So basically my life is super busy, and I have... no excuse. I write when I have time... but there's a lot of things I want to do when I have time, and generally I only write this story when I'm hyped on Grimm. So... here's another chapter. I'll try to remember posting the next one in a few days (it's already written). Reviews remind me. :)
Chapter 2
Alone Against the Tide
Three Years Ago
He swings, the axe in his hands slicing through the air with such speed that it doesn't even slow down on hitting the Weisenguard. One down.
A jump and he's in the air, an aimed shot at his feet missing- it ends in a kick, and the second stunned Weisenguard is spinning backwards. His hands to his face, blood oozing from a very obviously broken jaw and nose. It gurgles something before reaching back and grabbing at a... Fuck! A pain filled moan before falling forward- a very sudden and obvious portrusion jutting out from his chest.
A sword.
It's pulled back up and out of the still twitching body without comment.
"Thanks," his words are muffled by the sound of movement- there are still two Wesen to go, each of them intent on bringing down a Grimm of their own.
"Only cheaters use guns," the young man whispered his own words; he certainly wasn't smiling. Anything else he might have said was stopped for the moment; he spun back to block a punch headed his own way, gripping the hand of such a larger opponent.
Nick dropped, kicking out the creatures legs as Xander kept him upright and aimed his own attack at the head.
Three down.
One left. One that looked decidedly less likely to win.
"Where's the Blutbod?" Nicks voice was quiet. Simple. He was a police officer first, after all.
"Dead." The Weisenguard didn't look sorry about it either. Nick ground his teeth at the thought... it was probably a lie. It had to be a lie.
And while Nick may have been a cop first, the boy certainly wasn't. The kid ran forward, ungraceful but driven- and a moment later the Weisenguard was down. The hilt of his sword the only visible thing left of the large weapon.
Finally the boy turned to him, his shirt soaked in blood, bits of body in his hair- and he grinned. Red stained teeth looking demonic- an almost black wafting cloud that seemed to drift away from his skin like an inner gruesome glow. "Haven't done that in a while... gotta say, having backup again? That's nice."
"You're a Grimm."
The grin became slightly more maniacal. The dark in his eyes pooling into a void. A green glint to them. "So are you, Nick."
"Nick."
"But-"
"Nick."
"I-"
"Nick! Time to wake up!"
Nick rolled over, the soft light of their bedroom making the room look almost hazy. "You can't be late- not today!"
He blinked once. Twice.
She was beautiful, this new girlfriend of his. Short red hair and a long, lean body. Pale, but always smiling. Smart as a whip and twice as fast. Long fingers and a voice that seemed to trail.
Everything was going so... perfect.
And then there was his job. Today was the day he'd find out if the captain was going to push him into homicides. A great promotion with an even greater pay-cheque. But with Juliette standing above him, still dripping wet from his shower and wrapped in a towel...
Five minutes more with his girlfriend certainly wasn't going to kill him- and it would probably put these weird dreams out of his head too.
* BTVS GRIMM BTVS GRIMM BTVS GRIMM *
There wasn't much to English class, Xander took the school steps with a skip, his last test having proved that he was at least competent enough to escape high school. Turn a phrase, sneak a glance at Cordelia's worksheets, take a nap, and just like that- done. Free and clear with the world at his fingertips- and his feet.
The skateboard under Xander's arm didn't see much action this year; it was more of a Jesse thing, and Xander had always been more concerned for his skills falling behind his friend, rather than an actual urge to fly down the sidewalk at unnecessary speeds. But today was his day off, all things concerned. Willow had an Oz thing, and Buffy had a dad thing- which meant he had to find a way to entertain himself. Normally he'd do the G-Man thing, but Snyder was all up in arms about kids being in the school after hours for no reason as of late. And like hell he'd find Wesley. That guy screamed uptight in an insane kinda way.
So, skateboarding. Maybe a trip to the ice cream stand later. Maybe bug Cordelia after that. Probably Bronze it up some.
The active sounds of school faded into nothing as Xander skateboarded through the suburban wastelands that used to be his life. The little church that he knew Jesse's parents still visited every weekend, and the video game rental place that now stood empty and had property for rent signs across the windows... A guy mowing his lawn with what looked like the most relaxed pace Xander had ever seen. It was quiet. It was nice. A pawn shop that he didn't remember existing, on a corner that once had a gas station.
Dank and dusty windows. A toy train that seemed to have seen better days. An wizened old man watering the flowers at the door, who smiled at him- stared a bit longer than was necessary, and turned to go back inside.
There were no graveyards around here. Part of the reason he so rarely saw this side of town anymore. Old houses and tall trees... it was nice. Normal. Except-
The shadow came out of nowhere. The pain exploding from his head, and Xander was on the ground with his skateboard clattering away. A practised roll and he was on his back, shaky and confused but up. A few feet away from where he had been- a few feet away from where a sword was now being pulled out of the ground. Oh, shit.
Sweep the leg, and even though the demon didn't outright fall over, it stumbled and Xander was on his feet again- a stitched up and very angry looking monster already starting a head-butt kind of run. It looked pissed. Xander expected that he in turn probably just looked scared.
Claws and hands; a little part of his brain must have been listening to Giles at some point because he was dodging with the best of 'em. Not doing any damage, buy not dead yet. Skid to the left, duck to the ground and try for another failed leg sweep. He's on the ground again so he rolls- this time directly under the most insane monster he'd ever had the displeasure of dealing with who's bringing down the sword to where he just was a moment ago...
And kick with all his might, straight up- straight between the legs. Hope that the demon has some human like anatomy.
The demon falls to the ground, and his face does a weird shifty thing where for a moment he looks human before going back to his scaly grossness. Xander doesn't stick around though, already running for his life back to the safety of the high school. Screw Snyder- He doesn't look back.
* BTVS GRIMM BTVS GRIMM BTVS GRIMM *
"Giles!" His voice may have been a bit screechy, but hey- one could allow for some screech after a life and death situation. And where the fuck was the G-Man when you needed him? "G-Man?!"
A pair of glassed eyes came around the stacks, Giles, holding some seriously old looking books and an overly interested look on his face. A look generally reserved for demons- or Angel. Not usually directed at his lovely self. "Oh man, Giles, you would not believe my day!"
"Xander," his voice was warmer than usual- even if the man was as much a paternal figure as Xander had ever had, Giles didn't usually sound like that unless he wanted something. "Just who I was hoping to see."
"Yeah, you and every other demon in Sunnyhell," the library was the safest place Xander knew- even if it was sitting on the mouth of hell. "The demon from last night? He came after me! Just me! Middle of the day and everything!"
An owl-ish blink was the slow response. "...Just now?"
He was panting, Xander realizing with a huff- he'd ran the full length of the trip back to school without stopping, and now his lungs were catching up. Maybe he had, actually. "Like... ten minutes ago? I was maybe ten blocks away, pretty much doing nothing, right? And I don't know if it popped out from behind a tree or a car or what but he was all over me. Totally trying to sish-ka-bob me with his big 'ol claws- and a freakin sword."
"And how did you handle it?" Giles was putting down his books looking way more interested in Xanders slaying style than he usually was. "You are alright, I assume?"
"Mostly, I guess. I got lucky, honestly. Got a groin kick in and ran for it."
Both men gave a moments pause to the thought; pained expressions flashing by their faces. "Smart of you," Giles nodded, opening one of the books he had put down in order to leaf through it. "Grimm Reapers aren't you're normal level of demon. In fact, they're not even... well, that's for later. They're very dangerous, Xander, and until this one is taken care of, I don't want you running about on your own. Not while one seems to have it out for you."
"...Okay," Xander frowned. "Which is fine because, well, holy shit much? But if I knew what a Grimm Reaper was, that would have probably made more sense."
"Sit down, Xander."
Xander sat. His body was grateful for the moment. Giles looked particularly serious. "I'm going to ask you some questions, and they may seem... a tad odd."
"...Alright."
"When you and Buffy fight a Vampire, what exactly do you see?"
...Oh. Oh shit. He hadn't been that obvious, had he? "Um... depends on what kind of shirt she's wearing honestly. And sometimes her skirt kind of- but I mean, that's not what I'm looking for, it's just- well, you've seen her G-Man! If she's upset or something-"
Giles eyes grew wide and he took a moment to clean his glasses. Gave a polite cough. "No, that's quite alright. I know that she- I mean... when you see a Vampire. Describe what a Vampire looks like to you."
"Okay, so, yeah... kind of odd. For a question."
"Please."
"Before or after they vamp out?"
"Before, during, after. Any part of it."
Xander blinked a few times, shuffling in his chair uncomfortably. Feeling as though he were being tested against somebody much smarter and wittier than he was. "You're kidding. You've seen Vampires. Like... a lot. Your entire career."
"I have reason to believe that you may see more then I do."
Xander blinked once. Twice. Confused. "I don't know what that means."
"What do you see, Xander?"
"Umm... okay. So, when they're human they look, you know, human. Kinda paleish usually. Like, needing a tan but not super unhealthy. Then their face kinda ripples when they vamp out and their eyes change colour. And then you see all the ridges and the teeth and everything."
"Explain what you mean by ridges. You mean over the top lip where the fangs come out?"
"Well, yeah, but everywhere, right? Like, on their forehead and the cheeks and everything. And their eyes kind of sink in. Not a lot. And all their other teeth get kinda pointy, but it's not like their two main teeth... just kinda like they had 'em filed to be freaky."
"Really," Giles looked thoughtful. Questioning and kinda weird, "...Anything else?"
"I don't know... some Vampires hair gets more spikey after they vamp out. Angel's definitely does. I don't get why you're asking, though. Like a pissed off cat, I guess. I think. I mean, I've only ever seen my neighbours cat do it once... Is this some sort of test?" Xander was suddenly concerned. "Am I being tested right now? Am I the colour blind member of the group for Vampires or something?"
Giles took a step forward before stopping and moving back. "No wonder you hate the concept of Buffy with Angel so much," Giles coughed quietly, Giving his glasses a quick second rub, he sat at the desk across from the younger boy. "Xander... when I see a Vampire, I don't see what you do. Willow and even Buffy doesn't see what you do. It's the reason why so many people are willing to forgo the truth for... gang members on PCP or some such nonsense. I see a human with fangs. I see glowing eyes on particularly strong Vampires... I get a very strong feeling of imminent danger, but that's it. When most people see a Vampire, they see a human with fangs. They feel threatened. That's why it's so important that a Slayer hones her abilities to sense a Vampire in hiding."
"Except... that's not what they look like. They're pretty obvious."
"To you." Giles frowned at the confusion on the younger boys face. "There are people who see more than others, Xander. I believe you may be one of them. That you are a descendant of the brothers Grimm."
A sense of relief then- if Giles was in explanation mode then he was allowed to be an idiot. It was time honoured tradition. "That there, Giles? That was where you lost me."
"The demon that came after you today... I don't think it was actually a demon. But what would you say it looked like?"
"Horny. Scaley. Humanoid, but really demony. Angry."
"Buffy said it looked human."
"...Umm... okay. Except it didn't."
"It didn't to you," Giles took his glasses off for a quick polish. "Xander... I think that as a descendant of a family called Grimm, you have an ability that most people don't. The ability to see, truly see, what somebody looks like. Underneath glamours or spells or whatnot. Natural ones that have evolved over eons. I believe this because the demon that came after you is what is called a Grimm Reaper. They search out Grimms and fight them. Try to take them out early."
"And this dude was trying to take out me."
"Yes. Exactly. That, combined with the fact that you apparently see demons much more for what they are then even a slayer can... it suggests heritage."
"That's... terrifying at best. Kinda still sticking on the part where I see more than other people but... what does this mean for me?"
"It might be best to keep this information quiet for now... but how would you like to train with Buffy and I from now on?"
Neither of them noticed the two figures standing in the library stacks. A well built girl and a thin man. The girl had her head cocked to one side, the man simply looked stern and off put. Their words were whispered. His arms crossed against his chest in a protective pose. Hers hanging limply at her sides, belaying the lacking interest on her face. "I rather wish they would at least try to keep me in the loop."
"Hey man," She was pretending to pay more attention to her nails now, rather than the conversation going on so near to them. "You're the intruder- you know? Can't blame 'em for not wanting you around. Messin' up the system, Wes. Like a boss."
"...Is that how you consider yourself, Faith?"
"Do I consider myself to be... a shit disturber?"
"I would never use those words, exactly."
She grinned then, looking almost feral with the blood red lipstick against her pale skin and dark hair. "What can I say. I like being a disturbance."
"I don't doubt that," Wesley's voice held an undercurrent of something that Faith was entirely sure she didn't like- but he never turned towards her. Never spared her a glance for the thought. "Might I suggest..."
"Yeah?"
"Grimms are... very interesting. I'll go over the information I know with you later, if you like. But as it stands, they're not likely to tell us anymore than they have to. Not because they're making a deliberate attempt to exclude us, I hope, but because they're so used to keeping to their own."
"You're too trusting, then."
"Whatever you may believe," he sounded more sure of himself now. "The point is, I don't want to come out of this... whatever it is by trailing around Mister Giles like a puppy asking for treats. That is to say, answers. Do you understand?"
"Fake it till we make it?"
"Again, I wouldn't use those words."
"But that's what you mean. Figure it out for ourselves and pretend like we knew all along?" Faith was pissed now- angry and ready for a fight. "Buffy 'ill tell me what's the what."
"You hope. Too trusting even?"
Faith snorted, one hand on her hip. "Me? Never. But I'm in. If Buffy won't say, anyway."