The Archer

Isaiah 13:22:

And the WILD Beasts of the Islands shall CRY in their desolate houses, and DRAGONS in their pleasant PALACES: and HER name is near to come, and HER days shall not be prolonged.

Xander felt something happen. He knew that something was going on in Sunnydale. He could feel its aura quiver…But what could make the Hellmouth become afraid? Then, he felt an instinct arise from within his soul. He wordlessly got up, grabbed his keys, then dashed out the door. The hospital was a small ways away, but he made it there within record time.

He arrived at the doors just as an ambulance was pulling in. He could feel a familiar aura, but there were too many people. Then, the ambulance doors opened, and he knew who it was.

"Faith," shouted Xander as he came up there.

"Do you know this woman," asked the paramedic.

"Yes," said Xander as he raced alongside them, "What happened?"

"She got hit by a car," said the paramedic, "We need to get her a transfusion, fast. What blood type does she have?"

"AB-, I'm certain."

"Does she have any family here?"

"None, just me and her friends. Listen, I have AB- blood. I'm more than willing to give some."

"Talk to Doctor Jennings, he can help you."

"Right. Which one is that?"

"The one with the lab coat that has 'Dr. Jennings' on it."

"Right. Where is he?"

"Right behind you, sir," said a voice behind him.

Xander turned to see a tall woman with black hair standing nearby. He rushed over to her.

"I need to have blood drawn for her."

"Are you a friend?"

"Yes."

"And you have the same blood type?"

"Yes, she told me so."

"Follow me, please."

"I need to make a phone call."

"There are payphones right next to the lab. Come on."

Xander hurriedly dialed in Giles's number.

"Hello," said a sleepy British man.

"Giles, it's Xander."

"Xander? What's wrong?"

"It's Faith. She's been in an accident. I need you and Buffy to get over here as fast as you can."

"Right. What about Oz and Willow?"

"Call Willow and I'll call Buffy."

"Right."

Xander hung up, put in two more quarters, then dialed in her number.

"Hello," asked a sleepy sounding Joyce.

"Joyce? This is Xander."

"What's the matter, Xander?"

"I need to speak with Buffy. It's Faith, she's injured."

"I'll go get her."

With that, he heard nothing for a while. Then, he heard a wide awake and alert Buffy.

"What's wrong, Xander," she asked.

"It's Faith, she's been in a car accident."

"Was anyone else hurt?"

"The driver got knocked up, but he's fine."

"Do you need anything before I come?"

"I'm giving my blood for her. She has my blood type. But, I need you here in case she needs some Slayer stuff."

"I think a regular blood transfusion should work fine. I needed one once after I became the Slayer. Didn't hurt me."

"Thanks, Buff. When can you get here?"

"Mom's got the car ready right now."

"Hit the road, Jack."

"But I'll come back. See you in a few. I hope she makes it."

"She will. Bye."

Xander hung up and wiped the sweat off of his face. Then, he walked into the lab and let the nurse do her job.

It was nearly five in the morning. Xander, Willow, and Buffy were sitting together, with Oz, Giles, and Joyce nearby. Oz was holding Willow's hand, as was Xander. Buffy was holding Giles's hand, along with Xander's. They were all silently praying that she would be alright. Then…

"Are you here with Faith," asked a doctor.

"Yes," said Xander as he stood up, "How is she, doctor?"

"She's alive," said the doctor, "A broken arm, along with some bruising on the ribcage. Very lucky. All in all, it was the blood loss that would have killed her…if it weren't for you, Mr. Harris. By the way, thank you for that donation of yours a while back."

"…No problem."

"Well, she'll be out of commission for a few weeks. Do you have a place where she can stay?"

"Yes," said both Xander and Buffy.

"…We'll work that out later," said the doctor, "The only thing otherwise that I can mention is that she died for about five minutes. Along with the blood loss, I believe that she may be in further danger. She's sleeping right now, and we have to consider the possibility of a coma. However, I am hopeful that she will wake up soon. I'd like to keep her here for a few days to keep a check on her."

"Whatever you need," said Xander.

"Well," said Xander a minute later, "This is good. We now have a possible comatose Slayer, along with a third one who was just activated."

"If the Council has her, then she should be fine," said Giles.

"I got to admit," said Buffy, "I was afraid he'd say she was dead."

"We all were, Buff," said Xander, "But, I'm more worried about whether or not she's going to wake up. The doctor seemed hopeful, plus she's a Slayer, so…But, it's the danger. It makes me worried."

"That's because you care, Xander," said Buffy, "We're all worried. And we'll all help her."

Xander smiled and gave his friend a hug. He wondered who the new Slayer was.

Cordelia sat in the jock's SUV that night, totally unaware of what had transpired. Of course she was. She wasn't their friend, she'd made that specifically clear. She looked out onto the night sky and forced herself to forget all those things that creep out there.

She felt the jock's hot breath upon her neck and forced herself to not think about Xander. She knew that she'd blown her chance with him when she'd refused to take him back. She wanted so much to take him back that day. It had confused her so much, but not half as much as it had aroused her. The air of mystery that Xander now had just electrocuted her systems once she thought about it.

She felt the jock's hand reach up around her waist. She pushed him off.

"What," asked…Kevin, she thought. Or maybe Nick.

"I don't want to," she said.

"Well, I do," said the jock.

She scoffed at him, but then shrieked out once she felt his hand reach below her waist. She felt him push her up against the car door, then felt him plunge his hands into her shirt, roughly groping her swelled chest. Cordelia had never been raped or molested, thankfully, had never known that fear. Now, she felt true fear.

Suddenly, she felt a wave of power flow through her body. She felt as though she would throw up, but then it subsided. She felt…rejuvenated. She felt as though she had just been given a special gift that no one else could receive. She felt empowered. She also felt the jock's hand reach into her pants. Shrieking, she launched a fist out to the boy…and he went sailing out of the car, taking the door with him.

A/N: Please review. I got two reviews for the last chapter. If you couldn't review due to schedule, I understand, but please review my previous chapter along with this one. Reviews keep every writer going, whether they be good or bad.