He didn't have much chance to deliberate over the psychology of it all before his phone rang. He picked it up from its cradled and placed it gently to his ear.
"Hello..."
"Hi it's me, just to put your mind at rest" Buffy's voice was clear and concise down the line. "Well you did, thank you"
"Your welcome, I'll see you tomorrow right?"
To Xander her voice sounded almost like a plea for help, like she was unsure if he would want to be friends with somebody whose life was so dangerous. His life was his own, his dangers were many. What were a few more to add to them?
"Definitely, I'll come by yours before school... We can walk together, maybe catch Wills too..."
"I'd like that..." If he pictured her now he was sure she would be smiling.
The phone was set back down and he fell backwards onto his bed so his head rested on one of his pillows and slightly on the duvet, a bit lopsided. The day had been long, emotional, tiring, painful and revealing.
He couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow would bring.
- Time: 7:30 AM
Beeeeeeeeppp!!!
Beeeeeeeeeeeeepppp!!
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppp!!
Xander's alarm was loud and obnoxious, just the way he liked to be waked up. His hand slammed down hard on it, the clock croaked then stopped almost instantly as he sat bolt up right. He was wearing the same clothes as he had done yesterday, a few droplets of Jesse's blood still lingered on the bottom of his shirt. A reminder of all the things Willow was probably trying to forget. Sleep had claimed him faster than he thought it would, the emotional effects far greater than the physical.
Cleaning took little effort. After a shower he pulled on fresh smelling clothes, one of his wild T-shirts and some cargo pants and grabbed his bag before tackling the stairs and entering the living room. His moms cooking could always make him smile, even at times like these.
"Hiya hon" She smiled at him softly and ruffled his hair "sleep well?"
"Yea... yea" He replied and grabbed a piece of toast "I don't feel like a full breakfast today mom, I can't face it."
She looked at her son with slight worry; if he didn't want breakfast then something was definitely wrong with the world. However she could read her son well, so well that she knew that the thing bothering him was something he didn't and wouldn't share. He could be stubborn as a mule when the mood took him.
"Okay darling... "
Xander looked at his tweety bird watch then muffled a goodbye to his mother before heading out of the door. The streets were quiet on the morning, a few cars buzzed passed him but didn't warrant attention, the world still turned while his own private world had almost come to a stand still just ten hours ago. He stopped in his tracks and looked back at the mailbox he had just passed.
Summers.
He couldn't help the small grin from playing on his lips before he backpedaled and walked to the front door. Xander rapped his knuckles softly on the dark wood of the door and it opened almost instantly.
"Hey..."
Such a simple greeting he surmised then smiled at Buffy. Her hair was in a ponytail with a few stray hairs framing her beautiful face, her back pack on and ready to rock the school.
They walked in silence for a few houses, neither one knowing what to say to the other. Xander cast a glance at her, she was looking down worried a frown upon her brow. He could almost see the thoughts passing through her head; she was worried that they wouldn't want to be her friends anymore. That last nights realizations would forever damn her to be alone in the world.
The same worries occupied his thoughts in relation to his own secrets, that some day everyone would abandon him because he was a freak of nature and nothing more. An abomination created by man to destroy man. But he knew the worries were unfounded, that his friends wouldn't desert him over anything and neither would he them.
It was the way they were.
So he felt the need to alleviate a few of her fears; he didn't want her to believe that anything was her fault. Life was the way it was, whether they knew or not they'd still be her friends.
"It's not your fault you know. "
Buffy looked up with sad eyes and nodded her head, not like she was agreeing with him more like she was humoring him.
"I'm serious, whether we know or don't know that doesn't change the fact that you are mine, Willow and Jesse's friend. New friend, old friend... It doesn't matter, what it comes down to is the fact that we are loyal to each other and now we will be loyal to you too"
She didn't know what to say really. All of her worst fears in the world came down to rejection from others, friends, boyfriends and even her family and yet Xander had almost alleviated all her worries in one simple sentence.
Buffy could only say "Thank you"
Xander nodded and grinned "We get to see Jess today, that's a good thing... right?"
She nodded in reply and found the smile infectious.
Willow was standing at her mailbox and even gave them a small smile as she stepped into formation at their side. A night's sleep and a lot of thinking can do a whole lot for a person.
"Hey..."
"Wills, sleep well?"
"Yes, after some thinking"
Buffy and Xander nodded, understanding all too well.
"So.. Buffy... do we get to meet your watcher today? The librarian"
The slayer winced as the reminder ticked in her brain, it wasn't going to be a pretty thing. "Yea, I'll need to smooth things over with him first though. He's all stuffy and too into the rules"
Willow nodded, not really understanding but just going along for the ride anyway.
The school loomed up ahead, a lot of people stood on the grass out the front discussing what was new, what was hot, who slept with who. These were the things that made life normal. Buffy envied normal so much these days. They walked into the large halls and looked around, Xander and Willow half expecting it to have changed overnight but realizing it was just them that had changed.
Never be the same again Willow mused.
"I've got to check in with Giles... He'll be worried, or something more Britishy." Buffy smiled and waved before heading in the direction of the library.
"So... You like her huh?" Willow asked with a slight smile, she had seen the way he had watched her leave and it only provided a well earned distraction from her own thoughts.
-
"Watcher guy... Giles... LIBRARIAN"
Buffy heard a small mutter and some small thuds accompanying it as the man in question popped up from behind the counter, a glare on his face. She couldn't help but snicker at him before she walked to the table and sat down, her back pack placed in her lap.
"How did last night go, seen as you didn't take the time to come back to that dreadful club and fill me in?"
Buffy pictured the old man sat at one of the booths with a coke in his hand, a funny image accompaniment to the actual night she had endured.
"Sorry... "
"Well sorry doesn't get me not worried, you must be more punctual Buffy if you are to slay.. "
She decided to cut him off their, fearing a watcher lecture. One she could vastly do without "I never said I was going to slay, you came to that conclusion after last night and the reason I didn't have the time to check in with you was because I had to take one of my new friends to the hospital for blood loss..."
Giles face went slightly pale and he stammered out his next words "Oh.. Well.. I'm sorry... Will he be okay?"
"Yes, the doctor said so" Buffy replied, undecided on how to broach the subject with him about informing Willow of her chosen status.
"Small mercy's" he said and grabbed one of the books from the counter, starting to leaf through it as he walked towards Buffy.
"I believe I have found this harvest thing... Our friend... told you about. 'For they will gather and be gathered. From the Vessel pours life. On the night of the crescent moon, the first past the solstice it will come...'" Giles looked up to see the less than enthusiastic expression the slayer's face then smiled some what "It's tonight..."
"Tonight? "Buffy said disbelievingly "As in the night at the end of today? Don't these things ever give me a break?"
Giles was about to say something but didn't get the chance.
"They are inconsiderate, that's their problem. They have no respect for my sleeping pattern. "
"Well that aside I believe that we should be prepared, some light training after the school day is out should suffice. Hopefully I will have more on this harvest before then and we will be better informed."
"Right.. So after school." Buffy got up, slightly chickening out at having to tell him "I'll invite Willow and Xander because they know about my abilities, maybe they can help in some way.."
"Yes invite this Xander if you must..." He turned around then looked up slightly "Who's this Willow?"
Buffy had already vanished from the library, the doors swaying at her quick exit and an un-British like response came from Giles.
"Shit"