Twice Lucky
Boca Del Inferno
Chapter 12: Interludes and examinations
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"Well, this is certainly interesting…" Giles was sitting in his living room with an amused smile. Xander, Faith, Willow and Harmony were present, as were Illyria and Diana. Harmony had yet to be keyed in on certain events, so they were keeping - for the moment - tight-lipped.
Harmony - to put it bluntly - looked, well, fucked; as did Faith and Willow. The three women were sitting around Xander.
Xander's snort was more than enough of an answer.
"Are you possessed?"
"Yes."
Giles nodded. "Is it going to be a threat to us?"
"No."
Giles nodded again. "What does it mean in a more-than-one-word answer, please?"
Xander grinned. "The Hyena's soul is a part of my soul. It's more of a symbiosis, rather than a hostile takeover. Think of it as a joining."
"What about side effects?"
"None."
"Other than making him incredibly horny," Faith countered with a sly grin. Giles winced.
Xander chuckled, "There is that… it gives me improved hand-to-eye coordination, speed and strength, as well as heightened senses."
"Fascinating…"
"I'm going to have to tell Buffy about it," said Giles, making Xander wince.
"I'd rather you didn't. At least, not yet," The youth replied.
"Why not?"
Xander sighed. "Because, A: I don't want a table wrapped around my head, and B: if we can keep attention focused on the Slayer while she's running about doing her 'I'm all important' thing, I can continue preparing. Besides, Angel's got that end covered for the moment."
Willow widened her eyes. "Is this to do with the stuff we're not to talk about at the moment?" Xander nodded. "Cool."
Willow had been keyed in to events about a month ago; Xander had no choice in the matter, for she'd walked into the lower levels and had found him looking over a rocket launcher. The discussion following had taken a long time, with her asking all sorts of questions and even getting some answers that she shouldn't have. But now she was a little bit wiser, so, hopefully, they would be able to avoid the Dark Willow Saga.
On Willow's end, this had explained a lot of things, especially about Xander and his general attitude toward life in Sunnydale. At least, with some of the knowledge he had passed on to her, she would be able to start creating weapons, and maybe even body armour, for them to use.
"When does Wesley get here?"
"Soon," Giles smiled. "This should be interesting."
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"The Order of Taraka failed, but it also succeeded." Luke looked confused as the Master spoke. The Master had been silent for many hours, contemplating the turn of events. "They were able to determine the Slayer's weaknesses, as well as that of her friends."
"My Master?"
Better not to assume; assumption was a sure-fire way of getting killed. The almost frail-looking creature nodded.
"The Slayer is strong, but has no cunning. She fights first and thinks later, preferring brawn to brains." The Master paused for a second. "But there is another here; I can feel it, in the background, making preparations. He, or she, is the true puppet master."
"It is true that, so far, they have stayed away from this area, as though they are aware."
"Of course they are," the Master snapped. "They know full well where I live; my house of worship."
Luke sighed.
"It is only a matter of time. We will need another distraction before the great alignment of planets; the Harvest is almost upon us and I can break free from my prison."
"Well, some nice digs you've got here, pops." The Master turned around with a sneer on his face. The bleach-blonde vampire stood with a big smile. "Looks like you needed me after all, mate."
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"So, what can you do?"
Xander was standing in the middle of the white room, with a large grin plastered on his face, looking like someone who had been handed a large bucket of every-flavour ice cream. He stood still, judged the distance and jumped in the air. Flipping, he landed squarely on his feet in a crouching tiger position.
"Amazing," Xander grinned at the Watcher and ran forward, slamming a fist into the punch bag. He hit it with enough force to swing the bag upwards, toward the ceiling.
"Bloody hell!"
Xander's grin got even wider.
"That makes me about as strong as the Slayer." Giles nodded in agreement.
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Buffy Summers was running. Not really for her life, but, just because she could. The vampire was right behind her, and as she came to a grinding halt, whipped around and slammed the stake into the vampire's heart.
It burst into flames.
"Stupid vampires, I mean, come on!" she grinned. "Like I wasn't faking it."
She tutted, stopped and narrowed her eyes. Something was watching her - had been for the last couple of nights - and now, she had a clear view of where it was.
She ran towards the bush, catching whatever it was off-guard and slammed into the being, a little bit taller than her. It wasn't Angel; the vampire normally made his presence known. No, this being, from what her senses told her, was human.
They flipped and twisted on the ground, with him ending on top of her. She grunted with exertion, trying to break free from the man's grip, but he held her down tightly. She was on her back, with her legs open spread-eagle. He was inbetween her, like they were a couple getting ready for… He ground himself into her and she felt his- Her eyes widened.
"Get off me."
He brought his face down to hers and sniffed once, then pushed himself onto her even more. She bucked her hips, only slightly, causing him to smile. He then slammed his head down onto hers, head-butting her, with enough force to make lights appear behind her eyes.
Suddenly, the weight was gone and she was able to move. Rolling over, she looked around. Whoever it was, was gone.
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Xander watched as she rolled up and took a fighting stance, watching the area as her head swivelling back and forth, looking for him. She didn't see him.
He remembered what had happened the last time.
'You like your men dangerous,' he had grinned down at her. 'Well, I'm about as dangerous as they come.'
She'd obviously guessed that he was gone and moved off without another word. Xander sat back on the tall tree branch and sighed, the strength in his feet was incredible; they'd allowed him to jump clear up to the tallest branch and bring himself to safety.
Sighing, he sniffed the air and listened. If she was there, he'd smell her; but she wasn't. Most likely, she was long gone.
He jumped off the branch and landed perfectly; and, with a casual stroll, made his way home. When he got there, Xander slipped in through a back window, went to his room and dumped his clothes before stepping into the shower and washing the day off.