Severed Ties
Chapter 10
Sunnydale
May 18th, 2002
10:38 p.m.
It was an easy kill.
The three had been in Sunnydale for the past two years and together a few years before that as well. Though Gideon was the only one in the trio more than a decade into the immortal life, the other two were cunning and resourceful. Those were the only reasons they had stayed alive this long, in a town owned by the slayer. As well as they worked together they knew to stay away from the slayer and her gang, using the outskirts of town as their hunting grounds, away from prying eyes. But tonight they had made one of their infrequent visits to the cemetery. Heberly.
They had followed the young black man for the better part of an hour, making noises here and there, relishing in the fear that scorched his face every time he looked back. They were waiting, biding their time until he panicked and ran; that was when his blood would be the sweetest. And oh, would it be sweet.
Even from the dozen yards separating them from the boy, they could tell that he was an athlete. His black shirt clung to the muscles in his back and arms and though his slightly baggy jeans hid the strength of his legs, the young man's gait was that of a runner. And before this night was over, they would make him run before tearing him down. Or that had been the plan.
"I'm tired of this, Gideon," the smallest of the trio, Kyle, whispered.
"Kyle's right, G," the pug-nosed Marco agreed.
Gideon stopped and stared at his two minions. No, that was not the right word for them. For the most part, he treated them as equals. Kyle had been with him the longest. He had sired the former computer nerd six years ago in Ohio on his cross-country jaunt out the West Coast. They had traveled a few years before meeting Marco in a San Antonio bar. Where Kyle was weak yet crafty, Marco was powerful and somewhat dim. They were the perfect compliment to one another and Gideon had planned it that way. They were the brothers he never had and, though on occasion, he had been forced to dominate them, Gideon had always allowed them to have some say in things and, he found, on occasion that they sometimes had the right idea.
Like now.
"You're right, Marco," he said and fixed the larger man with a withering glare. "And after we are done with him, I will demonstrate to you reason number forty-two why you should refrain from calling me 'G'." The larger vampire nodded, swallowing reflexively at his sire's promise. Oh, yeah, he was buggered tonight--quite literally. Aside from his habit of calling his Sire 'G', Marco had rarely needed to be reminded of who the boss really was. Guess tonight'll be another spectacular reminder, he thought fearfully. But, on the bright side, at least he would have some decent blood in his veins before that happened.
"Kyle," Gideon said as he watched the boy retreat into the distance, "stay behind him. Marco; take him on the left and I'll come in on the right." He faced his two Children and vamped out; they instantly followed suit and their golden irises glowed eerily in the darkness.
"Chow time, my boys," he said to the others and, with a nod, they split up.
They never saw the cocky grin on the young man's face as he followed them, his senses attuned to their every move. They never heard his eager whisper of "Showtime" the instant before they pounced. And it was not until the glint of silver arching through the air did they realize that this unsuspecting young man was much more than that. And before they could react, it was far too late. They had had been right about one thing, however.
It was an easy kill.
Three to be exact.
*&*
Sunnydale
May 18th, 2002
10:40 p.m.
He parked three blocks away from Revello Drive knowing that the loud thrum of the van's engine would have been a dead giveaway on the quiet street and Dawn's head would have been the first out the window. No, he'd much rather walk the residential streets, taking comfort in the quiet chirp of insects in the bushes as his mind wandered over the past.
Xander stuffed his hands into the pockets of his hunter green jacket as he followed the path towards a house that was more of a home to him than the domicile of his younger years. The people that lived there now were more family than his dysfunctional brood ever could be.
And how do I repay them? He asked himself bitterly as he passed Mercury Place. By running off on them, like the coward I've always been.
But didn't Buffy do the same thing? Another voice spoke up but it was quashed by the overwhelming guilt that coursed through him at the thought of his closest friend after Willow.
I left. I left while she was still in the hospital, fighting for her life. And I--I didn't even give it a second thought. His footsteps slowed as the self-loathing, the one that had driven him to leave in the first place reappeared, threatening to crush him despite the superhuman abilities that coursed through his veins.
What if…what if she died? What would they think of me? Not being there when they needed me. What if they don't want anything to do with me?
He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and let out a hoarse laugh. The insecurities that danced in his mind were the same ones that had propelled him out of Sunnydale. As much as Anya's death had affected him, Xander would never have left with Buffy and Tara hospitalized if he had thought that he was an asset to the group. But he hadn't been and so he didn't stay. But he would this time. Diohbin-Zi had said that something big was coming and Xander would be needed for the upcoming battle and that was why the brunette was here.
This isn't about my feelings or failures, Xander resolved. This is about what I'm here to do; and that's to help the others…
His determination returned and his steps quickened. As he rounded to corner and found himself on Revello, however, two things happened simultaneously. Directly in his line of sight, walking up the steps were three distinctly familiar figures he hadn't seen in years.
Angel, with his black leather coat swaying as he walked up the steps, was in the lead followed by two very recognizable brunettes.
Cordelia was off to Angel's left as he stopped to ring the doorbell and Faith, the rogue slayer, was to the right. Both were decked in black outfits similar to the vampire and, though he could not see the other two clearly, the rogue slayer's face was twisted in a scowl of concentration.
The only thing that prevented Xander from moving forward was the unexpected chill that shot up his spine. He whirled around, his crimson eyes blazing as they cut through the darkness. Despite his enhanced vision, he could not find an immediate danger in the vicinity but the extreme unease refused to go away.
"What the hell?" He whispered before the pull on his spine caused his body to spasm momentarily. His mind whirled for explanation but was unable to find anything. He had trained for three years and had never felt such a violent pull on his senses. It was something—something powerful and unequivocally evil.
"Whatever it is has to be stopped," he said and spun on his heels. With a final look over his shoulder, he apologized to his friends before darting back to his van. Whatever the creature was giving off such strong vibes, it needed to be taken down and Xander was going to make sure of that.
After all, there was a reason he had been christened the Executioner.
*&*
Sunnydale
May 18th, 2002
10:49 p.m.
Similar to Spike, Buffy had always taken pride in her ability to quip with the best of them. It wasn't often that she didn't have a rejoinder strapped to her hip, ready to go at a moment's notice. Whether facing the Master, a hell god or the general babblings of the "First Evil", Buffy's mouth was usually in tiptop shape, her greatest one-liners coming in the most dangerous of times.
Now, that wasn't to say that there were times when her quippy quotes were nowhere to be found. Killing Angel was one of those times. Sending the love of one's life to hell tends to suck anyone's witty repertoire dry. And then, to her surprise, she could remember several instances with Spike where his presence took the words right out of her mouth. Shagging a total hot body after spending fifteen minutes wailing on his undead, soulless ass was another shining example of a slayer stupefied into silence.
Standing in the open doorway with her first love staring holes through her and her current paramour would definitely be added to that list of 'most uncomfortable situations ever'.
"Buffy," Angel said curtly as his gaze traveled between Buffy and his Childe. Ever since Faith had slipped up about Spike and Buffy's relationship, Angel had put it out of his mind as best he could, meditating and sparring to pass the time without even bothering with sleep. Though on the surface the mere thought of Buffy and Spike together was absurd, a reluctant part of him could admit to the possibility of an attraction between the two blondes. But now, as he faced both of them, taking in the slightly swollen appearance of Buffy's lips and the telltale scent of arousal, Angel knew that it wasn't just a possibility.
It was a Goddamn reality.
"Angel," Buffy replied mechanically. She stared at the man who had, so long ago, had given her that first taste of love and, not long afterwards, her first bitter heartbreak. And now, as she gazed into Angel's furious brown eyes, Buffy couldn't help but feel guilty.
Why do I always feel like I'm doing something bad when he's around? She asked herself. When she had told him about Riley, drawing it out unnecessarily to rub it in his face, Buffy had felt a stab of guilt. It wasn't for how she told him (although she could admit to being a major bitch in that instance) but the fact that she was carrying on with someone else. It had taken her months to get over the voice that constantly whispered to her about how she was cheating on Angel. And now, three years later, that same guilt wound its way through her insides. But this time it didn't last long, dissipating as she heard the annoyed (and hurt?) voice of Spike address his Sire.
"What do you want, Peaches?" Angel's gaze turned towards the bleached blonde and Buffy had to hold in the sigh of relief that threatened to slip out as Angel turned his attention elsewhere.
The two vampires stared at each other; their fists clenching and unclenching as the tension between them escalated with each passing second. Buffy chanced a look at Spike and cringed when she saw the muscle in his jaw spasm several times. This is so not of the good, she said to herself and moved to slither in between them but the last person in the world she expected to see beat her to the punch.
"Angel," Faith said and pushed past the stiff vampire. "How many times do I have to tell you to cut the macho shit? We don't have time for it."
"Faith?" Buffy whispered in disbelief. Seeing her sister slayer in living color after two years temporarily numbed Buffy's emotions. Her hazel eyes took in Faith's petite form. From the look of things, she appeared no different. She held a little more weight around the face but her hair and wardrobe hadn't changed one bit.
"Hey, B," Faith said, finally turning to face the blonde. She purposely leaned against Angel, hoping to calm the anger radiating from him. She smiled at Buffy and tried to hide the nervousness infecting every part of her. "Long time no see."
"Not long enough," the blonde replied, noticing that her words were not nearly as harsh as she wanted them to be. "What are you doing here?" She inched towards Spike and discreetly brushed her knuckles across the back of his hand and was relieved when much of the tension drained from his body. The tension migrated to her, however, when she saw the murderous glint in Angel's eyes return and Faith's lopsided smirk. Okay, so she needed to work on being discreet.
"So this is the stud muffin from my dreams," Faith said, ignoring Buffy's question and her eyes perused Spike's lithe form. She pursed her lips, whistling silently before staring into cobalt jewels that shimmered with anger, fear, loathing and amusement. Not liking the other three in the least, Faith decided to play on the latter. "Much better in person."
Spike smirked at the small woman in front of him. There was something about her that called to him--a kindred spirit in the wild. He could see the animalistic will through her dark eyes and Spike couldn't help but take an instant liking to this woman.
"So I'm told, pet," he said and jumped when all the heat was sucked out of the room and was focused on the right side of his face. Stupid git, he cursed and turned to Buffy. Not to his surprise, the searing heat from her gaze pinned him into a corner and the vampire was thankful that a stake was nowhere to be found.
Buffy couldn't remember the last time she had been so furious at someone. The cavalier way that he and Faith were flirting had the slayer wanting to dust the vampire by her side and pummel that little sexy grin from the lips of the woman in front of her. A part of her knew that she was overreacting, that Spike would never do anything with any other woman but coupled with Faith past behavior towards her boyfriends and the slayer dreams of the past few days, the irrational side of Buffy refused to be talked down. When she turned back to the other slayer, Buffy's reveled in the return of the anger and dislike she still harbored towards the brunette.
"I will ask you one more time, Faith, and you have three seconds to answer." Her eyes briefly flickered to Angel's before settling back on the intended victim of her rage. "After that, I'm slamming the door in your face. What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" She punctuated every word with a small step forward until she and the other woman were nose to nose. She smiled inwardly when Faith's smirk disappeared and was replaced by an almost fearful scowl.
"B," Faith started and the reformed slayer felt her confidence waver. She opened her mouth to speak again but was stopped by a powerful hand grasping her shoulder gently before pushing her out of the way.
"Buffy," Angel said and stepped between the two slayers. "That's enough."
"I don't have time for this," the slayer spat and whirled around just as she felt a hand clasp her firmly around the wrist.
"Buffy," Angel pled, "just listen for a minute."
"I'd watch those hands if I were you, mate," Spike said, making himself known once again. He grabbed Buffy's forearm and deliberately pulled her arm out of Angel's grasp before fixing the elder vamp with a gaze that both slayers shivered at.
"We don't have time for this, Spike," Angel said and took a step forward. Spike pressed his hand against the bigger man's chest and held back the demon inside that cried for freedom.
"Don't take another step, mate."
Angel slapped the younger vampire's hand away. "Or what?" He glowered.
Spike flashed a deadly smirk before taking a step towards Angel as the two mimicked the slayer standoff from moments before. "Or you'll find out why I'm this town's original Big Bad."
Buffy and Faith traded looks of apprehension at the scene unfolding before them. It was no secret that the two vampires hated each other but the women had not fathomed the sheer depth of the animosity until now. If the vampires started brawling now, even two slayers would be hard pressed to break up the fight before it reached a dusty conclusion.
Buffy was the first to realize this and, catching Faith's eye, she nodded to the brunette. The latter took the hint and reached her hand up towards Angel before she was pushed aside by a third figure.
"For the love of God, you two!" Cordelia shouted as she bull-rushed her way between the two vampires. "Will you quit with the fucking pissing contest." Her eyes turned to Angel and the vampire had the intelligence to step back. "Mr. Caveman, Faith told you that you could stay home if you were going to act like such a moron."
"But he started it," Angel protested weakly.
"Of course he did," Cordelia said dryly. "He was the one that was shooting daggers at his ex because he caught her in the aftermath of a kissage fest behind the door with her new beau before putting his hands on her in front of said beau." She turned towards Spike and opened her mouth to speak but turned back to Angel instead. "Oh, I forgot; that was you." Angel had the grace to look sheepish and the other three fought to hide their grins as the former Prom Queen put the two hundred and fifty year old vampire in his place.
"As much as I'm lovin' this Cor," Faith interrupted, biting her lip to keep her grin at bay, "we do have things to discuss." She turned towards Buffy and sighed at the distrust in the other woman's eyes. "B, we need to talk."
Buffy folded her arms across her chest and eyed the brunette suspiciously. "So talk."
"Can we come in?"
"Buffy?" Giles called as he walked into the foyer. "Is there a problem?"
"You could say that," the slayer replied, never taking her eye off of Faith.
"What is the…Good lord," the watcher exclaimed. "Faith?"
"In the flesh," she said and threw a sad smile at the Brit.
"What's going on?" Giles demanded as he unhinged the cage holding Ripper into place, in case the latter was needed.
"That's what we're trying to find out, Rupes," Spike said and turned to Buffy. "Let 'em through, pet." At her astonished look, Spike laid his hands on her shoulders and fixed her with a wry smile. "You know that if I had my way, Peaches'd be stuck out there all night, preferably after getting a good old arse kickin' by yours truly before the sun finished the poofter off." He chuckled inside when his Sire bristled angrily. "But this Faith chit here is right, something is going down. You saw it. Bitlet saw it. And since she's like you two, then in all likelihood, she's seen it too. And as bad as it may be, havin' three slayers on the job's gonna tip the scales in our favor, wouldn't you say?"
As angry as Buffy was at everything that had happened in the past five minutes, she couldn't help but smile at the comforting voice of her lover. How does he do that? She wondered. No matter how bad things are, he can do this--make me feel so much better. Buffy raised her arms and covered his hands with hers before sliding them off her shoulders. She stared at him pointedly, giving him a tired smile before squeezing his hands firmly.
"I hate it when you're right," she muttered before dropping his hands and returning an icy gaze towards Faith. "Is he right? Did you see what's coming, too?" The other woman shivered and hugged herself tightly. The ice that was between them was melted as Buffy took in the now shaken woman. She saw it, all right. And if it shakes Faith, then it's bad. Buffy glanced over her shoulder past the stoic watcher and towards the living room. I just hope it's not as bad as what me or Bitlet saw.
"So," Cordelia said, tapping her foot, "are you gonna let us in already?" Buffy couldn't hold back the chuckle at Cordy's bluntness.
"I see some things don't change," she muttered to herself before stepping aside, pulling Spike with her. "Come one, come all." Cordelia smiled and pulled Buffy into a short but warm embrace before striding towards Giles. Angel followed her and didn't hesitate in giving his Childe a hostile glare before moving on into the living room. Buffy sighed in relief when Spike didn't rise to the bait and she turned her attention towards Faith.
Buffy read the discomfort in Faith's gait as she stepped over the threshold, her arms still wound tightly around her. She nodded towards the brunette and let Faith past, following her closely as Spike shut the door. She almost ran into Faith when the other slayer stopped, turned around and gave Buffy a confused look.
"Did he say "three slayers"?" Faith asked, nodding towards Spike.
Despite everything, Buffy found herself flashing a smile at the woman in front of her. Surprising herself with the gesture, Buffy patted Faith on the shoulder before escorting the brunette forward. "I see we have quite a bit to talk about."
TBC…
N.B. In case you're wondering, Xander will refer to his time away as three years even though he was gone in real time only a few months. Again, Chapter Three has the answers to that little question if you do not recall.
Next Chapter: Xander gets a lot more than he bargained for when he comes face to face with the demonic presence disturbing his senses. Buffy and the gang talk with the LA trio about things to come.