By David MycockWalking the Path 8/
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the vampire slayer or any other of the characters in this story they belong to Joss Whedon and whoever else created the characters used in this story. Any characters I created I own.
Pairing: Janna Kalderdash/Xander Harris
Summary: Set after the love spell episode. Xander begins to walk his own path after leaning of his true origins. This also has a twist from the love spell episode with Xander actually sleeping with Jenny during the spell and the reactions from the rest of the group.
Kendra looked out over the darkened streets of Sunnydale from the bedroom she had been set up in at Xander's mother's house, she wanted to be out patrolling but Xander and Mr Sabuto had agreed that they should rest for tonight and prepare for a very long day.
Mr Sabuto had prevailed over Xander and Janna to set up a meeting with Buffy and her group to try and get them to help them destroy Angelus and his kin, Kendra was hoping she would not have to face of against her sister slayer in a series fight to do her duty but she had an uneasy feeling that would be what she would have to do especially after Xander had told her how Buffy had been acting lately.
She could tell that Xander and Janna were not looking forward to the meeting due to the arguments that had happened during the other meetings, tensions were obviously running high in Sunnydale and Kendra was sure they would get worse.
Sam Sabuto sat writing in his watcher's diary about the new situation that had arisen and the choices they had made so far to deal with the problem. He was still disturbed by the events in Sunnydale and the actions of Rupert Giles and his Slayer Buffy Summers, Xander's report had been very detailed and it showed just how far the Sunnydale Slayer had fallen from the council's teachings.
But it was the appalling actions of her watcher that concerned him most; Rupert Giles had a very good reputation within the council and to hear he had walked away from it all just to please his slayer who it would seem he cared for more than was supposed to be allowed. He like most young watchers these days wanted the council to relax the laws against the Slayers but he did believe in keeping them under control as an out of control Slayer would be a living nightmare for the council to deal with.
He sighed as he sat back in his chair and wondered if he would be able to persuade Mr Giles to take his Slayer back in hand and force her to help Kendra destroy Angelus, if Xander and Miss Kalderdash were to believed he better not count on it.
Sarah Harris soon to be Sarah Lavelle again sat in her living room thinking over the sudden changes that had hit her life and couldn't help but be happy about them, her son was in love with a beautiful woman who also happened to be pregnant with his child which when born would make her a grandmother. The changes may also finally shed light on the fate of William Lavelle her first husband and the only man she had ever truly loved.
If Xander's father was still alive she hoped that one day in the future she would see him again and be able to talk about what had happened to them in the years they had been forced to separate. She wondered how Alex would handle meeting his true father for the first time, she guessed he would be nervous but would hide it well.
She looked across the livingroom and wondered how her son was coping with all the truths he had learned in the last two days, she knew he seemed to be handling it but how he was coping on the inside was another matter altogether. She hoped things would run alittle smoother for a while so Alex could come to grips with what he had learned.
Angelus stalked through the graveyard hoping to come up against Harris but so far he had no luck, he knew he had a slim chance of actually finding Harris out at night on his own but something told him that the kid had such a thing for saving people he might not be able to resist patroling.
He shook his head and growled in annoyance as he once again had to settle for just killing the few people foolish enough to be out that night, he wanted to gut harris for saving the gypsie witch and getting the better of him in their fight but so far he had not had any luck in bringing Harris into combat.
An idea suddenly struck him and he smirked evily as he considered who Harris would risk him life for even taking into account recent events which he had heard had happened, in the end he came to two choices the kid's mother or Rosenberg. He decided to hit both of them the next night and then send word to Harris what he had done knowing it would defiantly bring the kid out of his house. If luck was with him it may even bring him another shot at the gypsie.
Xander's eyes shot open as the nigthmare he had just had left him, he breathed in deeply and then exhaled and tried to forget the images his imagination had conjured up. He looked down to find Janna resting against him with a smile upon her face clearly asleep. He didn't know how he had gotten so lucky to have such a beatiful woman in love with him but he thanked whatever power was responsible, he slowly eased himself out from under Janna and made sure the blanket fully covered her before going to the toilet.
When he came back into the living room his eyes were drawned to the sword that rested on the wall, he walked over to it and pulled it from the scabbard. As soon as the sword was in his hand he again felt the influx of magic, it was if the magic was burrowing into him. It was powerful magic and according to Janna Ancient, and if the legend was true placed on the sword by Dracula himself.
His mind wondered to the mystery of Vlad Tepes who became Dracula due to the murder of his wife, he found himself angered by what the villagers had done and also very little sorrow on their eventutal fate at the hands of the greatest vampire to ever live. He also remembered what Janna had told him, Dracula was no demonic vampire but something else entirely and that scared him a little.
He let his eyes wondered over the blade until they rested on the runes in the centre of the blade, he concentratred on them wondering what they meant. Suddenly the runes began to glow a bright white entensly and then faded. He was puzzled for a second until he felt a slight pressure in the back of his mind, it felt like his mind was been probed for information. It lasted for a few minutes and then the pressure was gone leaving Xander with the belief someone had just read his man to determin who he was and what he wanted the sword for and it had also left him with the impression whoever had done it was actually pleased with what he had found.
He placed the sword back in it's scabbard and then went and laid back down next to Janna, he would tell her what had happened in the morning but something told him what had happened was not a bad thing.
Somewhere in England ontop of an old manor a tall figuer stood siluated against the raging storm that was taking place, he wore a long blood red coat, a black hat and his eyes were covered by organge tinted glasses. The being smiled as it withdrew from the mind of the bearer of his sword, he was the one the legends spoke of. He may not of step foot in his native land in a century but he knew all of the legends that his people had either created or formed since he had vanished.
Alucard as he was known at this time of his life wondered how long it would be until the young man came to find him, from his search of his mind he had discovered that he was involved in a fight with a dangerous demonic vampire and his followers and only when he had destroyed them would he turn his attention to the task of finding the undead king. It had been a century since anyone had thought of him as Dracula or Vlad Tepes bar his children. He knew the sword would now help the young man in his quest and the longer the sword was wielded the more power he would be able to draw from it, he would need traing in how to deal with that kind of ancient magic and so he decided when he held the blade again he would find the location of the young man and send his daughter Lilith to train him.
Out of his two children Lilith had more talent when it came to learning and using the ancient magics of their people, his son Adrian was more talented in hand to hand combat and weapons. He knew Sir Integra might become concerned about this development but there was nothing she could do to stop it, he had always known one day one of his people would come looking for him and it would seemed that time had come.
On the other plain of existence Cassandra watched her husband come to his decision and smiled, he was moving alittle faster than she had thought he would by sending her step daughter to train Alexander in the ancient arts but they were skills young Alexander would need in the future.
It was not often she watched her husband and the rest of their family as it caused her too much pain to be so far from them, as each was an immortal they would not join her on this plain for a very long time and that hurt even though she knew they were keeping the world safe from the evil's that were building to destroy them.
Alexander's quest would have far reaching effects in the war between light and dark, it would forge alliances that would be needed in the times to come bringing many defenders together in times of need and yet she knew there would always be a price for this to balance things out. She sighed as she switched the viewing well to Alexander to find him still fast sleep holding Janna tightly in his arms not knowing just how much his life was about to change.
"Be strong Alexander" she whispered softly into his mind "Your time is coming and you must stand true to your path and not falter" she added before turning and walking away watched by the tall man who usualy stood by the well who just gave her small nod to say he would allow this contact before he too walked away.
Back in Sunndale Xander woke for a few seconds as a woman's voice began to speak from the distant horison of his dream scape. His eyes opened for a second as confusion washed over him before he sighed and decided to work it out in the morning.