Title: The Sacrifices
Author: mispel
E-mail: PG-13
Summary: Xander has an encounter. Another discovery is made. The mysterious figure sees her plans endangered. The cult lies in wait.
Spoilers: Early season 7
Disclaimer: I own no one and nothing
Feedback: Any comments would be welcome
A/N: Takes place in early season 7, not long after Beneath You and Same Time, Same Place.
Previously: An old friend left something at the cemetery. Two demons fought. Anya watched Xander and Buffy. Buffy and Xander made a discovery.
Buffy tried to follow the dark patches of blood from the survivor of the demon death-match, but they disappeared after only a few yards. She and Xander moved back toward the center of the graveyard where the dead were organized in neat rows of graves decorated with vases of flowers and pretty statues. Buffy looked around for signs of anything demonic. Xander just looked around at the cemetery full of graves.
Following his gaze, Buffy looked at the graves too. She had her own somewhere in the woods - all torn up, the marker lying on its side. Next time maybe she would get a neat, little spot in the cemetery next to her Mom.
Buffy looked up to see Xander staring at her, looking a little worried. He did that sometimes. It made her feel like time had turned back, and it was last year, and she was newly resurrected, fragile, and a little stupid. She couldn't have that.
"I'm going to go scout around for our descaled friend with teeth," she told him. "You look tired. Maybe it's having a real job plus helping me slay, but you could use some beauty sleep," Buffy said sounding concerned.
Xander grabbed his chest as if he was wounded and staggered.
"Ouch, and I was a gentleman and didn't tell you how worn out and ragged you looked." Xander took a few steps back. Wise move.
"Shut up! I am beautiful and fresh as the morning dew," Buffy insisted resisting the urge to fuss with her hair. Maybe her clothes were a little messy, but otherwise...
"Yeah, dewy, if you are going to be like that, I'm leaving. I'll go somewhere where they appreciate my manly beauty," Xander announced as he walked backward.
"Prison?"
"I won't stand for this abuse!" Xander said overdramatically and left. Then he turned and gave her a goofy wave that made her smile.
Buffy felt guilty dragging him through cemeteries when he had to work a full day. Especially since he wasn't sitting behind the desk, shuffling papers, chatting with teens and calling it work. Not that she was complaining. It was the closest thing to a real job she could hope to have with her schedule. But Xander built things and used digit-endangering tools. She was proud of him and she wanted him to have everything she couldn't have, plus all his fingers. And it wasn't just for selfish reasons. She couldn't help feeling that she was taking up too much of his time and holding him back.
While Buffy had decided to stay and look for something else to kill, Xander was on his way home. He walked through the cemetery quickly, looking around trying not to jump at all the dark shapes that turned out to be shrubs.
He was passing a large monument when a shadow peeled itself away from its base and stepped forward as if fulfilling his fear. Xander raised a stake then put it away when he saw who it was.
"Trying to give me a heart attack? I guess that's one way to kill me," Xander said as he waited for his heart to stop beating like it was trying to kick its way out of his chest and run off somewhere safe.
"There are lots of ways," Anya said simply.
Xander didn't lose any sleep worrying that his very angry ex could rip him limb from limb with her bare hands if she chose to. Maybe it was all the other things he worried about, but somehow that just didn't make his top 10.
As Anya held him in her cool and steady gaze, Xander noticed that she looked beautiful but didn't say so. She wore a blue dress, or maybe purple. It was dark. The dress wasn't anything special - it was her. There was something about the way that moonlight played on her skin and shone out of her eyes. The eyes that told Xander not to bother complementing her.
She looked so human. Since he had found out Anya was a vengeance demon again, Xander had studied her whenever he saw her, looking for any traces of her demonness. There weren't any. Anya was more biting and angry than she had ever been. But that wasn't the demon.
As hard as it was, he liked seeing her. It was reassuring. Sure, she was a demon, but she wasn't dead. There's Anya. She's alive, hating him, doing horrible, vengeance things.
"Do you hear that?" Anya asked turning around.
Xander perked up his ears. He heard a slight noise that he couldn't identify. Focusing, he located the source in the nearby bushes only to have his hearing assaulted by a piercing scream. Anya covered her ears.
She fumed as she saw them. They would ruin everything. Buffy's friends were like busybody, old ladies - nothing better to do them poke around in her stuff. She had been waiting for them to get out of her way, trying to keep her bag of groceries quiet. But they had hardly even said a word. They were just staring at each other. Still that was better than what they were doing now.
Buffy followed the edge of the graveyard but saw no signs of the wounded demon. As she was ready to give up she noticed a familiar stirring under the dirt. A nice, fresh grave was about to open up and spew forth a creature of the night. Ooh, a consolation prize. Buffy crouched nearby waiting. The creature of the night, or Mathew, as he was known to the recently bereaved, poked his head out of the grave and looked around. Seeing Buffy, he looked disappointed.
"Where's Big Dog?" he asked and spit out some dirt.
"What big dog?" Buffy asked.
"This ... guy. He said he'd be here."
From the way Mathew hesitated, Buffy got the idea that maybe Mathew's guy was her vamp with upper body strength.
"By guy, do you mean a big vampire with strong arms?" she asked.
"I guess," Mathew said and he was about half way out of the grave. It wasn't a positive ID, but Buffy didn't care.
"He couldn't make it. Got stuck," Buffy said. She waited for the guy to pull himself out of the dirt, but he was taking his time.
"Ow, coffin splinters," the vampire complained and peered at the palm of his hand.
"You poor baby," Buffy said sympathetically.
"Big Dog told me he'd get me up to speed. Show me the ropes. Bring me something to eat," Mathew said as he eyed Buffy. Then he got himself most of the way out despite the debilitating splinter injury.
"I can help you out. It's sort of what I do," Buffy volunteered enthusiastically as she stood up.
"Did Big Dog send you?" he asked looking up at her like he was doubting her mentoring skills.
"Sure. And I'm going to teach you everything you need to know," Buffy promised. Mathew was out of his grave now. Dirt and bits of coffin were sticking to his clothes.
"Like, how to get dusted," Buffy said and she jabbed him with the stake she had been keeping out of sight. "There, you're a natural," she said as his dust scattered over his headstone.
Buffy stuck the stake back in her belt and stomped on the dirt the rising vamp had disturbed - for the sake of the family. No one liked to see their loved ones' graves messed up. The outskirts of the cemetery were quiet again, and Buffy decided to move on.
The underground chamber was cleansed. With only the sounds of shifting gravel and rocks to accompany their movements, they laid out the ceremonial things with reverence. When all the things were in place, they prostrated themselves on the ground that would be made holy by its presence. And they waited.
To be continued