By David MycockWalking the Path 18/
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.
As night began to fall Xander and the others began to gear up for the hunt ahead, Adrian had prepared as many weapons as they had in the mansion for the whole group. He had explained that not every gun in the world could take the special explosive rounds which dusted vampires, luckily the two nosferatu had plenty of ammo.
Xander had made some progress in his handling of the sword which he now carried in a long leather duster which Vlad had sent along with Lilith and Adrian which had a scabbard attached to its back, when he had put it on Janna had commented how good he looked in it which seemed to amuse his mother and Amy.
Janna too had began to learn how different the ancient magic of the Romany was to the magic which was used now, he seemed to have less trouble in learning the basics due to the fact that he had never been trained in any magic before which meant he did not have to relearn anything.
Jack Crow and his full team arrived a few minutes later and aside from some dark looks towards Lilith and Adrian they just grabbed some of the weapons on the table and prepared for the fight ahead, Jack and the padre looked far more series than they had during their meeting which made Xander feel better about their capabilities.
"Okay is everyone ready?" Mr Sabuto asked
There were nods from everyone in the room, the watcher noted that everyone in the room bar the two nosferatu had grabbed some stakes and some of team crow were armed with crossbows.
"The first group led by Xander and his crew will leave in a minute followed by the Hellsing members" Jack told his team "We will leave a minute or so later and keep them in sight, we will only engage once the scourge of Europe had entered the fight is that clear?" he added in a commanding voice
Team Crow responded by shouting at the top of their voices whilst they pumped their weapon arms in the air, Xander guessed it had something to do with team spirit
"Lets get it done" Xander told his group as he walked towards the door
'Indeed young one' Vlad's voice whispered inside his mind reminding Xander that the great nosferatu could now do that any time he liked
Alucard smiled in anticipation as he viewed events through the growing link he had managed to forge with Alexander, he was about to see just what the young man was really capable of. Seras was beside him viewing the events through her own link to Alucard to see why her master was so interested in the bearer of the sword.
Angelus walked at the head of a total of forty vampires along with Drusilla to his left and the newly healed Spike to his right, he was very confident that the numbers they had would easily overwhelm Harris and his group.
Spike had done nothing but boost about how he was single handled going to kill the African slayer making his total of slayer killings to three to rival Darla, Angelus was use to the blonds bragging but the mention of his sire had made Angelus wish he could actually kill his souled self for what he had done to Darla last year. He wished she had survived to be with him now after his rebirth.
Drusilla was for once clear headed as she sensed how dangerous things had become to her lover and sire, even though a part of her was focused on turning her kitten instead of killing him as Angelus wished.
Xander pulled his group to a stop as he sensed something was coming their way from ahead of him
"Quick behind the mausoleum, let's try and catch them by surprise" he told them moving towards the tall building to his right followed a few seconds later by the others
'Nice' Vlad commented through their link appreciating the tactic
"How many do you think he's managed to bring?" Mr Sabuto asked
"All of his following knowing dead boy" Xander replied "Janna I want you, mom and Amy to cast fire spells when they pass, but wait until you see their middle lines" he added to which the three women nodded
"Then what?" Kendra asked fighting her desire to attack head on
"I'm going for Angelus, Kendra you have either Spike or Drusilla your choice" Xander answered "Anyone else is fair game for the others" he said a second later as he pulled the sword from his back and closed his eyes as he whispered a quick prayer which amused Vlad
"Alex, are sure you can take Angelus?" Sarah asked her son
"He tried to kill not only the woman I love but our unborn child as well he's mine" Xander almost growled as he felt something deep within him shift inside his mind and suddenly he realised he had fully tapped into what was left of the hyena spirit
"There coming" Amy whispered as she prepared her flame spell
The others all prepared for the attack as Lilith and Adrian landed on top of the mausoleum with their hand cannons loaded, their father had already relayed Alexander's plan to them through their mind link to their father.
They both approved of his attack plan as it gave them the element of surprise, they looked over the cemetery and soon pin pointed the approaching vampires
Angelus noticed they were just passing the tall mausoleum Buffy and her group usually passed on patrol but there was no sign of the blond slayer or any of her friends not that he was surprised by this, since he had become his true self once more she had rarely patrolled anywhere she thought she might encounter him. This made him smile as he loved how his rebirth had messed with her head; it was why he loved to torture his victims like he had before he had turned Drusilla
Suddenly seven of the vampires in the middle of their group burst into flame before becoming nothing but dust, the rest of the vampires spread out looking around for the source of the attack as Angelus narrowed his eyes straining to hear anything when two bit booms echoed across the cemetery dusting two more of his followers
A second later Harris emerged from behind the mausoleum with a sword glowing with purple tendrils of magic in one hand and a handgun in the other which he pointed at the closest vampire next to him and fired before dropping the weapon and charging against him, he saw the vampire turn to dust before he braced himself for Harris's charge
He saw the rest of Harris's group charge out to join him including the African slayer who went straight for Drusilla, the two strangers who had helped them the night before also dropped into the fight from the top of the mausoleum with two large handguns and it took him only a second to see before Harris collided with him that the strangers were not human
Jack Crow and Father Adam trailed the kid and his group as they moved through the cemetery, their team followed as quietly as possible with their weapons ready for a surprise attack. He noticed the kid pull his group to a stop before they hid behind a rather tall mausoleum
"What are they doing?" the padre asked as he readied his weapon which he was now well use to using after his experience with Valik
"They are about to spring an ambush I think padre" Jack replied as he signalled his men to get ready "This kid is smarter than I gave him credit for" he added with a smile
They watched as a rather large group of vampires began to pass the mausoleum without a clue as what was about to happen, Jack smiled as seven of the vampires suddenly were turned to dust from the witches combined attack which just made Jack's attitude towards using them in his fight all the more fitting
He tensed as he watched as the kid finally charged out heading straight towards one of the leaders of the vampiric horde and he guessed than one was Angelus, he saw the slayer head towards the leading female vampire which he assumed was Drusilla which left the one known as Spike or William the Bloody to him
"Lets introduce ourselves" Jack said before he charged out straight for the blond headed vampire who was about to attack the slayer from behind
Buffy led her small group through the second of the cemetery's they had patrolled that night for any signs of Xander and Kendra, she was determined no matter what Mr Sabuto had threatened to stop them from killing Angel.
She was certain that if she stopped them from killing him they would eventually decide using the soul curse would be the best option and then she would have her boyfriend back. She looked behind her to see Giles and Willow discussing something whilst Oz and Cordelia brought up the rear looking slightly nervous about what they were trying to do.
She stopped as she caught the sounds of what could only be described as gun fire which didn't make sense to her as guns did not kill vampires and she couldn't see either Kendra or Mr Sabuto using them in a fight
"Giles?" she asked looking to her watcher noting he head heard the shots as well
"I'm not sure but maybe Xander decided to use some modern weapons to wound Angelus to give him an advantage" he advised
"Lets go check it out" Buffy said after a minute as she decided she couldn't take the chance not to look just encase Giles was right
The others looked between each other before shrugging their shoulders and following the blond slayer with increasing fear
Xander snarled as he was thrown back from Angelus once more this time with a cut down his arm but he ignored the pain as he continued to circle the insane vampire
"You're a fool Harris coming out to find me again" Angelus taunted him
Before Xander could reply team Crow charged out of hiding and straight into the fight with Jack heading straight for Spike, Xander smiled as Angelus looked on in outrage as he plan began to fall apart
"As I said before dead boy a bit over confident aren't you" Xander finally spoke as he echoed what he had said when they had faced of in the school before he attacked again swinging the sword at first to the right but as Angelus went to defend himself from the attack he turned the swing to the left catching him in the side and drawing blood whilst Angelus growled in pain
Kendra shook her head ignoring the pain from the cut on her forehead as she continued to face off against the dark haired vampiress
"Come on love look at me" Drusilla said in a whisper trying to make the African slayer look her in the eyes so she could try and bring her hypnotic powers to the fore however the slayer just charged again
Kendra knew better than to look the vampire in the eyes as Mr Sabuto had warned her twice before they had come out to patrol that Drusilla had very powerful hypnotic powers and if she fell under her sway she would end up dead very quickly unless she could snap herself out of it pretty fast
She launched a powerful combination of fists which Drusilla blocked before she spun into a side kick catching the vampire by surprise and knocking her of balance, she followed the attack up with an upper hand drive straight into the vampire's throat which sent her to the ground with wide eyes
Jack Crow almost smiled at the over confidence of Spike as he tried to land a blow, after fighting a vampire of Valik's strength this one appeared almost easy.
Valik had been one of the strongest and fastest vampires he had ever come across and the fight had almost cost him his life like it had cost the lives of his original team, but he had survived thanks to the padre and his lost friend.
He punched Spike in the nose and smirked as he heard the sound of broken bones before he shot his leg out and caught the vampire in the gut causing him to double over, he took a minute to look around and noticed two of his men were dead causing him to frown before he took stock of the fact that almost half of the vampires had been dusted especially by the skill of the two nosferatu. He also noticed three more of his men seemed badly injured and was been covered by two others but it seemed the attack was going well so far, Spike's fist to his chest brought him back to his own fight and he quickly side stepped another powerful lunge before he pulled a stake from his belt and shoved it into the vampire's chest causing his eyes to widen in shock
"Crap" was all Spike could say as he tried to turn to cry for Drusilla before he turned to dust
"Trash" Jack spat before he quickly headed towards the padre who was just holding of a rather large vampire who had knocked him to the ground
Lilith and Adrian dispatched vampire after vampire with quick ease as they made sure to keep Janna Sarah and Amy in their sights, they had given their word to keep them safe during the attack and they knew they had to keep it if they were to ensure Alexander kept to the right path.
Kendra cried out as she hit the ground holding her broken arm as softly as she could, the attack from Drusilla had caught her off guard as she had believed she had the upper hand in the fight, she should of known better she had allowed herself to grow too confident
"Time to time deary" she heard Drusilla whisper as she was pulled to her feet and her eyes finally met those of the vampire
As soon as they did her arms went slack as she fell into a hypnotic spell, her eyes went wide as they stared into those of the vampire who just smiled at her ready to avenge the death of her childe who she had felt die moments ago
She moved her left arm around the slayer's neck keeping her standing whilst she raised her right hand ready to sweep it across the girl's throat slitting it with her nails in an instant which would leave her to die slowly
Before the could bring her right arm down in the killing arc her eyes widened as she felt something rip straight through her chest but before she could analyse it she turned to dust leaving Kendra to fall to her knee's in pain as she came out of the trance
"Kendra?" Mr Sabuto's broke through the pain making her focus on her watcher
"Thank you" she whispered "My arm is broken" she added a second later as she cradled it once more
"It's okay we've almost finished it" Mr Sabuto told her as he picked up the gun he had dropped as he had attacked Drusilla with his last stake, he checked how many rounds he had left and cursed as he noticed his was down to half a clip
Xander pulled himself back to his feet trying to ignore the pain from his side where Angelus claw had caught him; he raised the sword into a defensive hold as Angelus circled him
'Wait for him to attack young one and do not over balance on your swing as you have done so far' Vlad advised him through the link
'Thanks' he replied mentally as he readied himself just as he noticed Buffy and her group come into sight making him groan in annoyance
'Ignore them they are of no importance right now' Vlad told him as Angelus once more attacked
Xander just managed to side step the attack using the left over traits of the hyena to boost his speed before he brought his sword up making sure to keep eye contact with Buffy as she tried to run towards them intent on stopping him before bringing his sword down with a powerful swing which cut straight into Angelus who was just turning back towards him from his own over balanced attack
The sword boosted by the magic within it cut deep into Angelus's neck stopping about mid way as Buffy's cry of anguish finally reached him
"I told you at the hospital you would die and I would be there to see it" Xander told the shocked vampire who was coughing up blood
Xander concentrated on the runes of the sword trying to forge a link to the magic it held, suddenly the sword became engulfed in flame which quickly turned Angelus into ball of flame before turning to dust, he turned as he saw Buffy come close to him before she stopped as she witnessed the death of Angelus taking with him any chance of saving Angel. Giles and the others came up behind her as the last the vampires who had followed them fled in fear at seeing all three remaining members of the scourge of Europe die
"How could you?" Buffy asked through her tears
"Someone had to" Xander replied coldly as he walked away to where the others were gathering
He walked straight to where Janna was standing looking at him in concern as she saw he was injured, he pulled her into a tight hug before pulling back and kissing her deeply which she gladly returned much to the amusement of the others bar Buffy and her group who looked on darkly especially Buffy herself and Giles
"How did we do Jack?" Xander asked as he ended the kiss
"Not bad kid" Jack replied "I lost five of my team but still we just wiped out almost forty vamps and the left over members of the scourge of Europe so I'd say it was worth it" Jack replied as he watched the padre begin last rights for those of the team who had fallen before they made sure they wouldn't turn
'Well done young one, you show much promise for the future' Vlad's voice echoed inside his mind before he felt his presence vanish
"Kendra you okay?" Xander asked as he noticed the African slayer holding her left arm
"Thanks to Mr Sabuto I am" Kendra replied as lent against her watcher who just smiled "I just have a broken arm and some cuts and bruises" she added
"Let's get back to the mansion so we could see to the injured" Lilith spoke up as she looked around the surrounding area
"What do we do about them?" Adrian asked pointing to where Buffy and her group still stood as he noticed Jack Crow and two of men chop the heads off the dead members of his crew before burning their bodies as the Vatican demanded they do to stop them turning
"Bring them with us so we can have a rather long discussion and make sure they understand they are in a lot of trouble as it is clear Miss Summers ignored my warning not to interfere in our hunt" Mr Sabuto answered
"Plus I want a word with them as well" Jack growled out as he walked back over to them
"Then lets move it, I think we could do with a sit down" Xander said as he leaned against Janna whilst Sarah and Amy used some ripped fabric to try and stem the bleeding in his side
Cassandra looked on in joy as Alexander and his group defeated the scourge of Europe and his followers passing his first major test safely and with few causalities, she noticed Tanith frown as he watched the battle and them smiled as she watched the power's that be's own champion just fall apart and start crying as she witnessed the death of Angelus
"Excellent" the tall man said with a rather large smile "Now do you see why we put such faith in them?" he asked Tanith
"That was only one test my lord they have a long way to go before they prove themselves to us" Tanith replied before walking away and vanishing
"Prideful fool" Cassandra hissed in anger
"Perhaps but there is always room to learn that not everything is as you see it at first" the tall man told her "I hope you enjoy your talk to Alexander tonight" he added before he too vanished leaving Cassandra to smile in anticipation of finally been able to talk to Alexander when he went to sleep
Alucard and Seras stood in Sir Integra's study as they reported what had happened during Alexander's and his group's fight
"They wiped out not only the scourge of Europe but nearly forty vampires?" Sir Integra's asked seeking clafacation
"That is correct master" Alucard answered
"Seras what did you think?" Sir Integra's decided to get someone else's view
"He shows get promise Sir Integra" Seras replied with a smile "He was injured and he still has much to learn about fighting but I believe he will live to learn it and be a great ally to us" she added
"Very well" Sir Integra said as she stood and walked over to the window "Send word to Lilith and Adrian to ask him to join us" ordered
"With respect master I do not believe that is the best cause of action at this time" Alucard told her
"Why not?" Sir Integra asked with a frown
"Alexander wishes to begin to build a new alliance between the different organisations around the world who fight the darkness and I believe the best thing he has of his side in his endevar is that he belongs to none of the organisations he wished to unite" Alucard advised her
"I see" Sir Integra said thoughtfully "Very well we shall hold off the invitation for now but if he fails to build an alliance then we shall offer him a chance to join us" she added
"I think that will work master as I cannot see him working for the watcher's council due to how they think and the Vatican council are too strict in how they fight the darkness and are against using witches" Alucard informed her
"And seen as his lover, his mother and his friend are all witches that would be a huge problem if they tried to get Alexander to join them" Seras added with a smile as she followed her master's train of thought
"Indeed" Alucard said with smirk
"Then for now we shall wait and see how things progress dismiss" Sir Integra ordered
The two nosferatu both bowed and exited her study leaving Sir Integra with her thoughts as she sat back down and began to write a report.