Title: Sunnydale Heroes – Part 5 of 7
Author: Wicked Raygun
Summary: AU. Superpowers change everything in this reinterpretation of "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and "The Harvest". Mild B/A, B/X and W/X.
Disclaimer: Based on characters created by Joss Whedon. I am merely borrowing them to put on a puppet show. Watch them dance.
Notes: This is not a crossover with the show 'Heroes.' This is merely me borrowing a concept I find intriguing and adding it to characters I love.
Also I have very little desire to do a word-for-word rewrite of the first two episodes of BTVS. Those kinds of stories seem a little pointless to me. Anyways, any inaccuracies that come up between my story and the actual episodes have to do with either a deliberate choice on my part, or me just not caring that much. Part 1 will have the most in common with the script, since it's slightly inevitable. After that, the story really does become mine.
Also, thanks go out to my beta readers, Grey Wizard and Alun Lewis.
Distribution: Ask and you shall receive. Just email me and I'll get back to you quickly using new-fangled technology. See, I get email on my phone now. Surely jet packs and flying cars are just around the corner.
"Children?" The Master yelled in white-hot fury. "My Luke, my chosen Vessel, was destroyed by children?"
Darla believed that if the Master suspected that Jesse had killed Luke, that he would destroy him without a second thought. And she just could not abide that. Jesse was powerful, and showed great promise. Truthfully, she hadn't felt this way since her sweet Angelus had been cursed.
Determined not to lose him, she had quickly destroyed the other vampires who witnessed Luke's death, and coached Jesse into lying. It was a gamble, but one worth the risk.
"Not just any children, Master," Darla said in supplication. Favored or not, she knew that she was treading a very thin line. "The boy who could fly, that I told you about before, he was there. And a girl, faster and stronger than any human should be."
"A Slayer?" the Master asked in disgust.
"That would be my guess. Her name is Buffy."
The Master snorted. For him, Slayers were merely nuisances that rose up to challenge him from time to time. They were powerful, true, but easily enough dealt with. As it was, he had long gone bored with their kind. They were all too predictable. A mere word from him, and they would bare their necks and beg for death.
Damn this prison. If he were free, she would already be nothing more than blood, dripping from his lips.
"And this other one, this one who could fly, why was he here?"
"His name is Alexander, my Master. And he came for your new child."
"Ah, yes, the new blood, as it were – the one who can walk through walls. Tell me, child, what is your name?"
"Jesse, Master. My name is Jesse McNally," he answered, remembering to be respectful. Darla had told him that the Master was powerful. And here in his presence, he could truly feel it. Disobedience was unthinkable.
The Master looked long and hard at his new child. Darla had warned him about this. How sometimes he would stare into a person and would somehow simply know their deepest, darkest secrets.
"No. That is not a fitting name for my new Vessel," the Master said at last. "From now on, you shall be known as Cain. After all, it was you who slew his brother, my favorite son."
Darla tensed. Damn!
"Kneel," the Master commanded softly.
Although a small part of him wanted to resist, Jesse practically threw himself on to his knees. It was just like that moment when he had tried to escape. His thoughts were simply not his own anymore.
"You put my favorite son on his knees, and, without a second thought, tore out his heart, didn't you?"
"Yes, Master," Jesse said quietly, compelled to obey. A throbbing pain began to flare from his head, just behind his eyes.
"What is your name?"
"I – I am Cain, my Master," he said, his voice strained from the ever-increasing pain.
"And what are you?"
"I am – I am – ahh!" Jesse finally screamed in pain. "I am your servant!"
"And?"
"I am your son!"
"And?" the Master repeated, quieter than ever.
"I am your Vessel!"
"Very good."
The pain stopped, and Jesse – no, Cain, he reminded himself – felt an immense relief. He wanted nothing more than to collapse, but could not.
"You may rise, my son." Cain did so. "Now, I want you to understand something. I do not tolerate disobedience, but I do applaud initiative. Destroying a potential rival is understandable, after all. You are powerful, ruthless, and intelligent. If you can control your pride, the world will open up to you and dribble its sweet, red nectar upon your lips."
"Yes, Master," Cain said, grateful for the praise.
"One more thing, I do not like to be disappointed. Isn't that right, Darla?"
A small mewling noise came from the floor, where Darla's quivering body had collapsed. A substantial amount of blood was leaking from her eyes, mouth and nose.
"Oh, I nearly forgot." The Master released his mental hold on Darla, and immediately the shaking lessened. She turned her head slowly to the Master, and then passed out.
"She will need time to recover," he said to Jesse in a mock-whisper. "Come then, my new son, there is much to do: chanting, blood-letting, and such. But before all that, I would like you to tell me about this Alexander and Buffy. Actually, I'd like to get to know all your friends."
"I'll be sure to bring them to you soon, Master."
The Master smiled. "Excellent. It's important to remember friends and family."
It had been a long, quiet, miserable walk back to school for Buffy and Xander. Their efforts had all been for nothing. Jesse had been dead before they even found him. Even worse, he was now a vampire. There was nothing they could do now.
For Buffy, it was a familiar sting. She couldn't even remember how many people she had lost since she had been Called. Lothos and his minions had been feeding for weeks before she even met Merrick and found out she was the Slayer.
She sighed deeply. Some "Chosen One" she was. This was exactly why she wanted to retire in the first place. Whatever upper-echelon being had decided she would be some sort of hero, must have been playing some sort of cruel practical joke on the Universe. There couldn't be another explanation because, really, why else would they choose someone who kept failing?
As they finally walked into the school, Buffy spared a glance to Xander who had been just as quiet as she was. There was no telling how he was dealing with this. Frankly, she was amazed he was functioning at all. Okay, he had been quiet, too, so he was probably stewing in his own juices, at least as bad as she was. But it had been he who had dusted himself off first, and started walking toward the school. A good thing, too, because when they hit the surface, she had no idea where they were.
She felt the need to say something to him, but what? It wasn't exactly like there were Hallmark cards for this sort of situation. But just as Buffy was about to open her mouth to try and say something, she heard an upset voice.
"Sneaking into the Girl's Bathroom – honestly, Mr. Levinson, do you have any idea what sort of lawsuit you could have exposed the school too?"
"I – I didn't mean to, Principal Flutie. I, uh, got lost, sort of, and just wound up there."
"Oh, of course, you did, Mr. Levinson," Flutie said back to him sarcastically, while rolling his eyes.
"No, really! It was an accident. You have to believe me. I've been having the weirdest couple of days, now."
"I don't want to hear it. This school has a non-tolerance policy against sexual harassment."
"Harassment?" the boy asked in a horrified and squeaky voice. "But – but, it's after school! And there was no one there! Oh, please, Principal Flutie, you've got to understand. I didn't mean to go in there. I—"
Flutie interrupted him, when he finally spotted Buffy and Xander.
"Oh, look, if it isn't the disappearing duo. How kind of you to grace this school with your presence. Next time, though, you might want to try it during school hours. That's usually when the teachers are here."
This is not good.
Despite how unassuming he appeared, Flutie just had one of those voices that could rip someone to shreds without ever raising an octave. Like a caring parent who didn't get mad, just disappointed. So it was with genuine dread that Buffy faced this man.
"Uh, Principal Flutie—" Buffy began to say.
"It was my fault, Sir," Xander said, beating her to the punch.
Buffy turned her head and stared at him incredulously.
"You know how my friend Jesse is missing?"
Flutie nodded hesitantly.
"Well, you see, I wanted to go look for him. I thought I might know where he was."
"That's all well and good, Mr. Harris, but you should have said something to the police instead. Or me."
"I, uh, was pretty upset, Sir. It didn't really occur to me. And, I guess, I wasn't really thinking things through. You shouldn't punish Buffy, though. She just went to make sure I didn't do anything stupid."
"I see."
After a long moment, Principal Flutie finally spoke again. "Very well, Mr. Harris, I'll forego any administrative actions against Ms. Summers, considering the situation." Flutie took a moment to turn his attention completely on Buffy. "However, you should know that this is a one-time thing. If you should try anything else in the future, I won't hesitate to call your parent and/or legal guardian."
"You mean, my mom?"
"Here at Sunnydale, we don't discriminate against non-traditional families," he told her with a smile.
"Oh. Um, thank you?"
"You're welcome, Ms. Summers. But I'm afraid I can't make the same offer to you, Mr. Harris. Tomorrow. My office. Detention. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir."
Flutie sighed. "You're not a bad kid, Mr. Harris. But you keep making bad decisions. That's something you should stop doing."
Xander nodded, his face seeming bashful.
Flutie began to walk off with Mr. Levinson in tow, but then turned around.
"Did you find your friend?"
Xander hesitated a moment. "No, Sir. We didn't."
"Well, don't worry about it too much. I'm sure he'll turn up soon."
"Yeah, me too," he answered him, a sad undertone in his words.
Flutie gave him a small smile and walked off.
Xander's expression slowly began to change from a somber one to one that looked on the verge of exploding.
But despite how he looked, his voice sounded calm, when he said, "Well, I guess we should be just grateful he didn't notice that I'm missing a shoe."
"Xander?"
He just shook his head. He didn't want to talk. His joke had been a way to avoid precisely that.
An urge to ask him if he was okay, gripped Buffy, but she ignored it because he obviously wasn't. Instead, she decided to say something else.
"Thanks for covering for me. You didn't have to do that, you know. It was above and beyond."
"Don't worry about it. I told Giles that I'd help with the secret identity thing. Seems like the least I can do, really."
"You're probably gonna hear it from your folks, huh?"
Xander scoffed. "Not if history is any indication."
"What do you mean?"
"You remember how I said Jesse's folks were 'Leave It to Beaver' types?"
"Yeah?"
"Mine aren't."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm used to it."
Buffy had no idea what to say to that, so they continued on to the library in silence.
When they came through the double doors, they were spotted by Willow who was looking up from reading an old book.
"Did you find Jesse?"
"Yeah," Xander answered quietly.
When she noticed that he wasn't with them, she asked with dread, "Was he dead?"
"Worse," Buffy said. She sat down on the other side of the table from her. "I'm sorry, Willow. We were too late. And there's something else."
"Yeah, it looks like Jesse was holding out on us. He had powers, too," Xander said, finishing for her.
"Powers? You mean he was a metahuman, as well?" Giles asked.
Xander looked thrown by the question for a moment, and then turned to Willow with a skeptical look on his face.
"DC Comics? Really? Do I need to bring back the list of Twenty Reasons Why Captain America is Cooler Than Superman?"
"I thought it sounded empowering," Willow said to him, asserting her point of view with a quiet but assured tone and a hint of Resolve Face crossing her features.
"Okaaay," Buffy said, wanting to continue the conversation without acknowledging their weirdness. "Anyways, yeah, he was a metahuman, if that's what we're calling the super-powered people who aren't me. Or, I guess, a meta-vampire, if you want to get technical about it."
"What was he able to do?"
"He was phasing," Xander said.
"Come again?" Giles asked him, confused by the term.
"Phasing. Like Shadow Cat."
Everyone but Willow gave him a confused look.
"You know, from the X-Men?"
The looks continued.
"It means he can move through solid objects," Xander said while rolling his eyes. "It's actually a pretty impressive power to have."
"I got to agree with that one," Buffy said. "I couldn't touch him at all. Meanwhile, he just sort of put his hand in my throat and started squeezing. Not a fun time." Her hand unconsciously rubbed her neck at the memory.
"I see. That presents a problem."
"Yeah, kind of hard to stake what you can't hit."
"Whoa, staking! Who said anything about staking Jesse? He's our friend. He's just – he's just confused. We can talk to him," Xander said, looking alarmed. Willow sat up straighter at the mention of staking as well, looking no less panicked.
Giles and Buffy exchanged looks.
"Xander, Willow," Giles began, looking at them sympathetically. "I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, but—"
"We haven't lost Jesse, yet!" Willow said almost yelling.
Giles paused for a moment, before he continued. "Yes. I'm afraid you have. You need to understand something. Your friend Jesse died. What is inhabiting his body now is a demon. It looks like him, talks like him, even has his memories, but he is no longer the boy you knew. When you confront him again, you won't be looking at your friend. You'll be looking at the monster that killed him."
Both Willow and Xander looked miserable.
"I'm sorry, guys," Buffy said, when it looked like they were starting to really take in Giles' words.
After a few moments, she sighed over-dramatically at looked to Giles. "So, Giles, got anything that could make this day any worse?"
"How about the end of the world?"
"Knew I could count on you," Buffy said to him bitterly.
Giles took a moment to collect his thoughts and then spoke.
"This is what we know. Some sixty years ago, a very old, very powerful vampire came to this shore, not just to feed."
"He came 'cause this town's a mystical whatchamacallit?" Buffy guessed.
"Yes. The Spanish who first settled here called it 'Boca del Infierno.' Roughly translated, 'Hellmouth.' It's a sort of, um, portal between this reality and the next. This vampire hopes to open it."
"Bring the demons back," Buffy said, feeling depressed.
"End of the world," Xander added gloomily.
"But he blew it!" Willow said excitedly, adding the part she had found. "Or, I mean, there was an earthquake that swallowed half the town, and him, too."
"You see," Giles continued, "opening dimensional portals is a tricky business. Odds are he got himself stuck, rather like a cork in a bottle."
"And this Harvest thing is to get him out?" Xander asked.
Giles nodded once. "It comes once in a century, on this night. The Master can draw power from one of his minions while it feeds. Enough power to break free and open the portal. The minion is called the Vessel and he bears this symbol."
Giles went up to a white board and drew a strange three-pointed star.
"So, I dust anyone wearing that symbol, and no Harvest?" Buffy asked.
"If only it were that simple."
"What do you mean?"
"He means Jesse," Willow said, catching on.
"Exactly. What better Vessel than one that cannot be touched."
They were all quiet after that.
After a few moments, Xander stood up and walked away from the table. He disappeared behind a stack, and then there was a large, loud sound of him kicking a metal waste basket against a wall. The suddenness of it actually startled Buffy and Willow. He reappeared almost immediately, and moved to sit down.
"I've decided that I officially hate vampires," he told them in a way that almost seemed apologetic.
"I don't suppose we at least know where this little get-together is going down, do we?" Buffy asked, sounding more depressed than ever.
"The Bronze," Xander said simply, and everyone turned toward him again.
"Are you sure," Willow asked.
"Come on, all those tasty, young morsels all over the place? Anyway, that's where Jesse's going to be, trust me."
Giles stood up and went to retrieve his jacket from a nearby chair.
"Then we should get there. The sun will be down before long." The others stood up as well.
"Avengers assemble," Xander added quietly, with forced enthusiasm.
"I gotta make a stop. Won't take long," Buffy said.
"What for?"
"Supplies. Last time, they caught me unprepared. That is not happening this time. It's time to bring out the big guns."
"You've got guns?" Willow asked.
"Well, by 'guns' I mean 'stakes' – big long one in particular that I used to dust this skeevy guy who used to hit on me in chem class, when I so had a boyfriend. It's got sentimental value and really good heft."
"Oh, good, for a second there, I was worried that you wanted to burn down the Bronze."
Buff turned to Giles inquisitively.
"Is that an option?"
"It's not entirely off the table. For the moment, though, let's refer to that as Plan B."
Cain knelt before the Master and took his hand. He tried to hide the wince as he kissed it reverently. He knew he had to act out his part, but he was still a little uncomfortable about it. The Master then turned over his hand, his palm now facing him, and Cain bit into his flesh, drinking deep.
The blood that flowed down his throat, made him feel like he was on fire. It was more than just blood, it was his Master's power, his blessing. Cain released his hand, and the Master spoke.
"My blood is your blood, My soul is your soul."
"My body is your instrument," Cain quoted from memory.
The Master took a small amount of the blood still flowing from his wrist and used to draw a three-pointed star, the symbol of the Vessel, on his head.
"On this, most hallowed night, we are as one. Cain, my new son, is the Vessel!"
There was a moment then for all that to taken in by the crowd of vampires watching the ceremony.
"Every soul he takes will feed me. And their souls will grant me the strength to free myself. Tonight, I shall walk the Earth, and the stars themselves shall hide!" the Master finished with a roar.
Cain stood up then and faced Darla who was grinning at him wildly. He felt powerful then. With the Master's blood flowing through him, giving him strength, and his own powers assuring that he was untouchable, he felt like a god.
"Come on, babe. It's time to party."
End of Chapter 5