AN: Big thanks to WhiteWolf, you help so much.
Chapter 13
When had Xander's life become about blood? Was it when he would hold a bloody nose from dripping on the carpet as a child? Was it with the arrival of Buffy and the revelation of the blood drinking creatures of the night? Was it the look in a vampire's eye as they wounded you in a fight? The smell and sounds the hungry creatures made as they fought towards the soft flesh of the neck?
Or was his introduction to blood an earlier affair? Was it when Charlie had 'died' in the arms of his mother, swaddled in a blood soaked towel? Or was it a much more recent event, hearing the gun shot and finding his 'father' cradling the shattered head of Anthony Harris as his blood drained from him body and pooled underneath the man's dead body, soaking into Xander's pants and shoes and covering his arms in the sickly rich coppery fluid?
It was always there, coursing through his veins and pounding in his ears as he fought demons, the sweet tangy taste in his mouth as he sucked a splinter loose from flesh. Splattered on his clothes from battles, different colours, different textures but always the same, blood.
There is a fine sheen of sweat on Xander's face as he draws the stake back and plunges it into the chest of the fallen vampire with so much force it splinters on the asphalt surface of the alley way as the vampire dusts. The girl he has rescued is standing against the dirty brick wall with the remnants of her dress clutched to her and as Xander looks up, she runs out of the mouth of the alleyway screaming.
Xander doesn't blame her, he knows what he looks like today, having caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of a window downtown earlier. He hasn't used a razor in a week and the hair on his face has grown into a thick stubble, his hair is dirty and unkempt and the black Singlet he's been wearing for the past couple of days has a slash across the back and reveals the dirt encrusted on his arms from a week of not showering. He looks and smells like one of the cities homeless, the desperate that flock to the warm Western coast because at least they know that they won't freeze to death. Unfortunately though, they bring with them the demons and vermin that prey upon the at risk and disadvantaged.
San Diego and Xander has been here five days, opening a door in his psyche to a Soldier and a Hyena and he's allowed them to stalk the streets, killing and hunting and tracking Peter Phillips.
Peter had hidden himself well and once again if it hadn't been for the magically enhanced hacking skills of Willow he would have remained hidden. Willow who had tapped away at her computer well into the night, as Xander sat on her bedroom floor, blood crusted on his pants, staring at a wall in a daze.
Peter has a new name now and a family, a wife and two small boys and Xander's quest has already taken it's first victim and he is unsure if it will take another.
Xander rubs one hand along his jaw feeling for the first time in a week soft smooth skin, after killing the vampire last night he shaved, showered and dressed neatly. It was time to go and meet Peter and he wanted to make a good impression.
It's school time when Xander finally goes to the house the family lives in and as he knocks on the door the small neighbourhood is quiet.
The door opens and Peter Phillips looks at Xander suspiciously,
" Peter Phillips?"
" Never heard of him," the man states moving to slam the door shut.
" Peter Phillips, Lieutenant Colonel United States Air Force. Ten years ago you kidnapped a little boy. " Xander continues jamming a steel capped boot into the door frame.
" I told you I never heard of any Peter, " the man states again rattled.
" I'm Charlie O'Neill," the pressure forcing the door shut stops, " heard of Peter Phillips now?" Xander asks and Peter stares at Xander for a good moment before he nods and shuffles back allowing the door to swing open.
Xander steps into the house and Peter swings the front door shut and the click of the safety being taken off a gun echoes in the hallway and Xander turns. Peter has the gun aimed at his head. The gun is being held very steady and the man holding it looks pissed.
" Who are you?" Peter demands
" I told you I'm Charlie O'Neill," Xander replies calmly and Peter shakes his head,
" Charlie O'Neill doesn't exist anymore, he's dead," Peter tells Xander,
" I know, you turned him into Alexander Harris. You want to see some I.D?"
Peter waits a second then nods and Xander makes a slow move towards his pants with his right hand not wanting to startle the man.
" I'm just going for my wallet," he tells Peter as he inches his right hand around to the back of his jeans and pulls a battered leather wallet from his pocket and tosses it to Peter.
The wallet doesn't make the distance and Peter has to take his eyes off Xander to catch it and as he does so, Xander steps forward and grabs Peter's gun hand by the wrist with one hand and the top of the gun with the other and twists back on it's sharply forcing the gun from Peter's grip. Now Xander has the gun and Peter has the wallet.
" These things give me the willies, you understand?" Xander explains as he pulls the gun apart, ejecting the clip, emptying the round in the chamber and removing the barrel and slipping the separate components into his jacket pockets.
Peter is staring at him angrily and Xander points to the wallet,
" I'm still Alex, go on check."
Peter flips the wallet open his gaze on Xander and he glances down at the driving license and the flips it shut and throws it at Xander, The wallet hits Xander in the chest and he catches it with his left hand keeping an eye on Peter and returns it to his pocket.
" What the hell do you want?" Peter demands and Xander raises an eyebrow,
" What the hell do you think I want? I want to know who they were and where I can find them." Xander says and Peter shakes his head,
" They'll kill me. They'll kill, "
Xander cuts him off,
" Yeah, Yeah I heard that already and I'm ready to hear who they actually are." Xander says calmly,
" Leave it alone, What can you do anyway?" Peter demands
" What can I do?" Xander paused for effect " I can hunt them down, like I found you, and I can make them hurt, like I'll do to you if you don't tell me who they are." Xander growls staring at Peter with cold piercing brown eyes.
Peter stares at Xander until he is forced to break the boys intense gaze,
" Does Jack know?" He finally asks and Xander nods,
" He does, What you'd rather a visit from 'Dad'?" Xander bluffed,
" Jesus! No!" Peter exclaims a hint of fear in his voice for the first time,
" You tell me what I need to know and Jack will never know your role. How you stole his only son, that secret will stay just between the two of us." Xander bargains,
" Yeah, You, me and Tom." Peter says, " and I guess we all know Tom can't keep a secret."
" Tom's dead, so it's just you and me." Xander says coldly and Peter's head snaps up in surprise,
" What? How?"
" Self inflicted gun shot wound to the head," Xander tells him and Peter stares at him, " no, it wasn't me. I guess Tom couldn't live with what he'd done anymore, so he told me your name and blew his brains out." For a moment Xander can picture the blood, everywhere but he forces the image down.
" I have a family, I have more to lose now, I can't tell you." Peter stresses and then in a panic he moves to the window, " Were you followed?" He demands peeking through the blinds.
" Peter, I need to know!" Xander yells suddenly and Peter turns, " Don't you get it, you stole my life and I need to know why?"
The two men stand in silence facing off across the room,
" You'll go?"
" You'll never hear from me or see me again, and you have my word it'll never get back to you." Xander promises.
There is silence for a moment and finally Peter says,
" They're called the trust. That's all I can tell you, now please. Leave."
" The Trust?" Xander asks not recognising the organisation, " Who are they?" but Peter stood silently by the window, his breath coming in short shallow gasps. The man was obviously scared.
For a moment Xander can see the blood that will spill from Peter if this Trust ever find out what he revealed, and as he thinks he can almost smell the copper he turns and leaves. His hands disappear into his pockets and close around the edges of the gun and he smiles as he thinks.
Look out Trust here I come.
AN: Read and then Review and in this review let me know if you like where I'm taking this and what I'm doing to the characters etc.