Chapter 5

Tree Hill, North Carolina
18 August 1999 – 19:10 EDT

"You are kidding, right?" Haley said with an incredulous look on her face.

Lucas shook his head, eyes downcast and his whole posture spelling defeat. "I wish I was, Hales. He really put one over on me there, I had no idea he could even play."

Haley laughed. "What has the world come to? The mighty Lucas Scott, defeated on his own turf, and by a stranger, to boot." When Lucas gave her a pained look, she giggled and said, "Oh, come on, Luke. You gotta admit it's funny." Lucas just continued staring at her, which caused Haley to laugh even harder. "Alright, Jordan, I have something to cheer you up. Don't go anywhere!" She flashed a smile at him and walked back into the kitchen.

Lucas looked after her and couldn't help but smile a little while he replayed the events on the river court. He never expected Xander to be that good. Sure, he's pretty tall, but damn, where was all that speed coming from? I'd love to have him on the team at school. Too bad he's not a student here. Lucas' thoughts were interrupted when the door of the café opened and Xander walked in, freshly showered and dressed in jeans and a way-too-bright Hawaii shirt.

Xander walked towards Karen's café, deep in thought. He had another uneventful, yet surprisingly good day at work with Keith, and somehow experiencing something close to a normal life made things look really up for him for the first time in quite a while. I just wish I could sleep for more than two hours without waking up covered in sweat and plagued by nightmares. He had hoped that leaving Sunnydale would help, but so far there was no improvement. Hopefully Karen and Lucas won't notice. At least I did not wake up screaming at the top of my lungs the past couple of nights, so I think I'm safe there. He smirked at the thought of having to explain that kind of behavior to his hosts. Xander entered the café and found Lucas at one of the tables towards the back. When he walked up to him he couldn't help but notice Lucas grinning at him and say, "You know, in this state you could probably get arrested for that," pointing at Xander's shirt.

Xander sat down at the seat across from Lucas and let out a loud sigh. "I really prefer something along the line of you really light up the room, but yeah, I've been told that before. My friend Buffy liked to call me fashionably challenged, although I take offense to that." He really didn't think about it before he said it, but as soon as he spoke Buffy's name the hurt that made him leave Sunnydale came rushing back and hit him like a sledgehammer. His face fell a little, and he tried hard not to show his upset. Lucas laughed at Xander's response, but quickly realized that Xander's mood had shifted. Feeling a little uneasy about the sudden stop of conversation, Xander said, "Besides, it was the only thing that was still clean enough to pass the smell test."

Lucas nodded and bit his lower lip, debating whether or not to ask his next question. On the one hand he did not want to be nosy, but hearing the name of Xander's friend and seeing how Xander went from a good mood to being upset and quiet, he decided that it might make sense for him to bring it up. He cleared his throat. "Xander, I know it's really none of my business, and if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, just tell me so and I won't ask again, but that friend of yours, Buffy? Is everything alright between you and her?"

The question caught Xander off guard. Just great. Three thousand miles away and you still manage to bring me down, Buffy. Not only does the pure mention of your name bring back all those memories I just would like to forget, but no, it gets even better. Now people that don't even know you pick up on the vibe and ask about it. Picture-fucking perfect, isn't it? I really don't want to have this conversation right now. Outwardly, he tried to keep his reaction neutral. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, on the one hand you seem pretty, I don't know, upset or something after bringing up her name. And on the other hand…" Lucas said and looked around to make sure that nobody was listening in on their conversation before leaning forward and continuing with a lowered voice, "I heard you scream her name in your sleep last night when I went to the kitchen to get some water."

Shit, Xander thought. So much for that. He stared at the table, wondering how to respond and how much he was willing to reveal, if anything at all. Lucas leaned back slightly in his chair, not wanting to prod anymore and giving Xander some space if he wanted to back out of answering. Eventually, Xander looked up at Lucas, his eyes revealing the sadness that he refused to show on his face. "Let's just say she's someone I used to care about a lot."

Lucas nodded sympathetically, not believing Xander's use of the past tense, but also not willing to press the point. "What happened?"

Xander shrugged and let out a bitter laugh. Knowing that he could never reveal any details from his life in Sunnydale, he contemplated how to put it into words without saying too much. Eventually, he said, "She did a couple of things that just showed me what she really thought of me. I guess I got tired of being disrespected and taken for granted."

"I'm sorry, Xander. I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to about things, I'm available."

"Thanks, man. I appreciate that."

Tree Hill, North Carolina
18 August 1999 – 23:49 EDT

"Thanks for coming on such a short notice, Angel. I hope the flight arrangements we provided weren't too uncomfortable," Theo said and ushered Angel into the apartment.

Itio had provided cargo transportation for Angel from Los Angeles International Airport to Dulles International Airport in Washington, followed by freight truck delivery to Tree Hill. While it wasn't the best way to travel, it reduced the risks of any potential travel delays that would extend the flight beyond sunrise, posing a real danger for the vampire. And with heavy Sabbat attacks in the region, Washington D.C. was the closest airport under Camarilla control that was still considered safe for kindred to come through.

Angel nodded at Theo as he entered the apartment, his usual broodiness even more evident tonight. He waited for Theo to close and secure the door before following him into the living room.

"I believe you met before," Theo said and pointed at Itio, who was sitting at the kitchen table and studied a myriad of files that had arrived over the course of the past day.

Angel nodded again. "Yes, we have." He hesitated slightly before continuing, "Look, Theo, I'm not sure what you want from me. But before we start, I want to make a few things clear. One, we are even after this and my debt to you has been repaid in full, and two, you better be straight with me on this one because if you are not, all bets are off. Xander doesn't deserve to be killed by you or any of Paschek's other archons because he rubbed one of you the wrong way, or whatever the hell it is he did that got him into this mess."

Theo exchanged a look with Itio, who shrugged and said, "We need to know, Theophilus. This might be the best chance we have."

The archon of Clan Brujah knew that Itio was right. If Angel was willing to cooperate fully, they most likely would get more of their questions answered in a shorter period of time. And time was running out, according to the latest updates on the Sabbat advancement. Charleston had been overrun the previous night, with widespread destruction and mayhem of kindred-related locations and homes. The move had basically put their location in Tree Hill behind enemy lines into Sabbat territory. "Agreed. While we don't have a lot of time, this is what happened."

Tree Hill, North Carolina
19 August 1999 – 01:22 EDT

Angel sat silently at the table, starring at the page in front of him. He felt a headache coming on and had trouble concentrating on the words on the sheet of paper he was holding. For the umpteenth time since his arrival in Tree Hill he wondered just how his view of the world, and particularly of Xander, had been turned upside down in a matter of minutes. I don't think I ever knew him at all. I think none of us did, not even Buffy or Willow. How could we not have noticed anything?

He finished reading, closed the classified intelligence file and spoke up, his eyes still staring at the table in front of him, "It's possible, Theo. Something like you described has happened before. When I had lost control to the beast I went to the hospital in Sunnydale to kill the slayer. Xander was there, and he blocked my way. Told me I had to go through him, daring me to find out if I could make it with all the police and staff that were around. I tried to subdue him, to make him regret that he even dared getting in my way."

He swallowed the lump he was feeling in his throat, the tone in his voice clearly showing that he was anything but proud of that incident. "I wanted him to cower before me, or see him run away, panicked by my mere presence. I could smell the fear reeking from his body, heard his heart pounding quickly in his chest. But when I looked into his eyes, I felt like I was being slapped in the face. That strength, that resolve…" Angel trailed off. After a few seconds he finally looked up and straight at Theo and Itio. "I wanted to break his spirit, but in the end, he broke mine with nothing but a look. I turned around and left."

Theo looked somberly at Itio, who had a thoughtful expression on his face and kept nodding his head while contemplating the news. His thoughts were interrupted when his beeper went off, indicating that a message had been received. Itio took it off the table and pressed a button, reading the message quickly before getting to his feet. "I'm afraid we have trouble coming our way. A large pack has been spotted entering town. It looks like a cleaner team."

Theo was already on his feet, slipping into his leather jacket and grapping his SPAS-12 combat shotgun. "Fucking sweepers," he muttered under his breath while motioning for Angel to follow him into the next room. Pulling open the door to a walk-in closet, he stepped inside and turned on the light, revealing a surprisingly large weapons cache.

"Grab whatever suits you," Theo said to Angel before pulling out several phosphorous grenades and extra ammunition for the shotgun. Angel surveyed the assembled weapons and whistled impressedly. He eventually opted for a Heckler & Koch MP5K submachine gun with special flare ammunition and a nice sword with a slender blade for close combat.

A minute later Theo and Angel were on the back of a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle, speeding off into the night.

Tree Hill, North Carolina
19 August 1999 – 01:45 EDT

Edgardo had already made up his mind. He hated this town, like the town the night before and the ones before that. Places that had no importance to him to start with and that would be even more meaningless to him when he left again after a few hours. He silently cursed whoever had made the decision to assign his pack to this task. There was no challenge in flushing out the remnants of the enemy that was currently being defeated in other places. Not that he questioned the rationale behind their orders; he knew that they should eradicate the Camarilla presence as thoroughly as possible in the areas that they had conquered. It was simply that he considered the task beneath him.

There was no conversation going on between him and the three vampires that were with him. They had done this routine many times, and the scouting reports they had received at the beginning of the night had been thorough in pointing out possible hideouts and points of interest. The pack had split up into several groups shortly after entering the town proper, and so far the night had been uneventful. Not that Edgardo had expected to meet any resistance, but he had hoped for some entertainment at least.

They rounded a corner into a side alley on the way to their next target location when they found their way blocked by a dark figure pacing the width of the alley before them. Edgardo heard one of his packmates, Ox, chuckle and make a joke about dinner being served early tonight as they slowly and confidently approached the stranger.

As they got closer the dark figure stopped pacing, but did not turn toward them. Even though the moonlight did not reach into the alleyway to illuminate the scene, the pack of vampires had no problem noticing the details about the man in front of them. Shoulder long black hair was falling freely down his head and hid his face. He was wearing dark jeans and a black tightly fitting t-shirt under a full-length black leather duster. To their surprise, he started talking in a low voice when they were within earshot.

"I used to be afraid of the dark when I was a child. There was something forbidding about it, like darkness being more than the absence of light. But then I grew up and I realized that there were no such things as monsters that lurk in the shadows." He turned toward them, the hair in front of his face parting to reveal white make-up covering his face. Black mascara and lipstick was applied extensively around his eyes and lips, giving him an eerie and almost threatening appearance. His lips pursed into a wicked smile as he looked at the vampires in front of him. "Or are there?" he asked them.

Ox laughed as he moved his massive body towards the stranger. At six foot ten he towered over the man in front of him. "You are quite a freak, you know that? But to be nice I'll answer your question. Yes, there are fucking monsters out here." He paused slightly while looking back at Edgardo, who gave him a slight nod. Turning back toward the stranger in front of him, he struck his hands forward into the man's stomach, the razor-sharp claws of his hands easily penetrating the skin and flesh. "Congratulations, you just met some of them."

The man let out an agonizing scream of terror and pain as Ox's hands moved further into his body. The pack broke into a howl of laughter, and Ox reveled in the bloodshed and pain he was causing. But then the scream of agony changed. Slowly, at first almost unnoticeably, the scream died down and was replaced by a chuckle that quickly turned into hearty laughter. Ox did a double take of the form in front of him to make sure he wasn't imagining things as his hand and claws still moved inside the stranger's body.

The man stopped laughing, looked up at Ox and said, "That really hurt! But now it's my turn!" Before the large vampire had a chance to react, the man's hand thrust forward and entered his chest, easily breaking through the rib cage as the fingers quickly found and enclosed the heart. A sense of panic and nausea mixed in with the pain Ox was feeling. But just as quickly as it had started the pain suddenly stopped as Ox's heart was being ripped from his body and he crumbled into a pile of ash and dust.

The remaining three vampires were momentarily stunned by the unexpected turn of events. They were brought out of their daze when the stranger turned to them and said, "He was right. You are monsters."

Edgardo was the first to react. "Take that fucker down!" he yelled to his packmates while his hands moved to the Uzi under his coat. "I'll make you pay for that, asshole! Your death will be slow and painful," Serena spat out as she stormed forward, two wickedly-shaped daggers in hand. Her vitae was flowing into her limbs, the raw power tightening her grip on her weapons and speeding up her movements to the point where they became too fast to follow for the human eye. Meanwhile, the third vampire stepped into the shadows and vanished from sight, the gift of obfuscate hovering over him as he started to circle around their assailant.

Serena was the first to reach the man, both daggers slashing out with lightning speed in a wide arch aimed at his eyes and stomach. To her surprise, the stranger rather easily sidestepped her attack, the movement causing her to lose her balance and stumble a step forward, bringing her right next to him. Before she had a chance to turn back and slash out again, she felt his hands solidly grapping her head by the temples and she heard his voice whisper in her ear, "Pain is your gift, and pain is all you shall know from here on." Serena's head exploded in agony and she screamed out at the top of her lungs as, in a matter of seconds, she relived the pain she had caused to all of her victims throughout the years. She didn't notice the onset of gunfire from Edgardo as he sprayed the area with bullets, some of which hit her. She never felt the daggers being taken from her sliding form, or saw them cutting off the Nosferatu's head as he tried to sneak up on the stranger. Her consciousness eradicated, she never saw the look of disbelief on Edgardo's face as he finished emptying the full magazine of his submachine gun into the stranger without so much as slowing him down.

The stranger stepped over the whimpering form of Serena, now nothing more than an empty shell to a shattered mind, and moved toward Edgardo, daggers in hand. "Death will find you another night," the stranger said and paused slightly, looking down to his chest. Edgardo followed his gaze. Through the torn and bullet-ridden shirt, he clearly could see the bullet wounds closing as fresh skin grew over them within seconds. The large stomach wound, where Ox's claws had torn into the flesh, was gone. That's not possible! What the fuck is this thing? Edgardo thought. The stranger then continued to steadily move toward Edgardo, his voice getting angrier with every word. "You go and tell them. Tell them that I will come for them. No matter where they hide, no matter how far they run. I will come for them and make them pay. I will kill them all."

Edgardo nodded, a feeling of panic in his stomach. He cleared his throat. "And when they ask me who you are, what do you want me to say?"

The man's face twisted into a grin as he spoke again, "In the moment of their death they'll know. Now go! Tell them that they are not alone in the shadows any longer. Tell them to be afraid of the dark."

Edgardo turned around and ran. When he looked back over his shoulder the stranger was gone. Retreating to a pre-destined meeting point at the edge of town, he waited for the rest of his pack to return. After about an hour he heard the muffled sound of gunfire and small explosions from across town, but it quickly subsided. Hours passed, and as dawn grew closer Edgardo knew that nobody would come to join him. I hate this town.

SSN-773 Cheyenne, Los Angeles-class attack submarine
160 miles southeast of Washington D.C.
19 August 1999 – 04:22 EDT

Lieutenant Sanchez was almost running through the narrow isles of the nuclear submarine towards the captain's quarters, a computer printout in hand. Crewmen were giving him a surprised look but moved out of his way immediately. He did not return their greetings, his mind too preoccupied with the message he was holding. When he arrived outside the captain's door, he straightened his uniform and knocked loudly. "Captain, this is Lieutenant Sanchez. We just received an urgent message from North Atlantic Command."

The door opened quickly and a tired-looking Commander Livingston wordlessly took the offered sheet of paper. Pulling a pair of reading glasses out of the chest pocket of his uniform, he unfolded the message and read it. The content immediately blew any feeling of tiredness away. "Has this message been confirmed?"

"Aye, captain. Security codes have been validated. We have the target on track 8 miles away."

Commander Livingston picked up the intercom in his cabin and called the bridge. "This is the captain. Sound the alarm and order all crew to full battle stations. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill." Almost immediately an alarm sounded and red lights began flashing throughout the ship, causing an outburst of frantic activity as all crewmembers dropped whatever they were doing and moved to their designated station.

A minute later the captain entered the bridge, with Lieutenant Sanchez in tow. "Gentlemen, we have just been alerted by North Atlantic Command that a ship in our quadrant with course towards Washington D.C. is manned by terrorists and carries a chemical weapon of mass destruction. We have been ordered to intercept and destroy the target immediately before it gets any closer to land. This is not a drill. This is what we've been trained for, and I expect nothing but a complete success." The bridge was silent for a moment while the news began to sink in.

First Officer Galvan was the first to break the ensuing silence. "You've heard the captain," he barked at the bridge crew. "Set an intercept course to target. Jonese, any other contacts in the area?"

"None within a 10 mile radius around target, Sir."

"Course set to 272 degrees, Sir, At intercept speed target will be in firing range in 6 minutes," another soldier called out.

A few minutes passed as the submarine silently approached its' unaware target. When they were within firing range the submarine rose to periscope depth and Commander Livingston visually identified the target.

"Tube 1 and 2 loaded and locked. Firing solution has been entered, Captain."

Commander Livingston nodded and looked around his bridge crew, all eyes resting on him. Not since the end of the cold war had he and the boat he commanded been in the position to engage an enemy vessel. While the times, and the enemies, had changed, he still felt the same anxiety about his next command. "Fire," he ordered with a solemn voice.

A slight tremble went through the boat as the two torpedoes were discharged into the dark waters. With deadly precision they crossed the distance to the small tanker, scoring direct hits just below the water line in the starboard engine compartments. The explosions nearly ripped the ship apart and started a blazing fire that lit up the night sky. Three minutes after the attack the ship was rocked by another large explosion that broke it in half. Sea water poured into the wreckage, quickly filling it and dragging it into the depth like a steel coffin. Within ten minutes of the attack the sea was dark and calm again, as a lone submarine finished a satellite transmission and prepared to resume its patrol duty.

Tree Hill, North Carolina
19 August 1999 – 13:45 EDT

Xander sat in Karen's Café eating a late lunch. Keith had closed down the garage early and headed home to change and get ready to go to some basketball team party at the house of Keith's brother, who also happened to be Lucas' biological father. Xander couldn't help but grin when he recalled Keith's reaction whenever his brother came up in a conversation. There's no love lost there.

He thought about everything he had learned from Lucas about Dan and his half-brother, Nathan. It was unfortunate that they didn't get along, but Xander knew very well that being related often mattered little when it came to that.

Xander watched the activity in the street outside through the window while he was eating and noticed Haley walking up to the café, avidly talking to a tall, dark-haired guy in a Ravens basketball outfit. He couldn't help but notice how at easy Haley seemed to be at that moment. The pair stopped close to the café and turned to each other to say goodbye. The teen handed Haley the books he had been carrying for her and Haley flashed him a bright smile before saying something and getting on her toes to reach up and give the boy a quick peck on his cheek.

I had no idea she had a boyfriend, Xander thought. They look cute together. I wonder who he is. He saw that the other boy kept watching Haley as she walked up to the café and then turned around to reveal number 23 and the name "Scott" stitched on the back of his jersey. Oh no, could this really be who I think it is?

Haley entered the café in high spirits. Nathan had done well preparing for his upcoming history test and she was really proud of him and the effort he made.
He'll be fine if he only believes in himself a little more. The last few moments replayed in her mind. Nathan had walked her here and even offered to carry her books. They had talked about a lot of stuff, all not related to tutoring, and Haley had to admit that she had really enjoyed his company. When they said goodbye she kissed him on the cheek without thinking about it. It just felt right. Haley sighed. I think I'm in big trouble.

She noticed Xander at a table near the window looking at her and waving her over. She flashed him a smile and made her way across the room. "Hey Xander. Did you get off early today?" she asked as she sat down across from him.

He nodded. "Yeah. Keith is getting ready to get himself tortured, or as he calls it, willingly spend time with the most preposterous, egotistic idiot the town has to offer," Xander said in his best Keith imitation, causing Haley to burst into laughter.

She liked Xander and his goofy ways. Always trying to lighten the mood of people around him, she had really enjoyed his regular visits to the café. They were becoming friends quickly, which is why she couldn't help but notice the curious look on his face. "What's on your mind, Xander?"

Xander shifted uncomfortable in his seat and cleared his throat. "Haley, I, uh, I'm not sure how to ask this, but you can't get mad at me, okay? But I just saw you with this guy and, well, I was wondering if that was Lucas' brother."

The smile vanished off Haley's face, and she eyed Xander carefully to see where he was going with this. Her defense mechanism sprang into action and she said, "Yeah, it was. I tutor him in school, so what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Xander answered. "It just seemed like you two were, uh, close, or something."

He can't know. I mean, I don't even know myself for sure how I feel about Nathan, so how could anyone else, Haley thought. "We are not close. We are anything but close," she said quickly. "I don't even know where you get that impression from, and quite frankly, I don't think that's any of your business even if it were so."

Xander sighed, seeing very well where this conversation was going. Having dealt with not one but two slayers for an extended period of time had taught him a lesson when it came to things people did not want known or discussed. "I know we haven't known each other very long, and you are probably right that it is none of my business, but I just want you to know that it would be ok if you do like him. Wait, that just sounded wrong. I mean, it's not like you need anyone's permission, and who the hell am I to say something to you anyway. But the one thing I know is this. If you do like him, I think you will have to talk to Lucas. You two are best friends, and this situation would be, uh, complicated. It's not that it couldn't work out just fine, but you do not want Lucas to find out from someone else," Xander said, studying Haley's face. "I mean, if there is anything to find out, of course. Ok, I'm done rambling," he said and gave Haley a nervous smile.

He's right. I know he's right. But Luke's going to kill me. I can't have him hate me for this. Haley felt panicked at the thought of having to talk to Lucas. She looked up at Xander. "I can't lose Lucas over this, Xander. I'm not sure what I'm feeling right now, but I also know that I can't just control it either. I can't even allow myself to go there, and I don't think it's an option anyway. And I certainly won't give up my friendship with Lucas for something that might never happen anyway," she admitted in a hushed voice.

Xander reached across the table and gently squeezed Haley's hand. "If he is truly the friend I've seen him be with you even in the short time I've known the both of you, you won't have to. He might be upset…" when he saw Haley's raised eyebrow, he laughed and continued, "Um, ok, scratch that, he will be upset, but he'll deal. He's a good guy and he trusts you. And at the end of the day, I believe he'll put your happiness above his own feelings."

Haley nodded and got up, suddenly feeling a sense of urgency. "Thanks, Xander. Can you cover for me here? I think I have a friend I need to talk to."

AN: I apologize for the lack of updates. This story is very much alive and being worked on. Hope to have more regular updates going forward. Feedback is very much welcome.